ratbones | I actually watched some new shows! Weird!

I actually watched some new shows! Weird!

- Guardian newbie L has been reading through the fics you guys recommended for them a while back. Thank you so much to everyone who helped out! L apparently stands for Lurker in this case. It must run in the family.

- I am (still) watching TLTR (on iQiyi's free update schedule because I'm not really in a rush). I'm in the middle of episode 22 right now and to be perfectly honest, it's losing me a little bit. I loved all of the actual tomb raiding, with the Iron Triangle exploring and doing dumb shit and getting injured in fun ways. Adventures! Also hand crab zombies. I really loved the giant over-the-top action scene in episode I think it was 15??? followed by the bleeding and fainting and angst about Wu Xie's condition. There was more good stuff with Wu Xie and Pangzi for a couple episodes after that, but now they're separated and I'm really quite bored.

I like Xiao Bai! She's extremely cute at all times and I am suspicious of her and that's all fantastic. But her relationship with Wu Xie isn't really interesting enough to do much for me, and there is no other relationship with any remotely interesting interaction going on right now, and it's not like I was watching this show for the genius plot.

I'm going to keep plugging through, I guess, but we're solidly in the meh zone. They just put a poodle in a jar and the most interesting thing about the scene was skinny Long-ge's devastating cheekbones.

- I also watched Detective L recently, which I have been meaning to do for a long time. That one gets a full and unhesitating endorsement. Even though it doesn't really have an ending. I was already aware of that, and I think being prepared saved me a lot of heartache. By heartache, I mean exploding with rage.
Anyway, I am a longtime Sherlock Holmes nerd and am familiar with a number of adaptations, and if Detective L counts as an adaptation, it's high on my list of favorites. I might or might not get around to making a full review-type post about it. Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman are awesome. (I don't have the gene for het shipping, and I don't really ship anything here at all. It's just a great, fun show with awesome characters.)

- Black Scales is just about finished. Somehow, instead of running out of Guardian fic ideas like a decent person would at this point, I have a BUNCH of ideas happening? I was dreading having nothing new or different to write about these characters and this universe, but it seems like that isn't happening. Most of the ideas I have are for shorter, sillier fics, so we'll see if I'm capable of pulling those off. I do have another longfic concept kicking around as well, but I have a Feeling about its potential word count.

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Yes, Detective L!! It was such a fun show. I just pretend the last episode arc never happened haha.

I'm in the same boat with Lost Tomb, but I started stalling out around ep 16. It's been a week and I've made it to... ep 18... and I just really don't care about anything but Wu Xie + Pangzi. At least its better than Granting You a Dreamlike Life though.

(Yay for more Guardian fic ideas >:])

I like a lot of the writing and acting from the last arc of Detective L (including/especially from the villains!) but that ending...well. Welp.

The thing with Lost Tomb is that when I'm enjoying it, I'm REALLY enjoying it, and I'm willing to overlook a lot. But they've made a bunch of truly baffling writing decisions mid-season, and now the parts I enjoy are just gone. :/ Still holding out hope. You're a braver fan than I, watching GYADL. I've had several people pat my hand and tell me not to do that to myself, lol.

Yay for more Guardian fic ideas >:]
THEY WON'T STOP

I think my enjoyment of the last arc was negatively impacted because around that time work because fairly busy and I watched the episodes in 20 min bursts, often while doing other things, and so the out-of-nowhere infodumps and new character intros were even more abrupt/overwhelming than if I had watched them coherently with my full attention. I did like some of the later arcs though! Just not the very last one.

Same with Lost Tomb! I really love all the Wu Xie relationship/Iron Triangle parts, and really dislike the parts I don't like. So it's hard to get through the difficult sections, but ultimately worth it (or so I tell myself).

Z1L is so good in GYDL, but it is not a great show hahaha. But I publicly said I was gonna finish it so now I've got to follow through. *determined face*

Ohhh, not being fully focused on those last few episodes could make them very confusing and unfun. I think I let some of the weirdness wash over me. The show introduces whatshisname in episode 22 and I'm like, "wait, excuse me, Luo Fei has another friend? Where did he find this one??" and it's never explained at all but the sheer charisma of the show and its leads makes me stop worrying about it. I did find second half of the show weaker overall, but a big part of that for me was the lack of Qin Xiaoman action scenes, heh.

I hope it's worth sticking with TLTR. I think I'm going to try, based on what Naye's telling me, but argh. It's so nice to get to see Zhu Yilong starring in something I actually like, though, when I like it.

Ahaha, yeah,

sylleblahsome told me they wished Luo Fusheng could be transplanted into a different (better) drama. Godspeed.

Yeah, I'll do a rewatch and properly pay attention sometime. The friend from nowhere threw me as well. I kept expecting him to be a bad guy but he wasn't. (I did miss QXM kicking ass and LF failing to kick ass, yes!)

Good luck re: TLTR, do let us know if it improves...

Congrats on all the writing and also IDEAS! ♥♥♥

we're solidly in the meh zone
Yup. Don't know if you've seen any of my posts but on top of possibly not being the most riveting script to begin with, the Warehouse 11 arc had a whole bunch of stuff (including everything they were building up to!!) censored to hell and back to the point where there are episodes where you will feel as if you're having a stroke because nothing makes sense, people end up in new locations with no explanation and talk about events that weren't shown on screen and we're just supposed to roll with it.

And the entire Piaopiao subplot was supposed to be about a ~mystery illness~ tied into the toxic-dust plane and everything else and instead is just about... expensive medical bills. (But hey at least those episodes come with free recommendations for over the counter cold meds??)

I don't know how spoiler-averse you are and I do apologise if this is Too Much Information but according to trailers and interviews Season 2 (which we still don't know when we're getting) is going to be made up the tail end of W11 nonsense and then two different arcs:
1) Iron Triangle Only Adventures (in tombs!!)
2) Everyone Joins Forces For The Big Finale (also in Tombs?)

Hopefully this will encourage you to at least tune back in whenever we get to that point because YES I MISS THE IRON TRIANGLE I MISS TOMBS. GIVE US TOMBS, TOMB SHOW!!

Congrats on all the writing and also IDEAS! ♥♥♥
:D Thanks!

I saw your posts on censorship but just waded into the one a bit, only up to whatever was the latest episode I'd seen at the time, so yeah...uh, I had caught the vibe that censorship had mangled the W11 arc in particular, but it's disheartening to hear the extent. I feel like there could have been something here (investigating mysterious artifacts hidden away in the warehouse, our fave fuerdai getting bullied, industrial espionage!!) but it was a swing and a miss for a few reasons. :/ And the Piaopiao thing was supposed to have a POINT, besides selling me cold medicine?? ARGH.

Honestly, though, if it surpasses a certain level of "what is even happening anymore" I might cross back over into popcorn-munching enjoyment. Not the kind of enjoyment I wanted from this show, but. At least I'll know what happened...to the extent that it is possible to know what happened.

I like general "spoilers" that give me some idea what to expect, I just don't like to have specific events or plot points spoiled for me if I can avoid it, so you're good, and that's very helpful information. S2 sounds promising! More chaotic tomb dorks doing their thing! Please.

I, too, was only watching TLTR for the Iron Triangle and the tomb raiding. (Bromance is my #1 favourite relationship dynamic, but also one of the rarest - especially in live action - so imagine my delight when the Wu Xie-Pangzi-Zhang Qiling trio turned out to be the actual best.) But once I knew they were gonna split up I've been hemming and hawing over continuing. Debated avoiding the Warehouse 11 arc entirely and going straight to S02 where they reunite, but I really do hate skipping stuff, so. *Is conflicted*

I don't have the gene for het shipping...

Me neither! Actually, I don't have the gene for any shipping (I'm blaming it on being both ace and aro, though I don't really know whether that's the actual reason or not ^^) but on the rare occasions I do ship, it's almost always same-sex couples. Might also be the reason why I never managed to get into Detective L or GYaDL... *Shrugs at self*

Somehow, instead of running out of Guardian fic ideas like a decent person would at this point, I have a BUNCH of ideas happening?

🥳️🎉

In all honesty, most of the time, when anyone says "bromance", my brain translates it to "slash". (I mean, it's pretty much industry code for BL in both Cdramas and some parts of Western media...) And I COULD ship various combinations of the Iron Triangle; I'm down for shipfic. But I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy them as a really close platonic trio! They're so good together. I think it's pretty unlikely that I'll watch S2 if I drop S1 at this point (I even watched the Sunglasses + mute girl arc! At 2x speed, lol.) so I'm trying to stick it out, but yeah, I am bored.

Actually, I don't have the gene for any shipping (I'm blaming it on being both ace and aro, though I don't really know whether that's the actual reason or not ^^)
Well, I'm gay and I like gay ships! It's definitely related for me, though I'm sure other people have different experiences. FWIW, the "romance" in Detective L is really just ship teasing, not full-on canon romance. But it sounds like you're not that into male-female friendships - I am, and I'm always hungry for quirky detectives, multi-dimensional action girls, and dapper costuming. So it was very much my thing. GYaDL, not so much.

Huh. I had no idea people were using "bromance" as code for "slash" nowadays. (May have to revise my word usage, in that case, because I'm not at all interested in shipping guys/girls who're in what I consider to be bromantic relationships!) Though in the English-speaking anime and manga fandoms where I usually hang out, "bromance" is used specifically in contrast to BL, so.

But it sounds like you're not that into male-female friendships...

I actually am, but only in cases where there isn't any obvious ship tease. Like Mary and Sherlock in certain Sherlock Holmes adaptations, or Elizabeth and Neil in White Collar. Those with intentional shipping fodder in the canon itself, not so much, because they usually end up becoming official in later seasons or by Word of God, which just makes me feel like I wasted my emotional energy, haha.

Yeah, I guess it's probably context-dependant! It's more like a marketing term meant to dogwhistle slash fans in some places? And I'm pretty attuned to that particular usage.

I hear you about wanting to avoid opposite-sex friendships that just become canon romance later on. I guess I'm used to shaking it off/ignoring unwanted het if it's not the central focus and the show is otherwise enjoyable.

I agree about TLTR. I finished it but it was a struggle to do. There's no reason to rush watching, especially when we don't even know when S2 is gonna air. I'm bummed because the show started off great but then it got slow + they decided to drop almost every character. What the hell? I keep telling myself I need to collect my thoughts and write a review but all that comes out is "WHHHHYYYY???" The bleeding and fainting are definitely very pretty, though!

The first few episodes gave me warm shippy feels for Wu Xie/Xiaoge but now Xiaoge is nowhere to be found, so I'm just :// Sadly, Pangzi's occasional incompetence and the cringy way he behaves around Piaopiao are making me dislike him. *insert even more :////*

The Warehouse 11 arc is quite bad plot-wise, for sure. ...But it hit me in some kinky places, so I can't say I didn't enjoy it. (I haven't seen anyone else perving about it yet, though, so I'll just sit in my corner and try to purge the indecent thoughts.)

I like Xiao Bai too! She's so cute! <3 I find lots of her interactions with Wu Xie funny and I spent a long time being suspicious of her too.

Detective L is amazing! I watched it after I finished Guardian when I was feeling empty inside and my reaction was "This is wonderful but there's a staggering lack of Zhu Yilong in it." :D And, yes, Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman are awesome! I don't ship them also—I'm too into weilan derived. Big love for Luo Fei/Luo Fusheng or Luo Fei/Luo Qingeng (Luo Fusheng's father) or even Luo Fei/Shen Wei (Luo Fei as Kunlun could be cool but there's lots of angst potential if he isn't). Hmmm, Luo Fei/Fu Hongxue would be nice too...I just really love Luo Fei, okay? TT_TT

Yay for fic ideas! I'm sure you can pull off "shorter, sillier fics" if that's what you want to do!

I think I'm in the midst of wildly lowering my expectations for the rest of this season so that I can watch it without waiting for it to be more like the earlier stuff. I do not understand what possessed them, right when they'd hit the dramatic payoff for a bunch fo the stuff they'd set up and had loads of momentum, to completely stall out the Thunder City storyline (Xiaoge and Sunglasses and Wu Erbai and the rest just hanging out in that village...doing nothing for weeks on end...WHY? Where's Liu Sang, is he even still there?) and send Wu Xie off on his own to waste time on some mysteries that he doesn't have great reasons to think are related in any way (with THREE. MONTHS. TO. LIVE.) and...Piaopiao, just Piaopiao. There's nothing wrong with her, personally, there's just no point.

To be honest, I like Pangzi better than Xiaoge - the foundation for the PingXie ship and for liking Xiaoge as a person are both there for me, but he needs a lot more speaking lines or chances to emote in order for me to really bond with him. He has the Lan Wangji disease! Though I like him more than LWJ, partly because his fighting style makes every action scene 10x cooler. I do love Pangzi, but you're right about the highkey cringe with Piaopiao, and I can see where his bumbling could be annoying.

The Warehouse 11 arc is quite bad plot-wise, for sure. ...But it hit me in some kinky places, so I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
Um, this is the most promising thing I have heard from anyone about this arc, haha. I really hope it gives me something to perv about at some point! That would help!

Weilan derivative pairings mostly whistle past me a bit, I think because I know I'm not going to watch most of the shows the other zhubai characters are from and I usually need to know a character to get shippy about them. But Luo Fei is such a precious beautiful floppy-haired genius goober and I really do want him to have a nice Xiaoman-approved boyfriend. (With Zhu Yilong's face? Bonus points.) I read your Shen Wei-in-the-French-Concession fic and there are SUCH possibilities there, whew. I worry for Shen Wei. In that scenario and just as a general statement.

I'm sure you can pull off "shorter, sillier fics" if that's what you want to do!
Hee, thanks. A leetle break from the level 11 intensity PLEASE. That "please" is directed at myself.

Yeah, I made the mistake of going in with high expectations for this show too. I thought that since (afaik) the novel writer was involved with the writing of the script, it would be good. But it isn't and it doesn't seem like that can be completely blamed on censorship. I really hope S2 is better.

he needs a lot more speaking lines or chances to emote in order for me to really bond with him.
Same, actually. The show started off great with his interactions with Wu Xie but then stopped delivering.

Weilan derivative pairings mostly whistle past me a bit, I think because I know I'm not going to watch most of the shows the other zhubai characters are from and I usually need to know a character to get shippy about them.
That makes sense! I'm similar, actually, so I'm trying to make my way through their shows (but I'm not interested in all of them so).
I found that after watching GYADL my desire to ship Luo Fei/Luo Fusheng dropped. I felt that "Luo Fusheng is just outside the law enough for Luo Fei to not want to associate with him," and needed time to work through that feeling. I'm okay now, low-key planning a case fic with them. (I have too many ideas, help!)

I read your Shen Wei-in-the-French-Concession fic and there are SUCH possibilities there, whew. I worry for Shen Wei. In that scenario and just as a general statement.
<3 Oh, do be worried about him! (Spoilers, but if I ever get to writing the continuation I have in mind for that 'verse, Shen Wei is going to be very sad and hurt at the end.)

I didn't come in with high expectations, or any expectations, really, but the Iron Triangle stuff raised my opinion of the show a bit too high, I guess. Yeah, fingers crossed for S2.

The show started off great with his interactions with Wu Xie but then stopped delivering.
Yep. The early on stuff, where he knows Wu Xie is dying and Pangzi does not, and he just keeps...looking at Wu Xie...also that three-way hug before they set out on the initial road trip...SO GOOD. Please more of that, show!

Hmm, yeah, I can see how the whole gangster(?) thing would be a problem for 2Luo shipping. Maybe I should read some 2Luo fic and see if I enjoy the fanon interpretation while ignoring the existence of GYADL. And no, I will not save you from your excess of ideas. Feed us. :3 (Would very much enjoy that casefic from you, I think! If you decide to pursue that.)

Spoilers, but if I ever get to writing the continuation I have in mind for that 'verse, Shen Wei is going to be very sad and hurt at the end.
</3 oh no shen weiiiii. (I say, as if stabbing Shen Wei in the emotions isn't one of my primary hobbies.)

gangster(?)
Basically yeah but it's a c-drama, so they can't be explicit about it. To different degrees, all three major families in the drama are coded as gangsters.

Maybe I should read some 2Luo fic and see if I enjoy the fanon interpretation while ignoring the existence of GYADL.
That's a good way to approach it! I think most people ignore the existence of GYADL. Definitely, I'd ignore most of it (I'd leave the locations and a couple of background characters) if/when I get to writing 2Luo.

And no, I will not save you from your excess of ideas. Feed us. :3 (Would very much enjoy that casefic from you, I think! If you decide to pursue that.)
</3 I weep. (<3 Hee, thanks!)

I am Very Excited about new fic from you!

And I really gotta get around to finishing Detective L. I loved the first three episodes enough that I knew I should wait to see how it ended (and I'm glad I did) but then I just... never... finished? I don't know why I'm so resistant!

Aww, that's very encouraging, thanks! <3

I always find it hard to start something back up when I've stopped partway through... But seriously Detective L is just such a good time. And the case plots are mostly really well-constructed too. While the ending is underwhelming, there is a LOT of awesome stuff between the first case and the last one!

Somehow, instead of running out of Guardian fic ideas like a decent person would at this point, I have a BUNCH of ideas happening?
Good to hear--such a satisfying state for the writer, not to speak of the prospective readers. I'm enjoying Black Scales so much.

I am just about to start episode 21 of the Lost Tomb thing, so I may cease enjoying it the way you have; we'll see. I was saying that I'm watching it about 70% for ZYL (and his cheekbones), 20% for Chinese language practice and 10% whatever else comes up (with an extra 10% or so squeezed in somewhere whenever Liu Sang appears, because I find both the character and his actor delightful in their respective ways), so I may find even the warehouse arc more tolerable, we'll see.

I'm enjoying Black Scales so much.
Aw, glad to hear it! Yeah, I'm feeling pretty jazzed about having stuff to write. <3

I'm still finding Warehouse 11 really monotonous, having made it halfway through episode 23 now. (Only 9 and a half to go...WHEE.) I hope it works better for you! It's Zhu Yilong('s cheekbones) 24/7, so that's not a bad thing at all. No Liu Sang though, which adds to my disappointment. I had grown very fond of him too. He's been underutilized IMO.

Yay for having more fic ideas, that's always awesome, all the moreso when you weren't expecting it!

TLTR is kind of hilarious to me in the contrast of how much I love the Iron Triangle bits and how little I'm invested in anything else. I did find the Warehouse 11 stuff got so ridiculous it came around to amusing me, but it did not have to be so many episodes and I'm honestly curious why it was written like that, whether it was production demands or just some writer... Really likes warehouse?? (I'm also amused because most of the promos for the show have like a minute of W11 at most and a lot don't have it at all... It's like they know people watching a show called Tomb Notes expect and want a show about tombs!)

I'm looking forward to s2 because whenever the show did give me any scene with Wu Xie and Pangzi I was instantly into it again - the Iron Triangle dynamic is so much my thing, I will put up with a lot of nonsense elsewhere for that.

Yes, the unexpected fic ideas are super exciting! :D

I agree with everything you're saying about TLTR. I am absolutely laughing at the secret child warehouse magical dehumidifier death cult. That's priceless. But there are NINE more episodes left in this season? And they all have...warehouse? When will I escape this teal purgatory? Between this and the multiple filler romances, I feel like the show just has too many episodes.

I really don't want to miss out on the Iron Triangle reunion (re-reunion?) in S2, but I might have to do some watching on 2x speed. I hope the show feeds me occasional nuggets of Pangzi + Wu Xie interaction to get me through the long teal winter. Sounds like there will be a little bit, so that's helpful.

the secret child warehouse magical dehumidifier death cult.

IT IS A THING OF BEAUTY. Seriously I have to admire W11 for how absolutely unabashedly bonkers it is, I could not have come up with that stuff if I tried. But yeah, it did not need to be so long. (if only the show were this many episodes but all of them were like the first dozen!)

"teal purgatory," hah! The final eps of the season do get a reprieve, but yeah, judicious fastforwarding/x2 speeding would not be amiss...

LOL, I feel the same about the Lost Tomb right now. I am pretty much *exactly* at the point where they put the poodle in the jar. :) I have already started stalling, because I always do that with shows I don't want to end.

I am still taking caps of those cheekbones like crazy, and so far that is keeping me hooked, but the Iron Triangle parts in the beginning were better. I think there will be more of that near the end again, but I don't know how long I'll have to wait for that. Hm.

Detective L

I've only seen the first half (yes, that means it's good :D), and I loved it to bits, too. Qin Xiaoman is such a great character! The "sidekicks" are what make Sherlock Holmes excel, and she's one of the best.

instead of running out of Guardian fic ideas like a decent person would at this point, I have a BUNCH of ideas happening?

That is awesome news! \o/ This fandom just never stops, and that's a great thing. I am looking forward to what your muse has in store for us. <3

The issue with TLTR, I guess, is that I like the wackiness, but there's a difference between weird deus ex machinas (random warehouse poodle! Crabs operating life-sized puppets!) and just losing the plot entirely, and I feel like Warehouse 11 is always on the line. Bleh. I think the factors keeping me going are Zhu Yilong + sunk costs fallacy (but I already watched 24 episodes!) + hope that season 2 is going to have...y'know...tombs and a reunion. Much as I love him, Long-ge alone cannot sustain me forever. C'mon Iron Triangle!

The stalling on good shows thing is interesting. I think I've done that a few times in the past, but now I tend to binge through stuff quicker as I approach the end. If I'm not enjoying it that much, then at least I finished; if I'm enjoying it a lot, then I get to check the AO3 tag as soon as I'm done. :P

Agreed that Qin Xiaoman is a top-notch Watson! She's really smart and really likeable, and I absolutely love her "hold my beer" method of dealing with fleeing or violent suspects. She just doesn't hesitate. <3 Sorta can't believe we got such a fantastic female sidekick in this show.

This fandom just never stops, and that's a great thing.
Yes! I'm so pleased that the fandom as a whole is still chugging along, too. I hope I manage to get some of these concepts into story form, and that they're enjoyable to read... ^^

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I actually watched some new shows! Weird!

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