Forum › Their Story discussion
So, that's the explanation. So, it's not about author, glad to know it.
Thank you very much. Does it mean Chinese government is making some censorships about LGBT contents? Or it's about something else?Emperor Xi's cracking down on pretty much everything considered insufficiently "Chinese" and patriotic. Think "Socialist Realism" style cultural controls. Anyone's guess how much of that is due to his personal values (and/or those of factions he's aligned with), how much is the usual intraparty power games and how much is wider Party nervousness about their position (they're not pouring megabucks into creating a truly Orwellian high-tech surveillance state "just because").
Kind of anxious times to be outside the conformist mainstream in any case.So, that's it... Thanks, it explains a lot.
It's good to know that author is not one of them who are teasing just because they can, until readers become infuriated.
Not that we are against teasing, but not overstepping that subtle boundaries of good taste :)Now, with explanation, it's clear. We were really close to disappointment about manhua, but now all is forgiven
Even I felt that the manhua was going in circles a while ago, until I learned of all the trouble the Chinese Government is giving the author, and similar LGBT staples of a Chinese rainbow-flag bearer. (Rela, a largely lesbian social platform was apparently taken down multiple times). It's sad that places like the Middle East, China, Korea, etc.do stuff like this, but it's the world we live in today.
After I found out the truth, my respect for the author went through the roof, especially after this chapter, because I honestly thought the author was trying their hardest to make SJ and QT's lips come as close as possible and holding off on the last few millimeters to keep the government out of it. To see them actually go through with it. DAMN!
The even more special thing about what they're doing is: even collections of manhua don't make much money and web editions make far less. So she;s got to have other income and this is a labor of love. It's weird given China's reputation for internet vs print censorship but her publisher felt pressure the other way - so it's unsurprising the web version has kissing, etc. What makes this even more special is manhua arent really booming in the PRC, and for whatever reason, Taiwan and Hong Kong (I know it's now "part of" the PRC, but everything to do with manhua is completely contained in Hong Kong - old characters (mostly not Cantonese) vertical, right to left like japanese manga) both have a healthy profitable manhua industry still but almost no one does yuri. Domestically in the PRC, lots of collections of manhua have gay plots and characters - you could buy them in Shangahi, etc. - but this is more about controlling image nationally. But anyway, the author is definitely noble doing this series.
When the history of Chinese manhua is discussed Tamen de Gushi will be an important entry.
last edited at Jan 3, 2019 5:48PM
The madwoman actually did it. And I don't mean Sun Jing.
What happened to this story? in the beginning it looked like a pretty decent story with an actual plot with lots of interesting characters that was leading up to something. right around Their Story: 22/12/2017 it just turned into a cute episodic web manga with no really story line to follow. Though i still enjoy it and love the main characters, cute as they are i still want to know what's happening with the other characters.
What happened to this story? in the beginning it looked like a pretty decent story with an actual plot with lots of interesting characters that was leading up to something. right around Their Story: 22/12/2017 it just turned into a cute episodic web manga with no really story line to follow. Though i still enjoy it and love the main characters, cute as they are i still want to know what's happening with the other characters.
This one probably needs an FAQ or something.
As I understand it:
Nobody knows the answer to your question with 100% certainty, but China has recently undertaken a crackdown on all things LGBTQ, and the author ran into censorship problems (in this case with the publisher) when attempting to produce a print version of the webcomic.
So it is highly likely that the shift in format is part of an attempt to continue the series while staying out of trouble with the authorities.
(If anyone has corrections or more specific information, please chime in.)
What happened to this story? in the beginning it looked like a pretty decent story with an actual plot with lots of interesting characters that was leading up to something. right around Their Story: 22/12/2017 it just turned into a cute episodic web manga with no really story line to follow. Though i still enjoy it and love the main characters, cute as they are i still want to know what's happening with the other characters.
Literally scroll up. Short form: God-Emperor Xi and nationalist-reactionary censorship happened.
What happened to this story? in the beginning it looked like a pretty decent story with an actual plot with lots of interesting characters that was leading up to something. right around Their Story: 22/12/2017 it just turned into a cute episodic web manga with no really story line to follow. Though i still enjoy it and love the main characters, cute as they are i still want to know what's happening with the other characters.
Literally scroll up. Short form: God-Emperor Xi and nationalist-reactionary censorship happened.
To be slightly more specific, this. This was the point of the shift into purely random slice-of-life.
Also.
Honestly, I do not think we will ever receive anything more than these random "safe" little episodes from the lives of the main characters.
I am not bothered with having to eat my own words here, on the contrary. This was both unexpected and really heartwarming, my hat is off to the author.
You are missing the point.
Which is?
Why do people like to criticize without pointing out what the actual problem is? If I'm wrong I'm wrong, but I'd like to know why and about what then ^^;
Ah, my apologies, I kind of assumed it was obvious, since the main issue with this story has been the same for the last year or so. It was never about whether or not they will end up together, as Heavensrun wrote, the endgame was obvious basically since the very beginning. The issue is the shift shilyte1982 described, when the series went from a slice-of-life coupled with several major story arcs, to just purely random slice-of-life episodes.
To slightly elaborate, the last coherent story arc (also happens to be the most crucial one) was the first kiss I linked you previously, coupled with the fangrill "triangle" drama. I will quote myself from almost a year ago:
Except, she did not end the fangirl's arc. Not yet, the last scene is missing. It is not in the style of this story to have the fangirl confess (and even that was not actually shown), provide a short backstory on how she developed feelings for SJ, then just drop it there, SJ skips the meeting with QT, shows up another day, no questions asked (from us as readers).
She also did not return to the main story. They kissed, QT was quite reflective of that, and then... nothing, they behave the same as usual (in the sweet potato scene, as for this latest update, there is no way to tell how much time passed between the kiss scene and now, this is just a little snippet that could have happened months after they resolved everything).
Also, the story did not previously do what is doing now. The first kiss + the new (however short) drama was consistently built and hyped over a course of several consecutive releases, but the story has for the last 7 chapters been downright adamant at not going back to any of this. From a pacing standpoint, this sucks, and considering it coincided with the whole censorship issue, it really might be down to the author not being in the mood to tackle it.
This will sound callous, but I am not invested in this story because of the author, or what she is facing in China (as appalling as the situation is there). I am invested in the story itself, and when pacing starts to go all over the place, as it is now, I am not really interested in exactly what real life circumstances in author's life led to this. However deplorable the censorship issue is, it will not suddenly make me think "nah, pacing is completely fine, the author is just going through some rough patches in real life".
The author basically shifted the format of her story after far too much time passed. Speaking from a purely personal standpoint, having the moment (they becoming lovers) I waited for something like 4 years ruined, well, let us say it dampened my appreciation of the work as a whole. I was invested in the story of them getting together, I have been invested in it for years. And at this point, after almost a year or possibly even longer, any chances of the work continuing that particular thread are long since dead and buried. Make me eat these words as well, author... ;_;
And it was not just the story of the main duo that was abruptly halted, I was also invested in other, smaller story arcs, like Qi Fang's, his issues with girls/romance, something was building up there as well. I also miss the rest of the cast, I grew to like them quite a bit. I remember when people complained back in the day how the side characters had too much space devoted to them, prompting some readers to speculate how "their" in the title might actually refer to the whole group, I quite liked that idea. Well, all that also went down the drain.
That was too great!!!
I guess she is now super conscious about it XP
Hand placement, SJ—watch the hand placement!
(That is, nice work.)
Great as usual :')
:3
when we getting the secks
last edited at Jan 23, 2019 8:26AM by
Very cute and uncomplicated
Those long, slender fingers look useful.
Those long, slender fingers look useful.
Yaoi hands.
Those long, slender fingers look useful.
Yaoi hands.
That explains Trump:
https://external-preview.redd.it/mp4/BN464I4AR2B0Tg4FQA7XxtBTRsRg1HqhwKIEML4i3Yc-source.mp4?s=492c8558aee8a8cf2539f61238a0922baeac0dad
MY KOKORO!(๑╹ω╹๑ )
As much as I miss Mo Xionan she really dodged a bullet with SJ
SJ called QT a wimp for her having an emotional response to being assaulted by a voyeur. Now SJ sneaks up behind QT and grabs her while later insinuating she may do something to QT because QT is defenseless. This after telling QT that QT herself just doesn't understand things.
I've been patient with this but I'm done now. Good for SJ, she has her bragging rights now...
last edited at Jan 23, 2019 8:07PM
As much as I miss Mo Xionan she really dodged a bullet with SJ
SJ called QT a wimp for her having an emotional response to being assaulted by a voyeur. Now SJ sneaks up behind QT and grabs her while later insinuating she may do something to QT because QT is defenseless. This after telling QT that QT herself just doesn't understand things.
I've been patient with this but I'm done now. Good for SJ, she has her bragging rights now...
SJ and QT have had a teasing, bantering relationship from the beginning. It’s true that SJ loves pushing QT’s buttons, and it’s also obvious that QT doesn’t really mind. There are lots of relationships where one partner consistently mildly ruffles the other one’s feathers because they both enjoy having them smoothed down again.
And what anybody ever saw in the bland, colorless semi-stalker Mo Xionan I’ll never know.
As much as I miss Mo Xionan she really dodged a bullet with SJ
SJ called QT a wimp for her having an emotional response to being assaulted by a voyeur. Now SJ sneaks up behind QT and grabs her while later insinuating she may do something to QT because QT is defenseless. This after telling QT that QT herself just doesn't understand things.
I've been patient with this but I'm done now. Good for SJ, she has her bragging rights now...
SJ and QT have had a teasing, bantering relationship from the beginning. It’s true that SJ loves pushing QT’s buttons, and it’s also obvious that QT doesn’t really mind. There are lots of relationships where one partner consistently mildly ruffles the other one’s feathers because they both enjoy having them smoothed down again.
And what anybody ever saw in the bland, colorless semi-stalker Mo Xionan I’ll never know.
I don't recall anything about Mo being a stalker and if anything it was SJ being facetiously kind to her that lead Mo to think that she had a chance with SJ. Otherwise what is colorless about someone that is caring of others, willing to stand against bullies at their own expense and not asking anything for it, and going out of their way to help another by returning their lost items? And Mo does all this even though she feels rotten about herself.
That said, if we use the term for someone being "colorful" as to mean offensive then I'm fine with Mo being "colorless" in this sense.
And that's fine between them, I take exception with SJ calling QT a wimp for crying and then the story carrying on as if for QT the voyeurism never happened. Of course it is good to promote the defending of those subject to assault and harassment, and it is true that assault victims do respond differently so I'm not looking for QT to respond any particular way here, but I don't like the portrayal that QT is just an unknowing and defenseless person for SJ to tease at her leisure.
last edited at Jan 23, 2019 10:21PM
That said, if we use the term for someone being "colorful" as to mean offensive then I'm fine with Mo being "colorless" in this sense.
Never in the history of the English language has calling someone “colorful” (i.e., “vivid,” “memorable,” “doesn’t blend into the background like dull wallpaper,” etc.) meant that the person was ”offensive.”
Your ability to make up the definition of words out of nothing is matched by your ability to read a story that exists only in your head.
SJ is too smooth. With the kiss being official, I expect the next big step handholding.
So Qui had someone else she likes/liked aside from Sun right?
Chapter 63
Qui admits she likes someone.
Chapter 65
Qui just looks at Sun when Sun asks who it is.
Chapter 86
Qui says she’s unable to return Sun’s feelings so that means Sun isn’t the person Qui likes.
Chapter 146
Qui does ‘that’ with Sun but it seems like she only did it cuz Sun looked sad.
Now it’s clear Qui’s developed feelings because Sun is just so smooth but I wonder if whoever Qui originally likes/liked will later disrupt them?
It could just remain nice and fluffy but I think there might be a little drama later.
Since it seems the pink haired girl’s been dropped from the story that means probably someone new is gonna come in to stir up trouble.