#mlc episode 1

[pastelcheckereddreams]

Still feeling insane about this shot. "Checking you out between the crossed blades of our swords" yes good but Li Xiangyi is literally seeing his own face in Di Feisheng's sword as it obscures half of DFS's face. If swords and swordplay are the truest expression of - god how do I even describe it - who you are, your core, your relationship to the world and how you act within it, your morals, your standards, your beliefs idk just EVERYTHING - And here is the only other person who can match you, your rival and your enemy and your equal - crossing blades with you, because you think he's betrayed you, killed your shixiong, torn up the peace treaty you created together - but in his blade you see yourself.

The show is telling us literally in the opening scene that these two people are a matched set, do not separate - even as the scene is tearing them apart.

[zishuge]

Ning-jiejie, what are you thinking about? Don't you think Mr. Xie was looking at me weirdly during yesterday's class? Did I offend him again somehow? Hmph! Mr. Xie... Story of Kunning Palace (2023) | Ep. 15

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Hello to the worst parallel in the world (affectionate)

@respectthepetty made an entire post about symbolism in Moonlight Chicken that was truly excellent and spurred a conversation in the comments that gave birth to another truly excellent post about potential for the central conflict in Moonlight Chicken.

And as I watch episode 3 I cannot help but think about this moment of foreshadowing at the end of episode 1 and the statement it is making.

Above is a photo of Wen's ID card with the Marina logo printed on the back of the ID and the words "Wen- Moonlight Chicken- Temp Staff" scrawled in marker on top of the plastic ID cover. The words here block out or overshadow Marina, showing Wen's attention and interest lies in the chicken shop above his interest in Marina.

At this point in the show, I had begun to suspect that Wen (and possibly Alan) would be involved in a Marina project that would potentially threaten the Moonlight Chicken Diner. When Episode 2 aired, this conversation between Kaipa and Jim made me think Marina would just be building new food market territory in the zones around where Moonlight Chicken Diner was located, driving up prices of both rent and food and making it impossible for Jim to continue to operate at the prices he is currently charging:

Enter Episode 3 where we get the Grand Reveal. Marina is planning on expanding their food court (which we already knew), they are not just going to purchase the buildings and put their own vendors in, they are planning on demolishing the existing structures and build something new over top. And what do we learn about the zones Marina is considering? The zones include the Moonlight Chicken Diner

And here is where the worst (emotionally) visual parallel comes in to play. The Marina logo with the tagline "creating a sustainable future" printed on top right corner of a photo of the Moonlight Chicken Diner. Looming over top of the building like it's waiting for its moment to strike. Even Jim's green truck is parked in front of the diner in this photo. He's in that diner, he's preparing food for the evening when this photo was taken, completely unaware of the fact that someone is outside, ready to tear his chicken shop to the ground. And respectthepetty, if you are seeing this post, I for one think it is very rude of the blue and red color coding to continue even in this photo with the blue wall and red lanterns.

Something something Moonlight Chicken being written over Marina on Wen's ID something something Marina building on top of the rubble of Moonlight Chicken Diner something something.

Anyway, the gay chicken show has consumed my life and we are only 3 episodes in.

I haven't finished episode 3 yet, only got through part one and felt compelled to make this post so unless they already handle it later on in the episode I am very interested in how Jim will react to finding out that he's the other man once Alan show up in full force, or what I will affectionately be calling 'The Cock Fight" but you know...that's a whole other post.

Also, please do NOT get me started on the irony of Marina's tagline being "creating a sustainable future" when they keep driving prices higher and are only interested in demolition of old historic buildings *cough, cough*

Edit: lmao, not me starting part 2 of episode 3 and having them give me the same parallel immediately.

[jolselin]

the thing about the main cast of moonlight chicken is that while the show is nominally centered around jim you could also make six different shows focused on each of the characters (so the hypothetical jim show would be even more about jim and a bit less about, for example, li ming) and they would all be great and interesting. i've just been thinking that if i had been given just one additional episode of mlc i would love to see a fuller picture of alan and wen's relationship and how wen fell out of love and then i thought i would watch a show told entirely through wen's perspective and with more of his background and then of course i thought i would even more gladly watch the alan show with both his backstory and the continuation of his storyline past the end of the original show (the alangaipa spinoff we deserve) and then i thought we saw even less of gaipa, in a way, so that would also deserve more spotlight, and finally there's so much to know about heart from the keyboard in his room to him learning sign language (we have to assume all by himself?) and to him finding community among deaf/hard of hearing people of pattaya and then of course to his university adventures in rochester. and as for li ming well one just has to check the tag to see that like half the audience either would rather watch the li ming show or treats the original as the li ming show.

so mlc could really be any of these shows but instead it's kind of like a little bit of everything with the focus on jim but not as much as if it were mainly a jim show. the trade-off is that you actually get so many wonderful characters and stories coming together in one show and isn't that great

[sollucets]

i think gay chicken (lmao) comes out at like... 5? in 3 hours? i'd usually be awake, anyway, so i should be watching as it premieres :0 it's a nice change from me absolutely decimating my already extremely sketchy sleep schedule to watch between us lmao

[hualianisms]

Not father & son, not master & disciple, but a secret third thing

First of all, let me preface this by being clear that everyone is free to headcanon anything they want and like/dislike anything they like/dislike! That being said, sometimes I see international fans interpret FDB as LLH's son, or their dynamic as parent-child or otherwise familial, and as a native chinese speaker, I just wanted to share some reasons why I personally did not interpret them as familial.

Granted, at the start of the show, FDB is kept in the dark and also not up to LLH's level of skill in solving cases. However, FDB quickly catches up in crime-solving skills, intellect and maturity by the 2nd half of the show, after a well-written growth arc. I think the beauty of the characters and relationships in this show is that they grow & evolve, and are meant to do so. The dynamic that LLH & FDB had in episode 1 is quite different from their dynamic at the end of the show. By the later episodes, they are 2 adults who are very much equals.

Why I don't read them as father & son:

LLH & FDB act and speak in a manner that is far too informal & familiar with one another, which would be extremely inappropriate for any kind of parent & child, even a surrogate one. Several times, FDB calls LLH by just his first name "Lianhua", and sometimes even calls him "Damn Lianhua" when he is angry/upset at LLH. This would be extremely rude for a disciple to call a master, or a son to call a father. No son talks to his father the way FDB talks to LLH, and no disciple talks to their master like that. Unless the son/disciple hates the father/master, and is outright rejecting his father/master altogether. As we see in the show, not only does FDB not hate LLH at all, he instead cares deeply for LLH and would do anything to save him. Why, then would someone scold/curse someone they care about? Does the trope of the upset spouse/partner sound familiar?

For comparison, see FDB's interactions with He Xiaohui, who he is close to - he is informal & affectionate with her, but never calls her anything other than "娘 niang" ("mother"). I can't emphasize enough how taboo it is in Chinese culture to ever call your parent or parental figure by their name under any circumstance.

2. In ep 31, FDB himself explicitly rejects the idea of LLH as his shifu and himself as LLH's disciple, responding that he is too old to be LLH's disciple and it was merely a joke. He clearly sees LLH as an equal, and rejects the notion of their relationship being anything other than that of 2 adult equals. LLH also tells his shiniang that FDB is not his disciple, and a few episodes ago LLH told FDB that he has never understimated FDB.

Coding/hints as something other than platonic:

Zhiji/zhijiao - FDB calls LLH his 知交 zhijiao in ep 19, and 知己 zhiji in ep 34. "In this life, I, Fang Duobing, recognize you as my only zhiji." is practically a love declaration. And this bond is reciprocated by LLH, bc in a deleted line in ep 19, translated by forayuarchive on twitter, LLH is the one who first calls FDB his zhijiao.

To clarify, Zhiji is not specifically a romantic term, but it's what was used in both The Untamed and Word of Honor - both dramas based on danmei novels with canon gay main pairings - to bypass censorship, to code the bond between the main duo as deeper than your typical platonic male friendship. (See this post for a detailed explanation of the significance/history behind the term zhiji, and see this twitter thread for an explanation of the meaning of zhijiao in MLC - especially how zhijiao is specifically mutual, reciprocated).

2. Married bickering - forayuarchive on twitter has discussed in these twitter threads how the tone of many of LLH & FDB's interactions (especially FDB) is similar to how married couples or romantic partners speak to one another bc of the level of familiarity, tone and language. For my fav example, see this note (translation by forayuarchive) that FDB left LLH in ep 35, which reads pretty much like a note that a spouse/partner might write when leaving their shared house in a hurry.

3. "Xiaobao" - Personally as a native Chinese speaker, LLH calling FDB "xiaobao" in front of everyone is a level of intimacy that genuinely would make me feel embarrassed to hear as a third party. 小宝 xiao bao (literal meaning = "little treasure") is usually something you call actual babies/children AND is FDB's family nickname for him, so if you're calling a grown man that in front of everyone including his colleagues, family and even strangers, then one might assume he is likely either your biological family or your romantic partner. (For comparison, just imagine calling your s/o their parent's special childhood nickname for them at work.)

4. Deleted lines where FDB calls LLH "xiaohua'er". 小花儿 Xiaohua'er ("little flower") is very intimate and feels like something someone might call a lover. Or, at least, definitely not a platonic shifu, even less so a parental figure. (For meta on the names that LLH & FDB use for one another, see forayuarchive's twitter thread.)

5. More deleted scenes (translated by forayuarchive on twitter), perhaps cut due to censorship, which make apparent LLH's high regard and deep care for FDB. For e.g., a line of internal monologue by LLH in ep 40, translated here by forhenjun, shows that LLH thinks of FDB as the only person in his two lifetimes who has always treated him as a human being rather than putting him on an unfair pedestal.

6. Official MLC accounts act like as if they ship them.

As murderedbyhomework mentioned, there is a song in the official soundtrack of MLC called "Fanghua's Day-to-Day Life" (yes, the exact same words as their ship name). Sounds like a couple's daily domestic life, doesn't it?

The official iQiYi Romance youtube channel lists clips of LLH & FDB under the romance category.

The official MLC douyin account posts MVs with emotional captions (e.g. this one translated here by forayuarchive) that emphasize how much both LLH and FDB mean to one another. Another official MLC douyin calls LLH & FDB the person each other trusts the most.

The MLC clips posted by the official Guangdong TV weibo account also has captions such as these (translated by rice_jpg) that straight up describe FDB's feelings towards LLH as "when you like someone" (very similar CN phrasing as the phrasing used to describe romantic crushes).

7. They are subtly paralleled with a canon straight romantic couple (see fanqxiaobao's twitter thread on the parallels btwn LXY/QWM scenes and certain LLH/FDB scenes). MLC also made a distinct change from the novel by not having FDB get married to Princess Zhaoling, even though the drama could have easily given FDB a romance with her.

8. If you're familiar with chinese romantic tropes or the danmei genre, LLH & FDB fit many common romantic tropes e.g. sharing a drink on the rooftop under the moonlight, forgotten first meeting in childhood (and then meeting again properly as adults), power couple fighting side by side (they even held hands!), nianxia, protective younger ml, sickly older mc - just to name a few. Danmei even has many stories of shizun/shifu & disciple pairings who fall in love as adult equals.

There's honestly lots more but these are just some off the top of my head. Again everyone is free to interpret anything! This is just me explaining why as a native chinese speaker I personally did not read their dynamic as that of a father and son.

[kingsandbastardz]

MLC's prop department has been having fun

Tinfoil hat time. I've been tracking the movement of Li Lianhua's pillows at the Lotus Tower (yes I know, crazy)

Anyway, here are my findings that I think will be interesting to know:

(Episode 1) We are given 1 shot of a pillow. It's rust colored with a white center - he uses it in his own bed.

(Episode 8) We now see 2 pillows. One white one on the bed (llh's) and a grey-bluish colored one on the side dresser. Being that Fang Duobing has been staying there, I have assigned this color to him.

(Episode 13) We still see the grey-blue pillow that I assume is FDB's. He was using the white one here because LLH's put him in his own bed after he was injected with gangchi

(Episode 19) This looks similar to the grey-blue pillow, but I've dubbed it blue-grey because it's more blue and it's darker. Which means this is not FDB's bedding, but who is it for?

(Episode 20, images A and B) Ah here we go. It's Di Feisheng's. In the second image, you can see that he is a messy blanket folder.

(Episode 27) Post A-Fei getting taken away, and post-fdb breakup, LLH passes out and wakes up several days later. Su Xiaoyong has found him and has apparently been nursing him. I assume she helped herself to his prettiest pillowcase while she made herself at home. At first I thoguht she gave him his own white pillowcase, but on closer inspection, it looks grey. So I can't tell if it's a lighting/color-filter situation or if Su Xiaoyong actually grabbed fdb's pillow when dragging LLH to bed.

(Episode 28) The upstairs room - This is while they're traveling to the city and Su Xiaoyong is still with him. As she's a young unmarried woman, I assume for propriety's sake, he moved himself temporarily to the upstairs bedroom while he's still feeling ok, so you see his white pillow, fdb's grey-blue, and dfs' blue-grey. Yes, they look like the same shade under different lighting - but they're actually under the same strength shadow. So one is a full shade darker than the other.

(thanks @difeisheng I completely missed this one)

(Episode 40) No spare bedding on the side counter. FDB was sleeping in the chair against the table. LLH has been alone.

Conclusion:

LLH color codes his pillows for people who stay over

So in the previous episode 19 DFS had told LLH that he would come find him later. Apparently, that was enough for LLH to get out some extra bedding. Just in case. And then DFS shows up with amnesia immediately in the next episode.

Clearing out his loose bits and bobs wasn't just about people or situations, but included packing away all the extra bedding

FDB and DFS (With and without amnesia) totally shared the upstairs bed without murdering each other at night. Somehow. despite the bed being tight enough they would probably end up cuddling at some point. And then never spoke about it during the day. LMAO.

[difeisheng]

honestly kind of wish mlc had kept the book detail of baichuanyuan in the present day being visibly poor, and running on the basis of its tradition and reputation during the sigumen heyday. we have the show tell us that baichuanyuan had to mortgage land to tianji manor, but that's an episode 1 blink-and-you'll-miss-it exchange, and everything else makes it out to be that baichuanyuan has lots of money and resources. i think if they'd painted it to be otherwise, it would more concretely emphasize why he xiaohui wouldn't want fang duobing to run off and become a detective for them— not only would he be throwing away his lucky marriage to the princess, but he'd be doing it for a no-longer prestigious organization, that can't support him as well as maintaining ties to the palace and tianji can. more importantly though, it would be in line with the theme in mlc that everything belonging to the past is no longer what it was, and those things or people that remain clinging onto that time only rot their way into the present. just a thought

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Fang Duobing’s Guide to the Martial Arts World

(episodes 1-20 of MLC)

1.) Stay away from women—for, like, no reason whatsoever. It’s just that you aren’t ready to settle down and need to be free to roam the world alone (with Li Lianhua. And his dog. And his house. That you moved into.)

2.) Having to pay for things is unjust when you’re a baby detective, real wealth is immaterial, and anyway you’re broke sooooo time to solve a crime and bargain for free food.

3.) Becoming a detective is 10% flipping your hair, 15% relying on someone else for clues, 25% connected to your hidden origin story, and 50% dumb luck.

4.) Make friends with literally the first person you meet. Declare that person your best boyfriend for life and devote yourself to their care. Pay no attention to their opinion on the matter.

5.) Accept that on any given day, said best friend may drug and abandon you in a field. Drink the wine anyway.

6.) Avoid going home to your parents at all costs.

7.) Make sure to end every bestie fight with the declaration and conviction that you two will never see each other again. This declaration automatically starts the countdown timer for your reunion.

8.) Turns out your bestie comes with one free and mandatory Di Feisheng. Take the high road whenever you can (you can’t).

9.) Being a penniless, homeless, unemployed teenager in the middle of martial arts conspiracy wars is no reason not to have the most discerning palate and food criticism skills.

10.) When in doubt? Puppy eyes.

[mekare-art]

The many moods of Li Lianhua Pt. 18, episodes 28/29

PSA: I‘ve since compiled a masterpost of all my MLC graphics: https://mekare-art.tumblr.com/masterposts

Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5, Pt. 6, Pt. 7, Pt. 8, Pt. 9, Pt. 9b, Pt. 10, Pt. 11, Pt. 12, Pt. 13, Pt. 14, Pt. 15, Pt. 16, Pt. 17

[demoniqt]

Ideas I have for MLC, a fix-it and another abo fic. Dunno when I'm going to write it but I want to.

1. Time travel - LLH died at the end of episode 40 n suddenly he wakes up at the beginning, 10 yrs before the fight with DFS at the East Sea.

Knowing what he knew now, he heads off years of scheming on Shan Gudao's part and Li Xiangyi aka Li Lianhua ropes A-Fei into going on the adventure to get the karmic mother bug and destroying it.

Since he already knows where the mother bug is, it would save them all a lot of trouble destroying it rather than go to Yipin tomb and hunt down the ice shards.

While he was at it, he might as well help DFS get rid of the mind control that he's suffering from.

DFS is very confused by the change in LXY, who's now less intense, lies non-stop and more flirty with him. (He's not dying now, he's allowed to think about his future with his A-Fei.)

2. Abo - DFS go looking for LXY to challenge him for the first time but arrives at Sigu Sect in time to find out that there's a Groom Selection for the omegas of the sect. Basically, the qianyun aka alphas fight in a tournament for the hand in marriage of their chosen kunze/omega.

Of course, DFS immediately signs up for it. Coz, it's fighting. It's what he does best. Hahaha.

Only he meets and fall for a competitor who introduces himself as Li Lianhua 🤣

Meanwhile, Shi Shui and Qian Wanmian is sitting at the parapet having popcorn going, 'When do you think ppl will realise the no 1 prize is competing with them right now?'

Coz there's no way Li Xiangyi would allow the boys to have all the fun.

Then FeiHua falls in love n DFS wants to forfeit the last fight coz he already found a partner, even though he thought LLH is an alpha. But LLH keeps telling him to stay and finish the competition. Cue the miscommunication where DFS thinks that LLH wants him to marry LXY 😂

At the bridal suite, LXY is dressed to the nines with a veil like in Immortal Samsara and DFS tells him that he's in love with someone else. That person is LLH.

DFS: I just want to fight you! *Pulls off the veil*

LXY: Surprise! But we've already fought! And you won me! 😄

DFS: 😳

[omgpurplefattie]

Star Trek fusion for Mysterious Lotus Casebook - you don't need to know Star Trek to follow this!

Fang Duobing is a human from Earth, Di Feisheng is an unconventional Klingon, and Li Lianhua is a self-proclaimed space bastard. His companion animal Fox Spirit only looks like a dog...

The Lotus Lodge is a small research vessel, RV Lianhua Lou, conducting 'science' by virtue of Li Lianhua being a doctor. Or does solving cases with Fang Duobing count as research?

"One thing I found interesting about that fic is that it does sound like the writer knows Star Trek pretty well, but the setting is a bunch of marginal weirdos on the edge of federation space in a tiny, junky ship that's nominally a "research" vessel, but that's actually one dude's shitty mobile home. This version of a Star Trek AU makes a lot of sense for MLC and many other fandoms, but it isn't what I typically see written. And I will never stop laughing at the take on Klingon 'perverts'." -- @olderthannetfic

Episode 6 -- The Pear Blossom Wedding pt. 1

With the USS Sentinel docked to the Starbase above the planet Vulcan, Qiao Wanmian is getting married to Xiao Zijin. Everybody convenes for the celebration, everyone for their own purposes. In the pear blossom arboretum, chosen for the ceremony, things come to a head.

When Su Xiayong hitches a lift to Vulcan for the wedding of Qiao Wanmian, Fang Duobing gets jealous. On the eve of the wedding, Xiao Zijin gets drunk. Li Lianhua is annoyed at all this, but tries to keep a pleasant face.

CW: Xiao Zijin being racist and prejudices as usual

[danmeigirl]

2023 Fav. Drama Awards - Visuals

°Mysterious Lotus Casebook°

One of the gems in the C-drama world this 2023 masterpiece won the Annual Member Impact Drama Award!

Directed by : Ren Hai Tao & Go Hu

*MysteriousLotusCasebook* has dominated the iQiyi general list and TV drama list for 5 months (tied for first place in the overall list) and has maintained a long-tail popularity of more than 5,000 for 86 days, ranking second in the history of iQiyi. 2023 has come to an end, and Lotus Tower is also the first and only drama so far this year to have a single episode with 1 million online views and a double episode with 2 million online views simultaneously. Congratulations to Cheng Yi and MLC team!

Source: 👇🏼

(https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fprofile.php%3Fid%3D100086717825929%26mibextid%3D9R9pXO&t=NGQ5ZWU5MDg3MjkxYzFkOTk1M2E3YWQ0NDllZDIyN2U3YmEzMDU1Myw3OTQzYTZiZmZjOWE1ODM4ZWRiMzMzYjJlY2M2ODQ4Mzc2OTA5NzRi&ts=1703671099)

Loved the design of the Lotus Tower!

Source GIF: 👆🏼 https://www.tumblr.com/movielosophy/725373251180789760/mysterious-lotus-casebook-living-in-lotus-tower

Cheng Yi as Li Xiang Yi & Li Lian Hua❤

The love hate couple ❤

A-fei & Li lian hua

[pastelcheckereddreams]

Four Seasons Manor (四季山庄): Set Layout, Part Two!

I found it. I finally found the second set. I'm so ridiculously proud of myself 😂 All details will be revealed and broken down shortly, here and in a third part, but first let me recap my Siji Manor drafting progress so far:

If you're stumbling over this post in the wild - hi! I draw architectural drafts of cdrama sets, as accurately to the show as I can. A huge amount of research goes into creating my art, and so far no set location has been as elusive as this one. All of my set design projects start with a lot of research and resource gathering, to ensure that I am drafting the sets as accurately as possible. One element of each of my finished pieces is, as you may know, a birdseye view of the set. I include this to show the spatial relationship of the architectural elements I draft, and to give the fictional location cohesion and comprehensibility as a "lived space," further enriching - I hope - your experience of my art and of the show itself.

This process, however, becomes incredibly complicated to achieve when 1) the set I am trying to draft is split across different film locations, especially if 2) I can't find one of the sets.

At the time of my last post, linked here, I had located the set used for the front courtyard of Siji Manor in Hengdian World Studio's Spring and Autumn Tang Park, (what I have begun to call the "exterior set"), and had ruled out the wider set as locations for the main "interior" set - the inner courtyards of Siji Manor where the majority of the scenes in episodes 24-29 take place.

Well friends, just over a year later, I have confirmed that my suspicions in my very first Siji Manor draft post were, in fact, true. The second shooting location for Siji Manor was inside one of Hengdian's film studios. It was filmed in the "Mansion Scene" set, in Huaxia Shed #2:

My journey to finding this set lead me through two other dramas, and to the discovery that this set was also used for part of the filming of WOH episode 5, in Sanbai Manor. By cross-checking all of these scenes, I've been finally able to identify all relevant buildings and map the main set for Siji:

(First part of an insane, dizzying breakdown under the cut. It's long. It's confusing. Godspeed.)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

project list | kofi | prints

I will begin by saying that, although I am confident of this layout as you see it above being Siji Manor, I am not certain that this is the full Mansion Scene in Huaxia Shed #2. This is because my only source for the photos above comes from this article, which also includes three photos I've been unable to place in relation to the above map, despite clearly being from the same area. Moreover, because of the lack of wide camera angles or even full use of this above set in WOH itself, my scale/placement of buildings in relation to each other is still a little off. I've also given myself some artistic license with minor parts of the landscaping. That being said, let me break down this set layout for you, and reveal Siji Manor to you all:

WKX and ZZS's rooms

Buildings 1 and 3 are used as WKX and ZZS's rooms respectively. My confirmation of this fact - and many more to come - comes from the drama Mysterious Lotus Casebook (MLC), in which we see a clearer view of the courtyard between the rooms itself, where the kitchen in WOH resides (labelled 2):

Firstly, how do I know that the kitchen where Chengling has his chicken showdown is outside WKX's room? Because we can see it outside in this screenshot:

And how do we know that this room, WKX's room, is the one on the left side of the screen in the Mysterious Lotus Casebook screenshot? Because that room, belonging to Yun Biqiu, matches the layout of WKX's room:

(Note that WKX's room is used as the Princess's room in episode 1 of WOH, and despite significantly different set dressing/modification, her room - WKX's room - bears the same structural layout as Biqiu's. But you probably just have to trust me on that latter point because they like to move walls and floors in the film studios.)

To verify building 3 as ZZS's room (which is likewise used as Li Xiangyi's from MLC), and to show that you can walk straight through this room from the kitchen (2) courtyard into the formal courtyard (5), I'm going to have to let these door panels do the heavy lifting for me:

Did you follow that? Don't worry, I've mapped the route on a copy of the main birdseye view below. Hang in there!

Formal Courtyard

The snowy screenshot above brings us to what could be considered the "formal" courtyard of this mansion - the QHZ snow scene! It is the fact that this scene occurs with ZZS's room to the right (note those door panels) that makes me headcanon ZZS took up residence in QHZ's room on his return to Siji (and that WKX took Qin-furen's....).

There isn't much to say about this courtyard itself, but enjoy these screenshots from MLC:

Now, did you remember those other door panels? In MLC, Li Xiangyi walks from this courtyard around the side of his old room (again - note the door panels) past a small, private seating area for his/ZZS/QHZ's room - labelled as area 4.

This brings him, and us, along the walkway dividing the kitchen courtyard, and the main courtyard of this set. If you're struggling to follow along (as even I am at this point😵‍💫), this is the route I have taken you on so far:

I'm about to divert you into Sanbai Manor, WOH episode 5, for a look at area 7, and then we will dive into the main area of this Siji Manor set in part three.

So, surprise! This set is also briefly used for Chengling's room in Sanbai Manor. I thought I was crazy for this, but damn it, I was right. Here's a view of his "room" which is actually the side of the main hall (6):

It's at this point that I concede it might have just been easier to start this breakdown with the main courtyard and main hall. Whoops.

Anyway, I hope this first part has been an interesting, if chaotic, read. Let me know your thoughts so far! Have you been able to follow along okay? Do I need to clarify anything? What do you think about the revelation of all these sets colliding? (Particularly if part one and the first set is fresh in your mind.)

As always, if you'd like to support my research madness and help fuel my many artistic endeavors, please consider donating to my kofi or checking out my print shop:

project list | kofi | prints

Now, click through to part three below, where I will take you through the main area of Siji Manor. See you there!

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

[firstyok]

- Moonlight Chicken End Notes -

So, I've just finished Moonlight Chicken, and it was a deep, mature bl series, where it conveyed a lot of realistic life messages. It was new and refreshing to witness such a bl storyline, which speaks for real people.

Below, I've addressed a few of the best things that I've enjoyed about this show.

1. JimWen Chemistry

It was my first exposure to an EarthMix series, so I was definitely excited. The chemistry of the actors was magnetic, and it didn't take a moment to give me butterflies. Wen is super seductive, and I enjoyed it. In the first episode, when they both hooked up, I was like, "Oh wow.. that's.. sexyy", I kept thinking these stuff. So, definitely I loved their chemistry very much in this show.

2. GeminiFourth Acting

Once again, it was my first time watching the acting of GemFourth. I haven't watched MSP, so - MLC is my first exposure. My God, I was in love with their storyline, acting and everything as a whole. I truly loved Fourth's acting range, he is a great actor for such a young age. The way he portrayed such a mature, sharp tongued minor in the story, it was really heart-melting as well as sweet. His slow friendship with heart, was the best part of the show, I'd say. Gemini did a splendid job, portraying the character of a deaf child.

They both had such a lovely rapport, chemistry - I kept looking for their moments in MLC the entire time. For me, these two held the greatest importance to me in the show. The beginning of their meeting with a conflict, that slowly led to understanding both of them, which further led to friendship and young love. The progress in their story was beautiful to witness. I felt so happy to see some specific moments of them, such as Heart's face lighting up when figured that the paper was slid under the door by Li Ming, or the moment when Li Ming first heard Heart speak.

3. The Character of Alan

Eventhough the story presented him in a negative light at first - personally I could vastly relate to Alan. Personally, I'd say he's someone with the most depth and complications. He shared a 5 years long relationship with Wen, which is never an easy thing to let go off. I deeply empathize with Alan, not because he was dumped by Wen, but because his story speaks realistically. It is devastating to be out of love, when the other person still wants to be with you. Eventhough their relationship was not tampered due to Jim's entry, it will still make Alan doubt whether it is something that he lacked, and Jim didn't. It is normal to have these thoughts, because I've been there in his shoes too.

Eventhough he reacted violently with Wen and Jim at the diner, I believe it was valid to acknowledge how frustrated and insecure he had been, when he is losing the love of his life to someone else, in front of his eyes. It's a hard pill to swallow. Later on, I'm relieved how Alan moved on from their relationship after Wen decided to have a clear cut conversation about them during their last barbeque meal. It was necessary, because if he didn't give Alan the closure he needed, he wouldn't have been able to move on, just like all these prior months. Alan is a great character, he is flawed, and speaks life. He didn't use his injuries to hold Wen back, instead he insisted on being left alone, because he knew the hope has subsided. I think that's a wonderful character implication.

5. Gaipa is a Positive Embodiment

If Alan showed the dark side of handling emotions, Gaipa portrayed true well-intent and kindness throughout the series. I really enjoyed Gaipa's character in the series. He was like a ray of sunshine that needed to be added in such a mature heavy series. His role was like a breath of fresh air, whenever he appeared, he either made me feel better, or simply broke my heart - when he got rejected by Jim or when he lost his mother. But I really loved how he handled himself calmly upfront others, eventhough he was tearing apart inside.

His relationship with his mother was also iconic, definitely one of the best moments of the series. It shows how loving and understanding a mother-son relationship should be. It filled my heart with happiness when his mom was completely okay with him being gay, and how she encouraged him to find a lover. Losing such a great mother in his life, has to be the most heartbreaking experience ever, and this show portrayed it so deeply.

6. The Satisfying Ending

The ending of Moonlight Chicken has to be the most satisfying one, eventhough I'd have loved to see Alan and Gaipa officially ending up together. But, I really enjoyed their initial blooming stage of liking each other, it seemed so sweet and refreshing at the end of the show. When Heart and Li Ming were dining together, along with Leng and Praew in the scene too, it seemed like all the lovey dovey couples are finally enjoying their moments with their partners. I loved that scene, and Wen was helping out Jim as usual.

We even got a sneak peak of how maturely Alan handled the situation when he was with Gaipa and Wen gave him water - the smile on his face spoke as if - he deeply appreciated what Wen and Alan once had, but now he has Gaipa, and he has finally moved on from him, to focus entirely on his new budding love. That scene was really symbolic and my eyes teared up at the collective happiness of the show couples.

I've really enjoyed the show, everyone's acting, performance, along with the cinematography was stunning and praiseworthy. Additionally, the cast was a dream team, including EarthMix, FirstKhao, and GeminiFourth. These three couples smoothly pulled off the entire show with their elegance and hardwork! Kudos to the director, and everyone else involved in the production of the series!

[jupiter-86]

Me writing Fanghua fanfic: Am I making Fang Duobing too over-the-top protective of Li Lianhua? He's asked him if he's ok a lot in this fic and it's only chapter 1... and he keeps trying to kill anyone who even looks at Li Lianhua wrong... am I overdoing it?

I look back at any given episode of MLC: Nevermind.