The Problematic of the Unproblematic

Trotwood: (tentatively waving) I'm back everyone. Finally settled into fall semester routine if COVID and crazy is now routine. Once again, I don't think I'm watching what anyone else is watching. Being in charge of COVID testing, residence halls, public relations, death notifications, and angry parents can take a toll. For a period, the only kdramas I was watching were dailies because I could only stomach bizarre makjang. I don't even know what you guys have been talking about because clicking on RAWR just made me miss you guys too much. JoAnne:  I missed you so much! But you haven't missed a lot here, really, Kakashi and Panda and I have been seriously lacking in the watching/reporting arena and it's been our faithful few in the comments who've continue to comment on what they've been up to! It's nice to know the community continues to roll along even when we need to step back for a bit . kakashi: Yes, it's quite embarrassing. I will get bac...

Chapter 79 written by Ligaya (with input by Kakashi edited by Kakashi “You failed.” The Observer paused from performing his next spell midway and glared at the immortal he called His Employer. He gritted his teeth. How dare he. These immortals… so arrogant and undeserving. Did they even understand how long it had taken his Kin to do the Second Creation? For him to construct Kunlun? Or to design and then build the 36 Heavens? Their powers had made them complacent ... and at the same time impatient for more power. “Stop punishing Pet. It’s not his fault that he came up against somebody better than him.” Pet whimpered and began crawling away. The Observer’s eyes narrowed further down on his Employer. Then he moved to chase, one foot ending up to step on Pet’s hand. “You think to escape?” He growled at the massive cause of his disappointment. “Zhu Ge, Pet is too simple. He’s still very much an animal. Can you blame him when he does not have better sparring partners?” He already knew th...

 JoAnne:  I think I watched some dramas, this week has been a blur. I did. I watched Flower of Evil , Alice , and Missing . And maybe an episode of the new Lee Yuri weekender? The struggle to save perfectly good belongings from the trash bin continues. And I've cooked several times! I'm not supposed to be having to cook! In fairness, I offered in order to avoid take ou t. kakashi: I'm just shell-shocked. I guess the semester has started well? Everybody is wearing a mask. Time moves too quickly, I haven't watched one second of anything and I don't wanna.  Panda: Not seen any dramas, just been reading my books and watching the occasional Poirot or Sing on. How's everyone doing?  Day 17 with the new bosses. Yesterday we bagged up most of the spare room, which has been a repository of sorts for over a decade. They got rid of my sort of beat book cases and brought in different, sort of beat book cases. I was allowed to keep classics, Stephen King, Gregory ...

Chapter 78 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi 11’900 years ago . There was no time for pleasantries by the time Li returned to Qing Qiu. He had just come down from the cave when Lian Song, who had been periodically checking if he had returned, arrived. His granduncle bore grave news. Li was to be immediately summoned to the frontlines of Fusang (扶桑) Island. Dissenters had been wreaking havoc there for years before its inhabitants' cries for help reached Tianjun’s ears. He and Lian Song made haste for Fusang. As expected, his granduncle took advantage of the travel time to complain about what an unfilial grandnephew he had become. Why didn’t you come back right away to tell us you were alive? Didn’t you know how worried I was when your disappearance took on years? I used up a hundred years’ worth of excuses to cover for you. Do you want to hear some of them? You have been gone too long. I hope by now you know more than to break an egg . Had it really been a hundred years? ...

Kakashi: My stress has reached new heights. I am about to go into a classroom (in 10 minutes) to teach real people. We all wear masks. I had a nightmare about this. I hope you are all doing well and get to watch more dramas than I do. Panda: My anxiety and just general vibes are through the roof. Please send some cheer my way! Love everyone

kakashi: I don't even know where to start... so many things happen in this (long! It takes me hours to recap!) episode. From breaking-up to missing that person like crazy to old feelings being rekindled to the revalation that this is not about just one bad guy and his accomplice but that a whole fucking criminal operation is part of the picture. JoAnne: Thankfully for us viewers, the writer is handling all of these details pretty skillfully. In lesser hands I think that particular addition would really have just sent the whole story off the rails.

Chapter 77 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi I am Nüwa . Li opened his eyes and took a quick assessment of his surroundings, noting the strange yet spacious tent that he was in. He sat up with a frown. It felt awkward to see almost his entire body covered in bandages. Two places in his torso throbbed with pain so sharp it made him gasp and see bright spots. His hands lurched to cup the areas where it burned. Nüwa. How could he have known it was her? She looked younger than his Mother did. And what had happened to the tales that she was a Yellow Dragon? Hadn’t she been black when she wrapped herself around him to protect him from that Immortal Prince’s explosion? She also didn’t look like any Celestial woman he had known. Where was the orderly hairstyle, to carry the pride of one’s parents, that were instilled as Celestial women decorum from a very young age? In contrast, the first time he had met Nüwa, her hair was unbound. Many times after, he had met her with her hair in braid...

kakashi: How is everyone? I watched "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" last week - mainly because of the "and the Duke" in the title :)) historical romance is rubbing off. Anyway, I didn't like it much - the story was 50% boring and the female lead got on my nerves. Thank god for the ffward button.   I also watched Mulan ! The movie got a lot of vitriol way before its release and the CNetz community is hating it with a vengeance... I didn't mind it that much. It's a Disney movie and in many ways, it reminded me of the 2009 version with Chen Kun. The movie delivers what I would expect of a Mulan life-action movie in 2020 - great fight scenes, a thin story (Mulan has always been thin, this isn't thinner or thicker than any of the others), and a message: girls, follow your calling despite it all. You can do it! Is it particularly Chinese? No, apart from the all-Asian cast, it's thoroughly American. Did I expect something else? Nope, not in the least. Does ...

Chapter 76 written by LigayCroft edited by Kakashi 12’000 years ago As much as Mei Lin’s presence back in the Obsidian Palace was needed right now, it made sense not to go. It might be seen as an indirect provocation to the Sky Kingdom. So off to Qing Qiu they went. Although allied with the Celestial clan, Qing Qiu remained independent of the Sky Kingdom’s rule throughout the years. Thus, the elders agreed that Qing Qiu would become Mei Lin’s safe sanctuary from the Sky Emperor’s edict. In turn, Mei Lin had sworn to lead the care of Zhe Yan. Like her own Father, the Old Phoenix still remained unconscious in Li’s 4th Uncle’s Palace. It was also just like Qing Qiu to not be impressed by the entourage that had descended upon their valley. They were free to get on with their lives, and for Li, he had time to think about his next steps. Bai Zhi was not a man of many words, just like Li’s own Father was. Still, one day, he eventually expressed his worries over the position that Li had taken....

kakashi: This episode is defined by love and heartache. It made me realize that the one character who we are told cannot feel or recognize emotions is the one calling out all the emotions and accurately at that. This episode is also defined by lies. The only character who seems truly committed to truth is Hae-su who gets away with murder so easily so far, it makes me wonder what else the show has in store for her. JoAnne: I don't get it. He clearly feels emotions. I think he's more reserved than most, but for those he loves, he shows what he feels. He always loved his sister, even as a child. I'm not saying he doesn't have some issues but I think that diagnosis was wrong.  

kakashi: I wouldn't want Ji-won as my enemy. She's damn scary.  JoAnne: She IS, isn't she. I still think there's something about her we don't know.

Panda: Hi! I completely forgot to post last week even though I and Trot talked about it. Sigh. My memory and willpower are quite mush these days. Which is a nice segue into : I have a confession- I have only seen 3 episodes of SF2. I am so shocked at myself. And no, it's not the show IN ANY WAY. I just still can't quite get into paying complete attention at TV. I have plans to rectify that soon. My guilty pleasure has been binge-ing Selling Sunset of NF. I don't know if it's because Le Hubs is also inexplicably thoroughly enjoying it, or of  I just want to see unattainable multi million dollar homes and bitchy blondes, but yup. That's where my head is at now. It's doing wonders for my anxiety. Hope everyone is taking care of themselves. And finally, Rest in Peace Chadwick. Gone too soon but never forgotten, you'll always be dear to us. JoAnne: What a shock to lose Chadwick Boseman, yes? I greatly admired his work and he seemed like such a lovely, kind, del...