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sid_guardian2020-07-10 08:50 pm
sakana17) wrote in sid_guardian2020-07-10 08:50 pm
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Focus on: Lao Li
In the drama, Lao Li is the SID's caretaker (and supplier of Da Qing's dried fish) who carries a burden of guilt.
[Note: I haven't read the novel, so this post focuses on Lao Li from the drama. Please feel free to comment on Lao Li from the novel, and mark comments as drama or novel as needed.]
Lao Li (Li Hongchun) is the first person Zhao Yunlan greets when he brings Guo Changcheng inside the SID in episode 01. Lao Li is making food at his cooking station in the SID's entrance area (where the motorcycles are kept). Throughout the series, Lao Li's main role is as a kind of caretaker of the SID, but especially caretaker of Da Qing. In episode 13, when Da Qing has been influenced by Zheng Yi's sonic waves and starts attacking Wang Xiangyang's fruit stand, Lao Li is able to calm him by feeding him dried fish and petting his head.
In episodes 26 and 27, we find out why he's so attentive to Da Qing. In episode 26, cat tribe member Da Ji recognizes Lao Li and attacks him on sight. In a series of flashbacks, we learn that ten years ago[*], Lao Li was living on the street when he met Da Qing in cat form. Smiling, he pets and feeds Da Qing and takes care of him for an unknown period of time.
While Lao Li is asleep, Da Qing transforms into human form. Da Qing is making a meal (it looks like something instant with flavor packets) when Lao Li wakes up, sees him, and picks up a wooden pole and hits him with it from behind. Da Qing is knocked out. Lao Li admits he was ignorant back then and had never seen a cat become a human. He thought Da Qing was a monster and acted out of reflex. But he regretted what he did instantly, and afterward he worked hard to join the SID. He's hired by Zhao Yunlan, we learn in a memory shown in episode 37, so it apparently took him years to work his way into the SID.
Da Ji blames Lao Li for Da Qing's memory loss[**]. She goes after Lao Li to beat him with a wooden pole, but Da Qing throws himself in front of Lao Li to protect him. Lao Li asks Da Qing if he can forgive him for what he did. He tells Da Qing: "Whether cat or human, you are my only family." After teasing him, Da Qing sincerely says that he'll give Lao Li another chance.
Although Lao Li has a special interest in taking care of Da Qing, he has a good relationship with everyone else in the SID. In episode 03, he participates in Lin Jing's unsuccessful experiments to get the Longevity Dial to activate. In episode 20, he joins the Reunion Festival feast, bringing in fresh dumplings. In episode 21, he's also at the table for a meal with everyone else, although they're all watching Zhao Yunlan, blinded, eating.
Aside from cooking, Lao Li also watches the SID entrance. In episode 07, he's carving[***] when Zhu Jiu has the alarm go off so Lao Li will open the door to the SID. Zhu Jiu can't enter, though, because of Lin Jing's dark energy barrier. In episode 08, Lao Li fetches the anonymous note slipped under the door and brings it to Wang Zheng. He's supposed to hold it for Zhao Yunlan but, distracted by smoke coming from his cooking, he doesn't notice the letter drop into the trash, where apparently Zhu Jiu is able to get it back. And in episode 31, it's Lao Li who has to report to Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng that the Haixing Inspectorate are there to shut down the SID. He also brings Zhao Yunlan the newspaper containing an exposé on the SID.
Like everyone else at the SID, Lao Li is exposed to danger. In episode 17, when Bao Laosan tries to destroy the SID building and the ground shakes, Lao Li opens the door to see what's happening. Bao Laosan grabs him by the neck to strangle him and warns the SID team that he'll kill him if they come closer. Zhao Xinci, however, is there with the dark energy gun and Bao Laosan is shot by him. The SID team rushes to check on Lao Li, who's all right but clearly shaken up and shocked by what just happened.
And finally, in episode 37, the SID team find Lao Li on the floor, bleeding and dying. He tells them, "Those Crows... I already chased them off... for you." Shen Wei tries to heal him but says it's too late because the energy pierced his heart and lungs. Da Qing, distraught, asks who will cook fish for him. Lao Li dies in Da Qing's arms. Guo Changcheng touches Lao Li's hand and sees his entire life. He passes on Lao Li's wish: that he wants to cook fish for Da Qing one more time.
[*] I'm not sure how literally to take the "ten years" here, because Zhao Xinci says he worked with Da Qing for ten years, but Zhao Xinci hasn't been head of the SID for three years (at least).
[**] However, when the Yashou and humans go their separate ways after the treaty in ancient Haixing era (episode 35), Da Qing has lost some memories because he doesn't remember where his bell necklace came from.
[***] Thanks toextrapenguin's dramatis personae (novel edition) post, my guess is that he's carving bone, in a shout-out to the novel.
Fanworks:
There are at least 8 stories on AO3 where Lao Li is a character. I don't know if he's a prominent character in any of them. I'm sure he's mentioned in other stories, or appears as part of the SID team.
I found one icon with Lao Li:
made by tsubame_17
Please comment with other Lao Li fanworks that you've created or have found!
Questions:
1. What did Lao Li do before he met Da Qing? What circumstances led to him living on the street?
2. What did he do to work hard so he could join the SID? How did he know Da Qing worked for the SID?
3. How did Da Ji know what Lao Li did to Da Qing? Did she witness it? If she was there, why didn't she try to take revenge in the immediate aftermath?
4. Does Lao Li live inside the SID building? If so, how protected is he (or does he feel there)? For example, when the SID team goes to the mountains in the northwest in episodes 09-11, he would be there all by himself with only Lin Jing's dark energy barrier as protection.
5. Is he considered part of the SID? If so, why is he included in some of their celebrations (Reunion Festival) but not others (Zhao Yunlan welcoming Shen Wei to the SID in episode 14)? How do the other members of the SID view Lao Li?
6. Was he affected by Zheng Yi's sonic waves in episode 12? Or by the personality change virus in episode 25? What would Lao Li's personality change have been like?
Let's talk about Lao Li! Comment with meta, links to fanworks, and anything else you'd like to say about Lao Li!
[Note: I haven't read the novel, so this post focuses on Lao Li from the drama. Please feel free to comment on Lao Li from the novel, and mark comments as drama or novel as needed.]
Lao Li (Li Hongchun) is the first person Zhao Yunlan greets when he brings Guo Changcheng inside the SID in episode 01. Lao Li is making food at his cooking station in the SID's entrance area (where the motorcycles are kept). Throughout the series, Lao Li's main role is as a kind of caretaker of the SID, but especially caretaker of Da Qing. In episode 13, when Da Qing has been influenced by Zheng Yi's sonic waves and starts attacking Wang Xiangyang's fruit stand, Lao Li is able to calm him by feeding him dried fish and petting his head.
In episodes 26 and 27, we find out why he's so attentive to Da Qing. In episode 26, cat tribe member Da Ji recognizes Lao Li and attacks him on sight. In a series of flashbacks, we learn that ten years ago[*], Lao Li was living on the street when he met Da Qing in cat form. Smiling, he pets and feeds Da Qing and takes care of him for an unknown period of time.
While Lao Li is asleep, Da Qing transforms into human form. Da Qing is making a meal (it looks like something instant with flavor packets) when Lao Li wakes up, sees him, and picks up a wooden pole and hits him with it from behind. Da Qing is knocked out. Lao Li admits he was ignorant back then and had never seen a cat become a human. He thought Da Qing was a monster and acted out of reflex. But he regretted what he did instantly, and afterward he worked hard to join the SID. He's hired by Zhao Yunlan, we learn in a memory shown in episode 37, so it apparently took him years to work his way into the SID.
Da Ji blames Lao Li for Da Qing's memory loss[**]. She goes after Lao Li to beat him with a wooden pole, but Da Qing throws himself in front of Lao Li to protect him. Lao Li asks Da Qing if he can forgive him for what he did. He tells Da Qing: "Whether cat or human, you are my only family." After teasing him, Da Qing sincerely says that he'll give Lao Li another chance.
Although Lao Li has a special interest in taking care of Da Qing, he has a good relationship with everyone else in the SID. In episode 03, he participates in Lin Jing's unsuccessful experiments to get the Longevity Dial to activate. In episode 20, he joins the Reunion Festival feast, bringing in fresh dumplings. In episode 21, he's also at the table for a meal with everyone else, although they're all watching Zhao Yunlan, blinded, eating.
Aside from cooking, Lao Li also watches the SID entrance. In episode 07, he's carving[***] when Zhu Jiu has the alarm go off so Lao Li will open the door to the SID. Zhu Jiu can't enter, though, because of Lin Jing's dark energy barrier. In episode 08, Lao Li fetches the anonymous note slipped under the door and brings it to Wang Zheng. He's supposed to hold it for Zhao Yunlan but, distracted by smoke coming from his cooking, he doesn't notice the letter drop into the trash, where apparently Zhu Jiu is able to get it back. And in episode 31, it's Lao Li who has to report to Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng that the Haixing Inspectorate are there to shut down the SID. He also brings Zhao Yunlan the newspaper containing an exposé on the SID.
Like everyone else at the SID, Lao Li is exposed to danger. In episode 17, when Bao Laosan tries to destroy the SID building and the ground shakes, Lao Li opens the door to see what's happening. Bao Laosan grabs him by the neck to strangle him and warns the SID team that he'll kill him if they come closer. Zhao Xinci, however, is there with the dark energy gun and Bao Laosan is shot by him. The SID team rushes to check on Lao Li, who's all right but clearly shaken up and shocked by what just happened.
And finally, in episode 37, the SID team find Lao Li on the floor, bleeding and dying. He tells them, "Those Crows... I already chased them off... for you." Shen Wei tries to heal him but says it's too late because the energy pierced his heart and lungs. Da Qing, distraught, asks who will cook fish for him. Lao Li dies in Da Qing's arms. Guo Changcheng touches Lao Li's hand and sees his entire life. He passes on Lao Li's wish: that he wants to cook fish for Da Qing one more time.
[*] I'm not sure how literally to take the "ten years" here, because Zhao Xinci says he worked with Da Qing for ten years, but Zhao Xinci hasn't been head of the SID for three years (at least).
[**] However, when the Yashou and humans go their separate ways after the treaty in ancient Haixing era (episode 35), Da Qing has lost some memories because he doesn't remember where his bell necklace came from.
[***] Thanks to
extrapenguin's dramatis personae (novel edition) post, my guess is that he's carving bone, in a shout-out to the novel.Fanworks:
There are at least 8 stories on AO3 where Lao Li is a character. I don't know if he's a prominent character in any of them. I'm sure he's mentioned in other stories, or appears as part of the SID team.
I found one icon with Lao Li:
made by tsubame_17Please comment with other Lao Li fanworks that you've created or have found!
Questions:
1. What did Lao Li do before he met Da Qing? What circumstances led to him living on the street?
2. What did he do to work hard so he could join the SID? How did he know Da Qing worked for the SID?
3. How did Da Ji know what Lao Li did to Da Qing? Did she witness it? If she was there, why didn't she try to take revenge in the immediate aftermath?
4. Does Lao Li live inside the SID building? If so, how protected is he (or does he feel there)? For example, when the SID team goes to the mountains in the northwest in episodes 09-11, he would be there all by himself with only Lin Jing's dark energy barrier as protection.
5. Is he considered part of the SID? If so, why is he included in some of their celebrations (Reunion Festival) but not others (Zhao Yunlan welcoming Shen Wei to the SID in episode 14)? How do the other members of the SID view Lao Li?
6. Was he affected by Zheng Yi's sonic waves in episode 12? Or by the personality change virus in episode 25? What would Lao Li's personality change have been like?
Let's talk about Lao Li! Comment with meta, links to fanworks, and anything else you'd like to say about Lao Li!
no subject
I wonder if Zhu Jiu researched the whole SID, perhaps using Ding Dun or someone else with a similar investigatory power, before the Hanga Arc? He knows a lot about Wang Zheng's backstory, which is impressive given her amnesia. And then Zhu Jiu could have passed all his intel on to Ya Qing before he became a Ye Zun snack. Or, otoh, maybe Ya Qing decided to research everyone, and one of the Crows remembered seeing what happened to Da Qing.
no subject