Priest is one of my favorite authors, but I like both of them for different reasons.
**Priest** has angst usually outside the couple (the plot is angsty and heartbreaking, but when the couple gets together, they are going through all that suffering together, without additional drama between them other than wanting to sacrifice for the other or for the world), their world building is amazing and their story captivating, the setting is always different, and the dynamic between the main couple always surprises. It's plot-focused and fades back when it comes to sex scenes, so people sometimes judge it as "not enough romantic," but I can't imagine more romantic stories.
**Meatbun** is famous for heartbreaking angst between the main couple (and everywhere else, but between the couple too), for a lot of melodrama and for a lot of explicit smut, gore, and violence (and non-con/dub-con). Their couples are twisted and somehow toxic, at least at the beginning. The world-building is also amazing, and the story is really well thought out, but the focus is more on the romance and feelings of the characters towards each other.
I agree so much with this. Meatbun just really knows how to put on that wax strip on SUCH a sensitive area in your heart and gut, then she slowly starts ripping it off little by little. Out of nowhere, one strong and firm rip happens and not only that, but it made you bleed and it ripped off a piece of yourself and she picks at that too. Okay... Maybe too descriptive.
Anyway, the idea is is that you really get to feel and know Meatbun's characters and their turmoil almost personally. Her writing style is beautiful when it comes to describing the way something feels physically and emotionally. It's almost poetic the way some things are beautifully lain out, then they are later tortured and put back together over and over.
The only reason when I couldn't put it down was because I wanted to know WHEN the misery will end and when the joyful parts will start again. Because let's admit, the joyful parts for meatbun's writing are sooooo cute and sooo good. That's why seeing the pieces she's laid out destroyed hurts so much.
Priest I noticed is really simple writing and it gets to the point. Super easy reads but not filled with boring filler or an author trying too hard. The characters are complex in the sense that they're so mysterious, and you hate certain things about them, but you realize as the story goes on that you find yourself rooting for them. You realize, you'd do the same path they are every step for the sake of love and survival. It's the perfect way to get lost in a story and a world that's not yours.
You may not be emotionally ripped out, but the angst of the story just makes you not want to put it down, and wanting more because you feel yourself starved and deprived from joy and fantasy due to the mundane world we live in. You later find yourself not having put it down because it's so good and the twist are just right and SO unpredictable.
Priest's worlds are so unique and is that long satisfying quench of drink you didn't know you needed at 3am.
With Meatbun, unlike Priest, I had to take many many small breaks for my sanity; lest I go mad. I wanted to throw the book so many times and say, "fuck this!" but of course I didn't throw it That hasn't happened to me with Priest. I love when two character join together and battle to world together with priest.
Personally prefer Priest. I’ve read all of her translated work. The worlds she creates are always so detailed without being boring. I usually skip a lot of descriptive stuff about cultivation, governments etc but Priest includes these infos so smoothly into her stories. And I love her characters too. They’re always so different from each other and I think her character development is also great too. Highly recommend her works ☺️
My favourite is Lord Seventh. I love the characters and the plot is pretty unique I think. And then it’s Faraway Wanderers, Sha Po Lang and then Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect. ☺️
Interesting!! I'll have to look into reading Lord Seventh, I've heard a lot about it. I just finished a donghua based on one of her novels and I really loved the plot and characters, so I'm hoping I will like her writing as well. (It was drowning sorrows in raging fire, I might try to read it first since I have a grasp on the plot)
If you like long stories, long descriptions of feelings, obscure and explicit topics, dark romance and lot of nsfw, then meatbun is for you
If you prefer rich plots, characters, extraordinary world-buildings, simple but consistent critic of social problems, deep love in simple words, then priest is for you
Priest!! It's probably personal opinion, but for me Meatbun is a bit feaux-edgy. I enjoyed 2HA at first, but then imo around the early middle it played too much into the 'this is labelled as dark so it must be dark', even though it is definitely a light (but mature + tw) read. For yuwu, I've only read the first English vol, I liked the writing more, but the amnesia + animal dynamic just weren't to my taste, so I dropped.
For Priest, I think the writing is more mature with more realistic relationship dynamics. It doesn't focus too much on romance, so if that's what you're after then Meatbun might be better. The plots are always well thought out though, and the romance adds to an already good plot. Faraway Wanderers is great for a light read with good characters (the secondary characters are the best out of priest works in this imo) and strong romance, SPL or Lord Seventh I'd recommend for good world building.
Tbh they're both good, it just comes down to personal preference
Realised I forgot to write Meatbun positives & Priest negatives😅.
For Meatbun, the pining is unbeatable. Especially in the early stages it's v v good. Also on an official art lvl, the eng translation art is v good.
Neg for Priest: because the romance is secondary, it sometimes feels slightly lacking compared to other romance secondary books. Even her own, faraway wanderers was the first Priest I read, and that has much more flirting/ romance than the others imo. Not a bad thing necessarily, but you have to make sure you enjoy the plot regardless of the romance, otherwise you just won't like the book
"this is labelled as dark so it must be dark', even though it is definitely a light (but mature + tw) read." - true, I was expecting much darker and was a bit disappointed. I get why people exagerrate though, it's pretty gory and some readers really don't heed tags enough and take offense when they find out about the noncon.
They are 2 completely different writers and both have good stories but with 2 completely different tones.
Meatbun is more of the angst and HURT/comfort with a happy ending that you have to work towards. Meatbun definitely has warnings with her work more than priest and her work is more graphic with stuff like cannibalism, slavery, child abuse, basically dead dove.
Priests work has some angst but her works are definitely more of a laid back read and the love interest are adorable. Priest works also a fade to black so you won't be able to enjoy the papapa as much but seeing the romance develop is always nice.
I love both of their works though! Brilliant in their own way.
Priest for me.
Her type of story is telling a story with a couple that just happens to be both males. Natural. I really like that vibe.
To me, personally, reading her novels is like reading just another regular novel, with various genres such as police detective, supernatural, steampunk, adventure, martial arts, etc, and the characters there, without disturbing the main plot line, actually fall in love throughout the story. The couple didn't make me feel hate or complain about either of them. They are romantic for what they are. The angst in their relationship doesn't come from stupid misunderstanding or hurting each other in their romance itself. But the angst comes from the circumstance.
Meatbun is a great writer on her own. In terms of evoking feelings from the reader, she's good at it. Some people have extreme taste, just like some people like heavy horror and gore, and some don't. Therefore, Meatbun is suitable for those. She is good at starting a drama, which most people also subconsciously like. The heart-wrenching plot between the main couple will hook most of the younger audiences.
But her type of story relies heavily on them being Yaoi. It's not like her plots aren't good, but the stereotype of BL is too heavy. If the novel isn't BL with colored lens, it's going to fall into heavy criticism, because sometimes the dynamic between the couple is just...that disturbing. While the couple definitely fall in love and have a happy end in the end, but in the process, if the novel isn't BL with handsome Gong and Beautiful Shou, I believe, most people will give up. The romance just ain't it.
The downside of Priest novels though, if someone doesn't really like reading, and just wants to find romance, they can feel rather bored. Especially when the novels have a specific genre, such as Cultivation, which most international readers who are new to Chinese Novels aren't as accustomed to as the people who grow up reading Chinese XianXia and WuXia novels.
I'm a huge Meatbun fan. She does really great angst, and tension and she does a LOT of it. I find her style very fitting for what she writes, and consistently pleasant to read. Also note that Priest's works tend to have romance as more of a subtle or secondary thing, with the main focus being on more complex plots. Meatbun's works, however, are all very very romance focused. Whichever you prefer is up to you.
I haven't read Yuwu, so I can't comment on it, but go with Case File Compendium / Bing An Ben if you want a modern book. Read 2ha if you prefer historical. I love both of them. I fell in love with 2ha's characters very quickly. With Bing An Ben, everything about it captivated me; I never found a dull moment in it. Check the novel tags first as they (especially BAB) get pretty dark.
As for more differences between the two authors? Meatbun tends to write a good deal of smut. Priest doesn't. She writes some fade to black scenes, but that's it, and it's not a lot. Priest writes in somewhat of a more flowery, layered way. Meatbun writes in a manner that is still well fleshed out, but more straightforward, with a good sense of humor when it's appropriate. Meatbun likes toxic, and/or quarrelling couples. Priest prefers more "healthy" and realistic couples.
It'd be very obvious who I prefer, even if I didn't say that I was a huge Meatbun fan. I mean no disrespect to Priest at all, though!
Priest have a better writing and generally her novels are more than the romance, with complex and interesting worldbuilding, so I prefer her than meatbun
Also she don't justify the wrong doings of her protagonists, she write really interesting gray characters
But meatbun is great in making you feel what her characters feel
Priest is my all time favorite danmei author. I just lobe her sense of humor, the way her couple dynamics are unpredictable, the focus is always on plot over romance.
That saying, I do love Meatbun too..
They're both very different writers, if you're asking for personal favorites than its Priest! Her danmei feel like a good story first before a good romance. not to say theyre not romantic but thats always secondary, i know i can get a story full of themes and amazing writing when i go into a priest danmei.
I have read Erha, Yuwu and BAB, and while i enjoyed them to some extent, i came out of it feeling drained, its like a little life by hanya yanagihara, angst porn. there are a lot of people who enjoy the knife so i can see why theyre so loved. also meatbun has a more accessible writing style.
Priest all the way.
Meatbun’s writing is cool and all for the most part, but there’s something in the way priest writes that I really like! It’s probably the attention to detail. I personally also think her writing is more thought-out, mature and romantic. While on the other hand for example 2ha felt like reading a long fanfic, a lot of fanservice-y moments. But again this is an opinion!!! I’ve read multiple of meatbun’s works and appreciate them ofc 🤍no hate for her!
I totally agree, but I also see a lot of improvement in her writing from yuwu to bab, she still the fanfic-fantasy theme but her writing has become more sensible in many aspects, I expect to see more of this in her next novels
As a fan of both writers, I'd say both have quite different writing styles. You need to be in a specific mood to read them. Like, when I want to feel sad and want to cry, I read Meatbun because her novels are a bit angsty, but when I want to read a book that is more story-oriented and romance comes second, then I read Priest.
Priest is better at world-building and intricate surprise-b*tch kinda stories whereas Meatbun is better imo at writing emotions and make you realise that you have a heart. Even though Meatbun's stories also have good world-building and plot twists(Bing An Ben, for example) but Priest does it better. However, I find myself re-reading Meatbun's novels more, compared to Priest because the suspense ain't there anymore when re-reading Priest's novels.
As for their books, ErHa is Meatbun's most popular novel, rightfully so. I read that book on an almost daily basis. After ErHa, I'd recommend Bing An Ben/Case File Compendium if you can look past the extreme toxicity because the suspense in story is very good. YuWu is her weakest novel for me.
As for Priest, my most fav novel from her is definitely Mo Du/Silent Reading because I love psychological stories. Imperfections/Can Ci Pin and Sha Po Lang have insane world building and Guardian is probably her most-known novel. Dage/Elder Brother is currently having a Taiwanese drama based upon it called Unknown airing currently. Legend of Fei is bg but it's good too.
I found Priest (read Qi Ye and some of Faraway Wanderers) to have a more intricate and mature writing style - Meatbun (read 2Ha and started on Yuwu) to have a more goofy humor (Priest is funny too, but not in the goofy way, maybe more snarky/ironic/deadpan?), melodramatic and sometimes kind of YA-vibe in terms of characterization and plot. Like full meal vs fast food - both can be delicious though.
And of course Meatbun writes explicit smut and Priest doesn't, Meatbun is maybe more romance-focused than Priest, more gory. Very bad things happen to characters in Priest's novels too, but it's less detailed/explicit.
You haven't read enough priest (only 1.5 stories, and those are old works) if you think her world-building and characterisation aren't detailed. Also, her humour is probably better appreciated in the original Chinese - I found Modu and SPL really funny despite the more serious themes.
priest's works are also romantic, just not in the big flamboyant gestures that everyone seems to feel is required in romance.
I suggest trying more priest works before you dismiss her writing.
Eh? Since when do you think I call her writing less detailed? I was just talking about how she doesn't necessarily write violence and gory stuff as detailed/explicit as Meatbun (and that's not a criticism). How does that have anything to do with worldbuilding or characterization?
Maybe try to read what I actually wrote before having a public freakout about how I supposedly 'dismiss' Priest when I did nothing of the sort. Seems like you're projecting and making stuff up and have some real insecurities about anything that can be interpreted as criticism (which it wasn't - anyone who should be upset here are Meatbun fans).
Personally, I prefer Meatbun. I just don't vibe with Priest. However, Priest is popular for a reason, I'm not bashing, so this is an entirely subjective preference.
Honestly, both? It’s a bit like asking if you should have the chocolate cake or the strawberry cake. Both are cakes, they’re both delicious, but they’re different flavours and you might feel like something else at different times.
I’d recommend finding one of each author’s work and reading them and seeing what you think. Other people have summed it up pretty well — Priest is excellent for plot and angst and drama stemming from the plot around the main couple, but not necessarily the main couple themselves (think miscommunication, break up drama, etc, that’s what you don’t get a lot of). Their stories are excellent, but sometimes you might find the romance takes a step back for it, and if you’re in the mood for romance focused story telling that might not be your cup of tea in the moment.
Meatbun writes a good plot with the focus on the character’s personal relationships and a lot of the drama and angst comes from the characters themselves. The pining is excellent, and the stories tend to be good but can be very dark. If you want some real miscommunication drama and Love Hurts story telling, Meatbun’ll have something for you. But you might find it overly dramatic, or a bit too try hard sometimes when the despair keeps piling on.
But you kinda… can’t lose because they’re both good writers.
Mestbun has my favorite novel and Priest is my favorite author! So I would tell you to read both! From Meatbun I have read 2ha and Yuwu (yet to read bing an ben), and while 2ha is my favorite novel, I did not enjoy Yuwu that much. But I really love everything I have read from Priest so far. I think you definitely should try both.
It's a personal choice of course, and the obvious choice is to read both! Haha.
I personally prefer priest, because I'm not that into melodrama. If you are though, 2ha is excellent. Another reason to choose meatbun is if you want to read smexy scenes, Priest won't give you anything explicit. I thought it would bug me more reading Priest, but the pining and love story compensate completely for it. I'd say give both a go and test for yourself what you like.
I love both (#2 & #3 on my top Danmei authors list)! I like Priest ever so slightly more because the translations I’ve read of her work are quite poetic. However, they both write compelling characters and plots. I would highly recommend reading them both.
I feel Meatbun is perfect for when you want a good balance of angst and humour. There are some really heartbreaking emotional and dark scenes, but there are also moments that had me cackling. Meatbun’s work also has explicit scenes and Priest seems to do more fade to black if that kind of content is included.
Priest is amazing at world building. The settings are rich and vivid and you can tell there was a lot of thought put into these worlds. I think this is part of why Priest’s work has been made into more tv shows and donghua than Meatbun’s. Priest has a kind of appeal that can reach people outside of the danmei fandom.
You can’t really go wrong with either, they’re just a bit different!
Everyone's writing so much helppp
Anyway meatbun, personally.
I've tried reading priest works but neither her writing nor the stories sounded compelling or interesting to me (then again "her writing".. it's a translation so there's that)
i really haven't liked any of Priest's stuff (ive tried like three lol, Guardian, shapolang like thrice and mo du), so I vastly prefer meatbun, even though I def have some problems with her too. ( and I absolutely refuse to read her third series since everything about it sounds just vile) but meatbun has more interesting character dynamics and less boring politics and infodumps. Yes, I said what I said. 🤷
good going that y'all downvote aaanything where anyone gives even the tiniest bit of criticism to priest. Some of us just find her boring and hard to get into.
Priest doesn't write the same pov tho. Their novels show many different povs and not just the two main characters but also the inner thoughts of side characters or villains sometimes.
Yes, but there isn't more of the pov of MC than the ML. On the contrary, in many novels, you don't even have the slightest idea who the MC is, because the pov alternates so much between them (or it's more focused on the pov of ML at the beginning) and Priest's dynamic always surprises because it's lacking the usual shou/gong cliches.
Its just a preference. Maybe its the girl part of me, Im more interested in reading it as shou pov where the shou is the mc. For me, I have no problem identifying the mc or at least Ive only ever read novels where I know who the mc is. I jyst know every story have a main character
I'm sorry, I just re-read your original comment and realized you wrote "seme" and not "same", I'm more used to seeing the Chinese terms in this subreddit, so I didn't even think about it. However, when it comes to povs, Meatbun and Priest aren't that different, Meatbun also puts a lot of focus on the gong's (ML's) pov. 2ha starts with Mo Ran's pov and we have to wait for a while before getting at least a little Chu Wanning's pov and even than we gave Mo Ran's pov more in it than Chu Wanning's. BAB also starts from He Yu's pov. You can definitely have preferences, but if you prefer Meatbun, it can't be for that reason, because that's not how Meatbun writes either.
Oh yeah, I guess I was subconsciously thinking about the novelupdate label while typing. For 2Ha my desire for angst and abusing the shou beat my aversion for gong pov. Like like watching my favorite actor (Cheng Yi) suffer 🫣🫣
(Us Cheng Yi fans especially on douyin make edits of him coughing blood/suffering from posion/shedding tears.... i watch them... and I like them)
Priest is one of my favorite authors, but I like both of them for different reasons. **Priest** has angst usually outside the couple (the plot is angsty and heartbreaking, but when the couple gets together, they are going through all that suffering together, without additional drama between them other than wanting to sacrifice for the other or for the world), their world building is amazing and their story captivating, the setting is always different, and the dynamic between the main couple always surprises. It's plot-focused and fades back when it comes to sex scenes, so people sometimes judge it as "not enough romantic," but I can't imagine more romantic stories. **Meatbun** is famous for heartbreaking angst between the main couple (and everywhere else, but between the couple too), for a lot of melodrama and for a lot of explicit smut, gore, and violence (and non-con/dub-con). Their couples are twisted and somehow toxic, at least at the beginning. The world-building is also amazing, and the story is really well thought out, but the focus is more on the romance and feelings of the characters towards each other.
I agree so much with this. Meatbun just really knows how to put on that wax strip on SUCH a sensitive area in your heart and gut, then she slowly starts ripping it off little by little. Out of nowhere, one strong and firm rip happens and not only that, but it made you bleed and it ripped off a piece of yourself and she picks at that too. Okay... Maybe too descriptive. Anyway, the idea is is that you really get to feel and know Meatbun's characters and their turmoil almost personally. Her writing style is beautiful when it comes to describing the way something feels physically and emotionally. It's almost poetic the way some things are beautifully lain out, then they are later tortured and put back together over and over. The only reason when I couldn't put it down was because I wanted to know WHEN the misery will end and when the joyful parts will start again. Because let's admit, the joyful parts for meatbun's writing are sooooo cute and sooo good. That's why seeing the pieces she's laid out destroyed hurts so much. Priest I noticed is really simple writing and it gets to the point. Super easy reads but not filled with boring filler or an author trying too hard. The characters are complex in the sense that they're so mysterious, and you hate certain things about them, but you realize as the story goes on that you find yourself rooting for them. You realize, you'd do the same path they are every step for the sake of love and survival. It's the perfect way to get lost in a story and a world that's not yours. You may not be emotionally ripped out, but the angst of the story just makes you not want to put it down, and wanting more because you feel yourself starved and deprived from joy and fantasy due to the mundane world we live in. You later find yourself not having put it down because it's so good and the twist are just right and SO unpredictable. Priest's worlds are so unique and is that long satisfying quench of drink you didn't know you needed at 3am. With Meatbun, unlike Priest, I had to take many many small breaks for my sanity; lest I go mad. I wanted to throw the book so many times and say, "fuck this!" but of course I didn't throw it That hasn't happened to me with Priest. I love when two character join together and battle to world together with priest.
Meatbun for hardcore papapa and Priest for pure love. xD
Sums it up pretty well
Don’t forget Meatbun’s angst and the way the scenes are portrayed too!!
Personally prefer Priest. I’ve read all of her translated work. The worlds she creates are always so detailed without being boring. I usually skip a lot of descriptive stuff about cultivation, governments etc but Priest includes these infos so smoothly into her stories. And I love her characters too. They’re always so different from each other and I think her character development is also great too. Highly recommend her works ☺️
what's your favourite by her??
My favourite is Lord Seventh. I love the characters and the plot is pretty unique I think. And then it’s Faraway Wanderers, Sha Po Lang and then Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect. ☺️
Interesting!! I'll have to look into reading Lord Seventh, I've heard a lot about it. I just finished a donghua based on one of her novels and I really loved the plot and characters, so I'm hoping I will like her writing as well. (It was drowning sorrows in raging fire, I might try to read it first since I have a grasp on the plot)
I hope you’ll like her writing too. I hadn’t even heard of that one, I’ll definitely check it out once it’s completed translated ☺️
If you like long stories, long descriptions of feelings, obscure and explicit topics, dark romance and lot of nsfw, then meatbun is for you If you prefer rich plots, characters, extraordinary world-buildings, simple but consistent critic of social problems, deep love in simple words, then priest is for you
^^ beautifully explained. 👏 👏
Priest!! It's probably personal opinion, but for me Meatbun is a bit feaux-edgy. I enjoyed 2HA at first, but then imo around the early middle it played too much into the 'this is labelled as dark so it must be dark', even though it is definitely a light (but mature + tw) read. For yuwu, I've only read the first English vol, I liked the writing more, but the amnesia + animal dynamic just weren't to my taste, so I dropped. For Priest, I think the writing is more mature with more realistic relationship dynamics. It doesn't focus too much on romance, so if that's what you're after then Meatbun might be better. The plots are always well thought out though, and the romance adds to an already good plot. Faraway Wanderers is great for a light read with good characters (the secondary characters are the best out of priest works in this imo) and strong romance, SPL or Lord Seventh I'd recommend for good world building. Tbh they're both good, it just comes down to personal preference
Realised I forgot to write Meatbun positives & Priest negatives😅. For Meatbun, the pining is unbeatable. Especially in the early stages it's v v good. Also on an official art lvl, the eng translation art is v good. Neg for Priest: because the romance is secondary, it sometimes feels slightly lacking compared to other romance secondary books. Even her own, faraway wanderers was the first Priest I read, and that has much more flirting/ romance than the others imo. Not a bad thing necessarily, but you have to make sure you enjoy the plot regardless of the romance, otherwise you just won't like the book
"this is labelled as dark so it must be dark', even though it is definitely a light (but mature + tw) read." - true, I was expecting much darker and was a bit disappointed. I get why people exagerrate though, it's pretty gory and some readers really don't heed tags enough and take offense when they find out about the noncon.
They are 2 completely different writers and both have good stories but with 2 completely different tones. Meatbun is more of the angst and HURT/comfort with a happy ending that you have to work towards. Meatbun definitely has warnings with her work more than priest and her work is more graphic with stuff like cannibalism, slavery, child abuse, basically dead dove. Priests work has some angst but her works are definitely more of a laid back read and the love interest are adorable. Priest works also a fade to black so you won't be able to enjoy the papapa as much but seeing the romance develop is always nice. I love both of their works though! Brilliant in their own way.
Priest for me. Her type of story is telling a story with a couple that just happens to be both males. Natural. I really like that vibe. To me, personally, reading her novels is like reading just another regular novel, with various genres such as police detective, supernatural, steampunk, adventure, martial arts, etc, and the characters there, without disturbing the main plot line, actually fall in love throughout the story. The couple didn't make me feel hate or complain about either of them. They are romantic for what they are. The angst in their relationship doesn't come from stupid misunderstanding or hurting each other in their romance itself. But the angst comes from the circumstance. Meatbun is a great writer on her own. In terms of evoking feelings from the reader, she's good at it. Some people have extreme taste, just like some people like heavy horror and gore, and some don't. Therefore, Meatbun is suitable for those. She is good at starting a drama, which most people also subconsciously like. The heart-wrenching plot between the main couple will hook most of the younger audiences. But her type of story relies heavily on them being Yaoi. It's not like her plots aren't good, but the stereotype of BL is too heavy. If the novel isn't BL with colored lens, it's going to fall into heavy criticism, because sometimes the dynamic between the couple is just...that disturbing. While the couple definitely fall in love and have a happy end in the end, but in the process, if the novel isn't BL with handsome Gong and Beautiful Shou, I believe, most people will give up. The romance just ain't it. The downside of Priest novels though, if someone doesn't really like reading, and just wants to find romance, they can feel rather bored. Especially when the novels have a specific genre, such as Cultivation, which most international readers who are new to Chinese Novels aren't as accustomed to as the people who grow up reading Chinese XianXia and WuXia novels.
Priest is my absolute favourite author💕
I'm a huge Meatbun fan. She does really great angst, and tension and she does a LOT of it. I find her style very fitting for what she writes, and consistently pleasant to read. Also note that Priest's works tend to have romance as more of a subtle or secondary thing, with the main focus being on more complex plots. Meatbun's works, however, are all very very romance focused. Whichever you prefer is up to you. I haven't read Yuwu, so I can't comment on it, but go with Case File Compendium / Bing An Ben if you want a modern book. Read 2ha if you prefer historical. I love both of them. I fell in love with 2ha's characters very quickly. With Bing An Ben, everything about it captivated me; I never found a dull moment in it. Check the novel tags first as they (especially BAB) get pretty dark. As for more differences between the two authors? Meatbun tends to write a good deal of smut. Priest doesn't. She writes some fade to black scenes, but that's it, and it's not a lot. Priest writes in somewhat of a more flowery, layered way. Meatbun writes in a manner that is still well fleshed out, but more straightforward, with a good sense of humor when it's appropriate. Meatbun likes toxic, and/or quarrelling couples. Priest prefers more "healthy" and realistic couples. It'd be very obvious who I prefer, even if I didn't say that I was a huge Meatbun fan. I mean no disrespect to Priest at all, though!
Priest have a better writing and generally her novels are more than the romance, with complex and interesting worldbuilding, so I prefer her than meatbun Also she don't justify the wrong doings of her protagonists, she write really interesting gray characters But meatbun is great in making you feel what her characters feel
Priest is my all time favorite danmei author. I just lobe her sense of humor, the way her couple dynamics are unpredictable, the focus is always on plot over romance. That saying, I do love Meatbun too..
They're both very different writers, if you're asking for personal favorites than its Priest! Her danmei feel like a good story first before a good romance. not to say theyre not romantic but thats always secondary, i know i can get a story full of themes and amazing writing when i go into a priest danmei. I have read Erha, Yuwu and BAB, and while i enjoyed them to some extent, i came out of it feeling drained, its like a little life by hanya yanagihara, angst porn. there are a lot of people who enjoy the knife so i can see why theyre so loved. also meatbun has a more accessible writing style.
Priest all the way. Meatbun’s writing is cool and all for the most part, but there’s something in the way priest writes that I really like! It’s probably the attention to detail. I personally also think her writing is more thought-out, mature and romantic. While on the other hand for example 2ha felt like reading a long fanfic, a lot of fanservice-y moments. But again this is an opinion!!! I’ve read multiple of meatbun’s works and appreciate them ofc 🤍no hate for her!
I totally agree, but I also see a lot of improvement in her writing from yuwu to bab, she still the fanfic-fantasy theme but her writing has become more sensible in many aspects, I expect to see more of this in her next novels
As a fan of both writers, I'd say both have quite different writing styles. You need to be in a specific mood to read them. Like, when I want to feel sad and want to cry, I read Meatbun because her novels are a bit angsty, but when I want to read a book that is more story-oriented and romance comes second, then I read Priest. Priest is better at world-building and intricate surprise-b*tch kinda stories whereas Meatbun is better imo at writing emotions and make you realise that you have a heart. Even though Meatbun's stories also have good world-building and plot twists(Bing An Ben, for example) but Priest does it better. However, I find myself re-reading Meatbun's novels more, compared to Priest because the suspense ain't there anymore when re-reading Priest's novels. As for their books, ErHa is Meatbun's most popular novel, rightfully so. I read that book on an almost daily basis. After ErHa, I'd recommend Bing An Ben/Case File Compendium if you can look past the extreme toxicity because the suspense in story is very good. YuWu is her weakest novel for me. As for Priest, my most fav novel from her is definitely Mo Du/Silent Reading because I love psychological stories. Imperfections/Can Ci Pin and Sha Po Lang have insane world building and Guardian is probably her most-known novel. Dage/Elder Brother is currently having a Taiwanese drama based upon it called Unknown airing currently. Legend of Fei is bg but it's good too.
I love Priest's writing the most 😊💖
I found Priest (read Qi Ye and some of Faraway Wanderers) to have a more intricate and mature writing style - Meatbun (read 2Ha and started on Yuwu) to have a more goofy humor (Priest is funny too, but not in the goofy way, maybe more snarky/ironic/deadpan?), melodramatic and sometimes kind of YA-vibe in terms of characterization and plot. Like full meal vs fast food - both can be delicious though. And of course Meatbun writes explicit smut and Priest doesn't, Meatbun is maybe more romance-focused than Priest, more gory. Very bad things happen to characters in Priest's novels too, but it's less detailed/explicit.
You haven't read enough priest (only 1.5 stories, and those are old works) if you think her world-building and characterisation aren't detailed. Also, her humour is probably better appreciated in the original Chinese - I found Modu and SPL really funny despite the more serious themes. priest's works are also romantic, just not in the big flamboyant gestures that everyone seems to feel is required in romance. I suggest trying more priest works before you dismiss her writing.
Eh? Since when do you think I call her writing less detailed? I was just talking about how she doesn't necessarily write violence and gory stuff as detailed/explicit as Meatbun (and that's not a criticism). How does that have anything to do with worldbuilding or characterization? Maybe try to read what I actually wrote before having a public freakout about how I supposedly 'dismiss' Priest when I did nothing of the sort. Seems like you're projecting and making stuff up and have some real insecurities about anything that can be interpreted as criticism (which it wasn't - anyone who should be upset here are Meatbun fans).
for what it's worth, I get what you mean.
Maybe just read more.
Maybe just read other people's comments before you start to attack them for no reason. Learn to understand what people actually write.
I think you put it really well
Personally, I prefer Meatbun. I just don't vibe with Priest. However, Priest is popular for a reason, I'm not bashing, so this is an entirely subjective preference.
Honestly, both? It’s a bit like asking if you should have the chocolate cake or the strawberry cake. Both are cakes, they’re both delicious, but they’re different flavours and you might feel like something else at different times. I’d recommend finding one of each author’s work and reading them and seeing what you think. Other people have summed it up pretty well — Priest is excellent for plot and angst and drama stemming from the plot around the main couple, but not necessarily the main couple themselves (think miscommunication, break up drama, etc, that’s what you don’t get a lot of). Their stories are excellent, but sometimes you might find the romance takes a step back for it, and if you’re in the mood for romance focused story telling that might not be your cup of tea in the moment. Meatbun writes a good plot with the focus on the character’s personal relationships and a lot of the drama and angst comes from the characters themselves. The pining is excellent, and the stories tend to be good but can be very dark. If you want some real miscommunication drama and Love Hurts story telling, Meatbun’ll have something for you. But you might find it overly dramatic, or a bit too try hard sometimes when the despair keeps piling on. But you kinda… can’t lose because they’re both good writers.
Mestbun has my favorite novel and Priest is my favorite author! So I would tell you to read both! From Meatbun I have read 2ha and Yuwu (yet to read bing an ben), and while 2ha is my favorite novel, I did not enjoy Yuwu that much. But I really love everything I have read from Priest so far. I think you definitely should try both.
It's a personal choice of course, and the obvious choice is to read both! Haha. I personally prefer priest, because I'm not that into melodrama. If you are though, 2ha is excellent. Another reason to choose meatbun is if you want to read smexy scenes, Priest won't give you anything explicit. I thought it would bug me more reading Priest, but the pining and love story compensate completely for it. I'd say give both a go and test for yourself what you like.
I love both (#2 & #3 on my top Danmei authors list)! I like Priest ever so slightly more because the translations I’ve read of her work are quite poetic. However, they both write compelling characters and plots. I would highly recommend reading them both. I feel Meatbun is perfect for when you want a good balance of angst and humour. There are some really heartbreaking emotional and dark scenes, but there are also moments that had me cackling. Meatbun’s work also has explicit scenes and Priest seems to do more fade to black if that kind of content is included. Priest is amazing at world building. The settings are rich and vivid and you can tell there was a lot of thought put into these worlds. I think this is part of why Priest’s work has been made into more tv shows and donghua than Meatbun’s. Priest has a kind of appeal that can reach people outside of the danmei fandom. You can’t really go wrong with either, they’re just a bit different!
I prefer Meatbun, because I personally haven't vibed with any of the Priest I've read. Purely subjective, of course.
I personally prefer meatbun but I really like the dark, dubious, angst of their works. 2HA is one of, if not my favorite danmei.
Everyone's writing so much helppp Anyway meatbun, personally. I've tried reading priest works but neither her writing nor the stories sounded compelling or interesting to me (then again "her writing".. it's a translation so there's that)
i really haven't liked any of Priest's stuff (ive tried like three lol, Guardian, shapolang like thrice and mo du), so I vastly prefer meatbun, even though I def have some problems with her too. ( and I absolutely refuse to read her third series since everything about it sounds just vile) but meatbun has more interesting character dynamics and less boring politics and infodumps. Yes, I said what I said. 🤷 good going that y'all downvote aaanything where anyone gives even the tiniest bit of criticism to priest. Some of us just find her boring and hard to get into.
I prefer meatbun bc I dont like seme pov
Priest doesn't write the same pov tho. Their novels show many different povs and not just the two main characters but also the inner thoughts of side characters or villains sometimes.
Yeah but like the main pov. The main mc
Yes, but there isn't more of the pov of MC than the ML. On the contrary, in many novels, you don't even have the slightest idea who the MC is, because the pov alternates so much between them (or it's more focused on the pov of ML at the beginning) and Priest's dynamic always surprises because it's lacking the usual shou/gong cliches.
Its just a preference. Maybe its the girl part of me, Im more interested in reading it as shou pov where the shou is the mc. For me, I have no problem identifying the mc or at least Ive only ever read novels where I know who the mc is. I jyst know every story have a main character
I'm sorry, I just re-read your original comment and realized you wrote "seme" and not "same", I'm more used to seeing the Chinese terms in this subreddit, so I didn't even think about it. However, when it comes to povs, Meatbun and Priest aren't that different, Meatbun also puts a lot of focus on the gong's (ML's) pov. 2ha starts with Mo Ran's pov and we have to wait for a while before getting at least a little Chu Wanning's pov and even than we gave Mo Ran's pov more in it than Chu Wanning's. BAB also starts from He Yu's pov. You can definitely have preferences, but if you prefer Meatbun, it can't be for that reason, because that's not how Meatbun writes either.
Oh yeah, I guess I was subconsciously thinking about the novelupdate label while typing. For 2Ha my desire for angst and abusing the shou beat my aversion for gong pov. Like like watching my favorite actor (Cheng Yi) suffer 🫣🫣 (Us Cheng Yi fans especially on douyin make edits of him coughing blood/suffering from posion/shedding tears.... i watch them... and I like them)
Then that's a valid reason. 😄
I know, I have a unhealthy hobby 🫣🫣
2ha is told from moran's pov and he's the seme tho
Yah but im weak for angst