#human reads yuwu | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

izartn · 11 months

Text

Just read Yuwu in three days (more like two with one day in the middle for rest) and I think it's one of my faves cnovels I've read until now? The fastest I've read too.

Erha was too much, although I liked it, but Yuwu was delicious for me: it has magic, politics, two main charas each of them with their own clearly defined past, personality, goals and a great chemistry, plus a whole vivid secondary cast (my problem with Priest for example is how meh her secondaries usually are, Meatbun doesn't have that problem here). The twists where well, done and honestly, I didn't care about that little deux ex machina at the end, it was very welcome. Although I was totally prepared for a next live epilogue too, and happy to get even just that xd

MXTX novels often distance me from the ML, even if the plot and the protags and charas are well done which means my enjoyment of the romance part is never as high as it could be. Bc I'm only emotionally invested in one of the pair, you know? Sometimes Hua Cheng and Binghe could bridge that gap, but well.

Meatbun in both Erha and Yuwu has gotten me to care so so much about both guys of the pairing. And even the secondary charas too. They're messier but more humane, you know? Meatbun style of romance is more carnally/emotionlly driven, and so it's writing feels nearer the reader.

And Gu Mang passes mentally impared/without memories like a third of the novel! But Meatbun establishes his character so well, it's the easiest thing to care for him as you do Mo Xi.

They say Meatbun third novel isn't as good as either Erha or Yuwu, and she notches up the angst and the asshole/villain protag vibe so I don't know how I'll feel after reading that but it's on my list regardless. I really loved Yuwu, and Erha was super enjoyable my sufferings with the translation of it nonwithstanding so she's got a loyal reader out of me.

Go without spoiling yourself! I went unspoiled to yuwu and wow, would have hated to have the twists ruined.

#yuwu #remnants of filth #my thoughts #meatbun doesn't eat meat

37 notes · View notes

whalechief · 1 year

Text

I wanna try the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag for 2023 :3c

Will post below cut with what I've read thus far this year~ (minor spoilers ahead for *checks notes* Atlas Paradox and How to Sell a Haunted House (but not rly that last one)

Best Book You've Read So Far: OK, I went back and forth because there were some good reads (🥁) this year. I will say both Ninth House and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (both from the Alex Stern series) | I think this is the best introduction into dark academia, truly. It's rarely in a lull, but never too much going on at once. All characters seem to be important in their own way, if not now then later, and I just...I love the characters aaaah!!

Best Sequel You've Read So Far: The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake | Obviously spoilery, but as a Callum fan, I wanna say that the fallout of what happened in book one was very interesting to see in a character with his personality. The first instance we see of him is who he 'takes on' in the mind test, expecting one of the others but finds himself. I just...man, I focused so heavily on Callum and Tristan that I forgot a large chunk of the rest, but I know it was all good...I just hyper-focused for a moment, OK?

New Releases You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To: Yuwu by Meat Bun | I have the copy, I had it pre-ordered, but...well, another book you will see down in the post put me into a slump, and now I am slowly working my way back to physical copies (I've been audiobooking the last month or so), but I've seen fan art and I'm feral already for that good shit

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year: I'm blanking completely, a lot of things are coming out around right now that I want to read and it's been hectic, BUT for sure Yellow face by RF Kuang

Biggest Disappointment: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix | You ever read something so shit that you go from rinsing through books, reading non stop, to....like a full on reader's slump for weeks? Yeah, it took me 3 weeks to pick up another book entirely, I hated hated that book...ugh. I finished it, but at what cost? My time, given to a cast of characters that are all entirely shit. That is why I'm only at 27 books into 2023...

Biggest Surprise: Paris The Memoire by Paris Hilton | OK, I knew a bit about Paris Hilton's dj and had sort of heard something about her time in the reform places, but...wow. She really is out here exposing your ass, Provo Canyon School, get fucked. I think if you're wanting to know what kinds of places Dr Phil sent kids is like from the inside perspective, Paris went through it again and again and also fuck men and the male gaze. Anyway, love Paris, want the best for her, xoxo

Favorite New Author: Ali Hazelwood, probably. I have only read Love Hypothesis so far, but I am eager to jump into her other works. I am also interested in reading more of Holly Black's work, as I've only read The Cruel Prince and am curious if she holds up!

New Favorite Character: Hm...Darlington from Leigh Bardugo's Alex Stern Series | At first, he seemed pretty cut and dry, cookie cutter Yale boy. Yeah, well we were WRONG OK? He's beautiful, amazing, deep, deserves to be pegged, OK I said it.

Book that Made you Cry: I am not a crier, so I did not cry. However, I will say that I was left emotionally cold after finishing No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai | The character is technically fictional, but to find out at the end that this is...just technically a fictional character, and we don't know what happened where we left off but have a good idea is....Yeah, had to pause it during seasonal depression because it was too heavy for my mental state at the time.

Favourite Page-to-Screen Adaptation: I've seen the trailers, so it counts. Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 | I read this after the anime first aired, and I will never not be excited to see Toji on screen. I will not spoil anything, I will just sit back and be Big Excite.

Book You Want to Read Before the End of the Year: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber and The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan...and also A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab I know, it's been out for forever and I own a copy, I just keep starting it and...idk what happens, but I forget to read it...

Anyway, this was fun ✌️ will be posting every reading update on Goodreads, as per usual. Add me on there, my name's also WhaleChief on there.

Full list of books read in 2023 (bottom is first, top left is most recent):

#mid year book tag #mid year book freak out tag #book tag #mid year freak out tag 2023 edition #wtf is the tag idfk im head empty rn

0 notes

angieloveshua · 2 years

Text

“My five stars danmei novels.” | Short maybe not short reasons why I like them.

🎋 —Yuwu.

carrd.

Another one by the Queen. I wanted to read Yuwu a long time ago, and when I finished it, I was extremely satisfied. Meatbun just doesn't fail.

Mo Xi and Gu Mang are characters that I both love and respect. In fact, Gu Mang is one of my best friend's protégé (in this parentheses, I want to cheer on her because she had to bear with my curses on a certain character at 5:00 a.m.)

Yuwu is a novel that shows the cruelty of slavery. It makes feel horrified when you read the pain slaves have to go through —people of high class often forgot that they were humans, just like them. The fight for their rights is depicted in the book and the way it was managed with was immaculate.

Yuwu also has two of my favourite things in novels: politics and cultivation. There are a lot of intrigues, and I want to mention that this novel is connected with 2ha and if you have read said book before, you'll understand more about the character's origins.

Did I cry? For God's sake, this is a novel by Meatbun. I remember I was traveling with my family when I was reading the last chapters and I was this )( close to cry in public. Meatbun just has a way to get into your heart with her words.

🎋 —Fanservice Paradox.

carrd.

This is my most recently read novel, and the first thing I want to say is that YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS BOP NOW. Pozhen help this novel get its five stars.

Fanservice Paradox is about a boyband! I actually stan BTS, and Kaleido sort of make me thing about them because they both started in a small company and now they're superstars love by millions of people!

Zhichu knows how to write that tension between her characters. It was so satisfying reading it —you end up shipping them as hard as TingJue fans!

This book also has a lot of philosophical and mathematical thinking. Fang Juexia has a degree on mathematics and Pei Tingsong is a student of philosophy. Their studies have a lot of influence on the way they view life and they make you reflect.

🎋 —TGCF.

carrd.

TGCF holds a special place in my heart. I read it when I was going through a hard moment in my life, and it helped me a lot.

I didn't know I could cry so much reading a novel until Hua Cheng popped up. Yes, that handsome gentleman made me realised I wasn't as strong as I thought. There moments I was doing OK and then I thought about him and I had tears in my eyes, I'm not lying.

And guys, there's a reason why Xie Lian is Hua Cheng's only god —he makes you want to worship him once you've gone through all his story (but remember to worship them together so that your wishes come true!)

THEIR RELATIONSHIP, OMG. Just one word: devotion.

I liked the way the story is written, with one volume in the present and the other in the past. The arcs are also amazing <3.

🎋 —Wushuang.

carrd.

I TAKE FULL OFFENSE if you've been following me all this time without reading this novel, seriously, stop what you're doing right now and go read it.

Wushuang is a Qian Qiu's sequel (another amazing novel, by the way), and it has POLITICS AND MARTIAL ARTS. 💖

Feng Xiao is a beauty with amazing martial skills (hey, he even had a fight with Yan Wushi once), and Cui Buqu has the kind of brain you want to kiss. FengCui is my best friend's favourite couple! Although these two aren't the kind to recite poetry, their actions speak how much they care about each other.

The plot is [chef's kiss]. I didn't want to do anything besides reading Wushuang at that time because it was just so addictive.

🎋 —Nan Chan.

carrd.

I remember this novel as the one with the best first chapter I've read in my life, just read the following:

“What do you see?”

“A mountain of corpses amidst a sea of blood.”

“Why have you come?”

“To kill.”

AND THIS IS LITERALLY WHAT YOU FIND WHEN YOU OPEN THE NOVEL. Tell me you if you're not baited.

Nan Chan is a novel that covers the Eight Sufferings in life according to Buddhism in a series of arcs that have characters that make you easily connected with their stories.

The main characters are 🥺. And, oh, this novel has a dragon, A DRAGON. Cang Ji is the best. ♡ And Jing Lin, get behind me, I'll protect you! (said the girl who is 1.50 m tall). Reading their wedding was literally one of the best things that could happened in my life.

And, ah, how can't I not say this? This novel has the character I hate the most. Tao Zhi, fuck you.

And that's it for this part of Angie recs! Hope you give a try to all these amazing novels. ♡

I'll post pt. 4 when BAB has more official art.

#angie recs #danmei recs #danmei #nan chan #yuwu #fanservice paradox #wushuang #tgcf

242 notes · View notes

dangermousie · 3 years

Note

Hello!

What would you say have been your fav danmei novels this year? I know your favs in general are 2ha, Yuwu and QJJ but if you had to rank only novels you read this year, what would be your top 5? Thanks!

Do you mean published this year or ones I read this year? I am gonna assume the latter since the only two I read that are published this year are Wu Chang Jie and Case File Compendium, both of which I loved but it’s not a enough for a list. That means Yuwu and 2ha are off the list so here is the list, in no particular order:

Case File Compendium - I am sure you can tell that I am obsessed with this novel. It’s not the first modern danmei I read (I read and enjoyed Fight the Landlord before), but I am so utterly in love and emotionally wrapped in Meatbun’s perfect trademark combo of fucked up yet human and fascinating characters and relationship dynamics centered on how do you forgive the unforgivable and find humanity in whatever life throws at you,all wrapped in plot that is twistier than a pretzel. Also, only Meatbun can make me go from loving to loathing back to loving a character with such intensity (He Yu), give me a character that I am irrational over (Xie Qing Cheng) and ship them like a lunatic even though I started with “interesting set up but I don’t really care for these guys too much.”

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - so underrated. A perfect h/c fantasy with the most functional MC and fucked up ML that never puts even a toe wrong with a premise that could go seriously bad so many different ways, instead telling a funny, moving story of love helping you heal.

Qiang Jin Jiu - danmei for history nerd brainiacs but with such a complex enemies-to-lovers OTP that would make your soul sing.

Those Years In Quest of Honor Mine - another really underrated gem, it’s funny and heart-breaking and made me laugh and sniffle within pages of each other. Its two protagonists are both walking wounded but also good people, and watching them find happiness despite all the horrors the world threw at them, watching them take care of each other is so lovely. Also, someone once described the ML as “Lan Wangji gone feral” and that is just A++++

Wu Chang Jie - god, I loved this! It was the first novel I kept up with as it was published. Gonzo in every glorious way, it has a truly bleak worldview, an intense as hell OTP and asks the eternal question of “if the world is designed by cruel and uncaring gods and nothing you do matters in the grand scheme, if everything sets out to destroy and devour you and take you apart, is it still worth it to be a good person?” And MC’s answer is, always, a resounding yes. (And ML’s answer is “Dage!” He is a human nuclear bomb, amoral and single-minded, MC’s greatest torturer and yet one for whom life begins and ends with MC.)

#asks #cnovel #case file compendium #wu chang jie #those years in quest of honor mine #qiang jin jiu #mistakenly saving the villain

150 notes · View notes

danhoemei · 3 years

Text

Danmei Masterpost

Novels and dramas with links and resources (main Masterpost)

I fixed the links to tags but let me know if anything doesn’t work as expected.

General tags

#resources (links to translations, info etc.)

#recommendations, #to check out, #fanfics

#meta (or #[series] meta, e.g. #tyk meta)

#them ladies

Please support the authors

Even if you don’t speak Chinese and read a fan translation you can purchase their work which brought you so much joy. English guides to do that:

Danmei Bookstore Masterpost (a great list of where to buy Chinese novels)

jjwxc: the most recent guide, another older guide, guide focused on mxtx

danmei news (mxtx official translation faq)

Official English Publishers

Seven Seas - series list (all mxtx novels, guardian, spl, 2ha, qian qiu, yuwu, bing an ben)

Peach Flower House - store (little mushroom, golden stage/terrace)

Novels

Priest

@priest-novels

#bestial blade (Bestial Blade - novel)

#can ci pin (Imperfections - carrd / novel)

#guardian (Zhenhun - novel)

#guomen (Through The Strait Gates - novel)

#huai dao (The Way of the Evil - novel)

#you yi (You Yi | Itinerant Doctor - novel)

#jin se (novel)

#lhjc (Lie Huo Jiao Chou | Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire - novel)

#liu yao (Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect - novel)

#modu (Silent Reading - novel)

#shbl (Shan He Biao Li | Of Mountains and Rivers - novel)

#qi ye (Lord Seventh - novel)

#spl (Sha Po Lang - novel)

#tai sui (novel)

#tyk (Tian Ya Ke | Faraway Wanderers - novel / carrd; drama #shl)

#ultimate blue seal (novel)

MXTX

#mdzs (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation - novel; drama #cql)

#svsss (Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System - novel)

#tgcf (Heaven Official’s Blessing - novel)

old blog @mxtx-novels-stuff

Meng Xi Shi

#peerless (Wushuang - novel)

#thousand autumns (Qian Qiu - novel | donghua with subs)

Meatbun

#2ha (The Husky And His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun - novel)

#bing an ben (Case File Compendium by Meatbun - novel)

#yuwu (Yu Wu by Meatbun - novel - related to 2ha)

Other

#the bandit's strategy (novel - related to The emperor’s strategy & Everywhere in jianghu is wonderful)

#chun feng du jian (novel)

#copper coins (novel)

#devil venerable also wants to know (novel)

#dinghai fusheng records (novel)

#dmbj (Daomu Biji - novel; drama #ultimate note)

#dtppf (The Disabled Tyrant’s Pet Palm Fish [Transmigration] - novel)

#the emperor's strategy (novel - related to The bandit’s strategy & Everywhere in jianghu is wonderful)

#everywhere in jianghu is wonderful (novel - related to The bandit’s strategy & The emperor’s strategy)

#fanservice paradox (novel)

#golden stage (novel)

#jianghu name da (the jianghu is boundless)

#mist [unlimited] (novel)

#legend of exorcism (Tianbao Fuyao Lu - novel)

#little mushroom (novel)

#lmw (The Legendary Master’s Wife - novel)

#married thrice to salted fish (三嫁咸鱼 - novel)

#mistakenly saving the villain (novel)

#nan chan (novel)

#of all the transmigrations why am I a prisoner (carrd/novelupdates)

#poison of the human panacea (novel)

#qiang jin jiu (novel)

#qqgk (Quanqiu Gaokao / Global Examination - carrd / novel)

#renshe (novel)

#those years in quest of honour mine (novel)

#to rule in a turbulent world (novel)

#twwtadsl (The Wrong Way to a Demon Sect Leader - novel)

#villains white lotus halo (The Villain’s White Lotus Halo - novel)

#the wife is first (Qi Wei Shang - novel / carrd)

#you yao (Are You Okay - novel)

Webcomics

#saved the public enemy by mistake (bilibili | ?)

Dramas

#a chinese ghost story

#advance bravely (novel)

#bad buddy

#big dragon

#border town prodigal

#cherry magic

#cql (The Untamed; novel #mdzs)

#the devil judge

#kieta hatsukoi (carrd, dm)

#kingdom

#kinnporsche

#love between fairy and devil

#miss the dragon

#mriad (My Roommate Is a Detective)

#nirvana in fire

#not me

#shl (Shang He Ling/Word of Honor - drama / carrd / resources; novel #tyk)

#the blooms at ruyi pavilion

#the lost tomb

#the yin yang master dream of eternity

#tsomd (drama The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty; novel The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua)

#ultimate note (novel #dmbj)

#vincenzo

#we best love

#why r u

#zettai bl

Them ladies (wlw)

baihenovels carrd

general tags: #them ladies, #wlw

#couple of mirrors

#fgep (Female General And Eldest Princess - novel)

#fragrance of the first flower

#jwqs (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love - novel)

#legend of yunqian

#red devil and heroine su

#tag masterpost #masterpost

228 notes · View notes

kuronekonerochan · 3 years

Note

Hi...how are you? If you don't mind me asking what are your top 5 favorite danmei novels (until now)? And why? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....

Hi, sorry for being slow at answering!

In no particular order:

Ok, so I liked the 3 from MXTX:

- Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation/ Mo Dao Zu Shi

This one I loved but it has a particular style that ppl might not like in that it feels jumpy, confusing and with information gaps while reading, even though eventually everything that matters does end up being explained...in other works this would probably be just lazy writing, but here it is clearly an intentional choice bc 1) she doesn’t do this in her other novels 2) this is in WWX’s pov and dude has heavy ptsd and adhd, plus he tends to pretend to take everything lightly as a coping mechanisms...all this put together and it’s easy to understand why the story has such an unreliable narrator that even the other characters constantly point it out. I ended up loving this extra layer of storytelling.

- Heaven Official’s Blessings/ Tian Guan Ci Fu

If you’re in the mood for a saga type long ass novel with a ton of interesting side stories and side characters with a main character who is a true cinnamon bun in sweet romance with a side dish of sweet sweet aaaangst.

- Scum Villains Self Saving System

The most entertaining out of all of them. It manages to be a parody of two genres, both danmeis and wuia/jianghu harem het novels (fighter of destiny style) with OP leads, while also being its own cute and funny story with a heart to it.

From other authors:

- Meatbun’s 2ha/ Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun

What if someone took a look at the parody that is SVSSS and said...”no, you know what? This really deserves to be an epic, long ass, and I mean, topping old classics’ length novel packed with angst, filled with pain and topped with despair...and then we’re sprinkling some funfetti on top to fool y’all”...and you know what? that’s some good cake. (If you’re into cdramas SVSSS is to 2ha what The Romance of Tiger and Rose is to Goodbye My Princess).

- Priest’s Sha Po Lang:

Steampunk China plus creepy voodoo tribal ritual magic, involved in internal and external wars over petrol (with a different name) and with our leads in Iron Man suits, fighting, among other enemies hot young(er) hands on, on the field, western troop General, the Pope, that I can only visualize in my head as Jude Law. I tell you all of this nonsense just to say that instead of the ridiculous fun this should be, it ends up being a very compelling romance with lots of scheming and heavy plot and some heartbreaking scenes.

- The Golden Stage:

This is a court drama type novel with friends-to-rivals-to-lovers that is just the right length and compelling with not too many plot twists but two main characters who are really great both individually and together and this is the one out of all in the list I feel like re reading the most. It really is a solid read and I feel like I’m selling it short, bc it really is good. It is similar to Sha Po Lang and To Rule in a Turbulent World, a simpler version of those but not worse for it.

(Since you said top 5 and I’ve said 6, I regretfully cut down Heaven Official’s Blessing bc even though I love it, unlike MDZS or SVSSS, it didn’t feel like a standalone novel because some of the several storylines of the side characters that I loved were left open ended (although the main characters had a complete story arc), as if this book was supposed to be the first of a series and those characters would have their own spinoff books where I’d know where their story took them...except this really is a standalone, and so the lack of resolution bothers me).

>> Honorable Mentions:

- To Rule in a Turbulent World

This one doesn’t go in the top 5 list yet bc it’s not fully translated, last time I checked (tho it’s very near the end). As an ongoing novel, I adore it. If the ending isn’t terrible it might be in my top 3. It’s similar to the two above in plotlines but it has a quality to it that it takes care to make every character in it multidimensional. There are no good and bad characters, even the ones on the opposite side are given something that makes them relatable and human. Plus, the characters all change throughout the novel, most of all the protagonists and the novel gives itself breathing time between events where you just chill with the characters and learn about random things like agricultural practices.

- The Wife Is First

This one is just that light fluff feel good one that is great to pick up from time to time since it’s on going. Dumb Jock husband did everything wrong in his first life, gets a re-do and from then on it’s adorable respect the spouse juice and awe of said spouse smarts. Cute. Also, there’s a baby pet tiger.

>> Others I did like, just not in the top 5:

-Faraway Wanderers and Lord Seventh/Qi Ye by Priest:

Qi Ye is similar to To Rule in A Turbulent World/The Golden Stage/Sha Po Lang. I really liked it still, just a tiny bit less than these. Since it’s the same author as SPL and I think it was written earlier, I have to say, the writing only got better.

Faraway Wanderers is a short read, but you’re only gonna like it if you’re ok with amoral main characters (I guess that is true for many on this list but it’s more obvious in this one bc the novel and the characters are unapologetic about it).

- YuWu by Meatbun - Still reading it, but is isn’t grabbing me like 2ha did.

>> I assumed you only wanted danmeis as in period fantasy bl novels, but if we go modern, fantasy or not:

- Silent Readings by Priest:

I love crime fiction novels (love Ding Mo’s novels) and this is that type of conspiracy, murder novel with smart criminals and smart investigators. Little romance, but still there.

- Guardian by Priest:

Priest is hilarious and except the last part that gets a bit heavy on the lore this is just a joy to read. Also pretty short.

- Advance Bravely:

I read it a long time ago and it’s okayish, with some cute and some weird, problematic characters.

- Addicted/ Heroin:

Also read it (this is 2 books) ages ago...and this one is NOT cute. It starts out as a pretty normal, but kind of toxic very typical oldschool drama/manga romance right down to the step brothers’ trope....and then it keeps escalating to new levels of WTF am I reading?!! All I have to say for this one is, that while I cannot recommend it per se, nor say it’s good, the title really is fitting, bc it is addictive as f.

174 notes · View notes

momoliee · 4 years

Text

Fellow yuwu readers

If you guys want to continue reading yuwu

There is a cleaned up MTL that’s much more understandable than the original MTL, of course it’s not as good as the human translation tho

But yes for the impatient ones, here :

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/12cvvVU_XBz60nmIJV9UfRIe9SFpxtuXu

(The MTL was not done by me, for credits, please message me so I can include it in this post)

#yuwu #remnants of filth #stains of filth #2ha #meatbun doesn't eat meat

161 notes · View notes

sirlairla · 4 years

Text

read yuwu for different levels of pain, suffering, agony, affliction, heartbreak, despair, sorrow, desolation, the complexities of human nature, forgiveness, more pain, friends to lovers to enemies to it's weird to understatement and forgiveness to lovers again (+2ha info)

#yuwu #remnants of filth #stains of filth #meatbun doesn't eat meat #gu mang #mo xi #ximang #danmei #2ha #erha

46 notes · View notes

beesinspades · 2 years

Note

Hello! What are your favorite books?

BOI AM I GLAD YOU ASKED

I've actually read a couple very good books recently that made their way into my favourites!! I'll skip tgcf and 2ha since it's pretty obvious that I'm obsessed with them.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - I don't think this one needs any introduction haha but yeah achilles patroclus what did hector ever do to me figs me crying on the floor etc etc

Yuwu (Remnants of Filth) by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat - meatbun's lesser known and unfortunately least popular of her books. all I have to say about it is that it killed me. the angst is near non-stop and ruthless but boi did I love every second of it. the main pairing stole my heart and I adore them. it's so much pain. so much pain. but it's so good.

Little Mushroom by 一十四洲 - one of my favourite danmeis. Post-apocalyptic setting with cool worldbuilding and I'd love to say more but it's been a long time since I read it and my english physical copy still hasn't arrived >:( but it is Amazing the main character is just a little mushroom and he makes the absolutely tragic and depressing and his 'outsider' point of view on the events happening in this novel more bearable. basically beyond the romance (which I loved) it's a story about humanity's endless struggle for survival.

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - this book. THIS BOOK. like I swear to god. the writing is top tier, the characters are so compelling and flawed and human and it all makes me go feral. it's politics/war-heavy but not in an overwhelming way. it's just very well balanced. it's so empowering, too. also, this book is often sold as very gender and very gay but people never mention how it's also ACE, as the main character is canonically ace, as confirmed by the author. (my reading is sex-neutral ace, but could be greyace) I'm eagerly waiting for the next volume!!

The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards - currently there are two volumes (The Last Sun & The Hanged Man) and [clenches fist] I highly recommend them. it's got a cool urban fantasy setting but it was especially refreshing relationships wise. there's a romance (which I root for) but it's a really small part of the books, and it's not given more care than the platonic relationships. (male) characters show so much emotion around each other, they kiss each other on the forehead, they let themselves be vulnerable and openly show how much they care for each other regardless of the kind of relationship they share. there's also a soulmates concept that's not restricted to romantic relationships aka chef's kiss. it's just really good. (that said it could've used more editing....but if you read fanfic you're probably fine. personally I think more care should've been put into editing but at the end of the day I don't mind much) it also doesn't shy away from exploring trauma and does it pretty well imo. sorry I went on a rant here but this series is just! so underrated! and I can't wait to see where it's going. especially since I was 150 pages from finishing book 2 when my e-reader died and now i'm suffering waiting for it to be repaired

anyways so yeah! those are my faves!

#wah I never get random questions like this....thank you #bee answers #anon #i just think it's funny how it got longer and longer

5 notes · View notes

mxtxfanatic · 2 years

Text

Alright, finished Yu Wu, so now we have our character breakdowns!

Our Main Cast:

Murong Lian: I am so serious when I say that a sad (not even tragic, just fucking “sucks I guess, dude” sad!) backstory and working with the MCs towards a mutually beneficial goal IS NOT A REDEMPTION ARC.

Yue Chenqing: a lesson in why ignorance is NOT bliss and you should NOT blindly follow whatever your elders say. (Especially if your “respectable elder” is a known rapist with children he don’t even know about under his own roof falling in love with each other 😬). I expected that he’d experience some traumatic bullshit, but holy shit?

Jiang Yexue: I knew there was something off about him, but holy shit????? Hope he rots in hell, but also, he was obviously tainted by that dark cultivation he took in to save his brother’s life, so maybe the real villain who needs to rot in hell is their rapist daddy 💁🏽‍♀️

Murong Chuyi: I knew he liked Yue Chenqing deep down and that something must have happened to make him turn on Jiang Yexue, but holy shit???? Anyways, hope he gets to beat that fool’s AND his rapist daddy’s asses in the afterlife before reincarnating into the most peaceful next life. (On another note, wtf is up with meatbun and jumping into blood pools????)

The emperor: I CALLED IT! A MOTHERFUCKING SNAKE AND A COWARD 🗣🗣🗣 IF YOU TRUSTED HIM AT ANY POINT, DON’T TALK TO ME 🗣🗣🗣

Guoshi of Liao/Hua Po’an: everyone is afraid of this super ultra powerful, seemingly invincible guoshi and ain’t none of y’all stopped to think, “wow, this is suspicious; wonder if that one villain IN ALL OUR STORIES maybe didn’t die, especially since we keep seeing hints that the one who “killed” him and died with him is ALSO not dead!” What foolishness… Anyways, man had plans on plans and still couldn’t predict human kindness, what a tool lmao

Princess Mengze: everyone was playing 3D chess with politics but bitch was on 4D; I was shook 😳

Gu Mang: MY BOY! Wwx if he was written into a trauma porn novel. Stuck. To. His. Convictions!!! Every reveal of his was a whammy on top of a whammy 😭😭😭 Thought he was out here being Naruto-level foolish without the protagonist halo, but he was really out here playing 4D chess on human morality with the best of them! GIVE HIM HIS FLOWERS 💐 💐💐

Mo Xi: love how he loves Gu Mang. Hate how goddamn naive he is. At some points, instead of feeling emotionally overwhelmed, I was just getting secondhand embarrassment. Would obviously NOT survive a political intrigue novel.

Honorable mentions:

Lu Zhanxing: his death fucking suuuuuucked, but he was a real one.

Li Wei: standing up to the emperor’s men to protect your lord, LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO

Lan’er (Changfeng-jun’s daughter): they didn’t have to do her like that… (also, is she still alive???? We just kinda drop her and never check back in????)

Madam Jiang/Su Yurou: wish I could be this unbothered in the face of conflict, while having the balls to defy the most terrifying not-quite-human in the known world 😭 glad she survived 💙

Jiang Fuli: fuck, I’m glad HE survived! He deserves it!

Hong Shao: she walked into death bravely and heartbrokenly, and I wish she didn’t have to. I hope she and Li Qingqian reincarnate into a better life where they grow to be the old man and hag together, like she dreamed…

Li Qingqian: the way he found out that in attempting to save Hong Shao, he had actually killed his love AND that her murderer “was” the man who saved him? I’m glad Su Yurou got to tell him the truth, and I hope he was able to reunite with Hong Shao in the afterlife

#yu wu #yuwu spoilers #human reads yuwu #i think this is everyone #I’ll come back if i remember someone i care about #but the thing about this book is that while there seems to be a lot of characters #there aren’t actually?#or many aren’t that important anyway

34 notes · View notes

spockandawe · 4 years

Note

Hi.....if you don't mind me asking, what are your top 10 favorite books? And why? Sorry if you've answered this question before....

This is an interesting question, and a difficult one! Which is why I let it steep for a few days while I was in a bookbinding fugue, haha XD

I’m not sure I’ll be able to answer it, because my level of fondness is highly dependent on how recently I read a book/how many times I’ve reread it, with an optional nostalgia modifier if something made a huge impression in my youth. And when I’m picking favorites, as the number of potential [thing] expands, the more I end up dithering and fretting that I’m forgetting something HUGE as I choose. So rather than a selection of top ten, I’ll just run down through some of my favorites! I’ll split it as five cnovels (recent reads, current genre hyperfixation) and five more conventional english-language novel (realistically, probably more like series, unless a standalone book occurs to me), and I’m not going to rank the conventional novels.

SO. Regular novels first. There’s a heavy recently-read/frequently-reread element going on in here.

The Imperial Radch trilogy, by Ann Leckie. Okay, I am a sucker for a nonhuman protagonist, which is going to pop up in at least two other entries. And I’m also a sucker for themes of what can be perceived about a person externally versus their internal world, and Breq delivers like WHOA. She has SO MUCH going on in her head, and even though we’re in there with her, she still hides lots of her emotions from us. And characters like Seivarden hit me in character development buttons that I’m a sucker for, and the whole idea of consciousness being split across multiple bodies is DELICIOUS to me. Also... love me a sentient spaceship. ‘The Ship Who X’ series by Anne McCaffrey isn’t going to make this list, but I also love it a lot. (also, a universe of ‘she’s made me realized how STARVED i was for that degree of representation in certain genres that i love a lot, but don’t often see myself in as often as i might like)

The Murderbot series, by Martha Wells. Another nonhuman, sometimes-human-passing protagonist! Another one processing MASSIVE trauma of a sort that I, the human reader, have to slow down a lot and try to comprehend from an extremely different life experience! I like that a lot, it really forces me to LINGER on the nature of what a character is feeling. And oh my god, Murderbot’s voice is one of my favorite pov voices of all time. And watching it work (or go hogwild on its own asdfdgd) is absolutely delightful. I love literally everything about this series, except what happened with Miki. Other than that? Flawless.

The Books Of The Raksura, by Martha Wells. Martha Wells is a DELIGHT, y’all. Also! Another heavily-traumatized, nonhuman protagonist! And this time, like... It’s a fantasy world with huge amounts of sentient species, and the protagonist grew up away from his people, who are basically a bunch of feral homesteaders (LOVE THAT), and is trying to figure out how to reintegrate into their societal structures as an adult. That desperate desire to belong and feeling of discomfort and not-fitting-in, and the connections he makes and the way he DOES find a way to fit... like if u crey every time. Also, as far as we’re shown, it’s a cheerfully bisexual, polyamorous society, and *grabby hands*

Discworld, by Terry Pratchett. God, what do I even say about this series. It was a PARADIGM SHIFT. It’s bitingly funny, and also just plain biting, and full of huge varieties of interesting stories, set in a fascinating world, with a series of protagonists who I love too much for words. Vimes! The witches! Moist!!! They’re all so WONDERFUL. I still haven’t read the last book in the series yet, because then it will be Over Forever, and I can’t deal. This one is heavily nostalgia-tinted, but also, I stand by it.

The Belgariad/Mallorean, by David Eddings. Okay. Also very nostalgia, and the choice I can justify the least. But these books CLICKED with me. I’m afraid to reread them, because I’ve been wallowing in queer fiction for so long I’m worried about what the compulsory heterosexuality will feel like, and I know both series are very... episodic, in a way that isn’t necessarily great literature. But I dunno! Feels good, man. It’s high fantasy with a magical system I like, segmented worldbuilding of a sort that isn’t necessarily WELL-MADE, but it’s like... comfortable and easy. And something about the style and the character voices just clicks with me. I have no idea how well these hold up in the present day, but I do love them, and I’ve been planning to reread at least The Redemption Of Althalus by the same author as a standalone before I commit to a 12-book rereading of this universe, but.... I like em XD

Cnovels! I think I can rank these, so let’s go for it.

Fifth favorite: The Disabled Tyrant’s Pet Palm Fish :B Look, it’s ridiculous. It’s a transmigration story where the lead enters this fictional universe in the body of a fish, where he is adopted by a prince who eventually falls in love with him, and YES IT IS TAGGED MPREG, BUT HOLD ON A MOMENT-- I don’t know! I came here to point and laugh, but I’m honestly having such a good time right now. It’s really cute! And sweet! The main character is delightful, and the love interest is that particular flavor of semi-socialized upper-class young man, where like, can he do court politics? yes. can he politely express his affections for the main character? uh....... less so. It’s a really fun read, and I felt very sincere emotions about this prince who is passionately, deeply in love with his pet fish!

Fourth favorite: Mmmmmm, Mo Dao Zu Shi, I think. I struggle here, because it is NOT an easy book to read or show to watch, but having consumed the story, I love it to PIECES. I know a big draw for me is the protagonist, specifically, and his relationships to the people around him. And the more I cared about him, the more I wound up caring about the people around him, who I’d kind of neglected before, if that makes sense? It’s a story that really rewards some good old pondering. I didn’t care that much about Lan Xichen, but then I started thinking about how Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji relate to Lan Xichen, and then oh no, I care SO MUCH about his emotions, and now I’m thinking more deeply about how Lan Xichen relates to Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue-- It does lose points in this ranking because it IS hard to get into, and I would struggle to keep everyone straight even more if I didn’t have the show visuals to lean on, but it is still story I enjoyed VERY much.

Third favorite: Erha, but I feel REALLY, REALLY BAD that I can’t fit Yuwu on this list too, and I just want to loop them together. It’s time travel fixit fic, but it’s the book! Yes????? I love this. I love the striking character growth we get to see, and the changing perception of the world as the main character relives through events he already experienced and sees things in a new light, and I adore how Mo Ran’s growing guilt goes hand in hand with his growing love. And Meatbun in general... like, my god. I haven’t read another author who’s able to yank me through emotional whiplash so hard and fast. She makes me hoot with laughter one moment and then burst into tears the next. It’s absolutely wild. I love mxtx, and I think svsss/tgcf are gentler entry points into the genre and deal with lighter themes, but meatbun is seriously an UNBELIEVABLE writer if you can deal with the darker topics she covers.

Second favorite: The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System :V Look, I love it. I just love it. I love, again, characters dealing with the aftereffects of old trauma, plus I do also love seeing NEW trauma piled on top of it. I love having a main character with emotional dysregulation issues who doesn’t necessarily make good decisions, but doesn’t just leave me thinking ‘jfc what an asshole’, and I think that’s a really hard balance for an author to strike, especially without us getting direct pov. I love themes of being wanted and insecurity about being wanted, which is Luo Binghe’s major, major damage. And this is my first transmigration story I ever read, and the contrast between a main character who read the novel telling us about what’s totally going to happen versus the ground shifting under his feet is INCREDIBLY delightful to me. I’ve read other transmigration stories I enjoyed, but none that got my attention quite as much as this one.

First favorite: Tian Guan Ci Fu ;u; It’s so good. It’s so well-made! It’s so LONG, and it meanders, but also, I would scream if anyone tried to trim anything out of it. I am here a lot for the ship, honestly, but I also find the plot themes VERY interesting. I am very much here for reading about characters trying to process old trauma that’s been dredged up by new events, and also very here for the themes about how characters either pass their traumas along to the next generation, or try to shield the next generation from taking the same kind of damage (see: mdzs). And I’m also very much into tempering stories about pain with like... memories of kindness, and small acts of kindness repaid with an outpouring of devotion (see: svsss). But the craftsmanship in this book is just... DIVINE. I’m always reluctant to start rereading this one, because I have a terrible time stopping. There’s nothing about this book that I don’t like.

#spock replies #long post/#thanad-zid

39 notes · View notes

izartn · 10 months

Text

I ended the CFC extras this morning (finished the main plot yesterday at unholy hours of the night) and I started writing a post and like. I don't have any idea of wta to talk about first so I will post first my main impressions very quickly.

1. Confirmed; this is my less favorite by Meatbun. Still better than other danmei I've read, in terms of enjoyment and even writing, and honestly I have no problems with the pairing, but by the end I was having to draw my attention back, unlike Yuwu or Erha.

2. I didn't care about the plot despite having interesting and well thought elements; I was annoyed that they keep interrupting my HeXiw time, instead of suffering the angst of it gladly like when the plot is well written.

Related to the above-> 3. I would have loved a book about HeXie without an overarching plot, just about them dealing being a mess, their even messier relationship and their illness. Posts incoming about the development of their charas and then as a couple bc woah. I really like them.

4. CFC is the book of Meatbun where I cared less about the secondaries and the antagonists adding to me being meh about the arch plot. Unlike Erha or specially Yuwu where strangely for me (I usually only care on second or third reads if there's anything to care about), I read attentively and enjoyed the drama of the secondaries, here they felt very window dressing.

4.5 Given that Qingcheng had become basically an human robot by the start, someone impossible to truly connect with and He Yu only cares about XQC and other people incidentally as they relate to his gege.... Makes sense that secondary charas aren't as drawn bc these mains are so self absorbed; in fact the ones I connected best were XQC fam, bc he cares, and even then it was harder.

5. I can't take the sex too seriously, sorry not sorry those mad about it. I enjoyed how it was used as a vehicle to show the state of their relationship bc HeXie won't talk about their feelings or explain anything to each other unless theyre about to die. So like. It has a very clear function on the story and it's also too clearly fantastically porny. Meatbun is clearly enjoying herself so It is what it is. And HeXie are deranged about each other. Nothing new, that. I will comment mor eon those incoming posts.

6. The search of home, and that what keeps one living are the people who love you and the way the lack of this affects so so clearly the characterization of both HY and XQC??? Perfect, super sad and poignant. Typical Meatbun theme, but driven home even harder bc of the way the mental illness aspect, however fantastical, is presented making it a issue to deal with for the rest of HeXie lives. This stuff is why I wanted the story to be even more about them and not Duan Wen and DCZ.

7. XQC wants someone to fully dedicate himself to, bc he has 0 self (although he's learning by end of canon) (that's why he loves kids btw), and HY gives him that lifelong project bc HY will need him the rest of their lives. HY being on suicide watch those two years XQC was recovering and they were investigating HY cure left that very clear. That XQC was going to go the same way via willfully neglect of himself until his sister had his niece and even then was a husk of himself... Two way street. Codepent messes (affectionate and worried) that they both are.

8. He Yu whole everything could have leaned so much more into the Gothic, he had all the elements. Xie Qingcheng too. Meatbun!!!!!! The moment the narration took itself serious were chef kiss for that mood. But if the book were that way all the time I guess it'd be super depressing to read about these two, and anyways I laughed a lot so. /conflicted

9. Finally: Meatbun really wants magic to play with. I'm sorry but it was kinda funny how all the so called low scifi was at the same time trying to be low key and so fantastical in it's effects. The brain transplants, the seruns, the mind control... The Mandela island illusion cover was really well thought though. I really liked that one. And the holograms. She really could have just gone with a low key urban fantasy setting though, she was itching to go there for her plot points.

That's all for now. Expect incoming posts bc yeah, it's rotating in my brain.

#my thoughts #case file compendium #bing an ben #recs #book rec #If you want a good melodrama #go for it #but it's very melodrama #hexie #he yu #xie qingcheng

6 notes · View notes

hamliet · 3 years

Note

Thank you so much for your review on Yuwu....Now I want to read it all over again....

I always try to write a review for anything that I read or watched but it can never work (I don't know why)....I always love to read your metas and reviews, Hamliet....🤩😁 They're beautiful...Thanks for sharing your hardworks, Hamliet.....💐🌻

Awww!!! I'm glad you liked it. I loved reading the novel, and am still in pain over it. And stunned by the beauty. But also in pain. Gu Mang was just so *chef's kiss* (Mo Xi too!) And Murong Chuyi and Jiang Yexue were so... beautifully, perfectly tragic.

As for reviews, just say what you feel! You can say "I like this" "I dislike this" and list reasons, or not. Mostly my reviews aren't structured; they're just kind of what I think. I also process my feelings/thoughts through writing, so that's part of why I usually do reviews. And why I answer asks.

One more thought I had, one I would actually like to get people's opinions on esp if they have cultural knowledge I lack: my main issue with Yuwu is the lack of female characters who are like. Alive. With the notable exception of Mengzhe, who was a fantastic character, but I'm really not sure how to read her character insofar as gender is concerned given culture/translation disconnect. I read the MTL for the reveal, and I don't think there's a 1=1 equivalent to today's western understanding of gender in the story, so I get people saying there's not much point but... I'm curious. Meatbun is def not divorced from reality or unaware of the complexities of human existence, so is Mengzhe intended to be a cultivational-world trans woman? Because it seems like she was content to be known as female. But again, MTL, and culture, and other things, so I don't know for sure. All I do know is that I did really enjoy Mengzhe's character and think she is well written.

#ask hamliet #yuwu #princess mengzhe

2 notes · View notes