#骑鲸南去

[fateandloveentwined]

danmei chinese webnovels rec update

[link to part one]

hiya:) Haven't read that much the past year but it might be well to recommend some novels I rated higher on my records.

per personal preferences most of them are knives with a happy ending and main character-centric besides romance. I also like political intrigue though that's not the most common thing in danmei novels.

(mc = main character; ml = main lover i.e. second main character)

ranked in descending order of each genre. novels are linked for convenience, or links to novelupdates descriptions are provided if found.

xianxia/cultivation background

��喜欢封如故的性情，洒脱微笑背后不见天日的苦涩，十年慵懒风陵山中寒雪中布下环环相扣的一局。风陵山上都是痴儿，他们都太聪明了，一个个玲珑心肝似的，赤诚相待，却也总是在浓若蜜醪的时候君子之交如若甘露，整本读下来，我简直觉得他们就是完美演绎了”相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖”的明训。好别扭，有时候真的很压抑，封如故深晓韩兢为谁久久不语，韩兢深爱常伯宁而不表露。而最是谦谦君子心存理想盛世的常伯宁，最终在喜帖上将对封如故多年藏匿、自己隐约略懂未明的爱意一并埋去，知道韩兢不愿相认，也就任由他离自己远去了。 ……都是痴儿。

全道门都欠我一个人情 by 骑鲸南去 (All the Dao Sects Owe Me a Favor)

I couldn't summarise it well. What I wrote (part of):

琢玉 by 白书墨 (Carven Jade)

mc's character a little similar to wei wuxian (mdzs). The two main leads are of the same sect but one turned "astray" after. MC is given the chance to live again.

晚来天欲雪 by 妄鸦 (Evening Snow)

Devastated by the tragedy which befell his past, reincarnated mc decides to live his second life idyllically and forget about the rest. What he didn't expect is that people of his last life are not letting the past rest.

historical

穿成病弱返派后 by 木漏日

This is better titled "病美人想早点去世" i.e. sick mc wishes to die sooner, the title the author wished to change to. mc transmigrates back in time and completes missions in this dynasty according to system's commands, becoming both hero and antagonist of the protagonist in the book. I think mc gets near the verge of death many times too many but I rated it 4 out of 5 so I guess it was enjoyable still... that and the resolution was rewarding. mc cares a lot about his sister in the present life, and everything that he does for the system and the protagonist is basically for her.

entertainment industry

隐婚 by 久陆

A rather depressive take on contractual marriage and unrequited love. All goes awry at the fifth year of their contracted covenant in which the marriage is to end. I reread it recently and it still remains one of my favourite books of this genre. will probably read the other ones this author has written soon.

穿成豪门假少爷后我爆红了 by 穿山

mc was reborn into the body of another. Emotionally intricate nested narratives and emotionally charging scenes.

intergalactic

讯息素缺失报告 by 松子茶

alpha/omega dynamics in which mc signs a contract with an ominous overlord to provide for his child after the death of his previous spouse. It's not particularly cathartic but the tone of the novel overall is rather repressive.

人鱼文偏执反派翻车了 by 弃脂焚椒 (The Paranoid Villain in the Mermaid Novel Has Overturned)

i think this is a rather popular one idk. A little bit draggy, but the premise of the insane overlord and the heir presumptive is well thought out. I did enjoy it but was not particularly in love with the ml's characterisation which essentially surrounds the mc in everything that he does.

quick transmigration

I've only discovered my fondness for quick transmigration the past year but essentially it goes not without conditions:

there is a good convincing backstory that readers try to sleuth out while reading the worlds

mc and ml characterisation is consistent

the dimensions/worlds are well-written and elaborate enough.

漂亮炮灰手拿反派剧本 by 木漏日

am I spoiling it but oml the last world is amazing.

黑月光跑路失败后 by 弃脂焚椒

the worlds are well-written. character consistency at the start is a bit wobbly but it gets way better quick. I like the intergalactic worlds this author writes.

general author recs: 木漏日 (consistently good reads, political intrigue), 弃脂焚椒, 三千大梦叙平生 (some good ones)

haven't read that much of theirs but they should be good: 骑鲸南去, 白书墨 (author has het books that are really popular too)

Again read in chinese and they really aren't the most popular ones so I'm not sure how many of them have translated versions. If you do MTL/check novelupdates you might find something that helps.

Some are from more than a year ago so (sorry!) I really don't remember enough to write about them in detail. I might supplement them with longer reviews (since I have written them for some at the time of reading but again it is slightly unlikely given current workload).

thanks💙

[mkchronos]

Fanart. Illustration. Danmei novel

[万有引力] by 骑鲸南去 . 江舫 🍎🍎🍎

[yuexuan]

[Review] 万有引力

Title: 万有引力 (Forces of Temptation)

Author: 骑鲸南去

Length: 320 chapters

Tag: infinite flow, supernatural, horror

Summary: [Taken from Novelupdates]

The world’s shared, open interactive communication game ‘Forces of Temptation’ went online and quickly took the world by storm.

There was a perfect ecosystem, a physics engine that was completely close to reality and game instances that opened up dimensions that could be chosen. In particular, the supernatural instances received rave reviews.

Almost everyone thought they were playing a normal game until one day, millions of people saw a dialog box that appeared in the sky.

[Sun.exe isn’t responding. If you continue to wait, the program might respond.] [Do you want to end this process?] [End Process / Cancel]

Novel| Novel[translated]|Audio drama

Comments *contains spoilers**

Per the summary, the game ‘Forces of Temptation’ became a sensation in the online gaming world. Things changed when higher dimension beings intervened and turned the game into reality. All over the world, people began to disappear mysteriously. Turns otu, they were transported into a game where they had to fight for their survival. 

The novel has a rather unique start - focusing on a major side character called Li Yinhang. She was returning from her work when all of a sudden the entire bus she was on was transported into the game world. In the pilot level, she met two strange characters - the naive but physically powerful Nan Zhou (MC) and the handsome, half-Ukrainian Jiang Fang (ML). Together, the three of them formed the ‘Li Fang Zhou’ team and worked together to survive the various challenges that the game threw at them.

Li Yingang is one of the few female characters in danmei whom I thought is well-written: she is a normal office worker, but utilizes her experience from dealing with clients to guide her actions and interactions with the MC and ML. She is well aware of her strengths and limitations, and on many occasions made conscious decisions that maximize her survival and avoids becoming a burden to the team. Consequently, the main pairing also trusts and values her decisions, going above and beyond their characters to protect her. 

Another thing I like is MC’s naivety. Since Nan Zhou is an NPC that escaped the bounds of his game scenario, he is quite clueless - but curious - about the world around him. He is like an overpowered kid who tries to learn how to act like a normal person, but often ends up being confused over human behaviors (e.g. He voices his sexual attraction towards ML as ‘a need to reproduce’, which is something that can be rationalized and controlled). 

As with any infinite flow story, the worldbuilding is extensive. In the novel, the world works similar to an RPG game, with five towns for characters to recuperate and conduct daily activities, and various scenarios or missions that they can go on to earn items and points. I do wish, though, that more emphasis is placed on some of the game mechanics, such as the handicap where characters have to purchase oxygen tanks to ensure that they can breathe. 

The best arc is probably the last arc about the characters’ wishes. It is both entertaining and touching. My poor, poor Chen Shifeng who wishes for his inexistence just so that his older brother and lover could come back to life :’). This is also the first danmei I read where the characters are extremely careful about the wishes they made. Usually, when there is an end reward in the form of a wish fulfillment, most infinite flow stories don’t explore the dangers of making these wishes. In this novel, it is pointed out that the higher dimension beings will do all they can to twist the characters’ wishes by finding loopholes in their logic or wording. Hence all the characters had to preface their wishes with clauses and disclaimers to ensure that there is no ground for misinterpretation. 

Frankly, I like a lot of the side pairings compared with the main pairing…Li Yinhang and Nan Jixing has such a cute relationship (and yes, I know it might constitute partial-bestiality to ship them together); Yi Shuige and Xie Xiangyu has a spicy enemy-and-lover romance; and Chen Shuiye and Yu Tuisi has such a tragic backstory. There are just so many fun side relationships to read about!

Thing I don’t like

If I have one complaint about this story, it is that some of the arcs can drag for too long, without really progressing the story. For example, the arc where they are gambling against the team with higher dimension being is longer than expected. Unless you like card games, this can be quite boring, especially when the main pairing is pretty much OP and there is no chance for their opponents to win from the start. It reduces a lot of the stakes and makes the whole arc feel too one-sided.

[aworldforastage]

2024 Reading Log [updating]

In order of completion:

1. 遇蛇 溯痕 -- Encountering a snake [#遇蛇]

2. 两个老妖怪 争教销魂

3. 刀斩山河 不落不落 [#刀斩山河]

4. 天意风流 月神的野鬼 [#天意风流]

5. 论和太子谈恋爱的风险和收益 k君

6. 重生之焚爱逆欢 无心轮回

7. 李代桃僵  北境有冻离

8. 这样我是不是更像他了  后妈桑

9. 不想了 花卷

10. 一个声名狼藉的beta QJF

11. 禁宫 末回

12. 错认白月光的帝王重生了 喃受

13. 爱有多重 三更雨

14. 喜欢你的这么些年  拉面要加香菜

15. 穿进万人迷文的我人设崩了 by 东施娘

16. 重生之嫁给情敌 鱼恨水

DNF

不要点进来[电竞] 对四

平南王府凭男记 初吻江湖

Running list of books which I have read significant amount but stopped for various reasons, but I think I might like to go back and finish some day

双玉记 溯痕 (WIP) [#双玉记]

剑名不奈何 淮上 -- The Sword Named No Way Out

电竞魔王集结营 青梅酱 -- The E-Sports Circle’s Toxic Assembly Camp

长安少年游 明月倾

德萨罗人鱼 深海先生 -- Desharow Merman [#德萨罗人鱼]

余污 肉包不吃肉 – Remnants of Filth

忧郁先生想过平静生活 青色羽翼 -- Mr. Melancholy Wants to Live a Peaceful Life [#yyxs]

魔尊也想知道 青色羽翼 -- Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友 骑鲸南去 -- Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin

燎原 不问三九 -- Wildfire

沉舟 楚寒衣青

楚天以南 大风不是木偶 -- Under Clear Skies

乱世为王 顾雪柔/非天夜翔 -- To Rule in a Turbulent World

人鱼陷落 麟潜 -- The Fallen Merman

Likely DNFs

不要点进来[电竞] 对四

平南王府凭男记 初吻江湖

谁把谁当真 水千丞 -- Winner Takes All

凤于九天 风弄 -- Feng Yu Jiu Tian

营养过良 芥菜糊糊 -- The Nutrition is Too Good

情敌每天都在变美 公子于歌 -- Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day

Tags for works I haven't started reading:

六爻 Priest -- Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect [#liu yao]

台风眼 潭石-- The Eye of the Storm [#tfy]

判官 木苏里 -- Panguan [#panguan]

[ittybittyhuac]

"Kill them with kindness" Wrong. CURSE OF QIN SHI HUANG

的是不我一有大在人了中到资要可以这个你会好为上来就学交也用能如文时没说他看提那问生过下请天们所多麽小想得之还电出工对都机自後子而讯站去心只家知国台很信成章何同道地发法无然但吗当於本现年前真最和新因果定意情点题其事方清科样些吧叁此位理行作经者什谢名日正华话开实再城爱与二动比高面又车力或种像应女教分手打已次长太明己路起相主关凤间呢觉该十外凰友才民系进使她着各少全两回加将感第性球式把被老公龙程论及别给听水重体做校里常东风您湾啦见解等部原月美先管区错音否啊找网乐让通入期选较四场由书它快从欢数表怎至立内合目望认几社告更版度考喜头难光买今身许弟若算记代统处完号接言政玩师字并男计谁山张党每且结改非星连哈建放直转报活设变指气研陈试西五希取神化物王战近世受义反单死任跟便空林士台却北队功必声写平影业金档片讨色容央妳向市则员兴利强白价安呵特思叫总办保花议传元求份件持万未究决投哪喔笑猫组独级走支曾标流竹兄阿室卡马共需海口门般线语命观视朋联参格黄钱修失儿住八脑板吃另换即象料录拿专远速基帮形确候装孩备歌界除南器画诉差讲类英案带久乎掉迷量引整似耶奇制边型超识虽怪飞始品运赛费梦故班权破验眼满念造军精务留服六图收舍半读愿李底约雄课答令深票达演早卖棒够黑院假曲火准百谈胜碟术推存治离易往况晚示证段导伤调团七永刚哥甚德杀怕包列概照夜排客绝软商根九切条集千落竟越待忘尽据双供称座值消产红跑嘛园附硬云游展执闻唱育斯某技唉息苦质油救效须介首助职例热毕节害击乱态嗯宝倒注停古输规福亲查复步举鱼断终轻环练印随依趣限响省局续司角简极干篇罗佛克阳武疑送拉习源免志鸟烦足馆仍低广土呀楼坏兵显率圣码众争初误楚责境野预具智压系青贵顺负魔适哇测慢怀懂史配呜味亦医迎舞恋细灌甲帝句属灵评骑宜败左追狂敢春狗际遇族群痛右康佳杨木病戏项抓徵善官护博补石尔营历只按妹里编岁择温守血领寻田养谓居异雨止跳君烂优封拜恶啥浪核聊急状陆激模攻忙良剧牛垒增维静阵抱势严词亚夫签悲密幕毒厂爽缘店吴兰睡致江宿翻香蛮警控赵冷威微坐周宗普登母络午恐套巴杂创��辑幸剑亮述堂酒丽牌仔脚突搞父俊暴防吉礼素招草周房餐虑充府背典仁漫景绍诸琴忆援尤缺扁骂纯惜授皮松委湖诚麻置靠继判益波姐既射欲刻堆释含承退莫刘昨旁纪赶制尚艺肉律铁奏树毛罪笔彩注归弹虎卫刀皆键售块险荣播施铭罗汉赏欣升叶萤载嘿弄钟付寄鬼哦灯呆洋嘻布磁荐检派构妈蓝贴猪策纸暗巧努雷架享宣逢均担启济罢呼划伟岛歉郭训穿详沙督梅顾敌协轮略慧幻脸短鹰冲朝忍游河批混窗乡蛋季散册弃熟奖唯藏婚镜紧猜喝尊乾县伯偏偷秋层颗食淡申冠衣仅帐赞购犯敬勇洲束斗徒嘉柔绩笨拥漂狮诗围乖孤姓吸私避范抗盖祝序晓富译巨秀馀辉插察庆积愈端移宫挥爆港雪硕借帅丢括挂盘偶末厅朱凡惊货灭醒虚瑞拍遗忠志透烈银顶雅诺圆熊替休材挑侠鸡累互掌念米伴辅降豪篮洗健饭怜疯宏困址兮操临骗咧药绿尼蔡玉辛辈敏减彼街聚郎泡恨苏缩枢碰采默婆股童符抽获宇废赢肯砍钢欧届禁苍脱渐仙泪触途财箱厌籍冰涛订哭稳析杰坚桥懒贤丝露森危占茶惯尘布爸阶夏谊瓶哩惨械隐丰旅椰亡汽贝娘寒遭吹暑珍零刊邮村乃予赖摇纳烟伦尾狼浮骨杯隔洪织询振忽索惠峰席喵胡租款扰企刺芳鼠折频冒痴阴哲针伊寂嘴倚霸扬沉悔虫菜距复鼓摩郑庄副页烧弱暂剩豆探耐祖遍萧握愁龟哀发延库隆盟傻眉固秘卷搭昭宁托辩覆吵耳閒拨沈升胖丁妙残违稍媒忧销恩颜船奈映井拼屋乘京藉洞川宪拟寝塞倍户摆桌域劳赚皇逃鸿横牙拖齐农滚障搬奶乌了松戴谱酷棋吓摸额瓜役怨染迫醉锁震床闹佩牠徐尺干潮帽盛孙屁净凯撞迴损伙牵厉惑羊冬桃舰眠伍溪飘泰宋圈竞闪纵崇滑乙俗浅莲紫沟旋摄聪毁庭麦描妨勒仪陪榜板慕耀献审蟹巷谅姊逐踏岸葛卧洽寞邦藤拳阻蝎面殊凭拒池邪航驱裁翔填奥函镇丌宽颇枪遥穹啪阅锋砂恭塔贺魂睛逸旗萨丸厚斋芬革庸舒饮闭励顿仰阁孟昌访绪裕勿州阐抢扫糊宙尝菩赐赤喊盗擎劝奋慈尽污狐罚幽准兼尖彰灰番衡鲜扩毫夸炮拆监栏迟证倾郁汪纷托漏渡姑秒吾窝辆龄跌浩肥兽煞抹酸税陷谷冲杜胸甘胞诞岂辞墙凉碎晶邱逻脆喷玫娃培咱潜祥筑孔柏叭邀犹妻估荒袋径垃傲淑圾旦亿截币羽妇泥欺弦筹舍忌串伸喇耻繁廖逛劲臭鲁壮捕穷拔于丑莉糟炸坡蒙腿坦怒甜韩缓悉扯割艾胎恒玲朵泉汤猛驾幼坪巫弯胆昏鞋怡吐唐悠盾跃侵丹鑑泽薪逝彦后召吕碧晨辨植痴瑰钓轩勤珠浓悟磨剪逼玄暖躲洛症挡敝碍亨逊蜜盼姆赋彬壁缴捷乏戒憾滴桑菲嫌愉爬恼删叹抵棚摘蒋箭夕翁牲迹勉莱洁贪恰曰侨沧咖唷扣采奔泳迹涯夺抄疗署誓盃骚翼屠咪雾涉锺踢谋牺焦涵础绕俱霹坜唬氏彻吝曼寿粉廉炎祸耗炮啡肚贡鼻挖貌捐融筋云稣捡饱铃雳鸣奉燃饰绘黎卷恢瞧茫幅迪柳瑜矛吊侯玛撑薄敦挤墨琪凌侧枫嗨梯梁廷儒咬岚览兔怖稿齿狱爷迈闷乔姿踪宾家弘韵岭咦裤壳孝仇誉妮惧促驶疼凶粗耍糕仲裂吟陀赌爵哉亏锅刷旭晴蝶阔洩顽牧契轰羞拾锦逆堕夹枝瓦舟悦惹疏锐翘哎综纲扇驻屏堪弥贯愚抬喂靖狠饼凝邻擦滋坤蛙灾莎毅卒汝征赠斗抛秦辱涂披允侦欲夥朗笛劫魅钦慰荷挺矣迅禅迁鹿秤彭肩赞丙鹅痕液涨巡烤贱丈趋沿滥措么扭捉碗炉脏叔秘腰漠翅余胶妥谣缸芒陵雯轨虾寸呦洒贞蜂钻厕鹤摔盒虫氛悄霖愧斜尸循俩堡旺恶叉燕津臣丧茂椅缠刑脉杉泊撒递疲杆趁欠盈晃蛇牡慎粒系倦溜遵腐疾鸭璃牢劣患祂呈浑剂妖玻塑飙伏弊扮侬渴歪苗汗陶栋琳蓉埋叡澎并泣腾柯催畅勾樱阮斥搜踩返坛垂唤储贩匆添坑柴邓糖昆暮柜娟腹煮泛稀兹抑携芭框彷罐虹拷萍臂袭叙吻仿贼羯浴体翠灿敲胁侣蚁秩佑谨寡岳赔掩匙曹纽签晋喻绵咏摊馨珊孕杰拘哟羡肤肝袍罩叛御谜嫁庙肠谎潘埔卜占拦煌俄札骤陌澄仓匪宵钮岗荡卸旨粽贸舌历叮咒钥苹祭屈陋雀睹媚娜诱衷菁殿撕蠢惟嚣踊跨膀筒纹乳仗轴撤潭佛桂愤捧袖埃壹赫谦汇魏粹傅寮猴衰辜恳桶吋衫瞬冻猎琼卿戚卓殖泼譬翰刮斌枉梁庞闽宅麟宰梭纠丛雕澳毙颖腔伫躺划寺炼胃昂勋骄卑蚂墓冥妄董淋卢偿姻砸践殷润铜盲扎驳湿凑炒尿穴蟑拓诡谬淫荡鼎斩尧伪饿驰蚊瘟肢挫槽扶兆僧昧螂匹芝奸聘眷熙猩癢帖贫贿扑笼丘颠讶玮尹詗柱袁漆毋辣棍矩佐澡渊痞矮戈勃吞肆抖咳亭淘穗黏冈歧屑拢潇谐遣诊祈霜熬饶闯婉致雁觅讽膜挣斤帆铺凄瑟艇壶苑悬詹诠滤掰稚辰募懿慨哼汁佬纤肃遨渔恕蝴垫昱竿缝蹈鞭仆豫岩辐歹甄斑淹崎骏薰婷宠棵弓犬涂刹郁坎煎螺遮枯台昔瘾蒂坠唔瞎筝唇表吁冤祷甩伞酱范焉娇驼沦碳沾抚溶叠几蜡涌氧弦娱皓奴颓嘎趟揭噹剥垦狭魁坊盐屎郝佩摧栗菊瘦钧匿砖嘘缚嘟盆债霞挽逍畔蕴颈获畏喂脾姬赴囊噪熄锡诀肇璋晕浊伐峡窃枕倘慌垮帕莹琦厢渺脏削锣虐豔薇霉衍腊喧娶遂睁裙韦矢伺钉婴蓄奸廿堵葬蓬鸦尝挨蕾璿挚券厨醇呻霍剃浆葡暨滨履捞咕耕棉烁尉艰妓棺鹏蒸癌纬菌撇惩绑甫崩魄拂汰氓歇萝呒萄蕃曝疋向胏烛腻襄妆髓朴薯颂薛滩橘贰嘲叹枚侮豹巢酬碑翩蚕辽矿屡谴卵撰攀肌冯宴盏阪浦迦颁炼尬胀辟艘株只湘饲爹梨喽侍疫雕黯并铝弗爪鄙钗栽狸谘柄悸喉擅劈秉芷裸锵贾逗寓咚璞烫铅啸炳屿竖惶仕挪栅迄顷窄鸥鲢郊倩兜茧磊抒夷绰溯拙僚芙杖溃凶鸽妒沌祺呐卦聆栖蝇佮唾汇楣匠蛛悼舜耿瞄芋瞒竭茵吼苛浸拯克豆沛掠廊凸搅俺酌倡朦蕉暱焕掏蝉焰狄绳惰芽裹宛御赎燥滔贬悍袂坟颉啤押尴颤钝腥缔粮哑槟簿斧肿纶僵齣辖蹲敷喘扎酿佑肖愈隧嗜檬迳碌襟凋圭寇污哨倪筠桦诈姜旬秃脂噢撼衅庚炫谭惭涩崔贷胡晒琉捏绮膝拭暗醋膨杠鑫瀑喃剖袜逾涅扳惘凳呃掘捍榔窍蜗旷梵暇稻柠抉辗蔚钩卜莺匡蜘祯哔窟亟谛溢黛晦伶逮傍葱刁堤恍匣谍禧轿耸瀚斐忿泓拐驴罕沫绽刃窈渝仄瑛葵噜绣奕窥浏隶蔽仟敛丞诘鳖疤膏锥窕皱晰晖舅孰煽姚钞袱绊焚芦咸沮呕瞪淳丐茹盘菱篠涕衬蚀溉瑄翟怠钰躯肺掷丑奢荫靶纱芸佰峻阱哄肾庄囡阑戳腕菸凹蟾蒐呱巾雏螃盯馈垄毓犀逞姨穆樵阀弥跷搁隙疵憧忏琨阙萱怅辄搏榕饥捣渣眺虞俯绅谤珑咫俏淆蜀楠乞诅匀貂寰迋敞跪囚溺骆憬苇脊瑶疆乍杆眸窜孽卅夭簧徘馒趴鎚啼冗缉絮啄沸萃嘶鸳禽惫徨屐舆邂掀嫖苟檯矫铎棱哗徊拱蕙徬滞吠妞氾芹叩朽侪赦汐丰虔茅棠仑膳魉儡鸯懦渗邵筱畜崖瑕蕊揣擒挂屯莽矽侏弧澈饺奎裘塌饵偎泻蔓彗樽衔茍磋萎廓悯铸茎歼壤浇蚤恃瞻拚汀椒嚼粥磅佫勘脖吨澜锻笙厄嚷伽徽隅寥缤簾烘茜驯噎厦闰煤链锈诫颊俐曳蓓暧郤淌喀昆蔑峙躁菇逅雇殴泌酥缮莓辕骇巍糗扛杏茁琵礁秽岔僻焊嗡诵瞌捌遁赃涡琮卯锯扔苏邹莅隘蹋湛昼岫蛰桩藐汲禄皂濑绒耽粪粤卤曜懋咎痘聂垢瞳闵睿跤鉴躬斟淇莒毯幸骋岱庐殃橄恤叽鳞蒙芥榄楷硫苔麒椎禹喙厘袅亥倌吭诃裔梓蓦岩帜瓣狡惕蒙怯嫩龚嚎豚埠暸唆妃瓢蹄厮讥啃琶愿噱狷搪氢橙咆靡砌筷兑溼呸镀踹冢祟懈术搓攸橡膛俞祉冀炊瓷遐揽鹭茄蜢塘郡韬挟牟糙阎旻赘霆呎炭霄媳瘤猿颺煚铠蝠钜苓傀烬墅璇困愣恬嫉琐嫂淼梳憎搂藻酵屉陡摺箫飨桐蚱曦璧偈蹦昶咙铮嗤戌屌耘裳啾嵘胺笃烹巩厝疚鸶汹蔷沐咽烙畸讳揍曙铐朔涓睬矶岐凄鲫楞鲤荆偕徜饥肮蔼辙恁霈诛鞠茉煜傭嗓酹昙铨艳绷峨揉珈鹃诲臆焰隽熔堇韧扒憨舵肛戊坝抠骷碘鞍冕榨肘羔哺霓巳铲蚵惆驹撷稽羹纺蜕趾吊豁褪癸眨臻慷蝙胧沼舱柚抨葭枷靥硝绚绞缆讪褚砗嫣蒲丫鹦蒹憩懊聋盎婊盔峦矜凛铺鹉蜴惚畴羁媛堑泛疮韶憋祁诟搔蜥袒奄忱玖拌悴祠扼髅筑蛤茱骐捶须亢葔艸筛岳岳慵戮跎砰仑炜篱笈瘫吏痊庶厥棘娑沁窘鲸缕硷俨栈蔬鸠闲迢恣昀泠涟眩噫娥荼鳄镖侃虏俾樟榴咛炬窦笠翱莘躇翡姜枭匕藩徉觞拣吱皈墉傌梢巅踌萌幌杭侥栾奠痲夸瘖芯蟀驿耨禾瑾

“kill them with kindness” Wrong. CURSE OF RA 𓀀 𓀁 𓀂 𓀃 𓀄 𓀅 𓀆 𓀇 𓀈 𓀉 𓀊 𓀋 𓀌 𓀍 𓀎 𓀏 𓀐 𓀑 𓀒 𓀓 𓀔 𓀕 𓀖 𓀗 𓀘 𓀙 𓀚 𓀛 𓀜 𓀝 𓀞 𓀟 𓀠 𓀡 𓀢 𓀣 𓀤 𓀥 𓀦 𓀧 𓀨 𓀩 𓀪 𓀫 𓀬 𓀭 𓀮 𓀯 𓀰 𓀱 𓀲 𓀳 𓀴 𓀵 𓀶 𓀷 𓀸 𓀹 𓀺 𓀻 𓀼 𓀽 𓀾 𓀿 𓁀 𓁁 𓁂 𓁃 𓁄 𓁅 𓁆 𓁇 𓁈 𓁉 𓁊 𓁋 𓁌 𓁍 𓁎 𓁏 𓁐 𓁑 𓀄 𓀅 𓀆

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2023年小记（上）

雾霾和沙尘过后，初夏的北京迎来了难得的好天气。这是个晴晴朗朗的早晨，适合穿纯棉的长袖长裤在林荫道上散步。

停下来写这篇记录的时候，回想起四月和五月，是格外忙碌的。但是人似乎只要早起做事，有所取舍，总是能找到时间。又快到年中，匆匆记下这篇流水，拯救不怎么好的记忆。

旅行篇_云南

过年从家回来，和曾经一起去过tw 柬埔寨 丽江&泸沽湖 泰山 （！）的老友去了云南。本想和去年同去海螺沟的好友一起三人旅行，因她手术日期突然提前，休假改为养病。

我提前两天到达，住了久违的青旅，在昆明慢慢的走。青旅里养了许多植物，公共区域清新畅快，露天处可以晒太阳喝咖啡，屋内可以台球唱歌。氛围很好，很像在厦门和tw住过的青旅，很适合外出旅行的青年人结伴交友。吃了几餐家常饭，云南的菌子炒饭怎么都是好吃的。早餐是米线或者稀豆粉饵丝，意外好吃，以至于回京之后尝试复制（未果）。

西南联大旧址在云南师范大学校园里。校园很静也很绿。进到当年的教室旧址，密密的桌椅，教室很矮。在动荡的年代，得是来到交通不便的云南，得以拥有一张安静的书桌。在教室里默默想象这里曾经的日常。北方人汪曾祺也爱云南，似乎是他说，来了昆明就是要生病，生过病，身体反而比以前更好了。从西南联大旧址出来，去到老街，在东方书店逛一圈。

第二天白天又是一个人，早晨去了同一家路边小���吃了早餐，然后步行去到圆通寺。出来后，又坐公交车去了东方书店。到达时刚刚开门，坐在二楼最里面的位置，码了一小时字，直到窗边闻到米饭的香气。

中午吃过饭与好友碰头，开始两个人的旅行。先去翠湖，游人很多。据说因为远方森林火灾，海鸥都飞回昆明，翠湖也聚集了大量海鸥。应付着晃一圈，打车去到滇池。这滇池可是真大，像海。开阔的水面，风很大。沿着观海的路一直走，很是惬意。

坐高铁去到大理。洱海和大理的天空不会让人失望，干净而辽阔。大理环洱海而建，但不曾在中间修桥，由A点到B点没有近路可抄，于是最方便的是包车环湖而游。一路从不同角度，看海和树，看桥，看人，看天。被阳光和温暖的气候包裹，去哪儿似乎都好。

傍晚回程开始堵车，堵了近1小时。补偿是在高速路临海处，我和阿薛像是回到n年前在垦丁骑行时那样，一起看一场海边的落日。

作为游客打卡结束，第二天早晨起来看日出。从山间露出的第一束光到完��升起，用时3分钟左右。

白天坐敞篷小蹦蹦去床单厂艺术区，概念类似于798，但显然更接近初创时期的自由状态。不知这里摆摊的规则是否是先到先得。总归是，有什么手艺就卖点儿什么，也有卖“聊天”的外国人，和想唱就唱的游客，出摊摆着各种书法的摊主——“摊主去相亲了，价格随喜”，原来摊主是个自由职业的会计师女孩，一头卷发，安静少言但很亲切的样子。当然也是有看起来更为气派的vintage店，摆放着1913年的显微镜和（德国？）某不认识的勋爵的结婚证书复刻品。柜台后做作业的小孩，看起来轻松自由的店员。想起住的酒店附近一家上榜咖啡馆，本想去打卡吃吃这对年轻夫妻做的蛋糕，走去发现关门，1米宽的门脸，小���户上写“主人去脱水了，1周后回来。”

工作篇

从昆明的东方书店带回一包花籽的盲盒，是《请你种下这本诗集》的创意。每一包花籽对应一种植物、一首诗。和顺顺弟弟及女友、小张、阳阳一起吃饭，提前买好花盆，请大家抽盲盒。最后剩下的是欧芹和加利福尼亚原生花种，便由我带回家。雨水时节后，我种下他们，花花的嫩芽两日便破土而出。欧芹长得慢些，一周后才冒出小芽，但着实可爱。

一年之计在于春。过去几个月，我的轨迹似乎同播下的小种子一样，奋力向上。寒假和好友打赌，今年的国社一定不能拖延至最后，一定要尽力先完成、留下充分时间好好打磨。于是赶在过年前写好初稿，给老师和师兄姐们看过。这次资料检索的过程中，又尝到了在BJ的好处，虽然住得离国图不算近，但总归是，想看的书去一趟便能看得到。如果馆藏没有，也可以实名推荐采购。虽然推荐的书还没有下文，但还是觉得这种社会人人可荐书的机制是一种信任，也拉近了读者的距离。在国图工作的老师似乎对图书也颇为爱惜，外借英文书归还时，十分仔细的检查有无污损。

未开学时还完成了英文proposal的写作，在农历二月二以这份proposal开始联系出国事宜。这之后，事情的发展有诸多机缘巧合，但似乎又顺理成章。期间还有些准备（虽然最后没用上），读到一本女性主义视角重写国际法院经典判决的书。最重要的是，在写了一些东西后，似乎越发明确了自己近三年的研究重点，有点像是对待开窍后自选的博士论文那样，对待这个自己浅浅尝试的选题。围绕这个主题，过去几个月固定成文的成果，大概就是8000字左右的申报书，1篇20余页的英文文章。但是，实质内容还是在去年年底做的研究，只是一直在润色表达、改换说法，并没有创造性的进展。下半年要继续拓展新的内容了。

如今想来，在摸索研究兴趣和研究方向的过程中，尽管分明知道工作、生存最讲“效率”，也知道时间宝贵，但终归还是“纯粹”二字更适合“学问”。这世间很多事，固然是辛苦受罪才有所得，但是勤奋与享受也未必总是矛盾的。纯粹，热爱，会使那些旁人看来���苦的事情变成日常，经历中的人或许乐在其中，都是心境不同。

似乎是这样：没有白读的书，也没有白听的讲座，就算他们或许看起来“无用”。自己不给自己设限，便是自由的。这自由散漫，是允许自己在离散的、林林总总的积累中聚合成自己的某些特征，待某些属于自己的形状自发形成、渐渐明朗之后，再去有意识的介入、培育、修剪、打磨。在这个过程中，无疑是需要一些运气的加持。于是令人心怀感激。做研究走到这个阶段，似乎摸到了一点学术圈的边，也渐渐对圈内的为人、学问、品格、才学有了一些自己的观察。感激那些让我仰望的人，感激他们具体的、灯塔一样的存在。感激冥冥中指引我找到方向、放我进入轨道的能量场，未来三年，请多多指教。

 上学期的课很少，且面授的对象是已经比较熟悉的大三学生，备课上课的体会不多。有一点心得可能是，研究与授课确实是相互促进的，因为长期投入研究而增加的底蕴，会让授课时的自己更加驾轻就熟地表达。更确信，而确信和坚定的老师总是散发魅力的。

生活篇 

吃&喝。这几个月外出吃的最多的就是日料。在家吃的有点糊弄，所以胃没养好。排行第一的无疑是九本，食材好，什么都好吃。忙成狗的那一周，昌平上完课后，下午两点到九本一人吃午饭，吃寿司、鹅肝饭、乌冬面、北极贝刺身，真香。常去的理发店旁边，<鲸>的芒果鹅肝寿司很惊艳。古琴老师家附近日料店的鹅肝饭也很赞。

社科定稿前的一两周，特别是五一假期的几日，一面独自抗拒某人热烈的表白，一面尽可能集中精力完成这重要的写作任务。爸妈运来的一箱红酒派上了大用场。一边喝一边写，写到昏头，就畅快的聊聊天，然后去睡。半夜起来口渴心惊，但第二天不会太过难受。在上海出差时，那情绪仍然没有消化完毕，每每一个人，就要一边喝酒、一边工作。与喝酒有关的那段情绪，如今已经归于平静。有些体会只适合跟最亲近的分享。总体来说，是多年不曾体会过的热烈，也是一段还算精彩有趣的人生经历。那心情，姑且以好友发我的蓝楹花作为纪念吧。

听。坂本龙一先生说，

Ars Longa, Vita brevis. 艺术千秋， 人生朝露。

这话贴在我右手边。我会一直记得。晚安，坂本龙一先生。

三月份去看了惘闻的现场。票不难抢。五棵松的MAO有点小，震耳欲聋。听到第一首时十分震撼，一度掉泪。不过最喜欢的还是水之湄，现场听到这首最熟悉的旋律还是很触动。

读书。这两个月几乎没有读什么书的。当然，电视剧和电影更没什么功夫看。翻了几页的，不说也罢。认真读完的只有《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》。其他非专业类的书，是大学和中庸。大学是四月份背完的，中庸还在看。似乎，孔子的话，君子之道，有许多要求，之于老师是十分适切的。目前最喜欢的一段是《中庸》里，说

唯天下至诚，为能尽其性。能尽其性，则能尽人之性。能尽人之性，则能尽物之性。能尽物之性，则可以赞天地之化育。可以赞天地之化育，则可以与天地参矣。

大学和中庸里的话，时而恢弘大气，鼓励远大理想和圣人的至高境界（例如，“与天地参”），时而务实、十分接地气，“夫妇之不肖亦可行”。“秦以上书，一字千金。”很期待接下来的内容。

之前众筹买的文库本也早就到了，得看啊。这下半年，时间重新回到自己手里，那就，好好读书吧。

聚会。带着三个老友回我贸附近吃饭，看花。真好，我爱的人眼里都是爱。校园里的西府海棠美得不俗。正值清明，折柳枝回家。每个人都找到了四瓣丁香。最忙的时候，仍然能在老友的办公室一起吃她“豪掷”请吃的外卖。一块散步时，好友说着说着，因为担心我而哭起来。我逗逗她又抱了抱，只是一味的笑，告诉她没事的。果然，事情都未发生，发生的也平息了。

纪念。去年投的论文获奖，疫情后这第一次参加线下的全国性会议，一下看到许多熟悉的面孔，让人十分雀跃。最值得纪念的是两个瞬间。一是带自己学生参会，见自己的导师，那感觉实在太奇妙了。在老师迎来送往的忙碌中，我跳起来给老师指了指自己的学生，老师说，“我看出来啦，看她们看你的眼神就知道”。在上台等待领奖时，我看向老师的背影，老师正好回头看我，冲我一笑。那样美的一笑，我瞬间湿润了眼眶。记忆里，老师从来不曾���接夸过我什么，但是那个眼神我好像看到一切，期许、骄傲、肯定、欣慰。这可能是近几年让我最难忘的一幅画面。

行走。从家里的窗户望去，有时候可以看到很美的月。

在上海出差，在房间看到美好的落日。

江湾区真绿。好喜欢。fudan是第一次来，在我心中超越了清北，是我见过的最有底蕴的中国大学校园。

差不多就是这些，想到什么，再另写吧。

2023年5月22日

于北京家中

[jinghuablog]

沦为废墟的拉海纳小镇——夏威夷群岛之行（一）

一场疯狂的野火彻底抹平了茂宜岛上的拉海纳（Lahaina）小镇，看到电视里播放的那一幕幕惨状，心里不由自主的升腾起一种莫名的悲伤，或许是因为曾踏足过这个地方的��故，这种伤感也就自然放大了许多。三年前的那次走马观花似的拉海纳之行，留下的印象并不太深刻，所以自己的记忆始终停格在那个慵懒的午后，不能往前，也决没有了以后。现在的拉海纳已经成了废墟，这场大火至今导致有114人遇难，近800人失踪，2700栋建筑物夷为废墟，历史悠久的拉海纳基本不复存在，唯有在我的相册里还能一窥它昔日的繁华与热闹。现在再把拉海纳的所见所闻付诸于文字，图文同共保存，也算是一种纪念吧。既然提笔写茂宜岛的拉海纳，就一并把那次夏威夷群岛的四天之行，分成四个章节来写，了却了一桩陈年欠帐。

我们乘坐的邮轮从大溪地的Bora Bora出发，下一站便是夏威夷群岛中的茂宜岛（Maui）。邮轮的整个海上行程长达五天，除了船上穿越赤道仪式之外，每天面对的就是无边的大海，单调的浪花，日出与日落，外面的世界就是这般的周而复始，平淡无奇。而船舱内却是另一番光景，生活是如此的丰富多彩，舒适惬意，夜夜灯红酒绿，天天歌舞升平。舱外、舱内简直就像是二个截然不同的平行世界。

一个五天后的清晨，我们终于在一片汪洋中看到了一小块绿洲，那块隐隐约约的绿洲便是夏威夷群岛中的茂宜岛，一股兴奋之情犹如枯苗逢甘露般的流遍了全身，终于可以下船登岸了。巨大的邮轮减慢了速度，眼前的茂宜岛变得越来越大，厚厚的云层笼罩在小岛的上空，像是顶着一块硕大无比的巨石，又像是一个头大身小的海上怪兽，阻挡着我们的去路，真是一种难得的海上奇景。更令人惊奇的是茫茫的云海中，白云也变得欢快了起来，有的飞云翻卷，有的闲雅飘荡，更有的静如处子。太阳时隐时现，穿云破雾的光芒层层叠叠的映照在如镜的海面上，色彩斑斓，如梦如幻，这种奇美还夹杂在风籁中，云彩里，在茂宜岛上优美的山水间。

邮轮抛锚停了下来，岛上那一片片黄绿的草场，嫩绿的山坡，墨绿的树林，还有影影绰绰的屋舍，蜿蜒的道路、海滨小镇都能清晰可辨，而这个小镇就是茂宜岛上的拉海纳（Lahaina ）。二百年前，拉海纳曾是夏威夷王国的首都，后迁都至檀香山，至今当地还遗留下不少夏威夷群岛的历史古迹，捕鲸时代，传教士、移民种植园的建筑。

吃完早餐，几名美国出入境移民官员姗姗登上了邮轮，他们上船是为登岸的游客办理入境美国的手续。凡是在邮轮上参加茂宜岛一日游的乘客均可获得优先处理，优先上岸，其他人则按舱位的顺序依次办理，轮到我们差不多都临近了中午，于是决定干脆吃完了午饭，再下船登岛。当我们坐上接驳快艇，踏上了拉海纳港（Lahaina Harbour)，这才发现很多船上熟悉的面孔都已经游罢归来，坐上我们的接驳快艇返回了邮轮。

上了岸，第一感觉就是拉海纳要比南太平洋岛国的其他小镇来得繁华热闹，快捷便利的交通：鳞次栉比的店铺，琳琅满目的商品，摩肩接踵的游客，显然这是个以旅游业为生的海滨小镇。我们没走几步便到了前街（Front St），这里是拉海纳最为繁忙的地区，也通向外面高速公路唯一的一条路，街道不宽，两车道，两边还设有停车道，加上周围商店林立，游客众多，街道变得拥挤不堪。沿街的建筑物大多木结构造的，外表刷的油漆光亮如新，商铺的层楼不高，到处插遍了美国国旗。当中的许多建筑依然保留百年前的原貌，有着浓浓的夏威夷风情。

从前街往左拐，没走几步就是一家冰淇淋商店，这家店生意真好，挤满了刚下船的游客，太太超爱冰淇淋，便顺手买了一份。拉海纳是茂宜岛上旅游的首选地，平时这里就热闹非凡，现在我们邮轮上千余名游客纷纷涌入，让小镇一下子变成游客欢乐的海洋，成群结队的游客挤满了各家商店，特别是旅游纪念品商店、服饰店、餐厅、酒吧、咖啡馆，脖子上挂着船卡的游客更是随处可见。走在热闹的街头，充足耀眼的阳光，摇曳生姿的椰子树，挂着鲜花的单车，趿着拖鞋的当地人，如花似玉的夏威夷姑娘，拉海纳真是美不胜收。

我们沿着前街漫无目的的闲逛，对于吃的店，实在提不起兴致，在船上已经吃腻了，吃怕了，现在最好是来一碗稀饭和咸菜才会让人心动，但去哪里找这些吃的呢？无奈只能选择逛些其他的店铺。忽然一家摄影艺术画廊引起我们的注意，走进去一看，里面全都挂满了一幅幅精美的摄影艺术作品，从日出到日落，陆地到空中，海底到海上，古代遗址到现代建筑，火山喷涌到巨浪滔天……完美展现了夏威夷群岛无穷的魅力，看了真叫人爱不释手。店主过来问我们意下如何？我们考虑再三，还是没买，因为携带实在不方便。

不知不觉中我们来到了小镇上的Outlet，这里的品牌直销店都是单层的木结构建筑，一幢幢精美店铺，错落有致的分布在小镇的西北方，这里共有四十多家名店，Tommy、Coach、Banana、adidas等品牌。这些商店面积都不大，与美国本土的Outlet相比，实在显得既小，东西的品种又少，然而周围的环境确实不错，风格各异的商店，明亮的橱窗，整洁的步道，各式各样的花花草草，乍一看像是身处在一个南洋的度假村。虽然大家不至于在这里花钱血拚，但太太和她几个女朋友还是左边瞧瞧，右边看看，逛的不亦乐乎。

等她们逛完之后，我们又回到前街，继续往前走，商店渐渐变得稀疏，民居开始多了起来，家家户户都有院子，修整一新的草坪种着许多不知名的花草，院墙边种着甘蔗、木瓜、木槿、面包树、椰子树之类的，现在正是木槿开花的季节，五颜六色的木槿花缀满了枝头，特别的抢眼。在海上漂流了五天，走在岸上看什么都顺眼，更不用说碰上繁花盛开的庭院。

路上汽车飞驰，街上飘着花香，来来往往的人群都带着悠然自得的神情。我们一路往前走，街边、屋外站着喝鸡尾酒的游客，并肩而行的姑娘，骑着单车的年轻人，埋头整理院落的居民，见到的都是一张张轻快的笑脸，拉海纳真是一个快乐天堂。

走着走着，我们左手边的沿街房屋开始变得稀少，出现公园、沙滩、坡道、碧海和蓝天，虽然平时看惯了大海蓝天，此时心中还是不免有一种莫名的兴奋。脚下的路一直延伸至前面的高速公路，大海连接着无涯的天际，海上停着我们的邮轮，天上飘浮着朵朵白云，高大的夏威夷椰子树稀稀疏疏耸立在堤岸边，活脱脱的一幅夏威夷特有的夏日风情画。眼前那蔚蓝的天空，晴暖的阳光，蔚蓝中透着澄净；晴暖得却让人觉得发燥，多么渴望来一场雨，刮一场风。可是茂宜岛大雨的天气并不常见，刮风却是三天二头的碰上。

雨没盼到，迎面吹来的却是湿暖的海风，吹得整个人懒洋洋的不想动弹。在烈日下逛了二个多小时，此时我已经口干舌燥，腰酸背痛，于是坐在了堤岸边的大树底下，这时才觉得有点清凉自在。眼前的大海，层层的浪花拖沓翻滚着，像是刚踢完一场球赛的孩子，一副蔫头耷脑的样子，白云飞快的涌向西边的天际，游客也一波波往西，接着又一波波往回赶，同样的面孔，相同的装束，只是每个人脸上添了几分的倦怠，如同我脚下的翻滚的浪花，单调乏味，没有变化。

坐上了接驳的小船才稍微觉得有点快意。快艇乘风破浪的向着停泊的邮轮急驰，海风夹着飞花碎玉般的水珠飞溅而来，溅在脸上，手上，衣服上，我的身子顿然觉得轻了许多，精神也为之一振。回望渐渐远离的拉海纳，心里又有点依依难舍，在小镇勾留了整整一个下午，心无挂念，悠闲自在的东逛西看，收获的是一份脚踏实地的快乐，这份快乐从何而来？我疑惑的问自己。常听人说：＂草木生欢喜，山水解忧愁＂草木山水固然不诬，但是如今我才知道清心简单的生活更为重要，唯有如此才能无往而不乐。

晚餐后，我又来到邮轮的甲板上，晧月流空下的茂宜岛，漆黑中只有拉海纳还闪亮着点点灯火，它穿透黑暗，与璀璨的星月交相辉映，与涌动着的波波海浪融汇一体，一静一动中唱着永恒的歌谣。

[fangjuexias]

Don't Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin Audio Drama || Theme Song, "Into the Lake"

特邀演唱：@奇然liya 原著：@晋江-骑鲸南去 作曲/编曲：喻川@喻川YuChuan 作词：唐酱@唐酱酱酱 混音：茶雪【声罗万象】@茶雨山上採蔘客 海报：@竹小醉_ 监制：篱暖@O篱小暖0o、彭啸@彭啸_、降枣@降枣 协助：花朝@花朝酒苦x 夜臻@夜臻AKI_ 出品：@猫耳FM 鸣谢：@拾音字幕组

当时空折叠后交错 在七月的某一天 从空中 坠落盛放的花朵 十四岁开始沉默 沉默并非在示弱 要活着 连同你那份活着 （是年少情窦） 那时不懂年少的情窦 （只剩下我一个） 万家灯火只剩下我一个 那一天 无人再温柔 （无人再温柔） 在世界尽头 挣脱着找出口 （等着我） 绝望过几次 才卸落枷锁 看世界虚假单薄

赴一个约 遗忘时间地点 隐秘的想念 因为你出现沸腾蔓延 弥补十二年

回望时间 在你到来之前 是谁的岁月 而我只不过寄住其间 你才是我的世界 —M— 谁曾困于深渊尽头 这一路埋伏阴谋 你陪我 找寻着光的轮廓 从谁的人生经过 从不替他人抉择 清醒着 连神都无法左右 （谁呼喊求教） 死亡之外的呼喊求救 （让他从此愧疚） 施虐之手只剩下愧疚 那座楼 见证了执着 （见证我执着） 善与恶切磋 是良善未输过 （未输过） 光会指引着 影子追寻着 你在人间的线索

赴一个约 遗忘时间地点 隐秘的想念 因为你出现沸腾蔓延 弥补十二年 回望时间 在你到来之前 是谁的岁月 而我只不过寄住其间 你才是我的世界 赴一个约 遗忘时间地点 （遗忘时间地点） 隐秘的想念 （隐秘的想念） 因为你出现沸腾蔓延 （因为你出现） 弥补十二年 （弥补我十二年） 回望时间 在你到来之前 （在你到来之前） 是谁的岁月 （是谁的岁月） 而我只不过寄住其间 （你才是世界） 你才是我的世界 （你是我的世界）

[awano]

Day 20: Fireworks "...this is for you."

[gravitydefyingtears]

Danmei Roundup

I suddenly realized that ever since MDZS opened the doors, I’ve steadily gone through a good amount of danmei. 👀 Since I’m apparently doing anything except write my final paper, I compiled a list of stories I’ve come to know either through their novels or audio drama adaptations (or both). Any of them look familiar? lol

Adding/updating the list as I go + highlighting some of my favs.

Period Fantasy: Wuxia, Xianxia

人渣反派自救系统 — 墨香铜臭 (Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System — Mo Xiang Tong Xiu) *system/transmigration*

魔道祖师 — 墨香铜臭 (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation — Mo Xiang Tong Xiu)

天官赐福 — 墨香铜臭 (Heaven Official’s Blessing — Mo Xiang Tong Xiu)

铜钱龛世 — 木苏里 (Copper Coins — Mu Su Li)

二哈和他的白猫师尊 — 肉包不吃肉 (Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun — Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat)

Sci-Fi/Survival (? idk what 无限流 is called)

全球高考 — 木苏里 (Global Examination — Mu Su Li)

地球上线 — 莫晨欢 (The Earth is Online — Mo Chen Huan)

Modern Setting

Crime/Mystery

犯罪心理 — 长洱 (Criminal Psychology — Chang Er) 

默读 — Priest (Silent Reading — Priest)

破云 — 淮上 (Breaking Through the Clouds — Huai Shang)

皮囊 — 潭石 (Skin — Tan Shi) 

Gaming

你师父我人傻钱多 — 莫晨欢 (Your Shifu is Stupid Rich — Mo Chen Huan)

网恋翻车指南 — 酱子贝 (How to Fail at Online Dating — Jiang Zi Bei)

你亲我一下 — 引路星 (Give Me a Kiss — Yin Lu Xing) *celebrity* 

Schoolyard Romance

我喜欢你的信息素 — 引路星 (I Like Your Pheromones — Yin Lu Xing) *abo*

伪装学渣 — 木瓜黄 (Fake Slackers — Mu Gua Huang)

信息素说我们不可能 — 毛球球 (The Pheromones Say We've Got No Chance — Mao Qiu Qiu) *abo* 

Celebrity/Entertainment Business

我嗑了对家X我���CP — PEPA (I Ship My Adversary x Me — PEPA)

情敌每天都在变美 — 公子于歌 (My Love Rival is Getting Prettier Every Day — Gongzi Yu Ge) *system/transmigration*

我只喜欢你的人设 — 稚楚 (I Only Like Your Persona — Zhi Chu)

营业悖论 — 稚楚 (Fanservice Paradox — Zhi Chu) *boy group*

小行星 — 微风几许 (Little Asteroid — Wei Feng Ji Xu) *abo*

落池 — 余酲 (Falling Into the Pond — Yu Cheng)

迪奥先生 — 绿野千鹤 (Mr. Dior — Lv Ye Qian He) *crack/amnesia*

职业替身 — 水千丞 (Professional Body Double — Shui Qian Cheng) *rebirth*

没钱 — 吕天逸 (Broke — Lv Tian Yi) *system/supernatural*

营销号说你喜欢我 — 螽斯 (Clickbait Media Accounts Say You Like Me — Zhong Si)

Supernatural/Fantasy

论以貌取人的下场 — 月下蝶影 (The Consequences of Judging a Book by Its Cover — Yue Xia Die Ying)

我开动物园那些年 — 拉棉花糖的兔子 (Those Years I Opened a Zoo — La Mian Hua Tang de Tu Zi) *system*

临时保镖 — 绿野千鹤 (Last-Minute Bodyguard — Lv Ye Qian He)

Slice-of-Life/Other

飞鸥不下 — 回南雀 (Flying Gulls Never Land — Hui Nan Que) *adopted brothers*

安知我意 — 北南 (Know My Heart — Bei Nan)

刺青 — 不问三九 (Tattoo — Bu Wen San Jiu)

燎原 — 不问三九 (Wildfire — Bu Wen San Jiu) 

烧不尽 — 回南雀 (Eternal Burning — Hui Nan Que)

腹黑和腹黑的终极对决 — 羲和清零 (Behind the Scenes Hunter — Xi He Qing Ling) *corporate battle*

… … …

And then there are some more I started to various extents:

这题超纲了 — 木瓜黄 (Beyond the Outline — Mu Gua Huang) *schoolyard*

不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友 — 骑鲸南去 (Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends from the Trash — Qi Jing Nan Qv) *transmigration/system*

魔尊也想知道 — 青色羽翼 (Mo-Zun Also Wants to Know — Qing Se Yu Yi) *period fantasy/system*

可爱过敏原 — 稚楚 (Adorable Allergen — Zhi Chu) *schoolyard/adopted brothers*

欢迎来到噩梦游戏 — 薄暮冰轮 (Welcome to the Nightmare Game — Bo Mu Bing Lun) *sci-fi/transmigration/survival?*

恶性依赖 — 金刚圈 (Unhealthy Attachment — Jin Gang Quan) *modern*

营养过良 — 芥菜糊糊 (Nutrition Overload — Jie Cai Hu Hu) *cats*

S.C.I. 谜案集 — 耳雅 (S.C.I. Mystery — Er Ya) *crime/mystery*

嚣张 — 巫哲 (Audacious — Wu Zhe) *schoolyard* 

穿成反派总裁小情人 — 林盎司 (Transmigrated as the Villain CEO’s Little Lover — Lin Ounce) *transmigration/entertainment business*

一不小心和醋精结婚了 — 一枚纽扣 (My Accidental Husband is Full of Vinegar — Yi Mei Niu Kou) *modern*

碎玉投珠 — 北南 (Sui Yu Tou Zhu — Bei Nan) *80s/90s setting*

兼职无常后我红了 — 拉棉花糖的兔子 (After I Started Working as a Wu Chang, I Became Popular — La Mian Hua Tang de Tu Zi) *modern/supernatural*

新时代，新地府 — 林知落 (New Times, New Hell — Lin Zhiluo) *supernatural/modern/crack*

两A相逢必有一O — 厉冬忍 (When Two As Meet, There Must Be One O — Li Dong Ren) *abo/schoolyard*

破云2：吞海 — 淮上 (Swallow the Sea — Huai Shang) *crime/mystery* 

[spookfished]

2, 4, 8, 14, 25 for the ask meme?

Album of the year?

oh god i dont remember what happened this year. uh big black deltas titular album is something ive listened to a lot. honorable mentions crawler by idles and songs for the deaf by queens of the stone age!

Movie of the year?

i feel like i started watching a lot more movies this year..well i guess everything everywhere all at once is probably still it though lmfao. honorable mentions american psycho, kajillionaire and kamen rider kabuto: GOD SPEED LOVE

Game of the year?

final fantasy fourteen baby!!! im pretty sure ive spent a thousand hours on this game atp. honorable mention to milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk that was fucking crazy. its only 2 dollars would highly recommend if you care about narratives or protagonists or want to see someones brain sort of . couple jumpscares though

Favorite book you read this year? i finished t kingfishers what moves the dead recently, which has been on my tbr forever. SO SCARY. a lot of scifi/horror this year i think? also i read a lot of manga so i was thinking of writing up what i thought of some of the more memorable ones. notes of a crocodile by qiu maojin was really different from what i normally read, and really well done. um i have spent a lot of time thinking about dont pick up boyfriends from the trashbin by 骑鲸南去. OHAND BABEL

Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

yeah . uhhh here is the note i made about this guy

ty!! i loved answering these :3 weird how because of how school works the spring felt like an entirely different time

end of year asks

[ao3feed-tolkien]

The Sad (Dramatic) Tale of Rascal

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/wUkd4vB

by songbird_writes

Rascal O You took the sun with you I'm so sorry 2022-2022

Words: 303, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Chicken Run (2000), Dream SMP, Amphibia (Cartoon), The Owl House (Cartoon), Gravity Falls, 娘娘腔 - 水千丞 | Níang Niang Qiāng - Shuǐ Qiān Chéng, 全道门都欠我一个人情 - 骑鲸南去 | Quán Dào Mén Dōu Qiàn Wǒ Yī Gè Rén Qíng - Qí Jīng Nán Qù, 魔道祖师Q | Módào Zǔshī Q (Cartoon), The L Word: Generation Q (TV), 七爷 | Qi Ye - priest, AWM[绝地求生] - 漫漫何其多 | AWM[Jué Dì Qiú Shēng] - Màn Màn Hé Qí Duō, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, W.I.T.C.H., 田中くんはいつもけだるげ | Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge | Tanaka is Always Listless, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries - Franklin W. Dixon & Carolyn Keene, Biggles Series - W. E. Johns, Anne with an E (TV), Formula E RPF, WALL-E (2008), Nußknacker und Mausekönig | Nutcracker and the Mouse King - E. T. A. Hoffmann, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, เพราะรักใช่ป่าว | Why R U?: The Series (TV), เพราะรักใช่ป่าว | Why R U?: The Series (TV) RPF, The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang, Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland, Once and Future King Series - T. H. White, Five Nights at Freddy's, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions, Pokemon + Nobunaga no Yabou | Pokemon Conquest, 哑舍 - 玄色 | Yǎ Shè - Xuán Sè, U2 (Band), Without You - NCT U (Music Video), I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again (Radio), A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Frozen (Disney Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (Disney Movies), The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle, Reflets d'Acide (Podcast), Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009), G.I. Joe: Renegades, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, L'agneau carnivore - Agustín Gómez Arcos, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod - Zac Brewer, X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), Political RPF - Russian 21st c., New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, 第五人格 | Identity V (Video Game) RPF, Ultraman R/B (TV), Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Guns N' Roses, The Broken Earth Series - N. K. Jemisin, The Inheritance Trilogy - N. K. Jemisin, M&M's Commercials, Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie, Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin, 100프로의 그녀 | 100 Percent Perfect Girl, Shrek (Movies)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Major Character Death

Characters: Me, Dad, Mom, Chicken - Character, Original Dog Character(s), Original Cat Character(s)

Relationships: me/your mom

Additional Tags: im sad, get therapy, Sad, Sad Ending, Why the fuck are you reading this, THIS WAS LITERALLY AN ENGLISH ESSAY

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/wUkd4vB

[yuexuan]

Fiction recommendation 21

Time for some more fic recs because its been awhile since I did them!

1. 幻想农场 (Fantasy Farm)

Author: 西子绪

Farming/slice of life, food fic, supernatural, mythology

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

After being fired, Lu Qingjiu finally decided to return to his hometown to farm.

At first, he started raising a pig, and then he found that the pig could solve more high-level math questions than he could.

After that, he started raising a flock of chickens, and then he found that his own fighting ability was one-tenth of that of a single chicken.

Finally, Lu Qingjiu finally realised that this old home wasn’t quite right… Especially a certain person by his side who constantly stared at him day in and day out.

Lu Qingjiu: “Are you drooling because of the spicy stir-fry I’m holding or because of me?”

Bai Yuehu pointed at the stir-fry.

Lu Qingjiu: “Then can you let go??”

Bai Yuehu reluctantly glanced at Lu Qingjiu’s arm, before loosening his teeth.

Comments:

My first thought is: don’t read this fic when you’re hungry. Every chapter is filled with delicious descriptions of food that’ll make one’s mouth water. The novel makes a lot of references to creatures from the Classics of the Mountains and Seas, which is a delight to learn about. An easy-to-read, fun novel. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation 

2. 全球高考 (Global Examination)

Author: 木苏里

Infinite flow, suspense, action

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

One day, You Huo and his famiIy was puIIed into an exam caIIed the GIobaI University Entrance Examination. Going through exams together with other unfortunate examinees, their Iives are put at stake and they can only Iive by passing each exam. However, something about these exams and the system controIIing it didn’t seem right — lt seemed to be trying to trap the examinees with ridiculous ruIes and strange questions…

There, You Huo meets lnvigiIator 001 who seems to hoId a key to the past he no Ionger remembered and, together, they go through the exam, unravelling the mysteries behind their past and the system.

Tldr: A pair of chaotic madmen work together to go against the examination system while feeding the readers dogfood.

Comments:

I admit that I didn’t like the story when I first started reading it. But as the story progresses, the rules of the examination fall into place and the different examinations got very challenging and interesting. The whole power couple and stranger-to-lover tropes are an added highlight. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Audio drama | Manhua

3. 全球上线 (Earth Online)

Author: 莫晨欢

Infinite flow, suspense, survival, action

Summary:

Six months ago, tens of thousands of huge towers appeared all over the world, floating over cities. No one could do anything about them.

Half a year later, people are used to the towers and learned to ignore them.

One day Tang Mo saw a bug fly towards one of the towers and hit it.

The next day, a child's voice announced to the entire world: Ding dong! 15th November, 2017, the earth went online.

   The three iron rules of the towers:    (1) The towers shall explain everything.    (2) The game time starts from 6:00 - 18:00.    (3) All players please try their best to attack and defeat the towers.

Comments:

Another suspenseful infinite flow stories. I love the smart power couple dynamic, how the two of them become powerful when they collaborate, but are also equally capable of defeating the towers’ levels by themselves. Moreover, all the characters don’t have your typical “oh let me be a hero and save everyone” complex. They all weighed the benefits and costs at each turn and are capable of making decisions that best maximize their chances of survival - whether that is ruthlessly killing other players or extending a saving hand. All the powers and items that the players received and the world-building are very unique (especially Tang Mo’s and his book haha). This one is gonna challenge your brain a bit, but definitely worth a read. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation 

4. 不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友 (Don’t pick up boyfriends from the trash bin)

Author: 骑鲸南去

Infinite flow, transmigration

Summary [from novel updates]:

Chi Xiaochi: fourth-rate citizen at birth, three-time award-winning film emperor, second-rate temper, first-class looks. He crawled his way out of hell on hard mode to become a winner at life.

Then, he was smashed into a vegetative state by a chandelier.

061: Hello, here’s a brief rundown on the scum gong reconditioning system. This system measures the regret level of the scum gong. Every time their regret level reaches one hundred points, you will be able to leave the current world. A friendly tip, usually, through dedication and self-sacrifice, our employees slowly foster a sense of dependency in the scum gongs, gradually making it so the scum gongs can’t live without them.

Chi Xiaochi: How many regret points is a complete loss of reputation and standing worth? How about a fall from grace? Or wanting something but never being able to obtain it?

061: ……

Comment:

Don’t let the title fool you. I entered the novel thinking it’s some meet-cute modern-day slice-of-life comedy, but it turns out to have some really good angst and adventure moments in there. Heck, it’s been awhile since I cried for a novel. :’) 

There are ten arcs (i.e. worlds) that the protagonist enters, each with its own backstory, so this novel might feel longer than the usual danmei. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all the details placed into each world and all the side characters. I also like that the protagonist is very smart and cunning and he grows throughout the different worlds. The only con I’ll say to this is that everything proceeds a bit too smoothly, especially with the golden finger of 061, so the protagonist can come off as being too OP. Nevertheless, the ending and last world are just huge tear-jerkers. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation

5. 迪奥先生 (Mr. Dior)

Author: 绿野千鹤

Comedy, fluff, romance 

Summary [from novel updates]:

One day, Zhang Chenfei met a car accident. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any serious physical injuries. However, due to the impact of the car crash, his brain’s perception of the real world had turned into that of the novel that he was reading prior to the accident. The thing that horrified his wife, Jiao Qi, was… the Smart Brain, Louis XIII downloaded a series of books which meant that his husband would turn into a different character each time!

How will our adorable little wife deal with this kind of husband who seemed to suddenly suffer from multiple personalities?

This novel’s plot focuses on Zhang Chenfei’s changing personality based from the characters in the books, and how his wife, Jiao Qi, deal with every character as he will have to act in sync with whoever his husband’s character is. This is per the advise of the private doctor since treatment of this special condition was still under research.

As they act out their roles, they will gradually discover and learn more about the other, which they’ve never known in their seven years of living together.

Comment:

The amount of second-hand embarrassment and cringe I got from this novel is huge and I love it lol. If you are curious about how cheesy and cliche Chinese romance can get, please do try reading this. It includes some of the worst and most dog blood tropes in a comedic and satirical way, while advancing the main pairing’s relationship at the same time. Truly a fun read!

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Manhua

Other quick links:

Fic tag guide

My previous recommendations (mostly danmei + fanfics)

List of novels/fics that I have already read

[aworldforastage]

2023 Reading Log

In order of completion...

(Audiodrama art for The Plays of Lips and Teeth, Concealed and Blended: Fendai, Joyful Reunion)

1. 唇齿之戏 张佩奇 -- The Plays of Lips and Teeth [#cczx]

2. 粉黛 七世有幸 -- Concealed and Blended: Fendai [#fendai]

3. 天潢贵胄 漫漫何其多

4. 我成了虐文女主她亲哥 刘狗花 -- I Became the Older Brother of the Heroine in an Abusive Novel [#nwnz]

5. 相见欢 非天夜翔 -- Joyful Reunion [#xjh]

6. 陛下万安 决绝 -- Your Majesty, Be at Ease [#bxwa]

7. 总裁的狮子驯养日记 患者阿离

8. 妃嫔媵嫱 七月侯 -- Fei Ping Ying Qiang [#fpyq]

9. 铜雀春深 北有乔木St

10. 不枉 余酲

11. 天官赐福 墨香铜臭 -- Heaven Official's Blessing [#tgcf]

12. 魔尊他念念不忘 墨西柯 -- The Demon Venerable’s Wistful Desire [#魔尊他念念不忘]

13. 书穿后被暴君标记了 池翎

14. 督主有病 杨溯 -- Governor’s Illness [#dzyb]

15. 日落大道 卡比丘 -- Sunset Boulevard [#sunsetblvd]

16. 火焰戎装 水千丞 – Blazing Armor [#hyrz]

17. 内娱第一花瓶 三三娘 [#dyhp]

18. 邪门的爱情出现了 丧心病狂的瓜皮 -- Evil Love Appears [#邪门的爱情出现了]

19. 花瓶 困倚危楼 -- Flower Vase [#花瓶 困倚危楼]

20. 太平长安 盐盐Yany -- Placid Chang’an [#tpca]

(Mao'er audiodrama cover for I Became the Older Brother of the Heroine in an Abusive Novel, and Governor’s Illness , and Ximalaya audiobook cover for Blazing Armor)

21. 恰如其分 菡萏花开

22. 逢狼时刻 吕天逸 -- Meeting the Wolf

23. 亡命之徒的退休生涯 FOX -- The Retirement Life of a Runaway Desperado [#wmzt]

24. 望春冰 符黎

25. 凛冬岑寂 长不出青苔

26. 荒野植被 麦香鸡呢 -- Wilderness Vegetation [#hyzb]

27. 作践 十步方寒 [#作践]

28. 可一可再 反舌鸟 [#可一可再]

29. 隐婚 久陆

30. 残疾战神嫁我为妾后 刘狗花 -- After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine [#cjzs]

31. 楚囚 林萨

32. 贪恋 莫以风 (original AD)

33. 富贵长安 五朵云 -- The Rich And Honorable Chang'an

34. 交易沦陷 在下小神j [#交易沦陷]

35. 臣服 墨奈何/墨青城 -- Surrender (Book 1) [#臣服]

36. 臣服II 墨奈何/墨青城 -- Surrender (Book 2) [#臣服2]

37. [重生]昨年 素飞柳

38. 每天都想抱崽的Omega 杳杳一言

39. 苏长清倒霉的一生 月色霜华

40. 渠清如许 清明谷雨

(audiobook cover art for Wilderness Vegetation, AD cover art for 作践, After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine)

41. 泾渭情殇 请君莫笑 (GL) -- Clear and Muddy Loss of Love [#jwqs]

42. 然后就爱了 viburnum

43. 九千岁[重生] 绣生 [#九千岁]

44. 游龙随月 耳雅 [#ylsy]

45. 小福晋 半缘修道 [#小福晋]

46. 三嫁咸鱼 比卡比 -- Married Thrice to Salted Fish [#sjxy]

47. 合意 楚寒衣青 [#合意]

48. 陛下有一段白月光 天北闻秋 [#陛下有一段白月光]

49. 暗河长明 冷山就木

50. 欲言难止 麦香鸡呢 -- Eternities Still Unsaid Till You Love Me [#欲言难止]

51. 老婆是顶级Alpha，我该怎么办 海藻大王 [#老婆是顶级Alpha]

52. 有名 木更木更 -- In Name Only [#有名]

53. 心毒 初禾 -- Poison of the Heart [#心毒]

54. 危险人格 木瓜黄 -- Dangerous Personality

55. 穿成苏培盛了 一渡清河 [#ccspsl]

56. 为什么这种A也能有O 图南鲸 -- Why Is It Possible For This Type Of A To Also Have An O? [#为什么这种A也能有O]

57. 寒武再临 水千丞 -- The Return of Cambrian Period [#hwzl]

58. 奉君侧之十年心 天娜

59. 奉君侧之生死劫 天娜

60. 龙血/养父 水千丞 -- Dragon Blood

(Mao'er audiodrama cover for Clear and Muddy Loss of Love, In Name Only, and Dragon Blood)

btw ... I feel obligated to disclaim that just because I finished a novel doesn't mean I don't regret it or would recommend it ...

Books which I have read significant amount but stopped (but think I would like to finish someday ... )

剑名不奈何 淮上 -- The Sword Named No Way Out

电竞魔王集结营 青梅酱 -- The E-Sports Circle’s Toxic Assembly Camp

长安少年游 明月倾 --

德萨罗人鱼 深海先生 -- Desharow Merman [#德萨罗人鱼]

余污 肉包不吃肉 – Remnants of Filth

忧郁先生想过平静生活 青色羽翼 -- Mr. Melancholy Wants to Live a Peaceful Life [#yyxs]

魔尊也想知道 青色羽翼 -- Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友 骑鲸南去 -- Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin

情敌每天都在变美 公子于歌 -- Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day

燎原 不问三九 -- Wildfire

沉舟 楚寒衣青

楚天以南 大风不是木偶 -- Under Clear Skies

乱世为王 顾雪柔/非天夜翔 -- To Rule in a Turbulent World

人鱼陷落 麟潜 -- The Fallen Merman

谁把谁当真 水千丞 -- Winner Takes All

凤于九天 风弄 -- Feng Yu Jiu Tian

营养过良 芥菜糊糊 -- The Nutrition is Too Good

Tags for works I haven't started reading:

六爻 Priest -- Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect [#liu yao]

台风眼 潭石-- The Eye of the Storm [#tfy]

判官 木苏里 -- Panguan [#panguan]

[tentative-wanderer]

🏯🏮🌸 Danmei Book Recommendations 📚🔖🎑

This post currently contains 44 works. Edited on 7 April 2024, will be updated as I go along.

For the uninitiated: danmei=gay Chinese fiction

Wanted to revisit the happiness these books brought me, so I made this spoiler-free rec list. Some descriptions are briefer than others not because the books are worse, but because I read them years ago. I may have forgotten the specifics, but I remember the joy! 🙌

🔂 (If you wish to share the love, prioritise reblogging over liking this post, because only reblogs count towards a post’s visibility on this site.)

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‼️ Notes

• Don’t be fooled by ridiculous book titles. Some wacky titles mask deep plots. (And by the end of the books I grow attached to them…)

• I translated most of the titles myself. My translations may differ from other people’s, so if you want to look for fan translations of these books online, copy and paste the pinyin (pronunciation in alphabets) of the title or the Mandarin titles (alongside whatever English key words you choose) into your search bar.

• Many of these books contain elements suitable for ADULTS only.

• Check the authors’ WARNINGS before reading.

• I have complaints about every book. They may be about small things like slightly loose ends or bigger things like gender issues (annoyingly common) and offhanded racism.

Note that: 1) not all my complaints are listed in this post; and 2) a book with cons listed under it is NOT NECESSARILY worse than a book without cons listed under it; it may be that the former book is more memorable than the latter, which is why I remember the former’s cons better! Or maybe I read the book more recently, so I could review it in more detail.

• All these books have happy endings...for the main couple, at the very least.

• Some books are recommended on a more subjective than objective basis, but I state factors that kept me hooked

• Word of advice: if you’re a reader of book translations by fans and you keep scrolling through social media and reading tweets about characters, sooner or later you’re going to come across massive spoilers. If the book is still in the process of being translated and/or you haven’t finished reading it, needless to say, you will ruin your fun. Save yourself and lay off the social media, don’t be a dumb husky (yes I’m looking at Dumb Husky’s fans here). (Being a rec list, this post of mine is safe and SPOILER-FREE.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Masterpieces You Must Read To Avoid Regrets In Life

(The pictures at the top of this post are the covers/posters of the following 4 stunners.)

🗑 不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友 Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends from the Trash Bin by 骑鲸南去 Qijing Nanqu/Riding A Whale South

• Title in pinyin: bu yao zai la ji tong li jian nan peng you

• Key word: REBIRTH (note: it’s deeper than you think)

• Plot: PRIZE FOR BEST PLOT/STORY EXECUTION! Don’t get me wrong, I adore the plots of Dumb Husky, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, and Merman’s Fall just as much as this one. But I’m awarding the prize to Trash Bin because it has 1) absolutely mind-blowing problem-solving, 2) many sub-stories of various genres tied into one overarching storyline, 3) perfect pacing despite its considerable length, and 4) acccumulated the least complaints among my top danmei books. 🏅

• Emotions: 70% humour, 30% heartache. The first time I read the book, I found it jam-packed with fun and witticisms. The second time I read the book, I was stabbed in the heart harder than I expected. The author uses innovative events and metaphors to illustrate sadness.

• Additional points for depicting major real-life problems and blending these mature elements into the plot. The particular issue that personally affects the protagonist enhances the emotions in the story powerfully.

• Genre/setting: Modern, historical, xianxia, horror, apocalypse, sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian...

• Characters: Lovely characters, many characters

• Protagonist: Funny and capable. I’m a huge fan.

• Read my GUSHING PROMO here: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/190027491153/the-best-book-ive-read-in-many-months

• Physical book published as 入池 Entering the Pool. (Suggestive, given the protagonist’s name...but I swear this book is all about the plot, not 🍑.)

🧟‍♂️ 魔道祖师 Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (that’s the fan translation title; personally I think the title can also be translated as Founder of the Demonic Path) by 墨香铜臭 Mo Xiang Tong Xiu/Fragrance of Ink, Tang of Copper Coins

• Title in pinyin: mo dao zu shi

• Key word: DISCOVERY

• Plot: Amazing plot. Never a dull moment. Major plot twist towards the end, which I think could have been explained better, but it’s fine.

• Emotions: 80% humour, 20% heartache

• Genre/setting: Xianxia

• Characters: PRIZE FOR BEST CAST! Numerous lovable characters with well-fleshed-out backgrounds and distinctive personalities. They’re still stuck in my mind, years after I finished the book. 🏅

• Protagonist: Funny and capable. I’m a huge fan.

• A favourite character who deserves better: Twinkle twinkle little star

• So fun that it made me seriously explore the danmei world for the first time in my life. Now I can’t get out.

• Has an animated series, a live action series (陈情令 The Untamed), manhua (comics), and an audio drama. Physical book published as 无羁 Unbridled.

• Cons: I have gripes about a plot twist and a major plot point towards the end of the book.

🥀 二哈和他的白猫师尊 Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun by 肉包不吃肉 Roubao Buchirou/Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat

• Title in pinyin: er ha he ta de bai mao shi zun

• Key words: REDEMPTION; DIFFICULT CHOICES

• Plot: Amazing plot. Major plot twists in the second half—kudos for portraying a gigantic grey area instead of stark black and white! Hooray for shitty situations with no right solutions! I love fantasy with a dash of realism!‬

• Emotions: PRIZE FOR BEST EMOTIONAL DESCRIPTIONS! Evocative and devastating prose; gorgeous imagery. Sensuous, quirky. Immersive experiences of turmoil (due to personality reformation), sadness, love, and lust.🏅

• Genre/setting: Xianxia

• Characters: Lovely characters, many characters

• Protagonist: He’s a jerk and a good boy. I’m a huge fan.

• A favourite character who deserves better: My boy trapped between a rock and a hard place. Whichever choice he makes, he just can’t win. Did he do terrible things to solve a terrible problem? Yeah. Would you have done the same if you had been in his position? You’d probably have had a pretty strong desire to do so, unless you’re a utilitarian saint. Have some empathy, folks.

• 🍑😏 Award

• Extremely simple intro of the main cast that somehow amassed close to 300 notes...: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/183588840253/im-reading-dumb-husky-and-his-white-cat-shizun

• My critical commentary (contains major spoilers) on character modifications in 皓衣行 Hao Yi Xing/Immortality, the upcoming Dumb Husky drama series: here

• Has 2 audio dramas and an upcoming live action series.

• Con: a major character’s personality throughout the book could have been made more vivid and lifelike.

🧜🏻‍♂️ 人鱼陷落 Merman’s Fall by 麟潜 Lin Qian

• Title in pinyin: ren yu xian luo

• Plot: one heady battle arc after another, skilfully woven together with brilliant themes.

• Themes: PRIZE FOR CONTEMPORARY THEMES! Humanity and the way we justify or fix the horrid parts of it. Self-interested, destructive capitalism that feeds into the arms race. Trying to fit in as an outsider whom many find repellent. Environmental damage. Warped beauty standards and gender expectations. Gods, these are hot topics nowadays. 🏅

• Emotions: 45% “neutral” feelings due to fight scenes, because such scenes don’t usually make me feel happy, sad, angry, etc.; they make me want to know what happens next. 30% humour, 25% heartache.

• Genre/setting/key words: modern, sci-fi, ABO, superpowers tied to different animal/plant/object characteristics, secret service/special ops, combat involving firearms

• Characters: lovely characters, many characters

• Protagonist: Gangster-ish, the mocking, smiley kind of teasing, and vulnerable in the best way. One of my favourite tops.

• The alpha protagonist works at the search and investigation unit of the IOA (International Omega Alliance). The IOA is a major force in global politics. Oh my heart. That goes further than gender equality in our world.

• Love interest: Merman who can and does eat everything—including metal and plastic—and acts like he’s God. A very interesting and amusing character.

• Longer review: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/666482947317202944/danmei-book-recommendation-%E4%BA%BA%E9%B1%BC%E9%99%B7%E8%90%BD-mermans

• Promotional posters: here, here

• Cons:

- Some plot holes

- Significant chunks of the mission scenes are hard to visualise. It would be great to have diagrams of building/submarine layouts to help us understand things.

- I’d prefer shorter fight scenes and more day-to-day activities and relationship-building among the various characters, to put more flesh on their personalities and development as well as the themes of the book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Books That Got Me Really, Really Absorbed

🤹🏻‍♀️ 天官赐福 Heaven Official’s Blessing by 墨香铜臭 Mo Xiang Tong Xiu/Fragrance of Ink, Tang of Copper Coins

• Title in pinyin: tian guan ci fu

• Genre/setting: Xianxia but not exactly (gods, humans, ghosts)

• Key words: DIFFICULT CHOICES

• PRIZE FOR MOST PHILOSOPHICAL THEMES! Deep, contemplative themes frequently reoccur throughout the book. On my first read, I wasn’t completely satisfied after I was done with particular story arcs. After reading the book for the second time, I’ve come to realise that a reason why those arcs don’t have supremely satisfying resolutions is that the author wants to convey—multiple times—the struggle of determining the right thing to do, and the hollowness/sense of failure that people feel even after making their choice and trying their best. I like these layers. 🏅

• The main character is a Very Nice Person. He may give off a whiff of Gary Stu, but his niceness has a wealth of backstory behind it. I think that if a person has enough life experiences and has seriously contemplated their life choices, they cannot be a Gary Stu/Mary Sue anymore.

• Has manhua (comics) and donghua (animated series). I found the first episode of the donghua quite lovely; here are my thoughts (a bit spoiler-y):

- https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/633666933824405504/review-upon-rewatching-tgcf-episode-1

- https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/633476984168726528/watched-tgcf-episode-1-sweet-tempered-xie

• Cons:

- The love interest is a tad too smooth/stereotypically perfect in a way that wasn’t to my liking during my first read, but he’s a great match for the protagonist. On second read I got used to him and liked him. Episode 1 of the donghua makes him appear incredibly attractive. Still, his personality, background, and experiences could be fleshed out a lot more!

- I have gripes about plot holes (spoilery details in the linked post: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/651252145705877504/tgcf-plot-holes) and other stuff. But given 1) how vast and intricate the plot is, 2) how the author had to pop out chapters every day with hardly a break in between (because that’s how authors do things on the JJWXC book website), and 3) how she hasn’t had a chance to do her usual whole-book editing for this book, I’m happy to put my gripes aside.

- Someone pointed out to me a flaw in the way the author wrote the protagonist’s reactions; more precisely, the lack of reaction to some things the protagonist should’ve had a (at least minuscule) reaction to when he encountered them. It made the backstory reveals following the encounters feel improvised, making the reader feel cheated. I personally didn’t find this flaw jarring, but that person’s reading experience is valid, especially since their reasoning makes sense.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my second read of the book.

🚪 死亡万花筒 Kaleidoscope of Death by 西子绪 Xi Zi Xu

• Title in pinyin: si wang wan hua tong

• Genre/setting: Horror, modern

• It sent chills down my spine. Scary.

• But it’s also funny!

• Be prepared to ignore sexism.

• Typos made me almost ditch the book at the beginning. I gave it another chance.

❓ 那个被我活埋的人 The Person I Buried Alive by 反派二姐 Fanpai Erjie/Villainous Second Sister

• Title in pinyin: na ge bei wo huo mai de ren

• Genre/setting: Mystery, modern

• “One Friday evening, a special patient walked into the psychotherapy centre.” (I love this one-line intro by the author. It’s very effective.)

💣 好一朵美腻的白莲花 What A Lovely White Lotus by 钟晓生 Zhong Xiao Sheng

• Title in pinyin: hao yi duo mei ni de bai lian hua

• Genre/setting: WW2, Chinese Civil War

• Personal growth and development in a time of war. A taunting, teasing ruffian and a cowardly, selfish, rich, weirdass young master evolve into big-hearted soldiers, half forced by circumstance and half owed to choices of their own.

⚰️ 挖坟挖出鬼 Dug A Ghost Out While Gravedigging by 君子在野 Junzi Zaiye/Gentleman in the Wild

• Title in pinyin: wa fen wa chu gui

• Genre/setting: Modern, ghosts (not scary to me, but some people find it scary)

• Intriguing

• Powerful emotions

• 🍑😏 Award

💊 解药 Remedy/Antidote by 巫哲 Wu Zhe

• Title in pinyin: jie yao

• Genre/setting: Modern

• Key word: LEARNING

• Man (booted out of his rich family) with the life skills of a baby VS street-smart gang leader

• Has an animated series (nowhere near as good as the book though)

🕺 迪奥先生 Mr. Dior by 绿野千鹤 Lü Ye Qian He/Thousand Cranes in a Meadow

• Title in pinyin: di ao xian sheng

• Genre/setting: Modern, comedy

• 99% of it is humour

🎋人渣反派自救系统 Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by 墨香铜臭 Mo Xiang Tong Xiu/Fragrance of Ink, Tang of Copper Coins

• Title in pinyin: ren zha fan pai zi jiu xi tong

• Genre/setting: Xianxia

• A favourite character who deserves better: 9️⃣—999 emergency he smashed my heart into smithereens. Facets of good and evil + what-could-have-beens = very nice. I’m obsessed.

• Layers! See this (spoilery!) post for details.

• Cons:

- I found the frequent use of colloquial words/internet slang off-putting at first, but I ended up not minding too much because it fits the protagonist’s character

- Two characters suffer from seemingly irrational behaviour that I used to chalk up to plot necessity. Now I’ve seen decent fan theories about their reasons, but I would like to have seen these explained by the author in the novel

👻 今天我又被迫复活 Today I Am Forcefully Resurrected Again by 阿辞姑娘 A Ci Gu Niang/Miss A-Ci

• Title in pinyin: jin tian wo you bei po fu huo

• Genre/setting: Horror-comedy, modern

• This book is about a guy who changes his name to be less “soft”—against the advice of a spiritual master when he was a baby—and promptly gets beleaguered by hauntings. Gets killed by ghosts repeatedly but is revived each time, with the clock getting wound back.

• He cries when he’s scared 👍 Understandable. I would cry too if I were in his shoes.

• Scary, with many funny moments. Exactly what I was looking for. Sent some chills down my spine when I read it in the middle of the night. I think it’s a tinge less frightening than “Kaleidoscope of Death” (another horror novel I recommend), so cowards can challenge themselves by reading it in the afternoon.

• Cons:

- A few instances of unrealistic drawing/sketching speed 😂

- The ending feels rushed and there are loose ends. The author could have fleshed out the backgrounds of some characters in a lot more detail (and earlier in the story) in order to tie up those loose ends. But the reading process is fun enough to compensate for that.

• Additional positive thoughts after my third reading experience are contained in the second half of the following post: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/653237110624714752/%E4%BB%8A%E5%A4%A9%E6%88%91%E5%8F%88%E8%A2%AB%E8%BF%AB%E5%A4%8D%E6%B4%BB-today-i-am-forcefully-resurrected

🦹 忧郁先生想过平静生活 Depressed Husbands Want to Live a Peaceful Life by 青色羽翼 Qingse Yuyi/Cyan Wings

• Title in pinyin: you yu xian sheng xiang guo ping jing sheng huo

• Genre/setting: Modern, superpowers. This combo usually isn’t my cup of tea, but it had been a long time since I had found a novel (of any genre) to my liking, so I decided to give this one a shot. I’m glad I did!

• The main characters aren’t actually depressed, it’s just that their surnames sound like “depressed” when put together. 忧郁 is worried + gloomy, and the main characters are frequently troubled about stuff (listed in the following point), but the mood is almost always light and/or comedic.

• The story begins with the universe’s most powerful transmigrator, who has left world-hopping behind and is currently living a peaceful life with his husband. However, normalcy is disrupted when his sealed superpowers suddenly start going berserk. This guy now has to juggle three things:

1. controlling his suddenly uncontrollable powers

2. stopping new chaos-sowing superpowered transmigrators—termed “Destroyers” by native inhabitants—from disrupting his hard-earned normal life

3. keeping his husband blissfully unaware of his identity as a superpowered transmigrator. Unbeknownst to him, his husband is an officer in charge of hunting down transmigrators.

• No angst despite the secret-keeping. The main characters are head over heels in love.

• Plotty

• Many characters with vibrant personalities doing hilarious things. I love all the side characters (more than the main characters, even); the picture wouldn’t be complete and colourful without all of them in it. But I have a soft spot for a cunning, pretty, underdog survivor who will take advantage of every opportunity and loophole he can find, with a relative lack of care for morality. His one soft spot is a guy who does care for morality. (The underdog has a similar flavour to someone in another book, Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System/SVSSS 😉.)

• A quick Google search shows that there is an English fan translation of this novel (“Mr. Melancholy Wants to Live a Peaceful Life”, translated by E. Danglars). I can’t comment on it since I read the book in Mandarin, but you can try it out if you read danmei in English.

🎬 跨界演员 Crossover Actor by 北南 Beinan/North-South

• Title in pinyin: kua jie yan yuan

• Genre/setting: Modern, realistic

• This book is about a little-known actor’s journey to stardom and developing relationship with an acclaimed scriptwriter.

• Social anxiety disorder! Tasty. It’s so good to see someone finding love despite their difficulty in building deep connections with people.

• I like how one of the characters’ backstory is revealed. Peel that trauma apart like an onion.

• The romance is slow-burn.

• Opposites (eventually) attract. The actor is not famous at the start of the book, not that bright, and so straightforward that it has a childlike quality to it. The scriptwriter is renowned, has mature, self-possessed vibes, and is reserved. But both of them are good with people in their own ways, which is surprising in relation to one of them because of his social anxiety disorder. No prizes for guessing who. (I don’t consider the disorder a spoiler because 1, it becomes fairly obvious early on in the book and 2, the author put it in the blurb.)

• Excerpt (translated by me): At that, Lu Wen said, piqued: “You only love my face?” Qu Yanting said: “I wish I could love your brain, but I can’t find it.”

• I read the novel in Mandarin, but a quick search shows that there is an ongoing English fan translation online: https://knoxt.space/crossover-actors/

🧝🏻‍♂️ 穿成高危职业之师尊 Transmigrated into a High-Risk Career: Shizun by 一丛音 Yi Cong Yin

• Title in pinyin: chuan cheng gao wei zhi ye zhi shi zun

• Genre/setting: Xianxia

• Off-putting title, good story

• Lively silly unskilled protagonist + possessive love interest with no care for anyone but the protagonist. These personalities are decidedly not my cup of tea, but I kept reading and found that the plot gets better and better. The sense of “mysteries to uncover” gradually builds up and then snowballs in the second half of the book. I was hooked.

• Many humorous moments. Huge fun.

• Interesting supporting characters. The doctor with the laggy response is my favourite.

• There are a couple of loose ends, and a few relationships and some villains’ motivations could have been handled better, but the resolution is still tolerable. I wonder if I should put this book in the section below instead of up here, since my gripes are significant, but I’ll leave it here for now.

👨‍🏫 他们都说我遇到了鬼 They All Say I Encountered Ghosts by 青色羽翼 Qingse Yuyi/Green Wings

• Title in pinyin: ta men dou shuo wo yu dao le gui

• Currently titled 他们都说我遇到了未知生物 They All Say I Encountered Unknown Beings. I guess the change is due to overly gung-ho censors.

• Genre/setting: Modern, supernatural

• Not scary. It’s the human who’s (unintentionally) terrifying the ghosts. But it still has that deliciously creepy undertone of a horror story in some parts!

• Funny!

🌱 Being-Towards-Death 向死而生 by 客兮 Ke Xi

• Title in pinyin: xiang si er sheng

• Tags: Modern, depression, healing, school

• The protagonist’s plans to commit su.i/ci/d.e keep getting accidentally disrupted by an unknowing boy who has feelings for him.

• This is a book about clinical depression and love; because of the former, it is permeated by crushing sadness and there is a constant see-saw between the protagonist’s urge to end his life and events that keep him holding on. There are realistic struggles faced by the protagonist and his partner in dealing with society’s lack of understanding of depression, the ramifications of the condition, etc. There is a happy ending!

• You need to be in a particular mood or state to keep reading this book, because the protagonist is in a lot of pain. I read this book when I was sad. It helped somewhat. Not suitable for you if you’re cheerful or devastated.

• The love interest’s devotion is moving.

• One of the extra chapters contains an alternative sad ending, and I want to commend the author for making its final sentence unexpectedly haunting.

• Interesting way of titling chapters

• Con: the reasons why the protagonist’s partner is attracted to him could be made more tangible.

🐭 深眠 Deep Sleep by 杨溯 Yang Su

• Title in pinyin: shen mian

• Genre/setting: ABO, dystopia, slightly futuristic tech paired with a backward societal structure, revolution

• Straight dude transmigrates into the body of a chinchilla omega, flees an arranged marriage with a military commander—a snake alpha—and unwittingly rescues the said commander during the escape in the belief that he is an injured omega

• Protagonist is willing to throw hands, has a sense of justice and no filter between his brain and mouth. Love interest is the quiet authoritative sort, even authoritarian at times, but his heart is kind and very big (forgives what many people will find hard to forgive).

• Warning: one glaring instance of racism. Read, if you do, with discernment.

• A constant theme running through the book is the protagonist and other omegas trying to escape the ABO equivalent of the patriarchy. If you know me, you’ll know that I like this kind of book only if they succeed in toppling the system.

• The process of revolution and nation-building is a bit simplified and fast-forwarded. It would be better if it were fleshed out, but I understand that it would take a huge amount of time to make such big topics perfectly lifelike and realistic, and the author is juggling writing with a full-time job. The twists and turns of the plot are decently solid as they are. This book was definitely a page-turner for me.

• There is no chinchilla emoji so I’m using a mouse for now

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Books That Also Got Me Really Absorbed*

*I have more gripes about these books but still greatly enjoyed them!

👹 凶祟 Creature of Malignance by 杨溯 Yang Su

• Title in pinyin: xiong sui

• Genre/setting/key words: Modern, Lovecraftian horror with Chinese supernatural elements, cults. A note to any reader who isn’t into Lovecraftian horror: I usually avoid this genre too, because it doesn’t give me any chills. But there are other factors that make this book interesting, namely adventure and…

• …the love interest. One of my favourite tops. He’s Princess Rapunzel but mad. See these posts for more details. See this post if you don’t mind spoilers (I advise against reading this one if you’re sure you want to read the book).

• Scores much higher than most danmei books with regard to gender equality

• Touching sacrifices for family

• I didn’t have it in me to keep track of some plot details, partly because I involuntarily paused reading halfway; the author hadn’t published the rest of the novel at the time. I only picked up the book again after the author finished writing, and by then I had forgotten some stuff. So I can’t comment on whether everything makes complete sense.

• As previously mentioned, Lovecraftian horror isn’t my thing, so I found some parts a bit draggy

🌸 折枝/阶下囚 Broken Branch/The Prisoner by 困倚危楼 Kun Yi Wei Lou/Drowsily Leaning Against The Balcony Of A Tower* (*this phrase is from a poem)

• Title in pinyin: zhe zhi/jie xia qiu

• Genre/setting: Xianxia

• Beautiful depictions of 1) longing and 2) anguish and regret

• Sly and teasing love interest VS cold and stern protagonist, nice.

• Has an audio drama

• Con: the second half of the book got strange but it’s okay, I enjoyed the book anyway

🗡 每天起床都看到反派在抢戏 Every Day I Wake Up and See the Villain Stealing My Show by 钟晓生 Zhong Xiao Sheng

• Title in pinyin: mei tian qi chuang dou kan dao fan pai zai qiang xi

• Genre/setting: Wuxia/xianxia, comedy

• My introduction: Han Changsheng, the young irresponsible head of the most powerful demonic martial arts sect, boots a guy off a cliff for insulting his beloved sect. Turns out that the guy is the incarnation of a god, Lord An Yuan, who was undergoing a holy trial on earth, in which he was destined to become a hero who would smite Han Changsheng and rid the world of demonic forces in the culmination of his epic journey. The gods of death are livid because Han Changsheng killed human An Yuan before his time was up, disrupting Lord An Yuan’s holy trial. To fix the problem, the gods wind back time to a point before An Yuan’s death and Han Changsheng is coerced to help An Yuan become the fated hero (and his own murderer). But despite Han Changsheng’s best efforts, things don’t go as planned…

• Humorous!!! I re-read it!

• Cons:

- a few icky descriptions

- the ending is wonky but the reading process is fun enough to compensate for that

⚔️ 每天起床都看见教主在破案 Every Day I Wake Up and See the Sect Leader Cracking Cases by 钟晓生 Zhong Xiao Sheng

• Title in pinyin: mei tian qi chuang dou kan jian jiao zhu zai po an

• Genre/setting: Wuxia

• Intriguing

🧸 安乐死 Euthanasia by 风溯君 Feng Su Jun

• Title in pinyin: an le si

• Genre/setting: Modern, entertainment industry (film)

• Introduction (translated by me):

Every day, people are born and people die. Those who don’t have a right to decide on their birth at least have a right to decide on their death. No one could figure out why young, tremendously wealthy John chose euthanasia.

He was well-prepared on the day of his death, but when he woke up again, he had acquired a legal husband.

• Pros: likeable cast of characters, interracial transnational couple, story interspersed with some humour, pursuit of dreams, mutual support, thoughtful verbalisations of affection and encouragement. John Williams’ expressiveness, quirkiness, and unabashed love of childish and feminine things go well with Liu Zhiwei’s stability (even-tempered, mature, resilient).

• Other tags: LGBTQ+ issues, family, rough personal histories. I excluded spoilery tags.

• Cons: many, many flaws (for example, the lack of detail regarding John’s rehabilitation, an incorrect depiction of how one should treat coral reefs while diving, an interview arrangement that doesn’t make sense), too troublesome to list them all

• Excerpt (translated by me):

“You are a part of my dream,” said John. “God played a prank on me, putting my dream on the other side of the globe. But luckily I found you in the end.”

• Despite the intro, Liu Zhiwei, not John, is the main character in my view. The story is told from several characters’ perspectives, but the book centres on Liu Zhiwei more than John.

• At the start of the story, Liu Zhiwei is a broke background actor with little hope left.

• It’s open to interpretation, but I think John is the top, haha.

• John’s name is not spelled as John in the book. I believe the name in the novel is not what the author would have chosen if their first language were English, because the spelling is unusual, yet it is mentioned in the book that there are many people in the US with that name. Hence, I’ve taken the liberty to use the similar-sounding “John” here.

🌊 水魅 Water Wraith by 樊落 Fan Luo

• Title in pinyin: shui mei

• Genre/setting: Modern, ghosts (not scary)

• Intriguing; dark mysterious mood

• Has an audio drama

• Con: I had a gripe about some powers in the second half of the book, but I enjoyed the story anyway

😤 奴才 Slave by 风弄 Feng Nong

• Title in pinyin: nu cai

• Genre/setting: Historical

• A trashy book. Trashy books make guilty pleasures. Definitely not most discerning readers’ cup of tea.

• Utterly unrealistic, but I wasn’t looking for something realistic anyway.

• I reaped some strange sense of satisfaction from seeing the protagonist impossibly get his way purely by being persistent (stubborn) and straightforward.

📕 魔尊也想知道 The Demon Lord Would Like To Know Too by 青色羽翼 Qingse Yuyi/Cyan Wings

• Title in pinyin: mo zun ye xiang zhi dao

• Genre/setting: Xianxia

• Funny supporting characters. If not for them, I wouldn’t have finished the book.

• A major plus point is that this book far surpasses most danmei novels in terms of gender equality (though it still doesn’t perfectly meet my standards); see this post for a more detailed description: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/629254095244558336/currently-reading-%E9%AD%94%E5%B0%8A%E4%B9%9F%E6%83%B3%E7%9F%A5%E9%81%93

• Cons:

- The love interest has no personality except for one key trait + I don’t like him, he’s too cold

- The descriptions of how magical energy works/plays out in that universe can be abstract and draggy

🌨 我乘风雪 Riding the Wind and Snow by 弃吴钩 Qi Wu Gou

• Title in pinyin: wo cheng feng xue

• Genre/setting: Historical

• Moving depictions of survivor’s guilt and longing for people loved and lost

• 🍑😏 Award. As the author says, “If we’re not driving a car [a euphemism for you-know-what], we’re on the way to drive a car.” Trigger warnings apply.

• Longer review (spoiler-free) + book extracts: https://tentative-wanderer.tumblr.com/post/680151717729468416/danmei-book-recommendation-%E6%88%91%E4%B9%98%E9%A3%8E%E9%9B%AA-riding-the-wind

☀️ 2020年夏天发生了什么 What Happened in the Summer of 2020 by 张迷经 Zhang Mijing

• Title in pinyin: er ling er ling (2020) nian xia tian fa sheng le shen me

• Genre/setting: Modern, slice of life

• Straightforward, casual language

• Life, work, finding love. The more you read, the cuter it gets.

• A relatively short book

🥋 不称职的保镖先生 Mr. Unqualified Bodyguard by 钟晓生 Zhong Xiao Sheng

• Tags: Modern, mixed martial arts (MMA), famous singer, bipolar disorder

• What I liked: MMA is cool, depictions of bipolar disorder, the protagonist’s care and gentleness

• Cons: Relatively straightforward plot, nothing flashy; felt like it ended without a climax; go in with the knowledge that it’s just an okay book. It’s not entirely clear why the protagonist loves who he loves.

🥼 全世界都在等我们分手 The Whole World Is Waiting For Us To Break Up by 不是风动 Bushi Fengdong/Not The Wind Moving

• Title in pinyin: quan shi jie dou zai deng wo men fen shou

• Genre/setting: Futuristic, sci-fi, but it’s not about robots and starships. It’s about data science, statistics, and chemistry.

• Unconventional take on the “you are a mere substitute for the one I truly love” trope

• As is common in danmei, the title style doesn’t reflect the type of content. The book involves academia and sciencey concepts and terminology. Author’s disclaimer: not all concepts depicted in the story are factually accurate.

• I didn’t think I would like a top like this, but I do in this case. The relationship dynamics are interesting.

• Cons: I had high hopes that weren’t fulfilled.

- Some plot holes

- The antagonist’s motivation is rather trite and too weak to support their large-scale machinations

- I think the antagonist could have tried to achieve their goal by a much more direct means

🐣 重生成仙尊的掌中啾 Reborn as a Chirp in the Immortal Lord’s Grasp / 笼中雀 Caged Bird by 一丛音 Yi Cong Yin

• Title in pinyin: chong sheng cheng xian zun de zhang zhong jiu

• Genre: Mythology/fantasy

• Horrendous title belies a decent story

• I found the “what if” extra chapters sweet

• You can try out this book if:

- you’re looking for a love story in a fantasy setting

- you’d be interested in a kind naïve bimbo protagonist + sui/ci/d.al love interest constantly teetering on the brink of destructive madness in a calm, smiling manner

- you’re looking for something cute, with a lot of cheeping, but not plain sweet all the way

• This book is absolutely not for you if:

- you’re a stickler for excellent writing. This book has a plot that’s tied up satisfactorily by the end, but the execution and writing quality could be better. I read it when I was not in a picky mood.

- you’re looking for a story where the main couple’s relationship is a side dish instead of the entrée

- you’re looking for something brainy

👾 沙雕渣攻今天又渣了我 That Ridiculous Scummy Top Treated Me Like Scum Again Today by 红口白牙 Hongkou Baiya/Red Lips, White Teeth

• Title in pinyin: sha diao zha gong jin tian you zha le wo

• Absolutely horrendous, shudder-inducing title. But the calibre of the worldbuilding is higher than what the title implies.

• Genre/setting: sci-fi (virtual reality). Involves a VR game, but not geeky gaming/e-sports (I don’t have a shred of interest in those).

• Mini surprises everywhere; many amusingly awkward situations and running gags involving not-so-locked doors and the protagonist’s train wrecks

• Contains numerous imperfections, so I didn’t put this book in my recommendations list after my first read. But the story still kept me hooked—twice! So I put this book in my rec list after my second read.

• Straightforward functional prose, don’t expect beauty

🌬 临时保镖 Temporary Bodyguard by 绿野千鹤 Lü Ye Qian He/Thousand Cranes in a Meadow

• Title in pinyin: lin shi bao biao

• Genre/setting: Modern, mystery

• Witty dialogues

• Warning: shocking racism at some point. I contemplated removing this book from this list, but ultimately didn’t because 1) I managed to swallow the bile and move on with the story, and 2) I did the same when I came across other social issues depicted disappointingly in other books on this list. (Typically, the culprit is sexism; less eye-catching but more insidious.) Read, if you do, with discernment.

• Cons:

- I have gripes about the way some of the cases/crimes were executed

- I have a gripe about a plot twist

- The ending feels slightly rushed

🪲 情蛊 Ardour’s Curse 荷煜 He Yu

• Title in pinyin: qing gu. Qing is love/feelings, gu is a spell/curse placed via a venomous creature like a bug, snake, scorpion, or centipede that came out on top of a battle royale with other venomous creatures. Qing gu is a love spell inflicted via those means. Gu folklore is associated with the Miao people.

• The author used some superficial elements from the Miao ethnic group, but clearly stated that many things in the story are purely made-up.

• Adventure, abduction/imprisonment. A trashy book. Trashy themes make guilty pleasures.

• Manipulative, overly possessive love interest, the sort that belongs in jail. Trigger warning. “Will he ever learn, or will the red flags remain red” is part of the mystery.

• Several flaws, e.g., protagonist’s friends acting a bit dumb at times, protagonist’s internal thoughts coming off as a bit high-and-mighty at times

• Horror is not this book’s genre but I am disturbed

• This book might be classified as having a happy ending, but actually it’s complicated (I want to explain but can’t do it here as it’s spoilery). But don’t let that sole factor put you off—I only like books with happy endings and I was kinda okay with this

🥢 古董下山 Antique Descends A Mountain by 缘何故 Yuan He Gu/The Reason Why

• Title in pinyin: gu dong xia shan

• Genre/setting: Modern, mythology

• I won’t finish this book (the story, as it progressed, didn’t fit my taste), but the first part was fun

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Short Stories

📱 世界虚拟说 Virtual World Theory by 扇葵 Shan Kui

• A story in the book called 哄你睡觉短篇合集 Collection of Short Stories to Lull You to Sleep (pinyin: hong ni shui jiao duan pian he ji)

• Genre/setting: Modern

• Touching, sweet, sad, happy. The love interest is an undertaker with the personality of a big, quiet, obedient dog with some quirks (this is a compliment).

😠 室友男友是个渣，我该不该提醒他？ My Housemate’s Boyfriend Is Scum; Should I Warn Him? by 反派二姐 Fanpai Erjie/Villainous Second Sister

• Title in pinyin: shi you nan you shi ge zha, wo gai bu gai ti xing ta?

• Genre/setting: Modern

• A simple and light “bedtime story” (in the words of the author) for when your brain just wants to trundle along sluggishly.

🌔 月光宝盒 Moonlight Treasure Box by 反派二姐 Fanpai Erjie/Villainous Second Sister

• Title in pinyin: yue guang bao he

• Genre/setting: Modern

• A short “bedtime story” (in the author’s words). A bit plottier than the one above. Cute.

📑 将就 Make Do by 河汉 He Han

• Title in pinyin: jiang jiu

• Genre/setting: Modern

• Trite trope, simple, mild sweetness, no brain needed.

🧑‍🎨 潮湿 Moist by 春日负暄 Chunri Fuxuan

• Title in pinyin: chao shi

• Genre/setting: Modern

• Light, 🍑😏 story. Trigger warning. No brain needed.

🏘️ 邻居 Neighbour by 青端 Qing Duan

• Title in pinyin: lin ju

• Genre/setting: Modern

• Very simple, sweet. The main character has social anxiety disorder.

😇 烂漫的任一顾 Artless Ren Yigu by Your唯 Your Wei

• Title in pinyin: lan man de ren yi gu

• Setting: Modern

• Peculiar (interesting) way of storytelling! Comedy intermingled with a hodgepodge of mental illnesses (delusions of persecution, OCD, a bit of depression). The protagonist’s lively tone makes everything a few shades lighter even though he’s facing some dark issues.

• The love interest has a stutter

• Ending felt abrupt but that’s a small matter

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Others

👁 目杀师 Master of the Killer’s Gaze by 袁依楣 Yuan Yimei

• Title in pinyin: mu sha shi

• Short story

• Genre/setting: Modern, thriller

• Not danmei, but I’m recommending it anyway. Has the potential to be danmei, if it were to be expanded into a novel.

• Gripping. I wish there were more.

• I was tempted to translate the title as “A Killer’s Gaze” as it’s pithier, in line with the spirit of the three-syllable Mandarin title, but I went with the longer translation instead in order to better encapsulate the title’s meaning.

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🗣 Please recommend books for me to read! My reading habits:

• I read danmei in Mandarin.

• Most of the time, I’m picky about writing and plot quality. I’ll tolerate the occasional grammar mistake/typo if the writing is still good overall and if the plot is really interesting.

• The likeableness of the main characters plays a huge role in keeping me interested. I get attached to characters. Most of the time, I dislike constantly cold-blooded protagonists.

• I dislike dry court politics and palace intrigue. In a similar vein, I’m seldom interested in books with a non-magical historical setting, but I’m open to trying out such books if they don’t involve a lot of politics.

• Most of the time, I dislike books whose “plots” largely consist of characters being cutesy and lovey-dovey. Short stories are exempt from this standard, to an extent.

• Most of the time, I dislike nigh unbeatable protagonists who smoothly sail over obstacles and keep winning at life without much effort (金手指).

• I’ve tried many times to read Priest’s books but have never been able to sustain my interest, for some reason.

• I don’t read danmei books about school life. Uni is okay.

• For some unidentifiable reason, I don’t like danmei police stories.

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Thoughts about some nice characters: here

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Thank you if you reblog this; I’m both starving and picky so I really want more good books on my radar! Also, on Tumblr, only reblogs count towards a post’s visibility; likes don’t, so do reblog this post to spread the love.

Let me know if you read a book because of this rec list :3

[theotherchengirl-blog]

初春的，北威尔士

你总是知道自己到威尔士了。铁路一旁房子前的垂直花园，一个男人手持喷壶，站在他这小梯田的第三层，打理那些美妙的绿叶。车窗外一座天桥，是墨绿、朱红和纯白三色组成的，就像那面红龙国旗。那面旗帜总给我一种中世纪魔法世界的感觉，特别是经过一个镇子，他们的旗帜是黑底红龙，魔幻感更加明显了。起初我还纠结称之为国旗是否正确，但威尔士人毫不在意。英伦三岛中，爱尔兰和苏格兰都闹过独立，只有威尔士，从来都是既来之、则安之，开开心心地过自己的小日子。

铁路的一段紧靠海岸线，爱尔兰如镜面般海幽蓝平静。我们拍了不少动图，那天天气真好。一周前我睡不着，无意中看到一条微博对威尔士景点的介绍，登山小火车、中世纪废墟、二手书之镇、悬崖上的灯塔、闹鬼的古堡、仙女居住的峡谷。我从没听说过威尔士是这么有趣，爬起来做了攻略，做完已近四点，心满意足躺下，但也没能睡着，因为突然想起了小万。

我是最近才真正开始懂他，一个十几岁的孩子，折腾十多二十个小时来到英国，孤零零地在伦敦准备A-Level。后来在布里斯托尔那种除了热气球啥也没有的地方读书，不知道多努力才申请到帝国理工的实验室名额。漫长的假期去过很多地方，有时实在找不到旅伴，就告诉自己一个大男人自己旅行也挺好。他就是这样成长为我四年前遇到的小万，计划行程事无巨细，仿佛手握这个世界的一本说明书。我就提个行李跟着他游完了大半个斯里兰卡。行程是他定的，离海最近的民宿是他找的，观鲸船是他订的，最后没观成还是他去维的权。他身上我喜欢的那些特质，似乎都受教于残酷矛盾的生活，比如善交际却又持重，幽默而又神秘，博闻强识、却仍对这世界充满孩童般的好奇，既正直勇敢、又通晓市井那些弯弯绕绕。他是我想解开的一个谜，只恐将来各行其道，没有这个机会了。想着想着，突然觉得没有他的日子真寂寞、而且事事都要自己搞定。后来我为了摊房费约上了几个女同学，都是性格好不麻烦的类型，对我提出的所有行程住宿安排都表示满意。多人同行的好处就在于，两个人出行，总想用对话填满每一分钟，而三到四个人，就可以沉默地呆着。

我们第一晚宿在兰迪德诺。这个地方从维多利亚时期就是度假胜地，有300多家住宿加早餐旅馆，数量比当地居民房还多。听说旺季的主干道和海岸线都是车水马龙，我们三月初这时候来，是淡季中的淡季。这个地方太维多利亚了，新月般的弧形海岸沿线是各种冠以“皇家”“维多利亚”“大酒店”字眼的酒店，漆成不同的颜色，但大多都是浅色系，显得很精致。

我们四人跟着谷歌地图找旅馆、拉着行李箱上坡。一个刷墙的中年男人见了，向我问好，我告诉他对这个城市的初印象——“真美”。很多威尔士人都有天蓝色透明玻璃球般的眼睛，性情温和友善，自来熟，会主动帮忙。我们住的家庭旅馆是一个三层楼的白房子，俯瞰海滩。内部装潢也很有味道，昏暗浪漫，玫瑰花窗阳台配蓝色绒布椅，公共客厅的布置紧凑温馨，四张皮沙发围着一个放鲜花的矮茶几。入住时老板娘问我车牌号是多少，我噗嗤一笑，说我们是坐火车来的。后来的确证明没有车在威尔士寸步难行，公共交通费时费力、一天只够去一个景点。将近傍晚，我们在夕阳下出门找餐厅，见远山一层叠一层，浸在粉紫色的水彩里。这小片海是爱尔兰海的一个小角，或是大西洋一个更小的角，白天那池柔柔的水，七点半夜幕降临后，就水天相接、变成厚实的幕布、深深深深的蓝色。望进去，像世界的一个新月形缺口，再望一眼就要被吸进去。

淡季的周三，大酒店的餐厅还是高朋满座，黑白着装的服务生忙里忙外。这一幕太英国。我已经开始想象波洛或马普尔小姐乘着蒸汽火车，来这样的酒店里住上一月，结果海滩上或者某个酒店房间发生了命案，他们就在阳伞下躺椅上跟人唠嗑、不慌不忙地解决这个案子。

海边十来个人在遛狗，经过我们时都微笑。随导航去到最近的一个酒吧，设在二楼，样子落败，没有一件物品与另一件相配。除了年轻的酒保，这里只有老人和小孩。可我们四个中国女生进去后，他们倒也不惊异。只是我们点了四品脱Guiness之后，那个白发白胡子老人笑道：第一次看到女孩自己付钱买酒。我说，我知道，太可悲了。然后随口问了句，您是做什么的？这句寒暄竟打开了老人的话匣子，他告诉我，他现在退休了，以前是搞音乐的。说着，他拿出一张塑封的报纸复印件，说中间那个就是他。他叫Phill，这年轻时是个送奶工，他们就叫他Phill the milk, 后来喜欢喝酒，改叫Phill the glass。他是六十年代英国一个叫做Kids的乐队的鼓手，虽然他们从不写歌，只表演翻唱。这乐队的名字也有个段子。每当人们问起What do you do for a living? 他便可以回答Oh I play with the Kids。据说，他们乐队的这个名字还刻在利物浦披头士发际的那个酒吧墙上，进门右手边。Phill说的一些故事真是太符合我对60年代的想象了，比如他们乐队的主唱在主吉他手去世后就娶了人家老婆，比如他们从来没有清醒地上过台。这个周三晚上徘徊在老酒吧、随身携带一张当年勇的老人，在英国摇滚年代的最中心待过。我问他们为何早早解散，他说因为累啊，一个周末六场演出，熬不住。后来他的妻子跟邻居私奔了，儿子是个电焊工，又生了五个孙子女。他请我喝了两杯Worthington啤酒, 撑得我直打嗝，他便学我说半句话打个嗝，还说是为了让我不孤单。真希望他对我的记忆不是“一个不停打嗝的女孩”。当我们快要走时，他问了第三遍——当你去利物浦酒吧，会看到一个乐队的名字叫什么？我说the kids! 那个名字在哪里？我说进门右手边砖头上！

第二天一早，入斯诺登尼亚。这个名字真美，让人觉得是一个坚韧、美丽而神秘的女探险家。等公交时，一个老太太问你们是不是昨天从这个站提着行李一路上坡来着，我笑，看来这海滨小镇人口真是太少了。威尔士地名叫得怪，要不就是开头结尾辅音各写两遍，要不就是中间一个大写Y，结尾再来三四个不同辅音，例如Pentywyn, Llanrwst, Lon Y Gaer, 还有我编的：llaeg-y-wyff。得临时跟着谷歌学念这些名字，才能跟公交司机说明去处。

斯诺登尼亚的盘山公路虽赶不上云贵高原蜿蜒险峻，却有英格兰少见的粗犷。入山就没了信号，时而因颠簸失重，也许是登尼亚要你敬畏。我太小看她了，妄想一天走三四个景点，结果现在哗哗改行程，即兴发挥。于是在兰贝里斯皇家维多利亚酒店（呵呵）入住后，我们去坐了湖景小火车，看蒸汽火车头缓缓脱离车厢、嘟嘟着移到车尾重新接上，就这样掉头出发。我戴上火车司机的帽子跟他拍了张合影，夸赞这是世界上最酷的工作，这张照片怕是要引起谢耳朵嫉妒的。

火车观湖回来后，天还没黑，我们就想去附近那个中世纪软禁王子的孤堡，忽而雨来，在湿泥里摔了两跤，触发了15年的记忆闪回，是我和EE冒着倾盆大雨爬狮子岩，我还学兰卡人穿拖鞋去，结果下来脚一滑摔下台阶，把EE等人吓得哇哇叫。两次都是我一时兴起摔到了尾椎骨，生活不断教我做人，我依然可劲儿地作。那天拍的照我一张也舍不得删，都是泥地里摔两跤换来的。哎即兴也好。行至此处，跟这里的人聊聊天，点一杯Snowden’s Craft，心说有个车就好了，到悬崖灯塔只要46分钟。

第三日早上的早餐令人愉悦。宽敞明亮的餐厅里，从糖渍水果杯、果肉酸奶、新鲜面包，到各式茶饮、滤泡咖啡以及英早那些经典配菜一应俱全。同行的姑娘们说，这样早起慢慢吃早餐的感觉好幸福，还说以后跟人约饭就约早餐。是啊，我也觉得与人共进早餐有一种很特别的氛围。午餐和午餐会像是高尚人士的行为，常常是为在最短时间内敲定一个合同、达成一个交易而设。而晚餐呢，时间跨度太长，基本从6点到10点，适合老友重逢、阖家欢聚、谈情说爱。在英国，约别人吃晚饭基本意味着餐厅电影院酒吧一整套流程，有时吃完饭电影还早，那再加个甜品店。去年刚来时我就是在这方面受到了极大的文化冲击，对方约个晚饭，我欣然答应，结果每回都是吃过饭辗转去酒吧、然后下一个酒吧，没完没了。后来想想，dinner的真正含义大概是指跟相处融洽的人谈天说地，夜幕下，缓缓归。吃什么并不重要。早餐就不一样了，听起来就很积极向上，且含义单纯。无非就是借用你两个小时，互相添茶、讲讲时事和天气，配以香喷喷的羊角包和煎得完美的太阳蛋。吃完了，店门口告别，一个写论文，一个去学习小组。这一天因为有个美好的早餐而阳光起来。那天早餐后我们出发去安格尔西岛，途径班戈，就顺便逛进班戈大学，它的主教学楼是一整座城堡。我们举起相机拍Love Lane, 石阶的两旁盛开着黄水仙。后来经不列颠尼亚桥上岛，第一站是键肺村，全名Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch，一口气念不完，遂得其名。逛完这个镇子的纪念品店就没多少时间了。幸好三个姑娘逛得开心，买完羊羊玩偶又被各种形状颜色的糖果吸引，没有注意到我是一个多么糟糕的领队，带她们走了不少冤枉路，最后到了一个无聊的地方。

最后一日，天气转晴，如愿去到康威堡。威尔士境内有不少中世纪的遗迹和诺曼城堡，康威堡是其中很有名的一座。康威整个小城市被城墙围起，颇有战时堡垒的感觉。每条街都有一两个古董商店，还有康威堡纪念品店，里头随处可见塔罗牌、卢恩石、剑与盔甲，橱窗里一个金属小雕像，是骑士跪在女王面前受封。买门票时我随口一问，昨天3月1日St. David’s Day, 是不是你们特别重要的节日？店员说对，那是我们的国庆日，全威尔士景点都免费。我流着泪付了门票。

有人说戛然而止是世上最糟糕的感觉。离开威尔士的这天我倒没什么特别的感觉，它不是一生只能去一次的地方、也没有特别壮美令人窒息的景色。它的美是平易近人的，是让人回到大城市后路过夜店一条街，会怀念那个路灯都没几盏的小镇子上空无一人的酒馆，怀念油烟弥漫的家庭餐厅里，店主亲自炸的扭薯。会怀念结账后服务生发的巧克力和心形糖，陌生人之间的温柔相待。下次南威尔士见。