#sifeng just give in

[dangermousie]

Gotta love the supposed righteous cultivators going “eh who knows if he’s guilty and who cares, let’s murder him and sort it out later.”

This is a man who is fighting not just destiny but predestination and utterly refuses to give up. And all despite a world that has been 99% horrific to him. 

Ummm if devil god is unkillable and will always come back as long as people have grievances, why are you even bothering to murder this poor guy? (It’s nice to know Susu’s trash bio dad is trash in any timeline. One would wonder why sects believe a rando but it’s only because he says what they want to hear.)

God, I love him. Those are very different narratives and characters but it reminds me of Love & Redemption where Sifeng went “ fate? fuck it!”

[tidal123]

LHJD appreciation post (and some headcanon)

So Luohou Jidu, one most under-valued character in the show. Not that the show didn't demonstrate his very awesome full range, but we didn’t get to see him much before the current events, what’s he really like without all that revenge. In the demon’s realm his title was “the respected/revered one”. Not “the feared one” mind you. And Wu Zhiqi, in Zihu’s words ‘the most free, big-hearted person in the world’ admits that among all of the Shuras he admires Luohou Jidu the most. That must count for something. And considering he didn’t overthrow King Shura when he easily could, if he wanted, Luohou Jidu was not motivated by power, even if he have abundant.

Major spoilers and some images below.

It was said in the novel he wanted to become a woman(before that choice was stole away by the real villain and twisted so horribly that he hated being called his chosen female name). In the show this was not mentioned. I don’t like to think that he wanted to become a woman just to be better accepted to love men, that’s too narrow. Instead, I want to give him some back story, where this decision has more to do with his culture and his self-actualization. So Luohou Jidu did not choose to be female because he feels he had to, but because he decided to. It was said that in the novel his people were initially all born with a male form due to their aggressive nature and the wrath energy they control, but could choose their gender as they reached adulthood. I’d like to think Luohou Jidu would choose to turn female mainly because of his own thoughts, nature and aspirations, because being female is considered as much more difficult but a higher choice, something to aspire to, and very few could manage it. I’d like to think for his people being female is not only not ‘less’ but ‘more’, a way to expand your being and ability, because it’d be especially difficult for those who naturally wield the wrath energy to reconcile that with femininity. Most wouldn’t even bother because they enjoy being males more anyway. So Luohou Jidu’s choice would still be unusual, but not completely shocking among his folks.

Besides, becoming female does not mean being submissive—it’s obvious who tops and who bottoms between Xuanji and Sifeng. There was also none of that female must be mild bullcrap involved. Instead, being female probably means not just able to strike but also protect, to have an ability of gentleness on top of their fierce nature. From the beginning it is shown that Xuanji has strong instinct to protect others and be just, so it’d be natural to assume this is also true for Luohou Jidu. He was not a simple brute who is just a vehicle to carry out some of fic writers’ fantasies.

I like how there was superposition and wholeness in the show. LHJD was very comfortable in his maleness, as Xuanji/God of War was comfortable in her femaleness. It speaks to the truth that human nature cannot be constrained by gender norms expected from society. A very capable mind would naturally shrug off such artificial constrictions. I’d like to think a more capable mind can instead enjoy such artificial constructions and be more. And I think this is one of the reason I really like Xuanji/Luohou Jidu being the same being, but in different manifestations. We can see that Luohou Jidu is a more unrestrained version of Xuanji/God of War and Xuanji as a more happy and agreeable version of Luohou Jidu. Yet they would both fall in love with Sifeng and let themself be anchored to the mortal world because of that love. 

[mejomonster]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook, ep 2:

So I really like Joseph zengs character. He gets better at acting each show i see him in. I love Fangs personality

Fang really did follow this doctor to his tiny mobile house and said You're Having me at Dinner, I brought drinks, work with me, drink with me whether you like it or not, my shifu is like xianyu and my uncle was the guy he died for (that lianhua is relentlessly still searching for the body of). ;-;

Fang also said your cooking sucks, my case here was kept private so fuck you help me More, also I can't actually pay Even though I'm used to being a rich bitch, I hero worshipped li xianyu, I saved your life TWICE DUDE do what I say (you can tell he's used to getting his little way uvu), and "I ran from an arranged marriage I'm not made for politics feel bad for me, i was made to bring justice to the world and make a name for myself~" and li lianhua hit him back with the "-.- I couldn't give a shit about your sob story or anyone's, I'm not looking to be heroic I'm just trying to mind my business dude."

He saved li lianhua twice that's so fucking funny to me. So like, I had a running count once of How Many Times wu xie swooned in dmbj dramas (lmao you can guess how BIG that list got) and how many times xiaoge saved him (if you guess once per episode that's probably the rough average). So it is. Particularly funny to me that wu xies actor is now the guy chronically saving another damsel. I hope fang saves li lianhua at least once per episode! Fuck it, I love twice per episode why not continue that! I want li lianhua falling in his arms repeatedly, nonstop, to the point its expected. I would very much enjoy that trope (and letting Joseph zengs character get to be the savior in said trope more uvu)

It's also funny cause wu xie was a prickly kitten of a damsel in distress. Whereas li lianhua is adamantly acting like he was NEVER about to die in the first place. There's mm... there's probably character details in there... something to be said about li lianhua not afraid of dying, or emotionally heavy enough he wouldn't mind getting to after 10 years of not dying from a poison when he Should Have and a mortal wound when he Should Have. Idk about other people, but when I got really chronically sick and I was in the ER almost dying a lot for months. Mm. It got to a point where I was like why can't my body just hit me all at once and let me live or die like when I got appendicitis, why does it have to be hurting me slowly and I just have to bear it and it's slow enough I have to get up and fight it every day and it may never end. And it's like I dunno, I see in li lianhua the ghosts of those kind of feelings. Maybe. We'll see I guess if it gets that emotionally heavy. Back to the point though, I find his character interesting and different than sifeng (which again I really appreciate lol)

I just. I love Joseph zengs character in this

I like the episode structures so far??? It feels like 2 parters, which helps to break up watching. And it seems it cheapened out on wasting time on some scenes in order to spend more time on case plots, which I think is a good choice

My gay rating? Not as gay (yet) as Word of Honor or Lord Critical World. Though reminding me of both shows. (Lord Critical World is WILD BTW and full of dmbj actors so I highly recommend it for a Weird Time). It is however striking me as having the potential to have as shippy vibes (at minimum) as Ultimate Note. Which I mean. I'm optimistic I guess?

Anyone else beyond refreshed to see a real dog instead of a cgi animal in one of these shows?

I'm curious how closely this follows the novel. Because I'm quite liking the show. If the novel is Just as good or better, I'll definitely be checking out the novel.

I am l...doubting it's intentional, but li lianhua's whole Setup feels VERY modern ordinary man, despite the wuxia setting and him being The Best Heroic Swordsman ever 10 years prior (and the Miracle Medicine Man/smart liar now). Despite the very belonging to this genre Character Setup, cheng yi plays him like a modern ordinary 35 year old, and a lot of character Details just strike as. Very relatable. Having a dog you share dinner with, living in a small mobile home (ultimately), having your own little garden (and budget being tight), trying to learn how to cook because you have to make good food for Yourself, lying to protect yourself in a shady environment (rather than playing Brazen Hero who picks a fight like one expects in this kind of shows hero type), been sick a long time and in no way in their prime anymore (even though he's relatable to me thats also lol just generally relatable to anyone who's aged and realized they can't be The Best at sports anymore or something), focused on people he loves now and being roughly fair instead of Saving the World (a very relatable goal and one I feel like a lot of people gravitate toward as they age: you don't always keep believing you personally will be a superstar or billionaire or save the planet on your own, and while it's awesome if you still do, you also start realizing you're satisfied to also just make sure your loved ones are supported and your local neighborhood has a food pantry you support and you get invested in what you can do today right now everyday to help in little ways).

[nemainofthewater]

Halfway report:

Tantai Jin is currently in the lead with almost a third of the votes followed by Mei Changsu, with Li Lianhua and Mo Xuanyu tied for third.

A selection of propaganda from the tags (excluding the ones which have their own reblog from @circumference-pie (for Tantai Jin) and @thelaithlyworm (for Wu Xie) under the cut

Yu Sifeng:

#voting for Yu Sifeng even though I haven’t seen L&R yet#every single gifset I’ve seen has him choking on blood#I feel like he deserves it by @jianghushenanigans

#vote yu sifeng !!!!#bro did not spit two times his weight in blood in 58 episodes to be second !! by @bananaproved

Tantai Jin:

#okay objectively speaking i think llh and his tottering-on-the-brink-of-death self is the most anemic#HOWEVER im confident ttj has him beat in sheer volume of blood that he spits up. so this one's for you my pathetic little meow meow by @nutcasewithaknife

#I voted for Tantai Jin because that was an orgy of blood ❤️#but to be fair I haven't watched love and redemption and didn't finish nirvana in fire#there could be whumpfests I've not experienced#full of blood spitting galore by @thawrecka

#im sorry it has to be tantai jin#they spent at least 20% of the budget on fake blood packets by @tavina-writes

#they didddd#Mei Changsu at least had the shivering as well#tantai jin was 15% dramatic blood spitting by @mysticaltorque

#I legit haven't even watched the show just read fic and seen gifs#and even I know he's the king of coughing up blood hahaha#tteotm#til the end of the moon by @urisarang

#at least a couple of these characters are literally dying#but from what I've seen (I haven't seen four of these shows/books)#ttj spits up the most blood#so much...all the time...#till the end of the moon by @jaggedcliffs

#listen i don't even go there#but even i know that#tantai jin#spits the most blood of anyone#it's all over his face! it's dripping down!#it's practically in his HAIR#shen wei? give me a break#i will however admit that#li lianhua#comes in a close second. like that's a lot of blood#cdramas by @lunarriviera

#apologies to z1l#but yeah#til the end of the moon#boy is pale and sickly and blood drinking#even before he grew up by @1ebilcat

#it HAS to be tantai jin#it would be easier to count the scenes where he ISN'T covered in blood#til the end of the moon by @woadoverweld

by @purplehyacinthsimp

#didn't even finish tteotm but I KNOW ttj is the winner here#so much blood everywhere by @larks-and-katydids

#my heart goes out to ttj's actor; he probably tasted that corn syrup for weeks 😂😂😂 by @firstdove15

Xie Lian

#the only reason xie lian isnt anemic is bc his shackles regenerate blood too quickly by @jedistranger

#xie lian isn't mortal and shen wei isn't human#if xie lian was mortal anemia would be the least of his worries by @aceofthegreenajah

Li Lianhua

#went for li lianhua but there are some good choices here#mlc#guardian#nif#jol#mdzs#love and redemption#<- have only seen around 4 eps of this so far but it has cy so there has been plenty of blood#speaking of is it cheating to have a write-in candidate of 'cheng yi cinematic universe' by @muninnhuginn

Write in candidates:

#zhou zishu#with those hooks through his shoulders?#also wen kexing every time he regrets an evil thought lmao by @sunnyuto

#I'm voting for Shen Qiao from Thousand Autumns#that dude spits blood like it's going out of style by @vergoftowels

Do cdramas know that the blood is meant to be on the inside? Signs point to no: I'm inclined to blame the fake blood industry, who would collapse if certain conventions were abolished...

Have you had bad news? Spit blood!

Have you been hit somewhere (and if the drama is very committed to verisimilitude, in the torso area)? Spit blood!

Have you stubbed your toe? ...you know the drill by now...

And then there are those people who just... lost so much blood they shouldn't really be standing...

(and no, putting them in the Extra Pale Foundation (tm) doesn't count as medical care...)

Sometimes, the contestants in this poll can fulfil both criteria at the same time!

It's the 'Most Likely to Be Anaemic Poll'!

Propaganda, examples, and write-ins absolutely welcome!

[andoqin]

LaR Rewatch ep 7-9

My watch continues and ohhh we’re finally starting to get into the juicy “How long does it take for Sifeng to suffer” hours.

It uh does not take very long at all because after being locked up thanks to losing his mask (and the viewer getting introduced to Liu-ge aka one of my favourite side characters) he gets sent to Turbo Ice Hell and it does not go well for him, but good for me, because look at this, he suffers Oh So Prettily.

Meanwhile, Xuanji keeps getting gaslit by the psycho Shixiong who is obviously more than a mere shixiong and whenever he says anything I keep getting rage blackouts.

Here is Xuanji, expressing a very Normal interest in possibly regaining her senses and he’s all HOW DARE YOU, STOP IMMEDIATELY I FORBID YOU. (It’s probably *not* a homosexual metaphor but man it is so so easy to make it one) and of course he tries to literally MINDWIPE her so she can’t have independent thoughts and only be what he allows her to be. 

Thankfully the narrative doesn’t allow him to do it, since he can’t use his magic in the mortal realm (first inclination of who he is) so Xuanji can keep that part of herself, but he does maneuver it so she doesn’t contact Sifeng for the whole time she is training and he is in Icy Turbo Hell. This is a time period of LITERALLY YEARS. jesus christ poor Sifeng. 

And just before he spends years in ITH he gets visited by his Master and the Vice-Leader and tells them to fucking stuff it because Sifeng is my favourite kind of hero. Yes he suffers, but his belief system is pretty unshakeable and he knows what’s right and what’s wrong.

I gotta say tho, CWN would like to have a word! there’s no need for uncalled for plant dissing Sifeng! Plants can have feelings!!! 

This is just here because Mickey He has ginormous Claws and I want to congratulate whomever made that costuming decision I hope they got a raise. 

But things can’t go well for Sifeng of course, whenever he expresses his opinion (the correct opinion btw) the universe punishes him for it, so he hears Xuanji talking about how she loves her 6th Martial Brother and that’s when Sifeng is like .. you know what maybe cutting off my feelings is a Good Idea Actually and puts on the lovers curse mask. 

Cue Several Years later and Xuanji is no longer the useless rube who can’t cultivate but a badass who dispatches evil ghosties with her umbrella with ease. 

She, her sis and 6th bro meet up, get to go down the mountain and explore without adults for the first time in their lives. Xuanji and her sister have an extremely cute reunion that warms my cold black heart and i’m honestly so happy that the relationship is as good as it is. 

And wouldn’t you know it, they meet up with Sifeng (whom they were trying to reach anyway since he’s ignoring Xuanji’s calls) and he is all “oh i am totally above everything I dont care about you Xuanji, not at all. “

He does give Xuanji the peice of Bahuangbut Xuanji can’t read the rooom and is all “oh i dont need it anymore “ which makes him go even harder at OH OKAY I GUESS I HAVE EVEN LESS NO FEELINGS NOW THIS IS COOL.

Xuanji is sort of understandably confused, but girl you ghosted him for like 4 years what was the poor dude supposed to think.

She does not let this get her down tho and as she continues to be around him, his resolve to not have feelings for her melts like ice in the sun, quite literally bc he starts sweating VERY quickly hahahah. 

I dont blame Sifeng entirely though, because who could stay mad for long with Xuanji being cute and adorable around you. Especially when you have as big a crush on her as Sifeng does. 

[astarlightmonbebe]

i’m in spain with the s after episode 47 of love and redemption

[aquynh]

everyone who’s raved about love & redemption has to justify themselves rn im at 21/59 eps and all that’s happened is me and cheng yi suffering . im here for cheng yi but im starting to dread seeing the camera pan to him every time 😭😭✋🏼

[tidal123]

Translation:

“Xuanji’s life should be decided by herself. You have no right to decide for her.”

“The way I do things is not about whether it’s worth it. It’s about whether I’m willing.”

“But this disciple doesn’t find fault in that. The seven emotions and six desires are after all the most normal thing in this world.”

“If just because someone cannot give you response, you’d want to kill them. Then this kind of person will eventually not be loved by anyone, nor are they worthy to love anyone.”

All Sifeng’s words from the show. Gosh I love Sifeng so much!

200821 | Cheng Yi Studio Weibo

[tidal123]

When you look at the framing of various stories there are often a problem of equating the rising of the oppressed with total, utter destruction of the world. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

What I like about LnD is the “flipping the villain”

You assume from the start of the show with those in the show that LHJD was the big terror, the destroyer of the world,

and you learned it is the inverse, that Bailin, who is the shepherd of privileges, who has been disseminating lies of ultimate villainy of LHJD, is the real culprit actively destroying the three realms for a thousand years

There are so many unreliable narrators, everyone in the show has incomplete information and imperfect thinking, including the main heroes, their friends, the real villains etc

Like Brother Liu assuming Xuanji would become a mindless killing machine as LHJD returns, and how Sifeng initially asked LHJD why couldn’t he just simply give up hate? Only one who questioned that narrative is Tengshe after he found out about the tremendous horrors behind how the Star of Mosha became GoW, and he rightfully called out everybody else.

but is the show perfect in this? Nah, it still got back to that old narrative. The rabid fear of a big change, of possible chaos. Why should tipping the primordial caldron instantly destroy all life? It is a narrative choice which doesn’t necessarily make sense projected to real life. But I choose to view it this way: accepting such a possibility as crucial to not fall to the ‘at all cost’ trap, which led to the formation of Bailin

Who, as his boss directly told him, has became too obsessed with maintaining heaven realm’s privilege and absolute dominance over others that he had become the real evil of the show and causer of the very possibilities he feared the most.

[mejomonster]

Anon watching Love and Redemption here. OMG thank you so much for your incredibly thoughtful response. On the topic of misunderstandings, people get so heated and I was really looking for a more measured perspective so thanks for that. Also, your reply has me HYPE so I wanted to share some of my thoughts (I'm till ep 9 now)- I adore the romance but I also love the space this show gives to friendship. Minyan and Linglong being excited about reuniting w Sifeng and being just as hurt as Xuanji by his aloofness.

Xuanji and Sifeng both saving/protecting each other is just something I'm absolutely loving. Also, the inversion of gender roles- this was something that drew me towards the show, like Xuanji being on a traditional (male)hero's journey . But what you said about Sifeng's lover's curse being about purity/chastity and comparing Linglong and Jiang Cheng has my mind blown! I can't wait to see more tropes being turned upside down, already we had Sifeng defying the notion of all demons being Evil. Lastly, here's some spoilery speculation- Hao Chen definitely strikes as someone with an ulterior motive, he has some connection to Xuanji probably in their past life?

Is Sifeng the star of mosha maybe? I know some spoilers about him being a demon. Don't tell me though!

I see and appreciate you, life is just busy ToT

Okay so I'm not spoiling star of mosha but would LOVE to hear what you think once you find out -3-)/

I'm also curious how you feel about who the villain/s are and how those feelings change as it becomes more obvious who the villains are.

Also Mickey He, who was a hottie in Jade Palace Lock Heart, plays Sifengs sect leader legendary drama queen <3 which is a fun fact

I do love rhe friendships in this show. I feel the whole core friend group cares a lot for each other. If you've ever seen Good Omens, the friendships in that and the way of solving problems with love and desire to help also drew me to Love and Redemption.

Something you'll notice about this show and demons is... demons are used in this a lot like dixingren were used in Guardian. Which is very unlike the usual trope. The more demon situations play out in LaR, the more apparent it becomes they're not actually evil in any particular way, not any more than any human generally is, with some bad leaders just like some Sects have awful leaders, and then well. Extend that realization to the Heavenly Realm. This story does a lot to critique absolute power, following leadership blindly and what it means to figure out morality based on your own experiences and explorations versus just believing what you're told, and it does quite a job of using what you Expect each trope to function as/symbolize/get treated in this type of romance three lives xianxia story to comment on such things. Like. Sifeng is a demon. In this type show, like say Eternal Love, typically the demon is the second love interest who never gets the heroine. Who is inevitably corrupted or evil or pitiful and can never escape ultimately that he Is the demonic lesser "bad" one role. (Love Between Fairy and Devil actually also subverts this trope with the "demon" as the main love interest and hero, but it's definitely not the norm it is the exception and I love when this particular trope is changed like this). To extend this, in Eternal Love the "ultimate" bad guy is the Evil Demon King who wants revenge and to destroy the world. His princess and prince demon children might be better and have good intentions, but as his kids they get an extension of his bad ultimate fate. That can be contrasted to what Sifengs story will turn into later: how much does he bear suffering because humans dislike demons, Heavenly realm dislikes demons, despite whatever Sifeng has actually done (good or bad). In fact which demons even committed the kind of evils they're being punished for in LaR, and does LaR paint it as inevitable and acceptable pain they endure. Or as something that should NOT happen and is morally fucked up (like when Xuanji defends Sifeng and starts realizing how much she's been taught that is actually perpetuating harm and not helping innocents). In LaR when the star of mosha is revealed, the Evil Demon King from Eternal Love parallel, is the star equally painted as evil without a backstory? Is the star evil at all, does LaR paint the star as evil like Eternal Love would, or does LaR do something else with the star? Is it fair to assume just cayse the stars role is "evil demon king" that the star is actually evil, or was that just an assumption audiences were likely to make based on the usual tropes of these shows, an assumption that will be shattered and used differently. (There's so much this show does in terms of trope you expect versus how LaR will actually be using the character, which involves expecting the audience to Expect the usual trope outcome then instead LaR veers in a way different direction).

I absolutely love that Liu Xueyi was cast as Hao Chen. He does such a good fucking job and made me feel a Lot

A (minor) spoiler I am giving you is:

The show ends happy. I just wanted to put that out there because I know one never knows with a show like this

[jaggedcliffs]

#love between fairy and devil #i love him SO much #dongfang qingcang #so im reading the book now and like. not sure the books as deep or nuanced in many ways (but maybe it will prove itself to be) #anyway like. qingcang as he is in the show is SUCH a specific character #i think Love and Redemption was the ONLY other xianxia i've seen to give this level of nuance #and likewise i ADORE the writing in this show. because it feels like a fantasy about different individuals and countries #it does not feel like a copy paste heres heavenly clan demon clan and some fairies/yao and heaven always wins #and has the main love. and demons are at best tragic victims and mostly just pure evil villains #that the writing does not even Contemplate why they're so motivated. #in contrast to Love and Redemption that made its MAIN girl xuanji the actual Devil Leader and traditional big bad #and showed WHY that character felt so much pain and felt a need for revenge. a really nuanced beautiful storytelling #that had sifeng the demon as the main love interest. that showed everyones goodness based on their Actions and judging people based on what #they actually do not what group they belong to.#or even like. in many ways LBFAD reminds me of a more realized Ice Fantasy #as in lovely costumes. lovely settings. care in the worldbuilding to be a bit unique and distinguish different groups cultures #Ice Fantasy went for a different xianxia setup than usual and i feel this show likewise did it. and did it well (via @mejomonster)

Love Between Fairy and Devil ~ Don’t irritate me…

[mylovelyrainblog]

I did some edits on this screenshot, but look…

Even in this perfectly happy moment, Sifeng’s eyes were wet. You can see how happy Xuanji was. Mind, it was also bittersweet for her, but for Sifeng, it was wholly on another level. Even with Xuanji professing her undying love to Sifeng, he couldn’t dare to feel completely happy, not only because he had just found out about what happened in their previous reincarnations, for him to finally gain Xuanji’s love and care in this life, but he also knew that he was hiding the big, sober secret of his non-human identity from her(to be fair, not only was he scared to tell her this, it was also more than his secret to tell). Sifeng really went through so much. He deserve to be with Xuanji and have their happily ever after.

(And just giving us one episode of their happily married life is so unfair! I’d never get enough Xuanji/Sifeng!)

[skullsandwineglasses]

I’m caught up to episode 39 of Immortal Samsara, and I’m waiting for the new episode on Monday, but I can’t seem to get the drama out of my head. I can’t bring myself to be productive and focus on anything else. 

I don’t want to start a new drama to distract me from it. And I’m trying hard to avoid spoilers, although the MVs on bilibili have all worked in spoilers into their videos, so I do know what’s coming and what to expect. 

It’s just weird how much I am fixated on Immortal Samsara because xianxias shouldn’t affect me anymore since I’ve already watched so many of them and have seen all the tropes, and Immortal Samsara isn’t even that great of a xianxia. 

I’ve also watched the BTS to help me detach myself from the story by looking behind the curtain. And so in theory, I shouldn’t be so absorbed and immersed into the storyworld. Usually watching the BTS helps me break the illusion. But this time, it hasn’t. (Sidenote: I thought Cheng Yi was especially chaotic on the set of Love and Redemption, but it turns out that this man is just extremely chaotic and unhinged off-screen in general, especially when he’s with people he’s comfortable with, like Yang Zi. He’s yelling and jumping and dancing and singing and screaming and mocking. He’s just so loud lol. I’m amazed at how anything was filmed at all when he’s so goofy and doesn’t take anything seriously, and yet he’s the poster child for whump and tragic suffering. I want to see how he flips the switch between being the class clown to the tragic, heavenly hero. And then in interviews, he’s the complete opposite where he’s shy and anxious and flustered.)

But I think the problem is that we’re at episode 39 already, and the leads haven’t gotten together yet. Like at all. The angst has only just begun. Usually, the leads would have already had some kind of mutual declaration of love and have gotten together at this point, even if briefly before being separated by a misunderstanding. When couples get together in dramas, it gives me peace of mind. I feel that I’m able to detach myself from dramas when this happens, sometimes even losing interest afterwards if the affirmed relationship drags on for too long.   

But in Immortal Samsara, this hasn’t happened yet. Yan Dan and Ying Yuan/Tang Zhou have never had a true moment yet where they were able to be happily together with their feelings out in the open. It was only in that short dream sequence in the ash forest, but that doesn’t count since it wasn’t their real selves, but their idealized dream selves. 

And so I’m just sitting here, rocking in a fetal position, waiting for the next episode to come out because I need them to face their feelings, accept each other, and be together, even if only temporarily, so that I can have some closure. I know I said that I’m proud of Yan Dan for finally maturing, moving on, and wanting to live for herself, but after re-watching some of their scenes in the earlier episodes, I do miss seeing them together. 

The last drama I watched was A Dream of Splendor, and the leads got together pretty early on, and even when they had a misunderstanding afterwards, at least they were able to be together for a moment, and so the first chapter of their story was able to get some closure. But I guess you can argue that non-fantasy dramas allow characters to romantically get together more quickly

But even in Love and Redemption, probably the angstiest xianxia there is, had a period where Sifeng and Xuanji were able to be happily in love and officially together before hell broke loose. 

But it’s been 900 years. 39 episodes. Yan Dan still hasn’t gotten a confession or explanation directly from Ying Yuan himself. She still has a festering open wound that was never able to close. Tang Zhou’s confession doesn’t count because his worldview and responsibilities are much simpler than Ying Yuan’s, so it’s easy for Tang Zhou to confess, make promises, and give everything up, because he doesn’t have much to give up in the first place in comparison to Ying Yuan. 

Usually the plot structure of xianxias goes like this: ambiguous feelings -> get together -> misunderstanding and angst -> resolve angst -> second conflict -> get together

But the plot structure of Immortal Samsara so far has been: ambiguous feelings -> misunderstanding and angst -> ambiguous feelings (but more lighthearted and fun) -> more misunderstanding and angst (i.e., where we are currently). 

Angst! Has! Never! Been! Resolved!

They! Have! Never! Even! Had! A! Chance! To! Get! Together! Before! Yan Dan! Regained! Her! Memories!

I’m spending way too much time and mental energy on this drama tbh, while others are spending their time and mental energy on more worthwhile dramas like LBFD and LLTG. I really do question my taste in dramas, but the heart wants what the heart wants. 

On reddit, someone said that Immortal Samsara is not worth hating but also not worth watching, and while I see their point, I can’t help but want to defend the drama because it’s not that bad. 

Like yes, sure, it’s not original, but when have xianxias ever been known for their originality? 

I saw a video on bilibili that was like, what kind of bullshit love is worth remembering for 900 years? And I burst out laughing because, true, the premise is ridiculous, but the idea of enduring love is pretty much the point of xianxia? It’s like a fairy tale. Insta love isn’t supposed to make sense. I’m still very much a trash teenager at heart. 

Anyway, thanks for reading my Saturday night rant as I try to purge my feelings. 

[ruiconteur]

continuing to make wild guesses (at ep 31):

yu sifeng is gonna end up revealing he's a 金赤鸟 in front of all five righteous sects when hm. idk. maybe when his 副宫主 reveals himself as the 天墟堂堂主 and attacks someone from the chu family

this will most likely occur during the 簪花会 bc nothing good EVER happens when the righteous sects are all gathered in the same place

there are gonna be so many fucking misunderstandings bc of this. the other four sects will turn their backs on 离泽宫 and chu xuanji will be forbidden from meeting with yu sifeng again. and also likely turned against him somehow using coincidence and his identity as a 妖. despite the fact that he's always protected her because this is a xianxia romance someone fucking spare me

the fact that they sorta led us to assume that yu sifeng is the reincarnated 魔煞星 will come into play somehow. probably by having him fake being him to gain the trust of 天墟堂?

i think this will either be extremely 离谱 or very accurate but fuck it we're making wild guesses here: is chu xuanji part of the 魔煞星 somehow. bc they made such a big deal of their 双星相汇, and if the 魔煞星 isn't yu sifeng then it can only be chu xuanji herself right. i mean it's definitely not chu linglong

if so then 柏麟 was definitely the one behind it all. did he love the 魔煞星 or smth is that why he's so obsessed with shaping the war god/chu xuanji into what he wants her to be (and why he's so creepily possessive of her)

i don't think yu sifeng's 情人咒 has been lifted which means it's definitely going to flare up at least once more (likely during aforementioned misunderstandings) and he's gonna run away from chu xuanji to prevent her from having to see him die. and then he's gonna attempt to reject her so she gives up on him. but she won't and instead works some miracle cure?? after his "last hope" fails and he all but dies in front of her

okay yu sifeng is almost definitely the 金赤鸟 war-god!chu xuanji confided in but his 身份 can't be that low since he's the male lead so: is he the 天帝之子 or smth. esp since he can just 闯 into the place where they chained the war god up to trial her. but he's also a 妖 which means......... the 妖界 definitely has their own royal family so i'm betting his mother is from there

also i think he's the 宫主之子 in this lifetime lol since the 宫主 bitched out the 副宫主 for not esteeming yu sifeng's 身份

gonna make a bunch of wild guesses here but:

idt yu sifeng is the 魔煞星? why did i even think he was anyway i forgot

are disciples of 离泽宫 all 妖s 👀

just bc i think it'd be really funny: the 腾蛇 dude is gonna lose to chu xuanji when he finally gets to fight her and end up having to be her servant or smth

is the 离泽宫副宫主 the 天墟堂堂主. the voice kinda sounds the same

speaking of 离泽宫宫主s did the main dude personally raise yu sifeng or smth 怎么这么宠他

okay that's it. i'll find out if i'm correct soon ig

[storge]

Hi~ I was wondering if you know any cdrama where the main characters are not your typical 'we like each other at start and save each other' kind of thing. Sorry I don't really know how to explain it but I want something different to watch. Maybe something like a weak male character, friends to enemies, female character who dont give a damn, etc

Hello friend!! Okay sooo Imma be honest... I don't really know what level you mean.😂😂😂😂 It doesn't sound like you want enemies to lovers (and i don't really ever see the enemy part in those types so i couldnt help anwywaysss lolol). Noooo "We like each other at the start, and save each other." hmmmmmmm... I don’t know the level you mean by “liking each other.” Most of dramas I watch are romances that have main characters that "I" know have feelings.. but one or both of them don't,so im gonna assume that's okay.

+ a very tiny list of dramas that I think weren't too cliche and went a different route... maybe one of these might be what your looking for:

Weak Male Character: Oh my General, Love and Redemption (compared to Xuanji, Sifeng was weakkkkkk lol)

Friends to enemies lololol idk about that: Legend of Ruyi, Goodbye My Princesss (yes once again lolol), Maybe The Kings Woman(?)

Female Characters that don't give a dang: Bai lu in the Legends(?), The Song of Glory(?)

+ otherssss

Love better than immortality (the whole him saying he is her brother was different lolol + the Main girl thinks she is destined with other guy)

Bloody Romance (the fact that he was beneath her in status and the whole face scaring heartbreak section was different)

Under the Power (They work together so it's not like he just saves her on his free time lolol)

Idk friend I tried. I know its hard to explain. And none of these are modern sorry. Maybe someone can comment some more suggestions.

[rhysand-vs-fenrys]

Okay, I watched Love and Redemption like you recommended, but... I don't understand the relationship between Sifeng and Xuanji? The current one where they love each other, sure, but like all the history really confused me? Help?

Okay, I haven't seen the show in like a year, but I'm going to try to remember/summarize!

So, Sifeng's true identity is the son of the Emperor of Heaven. With these xianxia type shows (fantasy), the general rule seems to be the offspring of powerful gods has an animal form until it learns to take human form by gathering power to it until it is Divine. Sifeng's form was a phoenix (always indicative of royalty).

After Xuanji's soul was ripped in two, creating the imprisoned Star of Mosha and the Goddess of War, Sifeng the Bird fell in love with her and would frequently fly by her. Bit by bit, he cultivated a human form so that he could speak to her.

But by then the Goddess of War realized who she was- and that she had been forced to commit genocide against her own people. She goes insane and has to be subdued by the King of Heaven (Who is NOT Sifeng's father, kind of more like a steward?)

To control Xuanji, the King of Heaven (who had also fallen in love with her) forced her to go through 10 incarnations as a mortal, with some of her hate bleeding off each lifetime.

Sifeng threw himself into the catalyst as well, binding his soul to hers through the reincarnations.

For 9 lifetimes, Xuanji is filled with hate and malice at the world around her. And in critical moments in those lives, Sifeng appears before her as a savoir of sorts to grant her vengeance and hatred an outlet.

And in each life, she betrays him in some way to his painful death.

With every life, Xuanji's hatred diminished just a bit.

But he has shown her unconditional love and support for 9 lifetimes, and gotten nothing in return. So while Sifeng still loves Xuanji with his very soul, some lingering pain has built more and more.

So when he finds the mirror that helps them both remember the past lives, it breaks Sifeng. All of that unfairness and sorrow has accumulated to the point where he cannot stand his own love for Xuanji.

In this 10th life, after he finds out their past, it doesn't matter that Xuanji is innocent and loving. He's still giving too much of himself for her without understanding how she feels in return. And she acknowledges this- this is a known problem that she is doing her best to try and figure out.

So after their massive fight, Xuanji hunts down Sifeng and takes care of him as he is dying. It finally cracks the ice that formed in his heart that 9 lifetimes of one-sided-love put there.

In the final battle with the King of Heaven and Star of Mosha, the Star of Mosha (remember, the darkest half of Xuanji's soul from before) is overwhelmed by Xuanji's love for Sifeng. So the Star of Mosha destroys himself in order to save Xuanji's love, as it has become his love too.

For 9 lifetimes, Sifeng has died for his love of Xuanji; with the Star of Mosha's gesture, in this 10th lifetime a piece of her has died to save him instead.

So the Goddess of War and the son of the Emperor of Heaven will live out the rest of this 10th lifetime, finishing the punishment of Heaven, and earning a future of simple, honest, uncomplicated love.

And many fat babies.

And then the extra little special thing they aired because of the popularity of the series, you see Sifeng and Xuanji cross paths again in their 11th mortal lifetime (modern day) and it implies that they still remember the last 10 lives and still are deeply connected as he recognizes his name from the 10th lifetime immediately.