#wo jia dashixiong naozi you keng

[evangelineiiimoscovia]

Sure Wo jia dashixiong naozi you keng is cool and full of slutty twinks but Wo bu shi jiaozhu also has tigerboys and a dragon woman and a love triangle that could've been a perfectly functional double couple in another universe and as far as trashy manhwas go, I can't pick between the two of them.

[kukuandkookie]

WOOOO yes hello I am just as excited!!! 😳 🙌 💕

Definitely really looking forward to this one because I’ve always felt like it’d be a feast for the eyes, but Li Haoling has also proven with his older work that he has an abundance of cool, pretty unique ideas, and even recently proving with Link Click and Ringing Fate that he can tell a good story with pretty strong emotional beats. 👀

I can’t say for sure I know more about this one than some fans, mostly because I’m a bit behind on some of the promotional info due to it being mostly in Japanese on this side of the Internet—as Bilibili has been pretty quiet about it on its western social media accounts. But that seems to be just how the donghua industry can be lol. They only occasionally release tidbits when they have something to share, and info on plots can be scarce, and info on release dates even scarcer—like I think Aniplex and Crunchyroll are the ones that revealed it will release in April 2025. x’D

That being said, I do have some stuff about it that might be new info to some people!:

When we all first heard of it, most of us assumed it would have a connection with two of Li Haoling’s earlier donghua (also co-produced with Japan), To Be Hero and To Be Heroine.

But even from the first trailer, my assumption was that the connection will be in name only—or that at most, we’ll maybe see a reference/cameo/Easter egg from these other two similarly titled series SKFSJJS. The former is known for being kind of crude, while the latter is known for being kind of chaotic at points. But both had some solid animation, and the latter also interestingly had a Japanese and Chinese combo for just the Japanese dub?? (it’s technically a transmigration story and the new world is in Japanese while the real world is in Chinese. Some anime fans find it jarring, but I think it’s a neat experiment). Iirc though, the Japanese version of To Be Heroine did kind of butcher it by splicing it up weirdly, but the Chinese original is quite hard to find outside of China??

Anyway, the reason I think the connection is in name only is both because we haven’t seen any sign of a tie-in in the promotional material for To Be Hero X, but also because it seems to be a “proper” and “dignified” animated series with its own set world-building and rules that don’t really intersect with its predecessors. Specifically, said predecessors were known for their slightly more indie but also bawdy presentation, as both kind of…focused on underwear (?) a bit more.

That probably sounds really weird ALDJSKDJ, so to try and explain a bit: in To Be Hero, the main character gains superpowers that turns him “unattractive,” and he himself is kind of vulgar and to top it off, he even befriends a perverted older man KSDGFJSD, while in To Be Heroine X, the main character enters a world where there are near-naked superpowered babies and her different articles of clothing can turn into warriors if not on her body.

…Yeah, okay, maybe explaining only made it weirder. 😂

But now you may see what I mean about To Be Hero X appearing to have its own self-contained lore! Not that To Be Hero or To Be Heroine were ever even that closely connected either ahaha. Maybe the connection here is just that Li Haoling likes exploring the concept of superpowers and how that can affect humanity, both in terms of the population and our humanity as people??

Speaking of To Be Hero X’s lore though, I can talk a bit about the premise!:

I got this information a while back and it is in my donghua recommendations list, but we also did get a new tidbit from the OP uploaded by Aniplex. 👁️

So in To Be Hero X, superheroes obviously exist, but only via trust. The more trust you have, the more powerful you are (and what I read back when the first trailer came out was that trust points are displayed on one’s wrist, but I’m not sure if this still applies), and it also means that if you lose the people’s trust, you will lose your powers. And the strongest one of all is the titular X, with his ability to change reality at the snap of a finger. And now the Aniplex trailers have led to me finding out that apparently a tournament—perhaps a bit similar to the one in Ringing Fate—is also held every two years to determine the rankings of top heroes, so I assume the donghua itself will follow one such tournament or something similar as we see heroes perhaps try to challenge X’s spot. That, and some character-driven stories about humanity in general, because that seems to be what Li Haoling likes to explore. 😆

And speaking of exploring…

X’s superpower is evidently a great reason for the really cool blend of both 2D and 3D animation!! 🔥

I’ve seen people claim it’s obviously received influence from Into the Spider-verse and even Arcane (which did work closely with China, it seems), and while I can’t confirm it, I can potentially see it. There does seem to be a rising trend in experimental 3D, which is very fun to see—and while I’ve enjoyed more hyperrealistic CGI donghua too, in Shaonian Ge Xing, The Island of Siliang, The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure, Ling Cage, Slay the Gods, etc, I do really like the experimental ones like Rescue Eternal Desert, No Doubt in Us, Chen He Ti Tong, and You Yao!

So speaking of animation, the studios we know are involved are:

Studio LAN—already famous for Link Click but also an old household favourite for their work with Li Haoling’s studio Haoliners, including some of my favourites like Beryl and Sapphire:

And I guess as this photo from their office showcases, they really do work so closely with Li Haoling, as this banner features quite a lot of his studio (Haoliners)’s donghua, including Beryl and Sapphire. 😳

Paper Plane Animation Studio—which I think have only worked on a few projects, but they may be doing a lot of the 3D CGI scenes, since they’re most famous for this League of Legends short:

Pb Animation Co., Ltd—another one with not quite as many works under their belt, but a bit more than Paper Plane. They’re listed as having been the driving force for Daily Life of the Immortal King season 2 and 3, but also for Light Catcher, one of my favourite donghua shorts of all time that is meant to showcase the beauty and growth of donghua overall—and with a 白鲨JAWS song too!!:

If the above video shows anything, it’s that we can obviously see a pretty solid blend of animation styles too, so that should contribute nicely to To Be Hero X!

And oh boy, putting all these together, I do in fact see the pattern of how we’re probably also in good hands action-wise, as all of these donghua studios have done some form of “superpower-based action donghua”—although I guess a lot of donghua in general place an emphasis on strong action sequences. 😆

For To Be Hero X specifically, we can also see the behind-the-scenes locations and distributions of work in this video from Aniplex:

Speaking of Aniplex, they’ve definitely been more active in promoting it on western social media lol. I do have the social media links in my donghua recs list, but I’ll leave them here too for anyone who wants it:

Official Chinese Twitter account

Official Weibo account

Official Japanese Twitter account

Li Haoling’s official Twitter account

As you can see from the Chinese Twitter account, it’s mostly done promotional and celebratory artworks for like…holidays and stuff, which does seem to be how donghua prefer to promote their stuff?? That’s why we see new illustrations every major Chinese holiday, yet the Twitter account isn’t nearly as active as the Japanese Twitter account in posting actual introductions to the characters and voice actors ALDJDKS.

The info on Chinese VAs does seem to often be delegated to Chinese social media mostly, as seen by Hoyoverse games like Genshin Impact. x’D

Hell, Crunchyroll has such a bad habit of completely snubbing and/or forgetting to promote the Chinese originals of donghua they have—like how Aiyou’s Secret Room aka X&Y was only promoted on Crunchyroll Brazil or All Saints Street is only promoted in Japanese because of Crunchyroll’s ties to Aniplex and Sony... Tian Guan Ci Fu is the luckiest odd one out, but a lot of its marketing on Crunchyroll still focuses solely on its English dub. So the fact they have To Be Hero X and now Mo Dao Zu Shi too, we may soon see more ignoring of Chinese VAs even in official material because they have the Japanese dubs (at least Mo Dao Zu Shi’s Chinese cast is already well-established!) otl.

Apologies to rant a bit there, but with that out of the way, I’m petty about Chinese VAs not getting enough attention—to the point it is technically a pet peeve of mine for them to be completely ignored; although, in my defense, sometimes the ignoring does stem from sinophobia or ignorance (eg those not realizing a donghua is a donghua, especially with anime looks and Japanese voice acting)!—and since I can be the one who shares their Chinese voices...let’s do it! This is for them, but also for everyone who wants to appreciate the Chinese VAs to have easier access to this info. 💪

My information on who the Chinese VAs are comes from this Weibo post, at least for the 10 characters we know most about right now—the top 10 heroes in To Be Hero X, both in people’s trust of them and power:

10. Nice (奈斯 (Nài sī))—VA: Gu Jiangshan: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Gu Jiangshan (谷江山), as confirmed via Baidu:

Yuan Yang in Beloved Enemy aka Tit for Tat

Huiyu aka Raven in Beryl and Sapphire

Jin Zixuan in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua

Xia Mingxing aka Jesse in Light and Night

Wangquan Baye in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

9. Hundian (魂电)—VA: Yang Kaiqi: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Yang Kaiqi (杨凯祺), as confirmed via Baidu:

Geely Shrimp and Lamb Paomo in The Tale of Food

Elysium in the Chinese dub of Arknights (lmao you know what, I always struggle to find the Arknights Chinese version and this video is titled “I won’t allow anyone to have not heard the Chinese voice acting for Elysium!!!!!!!!!!” and I’m just like, “You go girl (gender-neutral); what a mood” DGJDSD)

8. A-Hu (阿虎) (literally the diminutive prefix “A-” plus “Tiger”*)—VA: Zhang Fuzheng: character song PV on YouTube*, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Zhang Fuzheng (张福正), as confirmed via Baidu:

Xue Yang in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua

Sikong Changfeng in The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure

Diting in You Shou Yan aka Fabulous Beasts

Jayce in the Chinese dub of Arcane

*I explained his name since I think official English content will just translate it as “Hu” (or his Japanese name) without the “A-” in front… Oh and I’m crying lmao; Aniplex YouTube forgot to add A-Hu to their To Be Hero X playlist so it took me a bit longer to find it KSDHGDS

7. Xingyu Qing (幸运青) (literally Lucky Green/Blue)—VA: Zhang Shuang: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Zhang Shuang (赵爽), as confirmed via Baidu:

Xiaoyao Xinghe in Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng (if not sure which girl she plays, it’s the one with blue hair!)

Sapphire (female form) and Flax in Beryl and Sapphire

Dongfang Qinlan in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

6. Loli (罗莉)—VA: Qian Cheng: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Qian Cheng (钱琛), as confirmed via Baidu:

Furina in Genshin Impact

Robin in Honkai Star Rail

Bu Suantian in Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng

Little Spirit (Xiao Jingling) in Beryl and Sapphire

5. Xiao Qiang (小强)—VA: Jinli (Koi): character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Jinli (锦鲤), as confirmed via Baidu:

Kong Hongjun in Tianbao Fuyao Lu, both the donghua and audio drama

Lyney and Freminet in Genshin Impact

Lan Sizhui (voice only) in The Untamed (for those who don’t know, cdrama roles can get re-dubbed by not the actor for a variety of reasons, such as vibe, accent, and/or background noises because many dramas film in the same giant area at the same time)

Yue Zhishi in Lovely Allergen

4. Mosha (默杀) (literally “silent kill”)—VA: Chang Wentao: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Chang Wentao (常文涛), as confirmed via Baidu:

Jin Chenyu in Inferior by Nature (goes officially in English by The Selfish Gene on MaoEr FM, but that’s confusing because the author has another novel that translates more accurately into The Selfish Gene—anyway, I recommend this audio drama a lot!!! If anyone’s unclear, Jin Chenyu is the arrogant-sounding guy who shows up partway through, gets called “Gege” by the little boy, is eventually yelled at by the little boy to leave, and laughs at the little boy, aka his brother lol)

*Sadly a lot of his roles do not seem big enough so far for fans to have clipped them, so I only have this one sample!

3. Lianglong (梁龙)—VA: Chenzhang Taikang: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Chenzhang Taikang (陈张太康), as confirmed via Baidu:

Lan Sizhui in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua

Hua Cheng in the Tian Guan Ci Fu audio drama

Xiao Xingchen (voice only) in The Untamed (same deal as with Jinli for cdrama voice dubbing)

Lin Yutong in Don’t Say You Love Me (yes, I subbed this clip lmao. No, this role of his isn’t actually on his Baidu page, but I’m biased because I enjoy this manhua/vomic so I’m including it anyway hehe)

Wei Yanzi in I Ship My Rival x Me (Bilibili version here)

Gong Changsheng in Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng

Jiaoqiu in Honkai Star Rail

*Sorry for adding way more roles in here than necessary lmfao. But again, I am (very) biased here!!! He may be most famous for Lan Sizhui and Hua Cheng and Jiaoqiu and arguably even Xiao Xingchen, but I love him—and first fell for his voice acting—for Wei Yanzi, Lin Yutong, and Gong Changsheng ehehe. 🥺

2. Queen/Nüwang (女王)—VA: Liu Xiaoyu: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Liu Xiaoyu (刘校妤), as confirmed via Baidu:

Tushan Susu and Tushan Honghong in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

Kang Jinlong in Black Myth: Wukong

Caitlyn and Jinx (see second half of the video; the first half is Jinx’s voice in the League of Legends game) in the Chinese dub of Arcane

1. X—VA: Wei Chao: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili*

*This song was one of the first things to come out of this donghua, so it is out there and it is definitely catchy!!

Other notable roles by Wei Chao (魏超), as confirmed via Baidu:

Lan Wangji in the Mo Dao Zu Shi audio drama

Wangquan Fugui and Wang Fugui in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

Qiongxiong in Tianbao Fuyao Lu, both the donghua and audio drama

Wang Jiexi in The King’s Avatar

*Fun fact: I didn’t list all of them, but while checking everyone’s Baidu pages, I found a surprisingly high amount of Fox Spirit Matchmaker. 👀

I would playfully suggest you take a guess/make an assumption as to the number, but you may spot the answer down below lol. And well, it is definitely a very long donghua with a giant cast, but I was still taken by surprise! Because 8/10 of the top 10 heroes in To Be Hero X also share a voice with Fox Spirit Matchmaker characters!! 😆

Anyway, I think that’s everything I know—and everything I’ve learned while writing this post!!

I hope it was insightful, and I’m sorry for how long it is...! Of course, I could put it under “read more,” but also...I spent so long on this (to the point I discovered a Tumblr limit to providing external links before the draft would stop saving lmfao oops) and I’d love for everyone to know more about this donghua, especially of the Chinese VAs, so...I’m going to be obnoxious and leave it as KSLDGJDSH,,, double sorry!! 🙈

You know what, I might actually turn this into a post for my donghua blog, which I haven’t updated in foreeeeeever ahaha. But yes, I hope this was worth the wait!! ^^

OMG OMG THIS LOOKS SO GOOD

The animation is smooth as fuck and that switching from 3D to 2D and back again??? Holy shit. And the colors! This looks so good, and most of all the guy is so hot 😳

So excited for this donghua aaaah

[thesparkthatlightsthemoe]

Happy 8th Anniversary~

Source

[kukuandkookie]

The end of 2024 has proven that 2025 seems to be a huge year for donghua and I’m gripping everyone to give all these donghua besides just the most popular ones a chance!!!:

Link Click, Yingdu arc: releasing December 27, 2024

Nezha 2, sequel to Nezha 2019 aka Nezha zhi motong jiangshi, confirmed for January 2025

To Be Hero X, likely April 2025 release (I hope people will also support the version with Chinese VAs! 🙏)

Lord of the Mysteries, 2025 summer release—accompanied by more good news: the novel has officially entered the British Library and it will also be translated into English by Yen Press

False Memory, series version, confirmed 2025 release

I am making this post because False Memory just released its new trailer and I am very much so looking forward to it! The series started as an indie short before growing into a bigger thing, much like Fog Hill of Five Elements and The Legend of Luo Xiaohei and Alita’s Trial. We’ve thus been waiting a couple years for news so this is really exciting, especially after it recently got a Twitter account!!

Bonuses:

Ya She, released a couple months ago but late enough into 2024 I’d still love for more people to check it out!

Scissor Seven, another one that’s had its newest season out for a while now, but I assume that for those who have Netflix, it hasn’t been officially English subbed or dubbed yet. We’re also still getting trailers for its game!:

I Am What I Am 2, released Dec 14, 2024 in China!

Reminder that Mo Dao Zu Shi is now on Crunchyroll! They may have removed it from Tencent’s donghua YouTube channel for this, so definitely go support it if you do have Crunchyroll!

Some children’s donghua have also recently released, including news of the new Balala the Fairies season and the other magical girls show, Rainbow Crew! The latter is confirmed for an official release in English.

The Yi Ren Zhi Xia game is also coming soon to global, and Fox Spirit Matchmaker even updated their OP recently after quite a long time of silence.

And speaking of silence, even the long-awaited SVSSS donghua saw some movement recently!?

Now if I could get a confirmed 2025 release for White Cat Legend season 3 (and maybe God Troubles Me and Lie Huo Jiao Chou and Fei Ren Zai and All Saints Street and The Legend of Luo Xiaohei and Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng etc…)), I could die a happy man (gender-neutral)—after watching all of these newly released donghua shows and films and seasons, of course ahaha. 🙏

For more news and info on donghua, you can check here:

There’s a bunch of new donghua information in the above document that came from 2024, even though they don’t have official release dates yet! Including but not limited to:

The announcement and PV of Call-Up Girls, based on a baihe manhua

The announcement of a Nirvana in Fire donghua, based on the danmei novel with a famous cdrama adaptation (with the manhua having recently gotten an official English license via Aloha Comics)

Trailer and announcement for 《向火而生》, based on Shui Qian Cheng’s danmei novel Blazing Armour

More announcements for Jing Wei Qing Shang, based on the popular baihe novel

Trailer for The Story of Rong Song, a spin-off of the famous Big Fish and Begonia movie

and many, many more…!

Hope everyone can join me in watching more donghua for 2025!! :D

[bitterflames]

list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern (tagged by @sunriseverse on main, tyty! 💛)

...i've only got 9 posted fics so we're gonna have to make do lol. talk about inspiration to get off my arse and finish some of my wips >.>

1. how to deflower your martial brother (wo jia dashixiong naozi you keng, dongfang wuqiong/gong changsheng) Gong Changsheng had noticed this when he was younger, the way Dongfang Wuqiong would sometimes press a hand to his chest as though in pain, the recurring cough he’d shrug off as a minor seasonal affliction. 2. what's in a name? (mysterious lotus casebook, di feisheng & fang duobing) He didn’t mean to keep it, but something about the helpless little bundle of cream-coloured fur had stirred his heart. 3. no takebacks (mysterious lotus casebook, fang duobing/li lianhua) Li Lianhua is teasing him about his supposed upcoming marriage to the princess again, in that way he does sometimes that’s more of a defensive mechanism than anything. 4. to gravity and the unknown (elder scrolls online, verandis ravenwatch/prince naemon) It’s cold. 5. you and me and a bottle of wine (baldur's gate 1, player character/xan) Beregost is a welcome sight after weeks of trudging up and down the Sword Coast at the mercy of the elements, the wildlife both mundane and monstrous, and the seemingly endless roving gangs of bandits. 6. hold me tight and fear me not (baldur's gate 2, player character/xan) The dark elves are not much for merrymaking, Ceru thinks as she sips at her second tankard of black mead; in all her travels, she’s never seen a tavern so quiet. 7. snow and repetitions of snow (elder scrolls online, mannimarco/vanus galerion) Vanus Galerion sank into his bathtub wearily, the troubles of the day weighing heavily upon him. 8. a light that does not flicker (elder scrolls iv: oblivion, hero of kvatch/martin septim)

Nevos could only watch, mute and uncomprehending, as Martin was enveloped in a blaze of light so bright it hurt his eyes to watch.

9. into the abyss (elder scrolls iv: oblivion, hero of kvatch/martin septim) Blue, all around him is blue, a placid calm sky that stretches on in all directions as far as he can see. taking "first line" as the first full sentence, which... lol. if there's any consistency in these it's that i am very inconsistent! past tense, present tense, rambling run-on sentences or just "it's cold"? no pattern no rhyme no reason baby!!!

tagging! @shararan @strandedchesspiece uhh i think i've seen this one around a bit, i'm not sure who else has done it! any writer friends who are interested pls feel free to do the thing and @ me about it 💛

[kukuandkookie]

wip titles meme

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Tagged by @crimsonrainseekingflower! 💕💕💕

Thank you for the welcome surprise—another one I finally discovered once I looked at my notifications and stuff! Fortunately this time I’m remembering to make my own post haha. 😆

I hope you don’t mind if I also divide by fandom, and these only vaguely include a couple art wips!:

SVSSS:

Grave Matters

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time AU!?

Just a Dream (is this unfortunately a lame-ass title 😔)

Haunting You

Singles’ Day

TLJ/ZZL/LBH/SXY ADDAMS FAMILY AU??????????

Bingqiu White Snake (animated movie) AU

Waiting for the Tree Branches to Bloom Again

Safe from the Storm

I See in Both Your Eyes (Something Indigo)

AU: The Lion King II??

Family Meal Goes “Wrong”

TLJ’s Lament

LBH²

狗哥狗哥，你真了不得 (Gou-ge, Gou-ge…)

Slavic Vampires…

CNY Dumplings Competition

Enchanted (because we’re doing this now, I guess)

Limb Regeneration What If?? 🤔

Of Costumes and Candies (Something Orange)

Something Old, Something New, and… (Something Blue)

SV OTGW AU

I Ship My Rival x Me AU

I Have to be a Great Villain AU

Happiness Just Out of Reach

Lost and Found

Words to Heart

Breathing Smoke Into the Lungs

HORRIBLE NEW IDEA: Maybe title: Just Enough. Just Enough for Me

Love Letters (that’s all I got so far *insert deepfried emote here*)

Daycare AU???

Hmmm. Prince x Princess AU?

Xi Yang Yang AU

Gongzhu

Followers Milestone Celebration

Teacup scene

I Think My Uncle Ships Us Help

Unattainable

I’d Like to Try Staying Awake (for You)

Breaking the System (aka Fuck the System? Literally or—jk jk lmfao)

Bonuses include the latest chapters for I’d Rather Spend My Whole Life Asleep (With You) and To Tame a Beast, except the former doesn’t have a wip title. The latter does in the sense that the chapter title is Pixiu!

Erha:

Putting the Musing in Amusement Park

This Venerable One Will Not Be Outdone

What You Left Behind/Do You Also Miss Me?

[The] Romance of Wolf/Husky and Haitang

Ghost Bride (Corpse Bride but Chinese?? And Reincarnation)

Reconciliation

Fifteen Growing Up Flirty

Out of the Closet (and Into Your Arms)?

The Prince and the Pauper (but based on The Princess and the Pauper because I’m a criminal who hasn’t read the original 😂)

Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng but with an Erha Twist

TW WARNING FOR THIS ONE but Passive suicide ideation fic

IDK WHAT TO WRITE FOR CWN’S BDAY… GOD SOMEONE SEND HELP GFGKDFHGKSDFHG (this one has a more polished but still wip version titled CWN Birthday Fic: Past, Present, or Future, I Want to Celebrate With You 😆)

Jiaoren CWN

Priest CWN & demon MR…hehehe (now a Dianran AU?)

More Than Just Puppy Love

Flower Shop…Redemption…Thingy?

From Wanton Wants to Wonton Wonders

A Taste of What Could Have Been

Screwdriver

First Bow to Heaven and Earth

Hidden Love AU

Mo Ran pulls a Bing-ge

Mind(-Reading) Games

Stone Lion

Swallowed Flowers

Confessions (Role-Swap AU)

TXJ Week (help we’re way past that now 😔): De-Aged Fic

A Tear in My Heart aka Read You Like an Open Book aka To Leave a Piece/Page of Me in the Nooks and Crannies of You?

Shi Mei Jiaoren Fic: [I’m] Afraid to Live Without Breathing

I also have a lot of Erha and SVSSS fic ideas that are unfortunately just blurbs in my ideas document right now and not full-on wips so they don’t have any titles I can share. 😔

Misc:

First Times, Second Chances, and Third Time’s the Charm…s (?) (Link Click)

Missing a You of Another Time (Link Click)

Danmei, xianxia-esque story (Link Click)

Suriel/Sariel

Call of the Wolves (specifically chapter 78)

Chuju the Chou

Papillon and Akuma’s Story

Papillon and Akuma Role Reversal AU Story

Circinus and Pyxis

Smoke & Mirrors

Dimension Hoppers

Take Me Back to Hell (All Saints Street)

I’ll Love You Until All the Stars Fall from the Sky (The Legend of Luo Xiaohei?)

Fengxi like Shade in Firewing (The Legend of Luo Xiaohei)

Mafia AU Xuanli x Laojun (The Legend of Luo Xiaohei)

Continuation of Falling for You (White Cat Legend)

How Could I Ever Ask You to Love Me? (White Cat Legend)

My Shadow It Follows Me

The Us of the Present Could Perhaps Be Just as Tender as the Us of the Past (Scissor Seven)

A Conversation With a Dead Man (MDZS)

Magical Girl AU (MDZS)

Xue Yang’s Regrets (MDZS)

Ao Bing and Nezha in a shoujo high school AU… That’s it. That’s the whole idea (Nezha 2019)

Surprising the Un-Surprise-Able (I Have to be a Great Villain)

Xianxia AU (Kiss the Abyss)

Breathing New Life (Kiss the Abyss)

I Will Chase You to the Ends of Time and Space (Kiss the Abyss)

A Family Outing (Beryl and Sapphire)

Just Some Gay Little Dudes (Beryl and Sapphire)

Steven Universe AU (Beryl and Sapphire)

Something as Sweet as You (I Ship My Adversary x Me)

A Present to be Cherished (I Ship My Adversary x Me)

I Ship My Adversary x Me and 严禁造谣 Crossover? AU Swap?

Additional misc wips I haven’t touched in forever are the latest chapters for The World Doesn’t Deserve You (MDZS) and Frostbite (All Saints Street). 😅

And as a bonus, these aren’t at all “official” yet but the more I read for some manhua the more I’m tempted to write fics for them… For example, a fic for Blemishing the Contaminated or My Lovely Troublemaker season 2 would be so cute, even if I don’t exactly have any clear or obvious ideas for them. 🥺

Phew, wow. I had way more wips than I expected AKFJSKFHSJS. Some are honestly just super half-baked documents tucked away in a folder with only a title and outline, but I hope something here was of interest to you guys. 😆💖

As for tagging…

I also don’t think I’m capable of tagging as many people as I have wips otl. So I hope you guys don’t mind if I tag just a few of you!

@ezrathesplit @levia-kun @yumichanhamano @softdekus @rongzhi @azunshi

(Of course, if you would rather not, feel free not to do this!)

[kukuandkookie]

Sometimes I forget people aren’t used to consuming Chinese media like I am so they expect any bl to be explicit.

Like today someone referred to Childe and Zhongli as potential “queerbaiting” to me and I had to pause for a moment and consider this. I always take things in stride when it comes to what is called “queerbaiting” in Chinese media because we don’t know how strict censors are (sometimes bl seems mostly okay, sometimes it seems a little less okay, sometimes it seems okay as long as it’s not “anti-gov”... Oh, and the topic of censorship is a whole ‘nother complex discussion due to it happening because China rebuilt itself with all-new policies and was also westernized after suffering under colonization...).

Like I can’t objectively tell you if some of these series with bl are queerbaiting because it arguably challenges censors and in many ways, is entirely meant to be taken as canon—so is it really queerbaiting then?

Take Childe and Zhongli and their fenghuang chopsticks. That seems entirely intentional. A Chinese game using a traditional Chinese theme for an object exchanged between two men that represents unity, harmony, and marriage? That’s pretty much intentionally gay if you ask me, but maybe that is just me. 😆

But we all remember The Untamed and how Wangxian exchanged loving glances, touched each other constantly, basically got married (through symbolism of the forehead ribbon and the exchanging of chickens), calling each other a term that could mean either “life-long confidant” or “soulmate” and so on.

We never got a canonical scene where they kissed or said “I love you,” but we can see the intent there. We know what they’re saying. The same applies for the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua. The manhua is more obvious about it, but they still cut a kiss scene... But since it appears it was still drawn, we can take that as it having still happened. And Mo Dao Zu Shi Q takes this further than the regular donghua too because the censors are more lax on them.

And yes. They are based on a bl novel, so it’s a little different from Genshin Impact, but if you consume as much Chinese media as me, you can usually tell when a team/author is intentionally using symbolism to suggest a canon couple, often with a traditional Chinese theme. Like why use the fenghuang theme? They really didn’t have to do that, but they did it. 👀

The animated movie Jiang Ziya used language that suggested Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya could be a couple, but it was never explicit. But hell, they basically adopt a daughter! I interpreted them as a couple but didn’t see it as fully intentional or canon until talking to a good friend of mine whose Chinese is better than mine. There were more hints and reasons to believe they cared about each other in that way, so we concluded it was way more obvious than we would’ve thought at first glance. And that’s kind of how China does it when the main focus of a story isn’t bl but there’s a potentially bl couple.

And even when there are censors, there have been a variety of ways Chinese media has skirted censors in the past. Like in Beryl and Sapphire, we get the “survivor’s cut” where things are censored and the “director’s cut” where things aren’t censored (so characters can hug, kiss, confess, cuddle, and so on). And Beryl and Sapphire, while originally designed by the author as two males, are designed so they can be in any story (bl or not) and were originally drawn in the comic as stick figures so you could imagine their gender as whatever you want (so they could even be girls’ love if you so desire!).

Or how in Spirit Pact the male leads kiss to give each other power or exchange vows but the manhua’s creator said it’s “not necessarily because they’re in love.” There was debate this is queerbaiting, but could the creator just be avoiding trouble with censors? The very fact the male leads kiss so much and care so much about one another suggests intent.

Now contrast that to Hualian from the Tian Guan Ci Fu donghua, where things are so obvious and it’s even gayer than the novel in some areas. People keep questioning how they got it past censors, and that makes me rethink how I view Chinese censors. However strict they truly are, Chinese media is very purposeful in how they depict bl couples.

So I don’t really think about whether something is queerbaiting or explicitly canon in Chinese media. I basically see something that can be read as bl through symbolism/language/metaphor and I see that as intentional. The creators are letting you choose how you want to read it, and you may never get the kiss you want, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t “canon.” There’s often intent behind it, and because of varying levels of censorship, I take the idea of “queerbaiting” in Chinese media with a grain of salt.

For example, Kaeya and Diluc use a term in Chinese very similar to sworn brothers, which can be romantic in Chinese. With modern day China, creators often use “sworn brotherhood” as a way to depict romance and skirt censors. And yes, I know the English translation labels them as two adopted brothers, which is also okay! But as I’ve confirmed with multiple native Chinese speakers, the original Chinese language used is not exactly family-oriented, and that can be viewed as intentional (that’s why you see some Chinese fans ship Diluc and Kaeya while the western fandom views it as incest). Language is complex! There’s no clean, clear-cut answer.

Bl is popular in China, but it’s not always the main focus of every series (you know, sometimes bl is the side couple). We could say You Shou Yan features an intentional bl couple with Sibuxiang x Tony/Tuye or Fei Ren Zai and All Saints Street feature the intent of potential bl with Yangjian x Guanyin and Nick x Lynn respectively; or Are You OK is bl even if the story doesn’t focus entirely on that but it does feature more than one bl couple; or Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng is bl because it features guys crushing on other guys and sharing moments, even though the manhua isn’t about that bl romance explicitly; or see Nezha as having bl potential because of how it interprets the Nezha and Ao Bing relationship (to the point of even changing the depiction of the relationship between Ao Bing and Nezha from the 1979 animated movie to be more domestic rather than as enemies); or even say mihoyo’s other game, Honkai Impact, arguably intentionally features some girls’ love too.

https://youtu.be/vw-nx26xUQI

Maybe it’s just because I identify as ace and I don’t mind if there’s no signs of sex scenes and I’ve even grown accustomed to not seeing kisses. I love seeing other signs of love—like protecting your partner, being their sugar daddy, hanging out with them a lot, and all that jazz. If there’s a kiss, great! If not, that’s fine too because there are other things to suggest they’re canon.

So is Zhongli and Childe queerbaiting? I don’t personally think so. Those fenghuang chopsticks suggest marriage or at least harmony in unity, and marriage or “being together” can be seen as quite canon. Will they say it out loud? I guess not, but we have to acknowledge the context that it’s still from China and there are censors for them to deal with.

But if you don’t want Childe and Zhongli to be canon, that’s totally okay too! I mean...it is also a game, and games even more than media can be interpreted differently since every user’s experience differs.

Love is love—and that includes whether there’s a kiss or not, when the author/team intends it and lets you interpret it any which way, you can interpret their symbols as signs of how canon your two favourite characters are!

Oh, and as a finishing thought, here’s a list of donghua recommendations for anyone who wants to check some of these out! I include a lot of good donghua with pictures, descriptions, and links to where to watch. 🥰

[kukuandkookie]

Psssst if you search “bl ” (recommended with a space after so you don’t get terms like “black” or “blue”) in this document, it will turn up some donghua!! 👍

Based on your tags of series you have watched, my personal recommendations though would be to try Jie Yao, Those Years I Opened a Zoo, even Spirit Pact, and also one of my all time favourites, Beryl and Sapphire.

The fun thing about Beryl and Sapphire is that it’s based on a manhua with stick figures (although they do also have set human designs) that can be put in all kinds of situations, whether it’s a one-off gag one chapter or an overarching narrative that spans multiple chapters. They can even switch genders! And the donghua adapted it accordingly for the first season, even cleverly showing Beryl and Sapphire as actors in the OP.

Like Spirit Pact, it’s an older donghua so it also got away with more explicit gay romance. Both even have scenes where the men kiss. For Beryl and Sapphire specifically, a couple episodes even have a “director’s cut” as well as a “survivor’s cut,” where the former is very gay. 👍

Oh, and the first season is already 72 episodes!!

The later seasons (which came back as a shock to most of us fans because the donghua had been dormant for like 5 years) adapt longer running arcs with coherent narratives that follow through every episode, rather than doing the old shtick of new situations every episode.

Beyond these, while they may not be explicit, because of China’s reliance on queer-coding, you can also enjoy subtle gay ships in donghua.

This can be as canon and intended as the (mostly side) gay ships in No Doubt in Us and White Cat Legend and You Yao; or the queerness of Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng (no canonical ship but lots of gay characters); or the relationships that are as up to interpretation as in Link Click and Land of Miracles and Villain Initialization.

Finally, if that kind of subtlety isn’t enough to satiate you, you can also visit the world of manhua, which is a bit less censored than donghua!

I know obviously it’s not animated but it’s still a visual medium that uses sequential storytelling, and some manhua are so pretty it can feel like you’re watching a series anyway (a popular example is Little Mushroom, but even underrated stuff like I Ship My Rival x Me; How’d I Get a Heroine’s Script?; Pixiu’s Eatery, No Way Out; Kiss the Abyss; Don’t Say You Love Me; Rejoice in Your Enemies; I Have to be a Great Villain; Salt Friend; The Trapped Beast; Forced Strategy 100%; any of the 188男团 series; The Guy Inside Me; and many many more are all great reads).

Some of these even have vomics, which are manhua with voice acting (voice comics), and some have a bit of motion or animation! Like Pixiu’s Eatery, Kiss the Abyss, Don’t Say You Love Me, and more… I’ve even subbed bits of it myself here and here, plus trailers here and here. 😆

I have danmei/bl and baihe/gl manhua in my donghua and manhua recs list that I linked above, but I have even more in this additional list made just for danmei/baihe (because some bl tropes make normies uncomfortable lol):

I’d also recommend audio dramas since they feel like enjoying a whole show, although of course they’re harder to navigate if you don’t use Chinese. It’s not impossible though! Google for example can translate the MaoEr FM website pretty well, and MaoEr FM currently accepts both Apple and Google Pay, and some fans will subtitle certain audio dramas.

One of my favourites is 《秉性下等》, which adapts the novel popularly known as Inferior by Nature (it goes officially by The Selfish Gene, which is a bit confusing since the author has another novel fans know by The Selfish Gene lol):

(The second YouTube channel above, BL Galaxy, is actually a great way to discover audio dramas as they upload all the audio drama songs and even vomic ones too. 🫶)

The last option is cdramas, and sure they’re not animated and they’re even more censored, but they’re still bl and you can feel the love on-screen, so if you need even more things to enjoy, I’ll link my list anyway:

And with all those suggestions, I hope that helps tide you over!! ✌️

I miss all the bl donghuas.... Give me something to watch :'(

[kukuandkookie]

I have a host of manhua (and donghua) recommendations in this list!:

Anything that is boys’ love is also clearly labelled. ^^

My personal favourites include White Cat Legend, Fei Ren Zai, All Saints Street, The Silver Wolf, Saved the Public Enemy by Mistake, Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng, Blades of the Guardians, Brainless Witch, Lanxi Zhen, Once More, Protect My Star, Beryl and Sapphire, Chang Ge Xing, Bu Tian Ge, Fox Spirit Matchmaker, Hidden Love, All My Classmates Are So Weird, No Doubt in Us, and many others—because technically, almost every single manhua I’ve included on that list is one I’m happy to endorse.

If you need more details or descriptions or even images of any of these manhua, you can find them in that list linked above!

I’ll also add a couple additional notes:

Some of these have English translations, but a few may not… In that case, it might even be easier to find Japanese translations of some of them instead…?

Quite a number of these manhua also have donghua (animated) adaptations, if that’s your thing!

Since Chinese boys’ love can get pretty censored, some are much more plot-heavy than other boys’ love stories, and the boys’ love may not be a prominent focus, so you can still enjoy all the self-sacrificing etc without too much romance. Like Poyun and Little Mushroom are both boys’ love stories, but it’s so plot-heavy and angsty with the romance actually being pretty subtle, that you might enjoy it! Some are in fact so subtle it’s not even really obvious, like in Guwei Nanting, where the biggest focus is on the plot!

Any manhwa/novel recommendations?

I'm looking for some manhwa/manga/manhua or novel recommendations. I love self-sacrificing MC stories, but more importantly I prefer story with strong friendships/familyship, not solo-raid MC.

Bromace is welcomed but not BL story please. English preferred, but Japanese also okay.

Please let me know if you have any recommendation! Thank you!

[kukuandkookie]

Oh hey welcome to the world of donghua! I can definitely be of help here. 🥰

I have a whole list of recommendations here, which has also sort of become a donghua-tracking list (of things I personally find interesting), so there’s summaries, links on where to watch, and images!:

Obviously a good place to start is with movies, and in there, Dahufa is one of my favourites—and the director behind it also recently released The Storm. Similarly, 30,000 Miles from Chang’an was another very recent release that saw some hype even on the western internet, and the studio behind Chang’an has the New Gods and White Snake film series as well. Then of course we can’t forget about Nezha (Nezha zhi motong jiangshi, 2019) and Jiang Ziya…

Deep Sea and I Am What I Am are also Chinese animated films that made a bit of a splash but still get often overlooked.

CW for blood and gore for Dahufa though!

And I have to say if you like Legend of Luo Xiaohei and All Saints Street, you may be interested in the sister series of the latter, Fei Ren Zai and You Shou Yan! They’re very similar premises, except the former features Chinese gods in the modern day, while the latter features Chinese mythical creatures. You can tell they are sister series since they all have OPs sung by the Chinese Vocaloid (known as a VSinger), Luo Tianyi. ^^

Another popular, well-beloved yet still decently underrated-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things series is Scissor Seven, which is actually on Netflix.

But if you want to get more underground, I’d recommend White Cat Legend; God Troubles Me; You Yao; Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng; Bai Yao Pu; A Will Eternal; Shaonian Ge Xing; The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure; Tales of Dark River; Blades of the Guardians; No Doubt in Us; Psychic Princess; Cinderella Chef; The Demon Hunter; Throne of Seal; The Land of Miracles; The Island of Siliang; Ling Cage; Fog Hill of Five Elements; any number of danmei donghua (Thousand Autumns, Those Years I Owned a Zoo, Jie Yao…); and so on!

Now if you want to get really underground, here’s some series I enjoyed that not many people seem to know of in the west!:

Salted Fish: super playful and comedic with a bit of heart to it. The newest season just came out on Bilbili! Also just as a piece of trivia: in modern Chinese slang, “salted fish” means someone who is lazing around, because 咸 (xián, salt) is a homonym of 闲 (xián, laze/leisure). And the main character of this series…is definitely rather lazy/leisurely. 😆

Cat’s Tea and its AU spin-off, Dog’s Tea: a very cute chibi series that features transmigration and animal/tea-based tribes!

Rescue Eternal Desert: I admittedly didn’t get to finish this one but I really dig its style; it’s got that dystopian, desert set-up where the main characters are doing their best to survive!

Aiyou de Mishi: a horror-esque donghua about an escape room… Available on Crunchyroll!

Watt’s Up, Girl: a cute, fluffy series about a guy whose refrigerator becomes a human girl (yes, really lol).

Ringing Fate: from the director of Link Click and Tian Guan Ci Fu, we have a more scifi-esque story about an underdog in a fighting arena!

And okay I hit the 10-video limit on Tumblr mobile—which I might edit later when I’m on desktop since desktop lets you put in way more content, but for now I’ll still leave a few other recs with links below:

Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: a man gets a mysterious System that leads to him trying to lose money to earn money, all thanks to a technical issue. This one’s currently “airing” on Bilibili and has received a pretty warm welcome!

God of Deception: an older donghua and not exactly a perfect one by any means, but I still find it charming. In this world, there are judges for those who do bad, and the protagonist is one such person (specifically for lying), which opens up a whole new world to him.

Face on Lie: a story about looks and obsession; a woman seeks plastic surgery after her boyfriend cheats on her, but her doctor turns her into the spitting image of his comatose wife.

The Dining Room of Link Lee: a feel-good story that addresses deeper issues all through the bonding power of food!

War God System! I’m Counting on You: a transmigration xianxia donghua in the most classical sense!

Legendary Twins: another adaptation of a very classic novel, where twins are separated at birth due to a tragedy. One is raised by a proper xianxia cultivation sect while the other is raised by “evil” yao. This is about what happens when these two long-lost brothers cross paths.

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: honestly a much harder one to recommend despite it being quite popular and also decently “old” at this point, but that’s also why I’m putting it here. This is based on a manhua of the same name and features a heavy, continuous plot about reincarnation and love. Essentially, the Tushan foxes and their magical tree are the go-to place for soul mates to pledge their feelings for one another, allowing you both to meet again in your next lives. What this means, for this series at least, is that yao and humans who often fall into more unexpected, forbidden, and/or even tragic romances with one another go to this tree to make this pledge. As such, the Tushan foxes have to help the lovers’ reincarnations remember one another, and this often means we start in the modern day and get flashbacks to explain any of the lovers’ heartfelt pasts. In this way, Fox Spirit Matchmaker is sort of like Bai Yao Pu, which I mentioned before…as both really tug on your heartstrings (although Fox Spirit Matchmaker is much more comedic). And speaking of heartstrings, the main characters are also a case of this kind of reincarnation and tragedy romance, despite being agents of Tushan that help other couples get back together. This series used to update pretty regularly and since it started early on in the donghua scene, the first few seasons have some rough animation, but there’s still some good stories in there, and the animation improves a lot after like season 3 or 4. There’s 9+ seasons now, although I think production has slowed down a lot recently due to some issues with the studio.

And if you want to go for really really truly underground, any of the shorts/indie series I listed would obviously count, such as False Memory or Alita’s Trial or Daddy Loong or Lostreak Chicken!

And just as a bonus: if you’re into media that leans toward a younger demographic, I’d recommend Great Warrior Wall; Xi Yang Yang Yu Hui Tai Lang (but only really the seasons after the Mighty Little Defenders season); Jing-Ju Cats; Ori-Princess; and so on~ In fact, I have some childhood favourites in there I’d love to recommend, even though obviously it’s less sensible to do so due to the time since they released but also the lack of English subtitles.

Finally, there’s also upcoming donghua that I would say to look forward to, even though they’re not out yet. You’ll probably see a bunch of them in the list I provided that you may find interesting, but since China is much more lenient about production timelines than Japan, there’s never a clear set date for how long a donghua will take, so if there’s any series that catches your eye (such as Guwei Nanting; Liu Yao; Shuofeng: Po Zhenzi; Yashe; To Be Hero X; Jing Wei Qi Shang; Zi Jin Yu Miao Fang; etc), you’ll have to wait patiently. 🥲

can someone give me donghua recommendations plsplsplspkspksplsplspsl i need to watch more donghua. im not picky as long as its good my fav donghua so far are link click and beryl & sapphire which are just… the basic ones lol. i also like legend of xiao hei and all saints street. uhhh i DONT like kings avatar i think the writing is boring af sorry (watched like.. 8eps). i know i could just browse thru bilibili til i find something interesting but bilibili has TOO MUCH STUFF!!!! id much rather get smth recommended. pretty please😢

also what i failed to mention is mxtx works. i do like them & their adaptations but im not looking to (re)watch them. id rather watch something much more underground as long as its good. or hell doesnt even have to be underground just something good but not from the echochamber of the same 3 series that get mentioned (dont get me wrong i fucking love link click as much as i could rewatch it again and again but i think we all know thats literally the most popular donghua outside of like, tgcf or mdzs)

[kukuandkookie]

Alright I listen to a lot of songs on loop at once nowadays, and since most of them are in Chinese, I’m including them here instead of in the tags because it’s going to get messy FKSNKFBSKS. 🙈

The first one doesn’t have an English translation and my Chinese still sucks, so here are the specific lyrics that have been stuck in my head:

望长空繁花落尽

几度轮回定江山

烽烟再起

明朝谁着诗篇

往世几多情劫

亦满窗风雪寒

心中曾几何时牵绊

阙如今雪花漫天

把酒当歌舞剑

一曲苍穹无眠

暗夜归兮已度似水流年

It’s basically the build-up + chorus of this song for the 我家大师兄脑子有坑 (Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng) donghua, called “千年情劫” by Inory and UNEKO!

The OP for the second season of this specific donghua is also just as catchy, and I’m thinking of these lyrics specifically:

“No one can define what is right and what is evil. No one has won in the battle against fate. I don’t love easily now after all that’s happened.”

Then there’s also the Scissor Seven season 3 OP (I love the pipa in this one):

狂风暴雨

Fierce winds and rain

阻挡不了前进的决心

Can’t stop my determination to advance

梦中惊醒

A shocking awakening from a dream

置身在黑暗里

And I’m shrouded in darkness

找寻光明

Looking for the light.

没遗忘 那些过去

I have not forgotten the past

从不曾提起

And I never bring it up.

孤独的背影

A lonely silhouette viewed from behind;

夺走了谁的生命

Whose life has it taken away?

我想逃离

I want to escape

却早已经被囚禁

But I am already trapped

恐惧难忘记

And I’m afraid it’s hard to forget

想回去

I want to go back

都已陷入了谷底

But I have already fallen to the bottom

深渊中觉醒

And I awaken in the abyss

呼唤奇迹

Calling for a miracle.

Then there’s the 2ha songs. So many 2ha songs. And “晚夜微雨问海棠” (“The Light Rain of the Night Inquires After the Haitang Blossoms”) is a classic in that regard. 😭

后来蚀骨香 悄开放 从此天各一方

Later, the bone-eating fragrance quietly unfolded, and ever since then we have been worlds apart

渐行渐远渐一半 心事隐秘成过往

Gradually we grow further apart until we become separate halves, and the secret thoughts weighing on our minds become a thing of the past

一枕黄粱梦太长 仰看此月光

The dreams that were never to be realized are too endless, and I gaze up at the moonlight

当往事浮现 恍然如梦几场

When past memories come flooding back, everything suddenly feels like a series of dreams

爱恨此消彼长 停步回望 我陪你同往

Feelings of love and hate wax and wane. I stop in my tracks and look back; I’ll journey with you.

念想从未消亡 踏断红尘不肯相忘

The yearning has never withered away, and we’ve never been willing to forget each other even after seeing the world

飞上九天落千丈 为你闯一趟

Be it soaring up to the nine heavens or falling a thousand feet, I’ll brave it all for you

若你独留远方 谁来与我相望

If you stay alone in the distance, who will gaze back at me?

God, I have a whole playlist of 2ha songs here that I just get obsessed with and then they get stuck in my head. I care about this ship so, so much…and my emotions are only made stronger since Chinese fans make these MVs with such gorgeous artworks and animations as well as adding in voice acting of lines from the novel itself. 🥲

This next one is the Chinese theme song for Arcane, sung by Eason Chen, and it’s really good! The lyrics are beautiful too, and there’s a really nice English translation here.

他们说 要带着光 驯服每一头怪兽

They say you need to bring light and tame every beast

他们说 要缝好你的伤 没有人爱小丑

They say you need to stitch up your wounds; that no one loves fools

为何孤独 不可光荣

What are you alone for, turning away from glory

人只有不完美 值得歌颂 谁说污泥满身的不算英雄

Only when people are imperfect are they worthy of praise… Who said someone covered in mud can’t be considered a hero?

爱你孤身走暗巷

Love the you whose lone self walks down a dim alley

爱你不跪的模样

Love the you who refuses to kneel

爱你对峙过绝望

Love the you who has felt desperation facing the peak

不肯哭一场

Unwilling to cry

爱你破烂的衣裳

Love the you in ragged clothes

却敢堵命运的枪

Who has the courage to block fate’s gun

爱你和我那么像

Love the you who’s so much like me

缺口都一样

Shortcomings are all the same

去吗 配吗 这褴褛的披风

Will you go? Will you match? This tattered cloak

战吗 战啊 以最卑微的梦

Will you fight? Fight—for the most humble dream

致那黑夜中的呜咽与怒吼

Send those whimpers and roars into the night

谁说站在光里的才算英雄

Who said you have to stand in the light to be considered a hero?

Then there’s songs that have nothing to do with donghua, like CORSAK’s music! My favourite from him is “Timelapse 驰”—which I just started listening to a bunch again just yesterday!—but honestly so many of his songs are bangers.

我站在时间的尽头

I am standing at the end of time

回头看影子向我冲

As I turn back, I see the shadows surging towards me

依稀还是那个孩童

Still acting somewhat like that child

最高的山 我也踏平它

I would flatten the highest of the mountains

最深的害我全都饮下

I would drink all the water of the deepest seas

可是那匹曾经不知不觉骑过的白马

But can that white horse [of princes] I vaguely remember riding on

能慢些飞驰吗

Gallop a little slower?

勇敢的少年种着梦里花

The brave young man is planting his dreaming flowers

他曾以为永不会枯啊

He once thought that they would never wither

如果明白了飞翔的代价

If he understands the price he has to pay to fly

他还能如此英勇吗

Can he still act so brave and heroic?

握紧手中吉他

Hold tightly onto the guitar in your hands

管什么枪林弹雨一直下

It doesn’t matter if you are constantly facing a rain of bullets

音乐当盔甲

Let music be your armour

向着太阳出发

Start heading towards the sun

就算有一天那翅膀被融化

Even if one day, those wings are melted

我也不要晚霞

I still don’t want to see the sun setting on this day

你就让我飞吧

Just let me fly

The next one is this less hopeful piece titled “他们说我是没有用的年轻人” (“They Say I’m a Useless Youth”):

你会不会和我一样 觉得自己最多就是这样

Are you ever the same as me, feeling as if lately you are just this way?

你会不会和我一样 把希望寄托在别人的身上

Are you ever the same as me, pinning your hopes on other people?

你会不会和我一样 知道勉强却还在挣扎

Are you ever the same as me, knowing it is barely enough but still struggling?

你会不会和我一样 被生活覆盖梦想和希望

Are you ever the same as me, getting smothered by life in hopes and dreams?

我们只喜欢小确幸 放弃去改变不公平 我们都空有想像力 你们说的也有道理

We only like our own small luck, giving up on changing any injustices; we all have imagination, and what you all say also makes sense.

他们说我是没有用的年轻人 只顾着自己眼中没有其他人 他们说我是没有用的年轻人 不懂得牺牲只想过得安稳

They say I am a useless youth, who only cares about myself and has no room in my eyes for anyone else. They say I am a useless youth, who doesn’t understand sacrifice and who only wants quiet.

我知道我是没有用的年轻人 只听见期盼却不曾看到未来 我知道我是没有用的年轻人 委屈时只敢这样喃喃自语

I know I am a useless youth, who only hears expectations but never sees the future. I know I am a useless youth, who only dares to mutter to myself like this when I feel wronged.

The next non-donghua song is “那就恭喜” (literally “Then Congratulations,” but the song itself has “Say I Love You, Then Run Away” as an English title, which itself is another lyric from the song) by 庸俗救星 Vulgar Saviour. I heard it on the car radio one day with my mom and I immediately looked up the lyrics to try and find the song itself, and I’ve definitely been playing it a lot lately haha.

用力点头表示有在听 思绪早就不在这里

Nod hard to indicate you are listening; thoughts have long since disappeared

你的故事高潮又迭起 那就 恭喜 用力大喊说出我愿意

Your story climaxes again and again, so…congratulations! Shout out loudly to show I do

对问题却闭上眼睛

Closing your eyes to the problem

说我爱你伸手抱住你 再次 逃离

Say I love you, reach out and hug you, then run away again

But yeah those songs might be a bit melancholy, so I’ll finish off with a (still melancholy but also beautiful) classic that I always find myself returning to!: Zhou Shen’s “大鱼” (“Big Fish”), based on the film Big Fish and Begonia. I just…really love all of Zhou Shen’s music. His song for the films Jiang Ziya, Mr. Miao, Dahufa, and The Legend of Hei were also all great ones. 🥺

看海天一色 听风起雨落 执子手��散苍茫茫烟波 大鱼的翅膀 已经太辽阔 我松开时间的绳索

Look, see the colour the sea and sky share

Listen to the sounds of wind and rain

Grasping hands, the boundless hazy mist is blown away

Your wings already spread so endlessly wide

I let go of the rope of time

怕你飞远去 怕你离我而去 更怕你永远停留在这里 每一滴泪水 都向你流淌去 倒流进天空的海底

Through the fear that you’ll fly to a far away place

The fear you’ll leave my side

Yet I’d be more afraid of you stopping in this place for eternity

Every single tear that comes

Ends up flowing towards you

Flowing back to the seafloor in the sky.

And there. Those are the songs I wanted to showcase HGNSKFJSKFJ. As always, I rambled a lot. Oops. Hopefully someone enjoys discovering some of these songs though, since I know Chinese music is kind of underrated and hard to find in the west! 😅

If my ridiculously long response has piqued your interest in the world of cpop/Chinese music in general, then I have a whole list of recommendations here for you!

reblog w the song lyrics in your head NOW. either stuck in yr head or what yr listening to