#ke wen anime

[solacestea]

[chemical-abscess]

Happy New Year everyone!!!

[ra-vale]

A little thing I’ve made for fun and can’t post it for two days straight because I keep adding more hair 🙄

So here we go, just so I can move to the next one. Anyway, I enjoyed the process, maybe I'll make more with time.

[twig-tea]

SHIPPER TAG GAME

Tagged by @lurkingshan and @stuffnonsenseandotherthings to dig into the vault. Friends, I have been Perpetually Online since 1995, when that meant I had to haunt my school library computer at lunchtime, so this is going to be for the fellow Olds. Sorry in advance for the HP mentions.

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore?

Have I let any ships go? Hmm. I'll go with Mulder/Scully from X-Files. Watching now, they should definitely not end up together lol

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

Sailor Mercury/Sailor Jupiter from Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. I. Was. Obsessed. This ship hit me like a ton of bricks in I want to say 6th or 7th grade.

I watched the show as it aired with English dubs, found out the episodes we got were censored, immediately fell into my completionist ways, went to the Asian mall (it was literally pan-Asian with stuff from Japan, China, Taiwain, Korea, etc.) and got definitely not official VCDs with Mandarin subtitles, and would sit with friends who spoke Mandarin and had them translate the subs to English for me (I say this like I forced them, but they offered because they were my friends and they also felt passionately about people seeing the uncensored show). I then learned how to Internet and would trawl for fanpages of the manga (it would take 20 minutes to load an image at the time, so rather than full scanlations I'd get walls of text describing what happened with maybe a single panel illustration). Uranus and Neptune were fantastic, but I already had Ami and Makoto aka Mercury and Jupiter long before I got to the Uranus/Neptune episodes (or the Sailor Stars manga arc).

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple?

Definitely Sailor Moon fanfic was the first fic I read. It was an easy step from finding fan summaries of the chapters not yet out in English > finding fan sites with fanfic on them, back before we had archives or even decent search engines and you had to just find the sites you needed through links from other sites. It was like a whole new world of possibilities opening up. The first real fanfic community I was in was Harry Potter.

In terms of first fic I wrote, I am not a writer; I've only ever written a small handful of not worth mentioning ficlets featuring the Kirk/Spock ship (Star Trek TOS).

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over?

Oh it was likely Serena/Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon and it was in person, because I had friends who got me into anime and manga early and they were artists who drew a lot of fanart.

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse?

Friends, I had a Livejournal. It was impossible not to get into ship discourse.

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently?

I am going to echo @stuffnonsenseandotherthings and @lurkingshan and say I was dead-set against Hermione as a ship with any of the men in Harry Potter (Hermione/Luna or Hermione/Ginny, though, we could talk), and I also really disliked Draco/Ron. I also am not here for Spock/McCoy (Star Trek), and I don't really enjoy Stucky (as in Captain America/Winter Soldier or Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes from Marvel).

OH and can I be a hater on main for a second? The first couple that I remember hating as a thing was probably Jo and Professor Bhaer from Little Women; I was SO MAD they married in the end. I felt very validated years later when I read that the author Lousia May Alcott was forced by her publisher to marry Jo off and made up the couple out of spite.

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

The last fic I read was a Word of Honour modern AU pairing Wen Ke Xing/Zhou Zishu in which they rescued stray kittens.

SInce I started this, I've also read a One Piece Luffy/Zoro fic (and that's not even my favourite ship--I've been a Zoro/Sanji girlie since the early 2000s! I'm weak for banter.)

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I have so many. SO many. Truly. I don't even know where to start with this question! I follow several AO3 tags and fanfic writers that I get regular fic updates from. Most of my OTPs are either canon (from queer/BL/GL media) or the most popular ship (I feel very lucky that my taste is so basic). There is no one couple I love the most. Just going to throw a dart at the board: From BL, the one I come back to a lot is Hira/Kiyoi in Utsukushii Kare, because their dynamic is so intense.

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

Hmm. That's what fandom is for, so not really? I usually get more annoyed when people do get together that I wish had stayed platonic (never forgiving Pacific Rim for that kiss, it was so unnecessary). And I'm extremely mad about censorship, i.e. couples that DID get together but we didn't get to see it for whatever reason (see e.g. Uranus and Neptune from Sailor Moon Sailor Stars; Chinese danmei novel live-action adaptations). Otherwise there are lots of these but I just read the fanfic and recover. I'll say I'm still annoyed Buffy didn't get to have with Faith what she had with Spike though. Their chemistry was off the charts.

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

This is such a hard question. I came around a little on Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng from MDZS/the Untamed, though it's still not my fave (it's a soft no not a hard no). I'll also give you an oldie: Andie McPhee and Pacey from Dawson's Creek. I hated Andie's character back in the day but now I like her character but really dislike how she was used in the show, which isn't the same thing. And I actually really liked how she and Pacey worked together.

I'll also give you a BL one: Kurosawa and Haruta in Ossan's Love. Ossan's Love s1 & 3 it was clear they were not OTP so that's a bit irrelevant anyway, but it's much less clear in s2 (the AU season) and the first time I watched it I wasn't sure how I felt about the way that season ended as much as I loved the season as a whole. I like it more every time I rewatch.

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

LOL I am with everyone else on the Brian/Justin train but since that's been said twice I'll go with something else. I was a big Harry/Draco shipper back in the day, which would now probably get me cancelled for shipping someone with his bully (though a significant part of the fun of that ship was about how Draco was such an ineffectual bully...but I digress), in addition to of course how the author's transphobia ruined the whole thing for all of us (fanfic doesn't make her any money, so I don't have a problem continuing to read it in theory, but it's left a sour note over my experience and makes any engagement in that fandom less fun).

12. What was your favorite crack ship?

I was one of those foolish people obsessed with Hawkeye/Coulson before we'd even seen them face-to-face or knew almost anything about MCU Clint Barton. I still read fanfic of that ship even though it's been fully jossed and makes no sense at all anymore. Ok one more, I really love the very small Breakfast Club fandom shipping Brian/John and Claire/Allison. I've read the few fics on AO3 for the queer pair ghost ships in that show multiple times.

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of?

Of all time, I've probably read the most Kirk/Spock fanfic. But that's due to the length of time I've been into the ship, the amount of time it's existed, and its popularity. I still read Kirk/Spock regularly.

14. What most of your ships usually have in common?

Honestly most can be boiled down to grumpy/sunshine pairs in which both are very competent in specific ways and both are hiding crippling self esteem issues behind their grumpy or sunshine-ness, and have strong but differing moral codes that they each respect in one another (and is usually where the feelings start). Banter is a must. I am admittedly also here for height difference in my ships. Double-plus bonus for terrible communicators who learn to understand one another's particular communication quirks.

Perfect encapsulation of this dynamic is Danny/Steve from Hawaii Five-0 (listen that show was copaganda trash but the fanfic was fun as hell).

15. What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Power dynamics that remain unaddressed as part of the story. Hate to love that isn't earned over time. When the relationship makes each other worse rather than better. When they never learn to trust one another. When one of them is in it as part of a savior complex and that doesn't get challenged or worked through. When only one of them has a personality. There's very little that I'd say is a hard no in terms of dynamics or setup for me, but it has to be handled well, and sometimes I don't have the energy to give something the benefit of the doubt.

tagging: @respectthepetty @wen-kexing-apologist @so-much-yet-to-learn @ginnymoonbeam @bengiyo with as always no pressure, plus anyone who sees this who wants to fill it out, consider yourself tagged and let me know so I can see it!

[muqingseyeroll]

i feel like i should make a post saying what my blog is about. i mostly use tumblr on mobile (i know), and mostly i just kinda use it casually, lurking around, and saving/rbing stuff that i like. so don’t expect too much organization or original content here. but the stuff i do make myself, i tag with #made by suna.

i’m (currently) into danmei/bl, which this blog is mostly dedicated to. but again i am a disorganized mess so i will probably like and rb other stuff on here too.

if you know any good gl media set in ancient asia, please please please let me know because i am desperate for it but cannot find it anywhere :C

i consume most danmei in chinese since i grew up in china and am a native speaker, so sometimes i may be confused about the english names of places/things/people’s titles in these works. please be gentle ^_^

if you scroll down far enough you can find random stuff i rb’d before i really knew how tumblr worked and before i got into danmei so you can just ignore them :’)

under the cut: what i’ve watched/read, what’s next on my list, and my sloppy tagging system. i might update it whenever, or not. we’ll see c:

here is the list of things i’ve read/watched/am into:

mo dao zu shi / grandmaster of demonic cultivation by mxtx

i’ve watched chen qing ling / the untamed (live action adaptation)

i’ve read the book

i’ve watched the q animation

i’m a few eps into the animated adaptation but i need a subscription to continue so i put it on pause for now

have not listened to the audio dramas

my ships:

lan wangji/wei wuxian, lan xichen/jin guangyao

my no-no ships:

jiang cheng/wei wuxian, jiang cheng/wen qing, wei wuxian/wen qing

ships that i don’t feel too much about either way:

jiang cheng/nie huaisang, 3zun

any of the junior ships (they’re all so cute together, any pair would work well tbh lmao)

tian ya ke / faraway wanderers by priest

i’ve watched shan he ling / word of honor (live action adaptation)

have not watched the shl concert

have not read the book

started a little bit on the prequel book qi ye / lord seventh

my ships:

wen kexing/zhou zishu, ye baiyi/rong changqing, cao weining/gu xiang, jing beiyuan/wuxi (basically all the canon ships)

du pusa/qiao luohan (the two ladies out of the four scorpion assassins)

luo fumeng/liu qianqiao (tragicomic ghost/beauty ghost)

my no-no ships:

ye baiyi/wen kexing (seriously who came up with this? no judgment to people who enjoy it but personally it’s really not for me lmao)

ships that i feel neutral about:

hanwenzhou

tian guan ci fu / heaven official’s blessing by mxtx

i’ve watched season 1 of the animated adaptation

i’m looking forward to the live action adaptation!! (hopefully airing in 2023) i’m not sure what name it’s going by yet

i’ve just started on the book

and a long time ago i’ve watched nirvana in fire / lang ya bang, which is not bl but is still a great period drama. 10/10 recommend

on my list next, in no particular order, are the following:

svsss

2ha

sha po lang

qiang jin jiu

love between fairy and devil (bg, not bl)

kinnporsche (thai, not chinese)

hannibal (also not chinese)

feel free to send recommendations my way!!

i have an awful tagging system, but basically:

#woh -- word of honor/tian ya ke stuff

#wenzhou -- wen kexing/zhou zishu

#woh gifs, #woh fanfic, #woh fanart, #woh fan comic

#mdzs -- mo dao zu shi/chen qing ling stuff

#wangxian -- lan wangji/wei wuxian

#mdzs fanfic, #mdzs fanart, #mdzs fan comic

#tgcf -- tian guan ci fu stuff

#hualian -- hua cheng/xie lian

character tags: #wen kexing, #zhou zishu, #wei wuxian, #lan wangji, etc

my stuff: #made by suna

[tonin-terets]

The 59th Golden Horse Awards｜Nominations｜最佳改編劇本 from Bito on Vimeo.

The 59th Golden Horse Awards｜Nominations

Designed by Bito

Creative Director｜Keng-Ming Liu Art Director｜Weahao Shao Project Manager｜Wen-Hui Chen Account Manager｜Naiyun Peng

Ideation｜Weahao Shao Styleframe｜Weahao Shao, RouJia Liang, Chin-Ho Kao, Boris Hsieh, Lu-Wen Hou, Joe Yang, Derrick Liu, Binbin Lu 3D Animation｜Weahao Shao, RouJia Liang, Chin-Ho Kao, Boris Hsieh, Henry Chen, Yen Ke 2D Animation｜Johnny Yang, Binbin Lu, Pei-Hsuan Wang, Cheng Li Feng

【Film Production】 Director｜Weahao Shao DOP｜Joe Yang Producer｜Wen-Hui Chen, Wei-Ni Chen Special Effect Makeup Artist｜Elsie Wang Talents｜Hsien Chen Tsai, Chin-Ho Kao, Wei-Ni Chen, Boris Hsieh, Chung Chieh Yang, Liao Ching Wen, Hwang Sih Yu, Hao Che, Eric Hong, Chen Man Li Equipment｜Chung Chieh Yang, Hsiang Hsieh, Chen Ying Shan, Marbo Wu, Tunhsueh Liang Editor｜Weahao Shao, Joe Yang, Yeh Po Hsiu BTS｜RouJia Liang, Chin-Ho Kao

Music｜Luming Lu Sound Design｜Hsiao-Chin Lin, Szu-Yu Lin Production Assistant｜Li-Chin Chang Mixing｜Hsiao-Chin Lin (WinSound Studio) Coordinator｜Elisa, Yi-Hsin Lin

Voiceover｜Morning Tzu-Yi Mo Recording Studio｜V-Sound Music

[akatsuki-shin]

I have no idea what I’m doing

[gongjunlixiaji]

Word Of Honor | Gong Jun / Wen Kexing | Fanart

Wen Kexing in Word Of Honor

Word Of Honor with Ghibli

Video CR. Weibo 西婴-09

[minsarasarahair]

Its so strange that most of the comments in Tian Ya Ke novel updates always complain about how TYK don’t have decent plotline and WOH is way better.

But if you’re in WOH fandom, you barely see people discuss the plot bc all they care about is WenZhou. They don’t care about the Glazed armor plot. When the Heroes conference happened like the whole episode is about this thing, most of the watchers find the episode boring bc of it. In other words, they are behaving like TYK WenZhou and only wish for the romance. 

Tbh WOH and TYK have both strengths and flaws. It just depends on someone’s preference which do you like more. I still find it rude tho to insult the novel, the original material. Its like when weebs complain how badly drawn the manga of Attack on Titan and glorify the animated version. One Punch Man and Mob Psycho anime watchers are also like that. TYK is one of the old stories written by Priest and don’t deserve that much hate just bc these toxic fans like the drama adaptation. You can dislike it without insulting the original material. Insulting the original material is like insulting the mother of WenZhou.

To be fair, Wen Kexing's line "Fortunately" will only just be that without TYK context. But if you love TYK, it will mean much more bc it will become "Fortunately, I haven't truly fallen for you".

[tomuraxashes]

Road-trip with the League

N my headcannon abt Tomura loving cdramas

Toga: I wanna put on some music!

Tomura, handing her over his phone: here, choose

Toga: You and your music taste... I bet I won’t find any normal!

Tomura: Suck to be you, the car radio is somehow only compatible with my phone. Be creative.

Toga, browsing: Eh.., c drama soundtrack, k drama soundtrack, anime lofi.. damn!

Toga: Finally, a normal stuff, I’m not believing it!

*music starts playing*:

🎶 Think I'm getting butterflies, but it's really

Something telling me to run away.. 🎶

Toga, screaming: Oh Hai - Lo! Baby I’m the reason why..

The audio:

*one sec silence*

*instrumental stops*

🎶 Wen -

Wen Ke Xig 🎶

Oh ha lo ..

Toga: NO. FUCKING. WAY!

[tykartreblogs]

Tian Ya Ke/Word of Honor Art Reblogs

Welcome to TYK Art Reblogs, a sideblog by @unforth. I reblog (almost) all art I see for the fandom. Feel free to ping me if you need anything!

If you see me reblog a repost, please let me know so I can delete it - reposts are never okay! I do reblog “reposted with permission” posts of artists on other platforms. I have made a good faith effort to not reblog reposts, but obviously mistakes happen - when they do, let me know, and I will correct the mistake by deleting the reblog in question. This blog is very lightly moderated; I tag artist, character(s), ship(s), and common trigger warnings.

Enjoy, and make sure you support artists with likes and reblogs!

-unforth

Qiye/TYK/WoH Resources:

Masterlist of Priest Works and Translations

Priest Crossover Extras

Qiye Translation by Chichi

Tian Ya Ke Translation Masterpost

Love other danmei fandoms? Want even more art on your dash? I have got you covered!

@mdzsartreblogs

@tgcfartreblogs

@svsssartreblogs

@dmbjartreblogs

@erhaartreblogs

@zhenhunartreblogs

@cnovelartreblogs

Current Tags: (read more)

Sub-Fandom:

To the best of my ability, I've tried to tag whether a piece of artwork primarily relates to Qiye, Tian Ya Ke, or Shan He Ling. However, this is ultimately always going to be subjective, and I haven't read Tian Ya Ke yet (I have read Qiye) so I may make mistakes. If you think I've sorted something wrong/miss-ided it, just let me know!

qiye

shan he ling

tian ya ke

Trigger Warnings: blood tw, body horror tw, cannibalism tw, drowning tw, dubious consent, harm to animals tw, lemon, mcd, mpreg, rape tw, smoking, strangulation tw

Cast:

gong jun

huang youming

li daikun

wang dong

zhang zhehan

RPF:

junzhe

Characters:

ashinlae

bai wu chang

bai wu chang (qiye)

chang she ghost

cao weining

corpse eating ghost

deng kuan

du pusa

gao chong

gao xiaolian

ghost valley chief

gu miaomiao

gu xiang

han ying

hanging ghost

happy ghost

he yunxing

hei wu chang

helian yi

jiang lao guai

jing beiyuan

li bao er

liang jiuxiao

liu qianqiao

long tongued ghost

lovelace

lu liuweng

lu shen

lu ta

luo fumeng

princess jing an

qiao luohan

qin huaishang

qin song

rong changqing

rong xuan

shen shen

tao hongpo

wen kexing

wen ruyu

wu chang ghost

wu xi

xie wang

ye baiyi

yue feng er

zhang chengling

zhao jing

zhen ruyu

zhou zishu

Ships:

caoxiang (cao weining/gu xiang)

duqiao (du pusa/liu qianqiao)

hanwen (han ying/wen kexing)

hanwenzhou (han ying/wen kexing/zhou zishu)

hanzhou (han ying/zhou zishu)

jingzhou (jing beiyuan/zhou zishu)

jinzhou (helian yi/zhou zishu)

liangzhou (liang jiuxiao/zhou zishu)

luosa (qiao luohan/du pusa)

mengqian (luo fumeng/liu qianqiao)

qianpusa (liu qianqiao/du pusa)

rongye (rong changqing/ye baiyi)

rongyexie (rong changqing/ye baiyi/xie wang)

shenyi (shen shen/ye baiyi)

wenzhou (wen kexing/zhou zishu)

wenzhouye (wen kexing/zhou zishu/ye baiyi)

xiyuan (wu xi/jing beiyuan)

xuanyi (rong xuan/ye baiyi)

yexie (ye baiyi/xie wang)

yexing (ye baiyi/wen kexing)

yezhou (ye baiyi/zhou zishu)

yiyuan (helian yi/jing beiyuan)

[beneaththebrim]

How is the Priest fandom? Are you enjoying it? I’ve been wondering if I should pick up works beyond MXTX’s but it also seems daunting for some reason.

The eng-speaking Priest fandom is definitely smaller than the MXTX one, and it mainly exists on twitter. There’s a Priest discord server, but only mods can generate invites to it–they want to keep the server pretty close-knit.

That being said, since it is a smaller fandom, it is pretty friendly, if quiet at times.

I’ve definitely been enjoying Priest’s writing. She writes in more of a literary style than MXTX–although I would classify MXTX’s books as R18, they are written in more of a YA style, whereas Priest uses more poetic allusions, philosophy, and politics. Her writing, too, is very poetic in itself. I also feel like her characters *pop*: they don’t ever feel like archetypes; they feel like real people. And her plots, oh man her plots–they are so intricately woven.

And the knives man, the KNIVES

I should probably mention that Priest doesn’t write explicit sex scenes, but there are fade-to-blacks, so like, her characters fuck, just not on screen.

Anyway, I’ve been reading four of her books: Qi Ye (Lord Seventh), Tianya Ke (Faraway Wanderers), Liu Yao: the Revitalization of the Fuyao Sect, and Sha Po Lang.

(Note: I’m not planning on reading any of her modern setting books where one of the main characters is a cop, just fyi, so I can’t give any info on, like, Zhenhun (Guardian) or Mo Du)

But anyway, I can give an overview of the four books I’m reading, as well as links to the translations:

Qi Ye (jjwxc)

Court drama with supernatural elements. Lots of scheming. Main theme is fate/people’s ability to alter their fate.

(MC description courtesy of jimorlas): Main character is Jing Beiyuan, a genius and a good boy who is fucking tired as shit because he’s 7 incarnations deep and they all sucked and his 7th has taken him right back to the terrible 1st one. He’s here to protect his land and support the prince who screwed him over but who is good for the country, but also he just wants to nap ok. He’s sleepy after several centuries of this shit.

And, as for the romantic lead, who doesn’t get revealed until Ch.6, so slight spoiler: Wu Xi, the soon-to-be Great Sorcerer of Nanjiang, a melancholic OP warrior-shaman who’s far from home and more likely to make friends with animals than people, but warms up to our sanguine protag. Meanwhile JBY is constantly terrorizing all WX’s many, many pets which could very easily kill him instantly, and repays WX the favor of ensuring that he doesn’t die an early death by nicknaming him “Little Venom.” Their ship name is xiyuan.

Translations (78 chapters total): Ch. 1-5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch.8-31

The wattpad tl updates about once every couple weeks.

Tianya Ke (jjwxc)

Sequel to Qi Ye, typical wuxia setting. There’s trouble in the jianghu, and various powerful characters from around the realm are drawn into a treasure hunt, the object of which is rooted in an old conflict. Main themes are freedom, greed, and making amends for what’s happened in the past.

Tianya Ke’s a lot of fun–the main couple, wenzhou, are constantly bickering and bantering. Main character is sarcastic and scarred ex-spy Zhou Zishu who doesn’t have long to live. Somehow he’s dragged into a situation where he has to protect a helpless, wooden-headed kid (Zhang Chengling) from multiple assassination attempts, all while the jianghu is imploding around them, everyone searching for the mysterious ‘lapis armor’ that can supposedly grant anyone’s deepest wish. He didn’t sign up for this!! He just wanted to go sightsee for his last three years!!! He’s not your shifu, goddammit!

Romantic lead is Wen Kexing, a slut (well, until he meets ZZS) and a clown (especially after meeting ZZS 😏 ) who’s definitely very shady behind his 🤡 persona. I feel like their dynamic can be summed up in this twitter post I made (based on an actual scene from the novel):

WKX: Kill? :) What are you talking about?:) I wouldn’t kill a chicken :))))

~Five seconds later~

WKX, investigating a corpse: lmao these bones look like chicken bones when I’m done with em amirite AYYY

ZZS: *looks into camera like he’s on the office*

Translations (78 chapters total): Ch.1-30, Ch.31-53 by Liyou (see pinned thread for drive folder)

The Liyou translation updates about once every week or two.

Liu Yao: the Revitalization of the Fuyao Sect (jjwxc)

Wuxia/xianxia, found family. A man who appears to be a half-dead weasel spirit takes in five unruly kids and teaches them cultivation on the run-down Fuyao mountain. But, before they can grow up, they are wrenched from their home and are forced to scatter over the next century, gathering power and teasing out the causes of Fuyao’s decline. Upon reuniting, an imminent question looms over their heads: What are they willing to sacrifice in order to return home?

Main themes: Sacrifice, the isolation that comes with power, whether cultivating to immortality is worth it. Lots of Daoist philosophy in this one (it’s probably my favorite c-novel so far). Here’s a line that murdered me: Perhaps the epitome of ascension is when one can pass without regrets. 🙃🙃🙃

The main ship, mingqian, is between the narcissistic, wealthy dashixiong, Yan Zhengming, and his cold, chuuni & judgmental sanshidi, Cheng Qian (the MC). They’re very protective of each other and their sect siblings.

There’s also a tragic side-ship (ruchun) involving their shifu, but I won’t say much about that, as it involves some big spoilers.

The other disciples are:

CQ’s ershixiong, Li Yun, ie MY BOY MY GEEKY TOAD BOY/the voice of reason,

CQ’s sishidi, Han Yuan, ie oh boy we got a lot to unpack here but basically he’s… complicated, and

CQ’s wushimei, Han Tan, the half-yao baby of the bunch who has EXCELLENT FASHION SENSE SHUT UP DASHIXIONG

Translations (109 chapters total): Ch.1-33, Ch.34-56, Ch.35-81, extra 3 (ruchun-centric, can be read after Ch.77)

The rustycol tl updates about once a month.

Sha Po Lang (jjwxc)

Steampunk, sort of a ‘what if the Industrial Revolution happened during the Song or Ming Dynasty?’ setting. Politics & war; main plot is resisting European attempts at colonization, as well as fortifying Da Liang (the name of the ruling dynasty) to adjust to the changing times (a shift from agrarian to factory labor, the development of fiat currency, breaking up the power of prominent aristocratic families). SPL gave me a more charitable view of Legalist philosophy, as well :P There’s a wee bit of fantasy, but the exact amount is up to reader interpretation.

Main themes:

Change–what is lost with the past, and how can a nation adapt to the inevitable flow of time and technology without becoming like an automaton that keeps moving despite holding only a corpse inside?

Loyalty–the various relationships and conflicts between personal attachments and commitment to one’s country.

Legacy–imagine seeing a train for the first time, and wondering how history will remember you.

The main character is Chang Geng, the son of the emperor and a barbarian consort ‘goddess’ who was sent as tribute to Da Liang. For the first fourteen years of his life, however, he’s made to believe he’s a simple country boy. Not only that, but his aunt tortures him and places a curse on him, which gives him terrible nightmares and will eventually cause him to go insane. Chang Geng’s coming-of-age happens along with Da Liang’s, and his changing identities, tempered by trauma, mirror the changes Da Liang must undergo in order to survive.

The romantic interest is the commander of Da Liang’s army, Gu Yun, who starts out as Chang Geng’s adoptive father (there’s a 7-8 year age difference, but nothing happens until CG is 20, and CG is the pursuer–for sure avoid SPL if this squicks you out, but I’ll just say that the parts of their relationship that have issues are addressed and resolved with care; that being said, CG has an undeniable daddy kink).

Gu Yun was poisoned as a child and is mostly blind and deaf as a result, but drinks medicine that allows him to temporarily regain his senses. Initially, Gu Yun is pretty much forced to lay down his life for his country at every juncture, but Chang Geng’s entrance into his life gives him new purpose.

Translations (128 chapters total): Ch.1, Ch.2-128 & 10/15 extras (that’s right, the main story is done being translated!)

I also HIGHLY recommend the audio drama: S1, S2, S3, which can be bought for about $15. There are English translations up to S2E5, but it follows the book closely enough that after jumping off from the English subbed versions, you can follow along pretty closely with the wattpad translation/mtling (ie, ‘Translate this page’) the audio drama page, which has subtitles if you keep the barrage on.

Also, if you like to read essays for fun as much as I like to write them, I wrote a meta about the theme of loyalty in Sha Po Lang here.

[ruanbaijie]

I got tagged in a bunch of tag games recently but I’ve been putting the off for a loooooonnnnggg time because a certain drama (hint: the abbreviation is three letters long, the last character rhymes with “ring”) has been occupying every single second of my free time (눈_눈)

but now that I have some pockets of time to spare! I’m just gonna club all the tag games together into a monster post ( ` ω ´ )

a big thank you to everyone who tagged me!!!!! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡

tag game #1

tagged by @tiesanjiao @sillyfanturtle

recreate your blog’s aesthetic as a drink 🍸

make one here

this one was so fun! the number of choices omg I was spoiled and I took so long to decide which to go with lol. I don’t really know what this monstrosity is??? I just picked these for the pinks/ muted reds and greens

but my irl aesthetic is more something like this below. and my dumb gothic-loving ass thought that background was a graveyard and it took me a closer scrutiny to realise it’s a bar... (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

tag game #2

tagged by @linglynz

I don’t know what this one’s called, but I guess it’s something along the lines of recreating a mouse here! 

I’m... boring. hanyi’s motto in life, probably: make it black. there are little devil horns but they’re black too so they’re blending in...

tag game #3

tagged by @yibobibo 

You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people! No skipping!

OHO favourite playlist you say........ okay I’ll have to find one of my favourites that has at least 10 songs ahaaa

SHI-KI (Atsushi Suemitsu) - from Shiki (this remains one of my favourite instrumental anime soundtracks to date it’s just so damn atmospheric and good)

Tian Wen (Liu Yuning) - from Shan He Ling (well...)

Ai Shang (Xiao Shi Gu Niang) - from Goodbye My Princess

Enigma (After Journey) - from My Roommate is a Detective

Chi Qing Zhong Instrumentals with Vocals Version (Deng Lun) - from Qing Ya Ji (*cough cough cough*)

Eau de Vie (Atsushie Suemitsu) - from Shiki

Huo Shui (Shu Linzuo) - from The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

Chi Qing Zhong (Deng Lun) - from Qing Ya Ji

Be Ok (I’ll) - from Zombie Detective

Warriors (2WEI & Edda Hayes)

yeahhh I listen to a lot of soundtracks

tag game #4

tagged by @livenarrator​

post the top 10 songs you’re currently vibing to

pretty similar to the one above! but here are another 10 anyways ehe

Bridge of Fate (Wang Leehong & Tan Weiwei) - from The Great Wall

Sheng Er Wu Wei (Wang Ziyi) - from S.W.A.T.

Fireworks Cool Easily (Jay Chou)

Diamond (Ha Hyun Woo) - from Itaewon Class

Yong Ye (Tan Weiwei) - from Ever Night

Awaken (Su Shiding) - from My Roommate is a Detective

Wu Bie (Jeff Chang) - from Tian Guan Ci Fu

Wu Ti (Hu Xia) - from Shan He Ling

Tian Ya Ke (Zhang Zhehan & Gong Jun) - from Shan He Ling

Gu Meng (Zhang Zhehan) - from Shan He Ling

and last but not least, tag game #5

tagged by @inessencedevided​

rules: create your own post and tag 9 people to get to know better or catch up with  

last song listened to: Tian Wen from Shan He Ling - because I was answering the tag game above alsdklflksdlkf (ง ื▿ ื)ว

last movie watched: The Yin Yang Master 2021 aka Shi Shen Ling - I got baited by (white) long-haired chen kun let’s just leave it at that

currently reading: just finished Po Yun by Huai Shang - IT’S SO DAMN GOOD PLEASE READ IT HUAI SHANG NEEDS MORE LOVE - next up probably 2ha reread

currently craving: travel - I think I’ve been saying I’ve been craving travel for the longest time now singapore is... damn small

current project: at work??? leisure project??? if it’s the latter, I probably have to get my ass cracking and start doing this week’s march gif challenge but I have Zero Inspiration (⇀‸↼‶)

current mood: pretty chill and relaxed bc finally I’m done with live giffing shl, but also nervous and ambivalent bc hyx is starting soon, and lastly excited bc tomorrow I’m gonna have my first bubble tea in three months (self-imposed diet, not related to any lockdown)

current wish: see “currently craving”

currently learning: nothing much?

something that makes you proud: how far I’ve progressed in giffing ever since january 2020 ฅ(^◕ᴥ◕^)ฅ

[teamsarawatshusband]

Word Of Honor - 1st watch insta thoughts - Episode 5

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

FYI (If you haven't read the previous summaries): Smirky Xing = Wen Ke Xing, Baby Xu = Zhou Xu/alcoholic tanned tragic hero lord guy, pleated skirt soldier boss guy = shen something, 5th brother from 5 Lakes

But let’s get started with Episode 5:

Okay, pleated skirt soldier boss guy chases the grandparents away and then wants to take the two mini wangjis with him. But the tree undies master guy isn't having any of it. So pleated skirt soldier boss guy isn't on anybody’s side. I see.

And there is another mention of 5 lakes abusing their power. Ominous.

The kids even wanna stay with tree guy. Must be bad.

Oooooh, pleated skirt soldier boss guy is indeed after the glazed armor.

Oh, uncle Zhao and his peeps and everybody come to the rescue.

And uncle Zhao respects tree guy's wish to keep the wangjis. Is he genuinely a nice guy or just worried about everybody around, including Baby Xu and Smirky Xing and the kid?

Ooooh, super pretty scenery. Why can't we all live in places like that?

Wheee, they get to feast with the family. And Smirky Xing is reciting poetry again. Everybody likes him it seems.

LOL, Smirky Xing is trying to feed Baby Xu. Who must get headaches from all the eye rolling.

Yo, what's up with tree undies master guy, why is he coughing?

Wait, are the little Wangjis also the kids of some 5 lakes brother? (Sorry, random thoughts about how things piece together, and lots of confusion)

Somebody's shouting for help. What's happening?

Young leader of something something, it was gone too fast. He'll be called magenta leader guy, if he ends up important. Ah, wait, he's from Broken Sword Manor. Have we been there before? I forgot.

Oh and he's chased by a ghost. And there's the smiley potato things flying in again. So the red masked ghost gang?

Oh, okay both magenta leader of broken sword manor guy and tree undies master guy vanish in the fog.

Pleated skirt soldier boss guy acts like an ass around the kid, encouraging him to drink along while drunk himself. What a jerk.

Uncle Zhao saves him and sends both to bed - individually i mean, obviously - , and seems genuinely nice, but I don't trust him still.

Whoa, pleated skirt soldier boss jerk guy is awake and just pretended! Even more of a jerk. What is he up to?

Oh, Baby Xu spots him and follows. Thank goodness, somebody needs to keep an eye on the mean guys.

There's some masked dark figure fighting with pleated skirt soldier boss jerk guy.

Something is going on at the main gate, and everybody runs there. Except maybe Smirky Xing, he's just cautious in general.

Oh no, somebody hung tree undies master guy outside the main gate. And it's raining smiley potatoes. Baby Xu is watching and they're all suspecting some happy ghost, because there's a batman-joker smile carved into the dead guys' faces. And happy ghost is apparently one of the masked ghost gang, which makes sense, because of the potato smiley paper crafts.

Oh, now they're worried about the kid. Was it a trap?

No, he's with Smirky Xing and Baby Xu. How did Baby Xu get back there so fast?

Okay, Smirky Xing says some masked ghost guys were going after the kid but were bad fighters and he instantly chased them away. But can that be trusted? If he himself is nuts guy, they wouldn't fight him, would they? But then again... if he were one of them, why would he spare the kid? None of this makes sense.

Okay, magenta leader guy isn't dead yet. He's in some bed, and somebody is lying in bed with him. Some woman. Who is she? Oh, she says she's a ghost. Wait, does he know her? So has she REALLY died, like a dead ghost, not one of those living ghosts?

Dude, stop begging, if she IS a ghost, she's not gonna let you go, you fool.

Oh, ghost girl channels her inner Arya Stark and drops her face for effect.

And magenta leader guy faints like a good damsel in distress.

Wait, she has a face again, but a different one (I think, not entirely sure) and she's one of the ten devils of ghost valley. A beauty ghost. Yeah, she's really pretty alright. And she's got a ton of friends with her.

Okay, what are they going to do with the unconscious guy? Kill him? They're just sharing make-up tips so far.

Baby Xu is trying to say goodbye to the kid. Aww, but the kid is gonna miss his dads. :(

There's a  flashback to some kid crying. There was also a name but I have no idea who he is. Was it Baby Xu?

Baby Xu sees a rooftop and flies up, I have no idea why. Was there something suspcious about the building? Huh?

Oh, somebody's pissed because their glazed armor got stolen. Ah it's pleated skirt soldier boss jerk guy and uncle Zhao who's not pissed just sad. Ohhh, so the ghost guys just wanted to steal the glazed armor and anything else was a decoy. I see.

Ahhhh, Baby Xu is on top of the roof, removing the tiles and listening in on their conversation, right when they say no outsider could know anything. Wow, they sure have a foolproof system.

Ok, 5 brothers of 5 lakes kept the 5 pieces of glazed armor? That does make sense.

Wait, why is nobody confused about pleated skirt soldier boss jerk guy being awake and sober all of a sudden????? Had uncle Zhao known that he was only pretending?

Man, that guy is made of pure anger and insults. If he dies at some point, he's probably gonna explode like a pinata hit by a dozen sticks at once, just because all the anger needs to get out first.

Ok, mad respect for uncle Zhao, because he is indeed a good guy it seems. He is capable of feeling guilt, and he doesn't want anything to do with the glazed armor anyway.

Okay, pleated skirt soldier boss jerk guy from now on will be called a-hole guy. Because, if the shoe fits...

BabyXu sees Smirky Xing flying away and is confused as to how he could also eavesdrop without being noticed by Baby Xu. I mean, that was Smirky Xing, wasn't it?

Oh, smirklord flying over the tree tops.

Yeah, Baby Xu, I wanna know too what Smirky Xing is up to.

Aww, "our little cheng ling". Smirky Xing is already feeling their dad status.

Oooooooh, Smirky Xing saved Baby Xu from the spiderweb wire stuff.

Okay, some ghost talk, I have no clue what's going on. lol

I'm focusing on the important details. Like Smirky Xing fishing for info on Baby Xu's virginity.

Wait, who's bleeding from above?

Ah, there's the sleeve cutting. Yes. Nice.

Oh the dead guy in the tree is the son of uncle Zhao? Wait, was he fighting with the dark masked guy? Not a-hole guy? Did I get them confused? I am so unable to understand anything, lol. I hate being faceblind. Somebody please let me know in the comments who did what while the manor was under attack.

Okay, dark masked guy's face is also shown and Bab Xu drops a name. I have no idea who that was, nor do I recognize the face. I'm so bad at this. Help?

WTH is "iron hook"??? Is that some special martial arts technique that only a few people can do?

Now they're speaking in riddles about animals. Owls, cicadas, yellow sparrows, praying mantisses. I have no idea what's happening. But it seems to be some sort of flirting.

Ok, now Smirky Xing says he's afraid of ghosts. I'm not sure if I believe that. He’s kinda looking a lot like nuts guy, after all, who is part of the ghost gang himself.

Oh, sure. When you're afraid of ghosts and more people dying... just go into the coffin house, because that makes so much sense.

Ooooh, Baby Xu saved Smirky Xing from the spider web stuff this time. Niiiiice.

Aww, they're asking each other who they are. So... does that mean Baby Xu is interested after all? Hehe

Smirky Xing answers that he's a good person. Yeah, like that's not the exact thing a bad guy would say. Not suspicious at all.

Why are there paper animals all over the place anyway? Can anybody tell me?

Also, who lit the incense sticks?

Why are they splitting up? That's how you end up dead in a horror movie, wth???

Wait, what? That's Smirky Xing's dad? His dad looks the same age as him? Is he hallucinating?

Whoa, why is it day time? Ohhh, blurred vision. Definitely something shady going on.

Baby Xu is hallucinating people too, I think. Leader of Four Season's Manor. Is that his dad? Zi Shu, wait, was that Baby Xu's real name?

Anyway, dad guy is doing an Anna impression and asking Elsa Xu to build a snowman.

Oh, Baby Xu saw through the hallucination. Got out of it by cutting himself. He really is into pain, isn't he?

Eww, zombie guys. What did I say about horror movies? But, nice make-up!

Oh no, Smirky Xing is still stuck in the visions.

And, more fabric is cut off. Baby Xu really doesn't like blood. Smirky Xing was not wrong.

HOLY SHIT! Smirky Xing called Baby Xu by his real name while hallucinating. So they DO know each other!!! :O

And THAT'S when they end the episode??? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Gah!!!!!

Okay, okay. I'm calm.

So, what have I learned: 5 lakes alliance can't be trusted. A-hole guy is a complete jerk. AND SMIRKY XING KNEW BABY XU WHEN HE WAS A KID!!! Also, side note, I miss my purple queen :(

Goals for the next episodes: Find out how they know each other!!! Also, why doesn't Baby Xu recognize Smirky Xing? Is he also disguised? I still need to work on the name chart thing, because there's new characters showing up in every episode and I'm so lost.

[dirhwangdaseul-archived]

idk but word of honor made me think again of westworld and that line between bernard and theresa about the hosts always talking with each other even without humans around and the reason for that being that "they're always trying to error correct, to make themselves more human, when they talk to each other, it's a way of practicing" and that is linked later on to bernard being a host but like in the end he was talking with theresa because he clearly loved her and wanted to create a moment of truth for their reality, i feel like westworld with that particular line of thinking did affirm that talking is a way to become more human mostly because i think of the first season of westworld as more allegory than anything else with the hosts and their journey of self consciousness being my most favorite part but like back to westworld it's sort of true for the characters that true conversations the ones that give them new eyes to view reality are the ones that change the story like kiksuya for example and ford regaining hope in the hosts and the possibilities of their journey giving them all an out of the park all because akecheta's voice persevered and well with word of honor i felt it too with the words between wen ke xing and zhou zishu always laced with meaning with second meanings with the desire to become a part of the others reality cosmology universe and they talk and talk and listen and talk and listen and learn and love and so it is also more "Gilgamesh was called a god and a man; Enkidu was an animal and a man. It is the story of their becoming human together."

and so this is just ramblings and i cannot put more into words but every story is the epic of gilgamesh if i make it so and much love to word of honor 👏🏽💕👏🏽

[mousehole5000]

more tgcf chapters 143-173 lets goooooo

PEI MING BOO HISS except actually okay he’s mostly funny i think but still boo hiss

“hey who’s this guy who’s really pissed at you?” “oh thats my sword. i broke it.” alright then!

i think i need to go back and reread the banyue pass arc bc im still confused as to whats going on with banyue and pei su

“Banyue dropped from the sky with two pots raised. Without a word, she plummeted with the mouths of the pots facing down, trapping and detaining the shocked Ming’guang and the roaring Ke Mo within.” - THATS MY GIRL

“It must be known that, to heavenly officials, it certainly was more than natural for kingdoms of the mortal realm to fight and annihilate one another; the acts of these plays progressing on endlessly. But when it came their own turn, it was often hard to let things go. If one must stand in the same court as the one who annihilated their own kingdom, and that man cavorted in the heavens, exceedingly flashy, then it must be vexing.” - hmmmm!!

“I’ve spoken too many words in this lifetime. What are you referring to?” - okay to be fair thats a mood

okay its nice to get some pei ming backstory and its funny that he and xie lian are bonding but also still whenever pei ming interacts with a female character my hackles rise like a cat lol

“Xie Lian watched as Banyue thought really hard before cheerfully pulling out a few long, wine-red scorpion-snakes, and putting them into the bubbling pot.” - THATS MY GIRL

“Although “smell” was something colourless and formless, the instant Banyue removed the pot cover, it was as if some mysterious physical object had twisted all the air around the mouth of that pot. The group stared at the sight within the pot for a long time. Their pupils reflected an endless, bottomless darkness; like it could pull them into the abyss. No words could describe the sentiment expressed within their eyes. A moment later, Xie Lian patted Banyue’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.” - like father-figure like daughter-figure. amazing.

“However, what if one day mortals discovered something completely new that ran faster than horses? Then, when this new invention overtook horses, worshippers of this heavenly official who controlled horses would inevitably decrease. Such heavenly officials, flashing by like shooting stars, made up the majority of the heavens.” - obsessed with this, genuinely. life and change. worship and its purpose. my religious studies diploma on my wall is screaming at me rn. ALSO i am once again thinking about celebrities

“...” It was only then that Pei Ming seemed to notice, and started to contemplate this question. A moment later, he answered, “A habit. In a dark, creepy place like this, isn’t it normal to hold women in your arms, to comfort them and calm their fears?” “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t scared,” Banyue said.” - BANYUE I LOVE YOU. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH. god this takes me back to every college party i ever went to

LING WEN BACKSTORY????? shoeseller chosen for godhood bc she wrote a political essay and got arrested...... and now she’s face to face with the official who appointed her..... do go on.....

“Ling Wen laughed out loud, seeming to be enraged, and her voice dropped. “Very well! You said I couldn’t reach that high. Then, might I ask you: had the prominence of the Palace of Jing Wen at its peak ever reached even the knees of my Palace of Ling Wen??” - GET HIM!!!! BOO HISS JING WEN

“Compared to you, I’m not that bad,” Ling Wen said. “You’d personally order me to stay in the Palace of Jing Wen until midnight, then turn around and say I shamelessly hang around ‘til late to harass you. Words murder without form; I was much nicer responding with blatant violence.” - ling wen im love you..... also this bit... feels Real

BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN!! FLOWER PETALS TRANSFORMATION!!! see hua cheng? look as how cool it can be when you leave the story for a little while!! bc then you get to return and make an entrance!!

“Not only can you bring forth bloody rain, you can also make flowers shower. I didn’t know that. How fun!” - cute!! and in that moment we were all xie lian

“Everyone was stunned by his deed, and Ling Wen arduously gave him a thumbs-up. ”Ol’ Pei, what a man!” Pei Ming gritted his teeth. “WELCOME!” - aww three two tumors buddies!!

okay yin yu is here and xie lian did the equivalent of asking someone when the baby is due only to find out theyre not pregnant at all. then rong guang taunts yin yu and no one says anything. i do love the amount of awkward moments in this book tbh sometimes there are no words.

“All around was sand and mud crushing at him, exceedingly suffocating. The sand and mud was also moving endlessly; the feeling was like he was swallowed into the stomach of a giant monster, and that monster had also eaten a bunch of other things besides him, tumbling everything in its stomach, trying to digest” - ooooh creepy!!! the red string thing... is cute.... also xie lian being able to see hua cheng’s butterfly vision by looking directly into his eye is kinda cool. and obviously homoerotic.

“Are lower-ranked heavenly officials below other people?” Quan Yizhen asked. “No,” Yin Yu replied. Were they not? It was obvious that he himself didn’t believe in his own words, and Quan Yizhen also noticed. A good while later, he said bluntly, “I don’t like it here.” Yin Yu said nothing.” - im having emotions. and then yin yu also saying he doesnt like it there either.... also idk how this scene is going to play out but as much as im enjoying quan yizhen being an icon i can also possibly see how yin yu could eventually get to the point of “i am tired of being nice. i do just want to go apeshit” even if he really cares about qyz. it happens </3

“Indeed,” Hua Cheng said. “Half a year later when Quan Yizhen actually ascends, he won’t find it so funny anymore.” “Can we watch that part too?” Xie Lian asked. “We can. Hold on,” Hua Cheng replied.” - quan yizhen king of taking things literally. also why did this turn into hualian having a movie night

jian yu seems like the kind of asshole who would purposely give someone regular soda when they specifically asked for diet soda. god yin yu is really having a bad day i really feel for him in the whole situation with the brocade immortal

awww okay at least jian yu tried to take responsibility. im still mad at him tho that was objectively a terrible idea. god this whole situation sucked :(

“Rocks and earth crushed at them from all around, forcing their bodies to press tightly against one another, their faces brushing, their ears warm. Although it wasn’t the right time, a thought flashed through Xie Lian’s mind: “‘To die buried together’ doesn’t feel so bad.” - okay... im kind of emotional.... gay people....

okay obviously these murals and the prince of wuyong have some connection (im guessing pretty direct) to xie lian and are important but everytime they start analyzing one i feel like im back in art history class fhadskfhskjdhf not that thats a bad thing!! i liked art history a lot tbh

“Don’t worry, they’re not human,” Hua Cheng said. “It’s precisely because they’re not human that we have to worry, alright….” Xie Lian thought.” - goth ghost bf problems

xie lian: well, there is one person i trust more than anyone else, someone who’s first in my mind hua cheng, oblivious: oh :/ xie lian, also oblivious: what? hua cheng: you shouldnt trust so easily its dangerous xie lian: oh. haha. yeah. well. wanna,,, know who it is? hua cheng: its :) fine :) it :) doesnt :) matter :) but of course you can tell me if you want to gege xie lian, internally: well now ive made it weird hua cheng, 5 minutes later: actually i need you to tell me. right now. its totally for your security me: gay people smh

“As they suspected, he had been captured by Qi Rong. Although no one was bound by ropes, there were balls of greasily green ghost fires hovering over every one of their heads.” - completely off track but anybody else remember the great green globs of greasy grimy gopher guts song

“Could there actually come a day when Qi Rong was embarrassed that someone might see the manner in which he ate? Before Xuan Ji entered, she put Guzi down. Guzi, ta-ta-ta, ran in, rushing straight to Qi Rong’s side. But when he saw him, he pointed his finger. He cried, “Dad is eating bad things in secret again!” “I’m not!” Qi Rong retaliated.” SCREAM IS QI RONG LEARNING THE POWER OF LOVE NOOOO also god that poor man whose body he has im starting to doubt if he’ll ever be free jimmy novak flashbacks

everytime we get another ghost king power somewhere someone should be writing hua cheng the cyborg bf in a high tech futuristic au i think thats the only other potential setting that could truly capture this wild ride

“In truth, throughout history, there was no man in the world who didn’t love bragging. A breeze could blow the handkerchief of a brothel girl into a man’s hand, and he would turn around and say the most beautiful of renowned escorts had fallen in love with him; holding shoes and wiping benches for the emperor’s mistress’s uncle’s grandson’s cousin’s mistress would for sure become him being an important administrator at the residence of royal relatives, raising his status. Thus, men who didn’t brag were a rare species.” - SCREAM this is going in my favorite tgcf quotes folder god... mxtx come here let me shake your hand

read the story of rain master yushi huang’s ascension. why am i crying. also this bit im crying again me with my stuffed animals “Thus, while Yushi Huang was cultivating at the Temple of Yulong, every time when she went to seek water and passed that door, she would rub the head of that ox. The door knocker soaked in her essence of life, and when the Rain Master ascended, the ox ascended with her.”

okay thats enough for now i have 7 more chapters to book 4!!! woo!!!