#@dangermousie

[didim-dol]

10 people to get to know better

tagged by @weimarweekly ❤️❤️❤️

last song: Shadows Are On Your Side by Duran Duran. I really like this song because it's fun to sing to in the car in Bay Area shit traffic.

favorite colour: Purple!

last movie: ummm... I think it was the Nightporter? Which is an incredible film and I feel sorry for people who think it isn't.

last tv show: Severance S02E01. I'm actually excited for this show. Season 1 was so good and ended on an amazing cliffhanger like old shows from the 90s on network TV used to.

sweet/spicy/savory: Savory, generally, spicy when it's Korean, and sweet more often than I'd like. I think I really like savory the most though. Especially sardines and pate and Marmite and things most white Anglo-Americans find strange.

relationship status: Married! 14 years? Fuck me.

current obsession: Duran Duran...and David Sylvian.

last thing I googled: Antigua logistics of freeing slaves in 18th century.... don't ask it's research.

looking forward to: the weekend like every fucking adult with a fucking job. *sigh*

@lillylysblog3 @dangermousie @missanthropicprinciple @tunasaladonwhite @hunter-gatherer-stuff @red-winged-monster

@teafiend

[academyofbrokenhearts]

me: I only watch happy ending series, thank you very much dangermousie, watching the most soul-crushing series ever conceived by a human mind: pspspspspspsps

[vindicated-truth]

@dangermousie posted these photos in succession and I’m cackling at the difference in their expressions here.

Dongsik isn’t even the least bit offended. If anything, he looks genuinely pleased at the insinuation.

Like he genuinely won’t say no to Joowon if it comes to that.

(And the thing is—until the very end, he never said no to Joowon.

It’s simultaneously heartwarming and frightening, how he will never say no to Joowon.

It makes Dongsik wonder, perhaps, with both frustration and awe, how Joowon never took advantage of that fact.)

[trendingdrama]

TENDER LIGHT 微暗之火 (2024)dir. yao xiao feng

[randomingoftherandomness]

A/N: @dangermousie jumping off point! Also, first fic in more than half a year but baby I’m back!

“Stare any harder and you might actually set his hair on fire.”

Lips curling over the delicate rim of his teacup, Zhao Yuanzhou peers at the beauty who slides into the seat opposite his. Her pale hands smoothly fills her own cup before she too lifts her gaze to meet his.

“Even when he is 42, he’ll still be my nephew and I, his aunt.” The words cling to the air between like melodic chimes of a summer bell, but Zhao Yuanzhou has lived long enough to mark it for the warning it is.

The subject of their conversation sneezes in the distance. Soon after, they hear Bai Jiu fussing over him in a worried pitch, the lilt of his voice still caught between manhood and boyhood.

Zhao Yuanzhou tips his head at Wen Xiao when he hears Xiao Zhuo daren politely sniffle and thank the boy genius for his concern. “And this thread of familial protectiveness is being foisted my way, because of…?”

Wen Xiao’s sweet smile takes on an almost acrid edge. The gleam in her eyes flashes a touch more knife-like.

“The years I’ve lived may just be a drop in the bucket of yours. But I’m a woman. And a woman’s intuition is hardly ever wrong about a man’s intentions.”

“Oh? So, you think of me as a man now?”

���I can hardly think of you as a three-headed monster, can I?” Wen Xiao laughs, turning the cup in her hand. “Not when you’re one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in my life. No, the fact is you’re handsome. Perfect in an otherworldly way that rankles my gut. This would not be an issue in any other case, but you’re looking at Xiao Zhuo.”

“Oh?” Flitting his eyes back to the young men basking in the weak sunlight, he does little to hide the smile that stretches his mouth. “And pray tell how would I have been looking at him?”

The little thunk when Wen Xiao sets her cup on the table is loud enough to break the little spell of the tit-a-tat between them.

“Like you want to devour him.” Comes the quiet answer and Zhao Yuanzhou can only hum in response to that.

He thinks of the way their first meeting had gone; the little test he had set to see the worthiness of Zhuo Yichen to play the part in the plan he has set in motion.

When Xiao hadn’t been wrong when she said that just because a mortal steel cannot kill him does not mean the cut does not hurt. If he allows himself to feel it, he thinks he can still feel Xiao Zhuo daren’s blade digging deep into his chest.

She still wasn’t wrong when she said he looks at Zhuo Yichen like he wants to swallow him whole and place him in his belly. Right where the world and all its hurts cannot get to him.

He wants to spare him as much of that which he can.

“How curious…”

Blinking away the bloom of warmth that has gripped him in his throat, the demon lord affects a languid lean, tilting his face to the sun instead of meeting her eyes.

“If I tell you that I mean him no harm other than what is necessary, would you believe me?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Yuanzhou can tell the moment his lips curl into something a little too honest for his tastes. It is only with long practice that he manages to keep his composure enough to squeeze out a gentle, “That’s enough, isn’t it?”

[jupiter-86]

Some excerpts from the boat scene that made me unhinged... the longing between these two is insane in both the book and the show.

Also Xiao Yao's kink for Jing's hair confirmed and I'm 100% here for it.

[harocat]

gizkasparadise definitely love and redemption! a lot of similar themes and 100% guaranteed happy ending

dangermousie Love and Redemption - great drama and sticks the landing (also some of the same themes like angsty hero and tough heroine but done better), 3 lives 3 worlds 10 miles of peach blossoms (was a huge hit, I love it, happy ending delish angst in between. Starts a little slow.) Love and Destiny - war god gets a happy ending :) Not a huge fan of starry love btw.

jupiter-86 Love and Redemption definitely

I'm watching Love and Redemption right now. I'm through episode four. It's QUITE long, so it might take some time.

And I will check out the other two when I get a chance as well.

dangermousie Also The Legends, with Bai Lu. It gets messy by the end but happy ending and the bulk of it is awesome

Ok if you need more recs I am back yet again because nobody recced Legend of Fuyao and it’s a crime - the ending is happy (tho last minute), all 3 OTP get resolution, heroine is an epic bamf who fights in battles and wins, hero is flexibly moral but devoted. It’s so good! It’s a little older (2018) so I think people don’t think of it much

Thank you! I also plan on watching Bai Lu's new Kunning Palace series (but it's not xianxia and also I have a feeling it will be heartbreaking).

dal-s-ta For a slight change in genre, I recommend Wuxia dramas such as Word of Honor and Douluo Continent.

I've watched Word of Honor! Can you sell me on Duoluo Continent? I heard it's not very good, so I hadn't looked into it.

But also, I might be gay, but I still have working eyes and Xiao Zhan 👀

[purplehyacinthsimp]

Thanks for this list! I've enjoyed almost all of your recs (within the categories I look for), so this is vv helpful.

(Also. I fully support the fact that My Country appears here thrice. EPIC. No, don't change that. It's one time for each of the three mains.)

Seeing your glee over When the Phone rings and (way back) Flower of evil makes me wonder what your top 10 Kdramas are (or top 100, if that would make it easier XD )

I love this ask but it took me a while. I am sure I am forgetting some but (no order)

The Legend First King's Four Gods

Flower of Evil

Damo

The King Loves

Healer

City Hunter

City Hall

Come and Hug Me

The Red Sleeve

Jumong

My Country

Empress Ki

Robber

Gloria

Family Honor

Three Musketeers

My Dearest

Are You Human Too

Love Rain

Mask

Cruel City

Strong Girl Bong Soon

Goblin

Faith

The King 2 Hearts

Brilliant Legacy

Arang and the Magistrate

Hello My Teacher

Moon Lovers

Train

Padam Padam

The Rebel

It's OK That's Love

It's OK not to be OK

Gaksital

New Tales of the Gisaeng

I Miss You

Hometown Cha Cha Cha

While You Were Sleeping

Whisper

I Can Hear Your Voice

Save the Last Dance

Thank You

Can You Hear My Heart

A Gentleman's Dignity

Time Between Dog and Wolf

Secret Garden

Secret Love Affair

Live Up to Your Name

My Country

Chuno

Friend Our Legend

Capital Scandal

Spring Waltz

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Delightful Girl Chunhyang

Kingdom of the Winds

A Love to Kill

Lovers

Last Scandal

IRIS

This Winter the Wind Blows

Something Happened in Bali

Beautiful Days

Worlds Within

Que Sera Sera

Snow Queen

Bad Guys

Haechi

The Crowned Clown

The Legend of the Blue Sea

The Princess' Man

Chicago Typerwriter

Tale of the Nine Tailed

Shut Up Flower Boy Band

My Beautiful Bride

Beyond Evil

When the Phone Rings

Lovely Runner

Mawang

Moon in the Day

Six Flying Dragons

My Country

Doom at Your Service

Alchemy of Souls

Extraordinary You

My Girl

W Two Worlds

Hong Gil Dong

[tavina-writes]

A Practical Discussion of Eligible MDZS Bachelors During the Second Life

So I keep seeing discussions floating around about like "why aren't any of these people married" and "are JC's standards too high?" and other assorted nonsense, so I have decided to put together a ranking of like "if a practical minded historical* woman wanted to get ahead politically with the LEAST amount of #suffering, what rankings would she give these guys." Because I've been really fond of @dangermousie's poll options, I'm calling this girl Potato.

*Historical fantasy more or less given that we assume that Potato is also a cultivator.

Jiang Cheng There are many reasons for this but 1) Jiang Cheng's in-laws consist entirely of (1) bratty nephew who doesn't even live at his house full time, 2) there are no other meddling in laws or sect elders given that Jiang Cheng is the only one! 3) he is reasonably good looking, well off, and has social status by this point in the story. Potato can probably win over a bratty nephew! Downsides include: if Potato doesn't like spicy foods oh dear, but honestly we don't know what Potato's spice tolerance is so it could still work out!

Nie Huaisang: Being married to NHS would be an exercise in perpetual embarrassment, and it's unclear if his budget line items ever since Da-ge died are any more detailed than "Summertime Sadness." There are worse people to marry, but why anyone (including Potato) would willingly choose to marry NHS for political benefit eludes me. He is ranked higher on this list than any Lan largely for the sake of "his mom was probably not in solitary confinement" and "there are likely no dietary restrictions present in his house." but the other downsides include "he's probably going to go INSANE" at some point but silver lining on that front is that he's really not a very good cultivator, so it probably won't be as bad as NMJ's insanity bender? Potato could rank him lower than any Lan options tbh.

Lan Xichen There are also many reasons why Mr. Zewu-jun is not an ideal marriage candidate for practical reasons but this largely has to do with his family. There's 33 favorite grandpas who seem to have opinions on the regular. The in-law trouble would suck tremendously. There's 5am wakeup calls and 9pm bedtimes and no meat or alcohol. There's like between 3000-4000 rules Potato will have to remember and actually follow! His mom spent her entire married life mysteriously in solitary confinement. #Yikes!

This seems like an unwise place to marry into. Potato could do better.

Lan Wangji See above except for the part where he doesn't even like Potato and only thinks about WWX all day.

Lan Qiren I am uncertain about Potato's investment in #HotDilfsInLocalArea but 3000-4000 rules and many of Zewu-jun's problems.

Jin Guangyao He's already married and he's never cheating on his incest marriage, and he has his ex's head in his bedroom closet. Also #Yikes. Potato could do better than this too.

Basically: Potato should either aim to marry Jiang Cheng or go to live as a hermit in the woods.

[academyofbrokenhearts]

no one: nothing me and dangermousie when one fictional character threatens another fictional character with a knife or another weapon: see that? I think they should get married

[mywebfoot]

me too

I don't know if I'll ever start watching Cdramas (my Kdrama watchlist is already long enough!) but I genuinely love watching the absolutely bonkers shit that my mutuals (like @dangermousie) post about Cdramas. It's like watching a train wreck during a tsunami with a tornado every day, but from a nice safe distance ❤️

[vindicated-truth]

Joowon and Dongsik:

"I've seen the best of you, and the worst of you, and I accept it all."

Posting this conversation between @rootofallevil and myself, because it’s such a revelation.

Also, sincerest apologies to @dangermousie for inadvertently hijacking your comment section 😅 We’re enjoying your liveblogging and reliving how it feels like watching Beyond Evil for the first time! 🫶🏻

[lurkingshan]

I have a lot of feelings about The Story of Minglan (which I finally watched!) and its themes about patriarchy and class and intergenerational trauma and striving for survival under an oppressive system that demands fealty and will never just let you live by your own choices. We saw in every major storyline that these characters were granted no peace to live the way they wanted. Tingye had to fight for years to recover his reputation and attain status to give himself the freedom to build the family he wanted. Minglan had to battle through several unwanted attachments and couldn’t live a day in peace without someone trying to foist concubines on her or demand she use her status to buoy them. Heng was forced into marriages he didn’t want and had to give up the only wife he actually desired for the sake of soothing powerful egos, because the cost of not meeting those demands was actual life or death for his clan. In this story even the eventual emperor was not the emperor by choice—he was forced into the position as a matter of survival. There’s so much to unpack in this drama and it is far more than a romance.

That said, one of the most interesting things it did from a romance perspective is give us a smart, competent battle couple that spent nearly half of the drama married to each other despite being on the slowest of slow burn arcs to arrive at mutual love and affection. Ostensibly, you could call them a battle couple right from the jump in that they were a united front against enemies, backed each other up without fail, and talked together about (most of) their plans and schemes. But even as all of that was true, they were not on the same emotional wavelength, and they struggled to understand each other.

This is a couple that first connected and established some baseline trust in each other as children and always believed in each other’s intelligence and good character, and yet when they married as adults, they wanted completely different things from their marriage. Tingye wanted to be in love with his wife, and was, and couldn’t understand why it didn’t feel mutual. Minglan wanted to live up to the ideal image for a respectful and competent wife of that era, and did, and couldn’t understand why her husband was so discontent. As @dangermousie pointed out here, these are both trauma responses that make perfect sense given each of their backgrounds. And while the drama milked a lot of comedy out of their inability to understand each other on this impasse, I also found it so sad that their past trauma made it hard for them to communicate past this divide, and for Minglan to open herself to the vulnerability of loving someone.

I’ve seen a lot of complaints from viewers who were mostly here for the romance about how long it took for them to get on the same page. While there were definitely moments when I was ready to bang their heads together out of frustration, the fact that it took several years in story time for Tingye to effectively communicate that he genuinely wanted the real Minglan, and for Minglan to believe that and trust him enough to let her emotional guard down, is what makes it feel so well-earned and rewarding when they finally get there. It’s rare to get the luxury of sitting in a fictional world for this long to watch traumatized people slowly heal via their love for each other and build the family they want with each other. And it’s because we got to see that whole process that I feel confident their happy ending will stick.

[purplehanfu]

I'm only on episode 3 but Riverside Code at Qingming Festival is so good and it kills me that it will probably be ignored here on Tumblr because it's not full of traffic star hotties.

Our leads have the marriage we all dream of (except for the murders lol)

Oh look who it is

Somewhere @dangermousie is squealing

But for real y'all give this one a chance, it's a good story and they really spent the money on costumes and sets. I haven't seen this many extras in a production since Longest Day in Chang'an.

[harocat]

I could just block it, and I probably will, but it is so exhausting that this tiny fandom is just half character hate for one of the kindest, most genuine characters out there. Purely because he gets in the way of their choice ship.

[highlynerdy]

Holy hell! This poster is so 🔥🔥🔥!

I just spent a few minutes removing the text just so we can now look at it with no distractions. Because wow...it's a lot and it deserves to be 👀👀👀 at.

1. Oh my GOD

2. They are NOT being subtle

3. That is a HELL of a poster

(@aysekira I am in your debt!)