#Chen Shaoshang

[dangermousie]

The best part is he sincerely means it as a compliment ahahahahaha even though her interpretation is the more normal one:

He really is the most awkward human alive, which makes sense since he's intense, fucked up, with a weird upbringing/background and zero need of social graces.

Also, this shippy MV for them:

I think LLTG is so so so very much a cdrama as a Jane Austen novel with some Bronte thrown in aka the best combo.

Chen Shaoshang's matrimonial quest and family adjustments AND Ling Buyi's revenge narrative against his uncle, which gets deliciously sidetracked by love, somehow mesh into a super coherent story even if you'd think they are in two different genres.

[zhoufeis]

cdrama ask meme

send me a number and I’ll reply with a gifset

1: hidden love or lighter and princess 2: love between fairy and devil or the starry love 3: legend of fei or word of honor 4: till the end of the moon or the untamed 5: who rules the world or zhaoyao 6: the killer is also romantic or the queen of attack 7: the eternal love or the romance of tiger and rose 8: love like the galaxy or goodbye my princess 9: oh! my sweet liar or a girl like me 10: the love by hypnotic or i’ve fallen for you

11: lan wangji or xie yun 12: zhou fei or lu zhaoyao 13: wen kexing or wei wuxian 14: li xun or zhu yun 15: ban hua or rong xia 16: bai fengxi or cheng shaoshang 17: shaodian youqin or chao feng 18: gu xiang or yan hui 19: hei fengxi or li chenlan 20: xiao lanhua or dongfang qingcang

21: hei fengxi / bai fengxi or wen kexing / zhou zishu 22: li chenlan / lu zhaoyao or shaodian youqin / liguang yetan 23: dongfang qingcang / xiao lanhua or lan wangji / wei wuxian 24: gu xiang / cao weining or tianqi / yuemi 25: yan hui / tian yao or ban hua / rong xia 26: ling buyi / cheng shaoshang or tantai jin / ye xiwu 27: li qian / li mingyue or xiong xiruo / li hongbin 28: zhu yun / li xun or sang zhi / duan jiaxu 29: han shuo / chen qianqian or liang weiwei / jing qing 30: chu xiuming / shen jin or zhao cuo / tian sanqi

[watch-grok-brainrot]

Family means your mannerisms are in sync.

Love Like the Galaxy ep 20 and 22

[I/D two gifs from Love like the Galaxy where NiaoNiao’s family matches up their mannerisms. Gif 1: NiaoNiao and her mom roll up their sleves and put put their hands on their hips in sync. Gif 2: NiaoNiao’s parents take a breath in and sigh in sync.]

[utterlyhooked]

For those looking for the “MARITAL BLISS” part of the story, here is a machine translated part of the epilogue.

▪️ Huo Buyi/Huo Budo/Huo ZhouMu is now a governor or head of state (vassal state) that he opened up during his exile* on the NorthWestern region, uniting the local tribes. Ah Xiu is a 14 year old grandson (heir) of one of the tribal leaders (who is leading other tribes) - this is how I understand it.

*he also conquered the Kingdom of Shu

----

Ah Xiu is becoming more and more free in the state pastoral (HB & SS residence/palace) which shows Huo ZhouMu trusted him more and more, but it also brought a little trouble to Ah Xiu - because he would always bump into the intimate behaviour of ZhouMu and his wife from time to time.

In fact, the local customs are open and young men and women have been accustomed to seeing Ah Xiu in a place to kiss or touch something, but somehow, he will still blush when he sees the ZhouMu couple affectionate. The same move, Brother Ah Yong and his good deeds are like cattle roaring, Ah Xiu is too lazy to see, but the ZhouMu couple can't say the tenderness and sweetness when they do it.

One day, Hou ZhouMu wanted to take Ah Xiu to the military camp outside the city, when it was not yet dawn, Mrs. ZhouMu came out with her hair scattered and confused to send him, her eyebrows were soft, and she was naked with a pair of snow-white lotus feet, and when ZhouMu saw her, he hugged her into his arms, and the two kissed passionately. Mrs. ZhouMu followed her husbands chin, to the long neck, nibbled his adam's apple, and finally kissed into the chest of ZhouMu's loose clothes, Huo ZhouMu was tall and strong, and as soon as his arms were raised, he lifted the lady in her entirety, kissed her earlobes and hollow of her neck, and then went down...

----------

Another time, the lady personally shaved the face of the state pastor, Ah Xiu sat cross-legged under the porch to endorse the book, from time to time to look back, saw the lady tenderly like water touching the face and neck of the state pastor, the state pastor put one hand on the waist of the lady and another on her hand, the two looked at each other and said endless affection. Ah Xiu finished memorizing the book and went back, and when he left, he suddenly thought that ZhouMu had one hand on his wife's waist, and another hand, where was it? Ah Xiu tried to recall that Madame's summer shirt was very wide, and the sleeves were particulary wide, and oh, ZhouMu's other hand seemed to reach into Madame's sleeve...

- What the idiot told him that Han Chinese people are very reserved and reserved! It's all a lie!

-----------

When Ah Xiu was able to write a complete family letter in Chinese characters, Mrs. ZhouMu was diagnosed as pregnant, and Huo ZhouMu froze on the spot, and his handsome and majestic face inexplicaply shed tears.

“Shao Shang, I, I...” Huo ZhouMu, who was cast in steel and iron, put his arm around his wife and choked up unspeakably.

Mrs. ZhouMu gently took her husband's head into her arms: “I know, I know... In the future, you will have many flesh and blood relatives, and you will not be the only one again.”

Huo ZhouMu raised his head, his eyes clear, and smiled with tears: “ No, since I saw you, I have not been alone.”

Although he did not know why, Ah Xiu's heart was also sour, so he cried. He felt that this marriage between the ZhouMu couple must have come bitterly and very difficult. It's great that they can finally become dependents (married).

Ah Xiu studied around Huo ZhouMu for many years, he personally watched Lady ZhouMu get pregnant, give birth, raise children, the great emperor in the distance sent things and doctors in a long convoy one after another and the ZhouMu couple returned to the capital from time to time to report, to visit their relatives, conferring titles, many rewards... Cycle.

Just as Mrs. ZhouMu said, Huo ZhouMu really had several flesh and blood relatives, although one was more naughty than the other, and the other was more angry than the other, but it was really good to be lively all day.

▪️ So, they weren’t shy! And they were very prolicfic with their baby making! I was thinking that their household staff and his subordinates were giving them a wide berth whenever Zisheng and Shaoshang were in close proximity to each other. They probably have this policy amongst themselves of announcing, discreetly perhaps, of “They are a metre apart... Rruuunnnn!!!!” hahahahha

[ezhilmozhi]

Someone add the GIF of Ling Bu Yi's gears turning while everyone else was debating the pros and cons of breaking off The Engagement.

what he says:

what he's thinking: Here's how Zisheng can still get his girl

[thegreymoon]

I’ve seen many people do end-of-the-year rankings of the dramas they watched, so here is mine! I’m ranking them in order from the ones I enjoyed the most to the ones I enjoyed the least. This is not a reflection on the actual quality of the dramas and is based exclusively on how much I subjectively liked them. 

1. Monarch Industry 

Favourite drama of the year and possibly my favourite drama ever! It’s so good! Xiao Qi owns my entire heart! Warmly recommended 🖤

2. Black Sails 

A most excellent show. Highly recommended. 

3. Love Like the Galaxy

I loved this drama so much! Shaoshang is the best female lead of the year, hands down! I adore her! Plus, this is the drama that turned me into a Wu Lei fan, I’ve watched ep. 48 so many times! 

4. Gold Panning 

I was very antagonistic towards this drama when I first started watching it but luckily, I stuck with it and it turned out to be SO GOOD. It’s very grimy and dark, but it was such a good watch! Highly recommended. It is the type of drama that you can admit to watching and recommend in any company without feeling embarrassed. I want more roles like this for Chen Feiyu.

5. The Great Shaolin 

This one started out SO GOOD, I was certain it would top all the dramas I ever watched, but then it devolved in the second half and did not live up to its promise. I’m still mad, but Zhou Yiwei is perfection and the good parts of this drama were amazing, so it still made it pretty high up on this list. 

6. Kevin Can F*** Himself

I am normally not a fan of comedies, but this one was excellent. Highly recommended! 

7. Kingdom 

I’m just not a fan of zombies, so unfortunately, this one cannot go higher, but it is so well done! I very much recommend this drama if you like horror and have high tolerance for gore. 

8. Love Between Fairy and Devil 

This was such a cute and hilarious watch, I loved it so much! It does not quite reach the level of the best drama of the year for me the way it did for some people, but it was still a good time! Highly recommended! 

9. King’s War 

I still can’t believe I made it through this entire drama without skipping! I loved it, but I’m cautious about recommending it because it is very long and very grim. It is just perfect for history lovers but maybe less so for people just looking for some entertainment. 

10. Kinnporsche 

This one would have made it way higher on the list if it had been a few episodes shorter. I completely lost interest when the whole Tawan subplot took over and I never really recovered it. 

11. The Longest Day in Chang’an 

I fully admit I watched this only for Zhou Yiwei. His performance alone would put this drama right at the top, but unfortunately, the rest of it just dragged and was full of plot holes and unlikeable characters. Lots of people sing praises for this drama but other than Zhou Yiwei’s part in it, I did not enjoy it at all. 

12. Light Chaser Rescue 

This is definitely not the worst thing I ever watched but I only recommend it if you are a Luo Yunxi fan, lol. 

13. Killer and Healer

I cannot think of a single thing to recommend when it comes to this mess. 

[gizkasparadise]

@neverthelessbutterflies​ asked for favorite cdrama characters in another post! HERE WE GO with a top five off the top of my head

FAVORITE CDRAMA CHARACTERS

chu xuanji, love and redemption. im limiting myself to one L&R character, otherwise that’d be the whole list :’D but i love xuanji so much. she’s clueless, she’s funny, she’s the god of war with a 10 lifetime long vendetta against heaven, nbd. has the best power-up song in cdrama

li cheng yin/gu xiaowu, goodbye my princess. A REAL PIECE OF SHIT. but so magnetic and fascinating to watch. cheng yin would be the villain in any other drama, but in his own he’s the male lead and holy shit the way chen xing xu could turn on a dime from happy puppy in love with his wife to unhinged future emperor was incredible

cheng shaoshang/niao niao, love like the galaxy. this might be premature, since the show hasn’t finished airing, but i adore niao niao. she’s a STEM nerd who has a wicked streak to her and she’s just a really fun and engaging female lead. you get why she has three suitors!

sheng minglan, the story of minglan. a really unique cdrama lead-- she’s incredibly clever, but also works within the constraints of society at the time (no weirdly anachronistic mannerisms to show she’s intelligent) and oh, god, does this poor girl need a hug. gu tingye was also great fun-- i had a hard time deciding between them

ma zitan/prince an’ping, the rebel princess/monarch industry. LOOK I KNOW. in a drama full of amazing characters, i dont understand why i love zitan the most of all of them. but he was so perfectly useless, confused about what drama he was in, and hilariously self-involved that he just delighted me every time he was on screen. best moment was poppa wang showing up in an emperor’s outfit and kicking him off the big boy chair

honorable mentions

ziqui, go ahead

jin yu & wu ji, sound of the desert

qian qian & han shou, romance of tiger and rose

su can can, wait my youth

hao du and princess leyan from the long ballad

everyone in monarch industry

almost everyone in love and redemption

[therukurals]

Okay maybe like three people will get this, and also disclaimer that the political contexts of these two characters are very different but the parallels of Chen Shaoshang and Rene!!! Both deeply traumatized and guarded, but are clever, loving, complex, and fighters who have this deep protectiveness of themselves and self respect. Like absolutely two of my favorite characters I've witnessed this year.

[utterlyhooked]

I am not obsessed but... I very, very, very, very much love this drama! Why?...

Everyone is flawed, every single one of them!

Extremely flawed characters, it’s refreshing! The leads, while they have numerous good traits to recommend them, they also have dark sides. In Ling Buyi’s character, it’s dark, very dark it’s pitch black!

I have not seen that many cdramas but I doubt that the main characters in other dramas are this flawed. Generally, male leads with tragic back stories have minimal traumas (in comparison to this), have bits of flaws here and there, are virtuous, righteous, and always heroic.

Ling Buyi’s trauma is so great he can’t possibly come out of it unscathed, he simply cannot be sane! I love the way this character is written, it’s so human. Witnessing the murder of his father, the massacre of his whole family, I think they were tortured and hanged, and the slaughter of an entire city. Add to this, as a child to keep this great secret, constantly reminded of the goal to take revenge, and the most tragic is the fact that he had to carry the name of the person who killed his father, to carry the name of LING! Be known as a Ling, have meritorious acheivements as a Ling, be feared and respected as a Ling! This is a man who can topple kingdoms, which he probably did (you know, like vassal kingdoms), and if he so wished he is powerful enough that he could also destroy the empire. He can do anything under the sun, can acheive anything under the sun, under the galaxy I mean but for one thing, he cannot lawfully avenge the deaths that has haunted him his whole life. How excruciatingly maddening would that be?!

* I’m not obsessed because I can’t fangirl! He is little Fei Lui! Great acting, I mean, did you see him playing the qin, I really thought he could play it!!! and in  episode 48... WHOA! He is handsome, great skin (LOL), very fine, very, very fine physique (aherm!),  but he is so young looking, his face is so young that he looks like he’s 12! or maybe it’s because I’m old... hehehehe

[beenheresinceforever]

Love like a Galaxy Episode 11- 12

So Shaoshang's mother is self-delusional and a matyr in the wackiest way possible. She says Niaoniao needs to know how things were for them implying that she know what her daughter thinks about her life - that is to say Shaoshang does not have any idea how terrible and hard it was for them. But.... does the child need to? None of us know the horrors of war until we are right in the thick of it.

Spoilers

Does the mother guess that they'll be ambushed and that is why she sends guards with them in the guise of protecting her daughter? After all, she does say that she has to be the bad one so the rest of the Chen family looks good. So does Dad Chen and Mom Chen know something about the Shu rebellion and don't want to get caught up so they send their daughter with Third Brother and his wife so sending along a few guards won't suspicious?

Here's a woman who tries to pretend but is seriously pissed off because her daughter won't play along with her charade.

[beenheresinceforever]

Shaoshang just doesn't elaborate because she knows her mother would go off the deep-end. Let's face it. Everyone in the Cheng family knows Mother Chen is unreasonable when it comes to her daughter. So obviously, Third Aunt and Uncle don't elaborate + they obviously don't know everything about the pulling out the arrow scene.

Love Like The Galaxy~  Tell me about Ling Bu Yi first. Your Third Uncle didn’t tell me anything about undressing him, treating his wound, and going through life-or-death situation with him.

[beenheresinceforever]

Could there be another alternative to shitting on their own daughter in public?

Yes, LBY's family is even worse than Lu Yao's but dang how bullheaded is Mrs. Chen (forget her name) to go against the Emperor in public? Even given her distaste for her own daughter she was too foolhardy to actually refuse even throwing Niaoniao under the bus.

I get the feeling she sees her younger self in Niaoniao and in some twisted reasoning she feels she should iron out all the flaws in her daughter's character.

But willy nilly her mother only helped Shaoshang make up her mind especially when LBY tells her mother to shut up and she has to. Lu Yao was too sweet and too young and too weak to stand up to the tyrant.

Shaoshang knows she will never be able to escape her family even if she gets to marry it will be someone her mother can control. That's not a very appealing thought.

I absolutely love that Shaoshang tells her mother off later. She can't fight or scream about it. Remember she's only 15. But dang, she learns fast and is more subtle than before about giving her mother some home truths.

I’m currently watching ep 24 of Love like the Galaxy and I needed to pause for a while and type this because I am pissed.

Cheng Shao Shang’s mother is the worst because she excuses all those abuses she does to her daughter as her means to show her love. I already hate her, and after ep. 24, I hate her even more.

She basically criticized her own daughter in front of the most important people in the whole kingdom because she did not want Ling Buyi as her son-in-law. She knew that people already looked down on her daughter because of her broken engagement, and upbringing which she did not have any involvement whatsoever for many years. But she still decided to put more gasoline on the raging fire and called her daughter worthless in public. She basically sabotaged her daughter’s future.

Some people might say that she was doing that because she was trying to protect her daughter. Marrying into a family that had close ties with the royals with an attitude like Shao Shang would be a recipe for disaster. I understood that. Shao Shang would definitely not fit in with the rigid rules that had been followed in the palace. But seriously, throwing your own daughter under the bus? There could have been other means to stop this engagement. 

Refusing the engagement in public like that did not even make sense in the first place. It was the emperor who gave the blessing. Why would you even try to insult the emperor by refusing the engagement he suggested? Not only did she embarrassed her own daughter, she has also managed to offend the emperor.

For a person who had been a strategist for the military, she did not think this through. 

Also, Shao Shang’s father isn’t innocent either. He also allowed his own wife, and even joined in insulting their own daughter in front of the emperor. 

The absolute worst!!!!

[ezhilmozhi]

I love how Shaoshang gets her walls up the moment Mama questions her about LBY

Outside the city gates when he tells the parents in full earshot of everyone around that she saw him without his shirt and treated his wound. Do we think he's just saying that to boast? Nah.... By now he's gotten a fair idea of the Chen family dynamics and knows the mother would try to push him over a puppy like Yao

This is hilarious! But poor general, of so little importance to the object of all his affections!

Mom is no moron haha.

Elsewhere, I swear if the emperor could tie up NN and deliver her to LBY to make babies he would. Hahaahahaha

I love how unimpressed she is. Though you are gonna have to memorize them someday, I am sorry!

[beenheresinceforever]

Lu Yao is the Chinese version of the Western Lady in the Tower. He waits for someone to rescue him. Unfortunately, Shaoshang and he are two peas in a pod. Shaoshang cannot fight for him simply because he's not a powerful or even has his own worth in the Lu household.

Whereas LBY can and does tell Mama Chen to STFU and she has to listen. They're all terrified of him and Lu Yao never had that at home or at Shaoshang's home. This is why Shaoshang has to back. She's pragmatic.

It may not be romantic or even what we want to see on screen. But these episodes show that Shaoshang will ally with anyone who seems to be able alleviate her situation while Lu Yao can't and also won't step away from his family like that.

Love Like the Galaxy

It’s hilarious to me that they are all still talking about this living, breathing, fully grown man like an  inanimate object, a tool to be used with no will of his own.

They sound like they are fighting about a toy, “I can’t let you have my Barbie, you didn’t take good care of it in the past and I’m afraid you’ll break it!”

A-Yao, just say no and tell them all to fuck themselves! 

***

“I can no longer afford to replace Barbies, nor offend the people who took this particular one from you to give it to me, so I won’t deliberately break it, pinky swear!”

But for Yao’s sake, I hope she does become easier to live with. Poor Puppy. 

***

This exchange is wild.

Bitch, who cares about your happiness? You threw him away with your own two hands after mistreating him and humiliating him, and you have the nerve to talk about your happiness now? If your life is ruined, it’s ruined, but nobody owes it to you to ruin their own too in solidarity, especially not A-Yao who literally no longer owes you a single thing after the way you treated him! 

***

LMAO, are you kidding me? YOU BROKE UP WITH HIM AND MARRIED SOMEONE ELSE!!

“You now have TWO Barbies, why won’t you give me back the one I threw away, because it’s not like we are talking about real people here with their own thoughts and volitions anyway, and besides, two men are totally interchangeable! Just be engaged to someone else instead!”

I cannot with this woman 😭 

***

MTE.

The fact that everyone just got together and agreed that Lou Yao, of all people, should sacrifice his happiness with the woman he loves because she is somehow ‘owed’ something is mind-boggling to me.

Also, yes! Tell her, sweetheart! 👇👇

I love how he subtly threatens her here 😂😂

***

Poor Puppy 😢

***

Exactly, What morality? What understanding?? This is the worst, most hypocritical thing I’ve seen happen on this show so far.

Also, I understand why she would be focused on herself and her own misfortune, but let me chime in: what about A-Yao? Who is going to be considerate of him? Let me just repeat what everyone seems to be forgetting - HE IS A PERSON, NOT A TOY. 

***

Oh, sweetheart 😢 Can I give you a hug? I want to give you a hug.

You deserve better than all this… mess. 

***

Thank you!! Speak for yourself, baby, when no one else will!

***

Thank you!

I totally get it why this marriage is no longer worth it in Shaoshang’s mind and I don’t blame her. She never loved him like he loves her and she wanted him because she thought that life with him would be comfortable and easy. I’m so here for her understanding that things have changed and wanting to move on, but I’m irritated by the platitudes and the hypocrisy of ‘it’s benevolent’ to ruin his life. He is wronged here and I need to see it acknowledged. 

***

OK, I ship the OTP as much as the next person, but I cried when they called off their engagement and wished each other well 😢

***

LMAO, he said fuck Lady Ruyang and fuck you in particular 😂

Also, look at the dimwit princess and the stupid grin on her face! Lady, read the fucking room!! 

***

LMAO, I love how he cuts straight through their bullshit.

***

Yes, baby! Now is your chance! Take charge and make us all happy! 🤗

***

God, I hate her 🤮

***

Oh, god, who asked for you 😒😒

Asshole, like she isn’t miserable enough already.

***

LMAO, you tell him, cutie!

***

Oh? 👀

***

LMAO, there is no better cure for romantic mishaps than structural engineering, can confirm from personal experience 😂😂

***

Well, that’s a bit too much excitement for a first date 😬

***

OMG, the bitch shot at Wan Qiqi!! 😱😱

***

LMAO, look at this busybody laying the groundwork for his matchmaking endeavors! 🤣🤣

That’s right, repay him by saying yes when he asks for your daughter’s hand in marriage! 🤣🤣

***

LMAOOOO, not the Emperor getting kicked out by his concubine because he wouldn’t shut up about Zisheng and his relationship issues 🤣🤣

[ezhilmozhi]

The Mother is right though. But not for the reasons she's citing. Shaoshang would ultimately get suffocated in an aristocrat family especially when she marries into the "second chamber" Lu Yao is too soft to stand up for her in the long run. But Mama Chen seems to have her own agenda - I'm unclear on that.

Mama Chen has full on taken up the position of official Tyrant of the Chen family and Papa Chen needs to step up and share the burden of disciplining teaching his daughter.

Plus.... Mama Chen obviously contradicts herself knowingly. 1) Shaoshang must get into an arranged marriage that her mother approves

2) why on earth are you asking your daughter whether she feels passionate love for LuYao?

3) It's not just about humiliation of her daughter, she's trying to hit back at her husband through NN. He did not say a word against her when she abandoned her new born. Now he's not directly addressed the consequences of NN's neglect.

Both parents are abusive but Dad Chen will be seen as the "good" guy because his neglect is not visible.

Is this bitch ever going to exit stage right? I was so happy when we didn’t see her for three eps and now she’s back. Ugh, please please she is ruining the whole thing, can they kill her off or send her to the opposite end of the country to battle or hell, make her the Grand Ruler of Jupiter, I don’t care, just off my screen!

B, for all your preaching of traditional values, you realize it should be your husband decides, the end? Nah? So why are you hounding your daughter for being untraditional?

Ahhh, dear old Mom, back to her old tricks, humiliating her daughter in public, utterly ignoring all her massive achievements as trifles and nonsense, disregarding positive things everyone else says blah blah. You know, I don’t like the loser dad either because he seems to be “aww, I love you child” but then lets his psycho abuser wife do whatever. Grow some balls.

Charming. I need you to be eaten by ants. Tho perhaps that is mean to ants, they’d choke!

Also, that great student of psychology does not realize that would make Baby even more attractive? Good husband material AND a chance to piss off Momster?

Hahahhaha! Of course he proves to be rather weak when Mom shows up (I kinda want to see her pull the same stunt on the General, he’d probably flay the flesh off her evil bones with his sharp tongue) but honestly, he is good husband material for NN.

And then mom has the temerity of going “but I don’t think you super love him” - I’d believe that was the basis of your concern if anything in your life spoke of that (also, what are the chances she would know anyone well enough to love them in that world) and also if you hadn’t a fit long before you saw their interactions AND kept going on about how marriage is made by elders (aka clearly love was not your concern for NN, at that point logical belief would have been she fell in love. You were not delighted but had a rage fit) and your true basis of objection is clearly wanting to control everything and punish NN for not being perfect in your twisted mind or having the temerity to choose for herself.

They really need to get rid of or minimize that character, she’s poisoning the whole drama, as watching an abuser rage and control and wreak havoc is of limited amusement value for anyone.