themarchioness

As promised, I’ve posted a JJ/LX fic. ( @NiteWalker by your request!) https://archiveofourown.org/works/26502409

LOL, admittedly, I am too. For the same reason. But he's not relevant to this thread while the others are. :P (I'd shared this to the Yibo thread I'd have responded differently. ;))

Forget Han Dongjun, is that CT, MY, and TC that I spy in this teaser clip for DDU?? https://mobile.twitter.com/uniq5s/status/1305172975893716995

Fic Update: My story regarding HZQ and QMY is now complete: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351800?view_full_work=true Next fic will feature LJJ and LX (per @NiteWalker's request!).... just need to start working on it. :P

Of course not! Thank you for sharing.

Thanks! I update daily. So keep checking back.

Did I turn Papa Li into a mother?! I think he turned himself into a mother. LOL. (He's the best mother/father there ever was!) If I can think of an idea for LX/JJ, I will.

As promised/threatened (depending on how you want to think of it, hehe), I have started writing a fic about Zi Qiu and Ming Yue. If you are inclined, please give it a try and let me know what you think. I've tried my best to stay true to each character and their personality. Teaser and link below: Sweetness in Beijing Summary: He Ze Qiu travels to Beijing to participate in a dessert baking competition and reunites with Qi Ming Yue.

It is, but that's kind of Gu Man's style. I remember reading Shan Shan Comes to Eat, reaching the end, and going, "Wait, what? It's over already?" LOL. The author has a habit of getting straight to the point and then cutting you off! But fortunately we sometimes get epilogues that share more. ;) Haha, I'm sure we'll get a broody Yang Yang. That's fine, though. Pensive, broody Yang Yang is always a treat to stare at.

I agree. Although the divorce may feel like a loss, I hope through this experience she will learn to live a life for herself.

Finished the raws, finished the subbed episodes, and I've had time to let the drama's ending percolate. Ultimately, the conclusion is that I liked it, but it definitely felt rushed and there are also a few things that still niggle. I kind of wish the drama had about two more episodes on it because I feel like that would've given the story time to round itself out, but I'm mindful as well that one of the things I have really appreciated about this drama is that at no time did it drag either. Truly, the charm of this drama is that it gave us a cast of characters and made us fall in love with each and every one of them. (Well, okay, most everyone. There are some I know we could've done without. :P) - He Zi Qiu: When the drama started, he was the sibling I felt the sorriest for. Although JJ and LX came from single parent homes, and LX also had a broken family, they at least had a parent and didn't suffer the same questions that ZQ grappled with all his life. But as the story unfolded, we learned that he had actually had a pretty amazing mom and by the end, I actually felt like his story was the one that was most complete. ZQ found his family, his security, and as @Lynne would say, he found his "Happiness." It's been no secret that I also wanted to see him in a relationship by the end of the drama, but even I have to admit, the story never took him there and that's okay. I've got plans for him regardless -- hehe! All in all, ZQ remains my favorite sibling in this drama and I credit ZXC for that. His acting was just aces! (And for anyone looking for another project of his to watch, I recommend "My Huckleberry Friends.") - Li Jian Jian/Ling Xiao: I'm just going to group the two of them together because they come as a pair anyway. Honestly, LJJ's character had the least room to grow once she literally grew up. Although she grew up motherless, her father more than made up for that lack and she was pretty adjusted throughout. It's Ling Xiao, on the other hand, who seemed to decompensate before our very eyes. I actually found that unsettling and wished the drama had done more to help him, because really, once the arc of him and JJ becoming a couple was completed, all we ever saw of him were scenes where he struggled to cope with the trauma that was his mother (with JJ feeling more like a nursemaid than a girlfriend, IMO). It's unfortunate for him that so much of his progress was tied with Chen Ting's and that didn't get resolved until the very last hour; sigh. Also, the one thing I really really wanted for him was the one thing he never got -- as @Lodestar already mentioned: would it have killed someone to reassure poor LX that he was not responsible for his little sister's death, and that he owed his mother nothing??? His father had the perfect opportunity at the end and I so thought that's where the dialogue was going to take them, since he brought it up, but instead they turned to the window and watched the thunderstorm, and I am still harumphing over that! - Chen Ting: As you all know, I always hoped she would turn around and become a better person -- for her son's sake -- and in the end, we got that. But why does it feel too little/too late??? Others have already commented on the things I disliked (the last minute suicide attempt, her selfish need to make her children chose sides, etc.) so I won't rehash those points. But I will say that for the peace of all, I am glad that the drama ends in a way that allows everyone to move on. As LX told his mother, only by staying alive can she make up for the past, and I believe she will. Whether she stays in Singapore or eventually moves back to China, I think she, LX, Orange, and JJ will be fine. - Papa Ling & Orange: Papa Ling was pretty much the same throughout so there's not much to say there, lol, but I will say that I appreciated what he said to CT at the elevator. Apologizing and shouldering some of the blame for the past, and finally! An acknowledgment of PTSD. As for Orange, I really enjoyed watching her character development particularly once ZQ stepped in to provide guidance. It was sweet to watch. (But, no, I'm not going to ship them! Haha.) - Papa Li & He Mei: I'm just going to insert a bunch of imaginary hearts here. They are simply the best with Papa Li being my absolute favoritest character in this drama. As for HM, the only additional thing I want to comment on regarding her character is the moment when JJ called her, "Ma!" I loved the way her entire face lit up. It reminded me of the first time ZQ called Papa Li, "Ba!" [insert more hearts] :) - Ming Yue, Tan Can, & Zhang Bei: It's a well-written drama that makes you care about the side characters as well, and I definitely felt that here. I genuinely want to know how MY will fare in Beijing and what she'll do in two years after her internship is over. Heck, I even care about her parents at this point! Similarly, I'm curious how TC's play will turn out, wish for her success as an actress, and am rooting for ZB to win her heart back! I want to know how all of these characters and their lives will continue... but I guess that's the best way for a drama to end. In a place where it leaves us wanting more. ;)

I totally reread it recently, after the drama was announced, haha. It doesn't take long to reread after all. I actually love all of it - the build up's fun and even though they don't get together until the end, there are all the epilogues that follow which show us how they are as a couple. So I feel like we actually get quite a bit of them together as a couple? One thing I appreciate about Gu Man novels is that they get straight to the point. It's the drama that, I'm sure, will end up making things much more complicated. :P

Beautiful words from ZXC/HZQ. Thanks for sharing @NiteWalker! Been too busy with work lately to pop into the forums, and now letting the end of the drama percolate in my thoughts, but I hope to share some at some point. In the meantime, I've started working on my fanfic... hahaha!

So true. I was telling @Lynne earlier that in that scene when JJ crawls into LX’s bed to offer comfort, I was actually hoping ZQ would suddenly pop up from the floor. Kind of like a mirrored scene to when they were kids. I guess he’s busy with his own concerns right now but it would’ve been a precious (and hilarious) throwback. 😝

I watched the first half, but didn’t have time to finish. I’ll watch the other half later this week. I was also surprised to find that “Yi Yi” from GYH made a brief appearance in the episode. It’s like all my favorite things combined in one episode, hahaha.

Ugh, CT and FXX hangin’ out is like the worst combo ever.

I joked the other day to @Lynne that the end pairings of this drama would be: LX+JJ and ZQ+Hukou. And...

I’m going to start calling her Cold Water 😝 @Lynne 😘

@Lynne You and your reminders today, grrrr! 😂 I’ve never been worried about that image though because LX is resolute, JJ will always come first, and everyone else will support them. So, even if CT doesn’t come around, it’s only she who would be left to wallow by herself. But... having said that, I still think it’d be better if she mended her ways. For LX’s sake. Because he’s a responsible child and I think he’ll always worry for his mother. Even now when something feels off, he’ll call his sister to check on his mother. These children have been raised by their two dads, so of course they’re thoughtful and responsible people. Much as they probably wish they could cut the cord, they can’t.

Actually, if I were honest, it’s not CT’s return that has me worried. It’s that TC has been showing too much concern for ZQ lately!! Hahahaha. As you all I know, while I’d be perfectly fine if ZQ’s ending was was that he found peace and happiness, I’d also like him to find romance. And TC is not who I have in mind for that! (I’d rather him remain single in that case!) Don’t make me have to write a fanfic just to get the ending I want, Show!! 😂😂😂 For sure. This drama shows us time and time again how the three of them may have their squabbles amongst themselves, but the minute any one of them is affected by anything, they stand arm and arm to protect and support. Meeee tooo.... Papa Li is always so humbling, so great. I also love how their morning started with their old patterns sliding right back into place, complete with ZQ banging on the ceiling for LX to come down. ❤️

I’m a guarded optimist by nature so I’m going to have hope but with a cautious heart just so I won’t be completely devastated if things don’t go well, haha. But the hopeful viewer in me hopes she returns to make peace with her son, so that LX can also be healed in the same way that we are currently seeing that process unfold with ZQ. Is it too fairytale to hope for that? 😂

I’m not sure I feel sympathy for her either, tbh, 😝 but I do understand her situation. I guess the line I’m trying to draw is I think there’s a difference between her always being caught up in her misery because that’s her nature to be that way and her being caught up in her misery because her life truly does suck in that moment. I also think when she saw the burn on LX’s shoulder that was a wake up call to herself that she needed to pull out of her black hole and start rehab. We don’t actually know what then happened between that moment and LX’s eventual return, but I imagine it continued to be difficult. I’m sure there were moments of setback. I’m sure in her hardest of times her temper would flare. But was she always a raging, angry person? I don’t know. Maybe it was also the case that things were okay-ish, and it wasn’t until LX wanted to leave that all those selfish tendencies of hers returned. Then again, ultimately, she let him leave. We’ve all been presuming she still has something up her sleeve, but maybe she did see the light. I honestly have no idea what that woman is up to, but if this drama has taught us anything, it’s never too late to open hearts and forgive. We will have to wait and see what the drama has in store for us with CT! Honestly, I have always thought what CT really needed was a good psychiatrist. She lost a child and now she’s an invalid. Say what you want about her as a mother, but this woman does not have a good life. And I think you’re right that JJ serves as a reminder of her own failures. She also feels that JJ serves a block in her reunion with her son.

That's why I also said that I still don't like it when CT is showing us her demanding and expectant sides. But, I think it's important to distinguish between her actions/behavior as a mother and as an injured patient. We can (and should) hold her responsible for the things she does in her role as a mother. But we should show generosity and understanding when she's behaving in certain ways because she's sick -- at least, that's my opinion. To put it another way, it is very realistic to imagine a situation where a person who has always been the nicest and most loving of persons, gets into a serious car accident, and now they're behaving as CT does. In that situation, we'd have no problem feeling sympathetic and would forgive them for anything they might say and do because we understand, they're just dealing with a lot of pain and having to adjust to their life being completely different from what it was before. CT's situation is tricky because she hasn't always been the nicest and most loving of persons, so we feel prejudiced against her. But what she's going through is no different from what the nice/loving person I described above is experiencing. That's why I say we should separate how we feel about her as a mother versus as an invalid. This is, I imagine, what LX was also struggling with when he took care of her. Can you imagine how hard that must've been for him? Here's a mother who he doesn't like; she gave him up when he was a child. And yet, he has the sensibility, the maturity, and the heart to understand his mother is presently in pain and needs help, and so he can't just set her aside. It's no wonder the boy ends up as stressed as he does.

I do love them :) I've seen that part that you're describing through Twitter clips previously. The better part, though, was where ZLY cleverly added, "We don't care." It was a nice work in of Yibo's song title! Anyway, just finished watching this week's Happy Camp episode. So fun with their two agencies facing off of each other. Can't wait for the fun to continue next week.

So many tears...