My 2022 MDZS/CQL fannish highlights (fic, podfic, podcast, translations)

[dragongirlg]

Hello friends! Here's some cool fannish things I did in 2022 related to MDZS/CQL: I went on the Fanfic Maverick Podcast (fanficmaverickpodcast) to discuss two of my CQL fics: 忍辱负重 | to bear the burden of humiliation, CQL-based wangxian warprize whump AU in which Wen Xu takes Lan Wangji as his warprize and Wen Chao takes Wei Wuxian as his, and Ghost Feathers, an AU set in a world where everyone has wings, which focuses on Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji searching for Wei Wuxian during the Sunshot Campaign. Link to the podcast episode here. I modded the MXTX Diaspora May 2022 event, which features MXTX fanworks written by Chinese diaspora from various corners of the fandom. I also wrote a fic for it:

• 知往鉴今 | through the mirror of days past (E, 3K, CNTW with underage masturbation and no underage sex): Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. Modern diaspora 'verse. Lan Zhan performs an original guqin piece at the Cloud Recesses summer camp talent show, then encounters Wei Ying in a qipao and desperately seeks relief for his body's urges.

I started setting up my own translation site on wordpress, even bought my own domain for it (dragongirlgtl). Launched this week! dragongirlgtl.com

Speaking of translations, I did a quite a bit in 2022! MDZS chapter translations & MDZS snippets linked below the cut.
MDZS - chapters and snippets

• MDZS 001: Rebirth 01, aka the opening chapter or the prologue. (This is version 1 and will undergo revision shortly.)
• MDZS 100: Lifelong Hatred 03, aka wangxian's confession in Guanyin Temple. (This is version 1 and will be revised later)
• MDZS Taiwan printed extra: Day After Day, aka post-canon wangxian kink and domesticity. (This is version 1 and will be revised later).
• Snippets include: wangxian's wedding bows at the Jiang ancestral temple (ch 87),wangxian's post-bathtub-breaking shenanigans (ch 95), Wei Wuxian observing the beauty of the Jin maids (ch 47), Jin Guangyao's appearance (ch 47), and Wen Ning's first appearance (ch 10). These will be revised as I re-translate MDZS from scratch.

I also did several multimedia fanworks and collabs in MDZS/CQL fandom. I primarily wrote fic and contributed a bit of podfic. I really find collaborating so rewarding and fun, it such a delight to create something with another person who shares the love for the characters and story.

• the blue within (T, 1.5K, no warnings). A character study of Lan Wangji and the birth name gifted to him by his mother. I wrote this in November 2021, but drpanda99 did a gorgeous podfic with cover art for the MXTX Diaspora May 2022 event, so I'm counting it here!


• Butterfly (G, 1.4K, no warnings): Lan Sizhui reflects on his Wen heritage and celebrates his real birthday with his Ning-shushu (Wen Ning). Grief, family, hurt/comfort, hope. Fic by me, art by fluffysocks, created for Lan Sizhui's birthday.


• Memory (T, 1.6K, no warnings): Jiang Cheng grieves Wei Wuxian in the Burial Mounds after Wei Wuxian's death, then follows a mysterious light that traps him in memories. Grief, family, hurt/comfort. Inspired by Zhou Shen's Chinese and English rendition of the song Memory (link). Fic written for the hotpotluck_chaoscollective event, in which authors were given a series of vague, nonspecific prompts based on a movie, which then got stitched together into a complete story (series here). I later did a cold read podfic as well.


• 似懂非懂 | Half-Understood (G, 348 words, no warnings): Jiang Cheng searches for Wei Wuxian after the golden core transfer and encounters some unexpected news from an unexpected source. drpanda99 did a podfic of this later, though it wasn't part of a planned event, so I'm counting it! This is also my only MDZS/CQL fic on AO3 that has zero comments...though it did get a response when I put it up on twitter initially, so I'm not too torn up about it.


• Family Outing (G, 856 words, no warnings): Jiang Cheng spends the day with two-year-old Jin Ling and the newly acquired puppy Fairy. 100% family fluff. blackglass did a podfic of this as part of the Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology III event.

• 塞翁失马 | a blessing in disguise (T, 1.4K, no warnings): Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian discovers a family secret (tentacles!) when he sneaks up on Lan Wangji in the Cold Spring at the Cloud Recesses. Teen wangxian, fluffy, surprisingly no smut! drpanda99 did a podfic of this as part of the Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology III event.

• impossible to stay away, impossible to stay (E, 34K, Graphic Depictions of Violence): Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. Modern China, MDZS fused with The Shape of Water, with Wei Ying as the janitor, Lan Zhan as the captive mer-creature (jiaoren from Chinese mythology), and the Wen family in various management positions in the research facility. Helpful, grumpy Jiang Cheng and supportive Jiang Yanli. Pining, hurt/comfort, family, action and heist, hopeful ending. Fic by me, art by serapheilart (aka SixLayerHouse), created for MDZS Reverse Big Bang 2022.

• Ghost Feathers (M, 6.8K, canon-typical violence): pre-Jiang Cheng/Lan Wangji, AU in which everyone has wings. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng team up during the Sunshot Campaign to search for Wei Wuxian by following a trail of fallen feathers and rumors of a mad ghost. Hurt/comfort, developing relationship, mystery. Fic by me, art by LullabyDance, created for MDZS Reverse Big Bang 2022.

• 一家人 | One Family (G, 1.9K, no warnings): Lan Qiren POV, background Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. Modern diaspora' verse (Chinese diaspora in North America), in which Lan Qiren hosts his nephews, grand-nephew, and nephew-in-law for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Nostalgia with Teresa Teng, introspection, acceptance and family. Fic & Wei Wuxian's voice by me, podfic & cover art by drpanda99, created for Pod Together 2022.

• Hungry Ghost (M, 1.4K, Major Character Death): Implied Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji dies after the fight against the Xuanwu and proceeds to haunt Wei Wuxian after Wei Wuxian fails to return his body to the Cloud Recesses. Horror, suspense, mystery. Fic by me, art by fieryzard (aka kneadykitty), created for the MXTX-based themed horror zine NightHauntZine2022.

Here's hoping 2023 will go smoothly and give all of us even more joy in this fandom!

Comments

[kate]

Wow, this is all amazing. Congrats on a super productive 2022, and I'll just over here clicking links this weekend. :D

[dragongirlg]

Thank you, hope you enjoy!! Happy to ramble about any of my work, or hear other people's responses to it, on AO3/site comments/social media if you want :)

[dolcenia]

Congratulations on such productive year! I'm checking out your translations because lately I've been waiting to re-read the novel, and later I may check your fics! Thanks for your contributions to the fandom! <3

[dragongirlg]

Thank you for checking them out! May I suggest MDZS 100 (Guanyin Temple) and MDZS Taiwan printed extra as your first go :P they're the ones I did later when I developed a more purposeful approach to translation. Enjoy1!

[finch]

Congrats on getting so much neat stuff published, and especially on getting your website up!

[dragongirlg]

Thank you! It's been quite a year!