Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 blabla100:

It's not even that important, but it bugs me that I can't find it, lol. 

No matter. Should it come to you, please do share it!

 blabla100:

Yes and first of all I wanna say that I really like Ah Heng. Compared to XY, she's so not afraid to stay true to herself and act on it, that it makes XY look even more broken than what I thought.  În lyf, the only character that really stood out to me was XL, but în here there's so many more chacaters that gets my attention. Qingyang and his relationship with shaohao îs also very intriguing and it gives me some XY and XL vibes.  

Exactly. A Heng is an amazing character - strong, courageous, free-spirited, compassionate, true to herself. To be fair, her upbringing and childhood molded and shaped her as well, just as Xiao Yao's difficult childhood defined hers. A Heng grew up, secure in the love and support of her family, and was given free rein to do as she wished by them, a decision everyone supported, including her father. Her upbringing was an unconventional one, as evidenced by the lives of other princesses, including Yun Sang. It was only as she grew older and the political landscape in the Great Wilderness changed and she inevitably became a chess piece, a fate that she fought hard but could not break free from to claim the life she wanted.

From Once Promised, we know that as a child, Xiao Yao was precocious, brave, resourceful and confident, doted by all, by all intents and purposes very similar to her own mother. However, she went on to spend the better part of her formative years living under the shadow of abandonment, and just trying desperately to survive. As such, she became a shell of the woman she might have been, protecting her heart fiercely, terrified of being vulnerable, willing to settle - be it in short term companionships, or for a man who would choose her first and not abandon her. Her love for the man in question was never mentioned as a requirement in her choice of a life partner. 

 blabla100:

As to what I feel about the events that lead to Ah Heng's death în yu abyss, again, Ah Heng really stood out în these chapters, to me she was the star. A lot of things happened, but that scene în the cave with shaohao was what I found the most outstanding.  

It is at Yu Abyss that A Heng (and by extension us) are privy to Shao Hao's innermost thoughts and fears. That was the turning point that made me root desperately for Shao Hao to be with A Heng, despite already knowing what came of their relationship. I ached so much for Shao Hao when he kept his eyes closed, fearing to confirm whether it was or wasn't her who came back. Hence, it was doubly disappointing when he and Qing Yang agreed to Chi Chen's terms with regards to the jade egg, and I can't tell you how I wish that he had said something, anything that indicated to A Heng before she left, that he had a change of heart. 

 blabla100:

I believe that's where Chi you stands out more. Shaohao definetely has other priorities în life, he could never be just a loving husband and disregard his position and ambitions when faced with a tough decision, but Chi you, while also staying true to his people, he would have risked everything to save Ah Heng. The fight over the river map îs a good exemple în this sense. Chi you couldn't be bothered by zhurou and gong gong's protests when he oferred the jade egg în exchange for ah heng, but shaohao and qingyang, though conflicted, would ultimately agreed. 

While I agree that Chi Chen would do everything in his power to help A Heng without compromising his people, his actions at Yu Abyss were totally unrelated. At that point in time, he was deliberately, brutally cruel because of her perceived betrayal, and his decision to offer up the jade egg in exchange for A Heng  despite Yan Zhuan and Hong Jiang's protests was not because he wanted to save her. Rather, it was to utterly humiliate and break her, to show her that in the eyes of her husband and brother, she was worth less than half an egg. His actions at Yu Abyss was so appalling that I wish we would see that relationship totally severed. And despite Shao Hao accepting the deal, I wish she had gone on to finally be a proper wife with Shao Hao after that, instead of being reconciled with Chi Chen. Still, in the end, Chi Chen redeemed himself and was worthy of her love, though I still root for Shao Hao despite the terrible things he did because I understand his decisions, his helplessness when weighed against the Gao Xin people he has sworn to protect. 

 blabla100:

She's so similar, while also so different than XY. She doesn't need reciprocity în order to act  on her feelings and instincts. She told him she gave him her heart and eyes, as a reference to the ballad, but at that moment she doubted that Chi you did the same. (funny, în lyf there is a similar reference, the heart through the lovers bug and the eyes as seen in the chapter when XL covered XY's eyes, because he could clearly see himself reflected into them or the chapter where jing made a point în stating that he wasn't the one în her eyes).  The fact that SirBi sang this ballad when looking at XL after he killed the bugs from both him and XY is so bittersweet and powerful.  While Chi you would have take his heart and eyes out to be the one în ah heng's heart, XL did it as to remove himself from XY's heart. Both acted out of deep love. 

What a beautifully poetic observation regarding the parallel between Chi Chen's love declaration for A Heng,  and YaoLiu's relationship. Thank you very much for sharing it!

 blabla100:

While I believe that question was asked as to make a point, because she already knew his answer, I still believe that if shaohao would have been willing to first and foremost be a husband to ah heng, she would have done her best to accept him wholeheartedly, same as XY tried her best to love jing, because he was the only one who promised her to always put her first. 

What I meant to say was that A Heng always knew that she was promised in marriage to Shao Hao, an arrangement she had no problems with until she fell in love with Chi Chen. This is evidenced by the way she was curious about her betrothed, hence her efforts to try and get to know him better but Qing Yang then warned her against giving her heart to him because she would one day be caught in the crossfire when Xuan Yuan and Gao Xin go to war. After she fell in love with Chi Chen, she tried desperately to get out of her upcoming marriage, and was tortured because of it. Ironically, Shao Hao was the one who snuck into the formation and eased her suffering, despite knowing she did not wish to marry him. I believe that when she did marry him (and was forced to repudiate Chi Chen during the wedding), she was at a crossroad. If Shao Hao had chosen to be a real husband to her, this indicated that he pledged not to use her as a political pawn. As such, she was willing to try and let go of her love for Chi Chen and love her husband sincerely too, and make a success of their marriage. If Shao Hao wanted her as an ally only, that meant she was free to continue to love Chi Chen, and as such, she exacted the promise from Shao Hao that when the time came and he had achieved his goal, he would give her her freedom.

The thing is, at that point in time, Shao Hao did not love her yet, hence his choice of an ally rather than a wife, a decision he would come to regret and try to undo after the events at Yu Abyss, but to no avail. What I love about Shao Hao is that despite knowing that Chi Chen was the one she loved, he never allowed his jealousy to influence his decisions. When A Heng begged for troops to save Zhong Yi at Xun Mountain, he wanted so much to agree but had to force himself to refuse her pleas because he had to prioritise the well-being of his people first. He in turn secretly contacted Chi Chen to help A Heng save Zhong Yi while pretending that the appeal came from A Heng, despite knowing that this action would very likely bring them both back together again. 

 blabla100:

This was the only situation where XY was so much braver than Ah Heng. Reaching a similar point, I don't see Ah Heng doing the same.

 blabla100:

This action alone outshine ah heng by far. În fact from this pov, I don't even know if XY was weaker or stronger than her mom, if XL would have pursued XY as Chi you pursued Ah Heng, I believe XY would have given in twice as fast, with half of the effort that Chi You put in, but I am one who believes XY fell for XL at first glance, the same how Chi you fell for ah Heng at first sight, when he saw her playing în the river. 

It is true. Xiao Yao appealed to Xiang Liu without any assurance that he reciprocated her feelings, laying bare her heart despite being abjectly terrified of being rejected and hurt. Leading up to the gifting of the crystal globe, she had been slowly gathering up courage as well, as evidenced by her hints about wanting to see the uncharted islands, the pointed questions she asked him after he congratulated her on her engagement, the tentative suggestion to go to Bai Li together to have the poisonous bugs removed. In the past, her scruples had always been predicated on the fact that he was Cang Xuan's enemy. However, with the crystal globe, she was saying that she wanted to be with Xiang Liu, even though she knew he would never abandon Hong Jiang and the Shen Nong resistance army. It wasn't even a matter of Xiang Liu pursuing Xiao Yao anymore. She was taking the initial step to declare her love and intentions first, in hopes he would respond in kind.

 AH :

I need to go read that fic about the demon slaves being freed and the death match arena being burned to the ground and imagine that XY and XL were the ones behind it. 

 AH :

I was in transit and my brain was doing that thing where it starts playing around with AU ideas as a coping mechanism...

 AH :

XL/FFB still takes XY to see Left Ear win his freedom after 40 years of perseverance. But instead of inspiring XY to perservere with the no-longer-living TSJ, this experience motivates XY to want to save all the demons that are enslaved and forced to fight for their lives / kill each other for sport. The two of them go all Scarlet Pimpernel / Zorro. By day, they seem like ne'er-do-wells with no goals or ambitions beyond enjoying life's pleasures. By night, she and XL/FFB start to go on raids where they break out demon slaves and help get them to safety and freedom. 

 Kokuto:

That's awesome, AH!  And trying to wipe out the evil of demon slavery AND a happy ending.

 AH :

A feel like a good AU offers a chance to resolve the things that bothered you the most in the story and the slave death match situation bothered me so much. 

 Kokuto:

This is true.  It should be called Fan Fix.  ;p

I’m watching Love Game in Eastern Fantasy and it’s giving me so much joy, comfort and catharsis.

The FL MUST play an active role in moving the plot forward. If she sits back passively and refuses to play an active role, the game kills her and resets. And the FL is a disgruntled fan who becomes determined to change the pre-written tragic ending. 

Most of the time the ML is black-haired and, although he's a bit broody and tsundere and his life isn't all flowers and roses all the time, he gets to enjoy a fairly normal life out in the world (attending lantern festivals, visiting markets, etc.) with the adoptive family member to whom he is very loyal and the FL that he’s becoming close friends with / wants to protect / is falling for. His life includes some of the things FFB's life included. When there is a need, he can turn silver-haired and utilize his demon powers to resolve life-threatening danger. Although he feels like a monster because of his demon side, the FL directly tells him that humans and demons are the same, that she cares about him, wants him to live, won't abandon him to save herself, and isn't scared of him even after finding out about / seeing his demon side. The FL even thinks out loud that the ML should see a psychologist/therapist about his low self-esteem and the demon-hate he’s internalized.  

The romance is the opposite of subtle and hidden. It’s generally light, funny, and fun to watch as it develops. 

AND the ML and FL free a bunch of demons who were being exploited as objects and slaves by a business before blowing the business up and running away holding hands together. 

A good portion of the time it feels like a fun fix-it fic turned into a drama.

 Kokuto:

I'm watching that too, and loving it!

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

 Kokuto:

I'm only on episode 6 though -- hope to catch up this weekend.

Ooh you're right at the start of when I felt like it began to get to the part that I was keen on (when the ML started to soften towards the FL). 

I can't wait for the next episodes and I'm already rewatching some of the aired ones. There's a reason I don't normally watch airing dramas! ^^" 

 Kokuto:

it also has heart, like the stuff with her dad.  And Ding Yu Xi is awesome, plus has great chemistry with Esther.

Agreed on both fronts! ^^

She had some really wonderful scenes with her dad and I'm so glad Mu Sheng getting to know the FL better included getting to see how much she cared about her dad and overhearing her "dream" conversation with him. 

 Kokuto:

I'm glad to hear Esther's character is ... strong enough to fight for love -- though I'm sure the game would make her.  lol

There's a turning point or two where the game becomes a lot less pushy and most of the time the FL forgets that she's supposed to be completing missions like "conquering" Mu Sheng. Not that the game would let her become passive if she wanted to, but more just that the romance develops more organically without the game having to intervene as much. 

 Kokuto:

That's cool about them freeing the abused demons!

It's a very quick scene and not a major plot point but I found it very satisfying. ^^

 Kokuto:

I'm also watching Fangs of Fortune and am further along with it.  But I noticed, it has some similarities as in it's a group of demon hunters hunting demons, even though one of them is a demon.  They both have a kid on the team, and now I see that they both find and free abused demons.  Completely different vibe, and no transmigration? from the real world to the game world.  Love Game in Eastern Fantasy has a fun meta vibe and I agree, has a great 'fan fix it' feeling.

I was expecting to watch The Judge from Hell and FoF before LGiEF based on their airing dates, but this week I really needed something with LGiEF's vibes and dynamics. I'll probably be watching those two next.

I've heard a few people mention that even though FoF is much more serious, it ended up having some surprisingly funny moments that they weren't expecting mixed in with the tragedy. 

 Kokuto:

But watching his favorability percentage plummet is so much fun!

True, especially when the FL does something ridiculous that also makes my esteem for her fall too. It would be nice if more characters' ridiculous actions were met with such immediate consequences and corrections. ^^

But still, I find it much more satisfying when his view of her rises. It's so good!

 Kokuto:

LOL!  I'm the opposite.  Watching airing dramas keep me from sitting all day and bingeing.  I am weak, and can't stop watching if all the episodes are released.  I just end up watching a few dramas at a time.  That said, I do rewatch some scenes of Love Game in a Eastern Fantasy a few times, cause the interactions are great and sometimes I miss them reading the subtitles.

That makes sense.

For me, I like binge watching and generally skip through parts I'm not interested in. If I can only watch an episode or two at a time and I'm only interested in a small portion of those episodes, it's usually not enough to satisfy me and I end up having to go back and rewatch parts over again while waiting for new content. I end up spending more time watching overall than if I could have binged the whole thing in a few sittings. 

 Kokuto:

Yes, it was quite jarring at first, the moments of humor in the middle of Edward Guo's style stylization, but it grew on me.  Especially when I realized the ML demon was more in the vein of Marvel's Loki with his quips and teasing.  But you do have to like Edward Guo's style to enjoy the show.  So far, I think I'm liking Love Game better -- it is more focused and I like the meta bits.

He worked on MJtY too I think? Based on that and the spoilers I've seen for FoF, I'm expecting that the romance in FoF won't be one of my all time favourites, but that I'll probably still enjoy the show - especially the production value. 

Recently I thought a little bit about why XL and his relationship with XY is strongly associated with poison (毒).

I don't think it's meant to convey that a relationship with him is toxic; but rather, falling for him in the first place is like fatal attraction. When one (XY) is with him, they experience some of the happiest moments in their lives, but when he is gone afterwards (because he is ethereal), all that's left is a yearning that will never be fulfilled (the last volume of LYF is aptly titled "Yearning without Horizon").

In some sense this is comparable to drugs (which are also referred to as 毒 in Mandarin). It first ensnares the user by granting a momentary ecstasy, but shortly thereafter when the effects wear off, there is an insatiable thirst for more.

From one of the forewords of the LYF novel: 

"相思是一杯有毒的美酒，入喉甘美，销魂蚀骨，直到入心入肺，便再也无药可解，毒发时撕心裂肺，只有心上人的笑容可解，陪伴可解，若是不得，便只余刻骨相思，至死不休。"

Translation: Mutual yearning is a poisonous cup of fine wine, sweet as it enters the throat, [an ecstasy that] gnaws at the soul and consumes the bones, until it enters the heart and lungs, at which point there is no cure; when the poison's effects take root it rips the heart and tears the lungs; only the smile of one's beloved can cure it, their company can cure it; but if that cannot be obtained, the only thing that remains is a yearning carved onto the bones, which doesn't stop until death.

When XY said XL wasn't someone suitable to have in one's dream, it really was true! In a way, all of us on this thread have been poisoned by him and have great difficulty walking out of this dream. This is evidenced by the very fact that there are 700+ pages of comments talking about him for more than a year!