- 'Soon, there may be no way to tell from the outside who is an ordinary person and who is Black Box' oh we're DOING THIS! Not only do I enjoy this particular flavour of horror in and of itself but I'm also very keen to see how this story chooses to play it alongside the weaponisation themes, as we expand this question of what it means to be a person.
- Was there really no connection between Liu Ji and Bian Jin? But if that were the case, then who was the mysterious person who came to the Liu family's rescue? GOOD! QUESTION! I am increasingly convinced that Bian Jin's mind is not always entirely... well I was about to say 'her own' but I don't even know if that's the right way to frame it. Anyway. Between this and the ease with which Shen Ni can read her and know that her confusion is genuine (and previous mentions of Bian Jin being a poor liar) this feels so much like a 'she has some task she must carry out but isn't good enough at deception to do it without being caught, so the only way is to lock the knowledge of it away even from herself' situation. Either that or someone else is using her to carry out their aims and has locked it away for the same reason. So which is it and what is the secret task and why does it require getting Shen Ni access to the time capsule???
- I like that Shen Ni's obsession with Bian Jin does not prevent her from suspecting her. And also that there appears to be absolutely no cognitive dissonance there whatsoever. It's a fun brand of subtly unhinged.
- So Bian Jin is/was the Blade of the Empire, and now Shen Ni is the Emperor's whetstone (and Han Fu her poison)... we've got the makings of a fine toolbox here.
- I hate to agree with Li Chu on anything but I am on record as being fond of a Shen Ni/Li Shan bad-idea ship so...
- Li Shan absolutely obliterating him was such a delight to watch though. Love seeing her use her bad attitude for good.
- A bored Shen Ni never bodes well for anyone; RIP those two guys.
- She couldn't keep her heart from racing as she watched Bian Jin send the two flying with a kick. It was always breathtaking to watch her shijie beat people up. She also felt a trace of resentment; come to think of it, it had been a long time since shijie had punished her... SHEN NI. Control yourself. Or, you know, don't.
Re: Chapter 38
- Was there really no connection between Liu Ji and Bian Jin? But if that were the case, then who was the mysterious person who came to the Liu family's rescue? GOOD! QUESTION! I am increasingly convinced that Bian Jin's mind is not always entirely... well I was about to say 'her own' but I don't even know if that's the right way to frame it. Anyway. Between this and the ease with which Shen Ni can read her and know that her confusion is genuine (and previous mentions of Bian Jin being a poor liar) this feels so much like a 'she has some task she must carry out but isn't good enough at deception to do it without being caught, so the only way is to lock the knowledge of it away even from herself' situation. Either that or someone else is using her to carry out their aims and has locked it away for the same reason. So which is it and what is the secret task and why does it require getting Shen Ni access to the time capsule???
- I like that Shen Ni's obsession with Bian Jin does not prevent her from suspecting her. And also that there appears to be absolutely no cognitive dissonance there whatsoever. It's a fun brand of subtly unhinged.
- So Bian Jin is/was the Blade of the Empire, and now Shen Ni is the Emperor's whetstone (and Han Fu her poison)... we've got the makings of a fine toolbox here.
- I hate to agree with Li Chu on anything but I am on record as being fond of a Shen Ni/Li Shan bad-idea ship so...
- Li Shan absolutely obliterating him was such a delight to watch though. Love seeing her use her bad attitude for good.
- A bored Shen Ni never bodes well for anyone; RIP those two guys.
- She couldn't keep her heart from racing as she watched Bian Jin send the two flying with a kick. It was always breathtaking to watch her shijie beat people up. She also felt a trace of resentment; come to think of it, it had been a long time since shijie had punished her... SHEN NI. Control yourself. Or, you know, don't.