#blame Meng Mo?

[theimpurelily]

@grubus taadaa? lol

Sooo ya know that little gif I posted? This whole thing stemmed from me letting things get too out of hand while drawing up the dream scene that was only going to be that tiny little image....I have no regrets.

Just in case here's the rant

WHAT THE FUCK! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO KISS MY HUSBAND? WHAT A SHITTY DREAM! MENG MO COULD DO BETTER. WAIT, THE ORIGINAL NING YINGYING DIDN'T DREAM OF-OF THAT RIGHT? I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED. I THINK I WOULD REMEMBER? FUCK. IT'S BEEN SO MANY YEARS. DID SHE? AM I GASLIGHTING MYSELF? DOES THIS COUNT AS GASLIGHTING? REGARDLESS, WHY THE FUCK WOULD MENG MO SHOW ME THAT? WAS IT BECAUSE I WAS PUT IN A WIFE PLOT? SO HE JUST...JUST AUTOMATICALLY DID THAT? LIKE A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM OR SOMETHING? OMG! WAIT! DID BINGHE SEE THE WEDDING? FUCK! WAS THAT HIM THERE AND NOT JUST SOME FAKE? FUCK! WAIT! NO. HE WOULD STILL BE TALKING TO MENG MO... RIGHT? BESIDES, I’M A GUY! SO BINGHE WOULD NEVER WANT TO-TO...SYSTEM! DID BINGHE SEE THAT? WAS THAT HIM? SYSTEM! WHAT THE FUCK! WILL I BE PUT IN FUTURE WIFE PLOTS JUST BECAUSE I'M BINGHE'S BESTEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD...

[orange-sora]

So, I recently made this post:

And @astrinde left this comment on it which made me realise that I did a very poor job of expressing myself. Sorry about that. (This is exactly why I shouldn't post while half asleep.)

Thank you for leaving this comment <3 (It made me think about exactly what I wanted to convey through that post.)

I can understand why people would find the word "mistake" to be the hurtful aspect of Xichen's speech and I wasn't thorough (lol) in my previous post so I am doing it now. I need to clarify some things so I am putting them here.

I am not particularly focused on the semantics here or on Xichen being "anti-wangxian". It doesn't matter to me how supportive canon characters are of a ship. I am also not hating on Xichen for the way he reacted. He was valid for being angry. In his pov, his lil bro suffered a lot and WWX is playing with him. He was missing A LOT of context.

Whether he was calling WWX "Wangji's transgression or mistake", the truth is LWJ acted the way he did on his own. While WWX received societal condemnation for his fuck ups, LWJ himself didn't think WWX deserved it or that the way he acted or intended to act was "wrong". LWJ wanted to protect WWX as he believed WWX to be righteous. In fact, I think he struggled a lot to come to terms with the disparity between WWX’s righteousness and his own sect's beliefs and rules of righteousness. But in the end, the decision to support WWX was HIS OWN.

Putting LWJ on a pedestal that aligns with society's and sect’s values is what caused him misery.

He was punished for discerning something to be right that everyone else has already agreed is wrong. By calling WWX "Wangji's only transgression or mistake", Xichen is being disrespectful to both WWX and LWJ because he's disregarding Wangji's free will and right to judge what's right/wrong for himself and putting the responsibility of Wangji's suffering on WWX’s shoulders (while being ignorant of why WWX did the things he did).

However, none of that was WWX's responsibility. If you support someone and people cancel you for it, is that someone to blame when you made the free choice of supporting them?

WWX actively tried to keep himself isolated to protect others from his decisions and his approach towards justice. That was a significant aspect of his life as the yilling laozu. Because he KNEW he was controversial. The thing that I was referring to in that post is from WWX’s perspective, it's a totally understandable yet horrible accusation to receive. Because WWX worked hard in canon to avoid that. Because WWX knew that anyone who supports him WILL suffer. Because WWX knew loving him is a punishment that no one deserves especially LWJ.

He just wasn't aware that LWJ would and had supported him because he has also placed LWJ on the same pedestal as everyone. He never imagined LWJ to make a choice that goes against the rules that he has followed throughout his life. That was probably the cause of all miscommunication between them.

Even if this isn't Xichen's personal judgement, he's borrowing the judgement of the society to blame WWX for something that in essence wasn't his fault. He is doing what everyone else is doing by acting on a mob mentality. Because WWX is a very convenient punching bag as he DID make mistakes publicly and he's aware of them.

In fact, anyone with any sense in canon is aware that WWX is an easy target. Meng Yao, Jiang Cheng, Wei Ying, Lan Zhan, Nie Huaisang, etc. Everyone knew WWX would be villainised even for the wrongs he never committed. That was a pretty significant theme in Mo Dao: you can't save people from other’s judgements. Once you've been decided as the villain, that's all everyone would see.

Another significant theme in MDZS was how you can't save people from their own choices and you have to live with seeing your loved ones suffer due to those choices. So Xichen suffered because he couldn't save Wangji. Jiang Cheng suffered because he couldn't save Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian suffered because he couldn't save Wen Ning and Wen Qing (or anyone really), Lan Zhan suffered because he couldn't save Wei Ying and on and on…

But everyone needs someone to blame for all the suffering. And that was Wei Wuxian, in most cases.

The main thing is both Xichen and Wei Ying had not wanted Wangji to suffer and both had to live with the fact that he did. But it was purely Wangji's choice to accept that pain.

Lan Xichen is wrong for saying that WWX was Wangji's transgression/mistake because in saying so he's supporting the idea that LWJ should've quietly followed the crowd and saved himself from the public backlash. It comes from a place of care for his brother, but it's still wrong.

Lan Elders made the choice of punishing him. Lan Wangji accepted that punishment because he went against the rules of the sect, not because he was wrong for supporting/ loving Wei Ying.

Wangji was aware of the repercussions of supporting WWX and still chose to do it because it aligned with his personal sense of morality. And also because he loved Wei Ying. And he loved Wei Ying because despite his mistakes, Wei Ying was morally right. And hence, worth the pain to Lan Zhan.

[nexttimeisnotthesame]

"I wanted to use Ding Wei as bait to lure them out. I didn't mean to drag you into this. I'm sorry." "You helped me and the Miao family escape trouble. Of course they'd assume we're working together. It's not your fault."

[optimisticmosquito]

Jinlan city Luo Binghe heard someone say 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' and completely misunderstood the advice.

[tossawary]

I've been toying with a "third transmigrator" AU for SVSSS in which the third transmigrator is a teenage girl who ends up in Luo Binghe. This teenage girl tried to read PIDW because someone else liked it, but didn't get far because she didn't like it.

Disinclined to follow the plot, the teenage girl decides to transition, because fuck it (crying breakdown), she doesn't want to be a guy. Ning Yingying is initially the only one in on it (and then some Qian Cao Peak people). This new Luo Binghe knows JUST enough about the plot of PIDW to avoid Shen Qingqiu's attention as much as possible and so swears Ning Yingying to secrecy regarding the transition. She intends to hide it until the Transmigration System lets up on the missions and restrictions a little.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan is like, "How am I supposed to improve my relationship with the protagonist if i never see him? Did he just jump out a window to avoid me?! Also, hmph, the bullies are all calling him 'Luo-Shimei' now? Just because he's pretty??? I had better go tell them off for it!"

(Shen Qingqiu, please, your students are getting the impression that you're transphobic!!!)

If Luo Binghe's transition comes out before the Immortal Alliance Conference, Shen Yuan is going to 1) think it's his own fault somehow and 2) be more than a little weird (and a little transphobic) about it.

Shen Yuan (internally): "Oh, shit, NOT abusing the protagonist turned him into a girl??? How does that work???"

The endgame relationship here is a messy love triangle between Luo Binghe, Ning Yingying, and Ming Fan. Ming Fan is like, "What do you do when the shidi you hate falls down the stairs and nearly dies, and then apparently can't remember you used to bully him and expects you to be a good shixiong, and becomes best friends with the girl you like but also starts turning into a cute girl too??? But you can't tell Shizun any of this otherwise the girl you like will kill you???" Ning Yingying is like, "I was so caught up in the thrill of makeovers and having a new sister that I forgot to examine why, when she's approached by guys, I want to tear their throats out with my teeth. Ming-Shixiong is not good enough for A-Luo!!!" And Luo Binghe is like, "Wow, Ning Yingying is such a good friend. And so pretty. I could stare into her eyes for hours. Ming Fan is kind of a jerk sometimes, but he's cute, I guess. He needs to shape up if he wants to win Ning Yingying's heart someday! She married a guy, so she's definitely into guys."

This third transmigrator isn't paying too much attention to their own love life partially because they're too busy 1) trying to survive, 2) trying to do right by their friends, and 3) trying to figure out if Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge are in a "toxic yaoi relationship" and, if so, which one of them tops more frequently and where Yue Qingyuan fits into things.

If you haven't guessed yet, this third transmigrator is actually Shen Yuan's younger sister, who transmigrated at like 16 years old at the oldest. This identity reveal comes out at the Immortal Alliance Conference, seconds before disaster (the push into the Endless Abyss), and no earlier. It does not go well. The Transmigration System is mostly to blame.

Live Shang Qinghua Reaction: "Oh, fucking yikes, bro."

This Luo Binghe hands a lot of control over to Meng Mo to get out of the Endless Abyss. An inadvisable amount of control, really, even if Meng Mo is soft on the girl. Afterwards, they sort of stumble into the arms of Huan Hua Palace. Shen Yuan's sister did not read far enough to know pretty much anything about this sect, especially not that it's a terrible idea to be here while being both a Heavenly Demon and (post-transition) looking like even MORE of an identical clone of Su Xiyan.

(Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang ARE both going to be kind of awful and weird about it, yes, at least initially.)

Gongyi Xiao, after showing basic kindness to this poor young woman: "Hey, why are those two Qing Jing Peak disciples glaring at me like they want me dead?"

[whatever-i-hyperfixate-on]

chu wanning deserves better? 🥴

sorry I will never understand people who ship shi mei and chu wanning together as a genuine viable alternative to 2ha. maybe (and I mean *maybe* the size of a speck of dirt, and by maybe I mean actually no) you could make a case for shi mei 2.0 but HUA BINAN??? OG TIMELINE SHI MEI???? And the reasoning is because mo ran is a terrible person and chu wanning deserves better? Don't make me laugh!

The same Hua Binan who literally wanted to commit genocide on the whole cultivation world, who was going to use the flower on chu wanning (who he supposedly loved by the way!), who successfully used it on mo ran and completely took away his agency and made him a literal puppet, watched as chu wanning was suffering and was like "damn wish I had a turn to get some of that shizun ass" (instead of feeling even the slightest empathy for him), tries to rape him with no manipulation whatsoever, views him as a literal plaything instead of a human with feelings, AND THEN had the audacity to put all the blame on mo ran and say "nah it was all him he had some dark thoughts, my hands are clean!"

And then when Chu Wanning gets in the way of his plans, he tells chu wanning "actually I should have killed you." You think THAT'S a better option for Chu Wanning then Mo Ran??

And even current timeline Shi Mei worked with Hua Binan to infect Mo Ran with the flower and keeps trying to manipulate his feelings so the flower keeps working. He might be a bit more genuine in his feelings but still???

And don't get me started on the Chu Wanning side of things. The most his feelings ever go for Shi Mei is "he's my disciple so I care about him" which is pretty much obligatory from teacher towards a student. He doesn't even come close to xue meng in terms of having chu wanning's affection, mo ran is completely incomparable. There's a reason why during most of the novel Mo Ran was only ever jealous of xue meng and never shi mei. It's because he never thought shi mei was competition in the first place lmao! (plus flower manipulation to always see shi mei in a good light).

And chu wanning is jealous of Shi Mei for like 2/3s of the novel! "oh why wasn't I as pretty as shi mei, I wish mo ran could love me, I wish I was more gentle so I could be mo ran's beloved instead of shi mei"

Hell, when chu wanning comes out of his 5 year seclusion shi mei gets all teary eyed and was like "this disciple missed shizun so much" chu wanning was literally like "this sucks, I lost to my competition, also where is mo ran??? this banquet is not complete without mo ran! :( " When he's not just trying to be a good teacher, he literally just thinks of Shi Mei as competition. (Albeit he thinks he has no chance of winning against his competition, but it's competition nonetheless).

He arises no feelings of love, desire, or even the barest minimum of attraction in chu wanning, he just sees shi mei as like some objectively beautiful person like how a flower looks nice, and all that makes him feel is jealousy.

And when Hua Binan tries to rape him, he feels horrified and disgusted. Like *completely* disgusted, he hates it so much. With Taxian-jun it was like "this arises desire in me, I desire him and I feel electric when he touches me, I want to be loved but not in this way, but in the depth of all this passion I can pretend that maybe he does love me back." With shi mei it's just like "nah fuck you get off of me!" and "where did I go wrong as a teacher??" and "he looks completely different from mo ran, mo ran is so hot and his body is so hot, shi mei is just not my type." chu wanning has only ever felt love and sexual desire for *one* person, and I think by now you can guess who it is (spoiler, it isn't shi mei).

Also he tells shi mei he wishes that he were dead. That he should have died at the heavenly rift. He tells him "forget about comparing yourself to mo ran, you can't even compare to xu shuanglin" He can't even compare to discount!mo ran from temu.

And near the end they both wish each other were dead and they battle to the death. Like genuinely, with no regrets, no reservations, they just wanted to kill each other.

"Chu Wanning deserves better" LMAOO he already got the best! And he KNOWS he got the best! He literally has a few paragraphs where he goes "Mo Ran is literally perfect, he is the best person in the whole world (189)" AND "Mo Ran is my everything, my entire world" (280), AND "Mo Ran is the most handsome and best person ever" (280). The stuff he says in 280 (and 279 too it also has some super romantic love affirmations from chu wanning towards mo ran) is all AFTER he gets all his memories back!

In conclusion: ranwan only love each other and ranwan love each other forever and ever. amen. I mean the end.

[mars-syndrome]

sooo if ur somehow stumbling across this randomly nothing about this post will make sense unless youve read this fic https://archiveofourown.org/works/57909193

but hey, that promised bingge pov post! (full disclosure i am writing this before ive written the sqh scene so some info may be repeated!)

binghe was aware of sy’s nature from the very beginning. he knew it was demonic, but meng mo was the one who let him know about the concept of demon dolls and how theyre created. when he chose sy for qing jing, he was fully convinced it was actually a demon doll with sqq’s exact soul/copy and wanted to get ahead of whatever revenge he and/or yqy may be planning.

meng mo also told him that since sqq’s been dead yqy had probably used his own soul to help ‘create’ sy so both of them were hesitant to use their dream manipulation incase it let yqy know something was up since they could be spiritually linked and lbh’s half demon status was unknown plus he’d be the first person yqy would want to blame. while he wouldnt use dream manipulation since it was spiritual based, he would use the blood parasites as insurance since it was fully physical.

upon meeting sy, he began to have doubts about whether it was sqq’s soul. hence the fungi mission. he used that mission to judge just how human or demonic sy’s body is and also gauge his reaction to not being affected by the spores if his body was demonic to tell how “in the know” he was. when sy was genuinely confused and just accepted whatever explanation lbh gave him, he concluded sy knew absolutely nothing at all and shifted his focus to actually making sy care for him.

his confrontation with yqy after the fungi mission was basically yqy and lbh trying to psych each other out about how much the other knew. it ended with lbh implying he knew what was up, that he could reveal yqy for colluding with demonic cultivators and/or demons, and that he wouldnt let sy get found out unless yqy does some shit bc hey, thats his disciple. so up until now (chapter whatever this is linked on) they’ve operated under a strained truce that yqy stays away from sy and lbh wont reveal them.

for lbh getting close with sy was just a fun little side project. after all, a little sqq who adored him more than anything in the world? sqq would be seething and rolling in his grave. it doesnt hurt that sy was so earnest and cute either and him being on the peak made nyy happy so he was fine with getting some revenge like that.

in the fic’s og pidw, this grows into lbh desperately craving affection and validation from the kid who looks so much like his shizun who withheld it. he’ll grow codependent with sy, but the relationship stays very much master/disciple. on some level he’s aware that though sy does genuinely care for and admire him, hes playing out a role to receive lbh’s protection.

but in the fic our sy, earnest and naive, found the jade pendent.

this is bingge, two decades removed from the abuse he suffered. he’s had two decades to get stronger, to realize the world bends to his whims. to realize no matter where he goes he’ll have women falling over themselves to get into his bed but none of them will ever truly love him and what they give him is shallow. to realize he’ll have men envying him and wishing him harm just for being better. this bingge doesn’t have mobei-jun or any wives to share even the illusion of closeness or companionship with. he has nyy yet she’s been relishing in her role as da-shijie and hes happy for her truly, but he’s been alone in the bamboo house for 20 years.

when bingge meets sy!sqq in svsss who shows him just two days worth of normal domestic kindness, he immediately wants to leave with him. so how would our bingge feel with our sy, who he’s had unrestricted access to for 2 years, who holds genuine affection for him with no ulterior motive, who admires him openly and unashamedly, when he returns the very symbol of his happiness and the last bit of true love hes ever felt?

“precious fake jade indeed” he said

this fake sqq, this flawed copy of the man who tormented him, gave him back this fake pendant that he held most dear, that he lost hope of ever getting back again.

was that not symbolic? did that not make shen yuan his as well? did that not make shen yuan another symbol of love for him? did shen yuan not hand himself over to binghe when he handed over the pendant?

he begins objectifying sy almost. this was his person. obviously if sy was defective for yqy’s purposes, then wouldnt it make sense for sy to have been made just for lbh? after all, who else could cherish and protect sy like he could? yqy let him out of his sight long enough for him to becomes lbh’s so he wasnt fit. sy cant look after himself. only luo binghe could.

the mission he took just after sy’s 16th birthday was to track down the demon clan responsible for sy’s creation and learn more about it to see if he could sever and/or work around yqy’s connection. as soon as he learned everything, he returned and used dream manipulation (after he figured out it was safe) to walk through sy’s memories like svsss bingge did to sqq. he realizes sy’s memories are gone, he and meng mo conclude it was probably an error in the connection to body and soul bc of the nature of demon puppets. but hey, a wins a win. sy has no affection for yqy and the fact sy is loyal to only lbh remains unchanged.

speaking of, he should probably make sy his head disciple officially so yqy cant make any accusations about lbh’s inappropriate closeness to his disciple, no matter how true they are.

[angstymdzsthoughts]

Jin Zixuan survives but he is severely hurt. He spent months in bed after his wounds so he misses so much things. After that, he recovers badly, he's always so so weak so yes, he let his brother take over. Meng Yao is so nice and so caring. What he doesn't know is that his dear brother poison him to keep him weak, to keep him fragile, influenceable. Everytime he tries/wants to speak against something that JYG decided, he's suddently so tired...and his brother is so right. His brother does a good job as sect leader so Jin Zixuan is happy to be a father for his son. And a uncle for JGY's son as long that this boy was alive. He was devasted by his death.

Jin Ling is very protective of his father and doesn't understand why he's so weak. His father so so strong before and his wound recovered. So why he's so weak?

"It's because of WWX, he cursed your father" people said and still say.

Jin Zixuan tries to be a good brother for Mo Xuanyu. Mo Xuanyu was happy to have a so nice big brother and was very concerned by his health.

The real reason of Mo Xuanyu banishment was that he seen/understood that JYG poisoned Jin Zixuan to keep him weak and under control. JYG got rid of him with fake rumors about the young man trying to do a move on him.

Jin Zixuan tried to speak but he was so tired...maybe...he refused to believe what JGY said about their brother. It was a mistake. It could only be a mistake!

Mo Xuanyu tells NHS about it but want to save his brother, he wants to get revange on his family. So he does the sacrifice. WWX has no scars on his skin, just a letter begging to save his dage.

And the story go on but with Jin Zixuan alive but under JGY's control, "drugged" for 13 years to be unable to speak again his brother. NHS being our favorite chessmaster, he manages to "kidnapp" Jin Zixuan at a point and to give him the antidote + heal him off the drugs. Of course, JGY blames WWX for the kidnapping. Jin Ling starts to have big doubts about his uncle after this moment

.

[theredcuyo]

I'm making a list of the Moments that made made me cry (for real) in the danmeis i've read!

I will write spoiler alert if it's something heavy!

The reencounter between Lwj and Wwx, on the buddha mountain, this is in rewatch, but it doesn't fail to make me cry anyway

Wangxian as a song, either of the versions but mostly the donghua's

Wangxian's confession, the proper one, when they're inside the temple

Shen Qinqiu throwing Binghe into the abbys (This is not an spoiler, they literally tell you at the beggining)

The deep dream Svsss extra

Hualian's confession

Figuring out what was gonna happen to HongHong-er

Erha in general- na, okay i'm going to count but there's a lot, starting with the reason why Mo Ran went back in time

Mo Ran and his relationship with his family, particularly MengMeng

The first time MengMeng calls him Ge (Iykyk)

Ranwan's confession

(SPOILER FOR MDZS)

Jin Zixuan's death, mostly because it is the start of everything going wrong and because i grew stupidly attached to him somehow

When the ghosts of the wens that Wwx saved come forward to help in the burial mounds, specially Sizhui's scene with his grandma

Sizhui's reveal as A-yuan

Jiang Yanli's dead

When Jiang Cheng discovers the truth about "recovering" his Golden core

Any scene of Lwj on those 13 years

SPOILER FOR SVSSSS

Sqq's sacrifice, Aka his second death, Aka when he dies from Qi deviation, Aka the dead in the roof

The holy mausoleum, when Binghe yells at Sqq and he cries

When Yqy tells Shen Yuan the things he should've said to Shen Jiu and that now are a little bit too goddamn late

Sqq giving Binghe the jade pendant back

When Sqq decides to go with him at the end

The marriage extra (i'm soft, not all of this is sad)

SPOILER FOR TGCF

Xie Lian's mental breakdown on the temple because of being pirced a million times, literally cried all those chapters since it started until Wu Ming took form

How Rouye came to be

Ghost baby HuaHua in general, the cementary, when he tried to stop Xie Lian from going to White no face, when he tried and failed to fight White no face, when they met in this form

Pretty much all of that arc, actually

Wind master's mental breakdown

Hua Cheng dissapearing in chapters 240-241 and them meeting again a year later

SPOILERS FOR ERHA

Chu Wanning's origin

"Shizun, won't you pay attention to me?"

Ranwan in general

The flower of eternal resentment scene

Chu Wanning's first and second death

The wontons escene, when Mo Ran is searching for Wanning's soul

When he counts again and again to 3 in the underworld

"It was i who wronged You, i won't blame you in life or death"

"Two lifetimes, they all belong to you"

The earthworms

Baby Mo Ran

Mo Ran's trial and death as whole secuence

Xue Meng's family dying right before his eyes, and his depression about it, including when he clings to Taxian-Jun

Nangong Si's death

Xia Sini also has feelings

Taxian-Jun's sacrifice at the end

"I can't go back?" "You can't go back"

MengMeng being alone at the end

Ranwan being idiots and taking their time to tell MengMeng they were still alive

Of course Erha is the longest, of course it also is very related to MengMeng as a whole

[hidemation]

Another weird au idea i just had

during recentlt thrown in the abyss lbh trying to find xin mo is being chased after endless abyss demon and human residents when a strange musician suddenly appeared and performing, singing a unique song mixed with strange language(english) even meng mo didnt know and then all the people chasing pbh were entranced and started to walk to the fire burning themselves to death and but lbh miraculously wasnt entraced like the ones that died(protagonist halo) and the musician suddenly disappeared

Basically, shen yuan transmigrated earlier like centuries and performed your idol, not realizing he saved the protagonist because he forgot since he has been in pidw for centuries, so you can't blame him for forgetting some stuff

[dangermousie]

I never finished Mountain River Pillow, the only Mo Shu Bai novel that emotionally moved me (MSB is a very solid author but her works usually do not emotionally involve me; MRP and her modern novella are the only two that do.) The translation stopped and MTL was too rough. But I now found the entire thing translated, started from scratch and it’s as good and as moving as I remember.

It’s an example of my favorite (but not frequent enough) set up - battle couple who can fight side by side. To MDL’s horror, the OTP is a widow and her dead husband’s younger brother.

It’s a truly simple set up. Our FL dies an unloved wife and wakes up in the days before she ditched her arranged marriage to elope for love (which ended up in nothing but disaster.) This time she chooses to proceed with the arranged marriage and marry into the Wei family, a family of legendary generals who in the first go around, all got massacred in a battle that they were blamed for. Sole survivor was the youngest son who eventually became a terrifying general and got his family’s honor restored.

The reason this novel is so moving is because she knows relatively little of past causes - her life was too removed. She tries to prevent the Wei tragedy but she can’t because it really did not happen because of a reckless strategy as per official account. And it’s moving also because both she and the youngest general are two genuinely good people who do their best and shoulder grief and loss together and support each other. They are ride or die for each other as family long before any romance develops.

And I love her sense of respect and duty and admiration for the Weis - it is not based on romantic love for her husband who she thought was lovely but who she barely met before he had to ride off to war - it’s an affirmative active choice to support good people who were good to her and who did not deserve what happened to them and to protect the youngest general (who is no general but a grieving boy - he’s 14 to her 15) because he’s barely out of childhood and had to bury all the men in his family; she does not want him to struggle alone because it would not be right.

They are turning it into a drama with the awful title of Fight for Love and I don’t have high hopes for it (I am fond of both Victoria Song and Ding Yuxi but they don’t really have the vibe of the novel characters for me. I’d cast Lu Yuxiao or Meng Ziyi and Liu Haoran or Zhang Xincheng if I’d had my druthers) but I am glad the adaptation means it’s been translated in full!

[lovedoesnotconquerall]

My 2024 Year Recap

Dramas

This was a fairly disappointing year for kdramas for me, and I didn’t stay on top of a lot of the dramas as they aired. It wavered between drama droughts and floods too frequently for me to keep up. Nonetheless, here are some of my favorites (not necessarily the best) from this year–

Historical Cdrama:

Blossom

This drama was the whole package for me. The acting, the cinematography, the costuming and sets, the wigs with sideburns, and the creativity of working around the rebirth genre. It avoided the OP pitfall that comes with this type of story and took on a different time period from what I’ve seen lately. I loved the women’s costumes so, so much! Plus the story moved along quickly without feeling rushed. I adore Meng Ziyi and desperately wanted a main character drama win for her, and boy did this deliver. Plus Li Yunrui finally got the girl!!

An aside– If Blossom hadn’t aired at the end of this year, this probably would’ve gone to The Double. But I did a quick rewatch this week and was disappointed by how much it didn’t hold up for me. I blame this largely on the camera blocking choices, as many of the heavy impact and meaningful moments that were likely well-scripted were weakened by having the actors act looking straight into the camera. Some actors weren’t up to the task, skill-wise. And other scenes just would have carried so much more emotional weight if both characters were on screen, and the actors were feeding off each others’ performances. In fact, the scene that had me in an absolute chokehold was the drunk rain sequence in episode 17 with Xiao Heng’s intense, jaw-clenched gaze as he resisted his desire for A’Li. By the end of the drama, I felt like I was watching actors act, rather than believing these were characters whose stories I was invested in emotionally. The drama was still a stand out, especially for its use of color, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of watching it air live alongside my tumblr mutuals!

Fantasy:

Fangs of Fortune

I had absolutely no idea what this was about going in. I couldn’t recall even watching a trailer and gave it a shot on a whim. From the costumes to the set design, every aspect of this drama was a visual feast. It felt otherworldly and sucked me in right from the start. I loved the way we saw our main characters’ stories reflected in the side character vignettes, and I never felt the need to fast forward. Even without the extra episode, I was still satisfied with the ending as presented. I don’t need a happy ending if the story’s resolution is justified narratively and this absolutely was. That being said, the extra episode made my shipper heart absolutely feral. No complaints here! I can’t give enough praise to Hou Minghao for his performance here as Zhao Yuanzhou. I see nothing of this character in his other performances, and that really speaks to his ability to adapt and fully live in this role.

Modern Cdrama:

Derailment

It technically finished airing in January, so I’m putting it here on this list. Another underrated drama I knew next to nothing about but left being so satisfied. The ship was so good, and the height difference was delightful. Also, the intimacy of hair washing! I really liked Liu Haocun’s performance. I’d never seen her in anything before, but I look forward to what she does next.

Modern Kdrama:

Lovely Runner

I started this on a plane and almost quit because of what I thought was going to be an over-the-top, cringey portrayal of kpop fanaticism (and I like kpop!!). I’m so glad I weathered that misconception because by the end of episode 2 it shaped up to be everything I wanted and more. I actually bought songs off the soundtrack and still listen to them today. It was fun, sugary sweet, and a joy to watch.

Ships/Pairings:

Song Mo x Dou Zhao, Blossom

I don’t know what more needs to be said about them that I haven’t already posted. They were genuinely equally matched, and I could clearly follow the logical, developed plot points that led to their coupling. The actors felt lived-in their characters and every aspect of the production played their part in making this a believable ride-or-die pairing. The chemistry oozed off the screen from their first encounter. His gaze in episode 1 when they lament trusting the wrong people? Unreal. He was so down bad for her, and tbh? Same.

Whatever was happening, Fangs of Fortune

Nobody delivered longing, connection, fondness, and trust like the multiships in this drama. I was locked in on all of the ships for different reasons. ZYZ and ZYC will hold a special place in my heart for all the things that didn’t need to be said. Who needs dialogue when you can gaze lovingly into the eyes of your soulmate without alerting the censors?

Older drama I watched in 2024:

Princess Agents (2017)

I am Team A’Chu x Yan Xun all the way. Warming her hands through a hole in the wall while dying in prison? Say no more!

(I do wish we could’ve seen Song Mo unleash his inner Yan Xun a little. Alas, censorship…)

Books

I read 37 books this year, excluding web novels. I felt pretty meh about most of the books I read, neither loving nor hating them. Nevertheless, here are some of my favorites.

Fiction:

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan

This book was like a comforting cup of coffee on a cloudy winter day. An unexpected group of lost people are drawn by and grow together around the warmth of a local bookshop. I loved the slice-of-life nature of the chapters and the gentle affirmations built into the characters’ decisions to slow down their lives.

Nonfiction:

City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America’s Highways by Megan Kimble

Growing up in Texas along the Interstate-45 corridor made this an especially compelling yet bleak read.

Novella/Short Story:

Minor Detail by Adania Shibili, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette

Relevant, abrupt, and brutal. It left me numb for days after finishing it.

Open Throat by Henry Hoke, narrated by Pete Cross

This was so odd and creative I don’t really know how to describe it. It gives clever, poignant social/political commentary through the eyes of a mountain lion living on the fringes of a Los Angeles park.

Audiobook:

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel, narrated by George Blagden

The ending was predictable early on, but that didn’t make it any less impactful. I spent the last hour or so listening while sobbing uncontrollably to the point that my hobble-legged former street cat curled up in my lap to comfort me, which of course only made me more inconsolable. This book was beautiful and will hold a special place in my heart, thanks in large part to the experience of listening to, rather than visually reading, it.

Web Novel:

Rebirth of a Star General by Qian Shan Cha Ke, translated by Lazy Girl Translations

I am weak for a well written woman-in-disguise story. Especially one involving martial arts. And to add a general x general ship to it? What more could I ask for? I was excited to see Cheng Lei cast as Xiao Jue, and I look forward to seeing the drama adaptation next year. (hopefully…)

Movies

Twisters

I rarely go to the theater, and movies aren’t really my preferred form of delivery for narrative arcs and character exploration. But I visited college roommates in Seattle over the summer, and we went to see this on a pure whim. It was ridiculous and fun and took me back to our college days reserving the TV room in our co-op house to wind down after exams.

And with that… on to 2025!

[kaerontes]

quick explanation on my thoughts:

I considered singer Mo Ran! who had WanNing as his producer/teacher on the field alongside Xue Meng and Shi Mei. But yknow, those 5 years WanNing was... sleeping? So I translated this here as him going through an accident and being away healing in this time (I have this with more details, but I'm planning on writing a fanfic so ahem) and Mo Ran just blames himself a lot about it, and in those 5 years he just kept writing and writing about Chu WanNing.

But he was seen a lot by the media with Shi Mei (since they grew up together and sht) so the rumors say they are together, when the reality is Mo Ran already realized his true feelings but he's waiting for WanNing to come back.

That day WanNing had finally returned, silent cause he didn't knew how to meet everyone again, so he just decides to go to Mo Ran's show in secret since he had a free time—when he hears those words though, he, just like the crowd, also thinks the words are meant for someone else

| TIKTOK VERSION AND CLOSEUPS AFTER SPOILER |

[cmcft]

Fallout AU

Luo Binghe has spent his entire life in a vault. When his adoptive father (the leader of the vault/old palace master) is mysteriously kidnapped by the notorious Tianlang-Jun, Luo Binghe escapes the vault to find him. Luo Binghe meets a mysterious man (Meng Mo), whose head might just lead him to succeed in finding his adoptive father.

Shen Yuan is on his first mission, newly squired to Knight Xiu Ya and excited to heroically battle strange monsters and protect the populous, when things go horribly wrong. Shen Yuan ends up stealing the Knight's identity to try to succeed on tracking down Meng Mo his own so that he can escape being blamed for SQQ's death.

Their paths cross when Shen Yuan tries to save Luo Binghe from the ghoul (MBJ)

[deadn30n]

portrayal notes: luo binghe

a collection of short snippets pertaining to my particular interpretation of Luo Binghe from SVSSS. list is subject to change and be updated periodically

as i've mentioned in previous posts, I write the version of Luo Binghe you see in Proud Immortal Demon Way. the arrogant && cruel Emperor with a harem of wives spanning in the hundreds. he's the man that Shen Yuan was a fan of throughout the entire novel.

it's possible that throughout the events of Scum Villian, this version of Luo Binghe did not exist until the system 'created' him as a measure to mete out punishment to Shen Qingqiu for losing all of his B Points. which means that Shen Qingqiu might just be responsible for the accidental creation and implementation of an alternate dimension that is Proud Immortal Demon Way. there's no telling if this was the case or not, but per my interpretation, i like to think that the original story didn't have it's own universe until Shen Qingqiu fucked up so badly it created the violent version of Luo Binghe to teach him a lesson

this version of Luo Binghe is charismatic and easy to get along with, especially if you are a woman ( he has a soft spot for them ) but his patience is thin when it comes to being tested. yes, i do think Luo Binghe enjoys the act of killing ( there was no denying he thoroughly reveled in the deaths of all those he believed wronged him ) but i do not believe he kills without purpose. if someone dies, it's never just on a whim or 'for fun', there is always a reason behind it.

though he is charismatic and charming, Luo Binghe is also permanently damaged due to the abuse he suffered from his fellow sect mates, as well as his own master. he does an excellent job of hiding it for the most part, but he has PTSD and struggles with hallucinations / night terrors brought on by said trauma.

his demonic sword Xin Mo is also heavily to blame for this as well; it's influence and attempts to conquer his mind exacerbating the already weakened parts of him. he's done a good job of keeping control on the weapon, but there may come a time when he is no longer able to do so

Luo Binghe has what is called 'the invincible protagonist's halo', which was written into his story by Shang Qinghua ( author of Proud Immortal Demon Way ), making him immune to death, and causing his enemies to become 'dumb' and 'easy to defeat' when faced against him. i won't be enforcing this on your character in interactions without your permission, but you do have to respect that he is immune to death nevertheless.

this doesn't mean he's immortal though. in fact, in my mind, Luo Binghe is very much mortal in spite of his heavenly demon blood, and will only live to be around maybe 200. in the present timeline, he's in his early 50s.

Luo Binghe has a number of special talents unique to himself, but one of the most prominent is his ability to control the dreamscape. he can willingly enter the dreams of others and even torment them through visions of their past, or worst memories. this was a skill he acquired from the demon Meng Mo who took him under his wing at a fairly young age and passed on his powers so he would have a host to cling to when he got too weak to maintain his form. they have a parasitic relationship with one another but it works out well in both of their favours.

he might seem like he has everything someone could ever want but it's also heavily hinted at that Luo Binghe is dissatisfied with it all. it's even mentioned in the novel that after taking his teacher's life -- arguably the worst offender for all the crimes committed against him -- rather than feeling complete, Luo Binghe still felt... unhappy. as if the revenge wasn't enough to remove the burden of his memories from his shoulders.

it's also hinted at in the novel that Luo Binghe is destined to 'one day fade away into obscurity, alone and forgotten.' as if all of his accomplishments meant nothing, and he was unable to escape the hollowness in his heart.

he does not trust easily and is extremely paranoid. it's difficult to get close to hi m, and even a number of his wives struggle to get anything beyond sex out of him. he is emotionally closed off from everyone and everything, and becomes doubly so once his cycle of revenge is complete.

i do very much think he loves his wives -- or did, at one point. he may not have had a deep connection with a good portion of them, but for those he was closest to ( Liu Mingyan, Sha Hualing, Ning YingYing ), he definitely loved them, even if that love may have faded in time. it was of no fault to those women that he fell out of love. the fault rest entirely in the instability of his mind and his inability to escape the past that haunted him.

i headcanon Luo Binghe to have thick brown curly hair which he often keeps half-tied up in a pony tail.

he takes great pride in his appearance and has a rather excessive grooming routine that he goes through each and every day. he smells very good and only uses the most expensive products when cleaning himself.

while Luo Binghe is very much a flirt, your muse does not have to reciprocate his advances. he's a charmer, and he's definitely accustomed to people tripping over themselves to sleep with him, but a little rejection now and then would do him some good i think. that ego of his needs a little popping ( but if your muse is into the type of guy he is, then by all means ).

also lmao this is completely self-indulgent and i'm NOT sorry but for a dude who conquered all three realms, i headcanon Luo Binghe as bisexual. and while he doesn't sleep with men as openly as he does with women, i definitely think he has his own little harem of twinks that he indulges in. he loves his ladies to be sure, but he also loves his twinks and isn't ashamed.

speaking of all three realms, that's an important point to mention but Luo Binghe is the emperor of all three realms ( heaven, earth, hell ) which he forcibly combined using Xin Mo by splitting apart the spaces separating the three, and then glueing them together as one. this is just one of many examples of how terrifyingly strong Luo Binghe actually is. he's a prodigy with many talents in both immortal and demonic cultivation.

he does still carry his original sword Zheng Yang with him, but tends to use it very rarely, if at all.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading SVSSS: Chapter 19

For those who don't know, I am reading SVSSS for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag bloopitynoot reads SVSSS. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read.

Good morning!

Weird time for me to post this as I normally post at night- I know, but I am off work today. The reason for no tea, no work, and only water this morning is because I am getting tattooed this afternoon!

I'm getting a full sleeve in parts; today we are outlining half of the sleeve. I will for sure for sure post photos in my next chapter! I'm so stoked. Oh I did not mention it, but It's a sleeve dedicated to tea so really tea in spirit with today's chapter :P

Let's get into Shen Jiu:

oh god. He went from one dream realm to another dream realm! p205

Oh shit; meng mo really saved his soul from being torn up in that other dream. p205

Honestly SQQ, I too would want to immediately see LBH after that experience. If anything, I would just want to make sure he was still the nice LBH and not the horror show I had just experienced in there. p206

ah! Meng Mo did interfere with Qiu Haitang in the mausoleum. I was wondering what all was happening with her hysterics in there; but dang that was dark showing her SJ's memories. Poor girl had her entire worldview switched p208

I am not emotionally ready to know what SJ went through. Ugh, here we go anyways.

Okay but I kind of really feel bad for Qiu Haitang- the girl really didnt know what was happening. her own brother from the very first day hid the mistreatment. SJ was really treated so fucking awfully. :( p213

Not his name being the number of him being trafficked :(((((( p213

Damn. I was really hoping we would find out who SJ's friend was. Though I do feel like it is someone we know already. I feel like it's Liu Qingge (don't actually tell me though!) -> we will find out later I suspect. p217

The way I exhaled at "You don't even count as human, and you want to be an immortal?" p219

I felt so bad during that "murder scene". Like fuck, I don't even blame SJ, when it all started. He finally killed the guy after almost a decade of abuse and he was once again trying to protect himself from harm. p221-222

Well. The bloodbath after his initial escape and slew of murders was a little unhinged LOL. p223

ooof. "no more waiting". p225

LOL this memory just turned into the plot of holes there. A bunch of children digging holes without end. Is this where SJ finds luo Binghe??? p227

Okay yes he did find him here and he was already peak master at this point (not for long but still). p228

I am glad that the generational naming convention was explained! Similar to MDZS jin's, the Cang Qiong Mountain sect names generationally. I was really wondering why everyone had "Qing". yay for explanation. p229

What the heck. Liu Qingge is rude as fuck: Shen Jiu said mildly, "Good talent doesn't guarantee success." Liu Qingge didn't even grace him with a sideways glance. "But certainly more success than a nobody who only began proper cultivation at age sixteen." p230

I'm having complicated feelings about OG SJ. Like -> his story is fucked and he was very badly damaged as a child, HOWEVER him treating Luo Binghe the way he did and just creating a cycle of violence is not okay. :( p234

My HEART! Luo Binghe's baby tears :(( p235. also him only crying the first day being 'punished' and when he had to bury his mom himself. what the fuck.

Bro that's so awkward for SQQ; waking up to find out he was crying and calling for LBH in his unconscious state and everyone knowing about it. p237

LOL SQQ not upset that LBH is manhandling him but that LBH said his eyelashes were long XD p239

<SCREAMING>

That last page! AAAAAAH. Him admitting he really missed LBH while hugging uuuugh.