light readings

... my wordy, rambly danmei/fanfic reading sideblog. I assume new followers with blank blogs are bots and will block and report

[aworldforastage]

Organizational Post [Pinned]

The novels I finished, along with links to anything I wrote for them, can be found in:

2024/2025 Reading Log [updating]

2023 Reading Log

2022 Reading Log

My favorite titles from 2023: Part 1 , Part 2

My favorite titles from 2022: Part 1, Part 2

other tags [under construction]:

Genre Tags- for reviews/recaps/rants about individual novels (or series) from certain genres (tags are not mutually exclusive)

#ABO danmei

#celebrities danmei

#euro-style danmei

#historical danmei

#interstellar danmei

#modern danmei

#modern supernatural danmei

#mystery danmei

#political danmei

#post apocalyptic danmei

#romance danmei

#transmigration danmei

#wuxia danmei

#xianxia danmei

Other misc tags

#my reading -- catch-all for everything I wrote about the novels I read

#audio fandom hours -- geeking out about voice actors and audio dramas

#danmei faves -- lists and posts highlighting my favorites

#danmei music -- music appreciation

#not done reading yet -- usually reading live-blogging or music from shows I haven't listened to

#side character appreciation

#my translations -- of favorite quotes and passages (but to be clear I am not good at this and have absolutely no training)

#my first danmei playlist -- a list of songs that really made an impression during my first year of reading (or listening to) danmei

An evolving "to read" list + "compiled recommendations" + progress tracker: link here

[chocor0se]

i remember when i first started reading the mdzs books i didn’t like jiang cheng all that much because he seemed overly rude and not a great person and i knew his parents and sister were like dead but i didn’t understand why he was such a bitch about it

and then i actually read his and wwx’s backstory and OH MY GOSH. it’s so different to hear about then actually read through it because that entire arc was DEVASTATING. i felt so bad for him and i completely understood his character right then and there.

[clairedaring]

Mandate EP 8 is now available, because MONOMAX subs were perfectly decent again this week for the finale

(WATCH ONLINE | DOWNLOAD)

100/10 FINALE. PERFECT ENDING FOR THOSE CHARACTERS. LOVE IT WHEN SHOWS REFUSE TO SACRIFICE LOGIC AND REASON FOR HAPPY ENDINGS. I EXPECT NOTHING LESS FROM MONOMAX. NEED ME S2 ANNOUNCEMENT IMMEDIATELY.

[clairedaring]

MANDATE (2025) | Episode 2

[crehador]

while out with parents i saw a husky and was like wow what a beautiful dog and my dad was like you know in chinese we call these erha because they're a bit stupid and i was like yeah i know (but please for the love of god don't ask me how i know)

[aworldforastage]

Hello, sorry for bothering you again, but I want to ask, is Chinese audio drama also provided with other languages translation or subtitles? And if not, is it possible to translate the conversations by MTL? Thank you!

Hi! I'm not familiar with this topic because I don't need translated subtitles, but I think you can find some information searching the posts on the "DanmeiNovels" subreddit because people do ask about it every once in a while. I know some ADs have human-translated subtitles, but availability and ease of access definitely varies from title to title.

Sorry I can't be more help :(

[aworldforastage]

Can you recommend contemporary setting danmei with heart-touching romance? I mean any heart-touching danmei that take place in our regular every day world and not sci-fi/fantasy/xianxia/wuxia/ABO/historical ancient/rebirth/transmigration.

Sorry for being fussy, it's just so hard to find interesting danmei since i've been stuck in reading slump.

Hello!

To me, the kind of romance that really touches my heart are usually the ones that help the characters grow out of their insecurities or move on from their trauma, so there is some level of angst in the background. If you are looking for something else, let me know and I'll be happy to recommend something different!

My list:

有名 木更木更 – In Name Only

网恋翻车指南 酱子贝 – Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating

粉黛 七世有幸 – Concealed and Blended: Fendai

FOG【电竞】 漫漫何其多 – FOG

心眼 北南 – The Eye of the Mind

我只喜欢你的人设 稚楚 – I Only Like Your Made-up Persona

楚天以南 大风不是木偶 – Under Clear Skies

燎原 不问三九 – Wildfire

(I'm copying & pasting some text I wrote in other posts on this blog)

有名 木更木更 – In Name Only

[actors/celebrities, fake relationship, mature characters] – Two award-winning actors fake a relationship to quash a scandalous rumor, and gradually get to know the real person behind the other’s accomplished career and polished public persona. The tone of the story veers is mostly sweet and funny, with a splash of angst that they conquer together. It’s really comforting and relaxing to read about the love story of “mature men” in their early 30s who know how to communicate productively, take care of the people they like, and really accept and empathize with each other’s imperfections.

网恋翻车指南 酱子贝 – Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating

[online gaming, college-setting, cat-fishing, mistaken identities] – Jing Huan poses as a girl in an online game to catfish the famous player who tricked and hurt his cousin. Meanwhile, Xiang Huaizhi notices photos from the "girl" who keeps flirting with him in an online game can only be sent by one underclassmen at his school. There is plenty of comedy in Jing Huan’s effort to pose as a girl online, and also plenty of hurt when the truth and deception are laid to bare, but overall this is a sweet college romance with just dash (or maybe a spoonful?) of angst and plenty of humour. (PSA: No knowledge of gaming is needed (I don’t have any) to follow the story.)

粉黛 七世有幸 – Concealed and Blended: Fendai

[entertainment industry, actor x makeup artist] – I really like this novel because it presents acting and art as skills that the characters must practice and develop; the main characters are not geniuses who can take their careers for granted. The gong is a makeup artist, who considers himself straight but cross-dresses as a branding gimmick to advance his career. The shou is a retired E-sports player-turned-idol actor, who is secretly gay and has no real passion for performance. The novel starts off with funny interactions between “straight pretending to be queer” vs “gay pretending to be straight.” Eventually, they develop a deep bond after collaborating on a series of projects, and help each other discover their true career aspirations.

FOG【电竞】 漫漫何其多 – FOG

[E-sports, (sort-of?) reconciliation] – (it’s a fictional game so no prior gaming knowledge needed). Yu Sui brought Shi Luo into the industry, but within the year, he broke up the team, went to an elite club in Europe, and sold Shi Luo to a different club in China. What will Shi Luo do when Yu Sui comes back? As an E-Sports novel, FOG does a great job of portraying the camaraderie between teammates and the youthful passion of the players, while also touching on the cynical and exploitative side of the industry. There is an extremely sad and infuriating backstory that explains why the main couple had to be separated for two years (it’s not their fault), but their relationship is otherwise very sweet.

心眼 北南 – The Eye of the Mind

[unsure about translation status][reconciliation, (eventual) step brothers, hurt/comfort, slice-of-life ] -- Liang Cheng enters Qiao Yuanlin’s life three times, as a stranger who saves his life at 13, as the mysterious tenant renting his grandmother’s extra room when he was 16, and as his step-mother’s adopted son six years later. However, there is another hidden thread connecting their histories together. In many ways, this is a coming-of-age story for Qiao Yuanlin, who is born with a serious congenital heart defect that has permeated every aspect of his life, but he still manages to grow up with a very realistic blend of good nature, naivete, and bratty-ness. He has to cope with his heart condition and his parents' divorce in adolescence, and later develop his own identity and values as a young adult and professional. This novel also has the most satisfying illness-comfort-recovery arc I have ever read thanks to Qiao Yuanlin’s heart (and of course Liang Cheng is his doctor).

我只喜欢你的人设 稚楚 – I Only Like Your Made-up Persona

[Official licensed and fully published in English as "Rose and Renaissance")] [entertainment industry] -- Xia Xiqing is a professional artist who also draws fan art for Zhou Ziheng, the nation's most beloved young actor. The best part of this story is the clash of "personas": Zhou Ziheng (gong) is a serious and hardworking star actor and college student; while Xiqing (shou) is a rebellious art school grad who was a bit of a playboy in his past. After an accidental encounter, Zhou Ziheng immediately dislikes Xia Xiqing, but they unexpectedly become neighbours and also star on a reality show together. Then, they get to know the real person behind each other's superficial persona, develop a deep bond, and even help Xiqing heal from his childhood trauma.

More...

There two are very popular stories I read partially, and I hope to revisit and finish them someday. They have very compelling romantic arcs, but the main story lines are more heavy and less "fairytale":

楚天以南 大风不是木偶 – Under Clear Skies :: on a site visit to a rural village, young professor Tang Heng meets his ex-boyfriend from grad school, whose life has taken a turn completely unlike his own. It's a story that digs deep into inequalities, privileges, family dynamics, and abuses of power, and love that survives despite all that.

燎原 不问三九 – Wildfire :: A tattoo artist begins a relationship with his blind younger brother's optometrist. The main draw of the relationship is that both characters older (mid-30s) so they are more mature, but that also comes with a different set of challenges.

For today's recommendations, I left out

angst-heavy romances that break your heart but somehow you (or the characters) still want it to work out

super-light stories that are sweet and fluffy or funny all the way through

stories that are completely untranslated

But if those types sound interesting to you, I'm happy to recommend some!

I hope you find something you can enjoy! 😊

[therigeling]

loser wife and her pretty wife

[cloud-hymn]

If you had to choose a sect NOT to be part of which would it be

Gusu Lan

Yunmeng Jiang

Lanling Jin

Qinghe Nie

Voting ended onOct 10, 2024

[hunxi-after-hours]

ohhhhhhh time to make my entire personality about 文森's voice

[fawnmisty]

Yaoi so toxic they circled back to being extremely compatible

[lookmhees]

MY STAND-IN (2024) | Episode 2

[ferdbird]

xie lian and his two tsundere generals

[poomphuripan]

endless poom phuripan gifs [37/?]

↳ Up Poompat and Poom Phuripan hugging and crying in My Stand-In: Behind the Scenes Episode 12 (2024)

[aworldforastage]

My Stand In (2024), Episode 12

Having died once, he has become uncertain and overly cautious in everything that he does. He is always thinking about how to keep himself safe, how to keep his current life stable, so he wouldn't fall into the same kind of predicament as in he did the previous life, so he wouldn't make the same mistakes, but he has forgotten to ask what his heart truly desires. If he can cast aside all his worries, he can't really lie to himself; he has always, always wanted to have some kind of resolution with Yan Mingxiu. It had been his most fervent wish that remains unchanged even now. Because this wish never came true, it has become his greatest regret from his previous life. Yan Mingxiu holds him tightly. Zhou Xiang can feel hot tears soaking through his clothes and scalding his shoulders. He finally loses control, and he reaches out to hold Yan Mingxiu. He still remembers what it feels like to hold Yan Mingxiu, and as always, it makes his heart stir, makes him restless, makes him want to hold on tight and never let go. 死过一回，他变得做什么事都瞻前顾后，谨小慎微，他一直想着怎样才能确保自己的安全，怎样才能安稳地经营他现在的生活，不至于再陷入上辈子那样的困境，不至于重蹈前世的覆辙，可他忘了问自己的心究竟在渴望什么。如果抛开一切顾虑，他其实没办法骗自己，他一直、一直都希望他和晏明修能有一个结果，这是他以前最强烈的愿望，直到现在都无法改变，因为这个愿望从来没有实现过，是他上辈子最大的遗憾。 晏明修紧紧抱着他，周翔能感觉到滚烫的泪水浸透他的衣服，灼烫他的肩头，他再也克制不住，伸手抱住了晏明修。他还记得拥抱晏明修的感觉，原来一如既往地让他心动、让他忐忑，让他抱紧了就不想撒手。

Professional Body Double, Chapter 108 职业替身，第108章

[alienwlw]

delulu king ✩₊˚.⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

[aworldforastage]

when fancy, rich families disapprove of their children's poor "commoner" partner:

parents in other stories, including the PBD novel: "youngster, please leave us for a moment. We have things to discuss as a family without the presence of outsiders"

Ming's dad: *starts hitting his son in front of the "outsider" with no warning*, *starts hitting the "outsider boyfriend" when the latter steps in to try to protect the son*

[aworldforastage]

and the outcome:

the poor "outsider" in other stories, including Zhou Xiang in the PBD novel: i'm an outsider, I just don't belong in their world *leaves* *cue sad breakup/separation sequence*

Joe: my precious loving babie Ming needs me!!! *follows Ming to the hospital* *kisses Ming* *literally spoon feeds Ming* *spoils Ming so badly he dares to be picky about which piece of chicken he'll eat with his porridge*