#hay lin / character study.

[veilguardian]

tag drop; hay lin

[bengiyo]

HIStory5: Love in the Future Ep 3 Stray Thoughts

Last week we once again succumbed to side couple supremacy with Lin Wynn and Liang Vincent. Lin Wynn saved Bo-wei from jumping to his death, but commentary from the summoner implies that Bo-wei would have gone home. I'm absolutely obsessed with Tony and want to study him. Bo-wei is turning the warehouse into a domicile, and we learned a little bit more about how much of sad Hai Yi is. We ended on Bo-wei running into the rain to get electrocuted.

I feel like I say this every week, but why are the Taiwan actors always the prettiest.

Hai Yi just pulled what looked like a practiced restraint maneuver on Bo-wei.

Curious if there will be any supernatural consequences for revealing that he's a time traveler.

Interesting: Hai Yi is afraid of the dark.

Oh my. Looks like Once Again isn't alone now in playing with time travel, romance, and age.

Tony's current suit is sending me into orbit!!!

Would you look at that Wynn Lin stood up for himself and we got to hear our favorite simp's internal cheering.

I like the way everyone says "Dai Johnny." Wynn Lin is probably my favorite character. I like how he keeps trying to do nice things for Bo-wei.

This is a new evolution of the pratfall kiss: Let me lean in too close to brush his hair, and then fall onto his mouth when he wakes up suddenly and instinctively pushes my hand away.

This man is going to have a heart attack from all the excitement.

I'm kind of enjoying this inversion of fake dating. Bonding over your failed attempts to seduce a woman is classic mlm behavior.

Si-Chi knows how to handle swagless men who won't back off.

Lin Wynn's confusion is understandable. He accidentally crossed a boundary with his superior and doesn't know where he stands.

Damn, Bo-wei is getting his ass beat!

I was hoping Hai Yi might show up as Bo-wei's hero instead. Any time people start talking about being someone's hero, I am always taken back to my Make It Right era.

The instinctive intimacy between Lin Wynn and Liang Vincent is making me feral. However, this doesn't seem to be much of a massage?

I like that no one interrupted that moment of intimacy.

Meanwhile, back at the warehouse, Dai Johnny begins to recover from his injuries. Hopefully we get some wound tending.

At least Hai Yi appreciates the physical danger he inflicted upon Bo-wei.

Si-Chi definitely trying to get with Vincent. I don't know about this, and I'm glad Bo-wei happened by.

Liang is rather impressive if he skipped school and is now upper management of this department store.

I also want to study Hai Yi. Clearly he's self-sufficient, so is he pretending he's not to entertain Bo-wei?

Oh no, it's my greatest fear: Bo-wei has actually taken over someone else's life, and now I have to think about what happened to Johnny.

[manggaetteokkie]

Why 2HA adaptation might not be as bad as we think...

Okay so BL novel “The Husky and His White Cat Shizun” (chinese title: “二哈和他的白猫师尊”) aka 2HA is getting a live adaption which will be called “Immortality” (“皓衣行”). I know that usually, fans of original works are less than excited about this kinds of news and with good reasons. The issue is that those who buy the IP rights to a novel simply see its popularity and think that they can profit off of it without actually trying to understand the reason behind its popularity. Too often, BL fans see themselves forced to endure any of the following: 1) sex change of one of the male leads, 2) creation of a random female love interest, 3) turning a happy end into a bad end, 4) adding a bunch of scenes unrelated to our main pair that ends up dragging the series, 5) turning romance into brotherly affection... the list goes on and on. Sometimes, companies think that as long as they film any two guys together and sell a bit of physical touching here and there, fans will jump on it like rabid dogs which... is kinda stupid because, y’know, we have eyes (and standards) too.

So obviously, with the unprecedented popularity that came with the release of The Untamed, even more producers are starting to see the potential of danmei (BL) novels and with it came an onslaught of IP rights being bought and adapted. The list is pretty extensive, with some big names that I’m sure anyone who’s even slightly in the Chinese BL novel community has heard of before. Of course, included in that list, with the casting for the leads done and filming underway, is 2HA.

Quick overview of the story for those of you that don’t know: the story is set in the POV of the “gong” (top), a character named Mo Ran (also known as Mo Weiyu) who is the disciple of Chu Wanning, the “shou” (bottom) of our story. In his original life, Mo Ran had become the Emperor of the cultivation world through slaughter and tyranny, with the only one ever coming close to stopping him being his shizun, Chu Wanning, who eventually lost his life trying to stop him. After achieving the top by committing pretty much all crimes and sins known to men, weary and tired, Mo Ran decides to take his own life and ends it all. Unexpectedly, instead of dying and going to Hell, he transmigrated to the first year he became a disciple. As a thirty-something man in the body of a teen, he decides to do things right this time around and save the one he couldn’t save the first time around. As he goes through life a second time, truth after truths reveal themselves, with the biggest surprise being that the Shizun he hated so much in his previous life, and who Mo Ran thought hated/scorned him, actually turned out to be protecting him the entire time. 

Mo Ran, in his past life, was powerful, cruel, merciless and arrogant. There was nothing he could not obtain and he knew it. He was cynical, had a very jaded view of the world and was kind of unstable (lots of mood swings and temper tantrums). After his rebirth, he still maintained some of the arrogance and cynicism, but is more mischievous, confident and cheeky. He is very much like a husky, looks kind of scary and big, but can be extremely loyal to the ones he recognizes and can be a bit dumb sometimes. Chu Wanning on the other hand, is an unflappable person with a frost-like exterior, but a heart of gold. Basically, he cares a lot but it’s easier for him to look like he doesn’t than to voice his feelings. He gets embarrassed easily and covers his embarrassment using anger. He is extremely strong, likes peace and quiet, and always abides by the rules. 

Their relationship is kind of complicated. Initially, Mo Ran was in love with a fellow disciple called Shi Mei (despite the word meaning junior female disciple in Chinese, it’s actually the name of a male character). In the original timeline, Shi Mei died and that was the start of Mo Ran’s decline. After his rebirth, Mo Ran decides that he will do everything in his power to prevent Shi Mei from dying again. Don’t be mistaken though, Shi Mei is NOT the male lead. You’ll see as you read more that despite being in love with Shi Mei, Mo Ran is pretty obsessed with Chu Wanning because their relationship was kind of... complicated in the original timeline.

This is pretty much the premise for the story, but do be warned that it goes much deeper and darker than what you might expect (it’s rated R-18 for a reason). So why exactly am I writing all of this? To put it simply, I just kind of want to hype up the series and its adaptation a little, or at least, pique enough interest to give the live action adaptation a chance. Not gonna lie, when I heard 2HA was getting adapted, I was pretty skeptical because how. Mo Ran and Chu Wanning had a pretty physical relationship in the pre-rebirth timeline and that’s partially where the obsession that Mo Ran feels towards Chu Wanning stems from. There’s just basically a lot of unresolved sexual tension between them throughout the novel that I simply couldn’t see getting adapted. However, after thinking about it and reevaluating things from a low-expectations-standpoint, I think it might actually be possible to film something close enough to the original work. Here are some of the factors that influenced my opinion:

First, the series is set to air for 50 episodes (just like The Untamed). Why is the number of episodes important? Because it will determine how closely the adaptation will follow the original story and how much random stuff they can fit into it. Let’s take a step back and evaluate: 2HA’s novel has 311 chapters + extras while MDZS has 113 + extras. Obviously, people might have an issue with the number of episodes (”How are you going to air the same amount of episodes for a series that’s thrice as long??”) but I think it’s a good amount. Why? Because it pretty much guarantees a solid pacing that’ll keep the story moving forward without stagnating. I don’t think there is too much to worry in terms of too much source material being cut because quite a few chapters are R-18/romantic lining scenes that would not have gotten adapted anyways. Once those get deleted, I think 50 episodes is an acceptable amount.

Second, the entire production seems to be solid. The rights were actually bought by Tencent who, if you forgot, was also responsible for The Untamed. With prior success, I believe that they now have a pretty solid idea of how things should be run. Also, the CGI and world-design team is the same one as for Ashes of Love, which has me pretty stoked because while CG in chinese dramas has always been a hit or miss, Ashes of Love is definitely amongst some of the best I’ve seen (see below for examples). (P.S. there are also rumours that Lin Hai, the one responsible for The Untamed’s OST, might be working on 2HA but this is mere speculation at this point.) Overall, 2HA is looking to be like the most high-profile and expensive BL adaption yet.

Third and finally, the casting.

Holy.

Okay.

This is what has me the most hyped. 

Let’s start with Shi Mei, who will be portrayed by actress Chen Yao (or Sebrina Chen).

I know I’ve said that despite the name, Shi Mei is a male. As it turns out, likely for censorship reasons, “Immortality” could not escape from the clutches of the dreaded sex change so they went ahead and turned him into a girl. While not ideal, in my opinion, it actually works out pretty nicely here. In this case, it means that Mo Ran is in love with a female character which would further draw censorship’s attention away from the fact that Mo Ran really has a thing for his beautiful shizun. While it would have been perfect if everything could go according to source material, the fact that it’s Shi Mei that went through a sex change actually works pretty favourably in the grand scheme of things. Not to mention the actress set to play Shi Mei has some good experience acting similar roles so overall, I say that I trust her.

Next, we have Chu Wanning who will be played by Luo Yunxi (or Leo Luo).

For this character, I have no worries whatsoever. If you’re unfamiliar with this actor, I highly recommend you give Ashes of Love a try. He played the 2nd lead and ugh. He’s so good at playing beautiful and elegant characters that are forced to undergo a ton of suffering and pain. Luo Yunxi used to be a professional ballet dancer so he moves with grace and his fight scenes are amazing to watch. Also, he has great control over his facial expressions. He’s able to act out characters that suffer a lot without making them seem weak or powerless. Even the way he cries can be considered both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Finally, we have Mo Ran who will be portrayed by Chen Feiyu (or Arthur Chen).

Mo Ran is an extremely complex character. From pre-rebirth’s insanity and arrogance, to post-rebirth’s hope and reservation, to post-revelation’s love and devotion, the actor’s going to have a lot on his plate. Originally, when I first googled him, I thought that while he’d manage to pull off post-rebirth teen!Mo Ran fairly well given how clean and refreshing his face looks, he’d have a harder time pulling off pre-rebirth’s arrogance, craziness and general “hardness”. However, after seeing some costume designs and makeup edits, I think that the boy might just pull it off. Also, while the actor is nowhere near as solid as Luo Yunxi is, it seems that he’s willing to put in extra time and effort (as seen by his Weibo post about how he’d been studying the source material) to make up for it. I think that with enough dedication, he might just be able to pull it off.

(Psssst! By the way, keeping this strictly between you and me, another reason why I’m such a fan of this pair is because of the height difference. I mean just look at this?? Their height difference is pretty much bang on with the novel height difference after Mo Ran grew past Chu Wanning’s height. Not to mention, don’t tell me you see this and don’t automatically picture a the big dorky puppy following his reserved and cool master around?)

So yeah, all of this just to say that it might be okay to kind of have some expectations for 2HA. I really want to keep my own expectations down as low as possible given the amount of times we’ve been burned but I want to remain hopeful that, with the success of The Untamed, it can pave the way for better and more faithful danmei adaptations, with 2HA being one of them.

[aerokinesiiss]

independent hay lin from w.i.t.c.h. / comic book based ( but can contain elements from the cartoon ) / 21+ / multi verse / written by star!!

below you can find sideblogs attached to @aerokinesiiss. if you want more W.I.T.C.H. content, or just want to see me explore different characters, then make sure to find me on following the sideblogs.

@pridefulwarrior : a blog for orube, who goes by rebecca rudolph on earth. a warrior from basilíade who is just trying to find her place.

@traitcrousheart : a blog for nerissa. the traitor from the previous guardians known as c.h.y.k.n. includes both studies of nerissa as a guardian and the villain she grows up to be as an adult. will do anything to get to the heart.

[creativityobsessed]

WuJi, or the song that tells the real story

Episode 1: What is WuJi

Ok y’all, I’m here to talk to you about Hai Lin and the genius that is the soundtrack to The Untamed, because I Have Feelings about it.

First a disclaimer: While I’ve spent a lot of time studying film music in my life, I have never specifically studied film music in China, so apologies if I get anything wrong.

Edit: This post got long enough that I’m going to divide it into parts just to keep it manageable. I started with doing 3 episodes together, but I got to the end of episode 2 and it was like 3 pages in a google doc, so we’re gonna go even smaller than that, and do episode by episode, at least until we get to episodes that don’t feature WuJi. (the horror!)

Part 2

So to start with, I wanna talk just a little bit about how this particular cue is constructed. Most important here is that there are two different melody lines. Now, granted, this is going to happen when you have two singer male leads with similar vocal ranges, and you want them to sing it as a duet for the soundtrack. Also when the two main characters’ signature instruments are both (I believe) solo instruments. This all makes sense. But what this means is that our composer can play with those two melody lines symbolically. I’ll get to an example of what that looks like in a minute.

Episode 1: WWX plays WuJi on a strand of grass

There isn’t a ton to say here, because this is the first presentation of the piece. It’s important that we learn what it’s supposed to sound like because if we don’t, then we won’t get the symbolism that’s happening later, and this is really clear because the drama literally stops for a full rendition. There is no other plot going on here, because This Song Is Important So Pay Attention. So, nevermind that all WWX has is a blade of grass, he is a Flute Master and he can make a tune out of Anything, complete with underscoring! Which, actually, sets up another really interesting thing about WuJi, which is its complex relationship with diegesis (in non-academese basically whether or not the characters can hear the thing that the audience is hearing). In this case, I would say that WWX is hearing what the audience does, at least internally, while Lan Sizhui is probably not (particularly given Lan Jingyi’s comment on how poorly it is played), and not even academics have a term to deal with that kind of layering, so really, who cares about fancy terms.

One other interesting and probably important note here - this version is missing the second melody line, the one that is in the Guqin. This is pretty obviously symbolic (WWX is playing by himself and has no idea where LWJ is), and we get the gist of the cue without it, so I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on how it’s missing, but that’ll be important later.

After this initial introduction of the tune we have two different first meetings, almost back-to-back, cause this show looked at linear timelines and said “boring” in its most Lan Wangji voice. These two first meetings are crucial to set up how we as an audience understand WuJi as a symbol of the relationship between WWX and LWJ, but that’s for the next part of the series.

[quintessence-sentimentalist]

Hey, thanks for answering my Hay LinxEric question. Now, how would you fix IrmaxJoel?

Sorry for the delay on this—I haven’t been in quite the right mindset for the in-depth analyses as of late, and the question of how to fix this couple is a tricky one.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a very good one. Compared to a number of the other relationship fix-its I’ve considered (CxC, Nigel x Taranee) where I haven’t had a particular attachment to the couples, I actually have a lot of feelings about and adoration for Irma and Joel. And while that can also be said about HLxE, my perspective on Irma x Joel is a bit different.

Namely, the fact that I love their platonic relationship as it was presented in canon, and would actually have been pretty aligned if they were kept that way for the rest of the series.

(But of course, we couldn’t even have that, as any sort of acknowledgement of their relationship was wiped out of existence, and then referenced out of nowhere and without explanation many, many issues later with Joel thinking on how “Aw, we used to be friends, but not anymore.”)

I’m not saying I don’t ship them romantically (I do, and we’ll get into my fix-it of that later on in this ramble), but it wouldn’t have necessarily been a deal-breaker if they didn’t end up together. Admittedly, I’d probably be eating those words if Irma and Joel were still hanging out by the time Stephen (or, really, any brand-new love interest) came into the story, if only because throwing Irma into a romantic relationship without any real on-page emotional buildup doesn’t sit right with me no matter how I slice it. To be fair, that’s also just a me thing, because I prefer my ships to have a strong personal foundation over having the characters be drawn together primarily because of looks, etc., so there’s definitely room for different views. 

For me personally, though, the only way I’d really be behind a non-IxJ endgame is if a) Irma didn’t end up with anyone (which could have been great! The other girls were single at various times in the series, but having Irma be the one who’d never been in any sort of relationship would have been good to show that it’s more than okay to not have a significant other at that age), or b) Irma ended up in a relationship with someone else with whom she already has a long-established emotional connection (i.e. I’m not counting an old summer camp crush that we’ve only just learned of when it’s convenient to the in-story events). Seeing as that second option pretty much leaves us with either the other girls (which is fair) or Martin (not as sold on this one, but it’s a little bit better than their animated series counterparts), that would potentially have to be a fix-it as well.

Regardless of Irma’s relationship status—in a similarly meaningful one or not in one at all—let’s look at a fix for platonic Irma x Joel. Honestly, this one can just be summed up as LET THEM REMAIN CLOSE FRIENDS.

Really, it’s… it’s not that hard. Kandrakar knows that I love these girls and their bond, but I also like to see their lives outside of Guardianship, and that means that they can have other friends beyond each other. (Which they did try to do with Taranee and having Luke and Sheila, and I appreciate the effort, even if it wasn’t really executed in the best way.) Irma and Joel were something special, with their shared adoration for Karmilla and complementary senses of humor and, frankly, the fact that neither of them initially considered each other in a different sort of light. They had so much in common, their personalities resounded with each other so beautifully—all these qualities building up to what I’d dare call soulmate material—and all either of them can think is, “Hey, this is an awesome friendship!” And I adore that.

Which is why I can’t fathom why they’d suddenly do away with a relationship that had been lovingly (and largely platonically) tended to on the side for a number of story arcs.

I’m going to caveat that I have only read New Power and beyond but once in my life so far, and a good number of years ago, to boot. I have no actual recollection of whether or not there was any sort of explanation for why the two of them stopped hanging out (besides that offhand comment that they just don’t anymore, which was given to us… oh, three or four arcs later?). No idea if there was any sort of confrontation between Joel and Stephen and Joel out-of-character gets jealous—I wouldn’t put it past them to have done this (which is awful), but given the notoriousness of vanishing things without any warning that inspired this whole damn fix-it series, there’s a fighting chance for it to have gone either way. 

Regardless of what actually happened in canon, there is no concrete reason why Irma having a healthy, happy friendship with someone of the same gender as her new significant other had to be done away with. Even if it could be argued that Irma and Joel had romantic chemistry and ooooooohhhh that could be a threat to her new relationship (um, no.), the two of them had already dealt with those potential feelings back at the end of the Book of Elements/beginning of the Ragorlang arc, and while they didn’t deny that the potential was there, there was unspoken agreement that both were more comfortable as friends at the moment. If we were to use that attraction as a justification against keeping their friendship around while one or both were in other relationships, it just wouldn’t—in a very apt turn-of-phrase—hold water. And there isn’t a reason at all to drop it if there’s no romantic relationship(s) happening whatsoever.

So yeah. Base-level fix-it for Irma and Joel is keep their friendship.

But let’s take it a step further and look at a fix-it for an IxJ romance. I’ll admit that I volleyed around a couple different thoughts about this, even going so far as being sold on an end-of-series-payoff slow-burn like I originally thought we got with Cornelia and Peter (back when I thought the series ended at issue #74 like the Philippines comics did). And while that could have worked for them, I thought back and realized that so many of the canon ships had big moments like that. Will and Matt have their Big Damn Kiss after facing off against Cedric and Matt discovering the truth. Hay Lin and Eric have their joyful spur-of-the-moment kiss when Hay gives him the CD he wanted. As mentioned, Cornelia and Peter have their supposedly-final issue culmination of long-brewing chemistry. And of course, let’s not forget Cornelia and Caleb’s fairytale romance in the early days.

Really, all the relationships—except Taranee and Nigel, although the tradeoff for that was long, drawn-out conflict—officially kick off with a fireworks-level big bang. It’s a Moment when the couples come together, something to be remembered. And with Irma being Irma, loveable loudmouth as she is, it’d make sense for her to have something like that as well—a blurted confession, maybe, or a deep, passionate first kiss.

That’s why I’m of the camp that would have a quiet, but no less meaningful resolution to Irma and Joel’s romantic feelings.

We all know Irma’s the outgoing type—natural comedian always on-hand, outspoken to a fault, passionate and unabashedly loud. But a number of times over the series, we’ve seen her have to get introspective or at least a bit more low-key (oftentimes in the wake of an outburst that hurts someone else). These quieter moments usually offer some great character studies and development for Irma, and I’d like to think that, if given the chance to accept and want to act on her deeper feelings for Joel, it would happen in a similar way.

Just give me the two of them hanging out like usual, but maybe with not as much chatter. Joel is playing his guitar, Irma’s kicked back with a magazine that she’s only half-paying attention to as she listens. Eventually, the magazine drops further and further from her face as her gaze drifts fully to Joel and that goofy face he makes whenever he hits that one chord and that warm fond feeling she gets…

Her thoughts skitter to a sudden stop, but she tries not to let it show outwardly. It’s been a long time since Irma’s thought of Joel in any more-than-friendly terms, probably not since the mix-up with the note to Karmilla that first brought the idea to her mind. It had been an accident, and maybe she hadn’t fully realized—or at the very least hadn’t been ready—to confront those feelings by that point, but the inklings were there. And they’re still here, and maybe a little bit more than just inklings, and maybe she’s actually ready to admit them.

So Irma sets down the magazine altogether, and carefully slides a little closer to Joel’s side. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed, but he looks up only in faint curiosity—not at all startled or displeased. Irma just returns with a small smile, maybe a little nervous (is this too much too fast? Does he even feel the same way anymore?). But there’s no need for worry—or even words, for that matter—as the two of them have always been so in-sync, and are in perfect alignment on this in particular. That’s clearly proven when Joel grins back and carefully shifts his body and guitar so Irma can comfortably settle in right next to him.

(There are words later, of course, if only to make absolutely certain they’re both on the same page, and just because hearing it out loud makes it feel so real. And really, things don’t change that much in their relationship—they still laugh and crack jokes and tease each other to no end, just with a bit more cuddling and kisses and comfy quiet between them, where neither feels the need to fill the silence just because.

And because I’m predictable, a situation wherein Joel gets clued in to the Guardian Secret would involve Joel being very understanding and patient… and also terrifyingly aware that he is never again going to win in a water fight against his girlfriend.)

So. Apparently I had more thoughts on Irma and Joel fix-its than I thought, but I also have zero regrets and too damn many feelings.

[yuexuan]

Fiction Recommendation 14

September 5th is Zhong Yuan Jie (Ghost Day) in many parts of Asia and October 31st is the Western Halloween, I thought I’d dedicated this round of fiction recommendation to some of the supernatural and mysterious unique to Chinese (and other Asian) cultures. The comment section will contain a short synopsis of the novels, along with some of my own thoughts about the story. 

1. Daomu Biji 盗墓笔记 by Kennedy Xu 

Genre: Mystery, adventure, horror, suspense

Comment: Anyone following my blog knows I am a huge fan of Daomu. Along with Ghost Blows Out Light, both works were considered the pioneering novels that opened the tomb-raiding literature market in China. Daomu is told from a first-person perspective, detailing the adventures of Wu Xie as he visited tomb after tomb to unveil the mysteries that surround him, including that of his close friends and the role he played in the whole scheme of things. This is a highly suspenseful story spanning nine published books with two published sequels - Zang Hai Hua and Sha Hai. One of the highlights of the book is the first person narrative, which allows us to relate and engage with the protagonist, while collecting clues and solving mysteries with the character. 

2. XiongZhai Biji 凶宅笔记 by  贰十三

Genre: Mystery, horror, supernatural

Comment: Xiongzhai - a term applied to haunted houses with past history(ies) of death - are usually sold at very low market price. But where there’s money, there’s business. Jiang Shuo and his friend Qin YiHeng decided to buy these houses cheaply, exorcised then, then resold it at much higher market prices. The two friends work through a series of haunted houses, until Jiang Shuo started to suspect that there’s someone purposefully drawing him to different haunted houses. Also narrated through first-person, XiongZhai Biji explores an interesting ‘market’ and who knows, you might find a haunted house one day. 

3.  海岭荒城 by 罪化/王十一

Genre: BL, supernatural, horror *R18

Comment: Considered one of the classic BL horror stories out there -All reporter Tao wanted to do was interview CEO Ling and enter a contest with said interview. Instead, he was directed to a city designed specifically for movie sets. Granted, the city was a property of the Ling company...When Tao arrived, the city seemed abandoned. There are few, if any, tourists in that area except for a group of hired performers. CEO Ling Li thought that reporter Tao would fare no better than previous reporters, but to his surprise, Tao stayed within the city for more than one night and uncovered a series of mysteries related to the occult. Although plot-wise and character-wise the story is mediocre, but it contains very vivid descriptions of horrific scenes that send chills down my back. 

4.  都市探幽录 by  罪化/王十一

Genre: Mystery, supernatural

Comment: Another series of novel by ZuiHua. Reporter Xia Han and intern Fu Wei were invited to XiangXi Province to experience a river-rafting tour. What was definitely not included in the tour are a line of zombies passing by in the dead of night, a huge snake within the waters and red water bubbling within the last stall of the girl’s toilet...thank goodness Reporter Xia and his intern are familiar to these sightings, seeing as they publish their stories in a special newspaper called the ‘Occult Weekly’. There are four books and each book is a different short story, though interlinked loosely with one another. This title is the opposite of recommendation #3, it has a stronger plot and character setting, but contains less scare factors. 

5.  哇！今夜哪裡有鬼！by 黯���銷魂蛋

Genre: BL, supernatural/horror, humor *R15

Comment: He BiXue is a paranormal reality TV show producer, who happens to also have a tendency to attract the dead unwittingly. Enters Yin Jian, who is a Taoist the studio invited to help deal with the ghosts. From a girlfriend who got severed in half, to being trapped within dreams, to an ancient princess that came back to life, it seems that this reality TV show is definitely ‘cursed’. This story has an interesting setting and is relatable especially for those who watch Taiwanese reality shows. My critique is that it feels like the author hasn't got a strong grip on the characters' personalities, which changes quite frequently throughout the book.

6.  天師執位Ⅰ by  樊落

Genre: BL, supernatural, *R15

Comment:  Nie XiFeng's first impression of Zhang Xuan is as bad as bad can be. After almost dying as a result of listening to the words of a con man posing as a taoist, he swore to never trust another taoist again. In comes Zhang Xuan, who works in his company, but also works a self-acclaimed taoist. Together they solved the mysteries around them -- albeit while fighting with each other -- and just when Nie XiFeng fell in love with Zhang Xuan, he learned that the latter might have some hidden agenda. There are several books in this series, each focusing on a different mystery that involves the supernatural. Plot-wise it can seem to drag a bit in some parts, but overall it’s not bad, plus the ending is surprising. 

7.  見鬼鮮花店 by  雲過是非 Genre: BL, supernatural, humor *R15

Comment: In this day and age, the Western and Oriental supernatural beings have developed friendly ties. Unfortunately, just as prices are increasing in the living world, the prices of items in hell are skyrocketing, especially with less and less people being superstitious these days. The supernaturals have no choice but to walk the modern route and purchase things online. Shu Jiu is a flower shop owner who repeatedly received requests from strange customers. What’s more, he learned that there are four ghosts inside his shop. Really humorous story with cute characters. It's a bit sad though that the ending was very rushed (basically the author spent over 40 chapters to develop a mystery and everything got solved in one ._.) But still, a really nice read.

8. 陰書  by 夜半來敲鍾  Genre: Horror, supernatural, BL **R18

Comment: A group of teenagers in love with all things supernatural decided to visit a haunted house to explore, unwittingly finding a shredded corpse. Ever since then, one by one the teenagers disappeared, who would be next? And how do they break the cycle? I thought that out of all the horror stories, this author’s works are definitely more bone-chilling than the others. 

9.  校園七怪談 by  夜半來敲鍾

Genre: Horror, supernatural, BL

Comment: Lin Feng recently transferred to a new school.  Ever since he transferred, strange happenings abound. The soft sigh in the middle of the night, the footsteps outside the room door, his roommate's haunted looks...When will things end? This story builds on the popular concept of ‘seven strange happenings’ in Asian schools - the strange happenings often refer to unexplained phenomenons that are experienced by multiple students. 

10.  小镇 by dnax

Genre: BL, adventure, suspense

Comment:  Fu En accidentally entered a town in which no one leaves. Here, townsfolk are happy and everyone had their own supernatural powers...except there's a price to using the powers and people aren't as content as they seem. He quickly discovers the loopholes in the 'rules' of the town, along with the twisted mindset of some of the inhabitants. A really bizarre story, but highly suspenseful and really image-evoking.

11.  解忧杂货店 by  东野圭吾

Genre: Supernatural, comfort

Comment:  All the worries and troubles, let this shop help you resolve them. There is a small shop by a corner of the roadside, as long as you write down your worries and place it within its letterbox, you will get an answer in the milkbox located behind the store on the second day. A series of worries, with prophetic-like answers. Very heart-warming and touching.

12.  我準是在地獄 by  YY的劣迹

Genre: Mystery, **R (rated for murder and violence)

Comment: Ning Xiao is just like any other murder mystery author. One night he was mugged but when he found the police at his door next day accusing him for the murder of the mugger, things took a twist. Consecutive murders that follow the plot of his stories, repressed memories and a police with a suspicious background, just who is behind all of these murders? A rabid fan? Ning Xiao’s split personality? Or perhaps the ‘police’...? Even though the story was marked as BL by others, I really think that there's no romantic relationship between the two protagonists - most of the story is focused on the murder mystery plotline. 

13.  谋杀官员1：逻辑王子的演绎 by  紫金陈

Genre: Mystery

Comment: Graduated from Ze Da University's math department, Xu Ce is also known as the prince of logic. Later he won a scholarship to support a PhD study in psychology. However, upon hearing his mother's death, he returned to China. On the other hand, his friend - Gao Dong - also known for his specialty in crimonology, encountered numerous murder cases of government officers. Could Gao Dong resolved these cases? And what does it have to do with Xu Ce? 

14.  推理之王·坏小孩 by  紫金陈

Genre: Mystery

Comment: Four years into their marriage, Xujing had an affair and wanted a divorce. Her husband, Zhang DongShen realized that he would be left with nothing should the divorce occur, and there is only one way out. On the pretense of taking her parents out for a trip, he plotted a murder. Everything should have been perfect. Except that three children became witnesses to the murder, and they are anything but innocent.

15.  推理之王·无证之罪 by  紫金陈

Genre: Mystery

Comment: What if someone claims that he conducted murders to save another person, would you believe their intention? Behind the crimes lie a heart filled with anger and love. A high-class murderer versus a math teacher, both of which are equally skilled, who would win in this chase?

16. 都市夜歸人 by 朱砂

Genre; Mystery, supernatural, BL **R18

Comment: As a sniper, Chen Gu knew his eyesight is superb, just not to the extent that he can see the supernaturals...But how is it that he hadn't notice this strange phenomenon before? Of course, without a certain Mr. Zhong's mentioning, he wouldn't have noticed the strange things around him either. Case after case of supernatural phenomenon appeared, and it is up to the duo to resolve them. However things are more complicated than they expected, - there's still an avenging ghost-human out there trying to revive his dead wife by breaking all the Taoist rules that one can phantom. The author has quite an extensive knowledge of different mythologies and legends. I recommend reading the actual text first before reading the prequel (the prequel was rather dark and slow-paced. Honestly I couldn’t finished it).