![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Sep. 30th, 2025 01:20 pm
Danmei Author Spotlight: Chi Hai Yun (池海筠)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lee_bellaAs promised to myself, here are more danmei novel reviews—and I got carried away.
"Going off script is a way of life—unless you are an actor acting in a film."
Chi Hai Yun (池海筠) is a relatively new author I'd come across earlier this September. Currently they have three finished books and one ongoing novel. Unusual for a danmei novel author, their first two books are anthology, though all the stories within the two anthologies share the same universe. One common thread that runs across Chi Hai Yun's entire body of works thus far is the Space-Time Administration, which governs countless micro-worlds to ensure that the main character in each world follows the script written by the world's consciousness. But of course, things don't always go according to plan.
Character-wise, the gong (top) is usually the main perspective character, and occasionally the POV would switch to the shou (bottom) and the supporting characters. Chi Hai Yun is fond of a particular type of main couple dynamic: a teasing older gong (sometimes by a few years, sometimes by several thousand years) who takes the shou under his wing; and a shou who is cold towards everyone else but agreeable and endearing towards the man he loves. They are rebels with a cause, and they can come off as ruthless and manipulative when it serves them. They are shades of grey, some of them a darker shade than the others.
Chi Hai Yun's stories are plot-driven with a healthy balance of romance. I'd say it's roughly 50-50. One particular theme that is prevalent in Chi Hai Yun's stories is the notion that you decide your own fate. A special mention goes to the writing itself. It's descriptive and atmospheric with a focus on the five senses. The result can be quite cinematic at times. It's the kind of writing style I love.
The reviews below contain very mild, non-specific, unmarked spoilers. Most of the details below can be gleaned from the synopsis and/or the first few chapters of each book.
( The Re-employment of Villain-Turned-Scum Gong (反派渣攻再就业): Enemies-to-lovers anthology. )
( Black Moonlight's Rule of Roleplaying (黑月光攻扮演法则): Black moonlight anthology. )
( The Award-Winning Actor Doesn't Want a Love Polygon (影帝他不想修罗场): Showbiz and get back together story with a dose of psychological horror. )
"Going off script is a way of life—unless you are an actor acting in a film."
Chi Hai Yun (池海筠) is a relatively new author I'd come across earlier this September. Currently they have three finished books and one ongoing novel. Unusual for a danmei novel author, their first two books are anthology, though all the stories within the two anthologies share the same universe. One common thread that runs across Chi Hai Yun's entire body of works thus far is the Space-Time Administration, which governs countless micro-worlds to ensure that the main character in each world follows the script written by the world's consciousness. But of course, things don't always go according to plan.
Character-wise, the gong (top) is usually the main perspective character, and occasionally the POV would switch to the shou (bottom) and the supporting characters. Chi Hai Yun is fond of a particular type of main couple dynamic: a teasing older gong (sometimes by a few years, sometimes by several thousand years) who takes the shou under his wing; and a shou who is cold towards everyone else but agreeable and endearing towards the man he loves. They are rebels with a cause, and they can come off as ruthless and manipulative when it serves them. They are shades of grey, some of them a darker shade than the others.
Chi Hai Yun's stories are plot-driven with a healthy balance of romance. I'd say it's roughly 50-50. One particular theme that is prevalent in Chi Hai Yun's stories is the notion that you decide your own fate. A special mention goes to the writing itself. It's descriptive and atmospheric with a focus on the five senses. The result can be quite cinematic at times. It's the kind of writing style I love.
The reviews below contain very mild, non-specific, unmarked spoilers. Most of the details below can be gleaned from the synopsis and/or the first few chapters of each book.
( The Re-employment of Villain-Turned-Scum Gong (反派渣攻再就业): Enemies-to-lovers anthology. )
( Black Moonlight's Rule of Roleplaying (黑月光攻扮演法则): Black moonlight anthology. )
( The Award-Winning Actor Doesn't Want a Love Polygon (影帝他不想修罗场): Showbiz and get back together story with a dose of psychological horror. )
