#Bei Tian

[suhali]

[dogskun]

More doodles late 2019 early 2020

[movielosophy]

Lost in the Kunlun Mountains ~ Can you beat me?

[animemascotarchive]

Today’s anime mascot(s) of the day is…!

Bei Chen, Fei, Shi Tian, Tian Dian, and Yi Xian Qing from Vocaloid China Project Senden Animation/VSINGER!

[annawong5]

JJ Lin 林俊傑 & Jin Sha 金莎 - bei feng chui guo de xia tian 被风吹过的夏天

JJ Lin 林俊傑 & Jin Sha 金莎 – bei feng chui guo de xia tian 被风吹过的夏天

JJ Lin 林俊傑 & Jin Sha 金莎 – bei feng chui guo de xia tian 被风吹过的夏天 (When the wind blow in summer)  (Ketika angin bertiup di musim panas） 还记得昨天 那个夏天hai ji de zuo tian, na ge xia tianStill remember that day in summerMasih ingat waktu itu, di musim panas 微风吹过的一瞬间wei feng chui guo de yi shun jianThe moment the breeze blowsKetika angin berhembus sepoi-sepoi 似乎吹翻一切shi hu chui fan yi qieSeems like…

[bizarrequazar]

Cnovels I've Read

I'm in the mood for making a list and @danmeiljie's danmei list has inspired me, so ~enjoy~ if you care. I'm classifying "cnovels" in the broad literal sense of novels written in Chinese by Chinese authors, so this is not limited to just webnovels.

★s are my personal rating, ❤ denote favourites. I'm aware that there's zero consistency in this list between use of Chinese vs English titles, I'm just going by what I usually refer to them as.

Finished

Danmei

Advance Bravely by Chai Jidan ★★ Read Sept-Oct 2022 Comment: Is it good? No, absolutely not. Is it AMUSING? Yes.

Beijing Comrades by Bei Tong ★★★★ Read July 2023

The Easter Egg Game by Bo Mu Bing Lun ★★ Read Dec 2020-May 2021

The Easter Egg Game II by Bo Mu Bing Lun ★★ Read July-Sept 2021

The Easter Egg Game III by Bo Mu Bing Lun ★★★ Read Sept-Oct 2021

Fantasy Farm by Xi Zixu ★★★ Read Dec 2019-Feb 2022

Guardian by Priest ★★★★ Read July 2019-March 2020

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat ★★★★★❤ Read Aug-Dec 2019; currently rereading via Seven Seas tl

Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zixu ★★★★❤ Read June-Nov 2019

Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ★★★★★❤ Read Aug 2018-Feb 2019; currently rereading via Seven Seas tl

Mo Du by Priest ★★★ Read Jan-Nov 2020 Comment: Really liked the first two books, after that I kind of lost interest tbh.

Qi Ye by Priest ★★★❤ Read June 2021

Saye by Wu Zhe ★★★★★ Read Nov 2019-Aug 2020

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ★★★ Read Nov 2018-May 2019; Jan-Dec 2022

Spring Trees and Sunset Clouds by Wei Liang ★★★ Read Dec 2019

Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ★★★★★❤ Read Nov 2018-Mar 2019; currently rereading via Seven Seas tl

Tian Ya Ke by Priest ★★★❤ Read June 2021; currently rereading

The Way of Evil by Priest ★ Read Mar 2020-May 2021 Comment: Very interesting if you look at this as an earlier draft of Mo Du.

Welcome to the Nightmare Game by Bo Mu Bing Lun ★★★★❤ Read July 2019-Nov 2020; Nov 2020-Apr 2021

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II by Bo Mu Bing Lun ★★★★★❤ Read Nov 2020-Apr 2021 Comment: Easily one of the most devastating endings I've ever read (compliment).

Welcome to the Nightmare Game III by Bo Mu Bing Lun ★★★ Read Aug 2021-Jan 2022 Comment: Would be 4 stars if BMBL hadn't split it into two, ie. it doesn't have a proper ending since it's continued in IV.

Yuwu by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat ★★★★ Read Dec 2019-June 2022 Comment: My own enjoyment suffered greatly from the long break I took from it. I'm planning to reread it altogether once the Seven Seas tl is complete.

Baihe

Didn't Know the General was Female by Rong Qing ★★ Read July 2020

Female General and Eldest Princess by Please Don't Laugh ★★★★❤ Read Sept 2019-Jan 2020

The General's Manor Young Concubine Survival Report by Wind's Little Bell ★★ Read August 2019

I'm More Dangerous Than You by Ande ★★ Read May 2023

Jing Wei Qing Shang by Please Don't Laugh ★★★★ Read July 2020-June 2021 Comment: Should have been at least fifty chapters shorter imho.

General

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin ★★★★★ Read April-May 2023

Current / On Hold

Antidote by Wu Zhe

The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin

Di Huang Shu by Xing Ling

Golden Terrace by Cang Wu Bin Bai

Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong

Little Mushroom by Yi Shi Si Zhou

Ruzhui by Please Don't Laugh

Dropped

Sha Po Lang by Priest Comment: Planning to try again at some point. The yifu thing turned me off, but I think I wouldn't be bothered by that now.

The Universe Jumper by Hao Jingfang Comment: Fuck her. 🖕🖕

The Villain's White Lotus Halo by A Big Roll of Toilet Paper

High Priority

In the Dark by Jin Shisi Chai

Welcome to the Nightmare Game IV by Bo Mu Bing Lun

[hunxi-after-hours]

hunxi’s danmei awards 2.0! (aka 2022 edition)

Featuring the return of some categories such as:

Best Worldbuilding

Best Interrogation of Themes (aka the “Rent-Free Award”)

Best Moment That Wrecked Me (aka the Knifiest Award)

Best Beleaguered Side Character Award

Best Unreliable Narrator

As well as never-before-seen categories like:

Best Himbo

Most Brilliant Moment of Backstabbery

Most Ambitious Scope

Most Heartwrenching Line Delivery in an Audiodrama

…and more!

This year’s candidates in the running:

《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu by 一十四洲 Yi Shi Si Zhou

《不小心救了江湖公敌》 Bu Xiao Xin Jiule Jianghu Gong Di by 六木乔 Liu Muqiao (有声漫画 audiomanhua season 1)

《无双》 Wu Shuang by 梦溪石 Meng Xishi

《问鹿三千》 Wen Lu San Qian by 光合积木 Voicegem, 吼浪文化 Houlang Studio, and 斗木獬编剧工作室 Doumuxie Screenwriting Studio

《师弟还不杀我灭口》 Shidi Hai Bu Sha Wo Mie Kou by 子鹿 Zi Lu

《默读》 Mo Du by priest

《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing by 杨溯 Yang Su

《海中爵》 Hai Zhong Jue by 七药 Qi Yao

《哏儿》 Gen’er by 南北逐风 Nan Bei Zhu Feng

《杀破狼》 Sha Po Lang by priest

《金牌助理之弯弯没想到》 Jin Pai Zhu Li zhi Wan Wan Mei Xiang Dao by (nominally) 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang and (mostly) 传奇火箭队 The Legendary Rocket Team

(unmarked spoilers, including but not limited to these titles, under the cut. for introductions of these titles, click here. for last year’s danmei awards, click here)

Best Worldbuilding

Winner: 《杀破狼》 Sha Po Lang by priest

This award goes to 《杀破狼》 Sha Po Lang for the effortless ease with which p大 manages to merge the genres of imperial intrigue, steampunk mecha, alternate history, and wuxia elements. Over the course of the novel, priest explores how the development of 紫流金-based technology leads the fictional Liang Dynasty into industrial revolution, and doesn’t hesitate to include all the negative consequences of early industrialization. So you’ve rolled out mechanical alternatives for farming? Have fun dealing with the uprisings of unemployed farmers while fending off international threats on your borders. So you want to roll out paper currency/government bonds to stimulate your war-torn economy? Good luck even getting people to trust the validity of paper the way they trust the hardness of coin. In a way, 《杀破狼》 Sha Po Lang carries on the tradition set down in priest’s earlier novel 《七爷》 Qi Ye of protagonists using decidedly underhanded methods to effect the change they wish to see in the world, and the morality thereof remains just as thorny in 《杀破狼》. what would you do in the name of peace? how much of yourself can you give away before you are no longer the same person?

oh and I have to give a shout-out to the trains in this book, I’d give this award to 《杀破狼》 Sha Po Lang for its (re-)invention of trains alone

Best Interrogation of Themes (aka the “Rent-Free Award”)

Winner: 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu by 一十四洲 Yi Shi Si Zhou

I listened to 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu via audiodrama before I read the novel, and every time I finished an episode I would have to just sit for a few hours, processing. Despite its seemingly lighthearted premise,  《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu shows us an apocalypse in all its cruel magnificence. The oppressive atmosphere of unending martial law, the seductive proximity of despair, the omnipresence and unpredictability of death, the utter lack of justice or closure or meaning in a world slowly grinding to a halt, the vast, inhuman lengths civilization will go to in the name of survival... to this day,  《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu haunts the solemnity of my early mornings with questions like what would you condone to survive? and wherein lies the locus of meaning when everything it means to be human has been stripped away? and like. I haven’t been the same since my mushroom phase, okay

Best Beleaguered Side Character Award

Winner: Ji Bolan from 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu by 一十四洲 Yi Shi Si Zhou

This poor man had to deal with his childhood friend growing up to be a governmentally-licensed and universally-reviled mass murderer, the complete breakdown of the laws of physics, and witnessing Lu Feng and An Zhe flirt in front of his salad soup, all during the apocalypse that he is frantically trying to solve. Frankly, he’s allowed to roast Lu Feng as much as he wants, and the fact that he’s voiced by the same person who did AD!Jiang Cheng and AD!Xiao Zheng (winner of last year’s Best Beleaguered Side Character Award) is 1) extremely funny, 2) very on-brand, and 3) further proof that being in voice actor fandom 其乐无穷

Best Moment That Wrecked Me (aka the Knifiest Award)

Winner:  《默读》 Mo Du by priest

The character of Fei Du in priest’s 《默读》 is easily the character who had me clawing at the walls the most for the better part of this year (I’m still clawing at the walls, if we’re being honest). I am in love with everything about the way priest wrote him; from his introduction as the flamboyantly aggravating playboy chasing after Tao Ran (brilliant character work there as well as brilliant comedy, 感谢陶然不弯之恩 etc etc) to the slow, methodical reveal of his backstory and how deeply, deeply traumatized he is, Fei Du is one of the most complex and intelligent and nuanced and terribly lovable meow meows characters I’ve had the good fortune to run into

To pick a single Fei Du moment? A single one? Well if I have to choose, unfortunately it’s going to have to be chapter 180 朗诵（五） for the simple reason that it hurts me:

他恨不能撕裂时空，大步闯入七年前，一把抱起那个沉默的孩子，双手捧起他从不流露的伤痕，对他说一句“对不起，我来晚了”。

[Luo Wenzhou] wished he could tear apart time, to barge back into that moment seven years ago and pick up that silent child, to cradle those hidden wounds and say to him, “I’m sorry I was late.”

“我来晚了……”

“I was late...”

直到上了救护车，费渡才好像是有了点意识，难以聚焦的目光在骆闻舟脸上停留了许久，大概是认出了他，竟露出了一个微笑。

Fei Du only seemed to recover a semblance of consciousness when they loaded him into the ambulance. His eyes, unfocused, stopped on Luo Wenzhou’s face for a while before smiling slightly.

骆闻舟艰难地看懂了他无声的唇语。

Luo Wenzhou read his words in the soundless shape of his lips with difficulty.

他说：“没有了……怪物都清理干净了，我是最后一个，你可不可以把我关在你家？”

He said, “They’re all gone... All the monsters are taken care of, I’m the last one. Can you lock me up in your house?”

I’m just. if you need me I’ll be screaming about sunflowers in the abyss

Best Unreliable Narrator

Winner: Yan Zhuoqing and the Deer God of 《问鹿三千》 Wen Lu San Qian by 光合积木 Voicegem, 吼浪文化 Houlang Studio, and 斗木獬编剧工作室 Doumuxie Screenwriting Studio

surprising shortage of unreliable narrators in this year’s contenders, but 《问鹿三千》 makes up for it by having not one, but TWO unreliable narrators involved. can you believe that BOTH of these semi-immortal dumbasses have amnesia? smh Deer God you’re literally the god of time and memory, how you’ve even gotten this far I’ve got no idea

honorable mention: Fei Du from 《默读》 by priest. this man had the audacity to say the words “我没有创伤” / “I’m not traumatized” after asking for Luo Wenzhou’s assistance in recovering some of his repressed memories that he’d blocked out because of the — you guessed it — trauma

Best Himbo

Winner: Situ Jin from 《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing by 杨溯 Yang Su

I think it’s safe to say that Situ Jin is a Very Good Egg With No Braincells Whatsoever. None. This man had to be bullied into a hurt/comfort scenario by his future wife, and when she came to him for comfort, grieving her father’s death, he responded to her “now I’m all alone” with “don’t cry: you’re one, I’m one, together we’re two.” proud of u for basic math, bro, but is now really the time. his other highlights include: thinking dreamily about his wife while in prison, defending innocent bystanders regardless the personal cost, and continually failing to seek medical attention while bleeding out

Side Character I’m Still Mad About (aka the Gongyi Xiao Award)

Winner: Fu Luo from 《海中爵》 Hai Zhong Jue by 七药 Qi Yao

so it turns out that I am Weak for this very specific kind of character, the one who is a Good Kid, the one who tries their best to be responsible and reasonable, the one who could honestly be a protagonist in another novel. double points if you can trust them with a spreadsheet (Bian Yanmei), triple points if they’re delightfully lowkey devoted to the actual protagonist (can I get a wahoo for the Jiangzuo Alliance in here??)

and you know what the author does? murders them with prejudice

tl;dr I’m still not over Fu Luo, because like oh man that scene was well done but also ouch

"most memeworthy/meme-able"

(this one’s for you, @presumenothing)

Winner: 《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing by 杨溯 Yang Su

I mean I literally—

this book is a Very Serious and Somewhat Grimdark book, but I have to say the sheer amount of misunderstandings that occur are comical in their quantity. have you ever met two people more in love with each other and less capable of uttering a single sentence about it, it is only by the grace of the author that these two didn’t murder each other before their happy ending at the many given opportunities throughout the book

"most deserving of a shenshen OST"

(this one’s also for you, @presumenothing, ty for all the brilliant category recs)

Winner:  ........?

this is such an interesting award category to consider, because it’s like asking “which one of these texts would you like to hand a steak knife to gut you with,” but it also begs the question of what a shenshen OST would bring to the text that the existing music/adaptation doesn’t. it also raises the question of what kind of narrative (grand, sweeping, vast in scale or minute, gentle, heartbreaking?) would be most compatible with a shenshen OST?

my first thought was 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu, since it has both the monumental scope and the fragile, breakable heart that shenshen OST’s are so suited for (他只是一个小蘑菇 goodbYE—), but the music of the 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu AD is already so perfect I don’t actually want to add anything to it. my next thought would be 《问鹿三千》 Wen Lu San Qian — again, for that blend of scale and sorrow, wistfulness at what can never be and gratitude for what we have. but 《问鹿》 also has five songs already, and while a shenshen OST would be nice, it most certainly isn’t necessary

so I think I’m going to cheat and give this award to a title that isn’t even on the list of candidates this year, one that already has a shenshen OST: 《天宝伏妖录》 Tian Bao Fu Yao Lu by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang, which has the great fortune to have Zhou Shen’s 《天地为念》  for its ongoing donghua title song. what a beautiful, meditative song; what an ethereal, gently sorrowful melody. extra brownie points because I maintain that Zhou Shen and 锦鲤 Jin Li (the voice of Kong Hongjun) are counterparts of each other in their respective industries, and also because I’m ride or die for both of them

"most untranslatable ever"

(category shout-out to — you guessed it — @presumenothing)

Winner: oh ABSOLUTELY 《金牌助理之弯弯没想到》 Jin Pai Zhu Li zhi Wan Wan Mei Xiang Dao by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang and 传奇火箭队 The Legendary Rocket Team

I consider myself fairly proficient in audiodramas on 猫耳FM as a medium/genre now; I’m familiar with the ways script adaptation dovetails with post-production, the roles the voice directors and producers and casts play, the different twists that can happen with 报幕, what names to keep an eye out for while checking out the production team... so when I say that this audiodrama knocked me flat on the ass when I first listened to it, I really do mean that I was in no way prepared for the chaos that was to come. where do I even begin to describe it? the speed? the unhinged energy? the unending 吐槽 / roasts? the brilliant comedic pacing? the extremely 洗脑 片尾曲？whatever the hell this is?

this audiodrama is not only the most untranslatable ever due to the high concentration of internet and culture-specific slang, but also apparently the most impossible to explain ever. idk. listen to this AD and lose your mind

Most Brilliant Moment of Backstabbery

Winner: ch. 116 of 《无双》 Wu Shuang by 梦溪石 Meng Xishi

I described 《无双》 Wu Shuang as “a book about roasting your rival first, saving your dynasty second,” but perhaps didn’t do justice to the sheer lengths these two will go to one-up each other. I’d like to take this moment to recognize a certain flamboyant demonic sect leader (that is somehow not Yan Wushi) for not just habitually backstabbing (gently, for funsies) his love interest but also getting some frontstabbery (once, with great intention) in as well. truly, no one out here is doing it like Feng Xiao

honorable mention: 《不小心救了江湖公敌》 Bu Xiao Xin Jiule Jianghu Gong Di by 六木乔 Liu Muqiao, for the sheer quantity of backstabbing that occurs. maybe this is simply what happens when all of your characters are professional evildoers at fluctuating levels of retirement

Best Comfort Media

Winner: 《哏儿》 Gen’er by 南北逐风 Nan Bei Zhu Feng

earlier this year, I went around asking various people: what makes a book, movie, or other text comfort media for you? listening to the answers, it occurred to me that I don’t really have texts that I turn to on a semi-regular basis to re-read or re-watch. especially because my favorite books tend to be the ones that rip my heart out through my throat, the idea of choosing a “comfort read” from among them seems somewhat, er, misguided

and then I ran into 《哏儿》 Gen’er, which is the only text I’ve chosen to carry over from last year’s danmei awards because the second season of the AD  aired this year. this webnovel/AD is also, genre-wise, the outlier in this year’s awards — no magic, no speculative elements, not a single sword in sight, just slice-of-life, daily trials and tribulations, characters balancing budgets and bantering backstage and discussing art over hotpot. the cast and characters of 《哏儿》 feel real and lived-in in a way that is so deeply precious to me; at times throughout the year, I would simply cue up the beginning of S2E2 to listen to the first fifteen minutes or so to quiet down. the ongoing discussions threaded throughout the narrative about the roles of traditional culture and art in modern society, how to adapt traditional forms to contemporary values and preferences, and the ever-relevant question of how to get other people to care about things you love... 《哏儿》 hits different, hits real close to home, asks thought-provoking questions in a gentle, lighthearted manner in a way that is totally unique among the danmei works I’ve read, so here I am, conferring this new, foreign honor upon it. it’s a first for both of us!

Most Ambitious Scope

Winner: 《问鹿三千》 Wen Lu San Qian by 光合积木 Voicegem, 吼浪文化 Houlang Studio, and 斗木獬编剧工作室 Doumuxie Screenwriting Studio

I know, I know — very bold of me to give this award to an audiodrama that’s still airing, that we don’t know if it’ll ever be completed, but I still have to take a moment to yell about this completely original episodic gufeng AD, because like... wow. there is no answer key; there is no original work; there is no blueprint to work off of, no pre-existing fanbase of readers to appeal to. this entire project with its xuanhuan scope will succeed or fail based on its merits alone, and what scope it has, too — from the five voice actor songs (I guess everyone in 光合积木 can sing too??? sure that’s fine I guess) to penning scripts that play specifically to the voice actors’ strengths, to engaging with thorny dynamics of family and relationship and devotion and misalignment, I think it’s real gutsy of the 《问鹿》 creative team to embark on such a vast and ambitious project, and carry it off as well as they did. now it’s just 乖巧坐等更新.jpeg hours, fingers crossed they come back for a season 2

Best Work I Was Songbaited Into

Winner: 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu by 一十四洲 Yi Shi Si Zhou

Definitely the first thing that even put 《小蘑菇》 Xiao Mo Gu on my radar was 奇然’s 《风过荒野》  appearing in my YouTube algorithm. The song’s arrangement is haunting, lyrical,  and so unlike any other AD song I’ve ever heard. The second season’s 《极光入夜》 is also transcendent in lyrics, composition, and the fact that both of the main voice actors can sing 哎呦还让人活吗—and don’t even get me started on the beautiful piano and string covers they work into the soundtrack! 声罗万象请受我一拜！

let’s put it this way: I actually went out of my way to translate the 《小蘑菇》 songs (here and here) for how hard they go. one day I’ll get over the lines “玫瑰静默凋谢” and “审判是我于你的吻别” but today will not be that day

honorable mention: 《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing by 杨溯 Yang Su, for having the opposite energy of the 《默读》 AD asdlfskdfjs no less than FIVE original songs composed for a THREE season AD. I was on the fence about listening to this AD until I heard 远皓ZIL’s 《燃灯》, which immediately joined my playlist before I’d even read the book. Again, the lyricism, the arrangement, the melancholy, deeply thoughtful atmosphere of the song got me interested in exactly what kind of maddeningly angsty plot could result in these lyrics:

我愿抚拂前尘 燃着灯 做你归途的引 / I would brush away the dust of our past and light a lamp, and be what guides you back

只求你破迷津 渡极乐 回首看我在等  / I only pray that you break free from the labyrinth and deliver paradise, to look back and see me waiting

我匍匐入尘埃 叩长阶 奉上所有虔诚 / I crawl through the dirt, pressing my forehead to the stone steps of the long stairway, offering up all of my piety

 只为听你亲将 相思说 那纸情书太薄 / just to hear you say, yearning for me, that this love letter is too thin

不载残生颠��� 无你我 苦不可脱 / it cannot carry what’s left of our tumultuous lives — without you or me, life would be bitter with no escape

Audiodrama Adaptation with the Strongest First Episode

Winner: 《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing by 杨溯 Yang Su

Adaptation is a delicate and tricky practice; how do you accommodate for the limits of production, the requirements of medium, when it comes to translating a work across dimensions? And particularly when it comes to AD’s, how can you capture a listener’s attention within the first few episodes, to bait them into the story and make them willing to pay money to unlock what happens next?

this award has to go to 珞玉 Luo Yu and 子穆木 Zi Mumu for their adaptation of 杨溯 Yang Su’s novel 《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing. The book itself runs chronologically, from the two main characters first meeting each other as children, the months they spend together, their sudden (and deeply traumatic) parting, and then resumes the narrative the next time they meet each other seven years down the line, attempting to kill each other (in their defense, it was dark, and neither of them were sure if the other survived the massacre that separated them in the first place). Episode 1 “故人来” of the AD begins with that reunion as Shen Jue, disposing of a body, finds an injured assassin just outside the palace walls. They grapple in the dark until they recognize each other, and the way post-production editing fills in their backstory through a quick, tantalizing flashback and brings the listener back out of it by overlapping young!Xiahou Lian and present!Xiahou Lian saying the same lines (“shaoye, remember: don’t look back, don’t say anything—”)... well done, well played, I sure paid money to listen to the rest of this AD

Audiodrama Adaptation with the Strongest First Ten Minutes

Winner: 《海中爵》 Hai Zhong Jue by 七药 Qi Yao

haha I think I’m hilarious, but while 《督主》 has the strongest first episode I would also like to shout out how good the first ten minutes of 《海中爵》 Hai Zhong Jue are. seamless transition from baby Hailian to adult Hailian, from quiet lullaby to sea battle, and establishing Hailian’s sass, competence, kindness, and swashbuckling swagger as well as introducing Fang Tinglan (and his shamelessness asldfksj). credit has to go to the director 齐杰, the scriptwriter 虾仁猪心@一梦还江月, and the post-production editor 时柒@丶为之奈何 for pacing the opening scene so well, and an extra special shout-out to 梅梅 (韬韬你是最棒的) for the funniest little “bye~~~” as he throws someone off a boat

Most Heartwrenching Line Delivery in an Audiodrama (aka the Knifiest Award, audio edition)

Winner: S1E7 of the 《默读》Mo Du audiodrama

I can yell for years about how talented voice actors are, but there are specific moments while listening where I have to pause for a second or ten and silently mouth “damn”

杨天翔 Yang Tianxiang’s performance as Fei Du in season 1, episode 7 of the 《默读》 Mo Du audiodrama knocks it out of the goddamn solar system with the plaza broadcast scene — this was a scene that I was pretty eh on in the novel, but after listening to it in the AD... 当! 场! 封! 神! with Yang Tianxiang’s measured delivery, the slow excavation of the depth of Fei Du’s anguish, the forced steadiness of his voice when he says “你们如果都这么狠心，为什么以前还要表现出好像很在乎我们的样子?” / “If all of you were always this cruel, why did you pretend to care about us so much in the beginning?” underlaid by the devastatingly quiet, melancholy piano backing of 《以沫》 that then kicks into the sequence that culminates in 何忠义 He Zhongyi’s “等我回来!” / “Wait for me to come home!”... (silently screams into a paper bag) I’m not okay and I haven’t been okay for months

Honorable Mentions:

S2E2 “也恨相逢” of 《督主有病》 Du Zhu You Bing by 杨溯 Yang Su: specifically for 梅梅’s line “少爷，这是我的命” / “shaoye, this is my fate.” for a scene that didn’t even exist in the original novel... hot damn wow

E12 “绝不复寡“ of 《师弟还不杀我灭口》 Shidi Hai Bu Sha Wo Mie Kou by 子鹿 Zi Lu: 锦鲤 has the range and this AD proves it! While he spends most of the AD being generally the comedic, satirical commentary, Zhong Yan/Qin Mingxi absolutely begging, tears in his voice, for Gu Xuanyan to leave him to die in this scene? look I’m not immune to this trope either

S1E13·上 of 《问鹿三千》 Wen Lu San Qian by 光合积木 Voicegem, 吼浪文化 Houlang Studio, and 斗木獬编剧工作室 Doumuxie Screenwriting Studio: (cups hands around mouth, yells) 马! 老! 师! it’s hard to explain the heartbreaking context of the line I have in mind without giving away the entire story, but 马正阳’s throat-scraping scream of “我要你爱我” / “I want you to love me!” is wince-inducing from the sheer force of the raw anguish in it

wooooo and that’s a wrap! thanks for tuning into the 2022 danmei awards :)

looking forward at my reading list, I’m not sure I’ll be doing a 2023 round since my reading is taking me in different directions and I simply might not have enough candidates to fill out a whole awards post next year (and I suspect I’ll have gone so far off the map that people won’t even have the faintest idea what I’m talking about anymore asldkfajsd)

it’s been fun!!! catch you all in the new year!!

[dangermousie]

And the winner of oldie but goodie rewatch context (conducted mainly in my head) is 2017 epic romance General and I, one of my Top 20 dramas and one they don’t make like any more. @aysekira​, @tomorrowsdrama​ wanna join?

I adore Wallace Chung and I am very fond of Angelababy (come at me! IDNGAF), their chemistry is fucking insane, it’s a big kingdoms in conflict epic (with one of my favorite antagonists, who goes on an arc from hero to antihero to monster and you get why every step of the way), and this is THE THE THE enemies while lovers romance!

He is the best general of one kingdom, she is loyal to a rival kingdom (and an excellent strategist) and for a decent chunk of the story their courtship involves her trying to murder him or destroy his forces as he swoons harder and she’s turned on. Eventually they throw their lot together and become a super couple. This is grey around the edges the way censors would not allow in 2023. Wallace’s Chu Bei Jie is not just a good warrior; he’s smart but also utterly ruthless; it is his own actions in the beginning that create the very antagonist he must fight at the end. Every royal ruler we meet is various degree of dumb or awful. Chu Bei Jie serves an unworthy king. The king of Ping Ting’s kingdom is a monster etc. The body count is nuts. There is a whole lot of backstabbing and GASP overthrow of dynasties. There is enough kissing and similar to make 2023 censors spit blood. I mean, the drama leaves you in no doubt those two FUCK A LOT AND HAVE A GREAT TIME. Ping Ting is not demure or giggly or naive but ruthless and murdery. He Xia, our antagonist, becomes more and more monstrous as he acquires more power but his choices are to do that or be dead and he is ultimately as sympathetic as tragic as horrific - you watch this shining chevalier fall from grace and by the end being put down is the kindest thing that could happen to him. His romance with Yao Tian, a princess he marries for power but genuinely falls in love with, just not enough to give up his quest, is honestly one of the most tragic things out there. (It’s GMP only if FL was smarter and tougher and still lost.)

Also, and why the caps above, it has literally my fave cdrama kiss scene of all time. Ping Ting has come to find Chu Bei Jie after he narrowly survived a battle and things look grim. Their loyalties are still complicated. But they’d die for each other.

And she starts taking care of his wounds without a word and he is in literal pain but is SO UTTERLY HUNGRY FOR HER!

These are the first words she says in the entire scene.

And he just pulls her to him.

Down goes the bloody towel.

And then he yanks her onto his lap, and these are the first words he says in the whole scene.

And he just pounces. These are two people who have previously stabbed each other. And no, I don’t mean a sexy euphemism, I mean with literal swords. Yet here they are.

And the camera cuts away.

I am sorry, they are from enemy kingdoms, he’s shirtless and bleeding and defeated in battle if I remember correctly, and she’s taking care of his wounds and they are sucking face like they need it for oxygen and they are on furs and like THIS IS MY ID MANIFEST.

[foxghost]

Can you please make a list of your most favorite novels (and if you want, tell why you like them)?

Anon this is such a difficult question but I think I'm in a better place to answer it this year than last year? There are some old books that I no longer love, and there are some books that I still love and would happily reread again.

I'm linking to posts where I've written about them before, and a couple to my NU reviews. it got so long that everything is under a cut.

On the HE side: 君有疾否 Are You Ill Sir?

破罐子破摔 Nothing To Lose, one of Fei Tian Ye Xiang's earliest works that he considers a part of his "dark history". It's a mess, reads like a fevered dream borne out of playing Dynasty Warriors until you drop, but I think it's the first book where FTYX showed the first sign of his genius -- his ability to write a scene like it's been pulled out of a movie. Also he writes Lu Bu like the biggest HIMBO and what's not to love really. Don't forget to read the extended extra that features an A'dou x Lu Bu x Zhao Yun sandwich. (Bless Feitian for the possibility of such a sentence)

殺破狼 Sha Po Lang - obviously

北城天街 Beicheng Tianjie - Technically gay lit, not danmei, but it reads like a modern fairy tale by the end. /you will cry

偷風不偷月 Steal On Nights Windy and Moonless - physical transmigration is a rarity in any genre, and this one was written so well, especially in its depiction of familial relationships. /tears

薄霧 Mist, this one probably got Wei Feng Ji Xu put on the map, but before this there was Rose Beauty, which I also enjoyed; actually, it's probably because I read Rose Beauty that I put up with so many zombies in this book. Go read Rose Beauty if you want good writing but without the zombies. This has So many. Zombies. Probably the best in genre for time travel, and in a way, 無限流. The plot is tight, the ship is cute, and while at some point in the middle you start to think "does this book need to be this long", by the time it gets to the end, you won't.

藍月光 Blue Moon

迪奥先生

浮光

颱風眼

別來無恙 How Have You Been by Bei Nan. I don't think I cried this much over tragedies. (This is HE)

落池

又一春

完美無缺 - Perfection by Jin Guan Quan. Transmigration from older famous actor into younger unknown singer, and while it doesn't seem so special in concept now, I'd happily read it again.

我等你到風景看透

日落大道

金牌助理

BE side 鷹奴

無根攻略

活受罪+長相守

Things that are so long there's no way I'd read again but were they ever fun while they lasted (leaving me quite sleep deprived)

不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友

Anything and everything by Erya, of SCI fame. I have read everything even her old things. It took me months. She's written more since then, and she's on the verge of finishing sequels to the millions of words of Bao Qingtian fanfic both period and modern and I'm not sure when I'll find time to read it all.

破雲+吞海

將進酒

[joylinda-hawks]

It was you who saved me. If you want, I can live like this for two more years. If you don't want it, take my life. WOH, episode 1, part 11. The prince loses his temper because of ZZS's words and pulls the sword that DPJ was holding from its sheath. DPJ and the servants fall to their knees, DPJ asks the prince to calm down. The prince almost shouts that if ZZS doesn't want to live, he can let him die, while saying this, he points his sword at ZZS and shouts why ZZS worked so hard. Unmoved, ZZS replies to the prince that the prince saved him and, looking the prince in the face, adds that if the prince wants, ZZS will live like this for two years, but if he doesn't want, the prince is to kill ZZS. The furious prince, hearing this, runs to ZZS and puts the tip of the sword to his chest, ZZS does not react and waits for the blow. The hand of the prince holding the sword trembles and the prince throws it away. The helpless prince shouts that everyone lied to him. He says that Yun Xing has left and is holding his head, adding that Bei Yuan has also left. Laughing terribly, the prince says that he is alone in the world. He then asks ZZS if he lied to him and asks if he will spare ZZS, then he is willing to help the prince achieve his goals. ZZS looks the prince straight in the eye and asks him to put in the last nail. The prince still does not understand ZZS's behavior and asks him if he would rather become a cripple than a trusted official of the prince. After a while, the prince agrees, saying that he understands ZZS's intentions. He adds that the nails of the seven tortures cause death within three years. He explains that ZZS must be alive because he will take the throne within three years. In this way, Prince ZZS will show that he is the chosen one and will succeed no matter what. ZZS replies that he will do his best and falls on his face before the prince. The prince asks DPJ to do what ZZS wants and tells him that from now on, DPJ is the commander of Tian Chuang. The prince then leaves the room. Surprised, DPJ looks up and looks at ZZS, then stands up and asks ZZS a question. ZZS slowly gets up and shows the last nail he holds in his hand. ZZS says he congratulates them both, they both got what they wanted today. What ZZS did was incomprehensible to the prince, he lost his patience and self-control. His well-laid plan to gain power begins to fall apart due to ZZS. ZZS, which simply does not want to serve him anymore. Prince Jin overcomes the urge to kill ZZS because he thinks he can still control him. ZZS has come to terms with what may happen and is ready to die at the hands of the prince. However, the prince must think about this whole situation and adapt his plans to the changed situation. ZZH, still focused and haughty, introduces his version of ZZS, a strong, tough young man who is able to stand up to the prince's power. He attracts the viewer's attention with his attitude and appearance, and he is the central figure of this scene.

[shookethdev]

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

NAKU 🫵

[suhali]

Bei Tian

Career: Interior designer > fashion columnist Aspiration: Leader of the pack Traits: Self assured, perfectionist, self absorbed Childhood: Whiz kid Toddler: Independent

Heritage: 50% Chinese, 25% English, 25% South African Parents: Xiao, Ji Bao Siblings: Tao, Jang Liu, Rong Tie, Mei Li, Lei Gong, Cai Shen, Yu Qing Orientation: Bi Spouse: Children:

[life story]

[archivist-crow]

The Immortal Iron Fist - issues #1-6 - “The Last Iron Fist Story” (2006-2007)

Writers: Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction

Art and covers: David Aja with Travel Foreman, Kano, Tonci Zonjic, et al.

Between 2000 and 2010, Marvel had kind of a mini golden age. It seemed like everything on the shelves was outstanding and even now, nearly 15 years on, the roster of classic runs during the decade is still thoroughly impressive. It was such an impressive time that Fraction, Brubaker, and Aja’s The Immortal Iron Fist run sometimes gets a bit lost, but it’s among the best.

The problem with Danny Rand, Iron Fist, is that he was never particularly interesting. Marvel already had Shang Chi, then there’s that whole white savior thing, and he has kind of an odd, murky origin story that comes off something like a kung fu Bruce Wayne. Pairing him with Luke Cage, a character also suffering from low sales in the 70s, helped, but the character was just never really able to stand on his own. That all changed with this run.

Fraction and Brubaker explode the mythology of the Iron Fist out in every direction and establish the Iron Fist as part of a mystical lineage, like that of the Sorcerer Supreme or the Black Panther. They immediately introduce Bei Ming-Tian, Iron Fist during the 13th century, then we meet Orson Randall, the previous Iron Fist, who has been living in hiding since the 1930s. In issue #2, we meet Wu Ao-Shi, “The Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay”, Iron Fist of the 16th century, who could channel her chi into her arrows.

Most of the run is told in a nonlinear format, jogging between Danny’s story in the present and the stories of past Iron Fists. Aja handles the art in the present with various artists handling the pencils for the past. Aja’s covers are beautifully composed, using broad vertical and horizontal bands surrounded by eye-catching white negative space. His interior art is even more gorgeous with a dark, gritty, noir-ish style, dominated by shadows and muted colors. But the first arc is just a warmup. Things really get going in the second arc.

1/3

[eyenaku]

Ji ji fu ji ji

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

[abc04]

[Image Description: Five edits of the Vsinger companions over the companion caregiver flag, which is brown, dusty pink, yellow, pale green, and gray. The Vsinger companions are Tian Dian, a music fairy that looks like a winged microphone, Shi Tian, a large cat-like creature, Bei Chen, a green dragon, Fei, a white phoenix-like bird, and Yi Xian Qing, a purple flower creature. In the bottom middle is a blank transparent image for formatting. /end ID]

companion caregiver vsinger companions 💕

[midnightflowerborndragon]

Masterlist and Explaining Idea

So some danmei books like TGCF or MDZS have pictures in the English volumes so I got and wrote down all of the page numbers for the books I own. There are two numbers that will be listed the page number of the actual picture labeled picture and the page that I stuck my sticky note flag on labeled tab.

The Master List Lists the English title, Chinese title, and the author then the link embedded in to it. As well as for MXTX books I have the abbreviated name I generally use to refer to each of them.

Thousand Autumns - Qian Qiu - Meng Xi Shi

Stars Of Choas - Sha Po Lang - priest

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Erha He Ta De Bei Mao Shizun - Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Remnants of Filth - Yuwu - Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

The Scum Villian Self Saving System - Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu- Scum Villian

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation - Mo Dao Zu Shi - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu- MDZS

Heaven Official's Blessing - Tian Guan Ci Fu - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu - TGCF