Hi, it's the Anon who asked about the Zodiac Monkey not long ago, sorry to bother you about a fic you're taking a break from but I have more to say! I finished re-reading it, and I think I finally figured out who Shen is!
I'm betting that he is the reincarnation of Chang'e's famously dead husband, Hou Yi.
It all makes sense! Mostly because he was a skilled archer, got turned into a mortal, and he's a celestial that none of the other characters would have met because of how long ago he died (It wouldn't make sense for them to not recognise him if they'd met him in a past life). Plus, our team will be visiting the moon at some point to free Shanzha, so having him join them and get a dramatic reunion with Chang'e makes sense from a writing standpoint.
Anyways, this will be my last ask about this subject, I just had to lay my bet down and I don't think I've seen anyone else suggest Hou Yi as a possibility.
Very interesting theory! Loved your analysis that made you come to your conclusion! We’ll have to see once I get the future chapters out!
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A deity of archery who was said to live during the Xia period, sometimes cited as the tribal leader of the Qiong people. The mythical sons of Emperor Jun (or the Jade Emperor) and the goddess Xihe were embodied as ten giant three-legged crows, each their own sun. These ten suns were far too hot for the people of the land, scorching it and forcing them to live inside. Houyi descended from the heavens to aid them, armed with a bow and arrows given to him by the emperor. With each arrow he shot down all of the suns, leaving only one remaining in the sky. He also kills various harmful beasts and is considered a god-king of the people. At the end of his tale he is given an elixir of immortality which will allow him to rise back into the heavens, however his wife, Chang'e, either steals or is forced to take it, herself ascending into the sky to the moon. One of the final tales of his life is that he deposes another king, Tai Kang, but is himself deposed by lieutenant Han Zhuo, either being killed or dying of old age.
Pantheon: Chinese
Domain or Function: Archery deity, tribal leader, savior of mankind.
Alternate Names: Yi, Lord Yi.
Character Traits: A benevolent hero who slays all that dares face humanity.
Visual Traits: In art he is almost always shown with a bow aimed at the ten crows. Some versions of the story attribute a red bow and silver arrows to him, given to him by Emperor Jun. He is sometimes credited with having a longer left arm, giving him better archery skills.
Not surprised to find Yu Lei and Chen Ke are exposed to two strikingly different styles of masculinity and male parenting which helps shape their very different personalities.
Yu Lei’s domestic dynamic is characterised by very little gender role differentiation which makes for an easy and emotionally intimate family life.
Chen Ke has a more tense and rigid home life where he is expected to render a masculinity performance impressive to family friends; he’s therefore objectified and instrumentalised by his father which seems part of a cycle of abuse.
Aaaw Chen Ke gifts Yu Lei an original composition that his happiness inspired him to write - about them 🫠.
Lei lei is proving he isn’t just a romantic interest but is already Ke Ke’s emotional safe place and his confidant.
Their class status doesn’t suggest any appreciable divergence that can affect them negatively but Yu Lei does have the psychological privilege of not being encumbered by the more extreme limitations of masculinity on his identity; he therefore has a more robust emotional palette to extend to Chen when he’s experiencing an acute deficit.
Ke Ke’s character is so intriguing - he’s soft but not shy, quiet but also assertive in his convictions. I liked that the drama gives an early demonstration of his emotional intelligence and ethical grounding as he reciprocates emotional care for Lei Lei without him having to articulate the crisis of insecurity he’s having.
What does surprise me is that Li Ming appears like a dumb jock on the surface but he’s actually sensitive and perceptive to Ouyang’s distress despite his nonchalant performance.
It’s left to our speculation as to who’ll be the Hou Yi of this story sacrificing himself for the happiness of everyone else.
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Someone in the corporate au is Yo no naci para amar by Juan Gabriel coded. Who? I have no idea :D
I just got out of grippy socks jail and I see Juan Gabriel. I swear to the gods. If this is going to make me crash out. I'm taking this out on everyone.
Song yapping time yall already know the drill
....NO MAMES I JUST LOOKED UP THE LYRICS WHAT DO YOU MEAAANNNN. THE FIRST LYRICS (technically second but sssshhh) IS "Anhelaba tanto un amor que no llegó" I- I'M GOING TO CRASH OUT SO BAD. I just pressed play. 😔Fry what have you gotten me into. I should have know by the fuck ass title and that it was a Juan Gabriel song.
I FOUND WHO I WANT THIS SONG TO BE FOR. Chang'e. I was thinking Ao Guang but Ao Guang was so desperate to find nanahuatzin/tonatiuh that like I don't think he was ever truly lonely.
For Chang'e, however, in the corporate au would still have lost Hou Yi tragically, like she did in her original myth. There are different versions, so the version I'm following is after Hou Yi is given the elixir of immortality and hides it, Fengmeng tries to steal it, and Chang'e drinks it to stop him. This turns Chang'e immortal, and she becomes the moon goddess, leaving her husband behind.
So for corporate au what I am thinking is Hou Yi to have been a lawyer or a law student who, instead of literally handling ten suns handled nine big clients, saving the law firm he was working/interning under (I don't know how law students work, and I'm not going down that rabbit hole just yet). In thanks, the Jade Emperor would have offered him a partner position if he had chosen to work at his firm/company. Fengmeng being jealous of Hou Yi's offer, attacks and kills him. So, still separating Chang'e from Hou Yi as a result of his actions.
Now, how does this song fit?
Chang'e lost the love of her life pretty young. Like imagining losing the person you just bought a house with, and you were planning to marry and have children with at the age of 25.
While she did have her friends she could talk to, it's also just difficult because they are living her life. They still have their lovers; they are going to go on and have their children. Some of them do have their kids. (it's the equivalent of freaking out on what you're going to do after you graduate and then seeing the people you graduated with already having kids and a house. Like that was supposed to be her).
This situation is literally the beginning of the song. Everyone else was happy, everyone was moving on or living their life but for Chang'e. What did she have? An empty home? She ended up taking the Jade Emperor's offer to work on the company because what else was she going to do? It was the only thing that would connect her to Hou Yi.
Being stuck in that grief for so long and in that pain would make it hard for anyone to move on. And Chang'e didn't move on. She got better at hiding it and coping with it, but she never really moved on after Hou Yi. Especially when she remembered her past life after losing Hou Yi and knew that she would always lose Hou Yi in some form. After time passed at the company, she would have friends, but seeing "impossible" couples like Isis and Osiris or Nut and Geb, where they are still happy despite everything, just made her feel bitter and like the song said
"Yo no nací para amar, nadie nació para mí"
That is what she thinks at least at this point and time. (even though she is wrong BUT I WOULD CRASH OUT TOO).
But yeah. overall, song is very Chang'e coded, and she is very bitter about love. But she won't ever say that. Ask about finding a partner, and she'll be like haha yeaaahhh and then later go home and drink Everclear.
