#though some of these aren’t danmei

[happypeachsludgeflower]

@ihavedonenothingright about Into The Shen Verse!! which, incidentally, also has the potential to be named “Shen-anigans: Into the Shenverse”

Who do you think would be the oldest? I’m making a family tree to start the fic planning, but I’m running into a wall and cannot figure out who has the most “Eldest Brother Energy”.

Shen Qiao is the obvious second brother. Thousand Autumns makes a point to always place him second. It basically writes itself there.

Shen Yuan was the third son in his family as stated in SVSSS which also slots in well here. And Shen Yuhua from Daughter of a Thousand Faces was the youngest child which also fits in nicely here, with the fact that Shen Yuan had a younger sister.

I’d add Shen Jiu (also from SVSSS) to the sibling set, but for the plot I have in mind, he fits either as a cousin or not at all. Also, with his childhood relationship with Yue Qi, he often gives off second brother/youngest sibling energy.

I do not have enough context on the other Shen’s just yet to slot them in. I’ve done a cursory search on each of them, but am still uncertain.

Shen Wei seems to have the most Big Brother Energy going for him, but he has a twin bother Ye Zun and would be difficult to slot into the eldest brother unless I just.. deleted his brother from the story entirely.

Shen Zechuan is the eight common born son and even in his adopted family is the younger brother. He is like, the babiest of all the Shen boys. And probably best as a cousin to the aforementioned lineup.

I can’t find a wiki on The Silent Concubine but I AM VERY ENTHUSIASIC ABOUT THE PLOT SUMMARY AND SHALL BE BINGING IT TONIGHT!! And from the summary, he is also fighting Shen Zechuan for the Babiest Shen Award.

As for Gu Yan, he is being adopted into the family. I cannot think of a reason he’d be born into it and given the name Gu Yan only to change it to Shen Shiliu later. He does however seem to have some semblance of elder brother potential. At least in comparison to the other candidates. He was a military commander. Which doesn’t necessarily make him elder brother material (I genuinely don’t know since I haven’t read more than the wiki) but most of our other contenders so far are canonically youngest siblings. Maybe he can be adopted before Shen Qiao is born??

Shen Li (and her mentor Shen Muyue) from Legend of Shen Li is absolutely a good addition to the family, but she unfortunately is not a contender for the oldest brother.

I considered switching Shen Li out with Shen Yuhua for the youngest sister since Shen Yuhua has extensive family in canon, but decided to keep Shen Yuhua as an adopted child. The Shen’s mayhaps kidnapped her from her family (who can be another branch of the Shen family and therefore she’s biologically a cousin) that didn’t care for her anyway after her mother’s demise.. she deserves a nice family besides her bestie Swallowtail. And from what I can tell from the brief Wikipedia article I found on Shen Li, she seems to have bamf older sister energy. I’ll have to watch it to know for sure though.

Anywho, our main contenders seem to be Gu Yan (who would be adopted), Shen Wei (but idk where I’d put his twin Ye Zun), or Shen Jiu (who we could explain away the younger sibling energy by him having a childhood friend that babied him).

Feel free to add other contenders in the comments.

[hami-gua]

I'm back!!!

I'm back!! I was literally in no spirits to write fanfics, but thinking about picking it back up again.

Really have been in a Honkai Star Rail brain rot lately (mostly about xianzhou men ^^), and many ideas just popped into my brain. So please read through all of it and tell me which one you think I should start first. And please repost or share it with others! Comments are important!! I know it's long, but just bear with me. It's vital for me (>.<)

Long Fics:

Jing Yuan x Reader

Trope: Childhood friends to lovers

Relationships: Jing Yuan x Reader, TBD

About: Based off of a Ming dynasty emperor who only loved one woman (his childhood friend) for his whole life.

Reader Gender: Female

Tags: Fluff, Angst, Hurt/comfort, Ancient China au, childhood friends to lovers, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, female! Reader, jing yuan x reader, hsr jing yuan, honkai star rail jing yuan, jing yuan x you

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Dan Heng x Reader

Trope: Reincarnation

Relationship: Dan Heng x Reader, TBD

About: Loosely based off of the c-drama 三生三世 (it’s really just an ost that inspired me). Dan Heng loves reader for the longest time, but instead of him reincarnating, it’s reader. Basically, reader is mortal while Dan Heng is immortal and heavenly law states that immortals aren’t allowed to fall in love with mortals. Essentially Dan Heng breaks that rule many times and gets punished many times (i.e. heavenly prison, loss of status, etc). And what if reader becomes immortal one day?

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, immortal x mortal, immortality, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, dan heng x  reader, hsr dan heng, dan heng x you,  suggestive, reincarnation

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Jing Yuan x Reader

Trope: Maiden and knight

Relationships: Jing Yuan x Reader, TBD

About: Another one based loosely off of c-drama (again, it’s the ost doing it for me). This time loosely based off of Love Like the Galaxy. Some characters may be more calculating  than in the show. Only really thought of this cuz of Jing Yuan being a general.

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, jing yuan x reader, hsr jing yuan, honkai star rail jing yuan, jing yuan x you

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Blade x Reader

Trope: Good x Evil

Relationships: Blade x Reader, TBD

About: Another another loosely inspired by the c-drama, Love Between Fairy and Devil. Though no, reader isn’t really gonna be an innocent dunce from the start. May display dumb, but not make it her personality. People around reader keep trying to tell them to stay away from the evil ones, but reader doesn’t really listen (cuz folks really don’t be telling them what the evil people look like) and ends up meeting the leader of said evil forces, Blade. Plot starts towards the beginning of the war between the good and evil.

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, blade x reader, hsr blade, hsr blade x reader, blade x you, hsr blade x you

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Dan Heng x Reader

Trope: Can MDZS be a trope itself?

Relationships: Dan Heng x Reader, TBD

About: Inspired by MDZS/The Untamed. Although it won’t be danmei and will deviate with the fact it’s more chronological than having long periods of flashbacks (yes I’m looking at you Untamed, why tf did you spend so many episodes on flashbacks and then everything after just went by so quickly??? But that’s just my opinion -- anyways). Obviously not everything is going to be 100% accurate since this is a fanfic inspired by MDZS/The Untamed and Star Rail isn’t that.

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, gn! Reader, dan heng x  reader, hsr dan heng, dan heng x you,  suggestive, resurrection

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Blade x Reader

Trope: Princ(ess) and knight

Relationships: Blade x Reader, Dan Heng & Reader (platonic)

About: Blade is assigned to be the personal guard of lord/lady by none other than their brother, Dan Heng. The lord/lady only thought of Blade as a sword and shield, they never thought they’d ever fall for the man with many mysteries. Yet they know, that those who hold many mysteries are the ones most likely to betray and use. That was just the way of court life. However, a small part of them just hopes -- wishes that Blade would never betray or use them for ulterior motives.

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, gn! Reader, blade x reader, hsr blade, hsr blade x reader, blade x you, hsr blade x you, protective! Blade

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Luocha x Reader

Trope: Immortal and mortal

Relationships: Luocha x Reader, Fu Xuan (just filling in the role of the monk)

About: Based off of the Legend of the White Snake. Deviation will occur. Reader doesn’t have a sister, and Luocha is an actual doctor not scholar.  Reader will not be imprisoned in a pagoda (like is some shows/rendition of the story).

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader,  luocha x reader, hsr luocha, luocha x you, hsr luocha x you

One-Shots

Jing Yuan x Reader

About: Very loosely based off of Fuhao, the Shang dynasty warrior queen. Reader is is a priestess and  a warrior, going off to fight battles and returning victorious until one day, she didn’t return. Stricken with grief, Jing Yuan prepares a burial and tomb for his beloved queen.

Reader Gender: Female

Tags: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, guzhuang, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, jing yuan x reader, hsr jing yuan, honkai star rail jing yuan, jing yuan x you,

♡ ꒰ ◞ ◟ ꒱⌒)ᦱ 𓈒 ૮₍ ´ . ˕ .` ₎ა 𓈒 ⊹ ໒ ꐦ ｀ヮ ´ ა

Dan Heng x Reader

About: Dan Heng (Imbibitor Lunae) takes a stroll for a break. Then stumbles upon a  unique looking figure: softly resting atop their hair were two long feathers of grey color. He had never seen someone like them before, so curiosity getting the best of him, he approaches them. Only for them to turn and look at him. That’s when he froze, both in embarrassment and in fear. Da peng, the only child of the phoenix to feast upon dragons. Da peng, the one who stands before him with a curious gaze.

Reader Gender: Neutral

Tags: Fluff, silly, no dan heng they're not gonna eat you, Honkai Star Rail x Reader, hsr x reader, gn! Reader, dan heng x  reader, hsr dan heng, dan heng x you, chinese mythology

[kukuandkookie]

Might copy and paste the text here later from my Twitter thread where I expressed why I enjoyed it, but I recently read My Little Poplar and ended up liking Bai Xinyu and Yu Fengcheng quite a bit!

Yu Fengcheng’s eventual regret was honestly written really well, and the relationship between the two leads has good chemistry. 👌

Even better is that it features Jian Suiying, who I also have gotten weirdly attached to???

Like objectively the book Jian Suiying comes from, In Love With an Idiot, has its flaws. Or rather, it employs tropes that really aren’t for everyone, which includes the main couple fighting constantly (so it’s basically fighting and then fucking and then fighting and then fucking and you get the idea), and it gets kind of overdramatic at times, as some very angsty-type stories can be—whether they’re from China (known as “dog blood” stories) or not.

I even found it a little silly that so many were so obsessed with Jian Suiying, and yet…

Here I am now, sliiiightly obsessed with him. 🤡😂

It’s just that! As I mentioned on my Twitter, he’s so unique for a shou/bottom/uke character!! Before he met Li Yu, he was always the top, and he’s sexually confident and pretty intelligent and ruthless and…well, temperamental. He does admittedly have a charm to him that works and I find it pretty amazing the author managed to predict that, since so many characters in her novels adore him BDMGIHSKD.

Even his red flags give him charm, because while he is problematic, the red flags make him an intriguing character. The author does a pretty good job at balancing the different aspects of him that make him technically infuriating and yet also compelling.

His charm is further boosted by the fact there’s actually a clip of one of his VAs just trying to cheer you up if you’re sad?? Like hello??? 🥺

It is no longer a surprise to me that Li Yu ended up so obsessed with Jian Suiying. 😆

Also I’ll note now the last image is actually by the My Little Poplar manhua artist while the others are from the manhua adaptation of Jian Suiying’s own novel! I like how the manhua artist draws him quite a bit since it feels so him. I’ve seen fan art and they sometimes feature him smaller and thus not domineering enough, even though they usually show him with the same hairstyle—which makes for a fun tangent on its own since danmei designs can be a bit “basic,” so when one specific design becomes a recognizable look for a character, I find it pretty cool.

In fact, one of my favourite details in My Little Poplar was watching Yu Fengcheng be very frustrated with how much Bai Xinyu looked up to Jian Suiying. 🤭

Also just seeing him show up always made me go “yay!” because it’s so fun getting to see him again, especially as part of his story aligns with My Little Poplar (as in the plots of both novels happen somewhat concurrently).

Similarly, the manhua adaptation, My Beloved Fool, has a really nice art style and I really like that the artist always lets Jian Suiying shine by really dressing him up. He and Shi Qi from Trap a Vicious Dog (another series I want to ramble about on why I’m enjoying it so far) are two manhua protagonists I know of who are like…confident smart corporate bosses that get stylish fits almost every manhua chapter, which is a nice detail ahaha.

My Beloved Fool has recently hit the heavy angst section of the novel so it’ll be depressing to follow for a while since you’ll just watch Li Yu fall apart as Jian Suiying suffers absolute hell. 😔

Someone even uploaded the first season of the vomic version of the manhua on YouTube. 👀

Similarly, I’m really excited for the My Little Poplar manhua to get to all the good bits of the story there, since Bai Xinyu develops a lot as a character and I find Yu Fengcheng’s regret especially well done. But evidently it’ll take quite some time to get there; first we have to get past the military bullying alfndkfjjss.

Anyway the actual reason I started typing this out before I spiralled into another huge ramble asjakfl is that I found In Love With an Idiot and My Little Poplar audio dramas on YouTube!!

I’d heard some In Love With an Idiot audio clips from something that some fans had shared to YouTube before, but it sounds like those clips were from a completely different audio drama than the one I landed on. I’m especially excited about the My Little Poplar one. Even if it’s not extremely high quality (I think Bing Xing Xia Deng aka Inferior by Nature aka The Selfish Gene has admittedly spoiled me because it was so high quality 😆), it’s still fun hearing these characters come to life aurally.

Even more so since iirc I saw a Twitter post saying the My Little Poplar and In Love With an Idiot got taken down officially, so they may only be accessible via online reuploads right now. I can’t find the post to confirm, but if true, I’m glad someone preserved them. 🙏

Update: I did find the other version’s VAs of the In Love With an Idiot audio drama! Except it’s maybe a…sequel? Where a Li Yu of the past transmigrates 5 years into the future when Li Yu and Jian Suiying are a couple?? It’s on MaoEr FM…and it’s for free. 👁️

In fact, I could totally ramble about the Bing Xing Xia Deng audio drama—which I already have for a friend, so I can just copy and paste that long-ass (slightly more incoherent because it’s a lot of fangirling) wall of text here haha. I am currently very obsessed with that series too because it really is high quality and I like how it evolved the novel it’s adapting, but my friend is the expert on it so I feel a bit more shy about sharing my thoughts sometimes.

Welp that went on quite a number of tangents but yeah. I’ve enjoyed these novels and I’m very happy they got audio dramas and that they are still out there to be enjoyed after everything. 🥺💕

OH and final note but…the fun fact about the 188男团 aka 188 Group, which is the overall series Jian Suiying and Bai Xinyu belong to (so-called because it’s 10 novels that share a universe and all feature (scum) gongs of 188 cm) got sort of made into an “actual” 男团, aka a boy band/group! I found the couple (?) songs they released and some fan songs and it’s nice seeing them all “singing” together alfjskfjs.

An English translation can be found here!

An English translation can be found here!

Me when I spy Jian Suiying, Li Yu, Yu Fengcheng, and Bai Xinyu especially in the MVs: 🥺

[proshippers-against-censorship]

I havs absolutely nothing against people who see Diluc and Kaeya exclusively as brothers and who stay in their own corners and enjoy their brotherly relationship, but there’s a loud and annoying side to these people who think those who ship them romantically are all incest addicted women with a fetish for gay men/relationships

one group in particular idolizes a 34 year old Mexican who proudly calls herself an “old hag”, who has LEARNED Chinese and surrounds herself with diaspora who all validate that the text says everywhere that the two MUST be brothers. Hell this same person went as far as to write a comparison between danmei stories and Genshin and compared the sworn sibling hood in the stories that the danmei author MXTX wrote to Diluc and Kaeya, which of course has a completely different context and the relationships in the danmei stories aren’t even the same

but she and her mindless followers wear the “I learned Chinese, I wrote to Chinese customer service, every text I read says they are BROTHERS!” like a badge to be proud of and this “old hag” continues to obsess over their relationship (and has already done so for years), she and her followers are calling people freaks (that also includes Chinese shippers), are absolutely racist, need to insert themselves into everything and show that THEY’RE right and not the “pseudo incest lovers”, and she even thinks common danmei tropes are “weird” or “pseudo incest”

I’m sorry but obsessing over fictional characters and making sure they’re fictional brothers in their fictional universe is just stupid and embarrassing, and I’d say it’s even more so at her age. She thinks it’s like the best thing ever to be regarded as a menace to fandoms and makes up wild conspiracy theories or just (maybe intentionally) misteads what people say.

sorry for the long post but it’s these people I really dislike and who paint a bad image of western fandoms. It’s already a mess, we don’t need more shit from people like these

(I also blame Genshin’s shitty localization)

Bold of her to assume that some of the biggest MDZS ships AREN'T sworn brotherhoods. She really needs to think over her examples better.

At least she knows she's an absolute hag, though.

(Also, sorry for the delay, lads. This shameless furry was running around the city for a bit, lolz)

[dreamingmappist]

I do love books for their own sake. Practically though I mostly read ebooks these days because of portability and when I see fiction I want to read I end up thinking: I could get that from the library and might actually read it if there’s a due date. I’m also into collage so I had to learn to just rip a book up sometimes.

Print-wise I mostly collect Filipino books for the rarity and poetry books and some childhood faves. I do love danmei and have purchased a few.

I’m just bewildered by fans of danmei that buy multiple editions—sometimes in languages they can’t read—because of the cover design. Like I only have so much shelf space. These aren’t thin books either! I’ve gotten rid of a lot of books and I still have too much. The luxury of space.

That being said I do have art books in Japanese (scrapbooking/my fave manga) and a children’s book originally in Chinese (I saw it in my fave Cdrama) translated in French. I should have gotten the Spanish version instead. Might have understood that better. And I have one poetry book in the original Portuguese and in French translation. I tried translating a few myself via google translate lol. Rosa Alice Branco please do an English version of Soletrar o Dia too… 😔

I buy lots secondhand and purge my shelves regularly. I also imposed a book buying restriction for myself this year—only 10 books—though I’ve gotten around it by purchasing a lot of zines instead.

[kukuandkookie]

Oh, fun!! I’m always happy to see more posts about my obsessions hahaha. 😆

I admit I’m also a little surprised by the lack of attention from the international community. I guess I’ve always had my assumptions on why, but I have admittedly been more put off by the lack of attention since I got into it myself, if only because I’ve seen a lot of English-speaking people, who are either danmei/BL and/or romance fans, discover the series and get promptly super into it.

Though if I were to really hypothesize on it not getting as much attention from English speakers, I mostly assume it’s the issue of being “problematic.”

I have developed pretty strong feelings about what it means to ship/read something “problematic” as I get older, mostly because I am genuinely baffled by the rise in rhetoric that fiction cannot depict problematic things ever. But I’ve seen this even before the recent rise in “antis” on Twitter; back when I first visited Sissy’s NovelUpdates page before I was even into the series, I saw reviews of the novel being 1/5 just because people felt like Shui Qian Cheng was “disturbed” for writing this stuff at all. It bothered me even back then, but like with the discourse around SVSSS, it still made me hesitate to check out this series. And yet when I did with Shabi, I ended up having fun, even if I was initially put off by all the fighting Lijian did. Yet here I am now, completely obsessed with them lol (something something “art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed” LSFNKSJS).

The other reason I guess it’s not as popular internationally is maybe translation quality…? While not too bad, Beloved Enemy’s main translation is kind of iffy grammatically, and so is Shabi’s (I am still confused why Shabi of all novels is the one with a censored translation, mostly because it’s one of the few novels where I genuinely feel like the sex scenes are absolutely intrinsic to everything about the story and characters 😂). The better translations also aren’t often complete (yet), like Blazing Armour, My Little Poplar, and Winner Takes All… So I guess accessibility is an issue for some of them.

But I guess its popularity is rising!!

As for Professional Body Double being most often chosen for foreign adaptations… Honestly, I have no clue haha.

I don’t have strong feelings about the ship so I wonder why it’s extra appealing? I feel like Additional Inheritance is a better introduction to 188 overall, and I’ve seen really mixed reviews on how “bad” Yan Mingxiu is. But maybe the rebirth/fantasy and entertainment industry is more appealing to the masses? 🤔

I’m pretty excited to hear you’re enjoying My Little Poplar via the manhua!! The manhua artist’s art is really nice, and Yu Fengcheng remains my favourite 188 gong—even after I’ve recently finished Blazing Armour.

(Like yes, Gong Yingxian is cute and less “brutal,” but I still appreciate Yu Fengcheng’s eventually more caretaking side and how long we got to spend with his remorse—which felt so strong despite him not even being that bad by 188男团 standards. Also like…it’s almost as if, in being “less bad,” Gong Yingxian’s decisions hurt all the more, especially since I found Ren Yi to be a really likeable protagonist—and like Jian Suiying, he was so in love with Gong Yingxian, that pain hit harder for me than usual because it happened again and again and he was really really beaten down. It doesn’t mean I dislike Gong Yingxian; again, I still find him really cute, but…Yu Fengcheng remains my favourite after all haha.)

And yeah, My Little Poplar can definitely be interpreted as propaganda in some ways, but I guess at least it’s right there on the tin. Getting into a piece of media with characters in the military when it’s not about the horrors of war specifically means said media will likely paint it as admirable. I didn’t find it to feature too much at least, and depicting gay relationships in the military does almost feel like a reminder that “hey, this doesn’t endorse the military in the way the military/country would sanction/fund/approve,” so it still feels a bit rebellious lol. Less like Call of Duty, but we still get to enjoy some good action scenes.

Speaking of action scenes, slight awkward transition here, but even if Gong Yingxian has to rank 2nd or 3rd as a gong in my books, I did find Blazing Armour to be a personal 5/5 novel, both subjectively and mostly objectively. I’m not exactly stingy with 5/5 when I do have to rate things because I know writing is hard, but for Blazing Armour, I feel like it deserves it all the more since I could see Shui Qian Cheng’s dedication to research; her improvement in writing (like compared to Shabi, you don’t just get told characters’ feelings briefly, as she more fully delves into the emotions); and it did keep me guessing—like man tbh it stressed me out so much. 🙈

Now on stress…oh my God I’ve been seeing (or rather, hearing) clips of the Shabi audio book and it is intense!! I was actually thinking about our conversation earlier, because it served as a reminder and another kick in the shin for me to get Manbo lol.

Shunzi has definitely done amazing as Jian Suiying. I heard from Twitter that he’s only ever voiced tops before, and his voice really does have that deep, rich charm and domineering, lower cadence of someone you’d usually imagine “on top.” So it’s extra impressive hearing his interpretation of someone so domineering being…well, dominated for the first time.

I’ve listened to a lot of Jian Suiying voices now and enjoyed all of them (the Paradox of Love fan audio drama is maybe one of my favourite versions in terms of specific “sound”), and I definitely find Shunzi to be absolutely up there in terms of everything: charm and expressiveness (eg the scene where he talks with his dad and Jian Dongyuan tells him to give way to Jian Suilin because “everything still belongs to the Jian family,” and you can really hear the bitterness in Jian Suiying’s forced laughter) and his new takes on the lines do feel fresh. Like there have been multiple line reads that feel unique from previous audio interpretations. The performance overall is just quite strong.

Which means that scene with Jian Suilin is truly so impactful. Those screams really convey the terror of that specific moment in a way the other adaptations haven’t fully captured—even more so after what I think has been a sliiightly frustrated response from fans over the alterations the manhua had to make. Like it’s understandable given censorship, but the manhua team does seem to have been struggling a bit to fully hit those emotional beats, so it feels almost more impactful to get so soon one of the most brutally grounded interpretations of Jian Suiying’s trauma at Jian Suilin’s actions. Especially since it’s a scene every fan knows, and now here it is, re-presented with a full intensity and horror, reminding fans that even in their familiarity with the scene and the fact that it’s fiction, such a thing is horrifying and traumatizing.

Even when the emotions aren’t so intense, like when Jian Suiying is “just” cursing Li Yu out in anger rather than fear during their first time in Beihai despite both scenes being assaults, Shunzi’s performance still completely conveys how uncomfortable it is.

So with all that in mind, the audio book adaptation of Shabi has certainly proven really impressive! I’m really glad we got it, both because I always enjoy new food, but also because it’s genuinely been of good quality.

Thoughts on Beloved Enemy Getting a Thai Adaptation

Originally this was a response to another post but I think it deserves its own. To be honest I'm not confident about this project at all. This is (imo) not one of SQC's strongest works and is really really really not fitting for today's BL audience. To demonstrate what I mean, here's an alignment chart of 8 of the (current) eleven gongs/tops in the 188 series (courtesy of a moot of mine on X, link to the original thread in the description).

Ming is the guy highlighted in purple. Look at how high he is situated relative to the other guys (and this is his novel counterpart btw). Now I love (most of) my 188 blorbos so it is with true affection that I say Ming really is pretty mild for 188 standards but I remember everyone losing their collective shit over Ming and he was already sanitised in the show. Basically 99% of you can't handle Yuan Yang (or whatever his name will be in Thai). It's not even just the non-con. I'm not sure how familiar people are with the original plot of the Beloved Enemy novel but without spoiling too much, the main conflict is so vile that even I, a resident toxic yaoi enjoyer, was traumatised by it. The moot who made the chart even explained that they added the 人渣 scale specifically because of Yuan Yang. Is he uniquely bad, no, not really actually. He's just really bad in a boring basic way that I lost interest and couldn't even stand to read the extras.

Seriously, why THIS particular IP (I know why, it's for money) when Winner Takes All is right there. Look at him, Zhao Jinxin is the cutest red flag, he's not even a red flag, he's a pink flag. He will gaslight you, he gaslit me, he's the gaslighting king (actually no, that's probably Luo Yi or Shao Qun but Jinxin actually won me over so really who wins).

[admirableadmiranda]

Something that annoys me about this “if you say this character is evil, you’re reading MDZS wrong” is that MXTX didn’t actually mean to write this “oh we’re all grey” story. She openly dislikes JGY, and she thought of JC as WWX’s crazy ex shidi with deep problems. Like, they aren’t there for you to justify their actions (god knows they did it a lot of times already) or to try to make them look good by putting them in the same bag as the protagonists just because “they’re all well fleshed and complex characters that are morally grey and flawed”.

What a way to miss MDZS’s actual message. It saddens me because WWX’s hero journey is as tragic as it is beautiful. I wish I was as brave as him, to oppose injustice even if I am alone against the world.

Yeah I totally get you anon! I’m not sure why it’s so hard for people especially in MDZS to figure out (though I have seen it for her other two works too, but not to the same extent), but she’s actually pretty clear in her work on who’s admirable and who’s not. Even when she’s deliberately using framing to get you to question what you’re hearing versus what you’re seeing, it’s pretty clear who you’re supposed to doubt the narrative about and who you’re not. Jin Guangyao is revealed as the main villain less than halfway through the book, after all!

There are works where that would be an appropriate reaction. Sometimes the heroes can too, be deeply flawed, negative people. But that’s not where MXTX is writing from and from what danmei/xianxia I’ve consumed so far, she has some of the least morally gray characters scattered through her works. She’s clearly very big on the idea that people can and will choose to do good if they want, and also that while it certainly doesn’t exempt them from flaws, that also flaws do not have to be hero killers.

Wei Wuxian is killed not because he is occasionally a little tactless and also keeps people at a distance because it is a very slow journey to trust them enough, but because his morals and willingness to stand up for them are inconvenient to the people in power. He is a flawed, well rounded character, but that’s not why he was hated or why he died. Similarly Jiang Cheng having sympathetic backstory and losses does not exempt him from being a shitty person because as we see in the novel, he’s not the only person who loses everything in his life, but he’s the one who decided to stew in it.

MXTX is so big on your choices define who you are, not your position or history. What matters most is what you do in the shadows and the light. That’s why Wei Wuxian is so heroic, he is always willing to stand by his morals even to the bitter end. It is tragic, but also it’s so full of hope, even! Look at what he has in the end of the story, it is so solidified that his choices and sacrifices did make a difference! Lan Sizhui is alive, well raised and cared for, because Wei Wuxian made that sacrifice for him. Mianmian is out living her best life with Mr. Mianmian and Mini Mianmian because she chose to follow Wei Wuxian’s bravery and has never regretted it. Jin Ling is blossoming under his patient guidance into a wonderful young man who can hold his head high with pride. It may be tragic, but so much good came from it too even if in the immediate moment it was hard to see.

And you know what, anon? We can be that too. Maybe not as far as he goes, but we can still shine bright and make the choices that have positive impacts down the road. We can be Mianmian, inspired by him to do the same that he did on the scales that we can.

The world may be a big thing to save, but we can always save little pieces of it here and there and the more of us that there are, the more powerful it becomes.

[ruanbaijie]

Hi Hanyi! Long term follower here. Thank you for all the content you make 😍😍 because of your post I decided to watch the untamed and absolutely loved it!! I would love to get more into the denmai world but not sure where to begin. If you could give me some book recs that would really help. Thank you again ❣️❣️❣️😊❣️😊

hello~! it’s my pleasure and thank you so much for the support (o^ ^o) glad you ended up loving the untamed and that you wanna get more into danmei! 

I’ve done a similar rec list here before, but always happy to do up a new one (´,,•ω•,,)♡ I’ve sorted the below based on my own ratings: all-time faves, 5 stars, 4 stars, and others I’ve heard are good but have not yet read or don’t intend to read any time soon.

I won’t go into too much detail for each and will leave out my typical rambling commentaries (my other post has enough of that *cough*) but I’ll note the genres and leave links (including to @minmoyu min’s much more detailed recs where available) for you to explore~ do watch out for the trigger warnings some of them have though (novelupdates will have more detailed tags). leaving out mxtx ones since most would be familiar with those. all art below are from fanartists on lofter, permissions for repost under the cut!

there are quite a number of titles below (and there are a lot more out there asdklfklf) but a great start would be to select based on the genres you like, and after you’ve read a few, the author’s writing styles! my quick take on the writing styles of authors I’ve read a few books of below:

huai shang: I REALLY love huai shang (*^^*)♡ she has a good balance of plot, action, humour, and mystery - and she often writes her CPs (couples) as a... very identifiable trope that I ADORE

priest: another big name in danmei and her brain is the one true galaxy brain like really plot heavy and intense and you’ll really need to focus when reading her works. another running gag for priest works is that it’s really difficult to guess who’s the top and bottom in her CPs (lmao) and her bedroom scenes (fun fact in chinese slang, these scenes are referred to as ppp or 车 “chē” literally: car) are like... blink and you’ll miss it (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

meatbun: ANGST QUEEN. another plot heavy author (but not as intense as priest) but she does inner thoughts and emotional scenes EXTREMELY well. a lot of 车 (opposite end of spectrum from priest) but these aren’t written for the sake of it; they actually do play a role in the plot

ok now the titles aha (disclaimer: I tend to enjoy mystery, detective, modern, and apocalyptic genres more so the titles and ratings below might are definitely skewing towards these)

ALL-TIME FAVOURITES

Po Yun (Huai Shang) 破云 (淮上) - Breaking Through the Clouds

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: modern, action, crime, detective, drugs, mystery

CP: YanJiang (Yan Xie x Jiang Ting)

Po Yun 2: Tun Hai (Huai Shang) 破云2吞海 (淮上) - Swallowing the Seas

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: modern, action, angst, crime, detective, mystery

CP: ConghuaYu (Bu Chonghua x Wu Yu)

Bu Si Zhe (Huai Shang) 不死者 (淮上) - Undead

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: modern, a/b/o, action, apocalypse, military, sci-fi, survival, zombies

CP: RongNan (Zhou Rong x Si Nan)

Po Yun by 域说, Tun Hai & Bu Si Zhe by 真茗 

Lie Huo Jiao Chou (Priest) 烈火浇愁 - Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire

Carrd, NU

Genres: historical, angst, modern, fantasy (xuanhuan), mystery

CP: JiLing (Xuan Ji x Sheng Lingyuan), ChunQiu (Yan Qiushan x Zhi Chun)

Er Ha He Ta De Bai Mao Shi Zun (Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou) 二哈和他的白猫师尊 (肉包不吃肉) - The Husky & His White Cat Shizun (Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat)

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: historical, action, angst, fantasy (xianxia), mystery, time travel

CP: RanWan (Mo Ran x Chu Wanning)

Xiao Mo Gu (Yi Shi Si Zhou) 小蘑菇 (一十四洲) - Little Mushroom

Carrd, NU

Genres: futuristic, apocalypse, dystopia, sci-fi, survival

CP: LuZhe (Lu Feng x An Zhe)

Erha by 吃个冰粉冷静一下, LHJC & XMG by 灼忘

5/5 STARS

Ka Pai Mi Shi (Die Zhi Ling) 卡牌密室 (蝶之灵) - Card Room

No Carrd yet / I can find, NU

Genres: modern, action, death game, mystery, survival, unlimited flow

CP: YuXiao (Yu Hanjiang x Xiao Lou), ShaoYe (Shao Qinghua x Ye Qi)

Di Qiu Shang Xian (Mo Chen Huan) 地球上线 (莫晨欢) - The Earth is Online

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: modern, action, apocalypse, death game, horror, mystery, sci-fi, survival, unlimited flow

CP: DuoTang (Fu Wenduo x Tang Mo)

Ti Deng Ying Tao Hua (Huai Shang) 提灯映桃花 (淮上) - Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms

Carrd, NU

Genres: historical, modern, action, Buddhism, family conflict, fantasy (xuanhuan), mpreg, mystery, reincarnation

CP: HuiHuang (Zhou Hui x Chu He), YuYan (Yu Jingzhong x Yan Lanyu)

Mo Du (Priest) 默读 - Silent Reading

Carrd, NU

Genres: modern, action, crime, detective, mystery, psychological

CP: ZhouDu (Luo Wenzhou x Fei Du)

Si Wang Wan Hua Tong (Xi Zi Xu) 死亡万花筒 (西子绪) - Kaleidoscope of Death

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: modern, cross-dressing, death game, fantasy, horror, mystery, survival, unlimited flow

CP: NanQiu (Ruan Nanzhu x Lin Qiushi)

LRPB by 乙卯巽, MD by 域说, KOD by 弱电讯号

4/5 STARS

Huang Jin Tai (Cang Wu Bin Bai) 黄金台 (苍梧宾白) - Golden Stage

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: historical, conspiracy, political, reversible couple, royalty

CP: YanFu (Yan Xiaohan x Fu Shen)

Sha Po Lang (Priest) 杀破狼

Carrd, NU

Genres: historical, conspiracy, mecha, military, political, royalty, steampunk, war

CP: ChangGu (Chang Geng x Gu Yun)

Yu Wu (Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou) 余污 (肉包不吃肉) - Remnants of Filth (Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat)

Carrd, NU

Genres: historical, action, angst, conspiracy, fantasy (xianxia), military, royalty, war

CP: XiMang (Mo Xi x Gu Mang)

GS by 不知名丐帮侠士, SPL by 域说 

ALSO WORTH CHECKING (I’ve yet to read / don’t intend to read but heard that they’re good reads)

Duo Meng (Fei Tian Ye Xiang) 夺梦 (非天夜翔) - Seizing Dreams

Carrd, NU

Genres: modern, action, fantasy, mystery, school life, slice of life

Tian Bao Fu Yao Lu (Fei Tian Ye Xiang) 天宝伏妖录 (非天夜翔) - Tianbao Fuyao Records

Carrd [1, 2], NU

Genres: historical, action, exorcism, fantasy (xuanhuan)

Ding Hai Fu Sheng Lu (Fei Tian Ye Xiang) 定海浮生录 (非天夜翔) - Dinghai Fusheng Records

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: historical, action, exorcism, fantasy (xuanhuan), military, war

Qian Qiu (Meng Xi Shi) 千秋 (梦溪石) - Thousand Autumns

Carrd [1, 2, 3], NU, Min’s rec

Genres: historical, action, fantasy (wuxia), political

Wu Shuang (Meng Xi Shi) 无双 (梦溪石) - Peerless

Carrd [1, 2], NU, Min’s rec

Genres: historical, action, fantasy (wuxia), mystery, political

Mou Mou (Mu Su Li) 某某 (木苏里) - A Certain Someone

Carrd, NU

Genres: modern, coming of age, family conflict, school life, slice of life

Pan Guan (Mu Su Li) 判官 (木苏里) - The Judge

No Carrd yet / I can find, NU

Genres: modern, action, horror, mystery

Quan Qiu Gao Kao (Mu Su Li) 全球高考 (木苏里) - Global University Entrance Exam

Carrd, NU, Min’s rec

Genres: modern, action, death game, horror, mystery, survival, unlimited flow

Yi Ji Lü Shi (Mu Su Li) 一级律师 (木苏里) - First-Class Lawyer

No Carrd yet / I can find, NU

Genres: futuristic, conspiracy, mystery, sci-fi

Can Ci Pin (Priest) 残次品 - Imperfections

Carrd, NU

Genres: futuristic, conspiracy, dystopia, mecha, military, outer space, sci-fi

Liu Yao (Priest) 六爻 - Liu Yao: Revitalisation of the Fuyao Sect

Carrd, NU

Genres: historical, action, family, fantasy (xianxia)

Bing An Ben (Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou) 病案��� (肉包不吃肉) - Case File Compendium (Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat)

No Carrd yet / I can find, NU 

Genres: modern, mystery, psychological

Nan Chan (Tang Jiu Qing) 南禅 (唐酒卿)

Carrd [1, 2, 3], NU, Min’s rec

Genres: historical, Buddhism, fantasy (xianxia), psychological, resurrection

Qiang Jin Jiu (Tang Jiu Qing) 将进酒 (唐酒卿)

Carrd [1, 2], NU

Genres: historical, action, conspiracy, military, mystery, political, war

Bo Wu (Wei Feng Ji Xu) 薄雾 (微风几许) - Mist

No Carrd yet / I can find, NU

Genres: futuristic, action, mystery, parallel worlds, sci-fi, survival, time travel, unlimited flow

Sa Ye (Wu Zhe) 撒野 (巫哲)

Carrd, NU

Genres: modern, coming of age, psychological, reversible couple, school life, slice of life

Lofter artists repost permissions:

域说

真茗

吃个冰粉冷静一下

灼忘

乙卯巽

弱电讯号

不知名丐帮侠士

[susuwatari-kompeito]

默读/Mo Du/Silent Reading by Priest (danmei)

*long post*

Hello! I just finished reading Mo Du for the first time, and thought I would make a rec post for it. This is just my personal take, so if you disagree with me, that’s totally fine. Additionally, this is a positive-focused recommendation, for me, the good outweighs the bad by far. All images in this post come from here. 

Info on where to read & trigger warnings: here

Why I’m recommending: As a fan of the crime genre, this novel definitely stood out to me in terms of plot and the development of the cases spanning three generations. I enjoyed how the narrative explored human nature, and what people are capable of when driven to their wit’s end. Do they pull themselves out of the trenches, or do they give into schemes and fall into misery? The novel ultimately centers around finding justice through fair means, the pursuit of the truth, and perseverance.

Priest jam-packs this novel to the brim, and there’s not a wasted word. The intricacy, the way the cases are layered, and the humor all made this novel well-worth the read for me. Even though my brain hurt at times trying to keep track of all the details, I was completely sucked in and couldn’t stop reading. 

The Characters

Luo Wenzhou, the protagonist. He’s confident and very blunt in his communication, but he’s an excellent leader who shows his care for his teammates through actions, and is well-respected by them. He plays the “bad cop” in the good cop-bad cop interrogation scenario haha. 

Fei Du, the flirty CEO with a tragic past. He’s very intelligent, well put-together, and can wear different faces to achieve what he wants. Despite how he comes off, FD has a network of people he cares for and who trust him. 

Tao Ran is LWZ’s right-hand man and also his best friend. He’s easy to like because he’s just simply a good guy and works hard at his job. Despite his capabilities, he’s a little slow-witted and clumsy on the romance front XD. He plays the “good cop” in the interrogation room :).

Lang Qiao is the upbeat female on the team and often mourns over working overtime. Xiao Haiyang is the new member; he tries really hard and is quite smart, but is not too adept in social-situations. 

Luo Yiguo is LWZ’s fat cat. Yiguo actually adds an interesting angle to the story as he gets his own point of view. One of my favorite parts of the novel hehe.

In addition to LWZ’s team, there is the web of witnesses and suspects. They all have their own unique flavor to them, and reading each of their stories, no matter how minor, is more insight into Priest’s exploration of the human psyche. Some stories will make you sad, and some make your blood boil. 

The romance (Luo Wenzhou x Fei Du): From my experience, I think that this novel is crime first, and romance second. With that being said, ZhouDu is (probably) my favorite ship out of all the danmei novels I’ve read so far. Their relationship is so heartfelt and down-to-earth despite their backgrounds. They both love all parts of each other, and their relationship provides them the space to relax and be themselves. I also appreciated how it wasn’t a “love at first sight” situation; they needed to get to know each other more beyond the scope of their initial meeting. The romance is developed at an impeccable pace, and it is an absolute delight to see the both of them slowly but surely, fall in love with each other. It also doesn’t get in the way of the developing crime-oriented plot. There’s a super nice balance of flirting, angst, fluff, humor, intimacy, conversation, and domesticity. They aren’t overly sappy, just really solid and satisfied with what they have, and that made me really happy. 

Listen to the ending from the audio drama!! I think it sounds really beautiful and the lyrics are good too. I love how its framed as a duet between LWZ and FD. 

Just a few moments I enjoyed under the cut. Spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution. 

one of my favorite scenes was in Book 5, after Tao Ran gets hospitalized due to an accident while pursuing a suspect - LWZ tells FD the story about coming out to Tao Ran - it made me cry because it showed how much LWZ values his friendship and how worried he is for TR ;-;

When LWZ picks the lock to FD’s room after they argue over FD’s mother’s case & LWZ discovers the basement - LWZ pretty much confesses (disguised as a lecture), feeds FD and then drags him to work - poor FD is just like ????? 

When LWZ forces FD to confess his feelings - it was such a satisfying scene - but they aren’t official until later - LWZ also forces FD to make their relationship official which is another gratifying scene

How LWZ’s teammates still listened to his command after he was suspended - it shows how much they trust and respect him

The entire operation where LWZ, FD, and Lu Jia rescued Lu Guosheng - it was such an action packed scene, I honestly thought Lu Guosheng was going to be killed at some point

When FD goes to LWZ’s house to feed Yiguo and discovers the croquettes that weren’t put away were destroyed by Yiguo and FD needs to clean up the mess hahaha

The two times when LWZ gives cilantro buns to Lang Qiao as punishment because she offended LWZ and his romantic life lmao

How LWZ always lectures FD when he’s being troublesome 

[kukuandkookie]

Uhhhhhh he doesn’t count fully (you’ll see what I mean in a second 😖) but I thought of Yu Fengcheng!:

Now as for why he doesn’t fully count… Well, to start off, he’s from a danmei (BL) story, and yeah he’s a male lead…

But also the story he’s originally from is a novel in a military setting, so he’s depicted in some artworks as having this kind of buzzcut—which I really like since yeah, it’s unique and rare in Asian media!—but that doesn’t mean he’s depicted so in all artwork. And that’s because obviously novels don’t have visuals so they’re up for interpretation.

Like this is also an official artwork (although it’s for an idol AU for a merch line, so it makes sense he has more hair lol):

And this is official art too, where now because he’s placed in a xianxia (fantasy inspired by ancient China) historical AU for a line of birthday art, he has long, luscious locks—aka the exact opposite of a buzzcut: 😆

And there is an official manhua adaptation now, but the main artist didn’t choose to go with a buzzcut so…that might disappoint you—although it doesn’t mean you can’t interpret his hairstyle as such personally.

Also PS: the story he’s in, My Little Poplar, is part of a bigger series known as the 188男团 (literally the “188 Boy Group” because all the gongs (tops) are 188 cm tall), and it is well-known for depicting darker subject matter, exploring and then transforming toxic relationships, and having scum gongs (so they start off with red flags). While it is quite grounded in how it handles these subject matters so it’s not glorified, it’s still always a bumpy journey to a happy ending, with some novels being worse than others in the toxicity it depicts, so that’s just a heads-up if you dislike classic “toxic yaoi” tropes!

And here we have more art of him with buzzcuts!: ^^

But yeah he was the closest example I could think of to a ML who rocks a lot less hair…

East Asian media still generally leans toward a “prettier” profile (which can lean a bit more toward traditional notions of “feminine”), especially in shoujo… Longer hair is just generally more favoured there, and that means you don’t often see male characters designed with hair as short as a buzzcut, let alone bald—especially not in “dreamy male lead” roles. 🤔

Oh! There’s also Chu Shuzhi, at least in the cdrama adaptation of Guardian aka Zhen Hun, but he and Guo Changcheng, his main love interest, are both side characters (but hey, main character Zhao Yunlan in the cdrama has facial hair! So that’s rare too for Asian romance stories).

For an even smaller role, Buzzcut is also literally the nickname and hairstyle of a side character in 19 Days lol… But obviously he shines even less and has no real romance story. 😅

And an even smaller role is Vance who was depicted with a buzzcut in the manhua adaptation of the novel Little Mushroom, but he shows up even less than Buzzcut in 19 Days and is just a minor character role and is thusly not involved in romance.

You might have noticed all the ones I’ve thought up so far are all from BL/danmei haha. And yeah, that’s because the idea of teenage dreamboats being featured in a shoujo manga (or shaonü manhua) seems to mean a buzzcut/bald male lead would be even less likely SKFJSKDJ.

I feel you on wanting to see buzzcuts more though; I was pretty excited when I saw official artworks of Yu Fengcheng with a buzzcut—not because I particularly find it attractive or ever even consciously wanted a male lead to look like that before, but I liked that it’s unique. And Yu Fengcheng has become a character I like so he fulfills that role for me personally ahaha.

EDIT: OH this is not a manhua but I finally thought of a non-danmei/BL love interest who is shown with a buzzcut (just not for the whole show since for some of it he has longer hair)!! It’s Li Xun from the cdrama adaptation of Lighter and Princess, which is obviously live-action, and I know some anime/manga fans aren’t usually fans of live-action, but...hey, it’s a shoujo/shaonü het romance that actually has the male lead sport a buzzcut!

There’s even edits celebrating his buzzcut on TikTok, like this one (slight spoilers~)! 😆

i’ve read so many romance mangas/manhwas/manhuas and now i need to see a ml that has a buzzcut or is bald. pls im desperate and i want to see some hotties with very little hair

[unforth]

hello there ! hope you're doing well :)

I keep seeing a lot of asian tv shows that seems very gay on my dash, I watched the Untamed and appreciated it quite a lot ! (I read the book also)

So i was wondering, which one in the same vein would you recommend ? I see a lot about Words of Honor, is it on Netflix ?

Thanks a lot ❤

HELL YES I WOULD RECOMMEND WORD OF HONOR, and yes, it's on Netflix.

There aren't many choices that are (a) easily available in the West, (b) adapted from explicitly queer source material, and (c) actually complete. The main three I know of are:

Word of Honor - which is on Netflix

Guardian - which is streaming in full, legally, on YouTube

Advance Bravely - which is on YouTube, and is based on a book of the same name by Shi Bu Ke Dang. (I haven't watched or read it but people I trust have.)

The first two are based on books by the same author, Priest. (There's at least one other adaptation of their work out, but the romance in that one is het - it stars Wang Yibo, who played Lan Wangji, as the male lead; and there's another adaptation in the works and due out...some time...of Sha Po Lang, which I believe is queer, but I haven't read it yet.)

For (a) easily available in the West, and (b) adapted from explicitly queer source material, but not (c) complete there are also a number of donghua (cartoon) series:

Tian Guan Ci Fu - one season is out, and it's on Netflix. This is by MXTX (same as The Untamed) and is my personal favorite danmei book/series.

Scumbag System - one season is out, and it's on YouTube. This is also by MXTX, and is based on the book Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System).

Mo Dao Zu Shi - is the donghua adaptation of the Untamed, and the third and final season is due out in like a week, and all three are on YouTube.

Qianqiu/Thousand Autumns - one season is out, and it's on YouTube. This is based on a book by Meng Xishi.

Legend of Exorcism - one season is out, and it's on YouTube. I've not watched or read this yet but a friend just did and fell in love; it's based on the book Tianbao Fuyao Lu by Fei Tian Ye Xiang.

I'm sure there's loads more, but I actually have stupidly little time for watching things, so though I've heard whispers of more, I haven't even investigated most of it, because, like...even if it sounds amazing, who as time?

And, lastly, for "not yet available but we're all waiting eagerly"...

The Husky and his White Cat Shizun is a danmei by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat which has been adapted into a live action called Hao Yixing/Immortality. It's completely ready to air, finished and through censorship...but none of us know when it'll come out.

Sha Po Lang is by Priest, as I mentioned above. It's being adapted into a live action called "Winner is King" and is expected (hoped) to come by the end of the year.

Qianqiu/Thousand Autumns by Meng Xishi is supposed in the works as a live action adaptation.

Tian Guan Ci Fu by MXTX is juuuuust starting to film and we're vaguely hoping might come out next year as a live action?

So, uh...yeah, that's everything that springs to mind? I'm sure folks I know who have more time to watch Stuff could supply more titles, but these are the first that spring to mind. If you decide you want the books I can also grab you links to some, and links on how to get the others, in the majority of these cases. (Some, you'll need to show proof that you purchased the original to get access - I also have resources that can help with that, if you want to go that route.)

HAPPY WATCHING! This is a much happier place to be, imo, than some we've shared in the past. *hugs*

[crossdressingdeath]

counterpoint: if the genre is romance instead of fantasy, you will almost NEVER see a paperback more than 400 pages long. and I can definitely see seven seas choosing romance as a better fit than fantasy, especially if they're using these works/mxtx as a blueprint for further danmei publishing

and on a personal note, I hate doorstopper paperbacks, the spines look terrible immediately and they're awkward to cart around.

I guess, but my thing is... these books aren't being written with a certain page count or genre in mind because they already exist, and honestly the summaries I've seen do not look like romance summaries to me. The summaries read like fantasy, maybe that's just me but that's what I'm getting from them. Frankly I'm concerned that they're going to use these as a blueprint for further publications, given they're taking over a year to release one book and releasing it split into more parts than it's designed to be split into with each volume costing market price; if nothing else I'd rather they translate the whole thing and release it as a box set with a slightly reduced price. Honestly my main reason for concluding that the number of volumes is just a bit of a cash grab is the cost of each volume, because... yeah, 1/8 of a book should not cost the same as a whole book, I can buy these being more expensive because of translation and illustration and the cost of multiple volumes but they're essentially charging for TGCF eight times; it's not unreasonable to charge market price or close to it, but in that case they should be trying to minimize the number of volumes, not maximize it.

I feel like the best way to do it would be to have multiple sets with different volume lengths; people who prefer shorter volumes and are fine with paying so much can get the sets they've been advertising, and people who would prefer fewer, longer volumes (both to minimize the inevitably awkward end points of each volume and to reduce the cost) can get a different set with the books split only as much as is absolutely necessary. Because like... the thing that gets me is that in every situation I'm aware of where a book has been split into multiple volumes for some editions, it's possible to get the entire thing in one volume if that's what you want. That's physically impossible here, but I feel like there should be an option for As Few Volumes As Possible for people who prefer that over such short volumes. To put it another way, it's not the fact that each volume is so short that bothers me; it's the fact that if I want these books I have to buy so many short volumes even though I'd prefer something longer even if they weren't all supposed to be one book. It feels like they're forcing me to pay the price of four or five or eight books for a single book if I want to read them even though it could be considerably less. If nothing else a hypothetical ebook release should be the whole book in one, because there's no reason to split up an ebook. Like... if someone would prefer four volumes for SV, five for MDZS and eight for TGCF more power to them, but I don't want to carry four books when one would do, or five when there could be two. I definitely don't want to carry (or pay for) eight whole books when it could be less than half that. You want to talk awkward, I don't think a few doorstoppers could possibly be more awkward or heavier than eight books. (Also re doorstopper fantasy, I will admit that they're very awkward to carry around but if you're careful with them the spines last fine; they're a bit delicate, that's all!)

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Thots on bi representation (I suppose specifically in danmei)

I feel as though I differ from a lot of fans in that I feel really neutral on the whole matter? In danmei the main characters’ most important relationships are by definition going to occur with other men, and past relationships with women, or passing attraction to women, are naturally going to be relegated to the peripheral and ephemeral. Any kind of “bisexuality” present is going to likely be lopsided, with the endgame partnership taking precedence over everything else. And in this case, I’d much rather just let that priority govern how I read characters’ sexuality, and be content to just have them be queer, or gay*, or open-to-men, or what have you. 

Like, certainly a longterm partnership doesn’t invalidate a bi person’s sexuality; and of course there are bisexual people who primarily date their own gender, or who engage socially or sexually primarily on ways that could generally be classed as “gay”. And I don’t even think it’s useless to portray the second one in media - this was something I found intriguing about how Villanelle was presented on Killing Eve, as an apparently “bisexual” figure whose simultaneous allure and threat to men is built into her character, and yet has her most powerful emotional fixations and obsessions on other women. But the key there is that there is, in my opinion, something to dig at there, some sort of signification and archetypal function wrapped up in using the concept of “bisexual” there. 

Because that’s the thing - fictional characters aren’t real people. And so I do generally expect characters’ sexuality to provide some sort of narrative utility. Not necessarily along the lines of romantic relationships - embodiment, interpersonal habits, social position, etc, are also things that can be more broadly thematically or narratively relevant. But I would like there to be some relevance to the story, because if there’s not, the whole thing starts to feel hollow. (This is, at this point, my problem with inserting queerness into modern Shakespeare productions - so often it feels like window-dressing, rather than something that actually enriches the story-as-is. It’s not offensive, and it can be fun, but it doesn’t really make me feel much.)

So I guess - it is, I guess, gratifying to see a man who ultimately ends up with a longterm boyfriend also to be susceptible to the charms of women? But in the kind of story landscape in which romantic-erotic relationships are wrapped up so tightly in the plot and themes of the story, I would much rather there be some sort of purpose to designating a character bisexual, and bonds with women that are at least comparably intense and have comparable import*. And because this usually can’t happen in danmei, because of its very structure... well, I wouldn’t say I don’t consider any of these main characters to be bisexual, but I would say that the enthusiasm with which fanon attributes bisexual identities to them, or implies that that is the most important aspect of their sexuality, is something I feel very detached from. 

And, because my opinions are often mercurial as all hell, and tend to be influenced by the shifting winds in discourse, there’s a good chance my point of view on this might change in the future. Stay tuned!  

*By this logic, I would venture to say that Helian Yi might actually be the most straightforwardly “bisexual” character in any of these novels I’ve read so far. 

[dangermousie]

Ok, I take it back about Yan HeQing being a rare web novel guy good in bed.

What about “I have reunited with my true love who I thought was dead for a year, so now I am gonna carry him to my bedroom, tie him to the bedpost, remove his clothes and stick fingers in him without lube while I act super angry at him committing suicide. PS we never had sex before and the reason he offed himself was because it was either that or my uncle killing him so it’s not like he had a great choice and frankly if I had any brains I would realize it’s my fault and grovel; oh and I also almost choked him to death when I didn’t realize it was him in another body” screams good time?

Honestly, Mo Ran 2.0 is literally the only danmei protag I’ve read about who sounds like he’d be a good time in bed. (Possibly LSWW Sanado too - those scenes aren’t my cup of tea but there is prep and lube and a satisfied boyfriend. Miss me with the used underwear in mouth thing though.) The rest of them are either terrible and haven’t heard of prep or (in danmei) lube, have a partner who acts like a particularly virtuous Victorian matron which kills the vibe entirely (hi there wife is first for danmei and husband be a gentleman or doomed to be canon fodder for het.) Best case scenario is a nice fades to black and characters appear satisfied (like the Golden Stage)

Honestly, web novel men, like real men, appear by and large terrible in bed whether they are BL or het protags. I mean the scenes in Minglan novel are downright painful rape and not in a kinky fetish kind of way.

If I ever transmigrated I would do three things: (1) never take a disciple - they are all insane and want into their master’s robes (2) never get involved in any politics or anything but peacefully living in the middle of nowhere (3) never ever hook up with anyone since the vast majority of partners are either terrible at sex in general or terrible at sex in terms of satisfying my preferences.

I mean if I transmigrated into a person with a pain kink big on being railed all night by good looking obsessives with no prep, I’d be in heaven but as is...

ETA: seriously what is the obsession with no lube?! It got to the point I am excited when it gets mentioned! Sometimes I want to shake some of those people and be “look the ML of the paranoid emperor who is a literal dragon demon AND wants revenge on MC for supposedly trying to murder him and is currently in the middle of a noncon scene still remembers to use lube. Are you telling me you are less together than THIS guy?”

[andoqin]

Hi there! I'm obsessed, OBSESSED with Qiang Jin Jiu from your recommendation, would you mind recommending other novels that might filter out some of these obsession, because I don't think it's quite healthy at the current pace

Yay, glad you’re liking QJJ, isn’t it great? Cezhou really is couple goals!

I’m presuming you want Danmei? I can give you some great Baihe or BG novels too!

Well, if you want something that has a similar ratio of plot:horniness I would recommend To Rule in A Turbulent World (Luan Shi Wei Wang 乱世为王 ) by Fei Tian Ye Xiang. LSWW’s main characters are You Miao, young, insouciant, spoiled son of a rich merchant sent to the capital to make connections and Li Zhifeng, Quanrong (sex-)slave.  YM buys LZF from a friend who was about to beat LZF to death on a somewhat rebellious impulse and also because he’s kinda curious about the sex stuff. He quickly frees LZF though, because YM is not really the sex-slave having kind of person, but they do have sex before parting initially - mostly bc YM is curious about it and well, he’s already paid money - but thankfully their separation does not last long and they realise how much they mean to each other pretty quickly. 

LSWW starts out as a somewhat quiet novel about maintaining and fixing your own farm, but both YM and LZF aren’t really meant to just sit back and watch history pass them by. 

As they become increasingly embroiled in the happenings of the world around them, they never lose sight of each other though and just like QJJ it’s pretty much accepted without comment that YM and LZF are a unit and no one comments on it. The translation by Suika is, as always, amazing and the main story is close to being done (61/75 chapters)! So now is a great place to start imo!

Next I would rec Thousand Autumns ( Qian Qiu  千秋) by Meng Xi Shi. It is not as horny as QJJ or LSWW although I guess that could be debated, because Yan WuShi is prime DILF material, and the couple doesn’t actually get together-together until the end of the novel/the extras. I’m still reccing it though, because the plot is pretty great and I really like the world that MXS draws up in her novel. 

QQ is about Shen Qiao, disgraced former leader of a righteous Daoist sect, who is defeated by a challenger from the Turkic Steppes. He falls off a cliff pretty much directly into the hands of Yan Wushi, leader of an “unorthodox” sect who just came out of a 10 year seclusion. Shen Qiao initally does not remember who he is, so Yan Wushi takes the opportunity to fool him into thinking he is SQs Master, but although Shen Qiao doesn’t remember, he’s not dumb and that ruse is dissolved pretty quickly. The main thrust of the novel is SQ now trying to make his way in the world when everyone thinks he’s disgraced himself through his defeat and has now become YWS’s boytoy for safety. 

Yan Wushi however didn’t take SQ in out of the kindness of his heart, or because he wants to fool him a little but because Shen Qiao is pretty much a kind person at heart and YWS just doesn’t believe someone can be as idealistic as SQ is so he observes and maneuvers situations to find out where SQs bottom line is. He... does something that is pretty much completely despicable and unforgivable to Shen Qiao (if you want to know exactly what it is, ask me and I’ll put it in a spoiler), but SQ is able to a) save himself and b) YWS pretty much gets hit by the karma stick shortly thereafter, so despite this the way their relationship develops in the novel is not unbelievable or impossible to me. 

What I really like about QQ is that Shen Qiao is around 30 (I think?) and YWS is close to 50 (doesn’t look anything like it though obviously), so they’re both adults and their characters are firm enough that they don’t change throughout the novel, they just gain a new perspective that lets them process stuff in a new way while still remaining true to their core personalities.

I’ve linked carrds with corresponding translations, so I hope you like either or at least one of the two novels that I have linked! Please let me know if you do :D

Edit: I think all the carrds feature links to the JJWXC origins of the novel and I urge anyone who reads fantranslations to go and support the authors, the novels are so cheap and chapter prices are dependent on the length, but can be discounted through numerous ways, so you can buy even novels like 2ha for like 10$. 

[veliseraptor]

Hey just wondering, do you have any draft or work in process or any plan for your next Loki fic? If so can you give us a little sneak peek. Or if you don’t, do you think you’ll write more about him in the future? I know you probably get this a lot and I’m sorry if it’s annoying or if it sounds rude or anything. I’m just wondering and also I’ve been binge reading your stories about him and got addicted so there’s that. But seriously I’m sorry if my message comes off as rude or annoying, that’s not my intention. Anyway hope you’re having an amazing day

I genuinely hate to sound like a broken record, anon, since you are being very polite about this! Which I very much appreciate! But the answer remains more or less the same: I don’t know. I have (counts) 38 different Loki-related WIPs in various stages of completion sitting on my hard drive. I haven’t been working on them actively lately because, to the dismay I’m sure of many of my followers, another fandom has devoured me whole. I’m really enjoying the experience, but it has left me with relatively little brainspace for things that aren’t that thing (or, I guess, other danmei novels and adaptations thereof?? idk okay). 

At some point I would like to finish at least some of those stories, because I do not like leaving things unfinished. But I just don’t know when - or if! - I will. It just depends on if I get that emotional investment back. At the moment it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen imminently, but who knows. And maybe I’ll go back and reread what I have written of some of these, go “where’s the rest, op” and feel encouraged to write more.

All that being said - since you were so nice about this, I will give you a (3000 word) excerpt from one of the WIPs - Dead Superheroes Walking, which is the one about the characters who died/were dusted in Infinity War on a road trip through the Soul Stone.

---

“Anyone for a game of twenty questions?” Sam asked, after they’d been walking for maybe ten minutes.

“Really?” Bucky said. “Twenty questions?”

“I don’t think ‘I Spy’ would work too well. Not a lot of interesting landmarks. Or hadn’t you noticed that the landscape keeps repeating?”

“I am Groot,” said Groot.

“And I have no idea what that means,” Sam said.

Sam was right, Wanda realized. The landscape was repeating. It wasn’t obvious, at first, but there was only one tree, over and over; only one rock placed near to it. The sky was a flat and even orange.

A faint shiver ran down Wanda’s spine. Bucky stopped, though, visibly disconcerted.

“What the hell is this place,” he said.

“Does it matter?” Sam asked. “We’re not exactly going anywhere else. All right, I’ve got it. Twenty questions, yes or no answers only.”

“I am Groot?” said Groot. Sam eyed him.

“I’m not going to take that off the count,” he said.

“Is it alive?” T’Challa asked.

“Yep,” Sam said.

“Guess that rules us out,” Bucky said. Sam snorted, and T’Challa cracked a small smile. Wanda stared down at a small, triangular rock in front of her feet.

“All right,” Bucky said. “Is it an animal?”

“Yes. Two questions down. Wanda?”

She bent down and picked up the rock. It left red dust on her fingers, and when she pressed her fingers together it crumbled like chalk. She half expected the dust to vanish, but the red stain on her fingertips stayed.

“Wanda?” Sam said, more gently.

“Sorry,” she said. “Is it a person?”

“Nope,” Sam said. “That’s three.”

She wiped her hand off on her clothes. This place wasn’t right - she could feel it in her bones, deep down where her magic ought to be. But nothing had been right in the last few days. Very few things in Wanda’s life had been right. Why should her death be any different?

It only seemed unfair that the others should be here, too.

They sky did not change, but they stopped walking eventually - less because any of them were actually tired than because it seemed like they should. Or maybe because they were tired of walking and wanted some change, even if there was very little change to be had. The road went on. The landscape didn’t alter.

And no one else appeared.

“It can’t just be us,” Sam said. “Other people died. Where are they?”

Nobody had an answer for him, unless the tree’s “I am Groot” was an answer none of them could understand. Wanda thought it might be something to do with the fact that they’d all died when Thanos had snapped his fingers, but she stayed quiet, staring off at the horizon and only half listening to Bucky and Sam going back and forth at each other.

“I see something,” T’Challa said abruptly. They all turned and followed the line of his arm.

“I can’t see anything,” Sam said.

“Give it a sec,” Bucky said. “He’s probably got a hundred extra yards visibility on me. Maybe 150 on you–”

“I am Groot,” Groot said. Wanda strained her eyes, some part of her wishing - hoping–

“Is that a dog?” Sam said.

A moment later Wanda saw it too, and slumped. It did look like a dog padding towards them - or at least, it certainly wasn’t a person.

“That’s not a dog,” T’Challa said.

“Fox, I think,” Bucky said. “What the fuck is a fox doing here?”

“I don’t think it’s a fox, either,” T’Challa said. He shifted, like he was thinking about getting into a fighting stance. Wanda stepped forward, reaching for her powers, but nothing was there.

What would be the point, anyway? You can only die once.

The fox - and it was a fox, Wanda could see that now, though black instead of red - slowed as it began to draw closer. It sat down, still a ways away, and cocked its head, looking at them.

“This is weird,” Sam said. T’Challa was still frowning.

“What is it?” Bucky asked him. T’Challa shook his head.

“I’m not certain.”

The fox stood, stretched, and changed, unfolding into a person. Wanda sucked in a breath, staring at the man now walking toward them: dark-haired, pale, lean and taller than Bucky or T’Challa. A vague sense of familiarity nagged at her, but she couldn’t say from where.

The man stopped, still several paces from them, and cocked his head just as the fox had. “Well,” he said, a faint rasp in his voice. “This is new.”

Wanda stared at him, trying to remember where she recognized him from. “New?”

“Yes,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else. But then, this time is different.”

“Wait,” Sam said abruptly. “Shit. Are you-”

“Mm,” he said, still looking at Wanda. T’Challa’s eyes were narrowed, too, and Sam’s. Bucky looked blankly at them both.

“What?”

“It’s always nice to be recognized,” the stranger said dryly.

“Loki,” Sam said. “That’s fucking Loki. Right?” Wanda’s eyes widened, but he - Loki - just shrugged one shoulder.

“So I am. Or was. I’m not certain of the appropriate tense.” His gaze swept across them, indifferent, disinterested.

“You’re dead, too,” Wanda said. Loki glanced at her, eyes focusing briefly before they slid back into dullness. No, exhaustion.

“Or something,” he said.

“‘Or something?’” Sam said. Loki’s eyes flicked in his direction.

“This doesn’t feel like death,” he said, “but I remember the feeling of my neck breaking in Thanos’s hand fairly clearly, so…” Wanda flinched, and she thought she saw Sam’s eye twitch. She remembered Thor coming roaring down from the sky, thunder and lightning in his voice, and understood. She looked down.

“What do you mean that this doesn’t feel like death,” T’Challa said into the silence.

“I know a little of what death tastes like,” Loki said after a moment. “This isn’t it.”

“What does that mean,” Bucky said, looking agitated and uncertain.

“I am Groot,” said Groot, and Loki glanced at him, something briefly flashing across his expression before it was gone. Pain, Wanda thought.

“Not entirely accurate,” he said, “but not entirely inaccurate, either.” There was a brief pause.

“You can understand him?” Bucky said. Loki shrugged again. “What did he say?”

“It’s irrelevant.” Loki’s eyes moved back to Wanda. “I suppose it’s too much to hope that you were simply the high cost of victory?” Wanda looked down, somehow feeling ashamed of her failure. Loki let out a quiet huff. “Pity.”

Bucky, oddly, snorted.

“Thanos gained all of the Infinity Stones,” T’Challa said. “Then…” He trailed off. “I am not entirely certain what happened then.”

Loki made a sort of hm noise, glancing at T’Challa sidelong. “So you didn’t die in battle,” he said.

“If so, I do not remember it,” T’Challa said.

“I am Groot,” Groot said to Loki, whose head swiveled violently toward him, eyes sharpening.

“Gamora,” he said, and there was a wealth of hatred and fear in that word. “You are a companion of hers?”

“I am Groot,” Groot said emphatically, and Loki blinked, then pressed his lips together and exhaled in a short burst.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”

“Can you maybe translate what he’s saying,” Bucky said irritably. “Since all the rest of us can hear is the same three words over and over.”

“He says that Gamora claimed Thanos meant to use the completed Gauntlet to halve all life in the universe,” Loki said. “If you know that he achieved his goal, then presumably you were part of the unlucky half. Though that does not explain why you are here. Or else does not explain why I am.”

“And who’s Gamora,” Sam said, with such exaggerated patience that it demonstrated anything but.

“An old acquaintance,” Loki said. He sounded distracted.

“I am Groot,” Groot said, and this time Wanda could hear the near pride in his voice. Loki didn’t respond. He was scanning their number again, Wanda realized, more closely.

She bit her lip, then raised her voice and said, “Thor’s alive.” His gaze snapped to her, and she made herself hold it though her instinct was to look down. “At least, he was when I...he drove an axe into Thanos’s chest. It didn’t work, it was too late, but…” She trailed off.

Loki glanced down, his eyes half closing, and Wanda thought she caught a brief flicker at the corner of his mouth, not quite a smile, and a barely audible, “ah, Thor.” Then his eyes were back on hers and he said simply, “thank you for informing me,” with a lack of feeling that made Wanda frown.

“You haven’t asked who any of us are,” Bucky said.

“So I have not,” Loki said. “I am not certain it is precisely relevant.”

“Excuse you,” Sam said. Loki glanced at him, that tired indifference returning.

“I approached because I was curious. I wasn’t intending to stay, nor would I think you were inclined to encourage it.”

T’Challa was studying Loki with curious intensity. “Were you going somewhere?”

“No,” Loki said, and then paused and adjusted, “perhaps.”

“I am Groot?” Groot said, and Loki’s lips pressed briefly together.

“It means perhaps. And don’t be crude.”

“I’m with him,” Sam said. “What does perhaps mean?” Loki looked briefly annoyed, and Sam said, “come on. We’re all dead here. Or - not. Which still begs the question as far as I’m concerned of what we are.”

Loki’s eyes went back to her, and Wanda shifted. “What?” She asked. “Why do you keep looking at me?”

“You haven’t noticed anything strange, then?” He asked. “Felt anything?”

Too many things, Wanda thought, but she didn’t think that was what he meant, and now they were all looking at her. Wanda hesitated.

“I don’t have my powers,” she said slowly. Loki made a derisive noise.

“Of course you don’t,” he said. “Do you need them to sense what’s around you? Midgardian magicians. Norns.”

Wanda glared at him, but took a breath and tried to turn inward, like she was going to use her power. It still wasn’t there, but this time, without distractions…

She jerked and saw a satisfied glint in Loki’s eyes, just for an instant. “There,” he said.

“Wanda, what is it?” Sam asked, looking suspiciously at Loki.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But it feels like…” She searched for the right words. “Like a heartbeat,” she said finally, even if that wasn’t quite right.

Bucky’s expression was a mixture of horror and alarm. “A heartbeat?”

“So that’s what it feels like to you,” Loki said thoughtfully. He seemed more engaged now than he had been at first, and somehow even though it shouldn’t matter that felt like a good thing. Maybe because nothing else was.

“It’s not actually,” Wanda said quickly. “That’s just sort of what it feels like - to me, anyway. It’s...different for you?”

Loki shrugged. T’Challa shifted.

“I know what she means,” he said. “Though I wouldn’t have described it like that. But there is...something.”

“Interesting,” Loki said, glancing at T’Challa and looking him over with slightly more interest. “To answer your implied question, I would call it a...resonance.”

“A resonance with what,” Sam asked.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be bothering to talk to you,” Loki said. “But partly it is that which makes me think this is something other than simple death.”

“What is there other than ‘simple death,’” Bucky said tightly.

“That is the question, isn’t it,” Loki said. “Maybe nothing. Maybe I am wrong. But if I am not…”

“If you’re not, what,” Bucky said, even tighter.

“Then it begs the question of why, doesn’t it?” Loki rolled his neck in a slow circle, and Wanda could have sworn she heard something crack. “At least, such was my thought. But maybe it is just desperation.”

He didn’t sound desperate. He didn’t sound much of anything.

“Why not stay with us,” Wanda said abruptly. Everyone else turned to stare at her, Loki included, and she straightened, turning toward her friends. “I mean it,” she said. “Why not? We’re all here together. And if he’s right and there’s a why, a reason...wouldn’t it suggest that’s true for all of us, including him?” She paused, and added, “and besides - what can he do to us, anyway?”

Loki barked a laugh. “That is a fair point,” he murmured.

“How do we know this isn’t some kind of trick?” T’Challa asked, his eyes narrowed.

“You don’t,” Loki said. “But I will say that you vastly overestimate my interest in you. Well, the majority of you. And your witch has a point: what is it you think I will do?”

“I don’t know,” T’Challa said. “That’s what worries me.”

“And ‘our witch’ has a name,” Sam said a little sourly.

Loki shrugged. “As you will. It makes little difference to me.” He moved around them and started to walk away.

“I am Groot,” Groot muttered, and strode after him, long tree-legs catching up in a few strides. “I am Groot?” He said to Loki, who checked himself and looked at him, his face tightening.

“Was, yes,” he said. “Why?”

“I am Groot,” Groot said definitively, and Loki shook his head.

“Call back your child,” he said, with a sharp gesture at Groot.

“Child?” Sam said, eyebrows shooting up.

“He’s an adolescent Flora Colossus,” Loki said, as though it were obvious. “And he is not following me. I don’t care who you were friends with.”

Thor, Wanda thought. Groot didn’t know any of them, but he’d known Thor, at least a little, and Loki was Thor’s brother, and Groot was, apparently, a teenager, among strangers who couldn’t understand him, who had just died.

Wanda’s chest ached. “If he wants to,” she said, “I don’t see why he shouldn’t.”

“I’m not interested in playing nursemaid–”

“I am Groot,” Groot said, and Loki gave him a hard look.

“No, you are not,” he said. “I’ve met grown Flora Colossi and you aren’t it. You’re barely more than a sapling. Maybe - what, four years old?”

“You know what,” Bucky said, “I’m with Wanda, actually. And the, uh...Groot. This place is weird. I think we should stick together, and it seems like he knows more about this place than any of the rest of us do.” His eyes settled on Loki. “And it’s not like we have a whole lot to lose, right now.”

Sam gave Bucky a long, skeptical look and then glanced at T’Challa, who shrugged.

“You assume I am interested in putting up with the lot of you,” Loki said flatly. He looked tense, Wanda thought. Like he was expecting some kind of trap. Wanda tried to summon a smile.

“You said you came over because you were curious,” she said. “And if you’re right, and there is some reason we’re all here...isn’t that something else to be curious about?”

“I am Groot,” said Groot, and Loki glanced at him, jaw twitching.

“I’m dead, you twig,” he said. “If not now, then probably soon. And if I did need protecting, you wouldn’t be much help.”

Bucky snorted, poorly muffled. Wanda bit her lip so she didn’t smile. Groot’s expression was hard for her to read, but it looked to her eyes like a glare.

Loki exhaled loudly and looked away. “Fine,” he said. “If you are inclined...I suppose there’s no harm in traveling adjacently.”

“Traveling where?” Sam asked. “You make it sound like you have an actual destination.”

“I have a...feeling,” Loki said, though something about the brief pause before he spoke made Wanda think there was something he wasn’t saying. The question was if it was important or not. “No more than that.”

“Well,” T’Challa said after a few moments of hesitation, “that is more than I have, at the moment. And so far as I know we weren’t going anywhere in particular, so…”

“I guess that settles it,” Wanda said. Loki eyed her like he suspected her of having some ulterior motive. She decided to pretend not to notice. “So which way are we going?”