ohmygod Rose you were completely right...I started watching Zhan Zhao Adventures yesterday and I couldn't stop 😭🙏💖💖💕💕 I fell in love with the story and the characters so darn hard...
I've only reached ep 21 rn but I just wanna say the relationship between Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang is so ????? //grips my head in agony at how beautiful and sweet and well-written it is// I can't get over just how absolutely FOND ZZ was of BYT from the start and we get to see his childish and silly side too...and ofc BYT who has too much love that he has to hide it but ZZ sees through it from the start...
and not to mention the trio with Huo Linglong???? Their dynamic together really evens out each of their personalities so much I'm actually in awe...it's been a hot minute since I've loved a duo and trio this much...🥹😭😭😭 I loovee whenever HLL and ZZ gang up against BYT so much to tease him omg (the two of them love him so SO much he's so so loved does he know that does he kn-)
Their little found family group means so much to me too gahhh I'm so glad your post & tags gave me the push I needed to finally watch it bc I would've missed out crying so much over these characters :"D
The way the side characters endeared themselves too is just so welcome??? And the consistent theme of abuse and injustice to the victims while not demonizing the victims who wanted revenge is so refreshing especially in a narrative that tries to uphold the law...
I love Zhan Zhao so much as a character in his ability to empathize, forgive (especially towards his dear ones), trying his best to serve justice and yet still be cruel in his own ways to the monsters (he may not endorse physical torture, but his psychological torture is even worse lmao).
I do find it kinda funny how BYT's character has aspects from other roles FYL has done in the past XD Like the medicine background from Liu Yan (WoF), charming and suave yet cares too much that he acts like he doesn't from Yu Shisan (MJTL)...but his "tsun"-esque demeanor and impulsiveness is entirely BYT tho ahahaha
There's so many other parts I loved (esp with the side chars) but I won't speak abt it in too much details bc Spoilers, but Bai Yutang who cares too much that he always plays it down, who's slowly opening up to his friends and HLL and ZZ never failing to reach out to him to reassure and let him know they're always there for him no matter what ohmygoooododddd //rolls around sobbing// I love them soso muuchhh
I hope you don't mind my rambling but I've been crying and laughing so much I had to talk with you about it omg. Another thing before I finish...I really enjoy how the drama doesn't drag the story at all!! I admit it was a slow start for me but I pushed through till we meet BYT and I'm sooo glad I did omg. I've been hooked ever since ep 4 hahha
Can't wait to continue watching and feel free to yap to me about it too (bc wdym theres barely any fic on ao3...maybe I too should dust off my writing......)
HIIII SPICA :DDDD YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I WAS TO SEE THIS IN MY INBOX HEHEHEHE (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
first off: I'm so happy to have you here in this 坑 with me hehehehhe I'm glad that you're enjoying ZZA too!!! and you get it 🙂↕️🙂↕️ Zhan Zhao's fond and indulgent expression whenever Bai Yutang does anything???? I'm- (insert heartache meme)
and yessss ok one part of the HLL/BYT/ZZ dynamic i liked was that Huo Linglong also met Bai Yutang separately,, if you get what i mean (i initially thought they would be introduced to each other through Zhan Zhao?) and that Bai Yutang was sort of the first person to wholeheartedly cheer her on and believe in her skills >_<
their found family group!!! esp with their two lil 小跟班 😭 (and im so happy to hear that hehehe :D)
also your point about not demonizing the victims that wanted revenge!!! so true!! I especially love how it also brings into question the law and whether them giving the victims justice posthumously has any point, whether their efforts mean anything after everything the victims have been subjected to already.
And the identity crisis it gives Zhan Zhao too- so delicious- we see him break just for that moment after splitting ways with Bai Yutang, before gathering his resolve again (which,,, how is he still so mentally stable after everything 😳) to continue on his path XD and i agree with what you said lol,, he's way of psychologically torturing them is much worse
also yesssss BYT!!!! it truly is a combination of FYL's previous roles and more!! (i may have mentioned this before but the director said he watched one of FYL's previous dramas and said "yep, thats the one" (non verbatim)) he's just so blorbo shaped 🥹🥹🥹 my guy,,, he can pack so much angst into him,,, watch me put him in a blender and shake him (。ノω\。) guy who has too much love to give, who wears his heart on his sleeve and yet is afraid to let anyone get within a hundred meters of him... i forgot which episode this is from,, maybe 15(?) but when he returns to their house after pushing ZZ off the cliff,, and Huo Linglong just asks him "what i want to know is how you've been these past few days",,, I CRIEDDDD like yes!!! show him how much you care about him!!!
and ofc I don't mind rambling!!! this was such a treat to see and reply to hehe 🥺💜💜 i welcome any and all sorts of rambling in fact please talk to me about any and all cdrama dkfnskd this is a PSA my dms and askboxs are open (。ノω\。)
ajdjsndj as for the fics,, id say give it a week or two after ZZA finishes airing -> as someone who has been in cdrama fandoms for 3(?) years and counting i think fans usually want to make sure they don't get canon facts wrong/avoid spoilers or spoiling it for others