The Problematic of the Unproblematic

Chapter 6 - The Realm of TrialsPart 1

written by LalaLoop
consulting by Bunny
editing by kakashi

The mortal teahouse they were sitting in seemed to be the sort that existed to serve scholars and officials across the city, and therefore was a lot more quiet than the ones Bai Qian had been to during the past few weeks. Walking in here with Moyuan, she had seen students in groups of five or seven, dressed in plain colored robes, discussing their newly learned lessons in quiet tone. A few people standing at their table, making elegant ink strokes on paper, occasionally pausing to take sips of their tea or wine. Something that sounded like a riddle contest was being held in a corner. A father teaching his young son how to read the words on a painting on the wall.

As we close another year out, I am happy to say the ET sightings are still going strong, four years after my first post!  And I want to thank my friends, both RL and I, for adding their eagle eyes to this obsession of mine. LOL

Chapter 68written by LigayaCroft
edited by kakashi

“Protect the Emperor and the Empress!”

The most elite officers of the Celestial Army crowded around Ye Hua and Bai Qian, pushing them farther away from the center of the room to ensure their safety but Ye Hua, and even more so Bai Qian, pushed back.

“A-Li,” she cried above the panicked shouting and the tinkling of the ornaments on her hair as she pushed behind two to four soldiers. “What happened to my son? Where has he gone?”

Chapter 20. Mirrors are always made in pairswritten by kakashi & Bunny
edited by LalaLoop

It was the strangest thing. As if it was in no mood to be found by her, the Jade Purity Fan signaled its presence only erratically. Whenever Bai Qian was beginning to feel confident she was near her most valuable object and could finally retrieve it from that stinking, thieving brat, Shu Long, its presence disappeared like a candle that was snuffed out, leaving her lost and increasingly cranky in the slowly gathering darkness.

Chapter 5 - The Fallen Immortalwritten by LalaLoop
consulting by Bunny
editing by kakashi

“Has he failed, Spinner? Why is he not here yet?”

“Patience.”

“Suppose we’re in the wrong place. Suppose he is lost.”

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring nor opening their mouth. Kakashi was writing more fanfic, we're sure, and Panda's been busy with shopping and chores. Trot has her test and Ms. Saki's just bored, while JoAnne keeps on falling asleep - and she snores!
kakashi: I snore too. My daughter complained the other night. She said it sounded like "I'm doing it deliberately", but "at least you did not speak in your sleep". YAY! Holidays!!!!! Can't wait to frolic in the snow.
SakiVI: I don't celebrate Christmas, so it should be a cleaning and organizing day for me. Except I'm pretty sure I'm going to sleep. Also, Jaehyo went to the army to be a public service worker in the water sanitation. That's right, that super-clean water you'll drink when you go to Seoul? That'll be my man's work. Booyah!
Shuk: I've been trying to clear up some of my projects that have been lang…

Chapter 47 written by kakashi
edited by Panda & LigayaCroft

“Like a very long thread, your life stretches from the moment you are born to the moment you are in. Every decision you ever took, every thought you ever had, it’s but one line when looking back. This thread is stronger than the hardest steel because it cannot be broken, it cannot be changed. You can only embrace what you have become or regret it. If you regret, you can wail in self-pity. Or you can walk into the future determined to choose your path more carefully, more deliberately. This is how you stop leaving your life to fate. The natural order of the Universe, it cannot be changed. But where we step, how we weave the life thread, it is our choice to make.”

Chapter 67written by LigayaCroft
edited by kakashi

To say the party in Eight Heaven where the former Tianjun lived was in full swing was an understatement. The grounds of Dàxīng Palace (大興宮) were covered with tables and streamers. Dancers and musicians provided auditory and visual entertainment. All the guests were dressed in their attires of the finest and most colorful silks. Wine and food freely flowed from Celestial servants milling about, waiting on thousands upon thousands of clan heads, dignitaries and their immortal attendants each from the Celestial, Demon, Ghost and Fairy Clans.

Chapter 46 written by kakashi
edited by Panda

~ 210’000 years ago ~

“Please, Demon Ancestor, this way,” Qing Quan said and indicated the way down the narrow, winding stairs with several deep bows and an outstretched hand that twitched strangely every few moments. The torch he held in his left flickered when a violent gush of air from somewhere attacked it. But the flame managed to right itself as he walked further down, soon providing the only source of light in the gloomy darkness.

(This space apparently reserved for Chen Kun, although Wang Kai IS in a drama again...) kakashi: Oh, is this an invitation to post more gorgeous pictures of Chen Kun? My infatuation is reaching dangerous levels, I tell you. And there are SO MANY gorgeous pictures of this man!
This is a safe space, Sersei. Ha! I like my typo and I'm leaving it there.
Cersei is one of the worst women in TVentertainment, but I'll wear the crown gracefully :D
panda: Currently watching and enjoying very much Yanxi :)))
SakiVI I calmly accept Chen Kun.  
I will apologize in advance for the sea of black below.

kakashi: I tend to express my love for a drama through recaps, but since my plate is too full for that, I want to at least spend some time babbling about The Rise of Phoenixes outside of RAWR. I absolutely love it. (I have currently seen up to episode 23, so, if you haven't seen this far yet, be aware of spoilers and if you've seen it all, be aware of spoilering me :) My first (rather long) post is about Ning Yi.

Chapter 45written by kakashi
edited by Panda & LigayaCroft

“Gun Gun!” Fengjiu’s voice rang out from the entrance of the Fox Den, “Gun Gun, come and prepare the table, lunch is ready soon!”

“Yes, mother, I’m coming!” Dijun’s son called back, and he dropped the knife and the four-legged beast he had been carving out of a piece of wood and hurried up the uneven stone stairs like lives depended on it.

Chapter 4 - A Spiky HairpinPart 4

written by LalaLoop
edited by kakashi
consulting by Bunny

The Demon forces, the text read, with aid from magical beasts and troops from unidentified clans, slaughtered more than 75,000 Celestial soldiers during the war.

“Unidentified clans...” Bai Qian murmured and read on.

Chapter 44written by kakashi
edited by LigayaCroft & Panda

The temperature was always exactly right up in the Thirty Six Heavens - nobody ever sweated or felt chills. The light was never too bright, the colors always gentle and soothing to the eye, and the air, vibrating with a silent song of harmony, held the fragrance of flowers and sunbeams.

JoAnne: Finally! Got myself together to get this up semi-on-time.
kakashi: She is talking about the draft, people, so that we can all give our mustard to it (a German expression, don't mind me). Anyway, it's almost Christmas, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! Yes but now I want sausages and mustard.
Trotwood: I had an extremely bad Korean lesson today, so once again my Korean teacher has put on a ban--if I have time to watch shows, then i should be studying instead--at least until the placement test. I really had no time for anything last week with work crises, so there won't be anything from me here. Not even God's Quiz. Is anyone else watching that but me?
I've been hearing about it, and even though I've never seen ANY of the previous series I would like to check it out.
Panda: LOOOOOOOL at myself and my drought. Sigh.
SakiVI: oups, I'm late!

kakashi: I loves me a petty, sexy man - and so does Jin Mi, but sadly, she doesn't know what love is. A very funny episode, which just endeared everyone even more to me.
Panda: He is so petty! Loooooooooooooool
JoAnne : They're all pretty but kind of dumb.

Chapter 66written by LigayaCroft
edited by kakashi

A-Li returned to Huo Zheng from his meeting with Lian Song with a heavy heart. It had been late when they had headed out for discussions and so it was no surprise that his wife was now in bed, lying on her left side with a pillow tucked between her knees, her chest rising and falling in an even pattern of breathing.

kakashi: Fated meetings, red strings - and our Grape has no clue whatsoever what love is. The tone is still light, but we already see that she is capable of capturing and breaking hearts and it seems like a matter of time until one the hearts we care about is being broken.
Panda: Just look at his face! *sobs*
JoAnne: He looks like that handsome boy who was into poetry and took you to prom but you never really felt like he was THERE with you and then later, in college, you find out he's gay. Which is fine, but you spent how many years pining for him before that? Too many. (No, Alexe, this is not one of my boyfriend stories. To my knowledge, anyway.)

Chapter 43written by kakashi
edited by LigayaCroft & Panda

It is fine even if you look a little disheveled, Ye Hua thought and threw his still slightly red-cheeked wife a look from the side, it’s not like he doesn’t know you and me have intimate relations - and in case he has forgotten, I don’t mind reminding him at all.

Hearing her Shifu had come had plunged his Qian Qian into a flurry of activity that had her wash, change her clothes two times and do her hair three times while Ye Hua stood quietly in the middle of the room, watching her scurry about with mounting consternation.

The Flame of Love By Chance: Burned Hot, Burned Out, Burned Fans Hearts Before we start, I should give a shout out to Caitlyn, Oppa, and Amanda. They are my LBC companions on twitter and the ones who know far more about this subgenre than I know about most things.  Stick around for a list of shows that they would recommend.

JoAnne: We may have a full house this week - isn't Saki back from riding ponies far from home?
kakashi: I love that there's so much enthusiasm in the KDrama community nowadays! Didn't that Alhambra-thing start too? (Whenever I hear Alhambra, I have to think of North & South. Guess why.)
It did start, I've added below. I heard good things about it, too, so I'm excited to watch but I think it's not available in the US yet.
Trotwood: Don't expect much from me this week. It's Sunday morning, and I have yet to watch anything on that list below and I'm sick enough to have called in sick to my Korean lesson.
SakiVI: Wow, I think I'm finally over my various jetlags and viruses and fatigues. I woke up this morning with a headache, yet feeling the most normal I had for weeks.
Panda: Kdramas are popping! TList is loving Alhambra, Encounter and SkyCastle (dark horse which is pulling fantastic ratings atm). I am sure I sound like a broken record now but…

kakashi: In episode two, we are still getting to know new people, including some villains, which are great to have in any story. We also get to know more realms, though I still don't understand why we are told there are six realms if we only have: mortal, heaven, demon, bird, and flower? Anyone? Also, we get exposed to an exposed throat-collarbone area. Yes, you have noticed correctly, kakashi is using the same picture TWICE in the same recap, that's how much she likes that exposure. For the record though, I took two separate screencaps. If you want, you can analzye the differences at the end, I put both pictures side by side.
panda: Maybe Lord Puchi and other people like that Rat Immortal belong to a separate general animal realm? Infant GoW looks very good in this screencap K! I think it's his big hand behind her dainty neck that does it for me... that and the intense look on his face :)
JoAnne: I like his profile and his seriousness.

Chapter 4 - A Spiky HairpinPart 3

written by LalaLoop
consulting by Bunny
editing by kakashi

Bai Qian ran along the corridor, brimming with joy. She was so happy she did not care if the King of Xunzhua happened to see her now and would mock her about acting unqueenly later on.