dhini

Joyful Reunion by Fei Tian Ye Xiang (Extras)

Translator: foxghost @foxghost tumblr Beta: meet-me-in-oblivion @meet-me-in-oblivion tumblr Original by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang Characters & Other Reference Index

Links to the extras are under the cut. The masterpost for the novel chapters is here.

Or, Hamliet received a recommendation for Qiang Jin Jiu (thanks @khunsimp​)  saw the premise of enemies-to-lovers, disgraced sons, and sins of the father themes, was like “that’s my jam,” and read 164 chapters in a single weekend. (There’s still like. ~120 to go that aren’t yet translated #fun). 

It is indeed my jam and is essentially the love story of Mulan’s Shang and 2ha’s Shi Mei. I’m kidding, the leads are their own characters (very much so!) but that’s whom I kept comparing them to in my mind. 

Shen Zechuan is a particularly compelling character. He’s introduced as a somewhat pathetic figure, a PTSD-stricken teenager who’s lost everyone he ever loved, was never really treated as a son by his father, and yet is being tortured and sentenced to die for the sheer fact that he is his father’s only surviving son. His father supposedly committed treason, for which Shen Zechuan pays the price. But then the story switches, and you see Shen Zechuan’s cunning nature, which is in many senses just as pitiful but dangerous. I mean the guy’s skinning people alive by chapter 30 so. 

Xiao Chiye at first was, to me, likely to be less interesting as a character because I’m not usually into the physically driven characters–but I was wrong. He’s equally as well-developed and complex as Shen Zechuan, and his continual struggles with duty, his love for his family, and his internal struggles are compelling. His relationships with his family is particularly heartwarming. The scene where he tells his father he’s fallen in love with a man, essentially coming out to him, was deeply touching and wholesome–which stands out all the more because of the story’s extremely dark tone (which I’ll talk about later).

The plot is highly complex. It’s also very political, which I enjoy, although I will admit that not having the conclusions yet definitely means some parts feel fragmented at this stage–but they probably won’t feel this way by the end. I’m highly intrigued by the mysteries surrounding Bai Cha, Shen Zechuan’s mother, and by the premise of Qi Zhuyin and Hua Xiangyi’s relationship (also, canon lesbian couple! Who are complex characters! It’s like the characters from Female General and Eldest Princess ended up in a good story!) 

The story’s tone is quite dark–I literally have no expectations for any character besides, I’m told, the main pairing and the lesbians to get a happy ending. It’s very tragic and violent, dark and exploring the worst of humanity more so than the best. Hence, why I compare it tonally to A Song of Ice and Fire. However, that doesn’t mean the story is nihilistic–for the most part, it’s really not. That dark tone is its strength as much as it is also my largest critique. 

For the latter element, there are chapters where the story can almost feel as if it is wallowing in that darkness–I’m not sure, for example, I needed the scene of a pregnant concubine being drowned, nor the told-to-us backstory of Mu Ru if she was never going to be properly explored before dying. Nor Li Jianheng’s tragic childhood, which was almost too much to bear especially with the ending he got. A lot of the unnecessary elements also seem to concern violence against women, and while it does have really nice female characters with arcs, this was… a lot. 

However, as hinted above, the darkness does make the beautiful, loving, heartwarming, and yes, funny (the novel has a great sense of humor) moments shine more brightly. The way Xiao Chiye is clearly light to Shen Zechuan, and his own redemption might pave the way for Shen Zechuan’s growth. The story hinted early on that Shen Zechuan might have to choose between his hatred and his will to live, and recently picked up those threads again with Xiao Chiye’s father’s wariness of Shen Zechuan’s demeanor. I think this is a worthy theme and really hope it’s further developed through his character.

But this idea–that hatred helps him live–ties into two other strong themes of the novel: wanting to live no matter what it costs, and the cost of victory/defeat. Whether on a physical battlefield or a political chess game, trade negotiations, torturing a prisoner, a marriage, the story is constantly asking the characters what the cost of victory is, and when it is worth it and when it is not–when a defeat can truly be a victory in some sense. I’m very interested to see how these ideas continue to develop. 

▪︎Please like and reblog if you use!

▪︎Don't repost

# SHEN ZECHUAN

⠀ ❄️ ⠀沈 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒛𝒉𝒐𝒖⠀𓍼⠀𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙

𓍢 ✉️ 𓂃 to:: 𝑺𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝑳𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘩𝘰𝘶⠀— 我的心是你的⠀ 🖋

沈 𝘇𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗮𝗻⠀ ࣪𑁍 ⠀𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴⠀ 🎐

# XIAO CHIYE

萧𝒄𝒆’𝒂𝒏 ⠀ 𓏲ꪆ ⠀𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑢𝑛, 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠

𝐱𝐢𝐚𝐨 策安 ⠀ ➷ ⠀𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐲⠀ 𓊿

𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐎 𝐂𝐄’𝐀𝐍⠀:: ⠀你永远在我心中⠀ 🐺

# CEZHOU

𝐗.𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙮𝙚 ⠀𖥻♥︎ ⠀𝑺.𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙯𝙝𝙤𝙪⠀ ˒˒ ⠀永远

𝐂𝐞’𝐚𝐧 愛 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐡𝐨𝐮⠀ 🍁 ⠀𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠⠀ ◑

# 萧策安 to # 沈兰舟 :: — 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘟𝘪𝘢𝘰 𝘊𝘦’𝘢𝘯, 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵.

𝗫𝗶𝗮𝗼 𝗰𝗲’𝗮𝗻: 𝗀𝗈 𝖿𝗎𝖼𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿

𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗵𝗼𝘂: 𝖿𝗎𝖼𝗄 𝗆𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿, 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 !

like or reblog if you save/use :)

cr: weiyingsz

I love the novel and the characters. It has a very heavy Storyline ( if you do not like Empires/politics/wars/ or power schemes , you probably won’t like this book.) Personally when I started reading, i was bored and confused but by chapter 20 i was suck in it, i couldn’t let go; it’s so good (for me anyway)!

The plot is amazing with many twists and mysteries. And the main characters are *the cerises on top of the cream *! They are so complex and NOT your loving loving usual BL couple. They were ennemies at first , As a matter of fact, they were always trying to put little traps for each other and sometimes the way they communicate is so funny, they back stabbing each other with words🤣 ( reminds me of that couple in Peerless which i love by the way as well). But they protect each other as well and are cute in their own way ❤️

Protagonist: Shen Zechuan also called Lanzhou

Yooo he is a piece of work okay? He is soo ruthless, cunning, scheming and almost indecipherable. Sometimes he is killing and you will be: “like what???like how can he do that? no wait did he just do that?”🤣🤣like damn I love him. In the beginning everyone is seeing him like a beauty (which he is, he’s the most prettiest man described in the whole novel and he got the Gong/Seme so much in love with him) incapable of doing nothing even to a fly and then he turns around and BOOM he kills hahahaha. OMG i love him so much, he fits right in the bill of my favorite type of protagonists which is scheming and strong Ukes.

ML: Xiao Chiye (Ce’an)

How can you not like Xiao Chiye? He is badass, wild and ALWAYS horny/ in heat (estrus whatever, i mean who bangs on a horse?tsk tsk anyway..)! He is so intelligent and moves like no other. In the beginning, he acts as a fool or more a wasteful rich young master BUT he is just as scheming as Shen Zechuan if not more. Everything he does has a reason and he understands and see through mostly every schemes around him except understanding sometimes what Shen does ( even i as a reader i have a hard time to decipher Shen’ moves).anyway....

I can’t wait to see the cast especially of the main characters cause they’re so complex, i wonder who will fits the bell! I’m so excited already.!!!!

If you’re interested and would like to read it. Here is the link: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/qiang-jin-jiu/

Artist of the arts/illustrations: @夏之杪 (weibo) ; however she also has an account on GRACG with many beautiful arts. here is link to her profile https://openid.gracg.com/user/p5087RilH86

Joyful Reunion by Fei Tian Ye Xiang

Translator: foxghost @foxghost tumblr Beta: meet-me-in-oblivion @meet-me-in-oblivion tumblr Original by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang Characters & Other Reference Index

(Updates and links are under the cut)

His name was Duan Ling. He used to be nothing more than an illegitimate child with humble beginnings. As a child he had his fill of neglect and torment until a mysterious man named Lang Junxia took him away from the Duans. Lang Junxia fed him, put him in school, and made him a new home. Lang Junxia told him that when the peach trees blossom his dad would come get him.

MXTX Furby Zine presents: MXTX Novel Giveaway!

In celebration of the official English release of MXTX's novels, we are hosting a giveaway! The giveaway ends August 20.

Rules:

1. Follow @mxtxfurbyzine and reblog this post

2. Follow + RT our twitter post for an extra entry

3. No giveaway accounts

4. Have your asks or DMS open. The winner will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

One winner will win one MXTX volume 1 novel of their choosing. We will preorder from book depository OR a local bookstore. If the winner chooses to preorder from a local bookstore, we will paypal the amount. A receipt of the purchase must be sent to us.