Grand Unified Theories of Shen Xi

[extrapenguin]

I have sent out inquiries about house showings! Only two places at first, but: progress.

To tide me over the anxious wait, I invite you to tell me your grand unified theories* of Shen Xi, Zhao Yunlan's mother, based on the few scenes of drama evidence we get of her! She wants her husband to pay more attention to her son, but how much arguing with one's husband over one's son is considered normative in the modern age? I, personally, find her strong-willed, but do you think she'd be strong-willed about things other than the proper treatment of her son? Do you think she shares her husband's prejudice against Dixingians? Did she know about Zhang Shi? /has perhaps unwisely chosen to tackle something related to her in fic

* Small sub-theories also welcome.

Comments

[forestofglory]

My gut feeling is that Shen Xi didn't know about Zhang Shi. She and Zhao Xinci seem to have had a somewhat distant relationship. Or at least I get the impression that Zhao Xinci worked long hours and wasn't around very much. Plus he was willing to sacrifice her.

Zhao Yunlan tells Shen Wei that his mother would have approved of him. This probably because Shen Wei is very respectable but I enjoy the idea that its because Shen Xi was interested in biology and would have wanted to talk to Shen Wei about his work.

[extrapenguin]

Nodnod. I do think it's plausible that she didn't know about Zhang Shi, but I'd have to rewatch the relevant episodes to get a better timeline on the Zhang Shi thing and how that, Zhao Xinci founding the SID, and Zhao Yunlan's birth slot into order.

I enjoy the idea that its because Shen Xi was interested in biology
Ooh, this is interesting! I'll have to think about it.

[phyrry]

In my big AU she ended up divorcing Zhao Xinci. I'm still not quite sure what's going on there. (I kinda wanted a Shen Xi/Zhang Shi/Zhao Xinci triad marriage but apparently it is not to be, woe.)

[extrapenguin]

I can see divorce as an ending, especially in AUs. Here she got a sprinkling of the time travel powder like her son and was sent forwards in time, so I'm trying to figure out how she'd react to being dumped in the "present" and observing her son and husband having such a terrible relationship – and also Shen Wei the Dixingian son-in-law.

[phyrry]

Hmm, I tend to think of her as a concerned parent who would be happy with Shen Wei as a son-in-whatever once she got over the initial protectiveness / concern spike. But there's plenty of room to maneuver. (Damn fridges.)

[extrapenguin]

I'm sort of thinking about how much anti-Dixing prejudice she'd hold, and how that would reflect onto her views of Shen Wei. (Also the size of her "oh no I have missed over a decade of your life and now you're all grown up" reaction plus stuff like Haixing's background homophobia levels.) And indeed, damn fridges.

[phyrry]

I think if she knew about Dixingren at all, it would be because of Zhang Shi - who certainly seems like a better husband and father than the human she married.

(An interesting AU idea: she married Zhang Shi and then wondered who this asshole she woke up to was. HMMM. It's a pity the canon timeline doesn't work.)

I would probably just go with "Zhao Xinci didn't talk about the details of his work at home and Shen Xi doesn't know about Dixingren until her son's boyfriend has an epic Secret Identity Fail in front of her," though.

From various aro discussions, I'd suspect she'd be very happy that her son was interested in dating at all, even given background homophobia and weird aliens. One of the few things we do know about her from canon is that she's more concerned with her son's well-being than maintaining the illusion of a happy family.

(Sorry for all the edits! I have Thoughts but I'm not good at getting them all out right the first time. Or I'm a nervous perfectionist. Or both.)

[extrapenguin]

I think if she knew about Dixingren at all, it would be because of Zhang Shi - who certainly seems like a better husband and father than the human she married.
She knew her husband was the SID Chief and visited the SID, so she must have at least a vague clue about Dixingians. Especially since she was killed/vanished by one in canon. So she might not know much, but she might also have a huge argument with Zhao Xinci about how he misrepresented all of Dixing to her.

One of the few things we do know about her from canon is that she's more concerned with her son's well-being than maintaining the illusion of a happy family.
True! I expect she will be supportive after her initial WTF at having been teleported 14-ish years into the future and her boy being all grown up. She and Shen Wei can bond over having irreversibly time traveled into the future!

[phyrry]

I'm reminded of the police officer ZYL shows his ID to during the opening of episode 1.

Officer: Don't you know the SID? They deal with the strange and unresolved cases. Every time they come, the notice is always issued from the higher ups.
(Source)

So just knowing about SID doesn't necessarily equate to knowing about Dixing. BUT. When it comes to Shen Xi, we just don't know! There are a wide range of plausible possibilities and whatever works best for the story can probably fit somehow.

Personally, I like the idea of Zhao Xinci getting dragged in every conceivable way from every conceivable angle, so I'm here for Shen Xi ripping into him. Very id satisfying.

[extrapenguin]

Nodnod. I think I'll have her knowing more than the random police officers, if only because she on at least one occasion turned up at the SID with Yunlan in tow, and you know Zhao Xinci would be the type of dude who answered work calls at all times of the day.

I'm here for Shen Xi ripping into him
Good! There, uh, might be over-ripe fruit involved...

[clevermanka]

I like the idea of Zhao Xinci getting dragged in every conceivable way from every conceivable angle

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

[mecurtin]

I won't say it's a headcanon, exactly, but I'm open to the idea that, whichever one she met first, Zhang Shi was the person she came to love, Zhao Xinci was how he acted the rest of the time and she put up with it--without realizing that she was actually dealing with 2 people.

Zhao Xinci at some point became aware that she didn't really love him, she loved the other guy (who she thought was him, but who's a Dixingren). If this was a Western medium, there's be no doubt in my mind that this would be a) why ZXC was willing to sacrifice her, and b) why he hated Dixingren so much.

[extrapenguin]

why he hated Dixingren so much.
I always got the impression that he got even more obsessed with killing Dixingians once his wife died? Will have to rewatch those segments.

Zhang Shi was the person she came to love, Zhao Xinci was how he acted the rest of the time and she put up with it
Interesting idea. I'll have to digest it. I'm not sure I'm too keen on the idea that no-one could ever have loved Zhao Xinci/that a Dixingian stole his wife and he was the only person who noticed. I think I prefer a version where she genuinely appreciated a mix of traits from both of them, and is now super annoyed at the whole situation once she learns that she's loved two people in one body the whole time.

[trobadora]

I always assumed she didn't know about Zhang Shi.

And I'm not sure how much she knows about Dixingren to begin with. Considering Zhao Xinci is ... Zhao Xinci, all she might know about the SID is that they deal with superpowered criminals. Does she even know they're a separate species, rather than human mutants? Because hello, yes, your son's boyfriend is an alien. :D

[bonibaru]

^^^ this.

[extrapenguin]

all she might know about the SID is that they deal with superpowered criminals.
This is a very probable stance, and one I'm going to adopt! I think I'll have had her heard the word "Dixing" for fluidity of plot reasons, though. She'll definitely get a surprise when she finds out that her son's boyfriend is an alien! (And she'll question her husband's bullshit when se sees a superpowered Dixingian who is a perfectly respectable member of society instead of a mindless criminal/whatever brief justification Zhao Xinci gave her for not coming home ever.)

[jo_lasalle]

Woo, house inquiries! Exciting!

I don't get enough of an impression of Zhao Yunlan's mom to have strong views. I do think it's heavily implied that they were close, and my impression of her is "generally positive", which would include her having her own views and standing up for her son. But that's circumstantial from how Zhao Yunlan seems to feel about her, and sons of dead mothers are probably not super objective.

Since we see no indication that she knew about Zhan Shi, my default assumption would be that she didn't. I think you could spin fic based on that idea, but in the absence of a canon indication, I don't think this would be my "standard" assumption.

Do you think she shares her husband's prejudice against Dixingians?

Interesting question! No idea...

[extrapenguin]

But that's circumstantial from how Zhao Yunlan seems to feel about her, and sons of dead mothers are probably not super objective.
Yeah. I assume that what we see in canon isn't too super biased, so she was a decent enough mom, but we don't exactly get much backstory for her. I don't think I'll have her already know about Zhang Shi – that'll be a thing she only discovers during the fic. :D

[kimboo_york]

I think she's strong willed because not only are they arguing, she clearly showed up at the SID offices when she's either been told not to (or "encouraged" not to), and especially not with their son in tow.

As for the rest, I personally did not get enough of an impression from her to assume much. I think the comment Zhao Yunlan makes about how she would be impressed that his "friend" is a professor is a bit telling, but it hard to know if that is because she admired intelligence and education or because of the social status of such a person. *shrug*

Things I think canon MIGHT support, with caveats:
1. There is a chance she was at least suspicious about her husband's "dual" nature, given that she thought there was a chance he would spend time with Zhao Yunlan if she confronted him at work. Now, she might write that off as a personality disorder? but anyway it's possible.
2. She MIGHT know about Dixingren at some level, just due to exposure via being married to the Guardian.
3. It's possible she wasn't killed but was sent by dark energy into the void or even into Dixing -- remember one time when Zhao Yunlan was in the void he "saw" her but we didn't, it might not have been a memory. (Although it would be neat to do an AU where Zhao Yunlan goes back in time and finds his mom as one of Shen Wei's military advisors, or something! ahahahaha OH NO ANGST BUNNY NOOOooooo)
4. She's the one who taught Zhao Yunlan how to love, and hug, and care about people. I think that's probably not arguable! :P
ETA #5: She's also likely the source of Zhao Yunlan's, shall we say, lack of respect for authority? LOL. Which I suppose says a lot about her, and possibly why her marriage to Zhao Xinci was unhappy.

[extrapenguin]

Nodnod! I'm definitely getting that she's strong-willed, and also very good catch that she might be the source of Zhao Yunlan's aversion to authority. Though now I'm wondering why the hell Shen Xi and Zhao Xinci got married – was it a whirlwind affair where they couldn't keep it in their pants and they had to get married stat, or did they just immediately start growing very far apart? The mind boggles.

remember one time when Zhao Yunlan was in the void he "saw" her but we didn't, it might not have been a memory.
If it's the time I was thinking of, it was a Ye Zun vision. Or maybe a Hallows vision.

I think the comment Zhao Yunlan makes about how she would be impressed that his "friend" is a professor is a bit telling, but it hard to know if that is because she admired intelligence and education or because of the social status of such a person. *shrug*
Hmm, I think I'll make it a little bit of both.

Although it would be neat to do an AU where Zhao Yunlan goes back in time and finds his mom as one of Shen Wei's military advisors, or something! ahahahaha OH NO ANGST BUNNY NOOOooooo
I was actually at one point thinking of sending her back in time 10k years and adopting a pair of orphan toddlers – only to get rudely yanked back into the present a few years later. There, both Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei would greet her as "Mom!" and get a rude shock. (On the other hand, stopping Ye Zun might be possible with Word of Mom.)

[kimboo_york]

There, both Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei would greet her as "Mom!" and get a rude shock. (On the other hand, stopping Ye Zun might be possible with Word of Mom.)

I NEED THIS FIX-IT OKAY! Mom landing in the middle of the mess and being all "Why is one of my sons in chains and the other is bleeding on the ground and YE ZUN WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR YOUNG MAN?!?!??!"

[extrapenguin]

Ahahaha yess the chorus of "MOM!" and then the horrified stares that follow. Also, Shen Wei and Ye Zun going "Does this mean Zhao Xinci is our dad????" It would be hilarious crack, even if the "uhh does this mean our relationship is actually incest?" thing might be a bit of a damper.

[ranalore]

I haven't watched the relevant episodes recently, so this is based on (extremely imperfect) memory, but when she shows up at the SID with Zhao Yunlan in tow, I seem to recall that one of the complaints she had against Zhao Xinci was that he had grown a lot more distant and erratic "lately," for whatever values of lately she had in mind. So I don't think she knew about Zhang Shi. I do remember, in the same flashback in which Zhang Shi transfers from the dead Dixingren to Zhao Xinci, he and Gao have the conversation about higher-ups thinking of starting a division especially to deal with Dixing cases, and at some point it's mentioned that the SID has been around for twenty years. So if Zhao Yunlan is at least twenty eight at the start of the drama, and twelve (I think?) for his primary education graduation, which is what Shen Xi is upset about Zhao Xinci missing, then Zhang Shi's been around for at least four years to cause confusing behavior.

I actually hypothesize that ZXC may have distanced himself from his family deliberately, in order to cut down on their exposure to his Dixingren "parasite." Which is not to say that I think he was the most affectionate and attentive husband and father beforehand, but he's the kind of guy who cuts off his nose to spite his face, and pushing his wife and child away to "protect" them from what he'd see as an invasion is in line with his behavior in the drama. To bring this back to Shen Xi, though, he was doubtless less erratic before Zhang Shi, a known quantity that was maybe "not the man she married," but only in the usual way. I think possibly they were an opposites attract situation? And I would say Zhao Yunlan likely does take after her, in ways that a person like ZXC might find inconveniently attractive in a partner (probably less so when she became his wife), but would find intolerable in offspring. Like a lack of respect for authority, reliance on intuition, social dexterity over painfully precise observation of social hierarchy, and possibly the worst offense, Zhao Yunlan is fiercely intelligent, and I don't see support for ZXC sharing that intelligence. Just contextually, I feel like when Zhao Yunlan talks about his mom being pleased he has a friend like Shen Wei, he's referring to Shen Wei's intellect and education. We don't see enough to know if Shen Xi was herself educated, with a career of her own outside the home, but it wouldn't surprise me if that was her intention, before marriage.

These are more or less my base assumptions about her. I do like to hare off in wilder directions sometimes, about whether she might have been Dixingren herself and not known it, about whether she was actually dead or caught in between dimensions somewhere, or trapped in Dixing. There are just so many fridged moms around, even the scant information we get on her makes me inclined to want to bring her back somehow, or AU it so she's alive, maybe even instead of ZXC.

[extrapenguin]

he had grown a lot more distant and erratic "lately," for whatever values of lately she had in mind.
Ooh, thank you! Also for the piece of timeline, though if you're referring to the remark I think you are, it's that the SID has existed for 20+ years/has an age measured in the decades. In ep 21, Zhao Yunlan mentions that something's more than dad has said to him in 15 years, so I assume Shen Xi has bee dead for about 15 years. (That'd make Zhao Yunlan 13, if he's 28 in the present.)

I actually hypothesize that ZXC may have distanced himself from his family deliberately, in order to cut down on their exposure to his Dixingren "parasite."
This is ... terrifyingly plausible. Oh dear. Yes, I can see an okayish dad distancing himself from his family and resenting his "parasite" (and all dixingians) for the fact. Does he blame Zhang Shi for Yunlan turning out like that, I wonder?

I would say Zhao Yunlan likely does take after her, in ways that a person like ZXC might find inconveniently attractive in a partner (probably less so when she became his wife), but would find intolerable in offspring.
Nodnod. This does make a lot of sense.

I think I sort of want to give her a career in the sciences and a large appreciation for Zhao Xinci's methodical approach to stuff. I agree that Zhao Xinci isn't exceptionally brilliant, unlike his son, and that his successes come from sheer perseverence and methodical approach, which a scientist might find appealing. Given my personal rage buttons and DNWs, I won't be making her a housewife. (Just for the humor potential, I want to make her an astrophysicist, because "dark energy" would mean something completely different to her, but I haven't actually thought about it.)