#lu guang fucked with time to keep him alive and he was right

[fluffy-rulos]

These tags are Killing Me™, and honest to god I'm terrified, because even while pinned down, kicked, beaten and even shot he found a way to get up, he ALWAYS got up. He always brushed it off and bounced back.

So I wonder what happened, how badly was he hurt or how long did he fight for before he just.... couldn't, anymore. What the hell happened in those woods.

It's gonna haunt me until season 3 drops, it's gonna be some long 2 years....

thinking about how all the scenes/imagery of Cheng Xiaoshi seemingly dead or unconscious are all exclusively in the OPs and not in-universe and how that effectively emphasizes his doom in the narrative even more

[pastorfutureletthembe]

"I save the world. You save my sister."

The plot, every misson they get done, gives us a set of rules to understand the universe the characters live in, what is possible or allowed to do while diving. Contrary to the live action which offer an actual exposition (Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang's first meeting, the explanation and the mechanics of their powers), the donghua shows us all of that through subtil teaching: an action calls for a reaction.

The rules in season 1 are crafted according to the "light side" of this story (Cheng Xiaoshi, Lu Guang and Qiao Ling), therefore they are morally good. They exist to protect, respect, help people. The headline would be "Don't change anything."

Season 2 of the Donghua offers a new perspective; the dark side. There is another way after all, a way to change past and future, to resist fate. You have the power, so why woudln't you benefit from it, right?

The Live Action wasn't the best example of an adaptation well done, that's true. The rules are familiar to us and Lu Guang is way more stuck in his ways than he is in the donghua. However, his master's moral, that we could dubbed as "History as it should be", is not right nor wrong. It demands for the past to remains as it is because the present has beauty no matter the state of things. Although it ultimately is true, we do notice the flaws in this belief through the missions our shiguang team accept: time is unfair, people are sad and broken, they wasted precious time of their lives for nothing, they've been abused... BUT. They can still be better, do better, life isn't the sum of past mistakes, and those who are still standing are masters of their own fate. Future can still change because we make choices in Present too.

You can say what you want of the way the Live Action has been made, but it still is relevant in its core to the original story and characters. They understand the real point of this universe, what conclusion it wants to bring us to. Once again, it gives us new rules. One of them is familiar though: ineluctability.

CXS's character study and spoilers for LCLA 1x23 bellow:

As He Xu talks about his long lost sister, the words shape a new meaning. These words, they might as well be donghua!Lu Guang's. Billions of people could disappear as long as it means Cheng Xiaoshi is alive, because he is LG's everything, his person, the best human being in the whole world. The whole scene is a clear argument against fate/death. With such powers, why should we accept the unfair and arbitrary will of time? Why can't we chose to be happy and make our lives better?

The fact that the parallel isn't made FOR the characters/LCLA!Cheng Xiaoshi but for US, the audience, is even more heartbreaking. Because we know, and we deny, and we excuse, and we wish for the end to be a happy ending. But you all know in the depth of your heart the most important rule, no matter which character's morals applies:

"Death is a node that cannot be changed."

This being said, people often tell me how Cheng Xiaoshi would do the exact same thing than Lu Guang if he was in his situation for more than a day; he would eventually gives in and go back to save him.

I actually don't believe that myself. I think Cheng Xiaoshi would never.

Not only because Lu Guang taught him not to, but because Cheng Xiaoshi is, no matter how lonely, awkward and childish he can be, a deeply empathetic person. He loves people. And if saving someone he loves mean killing everyone else, he would not do it.

Lu Guang, with all his moral and strict guideline, fell under a genuine boy's spell and decided "fuck it, you all don't deserve him, he's better than all of you." To fuel this concept of the character, LCLA!Cheng Xiaoshi has a clear idea of what a "Time Agent" is supposed to be: a superhero. He is a good person, that's why he wants to change death nodes. He wants to save them and keep them happy. Spider-man wouldn't sacrifice the world to save Gwen Stacy, okay? He Xu spits "you don't know actual regret" to his face, and maybe he's right, but then Cheng Xiaoshi argues that he knows his role and what it is expected of him.

That's your clue right there: he wants to do the right thing by making the best of awful circonstances.

Cheng Xiaoshi untrusts Lu Guang with the most important person in his life. He knows he cannot do eveything by himself. Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi are a team, they are shiguang, and fate made them this way. He knows his role in all this, there is something only he can do. Now, Cheng Xiaoshi believes in the rightness of Lu Guang's master rules, but he cannot agree with his whole being. He does believe in one thing though.

This is not about maintaining the Past as it should be, but about the trolley dilemma: one person against MANY children's lives. Cheng Xiaoshi want to save as many people as he can. People could argue that CXS asking LG to save his sister means he wouldn't be able to make the right choice when facing this same dilemma if it involved Qiao Ling. I would strongly disagree. Of course, he hesitates each time He Xu mentions her. However, at the end of the day, he would rather sacrifice himself than anyone else, moreover if it means his sacrifice would save someone.

I would just end this meta with the possibility, no matter how small, that He Xu is right. No one knows if this universe would be destroyed once a node is changed. The consequences of that are actually unknown, and isn't there hope in this uncertainty? Isn't this small, near impossible possibility worth it in the end? But no matter the results, it's all about accountability. Perhaps the real truth about the universe's balance is this: these powers they have are both a responsability/duty to people and a chance/right to change or save Past and Future. As long as you understand your choice and the implied consequences, you're the real master of Fate.

[ilovereadingandstuff]

People!! people...

Do we...do we remember episode 7 from season 1 when Dou Dou was kidnapped...

in this scene specifically, we know that CXS was possesing Dou Dou while ALSO appearing right in front of Qiao Ling.

By this train of thought, and as also is confirmed later at end of season, some of CXS moves were already predestined to happened the way they do to the timeline to work...right? that's kinda de conclution i ended up making, but after rewatching the show WITH the knowledge from season 2...couldn't this be solely a work of Lu Guang by molding reality to his convenience for keeping CXS alive?!?!?!

what if this pre-established event (just as many others later), that seems to need-to-happen-this-way for the timeline to be as consistent as it is, is what LU GUANG WROTE on stone himself?!?!

Just like these times from season 2:

Episode 8

In Dub at least, Cheng Xiaoshi says "so I've already used the photo?" to make the point that it's supposed to happen this way of him travelling to the past and arranging all the event to keep the timeloop of him diving back in time (similar to what happened with Shanshan's serial killer situation, that cxs had already talk with the killer to arrange a meeting at the studio)...

Episode 9 'Lu Guang' not being discovered by the guards

The guy conveniently not turning around.

So, my not here is...What if all this convenient events are the work of Lu Guang?!?!?! He "carved in the rock" what he needed to in order to solidify in this timeline that cxs must live?!?!

Really.

The possibilities are endless with that new info season 2 gave us...

Lu Guang, you freak, I love you so fucking much.

Note: also, i'm aware this interpretation of mine has a BIG PROBABILITY OF BEING WRONG because in the show, there are scenes where Lu Guang seems surprised, seeming as he is oblivious of that info just like cxs at the moment, so not everything on this timeline could be the work of him if he seems surprised of what's happening. if he planned it all, then he would react differently.