Fan Fiction Thread for Lost You Forever

 ZYHLJ:

No, I must give you the Chinese version of that fiction. Now this has become MY wish :-)

Oh... in that case, thank you very much and I look forward to reading it!

 ZYHLJ:

In fact, I calculated it, if I translate two thousand Chinese characters every week, it will take me two full years to complete this fiction.

Oh no. That sounds like such a mammoth task...

 ZYHLJ:

If you are not completely sure, short stories or novellas are the best choices.

While the story you picked sounds very interesting, perhaps you might want to choose a shorter story to translate? I don't want you to end up having to commit yourself to such a huge project that will span a long time. 

 ZYHLJ:

Especially in the absence of feedback from readers, I really have immense respect for the Chinese authors who still insist on writing long novels of hundreds of thousands of words now.

It certainly takes a lot of self-motivation and drive to keep going on, when there is so little feedback. Do they post serially, or all at one go?

 ZYHLJ:

I am very sure that Tong Hua, Nanpai Sanshu, Guo Jingming, and 匪我思存 did not encounter such a problem when they wrote on-line. In their era, the readers' feedback together would probably be longer than the fiction itself. T_T

Do their original serialised posts still exist, or were those taken down once their books were published? What do you think is the reason for the change in reader feedback? Was it because the number of online works were a lot less in those days, compared to now?

 ZYHLJ:

Also, I found a video of Liu Yifei with Yu Ji's aura:

She is a very believable Yu Ji. Isn't that her in 鸿门宴传奇 where she was Yu Ji to 冯绍峰's Xiang Yu? Though they changed the sequence in which they died, to her going to him and committing suicide when he was ambushed, which he followed suit afterwards, so that even if they could not grow old together, they could die together.

 ZYHLJ:

If I see Xiang Liu die in front of me with my bare eyes, I will definitely be like her in the video...

Do you think Xiao Yao would have died with him if she saw him die before her very eyes?

I was listening to the audiobook today, and started tearing up again in the last chapter when Miao Pu described Xiang Liu's death, followed by Xiao Yao's grief, and of course, the epilogue. I can't imagine how I would feel when we finally see his death scene in S2.

 liddi:

Well... seeing Titanic was released in 1997, and LYF published in 2013, that sequence wouldn't have worked for me. But! I have done all three, albeit in the wrong sequence, with massive time gaps in between. I guess in order to recreate this, I will next need to watch Titanic, and re-read your fic. Let's see when I do get around to watching Titanic next...

Lol. I should have said "re-read" LYF and "re-watch" Titanic. The odds that someone would read LYF for the first time, then immediately watch Titanic for the first time, and then immediately read my fic are indeed probably zero. ^^

 liddi:

I thought most modern opera houses come with subtitles nowadays? Was the feature not available when you watched Turandot?

As for China, I am not sure whether stage operas there provide English subtitles - @ZYHLJ, would you be able to enlighten us?

The venue I went to offered deals for students, but they were for less-optimal seats. My seat happened to be located in a spot that was particularly not great for captions. The surtitles (subtitles above the stage) and the smaller screens on the tier ledge were both out of eyeline. So basically no subtitles. But even for great seats, the size, font, and position of surtitles seemed... not ideal. But some would say that's how the opera "should" be enjoyed. My impression was that some old school opera lovers don't like the surtitles and find them distracting, so the venues have to balance catering to those people (by keeping the surtitles somewhat out of the way and not too visually stark) with catering to the people who like and want to use them. Granted, I've only been to one western opera in one venue a very long time ago, so perhaps that experience isn't a good representation of the experience at most venues today.

Same for Chinese operas today. It's very possible that the venues could now have subtitles or surtitles in other languages. I'd be curious to know. 

@AH @liddi

I have never seen a traditional opera performance live. I checked online and found that most formal theaters in China have subtitle screens. As for whether there are subtitles in each specific performance, people can check/ask on the theater's official website. In addition, usually before the performance begins, audiences will receive a paper plot synopsis, which is usually bilingual. This is the official website of the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing: 

https://m.chncpa.org/ 

In fact, there are many categories of traditional Chinese dramas, and Peking Opera is just one of them. I personally like Yue opera the most, maybe because I often heard it on TV when I was a child (my grandma particularly likes Yue opera). The funny thing is, as a kid I had absolutely no interest in it, but as I got older I came to appreciate it more and more. If you haven’t seen Yue Opera before, here is a performance of Yue Opera in diplomatic situations:

https://m.bilibili.com/video/BV1uz4y1V7Kd

 plor20:

XL kills the physical connection, XY fulfills the verbal oath; however, the blood oath remains which states that you either love in life or die in heartbreak. Since they cannot love in life, they will have to die in heartbreak.

In Hmong superstition regarding blood oaths, a living person may be haunted by the deceased individual until they are both united in death, perpetuating a cycle of karma until the oath is fulfilled.

This is very interesting about blood oath. 

I always see the acceptance and successful implantation of the Lovers Bugs as an oath, a promise to only love this person no ifs or buts. And this promise extends into death. It's not a case of 'till death do us part. it's we will love each other in life and in death. A change of heart (aka, loving another person) is going against this oath and will mean death for both people. XY didn't have a change of heart, but the oath meant that she should have died with XL. XL was kind and didn't want this for her, so he lured out her bug and severed their connection. But these bugs are sentient, so they are angry that XL and XY cheated and now want the oath to be fulfilled. 

 ZYHLJ:

I really want that crystal ball Xiang Liu gave Xiao Yao. Anyone with a business mind will know how easy it will be to sell it! But even if they don't sell it, it doesn't matter. The character Xiang Liu is like Yang Guo and will still be talked about for another fifty years. LYF may also be remade. I will definitely get it before I die. Even if I don’t get it, I can still learn to make it myself. I will have it anyway, haha!

Lol! I think you're giving @liddi a run for her money in the XL fangirl department. 

I think there was a fan who made one. Nathsketch's sent me a link ages ago and I no longer have it. I don't know why the production company or Tencent hasn't capitalized on the success of the show and released more merchandise. A few more outfits for the plushies. How about a clamp shell and a FFB doll?

LYF has been out for 10+ years and the conversations have always focused on 1) XL and 2) YaoLiu romance. For a character that was only in a small fraction of the novel, he has the biggest impact. The readers who loved him really loved him. Did you know that his fans bought and named a star after him? I saw a little video of it. 

 ZYHLJ:

Where do you live? In Prague? Why do Vietnamese especially like Prague? I heard that in Europe, even in many small towns, there are Chinese-owned restaurants or supermarkets. Is this true?

I don't live in Prague, was there for a holiday only. According to a tour guide, Vietnamese is the 4th biggest population in the Czech Republic (or was it the 3rd?). I think he said it was because the Czech Republic was a vassal state of the Soviet Union and Vietnam is a Communist country and there were a lot of Vietnamese international students decades before who chose to study in Czech due to this communist connection. 

Yes, you do get the little grocery shops run by Asians - Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. I noticed quite a bit of Thai-run shops in Rome. And you do get Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants as well. Prague has some excellent Vietnamese and I went to a hot-pot restaurant that was amazing while I was in Prague as well. I can't say for the rest of the Czech Republic, but Prague was very food-friendly for this Asian who can't live without her Asian food :-). The live music scenes were also really good there. I must have gone to a new Jazz bar/club every night while I was there.

 AH :

The odds that someone would read LYF for the first time, then immediately watch Titanic for the first time, and then immediately read my fic are indeed probably zero. ^^

There is still hope. Let's see if my daughter ever decides to finish reading LYF, after which I can introduce her to Titanic, followed by your fic.

 AH :

The venue I went to offered deals for students, but they were for less-optimal seats. My seat happened to be located in a spot that was particularly not great for captions. The surtitles (subtitles above the stage) and the smaller screens on the tier ledge were both out of eyeline. So basically no subtitles. But even for great seats, the size, font, and position of surtitles seemed... not ideal.

Ahh that is truly a shame. I have never had the opportunity to go an opera, but certainly, if it were in a language I was not familiar with, the subtitles would have been conducive to appreciating the performance even more, regardless of whether I know the music well or not.  One of my favourites is Puccini's La bohème, and while I've watched various video recordings, I hope to watch it on stage one day. 

Incidentally, I have been listening to the official LYF audiobook from Mo Tie (I finally realised they were the ones Tong Hua mentioned in the Sohu 2019 interview article), which has separate VAs for different characters. Obviously, I jumped straight into iconic scenes, but perhaps I am used to the diction from the drama cast, as I ended up finding some of the cast delivery a little underwhelming. That being said, it is highly enjoyable, listening to a well-narrated audiobook, and some of the songs in the novel were actually sung. In the past, I had a bad experience where the voice used to narrate the book was so unsuitable that it pulled me out of the story straight away as I can't get past my cringe to immerse in the actual narrative..

 ZYHLJ:

In fact, there are many categories of traditional Chinese dramas, and Peking Opera is just one of them. I personally like Yue opera the most, maybe because I often heard it on TV when I was a child (my grandma particularly likes Yue opera).

I never attended an actual Chinese opera stage performance either, but as a child, I used to watch video recordings of 歌仔戏 Taiwanese opera and some 潮剧 Teochew opera with my parents and grandparents.  It was common to see the 小生 young male leads played by female performers - 杨丽花 Yang Lihua was my favourite 歌仔戏小生 back in those days.

One of the most famous Teochew opera is this scene from 柴房会 "The encounter at the woodshed", which depicts the meeting between an honest salesman and the ghost of a murdered woman in the woodshed where he was staying overnight. This is an extremely humorous scene, which highlights the dexterity of the performer playing the salesman, which you can see here circa 22m43s, as he slides under tables, climbs up and down a ladder and so forth:

https://youtu.be/Yl2UHD7niOY?t=1363

 ZYHLJ:

In fact, I can keep translating until no one reads it, although I don’t hope that it will go unread, haha! Do you really find this story interesting? I don't see anyone else here being interested. Could it be because people feel that a modern person traveling back in time would ruin the atmosphere of an ancient story? 

I am fine with any story as long as it does not stray from the essence of the novel. HeadInTheClouds has a recommendation which sounds interesting too - do have a look.

 ZYHLJ:

The blogger thought it was because there are so many novels and fanfics that can be read for free now, and there are so many authors as well, that most readers no longer cherish them.

That is a real shame. The fanfics I read were good, so it is unfortunate if the authors are not informed of how much their work is loved.

 ZYHLJ:

I hope she can play Ah Heng in the remake of Once Promised :-)

I never imagined her as A Heng, a character that is far more fiesty and strong. Then again, I am reminded that she did play Mulan though I haven't watched it. Who would you see as Chi Chen then?

 ZYHLJ:

I think if Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu really became lovers, she might die for him, but in the original work, Xiao Yao had no reason even if she wanted to die for him.

I don't think not having any apparent reason to die for him would be a reason for her not to. However, I do not believe Xiang Liu would want her to die for him if they were lovers - he always wanted her to treasure life, and he continued to encourage her to do so even in her most despondent, darkest moments. So I can't see him ever wanting her to follow him in death.

 nathsketch:

WHAT!? This is my dream come true hahaha

Modern girl traveling to the past to set things right?? Outlander-style?? Yes, please.

You missed the key stumbling block... became A NIAN!!!!   Run away!!!!

Though, seriously.  Link please.  I'll add it to the first page.