> > Do you have a sense of why the Crows are breaking up with the rest of the Yao / helping Ghost Face? > > Not even in the slightest!
It's weird, isn't it? Especially given, as facethestrange pointed out, the Crow who blinded ZYL with the bells was so rude about the Netherworld.
Both Shen Wei with the killing intent and Zhao Yunlan with the "Xiao-Wei" - even though everything else is different, and it's a far more personal scene.
The "killing intent" here made me pause. I've always read that drama scene as Shen Wei being outraged that Ya Qing would even go so far as to threaten Zhu Hong (one of ZYL's SID, an innocent, and relatively defenceless at that stage). But thinking about it from a novel POV, how much of Shen Wei's icy anger is in response to Ya Qing's part in Ye Zun's attack on ZYL himself? (Have I just been missing this extremely obvious motivation, all this time?)
I have to admit, I prefer it if he's more widely furious about Ya Qing's actions, rather than avenging ZYL alone.
I have no idea what it means that the Crows are parting ways with the rest of the yao, or why they would - very good of the drama for giving us some of Ya Qing's reasons right at her first appearance!
Yes!! And that her reasons are not unreasonable, too.
And the bit where Daqing approaches the Crows is so fascinating - I love getting to see him among other yao, and I really like that he's trying to track down what happened to his bells.
Yes, that's all so good!!
1) Huh, that's so weird! Why do the chips turn into dried fish?
I assume it was one of Daqing's (possibly involuntary) powers.
Awww, is that why they get a whole dancing scene in the drama?
That, and so they can explicitly make the end-credits song romantic, so that we know ZYL/SW is a romance, even if the drama can't state it out loud. ;-p
> > They hope their son will be happy and at peace with a wife and kids. Bringing me over like this... How can you deny your parents a good New Year? > > Ugh, I don't like this. :(
It seems a natural way to think in a relatively homophobic society where marriage is (or historically has been) often as much about duty to family as it is about love, though, right? And Shen Wei has lived in that kind of society, feeling like an outsider and hating his own essential nature, for thousands of years.
And I know I just said I'm good with ZYL being stalkery, but here's where he crosses a line for me, because throwing out someone's belongings is completely beyond the pale
Right? The lack of consideration for Shen Wei's feelings and attachment to his belongings, omg!! I would be so furious at the presumption! (At least with the house-choosing and -buying, ZYL bought it for himself and offered SW a place in it. But even that made me go, no, let him have a say in where you both live!!)
So very very NO that I'm back at DNW DNW DNW for their entire relationship. :(
:-( :-( :-(
(Does that DNW come and go, scene by scene, or does it ruin the surrounding parts, too?)
Newsflash, Shen Wei: you just did control the "uncontrollable" desire! Stop thinking of yourself as out of control, when you never actually are!
I guess it's the fact that it takes tremendous effort? I can imagine I'd find it pretty unnerving, too, if I had to struggle to suppress homicidal impulses.
I feel like I should be talking about that, but eh. I'd be more shocked if he actually did say something.
Heh.
The whole woman-with-rolling-pin thing is such a traditional stereotype here
From other Chinese media? Or more generally? I can't tell how much mother-on-child violence is a culturally acceptable trait, a fictional culturally acceptable trait, and/or heightening her character to fit the rest of the novel, with its crowd of weird, often-violent characters. Like, DQ often punches and swipes at ZYL, for example, and we just brush it aside because we know the relationship underneath is solid. Admittedly, here between ZYL and his mother, that's complicated by filial piety and duty, so ZYL can't defend himself as well, but as you say, a lot of it is for show. /how it reads to me outside of the context you're bringing to it, fwiw
I do like the coming-out part, though! And that it takes her a while to realise he's actually telling her something real, not just running his mouth for once, and then to process it all. And that her first worries are about the consequences for him. And then she asks him how serious he actually is.
Yes, I liked all of that, too.
And then she's back at her usual snark! Hee!
I thought that was a great way to show her acceptance.
> > No wonder Chu-ge doesn't eat peas. > > LOLOLOL! And I love that Xiao-Guo just can't manage to be afraid here.
In the drama they changed it to "How are your teeth so strong?" :D
LOL, "accidentally". (Why does he pretend it was accidental?)
Maybe he doesn't want to hear any more of Shen Wei's disapproval of their relationship (vicariously, on ZYL's parents' behalf)? If Shen Wei thinking coming out to his parents on a holiday is unkind, better to keep it an accident?
> > Prolonging the sentence on the merit shackles seems to be normal practice. Another century or two would be typical. > > The Netherworld sucks.
So much! I think one of the difficulties in the drama adaptation is having SW more closely aligned with Dixing but still have Dixing be so terrible. It's harder to get around the "why isn't he trying harder to change/fix things?" problem -- though they do a reasonable job by implying separate jurisdictions.
It's so weird to me that ZYL didn't care to hear CSZ's background before! He's working with the guy - shouldn't he care about what kind of person he is?
I know! So weird!!
But after long silence, Shen Wei only says blandly, "It's alright, I'm used to it."
No version of Shen Wei will ever understand how upsetting those words can be. ;-p
Was...was he, Zhao Yunlan, the Mountain God of the Great Wild...? This line isn't in the JJWXC/fan translation version.
Oh, interesting. Adding it changes the focus of the scene quite a lot, I think. Not "OMG, a shrine!?!" but instead, the realisation/confirmation about Kunlun.
Is the bit with SW & ZYL's mother before or after the coming out scene? (Also, poor SW! So awkward!)
And so interesting how they changed ZYL's mother's opinion of gay people. Huh.
As always, thanks so much for the version comparison!! <3 <3 <3
no subject
>
> Not even in the slightest!
It's weird, isn't it? Especially given, as
Both Shen Wei with the killing intent and Zhao Yunlan with the "Xiao-Wei" - even though everything else is different, and it's a far more personal scene.
The "killing intent" here made me pause. I've always read that drama scene as Shen Wei being outraged that Ya Qing would even go so far as to threaten Zhu Hong (one of ZYL's SID, an innocent, and relatively defenceless at that stage). But thinking about it from a novel POV, how much of Shen Wei's icy anger is in response to Ya Qing's part in Ye Zun's attack on ZYL himself? (Have I just been missing this extremely obvious motivation, all this time?)
I have to admit, I prefer it if he's more widely furious about Ya Qing's actions, rather than avenging ZYL alone.
I have no idea what it means that the Crows are parting ways with the rest of the yao, or why they would - very good of the drama for giving us some of Ya Qing's reasons right at her first appearance!
Yes!! And that her reasons are not unreasonable, too.
And the bit where Daqing approaches the Crows is so fascinating - I love getting to see him among other yao, and I really like that he's trying to track down what happened to his bells.
Yes, that's all so good!!
1) Huh, that's so weird! Why do the chips turn into dried fish?
I assume it was one of Daqing's (possibly involuntary) powers.
Awww, is that why they get a whole dancing scene in the drama?
That, and so they can explicitly make the end-credits song romantic, so that we know ZYL/SW is a romance, even if the drama can't state it out loud. ;-p
> > They hope their son will be happy and at peace with a wife and kids. Bringing me over like this... How can you deny your parents a good New Year?
>
> Ugh, I don't like this. :(
It seems a natural way to think in a relatively homophobic society where marriage is (or historically has been) often as much about duty to family as it is about love, though, right? And Shen Wei has lived in that kind of society, feeling like an outsider and hating his own essential nature, for thousands of years.
And I know I just said I'm good with ZYL being stalkery, but here's where he crosses a line for me, because throwing out someone's belongings is completely beyond the pale
Right? The lack of consideration for Shen Wei's feelings and attachment to his belongings, omg!! I would be so furious at the presumption! (At least with the house-choosing and -buying, ZYL bought it for himself and offered SW a place in it. But even that made me go, no, let him have a say in where you both live!!)
So very very NO that I'm back at DNW DNW DNW for their entire relationship. :(
:-( :-( :-(
(Does that DNW come and go, scene by scene, or does it ruin the surrounding parts, too?)
Newsflash, Shen Wei: you just did control the "uncontrollable" desire! Stop thinking of yourself as out of control, when you never actually are!
I guess it's the fact that it takes tremendous effort? I can imagine I'd find it pretty unnerving, too, if I had to struggle to suppress homicidal impulses.
I feel like I should be talking about that, but eh. I'd be more shocked if he actually did say something.
Heh.
The whole woman-with-rolling-pin thing is such a traditional stereotype here
From other Chinese media? Or more generally? I can't tell how much mother-on-child violence is a culturally acceptable trait, a fictional culturally acceptable trait, and/or heightening her character to fit the rest of the novel, with its crowd of weird, often-violent characters. Like, DQ often punches and swipes at ZYL, for example, and we just brush it aside because we know the relationship underneath is solid. Admittedly, here between ZYL and his mother, that's complicated by filial piety and duty, so ZYL can't defend himself as well, but as you say, a lot of it is for show. /how it reads to me outside of the context you're bringing to it, fwiw
I do like the coming-out part, though! And that it takes her a while to realise he's actually telling her something real, not just running his mouth for once, and then to process it all. And that her first worries are about the consequences for him. And then she asks him how serious he actually is.
Yes, I liked all of that, too.
And then she's back at her usual snark! Hee!
I thought that was a great way to show her acceptance.
> > No wonder Chu-ge doesn't eat peas.
>
> LOLOLOL! And I love that Xiao-Guo just can't manage to be afraid here.
In the drama they changed it to "How are your teeth so strong?" :D
LOL, "accidentally". (Why does he pretend it was accidental?)
Maybe he doesn't want to hear any more of Shen Wei's disapproval of their relationship (vicariously, on ZYL's parents' behalf)? If Shen Wei thinking coming out to his parents on a holiday is unkind, better to keep it an accident?
> > Prolonging the sentence on the merit shackles seems to be normal practice. Another century or two would be typical.
>
> The Netherworld sucks.
So much! I think one of the difficulties in the drama adaptation is having SW more closely aligned with Dixing but still have Dixing be so terrible. It's harder to get around the "why isn't he trying harder to change/fix things?" problem -- though they do a reasonable job by implying separate jurisdictions.
It's so weird to me that ZYL didn't care to hear CSZ's background before! He's working with the guy - shouldn't he care about what kind of person he is?
I know! So weird!!
But after long silence, Shen Wei only says blandly, "It's alright, I'm used to it."
No version of Shen Wei will ever understand how upsetting those words can be. ;-p
Was...was he, Zhao Yunlan, the Mountain God of the Great Wild...?
This line isn't in the JJWXC/fan translation version.
Oh, interesting. Adding it changes the focus of the scene quite a lot, I think. Not "OMG, a shrine!?!" but instead, the realisation/confirmation about Kunlun.
Is the bit with SW & ZYL's mother before or after the coming out scene? (Also, poor SW! So awkward!)
And so interesting how they changed ZYL's mother's opinion of gay people. Huh.
As always, thanks so much for the version comparison!! <3 <3 <3