Liveblog Archive (Chronological)

7-17-23

I know he was waiting for Mo Ran because MR is in trouble but oh my GOD I immediately paddled away from shore in a tupperware container. Fuck boarding the right ship. I know Meatbun said not to board the wrong ship because of Shi Mei but I really did think they meant Xue Meng.... XM and MR's dynamic is like catnip to me.

"I'm waiting for you!" Jeez!!!!

Mo Ran gege is a freak!! MO RAN GEGE IS A FREAK!! This bit actually made me draw something about it.

7-18-23

WOWWWW. All I can say, is, well, what on earth was MengMeng dreaming about.... and what do YOU think *I* think he was dreaming about.

Absolutely insane.

MengMeng really is so moemoe!! MengMeng best boy!!!! I will die on this hill!!!! This moment, honestly, along with another one, makes me ship not just RanMeng but also WanMeng....

7-19-23

Sobs and cries and screams and throws up. This and the Incident at Jincheng Lake really really makes my heart itch for RanMeng!! XM really cares so much for MR but I think, pet theory, he's not good at expressing affection because CWN has rubbed off on him.

WanMeng.... MommyDaughter. Oyakodon.

7-21-23

At this point, I have read both English TL volumes that are currently out, and hankering for more.... I absolutely CANNOT wait until september for more RanMeng crumbs. Or even RanWan! I do like both ships! But, you see, I still have a copy of the machine translation from before the English TL was announced.... the unfortunate part is that volume 2 leaves off at chapter 88, and the MTL picks up at chapter 160.... luckily, the first time I tried to read 2ha, I stopped somewhere around 170. So I know what's happened! Anyway, on with the liveblog....

You’re kidding me.... his heart clenched. His heart clenched!!!! The otpfeels are TOO MUCH.

Ah, now I remember, this is why I started writing that fic last year.... the way they grew closer together.... fuck fucking hell son of a bitch!!

7-22-23

So, today, I woke up early before anything I had to do, so I decided to read a bit before I got up for my coffee.

BIG MISTAKE!!!! as you will see momentarily.... I made a lot of posts today on my tumblr....

This line is just so, so sweet, and up my alley. my favorite part of TGCF was, of course, Qi Rong and his cannibalism and such and such symbolism of becoming one and another. So!! When you say something like this, of course I'm going to lose it!!

My heart itchy from RanWan, I am happy to see RanMeng crumbs....! Wow!! It's so.... I can't even say. It's so good! The hand over his mouth, the debauchery, his messy hair and red face.... How am I supposed to get up and DO things today with this on my mind??

Ack, this part.... I already know people ship MengMeng with the Mei Hanxue twins, and I guess this could be ship fodder.... But this stands out to me more because MO RAN REMEMBERS XUE MENG'S FAVORITE TEA!! I will shout so loud about this!! This book drills it into your head again and again that food and drink are love, giving people food and drink are love. So something small like this seems insignificant, of course Mo Ran knows Xue Meng's taste in tea, they've lived together for years at this point. But Mo Ran remembers Chu Wanning's tastes as well.

Well, my point being, he loves them both.

I have only one thing to say: Xue Meng is jealous and does not know that word.

And, well, this is where I really, truly, Lost My Mind....

me, oblivious, still tucked into bed: eh? what's this now? are you pulling my leg?! there's no way!

to quote my post at 9:38am: "this is absolute torture but i am so so happy for more ranmeng interactions.... even if they can’t speak properly to each other, if they could, it wouldn’t be as fun to watch" and I had NO IDEA. what was coming next.

Handsome, handsome! Every time Xue Meng is called handsome, because it's Mo Ran's POV, I want to roll around on the floor.... And the line "a hole in his chest" certainly does something to me. But they're talking, casually, enjoying each other's company! Xue Meng had no intention of leaving!!

To say the least I was shocked. quote my tumblr post, "im not being pranked....this is actually happening ...."

On the first, Xue Meng sees only one finger. (Ah, I haven't written about this yet, so I will do it here.) During the Jincheng Lake incident, the dragon sees Mo Ran with two shadows on his soul, yeah? Three figures. During the New Years celebration, when Xue Meng gets drunk, Mo Ran holds up one finger and asks how many. Xue Meng says "three." Do you see where I'm going with this? And here, they're older, and Mo Ran is more sure than ever that Chu Wanning is the one for him.... Of course, I know I'm reading very much into it, but I can't help it....

quote, "ITS TOO FUCING EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR THIS FUCK YOUR MOTHER. crying into my pillow not even joking"

What is this? What is this! What is this if not one-sided, unrequited RanMeng!!!! JEEZ!!!!

And.... this.... is where.... I rolled over in bed and I said "oh my god!!!!" into my pillow. Xue Meng acts a certain way, but it in reality is very soft and sweet for Mo Ran.... am I reading this correctly? Am I going insane? Is this really, truly, happening? This is CANON?

Look me in the eyes right now!! Do you see this?! He fell asleep in his arms, drunk! Though Mo Ran says he's undeserving, he still calls him brother.... This is too much for my poor little shipper heart.

Needless to say, chapter 191 is my favorite chapter now! I reread it three times today, and got to chapter 198 over the course of the day.

And additional thing I realized, later in the day: In chapter 182, and additionally mentioned up there, Mo Ran makes and brings noodles to Xue Meng while he's sick. This is what happens after RanWan return to Sisheng Peak, in chapter 191, after Xue Meng was crying to himself over Longcheng and Mo Ran!! Xue Meng wanting to go on a walk, I presume with Mo Ran, and Mo Ran convinces him to get more rest.... Gege is so cruel, turning down such a lonely and tormented maiden like MengMeng!! I really do believe that's what was going on. Even if Xue Meng couldn't get any words out, as seen in ch191, he would still want to try....

7-23-23

Well, yesterday I left off on chapter 198, and today I got to chapter 229.... Extremely enthralling. Can't believe I didn't stay in front and keep reading the first time, haha. But I can't remember why I went into hibernation. No matter. A lot happened!!!!

Haha, you can probably tell I got very attached to TGCF. I love this phrase and every instance of this phrase. Very very funny when it's in reference to XM. I think earlier in the story it was also used with Shi Mei....? Volume 2 I think. (Shi Mei is a bit of a Xie Lian, if I'm being honest....)

Oh this absolutely made me lose it. It's such a small moment, but, really, isn't this very RanMeng? Isn't this very, very, the core of unrequited RanMeng? (biting my handkerchief....)

Ahhhh, hahahaha. This bit made me laugh, but also it's somehow very sexual....? Probably just me. Extremely fun that MR did something so gross it made XM vomit!! What a tender princess.

Another of those moments that makes me fucking lose it!!!! Another of those moments that makes me want to make a web weaving post on tumblr, or post it by itself out of context.... So delicious. "For his grasping hands that hold too tight...."

DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS RANWAN ANGST!!

There's so much about this moment. Xue Meng has cared about Mo Ran the whole time, through both lifetimes, and Mo Ran was too in his head with grief and anger that he simply couldn't see the extent of it. "Come on, tell me." He wants to see Mo Ran get better so badly, but he, them both, are bad at expressing themselves to each other.

You see? He really can't see it. He's so focused on his revenge that he can't see this small, selfless act of the present.

I must! I must absolutely repeat: "He did not know that it was because of his appearance by the window that caused Mo Ran to feel the last trace of kindness in his heart." When earlier, Mo Ran said Xue Meng had never "suffered being a pawn" in that life, and he was so offended that he would fall to this.... Oh, dear, my heart. Xue Meng had no idea, huh? I really can't get over how they care for one another, even in the depths of madness.... "Their former camaraderie."

quote, "faint, faint, faint~ princess mengmeng is going to faint~~"

quote, "oughhhhohohohohgghh (the sound of me getting punched in the stomach)" Thinking of Shi Mei (by name) first, yes, of course. Expected, you know, what with the earlier bits of the novel. And then Xue Meng, and *then* Chu Wanning.... Well, if I were writing this novel, I would also order it like that. But I can't help that my shipper heart jumped a little when Xue Meng was listed before CWN.

I thought for sure it would've been CWN!! I swear my life on it! Second guess was Shi Mei!! MengMeng showing up here, oh dear oh dear. (Yes, Shi Mei is also in this scene, after the door is opened.) Really really was not expecting more ship food.

quote, "what on earth.... how is this possibly the wrong ship if you’re writing this!!!! (passes out from excessive otpfeels)" Ah, if he knew, would he still love you, bicker with you, call you brother, eat and drink with you?

AS IF CHAPTER 191 WASN'T ENOUGH!! YOU DROP THIS, CHAPTER 207!!!! HOW DARE YOU?! Jealous MengMeng, the acknowledgement of staring, "like me?" "it's impossible for the two of us," "beautiful idea," I've gone to RanMeng hell-heaven.

quote, "STOP! STOP! I’M ALREADY DEAD!!" Xue Meng doesn't even need to try to make Mo Ran feel better, he does it just by being himself.... I'm really going to cry.

Augh, crying, crying.... I do understand why people ship Mei Hanxue(s) and Xue Meng, but Mo Ran's rejoicing that Xue Meng won't suffer this time is really too much.

quote, "excuse me. excuse me? damn, forget catching his severed head in your skirt, just dig his heart out with your bare hands??!!" So, uh, I saw a quote on tumblr at the beginning of the week, saying:

"Once, with my friends, we were talking about "What's the noblest romance there is?" And I was reminded of something I saw in a history book at school, about a woman who ran to pick up the severed head of her husband in her skirt. When I was young, it was too gruesome for me, but now that I'm older, I think, "Yes, I would pick it up, no, I'd have to pick it up. I can't let it fall to the ground, I should run and catch it in my skirt.""

And, well, for some reason this quote is very Xue Meng to me. But anyways, "digging out his spiritual core" is such a visceral and loving image.... On the one hand, Xue Meng boasting that he thinks he can beat Mo Ran in a fight, and on the other, nobody is allowed to touch or hurt Mo Ran except him. Augh!!!!!!!! And, of course, the assassination....

Oyakodon.

Very much in love with how Meatbun will offhandedly write one line and then come back to it later with such a delicious poison knife. Thrusting it into my chest no questions asked! Mo Ran gege, please let me tuck you into bed and feed you wontons....

quote, "first he calls for his lover, then his cousin.... this is typical, yes, but isn’t shi mei here too? so fascinating. mengmeng beats out shi mei.... epic win for the ranmeng community (me)" Like I was saying earlier, so interesting how this is worded, showing where Mo Ran's priorties lie. His most pressing thought (his nightmare!) is Chu Wanning not being there, and his second thought is Xue Meng?!?! Cousinfucker! (Is that too much to say?)

So, so fascinating!! "Xue Meng is alive, but he hates you so much!" This wording is so funny and petulant sounding, but it hurts so much. The only sharper barb is Chu Wanning being dead, huh?

Ahhhhahahaha.... Whatever.... Maybe I will be more on board with this ship the more they have screen time together, but really it's not doing it for me yet. I do expect I will ship it lightheartedly later but RanMeng has me by the balls, I'm sure you know. (Don't be mean to the darling of the heavens, ok?!)

Anyway, that was the last post I made, because Xu Shuanglin's backstory is really!! So much!! I couldn't bare to highlight or screenshot or make a post, sorry.... I love how he was foreshadowed, I caught onto that immediately when Nangong Xu was brought up by somebody as disgraced, and Luo Fenghua was mentioned. Normally I don't have a good name retention if they're not mentioned a lot, so I have to look the character up again, but the Luo Xianxian really made an impression on me. Probably because I've read it twice now. But the tying in of the oranges?! AUGH!

7-24-23

(I'm writing these on 7-29, actually, so I may have less thoughts than the date I posted, haha.... this will also be interesting because as of updating this archive, I've already finished 2ha so this is more seeing if what I highlighted for my future self actually had any weight.)

Absolutely heartbreaking. XM's moe point really is that he's a crybaby.... Wiping previous tears off his face only to start crying again!!

Ehehehe.... I love Taxian-jun so much

"His heart was burning with passion" "You are my brother, right?" "His blank and sorrowful expression was really too pitiful" "too clean" "he's dirty" look just fucking throw me into the sea at this point ok. My incest shipper heart can't fucking take it anymore!!!!

look. i just. look. XM being so childish like this, kind, caring, naive, if Mo Ran gege got him a stuffed animal he would be inseperable from it. ok.

"BUT I REALLY DO CARE ABOUT YOU" CAN YOU HEAR MY HEART SHATTERING???? CAN YOU??!! "be obedient".... jesus fucking christ

anyway!! what!! we love a fire imagery!!!!

the type of thing to make a girlboy fujofudan go crazay

what a lovely way to phrase that, actually. also, quote, "you know it's a good thing xue meng isn't here.... he probably would've exploded"

I didn't actually write down my thoughts, I just screenshotted and posted this.... very sublime line....

AND THIS ONE I JUST PUT TWO SHOCKED EMOJIS. BECAUSE. well I'm sure you can guess.

literally. it is so hard to live after reading this. what do you mean i have to be an adult with a life after reading this, can't i just transform into a worm and bury into the soil? please??

quote, "xue meng is always waiting for somebody...." Xue Meng is soooo "The Other Woman" by Lana del Rey. You feel me? (delulu)

hugging his emotional support object from mo ran gege again....

(Looks meaningfully at you about the New Year's party one-three finger thing)

this just in, mengmeng is the hardest to please in the entire harem. quote, "maybe i should write mengmeng vomiting more ALSO WHY WOULD YOU FEED HIM GRASS YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD" I was feeling very emotional and probably crying as well.

7-25-23

starting off my free day (i had nothing to do so i read for seven hours) (this one is gonna be long) with some great ranmeng knives

quote, "hnnhggggg (crying) (sobbing) (wailing) (rolling around on the ground)"

HE'S SO PROTECTIVE!!!! this is such a great follow through especially with the murder accusation in the Peach Blossom Springs arc.... ouch, my heart

quote, "absolutely killing me.... i also had to lean against the wall earlier because i remembered in ch191 when mo ran said he’s not worthy to be xue meng’s brother, and then the fucking reveal.... and the story mo ran told to xia sini.... jesus christ" Chapter 191 will always be on my mind. But this line is so, so heartbreaking.... he was too far away to hear. He was too far away!!

(screams into my pillow) do you think Mo Ran blames himself.... of course he does, for all of this, but Xue Meng getting injured here specifically. Because he hadn't told the truth before now, and if he had, XM wouldn't have been avoiding him here and likely distracted because of it.... houghh

(cries)

It's this type of thing that makes me lay awake at night and wonder if Mo Ran would even be able to let himself fall in love with Xue Meng. y'know? would he just deny himself of it on fear that XM finding out about this deception would tear them apart?

probably the most fun version of "came back wrong" I've seen yet! He's got it all!!

This is so incredibly funny to me. Out of three he raised one right, I guess? quote, "haha good thing for chu fei, that xue meng is a pure virgin." I really wish this creepy side of Hua Binan got leaned into more! So much was going on, though....

holding his sword again ^_^

"disdain to disgust, disgust to acceptance, acceptance to approval" hiiii oh my GOD hello.

quote, "take a shot every time xue meng is called pure and clean. take a shot every time chu wanning is called pure and clean. drink the whole bottle and think about how similar they are" Really, really, really really believe this is on purpose. Don't know why exactly it's on purpose but. Seriously. For real. They're SO similar.

quote, "ah, break him out of jail .... if he were to have his spiritual core ripped out, xue meng would do it with his own hands...." You'd think this would be a really funny moment but actually I think I just died?

quote, "DON’T SAY SOMETHING SO CUTE WHEN THERE’S A BLOODBATH GOING ON" :'D

quote, "look on the bright side, now you and mo ran are the same, and can continue to call each other brother.... (sobs pitifully)" I think it's a good thing for MengMeng to kill. It's enrichment

he is NOT the dad that stepped up in ANY WAY. However I do ship them.

oh! my god! oh my FUCKING GOD. First of all, is it a good or bad thing that Taxian-jun chose this specific moment to be there? Ha! Who fucking knows~ "Don't go, don't leave me behind" has been the chant of this entire last third of the book.... I just have no words.... "He had lived two lifetimes, and he was the only one left"

meatbun i swear to god

quote, "FUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFFF" not even these pretty kazakh twins can make him feel better. (sidenote, what the fuck is up with blonde boys from the kazakh region?? it happened in legend of exorcism too, it's ridiculous!!) also, "it's not even my fault" ???? DUDE. PLEASE SOMEBODY BE NICE AND STAY WITH MENGMENG

literally the saddest little woof woof. "the blade is ruthless" ok put it back in your pants then.

Ok I literally just went and looked back at this bit because I was misremembering it, I thought he had only grabbed XM by his arm, but no, he grabbed him by both his arm AND his hair!! AND THEN PROCEEDS AFTER THIS TO TELL HIM HE'S BEEN FUCKING CWN!! SEX!!!! THIS IS SEXY!!!!

I do realize this may be read more as homophobia (because XM doesn't really. understand being gay. like why someone would be gay) but to a delusional shipper such as myself, please imagine fair maiden mengmeng being so jealous and disgusted at his own jealous that he buries it until it's only disgust and rage. thankies

7-26-23

This is such a good contrast to the beginning of the book, when XM still had it in him to get angry. And now he's just broken.

"Don't leave me behind" ....

(sobs)

"I'll rip your heart out myself" .... I've seen some people say that CWN really did love MR through thick and thin, no matter what he did he stayed by his side.... If MR had let him, XM would've done the same. (still delusional....)

quote, "its shouldnt be a moe point to want to die. and yet." It's been three days and I am still thinking about "Xue Ziming had endured for more than ten years."

Fuuuuck ok. This is probably the only plot point that I didn't either get spoiled for me or guessed on my own. In retrospect it feels sort of like you could guess it, but I feel like there wasn't enough foreshadowing....? Like there definitely was for Shi Mei, but MR, not so much.... Like, of course MR is described as beautiful and handsome and great at everything. He's the main character. Of course he is. The only thing I distinctly remember actually recalling when this reveal happened was Hua Binan's mom's eyes being described as purple, once. Meh.

and right at this moment the power went out because of a storm :'D this moment between XM and the twins was really sweet and cute, though. So sad that MengMeng had to grow up so quickly, practically on his own, but still.... hot twins, woo.... (still not entirely to bat for this ship, haha)

like this ship isn't even dadson it's daddydaughter to me.

And may I present to you, Xue Meng's gayest moment!*

*Gayest moment, as in, like.... besides all the pining for Mo Ran, literally sizing up your competition as a son.... (whistles)

I really enjoy that TXJ and MR share a body at the end. We love DID ❤️

7-27-23

at this point, all I have left are the extras! yippee! (my heart is broken and i will never be the same.)

quote, "me when i lie" Though I suppose he didn't secretly admire Mo Ran. Like he did actually tell him, with words, while crying, that he cared about him.

HE'S STILL HOLDING LONGCHENG!! KILL ME!!!! Also, I, well, immediately guessed who the blind date was.... and, quote, "mengmeng voice: yes i will prepare for my date tomorrow and to sleep well i will holding the thing my brother gave me"

quote, "ahhhhhhghhhaahhaahha getting the “k.” treatment…. swinging his legs on his sword sect leader xue is really moemoe"

I genuinely got so secondhand embarrassed by this chapter that I had to take a several breaks to calm down and stop sweating.

LOL

You expect me to be normal about this?

ALL OF THIS IN FRONT OF JIANG XI, AS WELL. Your pretty pretty son is a slut, sorry, and he doesn't even realize it. Overachiever MengMeng.... Haha, he's already overwhelmed by just ONE Mo Ran, anyways.

It did take me a bit longer to guess this blind date, but wow I got both XiMeng and RanMeng crumbs in one set of extra chapters. TYSM Meatbun!!

:'(

HA, this is still making me laugh. quote, "PLEASE DONT BEAT YOUR SECOND WIFE TXJ!!!!" What the hell, man. He's asleep!! Be nice to him!!

THEY FUCKING BUMPED FISTS I CAN'T ASHGFJKDSHGLDF