#its a quick transmigration novel called | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ibijau · 2 years ago

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AO3 is down, I’m depressed, it’s too hot, so let me offer you distraction in the form of lxc having transmigrated into his favourite novel only to make everything worse /o/

[edit] AO3 is back so this got posted there too

It could only be a quick visit, since Lan Xichen had so much to take care of these days. Really, back home, this visit could have been replaced with a few texts, or maybe a phone call for a touch of warmth… But there were no phones in this world of course, and letters were just too cumbersome for a problem like this one. So Lan Xichen had flown to the Unclean Realm… And at least he could fly and reach his destination in just a few days. A sword wasn't as efficient as a plane, but it beat walking or riding a horse by a good margin.

When he landed at the gate of the Unclean Realm, Lan Xichen felt his heartbeat accelerate a little, as always whenever he got to visit a location he particularly loved. Even after so long, he just couldn't get used to it. Sometimes even the Cloud Recesses still had that effect, but much less frequently, since its look was a very classic one, resembling a number of historical places he’d visited back home. Compared to the Unclean Realm's imposing coldness, to Carp Tower's gold and abundance…

"Xichen, you arrived early!" Nie Mingjue barked, coming to the gate to greet his sworn brother.

Lan Xichen smiled. "You made it sound urgent, how could I not hurry?"

"I just said Huaisang is looking sad," Nie Mingjue protested.

"And isn't that the greatest of emergencies for both of us?" Lan Xichen replied.

Nie Mingjue scoffed at that, but he did not directly contradict his old friend, which was as good as agreeing. Not that Lan Xichen needed it confirmed. Between his own observations in this world, and how many times he had read the original work, he knew well that Mingjue's little brother was his top priority at all times, even if he sometimes showed it in a manner difficult to understand.

It had been more obvious in the original story, of course. But Nie Mingjue’s PTSD hadn’t been so bad in the novel, not with Meng Yao to help him through the worst of it.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with that boy,” Nie Mingjue explained as they walked together toward the garden where Nie Huaisang would hide whenever he was upset. “He’s constantly moping around, or reading treatises on morality. If it were someone else, I would suspect he’s killed someone and struggles with guilt.”

Lan Xichen chuckled politely.

“I do realise how it sounds,” Nie Mingjue agreed. “I know it can’t be that, he doesn’t have the spine for it. But there’s still something wrong with him, and he won’t tell me what. So I figured… he’s always been more comfortable confiding in you, so maybe you can get the truth out of him.”

“I’ll do my best,” Lan Xichen promised, and while Nie Mingjue stopped at the gate of that garden, he walked in.

It was a pretty little place, this garden. There weren’t many flowers, because the soil of the Unclean Realm wasn’t right for it, but bushes and rocks had been arranged with exquisite taste. In the novel, this place had been described as the only thing toward which Nie Huaisang had ever put any effort. It had become the secret heart of the Unclean Realm, the location where many heart-to-heart conversations would take place between Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao.

But on that bright morning, only Nie Huaisang was there, sitting on a bench with a book that looked more serious than the light poetry or the elaborate porn he usually favoured.

When he heard footsteps on the path, Nie Huaisang startled and quickly closed that book, even trying to hide it behind his back. But once he recognised Lan Xichen he relaxed and merely put the volume down on the bench as he stood to greet his guest. Nie Huaisang seemed in a good enough mood, better certainly than what Nie Mingjue had hinted at, so Lan Xichen wasn’t too worried for the young man as they chatted a little. And yet when Lan Xichen explained he was there at Nie Mingjue’s request, that his sworn brother was worried for his little brother, Nie Huaisang’s attitude quickly changed. His smile vanished, and his head hung low, like a child caught doing something naughty.

“It’s just that I’ve been thinking about Wei Wuxian a lot since he died,” Nie Huaisang confessed at last, and Lan Xichen immediately tensed.

He never liked to talk about Wei Wuxian these days.

Back in the original version of the story, Wei Wuxian had been a black hearted villain, the too ambitious son of a servant, whose hubris had caused him to turn against the cultivation world in his endless quest for power and revenge. He’d been described as impossibly clever but equally cruel and arrogant, ready to use the worst methods to rise above others, turning against the sect that had taken him in, unleashing undead horrors upon innocents in an effort to conquer the world.

Lan Xichen had found him despicable from start to finish.

He hadn’t been prepared, when Wei Wuxian had arrived at the Cloud Recesses, around the time Lan Xichen had transmigrated there.

Wei Wuxian had just been a fun kid. A bit cocky, sure, as any boy of fifteen could be, but really, really funny too. Lan Xichen had nearly broken character a dozen times when hearing his uncle complain against this most unruly student. Not only that but Lan Wangji, who in the novel had appeared to hate Wei Wuxian at first sight, was discovered by Lan Xichen to be more like a toddler with an angry crush.

And Lan Xichen, newly arrived into that world, filled with sympathy for a boy who couldn’t have been further from a murderous necromancer, had wanted to help Wei Wuxian.

Sometimes, he wondered if that was where everything had gone wrong.

But no, it wasn’t possible. All he’d done was subtly encourage Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian to see they could be great friends, and it hadn’t even worked anyway. Surely the changes to the plot had to have come from something else.

"I just can't understand how Wei-xiong became like this," Nie Huaisang sighed. "He wasn't… He really was a good person before, you know. He was! What happened makes no sense, and I keep wondering if maybe… If I had been a better friend… If I’d tried to still be his friend after he left the Cloud Recesses… If I’d invited him and Jiang-xiong here after the lectures, if I’d reached out more after the war…"

Lan Xichen pinched his lips.

It was the wrong time for this conversation. This exact dialogue… Nie Huaisang should have been wondering this before Wei Wuxian died, when the world had been thrown into terrible chaos by him.

Not only was the timing wrong, but it wasn't a conversation he should have had with Lan Xichen of all people. Something so personal should only have been shared with Nie Huaisang's dearest friend, the person he trusted the most to understand such complex feelings, the one who should have been guiding him for years.

Sadly, Nie Huaisang had been robbed of that guidance. Due to Lan Xichen's impact on the story, Meng Yao had joined the Jin sect years earlier than he should have, inadvertently creating a rift between him and Nie Mingjue, the details of which Lan Xichen was only partly aware of, since it did not follow the original plot.

It was a tragedy on several levels. First and foremost because the friendship between Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue had been the heart of the story, the driving force behind most of its action. Through the unbreakable bond of their friendship, Nie Mingjue had been able to better govern his own sect and have time to further improve his cultivation, while in return his complete support of Meng Yao had helped the other man overcome every obstacle on his path that his sharp mind couldn’t already defeat. Even when they disagreed on something, they had always found ways to work together, either through compromises or through convincing the other that a certain choice would be detrimental. Lan Xichen had cried his heart out when Nie Mingjue had been killed by Wei Wuxian, when Meng Yao, nearly overcome with grief, had used the pain of that loss as a rallying cry against the greatest villain the world had ever known, eventually defeating Wei Wuxian and cementing his place as a noble hero.

Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao were close friends, confidants, perfect matches, the sort of relationship that could only exist in stories.

Lan Xichen had been thrilled to realise he’d transmigrated into someone lucky enough to be called friends by them, even though he had no illusion that he could ever be to either of them what they would be to each other. He’d always taken this character to be a bit of a third wheel, actually. The original Lan Xichen was someone who merely tagged along and helped support this epic bromance when the plot required it.

And yet, through mistakes on his part, Lan Xichen had torn those two apart. He was still a little confused about what he’d done wrong, truth be told. But certain things had happened that should not have happened, and he’d ended up meeting Meng Yao much earlier than he should have, even contracting a life debt toward him, eventually leading to Meng Yao joining the Jin sect nearly half a decade earlier than he should have. It had created a deep divide between Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue.

It also meant that Nie Huaisang hadn’t had much of a chance to truly become close to the person he ought to have loved above anyone except his own brother.

And love really was barely a strong enough word for it, Lan Xichen thought. Reading the original story, he’d always thought there was a certain attraction between Nie Huaisang and Meng Yao, even if by the epilogue they’d both married women. Lan Xichen would not admit to it even under torture, but he’d definitely written fanfiction about these two, and even drawn some fanart here and there. His skill hadn’t been very great, but he’d put all his heart into it, feeling truly passionate about the idea that his two favourite characters might love each other as much as he loved them. To know that he might have ruined any chance of his favourite couple coming together… truly, there were no words for how much it depressed him.

The most depressing part, though, was that as a result, both Meng Yao and Nie Huaisang kept having with him conversations they should have had with each other… like the present one about Wei Wuxian.

“Huaisang, you cannot blame yourself for the choices of others,” Lan Xichen said, hoping his tone was as comforting as Meng Yao’s would have been. “The things that Wei Wuxian has done… Can anyone really explain things like that?”

“Yes,” Nie Huaisang replied, startling Lan Xichen.

That wasn’t how the conversation went, as far as he remembered. But of course when the conversation happened in the story, Wei Wuxian had just killed Nie Mingjue, and threatened to slaughter every sect over some invented insults against himself.

“He wasn’t that bad,” Nie Huaisang insisted. “And these people, those Wens… If he had a debt to them, then it was right to help them, no? Debts are meant to be repaid. We wouldn't have won the war without Wei-xiong, and if they saved him…"

"We don't know that he was saved by them," Lan Xichen prudently objected, because the original work never did specify the nature of that debt, only hinting that it was linked to Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation. "But I can't say you're wrong either. It sounds like a complicated situation he was in, and I'm not sure what he could have done to keep his reputation and repay his debt at the same time. But that's how life is. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you can't be right. You can only choose in what manner you will be wrong."

Nie Huaisang grimaced at that answer, clearly displeased that Lan Xichen wouldn't commit one way or the other. Before long though, that frown of his turned into the sort of brilliant, mischievous grin that nothing in the original work had prepared Lan Xichen for. It always sent his heart racing a little, which he'd rationalised as being due to Nie Huaisang’s immense cuteness.

"I guess I see what you mean, a little," Nie Huaisang said. "Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. Nobody else ever does."

"I'm sure others too are happy to talk to you. Certainly A-Yao…"

Nie Huaisang shook his head, pouting once more.

"San-ge never has time for me," he lamented, "and when he does, he doesn't really listen. You’re the only one I can talk to like this, and the only one that says anything worth listening to. Er-ge, your way of thinking is really different from everyone, you know?”

“I’m not sure what you mean," Lan Xichen replied, a little startled by that comment. He'd always done his best to act and speak the exact way the original character would have, and nobody else had ever accused him of behaving oddly until that moment.

“I’m not sure either," Nie Huaisang said, still pouting. "Maybe I mean the way you always think well of everyone? But it’s more than that. It’s like your entire way of thinking is completely different. That’s why I can talk to you about Wei-xiong. Everyone else always just said he was too proud for a servant’s son, as if that explains everything, but you've never held that against him.”

“I’m not the only one… Jiang-zongzhu too… and your brother doesn’t look at people’s birth to determine their worth either.”

“Da-ge says he doesn’t,” Nie Huaisang corrected with a dubious pout, “but then he just finds his own reason to dislike the same people as everyone else. Like how he criticises San-ge all the time, and then says it has nothing to do with his mother.”

“I rather think Da-ge finds A-Yao’s father to be his more shameful parent.”

“No, that’s just what you think,” Nie Huaisang replied with an amused smirk. “Da-ge doesn’t like Jin-zongzhu, sure, but he still recognises him as a sect leader and gives him the respect due to one. But you don’t like him at all, and really have to force yourself to act like you respect him, I know that.”

Lan Xichen’s cheeks heated up, ashamed that his disdain had been noticed.

But really, Jin Guangshan had been despicable as a character back when he’d read the novel, and now he was infinitely worse as a person who Lan Xichen regularly had to speak to. In the modern world, Jin Guangshan would have been cancelled a hundred times already. There would be hashtags demanding he step down from power. There would be memes.

So, so many memes.

Sometimes Lan Xichen thought of very clever ones, and lamented that he couldn’t share them with anyone.

“Have I been so obvious?” Lan Xichen asked, worried he might create more deviation from the plot if his dislike was revealed.

Chuckling slightly, Nie Huaisang shook his head.

“Not really. You are fooling everyone else. You’re very good at fooling others, you know. It’s really hard to know what you’re thinking… worse than San-ge, and he’s pretty good at it already.”

“And yet you can guess his thoughts anyway, can’t you?” Lan Xichen asked, smiling fondly.

“Usually, if I’m interested enough,” Nie Huaisang replied, shrugging again. “But he’s always involved in boring stuff, so I really don’t care what’s on his mind. I think it’d be more fun if I could know what you’re thinking.”

Without meaning to, Lan Xichen shivered.

He told himself it was only a reaction to yet more proof that his favourite ship had been ruined by himself. It might also have been because while reading the original story, he’d always had the faint impression that Nie Huaisang was far more clever and observant than the narration really gave him credit for. It had always been a controversial opinion, and Lan Xichen had even encountered some backlash sometimes when he’d dared to share his idea online, no matter how many quotes he used to prove his point.

Nie Huaisang was just a comic relief, they’d point out. He was a fool and an idiot, they’d say. It was already bad enough Lan Xichen drew him to be so handsome when the novel never described his looks as more than ok (and yet he was handsome, much more so than any of the others cultivators Lan Xichen had met since transmigrating), but to claim he was clever was so wrong, a complete disregard for the novel’s text.

So if Lan Xichen’s heart was suddenly beating so fast, it was only because Nie Huaisang’s attitude confirmed his interpretation of him.

“Er-ge, won’t you share your thoughts with me?” Nie Huaisang asked with a smile that might have been seductive if it had been targeted at Meng Yao.

“I fear you’d be very disappointed if you could read my mind,” Lan Xichen replied, fighting to stay in character. “My thoughts are very mundane.”

Nie Huaisang cocked his head to the side, like a curious bird.

“I think that’s not quite true,” he said with a pout. “I think it would be very interesting. I think Er-ge should share more with me, since I’m always sharing with him. I really, really want to understand you, after all.”

“Huaisang…” Lan Xichen started saying, only to stop himself, perplexed to hear how strangled his voice sounded. The real Lan Xichen would never have lost his cool, even when faced with a too playful boy.

Nie Huaisang grinned proudly, as if he’d pulled off a great trick.

“Someday, I’ll understand you,” he claimed. “You’re the only one that still eludes me. Everyone else I’ve figured out, more or less.”

“I did not know you were so obsessed with understanding people,” Lan Xichen mumbled. “Is there a reason why?”

“It’s all Da-ge’s fault,” Nie Huaisang said, his voice losing any flirty tone he’d had to turn whiny instead, something Lan Xichen was far more comfortable with. “He’s always dragging me to conferences these days, and makes me help with taking care of the sect… watching people and trying to figure out how they think is the only fun I get to have! I hardly even get to paint or go birdwatching lately, it’s the worst, it’s just the worst, I’m so miserable!”

Relieved that the conversation was once more what it ought to be between them, Lan Xichen allowed Nie Huaisang to complain as much as he wanted, listening to everything patiently. Sometimes Nie Huaisang said something mean about someone, and Lan Xichen would gently scold him for being unkind. Much more frequently Nie Huaisang would say something unkind and hilarious, and Lan Xichen had to bite his cheeks not to burst out laughing, because his character was too gentle and bland to enjoy that level of pettiness.

After a while, Lan Xichen had to point out that it would soon be time for dinner, and they should go join everyone. Nie Huaisang agreed without enthusiasm, as if he’d have preferred the two of them stayed alone to chat.

“Er-ge, you won’t tell Da-ge about what we talked about, will you?” Nie Huaisang shyly asked as they left the garden. “He just despises Wei Wuxian so much for choosing to betray his sect and to stand with some Wens… He wouldn’t understand why I care about how it all came to that.”

“If I keep the secret, you’ll have to make an effort to act more cheerful,” Lan Xichen replied. “Your brother is really worried about you. He just wants you to be happy, you know.”

Nie Huaisang promised he would try, and smiled brightly as he said so, looking exactly like the charming, harmless young man he was written to be.

Seeing him like this, Lan Xichen couldn’t refrain from smiling as well. He’d made some mistakes in the past, but it didn’t matter anymore. With Wei Wuxian dead, nothing bad could ever happen to any of them now. Peace had returned to the cultivation world, and Lan Xichen was free to act as he pleased.

Maybe he’d even try to make Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao reconcile.

It couldn’t be too late to fix the plot, right?

#jau writes #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #lan xichen #nie huaisang #transmigrator lxc #xisang #if you squint a bit #I have been obsessed with this idea for ages tbh

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danmeiarchive · 2 years ago

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Carrying a Hoe to Cultivate by Little Baldy -- a brief review (no spoilers)

Novel length: 68 chapters + 1 extra

My Rating: ♥♥♥♥½ / 5

This was one of the first webnovels I read and it holds a special place in my heart. It's a quick and easy read and if you enjoy novels like The Disabled Tyrant's Pet Palm Fish I think you'll like this author's works too.

This novel also includes a sex called "ger" which is masculine but able to give birth it's not quite ABO but it has some similarities-- more on that and content warnings under the cut.

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What kind of story is Carrying a Hoe to Cultivate?

This story is a lighter read-- something to read when you need a break from the serious and angsty novels like ErHa, Silent Reading, etc. I really enjoyed this one my first go around because I'd never read anything quite like it. It's a transmigration novel with connections to both a xianxia / cultivation setting AND a peaceful farming setting (this is where the majority of the novel takes place).

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Having read it a second time almost a year later I still enjoyed it but not as much as the first time. The first time I had no expectations and went in completely blind. The second time I vaguely remembered what things would happen and so for a good part of my re-read I was trying to remember or guess when a certain thing happened. It also made me realize that a lot of the plot really happens towards the end of the novel.

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Most of the novel is farming and cute scenes with the MC and ML. I would say nearly all of the plot happens in or is related to the xianxia world so it takes a while to build up steam. (By plot I mean the truths the characters uncover while in the xianxia world and how it relates to and affects them. I have a hard time seeing the romance as "plot" personally.)

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So what was it about this story that caught my eye? That would be the blending of genres. It is a fun little romp about peaceful farming and falling in love while at the same time the cultivators are looking for their missing sect leader. Without spoiling things I found the characters' backstories interesting and motivated me to keep reading to get the full picture.

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Ultimately is this story going to inspire a lot of critical thinking? -- maybe not. But it's a delightfully silly interlude with a small bit of angst and suffering once you get to some flashbacks.

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Who are the main characters?

Without going into details here's a little bit about our main squad:

Xia Yi - the main character. He's fairly young and childish at times, but occasionally gets anxious or depressed when he thinks about his previous life and potential future.

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Gu WenZhu - the love interest. He's a hardworking serious farmer who is easily flustered as Xia Yi acts differently than the other 'gers' he's met. He has a big heart and a wildly protective spirit and we love to see it.

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System 179 - the one scrambling around trying to control the chaos. Something I really liked about this novel is that the system here had its own personality. It would be childish and pout, would listen to the town gossips, and tease Xia Yi about one thing or another. This really made the system feel like its own character and unique from other transmigration novels I've read.

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What is the plot of Carrying a Hoe to Cultivate?

Carrying a Hoe to Cultivate is a transmigration novel, however, when our main character Xia Yi transmigrated there was a bit of a hiccup. He was sent to a farming world with an additional sex designation (and mpreg) while the system assigned to him was set for a cultivation world. This leads to all sorts of shenanigans and before long people from the cultivation world crossover into the farming world. This leads to Xia Yi and his friends working together and figuring out the truth of what happened to connect the worlds in the first place.

(If you are worried about the mpreg just know that it is vaguely referenced and kinda handwaved in a 'it just works' way. The novel does not go into the how or physiology. It just happens.)

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Click 'keep reading' to see trigger warnings.

content warnings: violence, dismemberment, torture, ritualistic killing, death, murder -- this is predominant in a character's backstory that only comes up a little bit when they get their memories back. mild homophobia -- see below for more info.

This novel does not use ABO terminology but there is an additional sex designation ('ger') which is masculine that has heats and can give birth. Along with that means there's some gender politic-ing when the MC acts like he normally would but is seen as being shameless for a 'ger'.

There is also some mild homophobia in the cultivation world and briefly from the MC -- the cultivation world does not have the 'ger' gender and everyone acts all surprised and shocked when they find out Xia Yi and Gu WenZhu are together-- but they don't try to interfere or stir up trouble for them. The homophobia never leads to violence or discrimination-- its more a shock factor.

#danmei recs #danmei reviews #danmei webnovels #danmei reading #ila reads #carrying a hoe to cultivate #little baldy #little baldy webnovels #mpreg #mpreg webnovel #danmei #little baldy danmei

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manggaetteokkie · 5 years ago

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Why 2HA adaptation might not be as bad as we think...

Okay so BL novel “The Husky and His White Cat Shizun” (chinese title: “二哈和他的白猫师尊”) aka 2HA is getting a live adaption which will be called “Immortality” (“皓衣行”). I know that usually, fans of original works are less than excited about this kinds of news and with good reasons. The issue is that those who buy the IP rights to a novel simply see its popularity and think that they can profit off of it without actually trying to understand the reason behind its popularity. Too often, BL fans see themselves forced to endure any of the following: 1) sex change of one of the male leads, 2) creation of a random female love interest, 3) turning a happy end into a bad end, 4) adding a bunch of scenes unrelated to our main pair that ends up dragging the series, 5) turning romance into brotherly affection... the list goes on and on. Sometimes, companies think that as long as they film any two guys together and sell a bit of physical touching here and there, fans will jump on it like rabid dogs which... is kinda stupid because, y’know, we have eyes (and standards) too.

So obviously, with the unprecedented popularity that came with the release of The Untamed, even more producers are starting to see the potential of danmei (BL) novels and with it came an onslaught of IP rights being bought and adapted. The list is pretty extensive, with some big names that I’m sure anyone who’s even slightly in the Chinese BL novel community has heard of before. Of course, included in that list, with the casting for the leads done and filming underway, is 2HA.

Quick overview of the story for those of you that don’t know: the story is set in the POV of the “gong” (top), a character named Mo Ran (also known as Mo Weiyu) who is the disciple of Chu Wanning, the “shou” (bottom) of our story. In his original life, Mo Ran had become the Emperor of the cultivation world through slaughter and tyranny, with the only one ever coming close to stopping him being his shizun, Chu Wanning, who eventually lost his life trying to stop him. After achieving the top by committing pretty much all crimes and sins known to men, weary and tired, Mo Ran decides to take his own life and ends it all. Unexpectedly, instead of dying and going to Hell, he transmigrated to the first year he became a disciple. As a thirty-something man in the body of a teen, he decides to do things right this time around and save the one he couldn’t save the first time around. As he goes through life a second time, truth after truths reveal themselves, with the biggest surprise being that the Shizun he hated so much in his previous life, and who Mo Ran thought hated/scorned him, actually turned out to be protecting him the entire time.

Mo Ran, in his past life, was powerful, cruel, merciless and arrogant. There was nothing he could not obtain and he knew it. He was cynical, had a very jaded view of the world and was kind of unstable (lots of mood swings and temper tantrums). After his rebirth, he still maintained some of the arrogance and cynicism, but is more mischievous, confident and cheeky. He is very much like a husky, looks kind of scary and big, but can be extremely loyal to the ones he recognizes and can be a bit dumb sometimes. Chu Wanning on the other hand, is an unflappable person with a frost-like exterior, but a heart of gold. Basically, he cares a lot but it’s easier for him to look like he doesn’t than to voice his feelings. He gets embarrassed easily and covers his embarrassment using anger. He is extremely strong, likes peace and quiet, and always abides by the rules.

Their relationship is kind of complicated. Initially, Mo Ran was in love with a fellow disciple called Shi Mei (despite the word meaning junior female disciple in Chinese, it’s actually the name of a male character). In the original timeline, Shi Mei died and that was the start of Mo Ran’s decline. After his rebirth, Mo Ran decides that he will do everything in his power to prevent Shi Mei from dying again. Don’t be mistaken though, Shi Mei is NOT the male lead. You’ll see as you read more that despite being in love with Shi Mei, Mo Ran is pretty obsessed with Chu Wanning because their relationship was kind of... complicated in the original timeline.

This is pretty much the premise for the story, but do be warned that it goes much deeper and darker than what you might expect (it’s rated R-18 for a reason). So why exactly am I writing all of this? To put it simply, I just kind of want to hype up the series and its adaptation a little, or at least, pique enough interest to give the live action adaptation a chance. Not gonna lie, when I heard 2HA was getting adapted, I was pretty skeptical because how. Mo Ran and Chu Wanning had a pretty physical relationship in the pre-rebirth timeline and that’s partially where the obsession that Mo Ran feels towards Chu Wanning stems from. There’s just basically a lot of unresolved sexual tension between them throughout the novel that I simply couldn’t see getting adapted. However, after thinking about it and reevaluating things from a low-expectations-standpoint, I think it might actually be possible to film something close enough to the original work. Here are some of the factors that influenced my opinion:

First, the series is set to air for 50 episodes (just like The Untamed). Why is the number of episodes important? Because it will determine how closely the adaptation will follow the original story and how much random stuff they can fit into it. Let’s take a step back and evaluate: 2HA’s novel has 311 chapters + extras while MDZS has 113 + extras. Obviously, people might have an issue with the number of episodes (”How are you going to air the same amount of episodes for a series that’s thrice as long??”) but I think it’s a good amount. Why? Because it pretty much guarantees a solid pacing that’ll keep the story moving forward without stagnating. I don’t think there is too much to worry in terms of too much source material being cut because quite a few chapters are R-18/romantic lining scenes that would not have gotten adapted anyways. Once those get deleted, I think 50 episodes is an acceptable amount.

Second, the entire production seems to be solid. The rights were actually bought by Tencent who, if you forgot, was also responsible for The Untamed. With prior success, I believe that they now have a pretty solid idea of how things should be run. Also, the CGI and world-design team is the same one as for Ashes of Love, which has me pretty stoked because while CG in chinese dramas has always been a hit or miss, Ashes of Love is definitely amongst some of the best I’ve seen (see below for examples). (P.S. there are also rumours that Lin Hai, the one responsible for The Untamed’s OST, might be working on 2HA but this is mere speculation at this point.) Overall, 2HA is looking to be like the most high-profile and expensive BL adaption yet.

Third and finally, the casting.

Holy.

Okay.

This is what has me the most hyped.

Let’s start with Shi Mei, who will be portrayed by actress Chen Yao (or Sebrina Chen).

I know I’ve said that despite the name, Shi Mei is a male. As it turns out, likely for censorship reasons, “Immortality” could not escape from the clutches of the dreaded sex change so they went ahead and turned him into a girl. While not ideal, in my opinion, it actually works out pretty nicely here. In this case, it means that Mo Ran is in love with a female character which would further draw censorship’s attention away from the fact that Mo Ran really has a thing for his beautiful shizun. While it would have been perfect if everything could go according to source material, the fact that it’s Shi Mei that went through a sex change actually works pretty favourably in the grand scheme of things. Not to mention the actress set to play Shi Mei has some good experience acting similar roles so overall, I say that I trust her.

Next, we have Chu Wanning who will be played by Luo Yunxi (or Leo Luo).

For this character, I have no worries whatsoever. If you’re unfamiliar with this actor, I highly recommend you give Ashes of Love a try. He played the 2nd lead and ugh. He’s so good at playing beautiful and elegant characters that are forced to undergo a ton of suffering and pain. Luo Yunxi used to be a professional ballet dancer so he moves with grace and his fight scenes are amazing to watch. Also, he has great control over his facial expressions. He’s able to act out characters that suffer a lot without making them seem weak or powerless. Even the way he cries can be considered both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Finally, we have Mo Ran who will be portrayed by Chen Feiyu (or Arthur Chen).

Mo Ran is an extremely complex character. From pre-rebirth’s insanity and arrogance, to post-rebirth’s hope and reservation, to post-revelation’s love and devotion, the actor’s going to have a lot on his plate. Originally, when I first googled him, I thought that while he’d manage to pull off post-rebirth teen!Mo Ran fairly well given how clean and refreshing his face looks, he’d have a harder time pulling off pre-rebirth’s arrogance, craziness and general “hardness”. However, after seeing some costume designs and makeup edits, I think that the boy might just pull it off. Also, while the actor is nowhere near as solid as Luo Yunxi is, it seems that he’s willing to put in extra time and effort (as seen by his Weibo post about how he’d been studying the source material) to make up for it. I think that with enough dedication, he might just be able to pull it off.

(Psssst! By the way, keeping this strictly between you and me, another reason why I’m such a fan of this pair is because of the height difference. I mean just look at this?? Their height difference is pretty much bang on with the novel height difference after Mo Ran grew past Chu Wanning’s height. Not to mention, don’t tell me you see this and don’t automatically picture a the big dorky puppy following his reserved and cool master around?)

So yeah, all of this just to say that it might be okay to kind of have some expectations for 2HA. I really want to keep my own expectations down as low as possible given the amount of times we’ve been burned but I want to remain hopeful that, with the success of The Untamed, it can pave the way for better and more faithful danmei adaptations, with 2HA being one of them.

#the husky and his white cat shizun #二哈和他的白猫师尊 #2ha #immortality #皓衣行 #haoyixing #luo yunxi #chen feiyu #chen yao #leo luo #arthur chen #sebrina chen #chu wanning #mo ran #mo weiyu #long post #talking with zb

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starbudspresents · 6 years ago

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DGM 231 - Panthaleia’s Translation Notes

Hello, dear friends and fellow fans! We return to the rubble of Tumblr you with DGM 231, the first chapter of this new year. Thanks for sticking with us!

Please see below the cut for my translation notes and reactions, as per usual. If you have any questions, do feel free to come say hi on Discord at Panthaleia#9705. :3

The Novel I'm Not Writing About DGM & Buddhism

Oooooookay, first things first! The four bubbles across Allen's collar on the cover page say 生々流転 seiseiruten. When spelled 生生流転 (homophonous), it simply means "ever-changing," but when spelled the way it is here (fantastic catch, thank you so much @togaochi ♥), it's defined as "all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration."

That concept is much more succinctly described by the Sanskrit term saṃsāra. Now, to preclude confusion: yes, if you look up "samsara" in a Japanese dictionary, you'll get 輪廻 rin'ne rather than this. That said, this term is if anything more specific and descriptive than that one. See also 生死輪廻 seishirin'ne, which has the exact same definition as seiseiruten; think "cell" vs. “cellular phone” vs "mobile telephone." All words for the same thing, with varying degrees of descriptiveness.

The concept of samsara shows up in several religions (notably Buddhism, Hindu, and Jainism). The one most relevant to DGM by far is Buddhism, and this is far from the first time I've run into it in search of answers.

Crash course on some Buddhist jargon for those of you who aren't familiar:

The word samsara, meaning "continuous flow," describes the beginningless and potentially endless cycle of life and existence, through birth and living and death to re-birth and so on. It could also easily be pictured as a helix, if you'd prefer, and that could in fact make some of DGM a little easier to understand.

(If I may take a moment to get super self-indulgent here: a very related philosophical concept is panta rhei, "everything flows", which is what my "panthaleia" handle is mostly based on. This chapter very nearly literally has my name written on it. IT'S A SIGN. Of.... something. Not sure what, exactly, but IT'S A SIGN.)

Every living thing is trapped within this cycle by its attachments and its ignorance of the truth, which causes great suffering and generates karma, which then affects the shape of one's next life. (Yes, Alma's second name is that for a reason.)

There are a number of branching denominations of Buddhism, much as there are of Christianity, and while they mostly share certain core tenets such as the Eightfold Path, they vary widely in ideals and practice. The influences I see on DGM mostly come from a Japanese variant called Shingon ("True Words") and its predecessors: Shingon is a descendant of Tibetan Vajrayana, which is in turn sometimes considered to be part of the broader East Asian Mahayana umbrella.

I've talked a little bit about Shingon before, because all the chanted spells used throughout the series follow the pattern of Shingon mantras and Kanda's tattoo is written in Siddhaṃ (theorized to be the predecessor of both modern kana systems, by the way).

Shingon shares its overarching goal with its predecessors: rather than seeking to break the cycle just for one's own self and achieve individual escape from suffering (as in Theravada, for example), one should seek to become an enlightened being — a bodhisattva — and willingly continue to subject oneself to the cycle in order to help those who are struggling and thereby bring the whole world closer to moksha ("liberation") and subsequent/synonymous nirvana one step at a time.

Obviously, reincarnation and transmigration play a massive role in DGM. Let me list just a few of the ways in which this particular concept is a running theme throughout the story:

The Noah fragments being reincarnated into new bodies without also reincarnating the human souls they previously coexisted with;

The Earl's victims having their souls transmigrated in the bodies of their loved ones to rebirth them as Akuma;

The Third Exorcists, also transmigrated into new bodies to bring them back (Helix magic in general, really, including the Atuuda);

Nea's transmigration into Allen (not a rebirth, but an avoidance of death while waiting for a chance at rebirth), as well as Allen's regression to childhood via de-aging and memory loss;

The original Earl (Adam in my theories, fyi, in case I reference that later) deliberately rebirthing himself in smaller pieces for goals as yet unknown;

The Bookmen keeping records of each iteration of the repeating narrative, ever-changing but eternal themselves;

Even fukkin Komlin, lmao, constantly destroyed and improved and remade.

So many others? Soooo many others.

The eureka moment (for me): this chapter is subtitled "Curtain Rise," as in the beginning of a stage play when the curtain goes up. If you'll think all the way back to the very first chapters of the series, you may remember that the Earl's Scenario is meant to bring about curtain fall... on humanity.

Looking at that in the context of samsara, that whole thing suddenly looks very different. Our heroes assumed that the Earl's victory would result in the destruction of the world, the destruction of humanity, but I've never bought that idea from the very start. When the curtains finally close on samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, humanity will not be "dead" in the tragic sense, but free. Nirvana =/= death. Nirvana is the peace of being one with all, knowing all, loving and being loved by all without the need for suffering. It isn't "heaven" in the Christian sense, but it is an end to suffering, without also being an end to existence.

Tragedy and suffering are the consequences of remaining bound to the cycle. Directly using the energy of them in order to break the cycle creating them, as the Earl claims to be doing with the Akuma, is a very very Vajrayana idea, and fits seamlessly into my existing suppositions as to what the Earl is doing and why. Here, have a relevant quote:

Negative mental factors such as desire, hatred, greed, pride are not rejected as in non-Tantric Buddhism, but are used as part of the path. As noted by French Indologist Madeleine Biardeau, tantric doctrine is "an attempt to place kama, desire, in every meaning of the word, in the service of liberation."

And another, from the Hevajra tantra:

Those things by which evil men are bound, others turn into means and gain thereby release from the bonds of existence. By passion the world is bound, by passion too it is released.

One more, same source:

One knowing the nature of poison may dispel poison with poison.

Bluntly put, I think the (original) Earl was an enlightened soul — a bodhisattva — who voluntarily returned to the cycle via deliberate rebirth into multiple ignorant beings in order to help heal the struggling world of its suffering via bringing about enlightenment viiiaaaa SUFFERING HARDER. Good Plan™?

Here are a few more related meta posts from a few years ago, just so I can find them again when I inevitably decide to delve deeper into this:

Helix magic will be the key to the plot

It's all happened before

Destroyer of Time

2.) I'm so delighted to see Mana as he was when Allen knew him before, genteel and whimsical and delighted with Allen's existence. It's easy to understand why Allen would become so attached to him.

3.) Raws for the "Therefore I write many of them, as if God can see me doing so. / As if He might find me" lines: こうして神さまに見えるように沢山書くんです　／　見つけてもらえるように These don’t sit well with me, so I’ll probably change them in the future. The gist is that he’s drawing them in order to draw God’s attention to him.

Raws for "Here I am": 私はここにいる。@togaochi and I concur that he uses watashi here instead of his own preferred boku because he's teaching it to Allen, and means it as a more general "I."

Anyway: hooooo boy, here's some more evidence for the Two Gods theory. And how!

It seems pretty safe to assume he's not calling out to the Order's God, since that god would pretty happily wipe him off the face of the earth. The Noah have called that god "false," though, and expressed their intent and desire to kill it, while still referring to a "God" entity of their own whom they regard as being on their side (or perhaps, they're on its side).

Mana calling out to the Noah god to come find him, without remembering why he wants that, is very interesting. I wonder if and how anyone answered him.

4.) I have a strong hunch that Mana's "secret alphabet" is also related to Siddhaṃ, but that language is written in such a complex way that it's actually impossible for me to be sure without just... learning it. Which! To be clear! I fucking well might. WATCH ME.

5.) This entire scene is so much to me. How furious they both are that the other won't just let themselves be saved/protected. Allen wanted to leave Kanda behind so he and the others would be safe from everything that's hunting him. Kanda wants Allen to stay put so they can save him from what he can't fight alone. All that rage and frustration, because they care.

Quick note: in the first draft we initially posted on Imgur via our Discord server, I had the subject wrong for one of Kanda's lines here, which I caught and fixed. Sorry for any confusion that may have caused!

5.5) ETA: Forgot to mention that I’m fairly sure the beautiful Grecian-style temple they’re hanging out in is referenced from St. Bernard’s Well, again in Edinburgh. Excuse me, “Edinston.”

Thanks to an enterprising anon, we have a much better match for that structure: the Dugald Stewart Monument!

6.) "maybe I'll go sucker-hunting" CARD SHARK ALLEN LIIIIIVES, where's Tyki when you need him (to lose his shirt again)

7.) fjkldjlkagd the turnaround where Allen finally cracks and is like "fine!! you want in?? IN YOU GET. no take-backsies! happy now???" and Kanda's like "yep, here I am" and neither of them have ANY IDEA how to deal with ANY OF IT. Kanda struggling to pull Allen's story out of him without throwing up his hands and quitting. Allen baffled and twice as guarded as before, put off by Kanda's uncharacteristic interest.

So beautiful, it brings a tear to my eye. (Actually, many tears. So... so many tears.)

8.) That apology, which I never thought I'd get, for Allen having seen what Kanda would never have consented to show him. It wasn't his fault, and they both know that, but the fact still remains that it was a violation, and I've always always wished for that to be addressed somehow and HERE IT IS. RIGHT HERE.

I want to tattoo that look on Kanda's face onto my brain.

9.) And then they're FUCKING INTERRUPTED, AGAIN

But Allen's "ask me again when we're done dealing with this" was such a promise of trust that I can't even be that mad, augh.

Onward to the bitter end, I guess!! Haha!!!! · ͜͜ · -

Thank you all so much for reading and following along! I’d like to tip my hat to Kougeki Scans, who love this series too and are helping us spoil the fandom rotten. :P Again, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to either find us on Discord HERE, find me on Discord at Panthaleia#9705, or use the comment box on MangaDex! I’m always happy to geek out with fellow fans. <3

#dgm 231 #dgm231 #dgm #d gray man #dgm meta #panthaleia

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socrateswept · 3 years ago

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FMK C.4 Preview

The first 3 chapters of FMK can be found here

Shen Yuan made the trip to Cang Qiong hovering little more than a foot off the ground. Tall grass brushed his ankles and he went so slowly that a donkey pulling a cart surpassed him. Embarrassing. But for the best. When he had tried to get there as quick as possible…. Well. The less said about what happened the better.

He nearly cried when he saw the twinkling lights of the town that hunkered at the base of the mountain range. Gracelessly, he tumbled off his sword and onto the ground in sweet, sweet relief. Never again, he vowed. He would train his legs up so he could run everywhere he needed to instead.

Flying was overrated.

Shoving his sword back into its sheath he trotted along the main road. Hoping to bump into someone he could juice for information on the situation in Cang Qiong, but he was the only person on the road. And as he got into the town proper he saw he was the only person anywhere.

It was devoid of people. A veritable ghost town.

Alarmed. Shen Yuan slowed to a halt and he ducked behind some wooden crates.

An empty town? In a transmigration novel?? It could only mean one thing. Something seriously messed up happened here. Plain old fashioned murder was the most likely culprit, but it could be anything. A plague. A monster. A plague-monster even!!! No matter what it was he wanted nothing to do with it. Shen Yuan had enough trouble as it was.

Movement caught his eye. A small child darting around corners. Head peeking out, before they scurried to the next hiding spot. A sack clutched to their thin frame. Shen Yuan was relieved to see some form of life even though the child’s behavior confirmed his worst fears. There was something amiss.

Something to be afraid of.

“Excuse me,” he called out. “What happened here? Where are your parents?”

“Shut up! Are you trying to get us all killed?” The child hissed. Twisting round face him.

The kid took one look at him and his face went a ghastly white. He bolted. Running full tilt away. Shen Yuan ran too. Looking behind his shoulder, but not seeing what scared the child. Ahhhhhhh. He didn’t want to fight some wild beast after he spent all that time on his sword. He was exhausted. And besides he was more of a admire them from afar monster fan.

Shen Yuan kept pace with the child. Every time he thought about slowing down himself the kid would throw a terrified look over his shoulder spurring him onward.

Fuck. Maybe it was a monster only children could see. There had been something like that in the books, hadn’t there?

The kid swiveled left. Scrambling down a path that lead to a ramshackle house. Feet thunking up the steps. The door opened before they reached it. A worn woman on the other side. She pulled the child behind her. Her trembling hands were braced on the door.

“Please.” She begged. “I’ll give you anything you want, but not my son. Not my baby. Please!”

Shen Yuan slid to a halt. She wasn’t looking at some invisible monster. She was staring at him. The kid too was peering at him with wide eyes from behind her hip.

Oh.

He was the monster.

He had forgotten that he looked different. Zhuzhi Lang and Tianlang Jun hadn’t talked about his appearance in so long that it slipped his mind that it must have changed. But he was a different race now! Of course it changed. He should have sought out a mirror.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to ask some questions.” He held his hands up in a gesture of peace.

“What questions?” The woman asked suspiciously.

“I—” The child started. Shaking faintly before he pushed his way in front of his mother. “It was me okay! Mom had nothing to do with it. Leave her alone.”

“A-Xin what’s going on?”

The child stared at his feet. His fingers squeezing the sack so tightly he wrinkled the package.

“It fell off one of the supply carts, and I saw it so— It’s my mom’s birthday, and you guys took all of the flour! What do you all need it for anyways? Why do you care if I took one measly kilogram? I just wanted to make her some noodles. ”

The mom surged in front of her son and got onto her knees. Pressing her forehead into the dirt.

“I take full responsibility for my son’s actions. He is a simple boy and I ordered him to do it. Punish me.”

The boy dropped the sack as he scrambled to his mother’s side.

“She’s lying to protect me. I did it on my own. Nobody told me to do it. Punish me instead.” He kowtowed next on the ground to her.

Look, Shen Yuan had just wanted to ask someone if he was still going the right way and maybe get some idea of how many demons were surrounding the sect. What was this???? Did they think he was going to whip them in the street over some flour? He’s not even a demon for Pete’s sake!! This mother-son duo was too much.

“I don’t care about what you stole! If the kid managed to get it then that’s fair game. They should have guarded it better. I just want to know if this is the mountain range the Cang Qiong sect is located in.”

The mother raised her up in stunned disbelief. “You are lost…? Yes. This is the right place. It’s the next peak over. You can’t miss it.”

A loud booming voice pierced the night air. “Well, well, well. What’s going on here? You guys having a party? I must have missed my invitation.”

Coming up the path was a huge demon with a huge sword sheathed on his back. A longsword that could double as a pole arm. It was bigger than Shen Yuan by a good 3 feet. The demon even moreso. He had a couple of boar’s tusks jutting up from his mouth, a swine’s snout, and a tattered red cape. Shen Yuan’s hands twitched toward his sword, but he slung a massive arm around Shen Yuan’s shoulders before he could think about trying to fight him.

“Forgive him madam. You know how it is with recruits. They get so excited by all of this human stuff they lose their heads.”

The woman fully relaxed at the appearance of this gigantic boar demon. Getting back on her feet and directing her son to do so as well. What the hell??? This demon was way more frightening than Shen Yuan could ever hope to be.

“It’s alright, Kui Yezhu. He was just lost.” She brushed dirt off the front of her dress.

“Lost, eh? Then I guess we better keep a better eye on him so he doesn’t do this again.”

Kui Yezhu gave them a friendly wave as he steered Shen Yuan away from the house. An iron grip around his shoulders preventing him from running away.

“Okay, look. Recruit, I get it. I really do.” Kui Yezhu said, earnestly. “You see some kids you wanna chase them. That’s just common sense.”

He held up a finger. “But, and this is a really big but. Human kids are not like our kids. They don’t think you are playing. They are afraid you are going to eat them. Understand?”

“…Yes sir. I will refrain from chasing any human again.”

Kui Yezhu scratched his chin. “Speaking of eating don’t take food from the humans either. They already are giving us what they would have sold off for profit. Yes. I know. They are able to grow so much they can feed themselves and others. It’s a marvel, isn’t it? If you get sick of the rations go hunting for food. There’s plenty. Hell.”

He ripped a chunk bark off a tree with his bare hands. “Even the trees aren’t poisonous here! You want some?”

#FMK: fic #shen yuan #svss #svsss fic #scum villian self saving system #rough draft #preview #socwrites #I almost have this chapter done #but it's missing something #I can't say what exactly #Probably I sign I should stop picking at it #for a bit #and work on other things lol

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