Guardian: Zhao Family Dynamics
Sep. 12th, 2022 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_ingnoHaving just read An Evening at Home by nnozomi I have... so many thoughts and feelings about the Zhao Xinci/Shen Xi & Zhang Shi & Zhao Yunlan dynamic. I kinda want to explore them? But also, knowing myself and my propensity for waaay too many WIPs, I don't think I'll be writing it :')
But! I wanted to share my thoughts because I need to focus on my rl tasks but the idea won't leave me alone 😂
Content Warnings for the inherent horror of possession, body issues and lack of consent due to said possession.
I think that's a fascinating take on how their relationship developed and it fits canon well, imo. I would love to take this complex relationship and the themes of privacy (and lack thereof), the creeping horror of being aware but not in control. Of relying on Zhang Shi's respect of his boundaries (the kiss scene in the bed was an amazing example, especially how Zhao Xinci's spite flared up at the "gift" Zhang Shi offered him... initiating the kiss but allowing Zhao Xinci control over how to kiss his wife. That's fucked up on so many levels, taking the choice out of his hand and then dropping it in his lap.)
The fact that Zhang Shi initiates all those little touches/intimacies fascinates me, but from Shen Xi's PoV, it must be horrible to realize that sometimes her husband is not her husband (When is your father not your father?) and she can't even tell them apart, because Zhang Shi works hard to become Zhao Xinci in those moments. A more teasing, lightly mischievous version of her husband but not so far to ping her radar as out of the ordinary. She doesn't know if it's her husband or his passenger who brushes her cheek, holds her hand, kisses her. And that's terrifying when you don't know this intruder, this stranger in your relationship.
That said, though, Zhang Shi definitely has to make up for some of the shit he pulled pretending to be Zhao Xinci, like initiating that kiss. That stuff violated her consent and trust since she didn't know about the stranger inside her husband, and I'd love to explore her journey working through that.
Tbf I think part of developing them there needs to involve dealing with Zhao Xinci's insecurities about Zhang Shi being a better husband and father than him. He needs reassurance that he's not being replaced, which would be hard to achieve and probably a rocky road.
Similarly, Zhang Shi's character is not particularly fleshed out in canon -- I'm curious what y'all think would make sense for his personality to be. He's used to blending in, to becoming the ones he inhabits, what's left of the person Zhang Shi is? We see his need for harmony to some degree, I think, in the way he tries to fix the relationships for Zhao Xinci, in the way he tries to make Zhao Xinci comfortable with his presence. Appeasement seems a common action for Zhang Shi, possibly borne out of his need to be the undetected passenger for thousands of years. But it makes an interesting base to build his other characteristics on. I think we also see a manipulative side to him, Zhang Shi strikes me as a very "survival first" character, especially when he first meets Zhao Xinci. I don't think Zhang Shi actually expects to get anything more out of life beyond surviving, maybe influencing his hosts to effect change in the world where possible, mostly constrained to his hosts' lives though. Zhao Xinci is already an interesting change there, because he's in a place where Zhang Shi can indirectly affect change for Dixing. (Does Zhang Shi still consider himself part of a people, of that nation? He's been apart for many thousands of years after all, and he apprenticed to Ma Gui, a Haixingren. What do these terms mean to him? I think he'd have a different view/perspective from Zhao Xinci there.)
And because I want a happy ending, Zhang Shi manages to jump into Shen Xi before the Dixingren is killed, only staying in the body long enough to stop the explosion (or contain it - possibly because Zhang Shi gathers the dark energy and uses it to jump?) Shen Xi needs to be close enough for Zhang Shi to jump into her, but far enough away to be safe from the explosion.
Also, this opens up the possibility of body-swapping between his lovers for Zhang Shi, and returns a modicum of privacy and control to Zhao Xinci :D I'd love to see a coda or sequel to this where Zhao Xinci needs private time (or has a super secret meeting he feels uncomfortable sharing with Zhang Shi) where Zhang Shi stays the day with Shen Xi. Zhang Shi being able to control dark energy might even work as a silent, secret bodyguard for her when someone else goes after the SID chief's wife... 🤔 and if Zhao Xinci allows him to return, well. We're back to the themes of choices and consent, aren't we? :D I'd love to see their relationship reach this point! (Though I do think Zhao Xinci would be all grumpy about it and 'I can't burden my wife with you' grumbling. How true that is, well. That's between them, isn't it? :3c)
OTL sorry I tried to sort this ramble into something resembling order, but my brain is going in all directions at the same time rn and I keep having new thoughts
nnozomi I have... so many thoughts and feelings about the Zhao Xinci/Shen Xi & Zhang Shi & Zhao Yunlan dynamic. I kinda want to explore them? But also, knowing myself and my propensity for waaay too many WIPs, I don't think I'll be writing it :')But! I wanted to share my thoughts because I need to focus on my rl tasks but the idea won't leave me alone 😂
Content Warnings for the inherent horror of possession, body issues and lack of consent due to said possession.
First: Zhao Xinci & Zhang Shi
I really appreciated the complexity of Zhao Xinci's resentment and exhaustion in how he ended up cooperating with Zhang Shi, the boundaries they've clearly been working out through trial and error, and the way Zhang Shi was trying to help Zhao Xinci upkeep his family relationships... and how much Zhao Xinci hated that, because in his eyes, Zhang Shi was doing a better job than he could and that breeds even more resentment.I think that's a fascinating take on how their relationship developed and it fits canon well, imo. I would love to take this complex relationship and the themes of privacy (and lack thereof), the creeping horror of being aware but not in control. Of relying on Zhang Shi's respect of his boundaries (the kiss scene in the bed was an amazing example, especially how Zhao Xinci's spite flared up at the "gift" Zhang Shi offered him... initiating the kiss but allowing Zhao Xinci control over how to kiss his wife. That's fucked up on so many levels, taking the choice out of his hand and then dropping it in his lap.)
Second: Shen Xi
What I really want is for Shen Xi to find out. Because that's where my brain went during the kiss scene: as horrifying as being possessed is for Zhao Xinci, Shen Xi has no idea that anyone but her husband is kissing her. Where Zhao Xinci's consent is questionable because Zhang Shi makes the choice to kiss Shen Xi (and with the lines having been drawn, I'm curious if this is a point of contention between them or not? because boundaries are great and fine, but there's clearly been a number of compromises made on the way there that Zhao Xinci at least isn't 100% comfortable with but practicality prevails.), Shen Xi is kissed under false pretenses: she's expecting her husband to kiss her... because who else would it be?The fact that Zhang Shi initiates all those little touches/intimacies fascinates me, but from Shen Xi's PoV, it must be horrible to realize that sometimes her husband is not her husband (When is your father not your father?) and she can't even tell them apart, because Zhang Shi works hard to become Zhao Xinci in those moments. A more teasing, lightly mischievous version of her husband but not so far to ping her radar as out of the ordinary. She doesn't know if it's her husband or his passenger who brushes her cheek, holds her hand, kisses her. And that's terrifying when you don't know this intruder, this stranger in your relationship.
Third: Shen Xi & Zhang Shi
Which in my head leads to: they need to develope a relationship. Get to know each other, for Shen Xi to get to know Zhang Shi as a separate entity outside of her husband. I think it would be easy enough for them to establish a Glowing Eyes rule in the privacy of their home, or at least when it's just them, so Shen Xi knows who she's talking to. I think there'll still be times where Zhang Shi forgets (or "forgets"), but I see Shen Xi as a strong character who calls him out on that bullshit. I also think it'd be neat to see her as someone who rolls with the punches (like Zhao Yunlan -- he's gotta get it from somewhere right? :D but also, her husband is the chief of a super secretive department and dealing with supernatural criminals, give her some credit)That said, though, Zhang Shi definitely has to make up for some of the shit he pulled pretending to be Zhao Xinci, like initiating that kiss. That stuff violated her consent and trust since she didn't know about the stranger inside her husband, and I'd love to explore her journey working through that.
Endgame: Zhao Xinci/Shen Xi/Zhang Shi
Because c'mon, it would be interesting. Right :D?Tbf I think part of developing them there needs to involve dealing with Zhao Xinci's insecurities about Zhang Shi being a better husband and father than him. He needs reassurance that he's not being replaced, which would be hard to achieve and probably a rocky road.
Similarly, Zhang Shi's character is not particularly fleshed out in canon -- I'm curious what y'all think would make sense for his personality to be. He's used to blending in, to becoming the ones he inhabits, what's left of the person Zhang Shi is? We see his need for harmony to some degree, I think, in the way he tries to fix the relationships for Zhao Xinci, in the way he tries to make Zhao Xinci comfortable with his presence. Appeasement seems a common action for Zhang Shi, possibly borne out of his need to be the undetected passenger for thousands of years. But it makes an interesting base to build his other characteristics on. I think we also see a manipulative side to him, Zhang Shi strikes me as a very "survival first" character, especially when he first meets Zhao Xinci. I don't think Zhang Shi actually expects to get anything more out of life beyond surviving, maybe influencing his hosts to effect change in the world where possible, mostly constrained to his hosts' lives though. Zhao Xinci is already an interesting change there, because he's in a place where Zhang Shi can indirectly affect change for Dixing. (Does Zhang Shi still consider himself part of a people, of that nation? He's been apart for many thousands of years after all, and he apprenticed to Ma Gui, a Haixingren. What do these terms mean to him? I think he'd have a different view/perspective from Zhao Xinci there.)
Shen Xi lives
And what would be really neat is to turn this into a canon divergence where working out how their relationship is complicated by Zhang Shi's presence but also deepening their bonds by sharing that secret would lead to enough groundwork that Zhang Shi is willing to risk himself to save Shen Xi, by jumping into the Dixingren who is threatening her. This could be a really cool moment, where Zhang Shi fights for control with the Dixingren criminal and forces him to let go of Shen Xi so she's a save distance away and then looks at Zhao Xinci, telling him "Shoot me!". And maybe Zhao Xinci would hesitate for less than a second before following through, because we know he's willing to sacrifice the people in his life for Haixing's greater good. That his relationship with Zhang Shi is complicated but maybe moved to something more than just co-pilots makes it more heart-breaking, but Zhao Xinci is ultimately practical.And because I want a happy ending, Zhang Shi manages to jump into Shen Xi before the Dixingren is killed, only staying in the body long enough to stop the explosion (or contain it - possibly because Zhang Shi gathers the dark energy and uses it to jump?) Shen Xi needs to be close enough for Zhang Shi to jump into her, but far enough away to be safe from the explosion.
Also, this opens up the possibility of body-swapping between his lovers for Zhang Shi, and returns a modicum of privacy and control to Zhao Xinci :D I'd love to see a coda or sequel to this where Zhao Xinci needs private time (or has a super secret meeting he feels uncomfortable sharing with Zhang Shi) where Zhang Shi stays the day with Shen Xi. Zhang Shi being able to control dark energy might even work as a silent, secret bodyguard for her when someone else goes after the SID chief's wife... 🤔 and if Zhao Xinci allows him to return, well. We're back to the themes of choices and consent, aren't we? :D I'd love to see their relationship reach this point! (Though I do think Zhao Xinci would be all grumpy about it and 'I can't burden my wife with you' grumbling. How true that is, well. That's between them, isn't it? :3c)
OTL sorry I tried to sort this ramble into something resembling order, but my brain is going in all directions at the same time rn and I keep having new thoughts
no subject
on 2022-09-12 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2022-09-12 10:10 pm (UTC)Looking forward to your take! I love the dynamic your Zhang Shi and Zhao Xinci have, so I bet it's gonna be delightful :D
no subject
on 2022-09-19 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2022-09-13 01:36 am (UTC)Because that's where my brain went during the kiss scene: as horrifying as being possessed is for Zhao Xinci, Shen Xi has no idea that anyone but her husband is kissing her.
For what it's worth, at least as far as this fic is concerned I think Zhang Shi doesn't think of it that way; his intention is, mm...not so much "kissing another man's wife under false pretences" and more "helping Zhao Xinci himself do what it's hard for him to do all on his own"? Shen Xi would probably not see it that way at all; Zhao Xinci most likely has very, very mixed and confused feelings about the whole thing...
In general I would absolutely love to see a fic (or several...) exploring Zhang Shi and Zhao Xinci actually dealing with their issues and Shen Xi getting involved! I have a couple of canon-divergence Zhao Xinci fics on the back burner of my brain, but your ideas are new and amazing and I'll keep an eye out in case you feel like writing them up as fic at some point (no pressure).
<3 <3 <3
no subject
on 2022-09-25 08:08 pm (UTC)(Also we just need more Shen Xi fic in general, even as little as we get of her in canon...)
One hundred percent! I absolutely adore any and all fics with her in it. Maybe I'll even contribute some one day :')
For what it's worth, at least as far as this fic is concerned I think Zhang Shi doesn't think of it that way
Oh yeah, for sure! I agree that Zhang Shi doesn't even consider it, he's been living in this type of situation for thousands of years now, if he had to view it what is a matter of survival as a violation of privacy for all people involved, not just his host, he would be hella depressed. So just as a matter of self-protection, he can't have that perspective. But I agree that Shen Xi and Zhao Xinci have different views on the matter, which is what would make the exploration of consent fun for me :3c
I have a couple of canon-divergence Zhao Xinci fics on the back burner of my brain
I'm all ears 👀 and excited for when/if you decide to write/post them! (but also no pressure lolol)
In general I would absolutely love to see a fic (or several...) exploring Zhang Shi and Zhao Xinci actually dealing with their issues and Shen Xi getting involved!
No promises <3 but it's a fascinating idea that I'm putting on the backburner for now :D definitely, it would help me get a better grasp on all three their characters, hmm...