Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 nathsketch:

I saw this yesterday and I got intrigued. Maybe the Thai version is the only one I can watch ahahahaha

Well, if you love Mexican telenovela than Thai's lakorns are maybe your jam. Like I said, dog-blood storylines, women fighting over men - getting their girls gang together to teach that Green Tea Tuesday a lesson with plenty of slapping and hair pulling. Evil mother in laws and the lot. You can think of it, lakorns will probably have it :-). 

 nathsketch:

But what are your thoughts on a Bollywood Xiang Liu? We could finally see some mooooves.

Will they cast TJC and get him to dance, Bollywood style? I'm dying at the image of XL doing a song and dance number when they planted the Lovers Bugs. Maybe he'll roped in some mermen to be his back up dancers :-)

 nathsketch:

But what are your thoughts on a Bollywood Xiang Liu? We could finally see some mooooves.

I’m picturing an epic Bollywood film that focuses almost entirely on WXL/XY’s relationship with XL vs FFB, with the fight between the Shengnong remnant army and Xuan Yuan playing out in the background. It would have the epic scale and historical visuals (and 3.5 hour runtime) of Jodhaa Akbar and some of the dual identity love triangle elements from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (including a song that features both XL and FFB). It should not have an Agneepath ending, but if it did it would be required to also have an O Saiyyan scene.

@plor20 @HeadInTheCloud

Yes, for sure that's my theory too. Let's take the first chapter, XY looked up at the sky before helping the beggar, the moon was crescent and cold, that's how she felt ever since she got abandoned by everyone. She knew that the begger isn't just a mortal, so she did place a little bet on him when she decided to help him. Either that, either she saw herself în him, could go either way. Anyway, few chapters later she experience the full moon with XL, next to him she felt whole again. Why would she raise the bugs if not to tie him to her, it's not like she was actually scared of him. Yes, she didn't know the exact meaning of the bugs, but she knew that she's going to tie him to her. 

Also, I believe the windows in the novel represent hope or lack of hope. FFB came to see her through the window but he immediately closed it. There was a scene with XY and Jing sitting by the window with the window large open, when their relationship was good. XY kept trying to open the window, while XL kept closing it in chapter 32. I read that as she didn't want to let go of hope, regardless of XL killing FFB. One chapter later she got angry that Jing too intended to close the window, but the window was left a bit open - since the baby wasn't his,  there was still a bit of hope left for their relationship. After Jing died, when she woke up from her dream, she ran to open the window, kinda in denial that he's actually dead. These are just a few exemples, but I am sure there are more. If I were to re-read the novel, I would definetely pay more attention to these details. 

 blabla100:

Also, how was the moon the night XY heard about XL's death? We know it was cold and lonely, but was it crescent or full?

It was a full round moon on the night she found out about Xiang Liu's death, similar to the night she and Xiang Liu gazed at the moon and he told her that life was precious as long as sights like these existed.

没有多久，一轮明月，缓缓从海面升起，清辉倾泻而下，小六被天地瑰丽震撼，心上的硬壳都柔软了。

在海浪声中，相柳的声音传来：“只要天地间还有这样的景色，生命就很可贵。” 

小六喃喃嘟：“再稀罕的景色看多了也腻，除非有人陪我一块儿看才有意思。景永远是死的，只有人才会赋予景意义。” 

Not long after that, a bright full round moon slowly rose from the surface of the ocean, clear, bright moonlight shining down. Stunned by the breathtaking sight, the hard shell around Xiao Liu’s heart softened.

Amidst the sound of the waves, Xiang Liu’s voice could be heard. “As long as such sights still exist in the world, life is very precious.”

Xiao Liu murmured, “No matter how rare a scenery is, one will get tired of it if seen too often. It is only meaningful if someone was with me to see it. Sceneries are dead, only people can give the scenery meaning.”

-- Vol 1 Ch4

她悄悄起身，看璟依旧安稳地睡着，放下心来。她披上衣服，走出了寝殿，坐在玉阶前。

宫墙外，一轮皓月，冷冷清清。

小夭想起了清水镇的月亮，相柳死时，天上的月亮可也是这样静静地照拂着他？他可有想起他们曾一起看过的月亮？

She got up quietly, and was relieved to see Jing still sleeping peacefully. Putting on her robes, she walked out of the bedroom and sat in front of the jade steps.

Outside the palace walls, a bright full round moon hung in the sky, cold and desolate.

Xiao Yao thought of the moon in Qingshui Town. When Xiang Liu died, was the moon in the sky also shining silently down on him like this? Did he think of the moon that they once looked at together?

-- Vol 3 Ch18  (Chapter 51)

It is hauntingly beautiful and achingly tragic, seeing them come full circle like this. At the end, she once again gazed upon a similar sight to the one they shared, hand in hand. But the one who saw that view with her was no more. 

 HeadInTheClouds:

You've got to stop, liddi. I can't be crying like a crazy person in public :-(

I'm so sorry. I am in no better shape myself, tearing up as I posted as well. 

 HeadInTheClouds:

A support group is in order :-)

I imagine this is perhaps how TH felt when she wrote her Weibo post about him all those years ago even before his debut. 

Yes, though I don't know whether we are beyond help or not.

In the TA说 (He/she Says) article back in Jul 2019, Tong Hua said this:

One needs to really immerse oneself when writing a story, so one will definitely feel the same pain and joys as the characters, and tears will inevitably be shed. Every character's unfulfilled hopes made me sad.

-- Tong Hua, TA说 article published 23 Jul 2019

So you're right. It was probably that same frame of mind that prompted the 2012 Weibo post exactly a year before the novel was published.

 HeadInTheClouds:

I'm trying to track down your post about the timeline of the publication of Lost You Forever. I recently came across another comment that suggested that TH was posting the story on Weibo (or maybe information about it) - 1 chapter every 2 months. This comment said that fans said to TH that releasing a chapter every 2 months was making them impatient. She responded that it was because she was busy, she was still undecided and didn't know how to arrange the ending. 

That's interesting indeed. Hope you will learn more soon. 

The timeline of the original publication was as follows:

Vol 1 - Mar 2013  (though it was announced on Weibo 26 Feb 2013)
Vol 2 - Jul 2013    (apparently was meant to be May 2013, based on the last page of Vol 1)
Vol 3 - Aug 2013

We discussed about LYF's serialised publication on p526. Yet, on 26 Feb 2012, her post indicated that no one had met Xiang Liu yet. Did it then happen in the year before the novel was actually published? 

 AH :

I’m picturing an epic Bollywood film that focuses almost entirely on WXL/XY’s relationship with XL vs FFB, with the fight between the Shengnong remnant army and Xuan Yuan playing out in the background. It would have the epic scale and historical visuals (and 3.5 hour runtime) of Jodhaa Akbar and some of the dual identity love triangle elements from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (including a song that features both XL and FFB). It should not have an Agneepath ending, but if it did it would be required to also have an O Saiyyan scene.

Haha! I loved how you're thinking of stunning cinematography and an epic score, while I was thinking of one of those ridiculous Bollywood movies with physics-defying scenes that would put Hollywood to shame. Complete with the dancing and shallying set to synchronize choreography. But, I'll take that O Saiyyan scene. Don't care if it will be a deviation from the novel. But, will it be with XL or FFB?