Fan Fiction Thread for Lost You Forever

 HeadInTheClouds:

But these bugs are sentient, so they are angry that XL and XY cheated and now want the oath to be fulfilled. 

Ah yes! You pretty much summed up what I've been trying to explain in one sentence. lmao! Yes to this. The blood oath needs to be fulfilled, no ifs and no buts.

 HeadInTheClouds:

A thousand years and XY still haven't grown up or wise-up and learned to be honest and true to herself? *sigh* She really is a lost cause.

Old habits are hard to change. XY left without any healing, so she will be continue to avoid and live in peace through her coping mechanism. Like they say, "ignorance is bliss." 

 HeadInTheClouds:

She wants to scream for him to stay, but all she can do is cry. She runs after the snow butterflies, trying to hold onto them, but as soon as the man disappears, she falls into the water. Struggling back up, she breaks through the water surface and swims after them. No matter how far she swims, she can’t catch up. She is so tired; yet, this time, she is determined to follow him even if it risks drowning.
I felt a bit sorry for Xiao Yao here. 

I wanted to rewrite the scene where she sat for 7 days and never jumped into the sea. This where she breaks through her stubbornness, but unfortunately, she was able to do it in her dreams only.

 ZYHLJ:

I found the article analyzing Feng Long. After reading it again, I feel that the blogger may have praised Feng Long a little too much. It may be because the blogger herself has a preference for this character. But her analysis is good. The article is long, I may have to wait for a while to translate it. I will post the Chinese version first.

Thank you for this article. I agree with her points. I wrote an analysis of FL too, and I have determined that he is the only hero in the whole story. His "greyish" traits are actually not as dark as CX, XY or XL, and his good heart doesn't come across as patronizing like TSJ's. 

______

Chi Siu Feng Long is the only hero in XY’s life. He embodies a classical idealism of what a hero is. Webster dictionary defines a hero as a person widely admired for their noble qualities and remarkable achievements, often possessing physical or magical strength that sets them apart. 

Heroic attributes includes unwavering physical, mental, and emotional resilience, persisting in the face of adversity. 

Heroes exhibit immense courage and an unshakable commitment to a strong sense of right and wrong. Whether dedicated to a mission, relationship, or a deeply held value system, heroes inspire through their unwavering dedication to noble causes.

They are exemplars of integrity and virtue, embodying the principles of heroism that often involve standing up for justice and rebelling against oppressive authority figures and societal norms. 

FL's unwavering dedication to CX's vision of a united, peaceful world, characterized by brotherhood and filial piety, is a prominent theme throughout the story. He's portrayed as someone willing to sacrifice his own desires, even for the betterment of the world. FL possesses qualities of intelligence, bravery, and courage. He derives joy from bringing happiness to those around him, both loved ones and strangers.

What sets FL apart is his genuine kindness, extended not only to those he loves but also to strangers. He's the kind of man who was more upset at his friend for not revealing his feelings for the same girl, who, despite humiliation at his own wedding, chooses forgiveness, and who grapples with the conflict between his best friend and his filial piety toward his sister, ultimately choosing self-sacrifice to mend their relationship.

Even his reason for marrying XY aligns with the hero's mission, as it transcends mere physical desires. To him, brotherhood and friendship are among life's most cherished possessions. Since he knows he must marry eventually, he decides to marry his friend, especially one who is on the same side of history and is equal in familial and economic status. It's also unique that Feng Long describes his reasons as impure because they are not entirely rooted in romance. "I know women want romance to be pure, but sometimes you can think that all these impure reasons are the invisible threads that bind us together tightly. They might even be stronger and tighter than romance."

However, FL's affection for XY isn't devoid of love or desire, as Tong Hua skillfully portrays, “Feng Long stared at Xiao Yao, and he was so overcome that he couldn't wait for the ceremony to be over as soon as possible, for night to fall as quickly as possible, to return to their honeymoon suite as soon as possible.” Hehe.

XY didn't desire a hero, which is why she couldn't love him; she could only offer friendship.

Liddi gave me some plot holes to think about, and I was able to address some of them in this chapter by adding elements that I believe might help deepen the relationship between Wuming and Huayu. However, there are still quite a few issues that I am contemplating, which I think could be resolved by including one more chapter.

In this chapter, I have once again shifted the point of view, experimenting with different vantage points and exploring how to write them effectively.

Chapter 11: Do you believe in fate?

Maoqiu doesn't know why Huayu insists they land here near the Dragon Bone Prison. He stands a few steps from Huayu, observing her white silhouette sitting in the soft wind, upon the edge of the cliff. She is still as an ice statue, and he notices that she has been in a deep meditative sleep. He concludes that she must need to self-heal from the soul release ceremony the night before. So quietly, Maoqiu stands still, longingly wishing there's more he could do for her. With no solution in sight, he decides he'll take a stroll. The purple butterfly that had sat on Huayu's hair bun flies towards Maoqiu and perches itself on his shoulder to accompany him. If only Maoqiu could understand the butterfly, he would know what the purple-winged creature is whispering.

A long time ago, a firefly swarm flew through Qingshui Town and over the Haoling palace, towards the Dragon Bone Prison, where the cliff met the sea. There, a woman, in a white robe with ebony hair, materialized out of the bright lights illuminating from the fireflies. She stood there, her hair waving in the soft ocean breeze, looking as if she was contemplating what she needed to do. She found a rock to perch on, meditated, and mulled over her situation. She summoned a beautifully carved wine gourd she had taken from her master, then started to gulp it down. The wine she drank was extremely potent, and since this was her first time drinking, she soon found herself in a stupor. After a while, like a bee hit with smoke, the wine seeped, intermixing with her vitality, dulling her senses, and she didn't notice a group of Haoling soldiers creeping up behind her.

Just moments ago, not far from the Dragon Bone Prison, a group of soldiers was poking fun at a young lad. He would have been a good-looking lad with his round, innocent eyes if he hadn't sustained injuries while in his mother's womb that led him to be born with a lopsided head. He spent his time looking down at people's feet, avoiding others' gazes, and stammering when he tried to talk. The truth was that his mind was brilliant, but his consciousness was locked away due to the damage to his cranium. Despite how the public viewed him, he was very much loved by his mother. The pair lived in a shabby hut not far from the prison, and he often went about the land foraging for mushrooms, wild onions, and mustard greens for the night’s dinner. When the tide was low, he would brave the rocks in search of sea urchins and crabs. 

Today was not this young lad’s luck as a group of five bored soldiers, led by Fu She, an obstreperous deity with a habit of enjoying the struggles of others he deemed lesser than him, encircled him. They had witnessed a brightly lit swarm of fireflies fly past them and caught their attention, deciding to scout it when they found the young man. As they surrounded him, Fu She smirked and landed several punches on the poor lad, and when he fell, Fu She ordered his men to kick him about.

After laughing, the men left, chasing the light, leaving the poor lad in anguish, clutching his abdomen. The moment he got up and was about to return home, the moth demon blood he inherited from his mother boiled in him, filling his mind with thoughts of the beautiful woman and beckoning him to her. As he tried to brush her off by knocking his head on the ground, his body started to turn red from his blood boiling, and in the end, he succumbed to the demands of his demon instincts. Despite his injuries, the young man hurriedly followed after the soldiers. 

When he finally caught up, creeping behind a rock, he saw that Fu She and his men had cast a frozen spell on the woman. The woman's face was filled with rage and disgust, her eyes glaring red. Fu She was already on top of her, having pulled down her robe revealing soft white breasts. The other men were noisily and busily arguing. One of them shook his head, and the lad could hear him snarkily saying that she wouldn't fetch a good price anymore after they were done with her.

The young lad continued to creep closer and looked around him for a weapon of some kind, his blood still boiling feverishly, when he set eyes on a heavy rock. With a strength he never thought he had, he picked up the rock with both hands and quietly walked up to Fu She, who was too distracted by struggling to take off his trousers, and slammed it into the back of his head.

Fu She stumbled to the side, and his loss of concentration broke the freeze spell on the woman. The woman, using her spirituality, palmed Fu She and sent him flying at his comrades. With the alcohol still numbing her senses, the woman had issues collecting herself, pulling her robe back on; the young lad hastily tried to help her. Instantaneously, one of the men taking advantage of the confusion summoned his sword and quickly slashed towards them, sending a wave of sharp energy cutting through the sea breeze. In a quick instant, the young lad grabbed the young woman, held her, and turned his back to shield her. The energy slashed, slicing through his flesh, gripping him in pain, and he fell unconscious into the woman's bosom. Before everything went quiet, the young lad heard excruciating screams from all directions.

When the young lad gained consciousness, he was perplexed beyond reasoning. He wasn't looking at his feet but straight ahead because his head was no longer lopsided, and even his subconscious was unclouded and unjumbled. Everything around him was dark and hollow, except for a bright river emitting colorful vapors in the distance. He was about to venture over there when he heard a soft song, filled with yearning, cold and crisp, tugging him swiftly from the abyss. Suddenly, he felt extremely light and floating. The environment brightened as the sun and moon passed by in an instant, the stars flickering on and off until the sky settled into a backdrop of dusk.

With a blinding light, he felt himself drift up. His senses were heightened, and he could smell the sea, the cliff, and even the honey beyond the outcrop in the valley. The world was already very big to him, but somehow it seemed even more vast now. Unlike before, he now saw the sky, the horizon, and the earth all at once, filling all his senses simultaneously. He quickly remembered the beautiful woman in white, and as he looked around, he saw her silhouette against the rising moon. He tried to open his mouth to ask if she was okay, and to his surprise, the words that came out were fluid and tangible. “Miss, are you okay?”

The woman turned around and smiled seductively. “There you are,” she said softly. “You found your way back.” She reached her hand forward, and the young man found himself perching on her hand. “Confused?” She asked, with a slight smile, her eyebrows raised a bit, mischievously.

“Um… yes. Miss, what happened to me? Where are the soldiers?”

“The soldiers are dead.” The young lad floated back up and looked around, and to his horror, where the men stood was just a pile of bones. Little creatures of the night and those from the dirt were leaving the pile in droves. “Their bodies have returned to the wilderness,” the woman scoffed, then cupped the young man in her palms and smiled coldly. “Before you died, you asked me to take care of your mother, but I don't know what she looks like. So here we are… I couldn't return you to your moth form, so a silver butterfly it is. I hope you don't mind.”

“Miss, I'm sorry to be such a burden. I don't mind at all.” After all, a silver butterfly was better than the mingled body he had while he was alive.

“You can call me Huayu. And you?”

“Oh… um… I was a little embarrassed about my name. Must I tell you, miss?”

Huayu laughed out loud, filled with mirth. “How terrible of a name your parents must have given you that you would be so embarrassed to say even after death.”

“Well… the name given to me was actually the name of the man my poor mother wished was my father…” The young lad felt shame filling him up, and he floated erratically.

“Hahahaha… I see. You are indeed in a predicament.” The woman laughed until what seemed like an eternity to the young lad, and if he could crawl into a ball and crease himself into nothing, he would. But the woman's laughter sounded alluring to him. Instead of resisting, he rather relished in the sound.

“Well, how would I know if your mother is calling for you if I don't know your name?”

After some hesitation, the young lad answered meekly, “My mother would call me after another man, but she didn't want to bring me too much trouble, so in the end, she called me Fang Feng Wuming. But I am not a Fang Feng… um… I don't know who my father is… and no doubt my poor mother could care less.”

“I see… and this man your mother wished was your father is…”

“Fang Feng Bei.”

“I see…” After a moment of silence passed between them, Huayu asked, “Wuming, do you believe in fate?”

Fang Feng Wuming didn’t really believe in fate, so he never quite answered Huayu, feeling embarrassed. "Miss, how will you take care of my mother?"

After a moment of silence, the sea breeze picked up strength, and Huayu finally replied, "When you perch in my hair, I will borrow your energy and disguise myself as you. You and I can communicate through our thoughts. The illusion will be seamless, and she won’t be able to tell the difference."

"Thank you, Miss." He flew from her palms and found a nice spot on the top of her head to clutch his legs onto. With his wings still fluttering, Wuming continued, "My mother is such a pitiful person, Miss. As a child, even though I understood her difficulties, I was not in any condition to help her. Having you here has given me hope that I can finally pay her back for her love."

Huayu listened intently as Wuming led her back to the shabby wooden shack they called home. During the walk, he recounted his mother’s life—how she was kidnapped and forced against her will to work her life away in the brothels of Qing Qiu, and finally abandoned to the streets because she was pregnant.

"What made your mother decide to get pregnant considering her situation?” Wuming, sighed, “I could only think that the man who is my real father promised to save her. Eventually only to beat her mercilessly for showing up at his home begging him to marry her as he had promised."

"Is that how you developed your anomalies?"

"Oh yes…These days, when my mother is feeling better, she will gaze towards the east and tell me about the man she fell in love with but was never given the chance to love. She told me that when he died, she decided that even with the long life of a demon, living in servitude to others was not worth it. It was better to have loved and lived than not at all."

Wuming and Huayu finally reached the wooden shack—a structure made of scrap wood and mud. Sitting at the edge of a grassy terrain meeting the sandy beach, it must have once been a home for poor fishermen before being abandoned. Huayu as Wuming walked through the threshold and saw the woman sleeping on a wooden platform bed, her lovely silhouette elegantly nestled between old but clean sheets. On the dirt floor, there was a straw mat laid out, where Wuming slept. Huayu walked over to Wuming’s mother and took her hand, listening to her pulse.

“Wuming, her condition is mostly tied to her will to live, I guess, she is holding on for your sake. She is also malnourished and that will add to her illness. I am quite tired, so I will rest and tomorrow, I will head to Qingshui Town to get her some medicine. After that, we might have to figure out a place for her to live peacefully with what time she has left.”

“Yes, miss.”

That night, Wuming woke up to Huayu breathing heavily. He fluttered his wings and, with his tiny butterfly legs, clawed at her hair to try to wake her up. He could tell she was in distress as he lifted up his body, pumping his wings, and flew to her nose. Landing at the tip of her nose bridge, he witnessed tears streaming down her face. Distraught, Wuming fluttered his wings uncontrollably, hoping that the tiny wind he created would finally wake her up. While Wuming continued flitting, suddenly he felt a heavy and strong spiritual energy looming over him. It was so heavy that he fell onto Huayu’s nose, and his wings were crushed a little.

In what felt like an eternity, unable to move, with Huayu gasping for breath, Wuming summoned all his spiritual power to conceal Huayu from the energy. As soon as he conjured the illusion, he lost consciousness and found himself in the empty space where he first died. There he saw a black silhouette of energy shifting and shaping in the emptiness.

“I need to contain him,” Wuming heard Huayu’s voice. “Who is he?”

“Can I borrow your soul?” Huayu asked Wuming. “Yes.”

Wuming lost control instantaneously and put his hands together while Huayu pulled apart the emptiness, calling forth silver butterflies that surrounded the black silhouette. Their wings beat simultaneously, extremely fast, to form a silver cage that wrapped around and squeezed tighter and tighter around the silhouette until it was completely enclosed. The little silver box turned into gold, and little dust started to stream from it as it landed in Wuming's hands.

“Wuming, can you take the box and go back to your ancestors' home and keep watch over it? I promise you I will take care of your mother and give her a life of luxury as repayment. When she is ready to return to the ancestors, I will provide her with a sacrifice of all the servants and wealth she will need to honor your ancestors, guaranteeing you and her better luck in your next lives. When our oath ends, I will take back this box.”

“How will you continue to appear as me if I leave?”

“Silly boy, your soul and spiritual energy have been severed when you willed to protect me. Don’t worry, it is contained in the butterfly body I gave you. It will come back to you when the time comes.”

Wuming stood dumbfounded in the emptiness as Huayu’s voice drifted off. As soon as her voice disappeared into the abyss, Wuming found himself in front of a home, decorated in moth motifs. The gates opened, and with a little hesitation, and the golden box in one hand, Wuming entered his ancestral hall. He turned around to see the door closed, and with a bittersweet smile, he murmured, “Our meeting and parting happened so fast. It feels just like a dream. I will be right here to greet you both when my mother returns.”

 nathsketch:

Finally, my boss would present me with a potential storybook to be illustrated, to which I would reply: "Yes, sir, you know that mermaids are my thing, and so is this Xiang Liu dude you keep telling me about. When do I start?" :D

Please let us know when that does happen so that we can start placing orders!

 nathsketch:

That's amazing!! No wonder you're so intelligent.

No no. It's just the norm among Malaysian students that's all. Knowing the language does not mean necessarily being fluent in all of them. One gets rusty with disuse too.

 plor20:

I don't know how American schools can close the gap on this strong cultural need to assimilate, and be able to give more classes in different languages.

Does the American education system lean more towards the use of a common language, or does it celebrate diversity and encourage students to learn different languages, particularly those from their own cultural heritage?

 plor20:

My own kids are already wondering if they can learn Asian languages instead of the usual Spanish and German.

What Asian languages are offered? Is it all within the official school curriculum?

 plor20:

I have finally thought of a title for my fanfic. It will be Eternally Yearning: a Butterfly—a Bee's Eternity Fade unto Divinity.  A tribute to the one and only Emily Dickinson, who often wrote about butterflies and bees, and likened them to love, yearning, lost and grief.

Beautifully poetic title. Thank you for sharing the inspiration behind its name.

@liddi

Unfortunately, Huang Xiaoming probably has no hope now. He has been judged by netizens as "unsuitable to play 霸道总裁", and he himself agreed with this in "Chinese Restaurant". Moreover, his age is a bit old for Chichen. After his failure, I don't know which actor would be willing to try this role. After all, for an actor, the cost of ruining a classic role is too high. Perhaps one of the reasons why the LYF crew needs to pay Tan such a high salary is to compensate for the risks he takes and the scolding and doubts about his acting skills that he is likely to receive in the future. 

As for why Tan is a "special performance", the real reason is most likely that when Tan accepted this role, his status in the entertainment industry was already "accomplished the first male lead role in a successful drama (Under the Skin)" Therefore, it would be inappropriate for him to serve as the third male lead (third in number of scenes) in a drama again. Moreover, at that time, neither Zhang Wanyi nor Deng Wei, who were ahead of him, had his achievements. But sometimes there are just some supporting roles that require very talented actors, so the film and television industry cleverly solves this problem: calling them "special performances" or "friendship performances", this solves this embarrassment. But actually, everyone knows that he is the third male lead :-)

@nathsketch

Maybe when you become fluent in Mandarin, you can become a translator for the Portuguese version of LYF! >_<

 ZYHLJ:

He has been judged by netizens as "unsuitable to play 霸道总裁", and he himself agreed with this in "Chinese Restaurant". Moreover, his age is a bit old for Chichen.

I don't consider Chi Chen as 霸道总裁 material. Is Chi Chen really that much younger? My impression had always been that he was mature, but not necessarily old. I don't know who else could play him. Perhaps the remake will surprise us, if they ever choose to revisit.

Du Chun who was Meng Jue in 云中歌's adaptation was also not that young, and that was a 2015 production, similar to Lu Yi's Liu Fu Ling. That is another one that I wish they would remake, with a stronger cast. 

Have a good get-together with @nathsketch and anyone else from this forum who is planning to go! Do share pictures, especially if you are attending TJC's concert, or caught sight of him anywhere.

 nathsketch:

Can confirm. We would have a beautiful underwater castle and shell for Xiang Liu in this style:

It would certainly glow in the dark.

We would also have a theme hotel in Disneyland Paris, most likely.

Finally, my boss would present me with a potential storybook to be illustrated, to which I would reply: "Yes, sir, you know that mermaids are my thing, and so is this Xiang Liu dude you keep telling me about. When do I start?" :D

Is XL the male Elsa?

Let It Go could be a suitable theme song for him, I supposed. 

At least with a Disney XL, we'll be guaranteed a happy ending :-)