#once upon a time in lingjian mountain lb

[lanchang]

one of the shows of all time

#i wish i could get a better translation of what theyre saying in the last one its way longer than just shut up #hang on ill add the characters in the moment #你不说话没人把你当哑巴 #taking some leaps from google translate its more like #dont speak no one cares idiot #<- do NOT quote me on that im really not sure #anyway wang lu so gender this episode ill post another cap in a minute #once upon a time in lingjian mountain #lingjian mountain lb #textp

[mejomonster]

im not saying love and redemption is at all gay yet

i am saying, as someone who watches romance type xianxia just like with my bi vision goggles on hopefully interpreting to my hearts content (shout out to demon prince and princess in eternal love forever bi in my eyes, bai qian can get an honorary cause i’d ship her with the princess if only that had been a real option, and runyu from ashes of love cause he’s both too sweet and likes jinmi regardless of how jinmi presents or identifies and i Bet he’d Support women marrying Each Other >o> yes i have a beef with phoenix prince still for laughing n saying women cant i couldn’t do more than 6 eps of that show)

as someone who if u checked my old liveblogs of those shows absolutely looks for random fun subtext to enjoy even if its not meant to be there. i am liking love and redemptions i’ll call it ‘openness.’ my man sifeng bridal carries anyone injured including mermen, my dude liu-xiong wonders if he has to marry a dude and also is just as gun ho to be best friends as the girls are with sifeng (he is a sweetie), and with the limited spoilers i do know we got xuanji/whoever she used to be, and that hao chen bastard who seemed to like xuanji before he made them into xuanji and now likes xuanji and please leave her alone i’m begging you she deserves better

anyway in my optimistic heart i wouldn’t clock anyone as bi yet but good chance i’ll consider sifeng, xuanji, and whoever evil-mc-bastard-hao-chen really is by the end of it. 

as it stands i just know if this were ashes of love i’d be scraping for breadcrumbs, and at the same time getting really annoyed at the forced gender expectations and expectations of love and constantly pulling at my hair so like kudos to this show for not doing this to me

and just me ahhh comparing to my limited knowledge of eternal love and ashes of love under the cut.

now like. where did eternal love go wrong for me? where it took away bai qian’s ability to make any choice about her own life in that mortal-in-heaven arc, and then afterward even as a god again just let... ye hua steamroll her choice and take her out of fighting half the time. even though she was the protagonist and should’ve been a major player in the final battle... (i consider it bad writing cause i don’t THINK its in ye hua’s character to ignore her choice! its bad writing :c and i think better writing would’ve given bai qian as much control at least as fengjiu or ye hua during her suffering - as far as at least knowing why she suffers, or trying to escape sooner even if it was by dying etc)... but that’s just um my personal issues with eternal love...

anyway still unsure if love and redemption WILL fail in the sense it will have men fighting for women a ton and women sidelined, particularly xuanji as the main (like bai qian was). however i’m hopeful it won’t fall into this unless it works for the writing. since so far, xuanji has: saved sifeng, saved all three of her friends from the gu eagle, and almost saved linglong if she’d gotten a few more seconds. as long as toward the end, if xuanji is still the main protagonist, she gets her share of the fights instead of being ‘sidelined like a damsel’ i’ll be pretty happy. just do better than bai qian was done at the end of eternal love please...

linglong got one good fight, which she unfortunately lost, but i will forgive that as her still being competently given a chance to fight on screen - just being young and inexperienced so far in the plot. if linglong gets more skilled over time, and wins a fight later, and continues to be given fight scenes, then its all good. plus fengjiu couldn’t fight well in Eternal Love and that didn’t bother me - cause she still got to participate and help in some way, and she got to Try even if she failed. And so far linglong is given this same couresty. linglong’s already been given more fights then jiang yanli in the untamed. (i have high standards though... The Shaw Eleven Lang is so well balanced with skilled fighters... it really just hits even more now how annoying it is when its less balanced... and Eternal Love did so good about it too until bai qian got sidelined in the end... and even ashes of love did mostly fine in the beginning...) 

#love and redemption lb #dont take this seriously lol #love and redemption #i just love watching mainstream romance xianxia #and seeing gay where i can #if i find lesbians or bi women i will be <3 #ashes of love played me so hard #jinmi seemed like kinda nonbinary and chill #and then the gender-expectations of that show #just kicked on Full Gear especially thru the phoenix prince dialogue #the writing didn't have to be so closed minded??? #anyway so far im happy love and redemption is just. chill. #i dont feel any forced 'DONT intepret it This Way' moments #as for my issues with eternal love? #OVERJOYED this show has none of them so far!!!! #this show plays out way more like the untamed or once upon a time in lingjian #mountain!!!! #as in the world-plot and xuanji plot is driving the story #not the romance #the romance is just incidental and coincides

[lanchang]

*touches my hair in a distinctly main character kind of way*

#sorry for three of the same outfit but to be fair thats my favorite outfit thank you first arc for that look #ANSON LOOK ITS ABOUT THE FUNKY HAND COVERINGS #also these were NOT hard to find lmao he literally does this so much #this goes in the maain tags its worthy #once upon a time in lingjian mountain #wang lu #lingjian mountain lb #textp

[mejomonster]

im like... ep 15 and i still... love bai youning...

i get Why people think she might be annoying. at times, she can be downright cruel and messed up - despite acting holier-than-thou about what she thinks is a superior moral code. but like... considering all the harsh af stuff lu yao said to her earliy on?? if i was her??? i would have thrown his stuff out of the window, or told chusheng to throw him out of the city. like... he was mega harsh and cruel too? the only real difference was lu yao never ever acts like he has any sense of morality to begin with (though i’m sure he does... somewhere inside there). but like. just cause u outwardly broadcast what an asshole you are, that doesn’t make you less of one. though i love him too.

but also i... have an incredibly fond spot for messed up female characters. Like the Evil Queen in once upon a time, Morganna in merlin, Mystique in x-men, every character in How to Get Away With Murder, Rachel Duncan in Orphan Black, Root (even early seasons danger-danger Root) in Person of Interest (for that matter, every single solitary character in that show)...

so like. as long as bai youning’s character writing seems consistent, i find her entertaining. heck i find her even More entertaining because of how messed up she can be. she’s imperfect, and she’s got a cruel streak, and she’s got contradictory behavior she’ll have to reconcile sometime in her life - she can’t take the moral high ground then abandon it, and she knows on some level she does it. 

only mildly related: if you’ve ever seen Once Upon A Time in Lingjian Mountain - you know the lead female character? THAT WOMAN was my favorite. If that’s any indication of the heroines I love most. I Loved, loved, loved, how the lead actress in that show got to play someone so unapologetically not demure or sweet or cute or pure or heroic or innocent. She played this disgusting bitter angry lying michevious chaotic bitch, and she still won over my heart. Her character of course at heart wanted good things for some people, but she wore her grief right there for the world, and wasn’t restrained in revealing how messed up her grief and life regrets had made her. It was so nice to me to see a lead actress who wasn’t required to be conventionally sweet or kind, who was allowed to be brittle and rough and be that character who truly only has a heart of gold underneath, underneath a ton of messed up issues. Which reminded me a lot of the women in How to Get Away with Murder, who I also love. But like... as much as I love characters like Jiang Yanli in The Untamed, I love characters like Wang Wu a ton. 

#my roommate is a detective lb #bai youning #under the cut is just #rant about bai youning's character #if u don't like her thats cool i get it. #she is abrasive and she can be quite cruel and quite stuck up #i just happen to really like Cruel contradictory flawed female characters #and i find her writing to be much more in depth/given attention #then like... a whole truckload of female characters in some other shows #even ASHES OF LOVE OAO which i WATCHED FOR 'strong female characters' #that show treats the female characters SO BASICALLY at times #what i wouldnt GIVE for the Heavenly Empress/Bird Princess in Ashes of Love #to get the kind of depth of attention Bai Youning gets #also i LOVE the actress playing Bai Youning #for NOT trying to make her overly cutesy or sympathetic #its a CHOICE to purposely play a female character who is a LEAD abrasively and unattractively at times #its why the LEAD actress in Once Upon A Time on Lingjian mountain was SO GOOD #she played an unapologetically destructive selfish complex antihero #she was NOT soft and demure and appealing and redeeming #you had to get to KNOW her and UNDERSTAND her to really start empathizing #i love characters like that #and bai youning is also like that (although much 'nicer' objectively) #bai youning isn't 'perfect sweet innocent heroine' #she's lived in and fleshed out and not pure #while i love pure-genuine-heroes like Qin Xiao Man in Detective L... #i love me complexity and flaws to watch develop and change overtime a lot more #Bai Youning (and the entire trio in mriad) all are those types #if anything Chusheng is the MOST morally sound and developed in the group #but i think he just... hides his flaws better than the other two.

[mejomonster]

Oh I’m sorry they ALSO CUDDLED.

Zhou Yaohua is. A lot

#Till death tear us apart #till death tear us apart lb #despite limitation issues in some cdramas #there IS a difference between romance and a “bromance”/potential baiting #Till Death Tear is Apart/Guardian/The Untamed are all unquestionably ROMANCES #whereas stuff like Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain - #tho written romantically is clearly meant to be just a friendship at its core #anyway. This is a great show.

[mejomonster]

im watching lingjian mountain n i actually like liulu a lot, but i am overly excited to see she is ‘empress of the evil cult’ cause i’ll always pick a morally questionable heroine when given the chance

#lingjian mountain lb #once upon a time in lingjian mountain #avenuex reviewed this as 'good for laughs' and shes right #avenuex also said it was lighthearted but takes itself seriously enough to feel good and i basically agreed with her whole review of this #she was also like 'its nice cause it kind of hints at bl and also bg romances but it plays them well TOGETHER which is hard to do' #and she phrased it well #it goes really heavy handed in the main character. kinda being a bi flirt #but it also does it in a way where nothing really hurts or contradicts? idk #also i Really actually love how they're building up wang wu/wang lu (if that is in fact the endgame which i imagine it is) #cause the actress playing Wang Wu is a freaking delight and amazing #her character is so refreshingly more than 'a pretty face' #and regarding #ANY care between them its getting established slowly and proven over time #which is something any romance should have #but often straight romances like to skip past it or rush it because #they think as long as two characters kiss or lock eyes then its convincing enough to claim they're in love #not this show - not so far. happily. #wang wu even suspects - a little by now - that wang lu is her lover reincarnated. but does that make her #go gooey or sweet? NO. she still thinks the same of wang lu #that he can be thoughtless and rude and in a way she's proud cause he's learning well #but he aint special. #as for liulu's actress? its clear in the flashback scenes #she does good with the RANGE and im glad as empress the actress gets to play #something more serious/dark in comparison to the cheerful/angry simple liulu she's been playing #in a similar vein i liked liulu flirting with xiaohai cause the actress got to expand on liulu's #characterization

[mejomonster]

I just watched Lingjian Mountain like eps 12-13ish and like? It’s wild to me

Wang Lu goes to like find his master with Xiaohai to ask her to take him as a disciple, and they do find her, and she kinda flirts with xiaohai in her joking sharp way she does with anyone she wants to in Intimidate, and Wang Lu’s faces are fantastic

Anyway the whole scene plays like him bringing his boyfriend to the same place as his girlfriend and then getting horrified when his gf flirts with his bf. Wang lu I’m gonna happily read in my own head as a disaster bi who may not know he’s bi but definitely is

Also side note I really love that the main female lead character in this show is. Like she is.

#Lingjian Mountain lb #once upon a time in Lingjian Mountain #I’m joking a little #in the sense that actually he doesn’t feel like his master is his gf #I actually really really LOVE the relationship between him and his master #it feels organically developed and the chemistry is good and the characters #changing each other is slow and gradual #so if it becomes a romance? I’d probably like it. Since it’s not rushed #and it doesn’t expect you to just ‘buy into’ it #anyway avenuex did a YouTube video on it and I agree with her completely about this show #the writing kinda hints at a BL and a BG story happening at once #but it actually WORKS and they support each other instead of weakening each other #and It’s really fun to watch #and then just me personally as a bi person who likes comedy #I like that the bl baiting doesn’t make no homo jokes or negate itself #it just lets it lay there #and the BG potential Romance is slowly building with a foundation too #so if it happens it’ll probably be satisfying #and I can just lean back and relate u feel me?

[mejomonster]

for real though xiaohai is like a baby-version of ye zun:

he got imprisoned by his older brother too (but for a few years instead of 10,000)

also had his brother turn on him/fight him for no discernable reason he could understand (xiaohai’s bro killed his whole family, shen wei just... started trying to kill ye zun the then-current rebel leader, of which ye zun probs had NO idea why his brother wasn’t on his side. and xiaohai has NO idea why his bro killed their whole family n felt the need to take control)

also wants to kill his older brother and is pretty thoroughly consumed by that desire at any given time (xiaohai might only have a few years of resentment/anger/betrayal built up compared to ye zun’s, but they’re both ready to THROW DOWN and anihilate their older brother’s - i’d actually say at the moment, ye zun seems like the one more willing to spare his bro and just keep him prisoner instead of full on ENDING him)

both weaker than their older bros (ye zun less drastically cause he plays dirty, has 10k years to work on it and plot, can use other people, and has hallows to help)

both somewhat caged power-wise by their older bros (ye zun got a pillar for a prison, xiaohai had his own room as a prison then EVEN WHEN he broke out he’s got a ‘restriction’ bind magically on him keeping him weak and keeping his ability to use powers suppressed)

both clearly have a penchant for using implied threats and scheming to get what they want (xiaohai is definitely more hidden about how he manipulates situations to his advantage - but to be fair to ye zun he’s got 10k years of trauma that makes him pretty unhinged and unstable and he’s not nearly as good at lying and hiding himself for sustained durations compared to when he was younger. i guarantee anything a Young 10k years ago ye zun, working for the rebel chief, was excellent at lying and manipulating without revealing his own part, to keep himself alive and slowly gain power).

both be wearing those white robes now ya feel me

main difference being xiaohai got his own best friend and partner in wang lu, so he doesn’t have to deal with his stuff alone if he’s willing to let someone in (and wang lu is a good friend who works at trying to BE let in to help), whereas Ye Zun was close to absolutely NOBODY while shen wei had zhao yunlan to support him. Moral of the story: connect to others emotionally, trust, build relationships that are meaningful - love is a good force in this world. cause xiaohai’s older brother’s almost certainly eventually GOING to lose (I’m predicting) since he has no one, while xiaohai has wang lu and all his other friends. 

#ye zun #xiaohai #once upon a time in lingjian mountain #lingjian mountain lb #guardian #meta #rant #YES YOU BET I JUST WROTE UP THE PARALLELS BETWEEN XIAOHAI AND YE ZUN #HOW COULD I NOT #YALL KNOW HOW MUCH I THINK ABOUT YE ZUN'S CHARACTERIZATION

[mejomonster]

i blame shen wei and wei wuxian on my newfound inherent weakness for any character in a period drama that puts on all black robes

bonus points if they’ve got a completely messed up relationship with a sibling

so like, xiaohai in once upon a time on lingjian mountain really... hit me when that backstory flashback showed up

#once upon a time in lingjian mountain #lingjian mountain lb #xiaohai #first it turns out he's from the goth clan then it turns out he's living that ye-zun situation #where ur brother imprisoned you for X years and for some reason isn't on ur side and now u wanna go real hardcore n fight him to the death #tbh. #xiaohai is like ye zun but sweeter and less absolutely #wrecked by 10k years of trauma following 10ish years of probable abuse under the rebel chief #cause like. xiaohai only had like 2-3ish years of abuse and it was at the same time as imprisonment. it was ALL his brother #so xiaohai is like baby version of ye zun #i LOVE xiaohai

[mejomonster]

love and redemption plot going by so fast i can’t lb properly, i’m on what ep 7?

love everyone. i feel like this is the romance xianxia ive been waiting for. has 0 things i didn’t like about eternal love, has everything i did like in a way i like 10000% more (although i will give eternal love credit for younger man liking an older woman which is a bit less common as a setup, which i liked about it - fengjiu/dijuns parallel worked nicely - and liked about once upon a time in lingjian mountain, just cause in general these felt executed well... except the butchered parts of ye hua’s writing in the last 3rd of eternal love...)

i love how good hearted sifeng is. i love this liu bro in prison. i love that lize sect leader favors sifeng - but why??? i love xuanji, i love lingling, i like liu-xiong. i even like lize deputy chief who’s a jerk but like... he seems principled? i think i Would like Hao Chen cause he reminds me of God of War Mo in Eternal love except... i’ve seen spoiler screencaps. so i am just terrified of his impending bad actions.... whatever they turn out to be 

also i quite like wu guy being setup as the bad guy/fall guy. He’s definitely a jerk, but he’s also a good example of ‘the sects turning it up 100% to punish him’ which is definitely going to make him react worse. (likewise them trying to immediately lock xuanji up was an unneeded escalation... seems like a pattern all the sects except lize’s leader want to do). like? while i hate this wu guy? i do see how if he’d been a bit kinder, or if someone had given him a better guiding hand (sifeng maybe being more negotiating - though sifeng should’nt have had to, though sifeng seems to realize talking it out might’ve avoided future trouble...) like his own sect leader... maybe he’d be easy to put into line and become a better person over time. but left to his own devices and made into an example by the 5 sects? oh he’s definitely going pure evil. it reminds me of jin guangyao a little or mo ran, even though i think both those characters had more ‘explanation’ in their narratives. whereas this wu guy is just being painted as ‘pure evil’ by the narrative mostly. (and yet, still, i think the narrative is being a little more nuanced toward wu than eternal Love’s was to the demon king).

- dont even get me started about how many cute scenes. sifeng and xuanji sleeping in the same bed and just. agh executed so much better to me than eternal love hit for me... the bell to talk to each other.... the fact they’re just in general so communicative and open and supportive mutually thank You

- also xuanji constantly standing up to protect everyone she cares about. its wonderful

- xuanji saying she liked liu-xiong was great, love how it was cute and funny but also caused 0 stupid jealousy plots since i hate dumb baseless jealousy plots

- i love when god of war peaks out. when xuanjis suddenly like ‘you think dying is hard? you should try it’ i want so much of xuanji to discover who she is, to remember, to combine together all the parts of who she is and understand herself and also maintain the healing this new life has allowed her emotionally...

#love and redemption lb #i basically Love the cast of characters #and how fast paced the plot progresses!