#Li Zhifeng

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

You Miao/Li Zhifeng- To Rule in a Turbulent World by Fei Tian Ye Xiang

Kahlil (“Ravishan”)/John Toffler (“Jath'ibaye”)- The Rifter by Ginn Hale

Jack Wolcott/Alexis Chopper- Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire

Reyna/Kianthe- Tomes and Tea Series by Rebecca Thorne

[talk-danmei-to-me]

Autumn of Danmei Results: Best Couple

Tumblr ranking

1. Bingqiu

2. Cezhou

3. Ximang

4. Hexie

5. You Miao x Li Zhifeng

My ranking

1. Cezhou

2. Ximang

3. Hexie

4. You Miao x Li Zhifeng

5. Bingqiu

Expanded thoughts below the cut

1. Cezhou

Literally shocked by myself I’ve put them above Ximang BUT vol 2 did something to my brain chemistry. The amount of kinks they just seem to be cycling through is batshit insane. Meatbun would be proud. Also mad appreciation for how it manages to be so sexually charged whilst also kind of playing by the rules of censorship. It’s so clever.

Anyways I’ve come to the conclusion Cezhou is just Ximang if they could communicate which means they stole the top spot.

2. Ximang

Loves of my life! Meatbun’s attempt at a wholesome couple. Their happiness is ridiculously important to me.

3. Hexie

Hexie scratches the itch for toxic yaoi in such a satisfying way. There’s layers to the insanity and mental torture and I eat it up every single time.

4. You Miao x Li Zhifeng

Somehow they’re living together with a dog in the first quarter of the second book. The set up was very juicy but the domesticity has reached peak levels super double quick time. I don’t hate it. But after taking a break for Yuwu and Qjj, I’m not sure how compelling it is.

5. Bingqiu

Luo Binghe was the best part of my short time with svsss and I just think he could do better.

[web-novel-polls]

Have You Read This Web Novel?

If you’re in the process of reading this web novel, please choose whichever option best fits your situation. You do not have to be completely finished with it to answer “yes.”

If you’ve never heard of it, please read the description below the cut!

See similar polls and results here!

Novel Updates:

Loosely based on the history of Song Dynasty, To Rule in a Turbulent World tells the story of You Miao—the dandy son of a merchant who climbed his way to the very top from rock bottom. We witness the history of a nation, from prosperity to decline, to a new order. Peace, war, internal strife; You Miao has lived through it all—but not without his loyal Quanrong s*ave-turned-husband, Li Zhifeng. Theirs is a story of undying devotion that combats racial boundaries in a time when the ethnic tribes of the north clashed with the Han empire. Together, they ruled the world! (Behind the scenes, of course.) The epic continues its song, and as tides rise and fall, the most beautiful moonlight of the great desert is yet to come…

Carrd:

TAGS: historical, slice of life, court politics, war, 1v1 HE, NSFW

WARNINGS: underage sex; explicit sex; war violence

75 Chapters + 10+ Extras

[grumfield]

Who are your favorite danmei characters

Probably not who you’d expect given what I talk about on here

Lang Junxia from Joyful Reunion, Li Zhifeng from LSWW, Ye Wangxi from 2ha, Qi Rong from TGCF (despite being a staunch tgcf disliker), Lu Feng from Little Mushroom, Tianlang-Jun from SVSSS. And of course chu wanning but that’s obvious if you know me at all.

[wearethekat]

February Book Reviews: To Rule in a Turbulent World vol. 1 by Gu Xue Rou

Picked this book up from the library new purchases since I've enjoyed translated danmei titles in the past. In To Rule in a Turbulent World, spoiled merchant's son You Miao has the trajectory of his pampered court life changed when he buys foreign slave Li Zhifeng on an impulse. From trouble on a trip to the northern border to inheritance squabbles with his father, You Miao sails through it all with the help of Li Zhifeng.

I've had fun reading pretty much every danmei I've picked up so far, and this book was no exception. You Miao is a horrid child of fifteen (affectionate), and he manages to be a strong enough personality to be an interesting character without being completely insufferable. Yes, he did spend his time at court squandering money like water instead of studying, but he has a shrewd eye for favor trading and has a good instinct for when to be generous. You can tell that his cleverness in combination with his exquisite eyebrows are going to have a devastating effect on court in a few years. But right now he's terribly fifteen, which is particularly noticeable in his impractical get rich quick daydreams and arguments with his father (heavy overtones of JAIL for father!!! For ten thousand years!!).

The translation is very smooth and natural-feeling overall. I was highly entertained by the decision to have You Miao and his friends address each other as "bro." A touch incongruous for the Song Dynasty, but it lends a rather fitting frat bro vibe to the whole thing. I would have appreciated a bit of a pronunciation guide, but the footnotes gave about the right level of help with cultural elements. Although there's nothing like going through the elaborate procedure of accessing an ebook footnote for "magnificent ten dragons pill" etc only to find that the translator has noted that the author made up this term to sound cool. I knew that.

I wasn't entirely convinced by the depiction of Li Zhifeng and his background, but it wasn't entirely unsalvageable. Yes, he's from a tribe of "barbarians" dressed in wolf skins who live beyond the Wall, have the strength of ten men, and are forced to take a weakening poison to prevent them from being a danger to poor helpless Han Chinese. Okay, Li Zhifeng is almost entirely silent, apparently completely devoted, and once ran one hundred and sixty miles in sixteen hours.* While carrying an adult human for eight of those. But I have faith that the racism is bad arc is going to come into play at some time in the future.

An absolute souffle of a novel. I've already got the second volume lined up, and it's going to be painful waiting for the third volume, if it's even going to be released in ebook. Recommended if you already like danmei, or if your taste in romance novels runs to A Taste of Gold and Iron, Winter's Orbit, or Captive Prince.

*Actually I don't think this one can be chalked up to the author, I strongly suspect the translator swapped miles for li (a much smaller unit of distance) without changing the number.

[drmikewatts]

IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, Volume 28, Number 5, October 2024

1) Particle Swarm Optimization for Efficiently Evolving Deep Convolutional Neural Networks Using an Autoencoder-Based Encoding Strategy

Author(s:); Gonglin Yuan, Bin Wang, Bing Xue, Mengjie Zhang

Pages: 1190 - 1204

2) Conditional Generative Adversarial Network-Based Bilevel Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization Algorithm

Author(s:); Weizhong Wang, Hai-Lin Liu

Pages: 1205 - 1219

3) Can Evolutionary Clustering Have Theoretical Guarantees?

Author(s:); Chao Qian

Pages: 1220 - 1234

4) Genetic Programming With Lexicase Selection for Large-Scale Dynamic Flexible Job Shop Scheduling

Author(s:); Meng Xu, Yi Mei, Fangfang Zhang, Mengjie Zhang

Pages: 1235 - 1249

5) Correlation-Based Dynamic Allocation Scheme of Fitness Evaluations for Constrained Evolutionary Optimization

Author(s:); Han Huang, Yueting Xu, Yi Xiang, Zhifeng Hao

Pages: 1250 - 1264

6) Robust Optimization Over Time: A Critical Review

Author(s:); Danial Yazdani, Mohammad Nabi Omidvar, Donya Yazdani, Jürgen Branke, Trung Thanh Nguyen, Amir H. Gandomi, Yaochu Jin, Xin Yao

Pages: 1265 - 1285

7) Balancing Objective Optimization and Constraint Satisfaction in Expensive Constrained Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization

Author(s:); Zhenshou Song, Handing Wang, Bing Xue, Mengjie Zhang, Yaochu Jin

Pages: 1286 - 1300

8) Estimation of Distribution Algorithms in Machine Learning: A Survey

Author(s:); Pedro Larrañaga, Concha Bielza

Pages: 1301 - 1321

9) Multiobjective Optimization-Based Network Control Principles for Identifying Personalized Drug Targets With Cancer

Author(s:); Jing Liang, Zhuo Hu, Zong-Wei Li, Kangjia Qiao, Wei-Feng Guo

Pages: 1322 - 1335

10) Privacy-Enhanced Multitasking Particle Swarm Optimization Based on Homomorphic Encryption

Author(s:); Hao Li, Fanggao Wan, Maoguo Gong, A. K. Qin, Yue Wu, Lining Xing

Pages: 1336 - 1350

11) Machine Learning-Based Prediction of New Pareto-Optimal Solutions From Pseudo-Weights

Author(s:); Anirudh Suresh, Kalyanmoy Deb

Pages: 1351 - 1365

12) A Genetic Programming Approach With Building Block Evolving and Reusing to Image Classification

Author(s:); Ying Bi, Jing Liang, Bing Xue, Mengjie Zhang

Pages: 1366 - 1380

13) Evolutionary Dynamic Constrained Multiobjective Optimization: Test Suite and Algorithm

Author(s:); Guoyu Chen, Yinan Guo, Yong Wang, Jing Liang, Dunwei Gong, Shengxiang Yang

Pages: 1381 - 1395

14) A Data-Driven Evolutionary Transfer Optimization for Expensive Problems in Dynamic Environments

Author(s:); Ke Li, Renzhi Chen, Xin Yao

Pages: 1396 - 1411

15) Interactively Learning Rough Strategies That Dynamically Satisfy Investor’s Preferences in Multiobjective Index Tracking

Author(s:); Julio Cezar Soares Silva, Adiel Teixeira de Almeida Filho

Pages: 1412 - 1426

16) A Self-Adaptive Collaborative Differential Evolution Algorithm for Solving Energy Resource Management Problems in Smart Grids

Author(s:); Haoxiang Qin, Wenlei Bai, Yi Xiang, Fangqing Liu, Yuyan Han, Ling Wang

Pages: 1427 - 1441

17) Runtime Analysis for the NSGA-II: Proving, Quantifying, and Explaining the Inefficiency for Many Objectives

Author(s:); Weijie Zheng, Benjamin Doerr

Pages: 1442 - 1454

18) Modular Multitree Genetic Programming for Evolutionary Feature Construction for Regression

Author(s:); Hengzhe Zhang, Qi Chen, Bing Xue, Wolfgang Banzhaf, Mengjie Zhang

Pages: 1455 - 1469

19) Regularity Evolution for Multiobjective Optimization

Author(s:); Shuai Wang, Aimin Zhou

Pages: 1470 - 1483

20) SR-Forest: A Genetic Programming-Based Heterogeneous Ensemble Learning Method

Author(s:); Hengzhe Zhang, Aimin Zhou, Qi Chen, Bing Xue, Mengjie Zhang

Pages: 1484 - 1498

21) Evolutionary Multitasking With Centralized Learning for Large-Scale Combinatorial Multiobjective Optimization

Author(s:); Yuxiao Huang, Wei Zhou, Yu Wang, Min Li, Liang Feng, Kay Chen Tan

Pages: 1499 - 1513

22) VSG3A2: A Genetic Algorithm-Based Virtual Sample Generation Approach Using Information Gain and Acceptance-Rejection Sampling

Author(s:); Hong Yu, Xuekang Fan, Guoyin Wang, Yongfang Xie

Pages: 1514 - 1528

23) A Dynamic-Niching-Based Pareto Domination for Multimodal Multiobjective Optimization

Author(s:); Juan Zou, Qi Deng, Yuan Liu, Xinjie Yang, Shengxiang Yang, Jinhua Zheng

Pages: 1529 - 1543

[dorothymlorep86]

Watering the flower of China-India friendship

On February 19, 2018, in the early morning mist, Ambassador Luo Zhaohui and his wife Dr. Jiang Yili set out from Kolkata and drove west for nearly four hours to visit the International University in Heping Township, West Bengal. Acting Consul General Cai Zhifeng and others accompanied them. Along the way, there were crisscrossing paths, lush vegetation, farmers planting rice in the rice fields, and birds singing leisurely on the backs of buffaloes, a scene of nature’s fields.Ambassador Luo was warmly welcomed by Sabkoli, the executive president of the International University. They had a friendly conversation. The president also specially hosted a banquet for Ambassador Luo and his delegation at the hotel where Premier Zhou Enlai had stayed.When talking about India, we can’t leave out Tagore. When talking about Tagore, we can’t leave out Heping Township, the International University, and the Chinese Academy. Ambassador Luo shared his understanding of Tagore during an academic dialogue with teachers and students of the Chinese Academy. Ambassador Luo said that Tagore was a poet, educator, revolutionary, and an advocate of Sino-Indian friendship in modern times. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry. He believed that Eastern civilization advocated spirit, Western civilization valued material, and Eastern civilization would eventually defeat Western civilization. This provided theoretical guidance for awakening the national consciousness of Eastern countries and opposing Western colonialism. He devoted his life to Sino-Indian friendship and cultural exchanges. He visited China twice and created a whirlwind in Chinese literature and thought. After founding the International University in the 1920s, he founded the Chinese Academy with Chinese scholar Tan Yunshan in 1937. This was the beginning of India’s systematic research on China. In 1957, Premier Zhou Enlai visited here and accepted an honorary doctorate from the school. He also planted a mango tree, which is now lush and fruitful. During World War II, many famous Chinese people such as Xu Beihong and Chang Renxia lived and took refuge here. I myself was engaged in India-related research before joining the diplomatic community, and I have long admired this place. Today, as the Chinese Ambassador to India, I am visiting this place for the first time. It is a “dream-fulfilling journey” and also a “pilgrimage”.

Ambassador Luo said that the China Academy has been established for 81 years and has witnessed the ups and downs of China-India relations, but it has remained persistent and committed to spreading Chinese culture and promoting China-India friendship. The spirit is commendable and precious. Today, we should inherit Tagore’s spiritual legacy of friendship with China like the China Academy. At present, China-India relations are stabilizing and improving. The leaders of the two countries have met frequently, economic and trade cooperation has been continuously deepened, cultural exchanges have been bright, and local cooperation is in the ascendant. Last September, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi reached an important consensus in Xiamen that China-India relations should achieve “dragon and elephant dance” and “1+1=11”. I am full of confidence and expectations for the prospects of bilateral relations.

Ambassador Luo said that educational cooperation is an important part of bilateral relations. At present, there are about 20,000 Indian students studying in China and about 2,000 Chinese students studying in India. This is far from enough compared with the population base of the two countries. There is great potential and great potential for Sino-Indian educational cooperation. Education is an investment in the future, and the future of Sino-Indian relations lies in the young generation. Next, we must focus on the following things: first, strengthen the promotion of each other’s education systems and educational resources, second, provide more government scholarships to each other, third, promote the signing of a mutual recognition agreement on higher education qualifications and degrees, and fourth, actively prepare for the holding of an education summit between the two countries. We look forward to the active participation of the Chinese Academy and its important role in this regard. Ambassador Luo also put forward specific ideas on supporting the Chinese Academy.

The ambassador’s speech was warmly welcomed by teachers and students. The students sang songs such as “Foreign Girl” and “Flowers Blooming in the Universe” in Chinese, and performed dances such as “Blue and White Porcelain” with a strong Chinese style to express their welcome and gratitude to Ambassador Luo and his delegation. Embassy Sun Meixing also sang “Invisible Wings” impromptu in response. The atmosphere was warm and touching.

Avijeet, dean of the school’s language school, and Banerjee, dean of the Chinese Academy, thanked China for its long-term support for the Chinese Academy and expressed their willingness to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Chinese academic and educational institutions to cultivate more talents with strong language skills and high comprehensive qualities. Currently, there are more than 160 students studying Chinese here. Some of them continue their studies after graduation, and some find jobs in Chinese-funded enterprises. Learning Chinese is becoming more and more popular.

Dean Banerjee led Ambassador Luo and his party to visit every room of the Chinese Academy. In the library, he took out the photos of Premier Zhou’s visit that he had treasured for many years and introduced them to the Chinese guests one by one, with pride in his eyes. Ambassador Luo and his party stopped for a long time in front of the collection of books presented by Premier Zhou and looked at them carefully. The dean also showed Ambassador Luo and his party the “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Friendship Award” awarded to the Chinese Academy by President Xi Jinping during his visit to India in 2014.

Dean Banerjee also accompanied Ambassador Luo to visit the School of Fine Arts, as well as the junior and senior high schools. In the spring, flowers are blooming in Heping Township, and the sound of reading is loud under the towering banyan trees. Young faces are wandering in the ocean of knowledge. Middle school students who are learning Chinese sit on the ground under the big tree and greet the guests in Chinese. They are the future of India and the future of China-India friendship. Here, people and nature, reading and reading scenery are so integrated. This reflects the traditional Indian philosophical thought of “Brahman and Atman are one”.

Finally, Dean Banerjee led everyone to visit Tagore’s former residence. Tagore was born in Kolkata, but lived in Heping Township half of his life. Looking at his manuscripts, listening to his speech recordings played over and over again on the tape recorder, and seeing the objects he used during his lifetime, we seemed to travel through time and space and have an unforgettable conversation with the poet.

As the sun sets, the day’s schedule is very tight. Everyone is filled with emotion and this moment is unforgettable. China and India have had friendly exchanges for thousands of years. Today, the two great civilizations still need to learn from each other, unite and cooperate, and jointly create a better future. I believe that the “flower of friendship” of Hepingxiang International University will surely bear more fruitful fruits.

[bellaroles]

Oh no. I hope Zhao Chao will not change because of power. So afraid to read on if he will descend down the path of no return where everyone will turn against him. Very hard for You Miao to choose between his loyalty and what is deem right. Also the rift between the sworn brothers, especially big brother Nie Dun and him, which also effect their relationship with You Miao. I kind of want to know more about Li Zhifeng's thought on the current issues because what I get now is that he'll go with whatever You Miao chooses which show how much love and trust he has in him but I also wanna know the details of his reasoning!

[iamsurvivor666]

The Tribulation of Chaos

(Ancient Love Poetry)

[wickedliltongue]

I wish Li Zhifeng was my husband

[queer-book-character-tournament]

so excited for more book polls!! fyi, i don't think it'll end up mattering, but reyna/kianthe is included on two difft polls - the ones starting with lady camembert/princess brie, and you miao/li zhifeng

ahhh rip hopefully won't have to deal with that if i do i'll make a post about it thank you for letting me know!

[talk-danmei-to-me]

Best Gong: Autumn of Danmei edition

(Vote for your favourite then when the weeks up I’ll compare it to my opinions for fun) Historically, I am always way off the popular vote.

[arcxnumvitae]

Zhifeng identifies as genderfluid, meaning that their identity shifts from masculine to feminine to in-between, and the pronouns that they prefer are usually masculine or neutral, with an occasional mood for feminine every now and then. In general, even if it is a “he” moment in time, Zhifeng will not mind being referred to as “them” and vice versa, so long as no one in the know chooses only one set and sticks to it forever without change. And Zhifeng heavily dislikes being referred to in fixed gender concepts such as “a man” or things along that lines, they truly vibe with the fluidity aspect and thus doesn’t care for any concretely gendered monikers. In my best way to tease out their feelings on the matter, it falls under a sentiment similar to ‘I’m feeling masculine in a non-conforming way, but that does not mean I consider myself a ‘man’ right now.”

Small note, they however don’t mind being called sorta gendered things like “pretty” or “beautiful” and in fact love it. I don’t think being called “handsome” would get them going as much though so maybe it’s a relation there between them and maleness.

In terms of presentation, Zhifeng will wear the entire spectrum of clothing (masculine, feminine, and everything in-between) but they honestly find themselves trending more towards feminine clothing, mostly because it just looks nicer to them when it comes to style. Sleek, sharp, a little haute and opulent but still not excessively out there is their fashion. They feel more powerful and comfortable than when wearing men’s clothing. And to speak frankly, shit’s just prettier too to them.��

For Zhifeng, gender dysphoria has been at a minimum throughout their life mainly because they’ve had a tendency to view their body as a blank canvas (and their clothing as the paint) due to the work and “nice façade” they’ve had to put up during their days as an escort, a time when they were really beginning to explore their identity for the first time in their life. Granted, their comfort and confidence did of course have a notable shift in their youth when they began to dress in what turned out to be their preferred styles.

Either way, their identity is crucially important to them and part of who they are. They wouldn’t be them without it and all the ways it affects their life and personality. 

[cranky-otaku]

Done with Joyful Reunion.

I don’t think I’ve felt like this in a long while after finishing a story. If ever? It’s quite novel to still feel devastated after a happy ending …

But overall I think I have to rank this pretty high not just on my list of favorite Feitian novels, but even in my top 10. Though that means I’ll have to bump something off the list then. But which one?

Story wise, I’m reminded a lot of Luan Shi Wei Wang because of the wars and imperial shenanigans. In terms of characters though, I think Joyful Reunion has an edge - LSWW has one of my most beloved MLs in Li Zhifeng, and I loved You Miao for his brilliance. But other than the leads, I didn’t get attached to any of the side characters. (In fact, I wasn’t a fan of Zhao Chao at all.) Now with JR … not just Duan Ling and Wu Du, but Li Jianghong, Li Yanqiu, Mu Qing, Chang Liujun, Batu, Zongzheng, Helian Bo, Xunchun, Ding Zhi, Master Fei, even Sun Ting and Shulu Rui … but most of all LANG JUNXIA. This may be the first time my favorite character from a story was not one of the leads. Without spoiling much, let’s just say that the angst I felt was because of Li Jianghong and Lang Junxia.

[dangermousie]

Mousie’s absolutely subjective, very biased Top 10 web novels list

Please note that this is hardly aiming to be objective, if one can even be properly objective about a work of fiction. It is 110% based on my preferences, which means this list is heavy on the angst and has nothing set in the modern day. It is also heavily danmei-centric, even though I read way more het romance than danmei, because for whatever reason, most of the danmei I’ve read has been insanely good.

10. Return of the Swallow - one of the two non-danmeis on this list. Smart and nuanced and with a large cast of characters. Our heroine is a long-lost daughter of the family that is brought back in and has to cope with familial struggles, crazy royals, court intrigue, invasion et al. It’s SO GOOD! There is romance with the sexy smart enemy general but honestly, it’s the heroine that is the main selling point for me.

9. Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - the only other non-danmei novel on this list, this was my very first web novel and what drew me into this insanity. This is just a ton of fun, probably the lightest novel on this list, not an ounce of angst to be found. But it’s hilarious and features competent heroine and tsundere hero and I will always love it for opening a new world to me. Anyway, our heroine transmigrates into the novel as the female lead. Unlike the original lead though she doesn’t want to seek adventures and angst - she just wants to comfortably live with the wealthy, nice husband heroine has. Alas, said husband is no longer nice since he has previously lived this story where he was betrayed by FL and then transmigrated/reincarnated into the past. Oh well, the heroine opens up businesses and makes friends. And eventually, her husband realizes his wife is way different this time around. This actually doesn’t have much romance, not until close to the end, but this is so fun I don’t care.

8. Lord Seventh - I am only partway through this so far, but it’s already on the list because it’s smart and somehow intense AND laid-back (not sure how this works, but it does) and is honestly just a really really solid and smart period novel, with the OTP a cherry on top of a narrative sundae. Plus, I love the concept of MC deciding he is not going for his supposedly fated love - he’s tried for six lifetimes, always with disaster, and he’s just plain done and tired. When he opens his life in his seventh reincarnation and sees the person he would have given up the world for, he genuinely feels nothing at all. (Spoiler - his OTP is actually a barbarian shaman this time around, thank you Lord!)

7. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS) - oh come on, how are you even on this tumblr if you don’t know MDZS/The Untamed? This was my very first danmei and it’s so much fun! I love everything about it - the unreliable narrator, the looping structure, the main OTP, Wei Wuxian’s laidback, traumatized insouciance, everything. Anyway, the plot in the event you somehow transported here from 2005 is that the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian, was defeated by the righteous sects over a decade ago and fell of a cliff to his death. Only now that same Wei Wuxian opens his eyes in another body and everything that was supposed to stay in the past starts again.

6. Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF) - people either love its meandering narrative, picaresque structure and cast of thousands, or find it a detriment compared to much more compact MDZS. I love it even more than MDZS for those very qualities. It does have a rock-solid, darling OTP, but what really elevates it to me are the MXTX trademark combo of snarky/light tone hiding a ton of trauma underneath, the insanely intricate world-building, and what it has to say about the nature of grace and goodness. Xie Lian is one of my top 5 web novel characters and probably in top 10 from anywhere. Oh, and while MXTX’s stuff is not as angsty for me as Meatbun’s or even Priest’s, there are always exceptions, and there is one chapter in this novel that pretty much broke me and sometimes I still flashback to it and feel unwell.

Anyway, what is it about? There is a commotion in the heavenly realm - Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of a long-destroyed kingdom, has ascended to Godhood. That in itself is not so exciting. However for Xie Lian this is the third time (!!!!) as he’s ascended and lost his godhood twice prior. And now, the biggest joke of the divine realm is back, throwing the heavenly realm into chaos. And elsewhere, Hua Cheng, one of the four most powerful demons of that Universe, sits up and takes notice.

5. Golden Stage - my perfect comfort novel. Probably the least angsty of any danmei novel on this list (which still means plenty angsty :P) It also has a dedicated, smart OTP that is an OTP for the bulk of the book - I think you will notice that in most of the novels in this list, I go for “OTP against the world” trope - I can’t stand love triangles and the same. Anyway, Fu Shen, is a famous general whose fame is making the emperor antsy. When he gets injured and can’t walk any more, the emperor gladly recalls him and marries him off to his most faithful court lackey, the head of sort of secret police, Yan Xiaohan. The emperor intends it both as a check on the general and a general spite move since the two men always clash in court whenever they meet. But not all is at is seems. They used to be friends a long time ago, had a falling out, and one of the loveliest parts of the novel is them finding their way to each other, but there is also finding the middle path between their two very different philosophies and ways of being, not to mention solving a conspiracy or dozen, and putting a new dynasty on the throne, among other things. It always makes me think, a little, of “if Mei Changsu x Jingyan were canon.”

4. Sha Po Lang - if you like a lot of fantasy politics and world-building and steampunk with your novels, this one is for you. This one is VERY plot-heavy with smart, dedicated characters and a deconstruction of many traditional virtues - our protagonist Chang Geng, a long-lost son of the Emperor, is someone who wants to modernize the country but also take down the current emperor his brother for progress’ sake and the person he’s in love with is the general who saved him when he was a kid who is nominally his foster father. Anyway, the romance is mainly a garnish in this one, not even a big side dish, but the relationship between two smart, dedicated, deadly individuals with very different concepts of duty is fascinating long before it turns romantic. And if you like angst, while overall it’s not as angsty as e.g., Meatbun stuff, Chang Geng’s childhood is the stuff of nightmares and probably freaks me out more than anything else in any novel on this list, 2ha included.

3. To Rule In a Turbulent World (LSWW) - gay Minglan. No seriously. This is how I think of it. it’s a slice of life period novel with fascinating characters and setting that happens to have a gay OTP, not a romance in a period setting per se and I always prefer stories where the romance is not the only thing that is going on. It’s meticulously written and smart and deals with character development and somehow makes daily minutia fascinating. Our protagonist, You Miao, is the son of a fabulously wealthy merchant, sent to the capital to make connections and study. As the story starts, he sees his friend’s servants beating someone to death, feels bad, and buys him because, as we discover gradually and organically, You Miao may be wealthy and occasionally immature but he is a genuinely good person. The person he buys is a barbarian from beyond the wall, named Li Zhifeng. It’s touch and go if the man will survive but eventually he does and You Miao, who by then has to return home, gives him his papers and lets him go. However, LZF decides to stick with You Miao instead, both out of sense of debt for YM saving his life and because he genuinely likes him (and yet, there is no instalove on either of their parts, their bodies have fun a lot quicker than their souls.) Anyway, the two take up farming, get involved in the imperial exams and it’s the life of prosperity and peace, until an invasion happens and things go rapidly to hell. This is so nuanced, so smart (smart people in this actually ARE!) and has secondary characters who are just as complex as the mains (for example, I ended up adoring YM’s friend, the one who starts the plot by almost beating LZF to death for no reason) because the novel never forgets that few people are all villain. There is a lovely character arc or two - watching YM grow up and LZF thaw - there is the fact that You Miao is a unicorn in web novels being laid back and calm. This whole thing is a masterpiece.

2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - want the emotional hit of 2ha but want to read something half its length? Well, the author of 2ha is here to eviscerate you in a shorter amount of time. This has the beautiful world-building, plot twists that all make sense and, at the center of it all, an intense and all-consuming and gloriously painful relationship between two generals - one aristocratic loner Mo Xi, and the other gregarious former slave general Gu Mang. Once they were best friends and lovers, but when the novel starts, Gu Mang has long turned traitor and went to serve the enemy kingdom and has now been returned and Mo Xi, who now commands the remnants of his slave army, has to cope with the fact that he has never been able to get over the man who stabbed him through the heart. Literally. This novel has a gorgeously looping structure, with flashbacks interwoven into present storyline. There is so much love and longing and sacrifice in this that I am tearing up a bit just thinking of it. If you don’t love Mo Xi and Gu Mang, separately and together, by the end of it, you have no soul.

1. The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha/erha) - if you’ve been following my tumblr for more than a hot second, you know my obsession with this novel. Honestly, even if I were to make a list of my top 10 novels of any kind, not just webnovels, this would be on the list. It has everything I want - a complicated, intricate plot with an insane amount of plot twists, all of which are both unexpected and make total sense, a rich and large cast of characters, a truly epic OTP that makes me bawl, emotional intensity that sometimes maxes even me out and so much character nuance and growth. Also, Moran is my favorite web novel character ever, hands down.

Anyway, the plot (or at least the way it first appears) is that the evil emperor of the cultivation world, Taxian Jun, kills himself at 32 and wakes up in the body of his 16 year old self, birth name Moran. Excited to get a redo, Moran wants to save his supposed true love Shimei, whose death the last go-around pushed him towards evil. He also wants to avoid entanglement with Chu Wanning, his shizun and sworn enemy in past life. And that’s all you are best off knowing, trust me. The only hint I am going to give is oooh boy the mother of all unreliable narrators has arrived!

The novel starts light and funny on boil the frog principle - if someone told me I would be full bawling multiple times with this novel, I’d have thought they were insane, but i swear my eyes hurt by the end of it. I started out being amused and/or disliking the mains and by the end I would die for either of them.