#but shen yi is going through it

[ellsieee]

People are just assuming Du Cheng and Shen Yi are a couple now.

They did not refute it.

Only gay panic.

[cursed-angelic-art]

Imagining a counsel of my past and current blorbos watching me eye up Armand like "girl what the fuck are you doing??" Genuinely only Xue Yang gets it. The rest of these fuckers are like actually decent people.

[lunarriviera]

yet another shen yi meta [uts2 spoilers]

hi hey hello everyone i continue to be tormented with obsessive thinkings about s2 Shen Yi so i must holler about them/him some more, feel free to stop reading if you have not watched through approximately episode 11 which is where i still am. it's taking me longer to watch because i keep pausing to rewind/screenshot and/or weep in anguish about Him and What He Is Going Through. and how NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION. or insufficient attention. cf. Ryan Gosling in the Papyrus sketch screaming WELL IT WASN'T!! ENOUGH!!

[more. much more. behind the cut]

let's start here, with shen yi's artwork. in this scene he competed with AI to paint a chosen image and, surprising exactly no one, he won, partly because he's brilliant but tbh mostly because AI art is garbage and always adds dolphins, rainbows, and hands with six fingers.

but here's the thing: is no one going to question this? does anyone think to themselves "ah yes, shen yi is absolutely the BEST person in the world to make a painting in 30 minutes that depicts, quote, a lonely man on a beach." so here is this miserably hunched, despairing figure, surrounded by murky howling early-picasso blue, LOOKING IN FACT QUITE A LOT LIKE SHEN YI HIMSELF—even dressed like him (in the snowy white and dainty pastels he seems to favor this season)—and not a single person thinks: huh, wonder if this guy's okay?

in fact s2 seems to be repeated evidence of the fact that shen yi is Very Much Not Okay, and yet no one is really paying attention. he supports everyone else emotionally and they all seem to assume he either a) has no emotional blowback to deal with, or b) can deal with it himself unaided somehow. (through painting, maybe? but have you seen what he's painting lately? e.g. monstrous abusive parent figures, in some kind of breathless fugue state during which he can psychically hear lines from someone else's traumatic childhood?) he goes to li han's house to help her, which is so like him, and he says:

oh! you might think. well, maybe he will self-disclose a little? tell li han about some of his own personal difficulties that he's had to overcome, just to bond with her, get her to open up? HAHAHA ARE YOU NEW HERE, of course he doesn't, he just listens to her while she sobs out her tragic backstory, gives her a tissue, relates her struggles to a vaguely terrifying metaphor of his own device about a sealed room filling up ineluctably with floodwater, then smiles and takes her out for pizza. (totally unrelated but wow the product placement is heavy-handed this season. xiaomi! pizza hut!)

since we're talking about the li han case, consider this moment, too, when he interprets someone's house-person-tree drawing. does no one ever think, "for someone who talks constantly about love and connection, how interesting that shen yi has no family, refuses to date in very pointed and deliberate way, and lives alone with a cat."

shen yi knows all about love! never shuts up about love! constantly dispensing bromides about what real love should be like! and wakes every day ALONE from horrific guilty nightmares ft. creepy small girl in blood-red dress, pls will no one help this man pls he's drowning.

couple more bits and then i swear to god i'll shut up i'm starting to feel really stupid. but first consider this little story, in three parts:

"an image of despair" um okay well…technically it's just a dead body, albeit after a fairly grisly stabbing, but sure go off i guess

2. du cheng: wow even for you that was unusually poetic and weird

3. also du cheng: back to investigating the murder i guess [wanders away]

this kind of thing happens again. and again. either no one notices assorted horrified/devastated expressions on shen yi's face (in the way of classic extradiegetic reaction shots, where the camera sees them—we see them—but none of the characters onscreen do) or, when du cheng does notice, he's immediately distracted by his actual job, and/or the fact that he doesn't really know how to help his partner, because lbr he has all the emotional intelligence of a pony.

one more mini-story in three parts, and then i really will put a sock in it:

shen yi: why, what did i do. why are you looking at me like that

2. du cheng: bc you just lied your whole entire face off with alarming unsettling proficiency, since when are you that good at being dishonest

3. shen yi: hehe

in an earlier episode we also saw shen yi shouting at a suspect in the interrogation room, so convincingly that afterwards du cheng admits, you scared me. lol! says shen yi in carefree manner, i learned that from you! haha! agrees everyone, and they go about their business.

but ghastly things keep happening to and near him. at least once per episode, shen yi makes a face like this, because people are jumping off cliffs in front of him or abruptly smashing things with hammers or just lashing out with all kinds of antisocial behaviors in his vicinity:

to be fair, he has other expressions. for instance he also repeatedly employs his patented creepy ruthless smile, of the "i am going to fuck you up" variety, an expression reserved especially for criminals:

as well, i'm also leaving out all the ridiculously adorable/domestic scenes with him and du cheng, in which they share candy, roast each other about assorted nonsense, briefly co-parent a child, and, you know. are just generally disgustingly married. but that's a different meta.

also, admittedly du cheng does SAY things. he says, "are you still having trouble sleeping," he says "do i not care about you?" and "don't push yourself so hard" and "if you run into troubles, don't try to take them on alone." (i am sparing you all these screenshots since this is a meta about shen yi but trust me i have carefully accumulated every single shred of evidence in which du cheng is protective.) but, as frequently as du cheng expresses concern, he also just keeps clapping shen yi on the shoulder in a brotastic way and then strolling out. which i fear is just not going to be adequate. ("i don’t think this is literally papyrus. maybe that was the starting point but they clearly modified it?" "well whatever they did, IT WASN'T!! ENOUGH!!")

i leave you with two final images of shen yi, seen here continuing to be very much Not Okay, and to quote the bernie meme, i am ONCE AGAIN ASKING YOU, drama, is anyone going to care enough about this man to stop him going over the edge of the cliff with Evil Art Critic Eugenicist Moriarty Weasel Man? because he will, he will do it. because he's lonely and he's misunderstood and he's—

[cane comes out and drags me offstage]

[thegreatdandilion]

No one understand Shen Yi the way he wants

Guys... Am I the only one who noticed this? In Under the Skin 2, whenever Du Cheng rejects his requests or whenever lashes out, Shen Yi is hurt, but he understands the reason behind that behavior. So, the next day he just adjusted himself to it. (It reminds me a lot about how I do the same)

Not only Du Cheng walked away from Shen Yi he also swapped his hand away... How could you?

He looked so hurt and sad here.

But this leaves him with no one to understand him the same way. I feel like this is going to lead him to depend more on Mr. Fang (The flower dude, who is most likely the antagonist) and he slowly changes Shen Yi.

Usually, Shen Yi can see through people's façade or he notices danger. I don't know why he is getting comfortable with Fang. I have a feeling that Shen Yi might be getting hypnotized by him or controlled by him without knowing.

What are your thoughts?

[doctormichaelaquinn]

Du Cheng teaching Shen Yi how to shoot? Du Cheng turning down a date with a literal model to change into his little suit jacket and go to the party he didn't want to go to so he can stand in the corner with Shen Yi and drink out of his glass?? Du Cheng staring at Shen Yi while he's drawing??? Du Cheng parkouring over the roof to get to the window to save Shen Yi from the bomber, putting himself and everyone at risk???? (And Shen Yi KNOWING that if he can just stall enough Du Cheng will save him! Like he's not even surprised to see him at the window!) And then after that Du Cheng being like "haha if we had died back there we would have died at the very exact same time wouldn't that have been crazy"????? Du Cheng keeping the sketch Shen Yi made years ago?????? Calling Shen Yi his trump card, fully trusting and knowing that he'll come through??????? That little doodle of the two of them at the end???????? I am unwell.

[lurkinginnernarrator]

Hello, it's MXTX Ask Game :

1.) From the 3 works by MXTX, who is your favorite (canon) couple? Why?

2.) From the 3 works by MXTX, do you have any non canon fav ships?

(FYI, I have at least 10 non canon ships from those 3 series, sorry)

3.) From the 3 works by MXTX, do you have any favorite quotes (from each series)?

4.) Who is your favorite love interest in MXTX three novels (luo binghe, lan wangji, mobei jun or hua cheng)? Why?

5.) Who is your favorite mc in MXTX three novels (shen qingqiu, wei wuxian, shang qinghua or xie lian)? Why?

6 a.) Which do you think is more tragic : Yi City arc or BeefLeaf arc or the Fallout between Shen Jiu - Yue Qi? Why?

b.) Can I ask your opinion on the comparison between bingqiu, wangxian, moshang, and hualian (their plus and minus sides)?

1:

I love all the main couples, but just based on the pairing alone I'd say Hualian, from aesthetics to the journey they went through, it's all very pleasing to look at. As some say, Hualian invented love

2. All of the ships of SVSSS, a rarer favourite of mine being Zhushen. But I enjoy all of them, and I enjoy the character dynamics in any flavour of romantic, platonic or something more unique.

3. That one passage in SVSSS where it talks about Qing Jing being a daycare for ADHD children kills me every time, Xie Lian's iconic "I cannot get erect" and Wen Qing's and Wei Wuxian's whole "Thank you, and I'm sorry."

4. They're all super entertaining! No shade to Bingmei, Wangji-xiong and Mobei-jun but I'd have to say Hua Cheng, reason one being: He's the cuntiest. His jangly boots? Cunty. His monologues? Yes. (When his little monologue to Qi Rong was animated in the donghua I was OBSESSED. I need to be him.) Also I love what he's done with ghost city specifically.

5.Shen Qingqiu, AKA Shen Yuan.

The narrative style immediately hooked me due to its humor, and the special way he looks at the world in part due to transmigration and in whole due to his own mindset and character made it so much sweeter. His journey from beginning to end, especially when we get to the extras makes it so impactful when you return to the beginning and see such a stark difference. His little quirks, and how he's practically unarmed against politeness is hilarious.

Watching him struggle and come to terms with the personhood of the people around him was gratifying, and unfortunately for me, slightly relatable.

He's just so supremely enjoyable.

(Honorable mention here for Wei Wuxian, I adore the sibling dynamics in MDZS so much, especially Yunmeng Trio. I will be forever thankful to the untamed for it.)

6.a)Oh this is HARD.

I am only on Volume Six of TGCF, but from what I've seen of beefleaf so far... It wins. Qijiu devastates me continually, but He Xuan offing Shi Wudu in front of Shi Qingxuan? The tragedy is incomprehensible. The connection between beeflead is worse than dead, it's tainted irrevocably. And the worst part is I can't bring myself to blame just one person. Shi Wudu's motivations compel me, and He Xuan's are completely justified.

And Shi Qingxuan is caught in the middle. Losing a brother to a dear friend. He's the nexus of tragedy in this case.

6.b)

Devotion is the characteristic that strikes me as a throughline of all the pairings, Bingqiu, Moshang, Wangxian, Hualian.

(I'm going to try and keep this short lol)

Shen Qingqiu's devotion is fully demonstrated in the Holy Mausoleum arc, and Luo Binghe's is clear to anyone besides Shen Yuan.

Shang Qinghua's devotion is demonstrated during Maigu Ridge, and when Mobei-jun is left vulnerable during his subsuming of the ancestral Mobei martial aspect. And Mobei-jun's devotion is so beautifully and gently demonstrated through the pulled noodles.

Wei Wuxian's devotion isn't given as much of a spotlight due to the circumstances and time it takes him to get to the point of realization and acceptance, but his continual attentiveness and inherent trust in Lan Wangji, are clear even in his first life. The confession is a clear moment of devotion to me.

Lan Wangji's devotion is well chronicled. His very life is built around devotion. His musical compositions reflect it, his ideals are inspired by it, his family is grown by it. In Wei Wuxian's second life there isn't a moment where Lan Wangji isn't in a mindset of devotion. I think his greatest act of devotion, (though I think there was more than simple devotion at play) was his decision to take in Wen Yuan.

I cannot speak as well for Hualian, as I don't have the full context yet, but what is the bond between God and believer if not devotion? A beautiful form of devotion is worship, and Hua Cheng is a skilled master at all forms of it.

Thank you for the ask, and I hope I answered it adequately!

[danmei-confessions]

I truly think SVSSS deserves a revision more than any of MXTX's other novels.

I love the novel, yes, but it is poorly written. MXTX rushed the chapters after Bbingqiu's reunion due to using VIP lock for the first time and it makes the writing distinctly worse. I understand that she was young while writing it, which is the whole reason why it deserves a revision. The novel could have so much more potential than it currently does and it's no wonder that it's her least popular when even fans of her other novels choose to not read it due to being uninterested.

So much more story could be added, or just minor details. For example, we barely know anything about the 12 peaks all together, and unless you make up facts, there's practically nothing on their peak lords too. I see complaints about the SVSSS wiki being empty regarding the peak lords and I hate to say it, but that's NOT due to the moderators but rather pure lack of content. Hell, most of the facts that do existed were only in the light novel and not in the web novel at all. There's such little information it's really not shocking that the fandom runs on head-canons. In all 100 chapters of her novel, half of it in slightly plot, while the other is SQQ being... SQQ.

I have so many thoughts on the potential SVSSS has:

Despite it being mentioned that there are 'plenty of minor sects' we only hear the name of one.

Despite sects like Tian Yi or Zhao Hua being a part of the main 4, we know almost nothing about them, how they run, or their disciples/sect lead (literally the only named Tian Yi disciples are the 3 nuns). We also don't know their locations, what locations they control, or their history

The past events of SVSSS (before SY transmigrated) are so messy. Theres only 2 timelines I've found here on tumblr and even those are so different from each other. Theres no clear years compared to TGCF or MDZS and its so frustrating. This also leaves characters practically age-less (other than like. Binghe) unlike her other characters.

Almost none of the side-characters grow development with anyone other than Shen Qingqiu. I say 'almost' but I can not name any off the top of my head. There are characters that have/had such interesting relationships that were completely thrown out the window For The Plot. This is so.... disappointing, considering other character's relationships make up the plot! It's not only the MC!

Everything being rushed is heartbreaking, and with a re-write I think arcs such as the Holy Mausoleum, Jin Lan, Borderlands, etc could become SO much more interesting. Alongside that, the Mai Gu Ridge situation was blown off so fast?? Like, it was mentioned that the Endless Abyss was breaking through CCM, then just never mentioned again...

Power Scaling. Fights. Actual fights between people who aren't LGQ or LBH. We only really got NYY/LPM, MBJ/his uncle, and TLJ/LBH. Most of those were ALSO rushed.

The System's appearance was reduced LARGELY in the later chapters-almost like MXTX forgot about them. The whole first 2 volumes include The System so much, and its unique! functions! all for it to be disregarded and those functions to never be used other than the jade necklace.

Actually going into the wonderous world of PIDW that is claimed to have interesting weapons (only Xin Mo was shown), locations, plants (only Qingsi and that one thats too long for me to feel like typing shown), and creatures (only rly ZZL and Madam Meiyin shown).

That's all I really have right now. I'm not trying to be an anti of MXTX's other novels. I just think that SVSSS has so much potential that she could have brought out if she had chosen to revise it. I love TGCF and MDZS very much, they have great scaling, brought-out potential, and relationships that SVSSS so could have.

I do want to exclaim that out of all her 3 novels SVSSS has been my favorite for years. I genuinely feel upset that it was not the one picked despite how obvious it is that it has barely any NEW content. Or at the least, confirmed facts. In her QNA's most of the questions are purely MDZS/TGCF while there's maybe 2 SVSSS ones. Those few questions answered by her are literally lifelines for some fans. (Such as heights and Moshang) The novel could become popular just if the criticisms/potential of it were actually addressed. I'm not saying that casually but I am very sure of it as MXTX is a freakishly great writer and she COULD take the novel to the same heights as TGCF/MDZS if she truly wanted to.

.

[dorokora]

Chapter 16 Prologue Part 3:

We start with a dream flashback of Curren, where she had to go through painful test after test in the lab. Their words don’t bother her, as the other day her brother was scrapped for his hardware and she will be next for her software. Her brother had excellent exam results. He is on par with Isaac and Bertro. But the body's endurance is reaching its limits, and just the other day, he was discarded and taken away. She was captured by the security mechanoids. After this, she will probably be dumped at the "edge of paradise." Suddenly her giant robot brother MS-C1 appeared to rescue her and they escaped using time leap for the first time. Back to the present, Curren thinks about Michael and Amaterasu having their priorities wrong. She commented that the reason they lost was because they couldn't bring themselves to say that they didn't care about the old world that gave birth to them. They don't care about their old home that tried to abandon them. What's important from now on is just how will humans survive? Her and her siblings were incomplete. She couldn't survive on one side alone, she accepted that. The choice, the thought, there may not have been any freedom of choice, but. This is far better than being trapped and destroyed by the outdated idea of ​​a fixed "base." She will carry out Plan C. The girl decided they will live in the future. There is no need for freedom of choice. There is only one way to go.

Back to Tu'er Shen as he continues to see into the future and seeing something beyond comprehension. Back to Onyankopon who explains that “new life” are forms of life made to be adapted to the future. In other words, a resident of a different world, a utopia. This is the next step of MxOther’s plans. “New life” is migrating to the future city, and to Tokyo. And so the future of forming the majority in Tokyo has been decided. Onyankopon remembers a report about the Yoyogi academy being a testing site established for that type of research. Where multiple minds can co-exist in one body. Back to Tu'er Shen, who after seeing the dreaded future decided to find a new guild, he can’t handle what’s coming on his own. Back to Mononobe, Mononobe tells MC there’s a place he wants to take them. The old laboratory at Yoyogi.

The next day, we see Tu'er Shen and Hei Long Yi Quan, the other day Bohemio told the new recruit Tu'er Shen to join up with Hei Long Yi Quan for a mission since their abilities will be perfect together. The mission is to investigate the whereabouts of the institute that’s working with MxOther. Tu'er Shen gets a vision and Hei Long Yi Quan launched his sacred artifact at the maybe threat.

[starlitnightdream]

woah woah interesting episodes ahead. but he will be good only hopefully just added this for plot. I believe shen yi good lol

reminds me of into the abyss / justice in the dark where ml was similar but here Shen Yi too cute lmao not dangerous vibe like that but AHHHHHH

NAUR I like this kind of plot but only if they end with him being good lol. they can go through all plot but when its revealed he good its always nice gives interest and then not villain thankfully. Even in desire catcher when they suspected ml had kidnapped? something like that was interesting lol but interesting only because we knew he was good not bad lol

[symphonyofsilence]

Fanfics ideas, cause you love MXTX works. MDZS characters will be besties with who (in your opinions) if they were in other universe, with characters from TGCF & SVSSS ? Please pick at least 3 characters from each series. Hope my questions are not confusing.....

Nie Huaisang would have been a big fan of Liu Mingiyan and Liu Mingyian would have appreciated NHS's collection of... educational books so she could write more exciting and diverse Smuts. Shang Qinghua would have found his way in and NHS & he would definitely get along very well. Shi Qingxuan & NHS would get along like a house on fire. (Though SQX would not get a word of what was said among NHS, LMY, & SQH he would enjoy the vibes & be happy to be there) And WWX naturally would belong to this group and bring JC with him. I don't know, maybe SQX, much like how happy he was to find a Ming-Xiong, and mess with General Nanyang would have been happy to meet Jiang Cheng, whether Jiang-Xiong felt the same or not? Or maybe not? Like... he apparently hadn't tried to make friends with Fengqing so maybe he wouldn't try to make friends with JC either (even if he did I think it wouldn't have been an especially deep relationship between them. It would be more like NHS's and JC's) WWX, SQX, and SQH would drag in LWJ, HX, & Mobei-Jun with them. Those three would absolutely say nothing and make no friends. Mobei-Jun (despite WWX and SQX's many attempts) and LWJ (despite SQX's many attempts) would stare in a dead inside way and He Xuan would eat. (Shen Qingqiu would have loved to join them but Liu Mingiyan would turn strangely quiet against NHS's questions when SQQ was around, so...)

I'd love to see Xue Yang, Qi Rong, and Sha Hualing interact! I believe They would get along very well. I'd love to see them take care of Guzi together, too! (Guzi would end up taking care of them.)

(Then Sha Hualing and Xuan Ji would inevitably cross paths and have a nice girl in-bathroom talk wherein Sha Hualing would try to knock some sense into Xuan Ji and tell her to know your worth, girl and it would result in Xuan Ji going you know what?! Maybe you're right maybe I SHOULD let go. To which Sha Hualing would answer WHAT?! NO WAY! KICK HIS A$$!!)

One lotus root pork soup from Jiang Yanli would work wonders for Shen Jiu (who needs an older sister). And I think JYL, since she apparently likes to surround herself with tsunderes would be fond of him, too. Shen Jiu might have crossed paths with fellow street rat A-Qing. The hissing cats would bond and form the deepest, and strongest frenemy relationship and stick together. Then Shen Jiu would inevitably end up meeting Xiao Xingchen. This group would fix him. Before breaking him even worse because of the whole...you know,... Yi City Arc. Then he'd be adopted by Yushi Huang or Baoshan Senren. Maybe Yushi Huang could promote A-Qing to godhood. their combination with Pei Su, Ban Yue, and Pei Ming could have been interesting.

Teenage Mu Qing-gege would also probably know A-Qing, Shen Jiu, and Yue Qinguuan. and occasionally give them food and keep an eye on them. This combo-minus YQY- might have also occasionally bitched about others with each other. (So the god adopting Shen Jiu and promoting A-Qing to godhood could be MQ, too)

Jiang Yanli would flourish if she could join Yushi Huang and have a peaceful positive maternal figure who cherished her talents and calm demeanor. JYL, Ban Yue, and Pei Xu would have helped each other. she would also enjoy interacting with SQX, and Xie Lian. and SQX would like her very much. She might have also had a soft spot for Mu Qing and looked out for him and what he didn't say.

Wei Wuxian and Hua Cheng would get into passive-aggressive rivalry in talent, sass, fashion, batshit theories and ideals, and sass. they would greatly enjoy their rivalry though. Maybe through Hua Cheng, WWX would meet He Xuan, too, and enjoy annoying him. He might form a very forced, very one-sided friendship with He Xuan, Which after a while of WWX imposing himself on him, HX might or might not come to miss in WWX's absence.

Ling Wen and Jin Guangyao would have a pleasant talk over tea about how incompetent everyone else is and how they have to do everything around here. Then slowly, they'd be joined by Yin Yu, Zhuzhi-lang, and Shang Qinghua. And then This talk would then turn into a union.

Wen Qing and Mu Qing would meet each other while healing others and they'd start to be mean judgemental bitches together. They have kind hearts. They save everyone's lives, but they also shoot death glares at everyone & bitch about everyone while doing it.

Wen Qing might have also befriended Ling Wen. She might have been recruited by Qi Qinqi.

Lan Xichen, Yue Qingyuan, Yushi Huang, and Xie Lian could drink tea together and have a pleasant conversation without an actual word that would lead to any personal knowledge about them being exchanged. Though any two combinations of this group could have a vague and not very revealing but definitely insightful conversation with each other.

I know Liu Qingge, Jiang Cheng, and Mu Qing are a popular combo of hissing cats. But these 3 could stay together in one room for centuries and do not utter a word to each other or make any other attempt at human connection. Xie Lian though, a certified bitch- specialist might want to befriend Jiang Cheng, Shen Jiu, and Liu Qingge.

Literally anyone could befriend Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan, obviously) . Especially the cloud recesses trio, especially Jiang Cheng. Jin Zixuan would have benefitted greatly from befriending SQQ. (Or maybe not. Who knows.)

Xie Lian and Xiao Xingchen would have a very pleasant short chat. A-qing and Xue Yang would also love the other Daozhang. This would result in A-Qing wanting to protect the Daozhang from mean strangers and Xue Yang wanting to torment Daozhang as a sign of his gratitude for his exemplary manners towards Xue Yang. Luckily XL wouldn't stick around this long.

The Juniors would look up to Liu Qingge and would love to be his disciples. (Especially JL who feels life LQG kinda has a similar attitude to his Jiujiu and reminds him of his jiujiu) they would get into- hopefully- friendly rivalries with Shen Qingqiu's disciples, especially Ning Yingying and Ming Fan. In time those two would join the Junior group as well.

Jin Ling would follow Feng Xin around because AN ARCHERY GOD! And since the juniors stick together, so would the three others. And since Fengqing are always together, the two southern gods would acquire a band of ducklings.

Qi Qingqi would immediately recruit Mianmian. Pei Ming would try to hit on Qi Qingqi and immediately realize his mistake. They'd eventually befriend each other and Qi Qingqi would gain a place among The Three Tumors. That would lead to Qi Qingqi meeting Ban Yue and recruiting her, too.

After Ling Wen recruited Jin Guangyao as a god to help her do paperwork, JGY would find a solid place for himself in The Three Tumors, too.

(Mostly SVSSS/TGCF interactions:

Tianlang-Jun, with his interest in polyamorous dramas, would follow 3Zun dramas intensely. Pei Ming would get curious about what he's observing like a soap opera and join him in watching that trashfire. they'd have a great time eating popcorn and doing commentaries together, and then Tianlang-Jun would pull an uno-reverse on Pei Ming by giving him advice on how to court Yushi Huang.

Jian Lan has big maternal instincts, and Luo Binghe is above all, a baby. So Jian Lan would become LBH's new ghost mama and Shen Qingqiu would get along splendidly with his new ghost mother-in-law.)

[habizuh-studios]

Which do you think is more tragic, Yi City arc or BeefLeaf arc or the Fallout between Shen Jiu - Yue Qi? Why?

huahuhuefheufhef okokok,,, so the thing is i haven't really read mdzs or the sj/yqy extra........ BUT I WILL STILL TRY ANSWERING THIS.......... unfortunately this will put the yi city arc out of the run tho :( sorry anon!!

okay okay uh uh uhu hh uh soo i dooo think there's something so tragic about the beefleaf arc esp with revenge and what they "could have had"----- and yes, beefleaf were best friends.... but tbfr. that's all they were.

sqx had others. he had so many people and so many things- the whole point was that he was *living in bliss* the whole time!! and hx was jealous and angry and rightfully mad that he got his fate with his brother and blah blah yada yada dont feel like typing rn sorry

there's another factor ofc- that's sqx's brother and what they had to go through when hx cut his head off. but tbh... beefleaf fared *well* after that fact. maybe hx was- tbh i dont remember where he was, im pretty sure revenge didnt help him at all but idk if we saw him on page after it-

anyway, bUT sqx was actually doing quite fine by the time we get to book 7-8! he has friends and he's genuinely happy. so,,,,,

i guess i'd say sj/yq was more tragic;

in a story where everyone is able to get their version of a happy ending (bingqiu, zhuzhi lang dying to protect tianlang jun, mbj/sqh, etc, etc) yq NEVER GOT THAT. they both had been so close at one point, and now theyre peak lords but sqq doesn't trust him anymore (rightfully) even tho yq was JUSTIFIED but he never TALKED ABOUT IT because he was here wallowing and punishing himself (and while doing so, hurting sj further, *because he thought that yq left him there, damnit*)

and by the time yq tries apologizing, explaining- it's too late. sj is long gone, we don't know where he is. yq has to watch someone he cares about, his loved one, away with his disciple, happy to be nowhere near him. from his pov, it's tragic (and he thinks he deserves that), even if sy just thinks it's awkward/sad with him.

erm... yeah that's all i got. sorry for rambling nonsense!! thank you so much for the ask, sorry for taking so long!!

and my hot take... ehueehehheh... mmy abadddd

[tk-duveraun]

14/? Luo Binghe is SO NORMAL about Shen Yuan

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 (here), 15

Extra part today bc I'm too excited

Read up through even numbered parts on Ao3

From the beginning of the conference, Luo Binghe was miserable. The monsters were easy enough kills, but with each bead came another disciple sniffing around for an easy mark. Despite his many solo missions, Luo Binghe didn't have much of a reputation in the cultivation world, so the bottom dwellers didn't even know who he was; they just wanted cheap points.

His robes were different from the standard Qing Jing uniform, both with the edging noting him as a personal disciple and with his own embroidery. But instead of identifying him correctly, most of his peers assumed he was Ming Fan, the Head Disciple of Qing Jing Peak. Why they thought he would agree to help them after getting his name wrong was beyond Luo Binghe's understanding, but they were teenagers.

The worst offenders were from Huan Hua Palace. Even after two years and change as a teen again himself, Luo Binghe struggled to accurately guess the ages of other kids, but some of these brats had to be under sixteen. There was jailbait and then there was actually infants. He wasn't convinced all of them had started puberty.

Not that he was too surprised. After Luo Baixiao, the primary antagonist of IRS was the Huan Hua Palace Master. The disgusting old man had transformed Shen Yuan into a child and dressed him up in little girls' robes and jewelry. It was in that later arc that Shen Yuan revealed his skills as an array master. Arrays were hard to set up, but used relatively little spiritual energy to activate.

After hiding that he hadn't lost his memories in the physical regression, Shen Yuan spent weeks meticulously carving an array into the floorboards under his bed. He'd finally been able to send a detailed message of his circumstances back to Cang Qiong Mountain triggering the iron fist of every other Peak Lord to descend. In true Snowballing fashion, the cavalry arrived just in time to prevent the Moonlit Purity Ceremony without ever explaining what the fuck that was supposed to be.

Luo Binghe's regular artists had been disappointed that he didn't want any child Shen Yuan art. He'd written a ten thousand character email tearing his favorite apart before not sending it. They just wanted a paycheck; no one actually wanted to sexualize little A-Yuan, least of all, him. In the end he'd sent a few laughing emoji and said he was way too horny on main to want that.

However, the forum commenters were fair game and felt the full weight of Luo Binghe's wrath for degrading his beloved.

So it wasn't surprising the Old Palace Creep sent little girls to fight terrible monsters.

Though, perhaps, if he'd had an entourage of hangers on he would have realized the invasion started earlier than he did. As it was, he didn't know the main event started until he came across the body of a Tian Yi Outlook disciple. With a grim set to his mouth, Luo Binghe put a protective array over the body and launched one of the seventeen flares Shen Yuan loaded him down with.

As he stared at the used firework, Luo Binghe's expression twisted further into a tight frown. Why had Shen Yuan given him so many? Luo Binghe was head and shoulders above his cohort and Shen Yuan was obviously proud of his strength. And even if Shen Yuan thought he would fail, why would he possibly need more than one and a spare?

If Shang Qinghua was the traitor, Shen Yuan was his best friend and closest confidante. Did Shen Yuan know the sabotage was coming? No, he wouldn't have risked disciple lives. At most, he thought something bad might happen. It could even have just been intuition or the misguided belief Luo Binghe would go out of his way to help the other participants if they ran into trouble.

[New Main Scenario Quest: "Pledges of Frost and Flame" Objective: Rendezvous with Shen Qingchun.]

Leaving the disciple behind, Luo Binghe infused his legs with qi and leapt through the terrain. He didn't like the sound of that, but was promising at the same time. The tear to the Endless Abyss was described as flaming and Linguang-jun was a noble ice demon. What happened next wouldn't be good, but it would finally answer a lot of questions.

[moononmyfloor]

My Year End C-drama Review (2023)

Part 1

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17. Actors I newly discovered in 2023

Hong Yao, Wang Yinglu, Marcus Li, Tian Jiarui, Qin Hailu, Wang Ke

Some of these are new actors, some are already very experienced but I discovered only now. All of them provided phenomenal performances in their roles this year.

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18. Favorite Child Actors of the Year

Wang Haoze (Ou Zimo- Be Your Own Light), Phoebe Sun Yichen (Duoduo- Stay With Me)

Child actors in C-ent always baffle me, I have zero idea how they are SO good. Impeccable performance. I want to take them home. 🥺

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19. Feminist Cdramas of the year

Be Your Own Light, A Journey to Love

The premise of the first is about women to begin with, the second only partially. Most of the time the self-identifying feminist stories fail massively in realistic depiction of women, let alone idol dramas where the focus is elsewhere.

But these two shows really understood what women think and say, their priorities and what they want in life, how they conduct themselves....and not through the eyes of men who assume women crave xyz things only. The arcs and growths of women in these two shows felt very organic and relatable.

(I hear there were few other such dramas this year as well, eg: Faithful. But this is all I managed to watch huhu)

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20. A drama that let me down

Destined

The chemistry of the real-life pair Bai Jingting and Song Yi was adorable, but the story just wasn't my cup of tea.

I absolutely loved their spacious bedroom tho!

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21. Favorite BGM

Be Your Own Light- I Only Wish to Face the Light by Liu Yuning

Stay with Me- Stars Shine by Zhang Jiongmin, Xu Bin

I Am Nobody- Sea of Time by Zhou Shen

Young Blood 2- Lending a Ray of Light by WineQ (圈9)

Romance On the Farm- Letters from Spring by Su Yunying

Silence of the Monster- Cross a City Just to See You by Huang Yi

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22. Favorite wardrobes

Sui Yi (Sun Yihan)'s wardrobe in Silence of the Monster and Pang Hongmei (Peng Xiaoran)'s fits in Unshakable Faith

Oh they looked so delightfully vintage and exactly my style! 😍

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23. Best Breakups

Moxi and Jiagui (Gone With the Rain), Xiangyi and Wanmian (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

I HAD to include this category simply because of these two pairs. I LOVED those two scenes. So mature! Such thorough discussion about how their feelings have changed over time, the frank admission that there are indeed some remnants left (because contrary to popular depiction, feelings don't POOF overnight), how they'd always consider the other as a special someone that they were lucky to have met in their lives, the wish to remain as tight friends in the future as well.... 🤌🤌🤌👏👏👏

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24. Worst character designs

Road Home

Gods know I only sat through this for Jing Boran in army gear and snow. The characters were so mind-blowingly flat despite the actors giving their best to "understand" their roles and make them relatable but there was only so much they could do. All the interpersonal relationships happened just because the writer said so. There was a child character who was passed from hand to hand for whenever the writer wanted a "warm childcaring and family moment" but was discarded without a glance the next second, I got second-hand abandonment issues from watching that lonely kid. I did not understand why anyone was doing anything at any given moment.

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25. Most convincing villains aka characters I loved to hate

Yuan Hao (Young Blood 2)- Gotta be one of the most dangerous villains I have ever seen. He was insanely smart, unpredictable and cunning AND strong, and it took all the heroes of the story to defeat him and still it was barely enough. He was so well written and portrayed, till the very end of the show the viewers weren't sure of the outcome of the battle.

Jiao Liqiao (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)- AHH Jiao jie! We all love a good unhinged female villain who isn't uwufied in the name of some weird "women should always be portrayed with tearjerking backstory" notion. Let her go crazy all over the place, we support women's wrongs as well as rights! She always meant what she said and did what she meant and it was terrifying to see.

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26. Favorite murder kittens of the year

Gong Yuanzhi (My Journey to You), Li Tongguang (A Journey to Love)

Oh these two bois were VERY disturbing individuals and I wouldn't go within 1 mile radius around them but were them such delightful affection starved meow meows with killer (ha!) hair and eye acting? Heck yes.

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27. A drama that I wished was longer

Romance On the Farm

I really appreciate how 3D and empathetically portrayed all the family members are. We are shown all their sides and what made them what they are today without making a mockery of Asian family values, but rather constructively analysing + celebrating the good parts.

And then there is a political thriller story arc.

And then there is "this is all but a game" part which I had to try very hard to pretend like it's ignorable.

And then there was the basic premiere of the pastoral country life story.

Clearly the dramamakers had LOTS of ideas. And you can see none of them were empty bite-more-than-can-chews but had actual potential.

If only.... it didn't try to do all this at once under the guise of a 26 ep lighthearted fluffy romcom genre.... it would've made such a difference.

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28. A drama I wanted to watch but couldn't

SO many! For all sorts of reasons.

Ray of Light, Butterflied Lover, The Road to Ordinary, Pledge of Allegiance, Where Dreams Begin, There Will Be Ample Time, Faithful, Stand By Me

ARGH!😭

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29. A drama I wish more people watched

Stay With Me

This is a Chinese BL, with Chinese cast, Chinese locations, but produced by a TW company. That's all I'm going to say about it, give it a try. You won't regret it. (Maybe don't watch last episode tho lol)

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30. Most favorite Cdrama of 2023

Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Why? Because... well if you are in the fandom you'd know, if you aren't... I can write ESSAYS about it so I won't 😂 In short, it was such a healing watch.

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31. A Cdrama I'm excited to see in 2024

JOL 2. Obviously.

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Conclusion

2023 served to solidify my belief that there's really no 'perfect' drama, what I can do is listening to the stories people have to share and then take what I want from them, and leave what I don't want behind. Some may resonate more with me, some less. Some may teach me new things, some may feel redundant. Sometimes you will enjoy only 50% of a drama and hate the rest, but that won't diminish the impact that 50% had on you. It could be a totally different experience for another viewer and that's fine. I watched all the DMBJ shows this year as well (but didn't speak about them in this list since my focus was on 2023) and it really was an exercise on not being overly critical and going with the flow or you would totally miss out on all the good things DMBJ had to bring.

Overall I enjoyed 2023 Cdramaland a lot. I hope this review helped some of you to try out dramas that you didn't know existed/were hesitant to press play or continue on!

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More Posts by Me

[blmpff]

Blorbos From BL That Will Make Me Protect Them At EVERY FUCKING COST

tagged by @elizabethsebestianhedgehog thank you! <3

when I'm tagged in "make a list/what/who's your fav X, I blank out and have never enjoyed anything ever" etc etc with that out of the way! off the top of my head:

Let me divide it into 2 categories actually: characters and actors

Characters:

To My Star 1&1: Han Ji Woo and Kang Seo Joon

Yes s2 took us by surprise with the tone change, but it worked as and so well. They make me eat drywall and climb ceilings etc etc. TMS 1&2 is my favorite bl out of all countries ever, do with that information what you will. that jacket throw was felt by everyone in the village trust me i was there

The Warp Effect: Army and Joe

T H EM! com👏mu👏ni👏ca👏tion👏 Gmmtv fucked up FlukeThor but ArmyJoe stay iconic. this gif by @tenprems lives in my eyeballs rent free

Laws of Attraction: Cha(r)n and Tin(n) and GALAXIA and Rose and Maya

... do I even need to say anything? all iconing in their own way

Under The Skin: Shen Yi and Du Cheng

Okay, it's a cbromance BUT IT COUNTS because I said so. The enemies to lovers is THERE, the devotion, the admiration, the lust, the height difference. They went from "get out, you killed him" to "we can't let snipers shoot, my friend is in there". S2 when I am vibrating out of my skin. Fanfic writers I owe you my life.

Choco Milk Shake: Uncle and Milk

just s2 when.

Only Friends: Boston and Nick

Look, out of all that was going on I was invested in them the most, and the editing failed them. I was open about not expecting happy endings for any pairing (though we all knew that the branded pairs would get them), but I still wanted it to make sense. Theirs didn't for me. I wish we got the OF they wanted to make: with 6 forever-side-characters actors. im still here

2. Actor pairings I'd die to see in something better than they have been in so far (aka I like their chemistry but the script was lacking):

Aou and Boom (We Are ain't it either, sorry)

Earth and Bank (Destiny Seeker was fine, and we do not speak of Marry Go Round. let my man death grip his mans neck to all his and mine content)

ETA: Toru and First (their chemistry in Y Destiny was through the fucking roof, War of Y was a mess (derogatory). And now they're not even a thing anymore)

Okay woah that's too long already lol

Tagging everyone who want to share their blorbos! <3

[thegreatdandilion]

Writing a whump fic because there wasn't enough whump on Under the skin 2 ep 20

The moment Gu Yitian was restrained and the girl confirmed safe, Shen Yi felt the tension in his body unravel, leaving him trembling in its wake. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat sending a sharp ache radiating through his ribs. He stayed still, forcing himself to focus on seeing Du Cheng securing the handcuffs on Gu Yitian.

“You look like hell,” Du Cheng muttered, noticing Shen Yi’s shuddering form.

Shen Yi gave a faint nod, swallowing hard against the dryness in his throat. “I’ll be fine,” he lied, his voice rasping like sandpaper. His knees threatened to buckle beneath him, but he locked them in place.

The air felt too thin, his lungs struggling to pull in enough oxygen as a faint ringing built in his ears. He blinked several times to clear his vision, only for the world to blur further.

“Let’s head back,” Du Cheng said, gripping Shen Yi’s arm lightly.

Shen Yi forced himself to straighten. Each step back to the car felt heavier than the last, his legs dragging like they were weighed down with lead. The seatbelt pressed uncomfortably against his chest on the ride back to the station.

Back at the station, Shen Yi made a beeline for the restroom. Once inside, he wiped away the makeup and leaned heavily against the sink, gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles turned white. His reflection in the mirror startled him—his skin was ghostly pale, his eyes bloodshot and sunken, and a faint sheen of sweat clung to his forehead.

He splashed cold water on his face, hoping the shock would snap him out of the fog clouding his mind.

Somehow, he made it to his desk, his movements slow and deliberate. He didn’t trust his legs to carry him much farther, and his head throbbed relentlessly. He set to work, flipping through his notes with trembling fingers.

“Shen Yi,” Du Cheng’s voice startled him, and he looked up to see his partner’s sharp eyes scanning his face. “ We’ll go over the brief together and I'll take you home to rest. You look like you're about to keel over and die.”

Shen Yi nodded, following Du Cheng into the briefing room. He told himself he could push through just a little longer.

The fluorescent lights felt harsher than ever, piercing through Shen Yi’s skull as he sat across from Du Cheng. The papers in front of him blurred, the words swimming before his eyes. His chest tightened, a deep, crushing pressure spreading like a vice.

He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on Du Cheng’s voice as they discussed the presentation. But his breathing grew faster and shallower, each inhale feeling like he was dragging air through a straw. His hands shook as he reached for a pen, but his fingers refused to grip it properly.

“Shen Yi? I think you should sit down.” Du Cheng asked, his tone shifting to one of concern.

"Huh... sit down?" He realizes that he is standing up and shaking on his legs like a bambi.

Shen Yi doesn't remember standing up. He opened his mouth to respond, but his words caught in his throat. A wave of dizziness hit him like a tidal wave, and he grabbed the edge of the table for support. His vision darkened at the edges, the world tilting violently.

“Shen Yi!”

Du Cheng’s shout was the last thing he heard before his legs gave out completely. The sensation of falling was brief but terrifying, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut. Du Cheng sees how Shen Yi's eyes roll back, neck and body going completely limp as he runs to catch him. Shen Yi barely registered the impact of the floor against his side, the pain drowned out by the roaring in his ears.

When Shen Yi woke, it was to a cacophony of noise—voices shouting orders, the blare of sirens, the sharp beeping of medical equipment. His chest felt like it was on fire, each breath a monumental effort. The weight of an oxygen mask pressed against his face, but it wasn’t enough.

“Du Cheng…” he gasped, his voice weak and desperate.

“He’s right here,” a medic assured him. “Focus on breathing.”

He tried to turn his head, to see for himself, but the effort made the edges of his vision darken further. His limbs felt like lead, too heavy to move.

The next thing he knew, he was in a hospital bed. The beeping of the heart monitor was steady, but every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he tried to shift. His whole body ached with a deep, bone-deep soreness, and his head throbbed like a drumbeat.

“Finally awake?”

The familiar gruffness of Du Cheng’s voice drew his attention. Shen Yi turned his head slowly to see his partner sitting beside him, arms crossed and an expression that was equal parts anger and worry.

“What… happened?” Shen Yi croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.

“What happened?” Du Cheng snapped, standing abruptly. “You overworked yourself to the point of collapse, that’s what! You scared the hell out of everyone, Shen Yi. Do you ever stop to think about the damage you’re doing to yourself?”

Shen Yi tried to reply, but his chest tightened painfully, cutting off his words.

“Don’t even try to argue,” Du Cheng continued, his voice cracking slightly. “You almost didn’t make it. The doctors said your heart was under too much strain, and you were severely exhausted. What were you thinking?”

Shen Yi’s lips moved, but the effort to speak made his vision blur again. His breathing grew erratic, and the heart monitor’s beeping sped up alarmingly.

“Shen Yi? Sh## Sh##... Damn it, stay with me!” Du Cheng’s voice rose in panic as Shen Yi’s consciousness slipped away once more.

When Shen Yi woke again, the world felt quieter. The oxygen mask was gone, replaced by a nasal cannula. Du Cheng was still by his side, his head resting in his hands as he sat slumped in a chair.

“Du Cheng…” Shen Yi whispered, his voice barely audible.

Du Cheng jolted awake, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer. “If you ever pull something like that again, I’ll kill you myself,” he muttered, his tone rough but his eyes glistening.

Shen Yi managed a weak smile, “I understand" and drifted off.

[cherikdogfood]

Thank u sm for all the tags (I'll get to them next week when I'm not on vacation anymore)

Buuut if u want to feel free to elaborate on your fav albums bc I actually don't know any of them and I'm curious uwu

Also I hope you're having a good day today!!!! (I tried to help a friend get concert tickets today and we kinda failed but maybe she can get a ticket from SB else!!)

Hiii no problem at all!

Sure! here are the albums:

This one is Engelbert Humperdinck where he sings duets with all those other singers, I listened to this as a teen and it's just great to listen to hehe.

This one is 平凡之路 (ping fan zhi lu -- “ordinary road”). I think it's a song, not an album. I really really love that song. the singer is nostalgic, talking about that time when he used to be proud and ambitious, seeking fame, and used to have everything, but then after going through life (and losing many things) he realizes that "ordinary" is the answer. idk, it's just so poetic and i love it alot, the melody is also great!

This is actually a cdrama that I recently watched, and since I like all the osts from this cdrama i decided to include this here and consider it an album, hahaha. There are about 4 songs in this "album", i think:

拂曉 (Dawn) by 摩登兄弟劉宇寧 (Modern Brothers Liu Yuning) 藏锋 (Cangfeng) by 许馨文 (Xu Xinwen) 夜 (Night) by 王晰 (Wang Ting) 哈尔滨一九四四 (Harbin 1944) by 梁龙 (Lian Long)

The last one here is an album by Zhou Shen (周深）aka Charlie Zhou. I was confused whether to put his album or (毛不易) Mao Bu Yi's, cuz I love them both haha. you should def check out Zhou Shen, his songs are amazing and his voice!!! he's like an angel aaaah.

ahem. anyway, thank you for the lovely ask! I'm doing great today, and I hope your friend gets that concert ticket they want. I hope you have a pleasant holiday too!! :)