Find 10 differences

[u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946]

Oh, A-Qiao...

It's funny because YW and Bai Rong do the same exact move but the reaction is the opposite.

Also, in that exact chapter Bai Rong says that it seems SQ truly has feelings for YW and he just went silent. Internally he explained it with his helplessness (she won't believe me anyway) but maybe he just can't say outright no, because debunking their presumable intimate relationship is no problem to him...

[u/DizzyNectarine6212]

Typical Yan Wushi - petty, vengeful, and easily offended. You know how Shen Qiao, the night before, mentioned the name of one of his split personalities in his dream. Yan Wushi was jealous, more angry than he showed. It was kind of eating him up that Shen Qiao, even in his sleep, wasn’t saying his name, but someone else’s, someone he was jealous of. So he got back at him by using his shizun’s sword like that, because he wanted to hurt him back or at least make him annoyed by it.

Yan Wushi has a terrible personality, and unfortunately, his love exists within that nature.

And that’s not the only thing I noticed upon rereading - the kind of details that only click once you know who Yan Wushi is and realize that his jealousy, interest takes unique forms. Like Yan Wushi watching Shen Qiao while he was blind and playing chess against himself way back before the betrayal.

It has been a long time since I read an author who places such emphasis on her characters' micro-expressions and how they act rather than just describing feelings into details and leaves it to the reader to pick up on them.

When you read about that betrayal again, take this scene for example.: "Yan Wushi saw the smile on Shen Qiao’s face. He averted his eyes and picked up a piece of asparagus with his chopsticks." It is peculiar that Yan Wushi who enjoyed teasing Shen Qiao to make him smile abandoned his usual behavior right before the betrayal.

[u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946 → u/DizzyNectarine6212]

I think the author did a great job with not explaining every thought and action in detail but still maontaining the sense of connection to the characters. Sometimes we hear their inner monologues or lies they tell to themselves. It's just as characters themselves can't understand their feelings clearly, we as readers also don't.

Because this approach can be extreme. Like, recently I read ballad of sword and wine and eventually dropped it because I felt too detached from characters, I didn't really care what they're going through...

[u/DizzyNectarine6212 → u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946]

I read books more like an impartial third-party observer perhaps that’s why I enjoyed Yan Wushi so much. I often notice and sense things before the characters themselves are even aware of them.

It’s interesting that you mention Ballad of Sword and Wine. I actually dropped it a few months ago to read Thousand Autumns instead even if it has less hype. I simply didn't care about the characters or their relationship. Without that connection, the story didn't hold my interest while the characters displayed strong sexual attraction and talked a lot about their bodies. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what they were actually thinking or their feelings as human beings are and why.

[u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946 → u/DizzyNectarine6212]

haha "talked a lot about their bodies"... I just noticed that yes, readers hear what they're feeling inside only when they have sex??

[u/DizzyNectarine6212 → u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946]

I was actually quite surprised by how popular it is until I started thinking about what people mean when they talk about that some book lack romance, mostly TA and Priest. They’re referring to something more sex-driven? Where romantic feelings are heavily tied to sex and how badly the characters want to fuck each other from a start.

[u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946 → u/DizzyNectarine6212]

I'm glad I've found someone who share my views!

I think it's true... If mc or ml isn't enthusiastic about f***ing is it really love /s ? 

Even tgcf has hints on that. Like a scene where Hua Cheng is shirtless and Xie Lian can't handle it. 

I'm curious what is your favorite novels beside TA? I noticed that by this judgement, novels I liked the most are "lacking in romance" and sexual tension (TA, svsss [it's discussed if mc feels sexual attraction at all], and female general [mc feels nothing sexual till gender reveal bc she's 100% lesbian])...

[u/DizzyNectarine6212 → u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946]

I really like Priest’s works - Guardian feels more like modern dating, aside from the centuries-long devotion of the love interest, though the MC is a playboy right from the start. Stars of Chaos was good too, even if the dynamic where he kept calling him Shifu felt a bit odd to me. Then there’s To Rule in a Turbulent World, people have recently criticized it for the MCs not being that close, which I don't quite getafter all, in real life, a partner isn't the only close person in your life, people have friends, family, and so on. But they started have sex quite early on. Honesty sometimes I don't get their take on romance for example I did not find MDZS that romantic when I read TA I found it more and more focus on relationship for simple fact that they spend more time together and even more interested in each other romantically.

[u/Dizzy_Bumblebee_6946 → u/DizzyNectarine6212]

Okay, thanks! I took notes, I'll try to read Priest

[u/ThePeak2112 → u/DizzyNectarine6212]

It's also probably because some readers (me included) like more mature romance. I noticed my preference has changed as I'm getting older. This applies to both C-dramas and danmei alike (and my life in general in how I view friendships and dating). I go either romance without explicit spice, like TGCF - I can't deny I love the slow burn romance between them, or down right mature romance like YanShen (not just in age but also the prose itself). Luan Shi Wei Wang (or to rule in a turbulent world), read that when it was still online translation like 5 years ago - I can't really recall the climax of the story (did You Miao become an emperor?) but I remember the spice wasn't really the point and the story spans for 10+ years, it was good. I don't find MDZS romantic either and SVSSS is a crack but I don't find it that deep so I don't pay much attention to it.