antiherodiaries

I think Feng Long was more mad over the fact that Jing broke "Bro Code" rather than that Jing and XY were frolicking under his nose. 🤣😅😂 Once he and Jing restored thier Bro Code, he was alright again. Priorities, am I right?!

Yes, but TH didn't describe anything in Once Promised that was distinctly of the bull in her introduction of the beast in Jiuli.

The bugs listen to the one with the more spiritual powers, not the person who raised them. Xiang Liu suppresses the bugs, prevents them from hurting Xiao Yao when she betrays his heart, and keeps the pain to himself, while taking thier poisons for the both of them.

There are three instances where XY felt the pain of the bugs. 1) CX assassination attempt in Chiusui where she threw her body to protect him. She felt a slight sharp pain, which was XL pain of seeing XY desperately shielding CX. 2) At CX first wedding, shortly after she found out about FFYY pregnancy, her heart hurt so much, she almost fainted. But the pain quickly dissipated. 3) After the runaway wedding from FL, XL let her feel the pain he endured. It was so painful, it rendered her paralyzed. He used this pain the push her away, she interpreted it as him wanting to kill her.

Seven days left...just counting down til I meet Xiang Liu again. In the meantime, just dropping it here one of the most important plot devices in Lost You Forever.

What are the 情人蛊 (Qing Ren Gu)?
情人蛊 (Qing Ren Gu) literally means Lovers (情人) Poisonous Bugs (蛊). It does not mean Friendship Poisonous Bugs (朋友蛊).

"Lover's Poisonous Bugs symbolize a pair of male-female ancient toxic insects, where the lives of a man and a woman intertwine. Their hearts are ENTANGLED, communicating simultaneously. If one person is hurt, the other also feels the pain; if one person is wounded, the other will be wounded as well.

With masculinity alone, there is no flourishing, and with femininity alone, there is no development. When everything is in balance, there is an inherent presence of imbalance. The greater the advantage, the greater the disadvantage; this holds true for love curses, such as the Lovers Poisonous Bugs. They enable LOVERS to share each other's emotions, with both lifelines interwoven. The Lovers Poisonous Bugs reflect TWO LOVERS IN LOVE and are extremely difficult to tame. Once they break, both will perish. Hence, the Lovers Poisonous Bugs are also known by another name—grief-stricken heartbroken poisonous bugs.

If both hearts are one, GROWTH occurs. If the hearts conflict, there is DEATH. Once the Lovers Poisonous Bugs establish a connection, there is no way to uproot them. In this particular case, I want to mention that, few have raised them; yet, some stubborn women have successfully done so. However, even if the bugs are raised successfully, it is incredibly hard to find men who wish to be connected with them."

Argh! 😩 How could I not remember this one?! We were truly robbed of all the instances.

Yes! They also neglected and chose to cut XY's inner thoughts. She specifically remembers that during her time sleeping, Xiang Liu's company and conversations helped her endure the loneliness. That is the only reason she kept TSJ company and talked to him, because she knew how lonely it could be. And because they robbed us of all the scenes of XL feeding XY his soul blood by lips, non-novel readers missed the correlation between YaoJing's medicine kisses and YaoLiu soul blood kisses, which is that everything XY does for Jing, she had done with XL first. Basically, the lessons XY learned from XL, she will enact onto others.

Tong Hua never really specified if Chi Chen (Chi You) was Jiuli, but in Chinese mythology and Hmong/Miao folklore, Chi You is the ancestor of the Jiuli.

In my initial thought, I've interpreted his true form to be that of a gorilla. He couldn't be Jiuli because they are human and don't possess spiritual powers; that's why they practice shamanism, medicine, and forbidden magic. Kaolo Playground, as well as AI, translate it as witchcraft, which is a mistranslation.

In conclusion, due to the lack of evidence proving he is a demon, I've accepted that he must have been an orphaned deity, running wild.

Omgad...........I'm crying already! Who dares call this plutonic love?! 🥹😭🤧

Most Xiang Liu fans understand XY better than XY understands herself, haha. We admire her when she is genuine, but we think she can do better when she pretends to be someone she's not, especially considering her values and priorities.

As I mentioned in a previous comment, XY's achievements didn't change her life, her outlook, or the course of her life; instead, her flaws dictated her choices and decisions hindering her legacy. One can still have humble goals yet be consistent and true to themselves.

For instance, take her archery skills: after decades of learning, she stopped once Cang Xuan became emperor. Why? Because she claimed Cang Xuan was now safe. What's the point of spending all those years honing a skill only to abandon it once safety is assured? This shows a lack of discipline and consistency.

Another example is her research on the Flame Emperor's work. She opened a clinic but abandoned it after Jing's death, denying herself a chance to find value outside of her psychological and emotional trauma.

She finds all sorts of reasons to halt her progress, which undermines building character, resilience, and self-awareness.

With all this talk about typical gray characters, I would like to break down the character types in Lost You Forever.

GOAT:
Xiang Liu

Hero/Heroine: A character exhibiting admirable qualities such as bravery, self-sacrifice, and integrity, who undertakes significant challenges or quests for the greater good.

1. Chiusui Feng Long
2. Rou Sou
3. Ah Nian

Complex antihero/antiheroine: A character in a story who lacks traditional heroic qualities, often exhibiting morally ambiguous behavior, internal conflicts, and flawed characteristics, making them relatable and multidimensional.

1. Xiao Yao
2. Cang Xuan

Anti-villain: A character who opposes the protagonist but possesses qualities or motivations that make them sympathetic, understandable, or even admirable, often blurring the line between good and evil.

1. Fang Feng Yiying
2. Chiusui Xingyue

Complex villain: A character who engages in antagonistic or evil actions but has a nuanced personality, detailed backstory, and multifaceted motivations, making their behavior and choices more understandable and sometimes even relatable.

1. Tushan Hou
2. Xiyan King (based on his actions/decisions for power)
3. Haoling Emperor (based on his actions/decisions for power)

Villain: A character in a story who opposes the protagonist and engages in harmful, immoral, or malevolent actions, often serving as the primary source of conflict.

1. Xiyan uncles and nephews

Plot device: A narrative technique or element used to advance the storyline, develop characters, or introduce and resolve conflicts within a story.

1. Tushan Jing
2. Lover's Bugs

But......XY did find his INABILITY to live without her romantic 🥴... AND his only reason to live is her which makes thier realtionship extremely unequal -- her position in a savior complex and his position in inferiority complex.

And I disagree. XY loved CX more than anyone. He is the only she would use her body to protect. Romantically, she loved XL the most. He is the only one she is willing to lie and kill for. Jing, she loved him for putting her first.

Xiang Liu is anything but a typical gray character.

Xiang Liu is what you would consider an underdog, lone-wolf type complex antihero!

Give me ONE character that checks all three boxes.

Let me break it down for you with some examples in dramas/films for context:

Complex antihero:
1. Shen Yi (Tan Jianci, Under the Skin)
2. Gu Yun (Tan Jianci, Winner is King)
3. Tantai Jin (Luo Yunxi, Til the End of the World)
4. Wei Wu Xian (Xiao Zhan, The Untamed)
5. Ling Buyi (Wu Lei, Love Like the Galaxy)

Underdog hero:
1. Zhang Chu Lan (Peng Yu Chang, I am Nobody)
2. Tang San (Xiao Zhan, Douluo Continent)
3. Ning Que (Chen Fei Yu, Ever Night)
4. Xiao Yan (Wu Lei, Fight Break Sphere)

Lone wolf warrior:
There are no lone wolf warriors in the current Chinese drama landscape. These types tend to show up in films. Here is a short list:

1. Wong Fei Hong (Jet Li, Once Upon a Time in China)
2. Ip Man (Donnie Yen, Ip Man series)
3. Quan Ngoc Minh (Jackie Chan, The Foreigner)
4. Sing (Stephen Chow, Kung Fu Hustle)
5. Nameless (Jet Li, Hero)

I have all my essays saved in my notepad, so no worries.

Girl are you Nath and my long lost sister for another yet another mother? Why do you understand Cang Xuan so much?! 🥹 Like Nath, if XL didn't exist, Cang Xuan would be tattooed onto me too. I also send you my condolences. 🌸

A viewpoint that questions whether Xiang Liu and the Chenrong's fight—regardless of others' hindsight as a lost cause—was even worth fighting for comes from a very narrow and privileged mindset that disregards generational trauma, ancestral displacement, and oppression. It is rooted in colonial foundations where oppressors believe they are better, their culture is superior, and their new ways of life are more peaceful; hence, why aren't people just happy and accepting of it?

IMO, the only way to understand the Chenrong army is to take one's mind out of a colonizing mindset. For those of us whose ancestors had to either assimilate into the dominant culture or migrate to avoid genocide and cultural destruction, the latter being a more guaranteed way to keep our language, customs, and rituals, the Chenrong remnants' fight and presence mean 1) Xiyan cannot truly assimilate Chenrong, and 2) if Xiyan should fall, Chenrong would have a means to protect itself.

When Cang Xuan conquered DaHuang, what did he do to prevent future conflict in Chenrong? He separated and divided Chenrong, ordered the displacement of numerous tribes, and forbade several Chenrong tribes from intermarrying. These tactics were not written from TongHua’s imagination; they are REAL historical tactics interjected into DaHuang. These are assimilation tactics designed to destroy indigenous culture. Maybe, to someone who has never had to wonder if their way of life would cease to exist, it can be hard to understand and grasp the righteousness of the Chenrong remnants.

Another example from *Once Promised*: For some years, Chi Chen was the reason the Jiuli had the power to resist sending their people for indentured servitude. But do you know what happened once Chi Chen was assimilated and owed his life to the Chenrong Emperor? He stopped protecting the Jiuli, and they were forced to continue sending their people into servitude to the great clans.

For me, CX's rule brings back the stories of my ancestors and the violence they suffered. As Tong Hua has based LYF on Chinese mythology, one of those is The Battle of Zhoulu. At the end of the battle, after the fall of Chi You, his remnants were divided and separated. One brother led 1/3 of the Jiuli and assimilated into the Central Plains. The remaining 2/3 were displaced and moved southwestward.

Those of you who are wondering, "What would happen if Cang Xuan dies, or Xiyan falls?" If one cannot imagine a world in which CX doesn't exist and Xiyan is not in power, then it means one has been played into the oppressor's propaganda.

Had someone asked me if Chi You's remnants had managed to defeat the Yellow Emperor in Chinese antiquity, who would lead the Hmong/Miao nation? One would only hope that the man in power would be one to protect their way of life. In my ancestors' case, it would have been one of his surviving brothers or generals who fought to keep my ancestors in their land.

Speaking as someone whose ancestors were divided, displaced, oppressed, migrated, and sought refuge fogenerations through the corruption of the Ming Dynasty, genocide campaigns of the Qing Dynasty, Vietnam War, and Secret War in Laos, someone like Xiang Liu is a motherfucking hero. Therefore, Hong Jiang's and the Chenrong Army's resilience is justifiable. They had every right to fight and protect what they believe in.

XY eventually understood this and held no grudge against them or Xiang Liu. And do you know what? XY herself couldn't free herself from her own loyalty to Xiyan and her family. Oh, and you know what else? XY was only able to turn her back on her bloodline with the loss of Xiang Liu. That is the impact Xiang Liu had on XY; his loss was so profound that it finally caused her to sever her ties to her family—the family she lost and was desperate to return to for over 300 years. To finally realize what truly matters only after you’ve lost it is XY's real lesson. That is why she had no qualms taking Jing to the ocean despite it meaning creating another generation of trauma for another child.

Why is Xiang Liu a war hero, Hong Jiang's fight honorable and the Chenrong Resistance Army justifiable?

Below is revised and more thorough analysis response to a now buried comment.👇👇👇

This viewpoint seems to come from a very narrow and privileged mindset that disregards generational trauma, ancestral displacement, and oppression. It is rooted in colonial foundations where oppressors believe they are better, their culture is superior, and their new ways of life are more peaceful; hence, why aren't people just happy and accepting of it?

I think a lot of what you're looking for, Kokuto already answered. Therefore, I approach this from an angle where, to wholly understand what's going on, we need to recognize that there are people trying to twist the narrative through a gaslighting campaign to invalidate our experience while creating a biased mindset for those who haven't seen the drama or read the novel.

One way to understand the Chenrong army, is to take one's mind out of a colonizing mindset. For some of us whose ancestors had to either assimilate or migrate to avoid genocide and cultural destruction just so we could keep our language, customs, and rituals, the Chenrong remnants' fight and presence mean 1) Xiyan cannot truly assimilate Chenrong and 2) if Xiyan should fall, Chenrong would have a means to protect itself.

When Cang Xuan conquered DaHuang, what did he do to prevent future conflict in Chenrong? He separated and divided Chenrong, ordered the displacement of numerous tribes, and forbade several Chenrong tribes from intermarrying. These tactics were not written from TongHua’s imagination; they are REAL historical tactics interjected into DaHuang. These are assimilation tactics designed to destroy indigenous culture. Maybe, to someone who has never had to wonder if their way of life would cease to exist, it can be hard to understand and grasp the righteousness of the Chenrong remnants.

Another example from Once Promised: Chi Chen was the reason the Jiuli had the power to resist sending their people for indentured servitude. But do you know what happened once Chi Chen was assimilated and owed his life to the Chenrong Emperor? He stopped protecting the Jiuli, and they were forced to continued to send their people into servitude to the great clans.

If one cannot imagine a world in which CX doesn't exist, and Xiyan is not in power, then I guess one has been played into the oppressor's propaganda. For me, CX's rule brings back real ancestral trauma, and your question in the latter is like asking me if Chi You's remnants had managed to defeat the Yellow Emperor in Chinese antiquity, who would lead the Hmong/Miao nation? One would oy hope that the man in power would be one to protect thier way of life. In my ancestors case, it would have been one of his surviving brothers or generals who fought to keep my ancestors in their land.

As for translation, I don't usually trust it fully becuase there is always room for mistranslation and things being lost. I take it with a grain of salt.

WeTV now has it on Facebook.

Why are people calling a resistance army a rebel army?

I guess if you think the Xiyan Empire is the good guys, then it makes sense. But the Xiyan Empire is not the good guys; they invaded while Chenrong and Haoling were at peace. Grandpa Xiyan orchestrated assassinations, killed his own son/heir, and pressured his only daughter to release her sun powers so that he could defeat Chi Chen in battle. We're all rooting for XY, hoping she will make decisions that lead her to the life she desires, but don't let that dilute the fact that her family were always the instigators that ignited the flames of war.

The Chenrong remnants stayed in hopes of turning the tides and regaining their country. They didn't exist to inconvenience the lives of Chenrong. XL's notorious reputation came about because Xiyan couldn't defeat him, so like Chi Chen, they launched propaganda to keep people in fear. And fear is a powerful tool to control the masses.

So haters are also using the same propaganda tactics found in the novel in real life to smear XL as a character. Because XL the resistance fighter is more positive and powerful as opposed to XL the rebel fighter.

Don't fall for such idiocy. I don't remember anywhere in the book where TH calls the resistance army the rebel army. (¬‿¬)

oh snap! where have seen i elsewhere?