#zhao yuan yuan is also in both

[cinnamonsikwate]

these lines are WILD to put in a drama about investment bankers. settle down my guy

[dearmyloveleys]

"Zhao Yuanzhou once told me that he often stared into space alone by the sea in the Wilderness. Because the sea never cared about his sadness and loneliness. The sea has a lot to worry about. Because, everyday, ten thousand waves are born from its embrace. And everyday, ten thousand lives fall into it and their souls sink into the deep sleep. I didn't understand it then, but after he left, I understood that bone-deep sadness. It was the base colour of his soul, like a broken song, vast, distant, and desolate."

- Zhuo Yichen, Ep 35 (Extra)

I’m not sure if this is has been raised by the fandom in the early days when the series started airing, but I find it so… it’s not foreshadowing, it’s just… (melancholic) now that we have the full view of everything. Zhao Yuanzhou’s name in Chinese characters are 赵远舟. 远 (yuan) — far away, 舟 (zhou) — boat. I recall there was an episode where he, ZYC and WX were making fun of each other’s names. Though, in that scene, they only mention his birth name, Zhu Yan, which funnily enough, the Yan (厌) does indeed stand for ‘annoying’ as the other two speculate. Yet it also stands for loathing, or be fed up with something. His birth name represents the slow grudge and despair he bears for his birth Demonic nature, the things out of his control. His human name doesn't fare any better. In fact, it is rather tragic.

Yuan Zhou — a far away boat, never docking on the shores of tranquility. It's a gifted human name from a person he cares about, yet, the humanity that this represents is innately unreachable. Gifts never have permanence in his life after all. He is always physically on the shore, looking out at the ocean of the Wilderness. He looks out to this yuan zhou, this metaphorical boat beyond his grasp, floating on this ocean of intertwining dreams and nightmares. The ocean is his ironic safe haven, as he finds that it "never cared for his sadness or loneliness". But his mind is simultaneously also the boat itself, drifting endlessly in sadness and loneliness. He looks out into the ocean where ten thousand waves are born and ten thousand lives are taken, each scenario representing the endless birth and death of his hopes and despair. He looks out at the ocean and sees himself in its waves.

As humans, regardless of culture, our names stand for our hopes and wishes. Names have power, in fiction and mythology, they are often a character’s prophecy. His human name reflects the human side of him that is unreachable and desolate, adrift at sea never settling on the shore - this human nature that is in sight but never attainable. On the other end, his Demon birth name reflects who he is and what he loathes, but it also comes with fond memories. To be a human or a demon? To which he says, "Be whatever you want to become". The tragic truth is, deep down, he cares for both his identities. He doesn’t want to solely become either. It wounds him that the two sides of him, the demon and the human can never truly reconcile. His nature eternally jostles with what he nurtures. Neither of his names comes with meanings of comfort — his prophecy is one of endless contradiction and encompasses his pain that is thoroughly evoked through the series. The base colour of his soul, like a broken song, vast, distant, and desolate.

Though there is hope, as the story reiterates. As far as mythological prophecies go, fate will bite you in the ass if you avoid it. ZYZ doesn’t avoid these prophecies. Instead, when a human and a demon shows him that both sides can be loved, he fulfils both identities of himself. His self-fulfilling prophecy that he expects from all his inner grief and turmoil, comes true, but not in the way fate expects. But fate cannot condemn him any longer. He still has met his dictated end, hasn't he? He hasn't tempted it in any way or form. Light shines through, and I believe the Heavens are chuckling away in a corner of their world. They let him go to be whatever he wants to be, and he becomes the guiding love that he has always wanted.

[asksythe]

Is there any cultural significance or reasoning for Xiao Xingchen giving both his eyes to Song Lan, instead of just one?

I can certainly see there being plot and/or thematic reasons for it (like it makes a better parallel with Wei Wuxian who couldn’t give just half his golden core; it’s necessary for Xiao Xingchen to be completely blind for the Yi city tragedy to play out as it did; etc.) but I’m wondering if there is more to it then that.

Your insights on other bits of MDZS lore have been really interesting!

That’s a tough question. The short answer is: yes. It’s a cultural thing. 

The longer answer is that I’m not sure I can adequately answer your question... because I feel that I'm not qualified. It goes deep. This is reaching the DNA of Chinese culture and the value system itself. I would say it’s probably better if you read more Chinese classics or immerse yourself in the culture. This is one of those things that are immensely difficult to put into words. The best way is to experience it.    

But since you asked me, I’m going to at least give it a try. 

The reason that Xiao Xingchen gave both eyes to Song Lan and the true root of the Yi City tragedy includes three different cultural concepts: Jishi 济世 (the Chinese ideal of saving the world), Enyuan Yinguo 恩怨因果 (Karma and Karmic Debts), and the quest to find Dao 道 (truth). 

1/ Jishi 济世 

济世 Jishi is a Chinese term denoting a philosophical ideal pursued by certain classes or castes of people since ancient times in China. It means to sacrifice and save the world. It’s self-sacrificial heroism in the most ideal and purest sense of the concept, similar to our modern-day Doctors without Borders.   

This is Xiao Xingchen’s higher calling, his chosen purpose. Xiao Xingchen came down from Baoshan Sanren’s mountain at 17 years old with one purpose: to make the world a better place. He rejected no one who needed his help. He went out of his way to reject the invitations from the cultivator Houses to join their ranks and enjoy the wealth and privilege it might bring because he didn’t want to be distracted from a higher calling.

Using modern Western vernacular, Xiao Xingchen is a hero. That’s his religion and identity. That’s on top of a personality that already holds high self-responsibility. So is there any wonder he feels he’s responsible for Song Lan’s loss and must give Song Lan both eyes?  

2/ Enyuan Yinguo 恩怨因果

恩怨 En Yuan. Yuan is resentment, spite, hatred, grudge. But En is a lot harder to nail down in English. It’s commonly translated as favor, but ‘favor’ has none of the cultural weight and encoded social obligation of En. The pure meaning of En is ‘a good deed done from the heart.’ A kindness. A mercy. A gift. 

For example, Jiang Fengmian taking Wei Ying into Jiangshi is En. Wen Ning saving Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying is En. Wen Ning reclaiming Jiang Fengmian and Yu Furen’s corpses and artifacts is En. Big En, comparable rebirthing an entire household. Wen Ruohan teaching Zhao Zhuli (later on known as Wen Zhuliu) and granting him a chance to prove himself is also En. Nie Mingjue doing the same to Jin Guangyao is the same level of En (granting critical knowledge and opportunity to completely change one’s life). Jin Guangyao taking in Lan Xichen and hiding him from Wen pursuers before the Sunshot campaign is En.   

因果 Yinquo = Karmic Bonds, the fruits that bloom from the seeds one sow. It’s also understood as a link between people’s life. Our lives collide, intertwine, and diverge like threads on a tapestry. We are each bound to each other by the threads of Karma and our debt to each other. This is yinguo. 

There is a deep-seated belief in China that a person’s life is a ledger. To live is to constantly add to and take away from the ledger. When other people perform En for you, that means you take from their ledger and add to yours. When someone takes from your ledger, a yuan/grudge is born. From the moment you were born, you were granted the greatest of En, the gift of life from your parents.   

In Chinese culture, it’s believed that one must try one’s best to square the ledger. One must repay En and reclaim Yuan. Entangled Enyuan eventually leads to tangled Yinguo, and that’s just a big headache nobody wants because it directly impacts your afterlife, your next life, your descendants, and sometimes even your ancestors that are already dead. 

To strive your best to repay En is seen as a virtue. Of course, not everyone is capable or even wants to reach this ideal. Like when we say it’s good to be honest, but being truly and completely honest in daily life is… a task, shall we say. Sometimes, it’s very hard to truly repay what you owe. And sometimes, your Enyuan with a person or with a House is so entangled that it’s either hard to really say who owes who, or hard to admit to the fact that you are the one in the reds.  

You are seeing parallels between Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian because they both embody this ideal to the extreme. Both would take it upon themselves to repay. Xiao Xingchen paid with his eyes. Wei Wuxian repaid Jiang Fengmian’s En by giving Jiang Cheng his jindan, helped Jiang Cheng rebuild Jiang Shi using Guidao (Path of the Dead), gave up all his war achievements for the rebuilding of Jiangshi and left Jiangshi without a penny to his name despite being a major contributor to victory, and then… repaid Wen Ning, Wen Qing’s En to Jiang Cheng and Jiangshi in Jiang Cheng’s place when the other didn’t.  

In some ways, you can say that both Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian are flawed in that they underestimate their own value and well-being and overestimate what other people do for them. You can even say that they are foolish because they pay for En that isn’t theirs to pay, and that eventually leads to their suffering and death. But this is just the kind of people they are. They are true idealists who genuinely believe in a Truth greater than mortal squabbles. They are pure, uncorrupted Daoists, the kind that holds the founding precepts of Daoism in their heart.  

In the novel, there are many examples of different people and how they see Enyuan Yinguo and how much value they put in them. 

We have Su Se, who was saved by Wei Wuxian twice but didn’t even acknowledge it. Instead, he saw that as a Yuan because he probably hated the fact that it showed how weak and insignificant he was. Yet Jin Guangyao merely remembered his name and gave him some support to create his House, and he was willing to be Jin Guangyao’s attack dog, going so far as to abandon his own House members in Fuma Cave when Jin Guangyao’s plan failed and using his life to buy time for Jin Guangyao in Guanyin temple. 

We also have Jiang Cheng, who was well aware that he owed Wen Ning and Wen Qing, but didn’t want to acknowledge it because he was poisoned with trauma and hatred at the hands of Wen Chao and felt that because of his relationship with Wei Ying, he was entitled to Wen Ning’s En. And yet he is rational enough to understand that admitting to owing this ginormous En and not repaying it is a huge stigma on House Jiang, and so even when he answered Nie Mingjue, confirming that the Wen remnants did have En with him, he answered in such a way that downplayed the enormity of En. Answering truthfully would have exonerated Wei Wuxian and the Wen remnants because the laws regarding Enyuan are so foundational that no one could have blamed the Jiang for saving the Wen remnants. But answering truthfully would have been admitting to his owing the Wen, setting House Jiang against House Jin, and turning House Jiang into a target of ridicule for other Houses because such an En should have been paid long before Wei Wuxian had to take drastic measures and jailbroke the Wen remnants from Quiongqi Path.   

We also have Lan Xichen, who effectively compromised his entire House and compromised his own judgment because he saw Jin Guangyao as having granted him a huge En (which is not wrong, per se). 

And then we have Jin Guanyao, who killed both people who bestowed En on him (Wen Ruohan and Nie Mingjue both gave Jin Guangyao critical knowledge, opportunities, and elevated him above his station. And yet when it came to Lan Xichen, despite his effectively pushing the Lan to death in the second Burial Mound Siege, Jin Guangyao still acted like Lan Xichen was in the wrong for not paying Jin Guangyao’s En even more than he already had. 

Then finally, look at these Enyuan and consider the way it binds the various characters in both good and bad ways. 

So it’s a deeply embedded and very nuanced concept that manifests differently in different characters.  

3/ The Quest for Truth 道 Dao:

Dao/Tao 道: the truth, the path, the knowledge, the faith, the ideal, the natural order of the universe, that from which everything comes and that from which everything returns. 

What does Dao have to do with Xiao Xingchen? 

Well, because Xiao Xingchen is a Daoist. Remember when he reminded A-Quing to address him as Daozhang? That. 

He’s not the only Daoist in MDZS, either. The man who created Dao as a philosophy and spirituality, Laozi, is also the man who created the concept of cultivation in the first place. So every single cultivator in MDZS, indeed every single cultivator in xianxia genre, treads in Laozi’s footsteps, takes from his wisdom, and stands on his shoulders in their quest for heavens. 

The first sentence in Laozi’s definitive work on Dao, the Tao Te Ching, says: 

‘Dao that can be told is not Dao. Truth that can be named is not truth. Path that can be walked is not the right Path.’

The Tao Te Ching is a foundational Chinese Classic. It is the shortest but also the most complex and hard to understand. 

This first verse of the Tao Te Ching means: truth is not something that is fixed. Truth is nuanced. Knowledge is not something that can be given to you by words only. You must find this knowledge by yourself. Path is not something that anyone else can tell you. Your path must be walked by your own feet. Faith is not something that can given to you by someone else. You must find faith in yourself.  

So then, apply this sentence to Xiao Xingchen’s journey. Do you see it? Xiao Xingchen choosing Jishi is his journey to find and prove his Dao. Jishi is Xiao Xingchen’s Dao. 

Yi City is not a tragedy. Yi City is Xiao Xingchen’s tribulation and the unavoidable consequences of choosing to remain pure to the founding precepts of Dao while the rest of the cultivator Houses, including Nie and Lan, have long betrayed their origin. 

Even if, by some miracle, Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen never entangled with each other, there will always be a Xi City or a Zi City for Xiao Xingchen. Because it is a consequence and a price to pay to find the truth that he desires. And he did find that truth. Song Lan, who he had left in a decisive gesture of severing their Karmic Bond, returned and would likely spend decades if not centuries walking Xiao Xingchen’s path, waiting for the day Xiao Xingchen awoke. And A-Qing never left Xiao Xingchen, never gave up on him either. 

   

Ugghh, such a heavy topic. I usually don't like to write too much on such topics because... it's hard to write and it's hard to read, and most people don't really have the patience to read. But it is a question. So I tried. In any case, have this fanart I commissioned from Nguyen Linh.

[rasqeu]

there's a lot that we don't know about what would happen to shen qingqiu if shen yuan "went back to his original world", but assuming that it'd also mean death for the host body... if there wasn't a punishment avaiable back when sqq failed zhao hua monastery's quest, and he died right there, i can't even begin to think how that would wreck binghe's mind, which was already being fucked up by emotional turmoil + xin mo's evil energy. he'd destroy the other three sects, of course, blaming them for killing his shizun, but i don't even think he'd stop there, he might destroy huan hua palace, for all their recently found out history with his biological parents and because it was once one of the four major sects, idk i think he'd just destroy every single fucking thing until there would be nothing left in both realms. it is such a key point in the story, so close to climax, that oh boy the consequences would be monstruous

i think about this a lot

[gizkasparadise]

final leg of a journey to love thoughts!! (eps 35-40). this got so gd long so under a cut it goes. spoilers, of course:

PLOT STUFF/PACING

pacing for the plot definitely got shredded in the last chunk, which is a damn shame because otherwise i've been finding the pacing pretty much perfect. eps 35-37 in particular felt like they could have been like a 10 episode arc. ep 38, which mostly dealt with wu palace politics, should have been cut or streamlined imo and more time given to the characters we've actually been riding along with the whole story. by the time we get back to the pregnant empress, prince danyang, the first prince whose name i dont even remember, and the prime minister, i do not care about any of them and i think this subplot was simply just trying to fit too much shit into one bag

that said, this show still let the emotional moments hit and breathe and linger. i love the grief for the fallen liudao comrades as we go, as well as the less heavy but still emotionally important moments like yang ying and tongguan bonding over their upbringing. and we got a wedding /;3;/!!! for this show, the relationships and characters matter more than the storyline so im not mad about anything at all

side note: it's so gd millennial to have a story about a bunch of 30 something year olds who want to fake their deaths and retire into obscurity but instead they go and die for a boss they hate

CHARACTER STUFF

this show consistently brought a lot of depth to its side characters (and side side characters!!). i said it in an earlier post, but it bears repeating that even someone like deng hui i didnt expect anything from, but he got such good development and writing that he became a stealth fave. his dying words essentially being "dude, quit fucking around" ? iconic.

i didnt like tongguan as much as everyone else, so im pretty meh about everything regarding him. the attempt to force-wed ruyi was tonally really weird and didnt make sense (i assume there was some cuts made surrounding it). but LOL at him reusing all the outfits and decor immediately for his wedding to yang ying. baby duke, you tacky motherfucker. i ultimately think yang ying deserves better than him, but the good thing is that she knows this, so she'll be able to hold her own and then some entering into this partnership

shisan really was the heart in a lot of ways--the mom to yuanzhou's dad for the liudao. i was not expecting him to break my heart the way he did, but the fact that he held both qian zhao and sun lang as they died and then tried his best to remove yuan lu from harm and saved chu yue and was just very much a nurturer all the way through got me. his character couldve been cheap comic relief but the writing + performance really elevated him into one of the (imo) most memorable wuxia characters. his line wondering who would get to behead his beautiful skull!!! and how his mantra was always that he was going to drink the best wine, see the most beautiful women, and make the best of friends and he dies having lost the ability to see and having just had wine in memory of qian zhao, yuan lu, and sun lang. like. shut up!!

ruyi and yuanzhou were both so great and they're gonna be the drama OTP to beat forever. i loved the gender reversals, that they both were so respectful of each other, and that they also felt very mature in how they handled things and communicated. they were really interesting characters both together and apart and that's always a win-win. they had a schroedinger's ending where it's not super clear if they're alive or dead (i interpreted it as the latter), but what's kind of beautiful is that either option is satisfying to me. if they both died, they're reunited and with their comrades and the story is truly about the journey and the meaningful short connections we have. if they both survived, it's a bookend with the beginning where they each faked their deaths to escape. A+

COSTUMING

i gotta just separately mention the costuming for this show because it was 15/10. the textures, shisan's accessories, the way red became integrated with yuanzhou's wardrobe and blue with ruyi's. the details on the liudao name amulets!! SO GOOD. i love when characters' clothes tell a story on their own

overall i just really loved this drama it is probably my favorite wuxia ive seen so far! it's gonna be in my brain for awhile lol feel free to send fic prompts if you've made it this far :'D

[habizuh-studios]

Hi....if you don't mind me asking, who are your top 7 favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon) and your top 10 favorite characters ever from any media? Why do you love them all? Thanks if you want to answer my questions....

OHH my god thank you so much for this ask!!! hmm let me think about this- here they are in no specific order! spoilers for svsss, tgcf, zhen hun/guardian, and omori!

bingqiu (SVSSS, canon) -> mainly i love this one because first of all it's canon and second of all i adore the dynamic- not between teacher and student ofc, but like the fact that shen yuan literally died on accident and still made it his lifes purpose to go against what is basically a god to make binghe's life better and the fact that binghe adores shen yuan for it even without knowing it just bc he showed him kindness!! it's so amazing and that's the tl;dr

cumplane (SVSSS, not canon) -> okay i mainly like this one because shang qinghua and shen yuan are the only two transmigrators which strengthens their bond and their avid shitty novel reader/writer dynamic is so interesting to me. i also think they can work together really well, especially considering that you could stretch it so that shang qinghua is kinda like binghe in the sense that they both kinda. are pathetic and will cry so they can get what they want but can be secretly manipulative (obv binghe has the more "favorable" traits and is more exaggerated since he's the protagonist) and shen yuan and mobei jun are kinda like the. icy cold kundere/tsundere ahh beauty thingies. ehhh

hualian (TGCF, canon) -> sorta similar with bingqiu with the whole god and kindness thing but!! i adore the fact that they literally saw each other's whole (not whole but most of their) lives and lived through part of it together and saw all of their faults and still loved each other. it's like you fall in love with the one who saved you and they fall in love back hundreds of years later and then they find out that their lives are literally intertwined. and their dynamic is so fun too hehe

lang qianqiu/xiao mengyou (TGCF, not canon) -> ngl i really like the way their personalities and roles work together. lang qianqiu is brash and prideful but still really kind and noble and he's a prince,,,, xiao mengyou is more mellow and keeps lang qianqiu's impulsivity in ccheck and he's the servant,,, and they seem to trust each other more than anything as lang qianqiu involved xiao mengyou in where he buried the guoshi after defeating him which is really personal to him but he still chose to do it and augh!! it's all really sweet- not to mention that they probably grew up together <3

guo changcheng/chu shuzhi (ZHENHUN, not canon) -> okay i mainly ship this one because i love love love love LOVE guo changcheng and he's closest to chu shuzhi BUT their dynamic is also really cute!! pathetic loserboy who literally does things out of the kindness of his heart and nothing else despite having all of his good karma go somwehere else x cold-ish mean-ish zombie who doesn't really understand but softens with him........ tbh it's honestly similar to hualian if you stretch it. and obviously you need to understand their characters and shit. BUT OH!! theyre so cute!!

zhao yunlan/shen wei (ZHENHUN, canon) -> reincarnation. okay this is kind of similar to hualian in the sense of living live(s) together but this is different because reincarnation. basically shen wei watches zhao yunlan throughout his lives and even gets with him a few times despite his vow not to get close after zhao yunlans first life as a god(ish, i dont remember but i think that was it) saves him and makes him divine/immortal :> they dooo have a little issues with communicating (shen wei hides a lot from zhao yunlan, but since it's from his perspective, it makes a lot of twists and shit) but in the epilogue they promise to talk it all out, so that's sweet <3

sunflower (OMORI, not canon) -> okay this is sunny x basil and the main reason i ship them is because i think that from a young age their friendship was super super close and i ADORE friends to lovers- another thing is the trauma bonding. the experience they went through together is something that cannot be replicated with literally anyone else and it's really special between them, and it also showed that basil would do almost anything for sunny to be safe and that's beautiful and allat :> also they look good together and in the true/good ending, when they tell the truth (their traumatic experience) it's like. another thing. they will always be together type shi......

OKAY NOW ON TO FAVORITE CHARACTERS!!! also in no specific order!!

shen yuan -> okay i really want to study him under a microscope. like this man- he's hilarious and reads the prn for plot. literally the only man who has done so, LMAO- not to mention he's just so!! like he downplays his achievments but in actuality he does a lot for the story, for others, and just for everyone in general but he downplays it all because??? BECAUSE WHY??? idk i just like that!! he's humble and we love that!! we also love his denial!! like- idk man he's just a sweet guy who could insult you back into the stardust that you came from if he wanted to!!!! and he's funny!!! personality and his humanity (like he makes mistakes and doesn't communicate and is like, kinda flawed but that's what makes the story the story) >>> and he's cute what who said that

luo binghe -> ngl i have a teenie weensie thing for the mc's of media i ✨consume✨ so he probably caught on. he's also so so sweet and nice but he could and would defeat you in a heartbeat because of his stallion protagonist core. he's just a sweet little kid with so, so much trauma and i love that for him. his personality is really chefs kiss to me <3 he was changed by kindness and i think that means a lot. ik i talk about humanity and kindness a lot in this post but augh it means so much to me. plus he would do anything for his shizun and tbh i would too. i would also do anything for his shizun. shen yuan save me shen yuan- also +1 for orphan

lang qianqiu -> bro lang qianqiu is literally the most underrated character ever, he literally has almost 0 FANDOM i'm not even joking. try to find one lang qianqiu centric fic i fucking dare you. anyway he's really sweet too and he's a prince and noble and he has a bit of pride and a tiger and he's just so nice and he has trauma and he's great. i made a post basically rambling about him here if your curious! +1 for orphan

guo changcheng -> pathetic loserboy. pathetic kind loserboy who really does good for the sake of doing good and no other reason other than the fact that doing bad is bad and he can't idle away doing nothing. he's one of the side/main characters of zhen hun and his pov is always so fun to read. he's so so human and in the whole SID you have all these different characters representing different things and he's the only human but he also acts like it? like he makes mistakes and he embarasses himself and allat but he still does good and that's so. mmmm!!! he's also orphan core!!! +1 for orphan

sunny -> his trauma >>> probably one of the realest characters ever lmao, this is half a joke but my point still stands. none of this supernatural trauma is happening. it's all in his head. and his humanity is also so nice! i also rlly like his kinda quiet personality, i think it really suits him and it provides for so much good and juicy angst. also inherent kindness is a plus. him living in his own head is so nice to me and idk why, he just wouldnt be him without it lol. no idea where his dad is but his mom is technically still around even if his sister isn't.

xie lian -> ohh boy. his trauma is so thick it can fit two books. also his love. inherent humanity shit i already mentioned but this is basically the moral of tgcf. your kindness mattered. it did not change your life for the better (immediately), but it mattered. you trying mattered. and he's also a scrap collector!! he's not a doormat but he's polite and he does things for the sake of getting them done. his inner voice is so snarky at the most random times and it makes you laugh. he is truly one of a kind and i think reading the book makes your insight on him so much better because oh my gaush. trauma and humanity galore. +1 for orphan

feng xin -> he's so sun core but not in the normal sunny way. sun core in the way that he burns himself out to give light to others and everyone else takes it for granted. he is also just so warm and kind and he tries really hard!! he is an archer and i love that for him, archers need more love and i like the fact that he's the archer and not his rival even though one would think it makes more sense, lmao. feng xin is also such a good foil to hua cheng and a beautiful childhood friend for xie lian, and his loyalty is almost UNMATCHED. we have no idea how his upbringing was either, all we know is that he was friends with xie lian, trained a lot, and probably lived in the palace. i don't headcanon him to be an orphan, but you never know...

kel -> hoooo kel is so amazing. he's the sun- not only is he warm and bright and infectiously joyous and funny and tries to bring everyone together, but also in the way that feng xin is- burning himself up and hiding everything other than happiness so that everyone around him can be happy, even if it's just for a little bit. he's not the favorite child and he has so much going on but he hides it and tries dealing with it even when not everyone realizes it and that's so good.

zhao yunlan -> also got infected my main character disease. not to mention he's sarcastic and funny and literally THE rizzler. he's also really genuine and a smart worker, he's kind even if he doesn't show it in his usual way and does NOT run his department corruptly despite being a part of the government!! i knowww it sounds bad,,, but he's still so cool! not to mention his time as kunlun,,, that opened a whole other can of worms that i dont really feel like yapping about rn. he's not an orphan but his dad is sometimes posessed

kaveh -> where the fuck do i even begin. bro is an architect and an ARTIST, thats the main thing, but he's still smart and empathetic. his trauma is so amazing like genuinely it's so well done, i think he's super real especially for all the creators out there- his empathy and drive and guilt is what drives him to destroy himself in the end even when he needs saving and he's trying so so so so so fucking hard. he's so babygirl he's just a little guy. tf you mean he's 25+ not to mention his personality! i feel like in genshin (i dont actually play so idk) everyone's personality varies by what dub/sub your listening to. i know they translated some of his lines so he sounded more rude/snappy in english? which was a weird decision imo, but he's still so lovable so artistic so smart and so <3333 +1 for orphan

ALSO all of the character designs are amazing!! i love looking at them they are all so well done :D thank you so much for the ask!!! i cannot thank you enough for enabling me to YAP!!!

[rose-tinted-vision]

so I'm rewatching ajtl (because I'm a sucker for the "squad of murder bffs who are also talented in their own field" troupe) and I NEED a liudaotang squad prequel please

because apparently

Qian Zhao says he has known Ning Yuanzhou for 20 years

NYZ is apparently 30, so they met as kids?

NYZ rescued a five year old Yuan Lu from a warehouse fire in the Hungry Ghost Realm

YL also mentioned that the Princess (Yang Ying) asked about NYZ, so the both of them were already acquainted before the Quest™

Ning Yuanzhou was just a scout from the Hell Realm before he became Head of the Six realms. (Sun Lang and Qian Zhao are commanders in their respective realms, YSS and YL were commanders too).

NYZ was in prison with YSS??? prison buddies prequel???

Can't remember if Yu Shisan and Sun Lang mentioned anything about how they got to know NYZ

[dangermousie]

List of completed cdramas I plan to watch/rewatch

I’ve seen a lot of them in whole or in part (tho most so long ago it’s like starting from scratch, also I am terrible at finishing) but I haven’t a bunch, either.

Here is what you might see in this tumblr (it will take me probably two years to get through all of this tbh, also I am sure I am forgetting stuff)

The Advisors Alliance both seasons

As Flowers Fly and Fade Across the Sky

Beauty’s Rival in the Palace

Bichunmu

Big Shot/Da Ren Wu

Bu Bu Jing Xin

Chinese Paladin 1, 3, 5

Cuo Dian Yuan Yang

The Dream of Chang’an

Dugu (both dramas)

Empress of China (I have uncut version with Russian subs)

Gong 1-3 seasons

Female Prime Minister

The Firmament of the Pleiades

The Four

Four Women Conflict

General and I

Glamorous Imperial Concubine

God of War Zhao Yun

The Great Ambition

The Great Shaolin

Handsome Siblings 2005

Ice Fantasy

The Imperial Doctress

The Investiture of the Gods

The King’s Woman

The Lady and the Liar

Lan Ling Wang

The Legend and the Hero

Legend of Banshu

Legend of Condor Heroes 2008

Legend of Fuyao

Legend of Heavenly Tear

The Legend of the Military Seal

Legend of Mulan

The Legend of Qin

Listening Snow Tower

Little Fairy

Longest Day in Chang’an

Lost Love in Times

Love and Destiny

Love and Fight with the Terracotta Warrior

Love Better than Immortality

Love and Redemption

Novoland Eagle Flag

Novoland Tribes and Empires

Orphan of Zhao

Patriot Yue Fei

The Promise

The Promise of Chang’an

Qin Dynasty

Rebel Princess

Red Dust

Return of the Condor Heroes 2006

The Rise of Phoenixes

Rouge Snow

Siege in Fog

Singing All Along

Secret of the Three Kingoms

The Shanghai Bund

Song of the Clouds

Sound of the Desert

Song of Glory

Starry Night Starry Sea (period season)

The Story of Han Dynasty

The Story of Minglan

Three Kingdoms 2010

Too Late to Say I Love You

Under the Power

Untouchable Lovers

Vigilantes in Masks

The Virtuous Queen of Han

Wu Xin

Xuan Yuan Sword

Young Blood

The Young Warriors

Zu Legend

Man, I have enough to cover me until inevitable WW3 starts and we all have to depart for our bunkers.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Are You The One (2024)

Are You The One is a must watch for fans of historical and cunning, independent and smart characters, playing mind games against their enemies. If you liked cdramas like Story of Minglan and Wonderland Of Love, this might be for you.

This was a perfect drama. I have no notes. It delivered on everything that promised from beginning to end and properly developed the troupes of fake marriage and enemies to lovers in a fresh and entertaining way.

The court politics were fascinating to watch, giving the viewers all kind of strategies, taking down enemies one by one, making friends and even breaking down emotional walls for our lead characters. It was a treat to watch every single scheming they put on.

The development of each arc, with its respective main conflict, was entertaining. I am incredible happy with how the scriptwriter of this drama handled every storyline. All the characters consistently grow through this journey and have their moments in the spotlight. The resolution really well done, cohesive, grounded and coherent to each character' respective personalities and wishes.

The cast director really outdid themselves in this drama, each actor is the perfect choice for the character they are playing. My hat off to them for giving Zhang Wanyi such an incredible well written character as Lord Huaiyang, whom delivers some of the best moments of this drama from his war tactics, home life woes and comedic timing. Watching him grovel to win back his loved one was a never ending source of entertainment.

Wang Churan's Miantang is the perfect match. The growing of her character is perhaps more subtle but incredibly well performed and poignant. She delivered in every scene as a savvy business woman and every scheme at court as Lady Huaiyang.

Lord and Lady Huaiyang's respective strategies are different but they complement each other in an harmonious way, helping each other, growing together as people and governors. They consider themselves equals and respect each other, which is why I think they are one of the best couples in Dramaland I have seen in a while.

As for the secondary characters, there's always someone that stands out in a drama and for me, this time, it was Empress Shi, played by Yuan Yu Xuan. She gave us one of the best performances of this year. Her character grows from timid concubine daughter being emotional abused at home to a revered phoenix. When she finally stood her ground, against her own family, it was a wonder to watch. She got a standing ovation from me.

Chang Huasen was a really good choice to play Ziyu, a very stoic character that made sacrifices along the way to power. His growing has a lot to do with trust and I think, at the end of the day, he learns who should never be used as a pawn in the court games.

Marquis Zhennan and Miss He, played respectively by Zhang Chi and Liu Lingzi, were a source of entertaining. Both characters equally smart and filial in different ways that made them complement each other, and help their friends find ways to navigate the art of war.

Even the actors playing the enemies were outstanding, smart as the leads, and keeping them on their toes until the very end.

From a technical point of view, Are You The One also had a beautiful cinematography, the locations and sets were wonderful, the costume design matched each character really well. The use of sound and lack of it, which it's more important than we actually realize, was perfectly matched on every scene.

The strongest point was the writing and directing. It was clear Directors Liu Guo Nan and Cong Xiao know what they are doing when it comes to visual storytelling. As for screen writer Zhao Tian You, I think they did an outstanding job writing these characters and story.

This is how I like my dramas: smart, coherent, cohesive and fun. I highly recommend it.

[ryin-silverfish]

I feel most modern adaptations don't capture Erlang Shen's wild side. In a way that's fair. He's been a very mainstream and high-ranked god for so long that to use modern lingo, he can be comfortably labeled as an "establishment sell-out". So many people have an image of him as a pure law-and-order guy, for better and for worse. I'm not going to talk about the "official" Daoist identities for him because they do their best to make him seem respectable by linking him with official sponsored waterworks projects or other forms of government-condoned activity -- I just want to talk about the folk perception, because that's the guy everyone except Daoist fundamentalists are worshiping. In early myths and myth-derived entertainment, especially stories about his youth, Erlang is very wild and rebellious. He spends all day hunting with his hound and hawk and laughs away the idea of taking orders from Heaven. He was fostered or at least aided by his aunt, Queen Mother of the West, giving him essentially a protector as he ran roughshod around China, splitting mountains to save his mother and sealing suns under mountains he carried over his shoulders. His retinue consisted of "exotic" foreigners -- golden-headed slaves Guo Yaji and Sayikun who held his blade and cared for his hound. His foot soldiers were 草头神/Wild Gods. He led the Chinese equivalent of the Wild Hunt, flushing demons out of mountains. His name was mentioned alongside the God of Death 阎罗 and the Lord of Ages 太岁 in Water Margin as a fierce god suitable for an outlaw to imitate. All in all, he reads like an upper class delinquent, someone both inside and outside of the established social order. Most modern portrayals of Erlang don't have this ambiguity.

Ohhh, I happened to read a Chinese paper that talked about the exact thing...well, maybe not the exact thing, but it is about the remaking of Erlang's image in Yuan-Ming era operas and vernacular novels!

Erlang in Pre-Song era sources, when he was not yet Li Bing's son and just an ambiguous mix of Li Bing, Lord of Sichuan + God of Guankou, was not very humanized. Like, sure, he was a regional guardian and a slayer of dragon, but there were pretty much no description of his looks or personality.

When Zhao Erlang first appeared, his image shifted into that of a martial general, but everyone's favorite "Handsome Second Lad" was mostly a creation of Yuan-Ming Zaju plays and novels.

And the paper compared and contrast the Erlang of Zaju plays and novels: in the former ones, exemplified by plays like "Erlang Drunkenly Shot the Demon-locking Mirror", he was kind of a hothead, and prone to impulsive decisions.

In JTTW and FSYY, however, he was a lot more calm, humble, and cunning, though JTTW paid homage to his pride and "rebellious hermit god" status more than FSYY, in which Yang Jian is a lot more quiet, polite and strategically-minded.

The paper argues that the Yuan-Ming plays and novels signified the shift of Erlang's image from a purely martial general to the "Confucian General" (儒将) archetype, someone who possessed both scholarly and martial virtues.

Similarly, this shift also made him a lot more closely connected with the imperial court, both celestial and mortal, and played up his loyalty + filial piety.

Now that I finished info-dumping about this really neat paper: yep, I'm not the biggest fan of "Erlang as the upholder of Celestial Justice" either, even though his more "lawful" portrayals had some basis in Qing novels like 八仙得道传 as well as Liaozhai (the short story, Xi Fangping, has him acting as a Baogong-like figure to this guy who had been wronged by corrupt Underworld officials.)

What I feel like modern adaptations + perceptions tend to overlook, however, is his "Regional Guardian" status. Someone intimately connected to the land and people of Sichuan, whether it is the wilderness of its mountains, or the irrigation projects that tamed the rivers, or the opera plays and fine wines of the Country of Heaven——天府之国.

Like, in JTTW, when SWK impersonated him and sat inside his temples, he received your average prayers for blessings and fortunes, but also requests as mundane as asking for a son or a cure to their sickness.

(While I was watching JTTW '86 adaptation of that scene on Bilibili——which was amazing and hilarious, people were like "This is what Erlang does all day?" and jokingly calling him "Erlang Community Clinic" in the scrolling comments.)

To me, he is a guy who may be too prideful for the heavens, but never considers himself too good for mortals. A true son of Shu who'd find the choice laughably easy, if he was ever asked to pick between "Upholder of Heavenly Laws" and "Lord of Sichuan".

Which is why portrayals of him as this Blood Knight-esque "Hound of Heaven" irk me, a lot.

[tazahan]

From ur delulu au,,,

Which one of the kids is a mama or papa's boy *looks at u*

Both pretty much didn't really have favoritism. They are both equal but it's just the way how they treated them differently. Since Bi-Yuan is the oldest son, he is the more obedient one and Bi-Han relies so much upon him. While Bi-Huo is more free-spirited and more vocal about everything. He also did not hesitate to not always listen to every Bi-Han's bullshit. (Now I begin to think they both look like Sima Shi and Sima Zhao from Dynasty Warriors series) Aila loves her baby boys no matter what. She tries her best to be a loving, fair parental figure to balance Bi-Han's Asian tiger parenting

[kdramacrybaby]

Hidden Love (2023)

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Youth

Synopsis: As a young girl, Sang Zhi falls in love with her older brother’s best friend Duan JiaXu. Oblivious to her feelings, he treats her as nothing more than a sister, and eventually, Sang Zhi realizes she has to give up on her feelings after getting hurt too many times. Years later, Sang Zhi now a legal adult, the two meet again, and old feelings start to resurface for Sang Zhi, who desperately tries (and fails) to push them back. This time, though, she might not be the only one catching feelings.  

Episode info: 25 episodes / Runtime around 45 minutes

Lead cast: Zhao Lu Si (Sang Zhi), Chen Zhe Yuan (Duan JiaXu), Victor Ma (Sang Yan)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix for Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

(I watched this while on my exercise bike, so that’s why there’s no drama rant for this drama (but I would have been absolutely freaking out if there was one)).

The first thing I want to address is the age gap between the characters, something I was very wary about when first starting out the drama - I think using a younger actress in the first few episodes while still using the same male lead made it a lot worse than it actually was too - but it still took a little convincing to root for this couple. Which is also why I didn’t really take the drama that seriously at first, it was just something Netflix had recommended and a drama that could be sort of cute to watch while I got some exercise.

I want to refer to this post by teaandsojupod, because I think they really made a great point. Yes there is an age difference that might make some people raise an eyebrow, but that is the point and the drama is well aware of this fact. It is addressed multiple times throughout the drama - both the lead characters have their own thoughts and worries about the age gap, and they discuss this with their friends and family. Nothing is done without thought and care, and they both take their time to reflect on their feelings for the other before making a move.

What I love the most about their relationship, is how they always take the time to communicate their thoughts and feelings to the other, so there is no room for misunderstandings. They never hide their worries from each other - and even if they try to because they don’t want to worry the other, they know each other so well that they notice immediately and support each other through it. They protect each other in their own way and I love to see it. This is everything I want to see in a healthy romance and more. And the actors have amazing chemistry.

Other than the fantastic romance, I want to list a couple of points that only made the drama even better:

The sibling energy between Sang Zhi and her big brother is everything

The friendships in this drama are everything 

The actors are all phenomenal 

The writing / story is actually good and feels natural

I really did not expect to like this drama as much as I did, but it just made me smile so much, and I even ended up binging the last couple of episodes off the bike because I couldn’t wait to see how it ended.   

This is a drama that I will definitely be comparing future romance dramas to in terms of how much I like the couple. We don’t need every male lead to be a rich prince on a white horse, sometimes they can be just a normal dude with normal real-life struggles.

Yes, there are some things they maybe gloss over a little bit (some b-plot with Sang Zhi’s friends, how the whole thing with Jiaxu’s past got resolved, Sang-zhi’s parents), but I really don’t think it takes away that much from the central story.

Highly recommended watch! 

[haovcrse-a]

When in canon does your s/i come in? Do you have a scene in mind for their entrance?

Would your s/i be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else?

How do other characters generally feel about your s/i?

Would any other characters (besides your f/o) have a crush on your s/i?

for both 😋

- tired

— when in canon does your s/i come in? do you have a scene in mind for their entrance?

ZHAOYI.

genshin: for thomayahao, he appears right alongside thoma when the traveller first gets to inazuma on the dock! when he sees the traveller arrive though, he ends up walking away.

yizou — hmm i dont remember what big story quests heizou was part of besides his hangout! but zhaoyi is definitely present in heizou’s hangout hah!

can’t say much for wriohao bc i haven’t played the story quest at all for fontaine 🫢

hsr: b!zhao first appears as someone stalking the astral express during their time on the xianzhou. we don’t see a full picture of him until after he and kafka pull blade out of jail.

s!zhao appears with sunday in the story!!

JUN.

hq au jun is nekoma’s manager!! so he first appears in the show when they do :3c his entrance scene depends on which ship! for kojun (sugawara), he quite literally runs into the karasuno boys bc he had to take care of some last minute things.

testujun enter together talking while keijun is the same bc they don’t meet til later on ^^

obey me wise and jiaoqiu i’m not sure. jun is my version of MC in om if that works!

— would your s/i be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else?

ZHAOYI.

genshin: side character in all of them!

hsr: villains for both sunday & blade ships 😭😭 gallahao would be a side character .

JUN.

side character for hq! gets a decent amount of screen time so he’s not a minor character but he isn’t main. technically part of the antagonist group bc of nekoma’s thing with karasuno

but!! is literally the mc for obey me lol

— how do other characters generally feel about your s/i?

ZHAOYI.

most are pretty wary of zhaoyi in general due to his not so clean job paths 💀💀 paimon finds thomayato zhao intimidating and a brute lol when seeing him.

hsr… um astral express does not enjoy b!zhao’s presence. also not on the best of terms with jing yuan lol.

s!zhao is on friendlier terms with people fs. the express didn’t trust him much at first but after the whole ena’s dream thing, he’s grown on them.

JUN.

the nekoma boys are “protective” 💀 mainly yamamoto… generally, everyone has a good impression of jun!! him and kiyoko are like 🤞 after the training arc fr fr

obey me guys is just. the plot LMFAOO but i. i want to image simeon being head over heals at first sight bc that’s cute 🥹😓😓

— would any other characters (besides your f/o) have a crush on your s/i?

ZHAOYI.

for both hsr and genshjn, i can’t really image anyone else?? there would definitely be ships by fans but no extra canon stuff imo.

JUN.

i can image some of the first years & one or two second years on some of the teams lol! idk who for each but in general: hinata (but the admiration thing he does), nishinoya, kageyama, akaashi (if not keijun), um and a couple others i’m drawing blanks on names TwT

they would be more like “wow this dude is cool what the heck” crushes though

[beehunni62]

Rare Portraits Depicting Hanfu Worn with Right Over Left Lapel Closing (左衽).

Thirteenth Ancestor Portrait from Portrait Album of Wu’s Ancestors 吳氏先祖容像十三. Ni Renji. Painted sometime between the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty during the artist’s life (1607-1685). Yiwu Museum, Zhejiang, China [image source].

For the Han, the left lapel was considered Yang and the right one Yin and, thus, living people placed the left lapel over the right one to symbolize Yang (life) covering Yin (death). That’s why only dead people had their right lapel over their left. In the case of the dead, Yin (death; right lapel) overtook Yang (life; left lapel). Moreover, the left over right lapel (右衽) served as an ethnic distinction for the Han.

However, not all living Han people followed this tradition and there are documented cases of them wearing their hanfu with the right lapel over the left one.

There are exceptions in which living Han Chinese would wear clothing with a zuoren closure. For example, in some areas (such as Northern Hebei) in the 10th century, some ethnic Han Chinese could be found wearing left-lapel clothing. It was also common for the Han Chinese women to adopt left lapel under the reign of foreign nationalities, such as in the such as in the Yuan dynasty. The practice of wearing the zuoren also continued in some areas of the Ming dynasty despite being a Han Chinese-ruled dynasty which is an atypical feature.

Wikipedia, Garment collars in Hanfu

Fifth Ancestor Portrait from Portrait Album of Wu’s Ancestors 吳氏先祖容像五. Ni Renji. Painted sometime between the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty during the artist’s life (1607-1685). Yiwu Museum, Zhejiang, China [image source].

Other non-Han ethnicities, such as the Khitans and Xianbei, would preserve their 左衽 tradition even after adopting hanfu. It’s possible for these women (and its mostly women wearing hanfu depicted with 左衽) to be non-Han in origin or are Han but came from areas where 左衽 was still practiced due to non-Han ethnic influence. I remember reading somewhere that, South of the Yangtze, certain Han women wore their hanfu in both styles.

Since almost all of the portraits below are ancestor portraits and there are plenty of those where the women and men wear 右衽 despite being dead at the time of painting, it’s unlikely that the 左衽 depicted is meant to indicate that the woman is dead.

Portrait of the wife of a dignitary with maid by Chow Ying. Scroll. Painting on silk. 16th century. Moscow State Museum of Oriental Art [image source].

Portrait of Father Zhang Jimin and Mother Zhao. Unknown artist. Ming or Qing dynasty, Late Ming or early Qing dynasty (17th century or later). Hanging scroll. Ink and colors on silk. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution [image source].

Ancestor Portrait of a Court Lady. Possibly Ming Dynasty. Unknown artist. Hanging scroll (laid down on panel), ink and color on silk. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art [image source].

Notice how, even the maid in the background above, has 左衽.

Possible Portrait of Ancestor with maid. Unknown Artist. Possibly Ming Dynasty [image source].

Ancestor Portrait. Unknown artist. Late 19th century. Qing Dynasty. Auguttes Auction House. [image source].

Note: Be careful when dating ancestor portraits. Many were painted posthumously and could depict ancestors from multiple previous generations. Just because the figures are seen wearing a dynasty’s distinctive clothing, does not necessarily mean that it was painted then. Some Qing Dynasty ancestor portraits depict ancestors from the Ming Dynasty and, thus, artists painted the figures with Ming clothing.

Images portraying hanfu in the Ming Dynasty with 左衽 drawn by Sesshu Toyo (1420 - 1506 CE), a Japanese monk who visited China between 1467 to 1469. Ink on paper [image source].

More portraits with 左衽 and modern recreation:

[nachotrash]

未定的注定 (Undecided Fate) --LYRICS RETRANSLATION + NOTES

A/N: finally, after all these years, I post something that isn't a shitpost. Was chatting with discord friends while playing ToT episode 9 and that one line by luke made me wanna translate this. Uhh, translation notes at the end. Have fun reading and geeking out with me. This is a personal translation of the lyrics of ToT's official theme song

曾是我 寄身在黑暗中 Ceng shi wo ji shen zai hei’an zhong I used to be stuck in the dark 走尽夜路也盼有灯属于我 zou jin ye lu ye pan you deng shuyu wo Walking the night path with a lamp/light of mine 是否等候我的窗将有微光涌动 shifou denghou wo de chuang jiang you wei guang yong dong Whether a (soft) light shimmers through my windows 绽放成你 温热在我手 zhanfang cheng ni wen re zai wo shou Gently blooms into you in my hands

你是未定的希望 ni shi weiding de xiwang You're the undetermined hope 却是注定的光芒 que shi zhuding de guangmang Yet the fated light 照引我的心 zhao yin wo de xin Light up my heart 到黑夜退去 dao heiye tuiqu Retreat into the night

愿我也能温暖��� yuan wo ye neng wennuan ni Hope that I can also warm you up 走向未定的真相 zouxiang weiding de zhenxiang Walking towards the undetermined truth 解除命运的捆绑 jiechu mingyun de kunbang Untie the restraints of life's path 无所畏惧和你相倚 wu suo weiju he ni xiang yi Fearlessly lean on eachother with you

在余生每个黎明 zai yusheng mei ge liming At dawn, for the rest of our lives 你是谜 封锁住我眼眸 ni shi mi fengsuo zhu wo yan mou You're the riddle that locked my eyes shut 你是意义占据我所思所有 ni shi yiyi zhanju wo suo si suoyou You're the reason occupying all my thoughts 你是未定的美好我开始猜不透 ni shi weiding di meihao wo kaishi cai bu tou You're the indetermined perfection that I can't figure out

现在我才懂 为何萦梦 xianzai wo cai dong weihe ying meng Only now have I realized why we dream 你是未定的希望 ni shi weiding de xiwang You're the undetermined hope 却是注定的光芒 que shi zhuding de guangmang Yet the fated light 照引我的心 zhao yin wo de xin Light up my heart

走向未定的真相 zouxiang weiding de zhenxiang Walking towards the undetermined truth 解除命运的捆绑 jiechu mingyun de kunbang Untie the restraints of life's path 无所畏惧和你相倚 wu suo weiju he ni xiang yi Fearlessly lean on eachother with you 在余生每个黎明 zai yusheng mei ge liming At dawn, for the rest of our lives

已注定 yi zhuding Already fated

你是未定的希望 ni shi weiding de xiwang You're the undetermined hope

却是注定的光芒 que shi zhuding de guangmang Yet the fated light 照引我的心 zhao yin wo de xin Light up my heart 到黑夜退去 dao heiye tuiqu Retreat into the night 愿我也能温暖你 yuan wo ye neng wen nuan ni Hope that I can also warm you up

走向未定的真相 zouxiang weiding de zhenxiang Walking towards the undetermined truth 解除命运的捆绑 jiechu mingyun de kunbang Untie the restraints of life's path 无所畏惧和你相倚 wu suo weiju he ni xiang yi Fearlessly lean on eachother with you 在余生每个黎明 zai yusheng mei ge liming At dawn, for the rest of our lives 已注定 yi zhuding Already fated

NOTES:

绽放 specifically means the opening of the flower petals when a flower blooms Also MC is very flower-coded (rosa) So i thought that was a nice detail

Now the "warming up" specifically means the type of comforting warmth that campfires or torches will give you on a cold dark night

解除 (untie) could possibly be a reference to how the NXX investigation gets more and more complicated, with an overwhelming amount of cases practically "tangled up" in eachother, so you're slowly picking it apart one by one with the team (aka your soulmates)

Also I specifically used "lifes path" for 命运 because that phrase is only used to talk about the course of a persons life, aka the events/path that life has laid down for you (your canon events, if you will)

意义 means like, the significance, meaning or reason/motivation behind someone's actions, but idk how to translate that

黎明 was hard to translate, cause it can mean both dawn and dusk, or any time of day (altho dawn and dusk are the most used, hehe crepusculum and diluculum) but it basically mean that the two relies on eachother every single day for the rest of their lives

A/N: That's it! Hope this was comprehensible to read

[biebuli]

I think Kung Fu Panda 4 can fully utilize the Chinese story "The Orphan of Zhao" as its prototype.

"The Orphan of Zhao" is a Chinese play from the Yuan Dynasty. It tells the story of a loyal minister, Cheng Ying, who saves the last surviving member of the Zhao family after a corrupt official, Tu'an Gu, massacres the entire clan. To protect the orphan, Cheng Ying sacrifices his own son and raises the orphan as his own. The orphan grows up unaware of his true identity. When he discovers his lineage and the truth behind his family's tragedy, he seeks to avenge them and restore the honor of the Zhao family.

Well, we can create the same story.

The Chameleon and Han were once friends, both living at the bottom of society, having experienced a lot of painful things. One day, The Chameleon decided she wanted to change her circumstances. She believed that learning Kung Fu could protect herself and change others, but she was turned away. So she turned to learning illusions with the aim of taking revenge on those people. Her the best friend Han was always by her side, supporting and helping her. After The Chameleon defeated those who had mocked her, her ambition grew, and she wanted to overthrow the rulers of Junpier City. She believed all her misfortunes were due to the rule of the Fox family, and she wanted to overthrow their regime.

The original rulers of Juniper City were the Fox family. With Han's help, The Chameleon seized power and took over the position of ruler. During the massacre of the Fox family, a baby was left behind—our Zhen. Han couldn't bear to kill the child, so he secretly kept her, but The Chameleon didn't know about this.

Once in power, The Chameleon's mentality changed. She and Han had differences; Han thought everything would get better, but in reality, The Chameleon only treated Cedarburg the same way she had been treated (Who cares about your friendship? I have bigger goals!). Han's public existence was erased, and he went underground, secretly raising Zhen without ever revealing her true identity. During the upbringing, Han would occasionally hint that someone he knew well loved cape gooseberries. Zhen was very curious about what they looked like, but Han only showed her pictures, as the familiar people and things from the past were too far from him now. One day, Zhen saw the cape gooseberries on the golden tree behind The Chameleon.

Thus, Zhen was adopted by The Chameleon. The Chameleon was surprised to find a fox , as she thought the previous batch of foxes had been exterminated. However, she no longer feared the foxes. She adopted Zhen as her foster daughter, partly because she felt Zhen was like her and partly to use her as a symbol of dominance. The events that follow are well known; maybe a change could be made regarding Po passing by the Cliff Tavern. Han discovered Zhen wanted to leave and subtly asked why, deducing the matter concerning Po. His intention was to stop Po, so he established the Cliff Tavern, but unfortunately, he failed.

In the finally, Han decided to tell Zhen her true identity and how she became an orphan. Zhen was shocked and angry but also began to contemplate her complex relationship with The Chameleon. Facing the person who raised her yet was also the enemy of her family, Zhen was filled with mixed emotions. She felt both gratitude and anger, as well as hatred. In the end, Po and Han helped Zhen defeat The Chameleon. Han gathered The Chameleon's cape gooseberries as a memento. This concludes a reasonable Kung Fu Panda 4 that echoes the themes of master-disciple relationships, ethnic massacre, and the breakdown of friendships from the previous three movies.

Why I write this story, because I CAN'T STAND THE LOGIC IN KFP4.