#xiao chiye needs love

[tttiger-98]

A mother's love knows no bounds 🥴

#qiang jin jiu #qjj #tang jiuqing #xiao ce'an #xiao chiye #danmei #Ce’an is a horse girl there is no debate #meng needs some love #it’s been sitting in my head for too long

[mcrcki]

here i come with another MASSIVE event plotting / starter call (this time with over 20 characters bc who even am i) !! before i get too much into event stuff, i just wanna put up some housekeeping things so i'm not just repeating myself over and over in the discord : i will be dropping almost all of my pre-event threads. meaning, i will only be keeping the thread if it is an active plot that needs to be continued because we aren't at a place to infer the ending. i am just so utterly overwhelmed with my number of drafts that i really need to just start fresh, so i'll be using this as my chance to spam the heck out of y'all's calls and get way more threads that i actually have muse for. i'm sorry if we had a thread you really wanted to continue, i just need a fresh start. now for housekeeping for my call, as always this will be capped. i wanna write with everyone but i can't if i get a million requests from one person so!! the cap is three starters per writer!! blind date starters will not count towards that cap. otherwise, please LIKE for plotting messages, and REPLY for starters (pls specify muses unless previously discussed!!)!

in the meantime, if you wanna see what my clowns are wearing, please follow this link to my pinterest :))

alani tiure | star wars | blind date w. cami o'connell ( 3 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : imma be so for real and say that they think they're absolutely too good for this lmao, their dad is a crime lord in the city, and really they're just here to take advantage of some free drinks and maybe check in on some clients. her date is going to have to be okay with her being slightly stuck up but will absolutely be down for some dancing despite it. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : sofia robbin sloan torres, ellie williams, cami o'connell

beatrice | over the garden wall | date w. wirt ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : going with her favorite boy loser, wirt. definitely here just for the free party and to do something fun, now that she's human again she's taking advantage of all the things they missed out on as a bird. will definitely be here to make friends, they're a little rude at times but i promise they're kind when you get past the kind of rude exterior !!! down for shenanigans !! potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : xiao chiye

branwen | a court of thorns and roses | blind date w. enola holmes ( 1 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : winnie LOVES THIS, she hasn't gotten to have fun in pretty dresses in ages, she was still young the last time they were able to have any kind of formal party so they're really enjoying this. she wants to see everything this party has to offer so she'll be dragging her date around everywhere, wanting to take it all in potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : he xuan

daniela dimitrescu | resident evil | blind date w. jeremy smith ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : ok tbh, daniela only came to this and signed up for a blind date to possibly grab an easy snack. they're a man-eating monster idk what anyone expected here. but tbh, once they saw the girl she's actually simping over (and will not make a move yet for one reason or another) they're going to be flirting and going so far to make her jealous, it doesn't matter with who tbh. also open to some absolute chaos if you wanna do something Bad potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date (for murder purposes)

starters : myri tiure, henry creel

danika fendyr | crescent city | flying solo ( 3 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : listen danika like.. just got here, she's just getting used to the city and her memories again with her friends, since so much happened back home. she's spending the majority of her time crashing her bestie's date, for various reasons, but will be out on the floor dancing and drinking as much as she wants, enjoying the hell out of a free party potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : bryce quinlan, apple caramela, hunt athalar

elain archeron | a court of thorns and roses | date w. lucien vanserra ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : this is elain's first ball in the city, and she's very much looking forward to a night where she can just dress up in a beautiful dress and dance with her husband. things have been... rough with her family unit so she's just happy to let loose a little bit and enjoy everyone's company and dance the night away potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : lu junyi, lucien vanserra

evangeline ennar | throne of glass | blind date w. choi nam ra ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : evangeline grew up in a high fantasy world, getting dressed up in fancy clothes for a ball is all she could've hoped for coming here, and now she's old enough to really enjoy it, she is going to be having the best time for real. will be helping her mom glare at her not dad, but other than that, she would love some friends so just dance around with all night potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : choi nam ra, aedion ashryver

kaya dura | star wars | blind date w. lola flemming ( 2 / 4 )

they/she pronouns : kaya is not really in the dating and dancing mood, they are still getting over their ex after a very hard breakup, where her ex killed her and all that fun stuff. so, they're really trying to like.. get themselves out there and get over her, so they signed up for this blind date and are forcing themselves out into public again. will probably get drunk for the first time and just want to forget everything to have fun potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : kaiden monsula, kasil monsula

keelan cardulo | fourth wing | date w. mira sorrengail ( 0 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : lowkey her and mira's first public appearance as a couple, especially after everything that happened back home that resulted in keelan's death, she is very much looking forward to getting to dance with their girlfriend and just enjoy that. is a bit anti social if they don't know you, so when mira is inevitably somewhere else, find them hanging to the shadows potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters :

leia organa | star wars | date w. han solo ( 3 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : mom and dad night out!!! leia's a mom of six now, and while ya know four of the six are adults with some having children of their own, and the other 2 are less than six months old, she just wants to have a little fun. the past year has been.. hard. and despite being the president and having to be here for this ball, she would so much rather be home right now, avoiding all the memories that valentine's day now brings out in her mind. last year was the worst night of her life and she will in fact be drinking a lot to forget all that bastilla did a year ago. #thereturnoffloorgana potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : din djarin, ahsoka tano, winter celchu

louise vance | harry potter | date w. thea hughes ( 4 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : a party???? hell yeah lou is gonna be there, they love this whole vibe. will 100% be testing the limits of security and trying to ride the t rex skeletons and any other shenanigans they can get into. they're here with their best friend in the whole world, thea, and they're definitely just friends, if you see them slow dancing really close that's just what besties do potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : thea hughes, emmeline vance, bucky barnes, willie

marlene mckinnon | harry potter | flying solo ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : marlene lowkey is working this, and will be having fun but trying to stay focused on her job. she's unaware currently so, they'll just be hanging around with whoever is kind of hiding in the outskirts of the party, could absolutely be convinced to dance/will flirt given the chance, but mostly just here to have a fun day at work potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : dora tonks, esther mckinnon

morrigan | a court of thorns and roses | date w. cassandra dimitrescu ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : this thing with cassandra has been a bit of a whirlwind romance, and she's found herself really swept up in the other, and will absolutely be spending a lot of her time in their arms. but considering how her family life has been lately, she will also be checking in on family and doing what she can to make sure reporters aren't going too wild with everything going on with rhys and her family. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : cassandra dimitrescu, rhysand

omega archeron | star wars | date w. kirei monsula ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : if i had a nickel for every time one of my muses is on a date with their best friend and convincing themselves it's not a date, i'd have 2 nickels-- anyways, omega will be here, fulfilling her role as senator archeron's messy as hell kid, and drunk as shit nearly getting kicked out for shenanigans around the maze, and also perhaps drunkenly making out with their best friend kirei that they've been pining after for years. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : hunter

rosemary winters | resident evil | flying solo ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : now for my girl that knows she's in love with her best friend but her best friend doesn't know her and is here with another girl!!!!! honestly rose will be in a corner getting so drunk, glaring daggers at mouse's date and wanting nothing more than to be the one dancing with them. please come try to drag them out of this slump they are sulking HARD potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : lyra ayala

rowena ravenclaw | harry potter | date w. hunter ( 1 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : rowena is uneasy after the last masquerade that happened in the city, and last valentine's day, and will be spending a fair amount of time at hunter's side until she realizes that this is actually safe, that things are normal and she can cut loose a little. will be spending a lot of time dancing and mingling, happy to talk to anyone who needs some friendly conversation, even if she may just info dump at you. is VERY excited that this is at the museum and may spend more time wandering the exhibits than actually dancing. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : arnold

sella palpatine | star wars | date w. allana solo ( 4 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : oh sella is LIVING FOR THIS. valentine's day is her fucking holiday and she will be making up for how hellish the last one was. considering the fact that her and allana have yet to have a single good date on a holiday, she is going to be spending as much time as possible making her girlfriend twirl her around the dance floor. if anyone needs a dancing partner, sella will also let you spin her :)) she is just here to get a little tipsy and enjoy all the love in the air potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : rey palpatine, steve rogers, sion val palpatine, allana solo

sophie hatter | howl's moving castle | date w. howl pendragon

she/they pronouns : once again, sophie has been dragged to one of these parties because their husband loves these things far more than she does. howl dressed them, and as long as he agreed to a babysitter, sophie agreed to come to this. they are not the biggest dancer, a bit too self conscious to put themselves out there like that, she doesn't like drawing attention to herself. which is difficult when your husband is wearing a glittery pink suit but... potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : cindy moon

sorrel blackbeak | throne of glass | flying solo ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : i am planning on letting sorrel get their memories back during the event so she's going to be having a little bit of a time trying to find the rest of the thirteen and reunite now that her memories are back. once that's sorted though, she will be a little anti social but if someone asked her to dance, they're not one to say no. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : asterin blackbeak, manon blackbeak

tatum riley | scream '96 | blind date w. conrad fisher ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : tatum is just trying to put herself out there, to enjoy some good things in the city, even if she's a little on edge with just throwing herself into a blind date roulette, she knows she's gotta get out of her comfort zone so she's going to make the most of this party and enjoy the heck out of it. even if that means someone's gotta drive her ass home cause she's gonna be gone potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : sam carpenter, jake wheeler

vesta starkos | star wars | blind date w. riley matthews ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : listen vesta is unaware and super normal right now, and she wants to dance with a pretty girl. even if she's a little sus of all the people who keep staring at her like they know her, they just wanna dance and have a little fun, to cut loose instead of thinking about school. is up for some shenanigans and drunken adventures if people are down potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : ramona flowers

victoria sutherland | twilight | date w. james witherdale ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : vic will never pass up an opportunity to dress sexy and dance on her mate, she has absolutely zero shame and does not care who is watching them. she also loves to use these events as a perfect little hunting ground. vic will probably be upset that it's not turning into a nightmare but, she can make it a nightmare if she really gets that bored. until then? she will be annoyingly hanging all over her mate all night. potential plots ➛ drinking (not alcohol) || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date (for a drink ;) )

starters : heidi volturi, bella swan

violet sorrengail | fourth wing | date w. xaden riorson ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : did violet show up to this ball 90 minutes late, looking very flushed? yes. is she going to talk about it at all? absolutely not, her siblings are here and her friends can infer what's going on. now that she's here, vi will be happy to dance and enjoy the party with her friends and just get a few moments of normalcy considering the ticking timebomb her life has turned into, she is going to be savoring any moment of normal young adulthood with her family and friends thank you potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : sgaeyl, xaden riorson

#hw: plot call #hw: starter call #hwminievent6 #event | valentine's ball #long post tw

[huasahyo]

I have read Qiang Jin Jiu and honestly think I'll never recover

(Spoilers ahead!)

Oh god, where to start this? Maybe I should start with the very begging: I didn't understood shit. I just saw a kid being tortured and lots of information. When I felt it was too much, I went after the translated map and OMG that was so helpful! Bless the translators for that. After looking carefully at the map, things started to make sense.

As the story went, before the end of book one I was not very familiar with all the characters. I kept mistaking Hai Liangyi for Hua Siqian lol. But during my reading I started to take some notes and was never confused again. The thing is, this book has A LOT of characters and some of them are introduced early but only become major players later (Yao Wenyu, Hua Xiangyi...)

Even though this huge ensemble would make characters easy to forget, this doesn't happen. The author managed to create likeable and rememberable characters pretty easily??? I fell in love with many of them at first read, even if they didn't show up a lot. And there were characters that got me completely off guard, I wasn't expecting them to be so cool and relevant, BUT THEY WERE (Fei Sheng, Kong Liu)! And the antagonists were also brilliant, I love a good story where everyone has a point and no one is actually evil: People from Biansha had their truths and in a war there are no right sides, Xue Xiuzhuo wanted the best for Dazhou (even though I can't forgive what the did to my baby Yuanzhuo), and Li Jianting??? WHAT A LEGEND! Also, Feng Quan plot twist left me speechless, what an interesting character. Every character was very human (in the good and bad way), everyone had their own goals and beliefs. I actually might do a second post screaming about every character because I have a lot to say about them. (hello hasen my love)

The Plot??? Perfectly done. AND WELL EXPLAINED! I was always a little afraid of reading novels with a lot of politics, but I really dug this one. The problems with grains, provisions, registry, army and BRO THERE WAS EVEN SOME AGRARIAN REFORM SHIT

The way this author write the MOST well written battles I have read, without using any magic... it's just... I never thought I would be so enthusiastic about cannons, rocks and GRAINS.

The conflicts in Zhongbo could be all repetitive, but they weren't at all. Each prefecture that Lanzhou took back had a interesting story.

The war with Biansha was also brilliantly written. The way Amu'er was attacking Dazhou from the inside out and the scorpions with those hammers??? My man was a genius. Sadly, he could never have predicted Bai Cha and her son.

Talking about that, the family relationships are a great point in this. Seeing flashbacks about Lanzhou, Ji Mu, Ji Gang and Hua Pinging made me CRY! They were so happy... And seeing Xiao Chiye with his brother and HIS DAD LIKE... Xiao Fangxu and Ji Gang best daddies. Fei Sheng and Yin Chang too, what a beautiful chapter the one that they talk after Fei Sheng has a fight with Qiao Tianya.

Talking about Qiao Tianya, it was refreshing to see a novel with more LGBT characters. The secondary pairings were great, they didn't steal the spotlight from cezhou, but were very enjoyable (even though THAT happened between Songyu). I just wished we could have seen more Qihua moments and OH GOD KONG LIU AND LUO MU??? That got me truly off guard, wasn't expecting at all. Also, I found really interesting how Lanzhou basically got a LGBT parade following him at the end, that was truly the gayest empire ever. I have so many headcanons here, let me scream them: Xue Xiuzhuo is AroAce, Li Jianting is a non-binary legend and Huo Lingyun a Bi King. Also, Fei Sheng is not straight. Said it.

The little animals in this??? I WAS TERRIFIED WHEN LANG TAO XUE JIN FELL IN THAT HOLE YALL I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA DIE. But luckily he didn't. Meng, Hunu, Feng Shuang Ta Yi were all the cutest, I need more novels with cats.

THE CHILDREN - Ding Tao, Li Xiong, Xiao Xun and Jiran. They served chaos, humor and cuteness. I really liked whenever they showed up.

THE LADIESSS - If you have read my other posts you know I love some powerful women. This story did not disappoint me in that sense. Hua Hewei had some despicable acts, but she really got everyone on her hands despite never leaving the inner palace, good for her. Hua Xiangyi is a way better version of her aunt, my girl was smart and cared for the people, an amazing woman. QI ZHUYINNN owns my life, I really adored the fact that she was a badass and that she never hated the fact she was born a girl, slay. Bai Cha was really out there helping women that were sold and their children, that is some real sorority there. Lu Yizhi was so kind, loved seeing her interactions with Lanzhou. Li Jianting was everything, her story was one of the saddest and yet she was doing her best to become a ruler. Duo Er'lan was amazingly brave, even more than Hasen, mad respect for her.

And last, but definitely not least, there is cezhou. I have no words to explain how much I adored these two. The way both of them got their own development and had their own private goals and went after them, so good. They are so well written that I wanna scream. The chapters that are focused on Lanzhou's feelings are not big in number, even when he is the main character, his feelings are shown in discreet ways (the handkerchief!) and most of the time we don't know what he is plotting or thinking. But when we take a peek at what's going inside of his heart, it's... astonishing. And I love seeing how he actually cared for the side characters, even though he doesn't show a lot.

And Ce'an kind of caught me off guard, I thought he was going to be a totally different character but he went and delivered

Xiao Chiye was a perfect fit for Lanzhou and Lanzhou was a perfect fit for Xiao Chiye: they were both in similar situations where only them could understand each other's suffering, and after they leave Qudu we see how much of a match made in heaven they are (not just romantically, but strategically).

THE SEXUAL TENSION AT THE BEGINNING YALL... They were scheming/fighting and flirting at the same time. Iconic.

Read this, you won't regret it!

By the way, I started reading the story in December and finished by March, but I completely forgot to post this! College has been frying my brain these days.

Hopefully I will resume my Sha Po Lang reading and come back here to tell my opinions on the book. (Not sure when though.)

See ya!

#qiang jin jiu #qjj #将进酒 #qjj spoilers #danmei #danmei recs #nana rambles about novels #bl novel #book review #novel review #novel recommendation

[izartn]

Read Golden Stage/Terrace and was left very meh. Not bad, not a subject of my devotion either. I prefer my stories either full on R Romantic or leaning towards the plot as in Qiang Jin Jiu, so although the story and charas were perfectly fine it was very much just an entertaining way to pass the time.

I was expecting... Less good behaviour from the protags honestly XD and not in terms of scheming; I liked how few fucks they gave towards a correct confucian behaviour lol. But it didn't felt like an enemies to lovers as it was sold, not even a rival to lovers. Lost opportunity to suddenly lovers fits. I liked that they almost had something as teens but Yan Xiaohan duty/role and Fu Shen relative immaturity at court games made that impossible. The Cui Yu incident as the memory Yan Xiaohan keeps to remind himself to not sink so low in the future was nice, as is the fact he is still pretty much amoral and doesn't have any loyalty to the emperor(s) except self-preservation.

In general I was very meh about Fu Shen and his fam, except his nephew and that throwaway line about how he remembers years later when he's in the throne that Yan Xiaohan once told him as a child that he only wanted FS and not the kingdom. I want to know more about that kid's life bc it sounds fascinating just from that smidge of info. He's assured as emperor despite the regency bc he knows that what his uncles want is each other more than the throne. Fascinating.

As I was saying; Yan Xiaohan on the other hand? Bastard son of an emperor with a concubine of that emp's father, raised in a temple for retired court women by a nun and a eunuch, who taught all he needed to make a life for himself and success on the court? Super interesting. And we don't know anything about their relationship except that his adoptive father made him swear to not marry a women and have children so as to not challenge any the ruling line (bc the emperor knew Xiaohan was his son). Like.

Of course I prefer Xiaohan XD

But anyways just a light read in comparison with other danmei and a dynamic that just isn't my kind of visceral romance, desire being very good for each other. Also the wonkers pseudo democracy too. That was weird XD good weird but like. Very much pfft at times. That Fu Shen is all on board bc he's just, so so tired of incompetent bosses, essentially, and also very much dislikes authority is funny too.

Anyways these are my thoughts. Worth giving it a read if you are interested by the premise (I usually despise forced marriage, except when done as in very all we here adults as in Golden Stage or full on going this is fucked up and not endgame so that's one thing it does well) but not my cup of tea.

SPOILERS QIANG JIN JIU

I'm still thinking of Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan. And there's no comparison with this novel sorry not sorry. Really liked Ce'an, bc he feels very... realistic as a warlord and also just fantasy enough for the story and romance to work? Both he and Shen Zechuan do. I really liked the way they're attracted to each other at the start despite the antagonism (genuine antagonism!!! their first time is genuine hate sex despite the attraction and burgeoning fondness) and the plotting bc they recognize on each other a yearning from freedom and to be themselves. Then they end the story chained in Qudu by their own volition and by love and mmm. Thematically tasty.

#my thoughts #golden stage #golden terrace #qiang jin jiu #ballad of sword and wine #qiang Jin jiu spoilers

[veliseraptor]

Top 5 Danmei canon couples only (to make it harder? 👀)

canon couples? canon couples? anon who do you think I am, someone who gets really attached to canon pairings

(also are we qualifying as "canon" here "specifically they actually get together on page" or like... "heavily subtextually implied"." I'm going to assume you meant the first one, but boy is it tempting.)

(I'm not wholly serious but I am wondering if I can get to five with this, considering a number of the ones I've read only really have one explicitly canon pairing...and I haven't read all that many, and I don't like listing things by, like, default. I want to actually have strong feelings.)

1. Hua Cheng/Xie Lian. Hands down my favorite of the three MXTX novels and definitely of all time. They're just. I love them. I love them both as characters and their dynamic is so good. Astonishingly not fucked up for a pairing I have such good feelings about but somehow it works.

2. Mo Ran/Chu Wanning. On the other hand! Very fucked up, at least sort of. Less so later. But also still. But woof what a pairing. I have vol. 2 of the published translation sitting on my shelf and might just read that this weekend now that I'm thinking about them again. I will say that I am unfortunately particularly fond of Taxian-jun/Chu Wanning specifically (surprising no one) but all versions are good.

3. Qiyan Agula/Nangong Jingnu. I really need to reread JWQS and it's because of these two cause like. what a mess! what a mess!!! it's enemies to lovers and betrayal and all that delicious crunchy shit and they're both women. how often do I get that, almost never. once I finally get around to learning book binding I feel like this might be the one I want to do first. 🤔

4. Sheng Lingyuan/Xuan Ji. It feels a little weird to put a pairing from a book I haven't finished yet on here (two, actually) but it's...really good so I'm going with it. I'm only ~70 chapters in and they've got me. The already emerging parallel themes of dehumanization and weaponization alone. Chef's kiss. perching here just waiting for the rest.

5 Xiao Chiye/Shen Zechuan. The other pairing from a book I haven't technically finished yet, but look, look, you've seen me posting their banter and I feel like for this alone:

they deserve to be on here.

#conversating #anonymous #i have a free and completely unoccupied weekend ahead of me. maybe i will just spend it reading cnovels #top five meme

[the-fair-maiden-of-fandom]

more qjj liveposting pt.5

|| there are obviously going to be spoilers ||

“You’ve been poisoned by someone, it’s inadvisable for you to stay out in public. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my home. My teacher and yours are considered colleagues, and you are old friends with Ce’an. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.” any friend of my boyfriend is a friend of mine bajklsfbla

like i know yao wenyu was like. literally poisoned but him being sick is making me nervous,,,,, ive seen the official art and read the spoilers,,, idk how it happens but

SO SEXY OF YOU YAO WENYU TO JUST FIGURE IT OUT LIKE THAT

‘If not for the fact that this person was in such dire straits, even Shen Zechuan himself wanted to kill him, what’s more the others.’ asjdkhfblas????

love that for her

wait so xue xiuzhuo basically fucked over all the other scholars???

i love smart commander vs. smart commander stuff

which,,,, in hindsight,,, is probably why i like cezhou so much

XCY IS THAT STRONG?????

oh thank GOD and xiao fangxu

oh he’s mad mad

yikes

OH SO THATS THE PLAN

aw he’s such a good dad it’s like watching my dad and my lil brother

“I found myself a man!” Sunlight shone on Xiao Chiye’s face, dispelling the dark clouds of yesterday. This brat was truly a little rascal as he shouted provocatively, “The best-looking man in the whole of Da Zhou is my wife!” LOVE OF MY LIFE

he’s so excited to be with szc it’s absolutely adorable

“Xiao Chiye!” Xiao Fangxu let out an earth-shaking roar. He pushed himself off the ground with his hands to chase after him, but he could not catch up. In a fit of anger, he picked up a piece of horse dung and flung it at Xiao Chiye, cussing, “Get your ass back here and make yourself clear!”  I LOVE THEM

this is so funny actually. “dad, i’m gay and im bringing my bf home for thanksgiving. also, he’s the most hated guy in the world. love you!”

can you IMAGINE suddenly finding out that your sister-in-law-to-be is just. at your house. 

omg he did the roofing just bc that’s how xcy likes it??? they really are in love huh

she likes him!!!!

THREE PAGES IS,,,,, so much,,,,

xcy has such a good family

aw, yao wenyu :((

‘technically, shen zechuan was also on the run. the difference is that xcy beat the hell out of this guy, ruined the plans of this guy, destroyed everything this guy had going,,,,, so xcy was the main target’

when he calls him ce’an <3

GZX WHAT HAVE YOU DONE

unleashing the protective wrath of xcy on szc like that how could you

going to libei to talk to WHO??

i just KNOW they’re about to be so disgustingly cute

omg,,,,,, he’s taming his horse for him (NOT an innuendo) (i want to make a joke but idk what)

why are xcy and his dad the actual cutest thing ever

‘The quality iron had been smashed to the point it was no longer usable, but he still did not have it changed.‘ love. of. my life.

HELL OF A SURPRISE

running huggggg im going to cry my eyes out

Shen Zechuan swung the folding fan between his fingers and said, “That’s something I have to do in passing while I’m at it. My heart is all here.” SOBBING

FUCK THEYRE SO CUTE

they need to stay long distance bc i cant handle it when theyre not

sxc is such a little shit ill never get over it

meeting the parents 

Xiao Fangxu was initially sitting with his leg propped up, but on seeing the white figure entering, he suddenly sat straight up. But then, he felt he was really being too unnatural, so he attempted to cover it up by propping his hand on his knee to appear more imposing, only to look all the more conspicuous as he looked at Shen Zechuan without so much a smile.  he’s such a cringe dad i just KNOW his hugs are incredible

pleaseeee even xfx agrees he’s drop dead gorgeous

do you HAVE to eyefuck him in front of xfx. must you.

HES FOND OF HIS KISSESSSSS 

‘Nothing in this world could be relied on, nothing except Xiao Chiye.’ i cant do this anymore 

how do they, two fictional characters, make me feel like im intruding 

THEY BOTH SAID IT 

the way t97 uses their courtesy names kills me everytime 

i had to stop and take a lap 

okay why is szc so damn cute when he's not killing people and plotting various downfalls bc this piggyback ride is going to end me 

they are. sharing a blanket and watching the sunrise. thats all i want from life 

i literally cant function. i cant. 

THE FACT THAT FATHER AND SON ARE BOTH GIFTING HIM MILK. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN 

ik what it means but like honestly im dying.  i cant. xiao fangxu do you want to be my second dad because i can definitely handle three parents

poor guy just wanted to become a bandit overlord and got in way over his head 

DING TAO AND LI XIONG MY DARLINGS ARE BACK ONSCREEN 

MY LOVE HAS ARRIVED TO SAVE THE BOYS 

catching the candy is unreal im in love 

if szc doesnt kill this man xcy will hunt down his entire family line 

YOU ARE WELCOME TO BE OUR GUEST 

szc literally one chance that was the sexiest shit ive ever read 

im going to print out that scene and sharpie it onto my walls i cant. i cant. 

the way he swooped in and saved HIS retinue. love. love. i love him. no one is doing it like him 

im reeling rn how am i supposed to continue my life 

im halfway into the next chapter and still thinking about it. holy shit. 

wait what the fuck does gedale mean 

also??? the hurt??? the injuries??? the quiet suffering? good shit 

omg wait what 

OMG 

OMG ITS TIED TO HIS PARENTS??? WHAT?? 

szc putting his hair into a bun would kill xcy on the spot 

wonder what THAT meant 

well that was freaky 

aw ding tao :( dont be scared my darling he just risked his life for yours a few chapters ago 

i feel like this fellow is also someone szc is eventually going to put out to pasture 

he seems like he'll get a bit too cocky 

okay yes but the fuck does that mean

#qjj #qiang jin ju #cezhou #shen zechuan #shen lanzhou #xiao chiye #i think i ended at ch.172 before i went to sleep last night #so thats where this ends #qjj reading log #its been over a day #i just got back from a formal ceremony #and im STILL thinking about that fight scene

[mischiefxmuses]

@mvsicinthedvrk asked: [shove] xiao chiye angrily shoves charlie back

"Woah easy, man." Charlie raised his hands. His wand was strapped to his leg in a holster as it always was in case he needed it. "It was an accident. No need to get aggressive." Charlie wasn't an aggressive individual, he was very kind and loving by nature but would fight back if need be.

#xiaochiyereply #xiaochiyexcharliethread01 #charlie & interactions

[neixins]

Snow brushed past the hair on Shen Zechuan’s temples and landed on his collar. Xiao Chiye raised his hand to set his palm down on the top of Shen Zechuan’s head. A quote inexplicably came to his mind. 

For my wife is still in the springtime of life; 

and tender are the words to comfort my beloved you.

Lanzhou was only twenty-two of age this year, and he would be by his side for decades to come. Xiao Chiye, however, would be fighting battles on all fronts in the days to come, regardless of life or death. Overthinking and dwelling too much on it would only serve to make him timid.

Shen Zechuan was the reason Xiao Chiye became tough. He was also the reason that Xiao Chiye mellowed. Xiao Chiye wanted to protect this man until the very end of his life, and as such, he was willing to give his very best in every single battle. But even the strong, like Xiao Fangxu, would also come to an unpredictable end. Xiao Chiye thought plenty after that incident. He loved this man, but he also worried for this man. 

Perhaps other people in this world did not need him, Xiao Ce’an, that much. But Shen Zechuan did. 

“I’ll wait for you here.” Shen Zechuan raised his palm to caress Xiao Chiye’s cheek. In a soft voice, he said, “Don’t fool around with others on the way. Not even a glance.” 

All of a sudden, Xiao Chiye hugged Shen Zechuan. In this snow, as he huffed breaths of hot air, he felt as if he owed Lanzhou too, too much; the latter clearly could not even leave him in his sleep. 

“Ensconce yourself in the throne at the Hall of Distinction,” Xiao Chiye nuzzled against Shen Zechuan’s temple and whispered, “and let not the snowstorm come unto you.”

Without waiting for Shen Zechuan to answer, Xiao Chiye released him. He put on his helmet, flipped atop Lang Tao Xue Jin, and turned his horse around to lead the Libei Armored Cavalry into a gallop east. 

Seeing that Shen Zechuan did not move, Fei Sheng held up the umbrella to shield the Prefectural Lord from the falling snow. Shen Zechuan stood in the snow, clutching his blue handkerchief until it was silent all around.

scenes that make me feel exactly like that deflated emoji that’s crying with its face down on the ground

#sorry for posting basically the whole scene (or ur welcome) but each line was its own punch in the throat <3 #i'm just supposed to continue working on my assignments like normal now....bitch there were tears STREAMING down my face #qjj

[mvsicinthedvrk]

@flyaboveitall and @mcrcki both said : Which superpowers would you give to each of your non-powered muse(s) (name as many as you’d like)?

so, i don't have many non-powered muses, but:

filippa kosta-- i'd give them something like light manipulation? i think filippa would find having a superpower more of a hinderance than a help, and would just prefer something simple. light manipulation or invisibility, maybe. or very mild shapeshifting. that last one's what i would go with, actually-- like tailoring, from grishaverse.

kaz brekker-- he has enough advantages without having a superpower, lmao. though he'd love the ability to either detect lies through some kind of telepathy/mind-reading situation, or have some kind of superpower of persuasion.

xiao chiye-- he also has enough positives traits that i also don't think he necessarily needs a superpower. but i would give him teleportation so he could always get back to his lanzhou.

lu junyi-- i'd give her the ability to stop or rewind time. i think she would make good use of that, especially when trying to cram more into her schedule, & she could feel more able to undo mistakes that way and try again if something doesn't work out.

feng yu-- he would be so disappointed if he didn't get something like the immediate ability to speak all languages.

#;; headcanons ;;

[prefecturallord]

❝     Devil, bastard, stray dog, vile beast. You're right, I'm all of them. I'm the devil who climbed my way out of the Chashi sinkhole, the bastard Shen Wei left behind after he burned himself to death, the stray dog without a home to return to, and the vile beast reviled by thousands. Shisu, I'm so delighted you know me so well.    ❞

A private + extremely selective roleplay account for Shen Zechuan from T97's Qiang JinJiu / Ballad of Sword + Wine. 21+ over only. Exploring historical drama, political intrigue, schemer types, enemies to lovers, and lots of love for ancient chinese poetry.

Rules:

i. i am not associated with the art , fandom , or the AD . nothing here is owned by me unless stated otherwise. also, this is a sideblog. i won't be able to follow back, so you'll just have to find out where my hub blog is!

ii. i have a very demanding schedule outside of rp . i work a lot & game like a second job . so please understand that my replies may be very slow some days & quick others . i do not require a post length , so please do not expect one from me !

iii. i have d*scord available upon request & i am always down for plotting . if you need clarification on my interpretation or on a thread feel free to DM me too , i prommy i don't bite! that being said , i am here for long-term rp partners/friends and only rp with people who are 21+ . minors please do not follow .

iv. i don't do drama . don't involve me in any shape or form with yours , i do not come here for online squabbles . it will be a quick unfollow from me if that is all you post about . i will however reblog callouts on predators & known manipulators that have cause genuine harm to the rpc if it pops up .

v. while there may be mature or potentially triggering content and spoilers on here , i do not ever tolerate pedophilia , incest , racism , ableism , fetishization & homophobia/trnsphobia to any member of the lgbtq community . if i post triggering or nsfw content , i will post a tw after the trigger or nsfw in the tags . i don't do fancy tags as this is a safe space .

vi. multis please specify which muse you want jing lin to interact with if you like any starters or send me an ask . i am really chill about establishing relationships. shipping especially is not priority except w/ my xiao chiye @sanctissimx

overall , please be kind to each other . we're here for a good time , not a long time .

#dni. #pinned post.

[blackfoxwhitedemon]

Found this on @angieloveshua’s page and decided to give it a go~

I.... found this actually difficult to answer 😭 since i just finished QQ i was tempted to just put Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao for everything cuz I love them dearly even if they stupid. But I've read over 20 series in full and have another 20 that I'm reading along with the translations 😅

#space speaks #danmei #xiao chiye needs love #qiangjinjiu is another of my really loved dearly series but since i havent finished it i dont rank it higher

[hamliet]

Fei Sheng + Huo Lingyun = Xiao Chiye + Shen Zechuan

I briefly mentioned how Fei Sheng and Huo Lingyun are set up as baby!Xiao Chiye and baby!Shen Zechuan (respectively) here, but now that chapter 214 has given us more material on this, I want to talk more about it. 

As I’ve said before, the main conflict for both Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan is internal--they are their own nightmares, their own worst enemies. “Enemies to lovers” is the main conceit of the story, not just in terms of Cezhou’s love story but in terms of oh, pretty much every relationship in the story. (How many of Shen Zechuan’s allies were once his enemy or at the very least his rival/disliked him? I think Ji Gang and maybe Yao Wenyu are the only ones who weren’t.) 

So what is the point of this? Well, through reconciling with others, Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan are learning more about themselves--which is the ultimate endgoal of their respective (and intertwined) arcs. The story is pretty Jungian--it’s based on alchemy, and the end goal of literary alchemy and Jungian stories is individualization (becoming your own fully-realized person). It also has elements like reconciling with your shadow (the worst parts of you, usually embodied in another character(s) and oh look that’s the essence of Cezhou). And, another archetype that’s come up in QJJ, is the inner child. 

Jung says:

The remnants of the child-soul in the adult are his best and worst qualities; at all events they are the mysterious spiritus rector of our weightiest deeds and of our individual destinies, whether we are conscious of it or not.

While not actual children, Fei Sheng and Huo Lingyun are definitely younger!versions of Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan in their best and worst qualities. Working with them is clearly going to offer both some much needed understanding of what Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan lacked as their younger selves--specifically from when they first met and Xiao Chiye almost killed Shen Zechuan. Hence why again, the main antagonism here is from Fei Sheng--because Xiao Chiye needs this reminder more than Shen Zechuan does. 

Shen Zechuan is by nature a more introspective character than Xiao Chiye--he plays a good game of avoiding being honest with himself, but when he’s confronted, he’s not terribly likely to deny it. He immediately recognizes Huo Lingyun for whom he is (himself), even when everyone else is like strongly advising him to beware the pretty vengeful prisoner. 

“The firearms seized by Fei Sheng were handed over by Huo Lingyun himself.” Shen Zechuan turned the folding fan between his fingers around and rested it on the side of his hand. “This person is interesting; I do have to meet him.”

Xiao Chiye himself, though? Not so much. While Huo Lingyun is fascinated by Shen Zechuan from first sight and Shen Zechuan is also intrigued, Xiao Chiye is at best apathetic to Fei Sheng. Fei Sheng, for his part, however, really admires Xiao Chiye, and hopes to work with him. 

Fei Sheng had only wanted to follow under Xiao Chiye’s command in the past because Xiao Chiye had the unprecedented spirit of a groundbreaking pioneer. On the day they rebelled and fled from Qudu, Fei Sheng had done so willingly and wholeheartedly. But Xiao Chiye refused to accept him, so he could only step back to work under Shen Zechuan instead...

All along, he had never been able to understand the trust Chen Yang and Gu Jin had in Xiao Chiye, but at this very moment, as he stood in the wind and opened his eyes once again, he possessed that trust. 

Everyone in this world wants to be Xiao Chiye.   

But there can be no other Shen Lanzhou!

(you are Xiao Chiye, Fei Sheng, and this is exactly the sort of thought Xiao Chiye would have)

Even so, Xiao Chiye does order Fei Sheng to essentially act as Xiao Chiye (minus the romance, obviously) while he cannot be with Shen Zechuan:

Xiao Chiye’s coldness to Fei Sheng, however, is just like Shen Zechuan’s fascination with Huo Lingyun: it’s a callback to how Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan felt about their own lives at the start of the novel. 

Shen Zechuan took two steps to bypass the water puddle on the ground and said, “...Xiao Chiye, even if you try your best to hide it, you are already used to looking down from above. You are no different from the people who look down on you today. And all those eyes on you now agonize you.”

He laughed out loud and patted Xiao Chiye on the back with a palm.

“I seek to live. You seek to die.”

Xiao Chiye ties his life to other purposes and even to Shen Zechuan’s, but he needs to be willing to live as himself to fully mature and become his own person. Xiao Chiye is not quite able to individualize, while Shen Zechuan is ahead of him a bit. Enter Fei Sheng. 

Fei Sheng isn’t particularly thrilled with Huo Lingyun. Actually the text directly states that he hates Huo Lingyun for several reasons, namely that he’s ruthless and vindictive and he humiliated Yin Chang with that initial loss. 

Xiao Chiye’s enmity with Shen Zechuan starts because Shen Zechuan’s survival caused many soldiers from Libei to lose their lives, and complicated his brother Xiao Jiming’s victory over Biansha:

Xiao Chiye said coldly, “My intent was to kick him to death. Old Dog Shen allowed a bloodbath to happen in Zhongbo. We have been burying those soldiers in the Chashi Sinkhole for half a month, and we are still not done burying them....  Besides, my eldest brother has been carrying out raids for thousands of li.” 

Fei Sheng has similar thoughts about Huo Lingyun:

Fei Sheng served Shen Zechuan, and he had plenty of opportunities to render meritorious service in the future when they established a light cavalry, but Yin Chang might not necessarily have the chance. The old man’s hair and beard were all white now, and he only got to battle this one time after waiting several years. But then, a male consort appeared out of nowhere and took most of the old man’s credit with that bit of dirty, underhanded tricks of his.

Fei Sheng was displeased deep down.

(Also, consider how similar their thought processes are on Huo Lingyun. Xiao Chiye:

If Huo Lingyun had not thrown a monkey wrench into their plans with the firearms, Yin Chang would have been able to take down Fanzhou during his first battle; he would not have given Shen Zechuan the opportunity to even tell him to bring his own head on a platter to meet him.)

Anyways, while both Xiao Chiye and Fei Sheng have ambitions of their own, they are genuine in their respect and desire for Xiao Jiming and Yin Chang to receive credit where credit is due, and do care about others not being needlessly sacrificed. Problem is, these sneaky twinks keep ruining things.

Like Xiao Chiye targets Shen Zechuan right away by making his life harder, Fei Sheng uses chains that are noticeably heavier than normal to restrain Huo Lingyun and presumably cause him physical discomfort. Like Zhao Hui, Lu Guangbai, and other Xiao allies (with Xiao Chiye present and supporting them) argue with Emperor Xiande in an attempt to persuade him to execute Shen Zechuan, Fei Sheng subtly argues for Shen Zechuan to execute Huo Lingyun. 

By bringing up Huo Lingyun’s feeding of people to the dogs at this point in time, he was tactfully telling Shen Zechuan in a roundabout way that it was hard for this person to be of great use.

Contrary to Fei Sheng’s expectations, Shen Zechuan did not go along with it.

But, there are some differences. For one thing, Fei Sheng does not actually attempt to take Huo Lingyun’s life. Secondly, he and Huo Lingyun end up working together far more swiftly than Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye did. Fei Sheng also bottles up his hatred and doesn’t actually bully Huo Lingyun like Xiao Chiye did with Shen Zechuan. #progress?

Xiao Chiye cast a glance at Fei Sheng but said nothing. Fei Sheng had done a fairly decent job playing it safe in his handling of Huo Lingyun’s matter. He had held his temper in check and did not attack the other man, and even if he could not stand the sight of Huo Lingyun, he did not go around creating trouble for him. As a result, Xiao Chiye was now finally willing to remember and recognize him.

Basically, Fei Sheng is behaving properly in the exact ways Xiao Chiye did not. This is progress--the younger are doing better than those who came before (another theme). It’s also symbolic that Xiao Chiye responds by finally acknowledging Fei Sheng--through seeing how Fei Sheng does slightly better than Xiao Chiye’s younger self did, Xiao Chiye finally feels like he can acknowledge his younger self... but only once he knew he’d grown from whom he used to be, growth that is symbolically represented in Fei Sheng’s treatment of Huo Lingyun.

Furthermore, it’s notable that this comes up right before Xiao Chiye gets a Certain Letter from Xiao Jiming, a letter that asks him to figure out how to work with someone who might be on Libei’s side but is very much Xiao Chiye’s enemy in all the ways Xiao Chiye finds it hard to forgive (hurting someone Xiao Chiye cares deeply about): Guo Weili, who humiliated, injured, and almost killed Gu Jin. (I mean I haven’t forgiven him either honestly.) 

However, if he wanted to put the Libei Armored Cavalry to full use, he would have to overcome the obstacle that was Guo Weili. Otherwise, a lack of unity among the generals who were not of one mind would surely lead to disaster.

Of course, Shen Zechuan is slightly further along in his arc and gives Xiao Chiye Narrative Pointers for how to individuate: 

Shen Zechuan felt sleepy in the room. With his eyes half-closed, he murmured softly. “Ce’an... This is an opportunity your eldest brother is giving you.”

Under the dim light, Xiao Chiye recollected the campfire in the snowstorm. Xiao Fangxu had clenched his fist right before his eyes, and amidst the flickering light of the fire, his old man had asked him:

“You want this position, but are you truly qualified enough?”

Essentially, Xiao Fangxu’s memory, Xiao Jiming, Shen Zechuan, and the narrative are challenging Xiao Chiye. Now that he’s accepting his younger version, is he willing to demonstrate himself (not in Fei Sheng) how far he has come by figuring out how to work with Guo Weili? To do so, he’ll almost certainly have to again face the uglier aspects of himself and how he used to be (~shadows~). But if he really wants to advance and become whom he is meant to be, then he has to face it head-on. 

#qiang jin jiu #qjj #qjj meta #qiang jin jiu meta #cezhou #xiao ce'an #xiao chiye #shen zechuan #shen lanzhou #fei sheng #huo lingyun #guo weili #xiao jiming

[dangermousie]

Hello !

I was wondering whether you could rate and tell us of your top 5 favourite webnovels/cnovels of all time ?! (Sorry if this has already been answered lol😅)

Thank you, stay safe and have a nice day🖤

Awww, thank you and that is such a lovely ask!!!

From n1 to n5, here they are (they happen to be all danmei.)

1. The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha) - my n1 forever and ever.

Taxian Jun, the horrific cultivation emperor of the world who razed cities and destroyed sects, is surrounded on his mountain. The righteous sects are terrified to confront him but tired of living, Taxian Jun consumes poison and dies by suicide at the age of 32. And opens his eyes as 16 year old Mo Ran, Mo Ran long before he became Taxian Jun, Mo Ran who is excited at a chance to save the one person he loved and lost. Oh, and to deal with his loathed shizun, the unapproachable and strict Chu Wanning, his past life’s biggest enemy.

I have no idea if it’s objectively the best on this list but it hits every trope I love, its bleak worldview (the world will change only incrementally but that’s enough, average person will not appreciate the sacrifice but it’s still worthwhile, and love is worth everything) mirrors mine, and the sheer complexity of the plot and cascade of plot twists each of which is insane and yet completely logical, is amazing (this is a rare novel where it’s even more fun to reread than read for the first time because you keep seeing all the hints and trail crumbs laid out that you did not see the first time.)

And the characters!!! I mean, this novel has multiple universes/timelines, a side trip to the Underworld AND the demon realm, a plot more twisted than a store’s worth of pretzels and yet the thing that hits me the most are the characters. Mo Ran is my favorite web novel character of all time and I love Chu Wanning so. All the secondary characters are wonderfully written (and some of them made me bawl) and they are all complex. My opinion of all of them changed many times over; the novel doesn’t make it easy to love some of them but then you do and it’s so worthwhile! That slow change is one of the delights of the novel - I started out disliking the unpleasant, superior Chu Wanning and cruel, callow Mo Ran and then I loved them so so hard and cried for them so so hard and was in awe of their heroism and sacrifice and selflessness and capacity to love.

Oh, and the fact that this novel does something almost impossible - it has its protagonist start out as so clearly irredeemable and then slowly and painfully and thoroughly redeems him (without ever letting the reader forget what it is he needs redemption for.)

Also, for a novel that made me cry so hard I felt ill, this book is just so damn funny with the most sarcastic sense of humor imaginable (the serious angst doesn’t even kick in until 90+ chapters!)

Anyway I should stop or I will write a dissertation. But this is the one web novel that I would put in my top 5 not just web novels but any novels in any shape or form. The plentiful trigger warnings are there for a reason so stay away if they are an issue, but if not, if anyone hasn’t read it yet, what are you doing with your life?!

2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - another novel by the author of 2ha. Clearly she just pushes all my buttons every time. This one is much shorter and has a plot that is twisty but less twisty than 2ha. Still, all that means is that intensity and the pain are more concentrated.

Aristocratic Mo Xi and former slave Gu Mang were both legendary generals of the empire and lovers. But Gu Mang betrayed the country and switched to the enemy. Now he is back as a peace offering by that country and Mo Xi has to deal with the fact that his feelings are as strong as ever.

This novel!!! So much pain and intensity!!! So many amazing plot twists and supporting characters. The same bleak world view, the same unjust society, the same protagonists doing right things despite the cost. Mo Xi’s intensity and inability to let go (he’s imprinted on Gu Mang and that’s it) is romantic, bone-shakingly intense, and tragic all at once. And oh Gu Mang! So many times I just wanted to reach into the book physically to protect him. The novel deals with unjust societies, memory versus personality, what it’s like to be good in a bad universe etc. And it both made me sob and giggle, repeatedly, and sold me on literally death-defying (but not honor-defying!) love.

Oh, and special shout out to the fact that like 2ha, you may start out hating some characters and end up a rabid fangirl (cough Murong Lian!)

3. Qiang Jin Jiu - a dense political tome that takes a while to get going but then it’s a runaway train.

In a fictional dynasty, Shen Zechuan, the only remaining son of a disgraced aristocratic family and Xiao Chiye, the younger son of a family of generals guarding the border join forces (and then something else) to get power and pull down the dysfunctional system.

This is so elegant and smart (a rare web novel I’d recommend to anyone who just loves solid period fiction) and you probably need a notebook to keep track of the politics and military strategy. These characters are very very smart not just because the author says so.

As to the characters, there is a large cast and I love many of them, but for me the novel is made by Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye. SZC is gorgeous and delicate and icy and can kill you before you have time to blink. Saddled with the sins of the family he had no pleasant interaction with, he claws his way out of hell (seeing the sinkhole he was trapped in, literally as well) to take down those who wronged him but also to amass power so all the tragedy and corruption won’t happen again and the whole rotten system comes crashing down. XCY is a military genius who is trapped as a hostage in the capital because the court doesn’t trust his family. He longs to return to the plains of home and to take his rightful place. The two men start out as bitter enemies, then reluctant and sniping allies, then as friends and eventually as one of the most gorgeous, tender, swoony OTPs.

Anyway this is one is a bona fide masterpiece, equal parts smart and emotionally intense.

4. Wu Chang Jie - are you an emotional vampire? I am and this novel is a banquet.

In a highly fantastical setting, we meet our protagonists - the sunny Xie Bian and the intense and surly Fan Wushe. Xie Bian is a human who assists his master in conveying souls to the underworld and making sure no mishaps happen. Bian is concentrated sunshine in human form and to meet him is to love him. When the novel opens, his drunk master brings back another human to be his shidi and assist with duties - said human is uncommunicative, intense and surly Wushe. Bian is excited to have a shidi but little does he know that a story dealing with the horrors of past lifetime is about to start.

Anyway, why WCJ? So many reasons. It has such a dark bleak worldview - this world is a horrifying system where powerful cannibalize each other’s cores for an impossible chance to ascend, where gods have sealed off their realm and all that’s left is neverending human misery and hell (the only way you’d see a deity is if they’d been sent down to suffer over and over and over), where even reincarnation doesn’t fix things and bad acts are often unpunished. And the novel then asks - is it worth being a good person in such a world? More, is it worth being a good person in such a world when nothing good has ever happened to you and you have been repeatedly betrayed due to your goodness? And the answer, on Bian’s part, is an uncompromising yes.

Ah yes, the other reason to love this novel - the protagonists and their fucked up fucked up relationship. Bian (who was Prince Ziheng in the past life) is so genuinely good. But he is that rare thing - good but not saintly, noble but not cloying. So much of the novel is his getting taken apart over and over and barely able to put himself back together every time but his soul is still as amazing as ever.

And then there is Wushe (who was Prince Zixiao in past life, Ziheng’s not-bio-related brother.) Wushe is not a good person. He is a monster. And he loves Bian/Ziheng more than his life and his soul and the entire world but he’s also the one who hurt him more than anyone else ever could and did it over and over. His love survived a literal century of torture in the worst kind of hell and refused the usual memory loss of new life. But it also humiliated and broke Ziheng down to his constituent parts.

One of the things that is so fascinating to me about this novel is the question of what can be forgiven/what should be forgiven/what kind of expiation is enough/can you ever love someone who you loved so much and then he hurt you so badly and is now repentant? And it never sweeps trauma under the rug or hand waves it away but deals with it head on.

If you want healthy relationships, you should stay far away from this novel but if intense insane ones with a feral barely human one capable of destroying the world leashed by love and guilt to the sane deeply good one is your bag, come right in.

There is also the world building and the fact that yes, the big fall out between Ziheng x Zixiao is based on not knowing all the facts but it’s not “why can’t you talk?! This is dumb!” But is totally in keeping with both events and their characters. It’s reasonable for Ziheng to do what he does and for Zixiao to misunderstand and decide Ziheng is now his biggest enemy (but still one he’s fixated on) and for Ziheng to never be able to clarify.

Anyway, once again this is trigger warning central so please heed those, but if they are no issue, this one is wonderful.

5. OK, this is hard and switches between Sha Po Lang, Heaven Official’s Blessing and The Golden Stage depending on my mood. So what the hell, I am gonna write about all of them.

Sha Po Lang - so smart and so much clever world building. There is enough politicking to satisfy a Qiang Jin Jiu fan, it’s steampunk, and our two protagonists - Gu Yun, the empire’s most powerful general, who’s loyal to the empire despite being badly wronged by it, and Chang Geng, a cursed prince with barbarian blood and horrifying childhood - are wonderful separately and together. This is a huge slow burn but it’s totally worth it! They fall in love with each other’s hearts and brains and ability as much as anything. (Yes, this is the one with the yifu thing. Gu Yun is made Chang Geng’s foster father when he rescues him and brings him back to the capital as a way to keep CG safe in imperial strife. They are 12 and 19 at the time so clearly it’s never a parental relationship.)

Heaven Official’s Blessing (TCGF) - I love it’s sprawling narrative and cast, I love its inventive setting and picaresque story. It’s hilarious and can make me cry. But the novel’s place on this list is due to Xie Lian who is part Kenshin part drama WWX part pure goodness wrapped in heartbreak and trauma wrapped in sunshine.

The Golden Stage - two smart and principled (yes, they both have principles different though they may be) men navigate their arranged marriage, their past friendship and their past break up, become a super couple (one of the healthiest danmei couples I’ve ever read and proves healthy doesn’t have to be boring), save the country and bring down the emperor or two and just generally this is my rainy day book.

I guess I didn’t write as much for the three n5 candidates as I did for 1-4 but my brain is beginning to curdle so...

#cnovel #heaven official's blessing #2ha #yuwu #sha po lang #qiang jin jiu #wu chang jie #the golden stage #tcgf #asks

[andoqin]

Novel Rec

Qiang Jin Jiu / 将进酒 by TangJiuqing

QiangJinJiu (QJJ) is about two men who at the outset couldn’t be more different, or really from more different circumstances, who are thrust together by the vagaries of politics and fate and find that they have many similarities that bind them together. 

Shen Zechuan is the only surviving son of a concubine of a traitor Prince (not royalty prince) who barely survived to adulthood (no thanks in part to our second main character) and is now on the path to bloody revenge on essentially the whole of this empire’s aristocracy. 

Xiao Chiye is the youngest son of another country prince, surpremely blessed in physical abilites and the arts of war. His family is responsible for a large part of the nation’s defense and so he is sent to the capital as a sort of hostage for the emperor not to suspect his family of traitorous thoughts as well. This is the worst kind of environment for him, because he grew up on the wide plains and hates the confines of the city, 

SZC and XCY’s first meeting does not go well (SZC is imprisoned and already close to death and XCY gives him a kick that is pretty much meant to send him to the underworld) but they both grow up imprisoned by the politics of the capital. SZC hides away for years, before he comes out into public to execute his revenge and at first XCY’s dislike of him holds true, but soon enough the fascination between the two of them leads them to have what is pretty much a one night stand. 

From there their relationship develops further and further while the outside world believes them to be on opposing sides. And while the two of them definitely have their own goals, they are an amazing force when combined. 

My personal feelings/review: 

I really, really like the way this relationship is developed, initially there is so much animosity, but you can tell there’s something else there too and they have sex fairly early on. Afterwards it doesn’t immediately develop into love, but neither can deny that the attraction they feel is real. SZC even goes to a brothel to see if he feels anything when looking at the kind of men/boys to be found there, but they leave him entirely cold and it is only when he is with XCY that he feels that heat.

One thing that I really appreciated was that SZC looks (and mostly acts) like a pretty boy, but he can chop people’s heads off like nobody’s business if he so desires and that’s something that XCY really appreciates about him too. He is ruthless when it comes to reaching his goals, as he needs to be, but if 

Furthermore the politics in this novel are insane in the best way, there are so many names you have to remember and so many named characters play an important part down the line. 

Another thing I appreciated, which is similar to LSWW, everyone (in their camps) knows XCY and SZC are together and it’s not really commented on beyond the fact that the guards often have to listen to them fucking haha. In the most recent (translated) chapters they have been talking about getting married as well! I don’t think that’s technically a thing in this universe but who’s gonna stop the two of them. They are *such* a great unit together, but they also understand that they have to fulfill their own goals. 

The translation is going very fast, currently there’s 110/282 Chapters translated with a new one coming out around every 3 days. 

I have no idea if it has a happy ending (if you have spoilers, pls hit me), I could see this ending up either way, but honestly what a ride no matter what.

TL;DR: should you read QJJ?

If you like really intricate plots, tropes like enemies to (devoted) lovers, murder couple, and possibly bringing down all of the aristocracy as a main goal? Yeah, do check it out!

Edit: maybe I should include links too...

English translation here: https://jade-rabbit.net/category/bl/qiangjinjiu/

Original JJWXC link: http://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3373718

#qiang jin jiu #i read stuff #i rec stuff #cnovel

[sugarbabywenkexing]

Xiao Chiye

is obsessed with Shen Zechuan's neck

loves to bite said neck

literally came one time when Shen Zechuan called him wolf pup

and I think what we need to conclude from this is that if he knew what A/B/O is he would be thinking about it constantly

#he's also a big supporter of men's earrings but that's not exactly related #katherine reads qjj #not sfw text

[grumfield]

Sorry ur getting so many asks about ur comic on MDZS/CQL! I hope it cools down for you! (It is very funny though though and I love ur expressions throughout!) But since it seems like you've been reading a lot of novels since then any recommendations for me since I just started? (please note I need an english translation)

Yeah it’s a little bit much haha. But hopefully it’ll cool down. AND I WOULD LOVE TO REC YOU NOVELS I LOVE RECCING NOVELS

My absolute favorite is 2ha / Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Do not be fooled by the title like I was! This is not a cute fluffy story—this is a 311 chapter long angst-filled redemption novel with a complicated plot and even more complex characters. It’s honestly such a treat and I would give anything to relive reading it again for the first time. Filled with plot twists, dark content, humor, redemption, and a REALLY really good couple.

The novel begins with the main character killing himself. His name? Mo Ran (aka) Taxian-Jun, evil emperor of the cultivation world who basically went insane after the death of his unrequited crush Shi Mei (who is NOT the love interest) and razed sects to the ground, and killed thousands of people. He truly is absolutely horrible and irredeemable. The only one who ever stood up to him was his Shizun Chu Wanning—the man he hated most and blames for his crush’s death—but eventually, after Taxian-Jun imprisoned chu wanning and took out all his hatred out on him (this is where most of the dark material in the book comes from) he died too. And now, all alone and ruling the world, Taxian-Jun gets sick of it all and commits suicide, and then...is reborn into his 15 year old body, before his unrequited love dies. Mo Ran takes this rebirth as an opportunity to prevent the tragedy to come...but of course, not everything goes as planned. First: someone else has been reborn too, and they have their own agenda, and now the original timeline is getting fucked up. Second: Mo Ran comes to realize that everything he thought about Chu Wanning is completely wrong, and he realizes that Chu Wanning, despite his cold exterior, actually would do anything protect him and his other disciples.

REALLY WELL CRAFTED STORY. Favorite couple. Love the themes of redemption, because the main character really is insufferable at the beginning but comes back from that hard and you end up loving him. Nice smexy scenes. Loving couple, really tender. Uses food as a love language. They are very horny.

I cried very, very hard reading it. Like. Harder than I ever have with media. It has a happy ending though!

BE AWARE THAT THERE IS DARK MATERIAL IN THIS THO, AND READ THE WARNINGS.

Some other ones I liked:

Since you’re new, if you haven’t read the novels by the same author as MDZS, I highly recommend them, as you’ll probably enjoy them.

These are Scum Villain’s Self Saving System (mc gets transmigrated into the body of a villain from a trashy harem book and is intent on not dying so he is nice to the novel’s protagonist...which makes the protagonist fall in love with him.)

The second is Heaven Official’s Blessing, the story of Xie Lian, a god who’s ascended and descended out of godhood many times as he solves problems, and his love interest Hua Cheng, a very powerful demon. Nonlinear story with 800 years of pining.

Little Mushroom

It’s like if No.6 and Annihilation had a baby. It’s a post apocalyptic “organic” sci-fi. The main character is a mushroom who infected a human body, which is classified as “heterogenous”. The love interest is a man called the Judge whose job is to kill heterogenous organisms. It follows their relationship development in a world that tearing apart at the seams, as they learn to trust in humanity. Happy ending!

To Rule in a Turbulent World

Historical novel! Spoiled and rich young master saves the life of a Quanrong slave, and the two of them get mixed up in a variety of political schemes, while also doing things like irrigating crops and stuff. There’s a particularly good spicy scene in the 3rd chapter that I quite like. It’s a fun read, with a happy ending!

Golden Stage

Historical novel! Enemies to lovers Arranged marriage! What’s not to like. The main character is a young war hero left crippled by an ambush, and the ML is a guy who’s basically a court lackey for the emperor. They’re constantly at odds after a falling out in their youth, and are seen as enemies. That has to change though, once the main character is sent back home, for a variety of political reasons that actually make sense, the mc is set to be married to the ML. They’re a really cute doting couple, and are also very strong and intelligent.

Qiang Jin Jiu

Historical novel! Heavy on the politics and plot. Shen Zechuan is the son of the leader of an attempted rebellion, and is set to basically be a prisoner for life. The ML, Xiao Chiye, is a military general (I think) who, upon seeing the mc...immediately kicks him in the stomach and renders the Mc an invalid. It’s a very fun political book with an awesome couple who’s always at each other’s throats.

If you want any more recs let me know! I’d be happy to oblige.

#novel recs #danmei recs #recs