#the bromance reigns sign

[dynamitekansai]

Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn WWE Undisputed Universal Title Match

[formula365]

Champions in the making - Emilia Romagna GP review

The breakthrough kid

It is not always possible to pinpoint the exact moment in which a driver goes from young promise to champion in the making. There can be breakthrough performances, in which a driver lays down a marker and announces himself to the world, but more often than not the progression is so gradual over a number of seasons that the driver eventually makes it to the top in slow steps, a sink filling up drop by drop from a leaky faucet.

But every once in a while, we get to witness a breakthrough moment, one of those weekends that, when looking back into a career, will be seen as a pivotal moment in which the promise has come good, which removes the doubt of whether that potential will be fulfilled. Moments like Sebastian Vettel winning in a Toro Rosso, or Max Verstappen becoming a Grand Prix winner on his Red Bull debut; we knew, there and then, what they would become.

It wasn’t his maiden win, but this is what we witnessed this weekend from Lando Norris.

Coming into this season, the young Brit knew this could be a make or break year for him. He had done really well to match his more experienced teammate in his first two seasons, but the challenge with his new partner was at a different level. No disrespect to Carlos Sainz, who is definitely a talented driver, but Daniel Ricciardo is a proven race winner, someone who had driven for Red Bull and been considered by Mercedes and Ferrari. The Aussie had spent the last two seasons destroying Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon, no slouches themselves, which meant there was a risk for Norris to be swallowed up by the Honey Badger’s performances.

His first two seasons had shown glimpses of his talent, but also a certain on-track shyness, in contrast to his expansive personality off it. He himself admitted during pre-season that he needed to improve on his aggressiveness and push harder on wheel to wheel battles; he had to drive the car ever closer to its limits. After a couple of seasons maturing and honing his skills, now was the time to be a more imposing figure behind the wheel, including within his own team.

Bahrain had already shown glimpses of that. He started the race behind his teammate, but passed him early on and never looked back. Imola, though, was something else. McLaren didn’t have the right set-up throughout Friday and both drivers seemed to be struggling, but on Saturday Norris looked to be one with his car. Bar a small mistake on his last run, he would have not only out-qualified his teammate, but also Verstappen in a much faster Red Bull. The track limits infringement left him P7 on the grid, but on Sunday he would more than make up for the mistake.

He had blistering pace from the get-go, to the point that he radioed his engineer when stuck behind his teammate to ask to be let through. In a moment that could be defining for the season, Ricciardo did let him through and then saw the youngster disappear down the road in the chase for the Ferraris. On the restart, he made light work of Leclerc (with much faster tyres, to be fair) and then fought Hamilton hard for several laps until the lack of grip on his rubber forced him to concede.

Overall, Norris showed a wide array of his skills at Imola: blistering one-lap pace, attacking, defending, tyre management, determination to come back after the mistake on Saturday, even authority in the team when he asked to be let through his teammate. A complete performance that leaves no doubt about his talent: he has the skills to be a future champion, the only question remaining is whether he will have the consistency to deliver over a full season. Given his mental approach - he is very open to speak about mental health - it seems he is addressing that side of his driving as well.

Until now, Norris had been the fun kid with a turn of pace, the meme-generator and half of a McLaren bromance. The end of the partnership with Sainz might have been a liberating factor for him: in order to be taken more seriously, the banter has to take second place to his driving, and with Ricciardo also looking to leave his more goofy side in the background, this can be the perfect time for Lando to do the same and let his driving do the talking. He certainly did that this weekend.

Talking points

* My oh my, do we have a fight on our hands. Verstappen v. Hamilton is already becoming such a compelling story it is hard not to make it the subject of every race review and preview; the feeling is that this will be a fight for the ages, that we will have a season to be remembered for many years to come. This time around it was the Dutchman who had the upper hand, with a superb start to go from P3 to P1 into Tamburello. He gave no quarters to Hamilton on the outside and then managed the race beautifully, although he was left unchallenged in the second half after Hamilton’s crash. The game is most definitely on.

* The reigning champion may have given some small signs of the pressure getting to him. Mostly unchallenged in recent years, Lewis made an uncharacteristic mistake when lapping back markers and then seemed to have had a scrambled brain moment as he struggled to get out of the run-off area. He is human, after all, some might have thought. The red flag gave him the opportunity to reset and come back to re-claim P2 and a podium place he would have certainly lost otherwise. He showed his mental resilience then, but it will be interesting to see how he (and Verstappen as well) will manage the pressure of a title fight (hopefully) over 23 races.

* One of the big talking points post-race was the massive crash between Bottas and Russell. Approaching Tamburello, drivers hit speeds above 300 kph, so it’s no surprise it was a nasty one, and that both drivers felt the other should have done more to avoid it. Controversy aside, the big question has to be why was Bottas defending P9 from a Williams. Like Monza, Turkey and Sakhir last year, when the Finn gets caught up in the midfield he struggles to move forward, and even manages to fall further back. To make matters worse, in all these races his teammate was caught in similar situations and had no problem cutting through the field. When the dust settles, Bottas will certainly have some soul searching to do.

* How good is it to see McLaren and Ferrari fighting each other for top spots? The two historic teams collected all positions from P3 to P6 and seem to be a step above the rest of the midfield contenders. This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, rivalry in F1’s history, and it’s great for the sport to see it reignited.

* The only midfield team that seems to have the pace to challenge them is AlphaTauri, but they are struggling to convert their pace into points. Tsunoda ruined his weekend with two (very rookie) mistakes, while Gasly’s race was ruined by the decision to start on full wets. He still made a great recovery drive to finish P7, but this felt like another missed opportunity for AlphaTauri, specially at a track they know so well. They have a genuine shot at finishing in the top half of the table, which is Franz Tost’s goal for the team, but in order to achieve that they have to start using their pace to score points.

* If AlphaTauri will be left ruing their weekend, Williams will be doubly so. With two drivers qualifying in the top 14, they had genuine hope to score points for the first time since the crazy rain-soaked German GP in 2019, but two crashes negated their shot. Latifi barely got going so we will never know what he could have achieved, but Russell was clearly in the mix and will be left pondering how high he could have finished if he had been a bit more cautious. With scoring opportunities so limited, that might have been the wiser approach.

* The second Red Bull continues the saga of the topsy-turvy weekends. One of the narratives for Albon in 2020 was that he was not able to have a clean, incident-free weekend, and that was limiting his results. Perez is going down the same path, and although he did manage to salvage a P5 in Bahrain, here he was left empty-handed. It’s still very early, and the signs from the first race were positive, but for Red Bull to challenge Mercedes he needs to be up there consistently.

* Ahead of the season, very few people would have betted for Stroll and Ocon to be beating their teammates, either in qualifying or in the race. The two youngsters are showing that world titles (a combined 6 after all) aren’t a guarantee of continued success.

* On that topic, it is worth noting that most drivers that are newcomers to their respective teams are struggling at the moment. Sainz at Ferrari is the exception; Perez, Ricciardo, Alonso and Vettel are all underperforming, some more than others. This quartet is uber-talented, though, so expect them to get closer to their teammates as the season progresses and they become more accustomed to their new cars.

* Curb your enthusiasm, Yuki. We love to see his on-track flamboyance: he is one of the most exciting drivers to hit F1 in the last few years, but it can work against him too. He needs to find a balance but two races in these growing pains were to be expected. Once he finds that balance, he will be one hell of a driver.

Driver of the day: Lando Norris

Moment of the day

The battle between Hamilton and Norris. The young Brit managed to hold off the 7-times champion for a handful of laps, with tyres well past their expiry date and no DRS; Leclerc, for comparison, was on mediums and was passed by Hamilton on the first lap he didn’t have DRS. Norris’ positioning was perfect and he was brave on the brakes. Eventually the lack of grip and Hamilton’s bravery led to the inevitable, but Norris put up an excellent fight.

[mae-gi-writes]

Deobi Playlist (EP 8) | The Boyz Imagine

Ep 8: In which Mae and Kevin have THE TALK, and Juyeon and Hyunjae gossip about them. 

The Boyz x Hospital Playlist inspired drabble series. 

Main characters: Kevin, Juyeon, Hyunjae and OC (Mae)

Sides: the rest of The Boyz

Genre: fluff, slice of life, BROMANCE BRUH 

EP 1 | EP 2 | EP 3 | EP 4 | EP 5 | EP 6 | EP 7 | EP 8 | EP 9 | EP 10 | EP 11

----------

Kevin's heart is racing in his chest and up his throat. Suddenly, it feels a little too hot in the room, his coat weighing down on his shoulders like wet clothing that makes him want to squirm in place. 

He knows he can't avoid this forever. But he also can't seem to look into Mae's eyes, for fear of what he might find there. 

"Kevin?"

Running a hand over his face and allowing a sigh to escape, he answers, "yes. Yes, I do."

He focuses his attention on her feet. Silence reigns over the room as he contemplates whether he should bolt out of the door. 

"You idiot."

He forces himself not to wince, preparing for the rain of rejections that will splatter his body like arrows.

And then, Mae is punching his shoulder, "you idiot. You're so stupid." 

Surprised, his eyes flutter up to her face only to see her flustered, somewhat guilty expression. Realization dawns, chest releasing its tension. 

He grabs her wrist in mid-punch to halt her actions, unconsciously pulling her closer as he does so and there's no chance of hiding his joyous surprise when the said woman averts her eyes this time as though she is embarrassed.

"I like you too," comes her mumble, "why didn't you tell me?"

"How was I supposed to tell you? I was friendzoned before I even tried."

"I didn't friendzone you."

"You kept saying how you'd never date any of us because we were like brothers to you."

"Okay fine," she pauses, "I might have said that. But that's beside the point. The point is…"

She trails off unsurely then and Kevin's heart practically skips a beat at how close they are. A little closer and his lips can touch her cheek. 

"The point is that we're both idiots running circles around each other," Kevin says. 

"Excuse me, weren't you the one hiding underneath YOUR DESK?"

"I was panicking, that doesn't count."

They trail off into another bout of silence, albeit comfortable this time. Kevin allows his thumb to stroke the underside of her wrist, relishing in its softest and not failing to catch the hint of a smile Mae tries her hardest to tuck away behind a mask of nonchalance. 

Ring ring ring!

UGH, Kevin feels like groaning out loud as he whips his phone out of his coat pocket before slamming it to his ear with barely restrained annoyance. 

Of all times, why now?

"Yes?"

"Dr. Moon! Patient Seunghee who you sent for an MRI scan is having difficulty breathing! Her blood levels are dropping rapidly and she says she's having chest pains."

"I'll be there in five. Where are you?"

"Block four Pediatrics, doctor."

"I'm coming. Try to calm her down."

He snaps his phone shut as Mae allows her hand to return to her side, "emergency?"

"Yeah. She was admitted yesterday. Seemed fine though," he mumbles, brain already speeding through his thoughts at the numerous reasons why her body is reacting this way and unconsciously striding towards the door, when he swivels back round to face Mae. 

"We need to talk."

Mae waves her fingers at him, "go. We’ll do that later.” 

He doesn't need to be told twice before dashing out of his office and down the corridor.

-------------------

"Psst. Juyeon."

Juyeon glances back at the door to see it ajar, with Mae's head peeking out from the slit. He looks back at Doctor Sangyeon talking about the medical care for one of his patients and hands his clipboard over to the other intern before quickly slipping out of the office. 

"What is it?" He asks, taking note of her flustered expression and...is she blushing?

"I told Kevin." 

His eyes grow wide, "told Kevin...what?" 

"That I knew about him liking me," she pauses, "and that I like him."

"What? Wait--" Juyeon frowns in confusion, "is this why you pulled me out?!"

"Maybe."

"Mae!"

"What?!" She can't help but stomp her foot lightly and is glad that at this time of the day, there aren't many doctors around to see the frazzled state in which she's in, "Hyunjae's in surgery and I needed to talk to someone."

"Thanks for making me sound like the last option that you have."

"Juyeon, not the time for jealousy right now."

"But, okay wait--what did he say?"

"That...he thought I had friendzoned you all and that's why he never said anything."

"He does have a point."

"I did not--when did I friendzone you?!"

"Oh come on, Mae. You totally did, remember when we were--"

"Juyeon!" Sangyeon's voice booms out from his office and the said intern tenses up in panic. 

The door slides open to reveal the said doctor looking more than a little displeased. 

"Sorry Dr. Sangyeon," Mae quickly fibs, "it's my fault. I needed some data for the reports I'm writing up and Juyeon has them."

"Well make it quick. I need him."

"Yes, doctor."

Mae waits until the door slides fully closed before quickly ushering Juyeon away, "I'll see you later."

Juyeon pauses, hand on the doorknob, "dinner?"

"Sure."

"I want steak."

"Ask your girlfriend to buy you some."

He pouts, "you're so mean."

"See you, loser."

"See you."

"Love you."

"Keep that for Kevin." 

Juyeon wastes no time in shutting the door before Mae can come and kick his ass. 

-------------------

The moment Hyunjae steps out of the surgery room to peel off his mask and let out a relieved sigh -- a sign that the surgery has gone well without any complications -- his phone starts buzzing through his pants pocket. Fishing it out and seeing Juyeon’s name flash across the screen, he pulls his face into a grimace before accepting the call. 

He presses it to his ear, “I don’t have ramen. You gotta go buy some.” 

“That’s not why I called,” Juyeon retorts at the other end of the line. 

Hyunjae rolls his eyes. He moves towards his office, nodding at the few nurses along the way, “yeah? What do you need then?” 

“Are you done with surgery?” 

“I answered the phone didn’t I?” 

“Come to the cafeteria.” 

“But I’m tired,” Hyunjae whines.

“Trust me, you’ll want to hear this.”

When Hyunjae steps into the cafeteria a few minutes later, it doesn’t take him long to spot Juyeon sitting at one of the corner tables tucked away in a corner, digging into his food with barely contained gusto. Smiling at the sight that brings back memories of his own internship days, Hyunjae quickly grabs his own tray, fills it up with food and curry (beef stew, his favourite) and goes to join the katter at his table. 

“Hello stranger, haven’t seen you around here in awhile,” the older man says while taking his seat opposite Juyeon. 

“I’ve been needing to hand in reports back to back and I have a surgery at six tonight. I’ve literally got only this time to eat,” Juyeon replies.

“Oh? With who?” 

“Jacob. His interns are taken up with the Emergency Department so Sangyeon sent me over.” 

“Damn,” Hyunjae shoves a spoonful of food into his mouth, “so? What’s so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone?” 

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he catches sight of the grin blossoming over Juyeon’s face and lighting his features up like a Christmas tree. 

“What?” Hyunjae asks impatiently, “What is it? Tell me!” 

“Mae dropped by to see me this morning.” 

“Uhuh.” 

“And she said--” 

“Wait wait,” Hyunjae cuts him off, “she didn’t come to see me?! Wow, that’s just rude of her--”

“You had a surgery.” 

“Oh right. Go on.” 

“So she came to me and said--” Juyeon proceeds to lower his voice, “that she and Kevin had THE TALK.” 

Hyunjae blinks, “Huh?” and then, realizing the importance of Juyeon’s words, his eyes widen, “WHAT--”

Juyeon doesn’t hesitate to shut him up by shoving some curry into his mouth, “shush!” 

“Sorry,” Hyunjae mumbles with his mouth full. He swallows it quickly with some water, reaching over to slap Juyeon’s shoulder in the process, “tell me! What talk?! What do you mean?! Do you mean--” 

“Yeah,” Juyeon shoots him a pointed look, “yeah. THE TALK. You know what I mean.” 

“And?! What did he say?! Don’t tell me he denied it!” 

“Keep your voice down!” Juyeon glances around just in case there are any eavesdroppers, “anyway, yeah they talked. And they--well, I guess they came to an agreement that they both liked each other--” “About time.” 

“Yeah. Apparently he told her that he thought he was being friendzoned.” 

“Oh yeah, wouldn’t surprise me there. Mae has some amazing friendzoning skills,” Hyunjae’s shoulder lifts into a shrug at that, causing Juyeon’s eyebrows to stitch together, “what do you mean?” 

“Let’s just say I thought Mae was pretty cute--” 

Juyeon gawks before smacking his arm, “Why didn’t you tell me?!” 

“--Before she opened her mouth,” Hyunjae finishes with a roll of his eyes, “that girl has like a sniper inside her tongue. With the amount of shit she spouts on a daily basis, I’m surprised her tongue hasn’t fallen off yet.” 

“Oh. yeah. She’s kind of rough around the edges.” 

“Not that I mind that type of girl. But it’s just Mae. I can’t see her as anything more now,” Hyunjae says with a shudder, “also, I think my mom might have dissuaded me from even thinking about dating her.” 

“But your mom loves her.” 

“Exactly my point. I don’t want her getting any in on who I can date or not. It’s my life, I can do whatever I want.” 

“No wonder you’re still single.” 

“And you’re whipped.” 

“Mae came to me first though.” 

“Because I had a surgery!” 

“Yeah whatever, loser.” 

------

Tagging: @juyeonzz​ @thesingingfae1905​

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! 

[shenmeizhuang-blog]

 the firmament of the pleiades – midway musings 

(Or, in other words: I intended to post about The Pleiades earlier, yet procrastinated until I ended up about halfway through. Specifically, at the time of writing I am at episode 12 of 28.)

Depicted above is a seemingly benign scene – Emperor Guangxu’s beloved Consort [at this point in time, Concubine] Zhen (Lemon Zhang) trying her hand in court painting under the tutelage of late Empress Dowager Cixi (Yuko Tanaka). But things are never so simple – even Cixi’s lessons and compliments are lined with terse warnings: in the Forbidden City, never think too highly of yourself. (And if you know how the history goes …)

The year is 1889, and at the ripe age of 18, Emperor Guangxu (Zhang Bo) is finally allowed to assume full powers as rightful ruler. But with the Qing Dynasty in major decline, with foreign threats and influences, a weakened military, ludicrous palace spending, the rise of the noveau riche, as well as Cixi’s unwillingness to so easily hand over power, we’re really in here for a long ride. 

As a rather well-known and well-documented period of history, admittedly I find it shocking that there haven’t been many hit dramas and movies depicting the dramatic occurrences revolving around the second-to-last reign of the Qing Dynasty – a time filled with both court splendor and major foreign influence, not to mention the almost fairy-tale tragic love story between Emperor Guangxu and Consort Zhen that quite nearly spells the perfect formula for hit cdrama. But The Firmament of the Pleiades, though not perfect, is most definitely a masterfully directed and relatively objective, authentic taste into the doomed time period. 

Rather than take a side in depicting the tense and fearful relationship and power plays between the Emperor and Empress Dowager, The Pleiades actually brings focus to an unexpected bromance between newly appointed court minister Liang Wenxiu (Zhou Yiwei) and Cixi’s favored eunuch, Chun’er (Xu Shaoqun). Instead of pointing fingers at who may be right or wrong, the historical figures, as well as the two original protagonists (technically Wenxiu sort of does have a historical counterpart), in their own way represent conflicting ideals – the Emperor’s willingness to open up to reform (and I imagine, later on in the drama, Consort Zhen’s fascination with Western traditions and objects such as photography, as well as directly further encouraging reform) that clashes with Cixi’s far more traditional take, be it her shock at “Western” customs, universal education, and the Gregorian calendar, or even the way she so cleverly retains power through means of “political tutelage” – the way Qianlong supposedly did when he served as regent after passing the throne on to his son, Emperor Jiaqing – something she was willing to do because there was a precedent, as if it followed a tradition of sorts. 

However, twelve episodes into the drama, we’re really still at a set-up of sorts, with all sorts of political machinations happening in the background as we witness “ordinary” things such as various traditions and rituals, and most especially some angst and relationship-building – a “calm before the storm” of sorts as Guangxu meekly and fearfully attempts to appease his adoptive mother, while princes, ministers, and eunuchs take sides in two clearly forming factions – all the while attempting to pretend that all is fine and dandy. While I squeal over all the drama going down while the Qing Dynasty is clearly increasingly weakening, here is what I’ve surmised (spoilers below the cut): 

1. Easily one of my favorite things about The Pleiades is how they’ve so deftly fleshed out and humanized Empress Dowager Cixi. Cixi is really often depicted as an “evil, power-hungry” figure of sorts who supposedly brought about the fall of not just the Qing Dynasty but Imperial China itself. Through not allowing Guangxu’s 100 Days Reform, as well as her excessive spending, popular culture likes to blame her for the dynasty’s ultimate demise. Which isn’t necessarily completely false, and might happen in this show, too, but there are many other factors in play – including the various ministers, most prominently Rong Lu, who desperately need Cixi to remain in power so that they can continue their acts of corruption. 

Yuko Tanaka is… amazing in her portrayal, and while I somehow find myself feeling compassionate for Cixi’s loneliness, her frustration at the confines of the court (in a way, she really has a more ambitious and rebellious personality, which is a fascinating dichotomy considering how traditional her values are), disappointment at how most people around her either hates and/or fears her, never for a moment does she feel whitewashed, and really still remains true to the depictions of history. There are also some intriguing questions of morality and how even she isn’t completely understanding of herself. Overall, if you want an objective look into Cixi, this is the drama for you. 

2. Unfortunately, I almost get the feeling that Rong Lu ultimately ends up shouldering a good portion of the “evil deeds”. Current state of affairs almost feels like evil evil and greedy Rong Lu creating havoc throughout the already strained relations within the Qing Court, while the honorable 醇亲王 (Guangxu’s biological father/the seventh prince of the previous reign) tries to do good, and while I love watching the political maneuvers here, I just think more nuanced characterization of the court ministers would actually really improve things even more. I also foresee Rong Lu screwing things up with Guangxu’s shifu Yang Xizhen and Wenxiu.

3. Speaking of flat characterization, I find that both protagonists Wenxiu and Chun’er can easily be placed into “earnest cinnamon roll” category. Both Wenxiu and Chun’er are really likable, and Chun’er especially I find really hard to not adore (I didn’t take screenshots, but Chun’er is just SO. CUTE.), but there’s really little meta that I can offer about both of them. 

Wenxiu’s motivations were clear-cut from his entire backstory (his biological mom is a literal saint), though his current angsting with “Madame Zhang”, as well as his overall political involvement does allow him more credibility as a character. However, his entire narration feels so very extra, to the point where I feel like rolling my eyes. I was never particularly keen on shipping him and Madame Zhang (Yin Tao) together (though Madame Zhang herself is awesome!!!), and I really feel like part of the reason for that is the extraneous narration. Things like: “that very instant I laid my eyes upon her, I knew we were fated” (I know I’m making this up, but like actually), or “I don’t even know her name, but I know her more than others”, and somehow I wish the show wasn’t so upfront about it. Perhaps it would be better if they allowed us to interpret the signs of attraction ourselves. 

While Chun’er is ridiculously adorable, there’s no denying that he’s essentially a Mary Sue (Gary Stu), so far with really little meaningful character development. He’s good at, like, everything probably, except I guess sleazily maneuvering the Qing court, and also is a well-meaning moderator. Honestly, I can completely see why Eunuch Li (not him, of course, the older one – also, is it just me or have all the recent dramas I’ve watched featured a prominent Eunuch Li of sorts? First there was Li Fuguo is The Glory of Tang Dynasty, and then Li De Fu in Legend of the Dragon Pearl, and now even The Firmament of the Pleiades.) finds him irritating. But, like, even when he found out about his first shifu “Lao De Zi”, as well as Cixi, using him for the 龙玉 (“Dragon Jade” – more on that later), he just completely accepted such with zero frustrations or grudges on his part. 

4. So there’s a supernatural element to this show. Well, for one, this is called The Firmament of the Pleiades, or, more literally, The Firmament: The Pleiades, referring to Chun’er’s special star, and how his fate is somehow tied to this “Dragon Jade”. Supposedly it’s a treasure of sorts that gave legitimacy to the Qing Dynasty, but was lost during the latter part of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, which was *gasps* about when Qing began to decline. 

Herein lies the more questionable execution of the show, be it the creepy Twilight Zone-like background score, the ridiculously campy and dramatic zoom-ins (I tend to giggle), or how Cixi’s vision with Qianlong in the temple quite nearly blinded me (with the way they used the backlight to create a “supernatural aura” and to hide Qianlong’s face). However, I do love how the show questions whether Cixi really wants the “Dragon Jade” for herself or the Qing Dynasty. 

Also, how unsubtle! at how even upon 醇亲王’s deathbed, he’s gasping for breath about the freaking “Dragon Jade”. What is the deal? 

(They’ve also began to incorporate the notorious “curse of the Yehenara clan”. Interesting.)

5. Occasional questionable execution aside, this show is ridiculously gorgeous and refined. The sets and costumes are probably some of the most historically accurate I’ve seen to date. (Since photography existed at the time, the producers of this show were at a greater advantage.) 

While I might complain about some of the camera-work, and I find it a pity that this was produced in 2010, since a production with improved lighting and clarity would have been simply amazing, most of the camera angles are gorgeously deliberate. From the way the camera follows a person from behind, as if lost or in great tension, or the way it focuses down from above, creating a suffocating space, to how it shifts from Guangxu to Cixi, always there behind the curtain, I find myself squealing in excitement more often than not. 

6. There’s more Ling’er in this than I expected. To all the Zhao Liying fans: this is worth watching! Ling’er actually manages to make an appearance about at least once per 1 or 2 episodes, which I find rather impressive. So far, as the younger sister of Chun’er, she hasn’t seen that much character development either, but her character has to deal with a major shift in changing social classes – that moment when she was perceived as a mere servant, even though she was really supposed to be Wenxiu’s little sister was very nicely included.

7. It’s a really nice way for me to improve my Chinese. Since I’m stuck at that point where most other cdramas tend to not teach me that much. 

愿君多采撷 此物最相思 refers to the “red beans”, or the 相思豆 that grow on trees.

Overall, though flawed at times with more flat and obvious characterization of the side male characters, this is a very solid show that I’m excited to see more of. (For a moment I was slightly disappointed at a lack of Guangxu x Consort Zhen so far, but judging from the credits they’re going to be angsting a lot in the latter half.)

Miscellaneous:

Rumors are flying everywhere that (either) Zhang Bo (or Yang Shuo) is to portray the male lead in Zhao Liying’s upcoming drama Do You Know? Do You Know? It Ought To Be A Red Flower Among The Green Leaves. If so, I’ll definitely be looking forward to a nice reunion between the actors, even if Ling’er most probably never gets a chance to ever meet the Emperor. 

Opinion: Zhang Bo low-key looks like Hu Ge from some angles? But I would imagine Hu Ge being hotter in the Qing queue – so very sorry. 

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (April 12, 2017 mid week-ender episode review)

Episode 193

Recap:

Haliyah, goddess of two moons

Just as Cassiopeia hoped for, a beautiful goddess descended from the moon. Her enchanting voice immediately caught the attention of Cassiopeia, from the way she looks, Cassiopeia already knew that she was a goddess, and she’s none other than Haliyah. But when the latter saw her, she immediately went back to her home. Cassiopeia pleaded and tried to summon Haliyah back but failed, Cassiopeia heard another voice and told her she won’t be able to talk to Haliyah because she is elusive, she doesn’t like getting in touch with other creatures which is why she chose to live in the moon. Cassiopeia wondered who that was, not long after, a strange creature emerged from the stream.

Why, why love?

Alena was angry at what Memfes did with the Adamyans and immediately searched for him. Memfes appeared and made a deal once again with the sang’gre, marry him in exchange for the Adamyan’s freedom, once again, Alena refused his proposal and fought him instead. Because of her anger, Alena unleashed the power of the water gem and accidentally hurt Memfes, Alena realized what she did and became worried about him. Turns out, Memfes was actually fine and was unaffected, the chief of the Gunikars vowed to make Alena fall for him.

Ariana has been training non-stop in Lireo. Ybrahim has been watching her every move, and it reminded him so much of how Amihan fights back then. Manik came and told him how proud he is for having a beautiful wife-to-be, something which surprised Ybrahim. Manik explained that Ariana was betrothed to him as part of following their tribe’s customs, Manik knew Ybrahim feels something towards Ariana and low-key stated to stay away from his woman.

The thief in Etheria

Pirena and Deshna went to Etheria, the younger Hathor warned Pirena not to make her a bait once again. Hitano came and found the sisters, he also found out what the two had been up to. Pirena and Deshna wanted to make it to Etheria without anyone noticing and came up with a plan to make Hitano a bait to trick the Etherian soldiers, Hitano agreed, but only in one condition, if the sisters does not make it back right away, he’ll follow them. The three proceeded with their plan. Hitano made the soldiers run after him while Pirena and Deshna sneaked inside. Pirena and Deshna already made it inside and fought the soldiers guarding Avria’s room, not long after, Asval and Andora came and called their queen to tell her that there was an intruder in Etheria—Hitano. Avria reminded Hitano about the deal Etheria made with Lireo, Hitano bluffed that he was just strolling around Etheria which Asval refused to believe and even accused him of being a spy. Andora suggested to punish him or kill him (which was impossible since Hitano is an ivtre) but Avria did not allow that and set him free instead, after all she made a deal with Danaya and she still has the water gem to obtain.

Hitano went back to Lireo and informed Danaya about what Pirena and Deshna has been up to, and through the help of Imaw’s cane they found out that Pirena wanted to obtain Etheria’s golden hourglass which has the power to turn back time, Danaya already knew Pirena wanted to go back to the time when Cassiopeia’s island was under attack to save Mira. But it wasn’t the time for Pirena to do such thing for it will ruin their plans and the temporary ceasefire will be voided.

The sisters went to Avria’s room where the golden hourglass was but Pirena got disappointed to find out that the hourglass was no longer there. Avria sensed that there is another intruder in Lireo and immediately ordered her soldiers to search the entire palace. Avria went back to her room and found out that the hourglass has been stolen and suspected that it could be the diwatas to committed the crime.

Pirena went back to the camp and was very frustrated, all of her hopes to save Mira has vanished. Deshna calmed her sister down and thought that Avria might have placed the hourglass somewhere else, desperate, Pirena went back to Etheria and confronted Avria. Pirena demanded for the hourglass and warned Avria of how their meeting will end up if Avria does not give her what she wants. Danaya came and stopped Pirena from whatever she was trying to do and apologized to Avria, Danaya took Pirena away. Another misunderstanding emerged between the eldest and the youngest daughter of Mine-a, Danaya reminded her that her decision to back out from the war was for the safety of everyone and told Pirena to stop being selfish. Pirena resented that idea, for all she ever wanted was to regain what she lost. Until now, she hasn’t accepted her daughter and Lira’s deaths and will do everything to get them back. Danaya and Pirena engaged in battle, Avria who has been watching them through her staff was fascinated at how the sisters were trying to kill each other, but still wondered who stole the hourglass.

In the woods, Hagorn was all alone, carrying something. Etheria’s most powerful tool, apparently he was the one who stole it for his own purposes.

Rave/s:

💛 I.love.Danaya’s blue and gold warrior costume! Reminds me so much of Amihan and Danaya’s sisterly moments together, is this a sign that Danaya will ultimately be chosen as the air gem’s keeper? What do you guys think?

❤ Danny and Piry are fighting again, although Danaya has a point, Pirena’s side is also understandable. She’s a mother, and she’ll do anything to bring her daughter and niece back. That aside, I love the pain and tension between Glai and Shai (Sanya), both queens owned the scene. Also special shoutout to Pirena and Deshna! More sisterly moments please.

💀 Hm…so if Hagorn is the one who stole the golden hourglass, I’m pretty sure he’ll make a deal with Pirena before letting her get a hold of it, surrender Hathoria most probably, or I don’t know, Hagorn seemed to be less of a greedy bastard lately and is more focused at eliminating Etheria, it’s hard to tell from his emotionless face.

💎 Guys, I think Avria has already summoned Odessa, Andora, and maybe Animus back from the past before the hourglass was stolen? Nevertheless, I’m excited to see Juvila, kind of curious about Odessa but she’s a bitch so…whatever, and Avisala to bathalumang Haliya! I’m familiar with Valeen but I wasn’t expecting that she’s gonna play the character, well, it’s not that I am that excited for the big reveal, actually I am no longer excited for some new cast member reveal because this tactic to win the audiences is so overused. The only thing that I want to see is Juvila, Raquim and Mine-a’s return along with Lira and Mira (hopefully).

Rant/s:

🤔 Don’t you guys think that Ybrahim is hanging out in Lireo way too much? I would understand if Lira was still there, like I haven’t really seen him doing some kingly stuff, like dude, I know you lost your beloved and your daughter but you have a kingdom to look after, I want to see more of Ybrahim as a king and a leader in action rather than a love sick man. I think this arc is getting way more Lireo-centric. I miss seeing Sapiro and I haven’t really seen Hathoria’s interior in Hara Pirena’s reign and I want to see that.

🙄 STIFF. STIFF. STIFF. Is how I would describe Arra in her training scene, she’s making it so obvious that the routine is choreographed, very unnatural, I’m not a martial artist and she’s not as well but she can always get away with the struggle with GOOD ACTING, understandably Kylie is effortless because she has been doing martial arts since childhood, but there are so many cast members who have no background in martial arts but they can still make people believe that they are excellent fighters, and she had lesser time to train but like I said, she would have pulled it off with acting.  Unfortunately she can’t even make her acting natural so why expect right? Her face was so blank, it lacks the determination, her eyes doesn’t scream passion, she lacks fire, her body language doesn’t tell people how badass she has become, but rather she’s letting everyone know that either sword fighting is not her cup of tea, or she’s just playing around. Honestly I would rather go for a Manik-Ybrahim bromance than this love triangle that only involves two actors.

Best performer/s for this episode: Glaiza de Castro 🔥 Sanya Lopez 🍃

Rating: 8 out of 10💎s

Mid-week thoughts:

Overall this week has been exciting but not EXCITING, exciting. I think this whole getting Haliyah’s attention will be prolonged to give way for new characters which is kind of annoying, and I guess the whole plot of the season 2 will revolve around Emre getting Devas back. It’s annoying how these so-called guardians have yet to prove themselves, if you ask me Lira and Mira are the only ones who deserve the title, what’s the whole point of letting the three others live yet they haven’t done anything to be of help? At least Deshna is doing something, but right now, I feel like Muyak, Pao Pao and the most useless of all useless Ariana are just mere scene fillers, this arc failed to emphasize the story of the new guardians and just like book 1, this second season is still more on the sisters’ stories rather than a transition from the four daughters of Mine-a as saviors of Encantadia…or Amihan rather to “passing the responsibilities” to the seven chosen. Narrative-wise I think that the seven guardian’s plot was just a mere arc filler.

Have a blessed Holy Week and enjoy the long weekend! E correi diu mga bes! As always, thank you so much for the love 😘

Overall best performer/s for this week: Gabbi Garcia 🌊 Sanya Lopez 🍃

Overall rating: 8 out of 10💎s

Photo credits: From Twitter: @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia 2016-2017 official twitter acct) @gmanetwork (GMA Network); official website: gmanetwork.com @GMADrama (GMA Drama)

From Facebook: Encantadia 2016; official website: encantadia.com.ph

Video credits: GMA Network via YouTube & dailymotion

[brookeeins-blog]

Post #11

1. Ludwig, or Otto, was born on August 25th, 1845. Otto Luitpold Wilhelm Adalbert Waldbornwas borh April 29th, 1948. Ludwig’s father died when Ludwig was only 18 years old. 

2. At the very beginning of his reign, Ludwig was a very diligent and serious ruler. He remained very focused throughout his early years and signed numerous amounts of new documents and laws after careful speculation of each of them. Ludwig then started to lose that focus a few years later. He was aloof from the public and would often take vacations to the Alps and became very intrigued with the arts and focused his leadership and influence on that instead of the more typical King duties. 

3. Wagner first made an appearance in this book as a supporter of the controversial Prince Chlodwig. The composer then became a resource for Ludwig on his first tour. 

4. I think the relationship between Ludwig and the actor Kainz was a little odd. It was a bromance above all bromance. I just found it strange how much the King gave and gifted to Kainz like he was trying to impress him. They also went on getaways together which Ludwig wrote about in great detail in his diary and to me, it seemed more than a friendship, but that’s just me. 

5. The King was not very fond of war. He knew his army wasn’t very strong so he argued for armed neutrality and made it clear that he was opposed to entering the war between Prussia and Austria. He was forced to enter the Franco-Prussian war on the Prussian side because of the Mutual Protection Agreement.

6. At the very end of the war, Bavaria came out victorious and the King himself benefited heavily. 

7. After reading these pages I think it is clear to see that Ludwig is fond of the arts as well as an advocate. He would travel to see plays and became close friends with an actor. He was an admirer of the architecture in places that he visited on his tours and vacations.