#Cao Fei Ran

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Last Immortal (2023)

Gifs of Intro of cdrama "The Last Immortal"

[Multi-sub] 《神隐》第1集丨赵露思 王安宇 颖儿 李昀锐 曹斐然 The Last Immortal EP1 【捷成华视偶像剧场】

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsnFrr5GJ-4

[nemainofthewater]

Welcome to the 'Best Character with [X] surname' polls!

This is where I take several characters from different Chinese media (mostly cnovels and cdrama) and run a poll on which one is the 'best'. What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

NB: the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often they will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

If you can't find a surname, it's because I couldn't find enough candidates (at least 3 from 3 distinct medias) to compete. Feel free to submit candidates!

I will be posting several polls at a time, so do come back and check this masterpost to remember which polls are ongoing, who the winners are, and who's coming up next!

Currently ongoing polls:/Chao/Xin/Ran/Sang/Miao/Cang/Yao/Zang/Chong/Nangong/Kong/Hai/Deng/Kang

Finished polls: Xing/Rong/Nan/Ren/Pan/Qu/Fu/Sui/Tan/You/Sima/Xuan/Chang/Xun/Shangguan/Jian/Qian/Shu/Xi/Yuwen/Cai/Sha/Yin/Ceng/Helian/Zeng/Lou/Mi/Ji/Ping/Tong/Tuoba /Ge/Murong/Hei/Niu/Tao/Si/Pang/Zi/Gongsun/Mao/Qing/Lian/Chi/Shan/Tian/Dao

There's only a certain number of hyperlinks that can be added per post, so the rest of the completed polls can now be found here

All the details of the individual polls under the readmore

An - posted 15/03/24 WINNER An Zhe

Bai - posted 28/02/24 WINNER Bai Fengxi

Baili - posted 22/03/24 WINNER Baili Qingmiao

Bao

Bi - posted 26/03/24 WINNER Bi Changfeng

Bian

Cai - posted 7/04/24 WINNER Cai Quan

Cang - posted 23/04/24

Cao - posted 8/02/24. WINNER - Cao Weining

Cen

Ceng - posted 8/04/24 WINNER Ceng Aiyu

Chang - posted 3/04/24 WINNER Chang Geng

Chao - posted 21/04/24

Chen - posted 9/02/24 WINNER Chen Qingxu

Cheng - posted 10/03/24 WINNER Cheng Shaoshang

Chi - posted 19/04/24 WINNERS Chi Zhanggui and Chi Xiaochi

Chong - posted 25/04/24

Chu - posted 12/03/24 WINNER Chu Wanning

Chun

Cui - posted 11/03/24 WINNER Madam Cui

Dai

Dao - posted 20/04/24 WINNER Dao Mingsi

Deng - posted 27/04/24

Di - posted 16/02/24 WINNER Di Feisheng

Ding - posted 7/03/24 WINNER Ding Rong

Dong - posted 21/03/24 WINNER Dong Yi

Dongfang - posted 25/03/24 WINNER Dongfang Qingcang

Du - posted 26/03/24 WINNER Du Cheng

Duan - posted 23/03/24 WINNER Duan Baiyue

Fan - posted 27/02/24 WINNER Fan Xian

Fang - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Fang Duobing

Fei - posted 20/03/24 WINNER Fei Du

Feng - posted 28/02/24 WINNER 'Other'

Fu - posted 31/03/24 WINNER Fu Yao

Gao - posted 13/02/24 WINNER Gao Xiaolian

Ge - posted 13/04/24 WINNER Ge Chen

Gong

Gongsun - posted 17/04/24 WINNER Gongsun Heng

Gu - posted 7/03/24 WINNER Gu Xiang

Guan - posted 17/03/24 WINNER Guan Hemeng

Gui

Guo - posted 9/02/24 WINNER Guo Changcheng

Hai - posted 26/04/24

Han - posted 17/03/24 WINNER Han Ying

Hao - posted 16/03/24 WINNER Hao Du

He - posted 22/03/24 WINNER He Xuan

Hei - posted 14/04/24 WINNER Hei Xiazi

Helian - posted 9/04/24

Hong - posted 8/03/24 WINNER Hong Qigong

Hou

Hu - posted 6/03/24 WINNER Hu Tianying

Hua - posted 21/02/24 WINNER Hua Cheng

Huan

Huang - posted 20/03/24 WINNER Huang Shaotian

Huo - posted 25/02/24 WINNER Huo Xiuxiu

Ji - posted 11/04/24 WINNER Ji Xue

Jia - posted 18/03/24 WINNER Jia Kui

Jian - posted 4/04/24 WINNER Jian Buzhi

Jiang - posted 12/02/24 WINNER Jiang Cheng

Jiao - posted 27/03/24 WINNER Jiao Liqiao

Jin - posted 29/02/24

Jing - posted 14/03/24 WINNER Jing Beiyuan

Jun

Kan

Kang - posted 27/04/24

Kong - posted 26/04/24

Kou

Lai

Lan - posted 23/02/24 WINNER Lan Wangji

Lei - posted 12/03/24 WINNER Lei Wujie

Leng

Li - posted 18/02/24 WINNER Li Lianhua

Lian - posted 18/04/24 WINNERS Lian Yufan and Lian Qiao

Liang - posted 13/03/24 WINNER 'Other'

Lin - posted 14/02/24 WINNER Lin Chen

Ling - posted 6/03/24 WINNER Ling Wen

Liu - posted 16/02/24 WINNER Liu Qingge

Long - posted 23/03/24 WINNER Long Zhi

Lou - posted 10/04/24 WINNER Lou Yao

Lu - posted 5/03/24 WINNER Lu Guang

Luo - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Luo Binghe

Ma - posted 13/03/24 WINNER Ma Xiuying

Mao - posted 17/04/24 WINNER Mao Panfeng

Mei - posted 14/02/24 WINNER Mei Changsu

Meng - posted 29/02/24

Mi - posted 10/04/24 WINER Mi Chong

Miao - posted 23/04/24

Min

Ming - posted 26/02/24 WINNER Ming Yi

Mo - posted 18/02/24 WINNER Mo Xuanyu

Mu - posted 22/02/24 WINNER Mu Nihuang

Murong - posted 13/04/24 WINNER Other

Nan - posted 29/03/24 WINNER Nan Feng

Nangong - posted 25/04/24

Nie - posted 15/03/24 WINNER Nie Huaisang

Ning - posted 19/03/24 WINNER Ning Yingying

Niu - posted 14/04/24 WINNER Niu Chunmiao

Ouyang - posted 5/03/24 WINNER Ouyang Zizhen

Pan - posted 30/03/24 WINNER Pan Zi

Pang - posted 16/04/24 WINNER Pang Yizhi

Pei - posted 20/02/24 WINNER Pei Ming

Peng

Ping - posted 11/04/24 WINNER Ping An

Qi - posted 22/02/24 WINNER 'Other'

Qian - posted 5/04/24 WINNER Qian Jin

Qiao - posted 10/02/24 WINNER Qiao Wanmian

Qin - posted 16/03/24 WINNER Qin Banruo

Qing - posted 18/04/24 WINNER Qing Ge

Qiu - posted 25/03/24 WINNER Qiu Congxue

Qu - posted 30/03/24 WINNER Qu Lingfeng

Ran - posted 22/04/24

Ren - posted 29/03/24 WINNER Ren Ruyi

Rong - posted 28/03/24 WINNER Rong Changqing

Ruan - posted 21/03/24 WINNER Ruan Nanzhu

Sang - posted 22/04/24

Sha - posted 7/04/24 WINNER Sha Hualing

Shan - posted 19/04/24 WINNER Shan Gudao

Shang - posted 3/03/24 WINNER Shang Qinghua

Shangguan - posted 4/04/24 WINNER Shangguan Qin

Shao

Shen - posted 23/02/24 WINNER Shen Wei

Sheng - posted 4/03/24 WINNER Sheng Minglan

Sima - posted 2/04/24 WINNER Sima Yi

Shi - posted 8/03/24 WINNER Shi Qingxuan

Shu - posted 5/04/24 WINNER Shu Yanyan

Si - posted 15/04/24 WINNER Si Yilin

Song - posted 19/02/24 WINNER Song Lan

Su - posted 13/02/24 WINNER Su Zhe

Sun - posted 15/02/24

Sui - posted 31/03/24 WINNER Sui Zhou

Tan - posted 1/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Tang - posted 12/02/24 WINNER Tang Fan

Tao - posted 15/04/24 WINNER Tao Ran

Tian - posted 20/04/24 WINNER Tian Qi

Tong - posted 12/04/24 WINNER Tong Lu

Tuoba - posted 12/04/24 WINNER Tuoba Yan

Wan - posted 24/03/24 WINNER Consort Wan

Wang - posted 26/02/24 WINNER Wang Pangzi

Wei - posted 8/02/24 WINNER Wei Wuxian

Wen - posted 2/03/24 WINNER Wen Kexing

Wu - posted 15/02/24 WINNER Wu Xie

Xi - posted 6/04/24 WINNER Xi Ping

Xia - posted 11/03/24 WINNER Xia Dong

Xian

Xiang - posted 19/03/24 WINNER Xiang Liu and Xiang Nanfang

Xiao - posted 20/02/24 WINNER Xiao Jingyan

Xie - posted 21/02/24 WINNER Xie Lian

Xin - posted 21/04/24

Xing - posted 28/03/24 WINNER Xing Zhi

Xiong

Xu - posted 25/02/24 WINNER Xu Da

Xun - posted 3/04/24 WINNER Xun Feizhan

Xuan - posted 2/04/24 WINNER Xuan Shen'an | The Empress

Xue -posted 11/02/24

Yan - posted 19/02/24 WINNER Yan Wushi

Yang - posted 3/03/24 WINNER Yang Wuxie

Yao - posted 24/04/24

Ye - posted 10/02/24 WINNER Ye Baiyi

Yi - posted 9/03/24 WINNER Yi Bichen

Yin - posted 8/04/24 WINNER Yin Yu

Ying - posted 17/02/24 WINNER Ying Hecong

You - posted 1/04/24 WINNER You Huo

Yu - posted 11/02/23

Yun - posted 1/03/24 WINNER Yun Biqiu

Yuan - posted 27/02/24 WINNER Yuan Boya

Yue - posted 4/03/24 WINNER Yue Qingyuan

Yuwen - posted 6/04/24 WINNER Yuwen Xuan

Zang - posted 24/02/24

Zeng - posted 9/04/24 WINNER Zeng Xiangdong

Zhan - posted 10/03/24 WINNER Zhan Yunfei

Zhang - posted 17/02/24 WINNER Zhang Qiling

Zhao - posted 1/03/24 WINNER Zhao Yunlan

Zhen - posted 24/03/24 WINNER Zhen Ping

Zhi - posted 14/03/24 WINNER Zhi Xiu

Zhong - posted 27/03/24 WINNER Zhong Li

Zhou - posted 2/02/24 WINNER Zhou Zishu

Zhu - posted 9/03/24 Winner Zhu Hong

Zhuge - posted 18/03/24 WINNER Zhuge Liang

Zi - posted 16/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Zuo

[accio-victuuri]

xiao zhan - featured in cao fei ran’s video along with his other WDB castmates 🫶🏼

[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 🫵

[titteringturtles]

告五人 Accusefive - 果然你還是 Guo Ran Ni Hai Shi (Fly to the Flame)

Track 5 of Somewhere In Time, I Love You

Title translation: Of course, it's still you

Kill me quickly, the way you're used to 趕快殺了我 用你擅長的方式 Gan kuai sha le wo yong ni shan chang de fang shi

Each kiss cuts a scar on my heart 吻在心上刻下一把痕 Wen zai xin shang ke xia yi ba hen

[Pre-chorus]

I loved you to death and never met someone so spoiled 我赴死的愛上了你 你的腐朽已成奇蹟 Wo fu si de ai shang le ni ni de fu xiu yi cheng qi ji

My devotion was nothing but a slight breeze through the grass 我的絕對不過微風吹撫青草地 Wo de jue dui bu guo wei feng chui fu qing cao di

[Chorus]

I am just a fruit fly that's not afraid of being obliterated 我是一隻不怕灰飛煙滅的果蠅 Wo shi yi zhi bu pa hui fei yan mie de guo ying

Facing your cruel heart is truly just right 面對你的壞不過剛好而已 Mian dui ni de huai bu guo gang hao er yi

And that's beautiful to me, something that other people wouldn’t understand 那對我來說便是美麗 別人無法明白的東西 Na dui wo lai shuo bian shi mei li bie ren wu fa ming bai de dong xi

I can see it, your true heart 我看得見 你的真心 Wo kan de jian ni de zhen xin

Pre-chorus x1

Chorus x1

[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

[jiannguo]

Where Dreams Begin Weibo Update 220609

With youth, pay tribute to every worker. 

Leading stars: @X Nine Youth League Xiao Zhan DAYTOY  @李青

Starring: @刘瑞林Wayne @Cao Fei Ran @赵新zhaozhao @Cui Hang Felix @张林心@罗诺

Produced by : @西xifilm

Co-producer: @新白Media 

Chief Producer: Yang Xiaopei

Director: Fu Ning

Screenwriter Chief Planning: Ye Jing

Screenwriter: Xu Bing, Zhou Heyang

Producers: Chen Yao, Zhu Kai 

[duhdumb89]

A Forbidden Happiness | Chapter 37

The Empress was a right bitch, wasn't she?

Shen huang gui fei glared at the eunuch as she backed away and practically ran away. Had she not wanted to give The Empress the satisfaction she would've had him beaten to death right then and there!

"Worthless dog," muttered A'Fang, "How could The Empress be so cruel? You're raising 10th and 11th Prince; you should get double the rewards! It's not like Guang pin can use any of it,"

Jingse glared at her and A'Fang snapped her mouth shut.

Shen huang gui fei remembered the rewards she received after Huabao was born. There were so many stacks of silks, jewelry, pottery, and money that none of her servants could walk until they were all put away. Now, she had not one but two sons, and The Empress was determined to snatch all the joy from it.

A maid arrived with the account book for the back palace. Shen huang gui fei yawned loudly, "Send it back to Her Highness. I'm just too tired from looking after my princes,"

She huang gui fei smiled as the maid retreated. At least she finally relieved herself of all the low-class tasks The Empress liked to pawn off on her. Jingse leaned close and whispered, "Prince Han never arrived at his villa,"

The bit of mirth disappeared into dust.

Jingse shooed the other servants out of the room.

"What do you mean he never arrived?" Shen huang gui fei asked.

"The boy sent word that his carriage never arrived. Should we send someone up there?"

Shen huang gui fei shook her head. There was no point in that. There was nothing worse than missing the perfect opportunity. And Prince Han being away from The Empress's teat was the perfect opportunity. Shen huang gui fei had planted a boy in the villa and promised him a low-paying job in the ministry if he succeeded in getting rid of Prince Han. Shen huang gui fei didn't really care how he planned to do it; it just needed to be done. Now, it had all just been a waste.

"What should we do with the boy then?" Asked Jingse.

11th Prince began to cry.

She huang gui fei picked him up and rocked from side to side.

With a shrug, she said, "Get rid of him,"

------

An pin was so angry that she could spit venom.

Two sons.

Shen huang gui fei had snatched up two sons in one go. How could that black-hearted bitch be rewarded in such a way while her son wasn't even allowed to take his first breath?

It was disgusting. It was unfair!

An pin wanted to wash her mouth out with soap after spending all morning at Zhongcuigong. All that fawning and twittering about Shen huang gui fei's good luck–pah!  What luck? Shen huang gui fei had probably killed Fan gui ren herself!

"Shen huang gui fei will ruin 10th and 11th prince, anyways," said Weiwei, "She's never kept a prince alive. Why would they be any different?"

"I'm sick of talking about her," replied An pin. She loweredher voice, "Have you kept tabs on Cao taiyi?"

Weiwei nodded, her eyes bright, "Wang chang zai called for him the day after the banquet, saying something about feeling sick about how worried she was about The Empress Dowager. He's gone back every day since alone, with no assistants or eunuchs,"

An pin rolled her eyes, "An old woman needing the doctor often. Who cares about that?"

"But I've seen Wang chang zai's medical records. There's only one visit from Cao taiyi recorded this year, and the eunuchs at the Imperial Hospital say that he spends his time in the hothouse when he's not working. I asked the maids at the hothouse. Cao taiyi only checks up on the medicinal herbs once a week,"

No.

Wang chang zai wouldn't...

"Around what time does Cao taiyi leave the Imperial Hospital to go to the hothouse?" She asked.

"Early afternoon," replied Weiwei, "And then he returns to the Imperial Hospital early evening,"

An pin glanced up at the sun. Wang chang zai's palace was quite a walk from Zhongcuigong. Calling it a palace was a stretch, though. The Emperor stuck Wang chang zai in one of the North Five Halls, where the female officials lived. The story is that he claimed that once the excitement from his coronation died down, he'd put her in a proper palace. The day had never come. With the female officials out doing work all day, Wang chang zai was all alone.

Well, maybe not so lonely anymore.

If she walked quickly, she could drop in on Wang chang zai and any...guests of hers. An pin sent her servants away and continued the journey with just Weiwei. The trip was long and seemed to be never ending. The roads became more and more deserted and less pristine the farther she went. The courtyards for most of the halls were empty. The only reason An pin could tell which hall was Wang chang zai's was from the silver New Year's decorations that were peeling away from the doors and windows. The Imperial Household department would never grant such things to a female official.

Wang chang zai's maid was sweeping the courtyard quietly when they arrived. She paled and rushed to meet them.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, my mistress is feeling very ill and can't see you,"

An pin smiled, "Really? I'll check on her,"

She tried to walk pass but, the maid stuck herself in An pin's path again and bowed her head, "The sickness is very contagious. I can't let you go inside in case you harm your health, Your Highness,"

Weiwei darted from An pin's side and wrestled the maid to the ground, stuffing a rag in her mouth to shut her up. An pin continued to Wang chang zai's door and gave it a little push. It opened with a slight creak.

Incredible. Not only was Wang chang zai brazen, but she was stupid, too!

The front room was empty, curtains drawn and candles burning. A place like this didn't get much light in the first place. A modest meal was on the table, with two place settings; half eaten. Wang chang zai's bedroom was only a few feet away behind a set of doors, also unlocked.

An pin pushed the door open and wrinkled her nose at the smell of sex, wine, and incense. The gauzy lace curtains were drawn, but the lantern light made the figures of two people lounging on the bed unmistakable.

"Xiaofan, didn't I tell you not to bother us?" Wang chang zai called.

Silently, An pin stepped closer to the bed. She wrenched the curtains apart.

Wang chang zai and Cao taiyi gaped up at her in horror, completely nude. They scrambled to cover themselves with the sheets.

"What?" Said An pin after the two cowered under the covers, "Nothing to say for yourselves?"

Neither of them dared to open their mouths.

An pin smiled, "I'll be waiting outside," she said before letting the curtains drop closed.

She settled herself at the table and called for Weiwei. Xiaofan ran inside and into the bedroom. There was the sound of a slap before she slunk back out.

Wang chang zai had a lot of nerve to be so heavy-handed with her maids. As if she were any better than them, giving it up to the first man who looked at her.

"Is there any tea in this place?" Asked Weiwei.

The red-face Xiaofan nodded. By the time Wang chang zai and Cao taiyi had made themselves presentable, there was a cup of subpar tea cooling by An pin's side. The two love birds kneeled in front of her.

An pin looked around and spotted an iron poker propped up against Wang chang zai's singular brazier.

"Bring me the poker," she ordered Weiwei.

Cao taiyi looked up at her in shock. Wang chang zai didn't have the courage to lift her head. An pin stood up and held the hefty iron rod in her hand.

"You've dirtied my eyes with the things you showed me today, Wang chang zai. For what you've done, you deserve death. However, I'm a merciful mistress. I'll only teach you a lesson,"

An pin cracked the rod against Wang chang zai's back. The older woman let out a shriek of pain. The sound of it gave An pin a thrill. It made her blood pump to know that no matter how much she suffered, there always someone else to grind under her shoe. She doled out one hit after the other, relishing in the sound of Wang chang zai's screams that grew sharper and more shrill with each strike.

"What's going on in there?"

An pin whirled around to see a female official poking her head inside the door.

"Your Highness, An pin," the female official greeted her at the sight of her, "I apologize. I didn't realize it was you in here,"

"Rise," An pin said with a sweet smile, "Wang chang zai offended me the other day, and I brought along Cao taiyi to tend to her after her punishment. If the noise is too much, I'll stop now,"

The female official shook her head, "Your Highness is too kind to stop on my behalf. Please continue. I'll make sure you're not disturbed. I'll take my leave,"

She backed out and shut the door behind her. An pin turned back to Wang chang zai, who had slid face down on the ground, blood pouring from her mouth and nose. An pin lifted the iron poker to continue playing but Cao taiyi threw himself over Wang chang zai. 

"Your Highness, please! Please stop! She can't take anymore!"

An pin sighed and let Weiwei take the poker away. She sat down and let the maid massage her aching hand and shoulder, "Wow, simple gratitude is really out of fashion these days. I kept your nasty little secret from that official who would've reported you at once, and I don't hear a single word of thanks,"

Cao taiyi held Wang chang zai in his arms and bent until his head touched the ground, "This slave is grateful for Your Highness' mercy,"

"What? Is Wang meimei not grateful?" Asked An pin. She pulled her hand back and flicked it at Wang chang zai's limp body, "Weiwei, Xiaofan, go help her,"

"Your Highness–"

An pin went on speaking as if she didn't hear Cao taiyi at all, "Quickly now. Any longer, and I'll stop feeling so generous,"

Cao taiyi let Weiwei shove him to the side so she could pull one side of Wang chang zai upright.

"Hurry up!" She snapped at Xiaofan.

Xiaofan did as she was told and helped lift her mistress upright before Weiwei gripped her hair and bashed Wang chang zai's forehead to the ground.

An pin nodded, "Take care of her, Cao taiyi. I have big plans for Wang meimei,"

She stepped over Wang chang zai. As Weiwei opened the door, An pin looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with Cao taiyi.

"And don't go anywhere, Cao taiyi. I caught you once. Don't think I can't catch you again,"

-------

Xiang pin made her way around her table for what felt like the hundredth time. There were four plates of teacakes, stacked just so, ready to make the trek to Cininggong. It was obvious that The Empress Dowager had something up her sleeve to finally invite Xiang pin to her palace. The Empress Dowager had only given her two days' notice about the tea party and her task to bring something along.

The Empress Dowager would find more joy in kissing Dowager Noble Consort Ling's bare feet than being in the room with Xiang pin, so she knew that she was walking into some kind of trap. Something was bound to go wrong and be her fault. So Xiang pin supervised every step that went into the teacakes. Each grain of flour and sugar was hand picked and each cake was assembled and cooked by her own hands. The molds were boiled to be rid of any residue and they set with her watching over them like a hawk. No one besides herself and De gui fei was allowed to handle them. No one would be able to accuse her of tainted food, but she couldn't predict what they would accuse her.

As she rearranged the plates for the umpteenth time, Xiang pin wished that Jiayi was again by her side. She knew in her heart that Jiayi was safe with Prince Han, but she was smart and sensible She saw things that others couldn't. Molan, Pie'er, and Ping'er were lovely girls, but they were just that- girls. Lucky little things that life hadn't beaten into shrewdness. 

Xiang pin had played her role of green country bumpkin well enough that everyone assumed that Jiayi was the only thing keeping her head away from the chopping block. Now that she was gone, they were swarming around her like vultures.

She sighed, "These silver plates look like I'm trying too hard. Bring the painted porcelain bowls, the ones on feet,"

"Cakes!"

Yiqiang darted into the room, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Stop right there," said Xiang pin, "These are for your Royal Grandmother. And you've just woken up! You can't have cakes for breakfast, you silly thing,"

Ah, at least Yiqiang was here to ease her troubles. Raising a child, even a Royal one, was easy. His world was filled with the harsh reality of princedom from morning to night. When he came back to her, all it took was a kiss, a cuddle, and a soft word to calm him.

"She won't be able to eat them all," replied Yiqiang as he sat down in front of his breakfast.

"That doesn't matter. It's an honor for Her Highness to even gaze upon them," said Xiang pin, coming to his side and adding more food to his plate.

"What about the honor of feeding and Imperial heir?"

"Fine," said Xiang pin, plopping the red bean-filled cake on his plate, "Just this,"

Yiqiang pouted up at her, "What if I get hungry later?"

"Aiya! You've turned into a taotie!*"

Despite her grumbling, Xiang pin wrapped up a few more cakes for Yiqiang to take to his lessons. With Prince Han off taking care of Jiayi, Yiqiang was in the Imperial Study with the other princes.

The cake stacks were now uneven, and Xiang pin would have to rearrange them again. Hopefully this would be the last of the troubles the cakes gave her.

Yiqiang finished his breakfast and with a kiss on his forehead, left for his studies, Bolin trailing behind him.

Xiang pin looked back at the cakes on the table. She sighed.

"I changed my mind. The Empress Dowager will definitely think those plates are tacky. Bring the porcelain plates with the purple flowers,"

––––––– *A demonic beast in Chinese mythology, famous for its never-ending appetite.

[karadin]

Keeping up with The Untamed Actors

Wang Yibo (Lan Wangji)  is currently starring in the hit drama Luoyang and had another big drama with Legend of Fei. He also had a chapter in Faith Makes Great, with a cast of China’s biggest actors celebrating the 50th anniversary of the CCP. Wang Yibo will star in an upcoming fantasy drama about a cultivation school.

Xiao Zhan (Wei Wuxian) starred in two big dramas this year, The Wolf (which he filmed before The Untamed) and Doulou Continent which was the most viewed drama for most of the year, an upcoming role is The Longest Promise, a fantasy drama

Liu Haikuan (Lan Xichen) - took a strong supporting role in one of the top ten dramas of 2021 The Long Ballad, starred in a romance comedy Mr. Honesty and a hilarious guest role in the comedy 1 Vs 100 Dream Boys and is currently starring in the supernatural romance comedy I am the Years, You are the Stars. He will appear next in Mirror Twin Cities, a big-budget fantasy drama where he gets to play the bad guy (for a change) as well the main role in a famous adaptation of the well known novel A Will Eternal An Eternal Thought.

Wang Zhoucheng (Jiang Cheng)  Marius was busy this year with Two Sisters in The Chaos (with alum Men Zi Yi/Wen Qing) and has a main role in Rebirth For You, the lead role in a fantasy adventure film Turtle Island, and a much anticipated main role in the dramas (as a villain in) Chong Zi and Love Like The Galaxy on the way.

Xuan Lu (Jiang Yanli) has been busy this year with four dramas, including two main roles, Song of Youth, Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard, Stand By Me, and Legend of Zhong Kui, with multiple upcoming roles on the way in 2022

Zhang Jing Tong (Madame Yu) has been very active in the dramas Love Scenery, Weaving a Tale of Love, Meet You the popular My Heroic Husband, and a guest role in the breakout hit My Roomate Is A Detective

Meng Zi Yi (Wen Qing) is in the currently airing Sword Snow Stride, and earlier this year starred in Sisters in the Chaos (with alum Weng Zhoucheng) and also starred in Rebirth of Shopping Addict

Li Bo Wen (Song Lan) featured in Eternal Love Of Dream, Be Together, Truth, The Memory About You and will be in An Eternal Thought (with alum Liu Haikuan)

Wang Ji Zhou (Nie Mingjue) has also been a busy lad with the dramas Ark Peace, The Flaming Heart, Hunter, You Complete Me and has a supporting role in An Eternal Thought and the upcoming The Legend of He Xian Gu

Cao Yu Chen (Jin Zixuan) had a good run with the popular dramas Love Designer, a main role in Something Just Like This and will feature in the upcoming Lord Marriage, Please Stay

Zhu Zan Jin (Jin Guangyao) has graced the screen this year with Miss The Dragon, a fantasy drama, upcoming roles include the popular Daomu Biji (Lost Tomb) series with a prequel to The Mystic Nine.

Guo Cheng (Lan Jing Yi) has been featured in Dance of the Phoenix, had a main role in Run For Young and will be in the much anticipated League of Noblemen

Ji Li (Nie Huaisang) has been in the much lauded Chinese adaptation of Hikaru No Go, the dramas Our Times and Dear Missy with an upcoming role in the drama Mo Ran

[the-archlich]

Why did Wu and Shu seem to have a significant decrease in the quality of their Generals and officials in the latter days of the Three Kingdoms Era?

They didn't.

The folktales tend to be about the figures of the Sanping and Jian'an eras. Cao Cao, Guan Yu, and the like. There are a handful from the Three Kingdoms who get stories (Deng Ai and Jiang Wei, for example) but not nearly as many as in the previous era. That leads to a very confused perception that the commanders of later years were inferior to those of the earlier times.

There's also the fact that warfare during the Three Kingdoms had lower stakes. During the Sanping and Jian'an years, a single battle could determine the fate of a warlord's entire army. There were many desperate do-or-die battles, which provided more opportunities to display individual heroics.

The battles of the Three Kingdoms were not so desperate. A loss here or there (or even frequent losses) did not put the state in peril. And armies were larger, better organized, and campaigns were better planned. That leaves room for fewer individual actions.

The commanders of the Three Kingdoms were by no means inferior to their predecessors. Off the top of my head, here are some people who are comparable to those Sanping-Jian'an figures when you strip away the folktales.

This list begins with those who became famous during the Three Kingdoms proper; after 220. Some were active before then, but this is when they became significant. It excludes, to some extent, figures who only became famous after Jin's conquest of Wu in 280.

Xiahou Shang, Xiahou Xuan, Jia Kui, Fu Jia, Chen Tai, Gao Rou, Guo Huai, Wang Ji, Wang Ling< Guanqiu Jian, Deng Ai, Zhong Hui, Dong Yun, Chen Zhi, Li Yan, Huo Yi, Xiang Lang, Qian Zhou, Li Hui, Ma Zhong, Wang Ping, Zhang Ni, Jiang Wan, Fei YiGu Tan, Pan Zhang, Ding Feng, Zhu Ran, Shi Ji, Lu Ju, Zhu Yi, Zhu Ju, Lu Kang, He Qi, Quan Zong, Lu Dai, Pan Jun, Zhuge Ke, Teng Yin, Sima Yi, Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, Sima Yan, Zheng Chong, He Zeng, Shi Bao, Yang Hu, Du Yu, Chen Qian, Pei Xiu, Wei Guan, Zhang Hua, Sima Fu, Sima Wang, Sima Jun, Sima Zhou, Xun Yi, Xun Xu, Jia Chong, Wang Hun, Wang Jun, tang Bin, Shan Tao, Wang Rong

There are no doubt many who I am forgetting to mention because this is just shooting from the hip.

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Last Immortal (2024)

首发预告：赵露思王安宇缔结契约趣闯三界寻仙元 【神隐 The Last Immortal】

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A7ssct1eAo

[mdzsartreblogs]

Tags: Cast Members and Other Fandoms

Cast tags are listed and linked if they’re used once; cast sub-tags are listed and linked if they’re used once.

Other fandom tags and sub-tags are listed and linked if they’re used ten or more times.

cast 

cao yuchen (actor for jin zixuan)

chen zhuoxuan (actress for a-qing)

guo cheng (actor for lan jingyi)

ji li (actor for nie huaisang)

li bowen (actor for song lan)

liu haikuan (actor for lan xichen)

meng ziyi (actress for wen qing)

song jiyang (actor for xiao xingchen)

yan da fu (song jiyang’s character in the birth of the drama king)

wang haoxuan (actor fur xue yang)

wang yibo

(actor for lan wangji)

xie yun (wang yibo’s character in legend of fei)

wang yizhou (actor for nie minjue)

wang zhuocheng (actor for jiang cheng)

danta (wang zhuocheng’s cat)

xiao zhan (actor for wei wuxian)

ji chong (xiao zhan’s character in lang dianxia/the wolf)

jianguo (xiao zhan’s cat)

shi ying (xiao zhan’s character in yu gu yao/jade bone ballad)

tang san (xiao zhan’s character in duoluo continent)

yan bingyun (xiao zhan’s character in qing yunian/joy of life)

zhang xiaofan (xiao zhan’s character in zhuxian/jade dynasty)

xuan lu (actress for jiang yanli)

yu bin (actor for wen ning)

zheng fanxing (actor for lan sizhui)

zhu zanjin (actor for jin guangyao)

rpf

yizhan (wang yibo/xiao zhan)

zhuliuhai (zhu zanjin/liu haikuan)

other fandoms

not to be confused with aus and fusions, which are in a different post. this category refers to artwork compilations which include multiple fandoms - ie, a “draw 6″ with characters from mdzs and others. I’m not personally familiar with all of these so I’ve done my best with tagging but errors are possible. I’ve only included those tags that have come up at least 10 times.

douluo continent

the husky and his white cat shizun

chu wanning

mo ran

ranwan

If you’d like more 2ha art, check out my sideblog @erhaartreblogs.

lang dianxia (The Wolf)

legend of fei

minecraft

ren zha fanpai zijiu xitong (Scum Villain’s Self Saving System)

bingqiu

liu qingge

luo binghe

mobei jun

moshang

shang qinghua

shen qingqiu

the system

zhuzhi lang

If you’d like more SVSSS art, check out my sideblog @svsssartreblogs.

star wars

thousand autumns

tian guan ci fu (Heaven Official’s Blessing)

beefleaf

feng xin

he xuan

hua cheng

hualian

mu qing

qi rong

shi qingxuan

xie lian

If you’d like more TGCF art, check out my sideblog @tgcfartreblogs​.

word of honor

wen kexing

wenzhou

zhou zishu

If you’d like more TYK art, check out my sideblog @tykartreblogs.

[fineillsignup]

Clouds and Rain: a (snarky) Character Index

I lured @math-is-magic​ into trying to read Clouds and Rain despite no prior knowledge of the Three Kingdoms era generally and she professed being impressed at how, long long ago when I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms for the first time, I made my own character glossary to keep track of who is who.

CAVEAT LECTOR: Historically accurate only to the degree that it pleases my pedantry. Departs from Dynasty Warriors in some key areas. Limited to characters that have (so far) appeared in the story directly.

Wu aka Sun Wu - Jiangdong - The Southlands

Colour Scheme? Red Animal Motif? Tiger Part of China? Southeast third, from the Yangtze (more or less) down, west about halfway. Heat, rivers, pirates, rice, fish. Motivation? Bonds Hearts? ON FIRE Enemy Camps? ALSO ON FIRE

Sun Quan, ruler of Wu, style name Zhongmou: Wow, who died and left this loser to rule? Well, that’s the problem, everybody died and left this loser to rule. Ever so slightly neurotic. *coughs* Kind of my problematic fave. Thinks everybody in Shu is out to get him. (Everybody in Shu IS out to get him.) Lianshi: Technically she ought to be Lady Bu but since Dynasty Warriors didn’t bother neither did I. Former lady-in-waiting to Sun Quan’s sister, nicest woman you’ll ever meet, Sun Quan is her problematic fave. Big ol’ tiddies. Lu Xun, Wu chancellor, style name Boyan: OUR HERO. 92.3% perfect gentleman and Confucian af. Gan Ning, Wu officer: Adorable kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day. Former pirate, semi-reformed psychopath. WEARS BELLS, it’s his thing. Used to be in the employ of another army, during which time he kinda sorta killed the father of... Ling Tong, Wu officer: Rich kid who made good in his own right. Wanted to kill Gan Ning for a long time (in revenge for his father’s death) but has mostly gotten over it and now they are best frenemies. (Note to history buffs: just GET OUT of here with your FACTS.) Shield of laziness and apathy. “I don’t care,” says Ling Tong, caringly, as he cares deeply. Zhou Tai, Wu officer: Sun Quan’s personal bodyguard. Former pirate. Tall, dark, and... scarred. Well, two out of three isn’t bad. The strong silent type. Zhu Ran, Wu officer: Lu Xun used to be Wu’s pyromaniac character. Then they introduced Zhu Ran to be the pyromaniac and actually made Lu Xun well-rounded, and Zhu Ran is slightly bitter about it. Also a Rich Kid. (Is Wu’s army all rich kids and pirates???? MAYBE.) Ding Feng, Wu officer: One-note character who looks like Frankenstein’s monster and writes poetry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Han Dang, Wu officer: One-note character who doesn’t want to be forgotten. Forget about him. Sun Shangxiang: Sun Quan’s younger sister, famous/infamous for being wild about martial arts and just generally wild. Arranged married to... (hold this thought...)

Shu aka Shu Han

Colour scheme? Green Animal motif? Dragon Part of China? At this point, the west-southwest. Smallest/least prosperous. Motivation? BENEVOLENCE Really? YES OF COURSE, BENEVOLENCE AND ONLY BENEVOLENCE. Pay no attention to the man behind the crane fan. What’s benevolence? 仁 Ren. Confucius says... no, come back, this isn’t a joke! Confucius really does say! Confucius says: Now the man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others. What’s that guy doing over there behind the crane fan? NOTHING!!

Liu Bei, ruler of Shu: He was arranged married to Sun Shangxiang! (I hope you didn’t hurt yourself holding that thought.) Tenuously related to the imperial family but grew up poor af. Charismatic as hell. Wants to tell you the Good News about Benevolence. Liu Shan, crown prince, aka A-Dou: Unspecified, serious intellectual disability. Bears zero resemblance to the Dynasty Warriors version. Affectionate, gentle young man. Gets along really well with Zhao Yun and Sun Shangxiang. Zhuge Liang, prime minister of Shu, chief strategist, style name Kongming, Taoist name Crouching Dragon: The smuggest of snakes. He has a crane fan and he isn’t afraid to use it. Likes: his wife, his lord, his plans, sex magic, being an asshole. "I meant to do that,” he whispers, calmly, while falling at terminal velocity into a pit of vipers. Yueying aka Lady Huang, inventor: Zhuge Liang’s wife. Unspecified not neurotypical. Likes: machines, her husband. Dislikes: people, distractions, social cues. Very little resemblance to Dynasty Warriors character. Zhang Fei, Shu officer: Liu Bei’s sworn brother dating back to when they all weren’t shit, along with the dead Guan Yu. Designated youngest brothers because in Chinese culture it is Absolutely Vital We Know Who Is Older. Big, burly, loveable drunk. (Again, do NOT confuse me with the facts.) Zhang Bao, Shu officer: Zhang Fei’s son. Young and unproven and determined.  Grew up with Guan Yu’s children as pseudo-cousins. Xingcai aka Lady Zhang, Shu officer: Zhang Fei’s younger child. Xingcai is not here to make friends or play games. Xingcai is here to win. Unfortunately for Xingcai, her society dictates that ladylike behaviour means making friends and playing (diplomatic) games, not winning (on the battlefield). Guan Xing, Shu officer: The oldest natural child of Guan Yu. Honour, righteousness, honour, honour, rules, benevolence, honour, rules, and honour. Guan Suo, Shu officer: Youngest son of Guan Yu. In the wake of his father’s death, passive and disheartened. Guan Yinping: Youngest child of Guan Yu. Our heroine! Strong, sweet, determined, and genuine. Zhao Yun, Shu officer: One of Liu Bei’s first and best recruits to his cause. Famous for having single-handedly rescued Liu Shan as a baby while they were fleeing Cao Cao, fighting with the infant on his back. Madam Zhao aka Yunlu aka Lulu: Zhao Yun’s much younger wife, the sister of another officer in Shu, for some mysterious reason her identity is a (badly kept) secret, WHO could she POSSIBLY be? (People who know the answer: shhhhh.) Ma Chao, “the Splendid”: A multi-ethnic officer of Shu who joined because of wanting revenge against Cao Cao for the massacre of his clan. Yes, Ma Chao is Shu’s Sasuke. Catchphrase: JUSTICE. Ma Dai, “the guy who hangs out with Ma Chao”: Ma Chao’s cousin, trails along after Ma Chao trying to keep him from getting himself justiced to death. Wears the only non-stupid hat in Dynasty Warriors. An artist and a joker. Wei Yan, Shu officer: Speaks... like... this... why?... Unclear... maybe... head... injury...

Wei aka Cao Wei

Colour scheme? Blue Animal motif? Phoenix Part of China? The entire north, from the coast to the west, including the cities with the strongest claim to be imperial capital in that time. Motivation? Ambition and power Isn’t that slightly evil? I mean, not necessarily, but they’re the antagonists so in fact yes. So they don’t get the same revisionism deal as the other two kingdoms? Nope. Is that fair? Nope! Show me on the map where I store my fucks.

Cao Pi, ruler and self-proclaimed emperor: I genuinely have a grievance against the historical guy but he was no worse than most of the rest of the people here. But in this story, the fictional Cao Pi is a supreme douchebag. Zhenji, empress: Too good for Cao Pi and this world. Don’t mistake my meaning; also kind of a bitch. A perfect bitch whom I would die for. Sima Yi, Wei prime minister: Genius strategist. Did not even originally want to join the Ambition Kingdom, but has caught the spirit in a big way now. Zhang Chunhua: Sima Yi’s wife, pulls the strings, literally. Thinks all problems can be solved with enough murders. Don’t think I’m saying she’s a bitch and I don’t like her. She’s a bitch, and I like her so much. Zhang He, Wei officer: Could host Queer Eye for the Third Century Guy. Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. Came to Wei from the same place as Zhenji and they are besties. Li Dian, Wei officer: Has a gut sense about things which is always right, unfortunately doesn’t stop things from happening, poor babe. A nice guy. Yue Jin, Wei officer: Smol and insecure about it, despite the fact that he could fuck you up. He can fuck anyone up. He can fuck himself up. BFF with Li Dian. Also a nice guy. Wang Yi, Wei officer: Hey remember how Cao Cao killed Ma Chao’s entire clan? Well while Ma Chao was attempting to get his revenge against Cao Cao, he whoopsy-doodle massacred Wang Yi’s entire clan. Now Wang Yi dreams of dancing with Ma Chao’s severed head in the moonlight. Xu Shu, Wei officer: Sad man who got tricked into leaving Shu because he loves his mama. Tries his best and deserved none of this. Jia Xu, Wei strategist: Loyal only to himself and shrewd, was an enemy strategist who came very near to killing Cao Cao at one time, but accepted being hired by him when he was captured. Does believe in doing his best.

And (I think) that’s everybody! Whee! I hope all three of you who read this enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

[gurguliare]

for @catchaspark and anyone else interested: “Cao Cao Warms Wine and Rates the Heroes of the Realm”

(context: Cao Cao is the leading general of the child emperor, and Xuande/Liu Bei is a formerly impoverished and extremely minor scion of the imperial family whose main claim to fame at this point is to have lost the same province twice, and also, not to have been murdered by Lü Bu. which 2 be fair is not a bad run. also he recently attached his name to a list of secret loyalists committed to restoring the emperor’s power, and has been spending a LOT of time in his vegetable garden. Lord Guan and Zhang Fei are his good bros.)

One day when Lord Guan and Zhang Fei were away and Xuande was watering his plants, two of Cao’s generals, Xu Chu and Zhang Liao, led a score of men into the garden. “His Excellency,” they announced, “requests that Your Lordship come at once.”

Alarmed, Xuande asked, “An emergency?”

“I don’t know,” Xu Chu answered. “I was told to request your presence.” Xuande could only follow the two men to Cao Cao’s residence.

A smiling Cao Cao greeted Xuande. “That’s quite a project you have underway at home,” he said in a tone that turned Xuande’s face pale as dust. Taking Xuande’s hand, Cao led him to his own garden. “You have taken up a most difficult occupation in horticulture,” Cao continued.

“Just to while away the time,” Xuande answered, relieved. “There is nothing else to occupy me.”

“I was admiring the plums on the branch,” Cao remarked. “The new green ones called to mind last year’s campaign against Zhang Xiu, when we ran short of water on the march. How parched the men were! Then something occurred to me. ‘There’s a plum grove ahead,’ I cried and pretended to locate it with my whip. When the troops heard me, their mouths watered and their thirst was gone. Seeing these plums now, I can’t help enjoying the sight; and having some wine just heated, I decided to invite Your Lordship for a drink at this little pavilion.” Regaining possession of himself, Xuande went along with Cao Cao. Delicacies had already been set out; a plate piled with new green plums and a jar brimming with warmed wine. Sitting opposite one another, the two men drank freely and enjoyed themselves without constraint.

The wine had enlivened their spirits when dark clouds appeared and overspread the heavens: a flash storm was threatening. An attendant pointed to what seemed like a distant dragon suspended on the horizon. The two men leaned against the balcony and watched it. Cao turned to Xuande and asked, “Does my lord understand the dragon’s multiform manifestations?”

“Not in great detail,” Xuande replied.

“The dragon,” Cao continued, “can enlarge and diminish itself, surge aloft or lie beneath the surface of the water. Enlarged, it creates clouds and spews mist. Diminished, it can veil its scaly form from view. Aloft, it prances triumphant in the upper realm of space. Under the surface, it lurks among the surging breakers. Now in the fullness of spring it mounts the season, like men who would fulfill an ambition to dominate the length and breadth of the land. In this respect the dragon can well be compared to the heroes of the age. You yourself have traveled widely and surely must be familiar with the great heroes of our time. Please try to point them out for me.”

“How can these eyes of mine sight heroes?” Xuande said.

“Set your modesty aside,” Cao urged.

“Thanks to Your Excellency’s gracious benefaction,” Xuande responded, “I have succeeded in serving the dynasty. But as for the heroes of the realm, such things are more than I would know of.”

“Even if you do not know any personally,” Cao Cao persisted, “you should at least have heard of some.”

“Yuan Shu of Huainan?” Xuande ventured. “His warriors are first rate, his provisions abundant. Would he be one?”

“Dry bones,” Cao laughed, “rattling in the grave. Sooner or later I will have him.”

“Yuan Shao, then,” Xuande suggested. “For four generations the Yuans have held highest office, and many officials served under them. Shao has a firm grip on Jizhou, where he is supported by capable men. Would you count him?”

“His expression is fierce enough,” Cao said. “But his courage is thin. He enjoys conniving but lacks decision. He plays for high stakes but begrudges personal sacrifice, spots a minor gain and risks his life. No hero he!”

Xuande asked, “And how would you rate Liu Biao, a paragon whose reputation stretches across the realm?”

“Liu Biao?” Cao answered. “A name without substance, and no hero either.”

“There is Sun Ce,” Xuande suggested. “The leader of the Southland in his prime.”

“Sun Ce,” Cao replied, “stands on his father’s reputation. He’s no hero.”

“Liu Zhang, then,” Xuande said, “perhaps he could be considered.”

“Though connected to the royal house,” Cao Cao said, “he is nothing but a watchdog by the gate and hardly deserves the name of hero.”

“Then,” Xuande continued, “what about Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Han Sui, and the other warlords?”

Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed. “Petty mediocrities,” he said, “beneath our notice.”

“Truly,” said Xuande, “I can think of no one else.”

“Now,” Cao Cao went on, “what defines a hero is this: a determination to conquer, a mine of marvelous schemes, an ability to encompass the realm, and the will to make it his.”

“Who merits such a description?” Xuande asked.

Cao pointed first to Xuande, then to himself. “The heroes of the present day,” he said, “number but two---you, my lord, and myself.”

Xuande gulped in panic. Before he realized it, his chopsticks had slipped to the ground. Then the storm came on. A peal of thunder gave him the chance to bend down casually and retrieve them. “See what a clap of thunder made me do?” he remarked.

“A great man afraid of thunder?” Cao asked.

“Confucius himself became agitated in thunderstorms,” Xuande reminded him. “How could I not fear them?” In this way he succeeded in glossing over the cause of his anxiety.

[...]

The rain stopped. Two men burst into the garden. Swords in hand, they dashed to the pavilion, shoving aside the guards. There before Cao’s eyes stood Lord Guan and Zhang Fei! The two warriors, after returning from archery practice, were told that Xu Chu and Zhang Liao had escorted Xuande to see Cao Cao. Anxious for their elder brother’s safety, the two had rushed to the prime minister’s residence and pushed their way into the rear garden, only to find Cao Cao and Xuande calmly drinking together. Lord Guan and Zhang Fei stood still, hands resting on their weapons. Cao asked the reason for the visit, and Lord Guan replied, “We heard Your Excellency was carousing with our brother and have come to present a sword dance for your amusement.”

[dynasty-warriors]

fic idea! (or, help i accidentally made a not!fic)

hi admins, really sorry about the length, maybe you’d wanna put this under a cut? ;;‘3’) ~ *

Basic premise: What if the Sleeping Dragon were an actual dragon?

//Cue flashing of artistic license, and random tapping of both RoTK portrayals and historical accounts without citations yay. This follows the events of DW8/SSM7, i.e. Shu’s historical route, just with Xu Shu. 208 AD. Xinye, after the Wei forces are defeated. While going with Liu Bei to meet Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei wonders aloud how Zhuge Liang got his “Sleeping Dragon” title. Xu Shu pauses before giving the most widely-accepted answer. Later that year, the Battle of Chibi takes place. Recalling Sun Ce’s death by curse, Zhou Yu is iffy about Zhuge Liang after the wind changes direction. He is also iffy about Yueying who drops a one-liner along the lines of “you’ll accomplish much greater things than this.” Xiaoqiao, who has found out about Cao Cao’s wish to have her as a concubine, pops up on the front lines out of anger and defeats Xu Shu in front of Zhou Yu. Later, Yueying finds Xu Shu and brings him to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong. Lu Su later confirms for Zhou Yu that there was actually really no way Zhuge Liang could’ve pulled off the wind thing without magic–the stars were all out of whack. Zhou Yu is shookt and all “okay thank you I already knew that :/ :/ ://///” 209 AD. Zhou Yu dies at the end of the Battle of Nanjun. In the middle of preparations for his funeral, though, his corpse goes missing. The Sun family and the rest of Wu flip, though Xiaoqiao becomes hopeful for a moment. 219 AD. By the time Xu Shu arrives at the Battle of Fan Castle, the flood has occurred. Guan Yu dies in battle. 221 AD, before spring. Zhou Yu wakes up in Xinye… in Zhuge Liang’s backyard. It seems that Yueying spearheaded whatever otherworldly shenanigans it was that brought him back to life while Xu Shu applauds her from some distance away and Zhuge Liang himself is nowhere to be found. Zhou Yu gets used to the odd feeling of reanimation and gently takes in all the news he’s missed (Hefei and Fan Castle etc). He learns that Zhuge Liang has already left to help Liu Bei get ready for the Battle of Yiling. It is then that Yueying tells Zhou Yu that, one, he was resurrected to be one of the three people who will fight off a dragon prophecied to show up and burn down Yiling (the other two are Xu Shu and Yueying herself), and, two, Zhuge Liang is that dragon and he does not know it (he just knows that he can’t remember much of his childhood). No, they can’t tell him or kill him off early or seal him away. They basically have to keep his dragon form in check so that history goes smoothly and China doesn’t get razed. This is also why Zhou Yu (officially dead) and Xu Shu (not a key figure in the historical route) were chosen, why Zhou Yu can’t return to Wu, and why Xu Shu needs to stop beating himself up over what happened at Fan Castle. Cue training montage because how 2 dragonslayerz lol. Zhou Yu and Xu Shu find out that they’re both insecure around Zhuge Liang. They bond with Yueying over books and Han Dynasty technology (insert cute geek moments here bc *~technology~*). However, reluctant hero Xu Shu is put off by Zhou Yu confessing how much he’s wanted to end Zhuge Liang with his own hands. Zhou Yu also reveals that he’s not really okay with being resurrected (Yueying is upset by this), and then he runs off to finish the mission himself. Fighting off the memory of being beaten up at Chibi, Xu Shu gives chase and defeats Zhou Yu. Yueying catches up. All is well. Late 221. Shu and Wu clash at Yiling. Liu Bei disappears into the forest. Lu Xun and Zhu Ran’s fire attack succeeds. Except that the fire attack goes so well that the Wu camp is singed as well. Zhuge Liang has also gone missing, although there *~just happens~* to be a giant white and green dragon tearing up Yiling. Xu Shu and Yueying spring into action while Zhou Yu has flashbacks to his death (Yiling is in the same area as Nanjun) and to the moment in Chibi when the southern winds started to blow. Zhuge Liang is weakened and reverts to his human form, but Yueying bleeds out in front of him and dies. After hearing terrified accounts from the rest of Shu, Zhuge Liang realizes that he’sthe dragon who ripped into Yueying, burned most of Yiling, and caused Shu’s defeat, plus he’s the reason Zhou Yu is back from the dead. Liu Bei has also been injured by the fire. (However, the rest of Shu never figures out who the dragon was.) 223 AD. After Liu Bei’s death, pokerfaced Zhuge Liang prepares for the Northern Campaigns. Zhou Yu takes the chance to check up on Wu. Come nightfall, he bumps into Xiaoqiao. “It’s not fun, sitting back and not getting to do anything legendary. I’m going with you!”

She ends up replacing Yueying as one of the three killswitches but is a bit confused because Zhou Yu isn’t as irked at Zhuge Liang as she remembers. While Xu Shu can freely appear as himself on the battlefield, Zhou Yu and Xiaoqiao have to dress up as Xingcai’s bodyguards or sth (imagine Xiaoqiao interacting with Zhang Bao or Guan Yinping, the cuties). In between battles, Xiaoqiao boosts Xu Shu’s self-esteem (bc Xiaoqiao full stop), and Zhou Yu lets go of his hatred and warms up to Zhuge Liang, who is determined to keep history going despite how he’s a ticking time bomb. Depending on the author, this may or may not become slash, though imo pure bro-ness/friendly one-upping would already be comedy gold and also more than enough to make the ending sting very badly mwahahaha

234 AD. Wuzhang Plains. Shu’s fake retreat succeeds… and then Zhuge Liang goes missing. Cue giant white and green dragon setting a large chunk of Wuzhang Plains ablaze, and also Sima Yi losing his marbles because giANT DRAGON THIS WAS NOWHERE IN OUR PREDICTIONS.  Zhou Yu is a lot less enthusiastic about killing Zhuge Liang now. Guess who has to deal the final blow, because Xiaoqiao and Xu Shu grow tired as the fight ends. He manages to help a bleeding Zhuge Liang return to Shu’s main camp before both of them die (Zhou Yu’s done with his mission so he can crumble back into ashes now). Cue lots of “okay we’re done,” “this was actually fun,” “it was an honor,” and “I can rest now, hooray” on the final walk. Xu Shu and Jiang Wei agree to work together for the rest of the Northern Campaign while Xiaoqiao says she’ll take care of something before returning to Wu. A few months or years later, Xiaoqiao goes up to Ma Dai and hands him a manuscript. She asks him to take it because “I saw you running around with a giant paintbrush once. Maybe you’d know what to do with this” and also because she thinks even less people would take the story seriously if they found out that it was written by her. As long as people get to know about “all the cool stuff Zhou Yu and Xu Shu and I got to do,” she will be content.

-

*stares at steaming mess.*

*quietly leaves meat bun.*

have an awesome 2018 y'all 'w’)/ ~ *

[xiahoumiaocai]

Letter to my critics (stance on fiction/game vs historical)

Not so much here on Tumblr, but on other sites (koei warriors forums - how little I miss you) I've been labelled as a hypocrite for my stance on history vs fiction.

They tend to point out that I often adamantly press for historical accuracy in some of my posts yet also suggest that in the games certain characters should be shown doing things that they only did in the novel or that Koei should invent for the characters.

Look, one thing you need to know about me is that I am a fan of the games. A very critical fan, but one of those types who hold the franchise closely enough to my heart to never truly abandon it despite its faults. And I am entirely aware that the game is a fictional interpretation of historical events. Therefore I accept that Koei want to put their own stamp on the era. Of course.

When it comes to promoting fictional events in the games, I follow a guideline.

It must further a story - it must give us something that can’t be given as well by excluding it

If the fictional event serves no purpose in the story, it isn't needed. I define this as something like a fictionalised battle or a character death scene which isn’t historically accurate. Think battles like Xuchang (DW6 did it best). Sun Ce never invaded Xuchang or died in that battle, but it's a great way to end his chapter to the story, much preferable to the Gan Ji bs. It also sets up Sun Quan's motivation to focus primarily on preserving his territory instead of aiming to conquer all of China.

An example of where it didn’t further the story is the inclusion of the Nanman stage in DW5 featuring Wu, or the Nanman stage against the Yellow Turbans. They were added to give the Nanmans screen time, but it didn’t help the story in anyway. To the contrary, Meng Huo’s unification of the different tribes was something that helped the story and gave us some insight into how Koei intends to interpret tribal culture.

It must further the character development of as many of the characters involved

This worked well with independent character stories. Cao Cao, Ling Tong and Sima Yi's were the best written stories in DW6, in my opinion, and they were all riddled with fictional events, especially Sima Yi's. It developed all of the characters involved in the story very well. For a kingdom story example, think Cao Cao's attempted assassination of Dong Zhuo, or the manner of the deaths of Cao Mao and Zhuge Dan. They never receive their exact historical deaths at the hands of their actual killers, Cheng Ji and Hu Fen, but the way it is handled helps the character development of Sima Zhao, Jia Chong and even Zhuge Dan himself.

It must be rooted in logic / not clash with historical basis

This goes mainly for character interaction. Most of the characters who interact in the games scarcely ever met or worked together and certainly weren't close. But it's logical to have characters who fought in the same campaigns to have some emotional connection to one another. Historically, a lot of figures wouldn't have personally met even when participating in the same campaigns because they played their own role in different locations. They may have interacted in letters, but not closely, just to communicate battle plans. Also battles that didn't have characters participate historically who were involved in the games. Especially battles like Yiling, where Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, Zhang Bao, Gan Ning and Ling Tong get thrown in even though four of the aforementioned characters were already dead, and the other two were absent entirely. It makes sense for all of these characters to play a role, and adds to the intensity that the battle is supposed to represent.

A counterexample of something that wasn't logical was Zuo Ci's role in DW5's story, or if they had Xiahou Yuan or Xu Shu appear at Fancheng. Or characters serving their lords well before the characters joined their lords. DW4 was guilty of this, but their story mode style made it somewhat forgivable. But imagine having a character play a role that they simply do not belong in. Zhao Yun serving Yuan Shao in DW5 is a good example. It added nothing to his character or to Yuan Shao’s, it just gave him screen time. Dian Wei surviving his death in DW5 is another example? His death gives his character’s presence meaning and develops Cao Cao and Jia Xu. If he survives, it takes these things away. It’s a reason why I disliked many of the what-if stages in DW8. No to Sun Jian and Sun Ce surviving their deaths but still surrendering power to Sun Quan, who is evidently less successful than they are. They have no valid reason to set him up for leadership, especially Sun Jian who has no idea his sons will become established warlords in their own right.

If a character is given fictional merits, they cannot take away from the historical merits of another character

Yes, Guan Yu I’m looking at you. Zhuge Liang, you too. Zhou Yu and Lu Xun, you are both sitting in my peripheral. Guan Yu killing Hua Xiong over Sun Jian is never going to be something I support. Chibi is often guilty of this. Zhuge Liang gets credit for the winds, fine whatever, but sometimes he pushes Zhou Yu to realising fire would work. No. When Zhuge Liang takes game for any other characters' merits. No. Zhou Yu and Lu Xun are often credited with developing the strategies for all of early Wu or all of late Wu. With Zhou Yu, you can make allowances until Lu Fan becomes playable. With Lu Xun, you can sort of make allowances but now that Zhu Ran is playable, far less so. 

An example of fictional merits given done right? Characters who kill other characters they didn’t kill in a battle where the killed character was killed by a current NPC or died of illness (in cases where an in-battle death would serve them better). So Jia Chong or Sima Zhao killing Zhuge Dan and Cao Mao. Jiang Wei killing Guo Huai. Xiahou Yuan killing Fa Zheng in his last breath. Zhang Liao killing Taishi Ci. Gan Ning’s death at Yiling. Or characters who are in command of battles where the commander was an NPC. For example, Zhou Yu taking solitary command instead of Cheng Pu at Chibi, or taking Lu Fan’s role in the foundation of the warlord state.

So there.

When we are discussing the game, I might suggest a minimal few fictional battles, or small events to be turned into fictionalised battles/stages. I might suggest fictional character development and motives that bring out the story, I might suggest fictional character relations to be portrayed and followed, like a friendship between Liu Feng with Guan Ping and Zhang Xingcai. I might suggest a horizon of fictional things for the game to use for the furtherance of the story.

Talking about history is another thing altogether. I press for historical accuracy, not in regards to conversations about the games (although let it be noted that I would rather see an almost perfectly historical accurate game but I know not to expect it) but in regards to conversations about the history. I’m avid - perhaps too much - about the history. I will point out whenever someone attempts to justify a character’s inclusion by using their role in the novels to show that they are worthwhile additions. Sure, you can use the novels as your basis for the justification of that character, but don’t tell me that’s what they did historically. Don’t tell me that Liu Bei or Zhuge Liang were some humble, benevolent sages, that Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao were unrivaled and valorous heroes, that Wei Yan deserved to die because he rebelled to join Wei (?) or that Sima Yi had been trying to usurp Wei since he joined Cao Cao’s government (Wei didn’t even exist then). 

Feel free to have your own opinion on the characters, but please don’t tell me what is fictional is historical. Especially when you are adamant you are right in the face of H I S T O R I C A L   E V I D E N C E. Please. Please. It’s the only thing that stings me.