#hidden Hong Kong

[travelernight]

Hong Kong Secrets: Uncover The Top 10 Must-Visit Hidden Gems

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Cameos & Familiar Faces

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized by favs in each category. No numbered lists anymore, tumblr be buggn'.

End of Aug Start Sept 2023

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 8fin - Oh the DRAMA. Why does the insane ex (my true love) remind me of the cartel leader from Romancing the Stone? Even the sides got HEA! It was fucking great!!!!! Charn remains a bonkers spoiled evil murderous brat with a cruel smile beloved by his one true paladin. Also: post it love note trope! Been a long while my old friend. NO SINGING!!!!! I do love that wedding jacket frock coat cape thing Charn wore. 

In conclusion: This is a great gay suspense thriller with several solid couples, fun plot, killer characters, queer rep, and a happy ending. Charn may be my favorite lead character of 2023. However, this show is not entirely BL, more on the fringe, like Manner of Death. Add that to several "singing incidents" and pairs being a little weak in the chemistry arena, and this lands safely in 9/10 territory. It’s tons of fun tho: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Sat grey) ep 3 of 12 - This show is getting more and more lakorn each ep. Apparently the straights are having a class divide arranged marriage crisis. Who cares? Our boy is ALWAYS in trouble. Crazy that he has to save the people who betrayed him in a previous life - but I guess he chose revenge! That's unexpected.

Had to switch to grey and couldn’t find a working rip. It was frustrating and I wouldn’t have bothered except I like this show so much. Still, it means no screen caps because the rez is naff.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 3 of 12 - Uh oh. Kang wants to save Sailom and be his hero. The fact that K’s Pa puts no pressure on him whatsoever, makes me wonder if K's Ma committed suicide or something? It’s definitely the opposite parental dynamic we normally see in BL. I have to say, the pacing is great in the show. And the acting is on point. It’s really great. 

Hidden Agenda (Sun YT) ep 8 of 12 - these two just kiss well. I mean not "rip your clothes off Taiwan-style," but sweet young boyfriends-esk. Joke wants to be claimed so bad. It’s great. I enjoyed this ep, unfortunately it looks like we have a manufactured angst drama drop in the next episode. Is this a 10 episode arc? I thought it was 12. It’s odd to have doom happening next episode already.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 4 of 10 - Back story time! Ray and Mew are HARD to watch. Incestuous friend group gay is the worst. Omg I got such QAF vibes from this ep. Nick Boston Sand chats = very throw back 90s gay soaps. 

Location game moment: Top's hotel room is also Chan’s apartment in Laws Of Attraction. 

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 1 of 8 - Ooo. Est is back! Hi handsome. Head of security suits you. Please lead out the new Waterboyy remake? You’re perfect for the role. (If it must happen.) Yi’s Pa is GREAT. Please give daddy a nice boy? Could that be our secondary couple for this series? 

Meanwhile, with the leads (sorry I was distracted by daddy) we got us an arranged marriage, run away bride, and an amnesia trope. Put in a secret baby and it's squarely 1980's Harlequin. Will there be Vikings? Sex herbs? Pirates? Dub con?

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 9 of 12 - Again with lovely sex scenes, it’s just the plot stringing them together is frayed. Also don’t fuck in an onsen. Both yech and ouch.

That goes for all y’all.  

Wedding Plan (Wed YT & iQIYI) ep 7fin - Trash watch here! Honestly this was an okay ending, I’m not mad at it. If you can tolerate Mame and liars (kinda the same thing) you’ll be fine with this show.

Summation: An innocent wedding planner falls haplessly and hopelessly in love with a groom who relentlessly pursued him, even though he’s about to marry someone else. A somewhat lackluster mame offering with less of the usual stellar chemistry, but all of the usual lies and manipulation. 7/10

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - I skip everything to do with Tammy and it’s fine. There’s only about 20 minutes of fine but that’s more than enough. On the bright side. So far. No singing.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 24 eps - Cassanova Begins Part 2. Aw. It was sad. Another variation on the “my ghost boyfriend” trope (usually sad). 2/10 I don't do sad BL.

Next up is Merry Go Round featuring the pair from Destiny Seeker (we likey) who want to marry each other, but end up fake engaged to the same woman. Beard squared? Looks silly.

Crazy Handsome Rich (Sun Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - There are 2 things I like about this. I bet you can guess what they are.

Lee Long Shi

The whipping boy trope

There wasn’t enough of either in this first ep. ALSO the captions, sound effects, and voice over are truly next level bad. Utterly atrocious.

The 2 leads fucking around in the end credits was the funniest part of the whole show. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 7 of 8 - I am confused and frustrated about what the communication delay is between the two Juns. It feels artificial and narratively manufactured. But since this is a short form KBL and I know it will be resolved quickly, I’m not as annoyed as I would be if this were Thai BL. Still it feels audience manipulative. I also feel sorry for Simon. BUT it looks like it’ll be a sweet boyfriends final episode.

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10fin - Omg they’re so cute!!! Taiwan the purveyors of ultimate sappy gay domesticity. I am going to miss having these to nonsencing all over my dash.

This show was an interesting take on the "ghost boyfriend" trope. About a boy who is tormented by hearing the dead, except when he is around one other boy - desperation+proximity = love. Unfortunately, the story was erratic and waffled about. While the leads turned in solid performances and the sappy domesticity was off the charts, it never really had the strength of the narrative convictions such a strong concept should have supplied. Highly rewatchable and enjoyable for that sappy domesticity but not a whole lot more. Still I always give extra credit for the diabetes-inducing sugar content and rewatch capacity. 8/10 

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) eps 3 of 13(?) - I love the punching thing - there is a lot of violent flirting in this show. I’m not mad about it. Ugh, poor thing has real abandonment issues. And now trust issues. I see why we’re getting 12-14 eps. This gonna be MESSY.

Meanwhile, does EVERYONE have a guest cameo? Not that I’m complaining. Hi BLIHID boys! Now I need to rewatch that show. 

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 7-8 of 10 - Oh my God the next morning w/ couple 2 was so darn cute. They are all such terrible flirts with each other. Honestly, this show makes me laugh more than any other BL currently airing. I’m not sure it is meant to be as funny as I find it. While couple 3 (the mature characters) is by far my favorite, I actually think they don’t work with the other two pairs, they feel superfluous to the show. I like the show better because they’re in it, but it feels like two different BL‘s stuck together. KBL certainly can’t handle more than two couple threads at the same time. 

Why R U? (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - Ugh. I am such a sucker for the FighterTutor dynamic. Why so good? Uh oh. Real kiss! KBL you're spoiling us. But, isn’t sad-seme-hyung dating some chick? Argh. Poor Sunwoo. This show is even worse at repping Fighter's character sympathetically. Who knew that was possible?

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 8 - The date episode! Even Japan is doing it now. And these two who have been living/fucking together for ages still dance around each other like junior high kids. I gotta say, I watch this one twice because Vicki has different subs from Gaga. I feel like it’s easier to understand if I watch two different translations of the same script. But it’s still quite a taciturn piece. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - Sides are great. It was mostly a cute ep with tiny bits of Progress and a proper Confession. I miss Shin’s siblings. And then… the much loathed amnesia trope. Really?

Everyone say it with me: Must you, Japan? 

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) ep 5fin - It ended happier than I was expecting. Optimistic for one couple, and most likely optimistic for the other.

Summation: What to say about this offering from Hong Kong? It’s different, a mix of early CBL, Taiwanese shorts, and Pinoy visuals. It felt like the story was 2 independent shorts that had been lengthen and then stuck together, and I wish they'd been approached as separate and tighter entities. Nevertheless, this was a complex little piece,  interesting in a sweaty grungy way, with a certain aura of queer authenticity that made it simultaneously tense, unpredictable, and refreshing. I’m not sure I would necessarily call it BL, but any county’s early foray into the genre usually starts out this way, so perhaps nascent BL? Worth watching, especially if you enjoy stuff from the Philippines and Taiwan. 7/10

In case you missed it

Dinosaur Love ended its run but the final 2 eps are behind a paywall. Word on the street is they aren't good anyway (shocker) so I'm marking it as DNF and moving on with my life. If I can find em grey I'll watch 'em merely so I can give it a rating, but I can't imagine it will get more than 5/10. Seriously, do not bother.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming September

9/15 You Are Mine (Taiwan Gaga) Secretary has to deal with grumpy boss.

9/15 Bump Up Business AKA Bump Up Project (Korea movie) suspected cinema release? I don't know much about what's going on. Last status update. Love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity from the same agency. Kpop boy group OnlyOneOf has signed up to star in this idol-based BL (based on a webtoon). They’ve been auditioning for this since Libido IMHO. You can watch me chronicle their BL MV series in this post. It’s from Idol Romance who will do sad but can do good kisses (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu, Once Again, Kissable Lips, Poongduck 304, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You).

9/26 I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan ????) - Adapted from the manga, childhood best friends: The cool, smart one who’s good at everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other.

9/27 Absolute Zero (Thai iQIYI) - from 2021, Studio Wabi Sabi and New Siwaj finally bring us this “time loop to prevent tragedy” romance. We don’t always get HEAs from them, so I'm on my guard.

9/? Venus in the Sky (Thai iQIYI) 10 eps

9/? Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam YouTube?)

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Hidden Agenda hitting us up with a hug + lap + kiss. Very nice.

I think these two might be GMMTV's best cuddlers.

Boys, I think your JoongDunk is showing.

(Last week) 

[friday411]

Jackie Chan never let his female leads do their own stunts - except for Michelle Yeoh.

Why? "She'd kick my ass".

Do not mess with ballet dancers!!

*She'd never even ridden a motorcycle before the stunt.

[lilianhuas]

Zeng ShunXi -> Madman [Line Walker 3 Episode 20 -23]

[chowyunnafat]

I really like this photo. ❤️ I need to put words on it or give it a title. It looks like it’d be a nice art house/independent film starring Jackson Wang. 😂 it’s actually a photo from his tour. But for some reason it stopped me in my tracks.

[theersatzcowboy]

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon / 臥虎藏龍 (2000)

Michelle Yeoh is nobility personified in this hands-down perfect wuxia film, a tortured romance regularly interrupted by beautiful, deadly sword fights.

Director: Ang Lee

Cinematographer: Peter Pau

Starring Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen

[brokehorrorfan]

Calamity of Snakes will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 11 via Unearthed Films. The 1982 Taiwanese/Hong Kong exploitation film is also known as The Serpent Warriors.

Chi Chang directs from a script he co-wrote with Kang-Nien Li and Kuo Jung Tsai (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Yun-Peng Hsiang, Yuen Kao, and Ping-Ou Wei star.

Three versions of the film are included: the original cut, an alternate cut, and a cruelty-free version with the real animal deaths removed. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Original cut

Alternate cut

Cruelty-free cut

Audio commentary by film historians Nathan Hamilton and Brad Slaton

Lin Kuang-Yung In Conversation with Chui-Yi Chung

From Shaw to Snakes: The Venom and Violence of Early Chinese Language Horror Cinema - Feature-length documentary

After a businessman kills thousands of snakes in a pit while they are building a new apartment building. The people living there soon become attacked by millions of snakes with a vengeance.

Pre-order Calamity of Snakes.

[doublebilled]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) dir. Ang Lee

Hero (2000) Zhang Yimou

[trendnfun]

Hong Kong Singer Coco Lee: A Rising Star in the Music Industry

Hong Kong singer Coco Lee has become a prominent figure in the music industry, captivating audiences worldwide with her powerful vocals, versatile performances, and charismatic stage presence. Born on January 17, 1975, in Hong Kong, Coco Lee, whose full name is Ferren Lee-Kelly, has enjoyed a successful career spanning over two decades. This article delves into the life and achievements of Coco Lee, highlighting her rise to fame, musical style, and lasting impact on the global music scene.

1. Early Life and Background

Coco Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong, where she developed a deep passion for music from a young age. Growing up in a musically inclined family, she was influenced by her father, who played the violin, and her mother, who was a piano teacher. These early experiences nurtured Coco Lee's love for music and set the stage for her remarkable journey as a singer.

2. Breakthrough in the Music Industry

Coco Lee's breakthrough in the music industry came in the early 1990s when she participated in the New Talent Singing Awards, a prestigious singing competition in Hong Kong. Her exceptional talent and commanding stage presence caught the attention of record producers, leading to the release of her debut album, "Love from Now On," in 1994. The album's success propelled Coco Lee into the limelight, establishing her as a rising star in the Hong Kong music scene.

3. Musical Style and Versatility

One of the defining aspects of Coco Lee's career is her remarkable versatility as a singer. She effortlessly traverses various genres, including pop, R&B, dance, and jazz, showcasing her exceptional vocal range and adaptability. Coco Lee's ability to seamlessly switch between musical styles has earned her international acclaim and a diverse fan base.

4. International Recognition

Coco Lee's talent transcends borders, and she has gained significant recognition on the international stage. Her collaboration with renowned artists such as Julio Iglesias, Quincy Jones, and Black Eyed Peas brought her music to a global audience. In 2003, she gained further acclaim with her English-language album, "Just No Other Way," which featured the hit single "Do You Want My Love." This album solidified her position as an internationally recog...read more

[thatgeekwiththeclipons]

Happy 62nd Birthday to Academy Award Winning actress Michelle Yeoh! ^__^

[cbartonscoffee]

I think I've never been more aware of just how many people only get their info of the batfam through fanfic. I finally started reading Red Robin (2009) and I can not believe how many things are blown out of proportion. Particularly about Dick and Damian.

First of all, Dick does try to put limits and he does get fed up with Damian's ways sometimes. Out of the three first interactions of them in the comic, at least in two he tells him to shut up. And one of those is when Damian starts to brag about being Robin and Tim being useless, he tells him to shut up twice.

Another thing about that moment, is that they treat it like Dick completely dismisses Tim and treats him as unimportant. He doesn't. He takes him seriously, he tells him he needs him, he tells him he views his as an equal, as someone capable. And he also tells him he's concerned about him and that he needs to start processing Bruce's death. Could that have been a little harsh? Yes, but he needed to do it without making Tim think there was room for him to be convinced about his theory because let's be honest, Tim would've taken anything less than complete refusal and tried to change his mind. And had he been wrong neither of them could have taken it.

Secondly, Dick is always left to shoulder the blame of kicking Tim out and of never reaching out. That's bull. And I need to make that clear. Tim was in a delicate point, he tells us this himself multiple times, but the decision to leave was completely made out of his own free will. Another thing he did was put space between him and the people on Gotham. We see only one time in which Dick tries to call him. Tim picks up and tells him he doesn't want to talk. This tells us that Dick respecting Tim's wish of space included almost no (or even no) contact, and Dick calling was not something Tim appreciated or encouraged.

Now. Going into the second year of the run, when he's back in Gotham, there's a few things to talk about and I'm still in the aftermath of Damian and Tim's fight.

I feel it's important to say that even if they are all family, more often than not they're doing their own thing. Like, Babs and Steph are in the Batcave while Dick and Damian are in Wayne Tower, Cass is said to potentially be in Hong Kong and we haven't even heard Jason be name-dropped except for the fact that he went on a rampage at some point.

So, Dick is immediately called away in League business. So he isn't there. Damian is behaving fairly civil besides being a brat, so no one wastes too much effort in correcting what he says. We need to think about the fact that this is a kid whose world was turned upside down multiple times in a short period of time, who has a need to be accepted, and who hasn't yet found his place. All this is to say, that if it's difficult to get him to eat breakfast there's no way they're controlling his every move and that's understandable.

So Dick is away, Damian is still trying to adapt, Alfred has his hands full and everyone else is doing something else.

The whole thing starts because Tim is being kind of cryptic about what he's doing with his hit list and Damian feels left out and goes looking for more. He finds his name in a hidden double side of the hit list marking him as a threat. He understandably feels hurt and angry, because he's a kid, and he's trying, and his predecessor who at this point doesn't even try with him anymore views him as something bad.

So in classic Damian fashion, he falls back on his upbringing and doesn't deal with the situation as one should, talking about it. Instead he cuts team line, hurting before being hurt. It could've been worse, we see in the panel that Tim doesn't have that much of a hard time getting safely to the ground. The problem is that he snaps and starts a full-blown fight he knows Damian won't back out off. (I'm pleased to add that after cutting his line Damian doesn't start anything else)

So they are fighting, Tim has the clear advantage and he knows this, we know this. And that's how Dick finds them. Having just returned from a JL mission, in the place where the Waynes were murdered, with Tim having overpowered Damian.

They go back to the cave and Damian shares his findings, and Dick understands. And Tim tells him he (Dick) knows why he (Tim) did it. Dick agrees, and tells him he should have tried to make it harder to find. Tim says he hadn't thought Damian would try or even care. Dick tells him Damian wants to be accepted.

All in all, so far the only thing this comic has proven to me is that there's a reason comics are the bomb and that fanon has gotten out of hand. I get making things out to be worse for the sake of a story, but everything surrounding these events is basically used as the foundation for Damian and Tim's relationship as well as Dick and Tim's and I don't think I've once read a fanfic where these events are portrayed correctly or even following the real motivations of the characters. This is a disservice to all of them and only serves to amplify the hate towards a character that doesn't deserve it. There's a lot of Damian hate going around. And it sucks. Mostly because people use his actions against Tim to justify it and honestly? I don't think you should be allowed to use that if you haven't read RR and understood what was going on.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts year 2 day 5

Danny slid in through a sliding glass door, soaked to the bone and practically salivating at the smell of whatever the butler guy-Alfred, his name was Alfred-had in the oven.

"Master Damian, would you like a towel?" Danny nearly jumped when the man spoke, "Yes, please." Danny replied without thinking. Alfred raised an eyebrow before Danny hurriedly corrected his posture, "I mean, that would be lovely Pennyworth. Thank you." He managed to slap on a pretty convincing 'Damian Wayne' accent if he did say so himself but the butler didn't look convinced.

Danny silently chastised himself. If he wanted this to work out he needed to be convincing! Luckly Alfred didn't really question it and just went to go get him a towel.

Aka: Damian Wayne runs away at the beginning of summer break and homeless and starving Danny Fenton shape-shifts and takes his name and place.

Featuring: Alfred knowing something is up but not entirely sure what

Tim fully convinced Damian has been replaced Pod Person style but no one believes him

Bruce thinks Damian is making a bid for independence, especially since he's refusing to patrol with anyone and doing it solo (in reality Danny doesn't have any Robin training and he knows everyone will notice the difference)

Jason finds Dannys hidden stash of stolen food and survival supplies and thinks Damian believes they're gonna kick him out of the family or something and is bing extra nice and offered him a place to stay if things got too rough between him and Bruce. Danny accepted as Damian but was crying inside cause he knew this offer was for Damian and not him

Cass was in Hong Kong so Danny didn't have to worry about her but Talia caught wind of a second Damian acting as Robin and confronted him alone on a rooftop on night

Steph just thought Damian was maturing and becoming nicer

Damian himself had run away to the Kent farm and occasionally having adventures with Jon, unaware that any of this was happening

[apas-95]

Thoughts on Tiananmen Square? While the people protesting there were counterrevolutionaries, I’m against the killing of civilians under almost any circumstances, and unless the protesters were randomly stabbing people walking by and were completely unable to be stopped by lethal force (which they weren’t I’m pretty sure), they didn’t deserve to die.

The key point with regards to your concerns:

Firstly, the entire incident is a terrible tragedy, and an incredibly sore moment in China's history.

Secondly, the incident was massively exaggerated and exploited by the western powers - no killing or large massacre took place in the square itself, the deaths that did occur took place in the streets surrounding the square, in clashes between protestors and initially unarmed soldiers. Buses full of soldiers were burnt alive, and the corpses of soldiers were strung up on lightposts. Nobody involved deserved to die.

Leaders of the protest movement, spurred on by the west, escalated the incident to violence. One such leader, Chai Ling, who had arranged a US visa and left the square prior to the end of the protests, said

The students keep asking, “What should we do next? What can we accomplish?” I feel so sad, because how can I tell them that what we are actually hoping for is bloodshed, for the moment when the government has no choice but to brazenly butcher the people. Only when the Square is awash with blood will the people of China open their eyes. Only then will they really be united. But how can I explain any of this to my fellow students?

After sending in unarmed soldiers, who were beaten to death and lynched by foreign-backed protestors who were openly trying to incite a violent response, the Chinese government managed to peacefully clear the square (much to the disappointment of the western press). The deaths of people who had been spurred into violence against their own countrymen was and is a tragedy, but no massacre of peaceful protestors occured.

The incident as a whole is, again, an utter tragedy, and a dark moment, but the government's handling of it was, all things considered, level. While it is not something easily discussed, it is certainly an experience that was learned from, and, in the recent Hong Kong protests, more developed riot-control techniques resulted in zero deaths from clashes between police and western-backed protestors, as well as the early defusal of the situation through the seizure of hidden weapons and explosives.

[howtofightwrite]

I'm writing a scene where a cultivater (chinese martial artists who fights ghosts) falls in a forest and I'm trying to figure out how someone who fights on rough terrain would train to fall. I tried looking at martial art/parkour/stunt man tutorials, but I feel like a lot of the basic techniques (rolling, and slapping the ground to distribute weight) wouldn't work well on uneven ground. I also tried looking at hiking advice but they just say to fall on your pack. Any insight?

Chinese cultivators don’t fall, they choose to reacquaint themselves with the ground.

That sounds like a joke, but the best way to understand Chinese cultivators and Chinese fantasy media is to realize that martial arts are the gateway drug to magic. And that will get you into a lot of trouble if you follow that all the way into Martial Arts Give You Superpowers, which is both the outgrowth of the western understanding of Chinese culture and a trope rife with orientalism. Cultivation seems simple on the surface when you’re watching Chinese media, but it’s more than martial arts, it’s more than religion, it’s more than mythology, (though it is all of those too) it’s a genuine transition into metaphysics that reorients how we understand and interact with the world around us. The concepts we see in cultivation come from real martial arts philosophy that you find in Tai Chi, Shaolin, and most other Chinese martial arts. They come from real religions including Daoism, Buddhism, a healthy dose of Confucianism, general mythology and mysticism from a wide range of subcultures, and, to an extent, Animism. If you aren’t doing your reading with the Eight Immortals, Journey to the West, The Legend of the White Snake, and others then you should dig in. I also really suggest watching the live action C-Dramas whether they’re true Wuxia or more Xianxia idol dramas (and in this case the idol dramas are better because the action is slower) so you can acquaint yourself with the stylized martial arts portrayals, a wide variety of choreography, character archetypes essential to motif based storytelling, and the most important aspect of all—wire work.

Understanding and conceptualizing stunt action done on wires is essential when you’re trying to visualize and create action scenes in any East Asian genre. Your first instinct might be to dismiss the stylized movement as unrealistic (it is) but remember that it’s also genre essential. Hong Kong action cinema has a very specific feel to it that’s very different from the way Western cinema structures and films their fight scenes. Even when you’re writing, you’ll want to find ways to imitate it through your visual imagery on the page.

Probably the best way to contextualize cultivators is that they’re wizards who do martial arts. They’ve learned to transcend the limitations in our understanding of reality through knowledge and study to perform superhuman feats. How superhuman? Well, it gets wild. They can be anywhere from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Who Rules the World fly through the trees levels to Shang Tsung’s “I’m going to slam my hell reality into your normal reality because commuting to work is too much of an inconvenience.”

Which is to say, they don’t always fight ghosts. Sometimes they fight other martial artists, sometimes they fight other cultivators, sometimes they fight demons, sometimes they fight gods, and sometimes they fight incredibly overpowered monkeys. They’re often monks living in seclusion on a mountaintop, but not always. Cultivation is more of a state of mind. Anyone can do it if they learn how to absorb spiritual energy from the world around them through meditation and breathing exercises. Gods cultivate. Humans cultivate. Animals cultivate. Remember, the demons and the ghosts cultivate too. Sometimes, your master gets reincarnated as a demon. Sometimes, you do. The amount of wacky spellcasting you can do is dependent on how much energy you’ve cultivated, which is dependent on how old you are and how good at cultivation you are. Using the power means you need to cultivate more energy, the greater the spell or difficult the battle then the more energy is lost.

This is important to the question of: how does a cultivator fall?

Metaphorically? Existentially? Physically?

When we’re talking physically, wire work becomes very important. Think of your cultivator as being on wires. If they have the knowledge and understanding to do it, they can slow their own fall through the air to land harmlessly on the ground or twist over like a cat and launch themselves back off the ground to fly at their opponent in a counter attack. If they have the knowledge and understanding, they can teleport. If they lack the knowledge and understanding or want to trick their opponent, they can hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. If they’re relying on basics, they can also smack the ground to counter and spread out the impact then use the momentum from that fall to roll back onto their feet. They’ll do it no matter what terrain they’re on because it’s a basic technique that’s trained into their foundation to the point it’s a reflexive action. Any force distributed away from, and reducing impact on, important body parts like your spine is better than nothing. It’s better to sacrifice your arm than be paralyzed. At its heart, that’s the point of the technique. If you’re able to walk away with a functioning spine, it’s done its job. Your shoulder hurts? That’s normal. Your arm is sprained or broken? Sucks, but that’s better than the alternative that is paralysis and death. For reference, learning to fall was the first lesson my Wushu instructor ever taught me. It is that basic.

A lot of the time when portraying cultivators in media, the goal is to show them as being beyond the limitations of standard martial artists. How vast the gap is between the cultivator and the average human is dependent on both the setting and the cultivator. So, the average martial artist who possesses superhuman talents but hasn’t dedicated themselves to a life of cultivation and cultivators who are new to the path are going to be on the rung below and more likely to be knocked on their ass. Cultivators in the mid-range are more likely to have crafted or trained in solutions to being knocked on their ass which put them in a less vulnerable position while recovering and empowered/enhanced their martial arts. Cultivators in the top tier are usually straight up masters at spellcasting, if they deign to fight at all. Gravity need not apply. Rember, the time it takes you to hit the ground and roll to your feet is time your opponent has to launch a counter attack or move to a better position. Also, it means you’ve taken your eyes off your opponent. This is bad enough against a normal human opponent. Against another mostly immortal or ancient magic user this risks a terrible outcome.

Cunning and strategy are both as important as skill. Wisdom, knowledge, and hard work outweigh talent and raw potential. You’ll have to decide how esoteric you want to be and what limits you want to set. I really urge you to do this because the danger of power creep is real and especially prominent here. A character’s growth in power is often linked to their growth in character or their arc, as they gain a greater understanding of themselves and the world around them their skill increases. The self-discovery/self-reflection/self-interrogation/intense suffering to reach enlightenment portion is just as important and intrinsic to the martial arts portion of Martial Arts Give You Superpowers. It’s easy to focus on the Superpowers or the Martial Arts parts of the equation and miss the genre necessity of character growth. This growth often happens through heaps of steadily increasing trauma. Or, failing to undergo that by being too powerful and thus unable to progress is the joke like it is in Qi Refining for 3000 Years. (Go to hell, Bai Qiuran, you hilariously overpowered monstrosity.)

The irony is that the trajectory in character growth is the same trajectory the average student experiences when practicing martial arts. The only difference is that the power arc is inflated. This includes overcoming ingrained truths that you believe about yourself, about your own abilities, what you believe yourself to be capable of (both good and bad,) about your biases toward yourself and other people, your biases about reality in general, your understanding of good and evil, the potential upending of right and wrong, and facing the greater complexity found in the world at large. The stripping away of these illusions, coming to terms with uncomfortable realizations in a more complicated world, and the gaining of new understanding and confidence are vital to that growth.

Skill isn’t just represented in the power creep, it’s also found in a character’s sophistication and complexity in their approach to combat and life in general. Their awareness both of themselves and of other people, their ability to read intentions, their predictive abilities, their complexity in initiating their own strategy and tactics while also recognizing and countering the plans of others. It’s their insight into human nature and their cunning. It’s not enough to be powerful. The world is full of powerful people and not so powerful people who have the capacity to be just as dangerous. This isn’t Goku and Freeza slamming into each other while the planet explodes in nine minutes. You also need to be smart. It’s also not about being a better person. It’s about being a self-aware person. A person who is self-actualized. Monkey’s growth is in his awareness of the world around him through his experiences and in approaching problems differently rather than becoming less of a little shit. If you grow up in the West, one of the issues you’re going to face is thinking of these hurdles as materialistic rather than emotional or intellectual.

A lot of Western media misinterprets the concepts of “giving up” as physical sacrifice. One of the popular examples is physically sacrificing the person we love. In order to have enlightenment, we must be separated from them. We can’t physically be with them anymore. Whereas under a Buddhist structure, what we are actually sacrificing is our own ignorance, our own preconceptions, and beliefs that keep the world comfortable. Under this structure, we’re sacrificing our preconceived notions of who our loved one is. The person that we invented when we first met and we must force ourselves to come to terms with who they really are. The outcome of this isn’t necessarily going to be bad, but it’s still painful. The person we think we love could be perfectly wonderful. However, they’re not who we imagined. If we choose to hold onto the illusion we created, to ignore the realization that the illusion is the person that we love, we’ll only end up causing ourselves and our loved one more pain. We must fall in love with them all over again. Coming to terms with that is painful. All pain comes from ignorance. In sacrificing, letting go of, or overcoming our ignorance, we grow.

These are the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual challenges necessary for a cultivator because they allow the cultivator to level up. Yes, level up. Whether this is coming from the influx of gaming culture into media at large or because the concept synergizes with the Buddhist goal of progressing through the Six Realms toward nirvana, leveling up is how a cultivator’s increasing power is often depicted. Of course, once we reach the next level we can’t go back except by falling or failing and are no longer the person we once were. This then gets mixed in with Daoist principles of finding divine understanding by living in harmony with the universe. The more understanding we gain of the world, the more energy we can absorb as a result, but our original goals may be lost or changed in the process. If a character begins their journey on the path of revenge, their newfound contextualization of the situation that caused them immense pain may force them to give that revenge up or find they don’t want revenge anymore.

Failure is also an option and often a common part of the story. These stories usually follow characters through multiple lives and rebirths over hundreds and even thousands of years, especially if they’re also gods. This is the existential fall. The fall to the Dark Side. All our heroes are going to go through it at least once. This is also why a lot of Chinese media ends in tragedy with hope for the next round.

-Michi

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[romanceyourdemons]

the standard model for an elevator pitch i’ve been taught is “[media popular in america] meets [media popular in america]” which sucks for my writing. under that model i’d have to pitch my current project as “crouching tiger, hidden dragon (2000) meets interview with the vampire,” which is not what i’m writing. it’s nothing. it would be more accurate to say that it’s strange tales from a chinese studio meets rashomon (1950) meets brotherhood of blades (2014) meets that one late 80s hong kong film that was straight up not good and i can’t remember what it was called but it left a very deep impact on me meets, yes, interview with the vampire. a little bit

[absolutebl]

Hello. I was wondering if you have a master list of all the shows that got released this year? I've looked through the 2023 upcoming list and there are some missing and some that never premiered.

I wanted to see what I may have missed.

Thanks.💜 my-rose-tinted-glasses

Sure thing, hon! Here ya go!

All BL 2023 releases

So far, that I have on the spreadsheet. Not sure how you want it organized so I did it by country and then alphabetically.

Japan

Blue Sky Complex

Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka?

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox

Egoist

I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’

Jack o'Frost

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru AKA Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo Tabetai

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2

My Beautiful Man 2 AKA Utsukushii Kare Season 2

My Beautiful Man: Eternal AKA Utsukushii Kare Eternal

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi

One Room Angel

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu

Tokyo in April is AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2

Korea

A Breeze of Love

A Shoulder to Cry On

All the Liquors

Bump Up Business

Happy Merry Ending

Individual Circumstances

Jun and Jun

Love Class 2

Love Mate

Love Tractor

Our Dating Sim

Our Winter

Sing My Crush

Star Struck

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

The Eighth Sense

The New Employee

Unintentional Love Story

Why R U?

When it was good it was very very good, when it was bad they were dying.

Taiwan

HIStory5: Love In The Future

Kiseki: Dear to Me

My Tooth Your Love

Stay By My Side

VIP Only

You Are Mine

Thailand

609 Bedtime Story

7 Days Before Valentine

A Boss and a Babe

Absolute Zero

Bake Me Please

Be Mine Super Star Superstar

Be My Favorite

Bed Friend

Between Us

Beyond the Star

Boyband the series

Cafe In Love

Chains of Heart

Cooking Crush

Crazy Handsome Rich

Cutie Pie 2 You special

Dangerous Romance

Destiny Seeker

Dinosaur Love

For Him the series

Friend. Boy Friend

Future the series

Hidden Agenda

Hit Bite Love

House of Stars

I Feel You Linger in the Air

I Will Knock You

La Pluie

Laws of Attraction

Love in Translation

Love Syndrome III

Low Frequency

Make a Wish

Man Suang

Middleman’s Love

Moments Of Love

Moonlight Chicken

My Biker

My Blessing

My Dear Gangster Oppa

My School President

My Universe

Naughty Babe

Never Let Me Go

Only Friends

Our Skyy 2: A Boss and a Babe

Our Skyy 2: A Tale of Thousand Stars

Our Skyy 2: Bad Buddy

Our Skyy 2: My School President

Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go

Our Skyy 2: Star in My Mind

Our Skyy 2: The Eclipse

Our Skyy 2: Vice Versa

Pastsenger

Pit Babe

Playboyy

Remember Me

Senior Love Me

SHADOW

Step By Step

The Luminous Solution

The Promise

The Sign

The Whisperer

Till the World Ends

Tin Tem Jai

Tin Tem Jai special

Twins

Venus in the Sky

Wedding Plan

The Philippines

Ever After

My Story

Our Story

Stay

The Day I Loved You

Tie The Not

(underreported, I don't keep track of Pinoy stuff anymore)

Singapore

Pure Vanilla

Hong Kong

Stay Still

Myanmar

The Love Ring

China

Stay With Me (Addicted + moar censorship)

I bolded anything I rated over a 7/10. Although some of these I opted not to watch and others are still airing (and thus as yet unrated). So don't take an unbold as necessarily a negative.

I haven't assessed how many are releasing in December

(I probably should deal with the "The" but I lazy.)