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extraordinarilyextreme · 3 months

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today, i wanna talk about this point that i've referenced a couple times across my yrzx fics:

For the fate of the world, Wang Ye relinquished his days of peace and tranquility. To save Zhuge Qing’s life, Wang Ye could sacrifice everything beneath the heavens. (from 岁月不待人 | the moon and the tides, you and i)

i'll start during Beijing arc, when ZCL asks why WY doesn't just give up Feng-hou Qimen to the ppl who want it.

in the manhua (ch. 185) & donghua (s3, ep. 3), WY's response is vague: "for various reasons, i can't give out [that power]."

(note that the dialogue differs slightly btwn these two adaptations, but the meaning is the same)

but in the live-action (s1, ep. 22), WY clearly explains that "it would throw the ways of this world into greater disorder. this calamitous fate must be shouldered by me alone."

these lines perfectly demonstrate one of WY's most defining traits: 心怀天下 / a heart that cradles everything beneath the heavens.

we see it first during the tournament arc, when WY admits to ZCL that he didn't need to get involved in this mess—but did so anyway because the fate of the world was implicated.

WY: Actually, whatever happens to you all has nothing to do with me. No matter how terrible the world ends up, I can still protect myself and my family and keep us unscathed. So, actually, I shouldn't have come here. [...] ZCL: What you mean is that if I continue my investigation, the future of this world may very likely develop in a bad direction. Daozhang, who this "bad future" impacts isn't limited to only me, right? The two of us are neither kin nor kith; you wouldn't have come to get caught up in these troubled waters because of me, right? WY: This, involves another concept. I call it the weight of fate. [...] And you, Zhang Chulan, you hold a high ratio of that weight. Your choice will change the fates of many, many people. (LA s1, ep. 14; see also manhua chs. 121-122 & donghua s2, ep. 12)

this is the extent of WY's selflessness. and as his conversation w ZCL continues, something else is revealed to us.

ZCL: The you who could have stayed out of this matter entirely chose instead to come here and persuade me. Did you also not choose the future that would have been best for you? (LA s1, ep. 14)

that 'something' is none other than WY's conduct: 明知山有虎，偏向虎山行 / knowing full well the mountains harbor tigers, yet insisting on traveling deep into the mountains anyway. or, in other words, the practice of forging on into promised danger.

which, coincidentally, is exactly how WY praised Zhuge Liang's character during his match against ZGQ.

可他却放弃了作为一个修者该坚守的一切。就算逆大势而行，也要投身到乱世当中，只为了去救那个明知已无可救药的天下。/ But he chose to give up everything that a cultivator should uphold and protect. Even if it meant opposing the momentum of the times, he threw himself utterly into chaos of the mortals—all to save a world he knew full well was beyond redemption. 为了那个天下情愿去和天理和大势对抗 / For that world, he was willing to hold off divine order and destiny itself. 明知不可为而为，这就是他那个级别的术士作为。/ To do something knowing full well of its impossible nature—this was the practice of a sorcerer of his caliber. (LA s1, ep. 13; see also manhua ch. 110 & donghua s2, ep. 10)

with such a heart of compassion (怜悯之心, HMH's words) and sense of responsibility, WY is unlike anyone else in his generation. instead, it can be argued that the character most similar to WY is in fact one of his seniors, lao-Tianshi.

they are, at least in the LA, the only two 麒麟 in the story after all (s1, eps. 8 & 20):

and just like lao-Tianshi, it's easy to think of WY as a saint (圣人) or a god—something "above" mortal humans. he's operating on a scale (格局) far greater than anyone else in our main cast; WY is always taking the whole world into consideration, even if that's the choice least favorable to him.

(LA s1, ep. 23)

and then Beijing arc happens. and by the end of it, WY has an epiphany:

“The me who has always avoided involvement with worldly affairs has no right to speak of leaving them behind.” (manhua ch. 196; see also LA s1, ep. 23 & donghua s3, ep. 7)

he's begun to have a reckoning with his own human-ness. he's starting to realize that he's fallible, that he's ordinary and secular, that he has attachments—and, importantly, that he wants attachments. that he desires companionship (just as humans are wont to do).

and it's with that moment of enlightenment that we dive into Biyou Village arc.

because, overall, WY has not actually changed that much. he still feels responsible for the peace and safety of the world; he still wants to figure out how ZCL and FBB are related to the Jiashen Calamity. he still remembers clearly what Hong-ye said: "you are the chosen one." (LA s1, ep. 4)

and even ZGQ himself remarks (manhua ch. 228; see also donghua s4, ep. 5):

yet when ZGQ's safety is at stake, WY doesn't hesitate for even a moment:

(donghua s4, ep. 5; see also manhua ch. 228)

that is not the conduct of someone who always thinks about the bigger scheme of things. that's the conduct of someone making a choice for himself, an arguably selfish choice, to save his friend and doom everyone else.

WY would sooner give up his Feng-hou Qimen and restart the Jiashen Calamity than see ZGQ in danger. that is how important ZGQ is to WY.

在王也的心中，诸葛青的命比天下苍生还重要。/ in Wang Ye's heart, Zhuge Qing's life is more important than everyone in beneath the heavens.

and that's because ZGQ is the first of his generation to approach him. to make an effort to befriend him. to look beyond the power he possesses and also see him.

(LA s1, ep. 15; see also manhua ch. 131 & donghua s2, ep. 14)

in other words, it was ZGQ who made WY's godlike love for the world human. WY is no longer an outside viewer looking down on the plane he feels beholden to; WY is a part of this secular world, and that is why he should want to protect it.

because the red dust realm is where ZGQ exists. here is where their bond exists.

(unrelated pic from manhua ch. 196; see also donghua s3, ep. 7)

tldr: Wang Ye places the world before himself, and Zhuge Qing before the world.

— all this to say, i really am excited for s2 of the live-action, even though the casting rumors have been disheartening. Biyou Village arc is a climactic chapter for YeQing, so i hope the adaptation does it justice.

(LA s1, ep. 27)

#异人之下 #i am nobody #cdrama ramblings #yeqing #一人之下 #hitori no shita #crossposted from twitter but this version is much longer lol #does this count as meta? i always hesitate to use that word bc i read other ppl's stuff and im like WOW #THAT'S MINDBLOWING #but i feel like this is just 'they really really care a lot about each other please cry with me'

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randomshenaniganery · 4 months

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TGCF Donghua

okay so I've been watching this shit since it was released and I'm fully enjoying waiting for the weekly episodes and I wanna rant about it because I love it so much but I do have some minor gripes

Bad chuchu out of the way first

I am not happy with how generic and unoriginal the designs for most of the supporting characters. Like yeah they still look somewhat different but when the pool of named characters will expand it will get harder and harder to tell people apart if they keep on going with this route. Almost everyone suffers from same face syndrome which I know is rampant in current anime I just wished they allowed for at least more dynamic silhouettes, hairstyles, and color palettes. It feels like a more toned down version of the character design in the manhua. Lang Qianqiu in the manhua is so easy to recognize because of his outfit and pei ming looks more like the bastard he is etc. Don't get me started on the design for Kemo, the manhua felt eh I feel like Kemo was too pretty and too slim but in the donghua its just he's a straight up orc idk, i feel like they could've done better. Pei Su looks very generic, I think out of everyone he's the most generic looking of them all. SQX, Ling Wen and Jun Wu are the best designs for the supporting cast and I think Banyue is also okay looking cause you can tell her apart from the rest so far.

I am super disappointed in Qi Rong's reveal because it doesn't feel as impactful in the book. In the book the reveal of him looking like Xie Lian was so dramatic to me I was like oh my god is that his brother? A twin? a doppelganger? And then Qi Rong just kinda looks like that, tbh his voice actor and his clothes are fine I think they fit. It's just weird how he suffers from same face syndrome. If they made everyone look less like each other making Qi Rong look like Xie Lian would have been so impactful and a really cool cliffhanger but they couldn't do that because even fucking Lang Qianqiu kinda looks like Xie Lian with lighter hair. Also the Fang xin design is alright on the clothes but the mask gives off a bit cheap however I get that it can't be super detailed and it still does its job so I can handwave that small pet peeve.

Also censorship we couldn't get Xie Lian falling on Hua Cheng's lap and so them trying to make up for that was super awkward LMAO, they could have solved this by making SQX fall right on Hua Cheng's chair so that they could justify why Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng and throws him but they didn't... and it's so awkward...

I think it was like Episode 2 of s2 that the animation feels weird, Mu Qing's face felt off to me idk what was going on it just felt like something went down but the next episode it was perfectly fine anyway.

Positives!!!

Something the manhua didn't have was Fu Yao and Nan Feng looking a bit like each other, that was so fucking funny and it's a great display of how much they hate each other and live rent free in each other's heads ong. I love that detail the donghua did I think that's smart.

The voice actors are so great in both dubs they're doing amazing (I haven't listened to the jp dub) I have no complaints I love their work

ONE of my favorite things about the donghua is being able to see Hua Cheng's expressions even when Xie Lian is doing something in the book so he wouldn't notice. I love seeing how pleased he is every time someone points out the intimacy with him and Xie Lian. Like in season 1 when Fu Yao is shocked/horrified that Xie Lian shared a bed with Hua Cheng, San Lang puts a hand on his chin and looks so fucking smug and happy. This happens a couple times in s2 as well someone will be like oh that's weird you're so like this with Hua Cheng and he becomes a smug cat it's great.

Another one I enjoy is during the beginning of the banyue arc when Xie Lian reveals to Fu Yao and Nan Feng that he's used to sleeping in squalor the camera goes to Nan Feng not revealing his face but clearly showing his guilt over what Xie Lian reveals. That's good shit.

Lan Chang picking a fight off screen, also cool, love seeing her. I like that she looks inconspicuous so for someone who doesn't know shit about tgcf they will not see *that* shit coming.

ALSO the men look kinda generic if they're not the mls but the girls are all gorgeous???? like the woman who was Hua Cheng's speaker, the girl who led Xie Lian further into the gambling den, XUAN JI, Banyue all the girls are unique without being so ostentatious and I love them. If you put them beside each other they all look like they're own thing but still on theme. From clothes, to hairstyle and colors it's easy to tell and that's good design. I also include SQX's female form cause she's gorgeous too.

The donghua I think adds to stuff I haven't read I'm not sure if this is because I have a bad memory but I don't recall reading a flashback of Lang Qianqiu and the failed robbery. But the message of that entire section was so fucking good. The way that what Lang Qianqiu said about 'maybe he shouldn't have intervened' and the sound effects UGh. It's so good, i love how the book tackles the morality of everything, breaking down Lang Qianqiu's firm positivity and believing in humanity but still promoting being kind and considerate through Xie Lian. This theme still carries on in the show and I think they're doing a great job.

GOD THE MUSIC in the donghua is so fucking good, I love it. The songs, the meanings, the beat it's all perfect I can't say anything more.

even though i'm disappointed in the character design choices the donghua is very solid, I love it a lot. It does come off as very expositiony sometimes but I think that's very prevalent in Chinese Wuxia and Xianxia. Probably weird for people who aren't used to the genre but to anyone who's seen something like it, it's not unbearable and it's kinda necessary because of how the book is written. Waiting for wednesday patiently whilst i draw huahua

There are so many fun details the Donghua adds that shows that they know the story and where it's going as well hinting at character stuff, it's so fun to spot those. Like Xie Lian's reaction to Hua Cheng biting the bun made me wanna claw my face that shit was good af.

#just many thoughts of how much i love the series #tian guan ci fu #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #mxtx #donghua #tgcf donghua #hua cheng #xie lian

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lanternwillow · 9 months

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Link Click - A wish for a Sequel/Prequel

What'll happen after Season 2 is over? I'm hoping for Season 3 (and more), even if we may have to wait for quite long for the production to be completed.

But at the same time, I can't get THIS title animation out of my head:

So, I know that a lot of people have complaints regarding the direction that S2 took from S1 ( The episodic narrative in S1 vs the action-thriller narrative in S2);

And this got me wondering,

What if studio LAN decided to continue with the donghua (possible S3 and more seasons?)

At the same time, they create a SEPARATE series (Still canon, like the chibi shorts) but, with 3d animation ? Like we have seen above. Like, a prequel of sorts, but Episodic, just like in the beginning of season one - each episode with a story.

Also, it felt like they were testing the waters with that title animation (Could be wrong, just my interpretation 😅). Like, how would the fans react to 3d rendering of our favourite characters ? It was a bit bizzare at first, but I got pleasantly used to it.

I don't know if anyone got my line of thinking, but most Chinese 3d animation/ donghua, or CGI is REALLY good, not to mention that they could go on for 50+ episodes as well. It won't even be as time consuming as 2d animation.

So, what do you guys think ?

#link click #link click spoilers #link click season 2 #shiguang dailiren #shiguang daili ren #anime #3d animation #donghua #cgi #I know that they're already working on a live action for 2024 #but still #时光代理人 #sgdlr

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canayams-art · 4 months

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when i tell you i can't even put into words how excited i am about the rest of the season and more lqq scenes, i mean it! i personally cannot wait to see him boiling qr alive, even if the censorship laws makes me think they might remove it :// still im excited to see how it gets handled! LITTLE LQQ WAS ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE AS WELL SKEKEKKEK I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION IT BUT OMG I WANNA WRAP HIM IN A BLANKET AND TUCK HIM SOMEWHERE SAFE

honestly i do believe there was a lot of missed potential for a lot of dynamics in tgcf, but we can always make up for it by being completely delusional about it! personally as much as i enjoyed them, i would have loved seeing mq interactions with literally any character beside the xl and fx and hc, and i think his character could only benefit from not being constantly and only put into scenes with three people who he has a complicated past with. his relationships with characters beside them, even if superficial, would have been great imo especially when it comes to the very polarizing view fandom has of him. and for lqq as well, seeing him also interact with people who are not apart of his arc/closely tied to his past would have been so good, but i guess there was sqx to fill in that in some way lol. i am somewhat disappointed that we didn't get to see much how heavenly realm works and that we didn't get much side characters interactions with other side characters. im always sooo interested in behind the scenes works and im not more often than not left hanging and needing to fill in the void myself :"))

i think tgcf, heavenly and ghost realms especially, explored through the politics among gods and ghosts as well as their relationships outside of it, is always cool, and i love it when i stumble upon it in fics.

lqq and mq being complimentary to each other and in a weird way, being what the other needs in their life to some extent, is soo true. i think they have the great potential of eventually getting closer even post-canon in the novel, lqq needing someone who can both help with guzi and is more cynical about the world around him, mq recognizing lqq's struggles navigating his relationship to xl after everything is out in the open because of his own complicated relationship with xl. i think there is a part why qianqing is so appealing to me is because it's somewhat similar dynamics to mulian, especially lqq and xl's parallel storylines, while also not possessing the issues mulian have throughout their entire relationship. (not that i don't find mulian issues appealing, quite the opposite but the mood has to be there lol)

there's also the fact that now that lqq apparently has haters as well (i honestly was so surprised when i saw, because it makes little sense to me), it just makes sense to have him and mq stick together 😭✊

mhmm, i totally agree. there's just some special charm about side characters/rarepairs that is hard to come across canon pairings. the "what ifs" and "could have beens" that makes even the best of us absolutely deranged about it.

snjsjeejej i cannot wait for it! i personally know i would love to see donghua lqq in your artstyle, he will be soo pretty!!! 🥰🥰🥰

ps. perhaps we just need to sit him on someone's lap while he holds hands with other two!! cuddle pile is always the option when you don't have enough hands for your boyfriends 🤭

[Disclaimer cos I’m still an ep behind on s2 so I have yet to see how the donghua team has handled Qi Rong lol]

Every lqq flashback restores another 5 years of my life. I really love the care that’s gone into making him such an interesting, compelling, and likable character in the donghua. We already knew he was all of these things, but I think seeing him in motion beyond the mind’s eye has been so good in terms of being able to really perceive his character. I love seeing the way he’s charmed so many people hehe

And yes! One of the reasons I love exploring rarepairs and thinking about hypothetical scenarios between characters who don’t typically interact in canon is because it forces me to consider how their behaviors and impressions of these new acquaintances may shift. I don’t like to assume that mq, lqq, or any other character is confined to one rigid type of interaction just based on the limited interactions we see them share with just 1 or 2 arc-relevant characters.

The more I think about qianqing the more I WISH they were closer in proximity LOL. If only lqq had been the martial god of the west, or mq the martial god of the southeast— seeing them as amiable neighbors in a way. I think mq would have a much easier time working with lqq than he would with qyz (although if you or anyone else wanna debate it I’d love to hear more about qyz and mq cos THAT has always been a funny combo in my head). In some respect though I could see qianqing being sooo bittersweet with respect to the mulian parallels— lqq’s stubborn determination to never lose his sense for justice and heroics would likely throw mq into a dizzying sense of deja vu. Every now and again I can envision him mistaking lqq for young xl— at least when a nostalgic “Your Highness” escapes him it’s technically the correct address,,,,, even if where lqq is standing, mq saw young xl for just a moment.

(I can’t even get into why I don’t understand lqq hate so I will simply be and let be 🥲👍)

Qianqingxuan cuddle pile is just two affectionate sweeties and their reluctant but tolerant cat (mq) who is trying so hard to seem like he’s not actually content to be there LMAO

#yams uncans #qianqing #SORRY AGAIN I’VE HAD THIS FOR WEEKS AND I’M OBLY JUST NOW REPLYING….

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