#when i first watched LBFaD i was SO into it

[justarabidlittleyingzhao]

Went on reddit last night, looked for LBFaD discussions.

I'm tired. I'm angry, but I'm also tired.

Gonna rant in tags.

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

I’m so glad you liked Xiao Lanhua/orchid as a character when you watched Lbfad. She can be A Lot at the beginning, but she gets so much crazy hate from certain parts of the internet. I feel her development is as impactful as it is because of how she starts out. And imo Dfqc starts out as super immature too, and their relationship is good because they grow together

I loved her! She was so adorable in the first few episodes. Maybe people are missing that she's supposed to be the fairy-equivalent of a teenager? Same with Danyin as far as I can tell. They are still young by fairy standards. Orchid is also crushingly lonely and everyone bullies her, her personality made sense to me. I didn't mind her voice at all either.

Her journey from an insecure, unimportant fairy to the possible queen of the Moon Tribe to the Goddess Xi Yun was very interesting to me and had so much character development.

Dongfang Qingcang does start out immature, but I guess people like "ruthlessly murderous" better than "teenage fan girl" as a starting position?

[harocat]

I find lots of people who are into Cdramas have what I can only describe as “celebrity brain”. They only really watch shows that have their fav actor, always want the character played by their fav to be the endgame romantic choice (even if it goes against character and theme), and seem to hinge their mental health on whether a show with their fav does Big Numbers. Fans of male actors tend to have misogyny problems too, but I think most people who run an account dedicated to a Chinese celeb could afford to take a step back and remember that they don’t actually know these people

Yes it's very stan culture centered. This is one of the reasons I like Cdrama tumblr better. It feels like it's more about actually enjoying the shows (and yes, sometimes the actors), then endless forced promotion, discussion of heat indexes, fan wars, etc.

People have their faves here, and they share news about them, pics of them, etc. They go out of their way to watch their dramas (or at least attempt to if they end up bad lol), and they're happy when they're successful or popular. They share info about accolades and awards.

But most don't make that their whole viewing experience. They aren't becoming keyboard warriors for some dude they don't know and will never know. They're here because they love dramas, not because they have an intense parasocial relationship with an actor or actress.

The way the Wang Yibo blackface discourse morphed from people rightfully calling him out, to the WYB super fans taking over the conversation and making it more about how antis are using it to hate on him is such a good example. Now discussion of it is rebuked with 'oh no don't give the 🐜 more fuel to hate him', and that sucks. I don't give a fuck about antis. I care that WYB did blackface in his movie, and that pisses me off!! They're over there like 'I know in my heart of hearts WYB could not be racist' as if they've ever been within the same wide vicinity of him in their entire life.

With the Dylan thing it's so wild to me because:

he is the male lead

he is the endgame romantic choice

They're pitting him against the female lead for what reason?? They're not rivals. It's giving misogyny, and the fact that they can't handle a woman standing on an equal level with him (she was first billing because she was more famous at the time, yes, but she's also just as much the lead. LBFAD is pretty balanced in that respect). She must be below; both the character and actress. She must be the less popular and important character!! We are going to restructure the narrative of Love Between Fairy and Devil in our minds so it's entirely DFQC's show.

This same person was complaining about the Xiao Lanhua being a goddess storyline because it makes her too important and makes DFQC 'pitiful' (totally out there to me; every other Cdrama fan I know eats it up when a man is pitiful). Like, people would not care about Dylan in LBFAD, and he certainly wouldn't be getting acting accolades, if he were cool all the time in it. It's the pitiful moments, the emotional moments, that make people love him.

It's not even just LBFAD though. I saw major Dylan fan accounts undermining Bai Lu and cropping her out of pics when promoting Only for Love.

I think Esther and XLH just get it worse, because let's be real, LBFAD is good, their chemistry was undeniable, the show was huge, and regardless of how close they are now (we have no idea), it's obvious they were really good friends when on set.

[dangermousie]

Here is a list of cdrama actors who I used to avoid watching at all costs that I changed my mind about after watching them be good in something - an incomplete list since I am sure I am forgetting people. (I won’t make a kdrama one because I only had like three MLs on it in terms of working actors and no FLs and two of MLs come off it by now)

Hu Yitian - the most wooden block to ever block thought I. And then saw the 1930s pilot epic Defying the Storm.

Ju Jingyi - never thought she was capable of any impression until Chinese Paladin 4

Dylan Wang - probably the biggest example on this list. I remember mocking whoever was insane enough to cast him in LBFAD. And then I had to eat all of those words.

Zhang Jingyi - I was so appalled by her acting in Fall in Love that I decided to skip anything she was ever in from then on. And then I watched L&P because I had the first ep downloaded on my phone and nothing else available and went aaaaa!!! I adore her now.

Deng Wei - he was background noise in so many dramas; it’s not that I disliked him per se, he just didn’t register. And then I watched LYF1 and he ended up being so good and playing arguably my favorite male cdrama character of the year.

Yang Zi - before all the howls start, yes she’s a huge A-list star in a ton of beloved dramas. And I adored her so much in Battle of Changsha (which is a masterpiece btw, go watch!) The problem is I didn’t enjoy her in anything since and Changsha was in 2013. To me it felt she was just coasting and then…LYF1 - my fave female character of the year hands down and she was soooo good! In fact, an OTP portrayed by her and Deng Wei, were my OTP of the year and if someone told me that before summer, I’d have checked them for concussion.

Joseph Zeng - I thought he couldn’t act much but in retrospect nobody could have performed well in the horrifying dramas I first saw him in (that one with Li Landi is guaranteed to induce a stroke in anyone) and then I saw Heroes and went bzuuuuhhhh and everything I’ve seen him in since he was good.

Zhang Zhehan - until Word of Honor. And then we all know how that went.

Wu Lei - ok this is an odd duck on the list because even when I didn’t like him, I couldn’t deny he was a solid actor. I just loathed his miscasting in TLB so much - he was visually all wrong and there was zero chemistry with DD and honestly he was so boring to watch on screen. So after that drama I went I guess he’s growing into a bad actor, huh? And then came LLTG and it turned that TLB was an aberration not a trend.

Then there are a couple of actors where I admit they are wooden as hell but I find them so good to look at I don’t care - Yukee Chen and Alan Yu. Some actors who I used to love but who I shudder when I see cast now (Peng Xiaoran is a great example), and of course the remaining Hall of You Are a Pretty Tree Plant Yourself Far From Me - Cheng Xiao, Yang Chaoye, Fan Cheng Cheng, Gulinazha, Yang Yang, the no longer working Zheng Shuang, Neo Hu, Ao Ruipeng, Wang Churan, Chen Duling (tho I have some small hope for Wang Churan and ARP if they get a good enough director and YCY was watchable in Heroes so if she gets a miracle director like Li Muge you never know. And CDL is an odd duck where I don’t think she has much range or is likable as a heroine but she mostly picks roles where she’s 90% rbf and it works so keep trucking!)

[moonsorchid]

Cdramas I finished watching in April 2024

• Burning Flames

This was love at first episode. Give me a hero's journey with crazy hair and visuals out of a video game and I am an instant fan. It was compelling, fun and emotional at times. I will definitely rewatch.

• Story of Kunning Palace

I won't lie, I skipped A LOT. All the political scheming is just not for me. But because I am superficial, I persisted and I was rewarded with some of the hottest scenes I have watched. This drama made me love Zhang Linghe ("Didn't you love him in LBFAD?" you'll ask. Well, what can I say, I was too busy staring at DFQC)

• When I Fly Towards You

My teenage years had been a nightmare, so whenever I am watching a show or a movie set in high school years, it's incredibly healing for me. This was so cute and fluffy. My favorite character was Gu Ran. Definitely a rewatch at some point.

• The Legend of Shen Li

What can I say that hasn't been said already? The story of a troll God and a sassy chicken with their main desire to live isolated from the rest of the world, to cook tasty food and have many children. It was so entertaining, but also emotional. Will be rewatching. Fu Rong, I love you.

• Meet Yourself

I did not expect to cry on a first episode. But the rest of the drama was heartwarming and healing. Beautiful landscapes, quirky - and kind-hearted - characters and artistic decor make this drama worthwhile.

Currently watching:

Ashes of Love

The Blue Whisper

Our Secret

[prolestariwrites]

I started writing a new LBFAD fic, since I've been craving some good angst lately. It's coming along nicely, so here is a little bit that I've been working on:

He is not surprised when Xunfeng finds him later, drinking alone in his room. Dongfang gestures for his brother to join him at the table next to the balcony, where he and Lanhua had stood and watched the skies many, many nights together.  The room is dimly lit, his clothes exchanged for leisure robes that hang on his broad frame. The royal bedchamber is lush, filled with expensive fabrics and overstuffed furniture, the huge bed the centerpiece of it all. Only a select few of the lamps are lit, keeping the room in relative darkness, just as Dongfang likes it. It seems less empty when he can’t see how large the room is at night. He pours himself another glass from the third bottle of ale, setting up another for Xunfeng as his brother takes his seat. “I suppose Shangque sent you?” he asks gruffly. “It isn’t difficult to guess how you spend your evenings.” Xunfeng looks down at his glass with a frown. “Particularly on the first of the month.” “You should remind me to do away with the practice,” Dongfang grumbles. “Isn’t that your job as my advisor?” Xunfeng folds his arms. “I have. And you insist on keeping it. Or are you so drunk already you don’t remember?” Dongfang chuckles to himself. “That sounds about right. Old habits die hard.” They sit in semi-companionable silence as Xunfeng watches Dongfang slowly finish the bottle. The Moon Supreme can tell his brother has something to say, so finally he snaps, “Go on. Give your lecture.” “Lecture?” “Don’t you want to say, ‘I told you so’? Or have you done that already and I’ve forgotten?” “I’m not going to say that,” Xunfeng replies harshly. “But—you have to admit you can’t go on like this.” Dongfang’s hand pauses as he picks up the glass. “Go on like this?” he laughs humorlessly. “This is my fate. No, wait! Love is not fate.” He holds up a finger, looking at Xunfeng a bit wobbly. “This is my choice. I chose this.” “You chose the fairy goddess. Not this. Not—” “Stop.” Dongfang’s command is laced with a warning as he points his finger at Xunfeng. “Watch what you’re about to say.”

[drottni]

LBFAD rewatch observations part 9

1. His little touched expression when Xiao Run says "whats mine is yours, my friends are your friends" 🥺

2. Both of them feeling confused and guilty about Xiao Run and Lady Wanqing and naturally gravitating towards each other. Her saying "I'm in bad moood, chat with me." Him telling her I understand your feelings, I'm feeling them as well. Aahhh. Cutie patooties. 🥰

3. XLH hugging Danyin after realizing it was her because she had missed her!! "This expression, this tone, you used when you used to bully me eeeekkkk!!" *happy baby*

4. Danyin posessing the only brain cell in the entire Mortal Realm Arc and immediately saying "What, why the heck would Xiao Run kill his bride? With his personality? You dum dums planned your whole game on this ?!?"

5. Danyin really said "Gurl I will cut you! Don't test me." And I love her for that.

6. Ronghao using all his master manipulation tricks to guilt Xiao Lanhua but her still hesitating and being brave enough to say "DFQC is not a bad person". 🥺🥺 And it wasn't the threat to Changheng's life or Lady Wanqing's life that finally breaks through to her. It was when Ronghao reveals that DFQC plans on releasing the soldiers to wage war against Shuiyuntian that we begin to see her mind shift. The concept of "one person vs all people" really is at the core of her. (also it was the fact that DFQC lied to her that further pushes her...but gurl you lied too -__-)

7. Earlier, her telling him: "He is Xiao Run not Changeheng, he is not your enemy." And then later when she says I thought you and Xiao Run were friends now! and his reply of "Yes. He is Xiao Run. Not Changheng." *chefs kissess* 🤌🏼🤌🏼

8. Im gonna lose my mind. DFQC yelling at Shangque to find Lady Wanqing and Xiao Run and make sure no mistake happens because Lady Chidi's spirit is the most important thing right now. And then LITERALLY 5 SECOND LATER he kills Lady Wanqing without a second thought because she was about to kill XLH. THIS MAN. THISS MANSSS. He really just says "Xiao Lanhua >>>>>>" over and over and over again.

9. That badass music that usually only plays for DFQC scenes being played for XLH 😍😍😍😍😍

10. I swear they extended Dylan Wang Hedi's eyeliner or gave him even more lashes after the mortal realm arc cuz no way he is looking even more puppy/doe eyed than usual without even trying. Like he has got the "boy you're in love" look all overr him even while talking about politics.

11. The way she peaks out from behind the curtain and looks at him?!? The cute little bright sunshine smile she gives?!?!? The way he looks in her direction expecting her to pop out from there?!?!?? IM DYING THESE 2 KILLING ME.

12. DFQC : Why are you smiling?

Me: BOY why are YOUU smiling like for real boy you have not stopped smiling since this post mortal realm scene started like boy get in control your love is spilling out EVERYWHERE!!! people are tripping and sliding and falling all over it. There are injuries! 😄 I love them.

13. Uhmm him just taking the medicine without protest, taking deep breath, grimacing, then swallowing it down only to look up at her with thr puppiest of EYESSS like loook I did it are you happy?!?!? 💀💀💀💀 im dead

14. XLH LOOKING AT HIM WITH ALL THAT LOVE LIKE GURL STOP IM DEAD PLEASE STOP KILLING ME. Like we have seen so many DFQC gazing at her with love scenes but god this is her first full blown "I am in love with this man" look and it is ETHEREAL!! it is sunshine breaking through the clouds!! I need a gif of it.

15. Ya'll this whole scene seems too damn personal. Like I feel guilty for intruding. Like I should not be here in this room watching these two absolute babies just gaze so softly, and smile these small soft smiles, and bat their pretty lashes at each other, and DFQC stumbling awkwardly after her and then reaching out and holding her hand so tenderly conveying everything he is too shy to say. like this is tooo invasive. This intrusion is a crime.

16. The way he SENSES that she probably heard what they were discussing and is distressed!! The way he immediately goes to her!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

17. "Jieli said you wanted to be alone. I can accompany you" !!!!!! Insert that one Winnie the Pooh quote about Piglet offering to just sit in silence with Pooh when he is feeling down.

18. OH MY GOD CHANGHENG. FIND A BETTER TIME TO POP IN YOU LITTLE MENACE! Do you not see them having a MOMENT! Begone! (DFQC immediately turning the sky stormy and lightening... same honestly-_- fry him up and serve him for dinner King)

[silverloreley]

Part 2 of the outline of my LBFAD x TTEOTM crossover idea (which I need now more than ever given how the series ended).

Part 1 here. We were left at the Nehter River. Now, I think the reason the disaster demonic duo couldn’t find the Devil Fetus for 500 years is because TTJ was in the river while the Evil Bone was with Susu, who timeskipped to her own time so, in those 500 years, there were no Evil Bone nor Devil Fetus to find.

[Which means that having TTJ dive in the Nether River was actually a good idea to prevent/delay the end of the world, or at least to spare him five centuries of tortures from the demons who’d try to awaken their master (not that he didn’t suffer plenty in the Nether River, but that was his choice, you see)]

That said, the 500 years disappeareance could happen, in this fic, also if the very worried immortal family decides to take a risk and bring TTJ with them in the immortal realm, preferably Xishan or Cangyanhai. In fact, in Xishan he could recover from the wound of the Nails in his heart and cultivate better his new immortal soul. They’d also explain him the nature of Susu’s sacrifice, once given the chance, and XLH would beg him to be patient and wait for LSS to be back in a new life, like she waited for DFQC.

But we know TTJ is a stubborn freak (who we love) and I think more likely he dived in the Nether River anyway, “bye family, come pick me up in 500 years” sort of.

This got even longer than the other part.

Shangque basically adopts Nian Baiyu. Aka: Nian Baiyu doesn’t fall prey of the demons and gains immortality thanks to his new dad shifu. They were close before too, since Shangque saw the poor lieutenant interact with TTJ and had flashbacks of himself with DFQC. Jieli insists on taking in Nian Baiyu’s sister too when their mother dies in the demon attack (this isn’t plot-relevant, I just liked this idea). The Yiyue tribe passes under Shangque’s protection and of the Moon Tribe by proxy, therefore no one is taken hostage or stuff.

Qingyu and Pian Ran get married and rule the empire together, although they make to history as they created a new tradition about the emperor wearing the mask and the empress must never be seen, the latter only to let Pian Ran be free to do whatever she pleases. After 300 years or so, they plan to find a good-hearted, strong, righteous and smart kid to adopt as their heir for when they plan to retire and travel around the world.

That said!

When the Nether River spits out TTJ, he does end up near the immortal sect, while his family was waiting for him near the Yiyue tribe’s settlement. It causes a bit of a delay in them meeting again.

No one remembers he had been a disciple over 500 years before just like no one remembered Xiao Lin, which is curious but true because most people forgot, have died, or just are too young to have met him in those 3 years so long before.

Master Zhaoyou still puts TTJ to test because “a disciple who had not cultivated any art in five centuries is as good as a newbie” or something (he dissipated most his cultivation in the Nether River so Zhaoyou is pretty much right). That’s when Zhaoyou finds out a few things that he keeps for himself about TTJ, including the fact he’s the Devil Fetus but without the Evil Bone, that he was raised by actual immortals, and there’s something else he can’t quite figure out and breaks his head over.

The first thing XLH does upon finding TTJ again is slap his arm and chastize him for making her worry for other 500 years, as if she had not suffered enough being parted for so long from someone she loved before. He apologizes and she cries and obvsy forgives him. DFQC gives him the cold shoulder for the grand total of a day, then he caves in too. Changheng and Shangque can’t even do that and hug him right away. Once they arrive, Danyin and Jieli are much worse, they go on a tag-team two-hours long tirade while Xunfeng is just, like, there watching and gloating with this judgmental face that ends up being worse than everything else put together.

Nian Baiyu and Changheng offer to stay in the sect with him if what he wants is to stay, everyone else will come back from time to time, like they used to do in his childhood.

None of them had the chance to meet Susu yet or even hear of her name, at least until the competition comes and, whoops, there she is! The Lady of Spirituality, who would have guessed? And she saved TTJ again, just in case someone had doubts it was her.

Before that, though, the immortal fam offer their help containing the demons during the competition, since that’s not an interference with mortal fates. It changes everything and nothing: they manage to trap the two big demons for a while, but those two are very strong and manage to escape.

XLH is very happy to meet Susu again, although Susu tries to pretend she doesn’t know any of them, XLH laughs and tells her she tried the trick too and it never works in the long run.

(TTJ knew that part of the story and he pulls a DFQC and kisses Susu instead of only tricking her into revealing herself. Yes, that’s a scene I loved in LBFAD and I expected one like that in TTEOTM, damn it!)

He still ends up following her to Jing and being baited by Si Ying and Jing Mie, use the Crossbow, find out Susu has the Evil Bone and so forth because that bit was solid.

Since TTJ told his parent(s) a through recollection of Bo’re life (save for some, ehm, more private bits), they all know that Di Mian is a lying liar who lies, who did not kill the (D)evil God - the previous Goddess of Xishan did - and that he was the real cause of his beloved wife’s death. It discredits him a lot, especially during the trial (Changheng basically moved in the Xiaoyao sect at this point and was already there to help, DFQC and XLH arrive later for reasons).

Although, it’s undeniable that TTJ is the Devil Fetus and used to have the Evil Bone and still has the Crossbow so it only helps so much.

DFQC crushes the Pillar to interrupt the punishment (and gets real scary) while XLH starts to chastize the sects for being unable to see past their prejudice. Susu adds to it with her retelling (and the lie about the Evil Bone being gone) just like in canon because that scene is epic and almost made me cry so it must stay as it is.

Incidentally, the trial is also when TTJ finds out his family adopted him to prevent the end of the world, which is pretty devastating interms of trust, but the love they have for him is genuine and so is his for them, so everything is later resolved with a shoutfest and lots of tears.

Zhaoyou is unofficially dragged in the loop of the immortal family after that. He admits he had perceived/noted the Devil Fetus’ nature from the start but wanted to give his student a chance. They’re all very touched by that, and grateful (and Changheng developed a bit of a crush on him, no I accept no criticism here).

They end up sharing all they know: in the 500 years, they made researches on the Devil Fetus and how to separate its destiny from that of Tai Sui, but aside from removing the Evil Bone and keeping the artifacts far from each other since none can be destroyed, it seems like there’s nothing more to do, not without killing TTJ and make him regenerate in Xishan’s soil. The only problem is that without a soul vessel (like XLH’s seed or the moon bone orchid) the new life would be completely new, so not TTJ, and that’s not a viable solution, so TTJ needs to cultivate enough to create a soul vessel for his primordial spirit to be preserved if he wants to get rid of Tai Sui’s influence for good. It’s a lenghty procedure and the demons, along with Tai Sui, give them no time for this to happen.

There is, nevertheless, a moment of respite, while they start to plan the wedding. The immortal family almost goes overboard with the engagement gifts.

TTJ asks LSS’s fathers to let some of the immortal family assist in the removal of the Evil Bone (he doesn’t trust Di Mian. in. the. slightest). Di Mian wouldn’t want to, but has to cave in to avoid suspicions.

During the procedure, Di Mian manages to near-fatally wound Qu Xuanzi and DFQC with the Sky-Slashing Sword to the point of rendering them comatose and manages to put the blame on TTJ, he also plans to completely kill them but he’s stopped by LSS figuring out what happened. Qu Xuanzi very nearly dies (maybe he doesn’t. I just decided this can be an everybody lives au, all things considered, with XLH being there it can be).

Di Mian still flees with the Evil Bone, followed by Zhaoyou and Changheng.

TTJ is lured out by Si Ying and Jing Mie who kidnapped Susu thinking she still has the Evil Bone or at least can bait TTJ. She manages to escape mostly on her own because she’s more badass than the show allowed her to be.

Danyin and Xunfeng fight against Si Ying and Jing Mie because I say so to cover Susu’s escape and her start looking for the entrance of the Devil Palace.

(Eh, that means the Spider Demon won’t appear here, nor there will be her fight with Nian Baiyu. Whoops)

After the fight with Di Mian, Zhaoyou is about to devilize but Changheng uses half his immortal soul and near so of his cultivation to stop the process and save him. Unfortunately, this also means they’re both out of commission and seem to be dead on the outside eye.

The All-in-Distress-Way is opened, cue the sect people being stupid (the red master whatshisname tries to use the Crossbow which backfires and kills him LOL), Susu facing her shit dad once more, and so forth.

TTJ saves Susu from Di Mian, but he’s forced to devilize. Of course, he surrendered only on surface, because he 100% intends to weaponize the chance he’s given to destroy Tai Sui from the inside, a true suicide mission (it’s nice that I started to write this outline days before I saw the final 5 eps and I still got it right, that part of the plot makes perfect sense, if you ask me).

This starts an internal power struggle between TTJ and TS to control the body, the whole speech about all things sad and evil feeding the Devil God and all that drill.

After GYJW calls back all the sect people, including LSS, he finds out Zhaoyou isn’t dead and Changheng tries to make him see reason. Idk where this may lead until this dialogue is written though, but I feel this must happen because GYJW is a bad cheap copy of Changheng (and XL wasn’t that bad) he could have been a much better character, so perhaps he’s salvageable here.

The sects still have to intervene to stop the All-in-Distress Way because stopping the end of the world is the right thing to do.

Susu will have none of it, of course, and goes to speak with her (almost) husband, consequences be damned. So do XLH and DFQC, although he’s still wounded by the Sky-Slashing Sword.

Changheng stays behind in the sect to help the planning, Danyin and Xunfeng decide to return to the Immortal realms to mobilize Shuiyuntian and Changyanhai to try block the All-in-Distress Way from above.

TTJ ends up having to fool not only LSS but also XLH and DFQC, and actually manages to get the upper hand on all three because Tai Sui started to gloat about how he tricked the Goddess of Xishan and the great Yuezun by taking the primordial spirit of their future child and turning him into his vessel. Basically, in the river of reincarnation, he swiped their future child’s soul and forced the Evil Bone onto him, and then made sure he’d be born in a mortal’s life of suffering to break him down to his will for good. He planned to reveal it near the end of the world to make DFQC and, most importantly, Xi Yun unable to kill him (whether this is the truth or not, it’s debatable, it all depends on the message we want to pass thorugh with this rewriting).

Unfortunately, it works, and TTJ is left to apply his initial plan of having himself killed by Susu after the Celestial Punishment Array will hit.

During the Bo’re life, though, Susu sees through his lies, three lifetimes gave her a good enough grasp of his tellings. The fact she figured out most the plan does little to stop it, at first, since both play their parts till the end.

XLH is conflicted for a while, but eventually agrees to the plan, although for her it’s another heartbreak and repeating history. She says this much to TTJ who falters for a moment, revealing his true feelings but he has to push trough.

The Celestial Punishment Array is made by the sects and supported by Shuiyuntian and Cangyanhai, which once again joined forces to defeat Tai Sui. It’s a pretty big thing because it’s the first time in 30000 years the Immortals descend among mortals to help them (and will mark a new alliance for the future).

LSS ascends because that’s what she has to do and, in the “godly council” there’s also Xi Yun, who promises to be by her side. Chu Huang thanks her.

Tai Sui is ultimately erased for good by the combined efforts of TTJ, ascended!Susu and Xi Yun, but this effort claims TTJ’s life, as he expected, and Susu’s, who sacrificed her godhood to turn the Scale into a soul vessel for him to come back when she realized he intended to die for good.

XLH is left to pick up the pieces: given her phoenix nature, LSS is back as an egg, which her adoptive father (if he survived, otherwise Ye Qingyu and Pian Ran) will take care of until she’s back. As for TTJ, the Scale-turned soul vessel will allow, with time, to fix and restore in full his primordial spirit, so XLH and DFQC take it to Xishan and wait.

Qingyu and Pian Ran had been using their combined energies to protect the kingdom, but since they had each only half her original demonic energy/life, they end up consuming most of it, at which point they agree they had had enough of being rulers, and retire to the countryside.

Time skip to a few centuries later, when the taizi dianxia (crown prince) of Cangyanhai meets the Lady of Spirituality of the immortal sect. Neither remembers each other, again, until they touch by accident while bickering and then it all comes back to them.

And, for fuck’s sake, this time they get married decently and are happy with their daughter and extended family and all is well.

THE END and holy shit, if the outline is that long, this could become a monster fic.

[gizkasparadise]

hi!! i love your taste in dramas and i was wondering if you have any more villain romance recs, specifically cdrama recs? i finished lbfad and tiger & rose already and im currently watching twisted fate of love (and LOVING it hehe)

yay i love villain romances!! gonna include villains and villain-lites! my favorites on this list are goodbye my princess and arthdal chronicles for villain main leads and love and redemption, monarch industry, empress ki, extraordinary you, chicago typewriter, and bridal mask/gaksital for villainy second leads!

cdrama: villain is the main lead

the ultimate villain romance for me is goodbye my princess. the male lead is fucking horrendous but compelling and it's a tragedy from start to finish. don't watch if you want healthy relationships, someone changing for the better through the power of love, or a happy ending. do watch if you're in the mood to just get fucked up and see gorgeous costumes and scenery while doing so (also my favorite cdrama ost!). romance of tiger and rose is kind of a romcom parody of this one, too!

the legends is a nice sort of gender flip-- the female lead is basically a hot shit, overpowered demon and the male lead is a gentle guy trying to do bad all on his own because he's full of heart eyes. there's also a secondary antagonist who has a thing for the female lead, so double villainy!

word of honor. i have not finished this one, but one of the male leads def fits this bill!

the rise of phoenixes. not really a villain ML, exactly, but he's very machiavellian and schemey so if you liked the lead in twisted fate of love, you'd DEFINITELY like him (i need to finish this drama!!!)

...till the end of the moon. which i dont think i recommend, but feel compelled to mention. here's the deal: the middle arc, like eps 19-30ish? fucking perfection! the bookends on either side? dont do nearly as much. the end? i dont know her (literally, i didnt bother with the last ep). idk try it out if you're starving for costume villain love trapped in a masochism tango, but....watch some of the other dramas on this list first

cdrama: villainy second lead and/or main antagonist is in love with the lead

love and redemption and dear god you'll need a stress ball

monarch industry/the rebel princess has shades of this

prince of lan ling

kdrama: villain is the main lead

arthdal chronicles has a male lead having a villainous crush on the female lead (and they are VERY ship baity), as well as the second male and female leads both being villains and in love. i love iiiit, but be warned it ends on a cliffhanger and s2 isnt out yet

cheese in the trap. the male lead is not a great dude. a lot of people dont like this drama, but i love it (aside from a weak last ep)

everyone's just a little bit shitty in bloody heart, to include the male lead

the male lead in little women will have you guessing from start to finish if you're a clown for trusting him or not

who the villain is is kind of a rotating door in the series, but the main male lead in moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo definitely spends time in anti-hero land

que sera sera and when a man's in love/man in love are older dramas with male leads who are definitely Questionable (the former is described as a bastard in the synopsis and the latter is an ex-gangster trying to go legit but not quite able to shake the gangster tendencies). neither story is a traditional romance, and there's a lot of content warnings to be mindful of (lots of slapping and hitting in the former, cheating in the second [and probably some slapping])

depending on your POV (or the point of the story) the main love interest from empress ki could qualify! and then there's a support character who's a straight up villain that's got a crush

i dont want to tell you anything because spoilers! but there's flavors of this with king in love/the king loves

kdrama: villainy second lead and/or primary antagonist is in love with the lead

extraordinary you

mr. sunshine (more anti-hero than villain, but you'll get that flavor with dong mae aka my most intense SLS ever)

dali and the cocky prince

the princess' man

tale of nokdu

chicago typewriter (more villainous crush than full on love line)

bridal mask/gaksital (the male lead also starts out as a villain in this one!)

from now on, showtime! features a villainous crush and i wish the backstory eps were their own drama because i loved them

[dramarants]

trying to come to terms with the bewildering final 10 minutes of tteotm:

first and foremost, undeniably, the technical and narrative execution this ep was choppy, weirdly paced, ambiguous (not in a cool OE way, just literally hard to follow - how are we in the tomb, why is she back in devil bride attire, where did the scale in the last shots come from, why did qingyu's fucking hair need to turn blond, pang yizhi what did you finally understand cuz I sure as hell don't??) and left a lot of loose threads. with all the build up to his sacrifice, you want some sort of twist or surprise but nothing comes. the ending is so abrupt and this is always and forever gonna leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

the last eps especially emphasized legacy and, with li susu returning as a goddess, I must assume the immortal realm learned the truth about ttj's sacrifices and believed it. ttj gets his roses.

I'm gonna pretend ttj explained the zhaoyou situation to her too

in fact if we're in imaginary land jiwu grew the fuck up and, upon realizing the depth of ttj's friendship in spite of everything, becomes riddled in guilt for a while and fiercely protects ttj's memory

a child!! literally how to carry a legacy and memories into future generations

ttj's destiny was to suffer and resent the world + give up his body and soul to carry out the devil god's will

instead, he embraced the light, learned to cherish the world, bore other's resentment in his final trial (strength that I sure as hell don't have! even saving jiwu from himself!) he remained in control of himself, choosing to sacrifice his body to stop the devil god's plans

the love was there and for once, to break a cycle of pain and sin, overcome the consequences in the mortal world, for ttj and lss, it was fucking enough!

by destroying the evil bone in his final moments he prevents the devil god from ever returning, truly the world's savior

his death was mostly on his own terms, with purpose he didn't have before

saving a part of his divine essence in the scale to continue to protect susu was a full circle moment

in fact ttj embodies mingye in a ridiculous number of ways by the end, from his actions to his values down to his clothes, yet another way to stick it to the devil god fate

he looks at peace in his last shot during the battle and in the scale

they had to cut scenes and therefore couldn't elaborate on the post all-in-distress world

or dedicate the 30s it takes to show him regrow from the scale or something lbfad style 🤧

it seems like he could hear susu when she was speaking to the kid? so he can follow his wife and daughter's lives knowing he's loved and respected until his return that I am headcanoning??

by being in the scale, he keeps his promise to stay by her side forever and accompany her in moving forward through parenthood and the ordinary life he dreamed of

in fact ttj never has to defend himself or put up with bs again, his fight is over and he gets to watch a harmonious world that he and susu made possible

susu my girl, having faith in him and understanding everything immediately and wishing to meet him again

bearing the cross of the only living god and continuing, again, their legacy, protecting their love and the world

she was ready to die with him!! like!! fuck till death do us part I'll share your burden let's embrace and face the end together!! a sparkle bathed version of ttj trying to die with her in ep 29!!

nothing can come between them anymore they fricking ensured that

plus them in the heavenly realm, the only two gods existing, removed from the world and basking in that moment where the devil god no longer exists and it isn't a dream 😭

the tomb scene was so heartbreaking in the good way

these characters have been on such an incredible, unhinged journey and looking back, there's so much more to unpack and appreciate

ugh it's not a bad ending cuz it's sad, I mean how many of us predicted he'd die for the greater good a long time back, it's just the way it ultimately played out was... somehow disappointing

but you know what I enjoyed the path here so much and can imagine their path ahead enough to forgive it and continue loving tantai jin and li susu and tteotm overall anyway

[fanficsbysenneres]

For the LBFaD asks, please:

4. Favourite snacks & drinks when you write?

13. Favourite song/s that inspired you?

19. What idea from the show resonated the most with you and became a major focus in your fic/s?

Thank you!!

4. Favourite snacks and drinks?

Cheese and wine.

I try to pace it though, try to leave the wine after, say, reaching my daily word count goal first. If I drink too much wine too fast it's less crafted nuance and more ... Wade Wilson 😏

13. Favourite songs that inspired?

I'm thinking a lot about Ronghao and my wip Trespass today, and the most listened to songs on his playlist are:

I Ran (So Far Away) by Hidden Citizens

I'll Carry You by Tommee Profit, Stephen Stanley

19. What idea from the show resonated the most with you and became a major part of your fic?

Grief and how it's dealt with.

Ronghao creates a whole different personality.

Dongfang puts himself into a magical coma.

Xiao Lan Hua pretends she's lost her memory to cushion the loss she knows is coming.

How each character tries to cope with grief is so revealing. When I first watched it, it was heartbreaking and cathartic. I lost a friend around 7 months before I first saw Love Between Fairy and Devil. Unlike our characters, though, I had access to grief counselling. I was able to heal without making too many destructive decisions. But I still carry a lot of pain over some things, especially the abominable way some people treated my friend's death, and Trespass is my first attempt to write out my feelings about those things.

[xiaohuayaos]

i really love your lbfad posts, You really Get the characters. I'm so fond of the mortal arc in particular because it shows the characters being able to goof off and have some silly fun. It's wild but I once saw someone get through the entire mortal arc of the show and somehow come to the conclusion dfqc is just awful and abusive? Truly bizzare takes on the wider internet.

Aw, I'm glad you enjoy my posts- I appreciate knowing 💗 but yeah the wider internet can be Very interesting.... I think one of the first things I saw outside tumblr about the show was a decent review that I was enjoying reading up until the point when the author just started in on how terrible and annoying Xiao Lanhua was and how she only watched the show in spite of her and I was just ??????? like at the end of the day we are all entitled to our own opinions and feelings but there's a lot of opinions and feelings I do not agree with <3 to put it nicely <3

[harocat]

get to know the blogger: when did you start watching cdramas?

Very recently! I watched The Untamed, but I didn't get to it until a couple years after everyone else did. I had a WFH job in Fall 2021 that was dead to the point I wondered why they were even paying me, and I just watched Netflix the whole time so I finally watched it then (on one hand, I miss this, but on the other had, not ever having anything to do did make the work day go by slower).

But actually I wouldn't say that's what got me into dramas because I didn't watch another one for over a year after that. LBFAD was definitely my gateway drama in that sense of the word. @jinlian shared some pretty gifs of it, and I was compelled. She reassured me it had a happy ending, so I was like okay let's check this out. Loved it of course.

Then COVID finally got me the month after that, and I watched two full dramas in my COVID delirium (Who Rules the World and Word of Honor). I started watching dramas as they aired first with Till the End of the Moon. I kept getting instagram ads for it? And they were pretty.

[wjforever]

LBFAD. Episode 1. Part 2

Part 1

Then there are the scenes in the pagoda. It would seem that this should be the most important and cool moment. The action, the rescue of ChangHeng, and, of course, introducing our main "villain". But it was this part of the episode that turned out to be the most disastrous. Everything is bad, from the plot itself to the visuals.

The Council of Immortals, of which there are a huge number, judging by what we see, in general the whole drama were a cardboards, a bunch of people who can't budge. Sometimes it seemed to me that the emperor just lost people somewhere and pretended that he still had an army, haha.

Despite the huge number of higher immortals, a weak fairy somehow got into this territory, passing through the crowd of immortals and managed to get in front of ChangHeng. Who, by the way, not only didn't react to this in any way, but also didn't recognize her dress. Just in vain Orchid preened before, the advice of friends clearly didn't help.

Interesting that ChangHeng was supposed to die, but for some reason Lanhua wasn't hurt at all. Maybe because in the process, for some unknown reason, her goddess power suddenly activated, this moment is shown to us. Although later this didn't manifest itself at all for a long time and her powers didn't protect her.

Maybe it's Dongfang Qingcang's powers. So, there are many questions, few answers. But the spirit of Dongfang for some reason just took her to himself and pulled her to the body. Did his spirit, unconsciously of course, feel that she could put his soul together? How and why his spirit broke up into separate parts, then united together again. Without the goddess, his soul couldn't seem to recover itself. This we will never know.

But you know, all these questions came to me much later, because the first time I didn't understand what was going on at all and all I could think about was the squalor of special effects. I wanted to just laugh. Don't know why, but there is a real problem with CGI when they use a dark background in the series. They can't do it at all. And it really spoils the whole impression.

Everything looked poor quality, except, perhaps, the glow above the tower.

It looks cool, doesn't it?

Flying is also a problem. When Xiao Lanhua flies clearly on some cable, her body stands out brightly, obviously cut out and poorly illuminated, it looks disastrous.

Perhaps the worst scene.

ChangHeng flew no better. In a stupid unnatural pose. Strange and ridiculous.

In addition Lanhua kept bulging her eyes and sighing. Comical and not in a good way.

Having rewatched this scene many times now, I can't overcome this feeling, although my attitude towards some things has changed. But this is done frankly badly and this very sad. Because it's one of the main scenes that could make you want to watch the drama further, but it only makes you want to turn it off and never come back to it again. The most annoying thing is that a little color correction could have at least slightly corrected this situation, but this wasn't done. I think that those who care about the picture, at this moment refused to watch this show.

And now, thinking about the events in the Cangyan Sea and the world of mortals, I clearly understand how big the difference is, how much the show has matured and showed a high level. But to get to this, you need to get through the thorns of the first episodes.

The music made things even worse. In general, the music is absolutely wonderful in this series. This is one of its main advantages. But at this point it only worsened the situation, as it turned out to be too striking a contrast with the picture. Like a child wearing his mother's shoes and dress. Because of this, everything seemed to me even more pathetic and miserable. And I'm the kind of person who rarely pays attention to the quality of special effects, shadows, details, and so on. But in this case, it was simply impossible to ignore it.

The only thing I liked was how they perform magic passes with their hands and fingers. In my opinion, it looks very cool and impressive, although it would seem quite simple from the outside, maybe even primitive. But I liked it.

Well, maybe DFCQ's eyes, illuminated by fire, also weren't bad. They never failed. Really. It's a pity that they stopped using it pretty quickly. So sad. But in such a pile of garbage it's difficult to see a few diamonds like these.

The fact that Little Orchid was drawn to his lips was also completely ridiculous.

As well as the fact that they are in some kind of space, but later the tower is just a tower. And it's hard to say what it was, where she ended up and where his spirit led her. Whether these are hidden layers in the tower or some kind of separate world of the character's soul. Don't know. Maybe I need to know this genre better to answer these questions.

The scene with the tree seemed like a fresh sip compared to the previous squalor. Although the brighter colors of the universe looked better at the end, but it was short and didn't save after an extremely negative impression. But here the translation spoiled everything for me. In my version, it wasn't signed where she ended up. So I didn't understand anything at all, why the cosmos was drawn into the tree, and then she was at the bottom of the tower. It wasn't until I got further through the story that I realized what was that. The signature that this is the ocean of the heart of DFCQ, would make this moment a little more understandable for me.

Oh, it's so beautiful.

The next scene gives me mixed feelings. After such a beautiful scene with the tree… Damn it, I love Dongfang Qingcang. Even when he is in the Lanhua's body. And I love actors because they're just amazing at body-swapping. I believe them. I can see Orchid in Dongfang, and Dongfang in Orchid. This is especially important for XLH, because the actress was often scolded and many said that she couldn't act, but it seems to me when she is Dongfang, it shows that she really can. Although at the moment with the pebble, it seemed to me that Dongfang became a little feminine, don't you think?

The moment where Dongfang Qingcang is meditating, is immediately a success after the stupid scenes with the fall. Dongfang is a masterpiece even in a woman's body. Although it's funny, after 30 thousand years of imprisonment, he took a couple more minutes to sleep, I mean meditate, of course. Haha. Or was he like a spider waiting for his prey?

But Xiao Lanhua quickly destroys this mysterious and pretentious atmosphere with her quirks. It was funny and amusing. But what confused me about this scene that I really liked? I think the problem is in the previous scenes. Where there should have been drama and tension for me was clowning. And when the picture looks normal again, you're waiting for something more intense. But you get another dose of humor.

So we haven't had time to see DFCQ yet, but he was already ridiculed. And everything would have be fine, but after not the most interesting scenes, we weren't given something that would stimulate us to look further. Therefore, everything moved further with a creak for me and I watched the next episode without much enthusiasm. We were never saw Dongfang Qingcang in all his splendor in the first episode. And you suddenly wonder if this boy can be this powerful supreme, or if what you've seen before is just good GIFs and pictures. And although I understand why it was done and it's even justified, they needed something strong for the second episode. But then the first one should have been more powerful and dynamic, and not a guidebook to the series. My name is Orchid and I am a fairy, and this is ChangHeng and he is the god of war. The series didn't interest me and Dongfang could have saved it for me, but he wasn't given a chance. Even the ending, the usual death threat, seemed weak to me.

Well, what can I say about the first episode. Before it, my expectations from the drama were average, but after it they went even lower. I was almost disappointed, I was bored, uninterested, confused and this action didn't cause a desire to understand all this. When watching the series again, it no longer caused so many dull impressions, and even jambs with special effects, I was ready to forgive it (except for the Orchid's fall, I'm sorry, lol), but it doesn't cause much interest either. This is a frankly weak episode. Because the main heroine and the good guy are too flat and banal for me to want to know the continuation of their story. I don't care, they didn't hook me. And I think this is the reason why many people twisted their faces and spoke badly about the whole drama. The first episode set the bar too low, and the first impression is notoriously hard to fix. And even though the following episodes were getting better, the audience already had a biased attitude.

Very, very sad. Because I know that if I want to get someone hooked on this drama, I will have to convince the person that this story is worth their time and that they need give a chance, because for some moments I'll be ashamed, and the person is clearly bored. Not the best acquaintance, I can tell you.

My blog on Buy me a coffee

[sombredancer]

I agree with much of your critique on LBFAD. DFQC wasn't evil, he was tortured into being a weapon so I don't really get why he needed to suffer so much for redemption. I would have loved to see him use his newfound powers in the finale to demonstrate that he still remained the most powerful in three realms. Power of love so to speak.

I was annoyed by all the pointless suffering too. But perhaps DFQC needed to suffer and sacrifice to become worthy of glazefire? Like how he had to suffer to get hellfire in the first place? That's the only way I can stomach all the DFQC whump post ep 26. It serves no narrative purpose otherwise.

When I first watched the drama I was unhappy with the ending. I loved the early episodes and preferred badass, rational, logical DFQC over the version we got at the end. But then I realised that he wasn't invincible. That hellfire didn't really save him from imprisonment. Only Orchid could have saved and healed him so in a way his life was a gift given by her. That helped me to make peace with the ending.

Thank you for your comment, Nonnie! I think that you get the point of the meaning of the pointless sufferings as the way to get the power of a Hero. A Hero is not an usual person, so to get some unique abilities he needs to pay the highest price (that only hero can pay and is not availible for commoners). At the same time there is a certain pattern in european and american culture (in chinese it is not but LBDAF feels pretty western and is much suitable for american and european viewers) that a hero should be spotless and shining, and for those who missbehaved in the past (even if they admited their mistake and turned to the light side) there is no forgivness. Only atonement and death (or, in the very few situations, atonement only, but then a person should suffer A LOT and be at the brink of death (or die and ressurect later). For me Qingcang is fluffy and didn't deserve sufferings but in terms of heroism he was a bad guy at the beginning and should pay for that. It's an interesting conclusion about "his mighty power could not save him from dying 30 000 years ago". I didn't think about it in these terms but I also admired the beginning of the story which starts with saving a villain. Good attitudes go round and cause world saving, what a nice thought for a series!

[prolestariwrites]

EOY Writing Wrap-up

I saw this post and loved the questions, so I'm going to answer them below! Looking forward to another year of writing and fandom!

favorite fic you wrote this year: For sure Unforgiven, it was my baby.

least favorite fic you wrote this year: Love Between Goddess and Demon ended up being kind of disappointing for me. It didn't develop how I wanted it to and I'll admit I abandoned it since it didn't have any readers.

favorite line/scene you wrote this year: Probably the first chapter of Unforgiven, I couldn't wait to get Leon and Jake together again ha ha.

total number of words you wrote this year: 131,491 published!

most popular fic this year: By hits and kudos it was Unforgiven. My oneshot Smoking got the most notes on Tumblr.

least popular fic this year: It was Three To One, which surprised me honestly.

longest completed fic you wrote this year: Love Stuck was my longest completed fic at 23,307 words.

shortest completed fic you wrote this year: Sparring Partners was a oneshot with 1,796 words.

longest wip of the year: Between Goddess and Demon was my longest unfinished fic. I wrote almost 40k words before I put it on pause.

shortest wip of the year: 365 is still a work in progress and has only 18,964 words so far.

fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year: A toss between Resident Evil and LBFAD. I got to write some cool RE stuff and did a short story for a zine!

favorite character to write about this year: Gotta be my boy Leon Kennedy. He's just so easy to torture.

favorite writing song/artist/album of this year: I listened to a lot of Halsey while writing this year lol. I needed the angst.

a fic you didn’t expect to write: Smoking was definitely unexpected! I've never even liked One Piece and when I watched the live action I swore I wouldn't write for it. But then...

something you learned this year: To take my time. I've gotten a lot better at being okay at writing at my own pace instead of some imagined timeline.

fic(s) you completed this year: Altogether I wrote four completed fics!

fics you’ll continue next year: I'll be finishing The Fate That Binds and 365 in 2024. I'd also like to go back and try to finish The Wish since I didn't last year.

current number of wips: I'm actively working on four wips at the moment, two the most seriously.

any new fics to start next year: Yes! I'm going to try to write the last of the Dark Heart series, and I miiiiiight try more One Piece. Maybe.

number of comments you haven’t read: Zero! I read them all and respond to pretty much all of them.

most memorable comment/review: I really liked reading the thirsty reblog tags on Smoking lol

events you participated in this year: I wrote a fic for the LBFAD Mini-Bang! It was so fun to meet some new people and see all the different ideas.

fics you wanted to write but didn’t: I had another Resident Evil fic I wanted to get done but never actually started. Maybe this is the year for it?

favorite fic you read this year: River of Stardust by @yoshi-09

favorite fandom to read fic from this year: I still like reading DMC fic! Also got to read some good Reylo fic and RE fic!