This is a great post! Ya Qing is such an interesting character and I always wanted to know more about her. (But speculating is fun, too!) I was glad to see her at the end, seemingly reconciled with the other Yashou leaders. I like to think she and they really did reconcile.
Will she have to work hard to convince them to continue following her, or will they continue to trust her regardless?
Her Crow Tribe followers always seemed loyal to her and her goal of revitalizing the Yashou. I felt they would continue to trust her, especially if the Yashou tribes are now working together in ways they weren't before, even though she had made bad choices. But she admitted she did, and took responsibility for them in that she was willing to fight side by side with the other Yashou at the end, and risk her life.
There's a lot of research about the intelligence of crows and the corvid family of birds they belong to, but one of the most fascinating ones I've read about is a study of crows that remembered humans who fed them and humans perceived as threats. Here's a quote from an article about the study: [The crows] need only one experience to form a long-lasting memory of who can be trusted and who can't--essential knowledge when you're dealing with humans who might either feed you or shoot you. Crows also share information, allowing individuals to adapt to rapid environmental changes much faster than if they learned on their own. This reminded me of Ya Qing, and made think about why she allied with Ye Zun. One idea I had was that humans had done/been doing harmful things to the Yashou over time (such as destroying Yashou lands), intentionally or not, and Ya Qing wanted to be a leader who pushed back or fought back. Since the other Yashou tribes were not going to get involved or back her up, she felt she'd found an effective ally in Ye Zun. Maybe kind of a "the enemy of my enemy is a friend" situation. Her interactions with Zhu Jiu must've been better in the past. But it's interesting to think how Ye Zun might have appeared to Ya Qing. I felt that as time went on, she was more concerned that Ye Zun's endgame might not align with hers, but she remained loyal until it was clear she couldn't trust him.
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Will she have to work hard to convince them to continue following her, or will they continue to trust her regardless?
Her Crow Tribe followers always seemed loyal to her and her goal of revitalizing the Yashou. I felt they would continue to trust her, especially if the Yashou tribes are now working together in ways they weren't before, even though she had made bad choices. But she admitted she did, and took responsibility for them in that she was willing to fight side by side with the other Yashou at the end, and risk her life.
There's a lot of research about the intelligence of crows and the corvid family of birds they belong to, but one of the most fascinating ones I've read about is a study of crows that remembered humans who fed them and humans perceived as threats. Here's a quote from an article about the study:
[The crows] need only one experience to form a long-lasting memory of who can be trusted and who can't--essential knowledge when you're dealing with humans who might either feed you or shoot you. Crows also share information, allowing individuals to adapt to rapid environmental changes much faster than if they learned on their own.
This reminded me of Ya Qing, and made think about why she allied with Ye Zun. One idea I had was that humans had done/been doing harmful things to the Yashou over time (such as destroying Yashou lands), intentionally or not, and Ya Qing wanted to be a leader who pushed back or fought back. Since the other Yashou tribes were not going to get involved or back her up, she felt she'd found an effective ally in Ye Zun. Maybe kind of a "the enemy of my enemy is a friend" situation. Her interactions with Zhu Jiu must've been better in the past. But it's interesting to think how Ye Zun might have appeared to Ya Qing. I felt that as time went on, she was more concerned that Ye Zun's endgame might not align with hers, but she remained loyal until it was clear she couldn't trust him.
Also: Yes, Ya Qing's outfit is stunning!