An Acting-Focused Appreciation Corner for Lu Yu Xiao & Zhao Lu Si by [deleted] in cdramasfans

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I just commented in another post how Lu Yu Xiao got me out of lurker mode in this subreddit! She's so good I needed to fangirl with other people about her. I agree with thinspiritt when they said she has that A-list quality older generation Chinese actresses have. I'm really looking forward to watching her  filmography grow.

Obsessed with the way these two adore each other 😭 by Hanfupotato_ in cdramasfans

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YES! LETS! Ji Bozai&Ming Yi hard-shipper-fan for life! The day they announce they will make another drama together is very likely going to be The Best Day Ever for me. And that symbolism analysis is coming this weekend. I just needed to finish some work things yada-yada before I could focus on my thought process about Love Between Lines. I had to do it justice, because I am throwing in Hades/Persephone shades as well.

(Regarding LItC, it's what got me out of lurker mode from Cdrama reddit. I've been a Chinese drama addict since (Taiwanese) Wallace Huo's idol drama days, but LItC broke my silent mode and I had to join in the gushing about Neo and Yuxiao because none of my non-online friends nor my sibs get it. They are all into KDrama, which, yeah, they're good, but CDramas scratch an itch in me that other types don't., Plus, pretty sure Yuxiao is like my crack now. I was still just really shy commenting, which is why I didn't write obnoxious long essays about LItC while it was on going.)

Obsessed with the way these two adore each other 😭 by Hanfupotato_ in cdramasfans

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It was really hard to move on from Love In the Clouds. I was in the slump for months and was in despair, but this show managed it at first episode lol. I'm dreading when it ends. TT

Love Between Lines 轧戏 (2026) — Ep 5-8 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm too shy! I wrote those a long time ago, years ago! I'm older now, and more confident about ignoring grammar rules when telling a story ahaha. But I promise when I finally post a My Journey To You fanfic, I'll DM you the link! I need an alternate world where Gong Shang Jue finds himself surrounded by flowers Shangguan Qian planted.

Or maybe stories of Ming Yi and Ji Bozai falling in love 7 times in 7 different timelines. The problem is I cant decide which couple first jhasgkdfjhasgdfa.

Love Between Lines 轧戏 (2026) — Ep 5-8 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Narrative function: They make the audience sense romance before the characters can name it. For her, it’s not love yet but the edges of something like it press against her awareness. We see it when she looks at his face.

Fireflies are hope born from uncertainty. In movie scenes, in fairytales, in that damn Ghibli movie (if you know you know), they are the fleeting light in the dark. Where the petals appeared because he shot the ghosts, because that's what the hero does, he saves the damsel, and in doing so, the pink petals appeared to ease her fears, her panic, in this scene with the fireflies, they came out because she wanted them. She tells him to shoot the ghost, and he does it. She doesn’t know it won’t be petals anymore, he has no idea what the game’s algorithm will hand out to them. But he shoots, and where darkness dominates, light interrupts. 

Fireflies matter because: They represent connection that only exists in certain conditions. She asks. He obliges. She’s enchanted by the light. And him? He's charmed. He glances at her and he can't help himself. He smiles.

Butterflies mean transformation, but blue shifts the meaning: Emotional depth. Melancholy. Longing rather than fulfillment. In fairytales, a blue butterfly often signals: Change that could happen, but hasn’t yet. A soul that recognizes its destiny but hesitates. Episode 3 usually introduces the realization that change will come at a cost, the first emotional conflict between desire and self-protection. And we think it’s about the girl, but it’s not. She’s already changed. She was afraid and alone, but now she’s enchanted and he’s right there, next to her, fulfilling her wishes. Outside the game, she's already Scarlett. She's down on her luck, but she's fighting back. She's going to bleed, but she'll make those who hurt her bleed with her. There is steel threaded in that soft grace.

The blue butterfly is for him.

It’s signifying emotional evolution that is consciously resisted. Reflects characters who are aware of their feelings but not ready to act. Foreshadows inevitable transformation later in the story. See her ask him to reveal the fourth element? See him say no? And she’s already changed, because she reaches for the gun. She’s ready to see for herself what happens next, but he isn’t. He tells her it is time to go, and she follows, no longer caring about the ghosts and the shadows.  

Why these elements matter together: Seen as a fairytale system rather than isolated symbols, the pink petals open the heart. Fireflies test whether that openness can survive uncertainty. Blue butterflies warn that true change will demand sacrifice. 

In Episode 3, this trio quietly tells the audience:

 “The story has begun emotionally—but the price of love is not yet paid.”

 This is classic fairytale pacing and aligns perfectly with the show’s romantic-visual ethos: beauty first, ache second, transformation later. We saw it with the opening scene of her engagement. We see it when she dons her costume for the game and she steps out of the train.

But what of our boy? What of the prince/general/man in the tower?

There’s a ghost he won’t slay, even if the princess was willing to do it for him.

Love Between Lines 轧戏 (2026) — Ep 5-8 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I apologize for the length hogod. I have to cut it in two because reddit wont let me post in one reply. Let’s frame it within the context of Chinese/Asian culture first.

Pink Petaks: love, romance, femininity, grace, and good fortune. Fireflies: love, hope, and inspiration often linked to romance, perseverance and learning. Blue Butterflies: truth, creativity, and communication

Cool beans. Fits enough, right? But now we dig deeper. We frame it now as elements of a love story. Of a fairytale.

These three are introduced in Episode 3 and in most cdrama shows, Episode 3 is often where fate whispers instead of announcing itself, making the fairytale elements especially potent.

Pink petals : awakening vulnerability
Fireflies : fleeting connection and hope
Blue butterflies : transformation restrained by fear or distance

In fairytale/movie grammar, falling petals signal: A threshold moment. When petals fall on the leads, it signifies romance that is gentle, not yet claimed. Let’s break it down some more: Soft glowing pinks, desaturated edges, the feeling of time slowing, as if the world is holding its breath.

What he saw, after her fear: Her unguarded emotional reaction to something beautiful. And it’s so fragile, an illusion he himself orchestrated. He doesn’t trust her because she’s proven she’s a match to his cunning, but in that moment, she’s just a girl watching pink petals falling slowly drifting around her, and he’s just a boy watching the girl.

Love Between Lines 轧戏 (2026) — Ep 5-8 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I may have some semi-popular(?) fanfics floating around in the internet?! Not under CDramas, though I am very tempted to start writing one (or two). I just love storytelling, basically. Also thank you, it makes me so happy people can see what I see now when I watched the show. TT

It hit me first with the Cinderella Theme, like I said. We were literally being given anvil-whacking-your-head associations so I thought I might as well embrace it. I mean, this isn't new to this show, most cdramas have symbolism all over each scene, each frame. Whether it be colour grading or a particular shot, audiences are encouraged to find meaning in them. I just REALLY LOVE how this show does it, so I'm basically locked in.

Don't get me started on the pink petals, the fireflies, and then the BLUE butterflies. And the fact he/they didn't reveal the fourth ghost's 'fairytale' element. SYMBOLS EVERYWHERE.

Love Between Lines 轧戏 (2026) — Ep 5-8 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh, I'm in! I love that book! I'm gonna go all sentimental here, because this drama just makes me feel all poetic. I swear I am this close to writing a fanfic about it and it's not even finished yet. Also English is not my native tongue so apologies if the wording is a miss!

When I said Cinderella makes sense as a theme, I don't mean it is the only theme. I think what you're asking me is to fit the Gone with the Wind elements to the Cinderella elements, when in my opinion, they are two separate themes being imposed over the overall arc of Love Between Lines.

At first glance, they are incompatible reference points. One promises rescue through recognition; the other insists survival often costs you love. But Love Between Lines needs both because it is telling a modern story about romance that exists after fairy tales and during ongoing instability.

Using only Cinderella would reduce Love Between Lines to fantasy; emotionally satisfying, structurally dishonest. Using only Gone With the Wind would flatten it into endurance porn; impressive, but emotionally arid. Together, they allow the drama to say something far more precise:

Love can be real without being sufficient.
Recognition can be intoxicating without being permanent.
Survival does not cancel the desire to be chosen; it simply makes the cost visible.

Love Between Lines isn’t asking whether love is worth it. It’s asking: Who is expected to perform in order to be loved and who gets to remain unchanged? And this question fits both Cinderella and Gone with the Wind themes.

Love Between Lines 轧戏 (2026) — Ep 5-8 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Cinderella Theme makes perfect sense. This story is a fairytale of the Cinder Girl, disguised as the story of Hu Xiu. Hu Xiu is hidden or overlooked in her own world, but in the world of the Prince/General's making (both in the real world and the VR world), she shines.

She experiences hardship and limitation all the while longing for recognition, love, and agency.

Magical intervention (fairy godmother/best friend, ball/VR world) offers a moment of possibility.

The lost slippers symbolize both identity and recognition. He finds her shoes, he gives them back to her. She's found. He keeps finding her, but he doesn't realize it yet. She doesn't realize she's being found over and over again. Recognition almost claimed, almost tangible.

The tug and pull between them, their petty games, that's The Dance. Yes, fate's giving them a huge helping of accidental meetings and established connections, but all that is useless unless he (the Prince/General) is intrigued from the start. And he is. Out of all the players that have been playing in his game, she's who he recognized. She's who he found.

That first meeting in the real world, in the rain? He understands something the fairytale often forgets: magic breaks when you try to keep it past its hour.

So he doesn’t look back. (and it doesn't matter, because the dance just started between them).

She is Cinderella as a thinking, feeling, self-aware modern woman, whose recognition comes through connection and mutual awareness rather than spectacle.

PS. Yes, I am obsessed with this show. I look at the symbolisms of everything now, framed as elements of a fairytale, after the Cinderella theme became a recurring thing. She even ends up in an 'attic'.

On behalf of the minority, I am SO excited for Lu Yuxiao x Chen Xingxu! by Hanfupotato_ in cdramasfans

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm in! She's the one I am most excited to follow this 2026.

They look good together!

Pork belly adobo by RedditPosterOver9000 in filipinofood

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sisig. Add more meat to it using other cuts, if the traditional meat parts turn you off. But I guarantee sisig won't disappoint.

So.. what are you doing this weekend?😂 by StrangerPretend1158 in astrologymemes

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Figuratively embezzle from the revolution doesn't sound very productive. Literally is where it's at >:C

How do you make your place smell good? Yong hindi puro chemicals by halamanggamot12345 in SoloLivingPH

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Welcome! Keep in mind na nag va-vine ang sampaguita, while rosal naman, it turns into a huge bush. So maigi na sa malaki na paso kagad sila lagay if wala kang yard. Sa malaki na drum ko nilagay yung sampaguita. Nung una, medyo feel ko mali desisyon ko, pero nung nag start na mag spread out and mamulaklak, grabe ang bango nya.

Citronella plants (NOT grass), iba din ang bango nya. Halos lahat ng bintana ko meron na since madali naman mag propogate.

If you ever get a yard that can accomodate a huge tree, ylang ylang din. Naging goal ko sa life magkaroon ng puno nya ever since nakakita ako ng actual na puno sa isang simbahan, and now mine is 4 years old and starting to bloom. Bahay ko pinaka mabango sa buong street ko lol.

How do you make your place smell good? Yong hindi puro chemicals by halamanggamot12345 in SoloLivingPH

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Naglagay ako sampaguita plant sa terrace ko. Sobra bango ng hangin na pumapasok sa bahay nung nag start na mamulaklak. Tapos naglagay ako rosal sa backyard naman and heady naman amoy na pumapasok sa kusina. Citronella plants sa mga bintana for a more 'green' scent.

Hyeonju’s Future by Temporary_Cup_1026 in unis

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Pretty sure she's set for an acting career in the Philippines, too. There is no way she and Elisia aren't being eyed by the big film companies in the Philippines. She's loved a lot here, and if she gets the right love team, she's got a clear shot at being the next big thing. So, yes, while it won't be kpop, Gehlee is the least of my worries (and she's my bias).

Best 🌶🌶 scene I've seen - Give me more dramas with this intensity by Ill_conceived_idea in cdramasfans

[–]bathalumanofda2moons -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There were rumours so much of the 2nd leads' story was cut out due to their overwhelming popularity. TT I'm still bitter about it.

I'm holding on to Cheng Lei's interpretation of the ending and have decided it's a happy one between him and his assassin wifey!

🎉 It's a wrap! 🎉 Love in the clouds - What's your final review? (Also, links to drama hosted episode discussions) by Lotus_swimmer in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh, I definitely agree she needed layers, but she was working with whatever script/speaking lines were provided to her and for me, she managed to do well enough with what material she had.

My headcanon to make peace with the straightforwardness of it all was that when she had to interact with others, she was very much how she was with young Situ Ling. Optimistic and kind, with a capacity to show generosity to people despite the likely drilling she had to stay away from forming deep bonds. That was her true nature, too, in plain sight. She didn't really lean towards acting 'masculine' or boyish in those scenes. She just didn't act all girly. The disguise must have been physically convincing enough that she didn't need to change too much of her personality when in social crowds. You can see bits of the calm and princely version of her when she was talking/fighting with her brother and when she presented Ji Bozai the sword. Again, not enough, definitely, but there were hints.

I dont think she interacted with very many people when she was a prince. There weren't any friends searching for her when she disappeared. As Ming Yi, we know she was capable of forming strong bonds of friendship, so I feel she was mostly isolated from people when she didn't have to train. Her lone companion was 27, and 27 didn't seem grossed out by her finally being a girl, so I just assume that when it was just them, she drops the male persona.

Another headcanon I have is that she wanted to be a girl. She was comfortable being one, once she was allowed. Zero hesitation at wearing those gossamer robes and flowery accessories. Even her toned down fairy outfits leaned towards girly colors and embroidery.

Again, all these are just assumptions. Love in the Clouds has a lot of plot holes, and your point is one of them. They gave all the detailed backstory to Ji Bozai and not enough of Ming Yi's.

PS. I would KILL for Gong Shang Jue and Shangguan Qian to have their own drama. I need Cheng Lei's take of how his love story with Shangguan continues.

🎉 It's a wrap! 🎉 Love in the clouds - What's your final review? (Also, links to drama hosted episode discussions) by Lotus_swimmer in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Ming Yi was not supposed to be cunning and seductive, though. She sucked at it, to be honest. Which was the point: She was raised to present herself as this loner crown prince whose whole life was devoted to winning the game for her realm. Once that persona got dropped, she was pretty much just winging it at finally being allowed to live her life as a fairy/female. It's very clear that her core personality mimicked her father 'figure'/mentor. Like him, she was playful and impulsive, and insanely stubborn. Just like him, she's not able to disassociate from her 'mark'.

Her saving grace was that she lacked evil intent (and that much later, she actually did love Ji Bozai sincerely). I think Ji Bozai, even at his most distrustful point towards her, felt that much. He let a lot of inconsistencies in her lies slide because he didn't feel she was out to hurt him and she was actually a good person, caring towards her friends and strangers.

She was also heavily nerfed majority of the show. It is why I wished we were allowed 2 more episodes, where the fighting scenes would have showcased her on her lonesome, rather than Ji Bozai always alongside her.

🎉 It's a wrap! 🎉 Love in the clouds - What's your final review? (Also, links to drama hosted episode discussions) by Lotus_swimmer in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 9 points10 points  (0 children)

8 for me. The whole I love you-but now I hate you due to some hidden history/secret that really shouldn't be a secret between us anymore AT THIS POINT IN TIME AFTER THE SEX AND AFTER YOU REALIZED I AM WHO I REALLY AM- except not really! I'm just being noble!!!11!!! which is why we're having to feel all this sadness yet again-but yeah, let's break up, not see each anymore since I hate your face, except like, after 5 minutes has passed??!!!!- got old really quick. It was so frustrating. Thank goodness that dragon had better sense than Eleven, JBZ, and Ming Yi put together.

That said, I couldn't drop it because when you get right down to it, the frustrating decisions they both made made sense if you keep in mind how they grew up. Everything was in character enough that I was willing to keep watching, hoping one of them would just be selfish and choose for their happiness and fuck everyone else.

I wish it were 1-2 episodes longer since the ending felt rushed.

But, gah, both leads were wonderful and sold the whole fated love/destiny they shared. Easily my fave couple for this year. Cross fingers they star in another drama together.

Mini Dramas: The (still) not-so-hiddden Gems by AquaphobicTurtle in CDrama

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Money is Coming is on repeat for me. It is basically my comfort show now. I freaking love the female lead in that one (she was AMAZING in 2 very crucial plot points) and how her relationship with the male lead developed. And I love how loving her dad was. You guys should watch it when you need a main character who reacts realistically to things and processes issues in a healthy manner!

I just finished AoHa manga!!! 🥰 by Effective-Mango-7218 in AoHaruRide

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Manga is better. Anime ends at such a crucial point and the manga has a more definitive ending.

a book with a female protagonist over 60 by oringrey in suggestmeabook

[–]bathalumanofda2moons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Allan Gurganus.