#character: chen fang zhou

[movielosophy]

Derailment | What if she gets the wrong idea?

[dilebe06]

My Favorite Male Characters

[ryin-silverfish]

The FSYY Body Count List

…Because when you are trying to procrastinate an assignment, you'll focus your attention on anything that isn't the assignment, no matter how strange the subject matter is.

So here is a list of the individual Chan juniors' body count during the course of the FSYY novel. Fantastic creatures (non-sapient, not yaoguais that have cultivated a human form, but aren't regular animals either) are listed separately.

Nezha: 15 characters

-Li Gen the Yaksha (Qiankun Ring to the head)

-Ao Bing (pulled off steed with sash, Qiankun Ring to the head, tendons pulled out)

-Verdant Cloud Boy (archery accident)

-Yao Shaosi (speared)

-Colored Cloud Immortal (speared)

-Deng Zhong (knocked off steed with Qiankun Ring, then speared)

-Ji Li (speared)

-Li Qi (knocked down with ring, speared)

-Pong Hong (knocked down with ring, speared)

-Wang Bao (knocked off steed with ring, speared)

-Ma Zhong (incinerated by the Nine Fire Dragon Bell Cover)

-Long Anji (knocked down by a ring better than his, speared)

-Gao Lanying (didn't get her needles out in time, knocked down, speared)

-Ding Ce (killed by the Qiankun Ring)

-Lu Renjie (knocked off his steed by the Qiankun Ring in a fatal blow)

Note: I didn't count the Colored Cloud Boy, Lady Shiji's other disciple that gets bonked by the Qiankun Ring, because his death is never confirmed, even though he was already "struggling for his life on the ground" when Shiji comes out of the cave.

Yang Jian: 13 characters, 2 creatures

-Chen Jiugong (speared)

-Zhou Xin (Skyhowler'ed, then chopped in half)

-Bi Huan (Skyhowler'ed, then speared)

-Wen Liang (tried to escape after being bricked by Nezha, got hit in the shoulder by Yang Jian's slingshot, fell off his horse, and died)

-Yu Hua (Leizhen Zi knocked him off his steed, Yang Jian finished him off with his polearm)

-Zhang Kui's mom (indirectly, he tricked Zhang Kui into killing her via transformation arts)

-Chang Hao (Yang Jian transformed into a flying centipede, snipped its head off, reverted to his true form, chopped up the snake, then incinerated it with Five Thunder Arts)

-Wu Long (Yang Jian turned into a golden rooster and pecked it to pieces)

-Yang Xian (tried to flee after seeing Yang Jian turn into a tiger, chopped in half)

-Dai Li (Skyhowler'ed, then speared)

-Guo Chen (speared)

-Lei Kun (speared)

-The Nine-headed Pheasant Demoness (indirectly: Skyhowler'ed, then decapitated by Zhou soldiers on the execution ground under Yang Jian's watch)

Creatures: 

The Flower Fox Ferret, Mo Lishou's monstrous pet (Yang Jian burst out of its body after being eaten, tearing it into two halves in the process)

The One-horned Black Smoke Beast, Zhang Kui's magical steed (indirectly, same as Zhang Kui's mom)

Huang Tianhua: 7 characters

Chen Tong (Fire Dragon Dart sucked into Tianhua's flower basket, then decapitated by the beam of the Moye Sword)

The Four Mo Brothers (killed by the Heart-piercing Nail)

Yu Qin (killed by the Fire Dragon Dart)

Chen Geng (knocked off steed by the Fire Dragon Dart, then decapitated)

Yang Ren: 6 characters

Fang Yizhen (incinerated by the Five Fire Fan)

Li Ping (caught in the fan's AOE while trying to persuade Lv Yue)

Chen Geng (incinerated by the fan)

Lv Yue (incinerated by the fan)

Yu Xian & Yu Zhao (incinerated together)

Leizhen Zi: 5 characters

Xin Huan (Skyhowler'ed, then finished off by Leizhen Zi with a staff to the head)

Zhou Xin (Staff to the head)

Peng Zun (knocked off his steed via a staff to the shoulder, then decapitated)

Yu Guang (staff to the head)

Lei Peng (KO'ed with staff)

Huang Tianxiang: 4 characters

Feng Lin (speared)

Tao Rong (speared)

Gou Zhang (speared)

Gao Gui (speared)

Wei Hu: 4 characters

Yang Wenhui (Demon-subduing Club to the head)

Yu Da (clubbed)

Zhang Kui (clubbed)

Jade Pipa Demoness (indirectly: decapitated by soldiers under his supervision)

Jinzha: 3 characters

Wang Mo (immobilized by the Dragon Stake, then killed with a sword)

Yang Sen (immobilized by Dragon Stake, killed with sword)

Dou Rong (indirectly: Jinzha immobilized him with the Dragon Stake, but Jiang Wenhuan made the killing blow)

Muzha: 2 characters

Li Xingba (killed with one of Muzha's twin flying swords)

Lady Chedi (killed with twin flying sword)

...

Final Thoughts

-If you count the creatures, Nezha and Yang Jian's kill counts will be equal, though several of Yang Jian's kills are indirect.

-Jiang Ziya: tfw your logistic guy, responsible for overseeing the supply line, has a body count as high as your designated army vanguard.

-Yeah, Yang Jian's official job in the Zhou army is the Grain Transport Officer. I think it really fits his personality——the clever, ruthless trickster who's also a mature, polite disciple.

-Though Leizhen Zi's kill counts can't match Nezha and Yang Jian, there are multiple descriptions of him knocking down whole sections of the city wall with a single staff strike. Maybe he's the anti-fortification specialist of the team or something. /lh

-Huang Tianhua: the ranged attacker who keeps trying to be a melee DPS. /j

-For real though, he seems to rely a lot more on the Fire Dragon Darts from a slain foe, and when the Heart-piercing Nail is used after the Mo brothers' demise, it only ends up going straight through Xin Huan's wing and the Winged Immortal's right arm.

-Yang Ren always gives me the impression of a soft-spoken bureaucrat who gradually discovered his inner pyromaniac after receiving the Five Fire Fan.

-My list is only counting the named characters, but everyone on this list who's still alive during the Ten Thousand Immortal Formation Arc are described as unleashing their might and treasures during the battle.

-Considering the AOE effects of some of these treasures, they probably send a lot more filler NPCs into the Investiture. 

-BTW, there are 152 names on the Investiture who are labelled as having died in the Ten Thousand Immortal Formation. 124, if you leave out the 28 Lunar Mansions, who are killed by the 4 Immortal Swords seized from Patriarch Tongtian's previous formation.

-How many percent of those 124 kills each Chan Sect participant is responsible for is up to your imagination.

-Forget about the Nezha age discourse——Huang Tianxiang was probably about 10 when he made his first kill, since the text described his head as "still bald". If I remember correctly, in the Ming dynasty, before 10, most children had their heads shaved completely bald, or leaving only a few patches of hair tied up in a braid/bun.

-He's also 14 when he made his third kill, and 17 when he was executed by Qiu Yin. Four chapters prior, Huang Tianhua died to Gao Jineng.

-Jinzha and Muzha: tfw your total kill counts combined is only a third of your little brother's.

-The one detail I've observed is that Jinzha ends up rescuing/attempting to rescue Nezha, Huang Tianhua, Jiang Ziya, and Tianhua again (together with Muzha) after they get knocked down.

-I feel kinda bad for Muzha when I look at the numbers. He does cut off one of Lv Yue's arms after recovering from his first plague attack, though.

[lynne-monstr]

QZGS Fanwork Rec Bingo 2022 (Roundup)

In late 2022, the QZGS fandom had a rec event. I posted each rec in its own post, and now two years later, I finally have a masterlist.

I added some new recs in addition to the original set. These were in my notes at the time, but I didn't get myself in order in time for posting. I'm very glad to be able to include them now.

Rec guidelines: I tried to limit myself to one fic per author. I did not always succeed. This list is heavily biased towards yuhuang and Blue Rain because that's where my fannish interest lies.

NSFW recs or fics with content warnings will be indicated on the rec itself.

Fanworks under the cut

Pre-canon - That Dream, Passing On by kaleidastra

Author’s summary: Fang Shijing celebrated Blue Rain's first championship; along with someone he never expect he'd meet again. Rec notes: This fic makes me so happy!! It’s chaotic and funny and emotional all at once, and manages to have a lovely emotional resolution while still sucker punching you in the face in the best way. I love all of FSJ’s internal narration. And have I mentioned it’s funny! Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters: Fang Shijing, Wei Chen; gen No content warning

A work from before 2020 - they're never hiking ever again please and thank by andthenabanana

Author’s summary: “This,” Zheng Xuan says between heavy breaths, “is not bonding.” Rec notes: Ahhhh this fic is so wonderful. Blue Rain goes on a hike and there are Shenanigans. Full of teasing and team bonding and Huang Shaotian being the best vice captain. This fic brings Blue Rain to life and gives great warm fuzzies. Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters: Blue Rain; gen No content warnings

Rare Relationship focused - One big exhale (never did me no good) by UndeadRobins

Author’s summary: Different players need different incentives to help them improve. It doesn’t take long for Xiao Shiqin to figure out what Sun Xiang needs. Rec notes: The xsq/sx fic of my dreams! Their live action dynamic was begging for a fic like this, and this one delivers!I love how the dynamic between them creeps up slowly until it fills the entire page. Truly a gem of a fic. Adaptation: Live Action/Novel Characters: Xiao Shiqin/Sun Xiang Contains: light D/s, rated m

Glory focused - china's sword and curse by snoflakesun

Author’s summary: It… it could’ve been a fluke, or just a lucky moment. This was what most of the audience thought. Perhaps he had seen Yu Wenzhou’s screen, or maybe the mic didn’t pick up what he had said. But all of the pro players knew, this definitely wasn’t something that happened by chance. Rec notes: They’re partners your honor!!! Um I love everything about this. Fun banter, teamwork, and Huang Shaotian gets to trash talk as much as he wants! So much fun! I am a sucker for yuhuang synergy and fun battles and this delivers on everything. Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters:/Ships: Yu Wenzhou, Huang Shaotuan, Sun Xiang, Zhou Zekai; Yuhuang No content warnings

A fic longer than 10k - Memorable by Saxifactumterritum

Author’s summary: Huang Shaotian’s retirement is announced to the world at the last moment, right at the end of the season, but Blue Rain know about it a long time before that. Huang Shaotian retires, everyone expects him to stick around Blue Rain, but he doesn't. And then it's sad. Rec notes: Sad retirement fic 😭😭😭. My favorite thing about this fic (besides all the feelings and character stuff and friendships and OCs and everything else) is the very realistic look it takes about what happens when people move away. It’s so easy to pretend nothing will change but the truth is that it does, and it takes work to maintain those connections at a distance. The journey Huang Shaotian (and Blue Rain) take when Huang Shaotian leaves is, in turns, sad and sweet and funny and it feels like getting punched in the gut in the best way. Adaptation: Live Action Characters/Pairing: Huang Shaotian, Yu Wenzhou, Blue Rain; background yuhuang No content warnings

One of your favorite tropes - my baby brings heat like a mama does by wolframvonbielefeld

Author’s summary: GLORY FORUM POST #89566: huang shaotian is NOT in love with yu wenzhou. false alarm. Rec notes: A bit “idiots to lovers,” a bit “didn’t know they were dating,” and a whole lot of mutual pining and also friendships! This fic is just so much fun! Bonus for one of my all time favorite visual moments with huang shaotian getting caught (bewildered) holding a massive tub of lube. Brilliant, a masterpiece. The fic is unfinished, but I believe it’s just the epilogue that isn’t posted, and the existing fic delivers on emotional resolution. So even if you avoid WIPs, I still recommend this one. Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters/Ships: Yu Wenzhou/Huang Shaotian, various pros Contains: NSFW (Rated Explicit), sexually explicit, omegaverse

Free Space - Out With the Old and in With the New by smallspace 

Author’s summary: Everything is swapped! The avatars are playing a slice of life tabletop roleplaying game where they are the players and the esports pros are the characters. But not everyone wants to play the same character forever. Here is a series of snapshots of avatars changing their characters. Rec notes: What a fun idea! The way the TKA storyline is adapted for the swap is so clever, and the humor is top notch. I laughed all the way through (except for the knife part 😭😭) Adaptation: Donghua/Novel/Live Action Characters: avatar and player ensemble; gen No content warnings

Post-Canon - at the edge of a new leaf by GeniusCactus

Author’s Summary: Wang Jiexi and Yu Wenzhou bond over tactics and good quality tea Rec Notes: The power of teamwork!! This fic is such a lovely quiet moment between Wang Jiexi and Yu Wenzhou, and filled with all the things I love: friendship, introspection, parallels, the occasional pun, and people being stronger together than apart. Also tea metaphors! Bonus for both Tiny Herb and Blue Rain having a very strong presence in the fic despite not appearing in the story. Adaptation: Novel Characters: Yu Wenzhou + Wang Jiexi; gen No content warnings

Missing Scene - The Old Man and the Dream by Dayadhvam

Author’s summary: During Season 10, Wei Chen goes to All-Stars for the first and last time. Or: a brief sojourn down memory lane ft. one Troubling Brat. Rec notes: My heartttttt alksjdlksjfsd. It’s fine I’m fine (that’s a lie I am NOT fine I am drowning in feelings). I love them, I love them, I love them. I have so many emotions about Wei Chen’s conflicted feelings over Blue Rain and Glory and Swoksaar, and where he fits into it all. This fic packs so much of a punch and I love every second. Characters: Wei Chen + Huang Shaotian; gen Adaptation: Novel/Donghua No content warnings

Female character focus - lightning strikes thunder(clap) by afincf_tirwer

Author’s summary: Dai Yanqi knew they were wrong. She knew where Thunderclap’s strengths lay, and it wasn’t solely Xiao Shiqin’s burden to bear. It rested on everyone’s shoulders, everyone who played, to support each other and cover for where others lacked. And right now, they were lacking Xiao Shiqin. Rec notes: Dai Yanqi tactician fic!! Love this glimpse into Thunderclap without Xiao Shiqin, and Dai Yanqi finding herself and her place and growing up. I particularly love the balance between her as a serious player and also having a happy, shiny personality. Get a girl who can do both! Adaptation: Novel Characters: Dai Yanqi, Thunderclap; gen No content warnings

Made you laugh - my captain, my tortoise by Fayah

Author’s summary: “Sun Xiang, don’t you have any pride at all? Even a tortoise is more professional than you are! But saying that is an insult to my cute little pet tortoise!” Huang Shaotian gets a bit too carried away with his trash talk in Blue Rain’s match against Excellent Era and accidentally reveals that he is secretly raising an illegal pet tortoise. Rec notes: this didn’t just make me laugh, it made me howl, it’s so funny omg. Top notch humor, 10/10 amazing. Beautiful. The live action turtle fic of my dreams. RIP Huang Shaotian, he’s trying his best. Blue Rain, best team. Adaptation: Live Action/Novel Characters/Ship: Blue Rain, yuhuang No content warnings

Comic or Fanart - the adventures of tiny swoksaar by saxifactumterritum 

Rec notes: This isn’t a traditional comic format, rather a series of art across two tumblr posts depicting a tiny Swoksaar breaking out of his snowglobe to seek a tiny snowglobe Troubling Rain.  The art is so rich with details, I really feel like I am getting a glimpse of Huang Shaotian’s living space and all the knickknacks he owns. All the poses are so dynamic and full of motion, and the facial expressions are fun and evocative. And the story it tells is adorable! Bonus for live action-based art, which is particularly rare and brings me endless joy. Adaptation: Live Action Characters/Pairings: Swoksaar/Troubling Rain No content warnings

Art link

Alternate Universe - A Life Given, A Life Restored by NR_Red

Author’s summary: Yu Wenzhou was a cyborg, and sometimes he thought he may have forgotten what it was like to be a ‘complete human’. Rec notes: A yuhuang meet cute AND super cool worldbuilding! All the rich details make me feel like I am getting a glimpse into a much larger world. The contrast between Yu Wenzhou’s matter-of-fact acceptance and Huang Shaotian’s enthusiasm is just as wonderful here as it is in canon. Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters/Pairing: Yu Wenzhou/Huang Shaotian No content warnings

Team focused - Initial Actions (Not Initiations) by Syncogon

Author’s summary: Team Blue Rain welcomes their newest member. It’s a great time! Almost no regrets are had whatsoever. Rec notes: I admit I am biased on this one because this fic was gifted to me for secret santa but also it’s amazing so i am in fact not biased at all. Rec Notes: I love this both for the team dynamics (new player traditions! Spicy noodles! So much teasing! They’re a family!!) and how all the players get distinct personalities, and the individual character moments (Zheng Xuan!! And the tiny hints of Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian’’s history glimpsed around the edges). This gives me such happy warm fuzzy feelings and I love it every time I read it. Lu Hanwen’s outsider POV on the team is a constant delight. Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters: Blue Rain; gen No content warnings

Crossover/Fusion - Lu Hanwen and the Wizard of Oz by SeiryuuSuzaku

Author’s Summary: Lu Hanwen is now the Captain of Blue Rain and trying to do his best to lead his team. But he has his doubts and his impulsive indulgence in chicken is going to give him a very strange dream that night. Gods of Glory are everywhere; Even in your dreams (●'▽'●)ゝ Contains: no content warnings Rec notes: Whimsical and delightful but at the same time, such a lovely character study of Lu Hanwen as captain of Blue Rain. This is exactly the kind of humor/crack I love, with just the right amount of seriousness woven into the shenanigans. And so many hilariously funny visual descriptions! I snorted out loud several times!  Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters: Lu Hanwen; ensemble No content warnings

Made You Cry - somebody that i used to know by BlueberryAsh

Author’s Summary: “I’m not him,” she says. “Nobody can ever be him. But I’m here. Ye Xiu, I’m here. Let me help.” Set within the confines of s01e35. Rec notes: I’m starting off my recs with an easy one, because this fic came immediately to mind when I saw the prompt. There’s just so much packed into all 533 words of this fic. I love the vibe of it—so much history and emotion and nearly none of it is said out loud and it doesn’t need to be. One of my favorite parts of this is that Su Mucheng and Ye Xiu are in this together, and there’s such a heavy weight to their history that comes across in the fic. And also it’s sad pegging, which I think is great. Pairing: Su Mucheng/Ye Xiu, past Su Muqiu/Ye Xiu Adaptation: Live Action Contains: pegging, angsty pegging, nsfw, canon character death

A non-english work or translation - 夜莺 by 青山为雪 (Verdancia)

Author’s Summary: L向群星致意。(t/l: Greetings to the stars) Rec notes: i have sadly only read this via machine translation, but even with the clunky “translation” this fic is gorgeous and I love it deeply. A lot of the story is told in flashback,and follows Astronaut/explorer Huang Shaotian and his relationship with Yu Wenzhou over the years. A series of partings and reunions set against the backdrop of a mystery in the current day. There’s some cool funky stuff the author does with time and perception that eventually rips your heart out in the end, but it’s worth it. Adaptation: Novel Pairing: Yu Wenzhou/Huang Shaotian Contains: There is major character death involved but it’s a bit of a twist that unfolds as the fic progresses. If I were to tag it as if it were my own fic, I would use “Choose Not To Warn.”

Prequel Era - This rec is a 2-for-1. Art and fic!

Fic: not yet by saxifactumterritum

Author summary: just a little moment before ywz is captain, before he and hst are in a relationship, before they've quite got to friends. anyway they're dancing in a dark room instead of doing chores. Rec notes: ASLKJSDFLKJS! One of my favorite things about this fic is how it says so much in so little. It’s a tiny slice of life moment but it’s also a silent turning point for Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian, the shift from two people towards a real partnership. It’s quiet and soft, like a liminal moment made real. Characters/Ship: Yu Wenzhou, Huang Shaotian; pre-relationship Adaptation: Live Action No content warnings

Art by bienmoreau

Artist caption:  “I’m glad you found me.” “I nearly didn’t.” Rec notes: There is so much life in this art that it blows me away every time I look at it. The poses, the facial expression, the amazing use of light and dark. I feel like this art just reached into my brain and scooped out the fic and brought it to love. It’s so gorgeous and amazing and absolutely stunning.

As an extra tiny bonus, I will link the podfic I did for this fic. Advance apologies for my pronunciation. I can only hope it doesn’t overshadow the vibe of the fic. (Is it tacky to link my own podfic? Perhaps, but this fic is so great that I want people to be able to read it in multiple forms)

A fic shorter than 1k - Curse or gift by UndeadRobins

Author’s Summary: Swoksaar knows curses. After all, he’s a warlock and there’s no one knows curses better than a warlock. Rec Notes: Short and sweet and right in the feels. I love the matter-of-fact tone that gently eases from statements of facts and into feelings. And bonus for avatar fic <3 Adaptation: Novel Characters/Pairings: Swoksaar/Troubling Rain No content warnings

Meta - Raindrops to a Downpour by TheDefenestrator

Author’s Summary: How could two people so different ever make an effective combination? Rec Notes: While not technically meta, this fic gives me cool meta vibes so I'm going with it. Meta in a fanfic hat, perhaps. Anyway, I love the thread of mirroring and parallel that runs through the fic. Under the surface of fast vs slow lies something much deeper and more complex Adaptations: Novel/Donghua Characters/Pairings: Yu Wenzhou + Huang Shaotian; Yu Wenzhou/Huang Shaotian No content warnings

A “Comfort Food” work -  What do you want? By Saxifactumterritum

Author’s Summary: Huang Shaotian meets Sun Zheping by accident. He's a little bit overwhelmed by how cool Sun Zheping is. This is going to be very fun.  Rec Notes: This fic is so fun! Huang Shaotian swooning over Sun Zheping is so adorable. And huge bonus for all of Huang Shaotian’s other friendships in the background - with Ye Xiu, with Zhang Xinjie, his relationship with Yu Wenzhou that’s mostly in the background but no less strong for it. At it’s heart, this is a getting together fic but all the various friendships breathe so much life into the story. Also, Sun Zheping’s jacket is super cool. Adaptation: Live Action/Donghua Characters/Pairings: Huang Shaotian/Sun Zheping; Yu Wenzhou/Huang Shaotian (polyamorous relationship) No Content Warnings

Minor Character Focused - I (don’t) wanna be the very best by jellysunfish

Author’s Summary: Zheng Xuan's season 8 quest to find Zhang Jiale and make him un-retire himself so Zheng Xuan doesn't have to carry the burden of being the GPA'S #1 Spitfire. How stressful. Rec Notes: Another fic where I’m maybe cheating because this fic was gifted to me. But is it not in the spirit of a gift exchange to love your gift? So perhaps it’s not cheating after all. This fic is such a delight, I reread it all the time and it never fails to make me laugh. Zheng Xuan is so relatable in his search to not work too hard or get too much of the spotlight. And I appreciate him gleefully throwing his teammates under the bus in his efforts. I cackle so much at all the shenanigans! Adaptation: Novel/Donghua Characters: Zheng Xuan, Zhang Jiale No content warnings

And that's a wrap! If you made it this far, please give the fic authors and artists some love <3

[jiroli]

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

大梦归离 | Fangs of Fortune (TV)

Relationships:

Li Lun/Zhuo Yichen, Zhao Yuanzhou | Zhu Yan/Zhuo Yichen, Li Lun & Zhao Yuanzhou | Zhu Yan, Li Lun & Zhuo Yichen, Zhao Yuanzhou | Zhu Yan & Zhuo Yichen

Characters:

Zhou Yichen, Li Lun (Fangs of Fortune), Zhao Yuanzhou | Zhu Yan, Cheng Huang (Fangs of Fortune), Ran Yi (Fangs of Fortune), Wen Xiao (Fangs of Fortune), Pei Sijing, Pei Siheng, Ying Lei (Fangs of Fortune), Bai Jiu (Fangs of Fortune), The Demon Hunting Squad - Character

Additional Tags:

Fluff, Crack, Fluff and Crack, Crack Fic, Cannon Rewrite, Isekai and Transmigration, Transmigrator Zhou Yichen, Zhou Yichen touched grass, I swear this is my compensation for all the angst from Shallow End Angle, Zhou Yichen living the life, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Humor, Fluff and Humor, Attempt at Humor

Summary:

@DefinitelynotYichen : I can't express just how disappointed I am with the majority here. Author, what happened? I thought Zhu Yan will have to go to that place first? I thought our plot will have some major development after that last arc? Why did it suddenly end that way? I'm so frustrated, I thought that this story will be a masterpiece till the end. I was so in love by this series, I was so loyal to the fanbase and the series and this is how you ended it? I hate this novel to the core. It used to be so good but now it feels like a hot garbage pile. Damnit! Fangs of Fortune? More like Fangs of Unfortunate! Overall Rating: -10000000000/10

CHAPTER 1:

Wait? Ain't no way he's inside of his favorite novel that he hated last minute.

And Xiao Chen? Who is Xiao Chen? Xiao Chen… Xiao Chen…

Ah! He finally remembered— Xiao Chen??? That one side character who had the same name as him? The Zhou Yichen who died in the earlier chapters of the novel? The Zhou Yichen who died in the most embarrassing way?

Back when he was reading this novel, he found it quite funny that there was someone who had the same name of him inside the novel. The naive second Young master of the Zhou Clan— the Demon Hunting Bureau to be exact.

Even more so when the main character— along with his love interests were investigating his death. Leading them to a conclusion that Zhou Yichen— died when he tripped on the ground and hit his head very hard.

He was not gonna lie— he literally laughed when he read that part. Like, imagine being a side character who died just because he tripped. It was too laughable for Yichen— But well oh well? The same thing had happened to him in his time and now— he's stuck on the same body whose death he used to laugh at.

[jowi8597]

Yibo's characters' love interests for Valentine's Day 🩷

Legend of Fei (drama) - Zhou Fei & Xie Yun

Hidden Blade (movie) - Ms Fang & Mr Ye

War of Faith (drama) - Shen Jinzhen & Wei Ruolai

Le Vrai Ou (microfilm) - Singer & Bartender

Gank Your Heart (drama) - Qiu Ying & Ji Xiangkong

Luoyang (drama) - Liu Ran & Baili Hongyi

Gank Your Heart (drama) - Fu Miya & Ji Xiangkong

One and only (movie) - Li Mingzhu & Chen Shuo

Being a hero (drama) - Yang Ling & Chen Yu

Born to fly (movie) - Shen Tianran & Lei Yu

[k-odyssey]

Just finished ep 19 of Fangs of Fortune. So much happened!!!

Zhao Yuan Zhou started the episode in a cage. Under threat, he finally said something nice about everyone. Zhuo Yi Chen once again decided to fight by his side. Then Wen Xiao saved the day but it wasn't really a happy occasion. Li Lun's story is too sad for anyone to celebrate his death. And Zhao Yuan Zhou was hurting too much. If you've accidentally caused your loved one's suffering and forced seclusion & he turned evil... yeah that's hard to grapple with. But I love that we get complex characters, everyone has more to their story than meets the eye.

Then we finally learned what was up with Pei Sijing & that was fun. But the reveal of who was behind the mask though!!! And Little Bunny did have a secret after all... of course.

Unrelated thought I had: The battle songs always hit! I should edit all of the cool fighting scenes together. But idk if that's a good idea. If I leave the soundtrack as it is, it'll be like bits and pieces of the same two songs over and over? If not, I don't think it'll be as cool without the sword sounds etc.

[yibocheeks]

Historical Background for 《无名》 (Hidden Blade)

A very brief summary of historical details of note for understanding the context of the film:

The film is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. There are several powers in play at this time: the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, and Imperial Japan. Imperial Japan invaded Manchuria (located in northeastern China) in the early 1930s and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. It was here where they hoped to establish a base from where they would continue their expansion into Asia.

In 1937, after many years of conflict, Japan occupied Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. The Nanjing Massacre occurred at this time. After the fall of Nanjing, which had been the capital of the Republic of China at that time, the Kuomintang moved the capital west to Chongqing, under Jiang Jieshi's leadership. During this time, the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang formed a temporary alliance, suspending the years of civil conflict between them, although their vie for power continued. The Chinese Communist Party set up their base in Yan'an.

In 1940, Wang Jingwei, who was once a member of the Kuomintang but had always been in opposition against Jiang Jieshi, collaborated with Japan to establish the Wang Jingwei regime. They claimed to be the leadership of the Republic of China, when in fact they were a puppet government of Japan, overseeing the Japanese-occupied territory in eastern China, under Japan's control. They established their capital in Nanjing and used the Kuomintang flag. The Axis powers recognized the Wang Jingwei regime, while the Allied powers still recognized Jiang Jieshi as the leader of the Republic of China.

From 1937-1941, Japan had left a few neighbourhoods in Shanghai unoccupied, because that was where the American-British joint settlement and French Concession were located. Many people fled to this area to live at that time. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, the entirety of Shanghai became occupied by Japan. Many cities were bombed during these years, including Guangzhou, which experienced bombings for 14 months in 1937-1938.

During this era of war, which is also called the War of Resistance in China, espionage networks were established to try to undermine the enemy. Hidden Blade tells a story about these individuals.

Characters in the film (spoiler-free):

Director He (Tony Leung): Director of the Political Security Department for the Wang Jingwei regime

Mr. Ye (Wang Yibo): A subordinate under Director He, works for the Political Security Department of the Wang Jingwei regime

Captain Wang (Wang Chuanjun): A captain working for the Political Security Department of the Wang Jingwei regime, under Director He

Minister Tang (Da Peng): Minister of the Political Security Department of the Wang Jingwei regime, Director He's cousin

Officer Watanabe (Mori Hiroyuki): Head of secret service in Shanghai, claiming to be a follower of Ishiwara's faction (Japanese general who believed in the Pan-Asianism ideology)

Mr. Zhang (Huang Lei): A secretary of the Chinese Communist Party's underground network

Ms. Chen (Zhou Xun): A messenger of the Chinese Communist Party's underground network

Ms. Jiang (Jiang Shuying): Kuomintang agent assigned to assassinate Minister Tang

Ms. Fang (Zhang Jingyi): Disguised as a dancer, she worked together with other progressive youth to try to assassinate Japanese officers

[web-novel-polls]

Favorite Web Novel Men Tournament

[Last Checked: February 5th, 2025 - Please check the original post for updated information]

Rules:

Must canonically be male or male-adjacent (includes canon trans men!)

Must be from a web novel or WN-adjacent

One character per response

Submit as many responses as you want 

Tournament Tag: #wn men tournament

No Propaganda

Bracket A: Non-Danmei

*Cédric Riester from When the Third Wheel Strikes Back

*Jesse Venetiaan from When the Third Wheel Strikes Back

*Park Moondae (Ryu Gunwoo) from Debut or Die

*Yoo Joonghyuk from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

Bracket B: Danmei

A-Tai (Tengla Isai) from Tianbao Fuyao Lu

Bai Sheng from Hui Tian

Bian Yanmei from Thousand Autumns

Cang Ji from Nan Chan

Chang Geng from Sha Po Lang

Cheng Qian from Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect

Chen Xing from Dinghai Fusheng Records

Cui Buqu from Peerless: Wushuang

Fang Juexia from Fanservice Paradox

Fei Du from Mo Du / Silent Reading

Feng Xiao from Peerless: Wushuang

Feng Xin from Heaven Official’s Blessing

Fu Shen from Golden Stage

Fu Wenduo from The Earth is Online

Gu Jianshen from Want to Ascend? Then Fall in Love

Gu Yun from Sha Po Lang

He Xuan from Heaven Official’s Blessing

He Yu from Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben

Jing Lin from Nan Chan

Jun Wu from Heaven Official’s Blessing 

Kong Hongjun from Tianbao Fuyao Lu

Lan Sizhui from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Lan Wangji from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Li Jinglong from Tianbao Fuyao Lu

Lin Jingheng from Can Ci Pin

Lu Bixing from Can Ci Pin

Lu Feng from Little Mushroom

Luo Binghe from The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Lu Xu from Tianbao Fuyao Lu

Mo Rigen from Tianbao Fuyao Lu

Mo Xi from Remnants of Filth

Murong Lian from Remnants of Filth

Nie Huaisang from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Original Shen Qingqiu (Shen Jiu) from The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Pei Tingsong from Fanservice Paradox

Peony from Unlucky Clover

Qin Jiu from Global Examination

Shen Qingxian from Want to Ascend? Then Fall in Love

Shen Wei from Guardian: Zhen Hun

Shen Zhuo from Hui Tian

Shi Qingxuan from Heaven Official’s Blessing

Song Qingshi from Mistakenly Saving the Villain 

Tang Mo from The Earth is Online

Wei Wuxian from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Wenren È from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Wu Xingxue from Unseen Immortal of 300 Years

Xiang Shu from Dinghai Fusheng Records

Xiao Fuxuan from Unseen Immortal of 300 Years

Xie Qingcheng from Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben

Xue Meng from The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Yan Zhengming from Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect

Yin Hanjiang from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Yu Shengyan from Thousand Autumns

You Huo from Global Examination

Zhao Yunlan from Guardian: Zhen Hun

Zhou Zishu from Faraway Wanderers

^ Spoilers Warning!

*Dealer's Choice (Brackets are not final. I'm just dividing them as Danmei vs. Non-Danmei for right now. It'll probably be divided by popularity later)

[yuexuan]

[Review] 万有引力

Title: 万有引力 (Forces of Temptation)

Author: 骑鲸南去

Length: 320 chapters

Tag: infinite flow, supernatural, horror

Summary: [Taken from Novelupdates]

The world’s shared, open interactive communication game ‘Forces of Temptation’ went online and quickly took the world by storm.

There was a perfect ecosystem, a physics engine that was completely close to reality and game instances that opened up dimensions that could be chosen. In particular, the supernatural instances received rave reviews.

Almost everyone thought they were playing a normal game until one day, millions of people saw a dialog box that appeared in the sky.

[Sun.exe isn’t responding. If you continue to wait, the program might respond.] [Do you want to end this process?] [End Process / Cancel]

Novel| Novel[translated]|Audio drama

Comments *contains spoilers**

Per the summary, the game ‘Forces of Temptation’ became a sensation in the online gaming world. Things changed when higher dimension beings intervened and turned the game into reality. All over the world, people began to disappear mysteriously. Turns otu, they were transported into a game where they had to fight for their survival. 

The novel has a rather unique start - focusing on a major side character called Li Yinhang. She was returning from her work when all of a sudden the entire bus she was on was transported into the game world. In the pilot level, she met two strange characters - the naive but physically powerful Nan Zhou (MC) and the handsome, half-Ukrainian Jiang Fang (ML). Together, the three of them formed the ‘Li Fang Zhou’ team and worked together to survive the various challenges that the game threw at them.

Li Yingang is one of the few female characters in danmei whom I thought is well-written: she is a normal office worker, but utilizes her experience from dealing with clients to guide her actions and interactions with the MC and ML. She is well aware of her strengths and limitations, and on many occasions made conscious decisions that maximize her survival and avoids becoming a burden to the team. Consequently, the main pairing also trusts and values her decisions, going above and beyond their characters to protect her. 

Another thing I like is MC’s naivety. Since Nan Zhou is an NPC that escaped the bounds of his game scenario, he is quite clueless - but curious - about the world around him. He is like an overpowered kid who tries to learn how to act like a normal person, but often ends up being confused over human behaviors (e.g. He voices his sexual attraction towards ML as ‘a need to reproduce’, which is something that can be rationalized and controlled). 

As with any infinite flow story, the worldbuilding is extensive. In the novel, the world works similar to an RPG game, with five towns for characters to recuperate and conduct daily activities, and various scenarios or missions that they can go on to earn items and points. I do wish, though, that more emphasis is placed on some of the game mechanics, such as the handicap where characters have to purchase oxygen tanks to ensure that they can breathe. 

The best arc is probably the last arc about the characters’ wishes. It is both entertaining and touching. My poor, poor Chen Shifeng who wishes for his inexistence just so that his older brother and lover could come back to life :’). This is also the first danmei I read where the characters are extremely careful about the wishes they made. Usually, when there is an end reward in the form of a wish fulfillment, most infinite flow stories don’t explore the dangers of making these wishes. In this novel, it is pointed out that the higher dimension beings will do all they can to twist the characters’ wishes by finding loopholes in their logic or wording. Hence all the characters had to preface their wishes with clauses and disclaimers to ensure that there is no ground for misinterpretation. 

Frankly, I like a lot of the side pairings compared with the main pairing…Li Yinhang and Nan Jixing has such a cute relationship (and yes, I know it might constitute partial-bestiality to ship them together); Yi Shuige and Xie Xiangyu has a spicy enemy-and-lover romance; and Chen Shuiye and Yu Tuisi has such a tragic backstory. There are just so many fun side relationships to read about!

Thing I don’t like

If I have one complaint about this story, it is that some of the arcs can drag for too long, without really progressing the story. For example, the arc where they are gambling against the team with higher dimension being is longer than expected. Unless you like card games, this can be quite boring, especially when the main pairing is pretty much OP and there is no chance for their opponents to win from the start. It reduces a lot of the stakes and makes the whole arc feel too one-sided.

[audriel]

behind the scenes: let's start thinkin' bout it

chapter 3 : breaking ground

as usual i struggle at the beginning and ending. i was done quite some time ago, but then realized if I added another planned scene the ending didn’t work as well. the initial scene I wanted to add?

the bullying and blackmail of Old Wei.

in my mind, it roughly goes that Old Wei suffers much more this time around with the addition of time traveler duo. with this Fang Rui gets involved with Happy much earlier, Chen Guo is acquainted with another pro player, and Ye Xiu finds out Fang Rui is still familiar with his old class. Wei Chen is fortunately, still managed to be recruited, thanks to Ye Xiu's luck of summoning silver weapon. though it remains a question whether Wei Chen will consider himself unlucky if he knows how close he is being ratted out to Fang Shijing.

the title comes later, but it manages to capture what Fang Rui and Qiao Yifan are busy doing. just because they have their heart set on Happy it doesn't mean they won't do their best to help their best friends-slash-brothers. the time travelers are certainly busy. in summary:

Fang Rui is busy making sure that Wind Howl will make it to the playoffs. he makes adjustments not only to the team but also himself. while he's busy being vice captain and core player, he also manages to nab time to be online for Qiao Yifan and Mo Fan. his Qi Master smurf account is unaffiliated because it's meant for Happy in the first place.

Qiao Yifan is busy learning under Wang Jiexi's guidance in Tiny Herb, and helping Gao Yingjie. thanks to not being played in matches, he has ample time online, which he uses not only to practice and meet with Fang Rui, but also to be reacquainted with his friends from new generation.

in this chapter it's shown that their efforts are slowly but surely showing fruit. Wind Howl are gaining points needed for playoff. Mo Fan is getting interested naturally in pro scenes. Gao Yingjie is gaining confidence. Some things (Xiao Yun) get worse, but many more (Wang Jiexi, Zhou Yebai) get better.

another reason i got stuck on this chapter?

NAMES!!

the names of Fang Rui and Qiao Yifan's alt account names. the research into the names can be said taking the most time compared to the research for other things. i'm not fully satisfied, but it's not a good reason to delay the update. i might change it later, who knows. probably better suggestion will come up.

some headcanons included in this chapter:

while Qiao Yifan has his own unique style as Master Tactician, his greatest influences are Ye Xiu, and Yu Wenzhou. like them he can play all classes with enough proficiency.

in season 11, Fang Rui reclaims the title of King of Thieves with his account 'Three Burrows.' this account is made by Happy, so it has the typical high skill points but equipped with a combination of Happy-made and Blue Rain-made silver weapons. they took it from Lin Feng's old Thief account. fun fact: Yu Wenzhou suffers from this decision.

the new generation (season 8 onward) unofficially call themselves Jade Generation, after their chat group. right now it's just a small chat group among friends, but later it grows to become an exclusive, invitation-only chat group due to its members' unique characters and its nature as a support group.

well, this might not be quite headcanon but Ye Xiu really, really messed up badly with Mo Fan. it might be hilarious in hindsight, but if i was in Mo Fan's position, i have all the right to demand real life PK from Ye Xiu. in comparison, i am much more petty than Mo Fan too, i don't care he's God Ye but i'll get back at him as much as possible while under the same roof. so i do hope someone, in this case i chose my fave who is also Mo Fan's roommate and another person whom he's shown to listen to, to help with the two's reconciliation, so at the least that Mo Fan gets proper apology. that poor boi deserves as much.

[aishangotome]

Chapter 12-9 Observe the Mind Through the Lens of Dharma (辯法觀心)

Chapter 12-8

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I accepted the marriage proposal, and the housekeeper's face was filled with horror.

Housekeeper Chen: My lady, do you really want to marry this nouveau riche? He can neither shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces nor charge into the enemy lines seven times and come out seven times...

Princess: ...Well, let's accept the gifts first, and if we change our minds, we can return them. But it seems like the residence can't accommodate all these maids and servants that were sent?

The housekeeper sighed and resignedly took out a key.

Housekeeper Chen: They can go to the manor in the south of the city. It has been abandoned for many years, covering several acres of land. It's just right to accommodate these people.

-

Back in the room, I finally opened the large red marriage proposal with gold sprinkles, and a secret letter indeed fell out from inside.

Qianjin Qiu: To the Princess, "Zhu Ming" was last seen at Baiyu Jing's Yuyan Pavilion.

Qianjin Qiu: Knowing that the Princess has already arrived in Nancang, you might as well go and investigate. Perhaps you can find other clues. Qianjin Qiu is always at your service.

At the bottom of the secret letter, Qianjin Qiu drew a symbol and wrote a line of small characters - "Please turn the page, Princess."

I followed his instructions and turned the page over. On the back was Qianjin Qiu's free and elegant handwriting.

Qianjin Qiu: The intelligence is true, and the marriage proposal is even truer. My sincerity towards the Princess is as bright as the sun and moon. Becoming your consort is absolutely no problem.

Qianjin Qiu: Please consider me, Princess! I beg you!

Princess: ...

I rubbed my temples helplessly, lit a fire starter, and watched the secret letter being licked clean by the flames, leaving only a wisp of smoke.

Wangjue: Auntie! Auntie!

The boy's urgent cries reached my ears. As soon as I opened the door, Wangjue dashed into the room like a swallow returning to its nest.

He went straight to the marriage proposal, studying it vigilantly, over and over again, unwilling to return it to me.

Princess: What have you figured out?

Wangjue reluctantly put down the marriage proposal, walked up to me, and took my sleeve.

Wangjue: I've figured it out—if I don't stop you, Auntie will really marry that wild man outside!

Princess: Well, it's a good thing you stopped me. Otherwise, I might even dare to acknowledge a wild nephew, so of course, I would also readily accept a mere wild man...

Wangjue: You can't lump those two together! I'm saying that men become bad when they have money. Qianjin Qiu must be the worst of the worst, definitely not a good match!

Wangjue spoke with conviction, full of spirit and vigor, like a feisty little dog.

Princess: But Qianjin Qiu is not bad. He's handsome and clingy, and so rich...

Wangjue: Auntie, you, you've been completely blinded by money! Maybe the true good match is in our Nancang?

Princess: Well, there are indeed many men I know in Nancang... the little doctor, Chen Qi, Chen Xiu, and also Fang Ping, Zhou Tang, Shi Wuxian...

I counted them one by one, and when I looked up, I saw Wangjue's face darken, like an eggplant beaten by frost.

Princess: What's wrong with you?

Wangjue: Nothing, I just confirmed that I'm not a man in Auntie's eyes.

Wangjue looked at me with a pitiful expression, and I finally couldn't bear to continue, bursting into laughter.

Princess: I was just teasing you. But I really do have something to ask you.

Princess: ...Do you know Yuyan Pavilion?

-

The marketplace was lined with pearls and jade, and every household was filled with silk and satin. Buildings with intricate brackets and soaring eaves were interwoven and shadowed each other.

From Wangguan Pavilion, the sounds of string and bamboo instruments drifted out. Literati and refined gentlemen gathered in groups, composing poems, drinking wine, playing pitching pots and liubo... presenting a scene of decadent indulgence.

Princess: What's the prize for this poetry competition?

A man took out a "Nancang's Most Handsome Men List" from his bosom and handed it to me.

Literati: The winner today can be listed on this list! This is the supreme marriage treasure book that all the girls in Nancang will consult...

I opened the booklet, and the first name was strikingly Wangjue's teacher.

Princess: Ning Wu...?

Literati: Hmph... All show and no substance. He's highly influential in the court, but privately he's an unromantic bore.

Literati: I really don't know how such a taciturn person can debate with others...

Literati: Ahem, he has a long-term private room here, I'd better keep my voice down.

Princess: Does he come here often?

Literati: Occasionally. But now the Dingchao Tai incident is causing a storm in the city, and he's in the eye of the storm, so he hasn't shown up for a while.

Literati: Having the empty title of a Shangqing is already extremely honorable. Why does he have to goad the king into pushing for some new policy?

Literati: Even if he does nothing, he won't lack wealth and honor. Why bother with this muddy water?

After asking around, it seemed that there was no one resembling "Zhu Ming".

The music and dance on the high platform paused for a while, and only a few plainly dressed scholars were arguing with flushed faces.

Scholar A: The Lin family raised those wild boars in the suburbs for hunting in their leisure time. That's the Lin family's property.

Scholar A: The farmer hunted other people's private property without permission. According to the law, he should be punished with five years of hard labor. Now he's only sentenced to two years, which already shows the Lin family's compassion and understanding. How dare he still cry injustice?

Scholar B: If it weren't for those wild boars constantly destroying the fields and injuring people, and the farmer's repeated negotiations with the Lin family had no results, he wouldn't have resorted to this last resort!

Scholar A: Today they kill the wild boars raised by the aristocratic families, tomorrow they will be slaves, and the day after tomorrow, wouldn't they rebel? This concerns the dignity of the family. If they are not severely punished, how can we convince the people in the future!

Scholar B: It was the wild boars that trampled the farmer's land and caused him to lose his entire harvest, but the Lin family's tenant farmers' taxes were not reduced at all... Is this trying to cut off the farmers' livelihood?

Scholar A: Hmph, this is the law of Nancang. The farmer knowingly broke the law and deserves a heavier punishment!

Scholar B: Laws are also made by people. Beyond the law, there is also human compassion!

Scholar A: Laws are made by the aristocratic families!

Princess: I wonder if the young master is so angry because he has relatives in the Lin family? Why didn't the Lin family buy you an official position?

My words were forceful and resounding, and several inquiring gazes came at me like a shower of arrows. Wangjue half-embraced me, trying to drag me further into the crowd.

Wangjue: Auntie, why did you blurt out the truth...

Princess: Relying on wealth and power, allowing livestock to destroy fertile fields, not only refusing to compensate, but also biting back at the victim.

Princess: Those who know would think it's a prestigious family, those who don't would think it's some bandits or local bullies coming down the mountain to cause trouble. Animals don't understand the law, do you not understand either?

The scholar was momentarily stunned and didn't retort. Instead, a chuckle suddenly came from a nearby private room.

???: What the young lady said makes some sense, but unfortunately... it's the wrong place to say it.

With that, the tightly closed door creaked open, and a slender figure appeared in front of everyone, dignified and open-minded, like a green bamboo in the wind.

??: The existing laws of Nancang were indeed initially established by many aristocratic families.

Princess: Then this set of old laws is no longer applicable.

The newcomer covered their face with a fan, their voice clear and resonant, each word forceful and resounding.

???: Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet, oranges grown north of it are sour. Laws and decrees naturally also need to be adapted to local conditions.

???: Everything that exists is reasonable. This humble one believes that the old laws are most suitable for Nancang. If one wants to seek change, I'm afraid it will lead to disaster.

Princess: Since everything that exists is reasonable, why don't we see people today imitating the actions of our ancient ancestors who ate raw meat and drank blood? Blindly worshipping the past in everything, without seeking progress, how can there be development?

Princess: Young master, you know to adapt to local conditions, do you not know to change with the times?

???: Young lady... Are you arguing with me?

Princess: It's clear that the young master has nothing to argue back with.

We were at loggerheads, and I still couldn't see the person's face.

Although his argument was old-fashioned, his voice was slightly raised. He didn't seem angry, but rather... there was a sense of lightheartedness and joy.

Before I could think further, a chilling sensation of being watched startled me.

Among the ordinary crowd, there suddenly appeared a few people with light footsteps, shuttling around.

Looking for someone? My first thought was—could it be that Wangjue's absence from the palace has been exposed? I grabbed Wangjue.

Princess: Quickly lower your head and follow me.

-

Da, da, da... Stable, firm. These were the footsteps of a martial artist.

The sound grew closer and closer. But Wangjue and I had already reached a dead end, with nowhere to hide. In the narrow corner, we could only hear each other's rapid breathing and heartbeats.

At this critical moment, a strong force suddenly gripped my wrist—a warm palm slid along my skin and forcefully unfolded my tightly clenched right hand.

???: Oh dear, young lady! You and your nephew, I'm afraid you're in for a bloody disaster today!

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Chapter 12-10

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[renshengs]

bringing this post back because it has been over a month and i still can't scroll through the fangs of fortune ao3 tag without taking incredible and unprecedented amounts of psychic damage. Who the fuck is Zhou Yi Chen and who the fuck is Pei Shijing. are some people not even spellchecking their fics. where are we. if you don't even care enough to spell the characters' names right you might as well just go fixate on a show set in modern north america where everyone's name is John

i just think if you are going to get really passionate about any deeply cultural show with distinctive ethnic names, and you are going to be so passionate about it, in fact, that you are going to consistently post about it in a public space for other people to see and/or you're going to write fanfiction about it, then you should at least make an effort to correctly spell the characters' names and know how to refer to them.

while fandom spaces are indeed for your personal enjoyment, there is a willful ignorance in the way a lot of people navigate fandoms surrounding media that is more culturally alien to them that reflects their subconscious unwillingness to take these cultural differences and intricacies into consideration. in my post's case, as i am chinese and am frequently in fandoms for chinese media, i can only speak on the fandom etiquette around names from shows that are generally more popular in english-speaking circles, like word of honor, the untamed, etc. and to be completely straightforward i think the name and terminology butchering has been pretty bad with some fandoms and absolutely unbearable in others.

"but i'm bad with names/i'm bad at spelling!" i can empathize. but i think making excuses is also a terribly avoidant thing to do. type with more care. find a method that works for you. the cultural context is crucial to the show and its characters; why are you here if you don't care about it? and yes, not paying mind to name usage is absolutely an ignorant thing to do, even if you are doing it unintentionally. obviously, spelling a name wrong does not indicate you are someone with that kind of prejudice, but not making any effort to get it right is irresponsible and insensitive, especially considering that native english speakers in the west have an extensive history of being dismissive and rude toward ethnic names, chinese ones included.

lastly, because this website has a victim complex that almost rivals twitter's:

the aim of this post isn't to imply that anyone who misuses or misspells names are bad people who should be witchhunted and torn apart (nor am i going to do that, which is why i am making a post about it), or that people who have dyslexia and other disability issues with reading & spelling accurately just need to "get better" (see: "find a method that works for you"). typos are not morally wrong & my point is not to shame anyone. i just hope people can find it in themselves to reevaluate their own stubbornness and just—learn to tread with more care. to treat these stories and their characters with the consideration that they already give to the media they're most familiar with, and to approach the cultural learning curve with willingness, or else just don't engage with such things at all if you are not able to understand that to enjoy them fully and deeply requires you to actually interact with the cultural context in which they were created.

[thekingsavatar-fan]

Good news for the WeChat users - a collection of cute TKA themed (qsize) stickers! Check out the comments to see them already in use. [weibo] 

[skygemspeaks]

I just finished the QZGS anime(and OVA) and I'm already such HanYe trash???? Also, question for you, who are your top 5 characters?

Han as in Han Wenqing? I can see it ^^ My personal otp for Ye Xiu is definitely him and Su Muqiu (who you don’t know yet) but ahhhh, it’s such a tragic ship T^T Though lmao for a while I did kinda ship Ye Xiu with Steamed Bun lmao.

As for my favourite characters, if we’re talking about just the ones that have shown up in the donghua, I’m gonna say:

Ye Xiu

Qiao Yifan

Bao Rongxing (Steamed Bun Invasion)

Huang Shaotian

Zhou Zekai

But if we’re talking about characters from the webnovels as well, I’d say:

Ye Xiu

Qiao Yifan

Bao Rongxing

Wei Chen

Fang Rui

[drwcn]

How To Name Your Chinese Characters: 

1) LAST NAMES: 

I’ve pasted the Top 100 common last names in alphabetical order, and bolded the ones that appear in CQL:   

B: 白 Bai C: 蔡 Cai ; 曹 Cao ;  常 Chang ; 曾 Ceng ;  陈 Chen ;  程 Cheng ;  崔 Cui ; D: 戴 Dai ; 邓 Deng ; 丁 Ding ; 董 Dong ; 杜 Du ; F: 范 Fan ; 方 Fang ; 冯 Feng ; 付 Fu ; G: 高 Gao ;  葛 Ge  ; 龚 Gong ; 顾 Gu ; 郭 Guo ; H: 韩 Han ; 何 He ; 贺 He 洪 Hong ; 侯 Hou ; 黄 Hua ; 胡 Hu ; J: 贾 Jia ; 蒋 Jiang ; 姜 Jiang ; 江 Jiang ; 金 Jin ; K: 康 Kang ; L:  赖 Lai ; 李 Li ;  黎 Li ; 廖 Liao ; 梁 Liang ; 林 Lin ; 刘 Liu ; 陆 Lu ; 卢 Lu ; 路 Lu ; 吕 Lü ; 罗 Luo ; M: 马 Ma ; 麦 Mai ; 毛 Mao ; 孟 Meng ; N:  倪 Ni  ;  牛 Niu ; P: 潘 Pan ; 彭 Peng ; Q: 钱 Qian ; 秦 Qin ; 邱 Qiu ; R:任 Ren ; S: 邵 Shao ; 沈 Sheng ; 史 Shi ; 石 Shi ; 施 Shi ; 宋 Song ; 苏 Su ; 孙 Sun ; T: 陶 Tao ; 谭 Tan ; 唐 Tang ; 田 Tian ; W: 万 Wan ; 王 Wang ;  汪 Wang ; 魏 Wei ; 吴 Wu ; X: 邢 Xing ; 夏 Xia ;  蕭 Xiao ; 谢 Xie ; 徐 Xu ; 许 Xu ; 薛 Xue ; Y: 阎 Yan ; 严 Yan ; 杨 Yang ; 姚 Yao ; 叶 Ye ;  余 Yu ; 于 Yu ; 袁 Yuan ; Z: 张 Zhang ;  赵 Zhao ; 郑 Zheng ; 钟 Zhong ; 周 Zhou ;  朱 Zhu ;  庄 Zhuang ;  邹 Zou ;

Above are all single character last names, but there are some double character Chinese last names, seen below (list not exhaustive): 

独孤 Du’Gu ;  公孙 Gong’Sun ; 南宫 Nan’Gong    欧阳 Ou’Yang ;  司马 Si’Ma ; 上官 Shang’Guan ; 宇文 Yu’Wen ; 长孙 Zhang’Sun ; 诸葛 Zhu’GE ; 

2) GIVEN NAMES/COURTESY NAMES

《Elements》: 

Light*： 光 (guāng) - light，  亮 liàng - bright / shine， 明 (míng) - bright， 曦 (xī) - early dawn， 昀 (yún) - daylight， 昭 (zhāo) - light, clear，照 (zhào) - to shine upon，

Fire: 焰 (yàn) - flames， 烟 (yān) - smoke，炎 (yán) - heat/burn， 烨 (yè) - dazzling light，  

Water: also see “weather” OR “bodies of water” under nature; note the words below while are related to water have meanings that mean some kind of virtue: 清 (qīng) - clarity / purity， 澄 (chéng) - clarity/quiet， 澈 (chè) - clear/penetrating， 涟 (lián) - ripple， 漪 (yī) - ripple， 泓 (hóng) - vast water， 湛 (zhàn) - clear/crystal， 露 (lù) - dew， 泠 (líng) - cool, cold, 涛 (tāo) - big wave，泽 (zé)，浩 hào - grand/vast (water)，涵 (han) - deep submergence / tolerance / educated

Weather: 雨 (yǔ) - rain， 霖 (lín) - downpouring rain， 冰 (bīng) - ice， 雪 (xuě) - snow，  霜 (shuāng) - frost 

Wind: 风 (fēng) - wind

* some “Light” words overlap in meaning with words that mean “sun/day”

《Nature》:

Season: 春 (chūn) - spring， 夏 (xià) - summer， 秋 (qíu) - aumtum， 冬 (dōng) - winter

Time of Day: 朝 (zhāo) - early morning / toward， 晨 (chén) - morning / dawn， 晓 (xiǎo) - morning， 旭 (xù) - dawn/rising sun，昼 (zhòu) - day，皖 (wǎn) - late evening，夜 (yè) - night 

Star/Sky/Space: 云 (yún) - cloud，天 (tiān) - sky/ heaven，霞 (xiá) - afterglow of a rising or setting sun，月 (yuè) - moon，日 (ri) - day / sun，阳 (yáng) - sun，宇 (yǔ) - space，星 (xīng) - star

Birds: 燕 (yàn) - sparrow， 雁 (yàn) - loon， 莺 (yīng) - oriole， 鸢 (yuān) - kite bird (family Accipitridae)，羽 (yǔ) - feather

Creatures: 龙 (lóng) - dragon/imperial

Plants/Flowers:* 兰 (lán) - orchids，  竹 (zhú) - bamboo， 筠 (yún) - tough exterior of bamboos， 萱 (xuān) - day-lily， 松 (sōng) - pine， 叶 (yè) - leaf， 枫 (fēng) - maple， 柏 bó/bǎi - cedar/cypress， 梅 (méi) - plum， 丹 (dān) - peony

Mountains: 山 (shān)， 峰 (fēng) - summit， 峥 (zhēng)，

Bodies of water: 江 (jiāng) - large river/straits， 河 (hé) - river， 湖 (hú) - lake， 海 (hǎi) - sea， 溪 (xī) - stream， 池 (chí) - pond， 潭 (tán) - larger pond， 洋 (yáng) - ocean

* I didn’t include a lot of flower names because it’s very easy to name a character with flowers that heavily implies she’s a prostitute. 

《Virtues》: 

Astuteness: 睿 ruì - astute / foresight， 智 (zhi)， 慧 (hui)， 哲 (zhé) - wise/philosophy, 

Educated:  博 (bó) - extensively educated， 墨 (mo) - ink， 诗 (shi) - poetry / literature， 文 (wén) - language / gentle / literary， 学 (xue) - study， 彦 (yàn) - accomplished / knowledgeable, 知 (zhi) - to know， 斌 (bīn) - refined， 赋 (fù) - to be endowed with knowledge

Loyalty: 忠 (zhōng) - loyal， 真 (zhēn) - true 

Bravery: 勇 (yǒng) - brave， 杰 (jié) - outstanding, hero

Determination/Perseverance: 毅 (yì) - resolute / brave， 恒 (héng) - everlasting， 衡 (héng) - across, to judge/evaluate，成 (chéng) - to succeed， 志 (zhì) - aspiration / the will

Goodness/Kindness: 嘉 (jiā) - excellent / auspicious，磊 (lěi) - rock / open & honest， 正 (zhèng) - straight / upright / principle，

Elegance: 雅 (yǎ) - elegant， 庄 (zhuāng) - respectful/formal/solemn， 彬 (bīn) - refined / polite， 

Handsome: 俊 jùn - handsome/talented 

Peace: 宁 (níng) - quietness/to pacify, 安 （ān) - peace, safety

Grandness/Excellence：宏 (hóng) - grand，豪 (háo) - grand, heroic，昊 (hào) - limitless / the vast sky，华 (huá) - magnificent， 赫 (hè) - red/famous/great， 隆 (lóng) - magnificent， 伟 (wěi) - greatness / large，轩 (xuān) - pavilion with a view/high，卓 (zhuó) - outstanding

Female Descriptor/Virtues/Beauty: 婉 (wǎn)，惠 (huì)， 妮 (nī)， 娇 (jiāo)， 娥 (é)， 婵 (chán) (I didn’t include specific translations for these because they’re all adjectives for women meaning beauty or virtue) 

《Descriptors》:

Adverbs: 如 (rú) - as，若 (ruò) - as, alike，宛 (wǎn) - like / as though，

Verbs: 飞 (fēi) - to fly，  顾 （gù) - to think/consider， 怀 (huái) - to miss, to possess， 落(luò) - to fall, to leave behind，梦 (mèng) - to dream， 思 (sī) - to consider / to miss (someone)，忆 (yì) - memory， 希 (xī) - yearn / admire

Colours: 红 (hóng) - red， 赤 (chì) - crimson， 黄 (huàng) - yellow， 碧 (bì) - green，青(qīng) - azure，蓝 (lán) - blue， 紫 (zǐ) - violet ，玄 (xuán) - black， 白 (baí) - white

Number：一 (yī), 二 (er) - two, 三 (san) - three,  四 (si) - four,  五 (wu) - five, 六 (liu) - six, 七(qi) - seven, 八 (ba) - eight,  九 (jiu) - nine, 十 (shi) - ten

Direction: �� (dōng) - east， 西 (xi) - west， 南 (nan) - south， 北 (bei) - north，

Other: 子 (zǐ) - child, 然 (rán) - correct / thusly

《Jade》: *there are SO MANY words that generally mean some kind of jade, bc when ppl put jade in their children’s name they don’t literally mean the rock, it’s used to symbolize purity, goodness, kindness, beauty, virtue etc*  琛 (chen), 瑶 (yao),  玥 (yue),  琪 (qi),  琳 (lin)

《Spirituality》

凡 (fan) - mortality 

色 (se) - colour, beauty. In buddhism, “se” symbolizes everything secular

了 (liao) - finished, done, letting go 

尘 (chen) - dust, I’m not… versed in buddhism enough to explain “chen”, it’s similar to “se”

悟 (wu) - knowing? Cognition? To understand a higher meaning

无 (wu) - nothing, the void, also part of like “letting go” 

戒 (jie) - to “quit”, but not in a bad way. In buddhism, monks are supposed to “quit” their earthly desires.

极 (ji) - greatness, also related to the state of nirvana (? I think?)