Get To Know You?

You have questions! We might have answers.

What is this collection?

As Maria puts it: this collection is a critical look at some of the things that we, the editors, think have made CQL such a hit around the world. Of course, part of that success comes from the webnovel MDZS and the show CQL themselves—we love the characters, the mystery, and the drama, who doesn’t?! However, the authors in our book also look at topics like translating danmei (both officially and unofficially), adapting danmei for new audiences, and interacting with fandoms and fanworks. The larger argument of the book is that all of these things played a huge role in CQL’s visibility and success, and we wanted to start making those moving pieces visible, especially for audiences who mainly watched CQL in translation.

You keep using the word “academic”—what does that mean, exactly? 

Maria: Ok, not to get pedantic here, but this actually touches on some things that I’m really excited about for the book. Traditionally, academic work is written by people who have a deep expertise in the subject (signified by having a PhD and doing specific kinds of research), and then the work itself is peer-reviewed (i.e., sent to other experts in the field for them to evaluate whether it’s sound, original, and interesting enough to publish, without knowing who wrote it). And both of these things are true about our book—our authors have deep knowledge and the book was peer reviewed—but also. We specifically asked for chapters from younger scholars and from fans who also have deep knowledge about topics that academia doesn’t always know or value enough, and we include an interview from the fan-translator K. who did the Exiled Rebels translation. So the hope is that: this book is academic, and also—more!

Who are you? 

Yue studies adaptation, fantasy, and popular culture texts using a feminist lens. She wrote an early, influential article about danmei adaptations and also has a book about feminist adaptations of Chinese fantasy.

Maria studies fanworks, contemporary fantasy, and genre literature. She’s scrambling to finish her dissertation right now.

How were the chapter spotlights chosen?

Voluntarily! The concept of a small social media promo was kicked around by some of the contributors and those interested in the idea filled out a short interview with what they wanted to share. We'll be posting about 2 introductions and 2 spotlights a day for the next week or so!

Are you making any money off of royalties from this book? 

LOL not even remotely

Where can I find this book? 

You can find our listing on Peter Lang’s website here. As for other retailers, a quick search should turn us up!  

How can I access this book if I cannot buy it from Peter Lang / [book retailer of choice]?

As collection editors and contributors who signed a legal agreement with Peter Lang, we have granted Peter Lang exclusive right and license to edit, adapt, publish, reproduce, distribute, display, and store our contributions, and we must cooperate fully with the Publisher if the Publisher believes a third party is infringing or is likely to infringe copyright in the contribution. 

That being said, these are academic papers, which means that contributors may make copies of the contribution for classroom teaching use! (These copies may not be included in course pack material for onward sale by libraries and institutions). Of course, any linking, collection or aggregation of chapters from the same volume is strictly prohibited.

(FAQ may be updated periodically!) (all posts on Catching Chen Qing Ling)

I am new to DMBJ fandom and I want to ask a favour. Would you introduce me to some dmbj tumblr blogs, active or on hiatus. No pressure though.

Hello anon!! I have no idea when you sent this to me, and honestly huge apologies since I've been on hiatus for , like , literal months. Yikes. At this point you've probably found all the blogs you'd like to find, but I'll include a few that come to mind under the cut anyway! 

Please keep in mind that I've been on hiatus for several months, so there could be super ✨hot✨ and ✨fresh✨ new blogs I am not aware of, and/or some of these folks may have drifted out of the fandom, and/or my memory may have failed me!

Best of luck anon, and welcome! :D

DMemeBJers (A-Z)

@cross-d-a​ - crossy baby has been on hiatus for awhile but I think about her tits post literally every day. If anyone has a link please sent it to me. Please. I’m begging. 

@ghostyshades - a Meme Queen (gender neutral), tho I’m not sure if Sasha is still posting DMBJ?

@nope4ever - the absolute funniest DMemeBJ person alive

@psychic-waffles - Jack owns my entire ass and I would die for him, you’ve seen his sketches and you don’t even know, I love him

DMBJ Fan Artists / Gif Makers (A-Z)

@ashenwren / art blog @ashenlights - wonderful artist and all around good person! Multi-fandom but has some great DMBJ stuff :)

@creeds-eagle - Wonderful gifs across a variety of DMBJ shows!

@dmbjartreblogs, run by @unforth - thanks for the addition, Foxy!!! :)

@keichin - an incredible artist!! last I checked, mostly draws HeiHua + misc. from TLT3

@rose-nebulijia - does beautiful edits as well as incredible fic, is also my heart, love, and life. You may also see her referred to as Vishie!

@tianzhens - this is someone I just recently started following!

@wu-xie - makes gorgeous gifsets, though they may also be on hiatus??

DMBJ Fic Writers (A-Z)

@achray1 - multi-fandom blog and one of the absolute best fanfic writers I have had the pleasure to read

@amidalogicdive - very kind, great writer, and super involved in fandom projects!!

@chirpybirdy - I haven’t talked to them much, but I know they have a bunch of DMBJ fic? I’m not sure how frequently they post DMBJ

@dmbjexchange - a great place to start if you wanna get in on fic!

@eirenical - very horny for Zhu Yilong, which is relatable and sexy of them

@epicwalrus - a gem of a writer, person, and being. 10/10 good vibes

@foxofninetales​ - FOXY BABY is an absolute gem, a star, a great author and all around joy to be around, I really have no idea if she is still posting DMBJ but I think so and for that I include her

@hils79 - quite literally the nicest person on this hellsite, also a DMBJ legend @humanlighthouse​ - an absolute legend, PingXie fic queen, also has a very soft aesthetic that will make your dash ~glow~

@kholran - is any DMBJ rec list complete without the RiSang pool noodle? Signs point to no

@laireshi - incredible author with equally incredible feelings about Xiaoge and I think that’s very fun, flirty, and sexy of them

@mejomonster - multi-fandom, but can always be counted on for EXTENSIVE and HEART-RENDING DMBJ tags

@merinnan - multifandom and multi-interest blog; prolific writer in DMBJ + very involved in DMBJ fan events and such!

@pissmeoffanddie - not DMBJ exclusive but YES genuinely the most wonderful

@s1utspeare​ - an absolute fucking legend, mostly posting M9, Fo/FuBa, and other fandoms now, but still a great DMBJ source!!

@thosch3i - not on tumblr a whole lot but when they are I am almost guaranteed to peel at my yellow wallpaper about it

@traineecryptid - great writer and very fun dash energy!

@undyingsunshine - if you like crying about Li Cu, have I got the blog for you!!!!

Good Vibes and DMBJ Content (A-Z)

@dmbjaddict and @theyareinlovecanttellmeotherwise are great blogs if you want lots of DMBJ / PingXie content on your feed!!

@canary3d-obsessed - actually not sure how much she posts DMBJ consistently, but her DMBJ fashion posts literally ascended me to the heavenly realm  

@jaecomments - the literal love of my life, professional hype beast

@justpostsyeet - always down for a good head canon discussion, especially about our fave bitchy ex ;)

@greymouser13 - I have no idea if they are still posting DMBJ but I do know that they bring me joy, and thus here they are

@kolachess - super interesting posts, head canons, and translation discussion! (multi-fandom)

@mythochondrion - bonk, go to horny jail

@ninbayphua - Ninby posts loads of fandoms, incl. DMBJ! Also has a writing blog that you can find here: @ninbayphua-moyan

@uschickens - great head canons and DMBJ discussion, same good vibes as @momosandlemonsoda

@xcziel - follow for the tags, stay for the incredible loving energy 

@xiaobaibai - a great place to find fanart and general good vibes :)

@xia-xueyi - not DMBJ exclusive but has a really cute turtle and really nice energy so.... 🐢

Mystic Nine Specific, & We Love That For Them (A-Z)

@elletromil - every day I think about how talented Elle is, and every day I weep. These are related events.

@gaiahenshin - immediately after weeping about Elle, I think about how kind and lovely Gaia is, and then the weeping recommences. These are related events. 

I’m sure there are loads I missed, and others I mis-labelled! Please feel free to add corrections and additions in the reblogs or notes. :)

The 36 Stratagems in mdzs

🔮 I describe individual scenes in MDZS where each of the 36 Stratagems plays out

🔮 Note that while this post mainly references novel canon, it may wander into CQL territory at times

🔮 I won’t include the detailed history of each of the Stratagems in this meta as they may be too long, but I will include a resource at the end that you can refer to for further reading

🔮 Spoilers ahead!

Let’s go!

Ok so! The 36 Stratagems (三十六计) is an essay on the use of cunning ruses and deceptive tactics on the battlefield, in politics, and in civil matters. It has been attributed to various authors throughout popular history, and references various famous military scenarios in the Warring States era (战国时代) and Three Kingdoms period (三国时代).

The 36 Stratagems are split into six discrete sections, each describing six techniques:

胜战计: victory stratagems

敌战计: enemy fighting stratagems

攻战计: attack stratagems

混战计: chaos stratagems

并战计: proximate (parallel) stratagems

败战计: desperate stratagems

胜战计 Victory stratagems

1. 瞒天过海: crossing the sea without alerting the heavens; i.e. setting a fake objective to mislead others, while concealing progress for the true objective.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian taking a blindfolded Jiang Cheng to “visit Baoshan Sanren” to “get his core repaired”. This was a ruse to conceal the true objective — a core transfer.

2. 围魏救赵: besieging Wei to rescue Zhao (Wei and Zhao were states in the Warring States period); i.e. attacking something precious to the enemy to avoid a head-on battle and forcing them to retreat.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao placing a qin string around Wei Wuxian’s neck to force Lan Wangji to stand down at the Guanyin temple.

Bonus: Jin Guangyao is literally “besieging Wei/围魏” here! The word 围, other than “to besiege”, also means “to encircle” or “to surround”.

3. 借刀杀人: killing with a borrowed blade; i.e. outsourcing a difficult or incriminating task to someone else.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang instigating Lan Xichen to stab Jin Guangyao in the Guanyin temple. Quite literally, he “borrows” Lan Xichen’s sword to do the deed.

4. 以逸待劳: letting others exhaust themselves, and swooping in at the right moment to claim victory or deal the final blow.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wen Chao instructing the hostages from the various clans to wear the Xuanwu down, with the intention of coming in at the last minute to claim the kill.

5. 趁火打劫: looting a burning house; i.e. taking advantage of a desperate situation to raid a weakened enemy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Qishan Wen taking advantage of Jiang Fengmian’s absence to launch an attack on Lotus Pier.

6. 声东击西: making a sound in the east to misdirect the enemy, while striking in the west.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao instigating the second siege of the Burial Mounds to divert everyone’s attention, whilst simultaneously making preparations for his escape to Dongying.

敌战计 Enemy fighting stratagems

7. 无中生有: creating something out of nothing; i.e. creating an illusion or lie to fool people into believing something exists.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang perpetuating the rumor that his family’s ancestral tomb is actually a man-eating fortress, to prevent grave robbers from entering it.

8. 暗渡陈仓: sneaking through the passage of Chencang while repairing the main roads; i.e. distracting the enemy while taking a shortcut to launch an attack.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Su She devising a similar-sounding qin score to that of Gusu Lan. The discordant notes distracted the Lan disciples, concealing the score’s true purpose — weakening people’s spiritual abilities.

9. 隔岸观火: watching the fire from the opposite bank; i.e. delaying entering a battle until the enemy has been weakened, then moving in at full strength.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang slowly chipping away at Xiao Xingchen’s virtue by making him kill innocent people, then revealing the truth at the end to break him.

10. 笑里藏刀: hiding a knife behind a smile: i.e. putting up a friendly appearance to conceal one’s true intentions.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao’s political maneuvering to make himself seem genial and unassuming, while concealing the truth about his roles in Nie Mingjue’s and Jin Guangshan’s deaths.

11. 李代桃僵: sacrificing the plum tree for the peach tree; i.e. sacrificing some short-term aims for a greater, long-term good.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian accepting the eventuality of Wang Lingjiao chopping off his hand, and later, sacrificing his own core to restore Jiang Cheng and preserve the Jiang clan in the long run.

12. 顺手牵羊: taking a opportunity to steal a goat; i.e. making use of available resources as they present themselves.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian leading Lil Apple from the Mo household!

攻战计 Attack stratagems

13. 打草惊蛇: hitting the grass to startle the snake; i.e. making over-the-top gestures to taunt or disrupt the enemy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian taunting Wen Chao in the Xuanwu cave for his lack of knowledge of Wen Mao’s writings, to lure Wen Chao away from Wen Zhuliu’s protection.

14. 借尸还魂: borrowing a corpse to resurrect a soul; i.e. fixing up something useless to give it a fresh purpose.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Mo Xuanyu’s body literally being used as a vessel to resurrect Wei Wuxian!

Bonus: here’s a short explanation I previously wrote as part of the cql subs critique for Episode 1 on the poem Chu Ci 楚辞. It’s in para 4.

15. 调虎离山: enticing the tiger to leave the mountain; i.e. luring a strong enemy away from their base of protection to attack them in the open.

Where this plays out in MDZS: the invitation to Jin Ling’s party as a means to lure Wei Wuxian from Burial Mounds and into a set-up.

16. 欲擒故纵: loosening the hold slightly to ensure capture; i.e. allowing an enemy to believe they have a chance to escape, thus getting them to lower their defenses, then crushing their morale.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian taunting Wen Chao at various intervals instead of killing him outright — letting Wen Chao run a little, then catching up with him to slice pieces off of his body.

17. 抛砖引玉: tossing pieces of brick to get gems; i.e. throwing out pieces of useless information to tempt the enemy into revealing something important.

Where this plays out in MDZS: A-Qing deliberately misinterpreting the term “night-hunt 夜猎” to trick Xue Yang into revealing that he is also a cultivator.

18. 擒贼擒王: defeating the enemy by first defeating their leader.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Mingjue infiltrating Nightless City during the Sunshot Campaign to attack Wen Ruohan, as a means of quickly securing victory.

混战计 Chaos stratagems

19. 釜底抽薪: removing the firewood from the underside of the pot; i.e. cutting off an enemy’s resources or means of attack.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao making everyone seal their spiritual powers in Guanyin temple, so they would not be able to attack him.

20. 浑水摸鱼: disturbing the water to catch the fish; i.e creating confusion to mask one’s true purpose.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Su She trying to incite mass panic during the second siege of Burial Mounds to get everyone to be suspicious of Wei Wuxian.

21. 金蝉脱壳: the golden cicada shedding its shell; i.e. leaving riches or identifying marks behind to go undercover or escape.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao, knowing that he has incurred the ire of the clans, preparing to leave his position behind and escape to Dongying.

22. 关门捉贼: shutting the door to catch a thief; i.e. cutting off all escape routes for an enemy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang trapping the juniors in Yi City and turning them around in circles, in order to get close to Wei Wuxian.

23. 远交近攻: allying with people further away while attacking those closest, for a strategic advantage.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao swearing brotherhood with the two most powerful people outside the Jin clan, whilst simultaneously planning his takeover of the Jin household.

Bonus: here’s another meta I wrote on Jin Guangyao’s personal reasons for joining the sworn brotherhood, in which I also touch on 远交近攻.

24. 假途伐虢: getting safe passage to besiege Guo (a state during the Zhou dynasty); i.e. borrowing an ally’s resources to attack an enemy, then turning on that same ally with those resources.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang borrowing the abilities of Shuanghua to kill innocent people, then instigating Xiao Xingchen to turn those same abilities on Song Lan, thus destroying their bond.

并战计 Proximate stratagems

25. 偷梁换柱: replacing the beams with rotting timbers; i.e. disrupting the enemy’s operations by replacing certain supports with inferior varieties.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao swapping the notes of Cleansing 洗华 with those from the Collection of Turmoil 乱魄抄.

Bonus: here’s a quick explanation on the name 乱魄抄 in my critique of CQL episode 42, para 441.

26. 指桑骂槐: pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree; i.e. deliberately misdirecting one’s anger to avoid having to make the first move.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao forcing Wei Wuxian to reveal himself in the treasure room by addressing him as Mo Xuanyu, accusing him of slander and of causing Qin Su’s death.

Bonus: it’s possible that Nie Huaisang’s name was derived from this particular stratagem — except that instead of the locust tree 槐, he uses the character 怀, which loosely means “to harbor (in one’s heart)”. Both words use the same tone and are similarly pronounced.

27. 假痴不颠: feigning ignorance to lure the enemy into complacency.

Where this plays out in MDZS: this is the crux of Nie Huaisang’s nickname, 一问三不知 “Mr I Don’t Know”!

Bonus: here’s a brief explanation I wrote about 一问三不知 for my critique of CQL episode 34, para 351.

28. 上屋抽梯: removing the ladder when the enemy has reached the roof; i.e. severing an enemy’s recourse or supply lines.

Where this plays out in MDZS: the plot for Su She to finish everyone off at the second siege of Burial Mounds, through the cutting off of everyone’s spiritual abilities and means of escape.

29. 树上开花: tying blossoms on a dead tree; i.e. making something of low value appear useful and beautiful through artifice.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangshan accepting Jin Guangyao into the family and bestowing his own generational name on him as a public honor, while continuing to undermine and ill-treat him.

30. 反客为主: forcing the host and guest to change places; i.e. usurping authority by turning the tables.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian seizing Wen Chao and holding him hostage in the Xuanwu cave.

败战计 Desperate stratagems

31. 美人计: the beauty trap; i.e. sending a beautiful woman to distract the enemy and incite unrest in their camp.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao literally ensnaring his own father in such a fashion to bring about his death.

32. 空城计: the empty city; i.e. appearing calm despite being at a disadvantage, to fool the enemy into thinking that there is an ambush waiting for them.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian remaining at ease when confronting Xue Yang in Yi City, despite knowing he would not be able to physically overpower him.

33. 反间计: sowing discord between an enemy and their allies.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang instigating Bi Cao to write a letter to Qin Su, with the intent of turning her against Jin Guangyao.

34. 苦肉计: inflicting injury on oneself to earn the enemy’s trust and sympathy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang masquerading as an injured Xiao Xingchen to gain entry to the house that Wei Wuxian and the juniors were hiding in.

35. 连环计: chain stratagems; i.e. carrying out different plans as part of a linked, continuous scheme.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang methodically laying the trail of body parts and clues for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to follow.

36. 走为上: if all else fails, flee, and regroup to fight another day.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji running from the Xuanwu after their escape had been sealed off.

Bonus: there’s a saying 三十六计 走为上计 which means “of all the 36 Stratagems, fleeing is the best”!

References

Translations largely referenced from Military Wikia

Details of each of the Stratagems

Original post on Twitter

MDZS Weibo update, 1.22.2022 “Does the following collection of warm smiles from Hanguang Jun also touch you? There is still 1 day before Hanguangjun's birthday.”

Me: Yes, Yes it does! Hanguang Jun handsome Hanguang Jun.. may his days always be filled with warm smiles and happy moments with Wei Ying

Manhua 漫画 Costume Appreciation post! I’ve been reading 魔尊要抱抱 (Devil Wants to Hug) (which is even cuter than it sounds) and constantly wanting to share the gorgeous artwork. So here is some of it.

Devil 魔尊 #1’s Outfit #1: no outfit, just earrings and red forehead-birthmark (and fancy pants). Raw angst.

Devil #1’s Outfit #2: Feathery Display. Cuz when he’s in Beast Form, he has wings, so his outfit has to have feathers. But still show off his chest.

(You have to wait for a bath scene to see anything more than the neck, fingertips, and feet of the Protagonists.)(He has adorable feet.)

Demon #1’s Outfit #3: Covering Up All the Harmful-Cultivation Wounds While Still Being Sexy

Doting Ghost/Demon Uncle/God-Father Outfit #1: How Can We Dress Him Like He’s Just Crawled Out of the Underworld, But Still Put His Abs on Display

Big Brother God Outfit #1: Naked From the Waist Up Except for Decorative Harness and Magically Attached Shoulder-Guard-with-Cape. And birthmark-tattoos. And crazy earrings.

And it goes on and on. The art is really gorgeous, even when it's not gratuitously displaying huge swaths of masculine musculature (the hair ornaments and clothing patterns are really lovely).

The story is pretty great, too. I'm mid-way through Season 2 right now and fully enamored with every major character.

If you’d like to join in the cuteness, I’m reading it on KuaiKanManHua in Chinese, and it looks like it’s available in English on mangago.me under “Demon Wants to Hug”.

MDZS Volume 4 Annotations

Part 5, pages 174 - 208

And so begins my “Please No American Slang!” tirade, plus a few more grammatical / vocabulary changes to make the story flow more clearly.

The Chinese for this is super funny. I could totally see Jin Ling staring at his JiuJiu, staring so hard that JC felt the stare and looked over to see his teenage nephew absolutely googly-eyed as he tried to Jedi-mind-trick / wish his JiuJiu into saying something nice to him.

Jedi mind tricks don’t work on JC, of course. (Wishes don’t work on him, either.)

More below the cut:

I now own Stars of Chaos, Vol 1!!! And pre-ordered Vol. 2 while I was out!! Yay!!!

And now, a brief yet pathetic looking-for-sympathy note:

The 南疆山匪 (southern border mountain bandits??) arc is So Hard for me! It’s all “This character who is a friend of that character who you just met is laying a trap for this other character who is a friend of yet another character that you have Not yet met yet, plot plot convoluted plot” with absolutely no kissing and practically no pining and this is exactly why I am re-reading 杀破狼 Stars of Chaos while making a chapter-by-chapter Notes document of Romance Only for future rereads.

My 杀破狼 Romance Only Notes only have a couple of paragraphs from Ch 40, and it doesn’t look like I’ll have much from Ch 41.

This is taking too much discipline to read.

Priest, give me less massacring and more Mutual Magnetism!

Here is Part 4 of my annotations of First Edition MDZS, Volume 1, pages 210 - 263.

Stars of Chaos 杀破狼

Vol 2, Notes 3, pages 63 - 87

Another ten pages of notes!

Like I've posted before, Priest has more plot than I have reading comprehension, but, after a few rereads, I think I know what's going on.

In case you are in my same boat but you can't read my handwriting: Fu Zhicheng was originally a bandit, so the emperor at the time (the previous one) was worried (with good cause); but Fu Zhicheng was still given command because there was no other option at the time -- no one else was strong enough to hold the area.

土地公. Soil God. Local god.

I learn all my Chinese Mythology and Religion via trying to understand Priest novels.

静虚 Silent Empty. It's a very good name for a Daoist monk.

穿一条裤子 Wear one pair of pants. Isn't that super evocative? :)

And yet another place where I feel that the original paragraph break would have been very helpful for reader comprehension.

"Consolatory" = to console him on the loss of his mother.

It's the same poem referenced on page 54.

In the version I first read, the implication was that the wooden bird was there the entire time, and you only noticed it as it was flying away.

望穿秋水 look, penetrate, autumn water ( autumn water = "trad. description of girl's beautiful eyes" according to mdbg.net).

Nice way to describe looking at/for something really intently, yah?

Yet another sentence that was not in the (pirated) online version that I read. It doesn't really matter, I know, but I lived in that book for a year, so, well. It wasn't there before.

Another possibly different version, plus different ways to translate 冷笑 (if that is what was in the newer edit given to the translators).

In the version I read, there is no mention of facial expressions; Chang Geng just acts.

If Priest added a 冷笑 (I think that phrase has been used with Chang Geng before), then I would translate that as a Bitter Smile or a Cold Smile rather than as a sneer, since, in my head, only yucky villains sneer, and Chang Geng is a super elegant handsome symmetrical graceful mastermind who sadly but frequently lifts the corners of his mouth without any warmth reaching his eyes.

绊马索 trip horse rope.

Top:

男鬼 male ghost/monster/zombie (some type of supernatural being, derogatory)

...pulverizing the double layer of iron. Those mech-suits are Thick.

Bottom:

远在天边，近在眼前。 Far as the side of the sky, close as in front of the eyes. <3

And that's another ten! Just 44 more to go... :)

My DanMei Literary Adventure Masterpost

Stars of Chaos - All Notes Links

Optimism 😁