Culture Is So Obsessed With The Idea Of Lone Geniuses That It Doesn't Really Appreciate That Most Of

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Steal their look 👗

I'm seeing mysterious lotus casebook being hyped so much because it's queer coded and so similar yet so different to nirvana in fire (which I love) and it's even rated 9.0 on mdl?

Don't get me wrong, I loved it, Rain Wang/Wang Herun was so good as the saintess, the main trio was amazing, choreography also was on point

However I do feel its been a bit overhyped and overrated and it has plenty of room for improvement so this post will focus on the negative points of what was a great c drama

(mild spoilers ahead, read at your own risk but this post is late so most of you might have seen it already?)

One of the things I (and my sister who I watched it with) really disliked was how the saintess got people to do things for her purely because she's hot? Like I get it fits the unrealistic and exaggerated nature of the wuxia genre but also? It's just a terrible trope? Maybe I'm biased because ace spec but it feels so cheap and wrong? It just doesn't make sense to me at all

Another thing was the entire character of Di Feisheng was so slept on? His personality and motivations were explored only on a surface level and despite his and Li Lianhua/Li Xiangyi's relationship dynamics being arguably the most interesting it was pushed aside in favour on focusing on the relationship between Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua/Li Xiangyi (which I must admit I loved their dynamic but still)

I also felt the characters of Qiao Wanmian and Xiao Zijin were boring and off putting, I felt the way they were written was so horribly predictable and unoriginal, like of course girl can't properly get over the MC despite it being 10 years? And of course the 'love rival' of the MC has to be a bad guy? Ugh

And then to the plot - the murder cases were interesting but didn't invite the audience to join in at all as Li Lianhua/Li Xiangyi always spouts out another random obscure martial art technique that does weird things to put the pieces together, also the entire treasure hunt type thing didn't exactly help the plot stand out from any other wuxia

The main villains were again one dimensional and not given the chance for development, the saintess in particular I disliked at the start because it seemed it was all out of her 'love' (obsession) with Di Feisheng (may I mention no reason is given for the obsession part? she's just crazy for no reason?), although she got better when she became power hungry as well so at least it's not her only motive?

Also I do wish we got to see more of the trio found family dynamics and more of how the trio as a whole develops but that might just be because I'm a sucker for the found family trope?

Anyway for these reasons I feel like it wasn't exactly deserving of all the hype I felt it was getting, maybe an 8.5 on mdl fits better? Of course this is just my personal subjective opinion so yeah

Feel free to ask me any questions :)

ARSENIC FOR TEA SPOILERS

(also I haven't read AFT for a while so please excuse any errors)

Stephen Bampton is so nuanced to me because YES he's a murderer, attempted murderer and also was very willing to be complicit in another indirect murder (Lord Wells would have likely been hanged if he'd been arrested) but on the other hand he's a poor, homosexual 17 year old who likely doesn't have a great time at school because of this (remember Hetty saying how she's been secretly darning his socks???) and I'm assuming boys at Eton would have picked on nearly anyone who had a hint of being an outsider. Violence or at the very least ostracization has likely been used against him his whole life and so that's his first resort.

I'm not saying he deserves forgiveness or redemption but maybe some more understanding??? Stephen has been proven to time and time again that adults cannot be trusted - Mr Curtis, obviously, and his father for leaving him and his mother for cheating and then Lady Wells for also cheating, and he also probably felt this way about the police who couldn't catch Mr Curtis the first time round. I'm not saying he was right in what he did, but Stephen could have very possibly thought he was doing Bertie and Daisy a favour by getting rid of their parents and letting Lord Wells take the blame as 'adults can't be trusted'. A lot of what he does seems to be a misguided sense of protection for others and self defence. And he does constantly reiterate to Hazel and Daisy that he's going to keep them safe, that nothing's going to happen to them. Stephen might possibly have also seen how Bertie's parents treat him (reading between the lines, it seems Bertie is mostly ignored and/or seen as a burden child) keeping up this thought process that 'adults can't be trusted'.

The calculated murder almost (ALMOST) makes me want to sympathise with him, as yes Stephen clearly wants to hurt Mr Curtis but then he doesn't want to hurt anyone else? He thinks that when Mr Curtis is out of everyone's lives, not only his but Bertie's too, then things would go back to normal, or at least he wouldn't have to relive the hurt of what Mr Curtis did to his family. However, I do say that it ALMOST makes me want to sympathise with him because in the second half of the book, Stephen gets panicky and resorts to unplanned murder attempts (ie. pushing Lady Wells down the stairs who he thought was Lucy) which screams to me that maybe, not a violent streak as such but definitely an 'angry when fearful' streak was always within Stephen.

In essence, I don't think Stephen murders because he's a cruel person, even though he nears this when pushing someone down the stairs, but murders because he wants to protect Bertie. Ok and yes quite possibly vengeance. As with all the murders, it always goes too far and too deep.

one of my favorite subgenres of writing tropes is "[insert common trope] but how traumatizing and emotionally taxing it'd actually be to go through is addressed and worked through."

I eat that shit UP. I love you chosen ones with massive emotional trauma and a crushing fear of disappointing the people around you! I love you kids who were lied to that they were chosen ones to manipulate them and were taken advantage of via being promised a purpose and something to keep them going! I love you stories where the hero and villain used to be best friends that show how horribly painful that split is and how crushingly isolating it feels! I love you stories where the comedic relief character has massive fucking issues nobody pays attention to! I love you stories where teenage heroes are actually addressed as "hey why the fuck is everyone treating a child like this???" I love you stories about siblings on the other side of a war that show how crushing that separation is! I love you stories where the protagonist not having parents isn't just played for explanation or tragisad points, it's addressed as massively traumatic! I love you isekais that address how terrifying itd actually be!!!! I love you sins of the father stories that address how unfair and horrible and painful it is and the complicated emotional reality that is revenge and guilt and grief and responsibility!!! I love you stories about monster slayers that actually address the potentially gray or difficult undertones!!! I love you stories where the protagonist was on the wrong side and abandoned their home that address how terrifying it is to leave behind everything they ever knew!!!

I love you trope subversion in the form of "yeah, we're gonna do this trope. but how do THEY feel about it?"

Still feeling insane about this shot. "Checking you out between the crossed blades of our swords" yes good but Li Xiangyi is literally seeing his own face in Di Feisheng's sword as it obscures half of DFS's face. If swords and swordplay are the truest expression of - god how do I even describe it - who you are, your core, your relationship to the world and how you act within it, your morals, your standards, your beliefs idk just EVERYTHING - And here is the only other person who can match you, your rival and your enemy and your equal - crossing blades with you, because you think he's betrayed you, killed your shixiong, torn up the peace treaty you created together - but in his blade you see yourself.

The show is telling us literally in the opening scene that these two people are a matched set, do not separate - even as the scene is tearing them apart.

Nihuang my beloved finally competed her. The face is a little messed up in the photo somehow. The little armour details was a real test of patience.

I finished. It won't get any better. Considering I'm still sick, it still worked out well. Aquarius from Roman Szmal, natural W&N sable brushes, white Posca, 100% cotton paper, 300g.

Nine People I'd Like to Get to Know Better

Thanks for tagging me @thebansacredbanned! :))

Last Song: I don't remember but probably from the Arcane soundtrack, maybe What Could've Been? On second thought more contenders: possibly Taroko by August Greenwood or Charity's Letter (Two Maiden Ladies) by Nalah Aiden Palmer and August Greenwood. If all of these are wrong then it'll be a c drama ost song.

Favorite Color: Hmm it used to be blue but I don't have one anymore. Too many great colours to pick from

Currently Watching: About to finish a rewatch of Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Changlin. 5 eps into ATLA and 2 eps into Hikaru No Go (c drama adaptation). Also 10+ eps into the Untamed but I;m not sure whether I'm still watching it or not.

Last Movie/Show: Watched Little Women (2019) and Treasure Planet last week so I'm reading Little Women now! I love the Marches (and Laurie) so much :))

Spicy/Savory/Sweet: Probably sweet? Definitely not spicy (apologies to my ancestors) and I like sweet stuff but also I can't handle too much sweetness (and I seem to have a low bar)?

Last Thing You Googled: Christmas novels - making a quiz for a society at uni and I've decided I'll do my section on books, which made me realise I have not read many Christmassy books at all

I'm not sure I know nine people on here... anyways tagging (no obligation to actually do it, etc): @24cardpickup @thatsarealfuckinglegacy @itsyaboi-ray @thelackofsleep @loopslicydanmat @lovesickfolly