w0tErMeLoN

Oh I see, thanks for the info... that's unfortunate I want to see Qi Ye on screen so badly TWT

Thank uu!!!

I'm looking for this specific scene in the novel.

I think it's in an extra?? So Xue Meng goes a little delusional from loneliness, so he impersonates Chu Wanning, Mo Ran, and Shi Mei to recall the past.

Does anyone remember what chapter this is in?

Doing this everyday haha TWT

I think it might be possible?? I'm not sure what their line is, but the drama "Love and Redemption" does focus a lot on the reincarnation of our main leads.

I'm glad aha cuz some people will really throw knives in what they say :'D

HAHA IKR I NEED WHAT THEY'RE SMOKING :'DDDD

Yeah I agree! Don't attack the cast for this... they're just doing their job and they've worked hard TWT

I'm glad it sounds fine!

Yeah, I understand that the novel and the drama are different.

Perhaps it's just personal. If someone introduced this drama to me as a romance, I wouldn't be disappointed.

I personally do still believe a drama should be respectful to a novel. Even if it's different, it's still an adaptation. There's bound to be disappointment when a major romantic storyline isn't portrayed.

I do understand your point though! A romance description is misleading, because romance is usually plenty of squeal-worthy statements between leads.

But I do feel it's incorrect for interpretation as "brotherhood". I've seen brotherhood, and this isn't. Yes, I get that it's open to interpretation, but I have to resist the frustrating urge of elaborating a 5-paragraph essay of all the romantic scenes that they missed.

This turned into my rant sry :'D

Hello! I just wanted to share an opinion or ask a question.

I agree that there isn't an "overt portrayal of BL". However, I believe people like to introduce Word of Honor having a lot of "BL content" because China simply doesn't have many BLs.

When I'm watching a good Thai BL, I don't really get crazy when they touch hands or something subtle. But if it's in a Chinese BL adaptation, I will go crazy. Due to censorship, we literally expect basically nothing from a Chinese BL adaptation. So, in our opinion, the portrayal of BL in this Chinese drama is an "overt portrayal".

I think people say it's an "overt portrayal" also because of "The Untamed". The Untamed was really popular, more popular than previous BL adaptations, so it sort of set the standard for BL flirting in peoples' minds. The Untamed had a looot of homoerotic subtext (in my opinion!), but Word of Honor portrayed a looot more, from the poems WKX said, to the dubbed lines, etcetc

Also, I wonder, what is your definition of same-sex romance? Personally, yes, I do find this a "romance" because the main leads simply have the chemistry, and it is MEANT to be as close to a homosexual relationship as possible.

There is the novel, which represents the homosexual relationship. I call it a romance partially to respect the novel and its author, but partially because the homosexual intent is still there in the drama. The gazes and the homoerotic subtext are there for a reason. The gazes, the cut-sleeve reference, etcetc are added by the crew to toe at the line of censorship and represent the book's original material. They don't kiss, but I can feel the same emotional love watching the drama as I did reading the book.

So, to people like me... I guess that yes I do believe it is a romance. To people looking for confessions and established relationships... then I guess this isn't a romance?

Edit: Sorry I don't mean to sound aggressive or anything I'm just curious on how you look at it

Well, to be honest, C-netizens shouldn't hate on the cast or the drama because the crew worked very hard to create it.

But for the author plagarizing, I don't think she should have done so. Some people don't want their real-life experiences put in a book these days. Not saying people should hate on the cast and crew (which they shouldn't), but the author isn't in the right here in my opinion.

Thank you for the answer! I'll probably avoid this novel then for my comfort, but it indeed sounds amazing. (Perhaps when I'm in the mood for something dark)

(Glad the non-con isn't romanticised though)

Exactly!!! You've said everything I wanted to say. Have these people READ the book? Whitewash? WTF

Just a question about this novel... so I'm someone who can't read toxic relationships (even if they're written really really well!) purely because it makes me unsettled.

I like 2HAs main ship because I could obviously see Taxian Jun's character development and his real love for Chu Wanning, as well as Chu Wanning's love for Mo Ran.

Another favorite ship is Wangxian, because it makes me comfortable on how they interacted, and even though there was misunderstandings and a little questionable dubcon, the love remained pure to the end.

Would I feel uncomfortable reading this ship? I have no doubt about the author's writing skills, but I just don't want to start something that doesn't sit right for me.

It's alright I'm glad to share opinions!

I guess it's sort of because there are many more BG romances than BL or GL. Meaning, BG is more accepted and common.

So yes, it is kind of like what you said! We live in a heteronormative society, so consumption of something NOT heterosexual is a guilty pleasure.

Personally, I don't feel "guilty" liking BL and GL. I like it, and I don't really care much if others have an opinion on me liking BL and GL.

However, yes, I feel constricted liking BL and GL. I can tell someone that I like romance, and they will probably assume I'm only referring to BG. I CAN'T tell someone that I like BL and GL, because I have no idea what kind of person they are. Do they have homophobic ideals? Are they heteronormative? (example: I love Chinese dramas, and so does my mom. I really really love danmeis, BLs, and BL adaptations. I would love to talk about dramas and books with my mom because we are both very passionate about them. But I CAN'T ever talk about BL or GL with her openly because she's homophobic. I can watch BG romances out in the open on the television, but I have to watch BLs and GLs privately so she doesn't find out.)

Well I can say my definition of "guilty pleasure" is different from yours! I just like BL and GL naturally. It's a natural response.

When watching a BG romance, most of the time, I could hardly bring myself to care when they kiss.

However, when I'm watching a BL or GL, I have many more reactions. My heart flutters, I scream, I blush, simply because the imagery is just so pleasureable to me and it makes me feel so happy.

I gave many reasons above about why I prefer the BL and GL. The gender roles in society, and the equal footing they stand on as the same sex. This is what makes me feel COMFORTABLE. But the gazes, kisses, hugs, etc. instigate a reaction from me which just naturally makes me feel PLEASURABLE. Idk why it's just there lol

Exactly!!! Like did they read the novel or not???

Ok so personally I think Taxian-Jun is a victim. But then some people say that the flower was Meatbun using lazy writing to whitewash the MC???

Like wtf???? THIS IS MEATBUN UR TALKING ABOUT

I think Meatbun really handled everything perfectly and completely. I'm too lazy to go into a rant but I had to get this off my chest. What do you think??

I'm not a heterosexual woman, but I like watching BLs and GLs both more than BGs. This is purely just a natural response, a guilty pleasure as above user said. However, it is also because of cliche gender roles in society. When both leads are male, or both leads are female, I feel this puts them at a more equal stance in society's expectations. Also, BG romances are just so common... and many tropes are so overused. A lot of the time, I see dramas that push 2 people together purely because they are a man and a woman. No explanation, no chemistry, just because of the fact they are opposite sexes. This is a real turn-off.

Another reason is that LGBTQ+ is very under-represented on TV. The POSSIBILITY of having 2 people of the same gender liking each other is just... so nice to see.

I believe heterosexual women prefer MxM over FxF because they have more of an interest in the male gender, so seeing 2 males is more of a turn-on than seeing 2 females.

Note: I do not go crazy over relationships in real life that are LGBT. I may be surprised when I see someone open about their sexuality, but I do not fetishize them. Drama preferences are seperated from real life!

If someone dislikes BL, they will probably will not notice it.

However, as someone who came into this show not realizing it was BL, I could tell it was definitely a BL. Having no idea about censorship I actually expected them to get together haha TWT. Before this drama, I had a neutral stance on BL.

EXACTLY I agree with this so much.