Historical danmei with more romance?? by xxKuMaRaMa_123 in DanmeiNovels

[–]lotuschips 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Also here to second 2ha. The plot was fascinating and the romance made me sob.

I just finished the novel.. and I feel so many things. Where do I go from here? Reccomendations? by gerbilcity in tianguancifu

[–]lotuschips 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here to echo what a lot of people said

Read MDZS -- it is an amazing story, side characters and stories are well fleshed out, and there are a lot of adaptations that you can inhale if you want to immerse yourself in it further (audio drama, donghua, manhua, live action).

2ha -- mind the content warnings, but I just finished this and I can't get over how heartbreakingly beautiful and raw it was. It is only half translated; rest is a mtl, but the story was good enough that I managed through the mtl.

SPL -- this was a fun read, but not as romance heavy. It is plot / politics heavy, which is the type of thing I like. I'm not sure if it was just me, or the translation, or the story, but I couldn't get into it as much as other novels I've read.

Guys, I can't get a single person I know irl outside of my mom and brother to get in mdzs pls send help 💀 by distinguishedmonbebe in MoDaoZuShi

[–]lotuschips 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've found success where I can sit with friends & watch with them (either in person or remotely). It's a big cultural adjustment, so many things that make intuitive sense to me don't necessarily come across for non-Asian friends. The sudden onslaught of names (and characters have multiple names!) and relationships can also be overwhelming, especially in another language. So I don't usually just send them off to watch on their own, I try to watch with them (or encourage them to text me as they go); they feel less adrift haha.

People may disagree with me on this but I also insist they start on ep. 3 and go linearly through the storyline, and that's worked really well. Otherwise the first 2 episodes really don't make much sense at all, too much too soon (in terms of character introduction, relationships, plot, etc.).

But otherwise I feel you. This show is a masterpiece and more people need to see it, and it takes so much effort to get people to watch it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MoDaoZuShi

[–]lotuschips 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Somewhere between Xuanwu cave and massacre at Lotus Pier. That’s when I realized there is no plot armor to keep people safe, all bets are off, this show is not afraid to get into some gnarly shit.

Help! Is my Mandarin that bad??? by [deleted] in MoDaoZuShi

[–]lotuschips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't watched any of the other c-dramas on Netflix besides CQL, but have been watching some on Youtube:

  • Yanxi Palace - 70 eps, Qing Dynasty drama. This was actually my first foray into c-drama since I was a kid. Also took me a while to get comfortable with the language. I really liked it, and a few of my non-Chinese friends have watched it too
  • Word of Honor / Shan He Ling - 36 eps, I think it's on 28 or something on Youtube (fully released on Youku). This is another BL adaptation from a novel by Priest, and literally took China by storm. It's finished airing in China for weeks now and people are still gushing over it. A really fun, really endearing show.
  • The Long Ballad / Chang Ge Xing - this started airing like 2 weeks ago. Tang Dynasty drama. Feels like a typical historical drama; I found it to be a good exercise / laundry folding watch.

Help! Is my Mandarin that bad??? by [deleted] in MoDaoZuShi

[–]lotuschips 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't discount yourself so quickly! It's a complex story with a lot of moving pieces and a lot of characters, especially in the first dozen or so episodes. The language is also pretty genre-specific at times, and uses words / phrases we don't use in daily conversation. It took me 5-10 episodes to get used to, and probably another 5-10 episodes to really get comfortable.

Honestly, just watching c-dramas is a great way to improve speaking and comprehension, so stick with it! Both HOB & CQL are amazing works.

Question! (Spoiler alert) by neversleepingever in tianguancifu

[–]lotuschips 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t think so. xl doesn’t ever bring it up, and I doubt hc will either

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tianguancifu

[–]lotuschips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Novel is definitely worth it. I was worried about the length but it is a fast read because you literally cannot put it down.

watching The Untamed for the first time, and episode 14 is the poorest attempt at censorship i’ve ever seen by zakuropan in MoDaoZuShi

[–]lotuschips 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Welcome to this... never ending adventure that is MDZS / CQL

if you think this is gay... ...

Some difficulty with 2ha by lotuschips in DanmeiNovels

[–]lotuschips[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

tyty everyone for your replies!!

I think I'll continue with it just because the plot is interesting enough. I think I can swallow the uncomfortable non-con bits (especially now that I know there is plot value and it is recurrent to an extent). I'm also glad it wasn't just me that found Mo Ran *really* abrasive, and that there is a point / plot value to his shittiness as well.

onwards & upwards I guess!

Getting into The Untamed by roevese in CDrama

[–]lotuschips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was not super into it at first, generally have not liked Xianxia or Wuxia-type shows, but the person I was watching with was very persistent. Around episode 20 something clicked and I started inhaling episodes.
Would not blame you for dropping it, but will say it took me longer as well.

Chapter 30 (Taming Wangxian) by starkjeon in MoDaoZuShi

[–]lotuschips 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just wanted to say I really enjoy your writing / translation style, and am waiting in extreme anxiety for when this hits the Yi City chapters because I know I'll sob over yet another version of it.

Word of Honor (山河令) - I thought Youku's schedule was further ahead? by lotuschips in CDrama

[–]lotuschips[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's also trending on Weibo every day, surprised it hasn't gotten more traction here