#seraphsfire

stick him leggy out?

stick him leggy out.

oh one more question! sorry if i'm bothering you. I was unclear whether Emperor's Smile was wine or hard liquor; i've seen it translated as both...i always assumed since lan zhan got drunk on like, an ounce of it that it was hard liquor or are they implying he got drunk on a tiny cupful of wine asdkfghg

Not a bother at all! Love these questions :)

The chickens scene: LWJ asks WWX, “肥不肥,” which translates to “[are they] fat or not?” Them being fat is indeed a good thing, because it means they’re nice and meaty; thus why I assume some translators chose to just translate it as “aren’t they good?” But I’d still say that the more accurate subtitle translations would be the ones directly asking about the chickens’ physique, lol.

As for why he asked that particular question, I believe the entire chicken situation is adapted from the novel (someone can correct me if I’m wrong; my memory’s rather hazy), where WWX once mentioned to LWJ that he caught chickens when he was young. Being a rather...persistent character, LWJ wanted to experience everything that WWX did – hence, he stole chickens. I feel like him asking if the chickens were fat reflect LWJ’s desire to know whether he stole chickens of the same quality that WWX used to catch. After all, LWJ would know nothing about it. He has to ask for a professional’s appraisal.

I also like the headcanon that relies only on drama content: in Ep. 9, there was a scene where WWX, JC, and NHS attempted to catch a wild chicken. NHS asked WWX to help, who then asked JC to help. WQ and LWJ were there as well, but WWX didn’t ask either of them to join the fun.

Even if he had asked, he probably would’ve been met with a classic LWJ “无聊” (“boring/pointless”), especially since they had business with WQ. But based on LWJ’s personality, I think it’s possible that this moment became one memory that he periodically thought about for sixteen years while WWX was deceased. He could’ve caught chickens with WWX, too. He could’ve been a better friend to WWX, like JC and NHS. But even in something as minor as catching a chicken, he didn’t participate. Small things pile up to become big regrets, especially for someone like LWJ. Stealing nice, plump chickens all those years later might be his way of compensation.

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Emperor’s Smile: I don’t think there’s any confirmation as to what type of alcohol it is, hence why people translate it differently. It’s kind of a pain for translation purposes: 酒 [jiǔ] means “alcohol” and Chinese people use it to  refer to every beverage on the spectrum. It’s a bit like in English, when someone says, “let’s get a drink.” Until you’re drinking, you won’t know what is going down your gullet. In the show, they just call Emperor’s Smile “alcohol” – what type? Who knows.

But, I did some...what should we call it...extraneous research? On alcohol. It’s totally necessary, not just for my own amusement. Trust me.

Emperor’s Smile is a Gusu specialty product. Gusu is located in what is modern-day Suzhou (according to this map). When you search for famous alcohol in Suzhou, you’ll find something called 冬酿酒 [dōng niàng jiǔ] (= “alcohol made in winter”).

This wine is only made for a certain number of days during the winter, and people will line up outside of stores to get a chance at buying it – if you don’t get it, you have to wait another year until it’s produced again! In terms of popularity, I think it’s similar to Emperor’s Smile reputation in the MDZS universe. It’s a sweet rice wine brewed with osmanthus flowers and has rather low ABV – about 3%.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO