Jing is just not worthy. If TH would have build Jing as someone who is able to keep and fight for his promises, than honestly no matter how much I love XL, I would have sided with XY in chosing Jing, even though he's not my type.blabla100:
Yes. I preferred Meng Jue in Songs In the Clouds, but Liu Fu Ling is lovely in his way (from my memory. Please don't tell me that he's Jing 1.0), so YG choosing him is understandable. With Jing; his good qualities are essentially he's not vindictive and "kind". That's some low ass bar. You go outside, throw a rock and can probably hit a handful of people that would have these qualities. So essentially it's the fact that he couldn't live without XY that's his winning ticket. If someone can't live without me, I would be questioning if they are actually with me out of love or out of survival. We know that XY can live without Jing, but the opposite is not true. Without her, he would die a nice, slow death. Passive till the end.
What does XY likes în Jing besides the fact that he loves her is beyond me.blabla100:
Like the author said, "the heroine choices came from her psychological deficiencies". The author herself told us what the deal was with this relationship. Remembered how you said that if Jing has not been such a flop, we might have concluded that XY loves Jing all along? Well, the author could have written another LFL or a 14th (even FL is better) but she chose to wite that, surely it wasn't a mistake.
Or maybe as Xing Yue said it, most women will eventually choose to live a long life next to someone who's like water, rather than going after the fire to burn them up.blabla100:
She could have chosen a man that she like, but didn't love for a nice quite life, but does it have to be someone so deficience? I was watching a show the other day and one character was telling another, "you can't chose your father, but you can choose your husband. Yet, you chose such a useless, waste of space. Being a woman like you is such a failure." Who do you think I immediately think off? :-)
I am still not certain of how much XY did or didn't know about his feelings.blabla100:
The popular opinion - and this is 100% what they are going for in the drama (YZ even say so in an interview) - is that XY doesn't know about XL feelings and everything that he did for her and thinks everythings was just a transactions. For the novel (since the drama is re-writing so many things) I'm not really convinced. I think she chose to denied and pretend not to know because it's simply easier to pretend than to actually take actions. Of course, more than one viewer/reader have mentioned the dump down of this character when she swapped her male identity for her female one so maybe she really swapped her brain and IQ for dresses.
P.S. Have you finished Song In the Cloud?
XL went to great lenghts not to make XY feel indebted to him, because who has eyes for Jing otherwise.blabla100:
LOL! Are you feeling a bit savage? I don't know, there are a whole bunch of viewers/readers out there who think the dude is like, the dream man/ideal husband. The greenest green flag to ever walk this giant rock of ours.
The lovers bugs is the only testimony of love in its purest form, the only love without any ties to this whole savior mentality that's been going on throughout the whole novel.blabla100:
Uh huh! The other side is trying their darndest best to dismiss, minimize and deny these poor Bugs. Such tiny creatures, but so mighty in the threat that they posed to the supposedly most wonderful love story ever (*sarcasm* - just in case it wasn't obvious;-)).
Jing even though ended up next to the one he loves, he lost the chance to meet someone who can genuinly love him back too.blabla100:
Jing even though ended up next to the one he loves, he lost the chance to meet someone who can genuinly love him back too.plor20:
This part was incredibly sad...I felt pity for him for the very first time.
The second that I mustered up some sympathy, I remembered how he dumped his responsibilities onto TSZ and abandoned him in the lion den that is the Tushan Clan and all my sympathy evaporated. I'll save my sympathy for that poor child instead.
Speaking of which, XY telling XL how she would have definetely found him în the slave match arena to free him if only she was born a few hundred years earlier is one of the most beautiful declaration of love XY could have ever said.blabla100:
Here's a little comic. If XY was born earlier and found XL and saved him from the Death March Arena. The big dude is Gong Gong, XY's # 1 enemy. She never met the man, but she sure has a lot of animosity towards him :-). Little XY looks so cute.
I really hate that I wasn’t born a few hundred years earlier. I would definitely find you in the slave death match arena…….”blabla100:
Does XY realise that if she had been born a few hundred years earlier, everything wouldn't have happened the way that it did? She probably wouldn't met Jing/YSQ and he would probably have died.
Fun fact. Players get to give poinciana flowers to the MLs they like the most, and Xiang Liu is leading with 13.2K followed by Cang Xuan with 12.9K, Jing 4.1K and Feng Long 3.9K. Guess there are a lot of Xiang Liu fans among the players too!liddi:
Wow! What happened to all the Jing's fans? I supposed his characters may just be pretty unexciting to play as (I have no idea about video games) since he's not a powerful fighter. Who would want to play a character that just sat there waiting to die instead of doing something badass? Can we choose a different ending in the game? Like having XL not die?
Actually, what is the gameplay/purpose of the game? Is this game good enough for serious gamers, or is it more for existing fans of the story? And what does PV stand for? Sorry, I don't know anything about video games.
YES. One would have thought that knowing the novel so well, having discussed it so much, I would have learnt to move on, or at least be more detached / numbed to it all. But, every now and again, the ache still reminds me that, I am not quite there yet.liddi:
I think a Xiang Liu-holic support group is needed, liddi. Particularly for season 2. Stocking up on tissues, throat lozenges and oral rehydration solution.
And didn't we talk about how XL wish for XY to have a happy and worry-free life when said out loud sounds like "I love you"?liddi:
Are you referring to when XL said this in the epilogue?
"愿你一世安乐无忧!"
"Yuàn nǐ yīshì ānlè wú yōu!"
"Wishing you a lifetime of peace and happiness without worries!"
I don't see any obvious pun, but my Chinese language skills are not the best.
I agree. Much as it would be nice if it were true, I don't see any similarity between what Xiang Liu said, and the English words "I love you", so that is another far-fetched theory to me
It's not meant to sound like the English "I love you", but I love you in Chinese. I think. I don't know if that makes any difference. I need to find where I saw this.
H19279:
@HeadInTheClouds
Do you know who was the fans' ideal casting for XL?
I saw some sources discussed about Yang Yang
I think Yang Yang and Xiao Zhan were who the production/investors (and maybe Tong Hua) wanted. But, I was wondering who the dedicated novel fans fan-casted for the role.
plor20:
He wouldn't have been able to give us the Xiang Liu we ha imagine in our heads. His I'm to sexy for this drama stoic look would've gave us a I'm too sexy Xiang Liu, but kacked in the emotional department. I'm a little hesitant to watch The Immortal Assescion, but the CGI looks so good.
Yang Yang is watchable, but definitely lacking in that emotional department. Far too self-conscious about looking good/cool at all times. He reminded me of Huang Xiao Ming during a long period when HXM was more concerned about posing and looking cool than acting out the character. Maybe, YY can also get out of that mindset like HXM did.
I read on a blog that the name of the book can also mean or sounds similar to "long thoughts about Xiang Liu", but I have no Idea how true is that. I am not even sure if she is talking about the novel or about book 3, my chinese is non existent.blabla100:
"The name of the book is 长相思
Even on the chinese discussion forums, nearly everyone agrees that ”长相思 思念的是相柳“ which word-for-word translates to "Long Thoughts, thoughts on Xiangliu".
"长相思,思念的是相柳" actually translates to "Eternal Yearning, the one missed is Xiang Liu"liddi:
Much as I would like it to be true, I can't see how that could have been derived based on the title itself. Unless they are deriving the title as part of the sentence e.g. "长相思,思念的是相柳". But that feels too contrived? I cannot tell how they could have come to that conclusion...
Thank you, liddi, I wish I knew more about what exactly made them reach this conclusion, but sadly I don't. How I wish I came across this novel 10 years ago, probably there were more infos available to look for back then, especially TH's insights.blabla100:
It seems that it's just a matter of precise vs imprecise translations for what you're seeing on the Chinese discussion forums:
"长相思 思念的是相柳"
Imprecise translation: "Long Thoughts, thoughts on Xiangliu"
Precise translation: "Eternal Yearning (the Chinese title), the one missed is Xiang Liu"
I don't think there is any homonymy/pun going on in the title of the book. It's just that people are interpreting the title as meaning that Xiao Yao misses Xiang Liu.
@HeadInTheCloud
"So essentially it's the fact that he couldn't live without XY that's his winning ticket."
Right. As far as I remember that was the moment when XY's shell completely broke, when she found out that Jing was so devastated over her death that he was seeking death himself. As a side note, that's probably what she would have done too, after XL's death, for some reason I keep seeing the same dynamic between how Jing acts towards XY and the way XY acts towards XL. Probably because în XY-Jing relationship she is the dominant part, while în XY-XL relationship, XL is.
Yes, I get that her choices came from her psychological deficiencies, she got abandoned by everyone because they all had a greater goal in life, despite loving her the most, so I understand why she wanted to find someone who's greatest goal is to be with her, but again, it's debatable how worthy of that is Jing, since as mentioned, he had the will, but lacked the ability. XL gave his heart to XY, but his life to his soldiers, Jing was the only one willing to give her both his heart and his life. Who owned XY's heart though, since that's what keep people conflicted the most? IMO TH established that through the lovers bugs, so there is no doubt in my mind that while she chose to give the rest of her life to Jing, instead of giving her death to XL, her heart was owned by XL.
"XY doesn't know about XL feelings and everything that he did for her and thinks everythings was just a transactions."
I am probably in minority here, but IMO the reasons XL's gave her were quite legit. I saved your life because I wanted that peak on the mountain for my soldiers, I didn't let you get married to Feng Long because Jing promised me 37 years worth of supply for my army, I came to your rescue because we're connected by the bugs and if you die, I die. I mean these reasons are not that far fetched for XY not to belive in them, so again, how much did XY actually know about XL's feelings is debatable, drama aside. Also, for XY to say about XL that he has the ability, but doesn't have the will, means not only that she, for one, had the will, but also that she didn't believe that XL has any intention towards her, even though she gives him the ability.
"Have you finished Song In the Cloud?"
Not yet, but I am planning to. I have the feeling I'll ultimately side with Meng Jue too and I'm not in the mood to face it yet. Earlier today I ordered dream of the red chamber, so let's see how that goes.
That little comic is really cute, btw. That scene is very powerful and the drama did a good job with it too.
HeadInTheClouds:
I think Yang Yang and Xiao Zhan were who the production/investors (and maybe Tong Hua) wanted. But, I was wondering who the dedicated novel fans fan-casted for the role.
Yang Yang is watchable, but definitely lacking in that emotional department. Far too self-conscious about looking good/cool at all times. He reminded me of Huang Xiao Ming during a long period when HXM was more concerned about posing and looking cool than acting out the character. Maybe, YY can also get out of that mindset like HXM did.
I checked some posts that, according to rumors in 2019, YY or XZ supposed to play either CangXuan or Jing with FL, it would his first collaboration with YangZi, but Xuan is antagonist while Jing hardly seem an active effective character (maybe he knew how it will effect audiences) so he declined it. At most an actor (especially traffic/famous) will choose 1st or 2nd Mlds in any drama. From professional point of view he was right to decline it (if they were offered). Their will other opportunities to work together in future.
Now when XL got famous, some people tried to spread false rumors, So author TongHua (involved in production) herself came out for clarification and she said, that TJC was the only choosen artist to play XL. After she watched Jianci performance as Shen Yi in UTS, she knew, she found her XiangLiu.
The first step to dealing with your problem is to acknowledge that you have a problem :-)HeadInTheClouds:
Just direct me to the nearest LYF-fanatics Anonymous!
You have both editions of the novel, the manhua, the mobile game, the doll. What are you missing? The audiobook? Is there an animation series like The Master of Demonic Cultivation?HeadInTheClouds:
磨铁图书 Mo Tie Books collaborated with Tong Hua in 2019 to produce the official audiobook for LYF, spanning over 53 hours. I was tearing up listening to selected chapters earlier today... sigh. No animation series exists yet as far as I know. What else am I missing? I would have loved to own the original 2013 novel (mine is a reprint) with the YaoLiu poster; as well as the Once Promised 2019 edition with the character diagram (which includes LYF characters) - it wasn't available with the version I bought. Apart from the Taiwan publication (which I guess is the same as the versions I own), there are other official translations in various languages but there is no point obtaining them since I can't read them anyway.
You deserved to be crowned as MDL's top YL/YaoLiu/LYF fanHeadInTheClouds:
It's time to detox!
His casting as Gu Yun was also plagued with naysayers, I believe. With the fantastic job that he did with XL, the Gu Yun fans should be more at ease. If we ever get to see the darn drama, that is :-(HeadInTheClouds:
I really hope that the rumours of a May release are true. And I hope that it lives up to the hype if we do finally get to watch it.
The casting director for LYF had excellent eyes for talent and suitability. Based on physical appearance alone, TJC wouldn't have been the first choice. With the otherworldly ways TH described XL, it would be hard for any actor to live up to the fans' image. Do you know who was the fans' ideal casting for XL?HeadInTheClouds:
Rumours say that Yang Yang was considered for the role, but it didn't materialise (no idea whether he rejected the role, or the production finally came to their senses). I do know that Director Zoe Qin stated that TJC had always been her first and only choice for the role of Xiang Liu. If I remember correctly, she had him in mind even before Under the Skin aired, and when Under the Skin did air, it only served to reaffirm that her choice was correct. As you said, thank goodness for her discerning eye and foresight!
Your inner fangurl is showing again, liddi :-)HeadInTheClouds:
Detox! Detox!
LOL! I can't even picture XL having an opulent tent. It feels too at odds with his preferences and personality.AH :
I know right? I don't know what they were even thinking when they created that background!
And XL decided to bring his white clam shell with him to the lake?AH :
Hey.... you can't blame the guy for bringing his portable house along. Who knows when he would suddenly feel like taking a nap? Think of it as Xiang Liu's Moving Clam shell as opposed to Howl's Moving Castle!
It also makes me think that they might have tried to coordinate the hair colours with each of their power roots / specialities.AH :
I never thought of it that way. It actually makes sense when you explain it like that - thank you!
In the novel I assumed his cleanliness was tied to his powers, since the only times he looked even a hair less perfectly kept than usual was when he'd been injured, as far as I can recall.AH :
I thought so too. Looks like game Xiang Liu is meant to be scrubbing away by the lake during his free time for appearance's sake.
Now when XL got famous, some people tried to spread false rumors, So author TongHua (involved in production) herself came out for clarification and she said, that TJC was the only choosen artist to play XL. After she watched Jianci performance as Shen Yi in UTS, she knew, she found her XiangLiu.Wanning94:
Tong Hua even wanted him in her next drama, Filter, so this makes total sense.
Haha, thanks clarifying that it's the English words "I love you" that people are referring to. That thought didn't even cross my mind. I just assumed it had something to do with the Chinese words for "I love you" (我爱你).solarlunareclipse:
That was my impression when I first heard about this, because I couldn't reconcile the words "我爱你" with Xiang Liu's final blessings for Xiao Yao.
Have you watched 难寻 Hard to Find? It's a short drama with only 28 episodes of 20+mins each. While the actors are less well known and perhaps not as mature in their acting, I find the story surprisingly interesting, and actually better than a lot of the current dramas with big-name casts. Not to mention I love the female lead, who is strong, mature and decisive.
Thank you, liddi, I wish I knew more about what exactly made them reach this conclusion, but sadly I don't. How I wish I came across this novel 10 years ago, probably there were more infos available to look for back then, especially TH's insights.blabla100:
I was already on Weibo 10 years ago and following Tong Hua, but I was not active on the platform. Now I really regret that I took for granted her posts would always be there. Truly annoyed at the platform for introducing the feature to only display posts from the last 6 months. Argh.
Personally, I felt like the drama creators chose to cut to the image of XL arriving at the ocean just beyond Five Gods Mountain at that moment to illustrate that he was someone who might enter WXL's heart if she didn't guard it against him (and someone who, at least in the novel, had already established himself there, as evidenced by the Lovers Bug transfer in the previous chapter).AH :
Love this very insightful observation - thank you very much for sharing it!
This is something that the drama added - perhaps because of its medium which allows Xiang Liu's arrival to be interspaced, something which would have been rather awkward to do in the novel without affecting the flow.
Here's a little comic. If XY was born earlier and found XL and saved him from the Death March Arena. The big dude is Gong Gong, XY's # 1 enemy. She never met the man, but she sure has a lot of animosity towards him :-). Little XY looks so cute.HeadInTheClouds:
This is so adorable! Can you please translate the two lines she said (as a child) and as an adult? They seem to be similar except for the first few words.
But to be honest, I never understood why the drama showed Xiang Liu as a dark-haired child. If his hair was naturally white, it would have been white even as a child.
Wow! What happened to all the Jing's fans? I supposed his characters may just be pretty unexciting to play as (I have no idea about video games) since he's not a powerful fighter. Who would want to play a character that just sat there waiting to die instead of doing something badass? Can we choose a different ending in the game? Like having XL not die?HeadInTheClouds:
No idea. However, the interactions are pretty passive - we are basically MC listening to a storyteller recounting the tale of LYF, and you just go through chapter after chapter of how the very summarised story unfolded. So no, I don't think we get to choose the ending. At the moment, the last few chapters have not been released yet, but should be in the next few days or so.
Actually, what is the gameplay/purpose of the game? Is this game good enough for serious gamers, or is it more for existing fans of the story? And what does PV stand for? Sorry, I don't know anything about video games.HeadInTheClouds:
The main game has to with some harem plot, but at its core, it is a dress-them-up game. Serious gamers? Nope. I could even go through the game by skipping and not reading anything (I have no clue what the main story is about). LYF is like a special event - its story is separate from the main story, and you get little mini-games within the event itself. Free flowers can be redeemed daily which in turn can be gifted to any or all of the LYF male leads. I took a look today, and the ranking is still the same, which I take to mean it is predominantly played by Xiang Liu and Cang Xuan fans?
I think a Xiang Liu-holic support group is needed, liddi. Particularly for season 2. Stocking up on tissues, throat lozenges and oral rehydration solution.HeadInTheClouds:
YES, definitely. Lemme know where to sign up. Hair and TV screens are also at risk, you know, though I am not quite sure how to protect them from destruction.
It's not meant to sound like the English "I love you", but I love you in Chinese. I think. I don't know if that makes any difference. I need to find where I saw this.HeadInTheClouds:
I'm sorry... but I can't reconcile the words, regardless of whether it's English or Chinese. Do share if you find where you first saw it - perhaps it will offer a clue how the theory came about.
I don't think there is any homonymy/pun going on in the title of the book. It's just that people are interpreting the title as meaning that Xiao Yao misses Xiang Liu.solarlunareclipse:
That is a very real possibility too!
I think Yang Yang and Xiao Zhan were who the production/investors (and maybe Tong Hua) wanted. But, I was wondering who the dedicated novel fans fan-casted for the role.HeadInTheClouds:
I checked some posts that, according to rumors in 2019, YY or XZ supposed to play either CangXuan or Jing with FL, it would his first collaboration with YangZi, but Xuan is antagonist while Jing hardly seem an active effective character (maybe he knew how it will effect audiences) so he declined it. At most an actor (especially traffic/famous) will choose 1st or 2nd Mlds in any drama. From professional point of view he was right to decline it (if they were offered). Their will other opportunities to work together in future.Wanning94:
I didn't know Xiao Zhan was rumoured to be in the running, only Yang Yang. And wasn't Zhang Wanyi already earmarked as Cang Xuan early on? The other casting rumour I heard was that Xu Kai was offered the role of Jing, which he rejected.
Now when XL got famous, some people tried to spread false rumors, So author TongHua (involved in production) herself came out for clarification and she said, that TJC was the only choosen artist to play XL. After she watched Jianci performance as Shen Yi in UTS, she knew, she found her XiangLiu.Wanning94:
From what I know, it was Director Zoe Qin who said that Xiang Liu was her one and only choice for the role of Xiang Liu. I don't recall Tong Hua ever making such a statement. Can you please share where you read this? Regardless of whether Tong Hua herself wanted TJC initially, the fact that she wanted him for Filter is proof that he won her over. Not to mention all the Xiang Liu easter eggs that are apparently peppered in Filter itself.
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