#mao mao

[fyoadore]

Also Mao Mao and Yoon

they could be besties

[elinexee]

[uchiwaflame]

finished ep 8 of the apothecary diaries

[justshipsandstuff]

I’ve watched a few Chinese court dramas growing up and I have to say, nobody got game like Mao Mao

[yumedoca]

This is basically their dynamic in a nutshell...

[sidsinning]

Apothecary Diaries is pog as fuck bc serious political issues and dynamics from a woman's POV are rarely depicted in ANY form of media

It's always a man's world where women's issues surround him. Even if we get a female perspective once in awhile- it all comes back to how it facilitates his game in the end. She's a footnote in the overarching scheme of things. Misogyny exists. Back to the real plot.

Apothecary Diaries is strictly from a female perspective and how each class of woman has to act, what limits they have, what rights they have and don't have between each class, etc. These women have to behave a certain way under a patriarchy, which you would think makes it a man's story, but it never is. The women are THE focus of this show, their struggles are THE plot. The focus is about how the patriarch effects them.

Take the concubines for example. The show dives into how bearing a child affects their rank, how traumatizing it is to lose that child, the consequences of that, etc. We have barely seen the emperor who sired all these kids because this is not about him.

Jinshi's personal plot is secondary to Mao Mao's journey- he is mostly there to provide new cases for Mao Mao to solve and to learn more about the shortcomings of his class when taking care of citizens like Mao Mao.

Jinshi is not a bad person, but by virtue of his position in the higher classes, he cannot understand how harsh life as a poor WOMAN is specifically- he can only catch glimpses of it from what Mao Mao tells him and feel outrage but powerless in his wealth and luxury

Mao Mao is a fortunate commoner woman for what privileges someone in her class should and shouldn't have. She happened to be adopted by a knowledgeable man. She is allowed to read, write, learn, and has enough skill to be a poison tester and have a job EXTREMELY out of her class limit as an apothecary, also a job not traditionally meant for women

Mao Mao is not a "noT lIkE oThER gIrLs" protagonist, she is FOR THE GIRLIES. She only wants to help the women around her, and women are whom she has the closest relationships to. She sees a woman being harassed and can't let it stand. She sees a frail, traumatized woman dying from the recklessness of those who should be caring for her and spends day and night nursing her back to health, while also punishing the people who were so careless with her needs.

My girl has STUDIED UP on THE BODY to TEACH these upper class ladies on how to really HEAT things up in the BEDROOM

Sex depicted in Apothecary Diaries is both something women are not shamed to be enjoying, while at the same time being acknowledged as an unfortunately huge economic necessity to market themselves.

Like shit is just so real in this series???

Listen, I can go on and on about how GOATED the series and especially Mao Mao is but you get the picture

[gabbyp09]

[yonae]

The Apothecary Diaries illustration by Nekokurage

[bmbrice]

An Elite Team

Don't mind me I'm just putting together an elite team. Of men. I just want to listen to that conversation lol. Cats.

[amalgamasreal]

Went into The Apothecary Diaries expecting House MD as a young Chinese Girl in the Three Kingdoms Era China, instead got the cutest little mad scientist drug pusher this side of the Yangtze River:

[anyanary]

Transportation✨

[chocoperrito]

SCREEN BOOPED BY MAO MAO the most reluctant, gentlest boop ever, but a boop nevertheless.

[neo--queen--serenity]

Jinshi: you can’t use your leg right now, you’re injured. Let me help you.

Maomao, her eyes enormous: you CARRY Maomao?? You pick her body up like the football??? OH!! Oh!!! Jail for Master Jinshi, jail for one thousand years!!

[uchiwaflame]

has this been done yet

[justshipsandstuff]

Started reading the light novels for the Jinmao, but stayed for the shenanigans (volume 10-11 were Great!)

I pray for the day we know your name, Lahan’s brother. Your ordinary swag and your expert farming knowledge have captured the heart of regular peasants

[fridaraph]

That frog goes down the history