#also poor chu wanning.

[spottedgardeneelstan]

there are some plot lines even i can’t make silly.

[shen-daozhang]

i don't have time to fully articulate this right now but the similarities between Hua Binan and Mo Ran?? Especially considering how much Hua Binan fucking despises Mo Ran and thinks he's stupid and violent and only good to be used as a puppet and a blunt object? When Mo Ran is actually similar to him? And does he deep down recognize this and that's why he hates Mo Ran so much, because he sees himself reflected in the things he dislikes about Mo Ran?

[fixaidea]

So here's the thing: I don't usually engage with or care about top/bottom discourse EXCEPT when I think it's funny, sooo...

Let's do some Science and examine Pingxie in a Very Serious Manner.

To do this, first let's take a look at some data gathered from all the danmei novels and shows I know (relevant for calibration you know, since they have actual canon top/bottom dynamics.)

SVSSS

Shen Qingqiu - Since his cause of death wasn't starvation we can assume - well, at least hope - that he can make instant noodles, if nothing else, but he will absolutely avoid having to cook if he can help it.

Luo Binghe - As the Protagonist he of course has to be The Bestest at everything (...except sex, apparently) and it's mentioned that both Bingge and Bingmei use their culinary skills to woo the people they want to sleep with. He's also the top, even though everyone involved would be better off if he wasn't.

MDZS

Lan Wangji - Becomes a pretty decent cook, as per the extras. Prefers to top.

Wei Wuxian - It's not like he's incompetent, he doesn't burn or undercook the food, it's just that his taste is so extreme that his dishes are basically inedible to anyone else.

TGCF

Hua Cheng - No special talent for cooking, but at least he's not actively dangerous. There's no on-page sex scene in the novel, but it's made obvious that he tops.

Xie Lian - Biohazard. Weapons-grade culinary anti-talent. Gastronomy's answer to Vogon poetry.

Golden Stage

Ulike in most of the other novels on the list, food doesn't really have much symbolic meaning and not much is said about either Fu Shen's or Yan Xiaohan's cooking skills, exept for a brief mention of Fu Shen pickling eggs to pass the time. This is a rare couple that canonically switches.

Guardian

Zhao Yunlan - This man considers instant noodles cooked with coffee an okay way to surprise a boyfriend. He really wouldn't mind topping, which he keeps lamenting throughout the book, but he's paired with Shen Wei who might just have the strongest set preference out of everyone on this list.

Shen Wei - Likes to dote on Zhao Yunlan by cooking for him and is genuinely very good at it.

Word of Honor (mind, I have only watched the show here)

Zhou Zishou - Can keep himself alive, but left to his own devices would probably make due with charred-and-yet-undercooked fish or something.

Wen Kexing - A competent cook. While obviously not detailed in the drama I looked it up (or asked someone, I can't remember) and he's the top here.

Erha

Chu Wanning - Perfected exactly one (1) dish, is rather... unfortunate otherwise. You could not pay this man to top.

Mo Ran - Excellent cook. Actually worked in a kitchen at one point in his life, giving and receiving food is basically his main love-language.

Now that we have examined these canon couples and have drawn all the relevant conclusions, let's apply what we learned to our non-danmei, might-as-well-be-canon-but-isn't ship.

Wu Xie - Can cook just fine both in the novel and the drama-verse even if it doesn't come up too often. In the first season he cooks up a pretty decent feast for his friends and in the Yucun books he helps come up with the dishes they would serve in their restaurant.

Zhang Qiling - The entire Thing of this poor sod as a character is that he knows how to survive but not how to live. Taking the time to prepare nice meals or cook anything beyond basic sustenance just... doesn't fit that picture.

So.

I rest my case.

[romanceyourdemons]

love how you look at chu wanning and go poor guy, trapped in the Stupid and Horny Sect when he’s so intelligent and sex-repulsed. and then you learn that neither of those attributes prevents a person from ALSO being stupid and horny, and he is, in fact, exactly where he ought to be

[grumfield]

Meatbun: I’m going to use the framework of a dubcon yaoi to explore complicated ideas of consent and empathy because it’s the pinnacle of this sort of thing so while I feed you attic wife noncon with one hand, the extreme semeuke yaoiness of it all is also going to serve as a sounding board and comparison point for you to meditate on themes of consent within other contexts like poverty and tragedy and also what non-consent actually is and how it looks. It is extremely important that it is dubcon yaoi because everything you can explore starts with this as a thematic comparison point. Look at how conflicted chu wanning feels about his desires [I’ve used these tropes to narrow your perception of what non-consent looks like and now I pull the rug out from under you and change your understanding of who the victim is] Yes chu wanning is being horribly locked up by his alpha billionaire [if you are too poor to have ever thought to want anything can you even want at all] kyaaaah *slams uke against wall* [capitalism is hell and actively cuts away the ability to empathize, what even is consent when people are given no other choices by the very fabric of society? How much of their behavior is truly theirs? How much can you blame them?] Also I find this hot. Really really hot.

Some fucker in my anons: guys don’t engage with 2ha like it’s dubcon yaoi that makes you a fucking freak and terrible and awful and hate—

[thegreymoon]

I finally got my grubby paws on the e-book and am now reading bits and pieces of the farm arc and cackling over how horny and stupid they both are 🤣🤣

And then it occurred to me that it's been 7 years since Mo Ran has had sex?? The last time for him was that encounter with Rong Jiu just after he transmigrated and after that... nothing? There are no other people, Shi Mei famously has no effect on his state of arousal and all he does for literal years is angst about his perpetual boner for Chu Wanning. Then the Heavenly Rift happens, and he angsts and pines some more, this time with "respect and cherish" added into the mix. However, once that veil was lifted, other people were no longer even an option. Which, considering how sexual he is is just 🤯🤯 Also, keep in mind these were his late teens and early twenties, the poor guy must have been going out of his mind. No wonder his brain is melting out of his ears by the time Shizun comes back to the world of the living and is walking around all oblivious, throwing his jealous little tantrums and tripping into his arms and smelling of haitang all the damn time.

[taempteng]

【 Analytical Essay 】 Why did Chu Wanning Apologise?

Mo Ran was at the pinnacle of the cultivation world. He mastered the Zhenlong Chess Formation and took down the Sisheng Peak and Rufeng Sect. He also defeated his master, Chu Wanning, and detained him.

Mo Ran was unstoppable. He declared himself the emperor of the cultivation world and went by the title Taxian-Jun — the Heaven-Trampling Monarch. To commence his rise to power, he crucified Chu Wanning and let him bleed to death.

As the life force of the master he strongly despised slowly dripped away, Mo Ran relentlessly mocked Chu Wanning. He sneered at his master’s righteousness and saviour complex, laughing at the pathetic state he was reduced to. He blamed Chu Wanning, saying that the world fell into this state of chaos because of his master’s own arrogance.

“Let me ask you, Chu Wanning, let me ask you — what is ‘poor character, difficult to polish’?”

As Mo Ran continued to affront Chu Wanning, he noticed for the first time the look on his master’s face. The expression shocked Mo Ran to speechlessness, trying to understand the meaning behind his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Mo Ran. It’s this master’s fault…”

Why did Chu Wanning apologise to Mo Ran in that scene?

Was it for being too harsh in disciplining Mo Ran? However, he was just carrying out his job as Mo Ran’s teacher.

Was it for not guiding Mo Ran to a path of virtue? However, he already did his best to train Mo Ran, but his efforts were in vain.

As I pondered about the sequence of events leading to Chu Wanning’s apology, I realised the possible reason behind his guilt.

This is why Chu Wanning apologised in this scene.

Disclaimer: Spoilers for Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun, specifically the Underworld Arc. We will speak as if you have read the whole story or at least up until the aforementioned arc. Please proceed with caution.

An Apology in Response to

For every comment, there is a reply. Although we can chalk off Chu Wanning’s apology as the delirious rambling of a dying man, we can likewise believe he was responding to Mo Ran’s words.

A dialogue is an exchange between two or more characters. Before the apology, Mo Ran brought up an important phrase that could have tipped off Chu Wanning.

“Poor character, difficult to polish”.

This was a statement originally made by Chu Wanning. At that time, Xue Zhengyong asked Chu Wanning about his thoughts on Mo Ran. Hence, the response.

Despite the harsh words, there was a reason for Chu Wanning’s judgement. Beforehand, Mo Ran was acting rebelliously and causing trouble. It did not matter how Chu Wanning disciplined him, Mo Ran would still act out.

But, why was Mo Ran behaving this way?

Mo Ran admitted that it was to get a reaction out of Chu Wanning. Whether that be of praise or shock. He just wanted Chu Wanning to notice him and give him attention.

In that case, what caused him to act disobediently? Surely, Mo Ran did not begin making trouble out of nowhere. There must be a starting point, a catalyst to his subsequent behaviour.

There was one event.

The Begonia Plucking Incident

It was a leisure stroll around Sisheng Peak when Mo Ran found a blooming begonia. Its beauty reminded him of Chu Wanning. So, without thinking, Mo Ran plucked the flower, wanting to give it to his master.

Unfortunately, the begonia was a medicine grown by Madam Wang. It was difficult to cultivate, and the flower Mo Ran plucked was the first of its blossoms. His actions were witnessed by Xue Meng, who took him to Chu Wanning for punishment.

Mo Ran tried to explain himself. However, he was stopped by the coldness in Chu Wanning’s eyes. He mistook the gaze for condescension and thought his master looked down on him. After the severe punishment which left him bed-ridden, his ire towards Chu Wanning ignited.

Mo Ran admitted that this was the incident which led to his rebellion. His enmity towards Chu Wanning drove him to break sect rules, all in the hopes of catching his master’s attention. Sadly, his disobedient act only soured Chu Wanning’s view of him, leading him to believe that Mo Ran was an unruly disciple.

Mo Ran remembered this event due to how wrongfully punished he was. However, he was not the only one who held this incident close to heart.

Chu Wanning also remembered this event dearly. It is certain that, because of this event, Chu Wanning apologised to Taxian-jun.

But, why would Chu Wanning remember this incident? There were so many instances where Mo Ran lashed out and received harsh discipline from Chu Wanning. So, why would Chu Wanning single out this one event?

It is because — while Mo Ran had woes from the incident, Chu Wanning had regrets.

Chu Wanning’s Perspective

After the severe punishment, Mo Ran was sent to his room to recuperate. It was there that he encountered Shi Mei, who brought him a bowl of dumplings. Thinking that his senior brother gave him the food to cheer him up, he started to develop an infatuation for Shi Mei.

Mo Ran thought Shi Mei made the dumplings. However, it was revealed in the Underworld Arc that the true maker was Chu Wanning.

After disciplining Mo Ran, Chu Wanning felt remorseful for his harshness. He cooked a bowl of dumplings as an apology, but was too embarrassed to give it to Mo Ran himself. So, he had Shi Mei send it, since he was passing by.

Not serving the bowl of dumplings to Mo Ran personally had been Chu Wanning’s biggest regret. After his death, his Human Soul was found in Meng Po Hall, carefully cooking a batch of dumplings. He was stuck in the moment after he punished Mo Ran, where he dealt with his disciple too harshly and did not get a chance to apologise for it.

As a Human Soul, Mo Ran was able to put Chu Wanning to ease after granting his wish — to have Chu Wanning himself bring the bowl of dumplings to Mo Ran. Only then did the Human Soul settled with peace.

Reasonable Conclusion

Mo Ran was hung up on Chu Wanning’s quote of “Poor character, difficult to polish”. The phrase was said because Mo Ran was acting rashly prior to the line. Mo Ran was acting out because he wanted to get Chu Wanning’s attention after being punished for plucking the begonia.

If Mo Ran connected that remark to the incident, then so did Chu Wanning. Because Mo Ran was not the only one who felt strongly towards the situation — Chu Wanning did too.

So, Chu Wanning made the connection. He knew he made that statement and knew that it was in response to Mo Ran’s disobedient behaviour. He realised the moment Mo Ran started acting rashly was after his punishment for plucking the begonia, and felt despair over the turns of events.

As such, with his dying breath, he apologised to Taxian-jun, truly believing it was his fault that Mo Ran turned into this state.

[etherealiity]

Fem ranwan sickfic,,,, fem ranwan guardian angel cwn ,,,,,

thank you sm for another amazing request! I hope you enjoy<3 this one was strange? cathartic? for me to write, maybe because I'm sick at the moment....also guardian angel cwn, my beloved🥺

(I wrote the ending/ilnness as sort of ambiguous, so any and all interpretations are welcome!)

-

Mo Ran couldn’t stop coughing. 

Mo Ran was sick and she couldn’t get better. 

This malady sat inside of her chest, an unresectable tumor, festering and raw. It spread through her veins like morphine, chilling and ruinous. It hung in her skull, sat inside heavy and thick and inescapable, consuming her every thought and filling her head with dark, viscous pain. 

So many times it had seemed as if she would die, only for inexplicably a lifesaving, last breath to be pushed into her lungs, and another and another.

But the worst part was the solitude. Mo Ran, for as long as she could remember, had been utterly, achingly alone. 

In the midst of fever and delirium, a figure appeared. Mo Ran’s heart, for a moment, stilled, like it had so many times before. But this time, instead of resuming its feeble, fragile beat, it began to pound rapturously, the sound riotous through her ears. 

Mo Ran had never seen an angel before.

Because surely, that is what this person must be. She’s gorgeous. Divine. Resplendent in her pristine, pure white robes, with a halo of pure gold alight above her head, while radiant, ethereal light seemingly coming from heaven itself bleeds from her every pore. 

Entranced, Mo Ran watches as the woman grows closer, refusing to blink, despite how her eyes stung against the sterile air. Her body sang for a summer breeze and the golden light of sunshine, protesting that decay it suffered under these buzzing fluorescents. 

Phoenix eyes enveloped her in their gaze. Mo Ran felt unspeakably warm, held inside of those deep, liquid amber pools that softened with pain as another bout of coughs wracked her sickly form. 

“I’m sorry you are in so much pain,” the angel murmured, brushing a cool hand against Mo Ran’s sweat-damp forehead. “I have done what I can to protect you. To heal you.”

The way this angel spoke, with a voice as lulling as a lullaby, made it clear to Mo Ran that this being had been watching over her for a long, long time. Protecting her. Saving her. 

“Thank you,” Mo Ran rasped, then noticing the wings that fluttered softly behind the angel. They were nearly as tall as the woman herself, white and glistening with tiny sparkles, as if a constellation had been used as thread. Mo Ran bet if she had the strength to reach out and touch, they would feel as soft as down. 

“No need,” the angel shook her head. “It is my duty.”

An indescribable, honey-like warmth dripped over Mo Ran’s heart, so foreign, yet wholly welcome, a comforting reprieve from the agony she was so used to illness inflicting on the poor organ. 

“You would only do such a thing,” Mo Ran whispered. “If you were a kind person at heart.”

The angel’s cheeks pinkened as she ducked her head, obviously embarrassed and flustered. Mo Ran was gripped by a fondness the likes of which she had never known before. 

Suddenly, a name made itself known to her, crystallizing inside of her mind.

Chu Wanning.

Her guardian angel. 

She had never really been alone, had she?

“Stay with me, for a while?” Mo Ran asked. “It’s lonely here.”

Chu Wanning’s expression gentled impossibly further, as she took Mo Ran’s outstretched hand. “Alright.”

Blood coagulated in her throat. The vines of this sickness spread through her but the angel’s hand grounded Mo Ran, reminding her of the solace that awaited on the other side. 

“Even if you pass over,” Chu Wanning murmured, as the edges of Mo Ran’s vision began to blacken and blur. “I will be there to lead you toward the light.”

Mo Ran hummed, letting her eyes fall closed. 

And then, the darkness no longer held any pain. 

[huasahyo]

I finished reading Yuwu! (Spoilers ahead!)

OKAY, YUWU WAS PAINFULLY AMAZING. I still don't get the lack of content for this fandom??? In comparison to 2ha, Yuwu fandom seems way smaller and THAT'S UNFAIR. This story is so well written, the plot meticulously tied together and the characters are complex and very interesting. In a personal analysis, I liked the plot in Yuwu better than 2ha, cause I feel like in Yuwu, the main characters are closer to and are more affected by the plot? But 2ha stills pulls at my heartstrings more, in fact, every time I read the word Haitang in Yuwu, I GOT TRIGGERED, the trauma is real. AND THE FACT THAT MURONG CHUYI IS AN ACTUAL CHARACTER IN THIS??? At first, I thought that was simply kinda weird to have a character so similar to Chu Wanning in this (given that this is a prequel to 2ha, so couldn't be a reincarnation thing) but I changed my mind throughout the book and really enjoyed the reason for their similarities (the one stated at the end).

The whole Yue Family plot was really painful. In fact, one of the points I disliked is that my boy Yue Chenqing gets the Xue Meng part in the ending: he ends all "alone"! Like, can't Mo Xi send him a letter in secret or something... at least so he can know that everyone he cares about didn't die?

Also, why does everyone despises Jiang Yexue so much? Alright, him being sort of a villain caught me off guard but taking a look at the whole story, Yexue was a really good person until he infected by demonic qi. And remember, he got infected while saving Yue Chenqing (that at this point had unknowingly stolen everything from him). As Yexue fought the demonic qi, he was all alone, so he just stopped fighting... all of his actions after were probably inducted by the qi.

If there is someone really despicable in the story, that is Yue Juntian. A literal rapist who treated his children like mud. Terrible.

And also, the emperor Murong Chen was a great manipulator, props to him. In order to achieve the control of the whole world he was willing to fool everyone. I just thought his motivations were kinda weird, his ambition came sort of out of anger of being in the position of a ruler, seen as nothing more than that. I genuinely believed he wanted a better world in that scene where he plays the Xiao for the 70 thousand souls.

AND DAMN GIRL MURONG MENGZE... I wasn't expecting the last turn of events about her. At first I suspected her, then I thought she was a nice person and felt bad for suspecting her and at the end... lmao. But I enjoyed her character, she is a evolved version of her older brother. To be a knowledgeable ruler, she was willing to manipulate and kill, but also willing herself to go through some shit. Of course I was mad at her for putting our main characters through suffering but when she abolished slavery and shown herself to be an actually great ruler who cares about the country, I was sold. My girl (should I still use she/her pronouns on her? Idk!) is a baddie. (And poor Zhou He lmao I thought he was kinda hot, it's a pity he died)

And was not expecting another shizun fucker in this. Hua Po'an being the shizun fucker then... that was surprising. When he was first mentioned I was 100% on his side: A slave going against the country that enslaved them? Totally reasonable. The part that sucks it's that he used a lot of our poor Butterfly Boned Beauty Feasts to achieve his goals and that he was clearly a madman. But that 9 eyed qin was badass, when he uses it to conjure past general Gu... CHILLS, LITERAL CHILLS.

And poor Jiang Fuli... this was another surprising character, I thought he would be just a side character and a reference to Jiang Xi. I couldn't predict how involved he was in the plot, wow.

AH LET ME TALK ABOUT MURONG LIAN. In this blog we do not tolerate any hate towards our Wangshu-jun. He is definitely my favorite character out of everyone. At first I thought he would just be our regular annoying villain, and I was pretty angry at how he treated Gu Mang. But as the story progressed his presence made everything funnier (that one scene where he saves Gu Mang from having wine thrown at him LMAO) and when he tries to save Gu Mang from being taken by Zhou He LIKE HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT... I was like: okay that's suspicious.

I originally didn't like the plot of Gu Mang being actually a noble. But as we read we understand that this doesn't change the fact he lived most of his life as a slave.

The whole Ximang relationship was cute and painful. Seeing our (debatable) cold Mo Xi fall in love with someone he thinks doesn't love him back and then this person backstabs him. This person comes back and doesn't remember anything from the past. And then he discovers there's more to the backstabbing story! He has to endure watching said person struggle A LOT omg... I cried with him in a lot of moments.

Oh, and I really liked the spiritual weapons in this! Really cool! Tuntian was a very interesting twist and I liked how that explained Mo Xi being so strong.

THE PLOT TWIST ABOUT THE LITTLE SACHET (I have no idea what that thing is called in English, but you know what I am talking about) ???? THAT WAS... I was speechless.

About the ending, I actually thought it would be a reincarnation open ending and was kinda meh about it. But then, our savior (mysterious dude that kinda looks like Xie Lian??? Idk about yall but I was picturing him inside my head) appeared and gave us a miracle! Very cute ending <3

BY THE WAY, I finished Yuwu mid January and just finished writing this now, at the end of February lol

Hopefully I will draw some content to this fandom in the future, while trying to convince people to read it.

Also, as of now I have just finished the second volume of Qiang Jin Jiu and booooooy I have a lot to say about this masterpiece, just wait for my review. (Or no? No one reads these anyways lol).

[thevampirelibrary]

Book Ramblings and Review of:

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 2 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Say you’ve been given the opportunity to turn back the hands of the clock and become younger. With this amazing (or perhaps unsettling) opportunity, you are presented with two options: Return to your teenage years in an alternative timeline in which you must relive your life, but have agency over what happens next, or remain in your current timeline, but assume your form from childhood. With this latter option, since being a child can be tough, you can briefly return to your adult form via some pills with limited availability. 

Yes, I do think of some of the strangest discussion questions to ramble about because of books, and today’s scenario is courtesy of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 2 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou.

I read The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 1 awhile ago, but I have been meaning to catch up with all of the xianxia novels I have. It is certainly one of my favorite genres. I have always enjoyed high fantasy settings filled with unexplained powers, demons, and fae. The world of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun is immersive in its wonderful world building that gives the reader just the right amount of time to explore each unique location without being too overbearing. My initial concern going into Vol. 2 was that I was going to forget what happened in the previous volume and, while the novel begins just near the end of the events that occurred in the first volume at Jincheng Lake, thus causing me to wonder “Wait, where are we again?”, the novel is kind in reminding us as to what the main threats are in carefully crafted ways that don’t drag the reader out of the natural flow of the story.

In this volume, our main character, Mo Ran, witnesses more events come to pass, but in sometimes peculiar ways. Many of the events that he was ready to face again have changed without his interference. It’s almost like someone is pulling the strings and an unsettling question looms over him: Was he really the only one who went back in time? If not, this could spell doom for him. Afterall, in his original life, he was a tyrannical emperor with no small number of enemies that would gladly wish for his demise. One such unique event is the existence of Xia Sini-- a young child hailing from a neighboring clan. This boy who seems so familiar and yet is a new ally in Mo Ran’s eyes is actually much closer to him than he could have ever guessed. In fact, this young boy is none other than his shizun, Chu Wanning! Injured in a previous battle, Chu Wanning is forced into regressing into the body of his childhood self until he heals. Of course, no one must find out; especially Mo Ran. It’s truly a curse at first, but perhaps something can be gained from this. Will Chu Wanning and Mo Ran gain a deeper understanding of each other even in the face of peril?

Fitting for a series about turning back the clock, the main conflict of this novel takes place in the mystical Peach Blossom Spring in which Chu Wanning’s three disciples and Xia Sini are invited to train under the tutelage of the Feathered Tribe. One training includes entering a simulated scenario of a tragedy that had occurred, and defeat the perpetrator. However, unlike Mo Ran’s situation, the past events happening in this simulation cannot be changed. This leads to some gut-wrenching moments including one moment that made me really feel the hopelessness of the poor innocents who had to live through the event. That is one compliment I must give to the author: She knows how to write feelings of hopelessness and hope incredibly well. She is able to drag characters to their lowest while also ensuring that there is still something to live (or die) for. I was never a fan of horror, but the horrific scenes in this novel were engaging because of how complicated they were: Decisions to risk the lives of one or many, whether it is better to live with a heart full of vengeance or let bygones be bygones, and the amount of intense emotions from all directions of people who just want to live. I absolutely zoomed through those scenes at the edge of my seat, wondering how the characters would react and get out of these situations. Along the way, clues abound concerning the main mystery of the novel, making each scene decisive to the overall plot.

Since this novel is so dependent on its two main characters, I would be remiss if I did not speak about them. In this volume, I felt like Chu Wanning took center stage with his frustrations in being resorted to fight in the body of a child and his newfound understanding of facets of Mo Ran’s character that Mo Ran would never reveal in front of his shizun. Mo Ran receives some wonderful character development this time around and asks some important questions: “What does he truly want?” and “What is actually valuable to him?”. I believe that these kinds of questions are crucial for every main character to ask themselves to varying degrees and it was enjoyable to see the natural progression of Mo Ran’s character as he tackles them.

I already have the next three volumes on my shelf and I look forward to reading more. The wonderful thing about this series is that there is a massive and creative community behind it. I am absolutely spoiled with the amount of fan content for it and have chibi figurines of the two main characters. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far and look forward to future volumes. If you are interested in checking out this series for yourself, please be aware of the trigger warnings. There is some content that might be unsettling for those who are younger and tropes that could be unappealing to those who are older. This is a series you want to be a little prepared for, in my opinion.

Returning to my hypothetical scenario at the beginning of this book ramble/review, what option would I choose? There are certainly pros and cons of each. The pros of going back in time are that you are conscious of what is to happen and can even fix mistakes that filled you with regrets in your former timeline. The cons are that reliving the past can hurt and, even despite our best interests and determination, some things cannot change. If you can’t change the future enough, then life may even become dull in its predictability. Naturally, this can be rectified if you are indeed able to radically change your future, but that is dependent on the situations that come your way. 

As for assuming your child form once again in your current timeline, the pros are that you are given some extra time to develop on inherent skills that you have and, by also being able to turn into an adult as need be, you can accomplish different tasks with varying rates of success. This skill would definitely be useful in espionage (though… don’t do that). Life is still an exciting mystery. However, then we look at the cons… All the people that you’ve formed connections with are older than you now and will continue living their life without waiting for you to “catch up”. If you want to fit in, you have to form new kinds of connections, but everyone remembers you as the adult who turned into a child. This option is one filled with loneliness. While you do have some pills that can turn you into an adult, they are of a limited quantity, meaning that there is the risk that you’ll be left behind by a gap of years forever. Fortunately for Chu Wanning, this curse is created from a loss of spiritual power due to the confrontation at Jincheng Lake featured in the last volume and, once he builds up this power again after several years, he’ll no longer resort to looking like a child, and regain his adult figure. In that case, other than espionage (which you really shouldn’t do), is there any benefit to what he has gone through? 

Naturally, everyone leads a unique life. One option may indeed be better than the other depending on what we’ve gone through to get where we are today. Perhaps future volumes will reveal further intricacies to both Mo Ran’s and Chu Wanning’s unique situations, but until then, I’ll be heading to that alternative timeline, thank you very much!

I am participating in the 13 Moons Reading Challenge! This book fulfills the prompt: Snow Moon - The word White in the title.

[ao3feed-xicheng]

shoot another shot try to stop the feeling

by cloudrecesses In a society that caters to the whims of alphas and omegas, Jiang Cheng is a beta. All he wants is to work hard, save money, and get on with his life. Unfortunately, this is impossible to do, when his work day is constantly disrupted by heats, ruts, and marital disagreements being aired in public! For one, his poor omega boss, Chu Wanning, can't seem to catch a break from his controlling, alpha husband, Mo Ran. Can't a beta get some peace around here? And of course, there's the Lan Xichen problem. The attractive, flirtatious managing director who can't seem to leave him alone. There's also the latest omega temp in his team, who seems to have developed a crush on him. Jiang Cheng never signed up for all this. He doesn't want to date, especially not alphas or omegas, so why does he find himself warming to Lan Xichen? Words: 4480, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon), 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Webcomic), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 二哈和他的白猫师尊 - 肉包不吃肉 | The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Chu Wanning, Mo Ran | Mo Weiyu, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jin Ling | Jin Rulan, Lan Jingyi Relationships: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jin Ling | Jin Rulan, Chu Wanning/Mo Ran | Mo Weiyu Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Alpha Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Alpha Wei Yīng | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin is So Done, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin is Bad at Feelings, Misunderstandings, Possessive Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Established Chu Wanning/Mo Ran | Mo Weiyu, Alpha Mo Ran | Mo Weiyu, Omega Chu Wanning, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Oblivious Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Mutual Pining, A Bucketload of Self-Esteem Issues, Top Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Bottom Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Other Additional Tags to Be Added via https://ift.tt/PyrMnWX

[mxtxfanatic]

I started reading 2ha a while back, but- I just can't like Chu Wanning?? I made it past- um, I'm not sure of the page number, but after the Xia Sini soup incident and switching back to Chu Wanning (which. Ouch for the poor baby, I was cringing so hard)? But, just. Chu Wanning has such a thin face and he lashes out at others when it fractures, and it just 💔

I couldn't trust him to be my friend - if I accidentally say something wrong, as I'm prone to unknowingly doing, he seems like he'd either lash or and run away, or if I'm lucky, just run away. He'd feel terrible about it later, probably, but- he never admits to it? Not on av way that others can understand without a deep understanding of him and how he acts. I think he is a good person, I just- can't get over at his lashing out at others for his own shortcomings. He more that makes up for it, but having grown up with someone who lashed out - mostly just verbally - at others for minor provocations... I don't know. ...

Sorry for dumping this ask on you, the point I meant to get to was: why do so many people like him so much? Am I just being overly sensitive? I want to like him! I do like him! I just wouldn't dare be his friend bc it feels like it would only just hurt us both.

I just keep thinking of the time during that 1st case, when he lashes out without ever explaining why, and he ends up hurting the people on his side and he never explains himself or why he was doing what he did.

(Also it's 4am and I know I shouldn't be sending out asks when my limited good sense and filter and brain power is turned off for the day but this has been eating at my mind for ages so-)

I was on your side when I also started reading 2ha, like, I just could not like Chu Wanning! I’m not a fan of characters who lash out at others when the real problem is their own insecurity. He eventually does win me over, though, and one part of it is because the deeper in you go, the more you realize exactly how unreliable of a narrator Mo Ran is (and yes the story is in 3rd person, but we’re following Mo Ran’s view of reality very closely) and another part is that they give an explanation for why he acts and reacts the way that he does in certain situations.

I think, however, that he started winning me over when he insisted on getting lashed for whipping the scam artist murder family in Butterfly Town, because I do not believe in characters dishing out what they can’t or refuse to take. I didn’t like him then, per se, but I could respect him.

[yiifu]

also i’m finally finally done with the main story bit of yuwu, still have the epilogue and extras (murong lian’s diary) to finish but wow like,, it’s been a truly wild ride. this story is so jam-packed because things just keep happening and it’s blown my mind more than mdzs. at some point during the last few chapters i was seriously gonna lose my mind with moxi. man’s made of steel istg how could he keep going after everything that’s been thrown at him? one of my fav lines was something about how moxi felt that he kept showing nothing but sincerity to everyone around him, and everyone around him had nothing but facades and lies to offer in return. his sincerity has been taken advantage of so many times, even by gumang. and i love that the story is not afraid to tell us that. sometimes even the ones we love also hurt us a lot. but in the end, moxi still never backs down on his sincerity. he stayed true to himself and what he believes in till the very end. our little fireball, stove, princess, shidi, the spirit of tuntian itself. i love him so much :(

(on a side note i found it very very cute how tall and terrifying xihe-jun, commander of the northern frontier army with a face like ice, has the cutest nicknames ever like, ‘stove’, ‘little fireball’, ‘princess’, even ‘silly princess’ im just like *head in hands* yes he is tall and scary and intimidating but he is also a tiny squishy baby)

also, this story just keep on having plot twists left and right, even until the last few pages. just when you think there can’t possibly be anymore twists left, meatbun just springs a surprise on you T-T mo xi and gu mang finally got their well-deserved happy ending and who would’ve thought that in the end, it’s murong lian who stays with our heroes? was a pity that murong chuyi had to go, i really liked him a lot and he never got a chance to showcase his real personality to others and to us readers. poor guy.

as for what happens after that, here are my headcanons: i suppose yue chenqing will rise to take over the northern frontier army commander position and ofc the head of the yue household. ximang and murong lian remain happily at the academy and raise the next batch of cultivators who will go on to establish great cultivation sects and change the world (look at the nangongs mentioned in the extras! i see what u did there meatbun). the haitang tree absorbs murong chuyi’s teachings which then manifests in chu wanning centuries later. jiang fuli leaves with su yurou to resume their nomadic lifestyle or settle down in a small village somewhere. they have children and somewhere along the way down their descendent line, jiang xi is born and he establishes the guyueye sect and becomes rich just like his ancestor once was. peace is established in chonghua once more, but things keep changing in the imperial jianghu and centuries later the new emperor of the mortal realm, taxianjun, wrecks havoc upon the land.

if there’s anything all these xianxia cultivation danmei novels have taught me, it’s that sometimes in the end, all anyone wants is a simple life in domestic, pastoral bliss. heroism and legacy is good, but the cottagecore enthusiasts were always right. sometimes it’s just better to be a commoner and live a quiet life away from the public eye. 

i haven’t finished 2ha yet, so there are some things that i’ve yet to look out for in the story e.g. mentions of the ancestors of the characters in yuwu. am very excited for that. thank you meatbun for creating these characters and this world!

[grumfield]

watching your slow slide into star wars has got me thinking: what do you think are the main differences in characterization between obi-wan and chu wanning??

Not to get all meta-y but like. This ask. head explodes. The ask to end all asks i'm gonna go crazy. The obi-wan information is informed by the books and movies, not the cartoon show.

I legitimately believe that Obi-Wan is like, the polar opposite of Chu Wanning in almost every possible way, and I believe that Chu Wanning would view Obi-Wan as legitimately banally evil on the same level as the upper cultivation guys he hates. On an aesthetic "emotionally stunted shizun, doomed disciple" level they're similar, but that's where it ends. Their differences primarily lie with their different opposite to the world around them and levels of complacency with corrupt systems.

It all boils down to the fact that Obi-Wan is orthodox and Chu Wanning is revolutionary.

Obi-Wan is a good Jedi, it's his entire identity, but being a good Jedi does not necessarily make a good person (ie. Jedi have noble motives but centuries of systematic complacency have led them to be passive towards institutional problems like slavery, which they allow to continue) and as a result lacks actual overarching moral conviction to be anything else but good at what his order requires of him. He has been trained by complacent people and raised in an environment where anything else outside of his own insular group is considered uncivilized and must be tamed (if we're using religious metaphors, he's like a bishop raised at the Vatican). His conception of morality is passive and he never questions it as he follows the tenets of his Order but little else. Breaking from the rules is seen as problematic or a deficiency of character because of this (which is brought up a lot in Jedi quest and other books), not as a potential vehicle to question why things are the way they are. To him, things are the way they are for a reason, and everyone must abide by them, because that is the way they are. Upon the destruction of the order, without the rules in place that he's always followed, he falls back on complacency and indecision: for example, when he's faced with having to kill or save his disciple, he chooses to do nothing and Darth Vader is made because of that. He doesn't join the subsequent resistance, and he also eventually just trains Luke to go do the job he still doesn't want to do (kill Anakin/Vader). You can argue that this is a love thing and while yeah that has stuff to do it I'm a bit uncharitable about it given everything, because if love had everything to do with it he could have done the merciful thing and killed Anakin or saved him, but he did neither. He's a warning against inaction.

Chu Wanning on the other hand is a cultivator but an incredibly strong moral backbone to the point where he is actively willing to destroy himself to save people less fortunate than him. He'll break rules to dole out justice or punishment even if it's in anger. I call him Homura from Madoka if she was a socialist because that's kind of what he is lol. The cultivation world and sects exists to support his own moral goals (making armor for the poor, etc.) and he doesn't rely on them for guidance (as proven with how he left his previous master, then the Nangongs, and why he stays at Sisheng Peak). He is willing to defy everyone and everything to save people. And like when his own disciple is 'bad' and being punished by the institution, he makes proactive decisions to go against them in a spectacular display to get him back and take him away. His understanding of morality is informed by the actions of people themselves, uninformed by institutional rules. It's what makes him beloved to me...

Anyways.

Chu Wanning is so precious and i want to wrap him in a blanket while Obi-Wan the coward stands outside in the rain and just gets wetter and wetter and comes down with the flu. I love them both a wholeeeeeee lot. I just realize now that comparing Chu Wanning to him or thinking they're similar is like comparing idk. Ancient china Jesus and…I wouldn’t go so far as to say Judas, but maybe Peter or Thomas

[thegreymoon]

Till the End of the Moon

Oh, baby 😢

***

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

YOU ARE ON THIN ICE! SUCH, SUCH THIN ICE!! THE ONLY REASON I HAVEN’T FULLY COMMITTED TO HIM ENDING YOU YET IS BECAUSE I LOVED LOVE IS SWEET! 

***

I MEAN!!

NO LOVE FOR SUSU. 

***

What are you two taking up screen time for? Let’s go back to Tantai Jin!

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Oooh! He can talk to animals?

Birds > people

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My poor frozen baby 😭

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HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NO SHIT!! And then you have the gall to act all righteous and offended when he ups and murders you all in turn. 

ANYWAY, SUPPORTING ALL TANTAI JIN’S MURDER RIGHTS, INCLUDING LI SUSU!

***

Go fuck yourself!

She is swiftly climbing up the ranks of my most hated FLs and aiming for the top spot. 

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YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO CUDDLE UNDER A BLANKET WITH HIM

***

When a show has you agreeing with the Devil God, you know there is nothing there worth saving.

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CHU WANNING 😭😭

HE’S SO BEAUTIFUL, I CRY 😭😭

***

I know that this technically wasn’t Li Susu, but I’m less and less on board with this ship with every passing moment.

Also, the comedic tone of these scenes makes me super uncomfortable. 

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Aaaaaand she whipped him as Li Susu as well. Honestly, fuck this ship. I am here now only to watch him burn everything to the ground. I ship Tantai Jin only with murder from this point on. 

***

Yeah, fuck her.

***

So not here for this.

I feel mildly grossed out, actually. I see now that this show is going to be tough going for me, actually. If it wasn’t for LYX being his gorgeous self, this is where I would be dropping this.

***

OH MY GOD

THEY DON’T EVEN FEED HIM!

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HE IS GOING TO END ALL YOUR MISERABLE LIVES AND I’M GOING TO BE CHEERING HIM ON EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!

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Jesus. This just keeps getting worse and worse.

***

Anyway, the sooner Tantai Jin kills them all, the better. 

[moransearthworms]

i think actually Shizun’s five year “seclusion” was the best thing that could happen for Mo Ran’s education. It was hard on him but if Chu Wanning had come straight back to life, boy would not have learned a damn thing. god bless