#can lan jue

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@USERDRAMAS: 2023 secret santa ⇢ for @angelus2hot from your secret santa 🎁  @USERDRAMAS: GET TO KNOW ME BINGO: FANTASY/MYTHOLOGY ⇢ Hades & Persephone ↳ Dongfang Qingcang & Xiao Lanhua in LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL (2022)

I saw in you myself A wound of longing. From cold hands, I took the bloodied fruit and painted the earth in its color.

Will you not miss the sun and the warmth? The green and the petals? Will you not miss the life of the world above? And I said, is this not life what we have created? A last breath of orange and rust. This tenderness I will never grow tired of. And for each flower that withers on earth, A flower blooms in hell.

― LHZ

[dingyuxi]

WANG HEDI as Dongfang Qingcang “Moon Supreme” LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL 苍兰诀 dir. Yi Zheng (2022) — Legend has it that in order to acquire ancient forbidden skills, Dongfang Qingcang, Moon Supreme of the Moon Tribe, became a monster without any feelings. He killed his father, took the position of Moon Supreme, and led 100,000 soldiers of the Moon Tribe to burn, kill, and steal.

[tinyshoopuf]

It’s meme hours

[joyburble]

The Swords

So I was watching, as you do, some videos by some very charming and passionate martials arts practitioners comparing and contrasting various designs of sword and their usage. And I remembered that I had vaguely, perhaps subconsciously, noticed something strange about the magical swords used in this show.

The first one we see is the Hellfire sword which Dongfang Qingcang materialises as he calls Shangque.

It's straight, with no curve to the blade at all, and both edges appear to be sharp. It's basically cross-shaped, with a large, decorated cross-guard extending parallel with both edges. And it has a fairly large roundish pommel, by which he holds it:

I think I semi-consciously noticed that this looks a lot more like a European longsword, except that it's not all that long. Chinese swords are usually curved, even if only slightly, are usually sharp on one side only, and usually have disc-shaped handguards. [Edit! see reblogs for information on jians, which are straight and double-edged but with tiny crossguards] They sometimes have pommels, but the kind you see in the Wuxia genre generally doesn't.

So I thought, is this one of the subtler ways in which they're setting out to make Dongfang Qingcang and the Moon Tribe seem a little bit foreign and therefore barbarous, "not-Han-coded", as someone on Discord put it?

But then I checked the other swords, and that's not it.

Changheng's is a bit ambiguous. It has a pronounced cross-guard, less elaborate but more fantastical - it seems to be thinking about morphing into a 16th-century European basket hilt, as that downturned curve wouldn't work to catch your opponent's blade, but it isn't quite there yet:

The blade also looks very straight, and we don't see the prop without the CGI for long enough to tell whether it's meant to be sharp on both edges. It might be more of a sabre, a design that pops up in martial arts traditions everywhere.

The third sword we see is Lady Chidi's battle sword, which is the same basic design as Dongfang Qingcang's:

As you can see in the closeup, it's cross-shaped, double-edged, straight, and symmetrical, with a pronounced pommel, a long hilt for two hands, and a large cross-guard parallel to the edges.

This shape is important, because scale is an optional setting for powerful immortal beings, and she will soon turn it into this mountain, with the cross-guard becoming a very convenient platform for conversation and sunbathing:

The other plot-relevant sword, in Episode 31, is the same cross-shape, with a really big cross-guard and a fairly pronounced pommel.

However! Intriguingly, to spar with Ronghao in the illusion-forest in Episode 32, Chidi uses a very simple blade, straight, but with neither cross-guard nor pommel, like a civilised Chinese lady:

It might be double-edged or single-edged, I can't tell, but it has virtually no hand guard at all, not even a round one like a katana:

But when in a later scene Ronghao confesses, it is her own, true sword she drops, as a sign that things are getting simultaneously more magic and more real:

In Ep34, she uses it to kill some unfortunate pikemen:

Meanwhile, back in Ep 16, Yannu's sword was the same plot-relevant shape, like Dongfang Qingcang's, and she holds it like a medieval warrior saint looking down from a Gothic arch:

He held it the same way when Shangque greeted him in Episode 2.

Danyin's sword, when she manifests it, is in a rather modest and perhaps youthful style. Still straight and symmetrical, but with a very small, sharply hooked cross-guard:

When Dieyi's whip-chain-flail-thing turns into a sword, it's even more European - it looks very like a rapier with a basket hilt! Kind of appropriate to her general look, actually, and her street-fighting personality.

When she changes stance we see this bonkers wiggly blade, which looks still rapier-ish (long, pointed, thrust more than cut), only insane. She doesn't use it like a rapier, though.

Ronghao's sword for killing is a curious design, still straight and with a pommel, but this curious sort of vestigial, bulbous thing that isn't really a guard of any kind. I don't know what's going on with this but the shape is a little bit like Theoden's sword in Return of the King. Not quite.

However, when Chidi eventually attacks him, they both use their simple sparring blades again:

Anyway! I was surprised to discover how nearly all of the swords used in this particular show visually followed styles I am familiar with both from western drama and from western historical collections, and none of them, except the ones in that last shot, looked at all like the most common styles of sword you see in Chinese dramas.

Obviously the weapons function exactly like the costumes in that they're primarily artistic visual references to various moods and ideas, rather than functional objects, but I think that makes this choice even more interesting. I don't know how usual it is for this genre, or what it means.

I haven't found where, if at all, we see Xunfeng or Shanque use a sword, and it's long past my bedtime so I'm stopping there.

[terapsina]

Reasons to watch Love Between Fairy and Devil.

A Chinese fantasy romantic drama with a dash of comedy in the beginning and a huge wallop of angst in the second half.

One, the romance.

(take careful note of this gesture, please, it will break your hearts in the future)

Okay, so this is honestly one of the best told love stories I've watched in recent memory. And that is honestly very impressive when you consider how very easy it is to mess up this kind of love story.

She's Xiao Lanhua (or 'Little Orchid Fairy'), bright and innocent and kind. And in the beginning more than a bit naive and foolish. A fairy who is looked down on because of her damaged immortal root, who bends under the pressure of the bullying she's always known from the other fairies. Lonely in her home of Arbiter Hall where she looks after the destiny books alone by herself because her shifu left to wander the mortal realms.

He's Dongfang Qingcang. The Moon Supreme, the leader of the Moon Tribe who has been imprisoned following the last war between his people and the Heavenly Realm 30'000 years ago. He's cold and unfeeling and quite literally heartless (this involves fantasy reasons and some pretty horrible childhood trauma that gets slowly unraveled through the story).

And in the beginning the only reason he doesn't kill her as soon as he's free is that there's an accidental curse that ties his life to hers. If she dies so does he. If she's cut, so is he. And whatever emotion she feels, he will feel too. Whatever order she gives, he must follow. And sometimes, under certain conditions, they switch bodies.

(the actors have great fun with it, warning of huge amounts of second-hand embarrassment in two out of 36 episodes, I nearly died, it was worth it)

He keeps her safe because he has no choice.

And the thing is that he doesn't actually ever try to seduce her. The normal formula of this kind of story is 'he lies, seduces her, then falls in love, but still breaks her heart, she forgives him' right? This show though? It plays with the formula, yeah, but it twists it in a very interesting (in my opinion) way.

There's a misunderstanding between them. And here's some of the comedy of the show. She thinks he's fallen in love with her and she's trying to gently let him down. Meanwhile he's not actually pretending that he's in love with her, he's just not telling her exactly why he can't let her out of his sight.

And the development in both their characters is incredibly detailed and intricate. They both grow immensely through the story. As Dongfang Qingcang first experiences emotions through her and then as his own emotions begin to wake up following that. As Xiao Lanhua starts out wanting to return to her normal life and then falls in love not only with him but also his land and his people.

They're very Hades and Persephone (minor kidnappings including). And very Romeo and Juliet (though more mature about it, she isn't actually willing to compromise her own morality just because she's fallen in love with him).

And their love story isn't at all rushed. It takes nearly three quarters of the story for them both to fall in love, it is gradual and believable and mutual. And then once they have fallen in love despite the fact that there are all kinds of very familiar angsty plots thrown at them, none of them get dragged out to annoying lengths and many of them get resolved in very refreshing ways.

(angst, there will be such big whallops of angst, my friends)

But the romance is not the ONLY thing this show has going for it. It is what changes the fate of all three realms, yes, but there are other relationships that deserve to be mentioned.

And other characters, because this is actually a pretty beautifully built ensemble show.

One character is Dongfang Qingcang's brother Xun Feng, the character that in a different show would be the malicious underhanded brother who wants to steal his brother's throne and cares only of power.

Here though, after an old secret is revealed and he finds out the truth behind the reason (a good one) he's hated his brother for thousands of years his wish to rebuild his relationship with his brother is genuine. And though there are things he does after that which could have been because of cruelty in a different show, here they are simply misguided.

(there are lots of awkward Dongfang Qingcang trying to show affection for the first time since childhood scenes, they're adorable, and hilarious)

Then there's the false friendship between Xiao Lanhua and Jie Li which slowly develops into a real one through the power of Xiao Lanhua being simply too stubborn and too good and too genuine for Jie Li to remain stone against.

(here portrayed scene of Jie Li flinching under horror that is Dongfang Qingcang doing his very best to make Xiao Lanhua as ugly and unattractive as possible)

Jie Li is an orphan of the Moon Tribe from Haishi City who has spent her entire life scrapping for survival by lying and cheating. Including by selling to Xiao Lanhua fake cures for her damaged immortal root.

Again, there are certain ways you'd expect her story to go. You'd be wrong.

And then the relationship between Dongfang Qingcang and his most loyal guard, the Black Dragon Shang Que.

(here shown the reaction to the miracle of his lord patting his brother on the shoulder).

Poor dragon needs to deal with a lot and deserves a raise. He's also just as dumb as the rest of them. And FYI falls in love with Jie Li.

And then of course is the very healthy way this show portrays unrequited love too.

There are two characters who this is shown through. One is fairy Dan Yin who is in love with the God of War Chang Heng and is introduced as a spoiled bully but very quickly is shown being capable of fairness and ultimately gets developed into a character that you want to see gaining happiness.

The other character is Chang Heng himself who is secretly in love with Xiao Lanhua (who actually does have a crush on him bourne from gratefulness and a little hero-worship at the start of the story), but he ultimately loses his chance through inaction and silence that he abandons too late. But I want to make clear that he is not an unlikable character. In a different show he would have been the other lead. Just... not in this one.

Anyway, the two characters experience unrequited affection and though both go through stages of denial and unwillingness to abandon hope, neither do either one of them ever turns into something despicable - and when the time where they must choose between selfishness that would hurt the ones they love, and selflessness that would save them comes around both do the right thing.

Which is something I found refreshing and a relief.

And this show has so many relationships that get fully developed and explored. Not simply between the main couple and those around them. But between the secondary characters themselves. Other than the relationships I've already mentioned, other ones that have their chance in the sun are Xiao Lanhua and Dan Yin, Dan Yin and Jie Li, Dongfang Qingcang and Chang Heng, Xun Feng and Xiao Lanhua. And more besides.

And then there's the villain of the story who is both monstrous and utterly unforgivable and yet also has a very sad story and motivations for what they do. I can't really say anything more though.

Basically I just really recommend this show to fans of fantasy and people with a weakness for a very compelling, well developed love story.

For those interested, the first five episodes are available to be watched free on the official streaming site here (at which point you can decide if it's worth subscribing for a single month to finish watching).

I think it's also going to be available on Netflix on September 18, 2022 update: September 9, 2022.

That's of course for the... official sites. There are of course other options available 🏴‍☠️.

P.S. I finished the entire show with all its 36 episodes in three days (despite it being my first time watching a live action Chinese TV series) am now going into withdrawal. Seriously, this show is SO GOOD, I PROMISE.

P.P.S. It's got a happy ending. I will not tell you anything other than that. But yes, it's got a happy ending.

[cdramasource]

YU SHU XIN as ORCHID LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL

[nothingwronghere]

[noswordinourlake]

Of all the characters I would have bet were going take me out at the knees in this show, Danyin was not in the running. AND YET

[myhamartiaishubris]

I just realized something. When DFQC actually, truly, falls in love with XLH, he stops with the possessive language entirely. She's the one he loves, his wife, the one who saved him from himself, but she's never his. At least not in the same way he considered her his in earlier episodes. I think it's a pretty neat way of turning the possessive lover trope on its head for more than just comedy. The beginning establishes the comedy of playing the possessive cringe literally, but the actual romance definitively proves that love is not possession, that DFQC only ever believed he owned XLH when he did not love her.

[vaguelycelestial]

xiao lanhua and dongfang qingcang really said your life is mine. let me share with you in all things. don’t go where i can’t follow. for you i would humble myself. let me take care of you. you brought me the sun. you brought me back to life. you taught me to smile. you taught me how to forgive. i am a better person because of you. every second with you is burned into my soul. no one will hurt you again. i would burn the heavens for you. who you were before doesn’t matter, because now you’re mine. we have the same heart. i will suffer the hatred of a million years to be with you. i would drink poison if it came from your hands. i don’t care if it wasn’t real. i will always forgive you. let me protect you. i would still die for you. you will never be alone again. my home is where you are. my love for you will never waver. because of you, i am no longer alone. i will always have a smile for you. i would burn my soul just to dream of you. i would rather die than cause you another ounce of pain. i will keep our love after you’re gone. your touch lingers in my heart. save me with a kiss. to be loved really is to be changed huh

[aylinaliens]

苍兰诀 Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022), dir. Yi Zheng  episode 05

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@kdramaspace + @userdramas YEAR IN REVIEW 2022 | musically yours | best OSTs of 2022

Your Existence by Wonstein (TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-ONE) Our Beloved Summer by Kim Kyung-hee (OUR BELOVED SUMMER) STEP by PEPPERTONES (CHEER UP) 失憶 (Memory Loss) by Esther Yu Shuxin (LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL) 스물다섯, 스물하나 (25, 21) by JAURIM (TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-ONE) Your Apartment by Na Sang Jin, Park Sejun (LITTLE WOMEN)

[dingyuxi]

@userdramas EVENT 03: BEGINNINGS ⇢  xianxia gateway drama (insp)

LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL 苍兰诀 (2022) dir. Yi Zheng

[arohuacheng]

god i want to talk ab danyin and gender. for her to appear as a very feminine, mean girl archetype, existing within the constraints of being a spoiled rich girl, a girl trying to get the attention of a man... she's framed in all of these feminine conceits, but then as you learn more about her, the person that she Actually Is denies a lot of the delicate femininity of her initial appearance. she goes through her mortal tribulations as a man, and while other people don't blink an eye, what's important is that she doesn't blink an eye—she sees herself dressed as a man, watching the wedding in yunmeng lake, and maybe she was distracted, but she had no qualms about that. when it comes time for her to go back and try to protect changheng she goes right back into her masculine disguise with none of the discrepancies that you might expect of a traditionally feminine character in her situation. when the time for war comes, she puts on armor and goes out with her sword to fight with the rest. her story doesn't end with getting the man she wanted or with being heartbroken over the man that she wanted: her happy ending is in being close platonic friends with him, as they were when they were both men. she goes off to become a soldier. she goes off to become the god of war. i love love love to think of her from a genderqueer standpoint because she breaks out of our feminine preconceptions of her so easily, so casually, and finds herself happiest outside of the constraints of being a lady in society, and like... can't even formulate thoughts. danyin <3

[wrathyforest]

Just watched the dorama and. THIS MAN.

[somosinevitables]

Xiao Lanhua & Dongfang Qingcang | You are enough