LARA & JACOB

JIN - AWAKE (Christmas Ver.)

SO PRECIOUS

you are blond now

”not all men”? you’re right, kamado tanjiro would never do this

Dumbass Academia: A Concept

Making snarky jokes when someone asks what you plan to do with your major

Ex: “My real life plan is to marry rich and become a wealthy widow at a young age. College is just a pickup scene.” 

Getting used to various mystery stains on all your books/essays/papers 

Is it food? Is it a water stain from reading in the bathtub? Is it tears? Were you annotating the book and some ink blotted up? Who knows? Certainly not you, better read around it. 

Speaking of annotating books: Underlining all the bad words 

This is especially fun if it’s something more “high brow” like a poetry book

Your glasses (if you wear them) are somehow always either dirty or scratched. You can’t see with them off, but you can’t see all that well with them on either. 

You have a book. You want to read the book. It is highly recommended. It’s supposed to be very good. It will allow your mind to grow. It may even have a deep meaning or important historical significance that you really care about absorbing. Alas, neither your brain nor your heart has room for new characters to love or new obsessions to fixate on. You read fanfiction instead. 

Finding a way to justify pretty much anything you like as part of your preferred aesthetics

Ex: “The show Rick and Morty totally counts as dark academia because it heavily involves science and education and also because gay stuff happens in it.”

Ex: “Wearing black lipstick is totally within the realm of cottagecore because there are black flowers and good rich dirt is often black and there are black nights with beautiful shining stars. 

Correcting people about small errors on an impulse and then realizing two days later that they were actually right. 

Writing things in code and posting them randomly online

(If I get to 150 followers on this blog I will be doing that btw)

Posting stuff or saying stuff and pretending that you don’t care about people’s opinions on what you say because you’re in this for you but secretly anytime you get a notification you almost cry because you’re so excited 

Using old beat up notebooks and any pens you can get your hands on because you don’t have the time or money for fancy stationary 

Being a little pretentious and doing things purely For The Aesthetic but then ten minutes later you’re eating mac and cheese and watching cartoons in the bathtub because being elitist is fun but it takes so much time and effort 

Having a lot of mottos but none of them actually really apply to you but you insist that they are in fact what you base your life on anyway. Sometimes they like, half apply? But never all the way

Ex: “Be gay do crime”

Were you a gifted kid who didn’t quite fit in with everyone else in the gifted program’s intellectual strong suits? Or a gifted kid who now feels like you’ve become completely mediocre/average? You fit in

Alternatively were you a student who wasn’t considered one of the “smart” kids and even may have been treated like you were dumb and/or less than other students because you didn’t connect to your schooling “the correct way”? You fit in too

Constantly changing your aesthetic because something else seems cool

You read those “tea or coffee?” things and scoff because who can decide? 

Going feral over abandoned buildings for no reason

Making bad jokes that most other people don’t get because they’re about really niche topics 

Whenever someone asks you about a book you’re reading or what you’re studying you panic and say something nonsensical 

Coming up with or researching conspiracy theories, but more about small local things like why there are never major storms in your town than big conspiracies like the moon landing 

Not that you can’t also be into the big conspiracy theories

Being either ridiculously emotional all the time or being completely devoid of emotions all the time. 

alright let's talk about Apple and Tumblr's current predicament. If you don't know already, I used to work at Tumblr as an iOS engineer. Though I keep in touch with current staff at Tumblr (what little that are left that I know) I do not have picture of what's going on internally. The banned word list is absolutely perplexing and I can only theorize why tags like 'long post' are banned from appearing on iOS. What I can do is give you a peek into how the Apple App Store review process works, so you have an idea of the hell that Tumblr staff is dealing with right now.

Let me be clear about this from the get-go: I think Apple's censorship policies are wrong and they have no grounds to be policing adult content within apps on the app store. Apple's power to set content policy over apps is absolutely fueled first and foremost by internal policy that goes back to Steve Jobs. After that, they're beholden to payment processors wanting to distance themselves from porn. Finally, there's lawmakers and policy that influence them as well. I think these are the 3 things that shape their policy decisions, in order.

What happens when you submit an App to the App Store?

You compile an app and submit it to the app store, and it proceeds through an automated and manual process to review your app to ensure it meets Apple's standards. Apple's standards are 1) non-malicious, functioning programs, and 2) programs that adhere to the App Store's review guidelines that cannot be asserted in the same way a program can. These guidelines are judged by a human being assigned to your app during the review process. The review process used to be long, sometimes it would take weeks, but in recent years they've got it down to about 24 hours.

Now, there's a laundry list of things in those guidelines, but we're going to focus on adult content because that's the most relevant. If a reviewer runs your app and finds porn, your app is rejected and you're told to correct the problem.

What's Tumblr dealing with now?

In the case of Tumblr, this would be a reviewer going to search, typing in something like 'tits' and finding porn. Sometimes they would search something more innocuous like 'socks' (yeah, i know) and find porn. Sometimes they would search something completely innocent and find porn anyways. Tumblr would get rejected.

This happened regularly. I'd say once every 5 updates (every time Tumblr updates the iOS app, they have to re-submit the app for review). A reviewer would find porn, and respond by sending us the steps they followed to find it and a screenshot of the content. Tumblr staff would remove the porn, resubmit, the reviewer would find nothing, then approve the app. Once in a while Tumblr would get a really persistent reviewer. It would take a handful of porn scrubs and re-submissions before they'd finally green-light an update.

Sometimes, however, Tumblr would get a reviewer who flags tumblr for porn, and when Tumblr opened the rejection notice, the screenshot would be something completely not porn. I'm talking stuff like a woman in a bikini. Not even posing in a porny way. Something you'd see in like, a laser hair removal ad. In these cases, Tumblr would appeal the rejection, saying the content doesn't violate our policies (and to the best of our knowledge, Apple's) so we won't remove it.

In this case, the appeal gets bumped up to a developer support contact that would manage the appeal. Usually when it got there, the contact would look at the report and say "oh, yeah, that's not porn" and tell us to re-submit the app again. It then would usually be approved.

This process, I believe, is where the problem lies. Of course, the bigger picture is Apple's adult content policies, but the relationship between reviewer, developer support, and policymakers is completely fucking discordant. Since the review process is human, some reviewers interpret the guidelines more strict that others. Since the review process chooses a random reviewer, the review experience is random every time.

The developer support contact is not in direct contact with the reviewer and does not communicate with them in any way, other than the report they receive from the review (that Tumblr has too). The dev support contact also cannot tell Tumblr whether they'll pass review if they were to propose hypothetical changes to Tumblr.

Here's the kicker: your developer support contact will also, like the reviewer, not be consistent from case to case. They stick with you until your appeal is complete, but when you have to open a new case for a subsequent rejection, it's someone new. And every one of them had different answers to the same questions about policies regarding adult content.

I really don't think the people enforcing Apple's app store guidelines have a clear answer on what's porn and what's not, and they're left to decide on a case-by case basis. Apple is fucking massive, and it's a waterfall organization where orders come from the top down. If Tumblr gets rejected because a reviewer decided a woman in a bikini is pornographic, no one in Apple gives a shit. I bet no more than a handful of people in Apple right now are even aware of the situation with Tumblr, and just one person (the dev support contact) is deciding what Tumblr must do to resolve it and stay on the App store.

The 2018 porn ban

I was present for the 2018 app store fiasco and boy, it was mind boggling. The removal was legit since Apple had received a user-submitted report of CSAM, and by policy they immediately yank an app that contains such content. That was 100% understandable, and if I were in Apple's shoes, I too would remove an app that has CSAM in it. But what followed was a gauntlet of rigorous reviews over adult content in general. The app was rejected repeatedly until the infamous adult content ban was fully enacted.

While Tumblr was actively working on the ban, they were asking Apple for any sort of guidance on what would meet approval, because as you know it's impossible to scrub a UGC site of adult content. The answers we got were either vague or unhelpful. Tumblr had to just keep re-submitting over and over with a half-baked porn finding algorithm until it finally looked clean enough for Apple.

During this time, we'd be searching Twitter, Instagram, etc, for the same search terms that we were being rejected for, and finding lots and lots of porn. When the rep was asked if other apps went through the same rigamarole that Tumblr was going through, and why they had porn on their apps, the answers we got were "we can't discuss other apps" (of course) and "that shouldn't happen".

Now, I do not want to get conspiratorial about this because I genuinely don't think Apple has it out for Tumblr. What I do think is it's a combination of the discordant enforcement of policy, caused by the complete separation of policymaker, support, and reviewer. It's also less of a problem for other apps like Twitter, Instagram, etc because they have many, many more staff to deal with the problem. They have more staff to build and maintain porn-removing algorithms, and more staff to put out fires caused by App Store rejections.

A little part of me also wants to be cynical and say that since Instagram and Twitter are so big, they can get away with more than Tumblr can. Combine that with Tumblr's history of blatantly allowing porn up until the end of 2018. I can't prove it, of course, but if Tumblr has a reputation at Apple, it can't be a good one.

Apple's reputation amongst developers

As I mentioned I'm an iOS engineer. I talk to other iOS engineers all the time, not only at my current job but also in other places like Slack instances for iOS development. The iOS engineers at Tumblr did not like Apple's bullshit one bit, which is unsurprising. However, my experience thus far is the vast, vast majority of iOS engineers at other places feel the same way. Apple's review process is seen as an asinine hurdle you must clear. Their policies are not viewed in good light amongst iOS devs, though you'll have a mixed bag of sympathy over being rejected for some of them like the adult content one. It really depends if you've worked on any UGC apps on the app store. If you have, you get it.

Outside of adult content, though, the two other big ones that rub iOS devs the wrong way are the 30% cut Apple gets when devs get paid, and the completely arbitrary policy that Apps submitted to the app store must have a "clear purpose". I haven't talked to a single iOS dev who's been on the side of Apple in the Epic v Apple case over the 30% cut, and most of them are hoping for Apple to loosen up their control over the App Store (either voluntarily or by court order). The "clear purpose" policy means that reviewers can reject the app if they think it's useless, which is incredibly discouraging for new developers who are just trying to get out there with something simple. It also squelches creativity and reduces the field for more single-purpose apps.

Aside from App Store review guidelines, iOS developers also have to deal with ever-shifting technical guidelines that can be unclear, with deadlines that change or are vague as well. A good example of this was a recent change that required all Apps that were available on iPad to support split-screen multitasking. Not only did I get conflicting answers on what that means from Apple themselves and devs who were in contact with other Apple reps. No one knew if their iPad app would be yanked from the store, or if there was a way to opt out. This requirement forced many companies to scramble to update their iPad experience to meet this deadline, only for the requirement to be relaxed, and the deadline to be pushed back. Fun times, great use of dev hours.

The Apple fanboy you can picture when I say "Apple fanboy" is very unlikely to be an iOS developer. They probably just love Apple products and think that the company can do no wrong. The more Apple does to piss off their developers, the worse it's going to get for anyone who just wants to use an iPhone.

Anywho, that's Apple for you. Why am I still an iOS developer? I dunno, I got bills to pay. I think I know what Tumblr is working on to appease them. Don't expect this banned word list to last too long. The timing is awful, of course, since everyone on Apple is on vacation, and Tumblr is too. Have fun with the chaos for now. As always, don't take it out on staff. They're doing what they can.

My asks are open if you have any questions. I'll try to answer them.

do you wanna hug in the shower for 10 minutes

Finally crawled out of The Untamed / MDZS hell... do you have any suggestions for other cdramas to watch?? Preferably on Netflix bc that’s what’s currently accessible to me

oh my god I feel like I’m the last person you should be asking because a) I don’t have netflix, and b) I haven’t actually watched that many cdramas to be able to give a good rec (;^_^A

okay but I had to google “chinese dramas on netflix” and I’m just gonna point out the ones that I’ve watched from this list (https://reelgood.com/tv/country/china/on-netflix), plus a couple of others that I haven’t but that I’ve heard good things about. all of the synopses below are from mydramalist/ wiki because I’ve mostly forgotten how to recap even those I’ve watched before lol my memory is terrible (;￣ー￣川

On Netflix

1. Ashes of Love 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 (2018)

http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.com/2018/11/ashes-of-love-episode-1-recap.html

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: The Flower Goddess dies after giving birth to a daughter, Jin Mi. She saw a prophecy that her daughter will suffer a great love trial within the first thousand year of her life, thus before dying, she gave her a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love. This caused Jin Mi to become the brunt of many jokes when she gets tangled in a love triangle with Xu Feng, the haughty Fire God, and his brother, the Night God Run Yu.

Jin Mi is tricked into thinking her father died in the hands of Xu Feng and kills him, coughing up the magic pill in the process. Xu Feng is revived a decade later in the realm of the Demons as the Demon Lord, and wages war against Run Yu, who has now ascended the throne as Heavenly Emperor. Jin Mi is caught in between and doesn't know what to do, ultimately sacrificing herself to end the war and return peace to the world. (wiki)

Another “three lives, three worlds” xianxia concept

Was super popular when it aired

I was super invested in the first half but towards the second half my excitement for it mellowed

Amazing world building

Female lead may seem annoying at first but she grew more tolerable as the series progressed - it’s related to the story arc

Angsty

Shot Luo Yun Xi to fame (灬♥ω♥灬)

2. Eternal Love / Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 (2017)

https://hiddenflowerashes.wordpress.com/2017/05/08/cdrama-review-ten-miles-of-peach-blossoms-eternal-love/

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: After a devastating war, the immortal tribe paid a heavy price to seal the demon lord. 70000 years later, in an attempt to re-seal the demon lord who broke free, Bai Qian was sent to the mortal realm. In the mortal world, she meets Ye Hua and falls in love with him after forgetting about her life as a goddess. Ye Hua gifts her the name of Su Su. Su Jin, who is jealous of Ye Hua's love for Bai Qian, intentionally creates a series of misunderstanding between them and causes Bai Qian to lose her eyes. Thinking that Ye Hua has betrayed her, the devastated Bai Qian jumps off from the Zhu Xian Terrace. At her request, all her memories have been erased and she forgets Ye Hua. 300 years  later, the two meet again as deities. Another lifetime another world, Ye Hua recognises Bai Qian but the latter remains indifferent. Three lives three worlds, her and him, are they fated to bear an entangling love? (mdl)

I haven’t watched this yet but I’ve heard raving reviews

Spin-off series: Eternal Love of Dream

Set up is pretty similar to Ashes of Love (or is it the other way round?? I don’t know which novel came first) where a pair of deities/ fairies fall in love (with or without them realising it) and then have to live for a while in the mortal realm to pass some tribulations and then they realise that they’re deeply in love, etc.

I don’t think I’ll watch this because I tried watching the spin-off after watching Ashes of Love and realised that the whole three lives three worlds thing was starting to bore me

BUT I’ve really heard good things about this drama! And it’s rating on mdl is pretty high too

Side note: Ashes of Love is not in the same universe as Eternal Love and Eternal Love of Dream

3. Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain 从前有座灵剑山 (2019)

https://ninenovel.net/2019/11/30/once-upon-a-time-in-lingjian-mountain-2019-episode-30-recap/

Genres: wuxia, fantasy, romance, action, comedy

Synopsis: A story that follows Wang Lu, a young genius, who enters the Spirit Blade Sect and embarks on an unconventional journey towards immortal cultivation. The Spirit Blade Sect was established in the year 4233. Through years of producing martial arts prodigies, it has been hailed as one of the five great sects. As the nine continents face a crisis, a genius by the name of Wang Lu joins the Spirit Blade Sect and comes under the tutelage Wang Wu. Despite Wang Wu's beauty, she is hundreds of years in age. Famous for having a sharp tongue and an erratic temper, she and her disciple Wang Lu engage in endless squabbles while trudging on a path to becoming the strongest sage in all the lands. (mdl)

Quite a fun, lighthearted show to watch

Big on humour but also has its smart moments

Reminded me of a more lighthearted version of Joy of Life (see below)

Female lead is super sassy

4. Tientsin Mystic 河神 (2017)

https://nextepisodepls.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/tientsin-mystic-%E6%B2%B3%E7%A5%9E-series-review/

Genres: fantasy, mystery, suspense, supernatural, detective

Synopsis: Set in the 1920s Republican era, flooding ravages the land of Tianjin and conjures up numerous strange tales about the river. Guo De You is a part of the river salvage team, who retrieves bodies from the water. His master is nicknamed 'Old River God'; as the 'Little River God', De You has inherited his ability to use tobacco to uncover the truth, however, his body cannot handle smoke in large amounts. He ends up being suspected for the murder of a distinguished chairman, whose son Ding Mao, a trained forensic investigator, joins forces with him to uncover the truth. With their female partners - Gu Ying, the daughter of a sorceress and De You’s childhood friend, and Xiao Lan-lan, a journalist, whose father is a rich local businessman - they begin an investigation that leads them to an incident twenty years ago, and a cult whose presence is still affecting the city in increasingly sinister ways. (wiki)

I’ve honestly forgotten quite a fair bit of this because I watched it quite some time back

Has a second season

Not on Netflix

5. Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book 三生三世枕上书 (2020)

http://www.chiefoil.cn/redian/663890.html

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: Queen of Qing Qiu, Bai Feng Jiu, is the only red nine-tailed fox in the world. One day, Feng Jiu is attacked by a savage beast while seeking cultivation in the mountains and is saved by the first emperor of Heaven, Dong Hua. Grateful and feeling indebted, Feng Jiu accompanies Dong Hua to vanquish the Demon Lord. As the two spend time together, Feng Jiu realises her gratitude towards Dong Hua has slowly evolved into love. Unfortunately, Dong Hua has long forgotten what love is. Although the coldest hearts can melt with time, will countless lifetimes be sufficient to bring these two hearts together? (mdl)

OKAY so this one is also quite good

But I ended up dropping it because as mentioned above I was getting bored of the whole “deities get reincarnated and live three different lives together” thing

That being said, ngl the human arc for this was super cute and ended super painfully

The only other thing I couldn’t stand here was unfortunately Dong Hua’s white wig

6. Oh My General 将军在上 (2017)

https://www.viki.com/tv/35829c-oh-my-general

Genres: historical, romance, comedy, gender bender

Synopsis: During the Song Dynasty, Ye Zhao cross dresses to become a general of outstanding ability, receiving a top rank of general. The Empress Dowager constantly worries about Ye Zhao holding too much power and took the opportunity to betroth Ye Zhao to one of the Emperor's nephews, the no-good Prince of Nanping, Zhao Yujin, who possesses remarkable beauty but is pampered, lazy and spends his time on "useless" artistic pursuits. Thus, the story of the real battle of who will take power in this new household begins. (mdl)

Oh my god this show. It’s so underrated ヽ(´Д`;)ﾉ

The dynamics between Ye Zhao (Sandra Ma) and Zhao Yu Jin (Peter Sheng) are AMAZING

Especially the heart eyes he keeps giving her when he realises how head over heels he is in love with her

And how much being in love with her changed him from lazy snotty aristocrat to actual functioning “I Will Protect My General Wife Even Though I Can’t Fight At All” member of the government

Side note its Chinese name literally means “general above/ on top”, and this series was adapted from a novel called 将军在上我在下 “general above/ on top, I am below” like HMMMM.

Also the costuming in this show is ridiculously colourful and lowkey Japanese-like because they actually got a Japanese costume designer

7. Guardian 镇魂 (2018)

https://forums.soompi.com/topic/399199-mainland-chinese-drama-2018-guardian-%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82/

Genres: fantasy, science fiction, (b)romance, mystery, supernatural, detective

Synopsis: Guardian is set on the Earth-like planet of Haixing, populated by a native human population and two alien races — the Yashou, who are able to shapeshift into plants and animals, and the Dixing, superpowered beings who live deep underground. The three races have enjoyed a peaceful co-existence since the arrival of the Yashou and Dixing over ten thousand years ago, broken only by an ancient war declared by the Dixing after a meteor strike depleted their resources. During that war, the Haixing and Yashou were led by the hero Kunlun, who became a close comrade to the Black Robe Envoy, the leader of a faction within the Dixing that sought peace. The war was won by the Haixing with the use of four holy tools crafted from the meteor. At the end of the war, Kunlun vanished, and the Black Robe Envoy became the overseer of peace between the races while awaiting Kunlun's return.

In the present, conflict has begun to erupt again between the Dixing and the surface-dwelling races. The hotheaded Zhao Yun Lan leads the Special Investigation Department (SID), a group that works with the Black Robe Envoy to uphold peace and investigate cases related to the Dixing people. While investigating an incident at the local university, Zhao is assisted by Shen Wei, a biological engineering professor. The two men are drawn closer together as a mysterious enemy threatens to re-ignite war. (wiki)

Ah where do I begin

Adapted from Priest’s BL novel Guardian

Terrible sfx (that makes the sfx in CQL looks amazing), barely intriguing plot after the first few episodes

BUT. BUT. 

The chemistry between Zhao Yun Lan (Bai Yu) and Shen Wei (Zhu Yi Long) is ridiculously good ヾ(*′○`)ﾟ.+:｡ﾟ☆

This show was censored so heavily and diverged so much from the original novel, but the actors and the entire crew knew that they were acting a romance and not a romance and it damn well showed

I believe that this show set the road for CQL because even though it became so wildly popular among fans that I guess it signalled to show runners the possibility of drama adaptations of BL novels despite the heavy censorship

ALSO shot Zhu Yi Long to fame (灬♥ω♥灬)

8. Joy of Life 庆余年 (2019)

https://www.tvmao.com/drama/Yy0wHDA=

Genres: historical, romance, political

Synopsis: Fan Xian grew up in a small town by the sea with his grandmother, following a sudden visit of a poison master, his peaceful life quickly morphs into one filled with danger and hardship. After becoming rather skilled with medicine, poison, and martial arts, he goes to the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother. He ends up on an adventure of marvelling the world, getting tangled in politics, finding true love, figuring out his purpose in life and secrets of his world. (mdl)

Believe me or not, this show actually has quite a fair bit of science fiction in it

It’s a super clever show and involves a bit of thinking

Also stars Xiao Zhan as a side character that has a completely different personality from Wei Wu Xian

Character to look out for: Second Prince. He’s the scene stealer

Character description from wiki that I just had to include: Lin Wan'er, a chicken drumstick princess

9. Reunion: The Sound of the Providence / The Lost Tomb: Reboot / The Lost Tomb 3 重启之极海听雷 (2020)

https://www.iq.com/play/2ffkwt832r8

Genres: fantasy, mystery, suspense, adventure

Synopsis: The iron triangle Wu Xie, Pang Zi and Zhang Qi Ling restart their adventure after receiving an unusual text from Wu San Sheng. Wu Xie, Pang Zi  and Zhang Qi Ling  have hung up their hats to end a ten-year promise. After trading their adventures for a normal life, a text from Wu San Sheng drives them to embark on a mysterious journey for the sake of family and friendship. (mdl)

Tbh I would’ve listed horror as one of those genres

Because especially in the first half of the show I was watching most of it from behind my hands

There are a whole bunch of series and movies before this one, it’s part of a super big franchise (probably one of the biggest franchises) in China called 盗墓笔记 (The Grave Robber Chronicles, or The Lost Tomb)

But you don’t have to watch the previous shows to know what’s going on because this one pretty much starts from a new arc, give or take a few casual references thrown into the conversation referring to their past adventures (which are also shown in the opening if you know what to look out for)

Has a second season coming out before the end of the year??? I’ve seen the trailer floating around but I forgot when

Zhu Yi Long here is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from Zhu Yi Long in Guardian. There he was invincible ass kicking alien. Here he is sick dying old uncle who needs to be protected but still pretty damn smart.

Shows on My Queue (Yet to Watch) But Still Rated Quite High

10. Arsenal Military Academy 烈火军校 (2019)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_Military_Academy

Genres: mystery, romance, action, war

Synopsis: Hoping to follow in her deceased brother's footsteps, Xie Xiang enrolls into the Arsenal Military Academy in Shunyuan disguised as a male, with only her good friend Tan Xiao Jun knowing her secret. There, she becomes good friends with the country bumpkin Huang Song and the quiet Shen Jun San, all while getting into periodic quarrels with her hot-headed and playful roommate, Gu Yan Zheng. Despite her small stature and weak constitution, she gradually trains into an able soldier, winning the respect of her peers. These students soon uncover a dangerous conspiracy surrounding the Japanese occupiers, the Chinese resistance, as well as past royal descendants of the now defunct Qing dynasty. (wiki)

11. My Roommate is a Detective 民国奇探 (2020)

https://medium.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-ep-1-2020-eng-sub/eng-sub-my-roommate-is-a-detective-episode-1-2020-iqiyi-fa3fe924a1c9

Genres: mystery, action, adventure, detective, romance

Synopsis: Set in the mid-1920s, a resourceful young police officer named Qiao Chu Sheng is on the trail of a brutal but devious killer. Realising that the police force will need some extra help with this difficult case, he decides to form an elite crime-busting detective team. He reaches out to a young man who has recently returned from studying in Great Britain, Lu Yao. Qiao Chu Sheng has learned that Lu Yao has remarkable powers of deduction and a brilliant mind – and believes he can help crack this difficult case. To round off the team, he enlists the help of Bai You Ning, a focused young female reporter for a daily newspaper. A free-thinking, independent young woman, she has a strong sense of justice – and pledges to help catch the killer. The trio form a small detective squad that specialises in solving strange and unsettling murder mysteries. (mdl)

I’ve heard that this has a very strong bromance (@stebeee can probably furnish you with more information)

12. The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty 成化十四年

https://www.shine.cn/feature/entertainment/2005097707/

Genres: historical, mystery, bromance, detective

Synopsis: Set during the 14th year of Chenghua Emperor's reign, Tang Fan, a sixth rank official and Sui Zhou, a decorated uniform guard, join hands to crush a conspiracy to maintain peace and order for the people. After working together to solve the case involving the Marquis' son, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou gain widespread fame and form a lasting friendship with each other. Although his reputation precedes him, Tang Fan remains honest and upright in his duty as a public servant and continues to rent a humble home. His landlord is found dead in her quarters presumably from suicide, but clues lead to suspicions of foul play. 

After the case is resolved, Tang Fan travels to Henan to investigate the sudden disappearances of people near the tomb site of the late Northern Song Emperor. When the culprit is revealed, it seems that he is but a pawn in a much grander conspiracy. As major cases continue to plague the capital and the local offices, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou work hard to unmask the mastermind who is pulling the strings in the background. (mdl)

Another one that I’ve heard has a very strong bromance （ФоФ)

i know that yeo jin is very protective of the police and sincerely care about it but i just hope that those feelings will not make her hate and doubt shi mok because my fluff ass hates confrontations like that and just wants my babies to be happy

© EVERYTHING IS OK | Editing allowed, source and do not crop logo.

this is the only ship that matters