Sugardy Candy

Actually I can't believe I'm doing Yuletide this year with a lot going on in RL. It will prove a good distraction, if nothing else, I think/hope.

UPDATE: I missed sign-ups! >_> A lot's been going on, so maybe it's for the best.

Since last year when my supervisor left the company, I've been doing a big part of what he used to do. We had a newbie for a while, but before I could train said newbie properly, they left because they were too stressed. So. Me getting close to tears and burnout over the course of the last 6 months, recovering if there's a respite (despite all odds I actually do like most parts of my job, even if I give it a fatalistic side-eye every other day), and contemplating throwing in the towel every week.

I did manage to get my year-end leave figured out, and the thought of going on break is the only thing that keeps me going for now.

Hoping to read some marvelous History3 fic eventually <3

A bit distracted as I'd only recently returned from a trip to Japan, where I was at, among other places, Saitama, so I could watch Hanyu Yuzuru's RE_PRAY performance, which was spectacular, thanks for asking, and I've never regretted my lack of gaming knowledge more? In one sense it's been exciting finding out, so I look forward to teasing out more details as the archived (BEYOND LIVE) version becomes available.

And in another sense it's going to be an equally thrilling prospect (a) to contextualise the use of a gaming framework in the overall show; (b) to interpret the different versions of the narrative being generated by each different avatar used and yet with the outcome become largely the same (as seen from the first 2 days so far at least, we will see what happens for the performances in Saga and Yokohama); (c) IF the outcome remains the same; (d) to think about what it means for the overall message being conveyed - whether it is a fairly wholesome message about making decisions for yourself, life and the universe, or whether it ultimately presents a slightly self-contradictory message about how life must be lived forwards; and (e) on a meta level, what this means for the overall narrative Hanyu has been building starting from Prologue and following with GIFT.

It is possible I'm overthinking all of this, of course. But it's fun anyway.

***

The fly in the ointment for my trip was, probably due to prompting by my nearly-nonexistent better nature, I agreed to go with an old friend of mine who, for reasons of her own, really really wanted to go to Japan even though she does not like the Japanese language, nor Japanese trains, nor Japanese food, nor Japanese prices, nor temples, has seen loads of nice scenery in her life and isn't particularly impressed by the Japanese type. (I assisted in booking flights and hotels.) Like I said, it doesn't have to make sense. But I was frustrated that I had to figure out stuff for both of us and also to keep justifying why we're taking this train, why we're stopping here, why isn't everything in English, why does Japanese money have so many coins? *facepalm*

There were a couple of misadventures (one of which was being stuck in Nikko till the morning of 4 November and I had half of a heart attack thinking I was going to miss RE_PRAY) - embarrassing but my fears were unfounded and nothing bad happened? I felt bad that for reasons of her own, she thought I was going to be her tour guide despite my repeatedly informing her I was no such thing, I was a newbie to Tokyo, and I really, really couldn't bring her around Tokyo because I was in Tokyo (-->Saitama) purely to catch performances.

Frustrating. I'm unsuited to be this kind of travelling companion, as I particularly dislike chitchatting over things like ooh what kind of breakfast would you like. Really, no.

But in everything else the trip was heavenly.

Ok, I just watched Marry my Dead Body trailer (IMDB for more details) -wherein homophobic policeman Wu Ming-han (plus his name is a homophone for "no-name guy" lol) somehow finds himself married to a male ghost and must help Mao Pang-yu, said ghost, to resolve his issues. It's pretty hilarious and yes, Ming-han eventually lets go of his homophobia (as well as his sexist views - but that's the subplot).

What's enjoyable is how easily it takes into changes in Taiwan: now that Taiwan has legalised same sex-marriage, naturally a yin-yang marriage can take place between men, and even the Taoist priest performing the rites blithely calls them partner 1 and partner 0 (Ming-han retorts it should be partner 1 and partner 2 lol). There is no romantic overtones between the male leads: the plot is all about the investigations Ming-han is involved in, and somehow those connect to Pang-yu as well. Eventually Ming-han grows as a person? ^_^

Although I must roll my eyes at the depiction of policework, it's muchly a mess. Either artistic license or the movie writers have some misunderstanding of it? I keep expecting Infernal Affairs and I get... Oh well, at least it makes my terrible HIStory fics all the more forgivable.

Fooling (Around), HIStory 3 - Trapped, Tang Yi/Meng Shao Fei, by celli

Futility in Practice, Scum Villain, Luo Binghe/Shen Qingqiu, by TGP

***

Two of my fandoms combined recently: Spirited Away and Hanyu Yuzuru. It's been a lot of fun to see an interpretation of Haku in Hanyu's performance; the costume that he wears for the performance is a big part of how marvelous it is, and of course you need stellar skating skills to bring it off. So,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=his55KIgqsw One Summer's Day, performed by Hanyu Yuzuru at GIFT @ Tokyo Dome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdDBe2-XxtY and at a recent ice show. The first one has light projections on the rink and on a big screen; the other doesn't have that but I found it just as, if not more mesmerising. ^_^

Yuletide!

I received the most wonderful soderetu Imperial Coroner fic, sky full of mornings,
Chu Chu/Jing Yi/Leng Yue/Xiao Jinyu, which thrills my heart with the beautiful layers and the way characterse traverse the tensions in their budding relationships. Please read it!

At the last 1/5 of book, and Nezha isn't dead! yay! At least, I gather so by the way the protagonist Rin describes how beautiful he is again and how he's hinted to have hidden powers, so even though he's appeared again and then disappeared, I think he'll pop up again somewhere? (No spoilers please.)

And whilst I should not be surprised that a book with strong lashings of recent China and East Asia history eventually gets round to some exceedingly violent and senseless, well, violence, I am still a bit peeved at the reference to Rape of Nanking and comfort women. (Giving me the impression no other types of violence were ever inflicted elsewhere.) And since the book is titled Poppy War, I was waiting for the opium thing to show up, and it finally did. Grr.

Yes, this has been an emotional response. >_<

I'm gonna think strongly about whether to read the other books in the series. Not that I don't enjoy the writing: it is still very good but... I dunno what. My ideal plot development is more mystery (as in whodunit)? I'll keep reading for Nezha?

Segue into how, if you've watched the same Hong Kong dramas featuring Nezha in various remakes of Investiture of the Gods, it's just impossible not to adore Nezha. Or maybe that was just me? To a child working out how you relate to your parents and their seeming power over you the child, Nezha's death decision/fuck-you to his parents was like a punch in the head. It was horrifying, blood-soaked and powerful. I think I never saw my parents in quite the same light afterwards. I mean, I still love them and have the typical Asian child's attitude towards them, but there's that little bit sticking out too. Maybe you just had to be there, lol.

***

Also watching a new Kdrama, Under the Queen's Umbrella (trailer), period palace drama currently at episode 4, where Kim Hye Soo (from Signal) is the queen and mother of five sons, racing to (1) find cure for Crown Prince eldest son's illness while (2) keeping an eagle eye over her other sons, (3) amid potentially deadly palace politicking. I'm purely watching it for Kim Hye Soo really (and her eyebrows). It's supposed to be a bit of a comedy but there've been loads of serious moments, including at the end of episode 3 with her third offspring. So not bad for the Deepavali break.

Happy Deepavali/Diwali to everyone! More than ever, we need the forces of evil to be defeated, yes?

So, I am now the mildly bemused and bewildered owner of not one but four photobooks for Hanyu Yuzuru as well as being on fs Twitter as well as subscribing to his YouTube channel. (I didn't even do this for Jay Chou, not when I was at my most fervent fandom-ly worship state. Buying CDs was deemed enough. But I suppose budget constraints then.) His fandom is huge, with some very smart segments and nice people and (as with most fandoms) some rather less desirable ones. Ah well, it's been fun so far, so we'll see how it goes.

Twitter is kind of fun? I follow a lot of politics and books and academia-ly things as well and occasionally it brings a lot of food for thought. But it's so annoying USA-based too, yikes.

And then media consumed. After Extraordinary Attorney Woo, I went on to Sandman which was good and awkward and horrifying by turns - I do so badly with horror that I probably would not see it again, but it was entertaining and it did/does have very high production value, so thumbs up, I suppose. And I would rec if you are new to Sandman and enjoyed some urban fantasy featuring (again) some mysterious beings inspired by Christianity and the (ancient) Greek pantheon. The pretty parts are really very, very pretty.

After that I milled around aimlessly for a bit, and ( such as Goblin Emperor )

Dramas:

I was watching Love Between Fairy and Devil and libitina had a post about the male protagonists in this and Love Like the Galaxy (https://libitina.dreamwidth.org/613285.html), and so I went to watch LLG as well. Which was a pleasant surprise! Wu Lei as the male lead aside, I realised that LLG was chockful of excellent characters like Concubine Yue and Xiao Yuanyi (Cheng Shaoshang's mother) and the empress, not to mention a whole bunch of scheming, nasty-tongued princesses, venal grandmothers, matriarchs, and assorted hangers-on (and also Shaoshang's suitors). All the sniping underneath the seemingly nice and polite language and all those manners and formalities - delightful. Not to mention, there's genuinely good/moral people who unironically insist on such trite virtues as honesty, loyalty, honour, repaying your debts, etc., as a contrast, and it's been very satisfying to watch. I like the emperor's unabashed support of the canon couple, lol.

( Yuletide )

I'm really just posting to rec Extraordinary Attorney Woo (yt trailer) because it is the only kdrama I've watched this year that is outright delightful. On netflix and elsewhere.

Client (on phone): I received your invoice. So I'll transfer the money?
Me: Yes.
Client: So how much do I need to transfer?
Me: *facepalm* The amount stated on the invoice.

***

Long weekend, yay!

Can't remember who exactly recced this on Twitter, but: lectures on Dream of the Red Chamber from National Taiwan University, currently on this one, on the use of the myth of Nuwa's story of mending the sky. There's a reading group on Twitter (I think that's what they call it?) #ReadingTheStone from which I'm learning some interesting things lol

Also who still remembers this priceless scene from HiStory 3: Make Our Days Count Men's Talk where Xiang Haoting needs sex tips from his friend Sun Bo Xiang? MODC has so many excellent scenes (and acting) which is why I'm still pissed off about the ending *shakes fist* Sure, the grieving scenes are so well done but. I want a happy ending, damn it. And the puppy scene.

Still love this songvid for HiStory 3: Trapped: Jack/Zhao Zi. Much as I love Tang Yi/Meng Shao Fei, they are beyond adorable.

Started watching Reset 开端 (trailer and 1st episode (of 15) here). Groundhog-ish set-up, thrilling and I love how the main characters slowly unravel the mystery behind their exploding bus. Highly recced.

Reading adventures of 2021: Two main ones stand out: The first being Scum Villain Self-Saving System, which I'm finding to be most darlingest of MXTX's works. I mean, MDZS is really fine, and I love what I've read of TGCF so far (slowly reading it) but there's something about SVSSS that tugs at - nay, plays with my heartstrings. Although I have to say, looking at fanfic: do people actually like to pair Liu Qingge with Shen Qingqiu? >_> Inexplicable.

The second one being Thousand Autumns, which I started out with the donghua and naturally, couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Yan Wushi is immensely... bigger than life, heh, yet you can't help sympathising with him, and also still finding him really sexy. Shen Qiao: I really like his character trajectory in the way it shows growth yet also shows that some ways, a person's essential personality never really changes.

Others:

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho: which I love for the setting, the Manglish, the gothic feel and Black Water Sister herself. Main character narrator is... good? I guess I have no choice but to like her given that the entire story unfolds through her eyes, but Cho's other characters are simply so alive. The energy from their anger, resentment and fear powers the story. And wow, I must go to Penang again once pandemic allows.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: My sole big quibble (if that isn't an oxymoron) is I cannot imagine a pair of conservative parents choosing to name their daughter Wu Zetian, but otherwise it is a thrill-ride of a book (with mecha! I repeat, mecha!), a deliciously delightful threesome and a furious, magnificent Wu Zetian.

TGCF: The Taiwanese edition is only up to book 4 so I've been (sort of) pacing myself while checking every other week to see if books 5 and 6 are here yet. I guess there are... unauthorised versions online somewhere but I didn't really want to check them out... yet. I'll see how desperate I get. Also, whoa, really deft mythmaking and backstory creating; it's rather awesome how the novel-verse gets bigger and bigger. I can see that there's a lot of foreshadowing, so I'm anticipating a lot of meaningful plot resolutions as I get further and further inwards - onwards?

A few others (not many, really) and I had ordered Louise Erdrich's The Sentence except Book Depository sent another book by mistake so that was a bummer. I got a book on (of all things) "explores the life philosophies of some of the world's best investors" which was interesting for the first three chapters on how some well known investors like Buffett, etc, and after that simply felt rather narcissistic? Um, yeah, there's this thing about going against the flow, seeing potential in companies, etc, etc, etc... but also there's this other thing about living in a time of rapid industralisation and explosive economic growth in the last century. I dunno, it'd make a good Christmas present for someone who isn't me.

I did pick up a book on knitting tea cosies at Kinokuniya's bargain shelf so... bargain.