Asathorin - Titled

I just read an interpretation for “the moon that year was not as bright as tonight” / “the moon that year is just like tonight” on bilibili that blew my mind：

When Di Feisheng says “the moon that year was not as bright as tonight”, he means that he did not appreciate their relationship ten years ago like he does now. And since saying “the moon is bright” is basically a love confession according to Chinese romance novel / drama conventions, Ah Fei is saying that he wasn’t in love (or didn’t realize he was in love) with Lianhua ten years ago, but realizes he loves with him now. (This is very plausible, imo, because ten years ago, he was single-mindedly focused on Lianhua’s power and channeled his obsession with Lianhua into their rivalry)

But when Li Lianhua tells him that “the moon that year is just like tonight”, he is confessing that his love for Ah Fei had never changed: he loved Ah Fei ten years ago and loves him still to this day 🥹

I really like this headcanon / implication that Lianhua was the first to fall in love with Ah Fei ten years ago (and not the other way around). Because imagine Li Xiangyi / Lianhua at the height of his power ten years ago, realizing that he has a crush on his arch-rival who only sees him as a challenge to overcome. Nevertheless, he manages to win Ah Fei’s trust and they sign a truce, only to learn shortly after that Ah Fei “betrayed” him and killed his older brother / shixiong! Imagine his despair and heartbreak as he storms into Ah Fei’s yacht / ship to fight him!

And then, ten years later, after he lost all is power and resigned himself to waste away as a dying man, Ah Fei shows up, tells him he didn’t order his shixiong’s murder, vows he will cure him, and refuses to leave his side. They settle into their old banter. They instinctively rely on each other but cannot fully trust each other.

And this is when Ah Fei, who has only known a life of violence and has never found a moment of peace until now, begins to realize that he can love! He doesn’t have to relive his childhood over and over, killing everyone better than him until he is the last man standing! For the first time in his life, Di Feisheng feels safe with someone, he wants to protect rather than destroy. With Li Lianhua, he can finally enjoy the mundane and simple pleasures of life. Of course the moon looks brighter tonight.

It's complete! I am very proud of this piece. It is many firsts - drawing Lotus Tower, drawing a seascape, drawing a funky little bird.

I am also disappointed that it doesn't quite match the feelings present in the original concept I had. But I do like how the sea and the clouds evoke something restless or chaotic, in contrast with the straight, sure lines of Lianhua Lou.

Not quite sure what to name this one yet, but once it has a title it might go up on my inprnt. It will also be posted to my IG shortly.

An interpretation of Scylla :]

I am eagerly watching Mysterious Lotus Casebook*o* so good!

idk what will the ending bring (nothing good, knowing Chinese dramas); but in my mind Di Feisheng (“gay as hell to have arch nemesis; what’s he arching? his back?”- meme personified) will always aggressively care for Li Lianhua (there probably will be threats of the snake pit at least twice a dayXDD)

my favorite arcane screenshot redraw

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

A thousand ghosts follow him, but the one who haunts him is not amongst them.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Li Lianhua/Yi Xiangyi & Di Feisheng 6/?

MLC 1 | MLC 2 | MLC 3 | MLC 4 | MLC 5 LLH 1 | LLH 2 | LLH 3 FDB 1 DFS 1 | DFS 2 JLQ 1 JLQ 2 FEIHUA 1 | FEIHUA 2 | FEIHUA 3 | FEIHUA 4 | FEIHUA 5 OT3

Isekai where a fanfic writer is determined to get back to their normal world in time to post their next update on schedule

(curse tumblrs img resolution, click for better viewing)

here are my illustrations for the rhymin’ zine and the hey judy zine! I’ve been holding onto these for a few years now so i’m excited to get to share them now that copies have been shipped out 💞 thank you to everyone who ordered the zine, i hope you enjoy all our work! these two will always be so special to me

💫⭐️🌟✨💜❤️💙2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣💙❤️💜🎸🎹🎼🌟✨⭐️💫

(i’ll also post the story i wrote a bit later)