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I have had a quiet week of work and home life. Hope everyone else is staying safe and looking after themselves in these interesting times.

Viewing has been re-watch central this week. This post is just remind me where I am up to.

The Untamed (part way through episode 9)
Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain (last 3 episodes watched again)
Guardian (about to start episode 30)

Adding to the viewing list as of tomorrow:
King's Avatar (starting again from episode 1)

Saw this appear on my feed. I don't normally do stuff like this but I wanted to see if I could complete it.

Name a TV show you like, starting with each letter of the alphabet.

My list:

A = Andromeda
B = Buffy
C = Charmed (not the reboot)
D = Due South
E = Earth: Final Conflict
F = Forever Night
G = Guardian
H = Hawaii 5-0 (early seasons of the reboot)
I = Iron Fist
J = Jake 2.0
K = Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
L = La Femme Nikita
M = Midnight Caller
N = NCIS (some of it)
O = Once a Thief
P = (The) Professionals
Q = Quantum Leap
R = Raven (Lee Majors, lol)
S = Stargate Atlantis
T = Total Recall 2070
U = (The) Untamed
V = Van Der Valk
W = Witchblade
X = Xena: Warrior Princess
Y = Yes, Minister
Z = Zorro (black & white version from the 50s)

I can't honestly say I saw every episode of the above list because some I saw as repeats. I have given it a damn good try over the years, though. 😁

I've been pondering fandom for the last few days following the situation of the blocking of the AO3 in China.

I do not know enough about what went on to have an informed opinion about what did/did not go on and whether or not one batch of fans going on a supposed rampage of reporting stories they didn't like was the actual cause of the AO3 being blocked. Considering the regime in question and what is already blocked in that country I doubt even one batch of rabid fans is that powerful.

I do know that blaming the actor that the fans purport to be supporters of - and I don't see the behaviour they engaged in as in any way supportive - is utterly incomprehensible to me. I understand lashing out in frustration but to deliberately retaliate and try to hurt the actor and projects he's involved in/been involved in is also behaviour I find reprehensible. It is not the actor's fault and will potentially harm them and other people they worked with that might rely on the those projects for a wage.

Actors do not control their fandoms nor do the management companies they work for.

In my time in fandom, I have been at events where the following happened:

1) A female nut-job (I refuse to call her a fan) literally had to be pulled off of the main guest at an event by security minders after she launched herself at him and wrapped her body around him. She'd apparently told family members she was going to do it and nobody believed her. I saw it happen.

2) An announcement had to be made over the tannoy system to tell people coming up to have photo sessions with an actor that groping their rear end was not permitted. Again, I was in the audience for a nearby talk when that announcement was made.

3) Been in a guest talk when a person deliberately joined the queue to ask questions so that they could ask the actor if they believed their slash paring with another actor was canon on the show.

4) Attended another guest talk where a question was asked about the actor's child and being a parent. The actor politely but firmly stated that they considered matters like that private - as it bloody well is - and moved on to the next question.

The self entitlement of some fans genuinely frightens me, especially in this age of social media insanity.

An actor/singer/director/photographer/dancer that you support might be in the public eye because they are successful. They are not your personal property to demand certain actions or to insist that your fantasies about their private lives are true and they are just hiding because of a reason that you invent in your head.

Acting/singing/directing/photographing/dancing is their job. At the end of they day, they go home to water their plants, cuddle their pets, be with their family and do real life stuff. They lose some privacy by being in the public eye and they have to deal with that. Dealing with rabid so-called fans should never have to be a part of it.

I will continue to be in fandom because I love it - even in my quiet corner. I will support the shows, actors, bands, movies that I like but I will be respectful in doing so.

I will live in the hope that sanity prevails in the end but I have my doubts.

Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain remains silly and addictive.

For any Guardian fans, Gao Yu Er (Zhu Hong) has a role in it.

I have watched snippets of various episodes of The Untamed just to refresh a couple of things in my mind and can honestly say I am not totally enamoured with the first half of the show.

I love anything involving the two leads, I adore the bunnies and like a lot of the interactions of WWX with the supporting characters. I cannot work up any intense feelings about Lotus Pier or the wider campaign against the Wen clan.

It looks ridiculously pretty, I love the soundtrack, I like the overall storyline enough because I know if I persevere I get to the episode where things start moving forward again. I really like episodes 33-50, I could honestly watch them on repeat.

I will do a full re-watch once I stop avidly reading fanfic for the show. I get over-saturated after a while and slow down the reading pace, based on past experience that will be in another week or so. I know my reading habits too well. 😂

Thanks to Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan I have now listened to Chinese pop, as well as k-pop and j-pop, though solo gets the credit for the last one. As I type, the Best of KAT-TUN is playing in the background.

I genuinely don't care if I don't know the language people are singing in, if I like the music then I like the music. If I have a song title/artist name then I can always try and track down a lyric video if I am really desperate to know the translation. I cannot retain song lyrics in English so it is not like I ever expect to memorise them. Never, ever, ask me to be in your team for a music quiz. I am hopeless at remembering titles, lyrics or recognising a tune after 3 notes are played. I applaud people that can do that, I am definitely not one of them. 😁

I succumbed to Redbubble and purchased a new phone case from The Untamed options. I did actually need a new phone case, honest.

Being full of the dreaded office lurgy I have not really been able to concentrate on tv watching of full episodes so I am no further forward in any viewing (new or otherwise).

I have instead watched too many videos relating to The Untamed and the two leads actors and lived very dangerously by putting search terms like 'The Untamed doll' and 'The Untamed blanket' into ebay. There are entirely too many cute things available to buy. It has been an exercise in self restraint.

Went to the Transatlantic Sessions concert last night in Glasgow. It has been a few years since I went to one of the concerts.

It remains a joyous experience of good music played by musicians that clearly enjoy playing together.

I cannot believe it has been 17 years since Transatlantic Sessions first began. If you like celtic, folk, bluegrass or any music of a similar ilk, I recommend a YouTube search for excerpts from the tv shows.

Can anyone direct me to a post explaining the gist of the differences in the special edition of The Untamed?

Should I bother with it or just re-watch the original version?

Why am I watching the DVD of Break the Records? Especially since I don't understand what this band is singing about and have not bothered trying to track down if there are any lyric videos.

The answer is simple... solo showed me some singing shenanigans.

The concert makes me smile.

Well, it is a good thing I had no plans for today as The Untamed would have broken each and every one of them.

I have now watched all of this show and I am pleasantly surprised by the ending. To those that said the ending is happier than Guardian you are not wrong.

WWX and LZ remain a beautiful pair of beings and I even came to appreciate some of the ancillary characters towards the end.

If anyone I know gets a puppy any time soon, they're getting told to call it Ghost General. He was a firm favourite throughout as well.

I know I will re-watch this but I might finish Guardian again first and read some fic for The Untamed before watching it again.

Recommendations on the fic front are more than welcome.