#realizing that when plotting with xia

[uroborosymphony]



  headcanon:   calista, a villain?

Calista is the villain it just strikes me now. Responsible of Naeun's endless misery, great enemy of the Knights Order in the 19th century, Witches exterminator, ruining the flow of Time, currently after Hyukjae's powers.

[baoshan-sanren]

best cdramas I’ve watched since the last one of these posts in 2023 (and some I’m still looking forward to seeing)

A League of Nobleman (watch on WeTV VIP | watch on AppleTV | watch on Viki | watch on bilibili | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "The Mystery of Zhang Guo" (张公案) by Da Feng Gua Guo (大风刮过) starring Jing BoRan, Song WeiLong, Hong Yao, Guo Cheng and Wang Duo. Definitely gay, but in like a very focused, we-have-a-mystery-to-solve way. Loved the acting and the plot; cannot believe people actually gave Song Weilong shit for his acting in this drama. He was aMAzing. The downside is that the editing grew progressively sloppier as the drama progressed, and although majority of the visuals were very satisfying, I never realized how crappy the quality of the light was until I tried gifing some of the scenes. The upside is Jing BoRan holding kittens. Enough Said. 7/10

The Blood of Youth (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "Shao Nian Ge Xing" (少年歌行) by Zhou Mu Nan (周木楠) starring Li HongYi, Liu XueYi and Ao RuiPeng. Love this goddamn drama. I adopted the entire cast within the first 3 episodes and then I spent the next 37 terrified that half of them would get killed off. There’s def some major character death in this drama my chickens, so keep that in mind (and not a canonical death either, from what I understand). Anyway, this is my fave genre by far so I’m never really picky, but this drama is exhilarating and gorgeous from beginning to end. Highly recommend. 9/10

New Life Begins (watch on iQIYI | watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Qing Chuan Ri Chang" (清穿日常) by Duo Mu Mu Duo (多木木多) starring Bai JingTing and Tian XiWei. Just sweet and fluffy. The plot is easy and devoid of complexities, but very satisfying nonetheless. The acting is definitely on another level. The entire cast has bonkers chemistry, and it’s about time someone made good use of Bai Jingting’s comedy potential. One of the top 5 easy viewing dramas on my rewatch list.  8/10

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Huang Hou Liu Hei Pang" (皇后刘黑胖) by Ge Yang (戈鞅) starring Li JiaQi and Li HongYi. Loved this. Although it doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, this is basically a comedy from beginning to end. Not gonna lie, I mainly gave this a go for Li Hongyi, but it’s hard to even notice him when Li Jiaqi is in the room. There’s no shame in being overshadowed by superior talent :) 7/10

(yeah, after all this, I rewatched Nirvana In Fire again)

Under the Microscope (watch on Apple TV | watch on Bilibili | watch on iQIYI VIP | watch on Viki) Adapted from the novel "Xian Wei Jing Xia De Da Ming" (显微镜下的大明) by Ma Bo Yong (马伯庸) starring Zhang RuoYun and Wang Yang. Continuously impressed by Zhang RuoYun’s skills. This drama is 90% grit and tension. Drool-worthy visuals. Interesting plot. Sound mixing that gives me a Mo Ran style boner. Make your friends watch it and they will hate you. 9/10

Till The End of The Moon (watch on YouTube | watch on Apple TV | watch on Viki) Adapted from the web novel "Hei Yue Guang Na Wen BE Ju Ben" (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) by Teng Luo Wei Zhi (藤萝为枝). Starring Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. This was so breathtakingly gorgeous. The chemistry between the actors, the visuals, the special effects, the costumes, everything is stunning in this drama. The romance is by no means original, but still manages to draw you in. Absolutely worth watching at least once. 8/10

Still waiting on:

Immortality - based on danmei novel The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by 肉包不吃肉 starring Chen Feiyu and Luo Yunxi (you can think I’m a clown but you’d be wrong bc I’m a wholeass circus)

Winner Is King - based on the danmei novel Sha Po Lang by Priest starring Tan Jianci and Chen Zheyuan

Step By Step Lotus - based on historical novel Return to Ming Dynasty as Prince by 月关 starring Zhang Binbin and Luo Yunxi

Eternal Faith - based on danmei novel Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu starring Zhai Xiaowen and Zhang Linghe

Joy Of Life Season 2 - based on wuxia novel of the same name by 猫腻 starring Zhang Ruoyun and Li Qin

Story of Kunning Palace - based on the novel 坤宁 by 时镜 starring Bai Lu and Zhang LingHe

Flying Phoenix - based on danmei novel of the same name by 風弄 starring Dai Jingyao and Shu Yaxin

The Story of the Bat - based on danmei novel Bat by Feng Nong starring Mao Zijun and Zhang Yao

The Longest Promise - based on xianxia novel Zhu Yan by 沧月 starring Xiao Zhan, Ren Min, and Zhang Yunlong

Mysterious Lotus Casebook - based on wuxia novel 吉祥纹莲花楼 by Teng Ping 藤萍 starring Cheng Yi and Zeng ShunXi

Follow Your Heart - historical drama starring Song Yi and Luo Yunxi 

The Thirteen-Hongs in Canton - historical drama starring Zhu Yawen and Yu Haoming

White Cat Legend - based on manhua of the same name starring Ding Yuxi and Zhou Qi

[yuesya]

hi! i know 'call the ocean waves ashore' was discontinued/dropped but i just wanna say that it was the first qzgs/tka oc-fic i saw at all in the fandom and what got me to look to see if i could find any others - consequentially finding honestly one of my current favs. i just reread it tonight and reading the plot notes on the last chapter has me so wistful - and longing imagining reactions of like, blademaster characters (hello huang shaotian, blue river, and lu hanwen) finding out that xia lan used to be athena? YX finding out that they both know WXF??? Anyways. Just wanted to drop by and say that like. even tho her story might be over i sincerely love her and her story very much, and thanks for writing what you did 💜💜

Thanks, glad you enjoyed that plot bunny! It was one of the first fics that I had very extensive plans for (as you can probably tell by the long plot outline that was shared in the last update) and even though not all of the details were fleshed out, there was a clear end that I intended to write towards. Obviously I didn't manage to get very far for that plot bunny, but it was a fun exercise while it lasted and I'm glad there were readers who enjoyed it nonetheless!

A few more bonus tidbits of stuff that never made it into the story:

-The new character that Xia Lan makes in the China server is male. Her half-brother coaxes her into playing by asking her to help him level up an alt account, so she made a male character. This causes various misunderstandings.

-Xia Lan, having no idea about the details of the early gaming scene in China, does not realize that Wu Xuefeng and Ye Xiu were teammates. When she gets in touch with Wu Xuefeng and convinces him to come help out, there is a shocked reunion that takes place as a result.

-Perhaps unsurprisingly, Xia Lan has an aversion to hot liquids. At one point, there's a near-accident when she's handed a plastic foam cup of too-hot soy milk by a vendor, and it takes her awhile to calm down in the aftermath. Ye Xiu is confused by the extreme reaction, but makes sure that their other teammates don't crowd her or overwhelm her.

The mystery behind this isn't solved until Xia Lan's scars are discovered and Cynthia publicly confesses what happened in GhostFyre.

[respectthepetty]

I love this color moment in this week's episode of Stay by My Side (@heretherebedork, yes, I did lose it!)

But Bu Xia doing everything in the gayest way possible is one of the my favorite parts of Stay by My Side. It's not even that his every action is gay, but that every action towards Jiang Chi is very romantic, and it's all coming from a guy to a guy = gay.

And that he doesn't realize how gay he is being is giving me life.

Bu Xia stares as two men kissing in the park, yet all he can do is be upset that Jiang Chi is smiling at other people WHO AREN'T HIM!

Babe, you is gay!

All of this makes sense in the ghost plot, but to Jiang Chi - IT'S GAY:

Bu Xia is super clinging and won't let Jiang Chi out of his sight.

Bu Xia kissed him.

Bu Xia brushed his neck and ears with his lips when Jiang Chi was carrying him.

Bu Xia physically holds on to him any chance he can.

Bu Xia told Jiang Chi he was very special to him.

Bu Xia calls him to see when he will come home because he always needs Jiang Chi right next to him.

Bu Xia gets upset at the thought of Jiang Chi moving out.

Bu Xia was pouting when he realized Jiang Chi needed him for a senior's project and NOT JUST TO HANG OUT!

Bu Xia takes care of Jiang Chi's wound and feeds him breakfast and lunch, unprompted.

Bu Xia wants Jiang Chi to join the team, but tells Jiang Chi HE WANTS TO SPEND ALL HIS TIME WITH HIM!

GAY!

I pray Taiwan just skips over the angst and lets these two be together once it clicks in Bu Xia what he is actually feeling has nothing to do with ghosts because if it spills out that he is doing all of this just to use Jiang Chi, I will be as devastated as Jiang Chi.

Also, this school groupchat ain't shit.

[silverstark]

A White Lie Extra

Surprise for 520, aka “Chinese Valentine’s Day”

Ficlet for A White Lie, a 2ha / The Husky and His White Cat Shizun au where Xia Sini claims to be Chu Wanning’s son. Read it on Ao3 (Registered Users Only). SPOILERS FOR FULL NOVEL.

Auuthor’s Note: This doesn’t necessarily fit into the “canon” of A White Lie because I didn’t think it over carefully enough to see if it messes anything up in my plot. However! I wanted to write something to celebrate 520.

x-x-x-x-x

Mo Ran woke up early so he could go check on his recovering shidi first thing in the morning. Having reassured himself that the child was looking well, he wrote a note of explanation for his absence.

‘I’ll be back soon to give you medicine! I will be with Shi Mei for a little while.’

It was just a precaution: Xia Sini was still fast asleep, and the medication would make him less likely to wake up early. Chu Wanning had always woken up very late when he was sick. Mo Ran expected that Xia Sini would take after his father, as he did in so many other regards.

Mo Ran laid the note upon Xia Sini’s latest boring book. This one was about rare poisons. Mo Ran could only approve of Xia Sini finding a safer way to pursue his ‘win at all costs’ drive than through sword-fighting, so he did not plan on asking about his interest in the subject. He then snuck quietly out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Shi Mei was surprised to see Mo Ran.

“Good morning, A-Ran.”

“Good morning, Shi Mei,” he replied brightly.

“Do we have early morning training today? I must have forgotten,” Shi Mei said apologetically.

“No, no,” Mo Ran said. “It’s nothing related to training.”

Shi Mei’s expression changed. He looked faintly awkward.

“Oh? Then…”

He stopped himself as he realized that he almost asked a rude question.

“I hope I didn’t wake you up early,” Mo Ran said hurriedly.

“No…”

Indeed, he was fully dressed with his hair in near order. It seemed he had been quietly studying in his room, as Mo Ran had expected.

Mo Ran sighed in relief. “I’m glad. I was just hoping to ask you something…”

Here Mo Ran hesitated and scratched his head a little diffidently. Shi Mei seemed unusually reserved. Mo Ran had never interrupted his morning studying before to avoid inconveniencing him. Now he had, and on top of that, he was going to ask him another favor. He wondered if he should check whether Shi Mei had the time before asking him for the favor, or else Shi Mei might agree purely out of politeness.

Shi Mei watched him and suddenly lowered his gaze.

“Want to come inside?” he asked quietly.

“Huh?”

Shi Mei rarely invited Mo Ran into his room. Mo Ran hadn’t been expected to be invited in today of all days.

“So we can speak privately,” Shi Mei said.

“Oh! Thank you, but I don’t really have time,” he said apologetically.

Shi Mei’s eyes widened slightly. Mo Ran couldn’t remember the last time he had declined an invitation to spend time with Shi Mei. Usually he wanted to stick to Shi Mei like sticky candy, as close as Shi Mei would permit, every moment he could get.

Mo Ran explained, “I have to— actually, that’s what I wanted to ask. If you have time.”

“What is it?” Shi Mei asked, puzzled.

“Will you teach me how you make wonton soup?”

Shi Mei blinked in surprise. Then he looked at Mo Ran with an expression like dismay. Mo Ran didn’t understand it until he remembered his poor timing.

“You don’t have to make it with me. If you tell me how you make it, I can just try it on my own.”

“…Why do you want to learn how to make wonton soup?”

“Little Shidi is hurt. I was thinking yesterday, that when I’m hurt, wonton soup always makes me feel better. I want to try to make Little Shidi wonton soup before he wakes up.”

Shi Mei frowned and seemed thoughtful, even a little uncomfortable. Mo Ran blinked at him in confusion. He didn’t understand why Shi Mei didn’t seem to want to want to share the recipe.

“I thought Shidi didn’t like spicy food.”

“I’ll make it without chili for him.”

Shi Mei hesitated another moment. Mo Ran gazed at him in befuddlement, trying to figure out what the problem was.

“Do you…want to keep the recipe a secret?” Mo Ran wondered.

Shi Mei held out another moment before sighing in resignation.

“Shizun will have to forgive me,” he said quietly.

“Um. What does Shizun have to do with this? It’s not like it’s his recipe,” Mo Ran said, laughing a little at the idea of Chu Wanning’s cooking skills.

“It is,” Shi Mei said.

“Hahahahaha!”

Shi Mei watched him laughing. Mo Ran waited for him to drop the serious expression, but as time went on and Shi Mei failed to crack a smile, Mo Ran faltered. Then he stopped laughing entirely.

There was a tired look in Shi Mei’s eyes. The joke had been out of character; perhaps it was his way of distracting Mo Ran from something that was troubling him. Perhaps he had invited Mo Ran in wishing to tell him and unburden himself.

“What’s wrong?” Mo Ran asked gently.

“…Nothing.”

Mo Ran tsk’d and took Shi Mei’s hand intending to lead him into the room so they could talk privately. Shi Mei allowed it.

“Tell me,” Mo Ran urged once the door was closed.

“There’s nothing wrong,” Shi Mei said. “It’s only that I can’t teach you that recipe.”

“That’s okay,” Mo Ran said. “I shouldn’t have asked you out of the blue like that. But that can’t be the only thing that’s wrong. It’s not like you to make jokes at Shizun’s expense.”

“…”

Shi Mei gazed at him with an unreadable expression. Mo Ran looked back at him sincerely, hoping that Shi Mei would see how much Mo Ran cared about him.

“That was not a joke,” Shi Mei said. “It really is Shizun’s recipe. He’s the one who has been making wonton soup for you. I didn’t tell you because he asked me to keep it a secret.”

Mo Ran stared first in disbelief, and then in horrified realization.

“Mo Ran?” Shi Mei asked.

His voice sounded far away. Mo Ran was far away.

Before, he couldn’t think of the wonton soup without feeling a warmth that seeped deep into his bones. And now, he was remembering those wontons rolling across the floor, thrown away by Mo Ran’s own uncaring blow. He remembered the expression on Chu Wanning’s face after. He remembered his own satisfaction in the vindictive cruelty.

“Mo Ran?” Shi Mei asked again.

He sounded concerned. Mo Ran gulped and tried to pull himself together. He couldn’t have a breakdown in front of Shi Mei without explaining.

“Ah, so it wasn’t a joke,” he said with an attempt at a smile. It crumpled into a grimace.

Shi Mei sighed. “Shizun feared that you would react like this. That’s why he didn��t want you to know…”

Mo Ran again remembered the look on Chu Wanning’s face after Mo Ran had strewn his wontons across the floor. Chu Wanning had feared his reaction. But he couldn’t have known…

Mo Ran sucked in a breath. He repeated to himself that he couldn’t have a breakdown in front of Shi Mei.

“Don’t worry,” Mo Ran said. “I won’t tell him.”

He didn’t have time for a breakdown right now. He had to go start making the soup if he wanted it to be ready before Xia Sini woke up. He muttered some polite farewell to Shi Mei and hurried to the kitchens.

x-x-x-x-x

Cooking always settled Mo Ran’s spirit somehow. Cooking for someone he loved was even better. He put special care into every step. He knew very well that he could not fix the mistakes he had made in his past life. What was done was done. But…perhaps he could do better in this lifetime. He wanted to do better by Xia Sini.

The soup was beautifully made. It was nothing compared to the soup Shi Mei had brought him just when he had desperately needed it. The soup that Chu Wanning had made for him and sent to him just when he had desperately needed it. Mo Ran remembered his overwhelming gratitude and the spark of love that had flared in the wreck of his heartache over the way Chu Wanning had treated him. He didn’t know what to make of this now. He didn’t know how to feel towards Shi Mei or Chu Wanning now.

The only thing that was clear was his feeling upon walking into Xia Sini’s room to offer him the wonton soup. Xia Sini was sitting up now seemingly reading the note Mo Ran had left. He startled at Mo Ran’s arrival and tossed the note like he was embarrassed to be caught reading it. Mo Ran grinned, feeling his heart light up with warmth and affection.

“You woke up early,” he noted.

Xia Sini looked at him warily. Mo Ran was a little surprised that he didn’t make some cranky comment.

“Does your wound hurt? Don’t worry, I’ll give you medicine soon, as I promised,” he said cheerily.

“It does not hurt,” Xia Sini quickly denied. “You can take that away.”

He gave the soup bowl a disgusted glare as he spoke. Mo Ran laughed.

“Won’t you even give it a taste? Your shixiong worked hard to make this!”

Mo Ran placed the tray close to Xia Sini and uncovered the bowl to reveal the soup. Xia Sini stared at the contents.

“What? Don’t you like wonton soup? I promise it’s not spicy.”

Xia Sini didn’t look up.

“You…you made me wonton soup?” he asked uncertainly.

“Of course! Little shidi needs good food to recover.”

“…”

Xia Sini said nothing and made no move to pick up his chopsticks. Mo Ran looked at him in concern, but his lashes were low over his eyes and Mo Ran couldn’t read his expression.

“Do you really not like it? I can go get you something else...”

Mo Ran was a little worried. He would have no time to make something good before Xia Sini got hungry. It would have to be some plain, boring congee.

“No, don’t take it away,” Xia Sini said. “I like it.”

“Oh,” Mo Ran said, relieved. “Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. It’s just that no one has ever taken care of me like this.”

Mo Ran’s heart ached to hear those words. He had suspected it, but now he knew it was true. He reached out and gently patted Xia Sini’s hair. He didn’t understand how it could be that no one had cared for this precious, clever, kind child.

Xia Sini looked up at his touch and finally met Mo Ran’s eyes.

“Thank you, shixiong,” he said sincerely.

Mo Ran smiled even has his heart broke open, overfilled with affection. Light spilled out through the cracks.

“I said I would take care of you, didn’t I?”

Xia Sini blinked and stared. He said nothing, but Mo Ran thought he saw something small and fragile lighting up in his eyes. Mo Ran tucked a strand of hair behind Xia Sini’s ear.

He cleared his throat before speaking to be sure that it wouldn’t break.

“If you want to show your gratitude, you better start eating before it gets cold,” he chided.

Xia Sini lowered his head and obeyed. There was a little smile on his face. Mo Ran couldn’t look away from it.

x-x-x-x-x

[maleyanderecafe]

Hey! Do you review tv series? because I think the male lead in the chinese drama well-intended love is a yandere. He is really possessive and controlling. The plot twist too is very creepy. It's available in netflix and free on youtube if you want to trt watching it. Love your reviews❤

Phew, man I am not used to watching dramas. Cherry and I watched two seasons of Well Intentioned Love, but only the first season has the relevant yandere stuff going on. It’s got a lot from cancer, to car accidents, dogs, the driver, falling into a lake, kidnapping, cakes, amnesia and acting. There is so much going on and yet nothing going on at the same time. Sorry it took so long, but this will be a very long ask. I also found this wonderful review on this website that also tells probably a better summary from what I can tell.

Season 1 and Season 2 are sort of AUs of each other, with the first season set in the world where main character Lin Lin is a struggling actor and in the second season she’s a successful actress instead. We’re going to go season by season.

The first season starts with Xia Lin, an upcoming actor with bad luck who finds out one day that she has Leukemia. She's matched with a CEO Ling Yi Zhou, to which her and her best friend Jia Fei try to break into the company to talk to him. Lin is able to talk to the CEO about her situation, and he agrees under the condition that the two get married. The CEO wants to get married to make his grandmother happy, and we also run into An Ran, the CEO's childhood friend, who is in love with him. After an encounter at a rich jeweler show, Lin runs into her ex, and in a grand gesture of love, the CEO ends up buying the most expensive jewel to dunk on the ex and to court Lin with. The two get married, and Lin gets some visits from Chu Yan, a famous actor who seems kind of offended that Lin is ignoring him, and An Ran plots to separate the newly wedded couple. Lin gets a ring to further sell the idea of the two getting married for the grandmother, and Lin learns more about the CEO by finding a toy robot in his room, while the CEO helps her career by getting her into a movie. Lin ends up finding a dog one day by the park, and keeps it until she can return it to its owner. The man who owns the dog, Nan Jin Tian seems to be conspiring for something while the CEO and Lin bond over making cakes. Lin has to go meet Nan after he finds out he's sick to return his dog. The CEO ends up buying her a dog after because of how much she loved the dog she was taking care of. Also Jia Fei and the CEO's assistant/driver Wen Li get together. The CEO gets into a car accident (off screen?) and loses his memory of the past two years. Lin tries to win over his heart, and we learn that Nan seems to have had a hand in the accident. An Ran makes a soup for the CEO to make him feel better, but we find out that the soup was actually poisoned and that that she's been hypnotizing the CEO so that he will fall in love with her. While the driver and Jia Fei get closer, we find out that the CEO actually forged the documents about her having lukemia and the bone marrow transfer, something that makes Lin question their relationship. We learned the reason why the CEO fell for Lin in the first place was when the two of them met at a cake shop on their birthday (since they share a birthday) as well as helping him once when he was really drunk. For about two years, he's gotten the driver to essentially stalk her for the past two years. The CEO also eventually gains his memories of her back.

Lin gets framed by An Ran and Nan Jin to make it look like she was groped by Chu Yan as the two have been meeting up periodically. We also get more insight into Chu Yan's family as his father hits him with a cane for dishonoring the family image, as well as Chu Yan realizing that he has a crush on Lin. He ends up at the hospital because of his father, which leads to an explosion where he dies. They find Lin's earring at the scene of the crime, suspecting her as the one who caused Chu Yan's death, as well as a photo taken that made it looks like she was attacking him before he died. The driver (and CEO) find the culprit behind the photos and during a press conference, the CEO announces him and Lin's marriage towards each other. Lin finds out that An Ran was the one that framed her and that Chu Yan is actually alive. As it turned out, he was kidnapped by Nan Jin and met Xiao You who helped him escape (though initially unwillingly). Lin and CEO try for a baby and the driver and Chu Yan get into a car accident. Lin gets the driver to find the CEO's mother so that the CEO and him can bond (since she left when he was young). We find out that Nan Jin is actually the CEO's step brother and was the one who planted the earrings so that she would be arrested for Chu Yan's death. He seems to have done all of this for revenge for his mother(?), and we also find out that Lin is pregnant. Lin and Chu Yan get kidnapped by Nan Jin, and he and the CEO get into a fist fight after the CEO goes to try to look for the both of them. Chu Yan's dad gets a redemption arc and we find out that the CEO's mom was using him so that he could get Nan Jin's love, even though Nan Jin doesn't love her back. Nan Jin gets shot at some point and dies. Lin is saved and everyone is happy with the end credits having Lin and CEO get married.

The second season starts out in an alternate universe where Lin is a successful actor. She ends up being in fake engagement with the CEO and in a realty show with him to up the numbers. A lot of the season is fluff between characters, including going to sports together and eventually get married when they find out that CEO's grandmother may die soon. We also find that Xiao Yu is much more different in this version basically being a more naive girl who doesn't know much about the world and has a hard time talking with men. There's a person that tries to drag down Lin's reputation because of a car accident he was in. We also find out the manager is the one who is blackmailing Lin? The entire thing ends with the CEO and Lin having a child and living happily together.

Cherry and I watched the second season just to make sure that we were watching all of the yandere portions of the show, but really all of the yandere things by the CEO are in the first season. I will say if you do like the characters and a lot more fluff that you would probably like the second season as well.

This show is... I don't really watch a lot of dramas (and especially not a lot of C-dramas), but I felt like this show has really weird pacing. Often there will be important plot points that are then added with fluff, and specific important scenes will be shown off screen, like when the CEO gains amnesia from a car crash, or people who were built up will die very abruptly, like Nan Jing, who seems to die from a gunshot (not even from the CEO) and then never brought up again. I know that a lot of chinese media, like manhwa often have a bit of pacing issues where the stories can often be a bit choppy, but this one really takes the cake. It's not necessarily bad since there are quite a lot of cute moments and the characters are fun and endearing, but the plot is... kinda just all over the place. I feel like for the first season a lot of the important information was dumped near the end, with most of the middle being fluff, and there was just so much going on constantly, from drugging people to brain washing to kidnapping and not really in any order. The second season is more for fluff, but like I said, don't expect any proper plot or even that much yandere things going on.

That being said, the CEO, or Yi Zhou is pretty calculating all things considered. After falling in love with her, he got Wen Li to stalk her for about two years before swapping out the tests she got for anemia with results for leukemia so that the two would meet and he could get the marriage scheme going. I will say that the two of them meeting in a cake shop because they have the same birthday is super unorthodox as a love at first sight thing and it is pretty funny to see Yi Zhou drunk and attempting to drive on the wrong side of the car. I believe at some point Yi Zhou ends up also trapping Lin inside of the house after she learns that she faked the report. In the end with the giant plot of Nan Jing trying to usurp Yi Zhou, it is nice that Lin believes in Yi Zhou and that he won't betray her, and ultimately ends in a happy ending but... it does seem weird considering the vibe of the series tends to be more light hearted, so all of these random car crashes and people trapping the CEO and Lin inside of a storehouse to freeze are really weird out of context. Lin and Yi Zhou do care for each other despite these mishaps, which is something that I always find nice in yandere media.

I will now take this moment to talk about how Wen Li is the best character. He's the driver and he has the best surprised pikachu face ever thoughout the entire series, so much so that me and Cherry kept making jokes about him. He honestly does so much for the CEO and it was really funny watching him hang out with the girls only for him to be forced back into work despite him only wanting to play cards. He's the best character honestly and I think it would be super entertaining watching a show that is based around him.

Overall, this show was honestly kind of confusing, even though the characters themselves were pretty solid. I honestly watched like two episodes of this in a row once and got a headache because god does so much happen and yet so little happens at the same time. Big thanks to Cherry for helping me summarize all of this because lord knows that I wouldnt' be able to do it myself. If you are looking for a fluffy show that suddenly has a lot of drama and a yandere, maybe this one is for you.

[danmeiarchive]

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.

[aworldforastage]

entertainment industry melodrama, x2

Since I'm not an entertainment/culture news reporter, I do get a bit embarrassed at times when I somehow end up too knowledgeable about celebrity gossip. And it's an entirely different level of awkward when that becomes true for a fictional universe.

But in my defense, I saw a lot of it twice, since 冰块儿/Bing Kuai'er has two stories in the celebrities/entertainment industry genre with overlapping timeline, cast, and plot events:

专属深爱/Exclusive Love

黎明之后/After Dawn

The main love interest in Exclusive Love and the protagonist of After Dawn are best friends dating back to childhood and make cameos in the other CP's story.

Even though these two stories are closely related, they are in very different genres. Exclusive Love is a mostly "sweet" entertainment industry story, and the major plot elements are centered around the main characters' artistic careers. After Dawn is a bittersweet (dog blood) reconciliation story, and is really centered around the family/business rivalry that caused the initial break up; the main characters just happen to work in the industry.

(Audiodrama cover art for Exclusive Love, After Dawn. They even made audiodramas with the same cast for the main characters! Unfortunately it is not on Mao'er and the reception, especially for Season 2, hasn't been great.)

Synopsis [Spoiler-free]:

专属深爱/Exclusive Love -- Idol singer Xia Xi'ai is an orphan from a humble background, and despite having accumulated a massive fanbase within a year of his debut, is still a relatively powerless newcomer in the entertainment industry. He meets award-winning actor Jiang Liushen, who comes from an elite family in the industry and has been famous since childhood. Xia Xi'ai wins over Jiang Liushen with his talent, kindness, and tenacity, and Jiang Liushen helps free Xi'ai from his exploitive management agency and realize his full potential as a musician.

黎明之后/After Dawn -- Star actor Li Luo's management agency is acquired by his ex Duan Mingyang, with whom he parted on very unpleasant terms. However, now they agree to work together to take on a common enemy in Duan Mingyang's half-brother, who is both Mingyang's competitor in the family business and the business rival who framed Li Luo's father for serious crimes. During their collaboration, new information forces them to re-evaluate their perception of each other and their understanding of what happened during their relationship five years ago.

[Minor Spoilers]

专属深爱/Exclusive Love is really a "sugar pie", fairly straightforward story in which unlucky but resilient idol find his true love in the confident and powerful star actor. Xia Xi'ai has endured some of the harshest hands dealt by fate, but remains determined, optimistic, and grateful. However, losing all the important people in his life at a young age has left him with deep insecurities about attachment and abandonment. Jiang Liushen comes into his life with the kind of confidence and kindness that can only come from someone who grew up extremely talented, loved, and supported. With Jiang Liushen's help, Xi'ai works through several major setbacks in his musical career, and stops needing to brave every storm all by himself. Meanwhile, Xi'ai's experiences and resilience inspire Jiang Liushen to work through some recent personal and professional struggles.

In contrast, 黎明之后/After Dawn is just a waterfall of "dog blood". These two people nearly destroyed each other with heartbreak and betrayal, but they refuse to move on even after five years of having no contact, to the point where it's irrational and unhealthy how attached both of them still are. They talk about their bitter separation multiple times because they are not over it, but their choice of a few crucial words always make the misunderstanding worse. This novel is one of my favorite guilty pleasures: all the evidence points to them making bad decisions out of stubbornness and desperate hopes to rekindle a dead romance, but eventually the plot vindicates their choices and gives them a happy ending. [Warning: This story has made some people very mad. It's the kind of story for wanting to be taken on an emotional roller coaster on "head empty, just and love and feels" kind of mode, not for when you want to think critically about relationships and personal growth whatnot.]

In the end, I just want to laugh a bit at Jiang Liushen. Since Exclusive Love is written first, Jiang Liushen plays a more extensive role in After Dawn than the other other way around. He is a movie star and romantic hero is his own sweet romance novel, but in his BFF's story, he is providing Li Luo with friendly brotherly support, drawing Duan Mingyang's ire as an imaginary romantic rival, and also very active in foiling financial crimes -- who would have thought being s a supporting character would take more work?

[storytellergirl]

Lucky's First Love (cdrama, 2019) - final thoughts

A solid feel-good drama with a great OTP.

After being disapponted with another fluffy modern cdrama, Intense Love (review here), I hoped that Lucky's First Love would be better - and it didn't disappoint :).

The premise is that the ML, Xia Ke, is a CEO of a company that makes online dating games and the FL, Xing Yun (aka "Lucky"), is the first employee he hired. They've been working closely together for two years and they both live and breathe for the company. They are also often bickering with each other which is a lot of fun to watch.

When the ML appoints the FL to be in charge of the new dungeon project, he suggests to her that she should gain some dating experience to help her develop a better game. To his surprise, she takes him for his word and goes to a blind date that her cousin arranges for her. While she slowly discovers what being in a relationship means, Xia Ke realizes that pushing her into the arms of another was a huge mistake because the one who's supposed to be with Xing Yun is….him.

The dynamics is actually similar to What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, but Lucky's First Love is more juvenile. It does deliver the optimistic, good feels though: it doesn't have any huge misunderstandings or a break-up, the second and third leads are actually nice people and there is no-one who actively plots against the OTP.

Ok, there is an unfortunate crazy ex girlfriend trope in the last four episodes, but while she makes the leads uncomfortable, they trust each other and don't break up. It just sucks because it's an overdone stereotype and it took away screen time from the leads who only just got together. So the last episodes are rather weak, with badly written mild "crisis", but the leads get their HEA anyway, so I am not too mad. (just skip the crazy ex scenes and you're good)

The majority of the show is actually great and fun: I would say that eps 7 to 19 are the strongest. There is a lot of build up/slow burn, the leads only get officially together in ep 19 and the pay off is not as great as one would hope.

8/10 - This is a solid fluffy drama with good chemistry between the leads but it has some weaker plot moments towards the end.

[cantalooprat]

One-way Passage

What I Liked

jgq novels do be hitting different 😔👌 i stan

how multilayered the title is and how it refers to so many things inside the story---how pheromones are used to express emotions and how in a b/o or a/b relationship, the pheromones are a one-way street in which the other party can't respond. how life just goes on and time passes and one can't return to the past. how everyone in the story seems to have their own "one-way passages"---ming qin's resentment towards lu wenxing, ming siyan's feelings towards lu huaiye, lu huaiye the clowned one who's just muddling along feeling like sth is wrong but can't quite put a finger on it, lu wenxing trying to reach out to ming luchuan but ming luchuan doesn't care

xia wennan is like. at first he really was kind of. nasty lmao. and like it's prob also caused by panic that he lost his memories and there's suddenly a gap of 6 years and he did things that his 20-year-old self wouldn't ever have imagined doing. but then. but then... as the story progresses... i realized that xia wennan rly is just. rude and tactless. that's just who he is. i hope ming luchuan didn't take any hard feelings bc ur wife is rly just tactless and blunt to everyone. i even felt kind of ????? when he just roasted ming qin and ming siyan near the end like xia wennan, this is not the time??? but he is just that kind of person...

ming luchuan is like the first insecure alpha i've ever seen. like i've seen gentle alphas, introverted alphas, but ming luchuan is rly the most like one of those kdrama overbearing ceo with a traumatic past. he rly is just starved for love, and def gives off the vibe that he loves xia wennan more than xia wennan loves him bc of that. but like just bc he loves xia wennan doesn't mean he takes shit from him lmao i love it whenever xia wennan does something batshit insane like pluck his eyelashes while sleeping and ming luchuan goes are you sick in the head and xia wennan apologizes and tells him he can also pluck his eyelashes and ming luchuan does it!!!! it rly does take two to tango.

at certain points in the story, i did wonder if these two would work---like obviously they're the main cp in a happy end novel so they would work, but some couples just have chemistry, y'know? and like, in a very strangely haphazard sort of way, ming luchuan and xia wennan do make a very harmonious couple. they're both kind of crazy in their own ways, and like it's v clear that they know each other's flaws but they love each other anyway... i do love jgq novels and the cp she writes.

the plot twist at the end that was kind of predictable like wow for once i managed to guess 80% of what happened!! n i felt accomplished lmao

also when xia wennan first encountered the ming family post-amnesia man i got chills like wtf i didnt sign up for a horror story it was so unsettling

What I Disliked

i wish it was longer hnnng like the main story is all covered but there r just like... side char plot threads that i wish would've been explored more. like what's up w the moze senior he guy? what about his younger bro and his fling w ming qin? would lu huaiye rekindle his relationship with the real ming siyan?

Notes

jgq never disappoints 😔👌 i binged this in basically a day

[birdscale]

I’ve noticed one thing, if a show goes out of its way to promote “girl power” “girls help girls” it usually would be the exact opposite of it.

Like the new Chinese tv drama dream of splender (Meng Hua Lu) got backfired for this type of promotion. It sets itself on a high moral standard, only for the audience to notice its protagonist centric morality, now people all think the second female lead is bullied by the protagonist gang and she should be the actual hero in the show coz of her actual character arc, which is quite ironic, coz the second female lead was supposed to be a ~bad example~ as to show how good our protagonist is as a comparison.

The show gets hate comments also because of its discrimination against sex workers, like they are making the whole being prostitute in acient China about ~choice you make~, like you have a choice in ancient China being something like a geisha. When whether selling ~artistic talents~ or body or both is not up for them to decide. When they can be sent like they are just a gift, an object to anyone.

When the protagonist talk about how they are holier than tho coz they don’t choose to sell their bodies. They win favors from clients using their artistic talent. Those who choose to sell their bodies have no self love. Yeah yeah😅 Anyway, that is just soooooo against its promotion of “we love girls, girls are the best” but not the prostitute right?

But then the plot goes on about how difficult it is for the protagonist to get rid of her pariah state(she was sold to be a “geisha” as a punishment for her father’s crime), how she is ashamed of her past, promising the male protagonist if she’s done anything wrong just send her back to be a pariah as a punishment. Welp if you could “choose” to not sell your body, win favorites just by your music or dancing talent, if famous enough, can earn a lot money and get to meet the king blah blah, then how is being a “geisha” and a pariah a bad thing. But when the second female lead desperately wants to marry a rich husband to get rid of her pariah state, the protagonist scold her for trying so (???) In this show, the “fault” of the second lead is just simply wanting to get out of pariah state? Just because the more talented she becomes, the more shows she performs, she feel more objectified? What’s the problem in her wish?

Also the show begins with an investigation by the male lead, about if the queen is “lying” about her purity. The show is a history adaptation, so the Queen, Liu E, would be one of the most famous female politicians in history, was and is KNOWN to be a wet nurse when she entered the court. Like the emperor already knew she wasn’t a virgin(hell she even gave birth before!) when he had an eye on her. She was made a queen with the whole nation knowing this was her second marriage, and she remained in actual political power after the king died. Who gives a fuck about the queen not being a virgin and “lying” about it? People from 1000 years didn’t give a shit, the audiences too??? Like no matter how the show tries to make the investigation “mysterious”, are they realizing they are adapting a famous history figure?

Little note at the end:

The show is an adaptation of a 1000 year old play written by Guan HanQing. Said play is titled prostitute saving prostitute, Guan made two prostitutes heroes of their story, the Xia of the story. but the 21 century adaptation wanted its protagonist to be “pure” and dissing the second female lead for not being a perfect victim in the original play. SMH

Ah yes, Liu YiFei is the protagonist, now she just proves once again, one, she can’t act. Two, she’s insufferable on screen. And now we also know she’s a darn neoliberal feminist 😂😂😂

[certainpancake]

Dramas to watch in 2024

the blood of youth (edit: I love this show so much!!!!! I am glad i decided to watch eventhough i did not know what is going on for 10 eps. It truly lives up to expectation!!! and i cant wait for any series related to this to come out!!)

mysterious lotus casebook (these two in particular becuz fans said they are good but i was bored. Then i realized that my style of watching is stopping when i am done and not binge watching. out of all shows, i decided to give these two a try)

Fox spirit series (1 and 2) i think 1 will air this year and 2 in 2025. It depends becuz i decided soley on casts and i dont know much about plot. I might not finish it if they are reincarnations plots but i might be into it.. who knows...

the story of mystics (idk.. feels like i might be into it)

dashing youths (the prequel of the blood of youth. I am now so into xia zhiguang and he might get lots of action scenes in this so letssssss goooo)

anything that zhang wanyi is on (mostly historical becuz i am not into modern dramas.)

lost you forever s2 (literally waiting this for months. If u see a person defending cang xuan like crazy, that is me lol)

war of faith ( i am not a fan of republican dramas but this is so good, currently watching!!)

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ( the cast is crazy so lets see!)

the impossible heir (it is coming in a couple days and i cant wait to see lee jaewook is action!)

the sweet home 3 (the trio is back and i think it is coming august this year)

all of us are dead s2 (not sure but i think it is coming this year)

the squid game 2 (illegally ofcourse)

my love mix up thailand ( we love gem4th and the original manga!)

spare me your mercy (who doesnt love tor and jj)

Pluto ( this is girls year!!)

thame po... To be honest i was thinking about this kind of plot to be given to gem4th purely due to the fans influence and meanwhile I am glad it is actually given to an idol group, i still cannot gauge the acting of william and est. so yeah on watch list but not gonna expect a lot

young royals ( the fandom will kill me if i say i havent watched any of the episode despite it already in season 3 and my reason for that is whenever i decided that i will watch it, another season gets announced. Everyone is saying this is the last season so i might watch it all in one go.)

the two taiwan bls which will be adapted from priest(?) i dont remember the name but i am sure that they will make noise when it gets released so yeah) (it is unknown and I am currently obsessed)

[pandasmagorica]

First watch: Stay By My Side

Okay, it's been a couple weeks but I just had to get another re-watch of Bad Buddy in before that series potentially disappears from YouTube after the Viki deal.

So, we'll see what's memorable about it.

First, the Taiwanese series Stay By My Side feels very much like a ghost-story rewrite of the Japanese QL series Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss.

Unlucky guy/haunted guy meets lucky guy/guy who keeps the ghosts at bay and contrives to be closer to him. Lucky guy/guy who keeps the ghosts at bay thinks unlucky guy/haunted guy is attracted to him. Misunderstandings and comedy ensue.

I liked Mr. Unlucky better and I think the acting is better.

Both are fun.

I would be more likely to re-watch Mr. Unlucky than Stay By My Side, but never say never.

I was glad to have seen both of them.

You might want to space out your watching if you plan to see both series as the overarching plot dynamics are a bit too close together.

Both are set in college, if that makes a difference in your interest.

There are a few non-consensual kisses, although not all for romance, and some seme behavior in Stay By My Side, if that's an issue.

Stay By My Side has the falling on someone trope, although no accidental kiss.

Spoilers follow

Ultimately, unlucky guy/haunted guy falls for lucky guy/guy who keeps the ghosts at bay, lucky guy/guy who keeps the ghosts at bay finds out about the original ruse, ultimately they end up happily together.

I'll drop the Mr. Unlucky references now and focus on my recent watch of Stay By My Side.

Haunted guy Gu Bu Xia wasn't always haunted. His grandfather, who raised him, ran a Buddhist temple and dealt with ghosts all the time. Bu Xia was afraid to take over the duties at his grandfather's passing, so Bu Xia's tomboy sister Gu Bu Tao took over the job. But she accidentally burned the corner of a poster that was supposed to protect her brother from ghosts and he started hearing them. That is, until he discovered that if he touched roommate Jiang Chi the ghost voices were silenced.

So Bu Xia winds up trying to spend as much time as possible with Jiang Chi and Jiang Chi mistakes it for romantic interest. There are plenty of misunderstandings as well as some seme behavior by Jiang Chi - which he later repents of when he realizes he's made a mistake regarding Bu Xia's intentions - and backs off just in time for Bu Xia to realize he's fallen for Jiang Chi. Eventually both the truth and Bu Xia come out.

Some of the script decisions strike me as weak. Bu Xia's sister outs him to Jiang Chi as a ghost-hearer. There is some iffy inconsistency in the ghost hearing. Bu Xia questions, in Taiwan no less, whether two men can fall in love. Bu Xia expects Bu Tao will wind up with a boyfriend; I'm so disappointed that she doesn't come out as lesbian on the spot - it's not established in the series that she is but she is such a total tomboy that I'd be surprised if she wasn't.

However, the ultimate ending is so delicious I won't spoil it for you. Be sure to stick around for the post-scene.

Recommendation: Fun enough. I wouldn't be unhappy if I had missed it but I was glad enough that I watched.

[plan-d-to-i]

Hey plan!!

So i read first mdzs before i wanted to watch the live action. So here i was excited to watch the drama thinking that "oh maybe they'll follow the story" AND BAM first episode in we have newly resurrected wwx freezing someone without talismans or something?? and i was like "what is happening😀" and in that moment i realized that in the next episodes it will probably go downhill😀 AND I WAS RIGHT 😀 i literally skipped a lot because nothing makes sense. like wow am i even watching the adaptation of mdzs or something else?? so i naturally did not finish it because i cannot stomach the acting especially jc's so i just googled what happened in cql AND I REGRETTED IT. i was so confused about the yin iron thing that i raged about it like WTF EVEN IS A YIN IRON?? aside from that there were clips of wwx and lwj just staring at each other?? i dunno what to feel about that but that's certainly not that romantic for me and what's certainly not romantic for me was the DIALOGUE like WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT WWX BEGGING LWJ TO KILL HIM??

And as a trusted source of information and someone who watched cql... Plan were those staring scenes and shit ass dialogues REALLY SOUND romantic?? Because so many cql people screamed about how dRaMaTiC and rOmAnTiC those were😀

And when you think that it could've been worse if fans hadn't intervened after leaks during filming. (link 1 & link 2)

Hi!! („• ᴗ •„) ♡

I mean I'm shallow af, so the reason I watch is bc Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo & Wang Haoxuan are running around on screen (｡・//ε//・｡) but let's not kid ourselves. the acting? The Story?! THE PLOT?! ... 🥴 Chief Cultivator LWJ?!!~ ah Yes MDZS, the story of LWJ abandoning WWX to pursue his dream of a political career 🥴🥴

Yang Xia's writing sucked. Once you look past the swelling music and pretty faces there's no substance or logic. The LWJ slander! They have him defending the Burial Mounds... after uh everybody died? They have him trying to stop WWX from saving the Wens... in the rain... It just removed everything that makes their relationship and the buildup of it so moving and powerful. The Yin Iron arc of sheer nonsense. The whole "it's about family🥺 Yunmeng sibs 🥺🥺"...no it's really not. And then you have clowns going like: "omg !! cql!! they understood romance!!! none of that gross gay sex~ fornicating in a bush >:0"... 🌝

[mrpenguinpants]

Xiao: String of Fate [Soulmate AU] HCs

Hey anon! Okay, I’m just gonna level with you. This request? This request right here? Probably one of my favourites. I went feral over this at 3am and my monkey brain fabricated an entire life story for Xiao when he’s not even out yet.

I sorta combined this request with my feral plot idea (which is honestly a 20k word fic at this point), but ahem, I hope you like and np^^ gotta make so many offerings so Xiao hopefully blesses me. Have a lovely day anon!!

--- Xiao Semi Series

[ Friendship ] [ Falling in Love ] [ Cuddles ] [ Protective ] [ Affection ] [ Jealously ] [ Opposites Attract ] [ Fainting ]

[Masterlist]

---

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @thicmitten @sunnshiii @hanniejji​  @snowy224 @mayumintsu @tigerpriestess @yuu-yuukurotsuki @legionqueensav​ @youaskedfurret​

---

Xiao: String of Fate [Soulmate AU] HCs

The red string of fate is a concept that those who are connected by a red string are destined to meet and fall in love. Regardless of place, time, or circumstances. The red string can never be broken unless one connected passes away.

Alatus

For the past few days, Alatus would wake up early and scale the mountains of his small village to pick Qingxin flowers. The morning dew would still be on the petals before the sun came by and evaporated everything. It became a bit of a small joke that the elders used to make, that a earth spirit would appear at the break of dawn to place the flowers for harvest. Not that Alatus minded, he was grateful that whatever celestial spirt was out there made sure to replace the ones he took. Remembering to always offer a prayer of thanks and a small offering, you would scold him if he didn’t.

He quickly scaled and vaulted over the wooden beam and slipped into your room. He winced at the sound of his shoes landing on the wooden floor but you didn’t seem to stir. You were still sleeping peacefully as Alatus took the fresh flowers to add to the ones already in your small vase beside you. They were your favourite flower after all. He reminisces about when you were both children and how you would drag him to mountains and tell him all about how at the very top there was his beautiful white flower. But you were both too young with small limbs to even attempt to climb it, plus if you somehow managed to do it, it would take too long and both your parents would be worried. It never seemed to deter you as you reasoned that a wind spirit would help your journey. Come to think of it, you always put a lot of faith into celestial beings. But he goes along with your plan, never one to contain your desire to explore.

He’s suddenly snapped out of his memories when he hears a soft knock on the door. It quietly opens to reveal your mother. She gives him a small smile as he looked a bit guilty for getting caught breaking in before waving him over to hand him something. You left him with a small bamboo package that you had wanted to give on his birthday. On top of the bamboo, you had wrote a short but warming message that you were worried about him always running off outside and that he might catch a cold. He smiled softly at your words, ingraining the way your ink brush flowed down the bamboo sticks into his mind. He offer’s a small thanks as she gives him a comforting hug. Whether for him or her he doesn’t know and she leaves.

He carefully untied the brown string keeping the package together to unravel a blue, white, and gold sleeve. He silently marveled at how beautiful it was and held it up to the light, it almost seemed to shine with subtle highlights. He has no idea how you managed to create this, he had never even seen the dye of red or gold used in clothing before. Perhaps the celestial beings decided to bless you for your prayers and devotion. He gives one small squeeze of your hand as he ties the sleeve to his arm and he slips out through the same window he came from. He looks up at the mountain’s he’s scaled before setting on the tallest one. One so tall the elders say that it could reach celestia.

As he scales the mountain he can feel a taint tug on his thumb, before it slowly disappears. He closes his eyes for a brief moment, breathes in deeply, and continues upwards.

The Golden-Winged King

One of his first adepti duties was to investigate the place he once knew as his home. There had been a dream eating demon that had been spreading curses onto unsuspecting youths. Putting them into eternal sleep before they bodies finally succumbed and they passed away. It was horrible and Alatus swore he would do everything in his power to make the dream demon suffer. Unfortunely, seeing as this was his first time venturing out back into the moral world and still recovering from his trials, he was assigned to work with a senior anemo adepti. One who was well-versed in using polearms that could “show him the ropes” as mortals would say.

This other adepti was too loud and erratic for his tastes compared to the calm and peaceful friend he once knew. Always getting side-tracked and flying around Alatus like some overgrown pixie. Never taking anything serious even though the both of you were tasked to destroy evil. But he held his tongue since this was his senior, gripping his sleeve when he was especially annoyed. This only seemed to spur the other anemo adepti further and inquire about the sleeve. Naturally, Alatus was hostile and guarded. That was first time he ever raised his voice which instead of becoming offended or angry, the other adepti was impressed.

From then on the other adepti seemed to want to interact with Alatus at any given moment. From checking in with him on his latest mission or if he heard about how the delicious flowers tasted. Who even ate flowers? Either way, every instance of communication was brushed aside, he would always make some weak excuse that he needed to train. Which lead to the other challenging him. The both of you were the same element so it would be a good time to see who was the best at wielding it. Overtime he began to look forward to your weekly spars. Even finding a bit of joy out of them. Ever since he had climbed up the mountain it had been constant training and hardships but when it came to these spars. It was fun. Alatus began to open his heart a tiny bit, let’s himself relax and fall into amusement when he see’s his partner’s face pop over him as they hovered over him.

He even began to feel his locked up heart start to beat a bit faster whenever he saw his partner perk up and wave at him. Whenever you threw your arm around him he never brushed you off like he used to, just basked in your presence as you rambled about how this stuck up bird was running everyone through the ground with her demands. It was amusing for fresh adepti’s to see you both interact. The ever stoic and aloof Alatus that taught them through strict rules loosen up immediately and smile whenever your head popped up to scold him for his training methods.

It was fun. Until the day he became possessed and killed you with your own weapon.

Guardian Yaksha

Guizhong was concerned. Ever since Rex Lapis had saved the poor adepti man from his possession, he had locked himself in. He still fulfilled his duties with alarming accuracy but it seemed that he completely on auto-pilot. He could stand in the pouring rain without realizing it or he always seemed to be in such a rush. Asking to do anything that needed to be done rather than relax. He was going to end up running through his long years at this rate. She brought it up to Rex Lapis and his fellow Yaksha but none of them had the time or want to check in on him. It was a time of war after all. Except one.

You watch him stand in the rain. Any attempts from you or Guizhong to ask if he was better always failed and you didn’t want to push. But this was already past the point of simple concern. So the next time you saw him relapse you walked over and embraced him. He usually carried himself as stiff as possible but you swore you were holding one of Rex Lapis’s pillars. You braced yourself to get thrown off or at the very least be questioned but none of those things happened. He just stood there and to be honest, you weren’t sure if that was even more concerning. You both didn’t say anything even when the rain stopped until Rex Lapis had summoned you both over.

You and him never developed a close friendship but he never seemed to brush you away whenever you sat beside him ever since you hugged him in the rain. A bare acknowledgement on good days but that was alright. Just sitting in each other’s presence when the war wanted to be quiet somedays was nice. On harder days when fighting took too much of a toll on your body you would lean your head on his shoulder. He never shrugged you off or seemed bothered by it, in fact, it almost seemed as if he leaned back against you. You both never spoke during these moments, just a silent understanding looming over you both.

Then when Morax announced that Guizhong had passed away, you felt as if you somewhat understood how Xiao felt. You didn’t even register that you had walked back to the same place Xiao was standing back when he was in the rain. The war was finally over but after everything that had happened to get to this point, it was hard. You knew that a few of your other Yaksha’s were ready to return to Jueyun Karst or return to earth. You blink quickly as you feel two arms wrap around you and you realize how funny fate seems to be. You choke out some unintelligible noise that’s a mix between a laugh and a sob as you cling onto him and let your bottled up emotions pour out.

He’s the last person you see in the newly established Liyue, wishing him luck in the rest of his journey, as you return to the earth. You aren’t sure what you’ll turn into but you hope that the peaceful atmosphere you both created will remain.

Xiao

It was completely out of the blue when you asked if he wanted to come on an adventure with you. You were both sitting under the tree that held the Wangshu inn up when you suddenly sat up and pointed in some far off direction across Liyue. Asked if he wanted to come with you after the lantern festival was over. He was a bit taken aback, you were a traveler first and foremost but you never asked if he wanted to come with you. You had always assumed that he wanted to stay as a protector of Liyue but after what Morax, now Zhongli, had said and how it was time to him to step down. You decided to ask him. It didn’t have to be far, you both could go to the stone gate if he wanted, just if he wanted to come with you anywhere.

His first instinct is to decline but you end up cutting him off before he can say anything.

“I know you have your reasons and loyalties to stay as Liyue’s protector. That’s why I’m not asking for you to accompany me across Teyvat. But I don’t know when I’m going to be back and after what happened in Liyue, I thought it would be nice to just, take a break, and go anywhere. You don’t have to accompany me if you don’t want to but I think it’d be nice to wander together,” you say as you continue to look across the land from the balcony. He can’t see where you’re looking at exactly but he ponders your words.

To wander and go anywhere. Just the two of you. He’s never even considered leaving Liyue even after all the demons were replaced with weak hilichurls and slimes. He gazes up at the tree’s leaves, looks further to see celestia, and even further back to his home. Guizhong always said he needed to relax and live in the moment of now rather than running past everything but was he really ready for that? 

“Ah, sorry was that a bit too forward? I really didn’t mean anything ba-”

“Yes. Let’s go,” Xiao cuts you off as his eyes shine in a new light of determination, “Wherever you want to go, I will come with you.”

You blink once, twice, before a bright grin stretch's across your face as you quickly ask if he’s joking. He’s not, and you cheer excitedly as you list off different places you’ve wanted to explore. Perhaps the shoal? Maybe even further into the chasm? Actually wait, the electro archon has closed that area off so maybe not there. Xiao patiently listens to you ramble as he smiles softly. Your excitement is addicting and he can feel his heart flutter just a bit. How long has it been since he felt this way? He can feel a small tug on his thumb, he looks down but he can’t see anything, but there’s a comfortable weight that he’s felt has been missing for a very long time.

---

If this seems interesting and people seem to enjoy it, I can post the actual fic when Xiao banner drops as a bit of a catalyst. It’s basically the same idea.  Though it’s kinda long so I have no idea when that’s going to be finished. It might turn into a thank you gift instead. (or ahem, you know, if you wanna commission me and see it earlier there’s that haha just kidding;;).

Honestly, I took a lot of liberties. I read the lore on adepti and Xiao but most of this is my monkey brain and previous semi xiao fics (which you don’t have to read but it would be helpful to see extended parts). Phew, this took a lot of time. It’s not as cute as my other fics but hopefully you all enjoyed it^^

Actually, nevermind. I hate this. I’ll keep it up since I haven’t posted this week yet but I hate this. 

[accio-victuuri]

My recent reads ( to those who are looking for something to pick up ) ; I’ve been in a slump for a while and could only finish fanfics so i’m pretty happy that i’m finding stuff that grab my attention.I added links to the Manhua too cause that’s how it usually starts for me. I like a Manhua, it’s not complete— so I look for the source Material.

• Golden Stage : Novel

The usual court politics and it’s actually softer than what the plot makes it out to be. 🤍 This is also considered short, with 77 chapters. ( + 2 for epilogue). enemies to lovers.

The notorious imperial court lackey and the meritorious military general were well-known for their mutual dislike, a pair of arch-enemies set in stone. Who could have foreseen the unexpected change in the winds of heaven: the general injured on the battlefield, both legs disabled, and even forced by the emperor to marry his nemesis. With one marriage edict, two people with mutual hostility are forced to marry and live under the same roof. Yet after these long days together, they come to the realization that this fellow is not truly devoid of any saving grace/unattainable and high out of reach.

• Madness of the Heart : Manhua | Novel - upto chap 120 the rest are here (chap 186) but it’s MTL so i’ll just wait for the first link which has better translation.

If you liked Body Electric or Swallowing the Seas then you’d enjoy this. Modern setting & solving cases. The photo I used looks sweet— but this story covers some pretty serious issues. 120 chapters done and i’m waiting for the rest. Manhua and Novel sequence of events don’t match. The Manhua adds scenes from when they were kids which is in a separate prequel novel all on it’s own. so keep that in mind.

And Mingshu’s love for his gege. lol. 😂😂😂

Upon completing a year-long training program with a special operations team at the Ministry of Public Security, Ming Shu returns to Dongye City to discover that he has a new boss. Many people said to him, "Ming-ge, the new boss is such an enigma. Don't let him harass you." To which Ming Shu replied, "...that guy has been harassing me for years. You guys just don't know it." Ever since Ming Shu returned to the bustling metropolis of Dongye City, strange murders have been cropping up one after another. An unemployed man suddenly goes berserk in a cafe. A mysterious incident occurs at a long-abandoned playground in the middle of the night. Underneath the body of a man who met a tragic end, a second corpse is discovered to be buried. Captain of the Serious Crimes Division, Ming Shu, and Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Xiao Yu'an, join forces to investigate and solve all these bizarre cases and more.

• Dinghai Fusheng Records: Manhua | Novel

I suggest going for the Manhua first if you’re like me who finds it hard to get into Novels that have lots of characters and unfamiliar settings in general. Anyway. I really like the premise of this story! and the pairing is a SLOW BURN. I love me some slow burn! 🔥 This is the only one I haven’t finished yet, currently on Chapter out 40 but I’m loving it so i’m adding it on this list.

Amidst the Silence of All Magic in the Divine Land, Mara is about to descend. In order to prevent the destruction of the Divine Land and save all the people, Chen Xing, the last exorcist, embarks on a journey to release the sealed spiritual qi of heaven and earth – only four years remain. The road ahead is full of thorns. Watch this cute little koi Chen Xing and the moody and grumpy Protector Xiang Shu, together with numerous people with distinct personalities in their group, working together to turn the tide again and again!

++ some short novels I read. modern setting. no serious conflict and just a good time ✌🏼 really short reads too, 40 chapters.

TATTOO - I wish someone will make an AU of my OTPs following this story. Yes. The MC falls in love with a ~Mysterious~ tattoo Artist. That’s it. I love this trope so I got hooked.

On the night of Xiao Ke’s thirtieth birthday, he shared a table while drinking. The person he shared the table with was a cool man who fit all of his aesthetic desires. It was practically love at first sight. He was thirty; he had reached that age where he was no longer the awkward twenty-something youth. He would pursue the one he liked without hesitation, no questions asked.

FIGHT THE LANDLORD, Fall In Love - I read this cause it’s the same author as Golden Stage. Arranged Marriage. Idiots to Lovers.

Two eldest young masters who looked down on each other were forced into a blind date. Each discovered that the other was the immoral scoundrel who had poured cold water or thrown rotten tomatoes on him during a game of Fight The Landlord two days prior. Now what? Well, let’s secure a partner first and figure the rest out later. ​

I did an Manhua/Manhwa rec here before if anyone is interested. ✌🏼