#bjyx controversies

[rainbowsky]

Sorry I've taken so long to address this, I've had a very busy day and didn't have time to finish this post (which I started yesterday).

I'm talking, of course, about the incredibly controversial situation surrounding DD right now. I've gotten some messages about it so I figured I'd give my thoughts in a bigger post so that I don't have to keep repeating myself.

(CW: racism, spoilers FPU)

I know that by now most people are aware of the situation, but I'm going to start from square one for those who are just catching up on the topic.

There is a scene in Formed Police Unit where Chinese UN peacekeeping troops need to rescue a group of citizens who are surrounded by terrorists. In order to accomplish this they disguise themselves as people from the community. This being Africa, the troops were disguised using blackface.

Yes, I am saying that DD and his castmates appear in the film in blackface.

I am not going to post a picture of that here. It's just something I can't post on my blog. I understand that many of you will want to see for yourself so I'll link a clip of the scene, which was posted on Weibo. Please be aware before clicking - this is full-on blackface. Always take care of yourselves, and if you think it might be upsetting to you don't click. You don't need to see it to be a 'good fan'.

Background

For those who may not know, this movie was filmed years ago, in 2021. During those years I have seen many anti attacks against DD, claiming that he is racist and has worn blackface. Here's the photo that was circulating back then.

At the time I thought the makeup that he was wearing was likely anti-reflective black paint or camouflage paint such as is used by snipers (which he played in the film). I assumed that he was wearing his own hoodie over part of a military costume, because he was wearing a cammo shirt and what might have been combat trousers.

I was certainly not expecting full-on blackface from this movie.

There's no getting around it - this is extremely difficult to look at.

Blackface is widely viewed as offensive and racist. It shouldn't be hard to understand why. Putting on another person's ethnicity like a costume is deeply insensitive, particularly when you consider that BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) are so frequently targeted, exploited and marginalized. For those in positions of privilege and power to put on the appearance of the people who they oppress and exploit... it's just shocking and awful.

Blackface is most frequently talked about in an American context, but it's actually a problem globally - including in China. More on all that here.

The film

I have not actually seen the film, so I don't know much about the context beyond what is being discussed in the fandom. As I said earlier, in the film a group of UN police officers need to infiltrate an area in the community, and they take on disguises in order to do so.

In promotional media this film is being presented as based on true stories from real missions*. It seems the situation in question really happened on a Chinese peacekeeping mission, and the UN troops disguised themselves as black citizens in order to infiltrate and extract the endangered captives.

*I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt on this because it doesn't change how I feel it should have been handled.

This is important context that is being conveniently left out of much of the backlash about this situation. People are outright claiming that DD plays a black person in the movie - that he wore blackface to perform a role that a black actor could have played. This simply isn't true, and people making these claims are antis and liars. There's simply no excuse for not knowing the full context.

Having said that, I don't really think it matters how it ended up in the film. I do not think there is such a thing as a palatable or appropriate use of blackface. In this day and age it is nearly universally understood to be racist, and it's extremely controversial.

I can understand if they were trying to be accurate to the mission that they were portraying, but surely there are other ways they could have accomplished this scene (perhaps with the clothing but not the blackface). 'Historical accuracy' isn't as important as cultural sensitivity, not by any stretch of the imagination. In the interest of respecting audiences they could have adapted the scene to make the use of blackface unnecessary.

I really see no excuse for anything like this in 2024.

Audience reactions

Chinese sensibilities around these topics are very different from what we are used to in the West.

According to fan repos audiences initially didn't recognize any of the actors, and once it became apparent that they were in disguise, laughter erupted around the room. In fact, most fans are laughing a lot at the photos and video even on social media (although some Chinese netizens have been upset by it and have voiced complaints to various stakeholders).

It is also being widely discussed on Chinese social media as an exciting scene of heroism in the film.

I feel the need to point out that the laughter and mockery is a huge part of the harm, here. As if it's not bad enough that these actors are performing in blackface and presenting a perversion of black ethnicity, it also becomes an opportunity for audiences to mock and disrespect black people. It's become an opportunity for social media to be filled with racist jokes and mockery.

Roadshow statements

There have been some clips circulating of PR and roadshow moments with black cast members and some black audience members who have spoken up in support of the film and to thank the cast and crew for telling the story. Here's one example.

International fans have been dismissing those statements as ignorant or coerced, which I think is offensive and deeply fucked up. There's no planet on which I'm going to - with a totally straight face - say that a black person's response to the movie is not legitimate just because it doesn't comport with my own view.

This is a complex issue and there are inevitably going to be a lot of different perspectives. I hope people won't exacerbate the problem by supplanting black voices on this issue with their own, no matter what's being said. If there's any manipulation going on, let's assume it was in their choosing supportive black figures to speak for the film rather than claim that the black spokespeople are insincere.

China has a lot of issues with racism, there's no doubt about it. It's a huge part of why so many people try to whiten their skin, or why they mock each other when their skin gets tanned/darker. There is a lot of sinister, fucked up stuff going on in China around race - both in the country and in their dealings with other countries.

But we can't claim to speak for black people in China, particularly when they are speaking for themselves! I would hope this is extremely obvious!

Where's DD in all this?

It's understandable that bystanders will react to what they're seeing and might immediately deem it unacceptable - and DD along with it. Their reactions are valid, but as fans I hope that we can look at him with a bit more empathy. I hope that we can take a moment to try to see things from his perspective.

DD has been interested in and an avid fan of black culture since he was a small child. We've all seen how much he immerses himself in hip hop, street dance and the accompanying music and fashion. And yes, he's been accused of cultural appropriation in the past for wearing locs and durags.

However, I think fans need a bit of perspective here to get a sense of where DD might be coming from. Here's a guy who loves black culture, who has close friends who are black, who regularly works with black artists and who supports black artists, in a culture where racism against black people is prevalent and often extreme.

I think DD would probably be amazed to hear the accusations of racism against him. He likely has very few people in his orbit who are anywhere near as supportive of or as closely connected to black people as he is. He likely stands out in his circle as being particularly into black culture and connected with black artists, and probably regularly faces ignorant questions or digs from people around him about his close association with black artists and culture.

Not just because of racism alone, but also due to the racist parallels the government tends to draw between black culture, street dance, hip hop, etc. and criminality/moral degradation*. It's likely that ignorant people in his orbit have expressed concern or wariness toward him because of these associations.

*That is, until breakdancing became an Olympic sport, then they were suddenly onboard with some of it.

I'm not saying that he doesn't have a lot of learning to do (and if this situation becomes what I think it might become, he'll have a big opportunity to do so), I'm just saying that his ignorance isn't mean-spirited. He's coming at this from a totally different angle than any of us are, and he is immersed in a totally different cultural perspective than our own. In his world, his interest likely makes him a bit of an anomaly.

So those painting him as a horrible racist... it's just not how I see it.

The element of choice

I've heard many people say that DD 'didn't have any choice' about this role, that turning it down would not have been an option or that he would be under some kind of threat if he didn't take this role. I don't agree with that characterization of things. I don't think it's quite as 'gun to the head' as a lot of fans paint it.

I think it's more likely that he simply didn't realize that the role would involve blackface when he accepted it, or that he thought that blackface in this context - to infiltrate a terrorist cell and save civilians - would be fine. We don't need to depict China as forcibly compelling actors to take unwanted roles if we want to make sense of this. There are simpler, more logical explanations.

DD wouldn't have been the one deciding how to depict the scene - he didn't have that power in 2021 - but I also doubt he would have had a major problem with it given everything we know.

We must overcome our Western tendency to see things only from our own perspective. This has a totally different cultural context in China, and the voices we listen to about it should not be issuing exclusively from white faces that are not at ground zero of this situation.

Final thoughts

This film has had me worried from day one. I think most people have been expecting it to be full of offensive portrayals and propagandistic fuckery. There are so many ways in which a Chinese film about the UN is potentially a sticky, tricky mess. This blackface thing is likely just one problem on a towering pile of problems.

However, I'm not going to sugarcoat this - this has the potential to be a real shitshow for DD, and I am concerned. Especially if this film gets an international release.

We need to brace ourselves, because I don't think this is going to just disappear. DD has endorsements with international brands, and this could definitely cause backlash for those brands unless the issue is addressed and the scenes removed. There's no planet on which brands like Chanel and Lacoste can afford to have one of their spokespeople plastered everywhere in blackface.

If this film gets an international release and those scenes are left intact, it's possible he will lose some brands.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but let's face it - things like this have consequences, and that's why it's so important for producers and artists to be sensitive about what they're portraying.

While I think there's some endorsement risk here for DD, and the potential loss of some international fans, I want to be clear about one thing: I don't think this will threaten his career overall. In China this just isn't an issue in the way it is internationally.

I do hope the film team addresses this issue in some way, ideally by removing the scenes. They just finished doing a massive edit to remove ZZH from the film, surely they can handle something like this. But let's not hold our breath...

Everyone has the right to make up their minds about DD. As I've often said, being a turtle isn't for the faint of heart. That's not just because turtles are frequent targets for bullies, or because we have to constantly live with uncertainty and doubt.

Being an international turtle also isn't for the faint of heart because there are a lot of cultural and political minefields to navigate, and many ideological differences to adapt to. There's a huge learning curve and a lot of unknowns, and turtles who want to survive have to make peace with the fact that we and the boys are from different worlds in many ways. We may never know where they really stand on issues that are important to us.

However, in this case I feel confident that I know where DD's heart is on this issue. He simply doesn't hold hatred, disrespect or disdain for black people. Quite the contrary.

I think we'd all just feel a lot better if he had a good grasp on how to be a better ally.

And while we're waiting for that, I think we should put our money where our mouths are and learn more about these issues ourselves, both in China and locally at home. We want DD to be a better person; let's be better people too.

Edit: more on this here.

[accio-victuuri]

Round 2 with LHK and bxg interactions. If you need catching up, I initially talked about it here. Again, i’m not promoting asking their co stars for clues about szd. This is for archiving purpose only. I understand that most (if not all) of them have only known LHK because of Untamed and continue to have a good impression of him due to that & his friendly relationship with the boys. So they couldn’t stop the association.

On his video where he wore blue, someone commented that if bjyx is still there, if he can wear a watch on his left wrist. and well, he does it. another coincidence. ✨

another one asking do you remember this photo with the 3 of them in the waiting room. he doesn’t say anything controversial in this, just described what was going on. basically saying he and wyb were playing two different games and zz was over there picking his nails. if any, i guess people who ask this are in nostalgia mode and hoped that maybe LHK will give a new perspective on certain moments.

an example of that untamed centric question below:

Second brother, I really like Chen Qingling, what should I do if I can’t get out of the trap?

When your legs feel numb, just stamp your feet and keep squatting!

source.

[jowi8597]

Bjyx mental gymnastics regarding led banners on SDC6

With great surprise and even amusement I observe the mental gymnastics of some bjyx accounts trying to convince their followers that bjyx banners were not targeted during SDC6 and blur the whole situation by saying "but mtjj..". This is ridiculous and even a little pathetic 😂

They're showing this compilation of three clips, specifically juxtaposed, conveniently ignoring other evidence. Quick analysis of this video below.

First clip - none of the mtjj ever said that this particular banner was taken by security; you can easily check that we published this video on our accounts with the explanation that it was mtjj who took the banner (whether it was right - you can argue here; personally, I think that property is property and we shouldn't administer justice ourselves in this way, that's what security was for; but of course I understand this mtjj's anger)

Second clip - here it is not entirely clear what exactly happened; some say that security asked for the yellow banner to be folded, and the person who was holding the green banner tried to cover the yellow banner from the security to prevent it (you can even see her hitting the man in the face with the banner) - probably both girls are friends. It would make absolutely no sense if mtjj was covering bjyx's banner at that very moment, right in front of security's face. Think rational.

Third clip - the green banner is actually too high and may interfere with the broadcast, security reacted correctly (there is no controversy here, because it is clear that it is not about what the banner shows, but its size and location in relation to the camera). 

So, were bjyx banners really targeted by security on SDC6? See my next post.

[tasteofyizhan]

« people in China aren’t aware » LMAO so we, as non Chinese are aware of what’s happening in their country but them, not at all? Okay so different anon there I don’t know what the muslim anon said to you but I’m not even Muslim and I’m honestly shock about how this fandom turned out to be. I don’t necessarily talk about idols here, just how people reacted to the whole thing in general. It isn’t even an issue, it’s literally about f*cking human rights and we’re talking about human lives. The proofs and people are there. Stop being ignorant. You guys just choose to close your eyes. Someone needs to criticize this government. They do not regulate their industries. Cereal laced with rat poison, buildings that collapse, enslaving the Uyghurs.

Anon, I can’t tell whether you’re a troll or not, and I normally don’t post asks like this, but this is clearly a controversial issue that has bothered a lot of people, so I’m going to use this to set out my opinion once and for all. I won’t be addressing it any further after this.

1) Why aren’t Chinese citizens speaking out against this?

I’m not sure where you got this quote “people in China aren’t aware”, but I’m guessing it came from this previous post. I’m going to urge you to read @potteresque-ire‘s incredibly informative post here on the amount of propaganda that Chinese citizens are bombarded with on a daily basis. The media is controlled by the CCP, the Internet is controlled and monitored by the CCP, and the citizens are taught CCP’s revisionist history and CCP propaganda from birth. Heck, even their social media is controlled by the CCP. When you are exposed to this amount of propaganda your whole life, who do you think Chinese citizens will believe when their country tells them that other countries are making up lies about human rights abuses occurring in China in order to tarnish China’s name because the world is afraid of China’s economic might? You don’t even have to look far - just go on W*ibo and read a sampling of the posts there supporting Xinjiang cotton, and that should tell you a lot. Now, @potteresque-ire has also helpfully compiled how these “re-education camps” are framed in the Western media and in the Chinese media here. I’m going to ask you to watch those videos, and then ask you to exercise your critical thinking skills and reflect on what an average Chinese citizen might be exposed to on a daily basis, and how that shapes their belief. 

Now, even if the Chinese citizens do believe that human rights violations occurred in Xinjiang, can they express this opinion? Well, not if they don’t want to run afoul of the morality guidelines for citizens. From the article I linked:

The guidelines, focusing heavily on promoting patriotism, also called for the formulation of “national etiquette” for things such as singing the national anthem, raising the national flag, or ceremonies for when one joins the ruling Chinese communist party (CCP).

Such etiquette should “enhance people’s attitude toward the party and country and organise a collective sense of identity and belonging”, according to the document, released by the party’s central committee and the state council.

2) Why aren’t GG/DD speaking out against this?

Leaving aside whether GGDD believe that there are human rights violations occurring Xinjiang, something that I see happening is international fans expressing outrage at their response. I am going to point you to a previous post on to explain why they made the statements they made. Heck, you know what, I’m just going to paste what I wrote in that previous post here: 

The reality is that as performers, GG DD are also very limited by what they are allowed to support/say. This isn’t something that fans are making up to defend them - in March, the CCP passed new guidelines in wake of the ZS scandal that explicitly states that any performer who breaches these guidelines can face a lifetime ban. One of these guidelines is for performers to “ardently love the motherland, support the Party’s line, principle and policies… and consciously accept [government] and societal supervision.”

From the Variety article that I linked:

First and foremost, artists will be punished for violating China’s constitution, “endangering national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” endangering national security, or “harming national honor and interests.” The second ban is on “inciting ethnic hatred.. or undermining ethnic unity.” The cocktail of above terms are charges frequently levelled at those speaking up about human rights violations, particularly related to the fraught regions of Xinjiang or Tibet.

Realistically, there is nothing that they can say. As soon as they speak out against the CCP, as soon as they fail to express support for the CCP’s policies or for the CCP’s narrative, they’re finished. They will never work again. I am not exaggerating about this last point. Again, from the Variety article:

Beyond issuing performance bans, the committee will try to “implement cross-industry joint punishment,” working with players in other fields to bar violators from financial or cultural success via other channels like endorsement deals. Violators may also have their awards and other honors revoked, and will be subject to a measure of critical “re-education.”

This is the reality that they live in. They live and work in a country that is deeply manipulative and oppressive, and which has almost complete control over how they were brought up, how they were educated, and which currently holds the reins over their livelihood and their future. 

Am I disappointed at their respective statements? Yes I am, but given the reality of life under an oppressive regime, I am not the least bit surprised, and more importantly, nor do I fault them.

[rainbowsky]

Award nominations - my thoughts

There has been a lot of uproar about the Magnolia Awards nominations. Here are my thoughts.

Disclaimer: I'm going to preface this by talking about a life lesson I refuse to learn (to the dismay of those closest to me). The lesson is, "Don't make yourself a target." That can often mean, "Don't speak your mind if your perspective differs from popular opinion" or in this case, "When people are upset, don't put yourself in the position to become the outlet for all their anger."

But I respect diversity of opinion, and that means I want to hear from a variety of perspectives on an issue and I suspect some of my readers do as well. So I hope everyone can remain open to hearing things they might not agree with, and respect each other's views. I also want to add that everything I say here is about me and my views - not a commentary on anyone else or their views.

I also think it's important that I make clear that I have not yet seen War of Faith. I'm relying on reviews and on reports from other fans, from my friends, and from my sister for my understanding of the drama and the performances actors gave.

A bit of background

For those who aren't aware of this issue, I'll try to outline the broad strokes of it all.

The Magnolias are prestigious drama awards in China, somewhat on par with the Emmies. For months now there has been a lot of buzz building about the possibility of a nomination for GG and The Youth Memories, and/or for DD and War of Faith.

The nominations came through today, and there was just the nomination for War of Faith for Best Drama. DD was not nominated, but Wang Yang was nominated for Best Leading Actor.

A lot of fans and even a few passers-by have been very vocally upset about this, saying it's a snub to DD and his excellent performance. Some have even characterized it as a huge betrayal of DD to nominate Wang Yang, who was really only a supporting actor, over DD, who was the real leading actor.

There have been claims that DD wasn't even put forth for the award by the producers, which has made fans even more angry. Many are attacking the producers, speaking out against DD appearing in a proposed season 2 of the series, and threatening backlash if the producers celebrate the nominations the drama received.

Checking the facts

As far as I can tell, here's what we know for sure:

The drama was co-billed with three leading actors: Wang Yibo, Li Qin and Wang Yang.

While DD's character was the protagonist of the drama, he wasn't billed as the sole male lead for the series.

All three leading actors gave solid performances.

We do not know for sure whether Li Qin's or Yibo's names were put forth for the awards. I personally can't think of any reason the producers would hold back on submitting everyone they can for the awards. The more nominations and wins the drama gets, the better for everyone involved.

Edit: according to a document purported by fans to be the official record of the names put forward for awards, Yibo, Li Qin and Wang Yang were all put forth as leads, which is in line with the billing each had in casting.

Fans are treating this as damning evidence that the producers unjustly put the supporting actor forward as a lead actor, but we have to keep in mind that there are likely contractual and legal considerations here. If somebody is cast in a leading role, then they have rights to be billed and promoted as such. We know that Li Qin and Wang Yang were both billed as co-leads.

Edit 2: The studio and producer have released statements where it was confirmed that all the lead actors were put forth for the awards.

My thoughts

I understand the disappointment fans feel when one of our boys is passed over for accolades and recognition. We're all invested in their well-being and success. However, I don't think it does any of us - and especially not DD - any kind of service to get upset and up in arms over something like this.

There are some really good reasons to believe that DD would not be thanking people for reacting the way they have:

It is an insult to Wang Yang and the performance he gave, which from what I understand, was outstanding. DD would not want his colleague's successes to be in any way diminished by the behavior and attitudes of his fans. It's not the kind of person he is.

It's disrespectful to the project as a whole. As I've said before, "A rising tide lifts all boats." The fact that the drama was nominated at all is to DD's great benefit. Turning something positive into a negative doesn't serve any productive purpose.

This makes DD look really bad, frankly. We shouldn't fail to recognize the irony of burning down the internet with cries of, "DD's being treated like a traffic star rather than the great actor he is!!" "He was snubbed!" "What a betrayal!" Nothing makes DD look more like a traffic star than fans behaving this way. This is classic fan culture behavior. We want DD to be recognized as a serious actor, but we simultaneously rely on traffic idol data and numbers to try to 'push his case', and claim he's 'being used for traffic' rather than ourselves respect his serious role in this drama.

This type of awards entitlement is not DD's style. Quite the contrary. He is an extremely humble, hardworking guy who likely cringes at the idea of people being outraged on his behalf in a situation like this.

Everything good that happens for this project, whether it's directly connected to DD or not, benefits DD. Everything bad that happens - every bit of bad publicity - harms DD.

This is a propaganda drama that's of significance to the ruling party. This type of fan behavior in relation to it has the chance of really harming DD and his career. Just like the whole debacle with GG's fans and their reaction over Ace Troops, this is not the kind of thing people should be doing.

From what I've learned about the Magnolias, these awards are given to established career actors. Young actors and newer actors do not tend to get nominated for these awards.

Like it or not, DD is a newcomer with a career that's still in transition. He has a lot of talent and some great successes under his belt, but he is still pretty green as an actor. Wang Yang has a career that goes back 20 years. DD has only been a serious actor for maybe a quarter of that time. It was unrealistic for fans to expect the tiger to change its stripes just for him.

This is not some nasty conspiracy against DD, this is just the reality of the industry he is in. Major awards tend to go to established career actors - both in China and globally. We should know this by now.

As far as I can tell, DD isn't being 'singled out' in any way. He's being treated like any other newcomer; being expected to 'pay his dues' just like everyone else.

DD is young, he has his whole career ahead of him. He is so talented and hardworking - he WILL win major awards. The fact that almost every project he's involved with gets nominations and awards is a very good sign, and ensures he will continue to get solid opportunities to show his skills. He's clearly picking good projects and performing well in them. Directors and producers will take notice of that and want to work with him.

He is on a normal - even exceptionally strong - career trajectory. Given his successes we should be very happy for the trajectory he is on. He will continue to work hard, get good roles, perform well and grow his audiences and his credibility among those audiences.

On a personal level

I love DD so much. He has something truly special about him. I want to see him do well, and for others to see and recognize what's so great about him.

He deals with an outrageous level of hatred and slander from antis, some of it truly makes me sick to my stomach. Nothing would make me happier than to see him be in a position to slap those assholes in the face with prestigious awards and recognition for his talent.

Of course I was dismayed when he wasn't nominated, just as I was dismayed that GG wasn't nominated.

However, I recognize that for what it is - a personal emotional reaction. Ultimately nothing that has happened here appears to be unjust or underhanded. Disappointing, perhaps, but not a conspiracy, not a betrayal.

Quite the contrary. DD's drama was nominated for 5 awards including Best Drama! We should be celebrating. There are probably hundreds of dramas that hope for this type of recognition every year, and DD's was one of those chosen among the very few nominated.

It makes me sad to see something positive being turned into a negative in this way. For all the reasons I outlined, I think it's misguided and could come back to bite DD hard in the ass.

Just my opinion. Hopefully once everyone has simmered down a bit we can all take a second look at this and find another perspective. One that is more worthy of DD as the humble human being he is.

[rainbowsky]

Has the competition for ranking in the domestic entertainment industry reached the Magnolia Awards?

Original Entertainment Management Studio 2024-06-01 06: 30 Beijing

On May 30, after the shortlist of the Magnolia Awards for the 29th Shanghai TV Festival was announced, not only "xx was nominated" but also "xxx was not nominated" caused heated discussion.

The controversy centered on the two awards of "TV King" and "TV Queen". Among them, among the nominations for best actor, there are Ding Yongdai of "South and North" and Wang Yang of "War of Faith". However, some netizens discovered that when the official lineup of "War of Faith" was announced, Wang Yang was ranked third as the leading star, while Wang Yibo, who was ranked first as the leading star, was not nominated. The topic #白Magnolia was nominated without Wang Yibo# became a hot search on Weibo.

The same situation happened in "South to North". When the official Weibo announced the cast, the first leading actor was Bai Jingting, and the second was Ding Yongdai. #Bai Jingting is not nominated for Magnolia Awards# also became a hot search.

In the eyes of some netizens, "No. 1" is equivalent to "protagonist", and "No. 2" and "No. 3" are supporting roles. So, is this "ranking" trend in the domestic entertainment industry really equivalent to the judging logic of Magnolia Awards?

How to apply for a Magnolia?

As one of the three major awards for Chinese TV dramas, the Magnolia Award has always been regarded as an "industry award" and represents the vane of the domestic TV industry. The annual Best Actor and Best Actress awards are the highest recognition of actors in the field of TV dramas, and have become the focus of attention of various actors and fans.

Under the official Weibo of the Shanghai TV Festival's announcement of the shortlist, you can see countless fans' Amway* copywriting. In addition to actors such as Hu Ge, Yang Zi, and Tang Yan who have been nominated, fans of artists whose related works have been nominated also want to "get involved" in this joyous occasion. For example, the variety show "The Heart-Stirring Offer 5" was nominated, and fans of He Junlin, one of the guests, also congratulated He Junlin in the comment section.

*RBS note - 'Amway' essentially means 'intense and over-the-top, cult-like'.

On the other hand, although "War of Faith" was nominated for multiple Magnolia Awards, fans of the lead actor Wang Yibo were not happy. In their view, when "War of Faith" was officially announced, Wang Yang was the "third" male supporting role, and Wang Yibo was the first male lead, but Wang Yang was submitted for "Best Actor" and was nominated. As a result, fans began to protest on a large scale under the relevant Weibo of Magnolia, the film company, and the producer.

The Yuli Studio read the "2024 29th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award TV Series Category Regulations" and found that in principle, the male and female lead awards are filled in with 1 person each, that is, the first male and female lead. The first male and female lead must play a pivotal role in promoting the plot and have an indispensable and important role. If there are indeed multiple male or female leads, the maximum number of people to be filled in is 2, and both must occupy a relatively large part in the play.

2024 29th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award TV Series Category Rules

A film producer told Yuli Studio that because the Magnolia Award has requirements for the role, the film producer will definitely nominate the two leading actors with the most roles, and will not select them according to the ranking, nor will there be a situation where the "second male lead" is not reported but the "first male lead". If there are really not enough places, supporting roles will be reported.

The case of "Flowers" can also prove this application logic. When the official Weibo of "Flowers" announced the lineup, the ranking of the three actresses was Ma Yili, Tang Yan and Xin Zhilei. But according to The Paper, when the "Flowers" film producer applied, he believed that the three actresses in the play were all heroines, and each of them was very outstanding, so he communicated with the organizing committee and registered all three. In the end, only Tang Yan was shortlisted for the best actress.

It can be inferred from this that Wang Yibo and Wang Yang are both the leading actors in "War of Faith" and are also the top two male actors with the most roles, so the film crew will also report these two actors when submitting. Similarly, the crew of "South to North" should also report the top two male actors with the most roles, Bai Jingting and Ding Yongdai.

On May 31, Nandu Entertainment reported that an insider said that the "War of Faith" crew did report Wang Yibo and Wang Yang for the best actor. Both Bai Jingting and Wang Yibo appeared in the second round of voting for the best actor of this year's Magnolia Award, but after the review vote, they did not enter the final shortlist.

At the same time, in terms of the submitter, the "2024 29th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award TV Series Category Regulations" stipulate that the registration is by individuals or institutions that own the copyright of the program, and one party must be determined as the applicant. Generally speaking, the submitter is the first producer, that is, the video platform. So the submitter of "War of Faith" should be iQiyi.

However, even with the written rules and industry reports, fans don't seem to buy it.

Where did the controversy come from?

Judging from the protests of Wang Yibo's fans, the biggest controversy is that fans believe that Wei Ruolai, played by Wang Yibo in "War of Faith", is the absolute and only male lead. Whether it is investment promotion or popularity, it is all carried by Wang Yibo. Therefore, the film company should not submit the best actor for Wang Yang, who is the "third lead", and compete with the "first lead" Wang Yibo in the same award.

So, are the rankings recognized by fans consistent with the "leading role" recognized by the industry? In addition to the first leading actor on the official list, the "first lead" recognized by fans also includes whether the script content revolves around the only protagonist, whether the protagonist has the most scenes, whether the various trailers released spend the most time on the first lead, and whether the above recognition has been mentioned in the interview with the main creators, etc.

However, in the selection rules of the Magnolia Awards, it is mentioned that if there are indeed multiple male protagonists or multiple female protagonists, the maximum number of people to be reported is 2, and all must occupy a relatively large part in the play. It can be found that when the official Weibo of "War of Faith" announced the lineup, Wang Yang was one of the leading actors. Secondly, the plot synopsis of "War of Faith" also mentioned that Wei Ruolai's plot mainly unfolds after he meets Shen Tunan, and forms a control group with Shen Tunan. Therefore, whether it is the title or the plot, there is no problem for the film company to apply for the Magnolia Award for Wang Yang as the "leading actor". And since the Magnolia Awards officially announced the shortlist, it also means that Shen Tunan, played by Wang Yang, meets the Magnolia Award's "leading actor" standard.

War of Faith original casting announcement from 2023: Starring in the leading role: Wang Yibo, Starring in the leading role: Li Qin, Starring in the leading role: Wang Yang.

Judging from the list of winners of the Magnolia Award for Best Actor in previous years, Lei Jiayin, who won the 28th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award for Best Actor for "The World", is not the only leading actor. Yu Hewei, who won the 27th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award for Best Actor for "Awakening Age", is one of the protagonists, and was even ranked after Zhang Tong, who played Li Dazhao, when the official announcement was made.

The application of "Fang Hua" also proves that a drama can have multiple "protagonists". It can be seen that the "protagonist" standard recognized by the Magnolia Awards is not the same as the "ranking" standard in the minds of fans.

How do "the male protagonist" and "the female protagonist" influence creation ?

Therefore, the so-called "number one", absolute male protagonist and female protagonist are more of a self-entertainment statement of the fan circle, which is unprofessional and does not respect the rules of creation.

When the main creator is creating, if they are disturbed by the "male protagonist" and "female protagonist", the role will become to serve the actors rather than the plot and the characters. Under normal circumstances, the male and female protagonists and even the main supporting roles should have a complete growth line to show how their personalities are developed? What are the relationships between the characters around them? But if you blindly give way to the "male protagonist" and "female protagonist", other characters will lose their normal behavioral logic and become tools of "what the other party needs me to do, I will do", and the logic of the whole drama will collapse.

For example, "Changyue Jinming" was questioned by netizens that in order to set off the male protagonist, the female protagonist was arranged to fall in love with the male protagonist who had a "grudge against the extermination of the family", and the tragic female supporting role was also reduced to the "background board" of the love between the male and female protagonists, and was devalued by the protagonist as worthless; in order to make the male protagonist have a righteous aura, he, who was originally a villain and wanted to kill everyone, suddenly became a benevolent king in the middle of the series, and was criticized by the audience for his illogicality.

Secondly, the trend of "fighting for ranking" also forces the film producers to "perform" all kinds of fancy words when making official announcements in order not to offend artists and fans. For example, when Yu Zheng officially announced "Five Fortunes", in order to prevent all parties from tearing up the rankings, he designed a "Ferris wheel rotating ranking". This kind of effort that is not beneficial to creation is a practice of chasing "face" without looking at "inside" under helplessness.

It can be found that whether it is the past "Awakening Age", "The World", "Kuangbi", or 2024's "Flower" and "Celebrating Yu Nian 2", these hit dramas that have been authenticated by multiple data are not "big male lead" or "big female lead" dramas centered on one person, but "all members are on the table", triggering group portrait dramas that break the circle of discussion. At the New Wave Forum on "How to make a hit drama and a hit person", Sun Hongzhi, director of TV drama operations at Tencent Video, also mentioned that the industry's effective broadcast standards are user value, economic value and industry value. And these three types of value cannot be brought by "big male lead" or "big female lead" alone.

Essentially, the controversy is still the "disease" of the "rank cancer" in the domestic entertainment industry. People who are keen on "ranking" mistakenly equate the rank with the value of the actors, and regard the ranking as an important capital for business negotiations and rights protection. However, the rank is only the "face", and what is truly recognized by the industry or even passers-by is the "inside". The so-called "number one" and "only male and female protagonists" do not equal achievements, nor can they directly bring exposure, growth opportunities and business resources.

In this year's Magnolia Awards, Liu Lin, who was not nominated but was on the hot search, also "running with" for ten years. Under the entry #Liu Lin has been running with Baiyulan for ten years#, many netizens expressed their regret for her and mentioned her countless classic roles.

It can be found that although excellent actors have not been nominated, they have long been uncrowned kings in the hearts of the audience. As Liu Lin once said, "I am not in a hurry to be famous or popular, but I can still work diligently in the acting industry."

[rainbowsky]

Hi rainbowsky....

How r you. .

Hope your summer vacations are going on well!!

Since yesterday, there are lots of posts on Twitter that Dapeng has unfollowed Yibo on weibo and also that he has not spoken anything about Yibo during award ceremony...

What are your views on it..

Hi Shakurablossom, I'm OK, hope you are too.

I'd like to remind everyone that Twitter toxic BS belongs on Twitter, not here. I closed my anonymous inbox for this very reason.

This whole thing with Da Peng is completely unsubstantiated. There is no proof that they 'unfollowed' each other, or have any kind of beef with each other, but there is evidence to the contrary.

It is true that Da Peng did follow Yibo in January of 2022, but Yibo did not follow him back at that time. I know that, because I made a comprehensive list months later of all of the people he followed, and Da Peng was not among them.

Yibo does not currently follow him, but as far as I can tell he never did at any point.

As for whether Da Peng follows Yibo anymore, that, too, cannot be verified. He follows many hundreds of people, and on Weibo it's not possible to see all of the people he follows. When lists are long like that, Weibo limits how many accounts you can see at a time, and browsing through them all is difficult if not impossible.

Even if he did unfollow DD, that's certainly no proof of a rift.

There were reports and some video clips of DD waving to Da Peng at Weibo Movie Night, and of Da Peng enthusiastically applauding and cheering for DD when he won his award, which they wouldn't have been doing if they were mortal enemies.

Look, this kind of fandom 'enmity' narrative is not good for GG or DD, and hateful fan behavior toward colleagues will only make their careers more difficult and give them a bad reputation. Despite the massive size of China, the entertainment business is relatively small, and no one can afford to make enemies.

Not only that, but as I stated before back during the whole War of Faith controversy, fan behavior can backlash against the artist and cause them serious problems. Fans should remember the Clear and Bright campaign and behave accordingly, whether they agree with the intentions of the campaign or not. The rules are real, the consequences are real.

We cannot know what is happening behind the scenes, nor how DD feels about any of it. Fans make all sorts of assumptions about these relationships, but that is all they are: assumptions.

None of the claims about War of Faith added up. They still don't. Everyone involved in that project stands to gain by DD being acknowledged and winning an award, just as much as any other actor.

Given his high profile, age and background, I'd argue it's even more so in their best interest for DD to win an award. The attention the production would receive in such a situation - and the opportunities it would lead to - would be significant. No one's so stupid, selfish or short-sighted to not see that. No one in that industry hates money that much.

Everyone involved in that project - everyone, including actors, producer, director, etc. - stands to gain by DD remaining connected to it in a positive way, by DD's fans continuing to support and champion the project, by a possible sequel happening, etc. The show had only just begun to get more opportunities to air, and potential for a sequel was genuine.

Everyone involved in that project stands to lose by DD being passed over, stands to lose by DD's fans freaking out and turning against it, stands to lose from all the negative press. There's no motive for production to suppress DD's opportunity to win an award for his role. Quite the contrary. It doesn't add up.

The information the production team provided about what happened was adequate to explain the situation. The statements DD and YBO made were emphatic and sincere. Yet, incredibly, there are people who believe he was lying under duress.

Similarly, there's no motive for DD to create a rift with Da Peng, and certainly not vice versa.

I wish people would put in more thorough care and reflection before cracking off with these conspiracy theories. They're so harmful, and such a waste of time. They poison the atmosphere of fandom and turn everything into a battle between fans and perceived enemies. They cause rifts within fandom as well, and turn friends against each other. It's not a good use of anyone's energy.

For years we've all talked here on Tumblr about how 'protective' behavior by fans is not helpful nor healthy, but somehow it's as though we have developed a case of collective amnesia and suddenly almost everyone is engaging in it as though we are living in a parallel universe where none of that past reflection had ever happened. As though when XFX are engaging in it, it's awful and deluded, but when turtles are, it's righteous and valiant. That sort of double-standard is disappointing and confusing, to say the very least.

This sort of "my fave is the victim of some terrible, outrageous Injustice and I need to go to war for them" narrative is what nearly got GG canceled. I know I'm not the only person who holds that in painful memory.

The whole War of Faith thing led to a lot of that same behavior, including people reporting the drama to the government, claiming that the director and producer do not represent proper communist values, because they put forth for an award an actor who played an enemy of communism.

Are we now at a place in fandom where we are going to start openly embracing the idea that only actors who play characters that align with certain ideologies should be worthy of acknowledgement for their efforts? Are we at a place in fandom now where we're going to try to use a repressive government as a tool against people who we perceive to be our enemies?

There is that old saying, "When you have a hammer in your hand, everything starts to look like a nail." How we look at things shapes our perception of them.

We should all know this by now. After all, we see solos constantly swearing up and down that GG and DD are mortal enemies, and claiming to have proof of it. We see how their heteronormativity and boyfriend fantasies color their ability to see or acknowledge any of the evidence to the contrary. They see things through their own lens, and they approach things in a way that helps guide their toxic behavior. Nothing - however rational or substantial - will ever convince them that GG and DD don't absolutely despise each other.

GG and DD could be filmed making out in the back of a car, could issue a joint statement saying they're friends, could come out and have a public wedding, and solos would think it was all an act they had no choice but to engage in. They'll always have some other explanation. They'll never change their minds in the face of evidence because their perspective doesn't come from the evidence, it comes from inside themselves.

In the same sense, if we want to see a conspiracy of abuse toward GG or DD, that's exactly what we'll see. If we want to believe that certain colleagues are their enemies, no one will be able to convince us otherwise.

I am here to say that there is another way of looking at things, and a completely different perspective. One that does not align with the DD victim narrative people have been pushing lately.

We have a choice about how we view and approach things, and as fans it is incumbent upon us to choose very wisely and carefully, particularly if that choice is going to lead to disruptive and potentially damaging fan behavior.

Regardless of our perspective, we should always behave in ways that support GG and DD and will not put them at risk or endanger them, their careers or their reputations.

We need to trust GG and DD to manage their own relationships and careers, and behave graciously and respectfully toward everyone they work with. It is impossible for us to know when we are creating rifts where there were none. It's impossible for us to know what opportunities are lost, what delicate situations are tipped over in a bad way, all because of fan behavior.

It's better to take the higher ground than to dig into ugly thoughts, feelings and behavior.

If GG or DD has a problem with someone, I trust them to deal with it themselves. They have platoons of high-priced top lawyers and managers looking out for their interests. They don't need fan disruption. It's not helpful, and will just draw more negative attention their way and make them look even more like traffic stars, which is the last thing need as they try to shed that image and be taken seriously as actors. It will only add more stress to situations, and another headache for them to navigate and deal with.

So I hope that we can all focus on GGDD and their projects, rather than on what we perceive their relationships with colleagues to be. It's totally unknowable, and frankly none of our business anyway.

In the absence of clear and comprehensive information, let's try to be charitable in our assumptions, and represent GG and DD as humbly and graciously as they represent themselves.

[rainbowsky]

DD's Official Fan Club has made a (rare) statement on the upset over the Magnolia Awards.

Good works rely on the joint achievements of all members of the crew. As actors, they also devote their full energy to each work. I hope that fans can pay more attention to each work and the characters themselves, feel the charm and positive meaning of each character, and support each work with more warm love. As a young actor, Wang Yibo has always focused on performing and accumulating works, using his influence to drive more people to actively spread positive energy. A good star-chasing atmosphere requires everyone’s joint efforts. Let’s look forward to more outstanding works in the future.

This is very aligned with how I view DD as an actor and as a person. He is not an awards-chaser. He's a very humble, hardworking person who is gracious and always happy to show respect for others. I don't believe that he would be happy to see his fans behaving the way they are, in his name.

Some fans have been taking the studio's silence on the nominations (the drama was nominated for 5 awards) as evidence of their 'guilt' over how all this went down. I disagree.

As fans of Chinese stars we should be well aware of the climate GG and DD work within, and of the Clear and Bright internet campaign put forth by the government. This campaign holds stars responsible for fan behavior, and metes out penalties for disruption or disorder caused by fans.

It is my view that those involved with the drama are probably trying to avoid adding fuel to the fire right now. It is in no one's interest - least of all DD's - for this outrage to burn out of control.

I hope things settle down soon, and that DD doesn't face consequences for what's happening. Whether we agree with Clear and Bright or not, we should be conscious of protecting DD.

[rainbowsky]

Much ado about Rocco

It's easy as humans to get so caught up in rumors/innuendo that we lose sight of what's in front of our faces.

Around the time of the GQ MOTY event I got a lot of asks from people who were concerned, anxious, angry, outraged, etc. about Rocco Liu and GQ, and the supposed bad blood between him and GG, and between GQ and GG, and who were concerned to see DD hanging out with him (and there was a fair amount of homophobia toward Rocco in all of this, which was troubling).

I repeatedly said I didn't see any reason to believe there was actual bad blood there, and I didn't think the rumors/interpretations that were circulating held any credibility. I repeatedly pointed out that there was no way DD was going to get cozy with a GG anti. I dealt with backlash and hate mail from BXG about it at the time.

Well, here we are now with GG collaborating with GQ/Rocco, so I hope that can put the entire matter to rest.

I also hope that we can all (myself included) take this as a lesson to reflect on our biases and our gullibility regarding gossip, and hopefully next time something like this comes up, approach it with a calmer, more skeptical mind.

My previous posts on this topic:

Was Rocco creeping on DD?

Do GG and GQ/Rocco have a bad history?

Follow-up post on that claim

Rocco 227 kadian controversy

DD hugging Rocco at GQ MOTY event

[rainbowsky]

DD's case involving the false pregnancy rumors from last year has reached its conclusion.

Some of you might remember that a Weibo account claimed to be that of a young woman who was pregnant with DD's child. The photos were revealed to be stolen from the accounts of other women on Weibo, and the lies were withdrawn and the person claimed to be a misguided fan.

It turns out that the account belonged to a male executive who runs several entertainment, marketing (likely black PR) and internet water army companies.

I have talked about this in the past quite a bit. The entertainment industry in that region is extremely cutthroat, and there are many business, financial and entertainment rivals out to get GG and DD as two of the top stars in the industry.

As I talked about in one of my posts from years ago about this topic, and in some other posts from that era, I believe it's likely that a lot of the warring between GG and DD's solos and BXG has been planned, seeded and cultivated by black PR companies. It would be by far the cheapest and easiest way to spread hateful rumors and tie up the resources of GG and DD's teams.

Certainly most of the really severe negative rumors about GG and DD come straight out of a boardroom.

The 'punishment' this man has received for his dirty work against DD - a mere 20,000 yuan for mental damages and another 5,000 for court expenses - would be just a drop in the bucket compared with what he was likely paid to do this.

Netizens are once again outraged by the unwillingness of the authorities to go after the companies and the overall industry underpinning all of this, instead focusing on individuals as though this is just a problem of a few bad eggs. I don't expect that any of this will change anytime soon, unfortunately.

[rainbowsky]

Hi rainbowsky

Hope you are doing well and enjoying the summer.

Now a days a lot of chaos is there on other social media platforms about Yibo not getting any recognition for his work in WOF.. was curious about the happenings.. If you can share the evidence and your views on it ..

Hi shakurablossom, thanks I'm doing OK. Hope you're well too! 😊

I have already talked about this extensively, and I'm not going to post about it again unless some major new development happens. I believe strongly in supporting GG and DD and their projects, but this kind of controversy isn't what I'd characterize as 'support'. Quite the contrary. It's extremely harmful, and fans should know better. Especially turtles, who have had to watch everything GG went through over the years.

My initial post about the issue

DD's fan club statement

An article and ongoing discussion about the issue

Edit: the studio, the producer, Yibo and Yibo-Official have all released statements. You can read them here.

[rainbowsky]

Hello Rainbowsky :) I followed the drama around the BF. I already thought it was total bullshit to start with, BF is something totally unknown in China (and little known in Europe where I'm from, a mainly American phenomena) but then on Twitter, I read that the movie was based on a true story and the character that Yibo plays is based on someone who actually did BF. If it's indeed the case, there's even less reason to attack Yibo. Do you know anything about it ?

Hi kylis ☺️

I have made a few posts about this over the past few days. Here's a bit of a quick reference:

My initial post

My response to a reblog of that post

A post about my exploration into racism in China

A response to an ask about the issue

Just a quick note on this for my readers:

I feel like I've covered this topic a lot, both on my blog and privately.

I've been getting a lot of asks and messages and while I'm happy to read and respond to every one of them, I'm not interested in digging into the past or doing an inventory of DD's history or doing a point by point rebuttal for his antis and haters. Nor am I interested in doing any sort of one-sided discussion about this topic, regardless of the perspective. Sorry to those who I've declined.

While I want to give this issue the attention it deserves (or, more accurately, I want to give the people affected by this a sense that it's being taken seriously and given the examination and discussion it warrants), I also don't want to get mired in it. I feel like it would be really easy to make the fandom about this for the next few weeks, but what would that really accomplish in the end?

If anyone feels there is something being overlooked in all this, please feel free to contact me. If you don't want your words published publicly, just specify in your ask and I'll remove your name.

However, unless someone really is bringing something new and important to the discussion, I would like to let it rest. Thanks everyone.

[rainbowsky]

Hi Rainbow 🌈, I love your blog, I always come to you to get your views.Hope you are doing well. May I ask the rumours about DD recently aiming to get intention away from incidents or political issues in China. It seemed to me things happened similarly with the other celebrities in China🤔 So we have to be more careful what we say about GGDD as the international fans. Looking forward to see GG in Milan. Thanks

Hi groguj23! I'm doing OK but let me tell you this cedar, alder and juniper breeding season is kicking my ass! Trees can be so indiscriminate about their mating rituals...

I hope you're well! Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog. 😊

Yeah, unfortunately when there's something going on in China that's unpopular with the public you'll frequently see a sudden huge uptick in celebrity gossip and scandals. It is what it is.

As I said in this recent post, what we say about GG and DD internationally isn't very likely to have much of an impact on them. We simply aren't that relevant, in part because the average Chinese citizen will never see our words from behind the great firewall, in part because we are a drop in the bucket compared with the Chinese market, and in part because we're dismissable as debauched Westerners.

That isn't to say there aren't things we should always be circumspect about (and I talk about that in more detail here), but I don't think we should spend any time hand-wringing over what turtles say in the international fandom unless it falls into those categories.

[rainbowsky]

marazul-loveislove asked: Would it be possible to clarify what these lawsuits are about [redacted] GG suing people who are toxic against DD and DD suing people who are toxic about GG. Is this true or a turtle over reading? Many thanks

This is a misunderstanding of the lawsuits.

GG is not suing people who are attacking DD and vice versa, it's actually the opposite. GG and DD (or their teams, more likely) are both suing antis, and a lot of them are each other's big name fans. GG is suing toxic MTJJ who have been harassing him, and DD is suing toxic XFX who have been harassing him.

I don't see this as a candy (nor is it proof they hate each other, as turtle-antis claim). The reality is, GG and DD's biggest antis are each other's solos, and that's why they're being sued. Both solo fandoms are obsessed with each other, and many solos spend a lot of time spreading lies about the other idol.

XFX are the absolute leaders in almost every hateful rumor that spreads about DD. The whole 'desperate illiterate' attack on DD was spearheaded by them. MTJJ are constantly spreading hateful rumors about GG. The whole 'GG is a social media influencer' dig (implying that he's not an actor, he just sells things for brands) when his dramas weren't coming out was largely spread by them.

People who engage in this kind of activity will find themselves being sued. This is absolutely normal.

That is not to say that some of GGDD's lawsuits don't directly benefit each other. Toxic, hateful fans tend to make a mess for the stars they stan, and it's doing a favor to get them in line. It's also possible some of the people being sued are attacking the other as well. GG and DD look out for each other.

And no, the rivalry between fan groups isn't because of turtles, as some antis claim. I talked about this yesterday in the notes of this post. Here's what I said about that:

It's quite common in C-ent for fandoms to have long-standing, intense rivalries like this. It's true that GG and DD's fans are at the extreme end of it, but it's not unusual at all. Particularly fandoms involving stars that share top billing in a project. Fans view such artists as rivals and they take it upon themselves to go to war for their idol. The wars over top billing start before filming does on projects. As soon as two high profile actors are announced for project (and in some cases, when they're still only rumored), their fan groups immediately start going to war over who has top billing in the project. This happens with most of GG and DD's projects, and every other project in C-ent. The bigger the stars involved, the bigger the wars. Studios try various tactics to prevent those kinds of disruptions, sometimes to absurd effect. I remember not that long ago there was a studio that gave everybody in the cast an absurdly flattering name on the roster. It just came across as so foolish. Fans have actually turned away from stars who have failed to 'enforce' their top billing role enough for the fans tastes (as recently happened to Li Hongyi when he was given second billing to Wang Churan).

Here's the casting absurdity, for the drama Fearless Blood:

Fandom rivalries in C-ent are intense and driven by fans, rarely by the artists themselves. I'm sure most celebrities would vastly prefer it if everyone could just get along and stop pitting them against other stars, but this is just fan culture. A lot of the big rivalries are between fandoms for artists who aren't even direct competitors with each other. It's all about perception, and who fans deem to be a threat in some way to their own artist.

In this sense, the CP between GG and DD does fuel some of the hatred between GG and DD's fan groups, but that's peripheral to their main beef, which comes from solos own belief that the other is a big rival to their own idol.

GG's fans believe DD uses the CP to leech attention from GG, and to ride his coattails via an association with GG. DD's fans believe the same in reverse - GG is riding DD's coattails and would be nothing without his association to DD.

This is why it would be difficult, if not impossible, for GG and DD to work together again in the future. The wars between the two fandoms would be extreme, particularly since appearing together would rekindle the whole 'who is the main lead' debate. There would be a real risk of GG and DD losing fans if they worked together again. Their solos would not tolerate it.

I think the only possible way they'd accept it would be if it was an extremely high profile film from a major director, such as Wong Kar Wai or Ang Lee or someone of that calibre.

Anyway, all this to say - their fandoms are embroiled in some of the most bitter fanwars in C-ent, and that's why all the lawsuits against each other's fans.

It's a shame, and can actually turn fans off and turn them away from getting too deep into GG and DD's fandoms. I can't count how many times a solo has said they walked away from one of the solo fandoms because it was too toxic.

Turtles are also often hatched this way, when solos try to dig deeper into why the two fandoms hate each other so much and why they hate turtles so much, and dig into all the BXG content out of curiosity. I heard from one of those new turtles just the other day.

[rainbowsky]

Hello 🌈 sky!! Hope you're having a good weekend <3

Just wanted to ask you if you too support the theory that gg posted those pics and vdo of him to divert attention from all the chaos happening with dd. I was so touched actually..but i wanna know your views on it too ♥️🥹

Hi Anon! I am having a good weekend so far, I hope you are too!

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Anon is talking about the popular turtle theory that GG posted his video and photo set to bring attention away from the recent negative hot searches about DD.

I do believe this is something that their teams do to help with fan management and negative news. I believe it's fairly obvious that their teams work together and coordinate to some degree, and this is just one example of how.

I don't think it's necessarily true that GG personally ordered them to release content, it's more likely that they were all strategizing about how to handle the situation, and releasing content from GG's trip was one of the tactics they settled on. The timing of it all only reinforces my view that it was their teams coordinating to make those choices, as the release appears to possibly have been coordinated with the release of statements from YH.

Regardless of whose idea it was, GG would have had to approve it.

I would be careful about reading it as being entirely about DD's situation, though. I don't see it as GG gallantly sweeping in and releasing a bunch of content to save DD's reputation. In my opinion it's more likely that it was an attempt at fan management.

As we all know, GG and DD's solos viciously hate each other and are constantly at war. When there's negative news trending about DD, there's a big likelihood that GG's fans will jump all over it and help push it up in the hot search, and will go to war with DD's fans over it all. These fan behaviors will make DD's situation worse, and will also put GG at risk from his fans bad behavior.

Releasing a bunch of content will distract GG's fans. If they're too busy freaking out over the images and video, filling their time up with photo edits, gushing over GG, etc. then they're not going to be out there pushing the negative hotsearches about DD, they aren't going to be out there warring and jeopardizing GG.

Their teams would be focused on the whole picture, and on ensuring their efforts give the best outcome for both GG and DD.

I think this is a fairly obvious place to land when you believe they're a real couple. It's impossible that GG and DD would be a couple in a serious relationship and keep their teams separate and in the dark from each other, especially given how much their fans hate each other and are constantly warring. Based on what we've seen in the past it's likely they do work together pretty closely behind the scenes.

Just my 2 cents on it, anyway. Everyone's free to come to their own conclusions about stuff like this.

[accio-victuuri]

SDC 5 FINALE CANDIES 🍭🍬

After that fun and tiring SDC finale, it’s time to sit back and enjoy some good old cpn. As always, only for turtles and it’s okay if you don’t believe any of it. It’s not real. this is not all inclusive, i put in ones that are being talked about and a few ones that I enjoyed.

I already made a small post about Web’s apple watch and the cpn here.

Now let’s move on to the others ones.

1. Earlier in the day 10/29, It was announced that Yibo’s solo stage will be called One Love. I can’t help but link this to Guangdian’s lyric with — We are made to Love. They are both so connected to the idea of LOVE, may that be romantic or not. This is why they get along well, having the same value, having so much love to give to the people around them even to those who don’t deserve it sometimes. They are such precious boys. 🤍 Another one is it was posted that he sent egg tarts for people to taste, same with ZZ who loves to give treats to cast and crew.

2. THE UTTER SEXINESS OF 🦴 NECKLACE being displayed on his neck like that. He’s always showing off isn’t he? the relationship is stable. He also matched it with a pair of skeleton shoes. His whole outfit is also giving us flashbacks of the last event they attended together — weibo night. Little Prince in Blue.

3. Not really CPN, but just all the BXG related IDs/ profile photos sending love in the live broadcast! 🥳There are other incidents/moments related to BXGs during the show but that will require another post. Lol.

4. Same gesture of fiddling with their rings; but this us actually more sus with XZ because Web can’t sit still and has to do or touch something. Also it’s funny that the night before we were clowning about his apple watch and his ending pose for the freestyle today is him looking at his watch. Funny how these things work. How many coincidences do we need? Lol.

5. His final outfit with all the Stars in it reminds of GG’s outfit before — but the boy had to take it further and wear star pants too 😂 Yes, we know Yibo, you love stars. You are the lonely star. You are the brightest star in the night Sky for XZ.

6. Unity, Peace, Love and Having Fun! Yibo’s One Love message was so positive. I think he truly believes it tho, he’s not just someone who preaches it cause it will make him look better. Some gestures observed by fans is 5 2 0 which is kadian for I LOVE YOU. He truly loves his Kadian.

The message is also about the true Hip-Hop, it usually gets a bad rep, even street dance. Bobo said that before his parents don’t want him to take part in street dance because they see it as negative. I think this is why Yibo did this stage — and why he is so passionate about promoting it. He wants people to change their perception and appreciate it. ✌🏼

7. I don’t know what to think about this but at the start of Bobo’s stage, a red screen flashed. I mean, 99.9% it’s a glitch but clowns like us were surprised. Out of all the colors, RED? XZ’s color?

FINALLY, let’s talk about his solo stage “One Love” and what we think it could mean. 🏳️‍🌈

Again. This is speculation, that it could be related to it and we don’t know if he saw it and the slogan resonated with him.

It’s called One Love Campaign, which has been making news since it’s connected to FIFA 2022.

The initiative, created by the Netherlands, will also be supported by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales aiming to "send a message against discrimination of any kind as the eyes of the world fall on the global game,"

Qatar was a hugely controversial choice for the finals when it was awarded the 2022 tournament 12 years ago, not least because same sex activity is a criminal offence there with the possibility of a prison sentence of one to three years for adults convicted of consensual gay or lesbian sex. There is no recognition of civil partnerships in the Gulf state, which does not allow people to campaign for LGBT+ rights.

Whether you CPN, BJYX or SZD, I think the thought of Bobo showing some support for the LGBT community is a positive more than a negative. Yibo always had progressive ideas despite all the setbacks and this shouldn’t even be a long shot possibility. This is why a lot of us like him, it’s because he is accepting of everyone. He has so much empathy in him despite the ice prince persona.

Also a coincidence, 10/29 is the day of Taiwan’s Pride March. Then he performs something with this title. I wouldn’t put it past him because last year’s was a clever title wordplay.

If there will be additional “important” discoveries, I will make a separate post. ✌🏼

-END.