The Problematic of the Unproblematic

Chapter 50written by LigayaCroft, with inserts by kakashi
edited by Panda

A steaming bowl of radish lamb soup made nary a sound as it was gently placed in front of Mei Lin, out of reach of Qian Ling’s chubby hands. Mei Lin followed the strong, elegant fingers wrapped around the soup bowl to the arms covered in simple long-sleeved black tunic which in turn made perfect contrast to its owner’s silvery hair.

His brows furrowed as he transferred a ladle-full of soup into a smaller serving bowl. “Here, blow on it before letting Ling’er taste it,” he said in that smooth and deep voice of his, calm and soothing like little waves melting on a peaceful beach, as he pushed the bowl beside the chicken and ginger congee Mei Lin had been feeding the baby. She nodded and carefully picked up some of the liquid using Qian Ling’s tiny spoon.

JoAnne: Are you all as surprised and pleased as I am at the variety of decent shows airing right now? And - surprising twist - are you watching as slowly as I am? You could usually tell how much I liked a show by whether I stayed current with it. These days I really only do that with one or two at a time and often that's connected to whether the subs are fast, not whether it's my favorite show. I don't like having to hunt down shows!
Trotwood: I feel as though my drama watching is down to a crawl. It's like I missed the bus that all the new shows were on and decided rather than rushing to take the next bus or hail a cab to catch up, I've decided to just stop and have a snack at the nice little cafe on the corner. 
So you decided to take...the Subway?kakashi: I missed the bus and then the NEXT one too. And then, while pondering what to do, another one went by. So I might just walk somewhere. 
Panda: Holla! I'm rushed off my feet. I'm in a new job, new s…

Chapter 23written by kakashi
edited by LigayaCroft & Panda

“I think High God Mo Yuan is about to fall off his horse,” Yue observed matter-of-factly.

Shao Wan whimpered. Somebody wake him up!

They were not the only ones who noticed. The Celestial Prince and the Green Lord Yu Dian interrupted their amiable chatter about New Songs from the Jade Terrace to stare at Mo Yuan, who was tilting to the side ever so slowly.

Chapter 22written by kakashi
editing by Panda & LigayaCroft

Hearing his steady deep breathing next to her should have been soothing, but Shao Wan’s heart was racing so much she thought it was going to burst forth and quiver in all its excitement above them. His fingers had found hers and interlaced with them right before he fell asleep and their gentle warmth seeped into her body, setting everything inside on fire.

How could he just sleep?

“It would mean a lot to you if you could touch her, wouldn’t it?” Zhe Yan had smirked at them not too long ago. “Talking may be less important, I’d say.”

Before that, he and Donghua had complained endlessly about how much they hated to sleep in the open and that they really regretted coming here over something so trivial as breaking the Laws of the Universe for the most annoying Phoenix in existence.

“Why do you think I never go to war anymore,” Zhe Yan had said, “I abhor the bugs and the hard grounds. I’m too old for camping adventures. I ne…

Chapter 49written by LigayaCroft
Consultant Bunnyedited by Panda & kakashi

It was evening when she regained consciousness.

Huo Zheng slowly got up from bed and looked around the confines of the dark hut, her hand crawling over the space until it found A-Li’s cold arm. The incense that Lu Dongbin had lit for his soul-searching ritual had long been extinguished but its scent — that of wild jasmine irreverently blooming during hot summer nights— clung to the air, unsettling her.

Trotwood: I had planned to watch and watch and watch things now that the students are gone, but I find myself avoiding recapping ep 7 of BG (because it's painful) and rewatching eps of Happy Sisters to just watch the Perfect Boyfriend bits (seriously, these are worth it). I even rewatched Love for a Thousand More just to see Jang Ki Young because I just can't bear the pain of Come and Hug Me. Hmm. I'm thinking it's time for a Shoot for the Stars rewatch, but I'm afraid it's so old no one has it anymore. Sigh. I need comfort food.
JoAnne: Watch something fun and easy, then, like Secretary Kim. There's a lot of choice out there right now for good shows, depending on what you're looking for. And did you hear? Season 2 of Waikiki is a go! I wonder if our girl Sol will be back, though - I guess it depends where they pick up and if she can still be a baby...she's standing now but not quite walking, going by her Instagram.
kakashi: Celebrating Twu Wuv. …

kakashi: This is somehow the longest drama I've ever watched and this would basically only be episode 12. Maybe it's really special? It enthralls by being extremely boring? Yes, Jo, am selling this really well!
JoAnne: You sure are! I think it feels long because we're making no attempt to keep up with the episodes, though. I'm finding that it's easy to lose interest that way, but then again, when I do watch an episode I find some little thing, sometimes.
Don't know how we used to do this - keep up with episodes!!!

Chapter 21written by kakashi
edited by LigayaCroft & Panda

“Get up.” The voice was ice cold and dangerous and felt just like a slap in the face.

“W…what…?”

“Get up, I said and get dressed. Now.”

Yu Dian recognized the suppressed fury, even when the face showed no emotion, even if it was very early and he was struggling to wake up from a pleasant dream; he knew to comply without resistance, his head down, fists hidden, because knowing when to be defiant and when not was a skill he had honed to perfection.

Chapter 48written by LigayaCroft
consulting by Bunny
edited by Panda & kakashi

Lu Dongbin, please save me.

Those were the last words A-Li had spoken before he threw up a copious amount of blood and collapsed unconscious against Huo Zheng about a week ago.

She had been too amazed with their mode of transport — flying over trees, rivers, hills and mountains — that she had failed to notice at the time that A-Li was not alright. She had been just too glad to still be alive — that A-Li was alive — that she had allowed herself to be distracted from the fact that she had her arms around a patient herself.

kakashi: This is the face of a man who doesn't get it. It's an ugly face.
JoAnne:  I am still on the fence but I'm leaning toward the dark side.