#anyway so there's this sleuth of the ming dynasty

[recapitulation]

The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (2020)

[ID: gifs from the series “The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty.” They show: Tang Fan and Dong’er slowly rising to peek over a wall at the Iron Market, a crowd of Imperial Guards walking past Sui Zhou and leaving him standing alone, a small crowd with Tang Yu and her brother at the center welcoming everyone to a meal, Tang Fan raising a hand in front of his face to block a harsh ray of sunlight, Tang Fan writing calligraphy on a fan, Sui Zhou serving dishes onto plates from the wok, a silhouetted Sui Zhou stumbling to his feet in the middle of his nightmare, and a shot of the camera pulling back on a wall of names before Tang Fan and Dong’er. /end ID]

[nemainofthewater]

These characters are So Tired guys. Most of them aren't the protagonist (with one notable exception), but the protagonist would probably have died a long time ago without them.

Not that it stops them disobeying orders and getting out of bed anyway.

Please give some love to the unsung heroes of drama, the doctors! They are this close to breaching medical ethics and doing something drastic to make their patients rest.

Here's hoping they get a nice cocktail and a sunny beach holiday soon (though I'm not counting on it)

Shout out to Wen Qing from the Untamed who has already snapped and tied her patient to the bed (probably WWX during the Golden Core Transplant) possibly twice (also WWX with her needles when the Wen leave to turn themselves in...).

Vote for the doctor who most deserves to go feral! Propaganda, call out posts, and write-in candidates welcome!

[twig-tea]

For the BL trope ask game: 8, 9 and 10

Whew, coming out swinging! Ok here we go.

8. May/December

There really are not a lot of these where the age gap is truly significant. My actual favourite BL couple with an age gap where their ages are part of the conflict they face is The Pornographer/The Novelist though I acknowledge their age gap is probably not enough to fully be considered May/December. Rio becoming a mentor for Haruhiko does add to the May/December aspects so I'm just going to commit lol.

The concerns around their age gap came up in the sequel short more than the original series, but they definitely started their relationship in the original series at different life stages and it was one of the things that caused Rio to run from Haruhiko in the first place. To my memory there are some funny reversals in this one because Haruhiko gets his life together faster than Rio does but that means even as Haruhiko gets older they remain at different life stages and it continues to be a source of conflict.

Also just going to say, for anyone looking for old man yaoi, there is also a bonus fantasy/nightmare imagination scenario that Haruhiko pictures between Rio and his mentor that takes place in Continued Spring Life (though I would not call Rio's relationship with his mentor a romance!).

[NGL my favourite truly May/December romancecin BL is Choko and Maru from Ossan's Love and Ossan's Love Returns in which Choko is older than Maru's mother and it is a major source of conflict between her and her new mother in law until they find common ground.]

9. Fake Dating

I know I'm pretty alone in this, but YYY is one of my faves and it is actually a perfect example of the fake dating trope. For those who never saw this show, the central plot is that Nott and Pun are pretending to date in order to be allowed to stay in their apartment (the landlord loves BL). There are constant misunderstandings, pining, and it's compounded by the fact that one is also in a BGP with a different guy. There are real stakes tied to their fake dating, and the faking of the relationship becomes painful to the point that they become willing to risk those stakes (getting kicked out) rather than continuing to fake it. This show is absolutely wild and a LOT of nonsense happens, but the core is a pretty standard execution of this trope! And I love it a lot.

10. Bodyguard

I'm going to include censored projects in this because my ultimate favourite in this trope is Sleuth of Ming Dynasty. Zhou is at points of the story assigned to be a literal guard for Tang Fan, but he also just does it anyway off the clock because that's who he is. This show, to my mind, hits all of the important beats related to a bodyguard tripe including the person being protected balking at the protection and sacrificing himself so that his protector is not hurt (as well as at other times and being entirely blasé about his own safety because he trusted Zhou to protect him and had full faith he would).

Link to the original ask game post!

[olderthannetfic]

Sometimes I think about that time when I found a fic that clearly followed the plot of a fic written by astolat. A fic she written over 10 years ago, but still.

I made a comment saying, hey, this seems super similar to another fic I’ve read. did you get inspired by astolat?

And they said, ok yeah. Sorry, forgot to mark it as a remix. My bad, it’s fixed.

But I wonder if that author really did make a mistake, or were they trying to plagiarize astolat before getting caught? I’m not a fic writer, so I’m asking is forgetting to mark a fic as a remix actually an easy mistake to make?

Ps The notes says the fic is self-indulgent and written in just an hour, which makes me suspicious. “Self-indulgent” has the connotation that it came from only you, “written in an hour” makes me think you read it and rewrote it on an hour.

Do I have something, or am I just reading too much into this?

--

I think you have something, but I also wouldn't worry about it. Ideas are cheap. Execution is what matters.

I periodically run across fics where it looks like torture, but really, the characters are just undercover and it's a BDSM thing (little do the bad guys know). And one of them demands the other as payment at the end to get them out of there. I've written something more or less like this myself, though not pre-negotiated.

And if I know the author, I'll be like "So... that one QuiObi fic?" and they'll be like "Fuck yes!"

Unless I actually dug up what the hell the name of that fic was, reread it, and copied it a lot more closely, I'd never bother crediting it for such a basic trope any more than I'd credit the trope where one hero is like "What monster came up with this villain's trap???" and it turns out to be from the other hero's trashy novels.

(It's The Jewel of the Nile. It's always The Jewel of the Nile. In my fic. In every other Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty fic. Seriously, it's always this movie. An entire generation of viewers imprinted on that damn joke.)

Granted, this sounds like it was a lot more than just one trope, but even whole plots are a dime a dozen.

It wouldn't be surprising if they didn't think credit mattered that much or if they thought everyone would notice anyway because astolat is popular. Or maybe they were trying to get away with some shit. But even then, I can't work up much emotion over it because it's not the facts of astolat's plots that make people like her fic: it's the sum total of how she writes them.

I'm trying to think about why I don't usually care about this when I do care about the kind of nonfiction idea theft Hbomberguy did that video about. I think it's because most cases of the latter involve significantly more research to come up with the nonfiction idea, so there's a lot more pretense of intellectual work and originality. The plagiarist is citing the original researcher's sources as though they found them on their own.

For fiction, unless it's a barely-rephrased version of the original, it feels like much of the work was the actual writing of the prose, and the second author did do that themselves. They might have first encountered the tropes in a particular fic... but they weren't exactly very original there either.

I might feel differently if I read the actual fic in question though.

[gotinterest]

Hey sorry I remember u posting abt one of these: mysterious lotus casebook and or sleuth of Ming dynasty. If you have seen both, do u have an opinion on which is hetter? I’m trying to decide which to watch. If not thank u for ur time anyway, and have a lovely evening/day

I have watched most of the Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (and I keep meaning to finish it!) I remember liking it! I haven't seen Mysterious Lotus Casebook so I can't really give an opinion on that. Perhaps one of my followers or mutuals has seen both and will be able to give their opinion in the replies.

[mserm]

First Lines

Tagged by @nostalgicatsea. Thanks for that!

Rules: list the first line(s) of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there’s a pattern!

(I'm going to cheat and not include my last fic, since it's technically 16 ficlets and I couldn't figure out how to make that work with this.)

always say there's a time and place (so maybe ours will consolidate) (X-Men Movies, cherik)

“Do you want to pick all that shit up?” 

i have no more than all you leave (X-Men Movies, cherik)

After everything, Charles takes the helmet home with him. 

wait and see what you'll find (Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, suitang)

“Where is my sesame candy?” Tang Fan asks with his best glare in Sui Zhou’s direction.

break with the day/bend with the night (Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Sui Zhou/Li Fei)

It’s time to give up on sleep.

your lips, my lips, apocalypse (Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, suitang)

Sui Zhou sets the plates on the table and arranges them so that they will be easy to reach. It will be just the two of them, after all.

An Untangled Knot (Sleuth of the Ming Dyansty, wangtang)

Wang Zhi entered the capital long after nightfall.

A Diamond Where The Star Would Be (616, steve/tony)

Steve considers the implication of entering the elevator for an uncharacteristically long time. They’re just cufflinks, he thinks. 

it's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do (Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, gen)

“Wait! What’s going on?” Tang Fan shouts as Dong’er pulls him by the wrist from the courtyard to his bedroom.

the smoke to clear the sea (Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, gen)

“Guangchuan, I’m too late!” Tang Fan shouted at the smoking embers and what was left of Ji’an’s prison as if Sui Zhou’s ashes could hear him. 

Ship to Shore (MCU, steve/tony)

Tony’s eyes dart up when he hears the door open.

So I definitely see a pattern here. I like to open up in the beginning of an action, either with a character deciding to do something, doing it, or saying they're going to do it. It's not exactly conscious, but I do want my writing to feel like it has a lot of forward movement. It makes sense that I'd conceptualize the story by hitting the ground running.

The first one is kind of strange because it's lifted directly from the DoFP and I'm relying on the reader to know the scene and how that part fits into the movie to set up the rest of the fic.

It's kind of funny that two of my fics start with Tang Fan shouting. *hangs head in writer shame*.

One thing I'm proud of, rereading these, is that I think most of the lines set up the pov character's voice well. Sui Zhou sounds different than Tang Fan sounds different than Steve.

I think most of the people I interact with have been tagged in this, but I'm not sure if @catholicjigglypuff, @sheronwrites, @avengersnewb, @ironlawyer have. If you're reading this and I forgot you or you HAVE NOT BEEN TAGGED, please do it anyway! It's been a lot of fun to read everyone's.

[legallyhermione]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Ooooof this is such a hard question!! Thank you for the ask, I love this kinda stuff!!

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here they are!

1. Any of MXTX’s content (I’m counting them as one because I love too many things 😭): For me, these novels and adaptations were my first foray into danmei and Chinese media. I also discovered them at a time when I was questioning my identity and coming to terms with the fact I’m queer (which is…not really accepted in my family). I watched The Untamed first, then read fan translations of the novels before they started being officially translated, and I keep coming back to them because I find them so thought provoking. I like that none of the characters are presented as perfect people; they’re all flawed humans, but we love them anyway.

2. Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty: found family, Sherlock Holmes-like detective skills, spies, political machinations, food as a form of love? What more could I ask for! I just love this show. Haven’t gotten to read the novel it’s based on yet, but I’m hoping to soon!

3. Yuri on Ice: one of the first anime I ever watched, and it’s just so sweet and lovely. Definitely one of my comfort shows! Plus there are some crazy good fics. Still hoping one day we’ll get the movie!

4. Harry Potter: I struggle with this one a lot, because I very much dislike JKR’s transphobic rhetoric. But the fan spaces of Harry Potter provided me with support and escape I needed many times throughout my life, and for that the fandom of Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s been a part of my life nearly as long as I can remember.

5. Thousand Autumns: another one with some very morally grey characters! I love thinking about who and what is right and wrong, and this novel definitely makes you think about it. Lots of political world building as well, which I love.

6. My Cousin Vinny: a fantastic movie that I have many fond memories about. The jokes and digs about the south vs the north in the US always make me laugh, and as someone who has lived many years in both of those areas, those scenes make me giggle.

7. Haikyuu!: another one of my comfort shows! It’s just happy and fun and adorable. I love this one. I watched it sooooo many times during lockdown.

8. BBC Merlin: was morgana my bi awakening? I shan’t tell! Suchhh a good show, I miss it so much. Another fandom that has some incredibleeeee fanfics. Y’all writers are so talented.

9. Our Flag Means Death: I think this was maybe my first piece of media that explicitly included multiple queer characters but the entire storyline wasn’t only about the otherness and pain of being queer (or just a stereotyped role). This show made me feel seen in ways no other media had before. Plus, the show is gay pirates. It doesn’t get much better than that!

10. Avatar the Last Airbender: me and my siblings all loved this show, and we still watch it together often whenever we’re together. It’s so good. Zuko’s character development is still quite possibly the best redemption arc I’ve seen. I love it.

Phew. It was so hard to choose 10! I’m glad you didn’t ask me to pick one because I’m afraid that would’ve been impossible for me! What are your favorites???

💚

[exitvelocities]

mutual search

so it's been a minute and i have no idea if these types of things have any reach anymore, but i'm in dire need of cdrama mutuals!! both here and on twitter. i'll watch pretty much anything historical (or try to anyway), and will watch modern crime/law/mystery type shows.

current main shows:

mysterious lotus casebook

a journey to love

word of honor

current main ships:

dihua/feihua

wenzhou

lin chen/mei changsu

yang ying ships

other shows:

sleuth of the ming dynasty

nirvana in fire

see mdl for a more comprehensive list

i haven't written anything for a cdrama yet but if i can find enough community it's probably only a matter of time. but yes... please come talk to me about dihua/feihua especially i am dying.

please note that i follow back from soliloquize, as this is a side blog.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Question: If you can enter 4 dramas and interact with the characters without consequences, what would you do? Like, you can go in and smack/beat someone up and then return back to our world. Anything goes, legs or illegal, no consequences as long as you return to our world. You can go back to the same one if you want, no one will remember what you did prior. It like resets, and your actions would have been done by some ‘unknown person’ even if there are evidence and witnesses.

Which would be your 2nd to 5th dramas? (I say 2nd to 5th because I know Killer and Healer would be your 1st choice.)

Oh jiejie, you know me so well. Yes, Killer and Healer would absolutely be my first choice because I have many characters that need a good smacking (none of the mains, though, they're fine).

Anyways, 2nd-5th drama...

2nd drama: S.C.I.

I think Feng Jie needs a good ole sucker punch to the face. And also Eugene. Zhao Jue I don't like, but he's not someone I wanna hurt. He's too interesting. But I don't like him

3rd drama: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

Oh my god, there are so many people...Li Zilong, Wan Tong, Shang Ming, He Lin...especially He Lin. Tang Fan kind of put him in his place but I would have gone apeshit on his ass. Also Wan Tong. He needs a good ole hit in the face with a frying pan

4th drama: The Devil Judge

Oh....oh, how I wish I could have roundhouse kicked that fucking dude...the one Sunah worked for before she killed him...in the fucking face. And also the Korean Elites, minus Cha Kyunghee. She was a bitch, but she wasn't as annoying as the others. Oh, and Min Jun-ho. I'm sorry, but I'd knife his ass. Just one quick little *stab* and disappear...violent, but necessary. Make sure I do it in a place where no one could see or hear and make sure there would be no cameras.

5th drama: The Hot Blooded Detective

If we're talking like just straight violence, then I think everyone in this drama needs a good slapping, minus our beloved doctor, of course. Kong Xuli needs to be smacked just for being himself (which is just dumb sometimes) and of course the restaurant owner that he falls in love with...lord, you don't know how many times I just wanted to smack her. Like ma'am. Out of all the badly written female characters, you are by far the worst

Bonus: My Roommate is a Detective

Just so that I can smack the shit out of BYN. Like, I want to show her what an actual reporter/investigator should do since you know...I have the degrees that actually qualify me unlike her. Also, she deserves a good smack, if no one else is gonna do it, then I'm gonna do it

[deathbyoctopi]

Hello! Since you're up for answering the fanfic ask game qs too, would you answer any/all of these for me please? :)

F, I, M, P, S, T

Take your time, no rush!

Hey!! Thanks for asking, I’m very happy to talk about all this! >w< I may repeat some points, bc @10holmes also asked (almost point-by-point like you!) but that means I get to give two answers of each!! Better for me XD

F. Share a snippet of your favourite fic, why are you proud of it?

I like very much this bit from “To carry a bit of yesterday”, when Xiao Xingchen wants to convince Xue Yang (Chengmei) to waste money in a portrait. Which TECHNICALLY only Chengmei will be able to see, anyways!

“And you think a pretty picture will make it last? Will you hang it on the wall next to the coffins, our little family portrait?” Xiao Xingchen tangled their legs together, his hands around his waist, and Xue Yang hated how weak he felt at that moment.

“It is not a means to make it last, but a testament that it will. And…”

There was a hand wandering lower and lower, and while the timing seemed too convenient to be coincidental, Xue Yang was almost sure that Xiao Xingchen was still too naïve and unaware of his own prowess in bed to use sex as leverage. Almost.

And yet, whatever he believed, he had to acquiesce when he heard him whisper in his ear.

“…and it would make me very happy.”

I really like how our pure and noble daozhang can be sneaky if he wants, which not even Xue Yang expects!! And in the “discussion” they had that night under the blankets, xiao Xingchen was very eloquent because the next morning Xue yang is completely sold to the idea (for a-Qing’s annoyance) XD It’s just a little snippet of the happiness they had, just like the portrait itself, and it makes me feel heart-warmed.

I. Guilty pleasure

I said before making blorbos suffer >:3 May I add now, make them suffer emotionally… AND also in less refined, more nsfw ways? >w<

M Premise to do more stuff?

I want to do something in The legend of Zelda fandom, not sure what… I also would like to tackle others danmei I enjoyed, in particular The Blood of Youth and Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty <3

And more mdzs and xuexiao, of course!

P. Ah, I’m an architect, all the way. I usually plan the skeleton of my fic in advance, and then fill it up with juicy meat XD Of course, there’s always room for improvisation and improvement, but I rarely deviate from the original design. If anything, I go about it in more detail than expected, that’s why my fics usually get bigger than planned, but it’s for adding depth to the planned content, not extra scenes.

S&T. fandom tropes I like and dislike I’ll get that verbatim from my other answer: I like subtle power dynamics (the kick comes from the ambiguity, so I find a student-teacher or captain-officer situation much more interesting than a master-slave, which is very obvious and in-your-face (pun VERY MUCH intended). Also “There’s only one bed”, “A is hurt in places only B can help bandage”, and any other such tropes that lead to a situation of intimacy between two characters in early stages of attraction, when either don’t think they like the other yet.

I dislike miscommunication. A LOT. It’s ok if it’s justified by the narrative or the characteristics of each one, but I’m so tired of seeing the character’s keep secrets for no reason as a cheap way to create tension and drama. And it runs rampant in c-dramas, which I find exhausting…

[theroseandthebeast]

Yuletide 2022 Recs, Batch Five

17 recs for Master & Commander, Midsommar, Nope, Only Murders In The Building, Peacemaker, Persuasion, Point Break, Pyre, Ready or Not?, Severance, The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Transistor, and Under the Banner of Heaven

Cadential Motion

Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin - “I’ll be frank with you, Captain, it’s a relief to finally have you in my chair. I was beginning to worry that you didn’t trust my expertise.”

Aubrey and Maturin discover that their first impressions of one another were borne out of some misunderstandings.

Hasaeti 

Dani Ardor/Pelle - Dani learns about the ongoing responsibilities of the May Queen, deepens her relationship with the land - and finds her throne.

Beyond The Stars

Angel Torres, OJ Haywood - It'd been seven months since they last spoke, but who's counting?

Making wishes is a sucker’s game, but at least there’s cake

Mabel Mora & Oliver Putnam & Charles-Haden Savage - Mabel isn’t celebrating her birthday because she stopped doing that when she was 8 years old. Charles and Oliver find a way to be there for her anyway.

Portrait of the Artist

Theo Dimas/Mabel Mora, Mabel Mora & Oliver Putnam & Charles-Haden Savage - Winter brings back memories for Mabel, but also the opportunity to make new ones.

I'm Feeling This

Adrian Chase/Christopher Smith - Adrian doesn't have feelings but he does feel things. He feels a lot for Chris. More than for anyone else.

I Must Go Up From The Seas Again.

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth - It sounds bitter to say that he's still not over his ex who wouldn't uproot her entire life, leave her entire support system behind, and go be a trailing spouse for five years in a place with no career prospects for herself.

Of Duty, and A Path Not Ridden

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth - Two years after Miss Anne Elliot declined to marry Captain Frederick Wentworth of His Majesty's Navy, an opportunity arises for the captain to renew his suit.

come as you are

Bodhi/Johnny Utah - Johnny goes to Mexico, and there's one more Ex-President.

The Ultimate Ride

Bodhi/Johnny Utah - Even reeling from the shock that Johnny jumped out of the plane without a parachute to tackle him mid-air and point a gun at his head, Bodhi has never felt more connected to anyone.

Because Bodhi’s been chasing the ultimate ride his whole life and one look into Johnny’s eyes as they fall to earth together makes it crystal clear that Johnny is already there.

Constellations of the fall

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood, Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq - Terrible starlight shines on Oralech as he lays dying on the northern slopes of Mount Alodiel. The same truth hangs over Volfred and Tariq, who are left to mourn. All they have is their memories and the warm embrace of failure.

A Smudge of Red

Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas - "Funny story. Not really. But. Yeah. We were all adopted, Alex and Emilie and me, but I guess the old folks thought—rightly so—that baby me couldn't exactly play, uh, any board game. But Alex and Emilie were toddlers when their papers came through and they joined the family, so they did it, and I hadn't blown up yet by then, so. Yeah. Got left out of that one. A lot of goat sacrifices, though. To make up for it. Not fun. But, hey, I'm still in one piece. I guess."

"Great," is about all she can come up with. "I'm being asked some awkward questions, but glad I can blame it on your all being adopted and not on demons or whatever the fuck."

"Ah. The proper authorities." He grimaces."And hospital personnel, yeah." Her chair creaks. It's uncomfortable and noisy, and not making this conversation any easier.

all you are

Helena Eagan & Helly R. - In a dream, Helly meets Helena.

r/severed

gen - Welcome to r/severed! This is a subreddit to discuss the experience of severance and provide advice and support to fellow severed people (and friends and family).

Dear and Beloved

Tang Fan/Wang Zhi - Wang Zhi and Tang Fan are a lot more candid in their letters to each other than they are in person. One thing leads to another, until they have no choice but to admit what they really want.

i genuinely love to hear your thoughts

Mr. Nobody | Man Inside Transistor/Red - Red’s cheeks feel warmer than before. She’s never shared unfinished material with anybody—not even Sybil. She’d always thought it would cast a curse, doom the song to die before its first breath. If it dies, she thinks in the quiet of her lonely apartment, then let it be with him.

The Dust They Leave Behind

Jeb Pyre/Bill Taba - When to move on, and what to take with you.

[loverofallthingssmart]

HI EESHA!!!!! i have nothing to say i was just saving a bunch of c-drama youtube playlists and acquired the sleuth of the ming dynasty and thought of u!!!! i just hope ur doing alright i haven't sent u an ask in forever it feels like 😭😭😭 how are you doing!!!! i love you!!!!!!!! <3333333333

HI SUN!!!!!!!!! ur the SWEETEST I LOVE U it HAS been a while since youve sent an ask or maybe tthe notif could be buried under the porn bots i keep having to block its INSANEEEEE anyway!!! im doing okay!! i am so super busy with a whole lot of stuff until march and i will still have stuff but it will be less so just gonna POWER through!!!

i am sending u the purple cookies i made with dough that never fucking finishes i have made so many cookies i dont even know what to do with them all and also some tea bc u deserve it <3333333333333

[marlo-noni]

My main thoughts these days have all been Cdrama thoughts. Being in school and working at the same time burns me out, and Cdramas are my solace.

Anyway, Love is Written in the Stars is absolutely ridiculous and often lacks logic, and yet I am totally enjoying it! I'm all caught up and eagerly awaiting new episodes. I chalk it up to the charisma of the two leads, and actually the supporting characters are all delightful as well.

There's also some fun gender/feminist stuff which, on its face, follows acceptable political lines censorship-wise, but can also be interpreted in more progressive ways if you squint. But even some the overt feminist stuff is good: the male lead is fully supportive of his love interest taking the leadership role that he stepped down from for her sake, he doesn't want her to be ashamed of her femininity (i.e. not needing to be 'not like other girls'), and he was attracted to her (albeit confused) even when he thought she was a boy. The problematic part is that there's no wiggle room for wanting to be gender nonconforming (or for a same-sex pairing) - that possibility is simply not explored, because it falls outside the bounds of an approved narrative in the censors' eyes.

I'm also realizing I'm just not really a xianxia person. I couldn't stand Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Love Between Fairy and Devil, probably the most popular costume cdrama last year, was enjoyable enough, but elements of it also kind of annoyed me. I liked The Starry Love so much because it was very funny (comedic costume dramas seem to be my wheelhouse), but the xianxia elements were boring for me. So I'm not gonna watch this new one with Bai Lu, but I hope the xianxia fans have a good time!

I'll be over here with my trashy budget nonsense, and also the Wu Lei badminton drama, and then up next, Sleuth of Ming Dynasty because I've never watched it and keep hearing good things!

[3cosmicfrogs]

watching the sleuth of ming dynasty rn and the fight scenes keep giving me a weird nostalgic feeling... so was someone going to tell me jackie chan was exec producer on this or was i supposed to find out myself? anyway king shit, love that for him.

[yue-muffin]

i just binge watched the blood of youth over like five days. this is literally the first cdrama i've finished since...sleuth of the ming dynasty?? i think?? i never finish cdramas. i came super close with a few of the dmbj dramas but the damn long list of episodes usually does me in. i just can't concentrate on one show for that long.

so, the blood of youth was really just that good! also it had a good ending that didn't end in tragedy (i shall not point fingers but...i do read the endings to many dramas bc i am not investing 30+ episodes of my time only for the ending to absolutely gut me unexpectedly).

the pacing was definitely a little rocky at points, the romance meant absolutely nothing to me (except for two side couples), it was absolutely hilarious and really did its comedy well, and i love the main characters. and many of the side characters. just wish we got to see some of the other supporting characters more, but since the last arc was mainly in the imperial city, alas, we barely got to see some of them.

i also love xiao se's absolute i'm-done-with-this attitude. my inner self is how he looks all the time. just a very tired man who's got a lot of plans simmering in that head of his, of which he's not sharing.

i also love lei wujie unexpectedly, kinda sad he got sidelined a bit at the end. didn't really expect to like him! but he reminds me of guo jing from condor heroes who i love. (side note: i'm pretty sure guo jing and hua rong are the only het couple in cdramas i've ever actually loved together and actively enjoyed their romance story from beginning to end)

however, lei wujie's relationship with ye ruoyi definitely has similar vibes with none of the heart. they're cute, but i'm not feeling anything from it. i definitely enjoyed ye ruoyi plotting with xiao se together better than their canon relationships, lol, though i appreciate how she thinks they're too much alike and doesn't like him that way, and vice versa. male-female friendships are something we don't get enough of. much better than tossing in weird love triangles all over the place.

anyways, i really love this drama, didn't expect that at all! the first half is the strongest, the latter half is interesting (I do like the scheming plots and power struggles), but they didn't do as good a job keeping the rest of the cast relevant. certain side characters just fade in and out as needed.

but again: i love the ending is just...the friends gallivanting off to adventure together! i'm not even particularly bothered by wu xin derping off and not joining them yet. he's not that kind of guy. he comes and goes as he pleases, and gets a kick out of coming to save the day. he'll probably pop up when they least expect it and finally get to make that poem of his a reality.

(last note: i see those parallels with mysterious lotus casebook and i'd love to see a crossover of the two one day...ah if i ever steel my heart to watch it all the way through, i might write that myself...)

[nanonkorapat]

THE SLEUTH OF MIND DYNASTY | EP. 44

Sure! Let's play Go after that. Sure.