Nirvana in Fire. Still. : comments [azdak]

I... think I might be hitting the WTF? elements about now. (I have a suspicion from spoilers I have not completely managed to avoid that they get even more WTF in an episode or so).

I am glad to know that they are genre-related because my internal monologue from the writer's room was going something like

FRIEND: Oh, hi, Xi, how's it going?
WRITER: Not so good. Written myself into a bit of a corner to be honest.
F: It can't be that bad. What's happening?
W: Really compelling plot, lots of emotional drama but the whole thing hangs on my hero interacting with his best friend for forty-six episodes without the best friend ever knowing who he is."
F: Best friend's really, really stupid?
W: But he's not...
F: Best friend's really, really shortsighted?
W: He's a general....
F: Some people really change facially between 19 and 30?
W: Oh, come on. Who's going to believe that??

F pulls up a chair. Time passes. Daylight dims, lights come on. Closeup on growing mound of espresso cups, crumpled diet coke cans, discarded sheets of scrap paper

F: GOT IT! Mysterious magical illness for which the only cure includes complete and utter change of appearance!
W: YOU'RE A GENIUS!

Edited Date: 2020-09-14 02:20 pm (UTC)

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Yeah, the complete and utter change of appearance as the sole cure for a barkingly mad poison definitely causes me suspension-of-disbelief problems, but barkingly mad, unique-to-this-particular-story poisons are indeed a genre thing (and even in The Story of Minglan, which is relatively restrained when it comes to genre elements, there is a sub-plot involving a poison which, unlike all other poisons (apparently) cannot be detected by sticking a silver needle in it. But I'm afraid there is worse to come (I say this because you say that you "think" you might be hitting the WTF bits, and believe me, when you hit the truly WTF bit, you will know). When you reach that ooint, I suggest you read the Langya Hall Diaries for comfort (here: https://qi-lang.tumblr.com/post/145919011060/lydiaries1), I found them a great help.

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Oh wait, if you're on episode 46 then you have in fact hit the moment of maximum WTF already.

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No, I was still at episode 44 and 'weird mysterious poison.' As you will have gathered, I am now... not.

There is a more useful thought brewing somewhere about Jing's increasing isolation just as Lin Shu's begins to lift, and Shu's growing realisation that he can no longer shield Jing from the decisions required by Realpolitik or the consequences of those decisions, but mostly I am still going WTF SNOW BEETLES?

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I’ve watched NiF three times now, but I have to admit that I always skip episode 45. I cringed all the way through it on the first viewing - so much Fremdschämen on behalf of the actors - and ever since have done my best to pretend it doesn’t exist. I can appreciate it in the abstract as an externalisation of how Lin Shu feels about MCS, but as realised in practice it’s utterly cringemaking.

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I hadn't realised it was fremdschaemen, but you're exactly right. Even Hu Ye projecting dignity and compassion as hard as he possibly can can't redeem... that.

The Langya Hall Diaries were indeed a great help, thank you!

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azdak

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WTF SNOW BEETLES?

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