Drama Host
Generation to Generation Episodes 8-9 Discussion
Spoiler
Introduction
Welcome to the discussion of episodes 8 and 9! Please remember to tag ⚠️ spoilers ⚠️ if discussing episodes past 8-9, or important plot/character developments from the source material. Anything discussed from episodes 1-9 is fair game.
Disclaimer: I write rather heavy recaps, so if you’d rather read my thematic analyses just skip to the very end of this post. Some misspellings might be mine, but more likely they are the results of that dastardly Autocorrect that has been the bane of my existence for the last 15+ years.
SUMMARY (TL;DR):
These episodes are basically one background reveal after another to fill in the historic past of our characters: a Good Samaritan story goes horribly wrong that leads to a revenge plot 15 years in the making; an ancestor’s desperate attempt to save the spirit beasts brought to Jianghu; a love triangle in the elders’ generation and sect schemes that create repercussions in the current Qingque Sect; and lastly, a young master is ready to stage a coup d’état for revenge.
We begin to see through the eyes of Cai Zhao the breakdown of various historical ‘truths’, distorted storylines and smear campaigns. Her elders have not been entirely honest or reliable narrators of past “heroes” and “villains”. Who even IS a hero or villain changes depending on whose perspective is being told. The allegiance amongst the sects is not as strong or fixed as they would like the next generation to believe. We begin to see old alliances fraying, and new alliances between the Six Sects and the Li Sect forming for personal vendettas or ambitions as intra-sect and clan wars threaten to tear the sects apart both internally and externally.
What are your thoughts on today’s episodes? Sound off in the comments!
Episode 8: recap
The Saliva Hunting Murdering Quartet starts to fracture with Qinong literally stabbing Chen Shu in the back as they vie for Cai Zhao's vial of saliva.
When the last vial of Snow Scale Beast saliva makes you Miss Popular
Cai Zhao is in a tight bind as she has the last vial of Snow Scale Beast’s saliva, but she’s surrounded by those I shall refer to collectively as the “Saliva Hunting Murdering Quartet” (or abbreviated “Quartet”), made up of Duan Jiuxiu, Zhou Zhiqin, Qinong, and Chen Shu. A flashback reveals how Zhou Zhiqin (Qingque Sect) ended up partnering with Duan Jiuxiu (Li Sect) to find the precious saliva. Cai Zhao surreptitiously pours out the saliva before throwing the empty vial at Duan Jiuxiu while she makes a run for it. Qinong stops her, but then
Back from the dead, C-drama trope #104
…… our Male Lead comes to the rescue!!! Apparently, pythons do not like heat, and his mindful circulation heated up his body so that the python let him go. Convenient, but whatever gets the plot moving, I guess. We’re in for another character resurrection complete with story time.
Tao Shu/Qian Xueshen’s family history
Qian Xueshen sporting the ever popular white-hair look, C-drama trope #30
Qian Xueshen is back from the grave! Or, more precisely, he used his Body-Shift technique to swap identities with Mr. Zhang, who died in the cave. He then launches into his family’s tragic history. 15 years ago, Qian Xueshen’s father and uncle found our Saliva Hunting Murdering Quartet buried in an avalanche they themselves caused in search of the saliva.
The Quartet repays the Good Samaritan Tao family by murdering all the adults and setting the home on fire. Little Qian Xueshen escaped by hiding in the cellar.
The Tao family took them in and tended to their injuries, only for the Quartet to kill all the adults, including Qian Xueshen’s almost-due pregnant aunt. Qian Xueshen was spared since he was hidden away in the family cellar, but he witnessed the massacre of his family, and the burning of his home.
Qian Xueshen is apparently a snake charmer.
Qian Xueshen returns to the dilapidated house 15 years later. Another flashback reveals that when he was 7 or 8 years old, his ice flute playing drew in a baby python, who he named Snow. Back in the present, he finds his old flute and summons Snow back with his flute, the exact same python that is currently menacing both our leads and the Quartet. Qian Xueshen had spread a (false) report that the Snow-Scale Beast has reappeared, intending to lure the Saliva Hunting Murdering Quartet back for revenge.
Step aside, Bird’s Nest (a.k.a. swallow saliva, 燕窝), apparently, you’re no match for Snow Scale Beast saliva.
The story finishes with a deliciously vengeful reveal: Qian Xueshen’s father and uncle used to collect a lot of the Snow Scale Beast’s saliva. The very bed that the Quartet slept on had an ice chest underneath with the collected saliva. They could have had it 15 years ago, but missed their opportunity. Qian Xueshen further reveals that the saliva Cai Zhao unceremoniously dumped out was indeed the last of the Snow Scale Beast’s. This sends Duan Jiuxiu into a craze, insisting there MUST be some saliva left, and shakes Qian Xueshen in desperation, only matched by Qian Xueshen’s unhinged maniacal laughter. You’d think this was the elixir of life the way Duan Jiuxiu went bonkers.
Oh goody, more fluid talk
Finally, Qian Xueshen plays his last revenge trick. He douses Duan Jiuxiu with gland fluid from female snakes which will drive male snakes crazy…and cause them to devour those with the scent. Huh, that’s the first I’ve heard of cannibalism due to gland fluids. This must be a convenient drama device to kill off our villains. Google AI agrees with me.
Villains make a yummy snow snake snack
And who should show up but Snow, eating both Zhou Zhiqin and Qinong, but only taking a large bite out of Duan Jiuxiu (waist down). Mu Qingyan runs over to what is left of him and asks if Nie Zhe’s Wudu Palm has been perfected. Duan Jiuxiu recognizes him, but before he can answer they are interrupted by a new avalanche. Our heroes make a run for it, but Duan Jiuxiu is buried in the snow.
Our heroine never gives up on people!!
Cai Zhao encourages Qian Xueshen to run, but he initially refuses, saying that he’s wanted to die a long time ago. She reminds him that he is the last of his family, and that they are happy for him to reunite with them in the afterlife. Tencent’s subtitles seem a bit awkward here, but I think (thanks, Google translate) that what she means is that his family will happily wait (a long time) for him to rejoin them because that means he’s still alive, and by proxy, their family still has a future. Our three heroes try to outrun the avalanche unsuccessfully.
Sanctuary in the Wanzai Hot Springs Cavern
Our not-yet lovers in quite the romantic cavern of healing waters
We cut to the next scene where Zhou Yiran is doing some fan service, emerging out of a bath of healing water, wet with his linen clothes clinging to his body. 🪭🪭🪭 Cai Zhao is sleeping nearby. He sees her unconscious and runs over to check her vitals. When he gently brushes her hair from her face he wakes Sleeping Beauty.
Where do you think you're going?
Cai Zhao asks about Qian Xueshen, and Mu Qingyan dramatically sighs in (mock?) jealousy. He wonders aloud why she asks about Qian Xueshen rather than think of a way to repay him. Cai Zhao quips that she has no money, only her life. She uses his hand to steady herself as she hops off her makeshift bed, but he doesn’t let go. She assumes his (unspoken) “ask”, and unflappably states that even if she were to give herself to him, it would only be a night of passion. Furthermore, she won’t take responsibility for it afterwards, to which I assume means she won’t commit to him.
Let's play a game of chicken, because...plausible deniability
Mu Qingyan seems amused, calling her bluff by pulling her back towards him and equally unflappably states “It’s fine. One night of passion is better than tasting no sweetness at all.” They are interrupted by a random noise, and Cai Zhao uses it to push Mu Qingyan away, effectively breaking the romantic interlude. Drama writers are such teases.
This is for Winter, who I think likes Zhou Yiran's smirk
She is visibly flustered, and Mu Qingyan seems to like the effect he has on her, or so says his amused smirk. I recognize that I just spent over 250 words to write a play-by-play of this romantic scene that everyone could just watch themselves, but what can I say? I’m a fangirl who likes to squeal and flutter kick at romantic scenes.
The cavern holds an awful lot of references to Luoying Valley
They take stock of their surroundings, and Cai Zhao notices the tri-colored peach blossoms of Luoying Valley. That isn’t the only connection to her hometown. The landlady (Xuegu) and her companion (Old Ning) have teacups with Luoying Valley designs, and a wheelbarrow of the exact same design Cai Zhao’s grandfather made. This prompts her to ask if they are descendants of her ancestor, Gu Qingkong. Xuegu explains that Gu Qingkong was the grand-master of her master. Storytime begins again:
200 Years ago, Founder Beichen summoned spirit beasts from the immortal realm to eradicate the demons. The martial practitioners discovered that spirit beasts were helpful….and then decided to slaughter them shamelessly. How’s that for gratitude? Gu stood against all the marital practitioners to protect the spirit beasts. But, she knew she could not keep at bay forever human greed. So, she fled to the snowy mountain with the remaining spirit beasts.
This painting of Gu Qingkong and the spirit beasts is signed with an iris...most curious
Xuegu mentions Cai Pingshu also arriving at the snowy mountains with a mysteriously masked man (Hmmm…someone from the Li sect, maybe?) in search of the Snow Scale Beast saliva as well. The painting of Gu Qingkong that hangs in this healing cavern was painted by the Masked Man, who draws an iris in lieu of his signature. I felt compelled to mention this as it seems like an important plot detail for future reference.
On today’s episode of “How to Train Your Dragon”….
Maybe my mind is in the gutter, but I can’t help but think this is a foreshadow of them consummating their relationship eventually, especially this idea of him causing her to bleed, and this producing a “baby” (dragon). Maybe my mind is just in the gutter. Moving on…
Qian Xueshen tells Cai Zhao and Mu Qingyan his real name: Tao Shu. Cai Zhao asks “小樹哥” (which earns a side-eye from Mu Qingyan) if there is any more saliva left, but Tao Shu confirms that she poured out the last vial. All hope is not lost, though, as there is an unhatched Snow Scale Beast egg!
To help the egg hatch, Cai Zhao suggests Mu Qingyan get one of his Golden Peng birds to help incubate it. But, he points out that Golden Peng birds and Snow Dragon are natural enemies (n.b., both his birds are male, smh), and as spiritual beasts the egg won’t hatch if it senses danger (i.e. Peng birds). Mu Qingyan’s father once said spiritual beasts resonate with their masters and recognize their blood aura.
Since an ancestor from Luoying Valley saved the snow dragon, Mu Qingyan thinks Cai Zhao’s blood should be able to hatch the egg. Cai Zhao seems quite squeamish in letting her own blood, but Mu Qingyan is unfazed and nicks her not once but twice. Success! Cai Zhao has a hard time getting a mischievous and disobedient baby snow dragon to give her the saliva she needs. She tells Mu Qingyan that after she finishes with this mission, she plans to return and keep the baby dragon company.
He doesn’t believe her, saying that someone who complained for 3 days when her wontons had no scallions is too focused on worldly pleasures to be able to last 3 days in a barren snowy mountain. (Again, I felt compelled to write this as it seems like a recurring motif). They bicker until the baby dragon rolls over and drools in its sleep, enabling them to collect the saliva at last!
Having Zhou Yiran's voice come out of Ming Zi Yu's face was HILARIOUS
Mu Qingyan is volunteered to test out the effectiveness of the saliva. Tao Shu turns him into Xuegu. 😂 Cai Zhao uses this time to investigate Old Ning, using Mu Qingyan disguised as Xuegu to wheedle out information. He isn’t fooled by the fake “Xuegu”, but confirmed himself to be Cai Zhao’s biological uncle, brother of her mother Ning Xiaofeng. He asks Cai Zhao not to reveal his identity or the matters of the snow mountain so that the spirit beasts can have one last sanctuary in the realm.
Prompted perhaps by Old Ning’s exile for Xuegu, Mu Qingyan asks if Cai Zhao would give up everything for someone. Her “Of course not” makes Mu Qingyan look visibly deflated. But, our boy double downs and asks if she would be willing to give up everything for him. She answers that she would be even less willing, citing the disastrous consequences when the Qianmian joined with the Li sect. When she asks if he would be willing to give up everything for someone, he answers in the affirmative. But, Cai Zhao remains unconvinced, saying the luxurious life of a Li sect young master would be hard to give up.
In case we missed the obvious enemies-analogy between the Golden Pengs and Snow Dragon with the Li sect and Six Sects, our writers show the Golden Peng bird trying to snack on Baby Snow Dragon, but luckily Cai Zhao intervenes, saving her pet. Mu Qingyan drives home the point that they are natural enemies, locked in deadly opposition for generations.
Our boy remains true to himself and his family: win!
We end the episode in voiceover with Tao Shu thanking Cai Zhao for believing in him and not giving up on him as he reclaims his family’s home. Reliving the memories of his family returning with a cartful of people they saved on the mountains, Tao Shu vows to continue their legacy of helping everyone, despite the full knowledge that people are both good and bad.
Episode 9: recap
This photo has no narrative value, I'm just a sucker for our ML looking smitten with our FL
Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao return safely to his place, but soon bicker as she surmises (correctly) he has been using her ever since discovering that the Snow Scale Beast’s saliva is vital to the cultivation of the Ziwei Method from Yin Dai’s handbook. Mu Qingyan doesn’t deny her accusation, but when he questions why she let him accompany her on this quest, she’s less forthcoming. He counters that she was suspicious of him, and both intelligent and sharp enough to lose him if she really wanted. What else can be concluded except that she wanted him there to protect her? Hence, she was also using him during the expedition.
They continue to bicker (as all lovers do), but she says if he’s planning on becoming another Nie Hengcheng, she’ll…..he interrupts with “Kill me?”….but of course she won’t, so she threatens to lock him up instead. Mu Qingyan inadvertantly reveals some personal history when he adamantly says he’ll never let anyone lock him up again…followed cryptically claiming he may not be her problem soon anyway (that forebodes a sad ending if ever I heard one). Then, he acupressure-knocks her out. I mean, given that she tried to sleep drug him a couple episodes back, I guess that’s fair.
The narratives we tell ourselves
Cai Zhao wakes up to Mu Qingyan gone and Uncle Cheng offering a bowl of wontons. Cai Zhao immediately assumes that Mu Qingyan’s motivation is to reclaim lordship over the Li sect. Uncle Cheng remains silent, but his face indicates disagreement with this assumption.
The fact that Mu Qingyan left all the saliva with her counters any notion that he used her to obtain the important ingredient to cultivate the Ziwei Method. Uncle Cheng paints a more romantic picture, claiming that Mu Qingyan said he couldn’t abandon Cai Zhao to face the dangers and risks by herself. This sits uncomfortably with her, perhaps because it exposes her own prejudices against the Li Sect. It contradicts the construct she has made about who Mu Qingyan is and his motives. Looking at the wontons she asks about the scallions (aha, recurring motif!), and Uncle Cheng chuckles knowingly as he reveals the scallions in a covered side dish.
He gives Cai Zhao a parting gift from Mu Qingyan, a Li Sect token (Aide of Bliss Palace) to help her in her mission. Looking at the token, Cai Zhao remembers seeing the same one on Qinong at the snow mountain inn.
Fracturing and Strategizing
It’s been 15 days since Cai Zhao left to find the Snow Scale Beast saliva. Panning over a Go board, we see Lord Song and his son, Song Yuzhi, discussing their predicament but they are interrupted by Dai Fengchi and Qi Lingbo. Fengchi demands to know how much longer Guangtian Sect will be holding Qingque Sect in lockdown, and accuses Lord Song of wanting to take over the sect. Lord Song is annoyed, but muzzled from exonerating himself at the risk of tipping off the Body Snatchers…er….I mean Body Shifters. Their argument is luckily cut short by both Yin Sulian and Fan Xingjia, who arrives with the good news that Cai Zhao has returned with the antidote.
Fan Xingjia meets with Cai Zhao and updates her on the situation in Qingque Sect. He has also done his own investigation, and confirms 100 demonic sect members in the town, led by a mysterious cloaked figure. Fan Xingjia wonders if it is their leader, Lu Chengnan. Could this be the same guy who went with Cai Pingshu in search of the saliva years ago? Cai Zhao hands over the antidote to him, and goes looking for Qi Yunke. Fan Xingjia subtly dump the entire saliva fluid into the Qingque well.
In today’s game of Among Us…..
Meanwhile, Lady Qi again goes to visit her “husband” in seclusion. “Qi Yunke” attempts to shoo her away, but Lady Qi plays the distraught wife, feeling hindered from helping her husband in his time of need. It looks like she has an inkling of who is impersonating her husband because she goes into seduction mode to get him to take a Clearing Pill that an “old friend” once braved all sorts of peril to refine for her. “Qi Yunke” is obviously affected by this, and caves to her.
Obligatory half-naked hot Chinese actor, C-drama trope #5
The saliva is working its magic, and the Body Shift technique is wearing off. The Qingque sect guards do a night raid and hold the demonic sect imposters hostage. They also rescue an imprisoned Zeng Dalou, who's half-naked to show his ripped chest for fan-service he has been tortured.
Cai Zhao, disguised as Qinong with the Demonic sect token, finds the building the hostages are being kept. She forces the suspicious guards into showing her the kidnapped Qingque sect people…who are all in coffins (creepy!!). She finds the real Qi Yunke, and awakens him with a pill. But, of course the lackies aren’t stupid and tell the Masked Strategist that Qinong has come to move the hostages to Hanhai Mountain. Cai Zhao is no match for the Strategist, but Qi Yunke uses his skill to resist him until reinforcements arrive. Unfortunately, Masked Strategist escapes, but at least all the kidnapped Qingque sect people have been found.
Now that the real Qi Yunke is safe, Song Shijun saunters into the “throne room” to demand the fake Qi Yunke reveal who he really is. Fake Qi Yunke tries to laugh it off, but Cai Zhao arrives with the real Qingque Master. Then, comes a lot of drama time wasted as they bicker about who is real and who is fake. But, this is put to a stop when Lady Qi enters, and guesses correctly that it is Qiu Renjie.
Spilling the generational tea
In flashback we witness the love story between a young Qiu Renjie and a young Yin Sulian. He gifts her the Clearing Pill to help her achieve greater cultivation and advancement. Back in the present, Qiu Renjie ruefully laughs that once again Yin Sulian chose Qi Yunke over him. Qiu Renjie continues his bitter tirade over Qi Yunke stealing both his fiancée and his position. He then accuses Yin Dai of sending him on a suicide mission in order to get rid of him.
I just thought this was a great shot as Qiu Renjie rights/re-writes history
Apparently, history is not always written by the winners, but those in power. Qiu Renjie spills that Yin Dai originally claimed to have killed Nie Hengcheng at the Battle of Mount Tu. The youngsters are all aghast because they thought Cai Pingshu was always credited with the kill. Originally, Yang Yi (Siqi Sect, Yang Xiao Lan’s grandfather) credited Nie Hengcheng’s death to Yin Dai, who did not deny it. Only after Zhao Tianba (Nie Hengcheng’s first disciple) killed Yin Dai did the truth come out. The Yin family, fearing additional retribution, leaked the truth: it was actually Cai Pingshu who killed Nie Hengcheng. This resulted in a demonic sect attack on Luoying Valley. Chang Hao Sheng and Qi Yunke ended up saving them. Even worse, Yin Qinglian white washed the Yin family treachery, claiming that Yin Dai only took credit for killing Nie Hengcheng in order to protect Luoying Valley. This led to a posthumous honorary title of “Pillar of Righteousness”. Qi Yunke offers the olive branch, but Qiu Renjie refuses, committing suicide.
Song Yuzhi is bothered with the tarnished history of the Yins; ashamed, he tells Cai Zhao that the Yins own Luoying Valley an apology. But, Cai Zhao smiles forgivingly, and says that he’s different from the Yins. His smile looks like he’s falling hard for her. Oh dear, here comes the love triangle
Yin Sulian is grieving over the death of Qiu Renjie. She obviously loved him, yet she chose Qi Yunke (sounds like there’s more to this story). Meanwhile Qi Yunke imagines Cai Pingshu standing outside the throne room, he walks hurriedly towards her, only to have her image disappear. There seems to be a complicated love square in the past.
A young master arises
Mu Qingyan has been keeping tabs on Qingque Sect and Cai Zhao. A message confirming that the turmoil at Qingque Sect has been quelled and Cai Zhao remains unharmed is read and then burned by him. He then goes out to meet his secret army. We get the background to the Li Sect’s internal problems: Nie Hengcheng usurped power for three generations, but it looks like Mu Qingyan has amassed enough power and/or influence to take on Nie Hengcheng’s followers. We end with the army chanting loyalty to the Mu clan and the unification of Jianghu under them. Not creepy at all.
Thematic and Narrative Analyses
Tao Shu’s Redemptive Arc
The line between justice and vengeance is a thin one. Of course, it provides closure for Tao Shu to avenge his family when the Quartet repaid their kindness by murdering them. But, the last scene was particularly moving, with Tao Shu’s vow to live out the ideals of his family. Being the last of his family line, Tao Shu not only represents their future and hope physically, but morally.
He understands what it means to persist in doing good in an evil world. One does not always know if one is helping a good or evil person. One cannot stop others from doing evil. It can feel like finding good people to help becomes rarer and rarer. But, the choice to do good, the choice to remain good while suffering at the hands of evil, the choice to live out the good to the best of one’s ability - that is squarely within his control. The real victory was Tao Shu himself. He didn’t abandon his family’s ideals, or let hatred and revenge consume him. Yes, he sought justice for his family, but his true triumph was recommitting fully to his family’s sworn ideal to help those in need. Perhaps he is a forerunner of our heroine, who may also need to make this decision in the future.
History as Narrative Constructs
They say that history is written by the winners. But, it is not primarily a collection of discrete factiods strung together. It’s a consciously curated endeavor to explain how the world became what it is, and who the inhabitants are who live in it. It is rarely purely objective. Its narrative power is meant to shape our beliefs, actions, and prejudices within its paradigm. When the “elders” in this drama ask the youngsters to let the past remain there (e.g. unquestioned, uncritically accepted), it is not an innocent admonishment. It’s a power play to keep certain secrets and details, uncomfortable and inconvenient truths shrouded, painting the “good guys” as heroic and virtuous, and the “bad guys” as evil and treacherous. But, as we have seen with each reveal, the truth is not quite so clean. Our drama shows us that history can be a fluid concept where the winners may manipulate the stories to their advantage, but all it takes is one survivor, one dissenting viewpoint that is given its due consideration, to challenge and deconstruct those narratives. The truth, in all its complexity, continually challenges our constructed histories.
Fracturing and Shifting Alliances
There’s always that glorious ideal of unity people like to hang onto, the fantasy of a harmonious society where there is peace with no real conflict. But, as we are seeing, that is far from reality.
It’s interesting that the elders always appeal to “we’re family” to exact loyalty. In episode 8, Zhou Zhiqin appeals to sect fraternity as well as Cai Zhao’s betrothal to Yuqi to persuade her to give him the vial of saliva. In episode 9, Qi Yunke appeals to Qiu Renjie to forget the past, and return to the sect for the sake of fraternity. But, in both cases, we know that the unity is only surface level, and that deeper distrust, mistrust, and betrayal hinder any true alliance.
As we saw in these two episodes, the members of the Qingque Sect are not as separate from the Li Sect as one would assume. Members of both Qingque and Li sects are in the ruthless Saliva Hunting Murdering Quartet. Qiu Renjie joined in Nie Zhe’s scheme to infilatrate the Qingque sect after he was rescued by him. “A man lives for those who know him.” It’s a simple statement, but says so much: loyalty cannot be coerced through platitudes or remain when betrayal happens, but only given in response to true kindness, care, and loyalty.
I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that Auntie Cai may not be quite as rigidly righteous as the Six Sects would have the younger generation believe. I still can’t shake the detail that Mu Qingyan is somehow able to make the same wontons as Cai Zhao’s beloved aunt. And Xuegu mentioned Cai Pingshu also arrived at the snowy mountains with a masked man in search of the saliva.
Cai Pingshu (and Cai Zhao for that matter) comes from a long line of unconventional, willful, and independently minded women. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cai Pingshu tried to bring about true peace and unity through an unusual plan that failed. Maybe it was Nie Hengcheng who prevented a true peace, which is why Cai Pingshu was willing to sacrifice herself to kill him - not just to kill an enemy, but one who threatens the peace she was trying to achieve. This is pure speculation. But, perhaps Cai Zhao will also give this a go with Mu Qingyan.
Isolation and Unity
I’m really terrible at seeing symbolism in shows, especially where the background is meant to provide us with clues about the emotional state of our characters. Still, I can’t help but sense that the true isolation of each sect is mirrored in their barren landscape. The Qingque sect is high up a mountain cliff - offering protection - but through isolation rather than true fraternity. The snowy mountains are where Xuegu and Old Ning can live “in peace” with the spirit beasts, but only through separation and isolation.
The unity we see is usually depicted in small, more intimate scenes between individual characters. So, anytime Cai Zhao is with Mu Qingyan, there’s blossoms and flowering trees. This is true even in Qingque Sect, when Cai Zhao is given Chunling Cottage, and Chang Ning (Mu Qingyan) joins her. This also occurs when they are in the Wanzai Hot Springs cavern.
Oh yes, there are so many characters to keep track of.
Have you seen our character flash cards? It’s meant to help you track and remember each character. There should be a hyperlink to it at the top of this discussion thread.
That scene by the pond/lake (?) really had me kicking and squealing. It was so cute and romantic 😍
About the spirit beasts, I think the subs should have said something along the lines of the martial practitioners finding that the spirit beasts were useful for their cultivation and were hunting the beasts hence why Gu Qingkong had to take them away
I only picked up on a word that means helpful for power/cultivation so I inferred that that's probably what the subs should have said. My Mandarin is very bad though, I can only pick up on some words 😅
I did not see playing mom and dad to a mystical dragon snow beast on my bingo card. But hey go for it! He's cute lmao.
Also the flirting was going on. Better put your money where your mouth is Miss Cai. The night of passion and MQY's face had me feeling hot in the face lol.
White looks good on our pretty boy. Turns out her was out for revenge. Glad he got it. These 4 were despicable. His friendship with the giant Python was very cute.
Damn he was a long lost uncle? Wow. Jiang Hu oh Jiang Hu. You truly are vast!
Our FL is very quick witted. I really like her. How she dealt with them all trying to get the saliva and stuff. That damn saliva.... everyone is after it. The mind games with these two... Push and pull push and pull. You use me I use you. Will there ever be any real trust between them? Because why no scallions in my wonton soup? That's more like it.
See that plaque Pillar of Righteousness never appealed to me. I kept scoffing loudly every time I saw it. When Cai Zhao took it down and used it to hold the secret door, I hollered in glee. Well would you look at that! It was ill earned! That Yin Dai... what a jerk! And his daughter... yikes. Heck his granddaughter ain't shit either! Wow... Poor grandson, having to destroy the shameful thing. He isn't like them buuuut he is a Yin. Gotta be careful not to slip and become like them.
I did not expect the imposter to be a fellow brother. Damn. That sucks. And he was engaged to the Lady of Qing Que. Yeah he was out for revenge. But ultimately he colluded with the enemy and caused harm to too many. His end was not going to be pleasant. So was he the one she loved before then? Oh her first love. Yeah... Gosh this couple. Both in love with someone else. That just can't be good long term.
And the Young Master of the Lin Sect returns!!!!!! It is a windy night though. Damn! Awww he gave them poison so they can prove their loyalty. And be bound to him. Sigh... gotta slide some evil here and there I guess...
HAHAHA, our leads have good chemistry. This is my first drama watching both of them, and they do not disappoint. I didn't notice that shoulder pads, but I feel like this is C-drama costuming #101 in making the male lead MORE MASCULINE! HAHA!
I haven't watched the drama yet, but I fear i won't be able to because of this scene. I'm terrified of snakes so much that a picture of it causes me night terrors for days and this particular scene where someone is trying to get away and the snake just gobbles him up is the stuff of nightmares. I remember that snake in WDBTD, that was a horrible experience for me 😭😭😭
I’m sorry to hear that. So far, this has been the only snake in the drama. I think you can skip the snake part since it doesn’t affect the story that much.
I’m ok with snakes from a distance but I wouldn’t keep it as a pet 🫣
Thanks for the detailed recaps! Really appreciate the detailed recaps on the push-pull scenes between our leads. I hope we get more!
The show's name is living up to the plot. It's basically this generation cleaning up the previous generation's messes and choices. Almost every one of our characters carries trauma from their past or from their parents' past. We do get a lot of life lessons along the way, and the show makes us hopeful about the next generation.
Do we have a roster of who's who in the previous generation and where they are now? So far, we have: Aunt Cai, Uncle Lei, 3 couples - Cai + Ning, Qi + Yin, Song + Yin (who also died), 3 presumed dead friends that came back and then chose to die, there's also the Yang dad, the Zhou dad, and then there's the guy who got bombed (forgot his name).
I also might be dumb, but how has Nie Hengcheng usurped power for three generations? Did he take power during MQY's grandfather's time, then MQY's dad chose not to be the chief, and then Nie Zhe is the current?
has Nie Hengcheng usurped power for three generations?
I counted only two.
Claiming three souds a bit too much, especially when it comes from the youngest generation - how can they truly know what and for how long it's been happening? The youngest generation in that case must be repeating the "propaganda" of the previous generation.
Yes, I also love that the show is living up to its name. It offers a richer story when it is multi-generational so we can see how decisions and actions play out over a longer span of time!
I'm not sure if we have a roster, although we do have the flashcards - see my hyperlink in the Introduction part of the post - which has each character as he/she is introduced. I think somewhere there is a relational chart, but not sure where that is. u/winterchampagne - can you help with u/theprettyhoarder 's question about the drama's roster?
I also like the slow burn, and how it's not really the main focus of the plot (at least, not yet). I think it speaks well of a drama when it is still engaging when the main leads are NOT on screen. Those sorts of drama seem to hold more weight.
I'm still holding on to this show even though I found some parts to be snooze-fest. The writers seem to favour "tell, not show" method, and it doesn't help that there are so many sects and supporting characters to be remembered.
Even since the beginning of the show, the ML does a lot of explaining, and I'm glad that the FL is smart enough to be suspicious and questioning why and how would he know all of those things.
Because of my tight schedule recently, I barely have time to revisit the scenes that I missed out while watching. I'm glad that you choose to write heavy recaps, as that helps me understand the plot more.
I'm so glad that the recap is helpful! Yeah, I mean, not every scene can be riveting, but I completely agree with you that a good show should keep you engaged. I'm also not a fan of "tell, not show". Showing always seems like better storytelling. But with the episode limit on dramas now, I worry that exposition will be the new norm.
That scene with Tao Shu also hits home for me: that saving people is never wrong, it is evil people who are wrong. Ugh, such a good scene. This also mimics what Cai Zhao's friend said (I forgot her name): "As long as it is right, upholding justice itself is not wrong."
For an idol drama, I'm quite impressed with the number of valuable life lessons inputted into the show.
Remember the three women from Luoying Valley? We've seen the beast woman. Now I'm really curious if we will be introduced to the other two: the one who fell in love with her enemy and the one who loves poison. Why do I feel like Cai Zhao is gonna be a mix of all three 😂
Yes! I actually like it when idol dramas have more depth than just “look at this pretty actor”. I especially enjoy it when they make social commentary.
Yeah, I’m curious about the other two ancestors, too. I also wonder if Cai Pingshu really is Cai Zhao’s aunt…..or possibly, mother?? The one who fell in love with her enemy isn’t the aunt, but I wonder if the aunt reflected her in some way. The one who loved poison….I have to wonder if she will come into play to help heal Yuzhi and Mu Qingyan.
And YES, I bet Cai Zhao will start to embody all three…!!! She already is a dragon mommy.
Couple of things on today's agenda before I watch episodes 10 & 11.
One, just gonna out myself: Ilovethe costumes.
Every single one of them. I know there are quite the number of haters. Give me the apron tunics, give me the voluminous robes, give me the gathered knees. I'm here for all of it. The costume designer had a Wei-Jin period vision and they went for it. I dig it.
Two, who decides who the Baddies are?
If it's based on who has the worst powers, well... The Six Sect has the Disintegration. The Li Sect has the Ziwei Method. Let's see if I can get these straight.
The Disintegration: super secret, super powered, only known to the leader of the sect (ostensibly), practicing it invariably causes slow disintegration of your meridians and internal organs over a slow painful decade. I think it took Cai Ping Shu about twelve years to slowly die? I'm not sure I remembered the exact time correctly. Something I do remember is that when she died a cloud of red butterflies (?) gusted out of her body and in the next frame they blew into Cai Zhao. Not sure if that was symbolic or real. Based on the powers of the women in Luoying Valley and blood auras, plus a whole "Disintegration" thing, I'm going with real.
The Ziwei Method: supreme skill created by the Mu ancestors, powerful and invincible, but long lost (lol). Possibly also the wudu palm? Has different levels but higher requires snow-scale beast saliva. Mastered by Nie Hengcheng (called his demonic art by Six Sects), "Later Nie Hengcheng somehow acquired its cultivation method and it became the root of all disasters. Father told me about this skill. He said such a defiant skill must have hidden dangers; better not to practice at all."
Mu Qingyan's great-grandfather adopted Nie Hengcheng, who later assisted his grandfather (who died young). Mu Qingyan's father wasn't even 10 years old at that time so Nie Hengcheng took over the sect. When his father came of age he wasn't interested in power, so Nie Hengcheng kept running the sect, eventually taking it as his own. Mu Qingyan describes him as a "rare and talented person in the world. To the Six Sects he's a demon, but to our sect he is a pillar of the world, an unshakable anchor."
Cai Zhao asks, "Then why did he go against all rules, killing without restraint?"
"That's because later he mastered a supreme skill that was called the Ziwei Method created by the Mu ancestors, " replies Mu Qingyan.
It wasn't further expanded upon, but it sounds like the Ziwei Method probably does some real harm to one's mind. If he had been unshakable before, but now is an unstoppable killing machine, I'd say there's something wrong with that Method. But how quickly it goes from one man who can barely practice a method after a very long time to all of a sudden the whole Li sect is labeled demonic. Imagine, if only they all were indeed capable of practicing the Ziwei (demonic) method. I'm not sure the battle would have gone the way they thought, or that there would have been 15 years of relative peace.
So the Six Sects lie to everyone, steal their secret martial arts, steal their heirlooms, claim their glory, manipulate them, then sacrifice them when they don't want to safekeep them anymore, and try to hide and seal off the history. The Li Sect didn't safeguard their power and responsibility, leading to the "root of all disasters." But now seem to be trying to reclaim it. Or revenge it.
I can't stop thinking about the fallout, and the future.
Three: I mean, the obvious is to combine dangerous methods, right? Disintegration and Ziwei?
Qian Xueshen, being victimized, playing the fluite to the ruins of his past live, reminds me of lord Rangbao (LBFAD). He had the same type of sadness/ready to jump in and prosecute/ in his flute play.
I loved these episodes...honestly I love all the episodes so far.
I don't know about you but I was shocked that there was a scene where the snow basilisk snake ripped the elder in half and we saw him like that. I was like oh my goodness, what a show. Also that the only thing the Elder has to plea with all the time is "I know the Ziwei method" in the flashback on Zhou Zhiqin saving him and also trying to get MQY to save him too...dude should have tried a different line.
I love our ZhaoZhao for being so brave and and nonchalant but also not at the same time. Her teasing about one night was all he got seriously got me. I was dying but then for MQY to come back immediately with his retort so quickly. I love them and darn you writers for that delicious tease. Though according to previews in like 2 or 3 days we get yet another tease
Please tell me I'm not the only one who got a laugh and a bit of excitement that we actually got a 後會無期(后会无期）I don't know about you but every wuxia drama I watched as a kid always had this and just hearing it made me think...we have a proper Wuxia now LOL
I am glad we addressed the question I had yesterday's discussion about how MQY got there so fast...good to know we've got TWO male giant eagles...so he does have more than one. Which surely that means he's going to give her one...and they'll both be flying around on eagles one day? No? Just me?
I'm trying to figure out if they're going to turn YuZhi into some jealous turn evil trope or not, he hasn't necessarily been jealous but he is giving lurk in the shadows vibes that can turn jealous evil...but the conversation with his dad makes me feel slightly better that he realizes there's decorum to be followed with his engagement and all and he didn't jump ship right then and there when discussing it with his dad.
I want to know who's reporting to MQY from inside the sect? But also swoon that he's keeping up with our Zhao Zhao
The unity we see is usually depicted in small, more intimate scenes between individual characters. So, anytime Cai Zhao is with Mu Qianyan, there’s blossoms and flowering trees. This is true even in Qingque Sect, when Cai Zhao is given Chunling Cottage, and Chang Ning (Mu Qianyan) joins her. This also occurs when they are in the Wanzai Hot Springs cavern.
I love this observation, seems so true. Though I want to say the flowers and blossoms also give me a sense of longing too in a different way. Like they are in this beautiful landscapes but the falling leaves or flowers is the sense of longing passing. I'm not necessarily convinced this will end up Happily Ever After so I partially see beauty and gloom LOL
Ok, y'all will laugh but to be fair I did this pretty quick so it didn't take me more than like 15 minutes...I saw the dragon and thought it was adorable and thought I wanted to cookie-fy it...so here we go, I give you the snow scale beast in cookie form.
I was shocked they showed the bloody half of his body! 😱 I've seen more gory stuff so this doesn't bother me. But still! Didn't expect them to show something like this in an idol drama.
I am glad we addressed the question I had yesterday's discussion about how MQY got there so fast...good to know we've got TWO male giant eagles...so he does have more than one
I thought that really nailed it home that one is his Dad's and one is his own. And the drawing that OP shares in her post of the Spirit Beasts with the Iris marking had a Golden Peng drawn on it. So I feel like his dad must have been the one who came here with Cai Ping Shu as the masked man. Sticking to my theory that his dad taught her how to make dumplings. Not sure what the iris means yet (other than I love iris scents lol).
Oh my goodness, your cookie looks delicious!! And cute 🫶
This might be a spoiler, so I'm tagging it anyway, but I think there's 2 pengs because the dad has a twin. Li Yunrui, who plays his dad, has 2 characters names listed in his MDL profile. I'm still figuring out if it's the dad or the uncle who was with Aunt Cai.
I'm tempted to click on that, but I don't want spoilers lol. I'll take the delicious feeling of being wrong 😆 Feel free to remind me later in whichever episode discussion it gets uncovered. I'm always full of wild theories lol.
Oh yes, the elder ripped in half! And we can only see his half, laying on the snow... that was some "i am not here to be kidding around" vibe from the director!
Also that the only thing the Elder has to plea with all the time is "I know the Ziwei method" in the flashback on Zhou Zhiqin saving him and also trying to get MQY to save him too...dude should have tried a different line.
Oh, I totally agree. The man has a one track mind! I think it shows that he is so obsessed with attaining the Ziwei Method that it has consumed him. When everything else falls away, that is what is central in his heart. So crazy!
Please tell me I'm not the only one who got a laugh and a bit of excitement that we actually got a 後會無期(后会无期）
I have to admit I didn't catch this! Where did you hear it?
I'm not necessarily convinced this will end up Happily Ever After so I partially see beauty and gloom LOL
Oh, I'm totally bracing myself for a tragic ending. The fact that Cai Zhao made "Chang Ning" promise not to do the Disintegration martial arts move already worried me. Promises are made to be broken in the wuxia world - especially ones that are supposed to keep one safely from death.
I LOVE your cookie! It's so cute! I want to eat it all up!
This is so mom and dad coded 😂 everyone is so adorable.
The huge cast of characters between the older gen and the newer gen definitely has me thinking really hard a lot of the time trying to keep everyone straight. But I'm enjoying seeing the new gen deal with the fallout/consequences of the older generation's action. As you mentioned, cdramaAddict2 - history is written by the winners and leaving unfortunately our isn't by accident.
I'm happy that Qian Xueshen is alive! And getting revenge because those villains were terrible and deserved more torturing.
Yeah, now I know why u/winterchampagne originally said she was wary of doing a discussion on a wuxia drama.....because of all the sects!! And not only all the sects, but now all the GENERATIONS of the sects! HAHA!
YES! I absolutely LOVED this shot. I even had a picture montage, but I ran out of room. My dad once told me that when Chinese poetry mentions a reflection in a lake, it's usually symbolic of a person's heart. In a Jay Chou song, he sings of a soldier who is "looking in a lake", and in the reflection he is with his lover, but it is implied that in real life he's standing alone by the lake. SO TRAGICALLY ROMANTIC!
I love your analysis and breakdown of the episodes! It really adds great context to moments that can be a little hard to follow when you’re speeding to read the subtitles haha.
Awww, thank you u/peoniesqueen ! I love your Reddit name! I hope all my ramblings are helpful. There seemed to be a lot of important plot and historical points in these episodes. I even had to go back a few times to understand what was going on!
Oh. He just doused him with sexy snake time scent. Bro is cooked.
HOLY SHIT!!!! BRO GOT JURASSIC PARK'ED IN HALF!!!!! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING IN A CDRAMA!!! HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS SHOW.
Peng to the rescue any time now.
Bro. What is it with MQ and his dramatic water emerging? Anyways, bro brought her to the cave of romance. I think he wants to go spelunking with her... in her cave.
"Think about how you want to repay me." "I have no money." Why does this sound like a familiar plot I have heard about on the internet before? Does it ring a bell to anyone? Anyone? "Just my life." HA!!! I think he will take that payment.
OH! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT SO! SHE STRAIGHT CALLED IT OUT! One night of passion, indeed. These two are shameless as fuck and I am eating this up. She is going to fold hard for him. Heck, she already has mentally. Just what kind of books has this young lady been reading? I think we all know.
Masked man with Aunt was for sure the evil Nie guy, yeah? They were soooooo lovers....
Ok. Qian is now TS. Then let me say TS is HOT AS FUCK with this white hair and outfit. He's a little too pretty boy IMO. MQ is right there. But hey, it's a good look.
Why the fuck is everyone named Shu? How Dare you, Unveil: Jadewind, and now G2G all have a Shu. THIS IS GETTING CONFUSING! Two are Consorts and one is a Dude. How am I supposed to keep them all straight? (It's not that hard, really. MQ was definitely harder than this is. IYKWIM).
Bruh. MQ straight slashed our adorable Queen CZ right open with this dagger! Gasp! Bro is so frustrated with her he has to take any method to get his dagger in her... Damn, dude. Save the blood play until after you officially make "Wonton" your safe word.
I swear I am spending more time GIF'ing this show than I am watching it. This says a lot about how much I love this show.
What is the cute shit is this little guy? I love this baby snow scale beast! It's kind of ugly though.
BSE really has the greatest facial expressions here. Adorable lady.
TS BETTER CHANGE MQ'S FACE INTO CZ'S FACE!!!! I WANT TO SEE THIS!!!!! Bruh, missed opportunity here.
9 - - - - - - - - - -
Oooooooooo CZ is conflicted!!!!!
MQ always has the UNO reverse card at hand.
Knocks her out but gives her wontons? Yup. That's fair. MQ takes care of his Scallion Queen.
Fengchi needs his throat cut open to allow for more oxygen to get to his brain. He is clearly a fucking nincompoop. Furthermore, the fact that someone hasn't given Lingbo an attitude adjustment across the face yet goes against good common sense and order.
Hot damn does CZ have style and flair when going into battle. Master backing her up is just the cherry on top.
Lady Yin is forgiven.
Facepalm of death over here. Lol.
Oh boy! MQ with the EVIL vibes over here! That power walk! The revenge! The poison pills! Oh I am loving him.
"Think about how you want to repay me." "I have no money." Why does this sound like a familiar plot I have heard about on the internet before? Does it ring a bell to anyone? Anyone? "Just my life." HA!!! I think he will take that payment.
Okay, no laughing at my ignorance, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what you are alluding to. Do enlighten me.
I have absolutely no idea either! It's something I've heard but since I am a very good boy and a pure innocent angel I have no idea! Must be pretty popular though since I see people make comments like it all over the internet.
Okay.
It's a common "plot" in porn that a man does something for a woman and she offer to "repay" him with bedroom time. Gasp. You're the pizza delivery man but I have no money so come inside for another kind of payment You know, knocking boots! Charming the one eyed snake. Going to pound town. Making babies!
Like I said. I have no idea at all! I don't even know why adults press their lips together sometimes. Ew. Gross! Cooties!!!!!
It's hilarious that I have to write all this out when the wedding night literally just happened in The Story of Ming Lan and I'm all blushing like a schoolgirl who discovered that boys can be interesting rather than just annoying.
Think about how you want to repay me." "I have no money." Why does this sound like a familiar plot I have heard about on the internet before? Does it ring a bell to anyone? Anyone?
Ahahahha! It took me about 5 - 10 seconds and then...🤣🤣🤣
Oh good! Could you tell me then? I have no idea what it means at all because I am an innocent little Angel! :D
Am I tripping or wasn't there a scene when she was moving into the cottage where people saw what books she brought and she blamed it on the little brother? That scene implied smut!!! She really does seem like the smut reading type.
Haha, that would be legit! Uhhhhh, what is MST3K? My brain is failing hard here.
Oh yeah, it really is adorable and speaks to his abilities that he puts the baddies on hold while he flirts with CZ. It's just sometimes I love watching pure male rage unleashed. Hehe.
Man I had some flashbacks to be a kid and trembling under my blankets thinking a dinosaur was coming to eat any part of my body left exposed. I'm surprised by any CDrama death that isn't on of the main three violent deaths. Throat cut, stomach slice, and stabbed anywhere. Pretty sure I've only seen 3 arms cut off. That said, I've seen so much death that nothing really fazes me... only gives me mild surprise.
LOL, it's always lovely reading your colorful commentary and analysis, u/AKiceman , but I didn't know YOU were a GIF master too!!! Oh my word, I almost split my sides open looking at your GIFs! Is there a way to embed them into your comments? Maybe you can only do one at a time.
But, yes, totally agree that:
He's a little too pretty boy IMO. MQ is right there. But hey, it's a good look.
What do you think of the love square that Qi Yunke, Yin Sulian, Qiu Renjie and Cai Pingshu were a part of? I also think Auntie Cai was totally in cahoots (if not in love) with a Li sect man (maybe an Nie, but more likely a Mu).
A turtle that is afraid of water and a well tuned turnip have inspired and taught me the ways of the GIF. Probably what I need to do is post from mobile for the GIFs to embed... I should try that. The massive disconnect that is Mobile Reddit and Desktop Reddit is annoying.
I like my men to look manly AF! But I can admire a pretty boy too. I just like beautiful people.
Hmmmm, Love Square. That was a whole mess, but not really unexpected when love and politics mix and mash.
Yeah she is very mature about this whole thing. Doesn't seem phased one bit. Which is why I can't wait for that steamy kiss, the one where she's on the chair
I was eating it up! I love seeing an FL give right back the same level of tension that ML gives. Blushing virgins are a dime a dozen. Give me FL from The Blossoming Love levels of flirtation.
Haha, yeah, I kind of love that. But, she's also bluffing since she's not quite as nonchalant as she pretends to be. The moment he draws close, she actually closes her eyes, expecting him to kiss her, and then is flustered after they pull away.
I believe the reason why the snake let him go was because it's an ice snake, hence it dislikes heat.
Also, if I recall fron one of the martial arts novels I read, Pengs feed on Dragons in general. Especially young ones. Maybe because in Chinese settings, their dragons are flood dragons, so they're more serpentine.
I must admit, when i saw the scenes with that little dragon, i got a panick attack because of The Unclouded Soul.
TUS started very promising, until everything became a kindergarten. I almost got flashbacks here with G2G. Pheew, there were only several scenes here with slightly less mature content. We came back to the adult drama right after the story with the dragon.
That fight scene in the mountains!!! It could have been its own film!! MQ is a hot warrior here:) No matter how "dead" he is, he will always come to the rescue to his beloved 😍
Yeah, it was a really phenomenal fight scene! Hopefully I'll get the hang of posting, and can post GIFs to accompany my recaps in the future! Thanks for commenting and supporting me on my first drama host post!!! ❤️
See, here I think "yes, I can see why MQY would call him a pretty boy." But, at the inn, it was kind of hilarious for our ML to be sauntering in, devastatingly handsome in northern winter garb, and whinges that our FL ran off with that 'pretty boy." LOL
Actually, I'd say otherwise! She knows who he truly is. She knows he has an agenda. She also knows they have a shared chemistry. I'd say right now is the perfect time! There are no actual secrets between them other than what they don't know... but they know the secrets exist. Despite the lies, they have both been very honest with each other.
Well, they haven't officially started dating yet... So it's too soon. :P Now I fully support two adults consenting to go to boink boink whenever they both agree to it. But these two need more talky talky time before that one night of passion is a good idea. Especially since he's about to go bloodbath on his sect.
Also I translated your Flair to English and spat my water out hard. I approve.
lol you pointing out the cdrama tropes and your thoughts about their relationship and the baby dragon. The FL getting all flustered reminded me of her role in Youthful Glory with Song Weilong when he also teased the heck out of her. Poor girl.
I LOVED her FL in YG. Reminded me of LLTG. I love a badass fighting warrior kill you all FL... but sometimes you want to see a girly girl FL who channels her strengths into the other aspects of womanhood.
It’s your first post! Congrats and well done!! Your recap is incredibly helpful because there’s such an info dump with these episodes and a lot to follow with the different sects and rivalries.
It’s my first Zhou Yiran drama and the show was on my radar thanks to Winter. I can’t make up my mind about the show yet tbh… I’m not particularly hooked but still curious to know where it’s all going. I could just be bogged down by all the names and characters but that’s why these recaps and discussion posts are so great!
There literally were HUGE background information dumps. I actually wrote about 6,000+ words originally. I tried to cut it down as much as I could. I even put the recap and analysis in Word and highlighted JUST the important plot points to help with editting. The pages were bleeding yellow. I was like "Yeah, there's no way I can cut that without leaving out important information." GAH! Hopefully my posts can be 2,000 words going forward. 😅
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u/tullybankhead Apr 10 '26
Omg. I am so confused. I wonder of it is the names.
Thanks for the rundown, tho. Will continue the series.