#character: zhu yan

[heymeowmao]

玉骨遥 | The Longest Promise E8 ° Am I going to die??

[hyog-blog]

If You Like It, Put a Ring on It [fic]

I wanted to write one kiss, under some love seductive magic to make it more fun, but then everyone in my head went: but what about the AFTERMATH of a kiss? Aren't we going to explore why they did it and what happens next? And I'm like sure, another dramedy it is :D Because seriously, it's like these characters just have to have that bit of existential crisis first. And, obviously, overcoming it makes everyone (including me) oh-so-happy on various levels.

So I bring you another delicious Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen coming-together fic, with a first kiss and then some more, with ZYZ being a tease and looking staggering in his attempt to impress Zhuo Yichen even more, with a bit of a plot, found family shenanigans, and a variation of a wedding ring trope (is it even a thing? well now it's a thing :D)

If you read it and like it, come celebrate with me to the comments! :D

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61944364/chapters/158397634

Summary:

“Do I have to?” Zhuo Yichen manages to ask in a husky voice looking as if this magic was the only way for him to actually act upon his feelings, whatever they were, and once they get back to normal, if that was still an option, he will have to restrain himself once more and be that carefully composed, slightly uptight leader of the Demon Hunting Bureau, an exemplary fighter, stoic and untainted by humanly desires.

[highsummonermercar]

Favourite Dynasty Warriors Characters

Sun Shang Xiang ❤️ Zhao Yun 💚 Zhen Ji 💙 Ma Chao 💚 Zhu Rong 🤍 Zhou Tai ❤️ Sima Zhao 🩵 Da Qiao ❤️ Diao Chan 🤍 Lianshi ❤️ Zhang He 💙 Ling Tong ❤️ Sima Yi 🩵 Guan Suo 💚 Wei Yan 💚

[i-cast-zone-of-truth]

ALSO i just KNOW my partner ok and Zhao Yuanzhou??? Would be CATNIP to them!!!

[sunshine-dies]

have been working on these bad boys on and off these past like... three months? four? too many, honestly, but they turned out so lovely! making all of my illustration and graphic design homework about the tiny gay people in my head is not a want, it is a need. the teachers will just have to deal with it.

these are my original characters! i was inspired by my obession with SVSSS to create a xianxia (and also danmei) story of my own wayyy back, and then i promptly forgot about them. not anymore though!!!! they are back and alive (for most of the story anyway)!!!! these two are the main characters, Yan Chenxi and Zhu Feng. they are my babies. if you hurt them i will do something unforgivable to you (hide your balls)

[tyiaunia-harris]

Happy Birthday China 🇨🇳 🎁🎂🎈🎉

[renshengs]

大梦归离 fangs of fortune names + titles masterpost

brought to you by @mengyan and @renshengs <3

*note: this is only for what we consider as main characters, or recurring side characters! if you need clarification for a character that isn't here, send either of us an ask!

common terminology:

daren 大人 (suffix) — gender-neutral honorific often translated as Mr. or Ms. (e.g. Pei-daren = Ms. Pei)

xiao 小 (prefix) — little (e.g. Xiao-Jiu = Little Jiu)

jie/jiejie 姐姐 (suffix) — older sister (e.g. Wen-jiejie)

ge/gege 哥哥 (suffix) — older brother (e.g. Xiao-Zhuo-ge)

didi 弟弟 (suffix) — younger brother (e.g. Bai Jiu-didi) 

“A-” 阿 (prefix) — added before a single character of someone’s name/address, to indicate affection, familiarity, closeness etc (e.g. A-Heng, A-jie)

“er” 儿 (suffix) — added after a single character of someone’s name & is an affectionate term used by someone (often older) whose relationship to them involves some kind of caregiving; can be romantic or platonic (e.g. Wen Xiao’s foster father calling her Xiao’er)

common mistakes:

referring to someone with only one character—in chinese this is generally considered odd (e.g. Zhuo Yichen as “Zhuo”) and is not recommended unless done in-story (e.g. 蜚 Fei’s name just being Fei).

referring to a character by only their surname (e.g. Pei Sijing as “Pei”). chinese names put surnames before given names. (to call her by just her given name, use “Sijing”.)

referring to a character with a 2-character name by only their given name (e.g. Bai Jiu as “Jiu”). since his given name is only 1 character, it can’t be used on its own. using just the given name generally only works with 3-character names (e.g. Zhao Yuanzhou can be referred to as just “Yuanzhou”).

NOTE 1: calling a character by their given name usually implies closeness and informality. generally it is more common among chinese-speakers to use each other’s full names or their surnames combined with a title.

NOTE 2: to call a character by their surname or 1-character given name, you add on a prefix or suffix (e.g. Xiao-Zhuo or Xiao-Chen with Zhuo Yichen, Wen-jiejie or Xiao-jie with Wen Xiao)

NOTE 3: jiejie, gege, didi, (+meimei, what Wen Xiao called E’shou) are not just addresses exclusive to those of blood/familial relation! they can be used to address anyone younger/older than you and also be used in a flirtatious manner (e.g. Wen Xiao’s “Pei-jiejie” is very different from Bai Jiu’s “Pei-jiejie”)!

characters!

name: Zhu Yan | Zhao Yuanzhou [朱厌 | 赵远舟]

abbreviation: ZYZ

nicknames/titles: Great Demon (大妖 -> Da Yao), Stinky Brat (臭小子 -> Chou Xiaozi)

who uses what:

Wen Xiao: Zhao Yuanzhou, Da Yao, Zhu Yan (early on), gege (once)

Zhuo Yichen, Li Lun, some minor characters: Zhao Yuanzhou, Zhu Yan

Pei Sijing: Zhao Yuanzhou, Da Yao

Bai Jiu, Ying Lei: Zhao Yuanzhou

Ying Zhao: Chou Xiaozi

name: Wen Xiao [文潇]

abbreviation: WX

nicknames/titles: Baize Goddess (白泽神女 -> Baize Shennü), Wen Xiao-xiaojie, Wen-daren, Shennü-daren, Wen-jiejie, Xiao-jie, Xiao’er, Archivist Wen (文典藏 -> Wen-diancang)

who uses what:

Zhao Yuanzhou: Wen Xiao, Wen Xiao-xiaojie (early on)

Zhuo Yichen, Pei Sijing: Wen Xiao

Bai Jiu: Wen-jiejie, Xiao-jie

Ying Lei, Ying Zhao, Zhu Yin: Shennü-daren

Fan Ying: Xiao’er

minor characters (often people who aren’t close/are lower in position): Wen-daren, Wen-diancang

name: Zhuo Yichen [卓翼宸]

abbreviation: ZYC

nicknames/titles: Xiao-Zhuo, Xiao-Zhuo-daren, Zhuo Yichen-daren, Xiao-Zhuo-ge, Zhuo-daren, Xiao-Chen, Zhuo Xiao-Chen, Commander Zhuo (卓统领 -> Zhuo-tongling)

who uses what:

Zhao Yuanzhou: Zhuo Yichen, Xiao-Zhuo, Xiao-Zhuo-daren, Zhuo-daren, Zhuo Xiao-Chen (once), Zhuo Yichen-daren (once)

Wen Xiao: Zhuo Yichen, Xiao-Zhuo, Xiao-Zhuo-daren (rare)

Pei Sijing: Zhuo-daren, Xiao-Zhuo (very rarely), Zhuo-tongling, Zhuo Yichen (once)

Bai Jiu: Xiao-Zhuo-ge, Xiao-Zhuo-daren, Zhuo-daren (once)

Ying Lei: Xiao-Zhuo-daren

Li Lun: Zhuo Yichen

Zhuo Yixuan (ZYC’s brother): Xiao-Chen

Fan Ying: Zhuo-tongling, Xiao-Zhuo

Tiandu citizens: Zhuo-tongling

minor characters: Zhuo Yichen, Xiao-Zhuo-daren, Zhuo Yichen-daren

name: Pei Sijing [裴思婧]

abbreviation: PSJ

nicknames/titles: Pei-daren, Pei Sijing-daren, Pei-jiejie, A-jie, jiejie, Pei-jie

who uses what:

Zhao Yuanzhou, Zhuo Yichen: Pei Sijing, Pei-daren

Wen Xiao: Pei Sijing (once), Pei-daren, Pei-jiejie, Pei Sijing-daren (once), jiejie (once)

Pei Siheng: A-jie, jiejie (occasionally)

Bai Jiu: Pei-jiejie

Ying Lei: Pei-jie

minor characters: Pei-daren

name: Bai Jiu [白玖] / implied to originally be named Situ Jiu [司徒玖], after his father’s surname, and took the name Bai Jiu after his mother, Bai Yan

abbreviation: BJ

nicknames/titles: Xiao-Jiu, Little White Bunny (小白兔 -> Xiao Baitu), Bai Jiu-didi, Bai-daren, Bai Jiu-daren, Xiao Bai Jiu, Tu’er (Disciple)

who uses what:

all characters: Bai Jiu

Demon Hunting Bureau squad, Zhen Mei, Wen Zongyu: Xiao-Jiu, Tu’er

Zhao Yuanzhou: Xiao Baitu

Wen Xiao, Pei Siheng: Bai Jiu-didi

Bai Yan (Bai Jiu’s mother): Xiao Bai Jiu

minor characters: Bai-daren, Bai Jiu-daren

name: Ying Lei [英磊]

abbreviation: YL

nicknames/titles: Little Mountain God (小山神 -> Xiao-Shanshen), Shanshen, Shanshen-daren, Little Ying Lei, child

who uses what:

all characters: Ying Lei

Zhao Yuanzhou: Xiao-Shanshen, Shanshen (once)

Wen Xiao, Zhuo Yichen: Xiao-Shanshen, Shanshen-daren

Zhu Yin: Little Ying Lei

Ying Zhao: child

name: Li Lun [离仑]

abbreviation: LL

nicknames/titles: daren, Boss (老大 -> Lao Da)

who uses what:

almost all characters: Li Lun

Ao Yin: daren

the pagoda spirit: Boss/Lao Da

name: Pei Siheng [裴思恒]

abbreviation: PSH

nicknames/titles: A-Heng, didi

who uses what:

almost all characters: Pei Siheng

Pei Sijing: A-Heng, didi

[ajaxbell]

Fangs of Fortune (Bai Ze Ling): perfect on pure aesthetics alone, but also it will tear your heart out while being very gay.

I was lured in to this show by Tumblr gifsets and friends on Bluesky talking about how queer and poly this show is. I'm old and I've been in fandom more than half my life. I know how to read queer subtext. I'm also pretty well versed in cdramas, so again, I know how to read subtext. So I went into this ready to, well, read the subtext.

But no this show is just puts the queer it right there in the text. The vague information we have about Chinese censorship repeatedly left me asking, 'wait how are they getting away with this?' Like some of these jokes and implications are just so blatant it seems incredible this show ever made it to being broadcast. It just feels very much like queer media made for queer people even if t's more subtle than something western like Queer as Folk.

Even without the heavy coloring of gay this show is incredible and so much more than I expected from the title and the promo. The premise is essentially the death of the goddess, who governed relations between humans and demons, leads to an influx of demons in the human world. This brings together the goddess's disciple, Wen Xiao--seeking to restore the goddess's power. WX's childhood sweetheart, Zhuo Yichen--seeking to restore the demon-hunting bureau after the powerful demon Zhu Yan killed his father and brother. It opens on Zhu Yan, in human disguise as as Zhao Yuanzhou, volunteering to help the imperial court restore the demon-hunting bureau to quell the chaos. They are joined by Pei Sijing, a retired female general from the rival demon hunting sect, and a very young doctor (and comic relief) named Bai Jiu. It starts off as a sort of monster-of-the-week with a grim Scooby gang doing detective work and fighting monsters. Each major demon has a mini arc that relates to the larger case (restoring the power of the goddess to balance the realms), and they are repeatedly blocked by either the demons or the rival demon hunting sect. Each mini arc also acts as a mirror or parallel story to slowly revealed backstory of all the main characters as well. In true cdrama fashion it's a mix of adventure, intense emotional drama, romance, and comedy. And queer and poly jokes and romance. It also has a kind of manga vibe in the way the comedy is woven into the more serious story, and in the fantastical depiction of the characters and how the story unfolds.

It is also just insanely beautiful. Every single shot is lovely. The costumes, make up, and hair are incredible. The casting director made all the major demons inhumanly beautiful. The sets are spectacular. The effects are nicely done. Every bit of has the vague surreality of a fairytale. The perfection of each shot ads to the manga vibe, as if we're seeing each critical storytelling panel come alive. There's recurring water-based special effects that are just gorgeous. Based on aesthetics alone this show would be worth watching to me. That it is combined with a complex, very emotional story is a spectacular gift to the watcher. A lot of the negative reviews of this complain about the staginess or that it's overly contrived in how each scene is shot. But I think it's gorgeous, works perfectly with the storytelling, and if we criticize art on whether it achieves the goal it intended then this show is doing exactly and perfectly what it means to do and doing it beautifully.

Additionally the acting is also very good, but Neo Hou is the stand out for sure. I enjoyed him in Back from the Brink, especially the later part of the story, but in Fangs of Fortune he's transformed, utterly embodying the role, the way Dylan Wang is Dongfang Qingcang in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Neo Hou has the right look, a slightly uncanny beauty perfect for a gorgeous immortal not of this world. The show does incredible things with his styling between the various looks and personas the role requires. But in acting he somehow manages to utterly transform his face and demeanor to manifest each aspect of the character as story demands changes from him.

There is a lot of crying in this drama. Like early on I joked that there was going to be a character crying a single perfect tear in every ep. Lol nope. Multiple single perfect tears per ep and many outright full on sobbing scenes. This show is just waiting to rip your heart out and you see it right from the beginning. But it was such sweet pain all the way through. Just a truly engaging and utterly wrenching set of intertwined stories.

My only criticism is that the pacing falls apart in the last 3 episodes. But overall the story is solid through the end, though like so many cdramas, it's saved by the epilogue.

You should absolutely watch it if you want the chaotic bi polycule (it's her, her girlfriend, her boyfriend, her boyfriend's boyfriend who is also her boyfriend, their two idiot sons, and her boyfriend's ex-who is also eventually sort of his boyfriend again), or if you want your heart torn out and stomped on. Or even if you just like really gorgeous cinematic things. Also if you watch, please don't skip the ending credits, as they change as the arcs change, and the radiant joy Tian Jiarui has as he dances is an excellent antidote to the emotions of each episode.

[recapitulation]

Hou Minghao as Zhao Yuanzhou / Zhu Yan in Fangs of Fortune / 大梦归离

[ID: gifs of the character Zhao Yuanzhou in the series "Fangs of Fortune." He is shown swinging his umbrella while fighting Zhuo Yichen, looking indignantly at Wen Xiao after taking a bite of fruit when she says "You really are a monkey," and smiling gently as he heals Zhuo Yichen's hand. In the next gif, Cheng Huang says, "I can help you die." Zhuo Yichen smiles and says, "That won't do. I've already promised someone else." Next, he is shown smiling and taking a bite of fruit. Then, he is shown shaking as he looks down at the blood on his hands after being possessed. Next, Zhuo Yichen says to him, "You think I'll forgive you just because you look pitiful? Is that what you think?" Zhao Yuanzhou responds tearfully, "No." He is then shown turning his face into Wen Xiao's hand, tearing up as Zhuo Yichen says "I understand you now," and hugging Wen Xiao goodbye. /end ID]

[youhideastar]

Fangs of Fortune: A Primer

I keep hoping someone funnier or better with images than me will write a primer for this show, but I haven’t seen it yet, so it’s looking like I’m going to have to be the propaganda I want to see in the world.

Fangs of Fortune is a 34.5-episode drama that takes place in Ancient Fantasy China, split between the human world and the Wilderness (home of the yao/demons). You can watch it on iQiyi or YouTube. There will be some spoilers below, mostly for early episodes; photos here are from official production stills/promos. As far as I can tell, Fangs of Fortune is a (successful) attempt to get a m/m romantic pairing past the censors by giving the dudes a(n also-queer) female love interest as well, which is neat. The show cares way more about the characters than about the plot, so I’m going to follow suit, starting with…

Zhao Yuanzhou, a.k.a. Zhu Yan

30,000-year-old suicidal Great Demon with suave DILF energy, sky-high self-confidence, and rock-bottom self-worth. 8 years before the show opens, he was possessed by malicious energy and killed a ton of people, including the only living relatives (father and brother) of this guy:

Zhuo Yichen

24-year-old swordsman and demon hunter (head of the Demon Hunting Bureau, in fact), who wears the most beautiful costumes of all time, has sworn to avenge his family, and happens to be in possession of the only weapon that can kill the aforementioned Great Demon Zhao Yuanzhou—if only he knew how to use it.

On the dynamic between Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen, which is the driving force of this show, I can’t do better than this post and this post – please go read them, you will not regret it. In the meantime, please enjoy some homoerotic violent hand-holding.

Zhao Yuanzhou shows up at the Demon Hunting Bureau very sexily and offers to teach Zhuo Yichen to use said weapon, if Zhuo Yichen will (a) swear to kill him with it once they’re done, and (b) in the meantime, let Zhao Yuanzhou join the demon hunting crew. Specifically, he demands to be paired up with this lady:

Wen Xiao

Scholar, demon hunter, Zhuo Yichen’s sort-of foster sister, and technically the Baize Goddess, guardian of the Wilderness… but when her predecessor as Baize Goddess died, she couldn’t complete the transfer of her powers to Wen Xiao, leaving Wen Xiao unable to do the job, and sickly to boot. Wen Xiao compensates by being smarter, more socially adept, and more mentally healthy than everyone else in this cast… although I will grant that’s a low bar to clear.

While recruiting a crew to go after a pesky water demon, Wen Xiao runs into…

Pei Sijing

Stoic archer who recently retired from demon-hunting after she had to kill her own brother; target of Wen Xiao’s very persistent affections.

Here they are being cute together:

Congratulations, you have now met the polycule! There are also two comic-relief teenagers (with obligatory difficult backstories) and two villains, one of whom is boring and will be ignored, and one of whom is Zhao Yuanzhou’s human-hating mall goth demon ex-boyfriend Li Lun, as seen below:

There is not really an overarching plot: in general, the plot is driven by the desire to get Wen Xiao fully powered-up as the Baize Goddess so that she can fix stuff that has gone wrong in the Wilderness, but after a certain point, most plot arcs are driven by problems caused in the previous plot arc. The writers are way more invested in putting the characters in Situations that will crunch them up against each other in interesting ways than in having a coherent plot or worldbuilding. Fortunately, they are very good at writing these characters reacting to each other in Situations, so it works out.

Why should you watch this show? First, it is delightfully gay and there is great fic for it, which you will get more out of if you’re familiar with canon (but don’t let that stop you from diving in now…). Second, the writers are really good at building compelling relationships between characters, romantic and otherwise, and in particular, they have a gift for writing two-character dialogue scenes and cute banter. Third, damn, this is maybe the most visually beautiful show I’ve ever seen in my life. The costumes, in particular, are unbelievable.

Are there downsides? Yeah, candidly, you are going to spend a chunk of the first third of the show sitting through long flashbacks that I call The Ponderous Tragic Backstories of the Het Guest Stars when all you want to do is get back to the main characters. Don’t worry, the whole show is not like this. It happens four times (three toward the beginning and once toward the end). And at least even the Ponderous Tragic Backstories of the Het Guest Stars are still very pretty to look at.

Anyway – check it out! Ask me if you have questions! Correct me if I goofed on anything! See you in Queer Poly Ancient Fantasy China!

(Edited to correct the number of episodes, thank you, @kandadze!)

[heymeowmao]

大梦归离 | Fangs of Fortune E34 ° Dead demons will turn into stars in the sky. And what about you?

[hyog-blog]

Fangs of Fortune (ep. 25)

This was such a heavy episode! Beyond emotional. Zhuo Yichen having his biggest nightmare come to life - becoming a demon whom everyone hates, an outcast. Li Lun has really outdone himself this time, this is like Evil 101, his pettiness knows no boundaries. He wants everyone around him to suffer just like he does, so they would understand his pain and become just like him.

They wouldn't, though. Zhuo Yichen's dialogue with Li Lun at the end of the episode was so powerful. "I will never understand you. But I understand Zhao Yuanzhou now." It's like everything Li Lun did had the opposite effect. People will still not play his game, they will choose for themselves even if he creates some messy circumstances. Even if he tries to break them, they can choose not to be broken. Top-notch acting from Tian Jiarui and Yan An, the torment was palpable. And "We are not weak. We have kindness in our hearts." One can always choose to be violent or not, despite whatever the world throws at them. Li Lun chose to be evil. Zhuo Yichen chose to remain true to himself. I love how this series is always about a choice the characters make, about the freedom to do so no matter what.

"You are the loneliest person in the world."

The visual juxtaposition is also great! Zhuo Yichen chooses the higher ground and refuses to fall. Li Lun has already fallen, and he's looking up at him. Poor evil broken baby. Even playing the Bai Jiu card when Zhuo Yichen finally leaves, but the man is unyielding. Good for him.

Uh, and not Zhu Yan almost losing it when those people started throwing vegetables at Zhuo Yichen. As much as he hates hurting humans, that could have turned into a bloodbath if his malicious energy got out of control.

It's a tale as old as the world itself - people turning on their heroes when they fall to see them fall even further. But I love how they showed Zhuo Yichen's character, our boy is super strong and unwavering. They may say whatever they want, but his true nature will remain untainted.

Hugs were also happening :3 And Zhao Yuanzhou promising to save Zhuo Yichen, ah. He could totally see himself in Xiao Zhuo, knowing all too well the pain he was going through D: Heartbreaking stuff

Also, I noticed how Zhao Yuanzhou at some point went from politely calling Zhuo Yichen 'Zhuo-daren' to a friendlier 'Xiao Zhuo' just like Wen Xiao calls him :3 It just warms my queer heart)))

"I will save you."

[dreamingsnowflake2013]

Well, that's a hell of a character introduction! Zhu Yan, Lord of the Demons, more like Lord of Dramatic Entrances.

I've always thought Neo Hou was wasted on those goody two shoes characters in Dashing Youth and Back from the Brink, Edward Guo really knows how to utilize his talent. The electrifying charisma, the quiet and lazily threatening aura, and the barely concealed limitless power brimming under the surface,... - you can feel all this about the character without him ever showing you any of his abilities.

Asking the Demon Lord for a calling card, this must have been the first time he's been asked this.

This is the answer of a thousand-year-old being right there.

LOL! The guard thinking he's Zhuo Yi Chen's fanboy begging for a meet-and-greet. His smirk at that!

He fixes the delict sign. It looks like the Great Demon has come to restore the Demon Hunting Bureau to its former glory, even though it was (supposedly) him who went on a killing rampage 8 years ago to destroy it. While at the same time, it's the second branch, called Chongwu Camp that has been undermining it ever since.

If I had a cent for each Edward Guo drama where Omid played a lackey of a secret evil organization I would have exactly two cents, but still...

It turns out they also want the hot Demon King, well, who wouldn't?

Get in line right behind me.

[dearmyloveleys]

RE: the absolute fascination (and adoration) I have with the symbolism of Zhu Yan's and Li Lun's weapons, how it reveals their respective characterisations and the discussion of humanity

There are so many aspects that I love about FoF but I still believe how the show represents LiYan's relationship + worldview through their weapons is one of the best uses of visual storytelling and literary/visual devices I have seen in recent years. (long text ahead!)

A Gift and A Curse

Where did their complications start? The exchange of gifts. Why do we gift another presents? For affection. It's so ironically simple, free of malice and at its basis so, so human. For a demon like Li Lun who claims to not understand humans, he reciprocates the moment of kindness Zhu Yan shows him - the rattle to make him happy, and him giving Zhu Yan the umbrella to shelter him from rain.

There is something so beautifully ironic about two great demons eventually using ordinary, human household objects as their weapons. And items given to each other at that. When they first receive them, both the umbrella and rattle are just simple objects with no meaning attached to it, except for the goodwill of friendship. There is no inherent ill-intention and it is pure. Yet.

Li Lun ultimately only understands reciprocation, and not truly the innate kindness and affection which Zhu Yan demonstrates. Zhu Yan gave Li Lun the rattle to have him understand why he finds humans wonderful: Can any of our demonic powers have the ability to make someone happy just like this rattle does for a child? Li Lun gives Zhu Yan the umbrella because Zhu Yan gave him the rattle and made him happy. Li Lun understands the action, and does not grapple with its underlying intentions. He consistently struggles with this throughout the story, especially when actions do not match up with the speaker's reasonings.

Dissonance in character is an extremely human trait, and the understanding of this is where Zhu Yan and Li Lun’s stories and similarities diverge. Zhu Yan on one hand, understands the complexity of humans and is at terms with it. Li Lun on the other hand, never understands the ability to be complex and paints humanity black. Their gifts are still turned into weapons that will eternally curse them of their once-there closeness, because of each other and their inability to reconcile their ideologies. How they use the umbrella and rattle from here on, represents their differences in their views of humanity.

Double Edged

When watching any fantasy/wuxia/xianxia cdrama, everyone who is written as a fighter usually has an offensive weapon used and made for injuring and killing. But not when it comes to Zhu Yan and Li Lun - they are two individuals who will certainly be masters in weaponry if they wielded a sword or blade. But they don’t.

In the Wilderness, from what we see, none of the demons use weapons. Even Cheng Huang uses an hourglass. Both Li Lun and Zhu Yan do not own any weapons before gifting each other the rattle and umbrella, and these aren’t even supposed to be used as weapons. There is such an underlying innocence to demons that instead of choosing a blade to take as a weapon, they choose these essentially harmless items instead. Though, this innocence ends here. The concept of weapons is a human creation. The concept of making an item specifically just to harm others is an especially human conception. By adopting the identity of weapons onto their gifts, the multifaceted nature of weaponry and thereby humanity seeps into their characters. Weaponry is both ironically and ironically human, and their weapons represent both sides of human nature that Zhu Yan and Li Lun believe in.

A weapon is only causes harm in one's hands if you make command it to. Do you protect or do you do harm with it? I find it so telling and intriguing that Zhu Yan and Li Lun run off in either directions with the purposes of a weapon. Zhuyan has always been fascinated by the human world versus Lilun having apathetic views of the human world, and they reflect this in how they use their weapons.

Zhu Yan uses his umbrella to always shield his team, protect and deflect harm, while the harm he inflicts on others comes from his innate spiritual energy (one word spells). He protects this simple umbrella and preserves its goodness, indirectly making sure to not sully the goodness of humanity. Instead, he chooses to use himself as the offensive weapon. On the other hand, Li Lun turns his rattle into an offensive weapon, changing its tip into a dagger. Before it is destroyed, all his attacks are summoned from strikes against the rattle. He doesn’t care, and humanity is trash, therefore he treats this object of innocence with irreverence and violence.

Though, there still is Li Lun’s favourite question: Is it better to be a demon or human? He chooses human. Which at the very least, is interesting.

Who You Wish To Be

The thematic concern of LiYan's relationship is very much defined by this question they often pose or have been asked by others: Is being a human or a demon better?

On an even deeper level, the juxtaposition between Li Lun's use of the rattle and what he says, being a human is better, is even more encompassing of his character — driven, conflicted obsession. The same way he keeps trying to break Zhuo Yichen and Zhuyan, but manages to maintain somehow civil and emotional conversations with them, his treatment of his rattle but the fact he thinks being human is better, and his one-time statement “maybe the human world is interesting after all” are contradictory. He is never at peace with himself and cannot accept things the way they are. He is very much a child, misguided and believing that things are one-dimensional (all humans are bad, Zhuyan how could you hurt me for them) while things in reality are complex. Even his best intentions, from his line “I, Li Lun, will never run away from things (…)” is innocently one dimensional. He will never be the human he wants to be until he comes to terms with this. And most importantly, it's not even about being human. It's never about titles or names, it's about who he wants to be. Li Lun once again is fixated on surface levels that he doesn't grasp the depth of reality.

"Whether one is a human or demon, it's only a matter of titles. Just be whoever you want to be." - Zhu Yan, Ep 26.

Zhu Yan is the stellar opposite of Li Lun. He doesn’t sully Li Lun’s gift to him and uses it the way Lilun initially gave it to him for: to protect. And his answer to the Demon or Human question as written above is telling of his character, compared to Li Lun's set-in-stone answer. But despite everything, what makes everything so tragic is what started it in the first place: affection. One keeps that affection as a weapon to spread the same to others, while the other keeps and weaponises that affection to regain it all back.

Just like how he uses his rattle to relentlessly pursue revenge, Li Lun is so insistent on what should have been, that he doesn't see what can be, and it curses him. Zhu Yan sees the possibilities of everything, wants to protect the good, and it curses him. Perhaps its this inevitability of their separation and also the sliver of hope that they can reconcile, trapped in their shared respective curses, that troubles them deep down.

-

Their weapons symbolise both their ideologies, and serve as physical reminders of their intertwined past. Regardless of how they use their weapons, they use a reminder of the other as defense and offense against the world. A diverged path still has met once before. The sharpest blade is still one crafted from the torment of memory.

On Visual Story-Telling

The use of these unusual objects in c-drama land as weapons is such a stroke of genius on the production team and writers' part. It gives so much more flavour and uniqueness to these characters instead of the usual sword or spear. Such small, precise, details with large implications on characterisation.

[asiandramawhump]

The Longest Promise (2023) - Whump List - Chinese

Whumpee: Shi Ying played by Xiao Zhan

Synopsis/Plotline: Royal Prince Shi Ying develops romantic feelings for his student, Princess Zhu Yan, but their student-teacher relationship prevents them from them expressing their true feelings. Fate works against them when they choose opposing sides in a political struggle. Eventually they put aside their issues to protect their beloved Kong Sang continent.

Genre/Tags: Adapted from a novel, Master-Disciple Relationship, Slow Burn, Romance, Cultivation, Warm Female Lead/Aloof Male Lead, Forbidden Love, Costume Drama

Watch On: Netflix, KissAsian

*SPOILERS BELOW - PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!*

1.01-1.02 - NONE

1.03 - (emotional whump), finds out that his mother committed suicide; collapse, panic, loss of control over powers; hurt/comfort :::(emotional whump), crying at mother's memorial :::grieving, lashes out and hurts other character

1.04 - (cont'd from 1.03) grieving, angry, punching tree, bloodies knuckles, accidentally injures others, guilt ::: coughs

1.05 - mild whump, slightly overexerted after teleporting

1.08 - bitten on wrist

1.09 - mild whump, slightly overexerted after teleporting

1.11 - knowingly absorbs poison ::: symptoms of poisoning, weak, pale, concern for him, coughing, helped to walk

1.17 - overuses his powers, collapses, unconscious, concern for him ::: thrown off cliff, drowning, under-water rescue kiss, coughing, weak, attacked by dragon, goes unconscious ::: unconscious for 3 days, back injuries from fight, injury treatment

1.18 - (emotional whump) despair over Zhu Yan's betrothal ::: requests punishment for his feelings: stabbed/slashed, shaking, weak, collapse

1.19 - (emotional whump) gives away hair pin to Zhu Yan; not whump but pretends to be an illusion to see Zhu Yan

1.20 - NO WHUMP - very fluffy scenes between Zhu Yan/Shi Ying

1.21 - destroys tree, coughs blood ::: (emotional whump) crying, sad

1.25 - stabbed with shards that are poisonous, collapses, goes unconscious ::: concern for him, cared for ::: wincing, coughing, attempting to hide injury, injury grabbed, injury discovery ::: (slightly funny) forced to take of himself, given medicine

1.26 - coughing; pretends to be sick (in disguise), immobilized (holding hands <3) ::: painful injury treatment, weak, need help to sit

1.27 - (emotional whump) concern for Zhu Yan; spits blood, risks Qi Deviation ::: heals Zhu Yan, spits blood

1.28 - (emotional whump) angry/hurt confrontation with his father, identity reveal

1.29-1.33 - no whump

1.34 - struck by lightning, coughs blood ::: (emotional whump) confrontation with Zhu Yan, pretends not to care to protect her; coughs blood, stumbles, pale, needs help to stand::: coughing

1.35 - (emotional whump) kills second male lead ::: (emotional whump) doesn't think Zhu Yan loves him, (crying) threatened to be stabbed ::: stabs himself with Zhu Yan's sword, coughs blood, dies

1.36 - dead/unconscious

1.37 - memory loss, cute scenes; falls asleep on Zhu Yan's shoulder (Zhu Yan hiding side effects of her reviving Shi Ying)

1.38 - (emotional whump) guilt, worry for Zhu Yan, crying

1.39 - requests to return to mortal realm; punishment, whipped, cut, struck with lightening, tortured, blood, coughing blood, concern for him; (emotional whump) meets mother in dream like state, crying ::: falls, collapses, goes unconscious ::: (still unconscious) bloody wounded; attacked, protected by Zhu Yan and mentor ::: bloody, wounded, mentor protects him with his own body, mentor fatally wounded (emotional whump) concern for mentor, crying ::: can't access power, struggling, coughing, (emotional whump) concern for mentor, crying, mentor mistakes him for Shi Ying's mother, mentor brushes tears from his eyes, hugging mentor's body, crying

1.40 - none

1.41 - attacked with energy, thrown against tree, cut on cheek, attacked again, clutches chest in pain, concern for him, stumbles, collapses, thrown against tree again, in pain, attacked again, crying, struggles to get up, collapses, someone tries to throw him off cliff, Zhu Yan sacrifices herself for him, unconscious ::: unconscious in the rain ::: still unconscious in the rain, healed by magic bird ::: rescues his girl, attacked, concern for Zhu Yan

1.42 - (emotional whump) panic for Zhu Yuan ::: sad over death ::: energy blowback from Divine Ring, blasted, staggers, coughs blood

1.43 - attacked, fight ::: absorbs evil spirit, fighting to seal away evil spirit, coughs blood ::: in pain, coughing more blood, concern for Zhu Yan ::: begs Zhu Yan to kill him, crying, panic ::: blasted back, in pain, crawling to Zhu Yan, coughing more blood, begging for Zhu Yan to kill him, emotional hug with Zhu Yan/crying, stabbed with Jade hair pin, collapses, dies on Zhu Yan's shoulder

!!!MAJOR SPOILER!!!

Ending is open to interpretation, but Shi Ying does come back at the end...either resurrected by mystical powers that be or just in spirit form, but Zhu Yan and Shi Ying are reunited at the end.

[summerofofelia]

I finally finished Fangs of Fortune and it really was a character driven show. It felt like the plot was secondary to the journeys various characters went on throughout the series, the intersecting dynamics was (were?) the beating heart of the show.

With that being said, I have some feelings about the various relationships

1) Zhu Yan & Wen Xiao’s romance honestly fell flat for me. That’s not me being fujoshi or whatever, it just honestly didn’t fit in the story for me. Bisexual besties? I see it. Soulmates? I don’t see it. The show was full of SO MANY wonderful relationships and different kinds of dynamics that the hetero ship just felt kinda boring in contrast to everything else that was going on.

2) Zhuo Yichen and Zhu Yan had INSANE chemistry. I felt like their relationship was the foundation of the show and it really did read like a tragic romance, unlike Wen Xiao & Zhu Yan because…

3) Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing screamed sapphic and no one can convince me otherwise.

4) HOWEVER if we’re talking polycule/thruplle, Li Lan, Zhu Yan and Zhuo Yichen in those final eps? Fan fiction writers you know what to do.

It feels obvious to call the show beautiful, but one of the physical aspects I loved was that although the colour palette was quite dark a lot of the time, they still lit the dark scenes in a way that kept the dark vibes but still illuminated the scenes for the audience. The darkness wasn’t flat, it was beautiful and dynamic (Hollywood PLEASE take note of the lighting design in Asian media, I’m begging you, I’m tired of squinting and turning my phone brightness up to 1000 to see what’s going on).