#I don't even remember if jc defending wwx from myu was in the novel. I feel like it was?

[llycaons]

in talking abt the novel and show differences I don't really see the writing of jc come up which is funny because he plays a similar role but the differences are significant enough that you kind of need to specify which version you're talking about if you're going to discuss him in detail

in the novel - which I'm at this point hazy on, but FUCK novel jc for real - he's unambiguously, cruelly homophobic to his brother (who was already struggling with internalized biphobia), he treats wwx like shit after wwx is the only one to get punished by myu for something everyone was doing, he personally led a seige that slaughtered dozens of innocent farmers, and wwx's reaction to seeing him again was essentially 'oh fuck he's still mad about all that huh I definitely don't want to get involved in this again or return to LP' like he's the worst in every way I despised him and narratively he no longer holds any ties to wwx to keep wwx from progressing with his relationship with lwj and he acted as a threat to wwx postres in a way that would have been a lot more heartbreaking if the flashbacks weren't so choppy and discontinuous

meanwhile in the show - and this is my own interpretation - I found it fairly easy to interpret him as being supportive of his brother and just having sibling jealousy (plus the yuandao/mianmian line lmao), his repsonse to the wen situation was shit but it ended up with an agreement between him and wwx, and after the wens turned themselves in I don't think he could have done anything (and yeah he should have done more! but he looks genuinely miserable about it all which I doubt was the case in the novel) and wwx still remembers LP fondly and he has such kindness and forgiveness in him for jc at that temple. show jc is a mess and he's a dick and he's a failure but he's not....like...evil. and he saved lwj in the temple! I don't remember if that was in the book tho

the finale of the show is fairly bittersweet but the stronger emphasis on the better parts of their relationship and the more emotional performace that we got for jc made him a lot more engaging and compelling as a character and really does make me think they're bound to reconcile at some point which is also a big difference from the novel, like in the novel they're out of each other's lives and that's definitely for the best. and they're essentialy incompatible in a lot of ways but that doesn't mean they can't build something new...not that I want to give drama jc a pass because he did such awful things too (including actually killing wwx and having a crush on wq and still not helping her) but their relationship and the character felt much more real to me and I became rly invested in it idk. maybe jc will fail to do the work he needs to do and they'll never be able to communicate properly about how they care about each other and they never see each other again but that honest to god makes me so sad...

anyway I really don't think anyone likes novel jc but I completely understand why people went wild for drama jc. even if some of them are out of their minds. I think it was a good choice for a character drama to make one of the principle characters more sympathetic (the censorship probably played a role in this too tho given that they had to change how the wens died). so when I talk about jc I always refer to the show because I do not know that other dude

[llycaons]

ep10: well aren't you just full of surprises, but can we slow down?

I really liked this opening scene! lwj is a little easier to read, the music is gorgeous, and wwx looks content and happy to listen to it. so I was really thrown off when it suddenly ended

they cut down that scene to what, 2 minutes? TWO MINUTES?? this deeply significant scene both emotionally and plot-wise, given ample time to progress and culminate in both the novel and drama? this is a very strange decision for the donghua to make, and it's been so good about pacing up until now

that user who said the donghua boobs in wwx's rooms were massive wasn't really being fair. I think it's kind of silly and I like the gender-neutral stick figures better (which fit cql wwx better anyway) but it's not anything to get upset about and not ooc for donghua wwx

goddd jc is such an agressive dick

oh my god jyl says "alright, stop fighting" but I recognize the mandarin word because that's exactly the phrase she used in cql...sobbing

jc here yelling at wwx because he's been reckless...like cql jc is quite a bit different but wwx in ALL versions really...doesn't seem to like this expression of worry. he doesn't like getting blamed and yelled at even when he knows it's coming from a place of genuine fear and worry, and he defends himself in various ways when it happens, less when they were younger but more starting here. so no, I don't think he's a fan of 'tough love' ngl and I don't blame him I always thought it was kind of a shitty thing to do to someone you care about and not something that really lends itself to longterm healthy relationships or well-being, given the circumstances

and slightly unrelated but there's a reason being with jc exhausted wwx and by the end of the novel he was sick of having to deal with him and pretending he was okay when he wasn't and putting his own needs aside constantly and being his caretaker etc. but he flourished with jyl's affection (and lwj's, later)

anyway donghua jc is on point. I cannot wait for this asshole to get out of wwx's life

lwj's father is never seen and we barely know anything about his relationship to his kids and given how much his actions influenced how his kids were raised and how trapping his wife parelleled what lwj did to wwx later I think that's a huge missed opportunity. but if he just is mentioned then dies? I mean I'd rather he was dead from the beginning for all the impact his living in the story had. I guess his death was just one more stressor on lwj during that time?

WWX is TWENTY????

wait that means that he went to gusu as a 17 or 18 year old and everyone is older than I expected. I really think the fact that they're teenagers fighting a war and losing their homes is fairly important to the story and this is a change that baffles me. what does this add? I don't think it improves anything

anyway this jc wwx my dad likes you better scene is essentially the same in all versions, but somewhat static here since they never leave the room

what's new is the wens suddenly being really into spying. is this the intro of jgy? finally?

jfm leaving because of a marital dispute seems so petty when the clans are on the brink of war. at least in the drama he was escorting a wounded leader of an exterminated sect. I do not remember why he left in the novel but I think it was mentioned in a very brief line

oh my god the first shot of wlj is her giant boobies. please give it a rest

yinzhu and jinzhu are so cool I love them

wlj walking towards the camera but not actually getting closer...the animation was supposed to be a strength of this adaptation, wasn't it?

surprisingly the whipping scene didn't really hit me. you don't even see wwx for half of it, it goes on for way too long, and jc doesn't tearfully throw himself in front of wwx to beg her to stop. it's just...something that happened. that was bad. I guess

myu's outfit is so hideous I just have to say I think it's godawful ugly and simultanously reminds me of the bi flag which is obviously a coincidence but one that irks me

wlj trying to manipulate myu but badly misjudging her and her priorities, expecting the rumor taunt to do the trick (probably based on rumors she's heard of myu herself) but being surprised at what a stone-cold possessive and prideful woman she is

that one shot of wwx looking up at myu towering over him and he just knows she'll cut off his hand is truly so terrifying

I think he was actually ready to give it up in the novel and the drama but here he just looks really scared

ok I have to say I just hate wlj's design too it's not just the stupid face and the massive anatomically inaccurate boobs or the garish makeup it's that rabbit-ear hairstyle it's just so distracting

a bold choice to end the scene there with myu attacking back. that's one of the best scenes in any versions, and a personal favorite, so I would have rather had the entire fight all at once

the entire episode felt quite rushed to me and one the one hand it interferes with the experience, but on the other hand it cuts down on time I have to be in the flashback and that's a plus

almost 1/3 of the way through and everything after this is sure to be exciting. thank god

really not looking forward to this ugly artstyle trying to sell me on a-yuan being a cute baby

it may just be that this show is both terrible and really good but for the different reasons as the novel and the drama are. I love adaptations