#and the DRAMA of it all.... he xuan DEFINITELY has motivations besides 'in love with shi qingxuan'

[cerinamroths]

Eternal Love/TMOPB Thoughts

Out of all the cdramas I’ve watched so far, this has been the most satisfying romance I’ve seen and enjoyed. The realms are thoroughly established and the scenery is so beautiful.

Mark Chao is an amazing actor. Even putting Mo Yuan and Ye Hua together, I can’t see the same person. The way Mark was able to create such a regal presence in his stance and gait for both characters...

I didn’t realize the comparisons between this & the Untamed, but I just love Ye Hua’s character and how he didn’t care about love until he met Su Su and he was just so fucking sweet to her. He’s such a sweet talker too.

What a QUEEN and badass Bai Qian is - it was fun to see her take down the Ghost Tribe/Xuan Nu & against Qing Cang. I was so happy when Ye Hua asked if she wanted to do the honors in punishing Xuan Nu. I was disappointed when he bounded her to stop her from fighting at the end though... Couldn’t they kick ass together but have him be the one to still sacrifice his spirit?

4th Brother - Bai Zhen is a cutie. He’s my Gu Nanyi in TMOPB. Also not sure of the age difference (I mean it’s complicated with this being about immortals), but I’m definitely shipping Bai Zhen & Zhe Yan.

I hated Su Jin & Xuan Nu so much. When my girl Bai Qian came for revenge, I yelled at my screen rooting them on. For Su Jin, I was like “DIG HER EYES OUT!” In addition to Su Jin, the Emperor Lord was very disappointing.

I’m also triggered by anything mentioning ‘eyes’ lol

It broke my heart that he had to do it before she gave birth... like she would never know what her baby boy looked like

The great thing about TMOPB is that besides those 3 characters and maybe a few others (i.e. Qing Cang), all the other characters are lovable. You have the disciples of Kunlun Mountain, Bai Fengjiu, Si Ming, Lian Song, Zi Lan, Die Feng, Cheng Yu, etc. 

At this point, I’m still scouring the interwebs for more fic, searching through wattpad and livejournal (LOL), but let me say there are plenty of fic ideas for this series... I guess I should attempt to write?

Kunlun bros get into mischief fics

Bai Qian never goes to the mortal world and her arranged marriage with Ye Hua goes through & both who are indifferent about love... eventually fall in love with each other

Bai Qian & Ye Hua meet as kids

Bai Qian never taking the amnesia potion

If someone discovered Su Su was Bai Qian earlier...

Su Jin never existing (lol)

Ye Hua & Bai Qian figuring out they are actually engaged to her before she gave birth

Zi Lan & Yan Zhi getting together (I can’t believe they faked us out at the end when they reunited... only for Zi Lan to tell her not to find him anymore)

The fight for Si Yin’s love between Li Jing and Yan Zhi

I love reveals so much and this drama was full of it - especially Bai Qian revealing her true self. Also it was a great paced drama. I was motivated to see what she was like with Mo Yuan... and then her as a mortal and falling in love with Ye Hua... and then waiting for so long to have someone realize she was Su Su... but then that never happened so then getting excited for Ye Hua to realize Su Su has been Bai Qian this entire time... 

I disliked the way Ye Hua kept insisting he was mortal to Su Su when clearly he can do magical things... and how she believed him. 

I felt so bad for Mo Yuan for being in love with 17 this entire time. How hilariously awkward though when he kept trying to tell her that he was rebuilding himself nonstop for 70,000 years to come back to her... and she kept telling him “Yes, you did it for each of us disciples” and then later asks him how she can be filial to him LOL. It kind of sucks for him to be joyous at his didi to be alive but then to find out he stole the one he loves.

I feel like I had to ignore logic for the way some things were explained or came to be, but afterall it is a Xian Xia drama and I’m very happy with this series.

[foreverdoesntexist]

Do you have Thai BL recommendations for people who like SOTUS? I especially want to look for those with good relationship/character developments or a university setting (bonus points if they put a lot of focus on campus life). Thank you in advance!

Absolutely! I’ll give you a list of 14 ones that match your criteria, love. I’ve watched over 200 dramas so far so I’ll do my best! ❤️ (I’ll assume that you watched SOTUS S and Our Skyy already) 1. Kiss Me/Kiss Me Again/Dark Blue Kiss/Our Skyy - this was the second BL show I’ve watched and even though the first two seasons have straight couples as the main storyline, the third one (Dark Blue Kiss) had the secondary BL couple as the mains. In Our Skyy just like SOTUS it has a special episode. It follows the story of Pete and Kao, two uni students that start by hating each other (they legit punch each other half of the time) and then fall in love. I loved this series because the actors were also my favorites and their chemistry was out of this world, it’s a GMMTV production (like SOTUS) and its starred by New Thitipoom and Tay Tawan.

https://mydramalist.com/27353-kiss-me-again

2. He’s Coming To Me - a LineTV original but in collab with GMMTV, it stars Singto (Kongpob from SOTUS), and Ohm, this series will make you cry buckets and it’s my absolute fave after SOTUS. It’s perfect in every way, the story will capture you and the actors make you feel their pain. Even though it’s not set exactly in uni, one of the main characters is a uni student and the other is a ghost trying to understand why he’s still around. Together they will find out who exactly this ghost was and what happened to him...and somehow love happens. Besides the amazing leads, the secondary actors as their friends are absolutely hilarious. I beg you to give this a shot, you won’t regret it :P

https://mydramalist.com/31880-he-s-coming-to-me

3. 2Moons/2Moons2/2Moons3 - so this series...is a mess and a half but still a classic within the BL world so I will recommend it since it fits the university life theme. The first one had a certain cast and because of issues within the company (Motive Village), they changed it for the second season and now there’s a third season in the works. I should warn you that the second season retells what happened in the first one and then adds quite a bunch for the secondary pairings, you will love them for sure. It tells the story of a freshman at a university called Wayo that is also attended by his long-time secret love, Phana Kongthanin, a med second-year student, the problem is that Phana doesn’t recognize him. Both have their own group of friends and as expected love happens, even if you end up getting bored with the main couple, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with the side ones. Definitely recommend the second cast version :)

https://mydramalist.com/30962-2-moons-the-series-season-2

4. 2gether/Still 2gether - another one from GMMTV (shocking), with new actors and fresh faces, this series was instantly shoved to the top and trended every single day. The story follows an old cliché but it’s not boring at all, Tine is a very handsome student and cheerleader in college, and then we have Sarawat who is in the soccer and music club. When Tine gets some unwanted attention from Green, who he doesn’t have feelings for, he ends up asking Sarawat to fake date with him in order to chase Green away but there’s a plot twist in all of this. Why does Sarawat agree with it all in the first place? You gotta watch to find out. The second season wraps it up in a very very satisfying bow with lots of fluff that we missed from that season 1 finale.

https://mydramalist.com/39563-2gether-the-series

5. Bad Romance/Together With Me/Together With Me: the next chapter - now...this series was a ride...why? Because the two first seasons showed us how the side couple turned out to be together and then the third season came out and well...they fucked up. I absolutely hate the cheating concept do I’ll advise you to just ignore the third season even though it has a happy ending. Korn and Knock are both uni students and best friends, but things get complicated when one of them wants more and the other already has a girlfriend. It will make you want to slap them both at some point but their chemistry and kiss scenes were one the best I’ve ever seen in BL.

https://mydramalist.com/22990-together-with-me-the-series

6. En of Love: Tossara/Love Mechanics/ This is Love Story - all the three series are set in uni and even tho they have different stories and main couples, they all connect in some way. The acting and the directing are not the best out there and it can get confusing at times but it can be seen as something light and cute to watch if you ever get bored of heavier plots.

https://mydramalist.com/33785-en-of-love

7. HiStory 2: Boundary Crossing - a Taiwanese drama with only 8 episode and part of the HiStory Series, this one tells the story of Qiu Zi Xuan that was an excellent volleyball player in the past, but he had to give up on his dreams due to his injuries, but he still participates in the volleyball-related training, arranges and helps them to get into training, watching them improve. During the training, he meets a guy, Xia Yu Hao, a guy with a really bad temper who gets easily infuriated with people that make him angry, but he strives to acquire what he persistently wants to achieve. It’s a bit different from what we are used to but so cute and heartwarming in the end!

https://mydramalist.com/26354-history2-boundary-crossing

8. Love By Chance/A Chance to Love -  This one also has some clichés but it will get you hooked in no time! Pete is a handsome and rich university student that is incredibly timid. His shyness is caused by the fact that he tries to hide that he is secretly gay. By chance, Pete gets hit by a kind-hearted boy on a bike, Ae- Over time, Ae protects Pete from the world; he takes care of him. But somewhere between the intense closeness and soft touches, Ae begins to feel more than how a friend would. Yet, Pete doesn't want Ae to know the pain of being ridiculed for dating a man. Thus he ignores his feelings for Ae. But Pete falls deeper and deeper in love with the kind-hearted boy on the bike who once hit him, by chance. The main couple is absolutely adorable, Saint and Perth look absolutely amazing and the secondary one, even though it didn0t get a happy ending, they will have their one story arc in the new season (a chance to love) which is currently airing. We also find out what happened with the main characters.

https://mydramalist.com/27393-love-by-chance

9. My Engineer/My Engineer 2 -  When Bohn, the popular engineering student, starts a revenge plan on Duen, the innocent first-year medical student, their feelings slowly start to grow through roses that Duen has to buy for Bohn every day for a month. The second season is yet to air but you should give this one a chance since the first season didn’t actually end with any kind of cliffhanger.

https://mydramalist.com/26362-my-engineer

10. Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey/ Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey 2/ Our Skyy - from GMMTV this is where one of the great 4 couples started, specifically Off/Gun, the first series has a straight couple as the main couple and Off/Gun as PIck/Rome as the secondary one, then on the second season we get to more of them as usual. There’s also a special episode in the Our Skyy compilation. They are all uni students and we see how their lives slowly change and eventually how they fall in love. Pick’s character is afraid of falling for his best friend but eventually realizes that he can’t let Rome go. A very sweet and cute series.

https://mydramalist.com/22703-senior-secret-love-puppy-honey-2

11. Theory Of Love - This series...oh man it’s so good and makes you want to kill people at the same time. It’s the second series with the actors Off and Gun, where they play Khai and Third. Third is a filmology major along with his best friends Two, Bone, and Khai, but he has a secret. Third has been secretly in love with Khai for years. For three years, he has kept his secret love in his heart, silently supporting and loving Khai while knowing there is absolutely no future between them since Khai is as straight as a streetlight pole and also an absolute player. To make matters worse, Khai has a "no dating friends" policy. How long can Third love Khai silently while watching Khai bring a different girl home every night? Third has tried to see Khai as just a friend. But has failed time and time again. Because as easy as it is to fall in love, to stop is just as hard.  Maybe even harder. That is until Third learns a secret that breaks his heart completely. But when Third decides to stop, Khai decides to start.I absolutely loved this series and Off and Gun’s acting is just superb, please please watch it :)

https://mydramalist.com/31865-theory-of-love

12. Until We Meet Again - This one will mess you up, thirty years ago, Korn and Intouch were university students in Bangkok. At first, Korn kept pushing Intouch away, but in the end, he couldn't resist the boy who was so full of life where he was the exact opposite and decided to let him into his heart. However, in a time where homosexuality was unacceptable and having parents that were against their relationship and each other, Korn and In's love was bound to be doomed. Their story ended with tragedy. Years later, a freshly returned to Thailand, Pharm who is a  freshman in T- University has grown up always feeling like he is waiting for someone. Being riddled with sad dreams that always left him waking up with a wet face, fear of loud noises, and a birthmark on his temple, the boy has always felt like there is someone he is missing. Dean the third year swimming club's president at T- University has also spent his life searching for someone whose faces he can not remember. The red thread of fate that had tied them together in their past life once again pulls the two boys back to each other, tieing them to each other and a past that might not be worth remembering, but a love that is unforgettable. This will fuck up your feelings and the better part is that the side couple will get a new series soon as well,

https://mydramalist.com/33506-until-we-meet-again-the-series

13. Why R U? - So, this one is for everyone that appreciates some steamy scenes and good acting, which unfortunately is rare. Here we have Saint and Zee playing the roles of Tutor and Fighter and it’s everything you could ask for if you are a fan of hot scenes in BL (nothing graphic obviously). Tutor is said to be ‘wise’ beyond his age and acts rationally, while Fighter is the emotional kind. They started having some animosity with each other but developed a close relationship right after. The final scenes might seem confusing but this series was caught in between the whole Covid.19 situation so they had to wrap it up however they could. 

https://mydramalist.com/32592-why-r-u-the-series

14. TharnType - I’ll recommend this one due to its popularity, but please be warned for sensitive themes like R**pe attempts, and other abusive situations. It’s not my favorite BL due its themes and quite...controversial scenes that made no sense to me. But I agree that the acting was quite amazing and the chemistry was there. Type is a dark, tall, and handsome freshman. Although he’s a warm boy, he is homophobic because he was molested by a man as a child. His life turns upside down when the new year of college brings along a very interesting person in his life a gay roommate, Tharn. With a gay guy and a guy who hates gay men that have to share a small space together for the rest of the year, what can possibly be the outcome of their story? Hatred? Or maybe love?

https://mydramalist.com/32555-tharntype-the-series

So there ya go, these were the ones that fit your criteria that I could remember. If you have any more questions let me know and I hope you have fun!❤️

[thisisanmxtxsideblog]

the thing about tgcf, for me, was that yeah the romance was cute, and xie lian was a very compelling character, but hua cheng was so boring to me tbh. his only character traits are Coolness and Obsessed With Xie Lian. like....... that's it.

there's not even really a process of him falling in love he just is from the first moment. and maybe some people find that romantic and that's fair! but personally I do not get it! and then the rest of his backstory ends up ONLY being about how he is In Love With Xie Lian, that's his ONLY motivation through the ENTIRE thing. his whole misfortune/luck thing could have been expanded on as a thing that affected his goals and who he became, as could his experience of spending his formative years fighting in a losing war, or realizing he was gay as a young teen, or the whole mount tonglu ordeal, but instead all those things just ended up only being used as like... ways to show that he loves xie lian so much. no inner conflict or motivations at all from any of it or ANYTHING else that happened in the entire 800 years besides "I love xie lian obsessively."

it's just not interesting to me and it felt like such a shame when at the same time you do have characters like xie lian with all these conflicting goals and desires and the way he views himself is so distanced from the reality of both his past and his present, you have shi qingxuan who is just ABSOLUTELY fascinating and a joy to read about, ling wen of course, rain master yushi who is objectively the actual coolest character...

by the end of the novel it kind of just felt like wasted potential to me.