#The Dongfang Clan

[tushanfoxspirit]

I have reached a point where I really hope this so-called new season by this “new” studio will be cancelled altogether 🙂💔💔

[beatrixacs]

I wonder if Xilan clan has somehow neutrality in their blood/genes? The show states several times (Shanqgue, Yunzhong) that their clan lived in Xishan since forever to guard the three realms from the evil gods and that's why they always remained neutral and their neutrality was respected by everyone.

And you can't help but notice that XLH keeps pushing for peace (she doesn’t want the war, she doesn’t want to betray Shuiyuntian but she also doesn’t want Moon Tribe to get hurt) and is trying to remain neutral. She doesn't want to choose sides because she doesn't draw the line between the good and evil. It’s not important to her.

That's why she sees the good in DFQC since the beginning (and why she is oblivious to the hypocrisy - yes, I'm calling Yunzhong rule as that - of Shuiyuntian). She does have prejudices against the Moon Tribe but that's because she heard only them all along and she doesn't know anything else. Once she does get to know the Moon Tribe, she considers both realms as 'good people'.

She starts to defies this neutrality once her love for DFQC is cemented because that love is selfish (she loves only one) and while also selfless (she loves him so much that she sacrifices herself several times for him), it's not the same kind of general love for everybody that keeps her neutral.

I don’t think any other of the main characters has this sense for neutrality as much as XLH does.

Maybe I am way over my head but... I just think so.

[sombredancer]

Asian dramas and Love tropes

There are my favorite characters and their love stories as a list. Enemies to lovers

Drama: Her Royal Highness/长公主在上 Characters: Gu Xuanqing x Li Yunzhen Screentime: Main A boy is sent to be a servant in the unruly princess`s palace in order to find some dirt about her and to help his master to overthrown her, but something goes wrong... The HE is attached.

Drama: The Legends/招摇 Characters: Li Chenlan x Lu Zhaoyao Screentime: Main A leader of a demonic sect died trying to get demonic sword. Her soul returns to the world full of wish to get revenge on the current leader of her sect, who, as she thinks, killed her in the past. Found the way to be close to him, she learns that he wasn't the reason of her death and, moreover, desperately in love with her for many-many years. This is an adaptation of the novel "Ostentatious Zhaoyao", which I love more than a drama, but it's a good story in both variants. The HE is attached (although it`s a little bit obscure in the drama).

Drama: Till the End of the Moon/ 长月烬明 Characters: Tantai Jin x Li Susu Screentime: Main A boy who is destined to become a Demon God and to destroy the World tries to fight his doom. In a process, he falls in love with a transmigrator, who was sent 500 years back in the past to prevent his transformation into a Demon God. The irony is,making him falling in love is the only way to kill him for good... It`s an adaptation of the novel "Black Moonlight Holds the BE Script", which I like way-way-way more than the drama, not the least because the drama has BE and the novel has HE. I just watched it as a visually beautiful fanfic to the novel.

Drama: Love Between Fairy and Devil /苍兰诀 Characters: Dongfang Qingcang x Xiao Lanhua Screentime: Main My favorite drama of all times! Trying to save her love, a girl accidently falls into a secret prison for immortal criminals, revives the most fearsome demon of all times and heals his ability to feel. Later, forced to spend his time together with the girl from the enemy camp, the demon finds out that he actually likes her... The HE is attached. I wrote A LOT about them and made recap of the whole drama from the point of their relationship development in these posts: one, two, three, four, five and six.

Drama: My Journey to You /云之羽 Characters: Gong Shangjue x Shangguan Qian Screentime: Secondary In order to destroy the martial artist's clan, a female assassin was sent in there. While she is trying to seduce one of clan's young masters, he tries to expose her lies, but, eventually, falls in love with her. Unrequited. Maybe. This story has an open ending. My analysis of their relationship is here.

Drama: Butterflied lover /风月变 Characters: Ling Changjin x Bao Zhu Screentime: Secondary A wicked nobleman marries a princess because of her miraculous blood: it`s able to bring his zombie sister back to life. The princess allows him to treat her bad because she has been in love with him for a long time and believes he is a good person. Bit by bit he starts believe in it himself and begins to cherish his wife more... The ending is obscure (in a traditional Chinese way).

Drama: The Blue Whisper /与君初相识 Characters: Li Shu x Xue Sanyue Screentime: Minor A cat demon prince infiltrates the valley of demon hunters in order to set free the great demoness, but falls in love with one of demon hunters. Mutually. The ending is traditionally Chinese - they met again in another life. Т_Т

Drama: Immortal Samsara / 沉香如屑 Characters: Xuan Ye x Ran Qing Screentime: Minor An Asura king infiltrates the Heavenly Realm in order to steal the artifact that can help him conquering the world. The keeper of this artefact is a brave and honest goddess and he can't help but fall in love with her. After, he needs to choose: to be with his lover or to rule the world. He wants all at once, but there is no way to get it all. No HE for this pair. Pride and Prejudice

Drama: Lighter and Princess / 点燃我 Characters: Li Xun x Zhu Yun Screentime: Main A girl from a rich family with an anxious type of attachment falls in love with her classmate from a poor family with an avoidant type of attachment and tries to win his heart. It`s a problematic ship in a full meaning of these words and I like it this way. Yummy! The HE is attached.

Drama: Derailment /脱轨 Characters: Qi Lian x Jiang Xiaoyuan Screentime: Main A boy accidently meets his school sweetheart after many years of radio silence and understands that something is wrong with her. It turns out that her body is occupied by a transmigrator from a parallel world. At first he hates transmigrator for replacing his lover, but bit by bit he learns, that a transmigrator has not only the same appearance but the same habits and way of thinking, and falls in love with this new personality again... The story ends with HE but not in a way that you may think it would.

Drama: The Love by Hypnotic /明月照我心 Characters: Li Qian x Li Mingyue Screentime: Main In order to build relationship between two countries an emperor arranges marriage for his son. His fiancée is from a barbaric tribe: she is good at horse riding and archery, but knows nothing about palace etiquette and ladies stuff. It`s a light and sweet story about finding a path to each other's heart. The HE is attached.

Drama: The Long Ballad /长歌行 Characters: Hao Du x Li Leyan Screentime: Secondary A tsundere of a low background with a poker face does his ruthless job in a court, that's why a young princess thinks he is an awful man and is scared of him. But in reality he is a loyal servant and son and, moreover, secretly in love with the princess, who can't stand him... The HE is attached.

Drama: Miss the Dragon /遇龙 Characters: Xue Qianxun x Qingqing Screentime: Secondary A very naïve bird demon girl accidently meets a tsundere god of netherworld and turns his well ordered life into havoc. He starts liking it, though. The HE is attached. Forbidden love

Drama: A Frozen Flower /쌍화점 Characters: Hong Rim x No Guk Screentime: Main A gay king needs a heir, so he forces his lover to conceive a child with a queen. In a process, a boy, who was groomed as a king's lover from his childhood, finds out that he likes women much more than men. A traditional Korean tragedy. Very beautiful and full of feelings, though. (No GIFs because they all would be erotic ones).

Drama: 100 Days My Prince /백일의 낭군님 Characters: Moo-yeon x Kim So-hye Screentime: Secondary An assassin who is working for a wicked court official is secretly in love with a wife of a crown prince, who happens to be a daughter of the killer of his parents. Forbidden love doubles! But it's mutual, unfortunately for him. It's a very beautiful and full of desperation and feelings story. No HE, we die like Koreans. More detailed story of their relationship is available here, here and here.

Drama: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity/晴雅集 Characters: He Shouye x Zhang Ping Screentime: Secondary A woman, who is destined to restrain the undying evil within her body for eternity in solitude, falls in love with Yin-Yang master. Her love is mutual, but her lover can't be with her forever, so he leaves with her his guardian demon to brighten her loneliness. Protecting her for ever starts being the only goal of demon's life... A tragedy, but a beautiful one.

Drama: The Legends/招摇 Characters: Gu Hanguang x Shen Qianjin Screentime: Minor "The Legends" once more! The main doctor of a demonic sect is in love with a leader of a righteous sect. A girl is not allowed to love anyone, otherwise she will suffer from the poison, so he anonymously sends her packages of medicinal herbs. She is curious about anonymous sender, too. But nothing can be kept in secret forever... Unfortunately, no HE for these two. In the novel he is safe and sound, but he has no love plotline at all. So is a price of love Т_Т.

I will talk about my other favorite characters and tropes in the next post.

[silviakundera]

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact Ep 1-3

I love me some xanxia, so I'm jumping in. I've been PROMISED a happy ending so there had better be. Don't fuck with me cdrama!!!!

Anti-human fox spirit clan ruled by 3 terrifying women, I like them already

The scene of calculation of costs to raise a human child 😂😭

He's the descendant of a Dongfang clan who have extra special spiritual blood... as dangermousie has so eloquently argued: magical girl!! \o/

I don't really get what anyone's deal is in this drama, like why the different factions hate each other and the significance of the Grief Tree and why anyone other than the foxes care about it.... But that's standard for me with xanxia. I don't try too hard to work out the details & don't really worry about it. Xanxia is supposed to be pretty & have fantastical VIBES & I want the main couple to have a happy ending. Making plot coherent sense is a bonus, not a requirement.

Very much enjoying Gong Jun as the Extra Special™ orphan human raised among fox spirits, playing straight all the standard tropes regardless of gender. Makes everything fresh & fun.

His obvious crush on the 1,000 year old fox clan leader makes sense (anyone in his position would!). She's gorgeous, powerful, and is his benefactor. Distanced enough that she would have been perfect 'safe' crush material as a kid... But now he's all grow up

As an immortal fox, the 16 years this human child spent in their clan must have felt a blip in time. So it also makes sense she still doesn't quite understand him. It may have been the majority of his existence, but it's less than 2% of her lifespan so far. If we apply that timeframe to a human life, it's about 1 and a half days. 💁

FL sets up ML to be able to have a cathartic murder party with his parents' killers, even assigning some to stall them in a appropriately whimsical fairy manner. Crush worthy.

Him walking around all bloodsplattered later brought me back to Word of Honor.

I know he's supposed to take back over the Divine Flame Villa but I don't want him to! Stay with the foxes! (tho if this goes the traditional route, the magical girl will regain her powers & family legacy and the stern, ancient immortal love interest will soften & retire from their responsibilities to accompany their young sprite.)

All the awards to the makeup crew. Gong Jun looks the part PERFECTLY. He has this dewy look of fantasy maiden protagonist. The soft lipgloss, the bangs, the makeup softening his face! The flowing clothes. It's not too much, it feels just right. A++ 💯💯

The plaintive sad eyes ML keeps giving 👏

We already knew from Eternal Love that Yang Mi can capably play an immortal who feels distanced from mortal concerns. But this isn't a retread of Bai Qian, who was unrestrained and relished life's pleasures.

I expect that our standard love trial sidequest in the mortal world will be instead those 3 stories we saw on the trailer. If that means we can avoid amnesia & drama for the otp, sounds good to me

The white fox plotline is going to be incredibly annoying, I can tell

The big black cloud of evil lady who appears to be our Big Bad feels like another Miao Luo from Eternal Love of Dream

It's giving Belle !

[oleanderedits]

Meta Thoughts on the Xilan Curse

okay so the Xilan clan of the Xishan realm have a thoroughly documented curse they are able to cast that includes forcing the one it's cast on to:

obey their orders

feel what they are feeling

and share their physical wounds

It is not a commonly known curse - Shangque knew where the scroll had gotten to, but did not know anything about the curse until he and Dongfang Qingcang sat down to study it. Shangque makes it his job to be broadly knowledgable of history, current events, cultural issues at large, jack-of-all-trade study of various skills, etc. He would likely have been aware of it. Additionally, Ronghao, who had an interest in finding out all he could about the Xishan Goddess for purposes of getting her to revive Chidi Nvzi, was also unaware of the curse. It is likely something a very well guarded secret until the clan was wiped out and DFQC and SQ found out about it while reading the scroll 30,000 years later.

Why did a pacifistic clan that was strictly apolitical and even stayed out of conflicts outside their realm regardless of their own (and their goddess' love) for others that were from other realms? Recall that they had an active political relationship with Shuiyuntian as seen by the XLH/CH betrothal and flashbacks of Chidi Nvzi visiting the realm, but stayed out of the war between Shuiyuntian and Cangyanhai even while Shuiyuntian was actively losing to DFQC prior to Chidi Nvzi's sacrifice on the battlefield.

I posit: the curse was only ever meant to be used to keep Tai Sui in check until such time as the Xishan Goddess - through however many reincarnations - was powerful enough/reached a lifetime that she could finally destroy Tai Sui's essence.

Tai Sui couldn't kill her because that would mean killing itself. Tai Sui couldn't harm her because that would mean harming itself. Tai Sui would have to obey orders to not interfere and harm others. To obey orders to stay in the place it Ronghao found it and not leave of it's own accord despite the Xilan Clan not being around to hold it there. To feel whatever emotions the Goddess felt in an attempt to get it to learn and understand the full range of emotions. To perhaps teach it regret and guilt for the harm it's done. To try an rehabilitate it.

A specific sword was created (and later destroyed) to kill one of the two tied by the curse without killing the other. This death did not prevent the other from entering the cycle of reincarnation. It would, presumably, be used on Tai Sui if Tai Sui had a body to use it on. It was, more likely, used on prior incarnations of the Xishan Goddess to free her from the curse (to reincarnate and grow in power, possibly to also cleanse her of any evil poisoning that may have occurred in the way that Chidi Nvzi's poisoned spirit affected XLH) without breaking the prior orders given before her death. I think the only reason DFQC was actually freed from the curse with XLH's death is because she didn't want him to continue to be bound by it - her spirit understood this, even if her current reincarnation (as XLH) didn't - and that's why the sword could only "free someone" through the death of the other.

Anyway, that's my current meta theory for this show that has strangled my heart for the last two years and will likely strangle it for several more to come. <3

[darklinaforever]

The ultimate book / story to mourn the catastrophe of the end of Reylo...

Two other bonus :

Even if LBFAD doesn't address the light / darkness aspect directly... Through the way the characters are written ; I mean, Dongfang Qingcang = Kylo Ben to death. They both killed their father for essentially the same reason ! And Rey and Orchid are both in the same situation of not knowing who they are and no one knows who they are either. Girls without a home and family, and who would really want have that, who don't know who they are and think that basically they are nothing, and who are alone. There's also the color coding of the guy and the girl, the girl's powers generally linked to healing, not to mention the mystical connection of the two characters which essentially allows them to resurrect each other at the end. Then obviously, they are in enemy clans. He is from the tribe of the moon, and she, from that of the celestial. Then we discover that she is in fact the reincarnation of the former leader of another clan, which the Moon Tribe once decimated, so she is the equivalent of the goddess of nature. So in short, the heroine was nobody, but then discovers her true identity which further reinforces the supposed enemy aspect between the two characters. Like Rey when she discovers (unfortunately) that she is Palpatine's granddaughter. Without forgetting that the heroine's primordial form at the beginning is an orchid, that's her name, and you are well aware that an orchid is a plant that needs sunlight. Something said in the series itself, and where we see Dongfang Qingcang taking care of Orchid by making her be in contact with sunlight as much as possible. Not to mention that fairies are often symbolically associated with light in our culture. And even if Orchid is ultimately not a fairy, she thinks she is for the majority of the series and is designated as such by the title. Yes. No doubt. It's Reylo pure and simple.

[tosahobi-if]

Hi! Do you have any skin tone or clothing references for the ROs?

before you laugh at me just know that for some reason i didn't think i was going to be asked about clothing so i "designed" my own sect uniforms but i don't actually know how to draw clothing HAHAHAHA i'll put the skin tone references in the character introduction posts (which i need to finish up 🥲)

the clothing explanation got really long and only encompasses yul, jinwol, and the mc because it ended up getting LONG sjffsj

the time period in which tosahobi takes place (which is non-specific) is sometime between 300AD to ~590AD, and pieces from the three kingdoms period in china (220-289AD). so when thinking about the clothing i started out by looking at xianxia and muhyeop designs. cue me crying and opening up google and trying to put together a list of what i could research. (has anyone seen love between fairy and devil i need to yell over how cunty dongfang qingcang's costume design is with them PLEASEEEE)

and then i started my research via primary text (the samguk yusa and the wei shu), published papers, books, archeological discoveries, research conducted by experts, and tomb scans. and then i made my own conjectures from those! the clothing the characters wear is a bastardized version of hanfu and goguryeo clothing – so they're historically inaccurate but have some basis behind them. this is known as guzhuang, which is ancient-style clothing inspired by hanfu and most typically seen in dramas and plays. i've linked ziseviolet's blog for visuals of pieces but i suggest doing external research as well!

MOUNT HUA SECT:

located in shaanxi, the clothing the disciples (what the mc, yul, and jinwol start out wearing!) wear are a combination of what was popular amongst northern wei (386–535AD) nobility at the time (specifically a cinched waistline, flowing sleeves, and flared silhouette) and taoist clothing with some of the vibrant colors seen in goguryeo clothing. any combination of the following pieces work:

zhongyi (中衣) - underwear or undergarments consisting of form-fitting (usually lightweight) fabric in two pieces, the undershirt and underpants. either worn in black or white.

chang (裳) - a pleated skirt worn over the zhongyi

a lightweight inner robe (usually white, though disciples *cough* jinwol *cough* wear other colors at their own discretion. usually also usually made out of the same lightweight fabric as a zhongyi) with a jiaoling youren (交領右衽) an overlapping collar (crossed left over right).

banbi (半臂) - a half sleeve jacket in either black or white and embroidered with a plum-blossom in red, magenta, or even white thread. trimmed with bronze (third-rank disciple), silver (second-rank), or gold (first-rank)

bixi (蔽膝) - a decorative piece of hanging fabric that acts as a knee covering – this is typically plain and of a matching color to the main parts of the outfit, and is trimmed with colors according to the wearer's discretion.

belt/sash - either a wide strip of embroidered or plain (usually plain) fabric cinched around the waist. trimmed with similar precious threads denoting disciple rank. jinwol wears a finely wrought metal belt instead of the standard sash.

hair ribbon - self-explanatory. used to tie the hair, can be whatever color you get your hands on – jinwol and yul's hair ribbons are the colors the mc picks out for them (hehe)

xiaoguan (小冠) - lit; small crown, jinwol cycles between several intricately designed crowns in shades of silver (some have precious jewels embedded into them) and they denote his status as nobility.

robe very similar to a daopao (道袍) - lit; taoist's robe, the daopao is a traditional outer robe with long, flowing sleeves. disciples traditionally wear black or white trimmed with crimson, white, and precious metal colors. most wear the sect's motif on embroidered on the lapel, though the yeo family members have their clan motif embroidered instead. in some cases the elders will wear shades of grey.

[bitterflames]

我家大师兄脑子有坑 pit 502-503 spoilers (double update!!?!? aaaaaaa)

double update DONGFANG WUQIONG FLASHBACK?!?! backstory for my awful fave and his even more awful older brother figure??? thank you for my life, ling yumo (though it would also be nice to know if dfwq is still alive in the present day... 🥲)

it is so obvious the more time we spend with former xuanmingzong da-shixiong (WHOSE NAME WE KNOW NOW?! 岂程 QI CHENG?) that grown-up dfwq modelled his entire fucking personality after this guy. i'm obsessed. (if there's one thing about me it's that i love a Bad Role Model Figure.)

(two of them. TWO OF THEM. they're so cute help meeeeee)

also xuanmingzong/mysterious inscription sect continues to be the Literal Worst. i suppose when you're the biggest cultivation sect with more disciples than you can possibly manage, things get cutthroat, but lol. (regrettably, i'm obsessed with this awful sect also.)

baby dfwq really was the poorest little meow meow. no shifu, no mountain peak to belong to, getting beaten up on all the time, getting assassins sent after him by his OWN FAMILY (dongfang clan is also cutthroat as hell but we knew that). honestly it's no wonder he empathizes with yin feixing so well actually. (my weird little rarepair ship for those two grows stronger.)

i have to presume dfwq either killed his way to becoming patriarch in the present day (since he wasn't originally the heir) or just waited around for his rivals to die off with his extended cultivator lifespan. (either way, hot.)

baby!dfwq just being so starstruck here kills me tho like. me too. Oh No He's Heroic (and handsome?) howww did this guy end up becoming a slutty demonic cultivator with an evil eye in his cleavage. give me the DEETS. how did these two get from this to shixiong stabbing shidi and leaving him to bleed out on the cold hard ground !!!!!

finally i have a NAME to put to the man i've been cursing for the last almost half a year for almost (?) killing my fave. unfortunately, i love him. qi cheng, you menace (affectionate) (also derogatory).

[prolestariwrites]

Fandom: Love Between Fairy and Devil

Tags: Romance, Comedy, Fate, Soul mates

Pairings: Dongfang Qingcang/Orchid (main), Shangque/Jieli

Characters: Dongfang Qingcang, Orchid/Xiyun, Shangque, Jieli, Changheng, Xunfeng

Rating: T: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: None

Summary: After Dongfang receives a warning for changing fate, he doesn't think much of it until he finds himself in a world where the Cangyan Sea and Shuiyutian are ruled by Xishan. Here, hellfire is just a long-forgotten legend, and as a royal Dongfang must submit to harsh treatment. His beloved Orchid is the goddess Xiyun, a ruler who is cold and unforgiving towards the Moon people.

Meanwhile, the Moon Supreme has changed into a Dongfang his family and friends do not recognize. Now timid and soft-spoken, Orchid and Shangque work together to find out what is behind the sudden change in his personality. It soon becomes clear he is Dongfang—but not their Dongfang.

As Orchid and Shangque attempt to find a way to bring their Dongfang back, they also need to keep the switch a secret: which also means passing off the gentle version as their bold and decisive king. At the same time, Dongfang wrestles with the drive to free his people and put Xishan in its place. But he also needs the goddess to get back home, something that may be impossible to get if he returns to his old self.

Note: Here is my submission for the LBFAD Mini-Bang! This story has gone through multiple versions and I must thank my partner @crisdrawsandcries for being so patient through the rewrites. Please go check out the amazing artwork that they did for this fic! I'm so grateful for all your hard work!

Below is the first chapter, and I'll be posting a new one every day through the mini-bang. You can also find the story over on AO3. Please enjoy!

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓞𝓷𝓮

Hundreds of people mill about on the palace grounds, the doors open to celebrate the Harvest Moon festival. It is a holiday in the autumn on the night the moon appears largest and brightest in the sky, a week full of parties and fun for the tribe. Children run around with sparklers and treats sold from carts that line the square, while the adults share a drink or several of warm spice wine and buy trinkets for their special someone. Flags hang in decoration while the orange glow from the lamps give a warm feeling to the atmosphere. It is one of the best times of the year, the festival having a resurgence now that the clan is whole and the Moon Supreme has returned to his throne. He has vowed to return the old traditions to the clan, and worked to make this year’s festival the largest in history.

The Moon Supreme walks through the first day of the festival with his queen, happily watching Orchid exclaim over the decorations and costumes as she pulls him from vendor to vendor to sample everything. People call out their greetings to the royal couple as they walk by, and Dongfang nods in response, keeping his expression cool to hide his own excitement.

“Look!” Orchid lets go of his arm to stand in front of a stall selling mooncakes, fresh from the oven and glistening with sweet butter. 

“Good evening, Your Grace,” the vendor says with a bow. “How many would you like?”

“I’ll take two. No, three. How many do you want?” she asks, turning to Dongfang.

His mouth curls into a half smile. “We’ll just take all of them.”

“Oh! Yes! Right away!” 

The vendor busies himself packing up the four dozen or so cakes that are ready, and Orchid takes his hand. “What will we do with so much?” she laughs.

Dongfang shrugs. “Give them away, I suppose.” He signals one of the four guardsmen that are with them and instructs him to pay. “Have these given to whoever is on duty tonight,” he says.

Orchid picks one for herself and the rest go into several boxes that are taken back to the palace. “Do you want to try?” she asks through the first bite.

“No,” he replies. “I'd rather watch you.”

Orchid makes a pout and he chuckles in response. They continue their walk through the square to look at more tables of goods. A short while later they stop so Orchid can play a ring toss game, and Dongfang looks on with a smile, his arms folded.

Contentment settles on him like a warm blanket. After all the trials they had been through, the danger of war and pain of losing each other not once but twice, it is times like these that he feels most at peace: simple moments in which Orchid is happy, when they can be just a couple and not one of their many roles.

She is pouting again when she rejoins his side. “That game is nearly impossible,” she complains. “It's a wonder that anyone has won a prize.”

“Is he cheating?” Dongfang frowns. “If so, he must meet justice.”

“No! Nothing like that,” she quickly says, grabbing his arm. “I'm just not very good at it, that's all.”

“Well what is the prize? I can just buy you one,” he huffs.

Orchid rolls her eyes. ”That's not the point, blockhead. Let's keep going.“

The next stall that makes them pause is selling jewelry of different kinds. ”I should get you a new chain,“ Orchid murmurs as she starts peering through the selection.

Dongfang presses two fingers to the pendant shaped like an orchid that hangs around his neck. It is imbued with the goddess' magic, and similar to the way the Bone Orchid protects her with his power, the pendant protects him in turn. ”Why?“ he asks. ”It's perfectly fine.“

”I think a thinner chain would look nice.“ She takes one and holds it up, modeling it against his chest. ”See?“

”But that means I'd have to take it off.“

”Just for a minute,“ she replies.

”Even that is too long,“ Dongfang frowns. ”In the years since you've given it to me, I've never taken it off, not once.“

Orchid grins up at him. ”Even more reason to make sure it has a proper chain.“ She turns back to the vendor and says, ”We'll take this one.“

Dongfang laughs to himself as the man exclaims over the queen's excellent taste, turning around to observe the crowd. Some are watching them curiously but most are busy enjoying the festivities, the atmosphere warm and merry. He suddenly feels eyes watching him, so he quickly scans until his gaze falls on an old woman off to the side, sitting at a small booth that has seen better days.

With a glance to confirm Orchid is still shopping, he walks over to the woman with some interest. There are no wares on her cart, and she sits on a cushion on the ground covered in several shawls. Her face lifts as he approaches and Dongfang realizes she is blind in one eye. “Were you watching me, madam?” he asks.

“My lord,” she replies. “You and the queen are so happy, I could not help myself.”

“Thank you.” Dongfang gives another glance towards Orchid before continuing, “Do you have anything for sale that I could give the queen as a gift?”

“Nothing like that. I sell fortunes.”

He raises a brow. “Fortunes?”

“I can read the fates. Shall I read yours, my lord?”

In truth, Dongfang has had enough of fate for one lifetime, but he pities the old woman so he takes a seat on an opposite cushion. “Go on,” he says. 

She tilts her head before pulling a small bag from her cloak. It makes a clattering sound when she shakes it, and he learns that it contains coins when she dumps it out on the blanket between them. “Fortune and long life,” she says.

He examines their strange markings before chuckling. “I wouldn’t expect any less.” He reaches into his own robes for his purse, shaking out a few of his own coins. “How much do I owe you?”

“No need,” she says. She puts her hand out, and he slips three gold into her palm; but the second they make contact she jerks back. “My lord!” she hisses. “What have you done?”

“Please, take the money—”

“Your life line. It’s been altered.” Her eyes narrow as she drags her fingers along his palm. “You have changed fate, haven’t you?”

Dongfang swallows thickly. “My business is my own.”

“Those who change fate must pay a price,” she warns. “You cannot know the ripple effect such acts will have on the universe. It will come for you in the end.”

Her words leave him unnerved, but he hides it with a harsh laugh. “Your fortunes may scare the young lovers, madam, but I think I will sleep easy tonight if it’s all the same to you.” He gives her another coin before standing and heading back to find Orchid at the stall.

“Are you alright?” she laughs when he returns to her side. She reaches up and presses her fingers to his chin. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“It’s nothing,” he assures her, and together they continue through the festival.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dongfang has strange dreams that night, and when he wakes he reaches for Orchid, wanting her warm presence next to him to chase the last of it away. But when he reaches out, she is gone, and he opens his eyes blearily to see how far away she is on the bed.

Only the bed is not the bed—not his bed, anyway, and Dongfang bolts upright. He looks around in alarm: instead of the large four poster with rich fabrics and thick pillows, luxurious drapes, intricate carpet, and the window open for the sunrise, the room is dim and small, its simple decor more that of a poor villager. The bed is made of straw instead of down and the blanket is thin and threadbare. No lanterns hang from the ceiling and no light washes in from the balcony. It is a simple hut with one window and door, and it is that door that bursts open a moment later.

“Brother!” His younger brother Xunfeng hurries inside. “Quick. The queen has sent the black dragon.”

“What?”

“Hurry! We need to stop him.” Xunfeng flings open a chest and pulls out a crude-looking sword, one that Dongfang knows he would not be caught dead using. “They are here to steal more people to work at the palace, I know it. Together we can make a stand.”

Dongfang frowns as he watches Xunfeng slip on the scabbard. “What do you mean? Where is Orchid? Where am I?”

Xunfeng shoots him a withered look. “Don't talk nonsense. Shake off whatever dream you were having and hurry! The dragon will be here soon!”

“What dragon—?” But his question goes unanswered as Xunfeng hurries out of the hut again, the door banging against the wall.

Quickly Dongfang slides from the bed and heads outside. He winces at the sudden sunlight, and when he gets a chill he looks down. Instead of his royal robes he is wearing a simple tunic and trousers, not even a cloak to keep off the morning dampness. “What is happening?” he asks out loud.

“Brother! This way!”

More huts sit nearly on top of each other, and the villagers hurry to run inside and hide. Women clutch their children tight as the men grab pitchforks and knives to stand guard at the door. Several yards away, Xunfeng is organizing a small group into a defensive stance. Wanting answers, Dongfang pushes through the panicking crowd until he reaches his brother.

“You will answer me,” he growls, grabbing Xunfeng's shoulder. He turns him, ignoring his protest, but before he can answer there is a familiar roar above them that shakes the trees.

Dongfang looks up to see Shangque in his dragon form flying above them. The people around them scream in fright as they run, and Dongfang frowns in confusion. Shangque was never someone the Moon tribe feared, and they had all seen this form many times before. Unless that isn't Shangque, but who else would it be?

“Shangque!” Dongfang shouts. He waves an arm to get his attention, and sure enough the dragon rears back, its eyes focusing on him. “Enough! You're scaring them!”

“What are you doing?” Xunfeng hisses. He grabs his arm to yank it down and pull him away. “You'll be taken!”

“Taken where? Where is this? Why is everyone afraid?” Xunfeng isn't paying attention, so Dongfang does something very un-royal-like: he stomps his foot. “I demand answers!”

“What is wrong with you?“ Xunfeng snaps. ”You know the Black Dragon is dangerous. He's come to take away more of the Moon tribe.“

”Take them where?“

Just then the dragon lands, two huts going over with the force of the wind that escapes below him. There is more screaming as the last of the people run. Then a flash of light has Dongfang seeing spots for a moment as Shangque transitions back into human form.

”What is the meaning of this?“ he demands, stalking over to Shangque. ”You only take that form when commanded! Why would—”

Shangque grabs his arm and twists, forcing Dongfang to one knee with his wrist trapped against his back. “Unhand me!” he shouts. “You dare touch the Moon Supreme!”

“Moon Supreme?” Shangque asks curiously.

Xunfeng hurries forward. “Pardon my brother, he's not of sound mind. Please let me take him home—”

“Anyone who claims that title must be brought before the queen,” Shangque says. “No exceptions.”

The queen? “You mean Orchid? Where is she?” Dongfang demands.

“Keep quiet. You are under arrest.”

“Wait!” Dongfang strains to look at Xunfeng. “Where is Orchid?”

“Who's Orchid?” Xunfeng replies.

Something turns in his stomach as Shangque yanks him to hi feet. Anger suddenly boils and he reaches into his strength to find his Glazed Fire, deciding to teach his lieutenant a much-needed lesson. But there is no magic there, just the faintest trace, and as he flexes his fingers to make anything appear, even Hellfire, nothing happens.

“The goddess will decide your fate,” Shangque says.

“The goddess Xiyun?” Dongfang growls. “That is my wife, Orchid, the queen of the Moon Kingdom.”

Shangque gives a huff. “You speak very familiar about the goddess for a disgusting member of the Moon tribe. She'll want a word with you for sure.“

”Good,“ he says. ”I need a word with her as well.“ He turns to Xunfeng, who is watching with a panicked expression. ”I'll be back shortly once I get this sorted out. I think there is something wrong with Shangque. Make sure no one's been injured.“

”What?“ Xunfeng asks in a shaking voice. ”What's happened to you?“

”What do you mean?“

”Let's go, little Moon Supreme,“ Shangque says. He gives a laugh before there is another flash of light and the dragon returns. He picks up Dongfang to set him on his neck and takes off into the air, ignoring Dongfang's shouts as he tries not to fall off.

[for-dramas-sake]

Okay, I know everyone loves Dongfang Qingcang but I have SUCH A CRUSH on Xiao Duo. DFQC is the ultimate bad guy...

>bad ass powers >king of the demon clan >feared by everyone >misunderstood with a frozen heart >wears only black >sometimes wears this giant weird-looking armor

He's the Chinese version of Hades.

But then there's Xiao Duo...

>feared and hated by most everyone >has the most power in the palace (even the emperor fears him) >manipulates the royals to fit his schemes >badass fighting skills >on a revenge mission >his fashion is glorious!

I'll admit that my heart goes out to the schemers. They try so damn hard to achieve their goals and they will use anyone that they can. I find them so fascinating. One day I might do a post on some of my favorites in dramas.

[bug-catcher-in-viridian-forest]

IMMORTAL REALM MAP FROM LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL

Above you can find my interpretation of the geography in the immortal realm in Love Between Fairy and Evil, exclusively based on the information given in the TV show and excluding any information that might be found in the book from which the show was adapted.

THE REALM On a macroscopic scale, I think that: - The Moon Tribe lives in the east, since "dongfang"/"东方" in Dongfang Qingxang means "east" and "xun"/"巽" in Xunfeng means "south-east"; - The Xilan Tribe lives in the west, since the "xi"/"息" in their name, which means "breath", is an homophone wish "xi"/"西", which means "west"; Consequently, I would propose that Shuiyuntian is in the middle, also on the ground of being the protagonist's home and point of view.

SHUIYUNTIAN For the specific geography of Shuiyuntian, we know that it is surrounded by four waters, the Xiao, Xiang, Li, and Yuan four Waters. Even if we are not given the orientation of these waters, in my opinion they are oriented just as the real-life rivers of the same name in the province of Hunan. Here's some quote referring to the four waters:

EP9: "The Four Water Pearl controls Shuiyuntian. Li River is the source of the Four Water. If we don't make up for it, the water will flow backward. The whole Shuiyuntian and Yunmeng Lake will be in misery." EP12: "Shuiyuntian is surrounded by the Xiao, Xiang, Li, and Yuan four Waters. Water Li and Water Yuan are full of spiritual powers. It's easy to defend but hard to attack. And there are Li Yuan's former soldiers stationing there for years. Water Xiang is foggy. The terrain is hazy and complicated. Therefore, we think... [..] We think we should attack from Shuiyuntian's weakest point Water Xiao."

Here’s the rivers in Hunan as marked by Google Maps:

They have same order as the piece of dialogue “Xiao, Xiang, Li, and Yuan four Waters.”.

CANGYAN SEA For the specific geography of Cangyan Sea, we now that the nation is called Nine Youxian Counties, which if composed of a Nine You City, the Southern and Northern Youxian Counties and other counties. Silver lake and the Wind Plain also belong to Cangyan sea, being likely close to each other because they were attacked by the Southern and Northern kings in sequence and with Silver lake being likely in the south, since its southern border is exposed to Shuiyuntian's attacks. Here's some quotes referring to the nine counties:

EP9: "My Lord. Highness Xunfeng is fighting with the Kings of Southern and Northern Youxian County in Wind Plain. Now they have conquered the Silver Lake and are heading towards the Nine Youxian County." EP12: "There were many Cangyan Sea tribes. Among them, the Southern and Northern Youxian County are the most powerful. They never obeyed the commander of Nine Youxian Counties." EP18: "The Southern and Northern Youxian Counties had a mutiny one after the other. They intended to take over the Nine Youxian Counties." EP18: "Chidi Woman led the immortal army and attacked us. We lost the south of Silver Lake." EP15: "You must at least send me out of Nine Youxian City." EP29: "In my opinion, we should give up Silver Lake and retreat to the Nine Youxian Counties."

XISHAN For the specific geography of Xishan, it contains both the mountain and the Spirit-shattering Abyss, as we also know from the overlay "Xishan - Spirit-Shattering Abyss". Here's some quotes referring to Xishan:

EP03: "Since the generation of water by Tao and the beginning of the universe, the Xilan tribe has lived in a corner of Xishan to guard the three realms from the evil gods. They have always remained neutral and never been involved in strife." EP22: "But they didn't know the Xilan clan had guarded Xishan for generations to keep an eye on me and to completely destroy me." EP31: "Changheng will surely take her to Xishan to find her identity." EP33: "Stay at Xishan and guard her transformation. I'll be back soon." EP33: "I just want to invite you to Xishan's Shaking Light Peak to watch the sunrise. It's the highest point on Xishan, which has the most open and spacious view." EP36: "When the ancient gods and Goddesses Wu Qi joined forces to seal Tai Sui, the evil and killing, violent and evil spirits in the ancient barbaric era were also suppressed under Xishan."

THE BORDER Between Shuiyuntian and Cangyan Sea, there are the Memory Loss River and the Xuanxu Realm. It seems that the Northermost Ocean is at the northern border and that the southern border is made out of land. The Memory Loss River has an end; possibly it flows into the Northernmost Ocean, which is especially possible if it flows north because in the south there is land. Here's some quotes referring to the border:

EP9: "This is the Memory Loss River, the boundary of two tribes." EP15: "Even if you run to the end of the Memory Loss River and the edge of the world, I can still find you." EP30: "The Shuiyuntian Army is gathering at the area around the Memory Loss River, the Northernmost Ocean, and the border of the southern regions." EP30: "If we can't stop them in the Xuanxu Realm, they can head straight into the Nine Youxian Counties."

HAISHI CITY As for Haishi City, I believe it is found west of the Memory Loss River, because after Dongfang Qingcang returns from Haishi City, he is refferred in Cangyan Sea as returning from the Memory Loss River.

EP16: "Shangque said that the Lord's been in a foul mood ever since he came back from Memory Loss River a few days ago."

[tushanfoxspirit]

More Information about the Reincarnation system in FSMM:

According to the latest arc of the Manhua:

When the human souls of the reincarnated people that have undergone the “Pledge Of Love” together with their Yaoguai partner go through the underworld for the process of rebirth; their human souls will be protected by the “Plight Tree” so it will not be scattered nor destroyed by the underworld members.

However, the ordinary people souls that didn't undergo the reincarnation of the Plight Tree, their human souls will be scattered into “Three Souls & Seven Souls” that will be recombined randomly with others “Three Souls & Seven Souls” to form entirely new souls that will be born into the living world as completely new individuals. Thats what they call: “The Process Of Rebirth”

But like always, there is an exception which is the “Dongfang Spirit Clan”

They have their own “Special Reincarnation System” that the souls of the dead Dongfang Clan members will go to the secret place of the Dongfang Clan in the underworld. More information about the Dongfang Clan are still unclear since it is been talked about currently in the current arc of the Manhua.

To summarize:

1. Currently, there are two reincarnation systems in FSMM, “The Plight Tree” & “The Dongfang Spirit Clan”

2. The reincarnation system of the Plight Tree occurs only between lovers with mutual romantic feelings towards each other (Human x Yaoguai) while the reincarnation system of the Dongfang Clan it happens only to its members (which the process of it is still unclear)

3. The human souls that undergo the reincarnation system of the Plight Tree are always protected by it, thus the reincarnated people are still the same souls as their pervious lives with the exception of the multi-souls phenomena of Dongfang Yuechu's Soul

4. The normal process of “Rebirth” occurs to ordinary people souls that didn't undergo the Plight Tree reincarnation system which their souls will be scattered into “Three Souls & Seven Souls” that will recombine randomly with others “Three Souls & Seven Souls” to form entirely new souls that will be born into the living world as completely new individuals

About common misunderstandings about some of the reincarnated individuals:

Dongfang Yuechu Multi-Souls Phenomena:

Dongfang Yuechu's Soul has become beyond common sense of this world in which in every reincarnation of his soul, his own soul will produce a soul copy from his original soul that the newly produced soul will have his own thoughts and individual independence, in other words, his soul will produce an entirely independent soul that has his own thoughts and emotions.

The first reincarnation of Dongfang Yuechu's Soul was Pingque Yuechu that has already become an entirely independent soul that has been completely separated from Dongfang Yuechu's Soul. Thus, Pingque Yuechu has nothing to do with Dongfang Yuechu reincarnations!! So Bai Yuechu has no relationship nor any connection with Pingque Yuechu's Soul!! Pingque Yuechu is not the pervious life of Bai Yuechu nor is Bai Yuechu the reincarnation of Pingque Yuechu!! They are both entirely different souls from each other!! That's why Rongrong didn't count Pingque Yuechu with the other four reincarnations of Dongfang Yuechu when explaining to Bai Yuechu early in the story that he is not the only reincarnation of Dongfang Yuechu that they have found so far and calling him the fifth reincarnation not the sixth!! The only reason why Pingque Yuechu's Soul is inside Bai Yuechu's body is beacuse of San Shaoye that has dragged all the souls copies of Dongfang Yuechu's Soul into Bai Yuechu's body forming the “Multi-Souls Body Phenomena” (Which the process of it is still unclear) in order to completely resurrect Dongfang Yuechu.

So far the factors that affected Dongfang Yuechu's Soul greatly causing his soul to become “Beyond Common Sense Of This World” are:

1. Cooperating with the Aolai Nation (Specifically San Shaoye which is still unclear)

2. The Dongfang Spirit Clan Unique Reincarntion System (Which is still unclear)

3. Feng Xi (Black Fox Empress) interference with YueHong continuation of fate and forcibly sending Dongfang Yuechu's Soul to the secret Dongfang Spirit Clan Space in the underworld which interfered with the normal reincarnation system of the Plight Tree (It is still unclear what exactly she did to his soul)

4. More Unknown Factors

Thus with all of the information above; The Little Taoist that saved Little Honghong life is not the pervious life of Dongfang Yuechu nor is Dongfang Yuechu his reincarnation!! Also the two strands of hair that sticks out of the Little Taoist head where added by the animation team while in the Manhua he didn't have them at all!!

Wangquen Fugui & Wang Fugui:

They are one and the same soul which means they are the same person!! It is just that they have been raised and lived in different environments and both of them has undergone different teachings since childhood thus the different in personality!! But with the current progress of the Manhua, Wang Fugui is becoming more and more like his past self but with his current self still remaining and growing into a more capable responsible person that really loves Qingtong and holds her dearly in his heart!! And Qingtong loves him for who he is!! (She really loves him be it his past self as Wangquen Fugui or his current self as Wang Fugui, she always sees them as one person and loves him the most and she always respects his wishes!! While giving him his freedom of choice and respecting his personal space and his journey to find his true self!!)

Wangquen Wumu is the ancestor of Wangquen Baye & Wangquen Fugui and he is not a reincarnated individual!!

The other reincarnated individuals through the Plight Tree Reincarnation System are the same souls as their pervious lives!!

That's it for now :)

*With more new information coming maybe I will edit this post later and maybe will also add some panels/pages from the Manhua.

[mirageofadesert]

Rating cdramas I watched as a newbie pt. 2

!! Spoiler Warning!! In part 1 I talked about The Untamed, Word of Honor, Back From the Brink and Till the end of the moon...

Love is Sweet 9/10 

Acting: 10/10 World-building: 9/10 Production: 9/10 Storytelling: 8/10 Re-watch Value: 8/10  Pacing: 9/10 Bonus: TTEOTM therapy session 

I went into this show for Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, but I had my doubt, since I rarely like romance dramas. However, my worries were unfounded - instead the show convinced me to pay for an iQIYI subscription. I missed out on sleep again and was giggling like a teenage girl while watching the main leads fall in love. Most surprising for me was that I actually cared a lot about the investment banking plot, which had me at the edge of my seat a couple of times.

While sometimes quite silly, the stories and characters managed to keep a good balance between funny and serious scenes. At first, the ML came across kind of creepy, but they managed to redeem him later on, without completely excusing his behavior. I really loved and related to the domestic relationship in the last part of the drama. What I enjoyed less is the 2nd couple; while they were cute and I do understand why the story needed them, I ended up skipping a lot of their scenes.

Love Between a Fairy and a Devil 7+1/10

Acting: 7/10 World-building: 7/10 Production: 8/10 Storytelling: 6/10 Re-watch Value: 8/10  Pacing: 7/10 Bonus: +1 for the ML weeping for his father - more men need to cry like this!   

The second part of this drama is significantly better than the first. It's another testament, how a superficial script can lead to bad performances. Once the actors were actually given some nuances to portray, they did a great job. Shout out to Dylan Wang as Dongfang Qingcang and his supporting cast for their emotional impactful performances. The scene of him weeping for his father is still one of my favorites. It made me notice how rare these kind of emotional outburst of male characters are on TV!

Esther Yu's character(s) were hard to watch at first. The voice and the one-dimensional character of Orchid and later Xi Yun thankfully went through some positive changes. Similarly, Zhang Linghe as Chang Heng felt quite flat in most parts of the show.

I found the concept of the conflict between different between the fairy realm and the moon clan quite interesting, even through the fairy realm lacked some depth. The main villain of the show ended up being quite disappointing and some of the twist and turns unnecessary. While I wont re-watch the whole show, it had some really impressive and memorable scenes, that I will go back for!

And the Winner is love 3+1/10

Acting: 7/10 World-building: 6/10 Production: 6/10 Storytelling: 4/10 Re-watch Value: 2/10  Pacing: 3/10 Bonus:  +1 for Luo Yunxi with a fan

This one was rough. It took me 21 episode to get into the drama and actually care about the characters. Luo Yunxi and Zuo Tingwei as the 2nd ML Mu Yuan did a great acting job. Not only did they deliver emotional and nuanced performances, their actions scenes were quite well done too. The rest of the cast, especially the female lead played by Chen Yuqi were hard to watch. The chemistry between her and every other character was non existing. The story line was dragging out a very monotonous plot, that did not need all these twists and turns.

This show made me release that watching cdramas at a faster speed is an great option in order to get through boring and slow scenes.

My New Life 6/10

Acting: 6/10 World-building: 7/10 Production: 7/10 Storytelling: 6/10 Re-watch Value: 3/10  Pacing: 6/10 Bonus: For having multiple gay character and couples in the show!

I watched this show while waiting for more episodes of Destined to air. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. While the plot is a bit cheesy at times, the different cultural backgrounds of the princes as well as the feminist theme and serious issues (e.g. postnatal depression, domestic abuse, emancipation) the show tackles, made me enjoy it a lot! I loved the relationships between the whole cast and the acting, while at times a bit too silly, held up well overall. By the end of the show, I did care about every character. I don't think I will re-watch is, since there were no outstanding scenes to me.

The next part will probably be about Destined, The Sleuth of the Min Dynasty and some of Luo Yunxi's other dramas.

[sombredancer]

Enemies/Rivals to Lovers recipe

(with the mild version aka Pride and Prejudice and the tragic version aka Romeo and Juliet) Step 1: The main heroes are on the opposite sides of any scale (the grumpy one vs a cheerful one, a kind and stupid one vs a cunning and vile one, a demon vs a god, a master vs a servant, people of enemy states or absolutely different cultures etc.).

A cheerful and funny little bird demon-yao Qing Qing and a grumpy and stone-faced deity of Netherworld Xue Qianxun Step 2: They are forced to communicate with each other without a chance to avoid it (e.g. an arranged marriage, being trapped somewhere together, working as a mole in the enemy camp etc.).

Asura King Xuan Ye plays out damsel in distress to get undercover into Heavenly Realm and his future lover Ran Qing is the one who "rescues" him.

Step 3: One party get impressed by unique character features of other (e.g. the person is the only one who isn't terrified by other's scary reputation, the only one who treats other party well etc.).

Even kings and princes are in absolute terror seeing Gwi - an immortal all-powerful vampire, and only Hye Ryung hates him so much that dares to bicker, scold and deny him. Step 4: One of the parties takes the first step towards another and that melts another`s heart.

Even if Hou Ling Changjin hurt Princess Bao Zhu for her miraculous blood, she still cares for him and doesn`t hold a grudge.

"You are injured!"

Step 5: Here come mutual pining, UST and moral sufferings "what is more important: to fulfil the mission / to be accepted by the society / whatsoever or to love?"

Gong Shangjue doubts if he can indulge himself being gentle with the girl he likes if she is an assassin from the enemy clan.

Shangguan Qian adds Shangjue`s favorite flowers into her tea and thinks about her mission of taking him down.

Step 6: It`s time to confess the feelings.

Leader of a diabolic sect Li Chenlan comes to save his beloved who hated him and tried to kill him and promises her to be her sword and shield. So romantic!

Step 7: The parties try to solve the problem that keeps them apart. If the problem is internal (it has something to do with beliefs and prejudice of a person), here it will be solved and «happily ever after» begins.

Despite of his low social status Hao Du ventures to participate in the competition, wins the right to marry the princess (who he is in love with) and dares to be honest explaining that he did it not only in order to save her from a Barbarian prince but because he truly wants to be with her. Step 8: If the problem is external (there is a large-scale conflict and the parties are just some insignificant participants of it), one of the parties sacrifices themselves to solve the problem.

Before saving the world by the cost of his life Demon God Tantai Jin engraves his name on his own tombstone placed next to his beloved wife's one, so in the future she could mourn him in a suitable place.

Step 9: In a satisfying story there is a magical reward of party's brave deed, which is a happy end.

Demon Lord Dongfang Qingcang sacrificed himself in order to save the girl he loved and died but his girlfriend (who happens to be a Goddess with abilities to resurrect the dead) nurtured a piece of his primordial spirit for 500 years and brought him back to life. Side note: If you want to add some chili pepper into your story, you can break this scheme any step from Step 4 on: pining could be one-sided, UST could never ever be resolved, characters could prefer their goals to love or maybe death or other circumstances would do them apart against their will.

The Wolf and Ma Zhaixing finally got together but the cruel world couldn`t allow it to last anytime long.

Bon Appétit! Your Enemies to Lovers story is well-baked!

[silviakundera]

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact Ep 4-6

The bad guys being haters who want to make a humans vs spirit war in service of their ambitions...and the sequence of "woe is me, the outsider orphan raised in the clan of enemy race where everyone thinks my people are evil.... Is there no place I can belong? Let's go visit the local orphanage to get inspired to Make A Difference" was cliche and kids-film simplistic.

ML Yuechu gets over the whole torture & sacrifice deal ridiculously fast but as I think he plays lively & mischievous much better than raw angst and serious drama... that's for the best.

So far the drama isn't doing anything new at all but it's (a) very pretty, (b) avoiding lots of little pitfalls, and (c) the gender flip in the ML/FL roles makes it feel less cut/paste

I really like that they didn't keep it a secret that FL fox chief was giving up her spirit bone to the Grief Tree. I have a hate-on for the common trope of a 1 member of the couple doing a secret sacrifice but the other doesn't know and misunderstands them. (In general, the narrative having a character play the secret martyred victim annoys me.)

Actually, the drama avoided annoying the fuck out of me twice. They allowed Yuechu ML to be aware that FL rescued him instead of making it a mystery that would be dragged out and affect how the characters interact 🙌

They're dragging out FL's realization that she has romantic feelings for Yuechu, but that's fine for now since she sees their species as so incompatible (that lifespan difference is no joke) (of course now that she lost her spiritual bone and will wither with the tree... Maybe not? 🤔)

The actor playing Jin Renfeng is...not good. He's just not very authentically menacing. Looks confused/constipated more than ominious with barely leased rage.

I don't really care about the secondary couple, famous incognito hero and his #1 fangirl, but then I rarely have interest in the 2nd pair.

And though normally I'm high-key hyped for princess x bodyguard pairings... wyd here??? "In order to survive, the spirits must follow orders." In a kingdom where humans are enslaving spirits with a talisman, I'm not gonna get horny for a slave/slave master ship. You literally just showed me captive children crying behind the bars of a cage like 2 minutes ago. 💀

Why is everyone shaming the bodyguard instead the human master???????

Ok princess, the first step in courting your spirit beau would be destroying the talisman that's controlling his people and maybe stop putting babies in cages? 🤔🤔

Does everyone just think they love being slaves & do it for fun? This is some secret that only the bad guys figured out? THEY'RE LITERALLY THE SPIRIT MASTER KINGDOM

oh and Dongfang Luo has been in a coma for 100 years, ready to wake up to create a love triangle in act 3

[missfangirll]

☆°･:*:･｡★ Videos ★ ｡･:*:･°☆

★ 陈情令 | The Untamed ★

☆ Nothing More (Xiao Xingchen) ☆ Memories (Xiao Xingchen/Song Lan) ☆ Der Weg (Xiao Xingchen/Song Lan)   

★ 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook ★

☆ Never your friend (Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua/Di Feisheng) ☆ Coming Home (Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua/Di Feisheng) ☆ Nothing’s Like Home (Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua/Di Feisheng) ☆ Homesick  (Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua/Di Feisheng)

    ★ 盗墓笔记 | The Lost Tomb ★

☆ Read my Lips (The Lost Tomb Restart: The Grave in the Abyss, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Saving Grace (The Lost Tomb Restart: The Grave in the Abyss, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Never Again (The Lost Tomb Restart: The Grave in the Abyss, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Like Real People Do (The Lost Tomb: Ultimate Note, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Ugly Heart (The Mystic Nine: Qing Shan Hai Tang, Yan Sanxing) ☆ The Storm (The Lost Tomb Restart: The Grave in the Abyss, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Unstoppable (The Lost Tomb Restart: The Grave in the Abyss, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Someone you loved (The Lost Tomb: Sand Sea, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling) ☆ Someone you loved (ver.2) (The Lost Tomb: Sand Sea, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling) ☆ My Clan (The Lost Tomb & The Mystic Nine: Zhang Family tribute) ☆ The Anthem (The Lost Tomb: Sand Sea, Su Nan) ☆ The Kill (The Mystic Nine: Qing Shan Hai Tang, Yan Sanxing) ☆ Poker Face (The Lost Tomb, Zhang Qiling) ☆ Material Girl (The Lost Tomb: Ultimate Note, Hei Xiazi) ☆ Always been you (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Kan Jian/Liu Sang) ☆ With Iris (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Iron Triangle) ☆ A Thousand Years (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Kan Jian/Liu Sang, Reincarnation AU) ☆ Say Goodbye (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Wu Xie & Wu Sanxing) ☆ Two (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Pangzi) ☆ Runaway (The Lost Tomb, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling) ☆ Stay Alive (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling) ☆ I will not bow (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Liu Sang) ☆ Counting stars (The Lost Tomb: Sand Sea, Liang Wan/Zhang Rishan) ☆ Seven Wonders (The Lost Tomb: Ultimate Note, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Flatline (The Lost Tomb: Ultimate Note, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ I’ve been blind (The Lost Tomb: Ultimate Note, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Rock Bottom (The Lost Tomb: Ultimate Note, Hei Xiazi/Xiao Hua) ☆ Where do lovers go? (The Lost Tomb: Reunion, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling) ☆ King and Lionheart (The Mystic Nine: Fo Ye & Zhang Rishan)

  ★ 镇魂 | Guardian ★

☆ Favourite Song (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ Eternity (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ Shallow (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ Come to me (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ I’ll wait (Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng) ☆ Alone (Ye Zun) ☆ Die for you (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ We won't be falling (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ Fear of the Water (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ Silence (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ We found love (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ Enough to go by (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ All the love that I ever needed (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) ☆ These old wheels (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan)

     ★ S.C.I.谜案集 | S.C.I. Mystery ★

☆ True Love (Bai Yutong/Zhan Yao)

               ★ 天官赐福 | Heaven Officials’s Blessing ★

☆ Coming Home (Xie Lian/Hua Cheng)

     ★ 苍兰诀  | Love between Fairy and Devil ★

☆ I used to rule the world (Dongfang Qingcang & Xunfeng)

    ★ KinnPorsche ★

☆ Half a Man (Vegas/Pete) ☆ Poison (Vegas/Pete) ☆ Would you come home (Vegas/Pete)

     ☆ﾟ･:*:･｡★ﾟ You can always send an ask! ★ ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ☆