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extrapenguinTense conversations! Hm, has anyone come across any AMVs/vids for NiF? I don't want to go look just yet because potential spoilers, but audiovisual canon I'm actually into, might as well go look.
General Lei is a good egg. He's a bit simple and untwisty, but telling Jing to go talk to MCS is a good idea. Every conversation between MCS and Jing in ep 33 was pure gold, especially the one in the snow where MCS actually raised his voice. The later conversation indoors, where MCS had to hide all of his pain of the past and Meng looked Concerned, was heartwrenching.
Jingmom is the immovable object to MCS's unstoppable force. I think she suspects that xiao-Xin has ulterior motives. Her shrine to Consort Chen was at the Emperor's orders, so she will not be censured overmuch – though whether the Emperor calms down enough to ask of the offense/actually dares publicly take responsibility is another thing.
We got more Xia Jiang backstory. His wife rescued Princess Xuanji from the servants' prison, then Xia Jiang ... fell in love with Xuanji? Or something? And the wife grabbed their son and ran off. Whether Xia Jiang staged the Chiyan thing just because of Princess Xuanji or due to some other motives (...trying to get back at his wife?) is still unclear. Nevertheless, Xia Jiang not understanding friendship will be his downfall – Xia Chen was quite shocked at how willingly he'd sacrifice Xia Dong. I expect there'll be consequences from that.
Marquis Yan is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite minor characters. "How could I meet my friends if I didn't do this" indeed. And he got what was perhaps the most challenging part – holding Xia Jiang. He pulled it off. He also had a nice scene with Yujin. Speaking of Yujin, he's shaping up to be quite a nice character as well. His manipulation of Prince Ji was excellent, and the scene with Fei Liu and the letter was adorable.
The plan to evade Xia Jiang's counterplan was good. Xia Jiang walked right into the trap, lol. I do wonder what the bit with Prince Ji seeing Xia Dong with Wei Zhang was – will this be brought up later as a way of ... framing the Xuanjing Bureau for the kidnapping? Accusing Xia Jiang of setting the whole thing up? He does not look all that good, even if the Emperor raged at Jing first. Had the Empress not arrived, Xia Jiang would've been toast.
I hope we'll see some more of Xia Dong's motivations. Mu Nihuang should be turning up in some time; let's see how she affects the field. Jingrui may or may not return. The former Crown Prince was rather pathetic when he was exiled, and I doubt he'll return, but Noble Consort Yue may try to counterplot at the Empress out of grudgery. I'm still expecting for Fourth Sister to either betray Qin Banruo or just walk away at an inconvenient moment.
My faves so far: Xia Dong and Marquis Yan. I really, really ship Jing/MCS, and enjoy Meng Zhi as sort of a hilarious not-quite-comic-relief mood-lightener dork.
General Lei is a good egg. He's a bit simple and untwisty, but telling Jing to go talk to MCS is a good idea. Every conversation between MCS and Jing in ep 33 was pure gold, especially the one in the snow where MCS actually raised his voice. The later conversation indoors, where MCS had to hide all of his pain of the past and Meng looked Concerned, was heartwrenching.
Jingmom is the immovable object to MCS's unstoppable force. I think she suspects that xiao-Xin has ulterior motives. Her shrine to Consort Chen was at the Emperor's orders, so she will not be censured overmuch – though whether the Emperor calms down enough to ask of the offense/actually dares publicly take responsibility is another thing.
We got more Xia Jiang backstory. His wife rescued Princess Xuanji from the servants' prison, then Xia Jiang ... fell in love with Xuanji? Or something? And the wife grabbed their son and ran off. Whether Xia Jiang staged the Chiyan thing just because of Princess Xuanji or due to some other motives (...trying to get back at his wife?) is still unclear. Nevertheless, Xia Jiang not understanding friendship will be his downfall – Xia Chen was quite shocked at how willingly he'd sacrifice Xia Dong. I expect there'll be consequences from that.
Marquis Yan is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite minor characters. "How could I meet my friends if I didn't do this" indeed. And he got what was perhaps the most challenging part – holding Xia Jiang. He pulled it off. He also had a nice scene with Yujin. Speaking of Yujin, he's shaping up to be quite a nice character as well. His manipulation of Prince Ji was excellent, and the scene with Fei Liu and the letter was adorable.
The plan to evade Xia Jiang's counterplan was good. Xia Jiang walked right into the trap, lol. I do wonder what the bit with Prince Ji seeing Xia Dong with Wei Zhang was – will this be brought up later as a way of ... framing the Xuanjing Bureau for the kidnapping? Accusing Xia Jiang of setting the whole thing up? He does not look all that good, even if the Emperor raged at Jing first. Had the Empress not arrived, Xia Jiang would've been toast.
I hope we'll see some more of Xia Dong's motivations. Mu Nihuang should be turning up in some time; let's see how she affects the field. Jingrui may or may not return. The former Crown Prince was rather pathetic when he was exiled, and I doubt he'll return, but Noble Consort Yue may try to counterplot at the Empress out of grudgery. I'm still expecting for Fourth Sister to either betray Qin Banruo or just walk away at an inconvenient moment.
My faves so far: Xia Dong and Marquis Yan. I really, really ship Jing/MCS, and enjoy Meng Zhi as sort of a hilarious not-quite-comic-relief mood-lightener dork.