Wanttowritesobad

I actually find the blood contracts more interesting "because" they're not supernatural. To me, they're symbolic. They reflect how seriously P'Jane takes promises. In Episode 5 for example: he doesn't stop because of magic or because the contract forces him to, he stops because "he remembers his own promise" to Little Jane. I think that says a lot about his psychology.

As for why people fear him, I'd say it's a mix of his reputation, his influence, and the fact that he always expects people to face the consequences of the deals they willingly make with him.

I'd say "Don't Be Too Emotional" is similar to "To My Shore" more in a psychological sense than anything else. That said, I think Fan Xiao is much more unhinged than P'Jane. At the beginning, Fan Xiao genuinely wanted to break Shulang, which is not the case with P'Jane, even though he's obviously possessive and psychologically complex.

As for the blood contracts, I don't think they're just to be edgy. To me, they're symbolic. They reflect how seriously P'Jane views promises and contracts.

I feel like a lot of discussions around this series end up reducing one of the leads to a label.

Some people say P'Jane is a "narcissist with a GOD complex", others say Little Jane is either "naive", "stupid" or "inconsistent".

To me, neither reading really captures what's happening.

First: Little Jane isn't constantly changing his mind. His behavior follows the same emotional pattern throughout the story: he loves P'Jane, he wants to trust him, but he's terrified of being hurt by him or by the world he (P'Jane) belongs to. Once you understand that internal conflict, his actions become much more consistent.

Second: P'Jane isn't simply "evil" either. He's deeply possessive and obsessive, and when he feels like he's losing Little Jane, that's when he becomes dangerous. But the series has also shown that there are moments where seeing Little Jane's pain brings him back to reality. That doesn't excuse his actions, but it tells us something important about how he's written.

For me, the interesting part isn't deciding who's the villain or who's the idiot. It's understanding the psychology behind both characters and seeing whether they can confront their issues, grow, and eventually build a healthier relationship together. That's what keeps me watching.

Sometimes it feels like people watch fiction as if it were a morality exam. Most of us already KNOW abuse is wrong. If toxic relationship dynamics are something you don't want to see depicted at all, then maybe toxic fiction just isn't for you. What's interesting is not being reminded every five minutes that abuse is bad, we already know that. What's interesting is seeing how the story explores obsession, possessiveness, drama, and whether these characters actually grow from their issues.

I haven't read the novel and don't really plan to, so I'm judging the series on its own. To me, that scene didn't come out of nowhere. P'Jane's possessiveness has been building up for several scenes. We already saw how he reacted when he thought Little Jane was choosing P'Dan over him (staircase scene, episode 4). Episode 5 is that same possessiveness pushed to an extreme after believing Little Jane was about to "belong" to someone else. That doesn't make what he did okay, but I don't think it came out of nowhere. It was consistent with the pattern the series had already established.

I get what you're saying, and I agree that some of P'Jane's behavior deserves to be questioned too. But I'm approaching things differently. I'm judging series Little Jane as his own character, not against his novel version. So when it comes to him being "too immature", I think that's still an interpretation, not an objective fact. That's why, if I were P'Jane's friend, I'd be more interested in understanding why HE fell for Little Jane than telling him he has bad taste.

I don't think cognitive dissonance is exactly what's happening with Little Jane.

You explained it. Basically, Cognitive Dissonance is when someone experiences discomfort because their beliefs and their actions don't match, and they try to reduce that discomfort by changing the way they think about the situation.

For example:

Someone believes: "Honesty is very important to me." But then they cheat on an exam.

Now there is a conflict: "Cheating is wrong." but "I cheated."

To reduce that discomfort, they might tell themselves: "Everyone cheats" or "The exam was unfair anyway" or "It was only this one time"

They are changing the way they think so their behavior feels less wrong.

Another example: Someone believes: "Smoking is unhealthy." But then they smoke everyday.

To reduce the discomfort, they might think: "My grandfather smoked until he was 90" or "Life is too short anyway" or "It helps me deal with stress".

Again, they are trying to make the contradiction between their belief and their action easier to accept by changing how they think.

Now, I don't think that's what Little Jane is doing.

Little Jane is not thinking: "I know P'Jane is bad, but I love him, so I'll convince myself he's not."

If it was cognitive dissonance, we would see him changing his beliefs to justify P'Jane's actions.

For example:

Little Jane says he hates being manipulated. If he found out P'Jane manipulated him, a cognitive dissonance response would be: "It's okay, he only did it because he loves me" or "It wasn't really manipulation because he had a reason".

Or, Little Jane says he doesn't trust people easily. If he discovered P'Jane hid important information, a cognitive dissonance response would be: "It doesn't matter. P'Jane is different, so it's okay when he hides things from me".

But that's not what happened.

Little Jane didn't just excuse everything P'Jane did. He questioned him, became scared, investigated, and eventually even broke up with him.

So Little Jane's reaction is more like: "I love P'Jane, but some things I discover about him scare me. I want to trust him, but I also want to protect myself."

That's not him changing his beliefs to make the relationship easier to accept. That's someone struggling between two strong feelings at the same time.

To me, Little Jane's conflict is less about cognitive dissonance and more about emotional conflict or ambivalence. He loves P'Jane. He wants to trust P'Jane. But he's afraid of being hurt. Those feelings can exist together, and that's what drives his actions.

My bad, then :D I've been reading so many serious comments about this series that I automatically assumed you were being serious too.

Oh, I get the role-play thing now, okay. 😄 But if I were P'Jane's friend, I'd probably try to understand why HE fell for Little Jane instead of telling him he has bad taste. I'd be more interested in understanding his feelings than judging his choice. But to each their own, I guess. :D

I understand why some viewers might feel this way, especially with the limited time the series has to develop everything. But I don't think Little Jane's feelings are just a bout lust. P'Jane was someone who helped Little Jane trust himself more and become a person he liked being. Little Jane even said, "I love the person I am when I'm with you." So I think that kind of feeling wouldn't just disappear overnight. Also, I think some scenes need to be looked at with context: Little Jane being hurt and conflicted doesn't mean he was always uncomfortable with P'Jane touching him. The issue is what's happening between them at that moment, not a lack of attraction.

Honestly, both Tee and Heng are gorgeous. I understand why people love Big Jane, but I don't get why defending him has to come to Little Jane's expense. You can appreciate Big Jane as a complex character and still have empathy for Little Jane. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Personally, I defend both.

"Being straight" is actually a perfectly valid explanation. But even if GAP were not straight, that still wouldn't mean he'd automatically be attracted to Little Jane. Being attracted to men doesn't mean you're attracted to ALL men. And also, just because a lot of people are attracted to Little Jane doesn't mean EVERYONE is going to be attracted to him.

So... people are allowed to prefer the characters and how they're written in the novel, but if they prefer the characters in the series, then their taste is bad? Hum, that's an interesting standard...🤔

I've noticed that too. People often focus on Little Jane's reactions without giving the same attention to the situations that lead him to react that way.

I think a lot of people deeply misunderstand Little Jane's character. And that's because they focus on his actions without looking at the emotional pattern behind those actions.

Little Jane is not constantly changing his mind. Throughout the story, his conflict stays the same: he loves P'Jane, he wants to trust him, but he is afraid of being hurt by him or by the world he belongs to.

Once you look at Little Jane through that lens, his actions become much more consistent. He can love P'Jane and still question him. He can want to be close to P'Jane and still pull away. He can desperately want to know everything about P'Jane, then become scared by what he learns. Those are not contradictions, those are the reactions of someone who is trying to reconcile love with fear.

You don't have to like Little Jane as a character, but I don't think "naive", "stupid", or "he keeps changing his mind" really describe what's happening. To me, Little Jane is emotionally conflicted, not inconsistent.

Five episodes in, and I'm loving this story more and more. I really enjoy getting to know more about P'Jane's world, and every episode just makes me more excited to see where everything is going.

Contract or not, I'm just happy my baby Little Jane is back with his man. 🥹❤️

P'Dan actually made me think he was a kind person, but for some reason I still can't fully trust him. As for Put... it looks like he is really in love with Little Jane. But, I don't know, can he stop acting like Little Jane is supposed to listen to everything he says?

Overall, I'm enjoying this series so much and can't wait for the next episode. And TeeHeng's chemistry is amazing. I'm also really enjoying both their performances. 🫶

I think this is where we fundamentally disagree. There is no such thing as being "objectively special enough" to be loved or even obsessed over. Even in real life, people fall in love for completely different reasons, and sometimes everyone around them is surprised by their choice.

So I don't think the question is "Is Little Jane objectively more special than everyone else?" I think the question is "Does the story give reasons for why P'JANE falls for Little Jane?" The answer is Yes, it does.

As for your points:

1) Little Jane doesn't reject P'Jane because of the rumors. He chooses to get to know him first. He only becomes more cautious after discovering that some of the rumors are actually true, which seems like a very human reaction. More importantly, the story itself tells us that P'Jane became curious about Little Jane because Little Jane wasn't afraid of P'Jane like everyone else. So whether or not WE think that makes Little Jane "special" isn't really the point because at the end of the day, it clearly mattered to P'JANE.

2) The point of helping the girl isn't that no one else would have done it. It's that it shows Little Jane's compassion.

Characterization is about showing who THIS particular character is, not proving he's the only person capable of that action.

3) I agree that taking care of your partner is normal. But again, the point isn't that it's unique. It's another example of Little Jane's sincerity and kindness, and it clearly seems to have had a big impact on P'Jane.

4) I also agree this is one of the strongest moments. But the point isn't that no one else in the world would reject the deal. It's that LITTLE JANE did, and that mattered to P'JANE.

So whether you, me, other viewers, or even other characters in the story find those reasons "special enough" is totally subjective. It doesn't change the fact that those are the reasons why P'JANE falls in love with LITTLE JANE.

The story's job isn't to make every viewer see Little Jane as extraordinary. It's to show why P'Jane does.

Thanks for taking the time to explain your perspective.

I think this is where our views differ. A lot of the things you mention ("ordinary", "not formidable enough", "not worthy of obsession") sound more like expectations for the type of protagonist you personally enjoy than objective flaws in the writing.

For example, I don't think Little Jane simply believes whoever talks to him. Again, if that was the case, he would have believed the rumors from the beginning and never gotten close to P'Jane. Instead, he chooses to get to know P'Jane despite everything he hears. It's only after discovering that some of those rumors (his age, Harvard) are actually true that he becomes more cautious. To me, that's not the same as blindly believing others. He's trying to make sense of everything while still wanting to trust the person he fell in love with.

I also think it's important to remember that we're the viewers. We have access to a much bigger picture than Little Jane does, yet many of us are still unsure how to interpret P'Jane's words and actions. If we're sometimes left questioning whether P'Jane is being sincere, I don't think it's unreasonable that Little Jane, who has far less information than we do, also struggles to know what to believe.

As for the secondary characters, I don't quite agree either. I don't think a character needs a separate storyline or a life completely unrelated to the main plot/characters to have a personality. Let's take characters like Put and Gap for example. Even when they're talking about P'Jane, they interact with Little Jane very differently, and those differences tell us something about who they are: Put is much more confrontational and judgmental, while Gap is more laid-back and supportive. To me, that's already part of their characterization.

Finally, I completely understand preferring protagonists who are more "formidable". That's a valid preference, but what makes a character "formidable" is also very subjective. So I don't think the question is whether Little Jane is "formidable" enough to be worthy of P'Jane's obsession. I think the question is whether the story gives reasons for P'Jane's feelings toward Little Jane. To me, it does. We may or may not find those reasons convincing, but that doesn't change the fact they are reasons P'Jane falls in love with Little Jane within the story.

Thanks for explaining your point. I appreciate you being more specific because it's much easier to discuss.

But before I start, what specific elements make you say "Little Jane is ordinary"? Is it his personality? Is it his background? What exactly is "ordinary" about him? I'm genuinely asking because "ordinary" can mean a lot of different things.

As for him being weak-minded and believing rumors left and right, I actually see it differently. I mean, if Little Jane were the type to simply believe rumors, he probably wouldn't have gotten close to P'Jane in the first place. The story would have been: people tell him P'Jane is dangerous, he believes them, avoids P'Jane, and that's the end of it. But as we can see, that's not what happened. Instead, he chooses to get to know P'Jane for himself. When his friend Put repeats some of those rumors, Little Jane even asks if he has any proof. It's only after he discovers that some of the information is in fact true (P'Jane's age and Harvard), that he stars questioning things more. One of the side stories also makes it clear that Little Jane wants to trust P'Jane but is afraid of doing so and being disappointed at the end. To me, that's different from simply believing whoever talks to him.

As for P'Jane's obsession, you say the story failed to show Little Jane as worthy of it. But I think this comes down to whether the reasons the story gives are convincing enough to each viewer. To me, the story does provide reasons through Little Jane's actions and values (he's compassionate, he refuses shortcuts, he isn't intimidated by P'Jane, he treats him with genuine kindness). Now whether those qualities are enough to justify P'Jane's obsession is totally subjective, but I don't think it's accurate to say the story failed to show Little Jane as worthy of P'Jane's obsession.

Finally, I'm also curious about what you mean by "other characters are basically cartoons". Could you give a few examples of what makes them cartoons?

I've noticed the same criticisms coming up over and over again, so I thought I'd share how I personally see it.

First of all, it's very important to separate PERSONAL PREFERENCE from judgements about the quality of a writing. It's completely fair if someone doesn't enjoy Heng's acting or doesn't connect with Little Jane's character. Acting and character appeal are very subjective.

Personally, I enjoy Heng's performance because I think he conveys a wide range of emotions convincingly. But that's MY taste, and I understand if not everyone think/feel the same way.

Now, with that distinction in mind, I don't think the story supports the idea that Little Jane is a Y/N, has no personality or backbone.

To me, the series actually gives us quite a lot about Little Jane through his actions. The choices he makes consistently show someone who is:

- honest: he generally says what he believes and admits when he's wrong

- sincere: his actions come from genuine feelings rather than manipulation

- compassionate: he consistently helps people because he cares about them

- courageous/brave: he stands up for others despite intimidation

- principled: he sticks to his values, like refusing shortcuts to achieve his dream.

I also don't think P'Jane falls for him "for no particular reason". The story and the side stories tell us why P'Jane falls for Little Jane. Whether or not those reasons are convincing enough is totally SUBJECTIVE. But I don't think it's accurate to say there are no reasons at all.

Again, I think it's very important to distinguish between personal state and criticism of the writing. Saying "I didn't like it" is a personal reaction. Saying "the writing is bad" is a broader claim that should be supported with specific examples of what the story does or doesn't do effectively.

At the end of the day, it's completely okay if someone doesn't enjoy the series. I just think there's a difference between saying "this doesn't work for me" and saying "the story gives no reasons" or "the character has no personality". For me, the story does provide those things, even if they're presented more subtly than some viewers would prefer.