Focus on Da Qing: king of the cats

[lannamichaels]

[Da Qing leaning on Zhao Yunlan on the couch]

This is Da Qing. As a sensible cat, he owns a human named Zhao Yunlan, who he is teaching the ways of being a cat. (for all pictures, click to embiggen).



Da Qing is the character who has been wandering around the longest without getting impillared or buried alive, except for maybe Zhang Shi. He's been active for 10,000 years and has kept the necklace given to him by Kunlun. His memory isn't so great, but that may or may not be a recent development.

I haven't read the novel, so all my knowledge comes from the show.


The requisite cat pictures because this is the internet:

Da Qing doing community outreach to the local youth:


[Da Qing with kittens]


Some kind of Hallows-related incident where Da Qing got doubled so he posed for this picture before spending the rest of the time either both as human or both as cat:


[Da Qing cat and human]


Claiming the table to sit on so Zhao Yunlan can't do it:


[Da Qing on the table, Zhao Yunlan on the couch]




Discussion starters for Da Qing:

1. Cats have nine lives. What other lives has Da Qing lived?


2. What's he kept and what has he lost? We see him with the necklace from Kunlun, and we see that he's lost memories. What sort of things does an ancient cat keep around and where does he keep them?


3. What are his relationships like with other cats over time? We see Da Ji, who else is there or has there been? Does he have parents or siblings or cousins or children?


4. What are his relationships like with other Yashou? He's been around for a while, has he gotten into any feuds or friendships?


5. What are his relationships like with other humans? Has he claimed any humans other than Zhao Yunlan?


6. What's next for him? Is he going to stick around law enforcement or is he going to try an exciting new career as a comfort animal to children?


7. And finally, how many videos of Cat Da Qing have gone viral?

Fic recs:

• ready, set, game on by synonemous, a gamer AU featuring both human and cat Da Qing


• In the Customary Manner by Teaotter, in which Da Qing ends up as Zhao Yunlan's matchmaker

So - come and talk about Da Qing! Share links to meta, picspams, and related fanworks, new or old! Self-recs whole-heartedly encouraged. Basically, this is the place for anything you want to say or link to about Da Qing.

Important: If you're commenting with meta/discussion/thoughts, please say whether you're coming from a novel perspective, a drama perspective, or a blend of the two, so we don't end up talking past each other. Thanks!

Comments

[china_shop]

I did wonder if that loss was just around now or if his knowledge has come and gone.

I'm pretty hazy on his timeline, but when Zhao Xinci first shows up, he thinks Da Qing can still speak Cat and says Da Qing's job used to be getting intel from the local strays, so it must be more recent than language drift. I assumed forgetting it was part of Da Qing's lao-Li-induced amnesia.

ETA: I'm just gonna assume that the cats don't keep great track of each other, and if Da Qing hasn't seen another one in a while, he just assumes they don't exist? IDK.

Hee! That does sound pretty Cat-like. :-)