"Got hit while playing basketball," Zhao Yunlan lied casually.
LOL! I love how easy he is with the excuses, and how casually he tells the driver it's just for a few days, even though at that point he doesn't know that yet. (Or does he, somehow?)
And I like how he tests the driver and his own understanding of what he sees with his Heavenly Eye! Very cool.
Zhao Yunlan could unmistakably feel that something was rapidly awakening within him. What was unclear was whether it was good or bad.
AHHHH, yes! And he's putting things together re: the earthquake, the Awl, and himself. :D
I came back from buying breakfast, and you were gone. You scared me half to death. If you do that again... If you do that again, I'll...
Aw, SW! At least he left a message; it could have been worse! But since the last time Zhao Yunlan went off on his own, he came back blind, I can see why Shen Wei is overreacting just a big. *g*
Those crimson characters flashed into existence repeatedly...yet none of them lasted. They appeared with the swiftness of the tide, only to be washed away by vast waves of darkness, as ephemeral as marks in the sand.
*screams* This is an image that really stayed with me from the last time I tried to read the novel. It's such a horrible worldbuilding set-up! The whole universe is against him. But also, all that red text says so much about who Shen Wei really is, even if the evil system won't allow it to matter.
It was as though some memory had been buried deep for hundreds of thousands of years, and a hurricane had just passed through and blown away the deep layers of dust covering it. What was revealed was some naked, inescapable truth that stabbed into the heart, setting off cascading waves of pain.
I'm not sure what exactly this is about, but it's very vivid!
There's nowhere you wouldn't dare set foot, no one you wouldn't dare cross, right?! You think you're second only to the Heavens, don't you? Fucking dumbass!
Zhu Hong is not wrong, LOL!
I love that Daqing took his research seriously and figured out what happened with Zhao Yunlan's eyes!
(Also, "too much yin energy" (novel) = "black energy corruption" (drama), right? That seems such an obvious equivalence now! Not that it matters for the drama's purposes, but still.)
One look at Shen Wei told Daqing that he was genuinely worried. The cat sighed to himself and continued.
Awww! I love Daqing taking Shen Wei's feelings into account. ♥
Zhao Yunlan essentially locking down the SID: very smart, obviously, with everything that's going on, but also, would it hurt him to explain to anyone what's going on? But none of them even ask why. (I feel the drama team would ask!)
He noticed something at once that hadn't been so apparent the last time he'd read it: a page had clearly been ripped out. To his Heavenly Eye, the torn page seemed to seep a purplish-black blood.
Oh, ouch! Yeah, maybe he'd have been more careful if he'd seen that before ...
Thanks to the language barrier, he always seemed a little stupid; it was often all too easy for the others to forget that he had been a slave who'd turned the fate of an entire tribe. Only when he was silent did his innate spirit and zeal show through.
a) I'm very annoyed that "has language difficulties" means "seems stupid" here, but b) yay for acknowledging there's more to Sangzan than that!
Zhao Yunlan had made a show of not understanding, but of course he understood perfectly well. In writing it out now, he reproduced it exactly.
Ha! (I'd like to understand it, too! Explain, ZYL! :p)
When Zhu Hong knocked and came in, what she saw was two people who brought out the best in each other without getting in the other's way. She paused in the doorway, gripped by the feeling that if she entered, her presence would be completely extraneous.
Awww! I love Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan quietly sitting together, one reading and the other drawing talismans, and I love the idea that they both bring out the best in each other.
Also good to see Zhu Hong doing her job!
"Not only that, but I'll be bringing the family. Right, wifey?"
It's 老婆 again, and I still don't like it. :p But Shen Wei being unimpressed and just telling him to shut up is excellent!
I hadn't noticed it before. But now that I do know, I should do something about it before it's too late.
HOW did you not notice? Zhu Hong wasn't being subtle! (He must have noticed and deliberately refused to acknowledge it even to himself, right?)
Also, Zhao Yunlan saying humans and yao don't belong together, apparently not realising that that would apply even more to humans and ghosts - that reminds me of the drama when they're talking about Zhu Hong and he tells Shen Wei he's not made for love. Equally insensitive.
"We're not the same at all! I like you so much."
Awwwww! :D
He held his breath, and there was the faintest quiver to his eyelashes. Ever so carefully, he kissed the tip of Zhao Yunlan's nose.
AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! :D
This is such a sweet and lovely moment. ♥ ♥ ♥
He'd never seen such an easily embarrassed human around Zhao Yunlan before. Shen Wei's expression just then wouldn't have been out of place in a photo of a handcuffed sex worker accompanying an article denouncing pornography and illegal activities. His deep blush had crept almost to his neck.
a) Not fond of that comparison. b) Also not fond of the embarrassment and blushing. I know a lot of people like it, but personally it just makes me wince and want to look away.
Daqing raised his tail, gratified by Zhao Yunlan's misfortunes and the pleasing thought that, no matter how lovely Shen Wei looked right now, Zhao Yunlan was denied the sight of him.
LOLOLOL, Daqing! :D
Also loving that he thinks Shen Wei looks more dependable than Zhao Yunlan, LOL.
The phone call with Zhao Yunlan's mother: I know the fandom loves her, but I've always disliked this archetype.
"Are you human?"
I love Daqing questioning Shen Wei, Shen Wei admitting he's not human, and Daqing being all, phew! :D
That little brat has such a punchable face, but he's not a bad person. He really likes you, so don't betray his trust." Shen Wei said simply, "How could I? As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death."
Like facethestrange says above, it's the pinky swear moment! Yay!
"I told her to prepare for an extra person. Do you have other plans? Do you want to come home with me?"
I like this! He actually asks if Shen Wei has plans first! \o/
Zhao Yunlan wore a pair of sunglasses and carried a cane, and Shen Wei somehow managed to spare one hand to guide him while carrying a lacquer box in the other.
Hee! I love the little detail about Shen Wei effortlessly carrying the very heavy box, and also, Zhao Yunlan's look is exactly the same in the drama. :D
I was just thinking about how traditionally our relationship has progressed.
OMG ZHAO YUNLAN!!!! LOL.
This was another tradition of the Yao Market. Everyone in attendance had to display part of their original form so that younger attendees with lower cultivation could see who they were dealing with, thus preventing any unhappy misunderstandings.
Oh, very cool!
It was bitterly cold. The Snake tribe, due to their nature, were reluctant to venture out during the winter. Normally, most wouldn't attend these festivities, only sending a couple of representatives to make a brief appearance.
That seems, uh, weirdly arranged? Why would they have the Yao Market at a time so inconvenient to the Snake Tribe? Couldn't they find a more suitable time?
Inside was a pedestrian street about a hundred meters long. Along the sides were roads paved with long stone slabs, and between them was a long, narrow river crossed by a little stone bridge, on which a stage had been assembled. Crowds bustled on both sides of the river. There were colorful lanterns and streamers everywhere, and most people walking among them were half-human, half-beast. Some yao had set up stalls and were selling their wares to the other tribes before the banquet started.
Hee! I've seen this exact scene (minus the half-transformed yao, of course) in any number of historical cdramas. I love that it instantly evokes a visual. :D
For some reason, Winter Jasmine seemed to fear Shen Wei. Her gaze swept across him hastily before she looked back to Zhao Yunlan. All smiles, she said, "Uncle Black Cat said the Guardian is a dreamboat. So, dreamboat gege, why are you wearing such large sunglasses?"
1) Ying Chun!!! :D :D :D Though she isn't the Flower Tribe leader here - I think everything she says is even more hilarious in the drama, coming from a tribe leader!
2) Daqing said earlier that he wrote to the Flower tribe (about Zhao Yunlan's blindness) - is that part of what he said? Or do he and Ying Chun know each other outside of that? Either way, delightful!
3) No parallel with the drama's dynamic between Ying Chun and Shen Wei (so far), which is a shame!
Zhao Yunlan hadn't even had time to take his other hand out of his pocket, where he was carrying something Daqing had given him. Apparently, it had belonged to the past Guardian...which now seemed to mean it was a treasured belonging from his past life, or his past-past life. It was a tiny luminescent cup carved with moonflowers, indescribably intricate and lovely. The cup was said to be able to store moonlight.
Oooh! Do we ever learn more about that past life? I love getting little bits like this!
It sounds like the Water God, Gonggong.
Oh! That would be the one Shen Wei's Gonggong Blade is named after, right? Smashing mountains and breaking the sky, shifting the Earth's axis, sounds right. :)
(Is his blade ever called that in the novel? If not, it's a very subtle reference in the drama, where the blade is named in episode 33.)
And Shen Wei (of course) keeps everything about Kunlun to himself, just like (for different reasons) in the drama.
In myths, mountain gods were always minor deities on about the same level as the local lords of the land.10 What kind of random country bumpkin official had managed to leave behind such a lasting legacy?
LOLOLOL! :D
Version comparison: I didn't notice anything of substance this time - I expect there are small differences, but the only one I happened to see was that when Daqing says "That little brat has such a punchable face", in the fan translation/JJWXC version he says he "looks like a jerk most of the time" instead. I like the "punchable" version much more! *g*
no subject
LOL! I love how easy he is with the excuses, and how casually he tells the driver it's just for a few days, even though at that point he doesn't know that yet. (Or does he, somehow?)
And I like how he tests the driver and his own understanding of what he sees with his Heavenly Eye! Very cool.
Zhao Yunlan could unmistakably feel that something was rapidly awakening within him. What was unclear was whether it was good or bad.
AHHHH, yes! And he's putting things together re: the earthquake, the Awl, and himself. :D
I came back from buying breakfast, and you were gone. You scared me half to death. If you do that again... If you do that again, I'll...
Aw, SW! At least he left a message; it could have been worse! But since the last time Zhao Yunlan went off on his own, he came back blind, I can see why Shen Wei is overreacting just a big. *g*
Those crimson characters flashed into existence repeatedly...yet none of them lasted. They appeared with the swiftness of the tide, only to be washed away by vast waves of darkness, as ephemeral as marks in the sand.
*screams* This is an image that really stayed with me from the last time I tried to read the novel. It's such a horrible worldbuilding set-up! The whole universe is against him. But also, all that red text says so much about who Shen Wei really is, even if the evil system won't allow it to matter.
It was as though some memory had been buried deep for hundreds of thousands of years, and a hurricane had just passed through and blown away the deep layers of dust covering it. What was revealed was some naked, inescapable truth that stabbed into the heart, setting off cascading waves of pain.
I'm not sure what exactly this is about, but it's very vivid!
There's nowhere you wouldn't dare set foot, no one you wouldn't dare cross, right?! You think you're second only to the Heavens, don't you? Fucking dumbass!
Zhu Hong is not wrong, LOL!
I love that Daqing took his research seriously and figured out what happened with Zhao Yunlan's eyes!
(Also, "too much yin energy" (novel) = "black energy corruption" (drama), right? That seems such an obvious equivalence now! Not that it matters for the drama's purposes, but still.)
One look at Shen Wei told Daqing that he was genuinely worried. The cat sighed to himself and continued.
Awww! I love Daqing taking Shen Wei's feelings into account. ♥
Zhao Yunlan essentially locking down the SID: very smart, obviously, with everything that's going on, but also, would it hurt him to explain to anyone what's going on? But none of them even ask why. (I feel the drama team would ask!)
He noticed something at once that hadn't been so apparent the last time he'd read it: a page had clearly been ripped out. To his Heavenly Eye, the torn page seemed to seep a purplish-black blood.
Oh, ouch! Yeah, maybe he'd have been more careful if he'd seen that before ...
Thanks to the language barrier, he always seemed a little stupid; it was often all too easy for the others to forget that he had been a slave who'd turned the fate of an entire tribe. Only when he was silent did his innate spirit and zeal show through.
a) I'm very annoyed that "has language difficulties" means "seems stupid" here, but b) yay for acknowledging there's more to Sangzan than that!
Zhao Yunlan had made a show of not understanding, but of course he understood perfectly well. In writing it out now, he reproduced it exactly.
Ha! (I'd like to understand it, too! Explain, ZYL! :p)
When Zhu Hong knocked and came in, what she saw was two people who brought out the best in each other without getting in the other's way. She paused in the doorway, gripped by the feeling that if she entered, her presence would be completely extraneous.
Awww! I love Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan quietly sitting together, one reading and the other drawing talismans, and I love the idea that they both bring out the best in each other.
Also good to see Zhu Hong doing her job!
"Not only that, but I'll be bringing the family. Right, wifey?"
It's 老婆 again, and I still don't like it. :p But Shen Wei being unimpressed and just telling him to shut up is excellent!
I hadn't noticed it before. But now that I do know, I should do something about it before it's too late.
HOW did you not notice? Zhu Hong wasn't being subtle! (He must have noticed and deliberately refused to acknowledge it even to himself, right?)
Also, Zhao Yunlan saying humans and yao don't belong together, apparently not realising that that would apply even more to humans and ghosts - that reminds me of the drama when they're talking about Zhu Hong and he tells Shen Wei he's not made for love. Equally insensitive.
"We're not the same at all! I like you so much."
Awwwww! :D
He held his breath, and there was the faintest quiver to his eyelashes. Ever so carefully, he kissed the tip of Zhao Yunlan's nose.
AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! :D
This is such a sweet and lovely moment. ♥ ♥ ♥
He'd never seen such an easily embarrassed human around Zhao Yunlan before. Shen Wei's expression just then wouldn't have been out of place in a photo of a handcuffed sex worker accompanying an article denouncing pornography and illegal activities. His deep blush had crept almost to his neck.
a) Not fond of that comparison. b) Also not fond of the embarrassment and blushing. I know a lot of people like it, but personally it just makes me wince and want to look away.
Daqing raised his tail, gratified by Zhao Yunlan's misfortunes and the pleasing thought that, no matter how lovely Shen Wei looked right now, Zhao Yunlan was denied the sight of him.
LOLOLOL, Daqing! :D
Also loving that he thinks Shen Wei looks more dependable than Zhao Yunlan, LOL.
The phone call with Zhao Yunlan's mother: I know the fandom loves her, but I've always disliked this archetype.
"Are you human?"
I love Daqing questioning Shen Wei, Shen Wei admitting he's not human, and Daqing being all, phew! :D
That little brat has such a punchable face, but he's not a bad person. He really likes you, so don't betray his trust."
Shen Wei said simply, "How could I? As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death."
Like
"I told her to prepare for an extra person. Do you have other plans? Do you want to come home with me?"
I like this! He actually asks if Shen Wei has plans first! \o/
Zhao Yunlan wore a pair of sunglasses and carried a cane, and Shen Wei somehow managed to spare one hand to guide him while carrying a lacquer box in the other.
Hee! I love the little detail about Shen Wei effortlessly carrying the very heavy box, and also, Zhao Yunlan's look is exactly the same in the drama. :D
I was just thinking about how traditionally our relationship has progressed.
OMG ZHAO YUNLAN!!!! LOL.
This was another tradition of the Yao Market. Everyone in attendance had to display part of their original form so that younger attendees with lower cultivation could see who they were dealing with, thus preventing any unhappy misunderstandings.
Oh, very cool!
It was bitterly cold. The Snake tribe, due to their nature, were reluctant to venture out during the winter. Normally, most wouldn't attend these festivities, only sending a couple of representatives to make a brief appearance.
That seems, uh, weirdly arranged? Why would they have the Yao Market at a time so inconvenient to the Snake Tribe? Couldn't they find a more suitable time?
Inside was a pedestrian street about a hundred meters long. Along the sides were roads paved with long stone slabs, and between them was a long, narrow river crossed by a little stone bridge, on which a stage had been assembled.
Crowds bustled on both sides of the river. There were colorful lanterns and streamers everywhere, and most people walking among them were half-human, half-beast. Some yao had set up stalls and were selling their wares to the other tribes before the banquet started.
Hee! I've seen this exact scene (minus the half-transformed yao, of course) in any number of historical cdramas. I love that it instantly evokes a visual. :D
For some reason, Winter Jasmine seemed to fear Shen Wei. Her gaze swept across him hastily before she looked back to Zhao Yunlan. All smiles, she said, "Uncle Black Cat said the Guardian is a dreamboat. So, dreamboat gege, why are you wearing such large sunglasses?"
1) Ying Chun!!! :D :D :D Though she isn't the Flower Tribe leader here - I think everything she says is even more hilarious in the drama, coming from a tribe leader!
2) Daqing said earlier that he wrote to the Flower tribe (about Zhao Yunlan's blindness) - is that part of what he said? Or do he and Ying Chun know each other outside of that? Either way, delightful!
3) No parallel with the drama's dynamic between Ying Chun and Shen Wei (so far), which is a shame!
Zhao Yunlan hadn't even had time to take his other hand out of his pocket, where he was carrying something Daqing had given him. Apparently, it had belonged to the past Guardian...which now seemed to mean it was a treasured belonging from his past life, or his past-past life. It was a tiny luminescent cup carved with moonflowers, indescribably intricate and lovely. The cup was said to be able to store moonlight.
Oooh! Do we ever learn more about that past life? I love getting little bits like this!
It sounds like the Water God, Gonggong.
Oh! That would be the one Shen Wei's Gonggong Blade is named after, right? Smashing mountains and breaking the sky, shifting the Earth's axis, sounds right. :)
(Is his blade ever called that in the novel? If not, it's a very subtle reference in the drama, where the blade is named in episode 33.)
And Shen Wei (of course) keeps everything about Kunlun to himself, just like (for different reasons) in the drama.
In myths, mountain gods were always minor deities on about the same level as the local lords of the land.10 What kind of random country bumpkin official had managed to leave behind such a lasting legacy?
LOLOLOL! :D
Version comparison: I didn't notice anything of substance this time - I expect there are small differences, but the only one I happened to see was that when Daqing says "That little brat has such a punchable face", in the fan translation/JJWXC version he says he "looks like a jerk most of the time" instead. I like the "punchable" version much more! *g*