#Lishu

[neo--queen--serenity]

Found family is such a huge theme in the Apothecary Diaries.

You have Luomen, raising Maomo from a young age, despite her being biologically his grandniece, but raising her anyway.

You have the Madame of the Verdigris House, who is Maomao’s maternal grandmother, but never tells her. She takes care of Maomao, helps raise her in the brothel the best she can, but tries not to show how fond she is of her.

You have Meimei, Joka, & Pairin, three famous courtesans at the Verdigris House who not only physically raised Maomao in her infancy (an imperfect process, as to be expected when one tries to collectively raise a baby in a brothel), but also breastfed her. These women staunchly refer to themselves as Maomao’s sisters, despite having been old enough to be her parents themselves.

You have Gyokuyou, who doesn’t have a good relationship with her own family, and actively distrusts them. She invests wholly in the women she instates as her ladies-in-waiting, treating them, instead, as her family, and as the only people she truly trusts. It’s for this reason that she asks for Maomao to return to her service over and over: because she trusts her, she loves her as a member of her own household. She shows defiance and even possessiveness when Jinshi’s involvement keeps Maomao from being her lady-in-waiting permanently, as truly trustworthy people are so hard to find, in her world.

You have Lakan, who adopted his nephew Lahan when Lahan’s own family rejected his genius and his potential for growth. Lakan, in general, tends to take in orphans and young children into his estate as servants, when he can tell they have specific talents that would be wasted when they grew older. One of his hobbies is fostering the talents of these strays he takes into his employ. Even if his motives are grey, he still drastically changes their lives for the better.

You have Chou-u, who Maomao indirectly adopted as her own (even though, age-wise, he’s closer to a brother figure for her). Since he’s lost his memories, Maomao is all he knows as a parental figure. She let him live with her, she tried teaching him medicine like Luomen did for her (even though it didn’t resonate with him). And when Maomao spends long stints away from the pleasure district, Chou-u experiences acute separation anxiety, though it slowly improves over time.

You have Ah-Duo, who acted as a surrogate mother to Lishu for both of Lishu’s tenures in the rear palace. Ah-Duo couldn’t have a normal relationship with her own child (Jinshi), so she doted on Lishu instead. This was a truly symbiotic relationship for them, as Lishu, for the longest time, had very few people she could trust or rely on as a friend when she was a consort.

And these are just the relationships I can think of at the moment!! The story has so many bonds like this. It’s one of my absolute favorite aspects of the series, and one that I think Natsu Hyuuga handles incredibly well.

[ianime0]

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | Ep14 | What I will be teaching you today is a secret technique shared only amongst women.

[immanime]

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto OP2

[suyahime]

[landofanimes]

The Apothecary Diaries

Transparent: Character Design

Maomao

Jinshi

Gaoshun

Lady Gyokuyou

Xiaolan

Lady Lihua

Lady Lishu

Lady Ah-Duo

Lihaku

Lady Loulan

Suirei

Lakan

[sayammm]

[gabbyp09]

[s-lycopersicum]

[friedwizardwhispers]

This really perfectly show what I mean when I say it's a fun pretty light story until the most fucked things that could happen is alluded:

Here are some proxy fights between the maids that are kinda funny... Oh wait, they are fighting because Lishu is 14 and was considered the step-mother of a current concubine at a younger age meaning she was a concubine to an emperor at 9 fucking years old. Fuck. I hate it here.

Poor Lishu.She is a baby.

[iwillfightformydream]

The Emperor can never get rid of the La(Ra) clan from his life 

Lishu: I wish to be adopted by the La clan.

In the Emperor ‘s mind: I suppose that makes sense, despite how insane the La clan are, they treat each other well. . . .What’s the worst that can happen.

*** Basen starting to court Lishu***

The Emperor: well, at least none of my family are trying to court someone in the La clan.

Jinshi coming up to him with Maomao: He-

The Emperor: Fuck

[katiunasstuff]

Basen and Lishu in another universe as ducklings! 🦆

[kurayamineko]

[ianime0]

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | Ep11 | At that moment, her masculine, noble face suddenly took on the expression of a mother.

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

can't believe an actual duck had to literally play cupid for lishu and single-dad basen the mother of jofu

[suyahime]

[crowdraws96]

Lishu rkgk