#me after getting into erha: YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME

[nacrelysis]

*raises my voice over the clown music* guys it's still june 30 we can have haoyixing during pride month-*clown music gets louder* NO HEAR ME OUT-

[lunarriviera]

"people i'd like to get to know better" meme

tagged by: absolutely no one i'm just brain-fried and can't write today

🎶 last song I listened to: billie eilish, "birds of a feather," top volume belting along in the shower, that melismatic glide upward

📺 currently watching: five things but not seriously because there's something wrong with my brain and i keep bouncing off dramas: • are you safe? (no, no you are not, especially if your name is qin huai) • the spirealm (love those guys, don't know why i can't stick with this) • sci mystery (watch an episode when i'm really tired or depressed) • mysterious lotus casebook (again i find this very charming and i truly love cheng yi so i really don't know why i stopped) need to watch:

• parallel worlds (because i promised @programmedradly!) • lost you forever (because i promised @elenothar!) • the bikeriders, the holdovers, poor things, saltburn, anatomy of a fall, and godzilla minus one (because i promised @bettsfic!)

started reading, haven't finished:

• erha vol 5 (oh my god) • sha po lang vols 4-5 (the fan translation, which i struggle with) • case file compendium vol 1 (i love it! but can't concentrate)

probably it would be good if i would stop lying facedown on the bed, only sitting up to doomscroll occasionally or drink matcha

🌶️ sweet/savory/spicy?: sweet, because if it's a carb i crave it, thanks to the class-action-lawsuit psych med that both daily saves my life and also makes me ask, of everyone's dessert, "are you going to finish that?" carrie fisher once said of this drug, infamously, "it makes you crave salads—if, that is, salads were made out of chocolate."

❤️ relationship status: i will die alone and the cat will eat me. i do love living by myself but sometimes i miss having someone to fuss over

🤩 current obsessions: mo du/justice in the dark, still, even 8 months later; and under the skin, 2 full years after it aired. it's sad i know. always heihua. always pingxie. don't look at me. don't talk to me—

in mundane life anything pistachio-scented or -flavored but especially kyse perfumes' frangipane al pistacchio. the color robin's egg blue. writing my torrid little poems for the next book, tentatively called Not Again. being able to sleep at night como la gente.

tagging: i wouldn't do that to you because i love you too much; but please consider yourself tagged if you want to play this little game

[robealafrancaise]

Yo what's 2ha, you tagged it in a post about beloved media and I want to know more

Hi! I think you may be referring to my tags on the post about media that's great but you can't recommend without a bunch of caveats? 😂

2ha (or Erha, 2=er in Mandarin and it gets abbreviated both ways) refers to The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat.

It's a xianxia and danmei (Chinese BL) novel. It has almost every trigger warning known to man, and it is longer than the Bible. The official English translation is being published in volumes right now, with only the first two available as of today.

This was attached to the fan translation:

Basically, a cruel Emperor forces his shizun (teacher/master) to marry him, Shizun dies after a few years, the emperor kills himself, and then he wakes up as his 15-year-old self when he was still a disciple of a cultivation sect. But mentally he's a tyrant in his 30s, which makes things interesting. There is a big mystery that gets solved over time.

The endgame pairing is Mo Ran/Chu Wanning aka The Emperor I was talking about/His Shizun. A message from the author:

But yeah it's a great story, highly recommend, but *DO NOT* ignore those content warnings. They are not small mentions but significant portions of the book. Please take care of yourself and know your limits. Also to note: the rating on the English books is "For Mature Readers" as opposed to the 17+ they gave the MXTX novels, which did include some violence and sexual content. 2ha is on another level.

But if all that sounds good to you, I do recommend this novel! It's a popular danmei for a reason. The characters, story, and worldbuilding are fantastic. It will make you cry over wontons, flowers, and stairs. (Or maybe you're less emotional than me!) There is also dumb humor and heartfelt emotions. The ending is... I wouldn't say it's unambiguously happy but it's not Bad Ending, and the main ship is doing alright.

There's also an ongoing manhua adaptation if you'd want to read it that way, as well as a (censored) live action drama that we've all been waiting on to air for 3+ years. When will Immortality come home from the war? 🥲

Thank you for the ask, hope that all made sense!

[coreofgold]

Was that [JI LI]? Oh no no, that was just [SHI MEI/SHI MINGJING], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [ERHA/THE HUSKY AND HIS WHITE CAT SHIZUN]. They are [TWENTY-FOUR ] years old, use [HE/HIM], and [ARE NOT] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long

How long has your character been here Shi Mei thinks he's lived here since he was 8 but he's only been in D.C for a few weeks in actuality.

What is your character’s job He works as a blind travel doctor (like David Hartman), but instead of traveling to places worldwide, his focus is primarily on hospitals and clinics in D.C. that are understaffed and can't afford new doctors.

Where has your character been pulled from in their fandom Points to the end of the current timeline when he freed Chu Wanning, is blind and left as a traveling cultivator that heals all those who need it to atone; That traumatic and sad ending. He's taken from that, so even without his memories, he feels lost, unaccepted in all places and times, wondering why he is the way he is.

Has any magic affected your character It got rid of his memories and replaced it with a whole new life. He was adopted by an American family after being orphaned by his crazy father, killing and eating his mother. The adopted family fell through because they mistreated him, so he ran away and spent his life on the streets (open to found family plots). He already had a weak constitution, so he was weaker in terms of fighting, so he focused on healing and worked his butt off to get into med school and to get his job as a traveling doctor (though it's mostly interning now and working closely with a more experienced one just due to his age). Also, because he lived on the streets, he was used to manipulating others to survive and pave a place in a world that oppressed him (though in this place, instead of him following Hua Binan, Hua Binan is like the voice in the back of his head telling him what to do; Like an evil conscious that wants to survive. Though it's nothing like what happened in the novels; Just lying and playing up his innocence to get money and learn things to bring others down). He regretted everything once he got older, and while trying to atone, an accident occurred (he doesn't remember, but he knows his eyesight/eyes are gone from it a la Xiao Xingchen-like). That didn't stop him from wanting to atone, live a better life, and work as a travel doctor. Because he doesn't remember anything, he is depressed, he's lost, he doesn't know why, but he feels like he has regrets and pain that started centuries ago from a life he doesn't remember.

And any other information you might find useful for us and the other members to know!! Wiki Here Birthday: November 2 Siblings: Mu Yanli (half-sister) Zodiac: Scorpio Species: Half demon/half human Eye Color: Has no eyes/has a white bandage around where his eyes should be Hair Color: Black Scars: Missing eyes, various ones strewn about his body both from his life in ancient China and from being homeless in D.C. (because he did end up getting hurt here as well) Personality: kind-hearted, polite, wanting to reason with people instead of fighting, sweet temper and doesn't hold grudges, mediator, diplomacy and submissive, has a hidden bloodthirsty essence, manipulative, morally dubious Romantic Orientation: homosexual Sexual Orientation: homosexual

I am open to plots so please don’t hesitate to message me for plots and to know about his past !

[shen-daozhang]

Getting to Know Your BL Mutuals

rules: answer the questions and tag some people. include the tag ‘g2ky BL mutuals 2022’ on your post so we can find everyone’s answer.

thanks to @yanwushi for the tag- I am finally doing this!!! Doing both novels as well as visual media

What have been BLs that took you by surprise this year?

Wushuang/Peerless. I was going to read it eventually, but Thousand Autumns is such a favorite I was putting it off because I thought there was no way Wushuang could be as good as its predecessor. @yanwushi finally got me to read it and omfg... seriously the only person more obsessed with Cui Buqu than Feng Xiao is me. This one rocketed to the top of my favorite novels in record speed. I also want to mention that as someone who is chronically ill, I really appreciated the way Cui Buqu's disability was handled- honestly I think it's the best portrayal of chronic illness/disability I've read in a c-novel.

Nan Chan. I hate calling this book weird because I think that's a loaded term but it's unusual for sure, and I didn't expect to fall in love with a book that's about a sword and a demon carp. As someone who is autistic I got a lot out of both main characters trying to figure out how to act "human" and deal with identifying and processing their emotions. Also I just think that Cang Ji should be able to eat whomever he wants, as a treat.

Little Mushroom. “你只是一只很小的蘑菇” CRYING SCREAMING THROWING UP. I never in a million years expected to be emotionally compromised by a book about a sentient mushroom but here we are. Normally I love angst but I had to stop reading and check if it had a happy ending because I honestly couldn't have handled it if it didn't (it does). Also honestly one of the best pieces of post-apocalyptic fiction that I read and I loved the aspects of cosmic horror in the second volume.

It's not technically a BL, but Under the Skin (c-drama). I usually don't watch modern crime dramas for personal reasons, but I decided to give it a chance for language practice and because I like Tan Jianci. I expected to have it on in the background and instead the show grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go. (tho it made me impatient for the Mo Du/Silent Reading donghua and live action, and for Winner is King. when???)

What have been BLs that you felt a bit disappointed with this year?

Copper Coins. I enjoyed it and I thought that Xue Xian is a delightfully full-of-himself protagonist but to me it felt like a young author's early work that needed trimming in some parts and expansion in others. I just really felt like it wasn't the masterpiece that I'd heard it talked up to be. (Although to be fair I think I did it a major disservice reading it after Nan Chan)

The Defective's donghua. It just didn't grab me at all which sucks bc I like the novel, and I really hated what they did with some of the female characters (wtf is with Penny's character design and what was with the choice to have Mint never speak??)

Legend of Exorcism donghua. I know there are people who adore this show, and I desperately wanted to like it... but there was something I can't quite put my finger on that turned me off. I think I would like it more if I'd read the novel, I felt like there were undercurrents of a good story that weren't being properly delved or something. That said, it did pique my interest enough to put the novel on my to-read list, and I'm looking forward to getting to it.

What has been your favorite BL this year?

WushuangWushuangWushuangWushuangWushuang. Did I mention Wushuang already?

Favorite BL/GL couples (not just of 2022)

Feng Xiao & Cui Buqu (Wushuang), Gu Yun & Chang Geng (Sha Po Lang), Yan Wushi & Shen Qiao (Thousand Autumns), Ranwan (Erha)

If you had to suggest a BL for someone what would it be?

If you like xianxia and a quirky found family (and also knives), hands down Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fu Yao Sect by Priest

If you're more into wuxia elements and rivals-to-lovers-but-still-rivals, Wushuang/Peerless by Meng Xishi.

Please, more people need to read these books. Also if you're looking for more things to read, I have a libguide reading list here! I need to update it, but it's an ongoing project. Let me know if there are any BL you think I should add!

What’s your non-BL favorite this year?

WIND BLOWS FROM LONGXI *banging pots and pans together* screaming, crying, throwing up. IT'S SO GOOD. I desperately want more "gritty" historical shows like this one. The Three Kingdoms Period is one of my special interests and Chen Kun is one of my favorite actors, seriously this show was almost tailor-made for me. Also for you Guardian fans out there Bai Yu is one of the two main characters.

Honorable mention to Love Between Fairy and Devil, which made me take back everything I had previously said about Dylan Wang Hedi's acting.

Tagging: I think everyone I'm mutuals with has already done this, but if you see it and you want to please pretend I tagged you :)

[aladybetween2majors]

My Vegaspete Fear.

Warning: I am going to ramble a lot and it might not make sense. But as a lovely Miss Harley Quinn once said, it's my fucking post so am gonna write what I fucking want, I think that's what she said, more or less.

I know that I've mentioned many times how I've anticipated the Vegaspete storyline and even made jokes about Pete getting Kidnapped but the truth is now that their storyline is here I feel scared, no terrified that it will be fucked up and I'll end up hating the execution and in relation the pairing.

I can tell from the reactions of some people to the start of Vegaspete last episode that they are getting triggered by the actions of the characters, and I understand that it has been mentioned several times that their story line would always be a polarizing one that some people can't reconcile themselves with. And no one is asking you to do that, we all have our triggers and if yours are set off by their scenes please make use of the fast forward button, don't come here and call everyone else sick for being able to stomach what you can't.

I have a confession to make and that is that before episode 4 of Kinnporsche, Vegas was the character I wanted to see the most, I had a total crush on Bible and wanted to see his character and I thought I would like him no matter what. Then the end of episode 4 happened, Vegas drugged Porsche and although I knew it would happen I felt so mad while watching it. What made it even worse was that Kinn had sex with a drugged up Porsche, a Porsche we knew had never been with a man before, it wouldn't have been any better if a woman did that but for Porsche we can't deny that women are familiar and men aren't. The show does their best to address this with the weight it deserves for the amount of time they have and although it wasn't to my complete satisfaction i am grateful for their attempt. Why am I saying this you might ask, well I remember coming to the tag after this scene I had to fast forward through because I nearly cried while watching it and i saw people making posts about how sexy it was, I was utterly horrified and my first thought was 'what is wrong with you all?' ironic I know.

My point is that I understand what it is like to have a storyline you absolutely despise within the show, but don't act like it should be removed in order to suit your tastes.

Characters and story arcs don't always have to be good and right but they MUST be interesting and well written.

While watching the Vegaspete scene I didn't find it sexy in any sense of the word, I found it fascinating mainly because my thought was how do we go from here, how do we get from this point to the point where your characters are in love?

Therein lies my fear, I once made a post about the Fascination with Vegaspete, and I mentioned that what drew me to them is the possibility that their story could either go tits up or be really interesting. If you came here to find a healthy dynamic then I want to burst your bubble right now. You won't. They will never be that, well written is what we can hope for.i am worried we won't get that but only time will tell.

I find it funny that my biggest triggers are SA, kidnapping, bullying and stockholm syndrome, and Kinnporsche The Series is managing to cover almost all of them. It took me a while to get over the SA and actually start liking Vegas and Kinn again (Vegas is still on my shitlist but I don't hate him with passion any more) so I am curious if the Vegaspete story line will send me over the edge. I have been able to enjoy stories with those elements (Erha, anybody?) So not even I know how far my tolerance goes.

[lostintherealmsofthefandoms]

I just finished erha(2ha) or also known as Husky and His White Cat Shizun. And I needed come here talk a lil about my experience.

Part 1

Warning: Spoiler ahead. Sensitive topics being discuss. That's just my opinion. Don't kill me.

My rate:🌟4.0/5.0 (or 9.0/10.)

Let's start with...

Things that I loved in the plot, or arc or narrative.

In their Romance/Relationship:

Xia Sini arc.

Nothing to say. I just loved the whole arc. I felt it was a way of restart all with a more sweet, pure, innocent way, considering it gave the opportunity to them grow close, be friends, get to know better each other. I loved that.

Their first times having sex

I loved how MR focused on giving pleasure on CW, despite his desire. That was sweet

The Love Declaration

Nothing to say too. Just beautiful. (But my heart broken every time I heard CW saying "I'm ugly").

Mo Ran's Death

Loved that? You kidding me? I hated that. I cried like a baby, it hurted so much. But is was so beautiful and so tragic... I can't not even talk about that scene without getting emotional.

The End

I didn't like having Taxian Jun around, but I did loved how CW loved the whole MR. Those extras are just beautiful.

In the Plot:

Time travel.

I love so much a plot of time travel. Specially those that are different from the mostly. That you go back in time and change things but this doesn't affect the present, it creates a new timeline. I loved this.

Multiverse of Madness.

I'm Marvel fan so when I saw this plot I loved so much. Cause is exactly the same thing than in Marvel. In the show Loki is explained. I think if anyone didn't understand well that part of having two version of each, could watch Loki and understand better, even being different stories and in erha not be mentioned multiverse, the concept is the same. In Loki if you go back in time and change something that will create another world "copy" of the original, another timeline with that change in motion, but your present will remain, the way it remained to CW. But there will be two version of the same person, of each person. So I absolutely loved this.

The reason behind all/The villain goal.

I started the book already knowing about the flower. I didn't know how and why, I just knew MoRan was evil once because of some demonic flower. Because of my trauma with Maven from Red Queen, my suspect number one from the very first moment was the kind, sweet, complacent Shi Mei. However I never expected how much emotions I would feel around this. I loved that the goal of the bad guy was not something evil like domain/destroy the world. The villain is evil but his goal is good and understandable. The way those people suffered is was expected that one day someone would go crazy enough to do something about it. I felt so confused, cause for one side I wanted them to be okay, go home or something, on other hand the gates couldn't be open, but after it were open, after all was done and said, I did root for them, I root for them to enter, was too late anyway, how could I wish for they don't go home? So against all odds, I sided with the villain at this moment, I felt angry against that demon tbh, don't wanting let them enter. And after they entered, I felt happy about it and than, guilty cause they only was able to enter due to all that Hua BiNan did, all the genocide, he succeed, how can I be happy for him succeed? But in other hand, those people weren't bad, they just wanted to live, to live without fear of being killed in the mostly horrible way possible, how can I don't he happy about them being safe? And this is the mostly amazing thing about all this. Is one of the villain that I hated the mostly, but with a noble goal. I still don't know how to feel about all this. But I loved it. Well played Meatbun.

The villain

Talking about the goal. The other thing that I loved was the villain. I hate him. But he's the best villain I've seen on a fantasy book. He's complex. He kills without blink, he's responsible for numberless genocide, I never seen someone with so much blood on their hand before and still he thinks he didn't kill. Still despite his coldness, his goal is merely save his people, not even revenge, just take them home, still he don't think himself as a hero. Honestly I think he's very complex, complicated and really, really well written. When I started read and having my suspects, I remember thinking, if SM is really the villain he has a lot of potential if she knows what to do, and I'm so happy in being right with that gut feeling, he fulfilled his potential, I hated him, I felt disgusted by him, shocked by his coldness and evilness, than I understood him, felt reluctantly, compassion and pity, and I will never admit that I said that but when he died I felt some sort of respect for him be willing to give his life for his people, not respect for all he did, I despise all he did, but respect about he giving his life. None of those feelings cancelled the other. I admire him giving his life still hating and despising him and all he did. Even SM 2.0 I have, had trouble in forgive, I don't mind he ending up alive, but I still hate him too, cause he still threw the flower on MoRan. So the reason why he's the best villain I've ever seen is because he made me feel things. Don't know if my moral compass is broken, if my heart is too soft or too weird, but that how it went to me.

----*----

I'm quite aware that every book, even my fav of the fav, are not perfect. To me at least, I haven't read one book up to this day that I consider perfect. I think every book has defaults and problematics, is just up to each person decide what they can ignore what they can't. I have read Chronicles of Ice and Fire which is dark and full of problematic, so erha was not so hard to me. Still, ofc there's things I disliked, this just didn't harm my experience. So, with no more overdue, here's what I disliked the mostly.

The problematics that bothered me:

Wanning in love with MoRan when MR was only 16.

That did bother me but, I was able to ignore, because of a few things, first, WanNing is innocent, naive, his love is pure, because him himself is pure, with exception of that time that MR sliped in that bathtub place(I know is not a bathtub but I forgot the name lol) in which CW got er ya know, I don't remember other moments that CW feelings towards MR was sexual(in book one). Another thing was that MR had a adult mind, not just that but a crazy adult mind, he's the one who attacked CW, it was like CW being in dangerous rather than the other way around. Another things was that in the world of the book, 15 is the over age.

The rape scenes.

Not the arc of the rape, but the scenes itself. I didn't like how descriptive she was. Not just because of the emotional part, but because is kinda boring. I find even sex scenes too long boring sometimes. I found unnecessary the too long descriptions. But is something you can just skip.

Things I disliked, but it has to do with the narrative or plot and is related to my taste or pov(not a problematic, at least not to me):

Too much sexual tension in the second book.

This has to do with my taste, I'm not a big fan of hot, so I found boring that chapter after chapter we had only they with their sexual tense, one moment cute and more sexual tense. That and the lack of things happening was kinda boring too me. But don't get me wrong, is not like I hate all, I loved many moments. But about that too, another thing that bother me was how the author associated love with sex. And love and sex not always walks together. I mean ace people exists, they fall in love without the sexual part so, I didn't like that.

The final revelation.

MoRan be a Butterfly-Boned Beauty to me was a little thrown out of nowhere and too convenient. He's a rare type that shows no signals of be so, is convenient, I feel is something made up in the last moment just so he could come back to life. Is okay, but I just felt a little meh about that.

I miss a little more of development on XM.

I will talk about this when talking about the characters.

I miss a little bit more of reaction before the villain revelation/goal and the whole manipulation thing.

I feel MoRan is the mostly enlightened person ever, cause in no moment we have him feeling angry for being manipulated for so many years. In two lives. I missed having him dealing with this. The angry, the disappointment, the sorrow. The confusion maybe. This also applies to Xue Meng, even more maybe, cause his feelings for SM weren't messed up. He was so attached to his lil group, and seemed close to Shi Mei, so I missed he reacting to that. What I got from him is that he was in denial. Either way I feel only WanNing had a proper reaction to the revelation. Everyone else was a bit off about it. It lack depth on it.

Taxian Jun is still around.

I don't like the end, the part of TXJ still exiting, because once in every three days, MoRan will feel miserable again, paranoiac and broken and that makes me sad. He suffered so much he deserved be happy and well all the time.

This is it. That was the things that I disliked or bothered me regarding the plot, story, arc, narrative.

My favorite scenes, not necessarily scenes that I loved, more like scenes that made me feel something.

Mo Ran's death.

Sisheng Peak being destroyed and XM going crazy in kill mode.

Flashback of the flower being thrown.

The revelation of who is behind all, in the cave after the flower is gone.

The revelation about CW birth.(I scremed "he's pinocchio ahhh")

HBN death

TXJ sacrifice, when he becomes dust.(Btw I felt some parallel between those last two, them both holding up something, sacrificing themselves to a number of people escaping, both living under the trauma of their mother's death. I don't know the meaning behind, but I felt it was a parallel)

MoRan being saved by CW from that blood hourglass in book 1.

Mo Ran taking care of CW during the whole night in book 1.

MoRan taking care of Xia Sini.

That scene with Chu Xun.

The love declaration.

Part 2 is here

[unforth]

I am finishing The Untamed and am IN. LOVE. I thought I remembered you posting a thread on where to go next in this journey but can't find it! Do I want to read the English fan translation of the novel? Do I want to read the (I don't know the word for the Chinese version) Manga? Watch the animated version? What comes after The Untamed? Help, Unforth! You're my only hope! (If you have the time/spoons/energy, of course.) Thank you!!

Ack I’m so sorry I didn’t answer this sooner, I’ve kinda been a mess this week. Anyway! You have a lot of places you can go next!

The Untamed is adapted from Mo Dao Zu Shi, a novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It’s explicit, the ship is canon, warnings for dub con (acknowledged, which at least for me makes a difference) and homophobia. There are multiple adaptations of MDZS, all of which are more similar to each other than any of them are to Untamed - Untamed made some major changes in the plot (for example, changed the entire timeline for when Xue Yang, Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan are introduced, and completely invented the Yin Iron and everything related to it) and those changes aren’t present in any of the other versions. That said, they’re different, but still enjoyable. (personal disclaimer: I *far* prefer the Untamed to the others, but that’s just me, some people love the others far more.)

Exiled Rebels Scanalations English translation

Mo Dao Zu Shi Donghua by Tencent (Chinese equivalent of anime)

I think there’s some other version people read but I’ve read the Exiled Rebs translation of the manhua (Chinese equivalent of manga)

Suibian Subs has the main version of the radio drama that I know of; I hear good things about it but haven’t listened personally

Those are all options if you want more of Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and all the rest of our wonderful cast. Now, if instead you want some new characters to fall in love with, by the same author...

My favorite of the danmei novels I’ve read so far is Tian Guan Ci Fu. It’s also by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, and I adore it. The translation done by @yummysuika and others is phenomenal, and you can learn more about where to access it here. There’s also a manhua. It’s currently on hiatus, but you can read translations on TGCFMissy’s account on Twitter. (the first chapter is missing a few of the sections and I don’t know why but all the rest is there). The donghua has one season out, and recently came to Netflix.

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s third novel (well, actually her first - the order she wrote them in was this one, then MDZS, then TGCF) is Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong, usually translated to “The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System.” There’s a website with the whole thing translated but I personally read the first half-or-so of the chapters here, and the rest here. A manhua exists but it only had a couple issues come out before it vanished, and the first season of the donghua aired last year and is available on Youtube.

...and finally, some works by others...

Guardian, or Zhenhun, by Priest, is one of the early danmei works to get really popular. The show and the novel are VERY different. The show is available on Youtube. I don’t have time to hunt down the novel translation rn, sorry.

Word of Honor, also based on a novel by Priest, is a break out hit right now. I’ve only seen the first three episodes so far, but they’re great and I can’t wait to watch more. It’s on Youtube Afaik there is not an official translation yet of the entire series, even though it’s all aired. The novel it’s based on is “Faraway Wanderers”

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun, usually called Erha or 2ha, is by Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat. There’s a show adaptation filmed, but it hasn’t aired yet, and I believe there’s a manhua and a radio drama, though I’ve not listened to each. Warning for a LOT of dark themes, especially non-con stuff.

I’m currently reading Thousand Autumns, by Meng Xishi, and I’m enjoying it a lot. There’s also a donghua; the first season is on Youtube.

There’s loads more, and in a lot of ways I’m a terrible person to ask because I have so little time for watching and reading right now.

My personal “to watch” list right now is...

Word of Honor

The Lost Tomb Reboot (I’m almost done, but it’s not on the above list cause it’s not canonically queer)

Thousand Autumns donghua

Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

Probably about six other things I’m not remembering right now

My personal “to read” list includes...

Sha Po Lang (also by Priest)

The Wife is First

Those Years in Quest of Honor Mine

How to Survive as a Villain

Faraway Wanderers (by Priest)

And I’ve got some others stashed away in my Tumblr drafts - that’s where I save danmei rec posts when I see them on my dash.

So...that’s a lot. If you want one single rec? Tian Guan Ci Fu is so far my favorite, I’d personally say go there next. :D

[fatalism-and-villainy]

@veliseraptor:

sort of writing a fic about vegas's relationship with his own sadism but basically: I think for him they do feel mutually exclusive, at this point in time? like, what he says about "I used to think I was a freak" to Pete after they have sex...it feels to me like this is very much something where he's like "there is the badwrong sex and there is the good sex and if I'm going to be a good boyfriend then I can't be mean."

basically I think there's a lot of...figuring out that has to be done around the idea of sadism in particular, emotional and physical, as something that's actually fine within the context of a relationship and not just, you know, a thing for torture dungeons.

I think your reading is psychologically realistic, and I get where you're coming from. And I do genuinely enjoy the fact that they're both ashamed of it. But.... hmmm. I've been trying to come up with words to explain why I find this genuinely frustrating as writing.

I think for one thing, the "I used to think I was a freak" dialogue just makes the above feel inconsistent to me, as a sentiment? Like, sure, I'd believe that he thought there was something fundamentally wrong with him for enjoying tying up and torturing guys (maybe not always actual prisoners, but probably sex workers, like with Kinn) while conducting himself gleefully and shamelessly on the outside. In context, I can only take his following up that line with "...until now" to mean that what made the difference was finding someone else who was into it, and wanted it as much as he did? So to me it doesn't really make sense for him to backpedal the way he does here, and treat it like something to be disavowed. I would understand if it were coming directly from Pete's "I'm a person, with feelings!" outburst (and Vegas' seeming accompanying realization that he actually cares about/is in love with Pete), but the scene by the pool does seem to make it pretty clear that Pete does embrace that dynamic when it's on his own terms, and that it's a major aspect of his love for Vegas?

But frankly, a lot of their interactions (and the character interactions on this show in general) felt a bit randomized to me. So... idk, I think typing this up has reinforced for me that the writing just isn't very consistent, and is lacking in logical through-lines for the development of characters' perspectives. Because so many of their feelings and motivations seemed to flip-flop rapidly for me.

But I guess more broadly - and this is what I was thinking of when I huffily posted the screenshots - I find it frustrating when media like this presents a kink dynamic as part of the development of a romance, and frames it as a major factor in the allure of the relationship, but then has that element of the characters' dynamic just taper off or be pushed to the side as not relevant to a future romantic commitment? I had the same frustration with Erha, actually. It leaves a lot of space for fanfiction authors and whatnot to fill in, but it leaves the work itself feeling frustratingly incomplete, because there's this big gaping hole in the story re: the characters' dynamic. Like, both stories lean heavily into the fanservice-y qualities of what they're doing, so I'm not claiming these stories are espousing some kind of 50 Shades of Gray style moralism wrt framing kink as something bad that needs to be excised from a healthy relationship. But I do get the sense that they approach kink as primarily just a form of titillation for the audience, rather than something that had actual psychological consequences for the future of the relationship. But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Oh come ON they're not mutually exclusive