#But they get mostly the novel ending with a moment with a-yuan and THEN. into their HOUSE. With a DONKEY

[twilit-tragedy]

Shoutout to the MDZS donghua for giving Wangxian their secluded home in the middle of nowhere, with a donkey and two bunnies. You dropped this, king 👑

[cerezatodd]

I'm here for BingLiuShen because the two peak lords are in the ace spectrum and have no idea of what to do with their *emotions*. One do mental gymnastic on a olimpic level and the other push them to the side in favor of *fighting*.

I like the idea of Binghe and Liu Qingge being Shen Yuan/Qingqiu husband that later become friends-rivals.

my two cents on Liushen vs Bingqiu

imo the truly wild thing about the Liushen vs Bingqiu debate is that, from the perspective of all the non-transmigrator characters, Liu Qingge is a much more appropriate age to be in a relationship with Shen Qingqiu than Luo Binghe. HOWEVER, based on the fact we have no idea how long the Qing generation have been peak lords, it’s absolutely possible that the actual age difference between Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan is MULTIPLE TIMES larger than the age difference between Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe.

[youhideastar]

WujiWatch: CQL Rewatch Episode 26

I see a fair amount of meta (and AO3 comments) treating CQL/The Untamed like the Diet Coke version of MDZS, and the reason given is often “CQL is less morally complex.” Why? “Because Wei Wuxian’s actions are more morally justified there.”

What this episode brings home to me is that that chain of logic... just doesn’t follow. Because Wei Wuxian spends much of the story in opposition to other sympathetic characters, the story's moral complexity is in significant part a zero-sum game: if Wei Wuxian becomes less morally crunchy, then the people opposing him—a group that includes, at various times, sympathetic characters like Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng, late-stage Jin Zixuan, and, most of all, Lan Wangji—necessarily become more morally crunchy. The more obviously virtuous Wei Wuxian’s goals are, the more morally troubling it is for those other characters to oppose those goals.

The Qiongqi Dao rescue in this episode is perhaps the best example of this. Wei Wuxian shows up, terrifies some guards, turns Wen Ning into an undead slave without his consent and over his next-of-kin’s objection, uses Wen Ning to slaughter those same guards and others, without inquiring as to who is guilty and who might not be, then loads a subset of the surviving Wens onto stolen horses and makes a break for it. This is already pretty morally crunchy, but. Unlike in the novel, we later find out from Jiang Cheng that the surviving Wens are "the young, the old, and the weak," and are implied to be partly or mostly noncombatants. So the means are repugnant, but the end is unquestionably good. He is trying to get vulnerable, traumatized civilians to safety – away from the people who tortured and murdered them with impunity.

And then Lan Wangji shows up with his stylish umbrella and tries to stop him.

Yeah. Lan Wangji, hero of the common people, stands there in the rain before the fleeing refugees. He sees Wen Qing, who helped him when he was held captive by Wen Chao, and Wen Ning, who gave Wei Wuxian the medicine that healed his leg in Xuanwu Cave. He sees the old people, obvious noncombatants; he sees A-Yuan. An innocent child.

And he says, Wei Ying, stop. Don't do this. Come back with me. The unavoidable corollary of which is: Wei Ying. Let these people die.

It is, I think, his lowest moment of the whole series. (And one that doesn’t exist in the novel, where this confrontation never happens.) If this is the novel, and many of these people are plainly former enemy combatants, you can perhaps excuse it, at least a little. They arguably don’t need Wei Wuxian’s protection to survive, and they arguably don’t deserve his protection—not as much, anyway. But in the drama, there’s no argument: this is Lan Wangji putting his orthodoxy and his feelings for Wei Wuxian above what’s right. He would trade those 50 innocent lives for Wei Wuxian’s—he would do it in a heartbeat.

Sometimes I wonder whether that’s what really bothers some of the folks who say they don’t like CQL on moral complexity grounds; not a lack of moral complexity, but the fact that the moral complexity in CQL attaches to the “wrong” character(s).

[dtriad]

I came across this bilibili video with commentary on a lot of the actors in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994). Adding my own scatter-brained thoughts on some of the featured characters, with timestamps:

Bi Yanjun as Yang Xiu / Li Ru (6:31) - omg TIL they were played by the same actor? I see it now... the power of facial hair & acting lmao. I like Yang Xiu a lot :3 though here he's not overtly obnoxious (affectionate) like Zhai Tianlin's Yang Xiu in TAA

Li Jianyi / Xiu Zongdi as Chen Gong (7:00) - XZD's Chen Gong is /chef's kiss/ I love the final Cao Cao/Chen Gong breakup scene at 白门楼, Cao Cao gazing at his white moonlight who refuses any possibility of surrender/reconciliation (Cao Cao: you'd rather be with Lü Bu than be with me??? HIM??? and now you'd rather die than be with me???)

Cao Li as Lu Su (9:17) - babyface mengmeng!!!!!! way too cute & honest compared to historical Lu Su haha

Gao Lancun as Sima Zhao (10:17) - confession, I still haven't watched the whole thing in order b/c I keep jumping around & picking out scenes/arcs instead, sooooo I have mostly skipped Sima Zhao content... but I love OP's description of Sima Zhao "who seems like he's looking at [others as] trash" lmaooo

An Yaping as Ma Chao (10:53) - 锦马超! Luo Guanzhong: /sweating I gotta spruce up this guy dammit! well good job LGZ I love watching him go after Cao Cao

Chen Hong as Diaochan (11:35) - MY DARLING!!!!!!! I really enjoy all the moments when she darts a glance at Dong Zhuo or Lü Bu to gauge her next move. & LOVE her character song—

Yang Fan / Zhang Shan / Hou Yongsheng as Zhao Yun (12:28) - ZILONG! ZILONG! too many A+ character songs... Zhang Shan's horsemanship was crazy good

Wu Xiaodong as Sun Quan (13:20) - he successfully captures that bearing/air as a ruling lord, but I'm sorry Sun Quan every time I look at you I think 孙���万... pls, let your generals do the fighting 😂 also I am weirded out by the fact he's got a luxurious beard while Zhou Yu goes around w/o one because then he would blow his identity as young Yuan Shao (speaking of facial hair, they dropped the ball with Sun Ce, why didn't he get a beard as nice as Sun Quan's!!)

Zhang Tianshu / Fan Zhiqi as Jiang Wei (14:14) - my young bb 甜姜! my old bb 苦姜! ;_______; ok tbh the thing that bugs me most about the 2010 drama is that they end the final ep with Sima Yi's death and toss in a voiceover "yadda yadda a decade+ later, Shu surrendered, yadda yadda" and THAT'S IT???? BUT WHERE IS THE CULMINATION OF THE TRAGEDY OF JI HAN???? JIANG WEI???? if you don't wanna adapt that part then ok just own it and wrap up the show with a thematically appropriate ending, why even bother to shove the idea of 分久必合 into the voiceover during the last half-minute as;dlkfja;sdlk. anyway wahhhh @ OP's commentary: "姜维是承载着蜀汉的所有美好与激情的存在，但是最后终会化为壮烈与凄凉 [...] 我们会在樊志起的身上看到诸葛亮，看到关羽，看到赵云，看到刘备的影子" ;______;

Zhang Guangbei as Lü Bu (17:15) - hahaha omg he originally intended to audition for Zhou Yu???? ok, especially after reading 《早安！三国打工人》I can't help but admit he's become my poor little muddle-headed meow meow... and ZGB is A+ in this role

Hong Yuzhou as Zhou Yu (18:35) - 美周郎 absolutely deserves that BGM cut at 19:28 /swishes cloak

Wei Zongwan as Sima Yi (20:37) - SO. MUCH. happening beneath the stillness of Sima Yi. he also deserves that BGM cut at 21:24. the ultimate 猫头鹰!!

Sun Yanjun as Liu Bei (23:27) - I like the historical Liu Bei more than ROTK Liu Bei, but major major major props to SYJ for, frankly, elevating ROTK Liu Bei with his portrayal, so 央三 Liu Bei > novel ROTK Liu Bei \o/

Tang Guoqiang as Zhuge Liang (24:31) - YES

Bao Guo'an as Cao Cao (26:46) - HELL YES

this got so much longer than I expected /facepalm

[llycaons]

Section Six: Part XVIII

The shame corner for naughty fanfiction: fics with issues within the actual work (mostly minor)

specifics: these issues are mostly background 3zun, hints of jl/lsz, and some weird gender and/or sex stuff. I put the better ones first and the worst ones later. still read the author notes and everything but I genuinely think these are good quality besides their issues. most of the author issues here are also less serious than they were in the previous section

*grave goods* by luckymarrow                

summary: a modern AU work exploring mortality and grief, set in NYC. wwx is a mortician and lwj is a lawyer advocating for trafficked women and undocumented immigrants, like his late mother was. this was a realistic and compassionate look at death from both a professional and personal standpoint in ways that I found very cathartic and personally meaningful. the way lwj’s mother was discussed made me really emotional and his arc regarding her came full circle so beautifully towards the end. and a-yuan was REALLY cute, I think they captured him so well. it has a hopeful finale, but it really puts you through the ringer. it did get a little corny towards the end tho. either canon but more novel in the sex scenes check author notes for warnings pertaining to death and grieving, child death, domestic violence, family death, femicide (though not named as such), and suicide some of the sex scenes are really hardcore bdsm so just keep that in mind but everything is clearly consensual and safe work issues: this work is in this section because one of the sex scenes incorporates cnc but it’s like two lines, and like I said above it’s all clearly consensual author issues: has written genderbends

*paired wings soaring by typefortydeductions

summary: in this modern british AU, lwj (poetry translator) and wwx (artist) move in with lwj’s aging mother (a poet in exile from china) after she has a fall. the tenderness and heart and romance of this was so beautiful, especially with how it tied into wwx’s art pieces subtle references to domestic violence/abuse re: mama lan situation. nothing is gratuitous or even spelled out explicitly work issues: there was a short scene of (consensual-after-the-fact) somnophilia and some…weird things in some of the sex scenes. the bdsm was written better than in most fics, and I did like that they focused more on trust, but some of them still skeeved me out lxc is with jgy in this, and he does not turn out to be evil or betray him or anything and it ends with 3zun so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ also when wwx proposed to lwj he went down on both knees because he’s a sub 😭 aneeway author issues: has written cnc, dubcon, genderbends, A/B/O and 3zun

*The Shape of Your Love (is Horny) by Vamillepudding

summary: demon influencer wwx meets and then tries to romance a mortal lwj without knowing much about how humans work, despite having lived on earth for years and watching a lot of demon porn about humans. just really silly and off the wall. they nail lwj being a weirdo and this makes him really compatible with non-human wwx. the way they had instant chemistry and fell right into a relationship was so low-drama and sweet. based on the title you’d think there are weird sex things going on but it’s actually rated just T. nhs is great and there’s a ton of really funny lan family moments and jc stuff too. an extremely good comedic work work issues: unfortunately the other main couple is jgy/lxc author issues: see above - xiyao

*happy not knowing by plonk

summary: this bold author dared to ask the question: what if lxc was incredibly stupid? what if he didn’t realize his brother was gay? what if he was offensively, hilariously, absurdly oblivious to the fact that wwx and lwj were together in a romantic and sexual sense? while they all lived together in CR? for years? the result is a very funny multi-POV tale lasting five+ years that at the end reached heights of heteronormative nonsense so extreme that it was genuinely hurtful. but I love that lxc is the butt of every joke and mocked at every turn, presented as foolishly oblivious while everyone else knows the truth. I adore qin su in this, and the rest of the story actually goes quite well for everyone compared to canon, so it’s a lot more lighthearted wq and jc is a background pair (that lxc is equally oblivious to), but they showed up only once or twice and jc doesn’t abandon her clan to death in this AU so I don’t mind as much if lxc’s inability to see wx’s relationship as romantic is upsetting instead of humorous to you, this may be a fic to skip. the other characters do see and support wx even when lxc doesn’t work issues: although not treated as important, the line that established wx were sleeping together stated that their first time was when wwx was drunk. wwx refers to himself once as a wife. there’s a scene of somnophilia (sort of?), which I found very uncomfortable even if it was consensual. it also leans into wx having loud and aggressive sex everywhere in CR, and it’s implied they have sex outside where juniors saw them so 😬 author issues: has written genderbends and A/B/O

remember how the morning will arrive by remiges

summary: a three-part series focused on lqr, who, postcanon, continues to grapple with his personal history of child sexual abuse at the hands of his older brother. this is an intense work, but not graphic or gratuitous, and it has a hopeful ending. it incorporates an interesting and unique backstory for lqr and madam lan, and the way it handles trauma and evokes emotion is incredibly powerful and cathartic despite lqr’s very bleak and painful history, and lqr shares moments of solidarity with other survivors of sexual abuse. the novel-leaning characterizations were overall quite good work issues: I really liked the first two parts of this series, but the third one disappointed me. lqr stumbles upon a (non-graphic) cnc roleplay scene with wx and, understandably, loses his shit. it’s handled about as well as it could be by the characters, lqr is immediately told that what’s happening in consensual, and once he has a few days to process he’s like ‘yeah that’s your business it’s fine,’ which like. idk it felt shitty to make him see that and then say that. the finale of this series does wrap up the story in a really satisfying way, I just wish the author hasn’t been so faithful to the novel wx dynamics and then go a step further by having their fictional survivor of csa validate rape roleplay too? author issues: cnc

kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool

summary: *deep breath* canon divergent parent trap AU where a-yuan had a twin brother, and in the confusion of nightless city, wwx and lwj are both injured in ways that lead them to believe the other AND one of the twins is dead. afterwards, they each raise one twin, lwj in CR and wwx as a rogue cultivator hiding his identity, neither realizing the truth. 16 years later, the twins meet on a night hunt, figure out who they are, and switch places to figure out the story and get their parents together. the style for this fic was super fun, and I thought the humor, characterizations, and relationship writing were just excellent. jyl is alive, and lxc plays a much different role in wx’s relationship; the darker elements juxtapose the lighter ones quite nicely. while the relationships between all of the ‘good guys’ lacked the drama and tension of canon, flashback-era wx were just devastatingly romantic and tender, and their post-reunion relationship is very sweet. there’s a surprise f/f ship we see towards the end! the finale gives some quieter characters a chance to shine, though I did find it a bit silly and melodramatic personally there was way too much kid content compared to wx content, but that’s just a preference on my end. if you like the juniors you’ll probably enjoy that part more than I did. just see the notes about it, because… work issues: you know how fucking mad I am that this fic started hinting that jl had a crush on lsz. here they’re closer in age and technically only family friends since wwx isn’t in the picture, but there’s no excuse for ljy to then start crushing on wwx’s kid who switches spots with lsz. like, obvs I still consider it incest but ig in-universe it’s only not incest by the barest of technicalities 🙄 none of the kids actually get together in the fic itself, but it was just SO annoying and gross and then the author had to be like ‘lol they start dating’ in the notes after the last chapter. shut UP! author issues: xiyao, niyao, and 3zun

Back to Start

[raine-kai]

Novel Wen Ziduan Has Issues

As you might know if you have seen anything I have posted here or written lately or talked about in the past month or so, I like Third Prince, or Wen Ziduan, from Love Like the Galaxy quite a lot.

What you might not know is that even though I liked him before I read the book, based on the drama alone, I like him even more that I read the book.

Let me be clear: novel Ziduan is a disaster.

For one thing, Yuan Shanjian's tendency to neg Shaoshang at every possible opportunity? That was Ziduan in the book. YSJ is a lot less directly offensive in his behavior toward Shaoshang, which makes him a lot more likable in the book. They still argue a lot, but he doesn't go out of his way to try to make her feel bad about herself. Meanwhlie, Ziduan only goes through one scene where he outright starts negging Shaoshang in the drama—and to be fair, this is episode 49 and he was having a really bad day that day, after having had a terrible day the day before as well—and she tells him off pretty well for it. He has a reason to talk to her that day, but otherwise he seems to mostly ignore her, or roll with whatever else is going on in the scene. Ziduan in the drama comes off as a foil of sorts to Shaoshang. They both care deeply for Huo Buyi, but while Ziduan has power in theory, he can do nothing to help Huo Buyi and is losing his mind (he behaves more erratically, more angrily and snappishly in that episode than we ever see him before or after) after the revenge. Shaoshang might not have power, but she has the keys to exonerating Huo Buyi, and she is exceedingly quiet and calm as she makes her case—both to Ziduan for her right to personhood, and to the court for Huo Buyi. By the end of this scene, we see Shaoshang share a warning with Ziduan, who bows to her and promises to bring Zisheng back, and make him apologize to her.

This is a far cry from the behavior of novel Ziduan, who takes every possible opportunity to point out how inferior Shaoshang is, especially relative to Zisheng.

He does eventually come to terms with the fact that Shaoshang and Zisheng are going to be together, in his own way... But not before being absolutely delighted to betroth Shaoshang to Yuan Shanjian, only to be deeply upset when Zisheng returns and wants her back. There's a whole scene where he demands to know why nobody told him that he would want her back, and rants about how poor of a match Shaoshang is for Zisheng, who deserves the best...even though he is just as dumb as she is, he admits toward the end.

I cannot articulate enough how much novel Ziduan comes across like a comphet gay boy trying to justify why he's mad that his best friend is dating someone by making it the girl's fault. Somehow.

I ship OT3 in the world of the drama, but I don't see how that could work in the novel world unless ZIduan does one hell of a lot of soulsearching.

The other day, I found the novel extras, and there was one for Ziduan, and OH BOY, I did not think this shit could get even funnier.

First off, this man is a misogynistic mess from the moment we get into his head. He says there are two kinds of women: virtuous and unvirtuous. And then he proceeds to list all the women in his life as various shades of unvirtuous. Empress Xuan? Very unvirtuous. His mother, Consort Yue? Extremely unvirtuous. His aunts and sisters? Never heard of the word virtue in their lives—except Second Sister, she's ok. (I have to assume this assessment is pre-time skip, because post time-skip Second Princess had apparently become less ladylike or something.) Xiao Yuanyi is also ok. Cheng Shaoshang is just the absolute worst.

So he sort of...has to approve of their betrothal (again) because it's what will make Huo Buyi happy and as we know, Ziduan really just wants Huo Buyi to be happy. (Although in this universe it's buried underneath so much negative vibes directed at Shaoshang that it can be easy to forget that.)

Shaoshang comes to talk to him, and she uses flattery over his dedication to justice over family (a love language between all 3 of them, I swear) to undercut his usual pattern of berating her. It works, until she's about to leave.

And then this happens:

The prince was very moved, and his tone could not help softening: "I am not afraid of being criticized by others, but only hope that the people of the world will live and work in peace and contentment, free from natural disasters and man-made disasters, so I will live up to the trust of the ancestors."

Originally, he wanted to scold the girl, but at this moment, the crown prince could not swear much, so he simply waved his hand: "Forget it, you can go back, take a good rest, and serve Zisheng carefully after marriage. Sigh, Over the years, Zisheng has really suffered a lot, you, you should treat him better."

Shaoshang agreed sincerely, and hurried out of the door. When she reached the courtyard, the prince suddenly called her to stop. Shaoshang looked back in a daze, and saw the prince raised his right hand, and then her shoulder hurt slightly, and when she looked down, it turned out to be a small stone. She was tongue-tied, and looked at the prince in disbelief—he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he actually threw stones at herself! The majestic crown prince actually threw stones at her!

The prince's brows and eyes are firm and resolute, and the perennial solemnity is swept away, as if he is ten years younger and suddenly returned to his naughty and troubled boyhood. He laughed heartily: "Okay, let's settle the matter now, you can go back and happily prepare for marriage!"

Shaoshang stamped her feet angrily, turned her head and left.

HE THREW A ROCK AT HER.

HE THREW A ROCK AT HER AND WAS HAPPY ABOUT IT.

And then after this scene, Ziduan's immediately thinking to himself about how he has to double their wedding gifts and hope they have a daughter he can marry to a son of his own.

THE AMOUNT OF DISASTER GAY ENERGY HERE IS STAGGERING.

Oh, about his wife--he does have a concubine. A cousin of his, selected by his uncle. He agreed to marry her because his uncle said so, and then the moment he stopped and thought about it, he realized how unvirtuous his wife is. She actually wants him to LIKE her, the gall of her!

Anyway, this man is a complete trainwreck and I adore it.

Mostly because the drama version exists as essentially a fix-it.

Speaking of which, who was it who decided to take Ziduan's "you-stole-the-man-I-am-not-aware-I'm-in-love-with-and-I'm-mad-about-it" energy and dropped it onto Yuan Shanjian, of all people? He's actually supposed to like Shaoshang... That might be the strangest adaptation decision, imo 😂😂😂

[idlebeks]

SVSSS Fic Recs

I'm working on a podfic list. But here, have a couple of Scum Villian recs in the mean time. All BingQui, mostly rated E. This is a fun fandom, there is so much potential for both extreme angst and extreme crack, often at the same time.

Every Binghe/ge deserves a Happy Ending [buy one SY, get one free] by Shireyaki

You can have a Shen Yuan YOU can have a Shen Yuan WE ALL CAN HAVE A SHEN YUAN

Scum Villain AUs by Feynite

Various random alternate universe fics.

Includes:

Supervillain AU Genderswap AU Hades & Persephone AU Dragon Monster AU Mermay AU Free Guy AU

& Many More!

Into the Abyss by esama

In which Shen Yuan pisses the System off and it sends him straight into the Endless Abyss.

Four years later, Shen Qingqiu does the same to Luo Binghe.

Fruiting Body by Calamity Butterfly (Calamity_Butterfly)

“A new body? What has my Shizun done?” Luo Binghe asks mildly.

“Oh, I died again, didn’t I? This time, I died saving you from a qi deviation brought on by that sword,” Shen Qingqiu answers, stroking the caps of the trembling mushrooms still pressed up against his sides. “I suspected I was going to die so I prepared a new body, just in case. But it’s taking a long time to remember myself, and I’m not sure I want to go back once I do.”

Shen Qingqiu awakens in the Sun and Moon Dew Flower body, more fungal than human, and networked into a vast, sentient mycelial network. His new body is more complicated than he anticipated. Luo Binghe finds him, and that is also more complicated than he anticipated.

The Many Trials and Tribulations of Ming Fan by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

Ming Fan just wants to get through ONE supervised night hunt without this happening.

Or: the one where Shen Qingqiu continues to be attractive to people who aren’t Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge. It's a problem.

“Da-shixiong.” Ning-shimei’s groan was barely audible to anyone who didn’t have a cultivator’s enhanced senses. To him and the rest of their assembled siblings, though, it rang out like a bell. The only one who didn’t notice was Shizun. He was up ahead and deep in conversation with the Lord who’d summoned them to investigate a series of local disappearances.

“I saw,” Ming Fan sighed. “Eyes front. Everyone knows their roles.”

Frankly, he’d been braced for this moment since he’d asked around about the family hosting them for the duration of this investigation. He’d discovered that they had two marriage-aged daughters in the household, neither of whom were engaged.

Loaded God Complex, Cock It And Pull It by Camorra

There were three things of which Shen Yuan was absolutely certain. The first, that Luo Binghe was an irredeemable jackass. The second, there was a part of Luo Binghe, and Shen Yuan didn't know how large, that wanted Shen Yuan dead for trussing him like a pig and dumping him on his own front porch. And the third, that Shen Yuan was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Luo Binghe. P S Y C H !

omg they were roommates by smellslikecitrus

Shen Yuan was a normal chemistry major. What did he do to deserve getting booted into his least-favorite novel?!

Silver lining: Binghe makes really, really good food.

Plastromancy by x_los

"One night, Luo Binghe notices something odd about the way his blood is pooling on the floor of the woodshed."

A twelve year old Luo Binghe meets his Other Shizun.

AQ by x_los

Before he rose to captaincy, Shen Yuan attended a briefing given to all command level officers in Star Fleet that outlined the scope of the Q threat. According to Admiral Picard's report, the omnipotent Q are devious, amoral, unreliable, irresponsible and definitely not to be trusted.

Orphaned stowaway Luo Binghe doesn't even know he is one.

Living With a Tiger by x_los

Shen Yuan has been engaged to Emperor Luo Binghe from almost the hour of his birth. He grows up knowing his place in the world exactly; he is far less certain of his place in his betrothed's guarded affections.

Scum Villain's Accidental Romance System by BurnerAccount

Shen Qingqiu has accepted that yes, this is a novel. And yes, it is going to have stupid plot points that he can (probably) do nothing about. His inevitable, horrible fate is his most probable future - but hey, it's at least a ways off yet, right?

A Stallion novel has stupid tropes, but he's 100% - no, 1000% sure, that these aren't in the standard package.

Anyways, Stan Shen Qingqiu by x_los

Millennial vs Gen Z? Shen Qingqiu wishes.

A young transmigrator has a new idol; Shen Qingqiu is very tired.

I Wish You Were My Husband by Feynite

AU based on The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir (familiarity with that story's not required).

Wherein Shen Yuan transmigrates into a harem intrigues romance novel (gay edition), Yue Qingyuan really fucks up, Liu Qingge is not suitable for his job, and no one even remotely sees Luo Binghe coming.

Always the Light Falls by Letters2Elvinscend

Growing up is hard. Living up to your mother's expectations is harder. Realizing your Shizun is actually kind of hot is damn near impossible.

System Temporarily Unavailable, Please Don't Abuse The Substitute! by Asymptotical

The System has to go bail another System's world out of a plot crisis.

It told them that its Host would notice, but did they listen? Of course not.

We Never Dreamed These Walls by straightforwardly

When Luo Binghe falls into the Endless Abyss, he accidentally pulls Shen Qingqiu down with him.

[rosethornewrites]

1/10-1/24 NR, E, & M reading

Moving after this so may be a gap.

Finished

Not Rated:

Deliver Us, by b00mgh

When Wei Wuxian gives himself up before Wen Ning and Wen Qing get the chance, everyone who loved him steps in to protect the people he gave his life for.

Don't worry, they bring him back B)

rulebreaker, by straelamo

Wei Wuxian returns to Cloud Recesses, and the world is set right.

in this close hand, by twigofwillow (2nd in a series)

Just a very cozy rainy day in the greenhouse

Birthday Cakes and Bunnies, by Hauntcats

A-Yuan wants to do something special for his a-Die's birthday. Who better to help than Bunny-gege.

Explicit:

lightning in a bottle, by bigbabyjeno

“You don’t see me,” the man hisses, creeping down the corridor with his back pressed to the wall, arms spread like he’s some sort of secret agent on a top secret spy mission.

Lan Zhan watches him for a moment, trying to decide if he’s worth any concern. The man is currently crab-walking behind a row of potted ficus, though, so Lan Zhan is reasonably sure he doesn’t need to alert security about this one.

[Or; Lan Zhan is photographing a wedding when he catches someone trying to sneak in. The man claims to be the bride's brother and begs Lan Zhan to make him his assistant for the evening so he can watch his sister get married. Lan Zhan reluctantly agrees and gets a lot more than he bargained for.]

At the End of the Road, by trickybonmot

It is the stupidest, most transparently terrible idea. Wei Ying’s hand is fisted shut on the fabric of his t-shirt, twisting it up far enough to reveal a glimpse of golden-brown skin. This is the worst idea. Lan Wangji is going to say no.

“How do you imagine that would work?” he says instead.

Wei Ying gives a little half-shrug. “I guess I would jack off,” he says. “And you could, like, spot me.”

The Nines of Winter, by ArcadianMaggie

When Wei Ying misses his flight home from college for winter break, Jiang Cheng arranges a ride home—with Lan Zhan, whom Wei Ying hasn't spoken to in over two years. When the weather takes a turn for the worse, they are forced to stop for the night. Luckily, Lan Xichen's house is en route and they are able to wait out the storm. There's weather (frightful) and a fire (delightful), two rabbits and a puppy, plus Lan Zhan's emergency preparedness kit.

Snow-Covered Jingshi, by squishh

He hadn’t even realized he’d moved until he felt soft silks beneath his palm and plush lips against his own. The pull of those eyes had made him sway forward, drawn in like a spell. His hand was on Lan Wangji’s thigh, his weight pressing his hand down as he leaned against firm muscle. The heat of Lan Wangji’s lips made him feel like he was burning.

Nothing could have ever felt this good. It felt safe, and it felt dangerous. He was in danger of never wanting to do anything else but kiss this man.

______

What I imagine should have roughly happened when LWJ and WWX were in the Jingshi in episode 43 if the censorship laws weren't whack and WWX weren't so oblivious to his own emotions lol

Mature:

Get it right (this time), by AmiraAlzilu (30 chapters)

Death would be a fate too kind for Wei Wuxian. He should pay for every sin he committed.

At least that’s the only explanation he has for this impossible situation. After falling from the cliff he woke up in his 15 year old body, just before his months of study at Cloud Recesses.

So, thinking it was for the best, he decides to disappear when he was supposed to be searching for their lost invitation.

Little does he know someone else came back in time with him.

Reset, by SuperiorJello (11 chapters)

What if things went horribly wrong at the end of episode 50, and Wei Wuxian sent himself and Lan Wangji back in time to Cloud Recesses to save them?

Follows mostly CQL/The Untamed canon, but I have also read translations of the novel and seen some of the donghua, so some of that is in there too.

This fic is part of a series!

Part one only takes place in Gusu, detailing wwx and lwj's arrival in the past and the immediate repercussions thereof. It is now complete.

Part two will continue the story as our characters head to Yunmeng Jiang and forward.

Too Much To Bear, by madwriter223 (10 chapters)

Coming back to life and being immediately thrust into a quest to discover the origins of the demonic arm that had murdered nealy an entire clan overnight was not something Wei Wuxian ever thought he'd have to deal with, but it was fine. He had Lan Wangji and together they were unstoppable.

However he had no clue how to deal with discovering Nie Huaisang was apparently a wreck on the verge of collapse at any given moment. How in the world had this happened?

AKA

this is filed under 'nervous wreck nhs' in my fic folder for a reason

if i had the strength, by agloeian (6 chapters)

Jiang Cheng seethes, gripping the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know how to help you,” he admits, “so I’m sending you to the people that do.”

It nearly slips out then, the truth of the matter. Wei Wuxian opens his mouth to snap back ‘There’s no helping me, not now!’ but the words stick in his throat. Shijie is crying and Jiang Cheng is defiant and Lan Zhan is staring at him so earnestly that Wei Wuxian simply doesn’t know how to tell them all that he’s living on borrowed time.

So he doesn’t.

---

At the behest of his siblings, Wei Wuxian is sent to Gusu to recover from the strain of the Sunshot Campaign.

If only he knew how to do that.

The Yu Temper, by madwriter223 (2 chapters)

How the confrontation between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian in episodes 27/28 could have gone if Jiang Cheng had let loose the temper he'd inherited from his mother?

or

Jiang Cheng goes apeshit on the morons he's surrounded by and fixes (nearly) everything

or

A pissed off Jiang Cheng adopts everybody, because fuck you, Wei Wuxian!

Unfinished

Not Rated:

Rise of the Peacock, by JustAWanderingBabbit

Killed at Qiongqi Pass, Jin Zixuan wakes to find himself in an old and familiar scenario; the day he and Wei Wuxian fought in Gusu Lan. The day his betrothal to Jiang Yanli came to an end.

Unsure whether or not he's dreaming, Jin Zixuan decides to seize the chance and change the future. But for that he'll need help from his bastard brother, Meng Yao.

you can have the best of me, baby, by stiltonbasket

Twelve hours after Jiang Cheng and the others escape from Mount Muxi, Wei Wuxian risks wading into the lake and discovers that the underwater passage to the stream in the maple wood has been blocked behind the tortoise’s body.

“It’s sleeping right beside the opening,” he whispers, when he and Lan Zhan are safe in a tunnel of rock too narrow for the Xuanwu’s neck and head. “Judging by the current in the water, that passage was the only way out.”

Trapped in the Xuanwu's cave with no means of escape, Lan Wangji suggests a surprising course of action to strengthen himself and Wei Wuxian for battle: dual cultivation.

The session proves successful, but despite their best efforts, Wei Wuxian's golden core yields unexpected consequences for them both.

Explicit:

unfated; unscripted, by homeybee

Lan Zhan finds Wei Ying on tinder, the first time. He isn't someone Lan Zhan knows, or he would have swiped left. It is his smile that draws him in initially, causes him to swipe right when ordinarily he would have closed his phone again, put on his pajamas, and tried properly to sleep. It is, after all, past his bedtime.

Half an hour later finds Lan Zhan, undeniably not in his pajamas, driving down the highway to the next tiny town over.

...

A series of 'first' meetings.

Discarded, by teawater

Children in Cloud Recesses are succubming to a dark curse. There's one person who may be able to help.

Time Unwinds in a Kaleidoscope of Red, by vamprav

Wei Wuxian falls through time and hits the ground in the Burial Mounds. After taking stock of his situation he decides that things will be different this time, even if it kills him, starting with that disastrous reunion with his brother and future husband.

Heart of the Beast, by WaitForTheSnitch

“Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. “Where are your parents?”

“They went on a night hunt,” Wei Ying said, a bit evasively.

“Your parents are cultivators?” Da-ge asked in surprise. “Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?”

“Four summers ago,” Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable.

“Four summers ago,” Nie Mingjue repeated. “What are your parents’ names?”

“My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze,” Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, “Your parents aren’t coming back.”

Or, Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang run into Wei Ying while in Yiling and decide to bring him home. And it changes everything.

We met again but in a different time, by akumanomiyu

Jiang FengMian never found Wei WuXian after he lost his parents, so he spent his life on the street, alone.

He didn't have a clan to protect him and teach him how to become a true cultivator, but he still managed to grow up a strong and righteous man.

People hated him or feared him for the demonic tricks he had to learn to survive. His life wasn't easy but he lived it as he wanted.

Until one day, a good action made him discover an evil plot against the cultivator world and cross path with the Lan clan...

you'll find my heart on the mountainside, by lulu_kitty

After parting ways with Lan Wangji on the mountain path, Wei Wuxian takes some time to consider what it is that he wants with this new second chance at life.

The answer finds him coming back to Lan Wangji, his zhiji, but after they reunite and set forth to embark on their new life together, an unexpected surprise awaits them on their journey home.

Or, a post-canon CQL/Untamed getting together story: accidental baby acquisition addition.

The Communication Effect, by draechaeli

If only there was more communication, or the right kind then everything would be all right. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi might be bad when it comes to talking to each other about the important things, but they are still leagues better then the older generation that use communication like swords: concealing, revealing, and striking as they please for their own gain. From apologies, to misunderstandings, to sieges, to rumours and gossip, to cold wars, to lies, to civil wars, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi navigate the world together once their brothers make sure they’re engaged before the classes at Cloud Recesses are finished.

This fic is finished at 186k in 37 chapters + 3 extras

most barren peak and bleakest winter, by WhatTheOwlHears

He drank. Set the cup down. “I understand Wei Ying would not choose to behave that way ordinarily.”

Well that was certainly true, but it felt like a lie anyway. “Haha, yeah.” Wei Wuxian put his elbow on the table so he could put his face in his hand. “Definitely would not normally make attempts on the virtue of my dear dear friend Hanguang-jun.”

Mature:

can't find a way home, by KouriArashi

After giving away his golden core and being thrown into the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian takes his revenge on the Wen sect without crossing paths with the Sunshot Campaign.

With no trace of him found, his loved ones have no choice but to believe he died in the Burial Mounds, and go into mourning.

But then strange things start to happen around Yunmeng ... and in Lanling, Jin Guangshan has only begun to take advantage of the power vacuum left behind by the war.

Second Summer, by Anonymous

“So, this is awkward,” says Wei Ying, with a little laugh. It sounds fake. “But I think you have mistaken me for someone else.”

A year after the mysterious death of the Jin heir, Lan Wangji runs across the secret, long-lost, amnesiac love of his life while on a night-hunt.

Tragedy That Befall Upon Us, by xoxoholic

"Hey! What's this?" Jin Ling yelled, pointing at the glowing, black and red orb. Jiang Wanyin marched over to Jin Ling, but the young Jin sect leader had already touched the orb.

"Jin Ling!" Jiang Wanyin yelled in anger. If his golden core was not sealed, then Zidian would be cackling furiously.

"..Oops?" Jin Ling sheepishly smiled as he hid behind his friends. Lan Jingyi laughed at Jin Lings predicament while Lan Sizhui sighed. Ouyang Zizhen laughed with Lan Jingyi in amusement before he was hit in the back of his head by his father.

Hound's Tongue Tied Up, by Stepdavii

“I’ve figured out a way to keep us safe. Forever,” Wei Wuxian replies, still writing out all that he can think of that would possibly help.

“Oh? And whats that?” Wen Qing asks blankly.

“I’m going to make the world forget we exist.”

--

In which Wei Wuxian figures the best way to keep everyone safe and make everyones life better, he should make it so that his and Wen Remnants existence become forgotten. He just doesn't realize how much an impact doing so would be.

Dreams of Paradise, by Hauntcats

This on begins during the siege of the Burial Mound. Wei Ying is trying to destroy or nullify the tiger seal before anyone else can get it. The results don’t work out quite how he thought they would. His essence is trapped in between time where he witnesses different scenes of the lives of those he cares about. (The 13? 16? Years when he was dead.)

Then he wakes up in a place he didn't expect.

Once again, not Jiang friendly. If you don't like that, please, don't read.

Seeking Solace, by DragonHeart (Taer01), Taer01

Months after the Siege of Burial Mounds against the Yiling Patriarch, the cultivation world gets a rude awakening.

We're Alone Now, by Forever_Marie

"Did you hear, did you hear? Hanguang-jun deserted his clan"

Lan Zhan deserts the Lan Clan in favor of protecting Wei Wuxian and warns him of the pending Siege. They all run for the hills and everything is quiet for a decade until one day Xichen wanders upon him in a market in Yiling.

Impossible Remains, by Jengabears

Jiang Cheng wakes slowly to the feeling of spiritual energy swimming through his veins. Not just swimming. Singing. Flooding. He was filled with it. He didn't know if it was because he had been without any for so long or if Baoshan Sanren had chosen to make him stronger, but he had never felt so powerful in his life. It was glorious. It was everything. He felt alive again. Whole. Better than whole. He had to thank her. He had to scream his joy across the mountain. He was so infinitely grateful.

He ripped off his blindfold, turned to look around him, praises and gratitude resting on the tip of his tongue. Yet what his eyes rested on was a face he never expected to see. His joy and gratitude instantly snuffed into ashes in his mouth. His eyes widened in horror at the sight which greeted him. He wished he could take everything back. Every thought which had passed through his mind since he'd woken.

How could this happen?

OR

Wei Wuxian dies in the core transfer.

Summer Snow, by Forever_Marie

Jiang Cheng dies after Lotus Pier falls and the Jiang are no more. This leaves Wei Ying without family and a home, now and for after the war, forever shattered. He joins the Lan clan (at Wangji's insistence) to fight in the Sunshot campaign as Lan Wangji tries to fill in the cracks left behind.

[ouyangzizhensdad]

I just realized that The Soup Incident might be a good incident/scene to hone in on to explore how CQL handled Jiang Yanli's character. In CQL it is Once Again Another Wei Wuxian Thing (being about his losing control over demonic cultivation; which is not canon to MDZS) while in the original novel, and kept in the audio drama extra, the narration focuses instead of Jiang Yanli and her own feelings and experiences there. The Soup Incident in the novel is actually part of HER story.

Hi anon,

I have to admit, after going back to the novel, I’m not sure I’d say that the Soup Incident is not mostly about Wei Wuxian (for reasons I’ll elaborate on), but it is certainly very different. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty of it.

Omniscient!MianMian and Modao-Trigger-Happy!WWX: Or, the Soup Incident in CQL

Let's break down how the scene takes place in Episode 22 of CQL.

The first thing that jumps out, during the viewing, is how.... confusing the sequence through which information is presented ends up being. The scene technically starts at the end of another scene, as WWX is looking at injured/zombie-fied cultivators alongside LWJ. Then a random Jin cultivator runs in and tells him to come, that Jiang-guniang, she--! Why a random Jin cultivator decided to come and get WWX is... unexplained and feels nonsensical: it’s hard to understand how that would not just be pouring oil onto the fire to be bringing in WWX and it is likely hard to believe that a Jin cultivator would have more loyalties towards WWX or JYL than JZX. One can also question why someone would run to WWX, and not JC, JYL’s actual sibling and sect leader--or not even make sure to also call on JC. Why JC is totally excised from this adaptation of the Soup Incident never really starts making sense.

So WWX rushes along (LWJ later following), and finds JYL inside a tent crying with only the company of a JZX that looks very unsympathetic towards her display of emotions. WWX gets angry, JYL tries to have him step away (physically pulling him) but WWX demands answers from JZX. At that moment, MianMian rushes in with more Jin cultivators following after her. Now, you find yourself thinking, well if someone knew about what happened and went to get WWX, wouldn’t it have made more sense for that person to be MianMian?--but that's also when you start thinking.... but if they were alone in the tent, how did so many people know what was transpiring? 

MianMian arrives and WWX asks her: "tell me what on earth happened here" which, as a viewer, made me go.... but she literally just came in? Why would WWX assume that she knows what happened and why JYL is crying? Also, thumbs down at having CQL!WWX yell at MianMian because that just seems.... cheap and ultimately out of character. He's angry at JZX, very much so, but why would he be angry at MianMian at this point--she hasn't done anything? She just came in? It just doesn’t jive with WWX’s characterisation to spread the blame to bystanders, even if the scene suggests that the ~corrupting~ influences of modao are at play.

JZX likewise invites MianMian to explain what happened, which again, prompts you to think: why does everyone think she knows what is going on? Weren’t they alone when WWX barged in? While MianMian starts the explanation, which includes telling WWX what her sister has been doing in the camp (you have to love when a character tells another character something they would already know), we see LWJ looking at the scene and deciding to stand outside (because in the previous episode WWX told him to ‘stay out of the Jiang sect's affairs’).

MianMian explains that JYL has been making soup and asked to have a bowl delivered to JZX: that latter piece of information being news to both JZX and WWX. What were the odds that the one person who gets asked to explain what happened between two people we found in a room alone for seemingly no justifiable reason is also one of the three people (JYL, A-yuan the servant and now, for convoluted reasons, MianMian) who knows the truth about the bowls of soup. Moreover, we are led to believe that while MianMian thought it would be inappropriate for her to bring the soup to JZX in JYL’s stead, she was fine with not telling JZX who made the soup to honour JYL’s shyness when 1) CQL sets up that MianMian is sort of JZX’s right-hand man, so to speak and 2), as far as I can remember, we don’t really get any sense that MianMian and JYL bonded or why MianMian would support JYL cooking for JZX when their engagement was already annulled. I appreciate that CQL tried to give us an explanation for why MianMian became omniscient for the purpose of this scene and thus would know something that JYL told no one in the novel, but it honestly creates more questions than answers (including why the shy JYL just didn’t do what she did in the novel, which is to just secretly bring the bowl of soup to JZX).

MianMian continues by explaining what just transpired between JZX and JYL, which at first confuses you as a viewer until a flashback begins. Unfortunately, the flashback once again creates a whole new set of questions. It tells us that the altercation between JZX and JYL happened in front of a crowd of onlookers mocking JYL that nevertheless excluded MianMian. Feeling generous, you choose to assume someone who was in the crowd got over the hilarity of shade being thrown at JYL to fetch MianMian (the Jin’s voice of reason in CQL?) and give her all the deets. It also at the same time tells us that JZX berated JYL outside the tent, at its entrance, which is also where JYL starts crying while holding on her tray. The flashback ends with JZX going inside the tent, and viewers are left to speculate why JYL went inside after him and why the crowd dispersed only to come back. Did JYL intend to explain things further? Did she want to deliver the soup, even after JZX’s unkind words? Did they film this scene and choose not to include it? When did one of the Jin cultivators decide to go and fetch WWX? It’s not that having “plotholes” is the worst sin a story can have, but there is a threshold at which the way you present information is just too confusing for the viewer them to remain immersed in the story.

Anyway, back to the present. After the explanations, WWX goes "how dare you said that to my shijie", random Jin cultivators go "Jin-gongzi did nothing wrong, come on, let’s all be mature here wei-gongzi" and WWX, after all this while, finally hits JZX in the chest and sends him flying. We are left to assume that it is because he now knows the truth that JZX does not defend himself or hit back.  The Jin cultivators draw their swords and WWX use modao against them. JZX doesn't try to stop him to defend his sect members, nor do MianMian or JYL step in to stop him. LWJ hears the modao music and realises shit is going down. JZX gets up, stands in front of WWX and waits to be hit--in the face this time. MianMian and JYL finally step in and put themselves between them before WWX gets another hit in. WWX keeps his fist raised in the air in the most laughable pose ever (I just want to adjust his stance: baby, that ain't how you pack a punch, you'll at most inconvenience him. Please.)

But quickly you realise how convenient it is that his arm is raised like that because that means LWJ can swoop in and grab his wrist (ah, the renown CQL romance made of wrist grabs and stares). LWJ tells WWX “冷静” which the subtitles choose to translate in the most informal way possible (“cool down”), making the audience go gasp! is WWX about to have a qi deviation or lose control of his modao?!

WWX and LWJ share a meaningful stare. Then WWX stares at JZX, who stares back at him, and without saying another word WWX leaves first.... not even checking if JYL is following! But thankfully she follows him out, and that's pretty much the end of the scene after LWJ makes his own exit and JZX looks to the side, in... shame? self-doubt? annoyance? (unsure what that expression is supposed to mean). 

Oof.

Differences between CQL and MDZS

In the novel, the soup incident is told to the viewer during the Phoenix Mountain arc as context to explain WWX’s antagonism toward JZX when he spies him walking alongside JYL, and includes some memories prior to the Soup Incident.

On the side, as Lan Wangji saw his contempt, he lowered his voice, “What has happened between you and Jin Zixuan?”

Wei Wuxian snorted.

To ask why Wei Wuxian hated Jin Zixuan so much would require a lengthy explanation.

In CQL, the event is instead presented linearly during the Sunshot campaign arc. In the novel, the scene is entirely reported to us--we only get one line of dialogue that is not otherwise integrated into the narration. We are told a condensed version instead of seeing it unfold. While it would have been possible to portray in a visual medium the feel of a reported and condensed event, the production probably thought it would be easier to just have the scene unfold in "real time". This however brought up a number of challenges since many information could not be provided by a 'narrator' reporting the event with the gift of hindsight. This is how we get Omniscient MianMian who, for convoluted reasons that make little sense if you look at them closely, possesses all the necessary information to untwist the misunderstanding. At the same time, telling the story linearly offered possibilities that we don’t see the production team make use of: for instance, they could have shown in previous episodes JYL cooking as part of the war effort, or have JZX mention the cultivator who he thought had brought him the soup, etc., or even plainly show us JYL giving the soup to be brought to JZX as what would have seemed an innocent reminder of her warm feelings for him which would have later paid off through the incident. Instead, we get told most of what happened and we still have to suffer through a flashback.

Moreover, the integration of the events into a linear form of story-telling removes the framing of the events as they are presented to us as a reader. It is not the end of the world, but it makes the storytelling in this scene less efficient. In the novel, while the narration covers information that WWX didn’t directly witness, it is presented in a manner that aims to explain opinions and feelings held by WWX at that point in the plot--bringing more context to the conflict that takes place moments later when he confronts JZX for now the third time in the story.

Those who knew about [the soup incident] all said it was only a misunderstanding. What wrongs remained now that it had been clarified? Wei Wuxian felt differently. He hated Jin Zixuan to the extreme: he was to him a conceited male princess, an ostentatious peacock, a blind man who only looked at appearances. He did not believe in the slightest that a narcissist like Jin Zixuan could realise his mistake and suddenly take interest in Jiang Yanli. He’d probably been hurried and scolded too much by Jin-furen, and thus the reluctant completion of his tasks.

This is part of the reason why I wouldn’t necessarily say that the incident, in the novel, is about JYL per se. Of course, it helps us understand JYL, JZX and their evolving relationship--but it is ultimately through the framing of WWX’s distaste for JZX that we get the events. As well, since it is framed in that manner, it also provides context for what will happen in the same arc--it is more efficient.

However, I do agree with you, anon, that the novel allows us a little bit more insight into JYL’s thought, and what about JZX’s words hurt her so much. Having the crux of her sadness not being necessarily the unjust words being thrown at her by the boy she likes but the realisation that JZX “had never understood her and had never wanted to understand her either” makes it more tragic, in my opinion--especially considering we have been shown that, unlike JC or WWX, JYL has had an unlimited reserve of goodwill towards JZX even when he was not showing the best side of himself.

Jiang Yanli could finally tell a few things from Jin Zixuan’s words.

From the beginning, Jin Zixuan had never believed that a maiden like her, born from a noble sect but had low cultivation, could do anything on the battlefield or help with anything at all. To put it simply, he thought that she just wanted to find a reason to approach him, that she was just here to add to the trouble.

Jin Zixuan had never understood her, and had never wanted to understand her either. Of course he wouldn’t believe her.

After he said a few harsh words to her, standing where she was, Jiang Yanli had burst into tears. When Wei Wuxian returned, this happened to be the scene that he saw.

The webseries also removes another layer of depth to the storytelling by changing the events surrounding the misunderstanding between JYL and JZX. MXTX’s writing leans into the sociological and, at times, the cynical, being concerned with observations of how people act in A Society. Wherein CQL JYL asks, at MianMian’s suggestion, a servant to bring the soup because she is “too shy,” in the novel the servant discovers JYL’s secret and manipulates JZX into believing she is the one who transferred warm feelings into a bowl of lovingly-prepared soup and shamelessly reaped the benefits of JZX’s gratitude and regard. It feels almost like we are supposed to be at least a little impressed by the strategic mind of that character, who knows exactly how to play JZX without ever truly incriminating herself.

She had fair looks and knew to take opportunities. Out of curiosity, she followed Jiang Yanli for a few times before she was able to guess what was going on. Keeping her composure, she loitered outside of Jin Zixuan’s house after Jiang Yanli brought the soup, purposely letting Jiang Zixuan see her shadow. [...] Cleverly, the woman never acknowledged anything, but instead denied it ambiguously, her cheeks flushed, making it sound as though she was the one who did it, but didn’t want Jin Zixuan to know how much trouble she went through.

As is already clear, another deviation is the inclusion of characters who were not in the original scene--MianMian and Lan Wangji--, while others, namely Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangshan as well as the conniving cultivator, are now absent. This change creates, to a degree, a shift in stakes to the incident--having both sect leaders getting involved suggests how big the fight between WWX and JZX had become and how it could have impacted inter-sect politics. However, in the webseries, there is not really a true fight between JZX and WWX. This is partly because the physical altercation begins after all is revealed. In the novel, JZX gives back as good as he gets because at that point in time he does not feel like he has done anything to deserve WWX’s ire.

Although his shijie had an easy temper, except for how they cuddled and cried together the day the three of them reunited after Lotus Pier was destroyed, she hadn’t really shed many tears in front of others, much less cry so loudly, so pitifully in front of so many people. Wei Wuxian was filled with panic. As he tried to ask her, Jiang Yanli was crying so badly that she couldn’t even speak properly. Then, when he saw Jin Zixuan standing on the side, astonished, he fumed with anger, wondering to himself why it was that dog of a person again. With a kick, he pounced on Jin Zixuan. The fight between the two would have alerted the Heavens. All of the cultivators around the base came to break up their fight. 

A related and important missing aspect in the CQL scene is a small detail that is impacts the tone of the novel: "Amid the ruckus, [WWX] finally understood what was the cause of all this, and became even more angered. He spread his tough talk, saying that one day he’d definitely make Jin Zixuan die in his hands [...]". This element of dramatic irony is one that would have been very easy to include in the adaptation, which is why I'm very surprised and confused they didn't. Perhaps because it makes WWX 'look bad'? Is the inclusion of WWX using modao and seeming on the verge of a qi deviation (something that is not in the novel) a gesture towards this? That is, a choice to replace dramatic irony serving as foreshadowing with straight-forward exposition?Your guess is as good as mine.

Overall, the events as described in the novel do feel differently than what we have in the novel, both because we have more context (like the fact that JYL rarely cries--something that is definitely changed by CQL because boy does JYL cry often in the live action) but also because of a number of choices, especially regarding JZX. For instance, JZX is described as being astonished at JY’s crying (since he doesn’t know she is the one who truly made the soup), but in CQL he just looks kind of pissed off that’s she’s sobbing and intent on ignoring her?

As well, after WWX asks the servant cultivator to be brought out and a few rounds of questions reveal the truth, we get to see more of a stark difference. Where he was fighting WWX just moments ago, when WWX curses and hits him, he stops fighting back. Having the prior instance, where he was more than willing to stand his ground, contextualises his later decision not to fight back--whereas in CQL we don’t get to see this shift in attitude, since from the get-go he does not defend himself.

Another significant deviation is that it is no longer JYL who is the person to stop WWX’s wrath--being replaced by LWJ. In the novel, no one but JYL is able to: "If not that Jiang Yanli held up her hand a while later, while Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangshan came to pull Wei Wuxian away, it was likely that even now Jin Zixuan wouldn’t be able to attend the hunt of Phoenix Mountain." This difference is even more stark considering CQL!WWX leaves the tent without making sure JYL is also leaving with him. Of course, inserting LWJ helps with getting more angsty fanservice moments but it unfortunately cheapens, to a degree, the exploration of WWX’s relationship with JYL.

TLDR

While I think it is difficult to argue that the soup incident, in either works, is mainly about JYL, the CQL version adds confusion while dropping many of its layers and nuances, and does provide less space for the audience to learn  about JYL and JZX as a result.

[letsbeoutoftouch]

Back in December 2016, during a sleepover, my friends and I decided to watch EXO's Chanyeol's most recent movie, "So I Married an Anti-Fan". It effortlessly became one of my favourite movies, so much so that I rewatch it —at least— once a year.

Therefore, when it was first announced that South Korea was going to produce a drama based on the same story, I was thrilled. The feeling only increased when I found out that the male lead was Choi Tae-Joon, whom I loved because of Suspicious Partner. Later (to be more precise, this year), I discovered that the other lead was the one and only Sooyoung from SNSD!

The drama was filmed back in 2018, and it was supposed to air a loooot sooner, but it had a few problems and it finally came out this year. Since I don't like waiting for episodes to come out each week, I waited until it finished airing to watch it... And, today, I finished it!

So, here's my review, fresh out the oven!

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So I Married an Anti-Fan is a 2021 South Korean drama, featuring Choi Tae-Joon, Choi Sooyoung, Hwang Chansung and Han Ji-Ahn. It's based on the novel "그래서 나는 안티팬과 결혼했다" (So I Married an Anti-Fan), written by Kim Eun Jun and published in 2010.

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♡ PLOT:

The story revolves around Hoo Joon (Tae-Joon), a well-known idol, and Geun Young (Sooyoung), a magazine reporter. They meet during an event, where a series of misunderstandings leads them to have a bad impression of each other.

For this reason, when Geun Young loses her job, she's under the impression that it was Hoo Joon's doing and is therefore keen on "reveal" Joon's real character. However, her retaliation backfires, and she attracts a lot of attention as his "anti-fan".

Later, a TV producer approaches them both to star in a reality show. Geun Young and Hoo Joon accept and think to give each other a hard time on set. But, as time goes by, they get to know each other better and better.

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♡ EPISODES:

It's made up of 16 episodes, running for an hour each (i.e., your typical k-drama).

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♡ CHARACTERS:

-Geun Young (FL): She's the best character, hands down (I swear I'm not being biased because I love Sooyoung).

For some reason, I've seen a lot of bad comments about this character. I don't truly understand why some people said that she didn't stand up for herself or that she was so-so, when she dealt really well with everything that had happened to her. I'd like to see all those people in her shoes—I bet they'd have cracked up quickly.

Also, she's like the least toxic character I've ever come across in a drama. She waits patiently for Joon to deal with his problems and doesn't jump to conclusions regarding his relationship with In Hyeong and Jae Joon. She lets him do his thing, is an independent woman, and tries to be as little of a burden as she can to the people she cares about. So, props to her!

▫ ▫ ▫

-Hoo Joon (ML): Although I overall liked his character, I admit that if I hadn't previously watched the movie, I'd probably be wary of him at the beginning. But, don't worry: as the story progresses, you get to know him better. He's patient and thinks of other people's feelings and well-being a lot (sometimes, a little too much for his own good, but he's a good boy).

I felt the need to include that there was this one scene where he acts... In a way that I didn't find appealing. Fortunately, he isn't like that all throughout the drama. Also, he isn't toxic like a lot of the male leads in drama-land. If you're wondering which scene I'm referring to, here's a spoiler: *SPOILER ALERT* When he and Geun Young start dating, they are requested to film an advertisement together. In the filming, he acts all "jealous" because the dress she was wearing was too short for his liking. I'm sorry, but she's the only one who has a say on how short a dress she's wearing is—not you, not even if you're her partner *END OF SPOILER ALERT*.

▫ ▫ ▫

-JJ/Jae Joon (SML): Jae Joon is the second male lead, and he was portrayed by 2PM's Chansung.

I'm sorry, but I never could come to terms with this character, not even during the last episodes. If the writers' intention was for me to hate him, they (and Chansung's acting) totally achieved that purpose.

He is incredibly selfish and keeps this attitude up to episode 13/14. Towards the ending, the story tries that the audience feels some sympathy towards him—it is shown why he acted the way he did. Nevertheless, in my opinion, while his past may explain his actions, it doesn't justify any of them. That's why I couldn't bring myself to feel sympathetic or empathetic towards him. *SPOILER ALERT* In fact, I think Hoo Joon was too nice to be there for him in the last two or three episodes. *END OF SPOILER ALERT*

He's also outright abusive. *SPOILER ALERT* I mean, he slapped In Hyeong and broke her laptop ¿?... Even though I didn't like her that much, nothing justifies that kind of violent behaviour. *END OF SPOILER ALERT*

▫ ▫ ▫

-In Hyeong (SFL): She's the second female lead, portrayed by actress Han Ji-Ahn.

Oh, man. I had a hard time trying to wrap my head around this character. I was just going to say that I couldn't stand her because she was always purposely putting a spanner in the works, making everyone's life difficult.

However, as I was drafting this review, I began reflecting on the character and felt sympathy for her. She was in a vulnerable place—leaving aside that she felt abandoned by her first love, she had trouble trying to make her career take off, and she was in a really abusive relationship. It could be argued that JJ and In Hyeon were both toxic to each other, but it was clear that he was the one with the upper hand (he was the CEO of her new agency, which brings a real disbalance of power).

Moreover, it was hinted several times that all she went through took a toll on her mental health (*SPOILER ALERT* she was always taking pills to calm down, and she freaking tried to kill herself!!!!!!! *END OF SPOILER ALERT*). I believe she needed professional help to put herself back together, so she could let go of her past and finally leave that abusive relationship.

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♡ COUPLES:

Since this drama mostly gravitates towards romantic relationships, I'm including this section.

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-Geun Young x Hoo Joon: They are your typical enemies to lovers.

In the beginning, their relationship was tainted by a lot of misunderstandings, which led them to hate each other's guts (but, where's the charm in a k-drama that isn't filled with misunderstandings, am I right?). Once they started to spend more time together, they began understanding each other better. In time, they were able to leave their pride aside and got rid of their prejudices (yes, the story gives Jane Austen-ish vibes, so much so that "Pride and Prejudice" is mentioned a few times).

Their chemistry was alright. I would have changed some parts of the script that made a lot of scenes to be super cringey—especially, before some of their kisses (like, what a way to ruin such an awaited moment!).

The thing I liked the most about them was that neither of them was toxic, and they knew how and when to give the other person space. They were sweet, but not unbearable sweet—just the exact amount.

▫ ▫ ▫

-In Hyeong x Jae Joon: I don't know if they can be considered a true couple, but I'm adding them here just to repeat that I HATED THEM TOGETHER.

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♡ SOME PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS AND THOUGHTS:

For me, the story tries to show the two sides of the same coin: things that may seem completely different, but are essentially the same. You can see it with Hoo Joon/Geun Young, their friends, and even with Hoo Joon/Jae Joon. Of course, this could be argued—it is just my personal impression.

Also, while the drama condemns some of the toxic fan behaviour, it sometimes romanticises it. *SPOILER ALERT* one fan freaking kidnapped him, and everything was suddenly alright ¿¿ Nuh-uh *END OF SPOILER ALERT*

· · ·

♡ DRAMA VS. MOVIE:

As I mentioned above, there's a prior Chinese movie from 2016 that was based on this novel. It features EXO's Chanyeol, Yuan Shan Shan, SNSD's Seohyun, and Jian Chao.

For obvious reasons, the story is shrunk down in the movie. There are a lot of things that weren't included in the movie, other things were overly simplified, and some stuff was missing and/or changed.

If you want to have a good laugh, then I recommend you to watch the movie. It's filled with non-sensical comedy that, in my opinion, China excels at. However, if you are more inclined towards drama, then the South Korean version is the one for you (you'll laugh, too, don't worry).

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♡ SUMMARY:

This is, basically, a sweet enemies-to-lovers, famous-person-and-normal-person story. If you like any of those troupes, then you're in for a treat.

It's a really lighthearted story that will make you laugh. Don't expect a complicated plot because there won't be one. It's ideal to have a break from all those dramas where you can't miss a single detail because you'll get lost, or from those dramas which plots are so heavy they end up tiring your mind out.

I loved the cast, and their acting was great (especially Chansung's, because he made me hate his character with a passion, lmao).

ALSO, if you like Sung Hoon (My Secret Romance, Oh My Venus) like me, then WATCH THIS DRAMA, lol. He has a guest role in some episodes!

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So I Married an Anti-Fan is available on VIKI!

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If you read the whole review, thank you very much! I hope you liked it.

[razberryyum]

Scumbag System (SVSSS donghua) Episode 10 Thoughts (spoilers)

(covers SVSSS chaps 24 - 26, BC Novels Translations)

And thus the first season of the SVSSS donghua comes to an end...rather weirdly abruptly to be honest, but more on that later. Obviously I love the donghua. It was not perfect, but it still exceeded my expectations. I truly appreciate what they were able to do within their budget constraints and I think they captured the spirit of the source material perfectly, which is really all I hope for when it comes to adaptations.  The writing was strong, the humor hit the spot always (for example, when poor Shizun got motion sickness from sword riding, I guffawed), and they also gave us some of the most beautiful characters I’ve ever seen on screen, especially with Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge. I really, really hope they release official figurines for them. I’m going to start saving my money now just for that possibility.

Even though their time together in this episode was short, the BingQiu love was definitely strong. They gave them a combo move that was not in the source material: for someone like me who grew up watching Cantonese dramas, two characters who have a combo sword move (”雙劍合璧”!) are usually a couple so I was especially tickled by this addition. I am always thankful to the donghua team for the little Easter Eggs they give us for BingQiu, like the way Binghe's eyes lit up when he sees SQQ... 

or when SQQ touches him...

Once again, for those not in the know, it can easily be interpreted as a disciple just being devoted and filial to his Shizun. But for those of us who have read the novel, of course we know it’s indication of Bingmei falling in love with SQQ. I love how subtle yet significant these little expressions of Binghe’s are, and I hope they continue on with these little touches even in the next season. 

Of course then there are the more obvious gestures, like that HUG:

It lasted for a good 15 seconds and oh my God look at the Binghe’s hand placement!  There was totally nipple groppage happening there! This wasn’t in the book by the way...SQQ didn’t get woozy and Binghe most definitely didn’t have to catch him like some fainting damsel, so we have the donghua team to thank for this wonderful moment of (sexy) physical contact between the two of them. 

The donghua team was also especially generous in this episode since not only did we get some BingQiu love, but we got a pinch of LiuShen and QiJiu love too.

LQG’s eyes were on SQQ the entire time! And then Yue Qingyuan as usual took any opportunity he got to touch his Qingqiu.  So all shippers were fed. Hell, they even threw in some more straight-baiting again so peeps who are watching the show for the “straight” romance between Luo Binghe and his never-to-be-future-wife Qin Wanyue were fed too since the scene where Binghe gives her the handkerchief to wipe away her tears were not in the chapters of the book for this episode, and racking my brain I don’t even think it was in the book, period. I’m trying to remember if that handkerchief even holds any significance but even if it does, it’s all for naught since we know Qin Wanyue is at most just a minor side character. She does pop up again later on but then is mostly forgotten, so...not quite sure what that moment was all about other than to, I don’t know, throw off the censors?

I’m also not sure why we spent so much time with Liu Mingyan and Gongyi Xiao in this episode. Nothing against them personally, I like both characters very much (despite my previous complaints about GYX’s character design), and it’s not that they don’t deserve more screen time, but this was the season finale! Even though the next season has been announced, God knows when we’ll see it next year and how many episodes it would be, so every minute of screen time matters! That’s why I was a bit puzzled that they used up half of the episode showing LMY basically facing the same perils with her group of fellow disciples as before and GYX just running from that huge serpent. Even if that thing DOES turn out to be Zhuzhi-lang, it was still a bit much. They weren’t exactly character building scenes either so...why? Budget reasons? Didn’t have enough money to pay SQQ’s voice actor (Wu Lei-laoshi) so they had to stick in miscellaneous scenes to lessen his screen time? 

I’m kidding of course. God I hope that wasn’t the reason because that would just be sad.

Speaking of miscellaneous scenes though, what was going on with these two dudes?

I gotta admit, I’m a bit salty that these two mob characters got to do what our main couple can’t. What’s their story? Why do they get special privileges? Damn these nobodies. XD

All kidding aside, I have to say, of all the episodes this season, this might be the weakest one, not only because of the “filler” scenes, but also, the way the episode ended was so odd, especially for a season finale. The season basically ended on a scene transition. Not a cliffhanger, just a scene transition, and then cut to credits. What?? Why??? It’s almost as if they just ran out of time so had to stop the show all of a sudden. And then as if to make up for it, they added post-credit scenes which, honestly blew me away because it was so unexpected. It was indeed almost enough to make me completely forgive the weakness of the episode as a whole and that weird-ass ending.

I teared up!  The scene was kind of chopped up, didn’t even flow that smoothly, but I still got emotional! I’m sure when I see this scene in its entirety next season I am just going to be destroyed. I think they made it even more gut-wrenching than it was in the novel. Looks like the donghua team really aren’t gonna hold back when it comes to delivering the BingQiu knives. 

We also got to see Mobei-jun appear in the post-credits scene; I guess they had to stick him in there since he was featured in the poster for this season, so it would have been weird if he didn’t at least make an appearance.

I immediately thought of him as Sephiroth’s younger cousin when I first saw him on the poster and I still feel that way. Anyone related to Sephiroth, I will approve and instantly have affection for. For the MoShang shippers’ sake, I hope the Shang Qinghua they create for him will be just as pretty. I think I can now safely discard my guess from last time and also that moon-faced bearded ojisan others have guessed. We actually got a glimpse of the real deal in this sequence:

They strategically made him blurry so you can’t really make out his features, but what we still can tell from there is that he does not have facial hair (hence, he cannot be the ojisan) and the hair crown he’s wearing is silver and different from the twinky sect leader. So I guess we’ll be getting a fresh out of the microwave Airplane Bro instead of any of the no-name potential cannon fodder we’ve already seen. 

We’ll probably get the abyss opening up in maybe even the first episode of next season but that’ll still leave a lot of ground to be covered in just 10 episodes (rumored). There haven’t been any talk about a third season, but I really hope it’ll happen, even though it might take them a while to make it. I know it’s premature to even think of a third season when we haven’t even gotten an actual release date for the second, but I’m greedy because I already miss the donghua. This season was over so quickly, I’m already mourning the lack of new episodes. I hope we get the second season in the first quarter of next year and then by some miracle, a third or even fourth to properly finish out the story. I know we will never get the FULL story, but as long as they keep the spirit of BingQiu’s love and continue to hint at it like they’ve been doing this season, I will be more than satisfied. 

And while I’m wishful thinking for new seasons, I hope we also get a BingQiu duet and character songs. I love the opening and ending theme this season, if they want to save money I totally don’t mind if they just use the same OP/ED themes in the next season as well, but I hope they throw in a good BingQiu insert song and then release some individual character songs as well. I’m still not a fan of Binghe’s voice, but maybe they can have someone else do his vocals for the songs. SVSSS is the older son of MXTX’s works, I feel like it already got short-shrifted in terms of adaptation since it got the lesser budget compared to MDZS and TGCF. Hopefully with how popular the donghua is this season, it will be given a bigger budget next season so they can bring to life all the subsequent proceedings from the book properly. And whatever they’re paying Wu Lei-laoshi, SQQ’s voice actor, they should double it because that man is just amazing. I worship his voice and performance. I wish he would read the audiobook version of the the novel. I would listen to the hell out of that.  I have always loved SQQ, but if I’m going to be honest, I came into the show just a little more excited about seeing Bingge being brought to life. I still love Binghe of course, in all his phases, however, now,  because of Wu Lei-laoshi’s stellar voice performance (and of course SQQ’s beautiful looks), I’m leaving this season absolutely head over heels about SQQ/Shen Yuan. Also thanks to the show, I’m completely obsessed with Liu Qingge as well.  So for those two reasons, I will eternally be grateful to the donghua team.  

[mahkaria]

SVSSS AU

So, not so long ago, I finished reading Scum villain’s self saving system and kinda fell in love with it. The way it plays with the rules of an isekai was awesome. But like what killed.  What I really found awesome.  Was the relationship between Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua.  The relationship between an author and one of his haters? Peak comedy. (well, it’s not that funny to have someone hating on your story but SQQ’s hatredy mainly comes from the feeling of being wronged because SQH turned his story into trash so it’s a bit relatable)

But I’d love an AU where SQQ and SQH were best frieds before transmigrating.  It starts in middle school where SQH meets a sick but already very sarcastic SQQ. SQH is scared shitless of him but they get along mainly because other boys don’t care that much about novels.  They talk about it. A lot. 

So much so that it invades all of SQH’s mind.  He starts writing short stories one day. He doesn’t talk about it to his best friend but SQQ can tell something is going on. SQH has never been the most attentive person but he has been daydreaming far more often those days. 

Yet, it doesn’t seem to be hurting him and doesn’t concern his shitty parents so he lets it flow for the moment.  At the beginning of highschool, SQH shares one of the story he is the proudest of. It is not mind blowing. Your first stories rarely earn the title of masterpiece but SQQ still praises it. (”Just, please, bro, stop describing women. Like, ever. No one needs a thousand words description of their chest. Yes, even if she is the most beautiful woman on earth, you trash.”) 

One day, as his time at the hospital keeps increasing, SQQ gets into the wuxia genre. As any good friend would do, he sends the story he has just found to SQH. Not all of them are good, but since SQQ is a troll those are often the worst-written one he prefers. SQH often receives mail which at least at one point contains “Can you believe how bad this story is?”.  They laugh about it which grows  harder and harder with the decrease of Shen Yuan’s health. It’s hard to have fun when you’re stuck in a white room which, more often than not, reeks of sanitizer.  So, one day, at the beginning of university, with a bit more alcohol than he would like in his blood, SQH starts writing PIDW.  Once the first chapters have been written he sends them to SQQ. Here are the comments he receives in return : 

“Nice character, I Like him.  Although, did you really need to kill his mother ? Stop torturing the kid !”

“Wait, did you give my name to the villain?”

“Dude, why is he such an asshole?” 

“Also, the sect leader has the same name as my brother??? Why? Are you going to put my whole family in it?”

“OMG, why is this guy such a jerk? I don’t want to be associated with him !” 

PS : Liu Qingge, in the first draft, was totally based on this guy who in highschool had a major crush on Shen Yuan.  “Okay, I know I said I didn’t want to be associated with him but was the dismemberment really necessary? Are you trying to tell me something?” 

“God, what did I tell you about describing women? You wrote the word ‘bosom” eight times in one page ! I checked.”

It mostly ends up with SQH who tries to see how many times he can make his friend scream in outrage with one chapter. 

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 天官赐�� Tiān Guān Cì Fú (Heaven Official's Blessing)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Summary:

The most beloved Crown Prince, pride of the Kingdom of Xianle with abundance of talents and achievements, Xie Lian, ascended to Heaven and became a martial god at the young age of 17 on the path to fulfill his dream "to save the common people".

Three years after his ascension, he saw his kingdom beginning to decline and in order to save his beloved country, Xie Lian defied the rules of Heaven and descended back to the mortal realm. Nevertheless, instead of saving them, his interference ended up accelerating the fall of Xianle, annihilating the once prosperous nation under the war of rebellion and a mysterious, horrifying plague.

The people who once praised and worshipped him day and night now condemned him, his devotees left him, they burnt his temples and divine statues, and Xie Lian himself was ultimately banished from the Heaven.

He ascended for the second time a short while later, but was banished once more very soon after. Since then, he lived among the mortals - surviving by collecting junks as he was now branded as the "God of Misfortune", the "Scrap Collecting Immortal".

800 years later, Xie Lian ascended again for the third time. Though having neither temples nor devotees, he accepted his responsibility as a martial god and carried on with his duties until one day, there came a certain, incidental encounter with a mysterious youth clad in red.

STORY: 7/10

TGCF overall is an (almost) complete, satisfying read with well-written twists and development.

Unlike the two previous MXTX's novels, the main pairing here (HuaLian) did not have to go through complicated misunderstandings and is a beautiful representation of love and devotion. Of course, this means there is a lack of conflict between them, but considering all the trials and tribulations the characters have gone through, this lack of conflict feels like a relieving fresh spring amidst the painful and exhausting journey throughout the entire five books.

The best and my most favorite plot twist is the Earth Master Ming Yi having been dead for a while, and the "Ming Yi" we know turns out to be the Black Water Submerging Boats, He Xuan. I'm the kind of person who always suspects characters, but even my furthest suspicion was "only" him being the Reverend of Empty Words, not He Xuan.

Truthfully, prior to reading this novel, I've seen Shi Qingxuan's "MING-XIONG, I'M SORRY x9999" post before without context, and I thought Ming Yi was going to die a tragic death because of Shi Qingxuan. Turns out it's kind of the opposite, huh? Nice one, really.

I also like how each character's "end" feels satisfying. Especially for the villains, they didn't necessarily have to die some tragic, vengeful death, but was provided with an ending that perfectly fits their background story and deeds. For example, in most stories, a character like Xuan Ji would be most likely be given some well-deserved punishment as her death, given everything she's done. But no, in the end she was given a reality check and was finally able to let go of her hundreds of years grudge. And then Qi Rong - I will talk more about him later on in the "Character" section.

One part I really love is the Extra Chapter about the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods. The chapter itself overall is mostly nonsensical and chaotic, but it was just so touching when HuaLian created a "Little Hua Cheng" statue to accompany Xie Lian's "Crown Prince who Pleased the Gods" statue, especially when this Little Hua Cheng statue gave Crown Prince Xie Lian statue a flower, and then Crown Prince Xie Lian received it, lifted him up and carried him in his arms. This one was maybe a bit biased because as much as I love the current HuaLian, I have a special soft spot for the young Xie Lian carrying, cradling the little Hua Cheng back then in the past. ;v;

Though, with all due respect, I must say that TGCF is actually below my expectation.

The biggest issue I have with TGCF is... What is Xie Lian's motivation? What drives him to move forward in the story? What is even the whole story's purpose?

I'm not quite sure how to word this properly, but let me give some examples.

When you read Harry Potter, you know immediately that Voldemort is the bad guy and he must be defeated.

When you read the Lord of the Rings, you know immediately that the One Ring must be destroyed to prevent Sauron from regaining his power.

Or, in MXTX previous works...

In SVSSS, it was clear since the beginning that Shen Yuan's mission is to fix the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" if he wants to survive.

In MDZS, it was clear that Wei Wuxian, together with Lan Wangji's, needs to unravel the mystery behind that fierce left arm. All of their past stories and WangXian getting together in the end are just something they discovered along the way, not the initial "motivation" that drives the character to move forward.

What about TGCF? The Xie Lian who ascended for the third time actually looks like he just wants to go along with the flow, carrying out his duties day by day with responsibility. When Bai Wuxiang later, later, later on appeared to haunt him again, it didn't seem like Xie Lian has any ambition to hunt him down or exact a revenge, just that he wanted to forget about Bai Wuxiang and never recall anything about him ever again. The main character looks like he's not being driven by anything, just...carrying on where the plot takes him? It's just missions after missions and whatever huge things happening in between is just something they accidentally passed by along the way.

At this point, the only purpose of the story I can think of is bringing Hua Cheng and Xie Lian together. The romance is great, I have no complain. But if it's just that, no need to jammed-pack 250+ chapters just to make two people getting together?

Speaking of which, I also think that the way new characters keep being introduced all the way to almost the final showdown of the story feels info dump-ish, because the background story needs to be dropped there along with the characters, but then most of these characters fade away immediately after.

For example, the previous Civil God before Ling Wen, who looks like he’s going to pose some real trouble, but then was easily defeated and was never mentioned again afterwards. And this is especially true for He Xuan; after such a huge arc where he committed such extreme things, after that he was barely mentioned again, even having his “strong impression” leveled down by the joke about him being the poorest Calamity and owing lots of debts to Hua Cheng.

Basically what makes TGCF a long story is because there are too many stories about the side characters in addition to the main characters that are dumped out of the blue instead of slowly being revealed along the way.

Though, I love how the story gradually unravels the "Four Famous Tales" because initially, I thought it wasn't something crucial, and I wished they could've done this for other characters, too.

There is a little bit of plot holes here and there, as in who actually cut open Jian Lan/Lan Chang's baby and made it a ghost, and for what? Even if it turned out that she just met a bad guy or nobody important, at least provide an explanation in one paragraph? Especially because important side characters like Feng Xin and Mu Qing are involved here, so I'm pretty sure us readers need some explanation.

And more importantly, how can Jun Wu become the Emperor martial god? There's no mention about him ascending, only that he annihilated a dynasty of gods before sitting on the throne of the Great Martial Hall. But how can he, like, emitted god-like aura and not some evil aura? Is it because he used to be a god? But he's a ghost? Explanation where???

The gags and comedies are pretty fun, but honestly, the more I read, the more they ruin the atmosphere and suspense, added with the uncalled PDA between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian even during the most important moments. Honestly, I was bored the fuck out of my life from the moment they start fighting Jun Wu with those divine gundams, and only start gaining interest again much later on when Hua Cheng dissipated into butterflies.

Not saying the story's bad. Just... It's not up to my expectation... Characters being inserted here and there with a bunch of background story, gags and a show of PDA being flaunted during crucial moments. And when Mei Nianqing started telling the truth about the Kingdom of Wuyong, that's just plain info dump right there, seriously...

CHARACTERS: 7/10

Interesting characters, but only a few bore a lasting impression on me. Other than the main characters, which are Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, the only side characters (minus Bai Wuxiang as the main villain) who left quite some impression on me were probably just Feng Xin and Mu Qing.

Pei Ming is okay, at least he is still memorable until the end, and his character improved, too.

He Xuan, after having been introduced with such extreme, after his arc is over, was easily forgotten just like that.

Mei Nianqing, is borderline Deus Ex-Machina with a huge chunk of info dump that could solve everything, then he stopped being useful for the rest of the story.

Shi Qingxuan... Honestly, he's almost annoying, too noisy. I don’t hate him (and I kind of like him initially), but the way his character was being handled and presented post-Black Water arc feels disappointingly lazy and he was just there to make the party more merry.

Xie Lian himself, as the protagonist, how do I say this... This is maybe due to the translator's writing style (not MXTX’s fault), but whenever he screams in all capslock, it feels too extreme and borderline OOC? Of course, the original novel written in hanzi couldn't have included capslock.

What's great about him, though, is that despite all he'd gone through, he can still retain a pure heart and could not be swayed to be evil, just as he himself said "Body in the abyss, heart in paradise".

Now Hua Cheng, he is overall a super interesting character and I personally love this type of male characters. But he seriously is way too OP, almost like the original Luo Binghe (Bing-ge) a.k.a. too ideal, too perfect, no flaws, always capable of easily finding a way out in every single peril. I only forgive him for being like this because he dissipated into butterflies at the end of the battle with Jun Wu, making me think "oh, finally he's actually not invincible".

Still, his devotion to Xie Lian is very well written, very well presented, and his "I am forever your most devoted believer" is just downright the most powerful line in the whole story.

Now I promised to talk about Qi Rong, yeah? I haven't the slightest idea why it is even necessary to have Qi Rong as the Night-touring Green Lantern. I mean, yes he is there to make up the number of the Four Great Calamities, but that was for the characters who live in that world. As the novel's reader, I don't see any particularly important roles there for Qi Rong other than being an annoying meme fodder despite his actually pretty-cool first foreshadowing and appearance? Even his issue with Lang Qianqiu does not seem to give that much impact on the overall story, it could've just passed simply being explained in several pages.

Though I'd say he's got the best character development compared to others. Instead of dying as some hateful villain, the way he ended up deciding to protect Guzi at the cost of his own life can already be expected from miles away, but still bittersweet and touching nonetheless - how this crazed, mental person could still love when being presented with such pure, innocent feelings to the point that he acknowledged Guzi as a his own son.

By the way, E Ming and Ruoye are cute, I take no criticism.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 8/10

I can't really describe this with words, but MXTX's overall writing technique has greatly improved since MDZS.

It feels more "solid" to read instead of scattered here and there.

The info distribution has improved (fewer info dump compared to before), the story's no longer switching between past and present all of a sudden.

Description of characters and environment are sufficient, the plot is progressing steadily.

Several issues I have with this aspect though, the Prologue being ten pages is just way too long, I don't think I need that much information being stuffed right to my face right from the beginning.

There are excessive use of "Turns out..." every single time an explanation is going to come.

"Xie Lian didn't know whether he should cry or laugh" is honestly has been used probably more than 50 times just in the last two books. Although I'm reading a translation, I'm pretty sure the original Chinese version is being repetitive with this phrase, as well, because the translators couldn't just whip up any other phrase from thin air and put it in someone else's novel.

Almost half of scene transition is always caused by some sudden, external disturbance like "All of a sudden they heard someone's coming", "All of a sudden X visits their room", etc.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.3/10

Worth to read, satisfying overall. The main pairing's love story is just so well written and sweet. As long as you can withstand the violence and gore, though. 😂

TGCF highlights perhaps one of the ugliest natures of mankind: Being nice to someone as long as they're beneficial, and immediately throwing them away once the benefit was no more.

Once that person does not seem to be beneficial anymore, everyone would leave them instantly, even turning on them and start spitting on them without even trying to understand the reason why said person "stopped being beneficial".

Both as a Crown Prince and a martial god, Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong were praised, revered, worshipped by the citizens of Xianle and Wuyong respectively. Because they were always helping, always fulfilling the people's wishes. But how easily it was for those very same people to turn on Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong when they encountered misfortunes, completely turning a blind eye to the laborious effort both characters have been putting to save them from annihilation, even if it was visible in broad daylight.

It is also worth to note another trait of mankind that this story underlines: To always find a scapegoat or blame others for one's own misfortune and failure - be it another human being, another group of people, the government, even the gods - after having taking their generosity for granted.

Which is why I think the true villain of the story is not Bai Wuxiang, but those citizens of the ancient Wuyong who were now nothing more than resentful spirits eternally burning within the lava of Tonglu Mountain - a well deserved punishment after what they did to their Crown Prince.

[statesrightssunquan]

Top 5 Patriots they should add to Dynasty Warriors

#1: Hu Ji: KOEI first added Hu Ji in their mobile game Dynasty Warriors Blast. As you can see from this picture, Hu Ji has one fatal flaw: He cannot read maps and is always getting lost. This is apparently why Jiang Wei lost at Duan Gu. Hu Ji was supposed to reinforce him, but got lost and ended up at Guan Du instead, or was it Wudu? Hu Ji can’t even read whatever Sinitic language they used in this time period to be honest. His directionless is so bad that sometimes he ends up in other time periods, games and dimensions. Eventually he’ll show up in the next Monster Rancher, Dead or Alive, Samurai Warriors, Nioh, and Ninja Gaiden. None of that will deter Hu Ji from trying to come to Shu-Han’s aid eventually. After recruiting William Adams, Adolf Hitler, Cleopatra, Naoe Kanetsugu and Luigi over the course of his adventures, Hu Ji will finally make his appearance in a proper Dynasty Warriors game in a stunningly epic bravura moment. Except he’ll still show up at the wrong battle, at the wrong part of the battlefield and possibly be fighting for the wrong side. But everybody will at least appreciate his very late entrance into the fray.

#2 Kong Rong: Kong Rong has never been added to Dynasty Warriors, which is stupid because he was clearly as important for Confucianism as Confucius himself. This is the reason why he was added to Total War Three Kingdoms. In TW3k he is the master of the Art of the Deal, a historical trait which he probably had, but which was sadly not recorded in the fake news media of the time. Kong Rong in Dynasty Warriors will be like a reverse Xu Shu. He wanted to join Liu Bei, but instead joined Cao Cao as a trojan horse, and from that point on he devoted the rest of his life to trolling Cao Cao so hard that it benefits Liu Bei. As a strategist, Kong Rong persistently gives the worst possible advice, aggravating Cao Cao to no end time after time until Cao Cao is forced to reluctantly execute him. Kong Rong gets the last laugh, though, as he contributed a significant amount to Cao Cao’s constant headaches and brain aneurysms which ultimately resulted in Cao Cao’s death.

However, if you go on the hypothetical path, Cao Cao spares Kong Rong and ends up winning Chi Bi because of it. It turns out the one time Cao Cao didn’t listen to Kong Rong and instead killed him, he paid dearly for it. Kong Rong suggests building schools along the Yangzi so that the bandits Liu Bei and Sun Quan are impressed and submit to Cao Cao’s virtue. The plan is so mind numbingly moronic that it works. Cao Cao, if he spares Kong Rong, thus unites China very quickly. Kong Rong also had a brief stint as an independent warlord, where he is most known for being rescued by Taishi Ci and Liu Bei. As a descendant of Confucius he was just too big to fail, and had to be bailed out. What a great man.

#3 Lady Liu: Lady Liu is the ultimate Dragon Lady character they could add to Dynasty Warriors, unless they want to take a real leap by adding Jia Nanfeng (a character they did add to Dynasty Warriors Blast). Lady Liu was Yuan Shao’s wife. That’s already funny. As goofy as Yuan Shao currently is, now imagine him with his better half stepping all over his balls. However, it only gets better. Lady Liu is most well known for vengefully killing his concubines. In the novel she intimidates and browbeats Yuan Shao, as he is dying, into making Yuan Shang the heir. In the novel, in fact, she practically takes over his faction as Yuan Shao is on his deathbed. Historically her role is a bit more obscure, though she still likely had a hand in the succession.

In short, Lady Liu would likely end up being an even more nefarious and domineering Zhang Chunhua, whipping her cucked husband into submission and probably going out of her way to try and assassinate all other female characters in every single stage. Female characters in Dynasty Warriors have tended to be hit or miss, so having one who has a major role in the story as a villain could be a nice change. Lady Liu also outlives Yuan Shao, and could probably serve as the faction leader of sorts until the Yuans are destroyed. Eventually she introduced Zhenji to Cao Pi, a marriage that worked out great with no problems whatsoever, resulting in the Yuan family winning in the end as Yuan Rui took the throne of Wei.

#4 Sun Hao: “REEEEEEE you can’t just add Sun Hao! He was a horrible ruler who led to Wu’s downfall!!!!!!!!!”

Yeah, that’s why KOEI should add him. Remember when people thought Liu Shan would be horrible, and then he ended up being one of the best characters? Well there’s no reason lightning can’t strike twice. Sun Hao was put on the throne precisely because the bigwigs in Wu thought he would be competent and Make Wu Great Again. Instead he apathetically had people killed and nonchalantly built up a huge harem for himself, all while yawning in boredom at the mundane task of ruling a kingdom, a task simply too easy and dull for a challenge seeker like Sun Hao. Just like Liu Shan is secretly a genius holding back his true power, Sun Hao can end up being a similar character who is ruthlessly callous and depraved precisely because he has no interest in being the figurehead of a failing empire. His true destiny is to eventually own Jia Chong in an epic rap battle.

#5 Cao Shuang: Cao Shuang has one of the best lines of any NPC ever in Dynasty Warriors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIDmbivlslg

“All my drinking, hunting, carousing -- it is all for the future of Wei!”

With a raison d’etre like that, there isn’t much question. He would be an extremely amusing foil character to Jin in the main plot. In a hypothetical, he could bungle everything so badly that he somehow confuses his adversaries, resulting in a win for Wei restoration. In the historical path, he’ll be mostly a stepping stone, but a pretty important one for the Simas.

[natsunoomoi]

Holy crap. So like with the previous post I was thinking about Fushigi Yuugi again and kind of checking up on what was up with Byakko Senki cuz I haven’t checked on it in awhile and it looks like it’s on hiatus right now and she’s working more on Arata Kangatari, which is cool cuz I thought she finished that, but I guess not and she just took a break to like finish Genbu and do Byakko or something.

But also I was scrolling through her Twitter to find that she is really into this Chinese movie “Legend of Luo Xiaohei” and so I was checking that out cuz so ironic that Japanese mangaka that got her big break writing manga about an ancient China setting is interested in a Chinese movie. So just looking through her Twitter thread and apparently she found out about Luo Xiaohei from watching a CM while watching Modao Zushi. LMAO It’s amazing, but this situation just feels like an ouroboros eating itself because I have a high suspicion that her work on Fushigi Yuugi imported into China back in the 90s was probably a huge influence on Chinese creators and artists to write their own stories about their culture and helped to popularize the xianxia and wuxia novel movements in more modern times. On top of that MXTX said she was inspired by a D. Gray-man fanfic and while she mentioned that title specifically, I think in the periphery Fushigi Yuugi itself and more recently Arata were probably an influence too. Growing up a number of my Chinese friends also said they got into anime overall because of Fushigi Yuugi because it was an anime and work from Japan about their culture and arguably done pretty damn well. 

In terms of the danmei movement as well, I’m pretty sure Fushigi Yuugi was included in what started the movement as the movement was influenced by Japanese BL that came in via Taiwan, and the beginning of Fushigi Yuugi had the whole thing between Nuriko and Hotohori even though that kind of went nowhere, Nuriko dies to everyone’s depression (I have several friends who refuse to watch the rest of the series after Nuriko dies because it’s not the same), and that whole ship goes off a weird deep end with Hotohori marrying a woman that looks like Nuriko. Also, the exact reasons for Nuriko being in the harem and all that. There was a whole lot of shipping in the 90s from Fushigi Yuugi and it was one of the first series that had a male cast that was almost entirely ikemen and I think the actual first reverse harem. A number of shows probably simultaneously popularized the female gaze in mainstream anime, but Fushigi Yuugi was definitely one of them. Like literally one or two years before there was a lot of manly men and guy’s guys kind of anime characters, but beautiful ikemen, no, not really. In 2021, there are some things about the series that are a bit problematic, but it’s influence on the world is pretty significant. It was one of the first shows I’d seen that had any kind of reference to homosexuality or transgender in it and although it’s not necessarily portrayed well, the fact that it was there and that Nuriko was such a beloved character it started a conversation and helped us to get to a time where the topics she represents can be more discussed. I’m actually not even sure what pronouns would be appropriate for Nuriko because of her reasons for what she did and in Japanese the pronoun problem is actually really easy to get around because you just don’t have a subject or speaking in 3rd person is totally normal. But still, without her the minds of thousands or even millions of fans around the world would not have been opened as early to LGBT topics. Her existence, even problematic as it might be, allowed people to consider and love a character of a different sexual orientation or gender identity than their own and just open their minds to just not being a homophobic, biphobic (cuz relationship with Miaka?), or transphobic piece of shit.

Then also Genbu Kaiden and Uruki’s powers. Yeah.... I mean, also kind of with the earlier discussion, the idea of dual cultivation I don’t recall even being brought up much before in most media, but such ideas were also banned and repressed in China at a certain point. Documentation shows it was more of an ancient practice that suddenly became known about again. The book I was talking about that has it more explicitly written is banned in China has its only original surviving copy in the Japanese National Library as it was one of the books brought to Japan by scholars escaping persecution in China and bringing with them books to escape one of the many episodes of mass book burning. According to my Chinese lit professor who had us read an English translation of that book as a part of our curriculum anyway. Supposedly the translator of said book had to go to Japan to read the original in order to write the translation. There’s apparently a number of ancient Chinese texts like that because book burnings were a thing at different points in Chinese history, so if you are a scholar of Chinese lit if you want a complete picture of your field for some texts you do actually have to come to Japan to do your research. But yeah, that power mentioned in that very book Watase-sensei gave to Soi, and also the story of Fushigi Yuugi takes place in that very library that contains that ancient copy of a banned and would have been lost to the world book. If you’re asking why a “dirty” book would be something a scholar would grab to save, ancient lit scholars do regard it as a rather well-written piece of literature even though the content of it is basically taboo.

But also the Fushigi Yuugi Suzaku Ibun game is a hot mess when it comes to this same issue because if you romance Nuriko you can save her from death and my friend Hikari said she wasn’t sure if she was happy about fucking with the universe like that. (I’m not either.) Nuriko’s death was such a huge impact on the story and everything. Also, notably, most of the Suzaku Shichiseishi died, but Nuriko had the LONGEST tribute. Like Chiriko and Mitsukake’s was like a tag on of a few minutes. Hotohori’s was too even, but it was addressed more in the later manga chapters the publisher pressured her to write and in the OVA series afterward.

Also, like Fushigi Yuugi other than the Neverending Story was one of the original sucked into a book holy shit how do I survive stories. Idk if SVSSS is influenced by it in that way, but it’s fair to draw the parallels because of the similar theme. It’s just canonically Taiitsu Shinjin is not behind the the system in the book and in a number of ways Shen Yuan is more competent than Miaka. Miaka gets a lot of shit though and when I re-watched FY a second time I actually found the gripes people generally have about it make up only a small part of the series. People just talk it up so much that it seems like a huge thing when it’s not. Plus the technical canon is only the original TV series because that’s where Watase wanted to end the story and that is an emotional rollercoaster that makes you cry so good. But like there’s some other kinds of parallels as well like how toward the end and like the last two episodes you hate Nakago up until the exact moment you find out why he’s an absolute asshole, and characters straight up criticizing him about how he’s an asshole the whole damn series just gives the same kind of feels that SY gave criticizing the original throughout SVSSS. Can’t say for sure, but Fushigi Yuugi has a lot of clout in a general sense.

But yeah, Watase-sensei said that she was really surprised by the animation quality of Chinese animation these days and she thought Japanese anime was going down in comparison. Same, yo. Same. But still, her work was probably a huge contributor to the movement that allowed MDZS to exist because her art is damn beautiful, Chinese influenced, and she had one of the first works in Asia to like bring the subject of LGBT issues into the mainstream after years of oppression from mostly Western influence because in pre-modern Asia no one gave a shit before and there’s a significant amount of classical novels that address some form of LGBT issues at least in Japanese lit and like even academic documentation that notes Confucius saying that doing it with a guy was better than with a woman. And the author of the work that probably was very influential to BL back in the 90s watches MDZS. She noted that there wasn’t any in the actual anime, which is true, but I think she helped that series to exist and she watches the anime so it’s kind of exciting.

I hope it influences her to go finish Byakko, but OMG I want her to finish Arata too because I like Arata. I should try to find time to read more of it because the anime is too short and the wiki descriptions of what’s happening are so damn confusing and incomplete.

[inessencedevided]

The Untamed, episode 46 - watching notes

Full disclosure: I'm not in a particularly good mood today. Have you seen that "no productivity. Only guild." Meme flying around? That's me today :|

Hopefully this will distract me (though distraction was the problem in the first place 🙈)

I apologise for any typos you'll finde in this post 😅

To recap, the last thing I learned was that apparently, Jiggy married his own sister because Jin Guangshan was a scumbag who raped more women than he could possibly remember

I was told by several people that this episode is their favourite. No pressures or anything :D

The way someone is dragging up Jiggy's secrets has a lot of poetic justice to it. Everyone is outraged and gossiping. Consensus is reached quickly. Kinda makes me feel that that someone (who probably also wrote the letter to jgy) knows exactly how to use the sect world's worst qualities as a weapon

Yao what's-his-name, resident gossip queen, at it again

Don't look at me my memory is as bad as wwx when it comes to names :D

I was about to write who is Lianfang Zum again and then I remembered that it's jiggy's honorary title. See what I mean? ^^

What does it say about me that my heart makes a leap when I simply see wwx leaning close to lwj to whisper to him? 😅 I'll probably die reading the novel, that's what that says

Oh so it was the maid who sent the letter

Come on Wei Wuxian! That was cruel

Yeah Yao what's-his-name, why would you need to know the identity of who ever is behind this? It's not like you've ever been deceived before!

What's... with that bracelet?

I love it how everyone looks positively startled when Lan Wangji says something unprompted :D

Wait ... Zwei Jun is in his hands? Shit, i don't remeber what happened there. Where did Xichen go again? 😬

I'm so confused right now 🙈 I can't watch and read the subtitles and type

Okay, watched the whole conversation again, now I'm following

I reiterate my earlier statement that whoever is pulling the strings here knows exactly what strings to pull to get the clans to act

Great, another mob 🙄

Loooool

NOW you want his help? 😂

Sure, as soon as he can serve YOU with his "evil tricks", that's okay!

You can see how much wwx changed because he does not hold their hypocrisy to their faces. He mostly seemed tired of it

And Jiang Cheng just realised that wwx might indeed not be responsible for Jiang Yanli's death, didn't he? He's almost stunned 🥺

Or is BEAUTIFUL to see Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji move in such unity! 😭

Oh ... those are the graves of his foster parents, right? :(

And Yanli ... oh God I forgot about Yanli 🥺

I'm crying again. Nothing on this show will ever hit as hard to me as the Yunmeng siblings' fate

I couldn't help myself, I legitimately just stroked my laptop screen where Yanli's plate was 🥺

So many conflicting emotions

Thanks to a friendly anon, I know that these three bows together are marriage thing! 😭😭😭

So yeah, they're married now. I dont make the rules :')

Somehow, this feels like them asking wwx's foster family's blessing

And now I'm imagining Shijie smiling back at them gently and I'm crying 🥺

And by God, I love lwj's gentle teasing :')

This whole scene, he's so soft! 😭

And it think that Wei Wuxian probably thought that he'd never get to step into Lotus Pier again. But here, he can finally say his goodbyes to his Shijie properly. He can heal! 🖤

And again, I cannot stress enough how wonderful that is! And how rare and precious in a show like this. So often character's get put through unimaginable trauma, but they either brush it off no problem or the show/movie ends immediately after the main action and you are left to imagine the number it did on the character's psyche. There are so rarely fantasy shows that really dive into the emotional fallout the plot has on their characters and then give them time to heal. Thus show does both and I'm so goddamn overjoyed my it!

Come to think of it, it reminds me of a very good hurt/comfort fic 🤷‍♀️

Jiang Cheng pleae, fir once, try not to be angry immediately when you're hurting :(

He still takes special offence that lwj is there. Makes me wonder if he still feels like wwx chooses lwj over the Jiang sect and is still hurt by it 😔 (note that at the same time, he reminds wwx that he's very much not a member of the Jiang clan anymore. God, the man has not worked through his own feelings ...)

For once, as much as I love it when lwj defends wwx (especially when it's not against any physical harm, but because he doesn't want wwx to be hurt emotionally) I think him interfering with this particular conflict does not help

Okay sorry, but no! lotus pier was not destroyed because wwx saved lwj in that cave. That was just an excuse for the Wen sect. They would have come eventually anyway

Ohhh

So there's my answer

He's still hurt because he feels wwx chooses anyone else over his family, which is to say him

And he probably can't understand because their positions are so different. The (future) sect leader and the son of a (dead) servant and a rogue cultivator who never felt quite like he belonged 😔

It's so goddamn tragic how much between these two was destroyed simply because they have such a different status in society and could never quite understand each other's perspective

And again, wwx just takes it 💔

Until, that is, lwj's honour gets besmirched

Don't fight in front of Shijie 🥺

Jiang Cheng's every action screams that he still loves his brother and that amidst all that pain for his lost family, is also deep betrayal and grieve for the brother he thought he could always count on 🥺💔

Can we appreciate for a second how much this shot tells us? From Jiang Cheng's angry desperation, to Wei Wuxian's quite acceptance of his rage (which must be so confusing to Jiang Cheng and probably hurt him even more. Because fighting is always how these two resolved their issues!) to Lan Wangji who is in full on protective mode (which I find more than heartwarming,but still think probably isn't helpful rn)

He ... what?

I still don't quite understand when exactly wwx's lack of golden core shows. Why does he have a nosebleed here?

What?

Oh!

Wen Ning 😱

I get what he wants to do!

Have we ever seen him this calm and determined before?

Abd they understand 😱😱😱

The look on all of their faces! Shiiiiit

I'm crying again

Oh wangii is crying 🥺

Wen Quing 💔💔💔 I'm crying even harder just looking at her. I've MISSED her 🥺

Lan Zhan your FACE!! 😭

The way he's looking at wwx in his arms, as if he's seeing him fir the first time

And by god, I can only imagine what he must be thinking

He must be reevaluation every single interaction they had since wwx started down the path of demonic cultivation 😭

I'm a bit in awe of Wen Ning here and how much he must have been holding in. That's the steadiest and most confident he's ever been

Oh Jiang cheng 💔

That looks like a man whose entire world has just been shaken to its core

And Lan Wangji is crying so much 🥺

God I hope he doesn't blame himself even more 🥺

Aaaaaaahhhh, so that is why he wouldn't just carry the sword for appearance sake and why he just had a nosebleed!

Jiang Cheng probably needs about a month to process all that :/

And therapy ...

Aaaaaaahhhh! The boat scene! I've seen gifs! 😍😍😍

A penny for Lan Wangji's thoughts ...

Oh I'm so so so so glad that Wen Ning gets to say thank you to the man who raised his ... cousin (?) :')

Oh god we get to see!!!!

Oh little a Yuan 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I wonder now, did Lan Qiren know who the child was that his nephew suddenly brought back to cloud recess?

I'm glad that we all learned from this that keeping secrets from the people we love, especially secrets that concern them personally, will eventually come back to bide us in the ass. Than you for delivering that important lesson, wen Ning!

Which reminds me that I hope they eventually tell wwx that they know 😬

I swear to god, one of these days I will melt from the gentleness in lan Wangji's gaze :')

Shit. He had to be awake? 😳

You can pinpoint the moment Lan Wangji's heart breaks for all the suffering wwx endured and how close he came to loosing him even then 🥺

Waking like that in you lovers arms in the middle of a lotus pond - that's the dream *sighs* (minus the passing out bit)

It's weirdly cute that wwx thinks that it's Jiang Cheng's insults that have lwj so upset 😅

Oh GOOOOD ...

I can't

The moment Yanli's themes started to play and she appeared I started to bawl 😭😭😭

And he's sharing the lotus pods with them ... oh please, lwj, please understand what he's saying. That's his pove language! His sister's food was how he received love and right now he passes it on to you! Please, please understand it! 🥺

Oh lwj, don't 🙈

Awwwwww ....

He's breaking the rules for you!!! Just to make you smile!!! 😭😭

And holy shit look at their expressions 😭

By now you should know that he's willing to break the rules for you :')

And poor third wheel Wen Ning 😂

Now there are glittering butterflies???

Do they have some kind of romantic aesthetic bingo going on in this episode???

Oh okay, messenger butterflies

Please appreciate wwx almost climbing into lan Wangji's lab in excitement :D

Thay scene transition was pretty af!

Hey! Why do they bully wen Ning? 😤

*shakes wwx by the shoulders* DO YOU GET THAT HE LOVES YOU NOW???

Huh, this episode was a roller coaster. you guys did NOT exaggerate! I loved it to pieces. I'm floored once more by all the actor's performances. Wen Ning revealed a lot about his character, Jiang Cheng broke my heart, Lan Wangji made it melt and Shijie is still able to make me bawl in an instant. But ... I'm not left with a bitter feeling. Sure, jiang Cheng and wei Wuxian havebt reconciled, but the truth is the first step to even have that possibility. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are both healing and whatever happens in the last 4 (4!!!😭) episodes, I'm not dreading it that much right now. I feel like we're climbing upwards :)

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose thank you guys for staying with me for this crazy ride 💙🖤💙

Also one last thing: please don't tell me what happens differently in the novel in any given scene. I am still reading it (about half way through rn) and I'd like to still be surprised by stuff like first kisses and love confessions 💙🖤

I should have put something like this at the end before, but I always forgot. That's on me 😅 so don't feel bad, if you've shared something before :)