The story will keep on going

[marycrawford]

I've seen all 40 episodes of Guardian. ;__;

The good news: I can now read all the fic and watch all the vids! And I saw some mention of an epilogue from the novel author, anyone have deets on that? (I haven't read the novel, though I've seen a couple translated excerpts.)

The other good news: I finished a story I was working on right after watching ep 40, in sheer stubborn self-defense, and it will go on AO3 as soon as I can figure out a summary for it.

Here's a bit of chat from very early on in my Guardian adventures:

I also feel like we need a way for shen wei to be vulnerable
so, kryptonite, basically
because right now it feels like zhao never would need to worry for him
only the reverse
and ofc I want it to go both ways

...welp. Naming calls, people. Naming calls.

Comments

[frith_in_thorns]

We're all here for you.

(We all live in denial. So much denial.)

[frith_in_thorns]

ETA: I haven't gone looking for the epilogue because I've heard it mostly makes sense in the context of the novel canon, and isn't nearly as satisfying if you've only seen the show. And I'm holding out hope that EVENTUALLY there might be a complete translation that's actually readable. Eventually. Maybe?

[naye]

I'm the same! I read the 70+ chapters that were translated this time last year, but haven't caught up with the dozen or so that's all that's been translated since. I do know that xparrot and others have read the epilogues? (Yes, there's several, including one Priest wrote in response to the show finale.) Hopefully they'll be coming by with details on where to find these!

The good news is that there's a new person translating later chapters! But not putting them on Wattpad, which is where the first chunk of the novel is.

[marycrawford]

Thank you for the info! Yeah, the one Priest wrote in response to the show finale was what I saw mentioned somewhere, I think. And that at least sounded like it wouldn't take a ton of novel knowledge to read?

[marycrawford]

And I'm holding out hope that EVENTUALLY there might be a complete translation that's actually readable.

Haa, yes, same here! I hope a kind fan or committee of fans will get there eventually, just like with the subtitles for the show. (I realize translating a novel is a TON more work though, and I applaud everyone who put work in already.)

[naye]

Oh no I'm reading that exchange whimpering softly.

It's a lot. The end. It's. Yeah. *hugs*

[marycrawford]

IT IS A LOT. Yeah. *hugs* But it definitely hasn't stopped me from wanting to read all the stories, so hooray for fandom <3

[naye]

Honestly this fandom is how I survived.

And how I'm still here a year later! :D

[xparrot]

All the tea and and sympathy for going through the end!! and also yaaaay fic! \o/ I'm so glad you wrote more, I've got my fingers crossed that you'll be inspired again (I've never written a proper fixit myself but nearly all my own fic is set in a handwavy alternate ending future in which they got the happily ever after they deserved :P)

That chat -- haaah my sister and I spent so long wondering if Shen Wei was ever going to REALLY get hurt, at least when Zhao Yunlan was there...we spent all of 31-32 going 'oh no he's going to rescue himself, no way will Zhao Yunlan get to see him like this'...and then!!! (I will spare you my diatribe about how maybe the worst thing about that ending is that it's such glorious hurt and then no comfort ;___;)

The epilogue! a little explanation -- there are 5 epilogues/extra chapters to the novel, 3 of which are true epilogues that end the story, the 5th is a heartbreaking prequel story, and then the 4th is the one you're talking about, which is a followup Priest wrote in reaction to the drama and its end.

It's been translated a couple times. Warnings that:
1) it's set in the novel verse and therefore spoils the end of the novel (not the exact story details but where the characters are at by the story's end)
2) it's kind of difficult to follow, especially if you're not familiar with the novel universe, and said 'verse is extra confusing if you like me know nothing about Chinese mythology.
3) some drama fans hate it for a reason that's spoilery to the story itself, especially because
4) it's not exactly a fix-it for the drama (and I can tell you more if you want!)

That being said, I love it myself, in part because I love the novel and the novel's WeiLan as much as the show's and it is a totally happy ending for the novel (its penultimate scene is one of my favorite moments of anything in the series), and also I love it as a writer and as a fan, because it's the original creator reclaiming her characters, not by crying about how transformative works are damaging her creation, but simply by creating herself and transforming the transformation.

Anyway, if you're interested, you can find the 4th extra translated in 2 places:
foxghost's translation (includes several notes to help make sense of it)
Tanyavvvvvv's translation

(and if you're curious about more of the novel even though it's not all translated yet, everything that has been translated is linked on this masterpost (warnings that some of the descriptions may be slightly spoilery, depending on how spoilerphobic you are?)

[marycrawford]

Thanks so much for the sympathy and the novel epilogue details! I may just save this all up until such time as the complete novel is available? I'm not sure if I'll hold out that long, but right now I just want all the drama canon fix-its and fic. I love what you said about the original creator reclaiming her characters, that is definitely the way to go. <3

I'm so glad you wrote more, I've got my fingers crossed that you'll be inspired again (I've never written a proper fixit myself but nearly all my own fic is set in a handwavy alternate ending future in which they got the happily ever after they deserved :P)

Thanks for encouraging me! Ha, handwaving is a totally valid solution, I'm here for it. And yeah, my latest story was written before seeing the last four eps, just going off ep 33's bench scene, so it's not really a fix-it but at least it doesn't end on a Rocks Fall note.

[umadoshi]

I see that xparrot filled you in on the novel/epilogue, which I keep remembering that I should read properly--I've read a summary, but not an actual translation. (I'm about 70 chapters into the novel, IIRC, and I like a lot about it, although I don't love it anything like the way I love the drama. The actors are so important to me.)

I've seen the drama twice through now (and am early in a third rewatch), and while the ending is obviously a terrifying onslaught of emotion and I still have complicated feelings about it, I can report that at least for me, the second watch was really satisfying even knowing that there were things coming that I felt conflicted about. Seeing it again and having all the backstory that Shen Wei knows is amazing.

And I see that your fic is posted! I'm gonna wait to read it until I have a chance to savor it properly, which may be a few days, but I am so excited that you finished and posted it.

Are you on Twitter at all? The Twitter facet of the fandom (which has a lot of overlap with the Dreamwidth side ^_^) is lovely and vibrant.

[marycrawford]

No, not on Twitter at all, I'm on tumblr but not very active - I think adding one more social media channel would break a) my wrists (I have some RSI issues) and b) my brain.

I've rewatched various earlier episodes with friends, but yeah, watching the whole show knowing how it all ends sounds like it will be a trip. I'm glad that you found it satisfying and I hope I will too!

[umadoshi]

Twitter is...sure a thing. I really like enough things about it that I'm glad I'm there, but even without wrist issues (ouch--sympathy!) I wouldn't ever actually try to talk someone into joining if they're not already into it.

I'm very erratic about Tumblr. So shiny! So full of things! (Well, way fewer things than it once was.) But sometimes my favorite author says interesting things about her canons there, so I always check in on her account, if nothing else, and then sometimes I fall into everything else and suddenly it's hours later. O_O

Watching Shen Wei get to know Zhao Yunlan, starting with his preexisting, ferocious love and devotion and the dawning realization of OH MY GOSH HE'S A DISASTER, manages to be both hilarious and painful, and I adore every moment of it. *^^*