#yibo had no choice in this

[rainbowsky]

Yibo has rarely looked this happy and vibrant and bubbly at a press event.

And so he should be. This is a very special project, one that he initiated himself and had been planning for a couple of years. It is a very unique, intimate, exciting project unlike anything we see in the current C-ent environment.

People are going to get a closer look at him - at his thoughts and feelings and life experience. They're going to get a closer look at some of the most challenging and dangerous sports in the world, they're going to see him and his guides pushing themselves past their limits, and they're going to see some beautiful, remote and fascinating locations.

We have been hearing about this project for a very long time. He'd been traveling to these mysterious locations, and it was known that he was working on something with Discovery Channel.

However, through all of that I never dared to dream we'd get a series like this. Most people thought that he would do one or two special episodes, not this big series where we got to see this side of him.

Yibo is living his best life. He is doing things on his own terms, carving his own path and pushing his limits. As he put it himself: expanding his horizons.

And this is who he is. He's not the sort of person to be satisfied with the same old grind that people in his industry and environment content themselves with. He wants to do new things and put himself into situations where he is challenged and stimulated.

It's the same with his stage the other night, too. Singing in English, a totally new song that is upbeat and sad at the same time - something nobody was expecting from him at that moment.

The only thing that we should expect from him is to be continually surprised and moved by his choices and direction. Everything that he has done for the past few years especially has shown his desire to live happily on his own terms. To grow and learn and try new things.

There is a reason why his smile has gotten bigger and bigger as time goes by.

[accio-victuuri]

everyone and their mom is talking about xz’s kadian of 18:21 so let’s learn a bit about it. cause what’s more well known in the fandom is 18:23. 18:21 means yibo love you or yibo loves you. it’s an interesting choice of kadian, tho we know it’s for mid autumn festival and an occasion xz always posts on. there are clowning thoughts among cpfs that wyb could visit him on set ; and looks like he did, basing on the kadian. and it doesn’t help that xz studio reposted on 18:25 yibo loves me.

i’m referencing this cpn archaeology post.

during cql promotions, wyb posted on 18:21 and the scene is drunk lwj. everyone’s favorite. i don’t think i have to explain why that scene is important, especially the part about chickens. how they used that to get away with wwx and lwj’s relationship. zz also posted on that night but people think he failed to kadian 21:21 love you love you as an answer. wyb made up for it tho by commenting under his post on 21:21 and then zz posted a meme/emoticon “wwx sad”

this was cql promotions and it’s normal for them to comment on each other’s post but what made this special is that yibo didn’t have to. zz’s post was about not drawing on other’s property, wyb’s comment was saying to not imitate. like. why? and on 21:21. moreover, that sad WWX? why are you sad? wyb just agreed with what you said. cpfs interpret this as him being sad that he missed the 21:21 kadian — and then yibo had to go in and do it himself.

then in 8/14/2020 which is a day before xz joined the ace troops crew for shooting — wyb posted two photos. (p1) showing of his shoes = xiezi = xz = xiao zhan and the kadian 33 zanzan. (p2) is where 18:21 comes in, with a photo of something he loves. you can argue that he was using that as an intentional kadian for the content of his post ( sidenote: meaning yibo knows how to kadian ). but this and the 33 kadian on the same day is sus. we all know what was happening that year and interpretation is wyb is happy that zz is joining the crew and cheering him on.

i guess the reason why people are so excited is because we haven’t seen it in a while. the way it had some notable incidents before and was overshadowed by other kadians/cpns. so it’s nice to to see it again ^^

BONUS: the photo had 5 mooncakes and yes, it’s from different brands. 5 is his and yibo’s number which is the day of their birth. but this is interesting too:

galaxy brain cpn for everyone 🌌

that’s all. everything is fake. in this fandom, kadian is one of those that is either you believe it or don’t. i understand why a lot of people find it questionable but don’t take it too seriously, just enjoy the cpns 💕

[infjinthecity]

Hi Tumblr, What's Up?

Hello Tumblr! Can you believe I have existed in fandom spaces for this long and have never been on this platform? It seems that Tumblr is fandom’s MVP but I just never made the trek over this way – anyways, I’m here now. If you’re reading this, it’s probably because I told you about it on one of the other social media platforms and you probably at least know that I’ve very recently packed up my life and moved to China! I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to document my experiences here, and although we live in a visual era, I’m just not interested in being in front of a camera. I love to write and want to talk about my journey, so a blog seems like the best fit for me.

So, why China? Despite the fandom spaces that I occupy, my decision to move to China had absolutely nothing to do with Zhang Yixing or Wang Yibo. When people ask me why I made this change, I jokingly tell them it was an act of sheer desperation, but really, although I’ve always been joking when I’ve said that, it’s not too far from the truth. If you’re interested in learning why I moved to China and hearing about my experiences here, I hope you’ll stick around.  

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

If you don’t know, I’m Australian but I have spent the majority of the last 14 years living and teaching in the United States. I worked in Los Angeles for 11 years and then in New York City for another 2 before I packed myself and my cat up and went back to Australia. I left the United States for three main reasons – all of which were related to my job. In no particular order, because they were all as problematic for me as each other, I left because of low teacher pay, egregious student behaviour, and the insanely high workload. In short, I was b u r n e d o u t. A lot of Western countries are experiencing a teacher shortage right now, and America is definitely leading the charge. There is a reason why people are fleeing the profession, and most of them are rooted the same reasons that I left the country.

I went back to Australia naively thinking that work was going to be better there. I grew up there and went to school there, and I completed my teacher training in Australia.  When I went through my university degree and prac assignments in Victoria, the job was definitely not this. So I returned  home with rose-coloured glasses thinking that teaching would be far superior in Australia than the experiences I was having in the United States. Boy, was I ever wrong! While the kids in Australia don’t have guns like they do in the U.S., their attitudes towards education and teachers in general is very reminiscent of what is going on in the U.S, and schools are still places of violence and conflict. I can’t speak for the private system, but all my friends in the public system say the same thing. And honestly, teacher workload in Australia is not lesser than that of the U.S., so I found myself – again - completely stressed out all the time, despite making this huge change that was supposed to better my life. That coupled with the outrageous cost of living in Australia (my god things got really expensive while I was living abroad) prompted a pervasive idea that just would not stop taunting me. The voice inside me kept saying I can’t do this anymore.

And so, it became clear that I had a choice to make: either stop teaching altogether or find somewhere to teach that isn’t going to break me. I did not initially consider China but as I continued to research my options, all roads always lead right here – The People’s Republic of China.

And, to cut a very long story (which I will elaborate on in other posts) short, here I am!

Right Here, Right Now

I’ve been here for 38 days now and it’s been the mother of all whirlwinds, for sure. I had been to China twice before on holidays (one of those holidays was to scope out my city and my school) so it wasn’t like I was coming into the country blind, like so many other foreigners do, but even so, it’s been hard. Very hard. Maybe one of the hardest things I’ve ever done? Probably.

I don’t speak the language very well, despite all the lessons I’ve been taking. Man, nothing tests your skills like absolute immersion and being surrounded by people who don’t speak a lick of your native language. I’m an articulate, educated person and here I’m reduced to a blubbering mess who stumbles and fumbles over sentence fragments, and fragments of fragments! The language is going to take time. A lot of time.

I’ve had many low points, and there were a few days a couple of weeks ago when I was legitimately considering throwing in the towel and going home. But, I am still here, so obviously I didn’t do that. And I’m glad I didn’t because it’s getting easier and all the things I love about China are starting to overshadow all the hard things that make me feel like living here is impossible.

My cat is arriving from Australia on October 11 so we’re here for the longer haul after that. I can’t take him back to Australia from China (I’ll make a post about that later) so we either stay till he dies, or we exit and live in another country for a year before returning home. Don’t worry, I have an exit strategy planned if I need it, I just don’t want to need it, if you get me.

I’ll be blogging about teaching here, my fandom experiences (of which, I’ve already been lucky enough to have some of), travel, and general thoughts and insights on what it’s like to live in China as a foreigner.

I hope you stick around because this place is crazy and I’ve got so much to tell you all. If you’ve got questions, I’m happy to answer them. I'm new to this Tumblr thing so be kind and patient with me while I work it all out!

Till next time, peace.

[frankencanon]

MDZS Fanfic AU Idea:

TL;DR: Lan Wangji and most other Lans regularly sneak around disguised as rogue cultivators so they can break Lan rules in secret — until the other sects find out...

Throwback to that one idea I had way back when of a Canon Divergent AU of The Untamed where it turns out that the Lan Sect actually *can't* follow all 3.5k rules all of the time... and so in desperation they were forced to come up with the idea (excuse) of establishing a spy network where they would be required to go undercover without the fancy headbands or the vibrant white clothes or, most importantly, the excessively rigid rules...

Liu Haikuan (LXC) in 'The Long Ballad' & Wang Yibo (LWJ) in 'Legend of Fei'

---

(Not because they need a spy network or anything — the spy network is just an excuse. In reality, too many Lans were breaking too many rules and having to be punished all the time, and it was risking ruining their reputation.

Afterall, if even the Lans can't follow all of their rules, how can they expect the guest disciples to? Something had to change...

And so, instead of simply changing the rules or easing up on them a bit (the obvious, rational choice), they instead established a spy network where Lans under too much pressure from following so many rules would be allowed to roam free, virtually uninhibited, on the sole condition that when they returned they would bring with them some new information about what's going on in the world...)

---

Only the other main sects know vaguely of the Lan Spy Network, and even then only because the Lan Sect seemed to have an endless well of information that they definitely shouldn't have and no one for the life of them can figure out how or where they're getting all this information from...

So, obviously the Lans must have some sort of spies — though, considering their well-documented inability to blend in (what with their white clothing and headbands and strict rules that must be followed at all times without exception) the other sects were under the impression that their spies were animals or something, rather like the Wen birds.

If not animals, then civilians or rogue cultivators that were employed by or indebted to the Lan.

(Under no circumstances were they expecting the Lans themselves to be the spies.)

---

This AU was largely inspired by two things:

That scene in the library where Lan Wangji told Wei Wuxian to "piss off." —People don't typically slip up and just say a word or phrase that they've never even thought of or said before... More likely, LWJ has said it before, but was trying to restrain himself from doing so while in "Lan-mode".

A while ago, I watched this other historical drama that also starred Wang Yibo (LWJ's actor), except that I didn't realize at first that it was him because he looked so different... different clothes, different hairstyle, different behavior... They were both historical dramas, but he looked like two completely different people! To the point that I didn't even recognize him!

For reference, here's a side-by-side comparison of Wang Yibo in The Untamed vs Legend of Fei:

If you saw Guy-on-the-Right walking around town all smiley and smug you would NOT think, "Is that the great Hanguang Jun?! What is he wearing?!" No, you would instead think, "Wow, that rogue cultivator is pretty hot..."

I imagine they still keep their headbands on their person when in disguise, just hidden away so they're not visible... Most likely either wrapped around their wrist or their ankle and then hidden away under an arm cuff or a boot.

Little baby Lans are introduced to ~Undercover Work~ slowly, first by being brought out in pairs with an older, more experienced Lan while they're still young enough for their subdued behavior to be dismissed as just a "shy, well-behaved child" — but old enough that they won't slip up and say something they shouldn't, like, "Hi, I'm Lan Zhan."

Lan Wangji was of course first brought out by Lan Xichen, who reassured him that, "Yes, you can run if you want. Yes, you can shout and make noise. Yes, you can slouch. Yes, yes, yes..."

---

Whenever someone goes undercover, the other Lans will tell Outsiders that the reason they're unreachable is because they're "in seclusion".

While Lans do actually go into seclusion at times, it's not nearly as often as the other sects are led to believe. Far more likely, they're actually running around ~undercover~ and in-disguise, while seclusion is just being used as an excuse as for why no one can see them or get into contact with them.

---

Regular check-ins are of course required to keep track of everyone, much like a "Warm Body Count" in a college dorm.

Additionally, I forgot to mention this before but there are of course some rules that they are still expected to follow, namely the ones that everyone would be expected to follow — such as, for example, no murder.

No assault, no kidnapping, no destruction of public property... Just the stuff that most people would agree should never be allowed. (At least, not without good reason.)

---

Not all of the Lan disciples know about this. Su She, for example, has no idea.

It's only the inner disciples who are genuinely expected to follow all the rules all the time that are given this option of running away for a bit...

(They know that if they allowed everyone in the sect to be in on it, they would never be able to keep it a secret from the Outsiders.)

---

There are actually far, far more Lans than the other sects realize. This is because at any given time over half of all Lan disciples will be off premises either on official night hunts, wandering about in disguise, or on rotation keeping vigil at one of their many secret outposts.

Speaking of the Lan outposts, there are many all spread out throughout the cultivation world, including at least one in every single major sect's territory.

It's there that undercover Lans can check-in, pass along informative, get medical care, seek asylum, and so on and so forth.

These outposts are connected by secret tunnel systems that the Lans carved themselves, and only in extremely outstanding circumstances are Outsiders ever given any information at all whatsoever about the outposts — and even then, it is only the main family themselves that are permitted to deign to share that information.

The only time a member of another major sect ever heard anything about them is when Lan Xichen himself told Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang that if they ever found themselves in an extreme emergency scenario where they desperately needed medical help or asylum but for whatever reason had no where else that they could safely go, to seek out a specific place...

The mark he drew on their arm would signal to their people that they are under their protection and they would be granted asylum.

However, if they ever dared to tell anyone anything about what Lan Xichen had told them... Then the marks on their arms would become corrupted and they would not only be blacklisted from the outposts, but any attempt to enter would be met with lethal force.

---

The outposts are hidden in brothels, btw.

Brothels are special in that they tend to operate under an unspoken agreement amongst both the staff and the customers to never speak of what or who they see behind closed doors.

A sort of, "you don't see me, I don't see you" kind of situation.

Thanks to this, they don't have to worry about any witnesses speaking up about what they see; Injured, bleeding cultivators can stumble in the doors and through the halls, and enter rooms that they never come out of, and the other patrons will say nothing.

---

Last updated: 04/04/2023.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

5 Songs Tag - QL Shows Edition

tagged by @pose4photoml @morkofday and @leonpob. Thank you so much for the tag! 🧡 I love tag games and music, so this is perfect 😊

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL media that you actually listen to.

🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

This is really hard for me! There are so many beautiful OSTs and all are different and special to me 😭 So I am going to go with five favorites from different countries.

I. Korea: Rainbow by Coldin | OST from Love Tractor

I love the series and this song just gives me such a good feeling. The music just fits the series so beautifully. It is light and on the other hand a little bit melancholic. It is about a new love and allowing to be loved and love again and to walk this life together. I love it so much! And yes, he is sang Romatic Devil from the Semantic Error OST 😊 Just another great song!

II. Phillipines: Ride Home by Ben&Ben | OST from Like in the Movies

I know, this song is in englisch, but by a Filipino Band. This song and the scene when it played in the series...just AAAHHHHHH!!!!! I love it so so much! It is so perfect! And when you want to hear more of this great folk-pop band, I can really recommend Leaves or Araw-Araw. They have some really good songs. And if you haven't watched Like in the movies (Gaya Sa Pelikula), you really missed something. Such a good show!

III. China: Wu Ji by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo | OST from The Untamed

Bold of anyone to think I wouldn't list this song! I mean, it is from the OST of my favorite series ever, sung by the main actors and I just love it SO much! But, to be fair, I would have taken something from Stay With Me, but the OST isn't out yet and I haven't found the song I love so much on Spotify. But this song right here it transports so many emotions for me. Such an epic song! I remember I heard the song before I have watched the series and was just blown away. After that I started the series and yeah, the rest is history. I fell in love with them and the whole story. I have the novels, but not the time to read them yet. I guess I find some time during my upcoming vacation.

IV. Thailand: REDO (ย้อนเวลา) by Krist Perawat | OST from Be My Favorite

The series has taken over my heart and so had this song. And I like his voice, singing or talking. And this song just speaks to my heart. It has a light tone, but the meaning is quite deep, just as the series itself. And I am in love. I guess there are just a few people out there, who don't want to change something in the past, undo some mistakes, make a different choice. Of course it is not possible, but it can be a reminder to just live the best life you can, so you won't regret your choices in the future. Oh man, I am so in love with this series!

V. Japan: 遠い国 by 上野大樹 | OST from Our Dining Table

You know the feeling when you watch something and there is this song and you can't think about anything else until you found the song and you can finally breathe again and just listen to this wonderful music? Yeah, that happend to me with this song. I don't know why, but I really want to cry when I listen to it, because it is so beautiful.

Because my five are full, I give an honorable mention to Twins by Julia Peng. It is from the OST of the taiwanese mini-series Innocent.

Oh, there are so many more good songs from these shows which I love so much and couldn't fit in here 😭

I really don't know who already participated in this, I know it is quite popular right now, but I just tag some people 😊 As always no obligations, just a little Hi, I thought about you 🧡

@rocketturtle4 @gunsatthaphan @maxescheibechlinichacheli @jyuubin @negrowhat @pharawee @forcebook @lurkingshan

[anniebotao3]

Your Colour In Me

Series | Oneshots | Complete

Tags: Alternate Universe - Vampire; Famous Wang Yi Bo; Vampire Xiao Zhan; Injury; Mild Hurt/Comfort; Blood Drinking; Memory Alteration; Bloody Kisses; Grinding; Wang Yi Bo's Lack Of Self Preservation; Long Haired Xiao Zhan; Side Effects of Ingesting Vampire Blood; Minor Violence; Mentions of blood and gore; Possessive Behavior; Blow Jobs; Dubious Consent; Vampire With A Biting Kink; Near Death Experiences; Pining; Mutual Pining; Reunions; Love Confessions; Kinda

Rouge

published 20 October 2021 | T-rated | 2 Chapters | 1302 words | Part 1 of 7

Yibo is covered in a fine layer of red powder. It’s in Yibo’s nails, between his fingers, caked on his exposed calf and thigh… He rubs at the redness, and it smudges into his skin, a gentle blush.

Absinthe

published 23 October 2021 | M-rated | 1456 words | Part 2 of 7

Yibo leaves Guizhou without seeing hide nor hair of Xiao Zhan again. He knows nothing but his name, but his absence feels like Yibo has lost an essential piece of himself, like he’s lost a limb. Even has he leaves the set to pack to leave for the airport he wonders if Xiao Zhan will have any way to find him in his home in Beijing. Only the continued whispering of his disappearance that night reassure him it was definitely not just all a dream.

Saltpetre

published 31 January 2022 | M-rated | 835 words | Part 3 of 7

Yibo had every intention on taking Xiao Zhan to the theatre, but they get side tracked immediately.

Ferric

published 09 February 2022 | M-rated | 1512 words | Part 4 of 7

Yibo has a hunger. For Blood, for more, for everything. Yibo looks at him like Xiao Zhan is his prey and Xiao Zhan can't help but be fascinated by it

Quicksilver

published 01 April 2022 | T-rated | 974 words | Part 5 of 7

The consequences of Xiao Zhan allowing Yibo to bite him freely is finally rearing it's ugly head and Xiao Zhan is forced to make some hard choices.

Iridescent

published 12 June 2022 | T-rated | 2206 words | Part 6 of 7

Yibo's teeth ache, and he’s hit with the visceral memory of finally being able to bite hard enough to break Xiao Zhan’s skin. These hardly feel like the reasonable thoughts a man should have in the wake of encountering a supernatural creature. By day Yibo can't stop thinking about Xiao Zhan, and about being bitten. By night he can't stop thinking about biting Xiao Zhan in turn.

Ambrosia

published 04 September 2022 | G-rated | 1098 words | Part 7 of 7

Xiao Zhan's return is not a dream.

[teamsarawatshusband]

God, I wish Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan weren’t continuously faced with having to make horrible choices.

It’s not fair that every choice they make will affect not only their careers but also their livelihood and well-being, as well that those of their families, friends and associates.

None of those choices happen out of genuine preference, personal ideology or patriotism. They happen because they have no other option.

The biggest part of their fanbase is Chinese, and most of this Chinese fanbase depends on what sources of information they can access despite the censorship of the Chinese government or due to the deliberate misinformation spread by it.

Those fans would never understand if Yibo chose to stay with the Nike brand in a political situation like this. The fact that they started boycotting him, simply for being a brand ambassador (who hadn’t said anything on the political issue at hand, neither pro nor contra) shows very clearly that he was given no choice but to cut ties with Nike.

And, even if Yibo or Xiao Zhan (or any other Chinese artists) tried to speak up, to educate their fans about what’s really going on, or didn’t care about losing a huge chunk of their fanbases by doing so little as remaining silent rather than siding with their government... it would still be the end of their careers, as well as a threat to the well-being of their families and friends. Anti-government actions aren’t tolerated in China. And the people in power have more than enough means to make sure of that. A Chinese artist can’t survive on the Chinese market and, at the same time, express anti-government attitudes. The works of artists that fall in disgrace with the government will never make it to the public eye, the artists themselves will be denied work and publicly shamed without a chance to explain their position.

It’s not a choice.

It’s sad that so many of their fans - both Chinese and international - aren’t aware of this.

I also have to get this off my chest, and I’m sorry if this offends somebody...

It’s so frustrating to see fans commenting on social media, trying to be supportive but phrasing it like, “Yibo has the right to have an unpopular opinion on this issue.” No, honey, that’s the entire point. He does not. There is one take on the issue that is accepted by the government and he is forced to present that as his opinion, whether it really is or not.

Also, I have seen lots of people state that there is no evidence for what’s really happening in Xinjiang because China won’t allow international investigations. And, yes, China indeed does not allow investigations, so I understand where that is coming from.

However, THERE IS EVIDENCE. There are first person reports from people who have escaped the “re-education” camps. There are medical reports of women who have escaped that confirm the mass-rape and mass-sterilization. There are reports from investigators who went in undercover. There are videos. There are satellite pictures showing how the camps have grown and still continue to grow. And all this evidence is coming from various sources from all over the world. This isn’t one country scheming against China. This is the entire world, all countries individually and independently from each other investigating the issue and all of them coming to the same result. It IS genocide.

So, please, stop saying it’s not clear what’s going on. It is very clear.

But it’s also not Yibo’s fault, and it’s not in his power to change it. Not unless he is willing to risk all the jobs, the financial security and ... basically the life as it is... of himself, all the people he has ever worked with and all the people who have personal connections to him or his family.

So, what we can do for Yibo is to send positive messages on the Chinese platforms, point out that we understand that the situation is complicated, that we know that he is a good person, that we are aware it’s a difficult choice to make and that we know that he did not want any of it to happen. Let him know that we understand the vast consequences of his and his team’s actions in this and the pressure that this brings. Do not get any more specific than this, keep it cryptic enough to get across support but don’t give any room in your words for people who try to interpret his fans’ attitude as anti-government.

As international fans, because we’re not at risk, we can share the political and human-rights-related information on Chinese social media platforms - but if you chose to do this, do NOT EVER do it in relation to Yibo or Nike! Anything anti-government you state on a Chinese platform while mentioning Yibo will fall back on him and he’s going to be the one to suffer the consequences.

If you do want to share human rights info on Chinese social media, get a non-fandom-related account, react to political discussions that have nothing to do with fandom, and do it by uploading pictures (links won’t work because they usually get censored and most international news resources are blocked in China), and still expect your account to be deleted as a result, obviously.

[sarawatsaraleo]

Make me choose: asked by @queridaz → Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji before or after the 16 years timeskip?

The feeling of sticking to the single-log bridge until it’s dark is indeed not bad.

[lanwangjihouse]

[rainbowsky]

Happy 10th Anniversary, Yibo!!

Yibo likes to push his own limits, to learn and grow and try new things. Through these qualities and his abundance of talent, personality, humility, perseverance and incredibly hard work, he has managed to build a career that is filled with opportunity yet still gives him a fair amount of autonomy.

This might not sound all that exciting, but when you look back through his early days - and even looking at his debut photo for that matter* (the one on the left above) - you can see plenty of evidence of how little control he had over his career (or even his life) for so many years.

*He hated that look. More on that in this post.

A lot of fans talk about the crazy hours he worked, and I don't think that's necessarily even the strongest evidence of his lack of control. After all, he is a hard-working guy and he's perfectly capable of packing his schedule until he has no time left for himself.

No, when I think about the biggest change that I've seen for him over the years, it's all about opportunity. He has built a life for himself that gives him options. Projects and pursuits that are really up his alley and that allow him to work in the career he enjoys, but largely on his own terms.

I have seen this growing pattern over the past several years where he has taken a more and more interesting, increasingly distinct path. I first noticed it with his music and public appearances. For quite a while the heavy-handed presence of his management team could be felt in his image and even song choices, but increasingly these choices seem solidly his own.

And it's begun to permeate every area of his career. This past couple years especially have been completely mind blowing with the strides he's taken in his career, and with how very much these career moves feel like his chosen path.

To me one of the the most exciting choices has been this Discovery project. What an outstanding project for him to take on, and this was a project conceived and built largely by him. Traveling to interesting locations and taking on these intense personal challenges... It's just such a smart move at this stage in his career. I couldn't possibly be more impressed.

He has found a way to strike a balance between celebrity and adventure, and enrich his life while continuing to build his profile as a celebrity. Incredible.

He's gone from being the baby of a boy group to becoming a strong, independent figure who is wildly successful while still staying true to himself.

I couldn't possibly be prouder of him, and I am so excited to see what he does next. I guarantee you all it's going to be new, exciting and unexpected.

Happy 10 years, Yibo! It's only the beginning for you! 🥲💚.

[accio-victuuri]

well i just think that if you feel like wang yibo singing SEA means that bjyx is broken up then maybe being a cpf isn’t for you. i’ve always said this. it’s not for the glass hearted. if you know his and xz’s preference for love songs you would understand and there wouldn’t be any question. this is my problem with cpfs who always want some “proof” and then ignore all the ones we had for the past months and years for a song that was yibo’s artistic choice.

that’s all. good morning! 🟡🟡🟡💛💛💛

[three--rings]

So I’m not super thrilled with what I’ve seen from the TGCF leaks so far.  As far as the main actors I think the Hua Cheng actor looks MORE suited for his character, but I’m Big Skeptical of Xie Lian’s actor.

(And no I won’t be sharing leaks here so you’ll have to like look in the tag if you want to see them.  Leaks are usually bad for productions and is encouraging paparazzi and obsessive fans in ways that lead to a lot of disruption of filming.)

And yeah I agree that the costumes look ATROCIOUS but apparently they’ve said they aren’t the real costumes either because that’s true or because so many people are making fun of them.

But also, I would cautious the entire fandom from jumping to conclusions about the production based on anything until it actually airs.  MDZS fandom was up in arms about the casting for CQL, in particular, Wang Yibo, who was obviously the worst ever choice for Lan Wangji, and we all know how that turned out.  (While CQL has plenty of flaws, it’s not the acting, especially not the main cast.) (Also as someone who watched CQL as it aired and was already in MDZS fandom, I remember all the people who had spent six months talking shit about Wang Yibo continuing to dig in their heels about his acting and then growing like quieter and quieter the longer the show aired, though some were very stubborn.  They mostly disappeared as the fandom grew though.)  (And some people were totally honest about how against WYB they’d been and how wrong they’d been, tbf.)

Plus, the entire industry and fandom was sure Word of Honor was going to be a piece of trash and a giant flop.

So, basically, no one knows shit until we all get to see it.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

4, 16, 20

Hello lovely anon! Thank you for the ask! 💚

4. Most ridiculous plot?

Well there are some on my mind. I could say Coffee Melody or Check Out, but they barely had a plot, so my choice for the most ridicolous plot goes to: That's my candy...The plot was a mess. Nothing made sense and the story was so frustratingly chaotic. With Fahlanruk, where nothing really happens and the plot for the main couple is just some repetitive crap I can at least have some fun, because it is so bad and dumb. But That's my Candy was just bad without any sense of humor nor good storytelling.

16. A popular drama you’ve never watched?

There are a lot I haven't watched yet. But a popular one? I havent't watched Gameboys or A man who defies the world of BL. But they are on my list 😃 So I will watch them sooner or later!

20. A drama you thought you’d never watch but did (and liked it?)?

The Untamed. My new all time favorite drama! When I first heard about it, I just saw 50 episodes and the chinese censorship and thought...nope, that's not for me. One day, three weeks ago, I saw a TikTok of Wang Yibo and searched for his name, saw a video of The Untamed, thought Shit, I have to watch it now. So I did and now nothing will be the same again. It is by far one of the best, if not the best series I have ever watched. The special effects may be not that good, but the dialogues, the character developement, the drama, the tension, the friendship and the hidden signs of love between Wei WuXian and Lan Zhan, the story itself, just everything is soooooo good! I truly love it.

More drama asks.

[annalacerda17]

Hey i love your takes on mdzs and i was wondering what you think about how cql and their characterisation of wwx and lwj? You don’t have to answer it, i know it can be pretty controversial but i would love your thoughts :)

I'm glad you like my takes!

I was actually thinking about making a post about cql eventually, so here it goes. This is going to be a bit long.

I think cql is definitely inferior to the novel, but I don't hate it. There's a lot I don't like about it, though, and I feel WWX and LWJ's characterizations suffered the most. That being said, I still think it's worth watching, if only for Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo's performances (and their pretty faces).

On one hand, cql is a different medium, and there are things that can be easily expressed on page that can't be so easily expressed on the screen. So, of course, the story won't be exactly the same. CQL also had to deal with censorship, which forced them to change a lot of things. That being said, I personally don't agree with a lot of the creative choices they made for the story, especially in regards WWX and LWJ's characters.

The thing is that a lot of WWX's choices only make sense in a specific context, and when you change the context but not the choice, you end up losing something. They softened JC and JGY's characters, they made wangxian have a close relationship early, and made LWJ's reactions easier to interpret as concern and care. On the other hand, they didn't change WWX's reactions accordingly, so on one hand, WWX says he thinks of LWJ as his soulmate, and LWJ even confirms the sentiment is returned to WWX's face, and on the other, they keep making WWX misunderstand LWJ. This makes WWX seem oblivious and even a little dumb, which wasn't the case in the novel at all.

Then we have the entire yin iron thing, which I feel makes WWX less intelligent, and validates the cultivation world's negative views of WWX to some degree (and what was JC even doing there? He was completely irrelevant to the entire arc).

Here's the thing: in the novel, what WWX did with demonic cultivation was entirely new, any opinions on it coming from anyone other than WWX himself were based on pure conjectures, and even LWJ's worries are shown to be unfounded. But cql not only made WWX not be the creator of demonic cultivation, they also created a precedent of demonic cultivators who turned evil, and made WRH, the villain the SSC was trying to defeat, be one of them. With this, they are creating a parallel between WWX and WRH that was entirely absent from the novel, and it validates the suspicions against WWX, because now there is a good reason for them. This is a creative choice I vehemently disagree with.

Then they made WWX commit suicide, and that while ah yuan was still waiting for him in the burial mounds, which, while a pretty looking scene, was really bad for WWX's character. This scenes twists WWX's previous heroic actions that in the novel clearly came from a place of compassion and wanting to do the right thing seem like they came from a place of low self-worth. To me, this is a great disservice to his character, because in the novel, WWX is confident, has high self esteem and, most importantly, doesn't hold on to pain and misery. This touches on one of the main themes of the novel, which is choosing to let go of resentment in order to move on and be happy, and not letting the sufferings of the past define you in the present. WWX is such a great protagonist because he always chooses to make the best of his situation, even if the situation in question is pretty shitty. This is also something that sets him apart from the antagonists. Thematically, it makes sense that JC, JGY and XY are all characters who choose resentment, who refuse to move on from past hurts. It makes sense that the cultivation world refuses to move on after the SSC and would go so far as to seek revenge against the innocents. By making WWX commit suicide, they messed up the central themes of the story.

When it comes to LWJ, I think they took away much of his character. They made his entire character revolve around WWX, which, again, goes against the novel's themes and it ruined his character arc. LWJ, in the novel, mourned WWX but moved on with his life. He knew WWX was dead, he still loved him, but that didn't define his whole self. He recognized his shortcomings and worked to overcome them, and when WWX unexpectedly came back to life, he made sure not to repeat the mistakes of the past. But in CQL there's none of that, because LWJ was already making his feelings clear to WWX sinse long before WWX's death, so there's nothing to improve on.

I also dislike that they put more emphasis on JGY and LXC's relationship than the book did, because I felt it took away from LXC's relationship with LWJ, and also changed the dynamics of the venerated triad, which diminished the degree to which JGY was gaslighting and manipulating both LXC and NMJ, and using LXC against NMJ.

I abhor the romance they tried to create between WQ and JC. In fact, I really don't like the way JC's actor portrayed the character, and I have seen some other stuff the actor was in and he always plays the same character. He probably noticed his crying face is pretty and is making use of it.

But JC in the novel doesn't make crying faces every time he says or does something mean, he delights in making ppl around him miserable. He usually looks (and is) angry, not sad and crying. He isn't anywhere near as vulnerable as the actor's facial expressions would make him seem, and book JC would probably hate the way he portrayed in cql as well. And it doesn't change the fact that JC's actions and choices were wrong, the crying sad face is just there to try to make us pity him for his selfishness and lack of morality. Like, he's the one hurting others, but acts like he's the one who is being hurt, something I disagree with, especially because it leads to some pretty bad cases of victim blaming.

I don't like that they gave some wangxian moments to JYL, because I feel the change served no purpose at all, but to deepen his connection to Lotus Pier and the Jiangs, and doesn't do anything for any of the characters involved.

Like, in the novel, in the scene where JC had captured WWX and was threatening him with fairy, WWX called LWJ's name, he also said he didn't want to go back to Lotus Pier and JC mocked WWX by implying LWJ was only helping him because he didn't know his identity, something that hurts WWX. This sets up the reveal that LWJ had always known it was WWX. It's important to WWX's arc, because throughout the novel, WWX gradually cuts all past ties to the Jiangs and creates new bonds with LWJ. It plays very well with the themes of the novel.

In cql, WWX calls out JYL's name, proceeds to whisper he wants to go back to Lotus Pier, and there's no identity reveal because WWX knew LWJ knew his identity from the beginning. This scene, in cql, reinforces WWX's connections to the Jiangs, and it's not the only scene to do so (the whole thing with the Lotus Pond in the Burial Mounds comes to mind).

At the end of the book, WWX finally breaks the last ties between himself and JC and moves on with LWJ. It feels earned and it feels final.

In cql, when he leaves JC it doesn't feel like it's final, but it doesn't leave me with hopeful feelings like they probably intended, because no matter how pretty JC's crying face is, his actions are still just as bad, and WWX deserves to be free from him. The lack of finality in their parting made me feel frustrated.

That being said, I was surprised they managed to make wangxian's relationship so obviously romantic despite the limitations imposed by censorship.

Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo really did the best they could, and I think they portrayed the characters really well. I especially like the scene in Jinlintai when WWX's identity is discovered and LWJ stands by his side. Both actors did an excellent job.

[piosplayhouse]

I JUST SAW UR POSTS ABT CQL AND OH MY GOD YEAH ITS. THE WORST my sibling and I just finished it a couple days ago but after they'd finished reading the novel we were mostly making fun of the show as we watched LOL-- one thing I will say is that I like most of their casting choices bcus yibo gets all the little wangji microexpressions dead-on

It's like !! Idk I know it's a lot of people's first introductions to the series, and I do think it's good on its own, but I hate when people analyze it like an improved extension on mdzs. It's not! More than anything it's like. Mdzs-inspired content honestly. Idk maybe discourse has made me too bitter, but I've seen far too many takes that cql makes mdzs better in some way by adding "ace representation" (I'm referring NOT to ace people who see themselves in cql wx! You guys are great and I'm happy for you!! but to the people who say stuff like so glad they got rid of the icky gay sex and PDA, if your ideal ace representation is quite literally government-censored gay content, please reevaluate) or feminism or something. It's like, idk, if you see it that way then good for you, but I can't help but be a bit cynical that a monopolistic company rife with government censorship would have more authentic intentions than a vulnerable young fem indie author who probably barely makes profit off of her original work. It's the scum villain main in me I guess.

Though the casting is so good!! I'm always surprised when I remember that yibo wasn't an established actor before, he gets all of lwj's little details so perfect. Xiao Zhan too is also incredible. You can tell the cast had a lot of love for the characters, and I'll never fault them for that!

[yibowang]

about how yibo was chosen to play baili hongyi before cql started airing. there was never another choice. (trans below)

wang yibo would always take notes and take the initiative to communicate with the director

as for casting wang yibo to play baili hongyi, it is different to what people think. the crew did not pick him because of popularity. xu kang said that when casting for this role, the producing crew thought that yibo was very suitable, “the first time we contacted du hua to cast yibo it was 2-3 months before the airing of cql and not after he became popular. instead it was more difficult to book him after he became popular. but from a platform’s perspective, of course we hope the leading actors have relatively high popularity and business value, this provides some sort of guarantee (for the drama).”

xu kang’s impression of wang yibo is that, “he normally doesn’t speak a lot and doesn’t take the initiative to talk but he is very passionate. that’s why he likes skateboarding and those types of extreme sports. he also had a lot of work everyday, we were quite worried. at that time, he was already too popular. sometimes he would have other work scheduled til 2-3 am after he finished filming and the next day he’ll set out at 6 am. however, he never complained. he would take notes every time and take the initiative to communicate to the director, ‘i think acting this way will be better’. if he thinks there’s a problem with his lines he would communicate with the screenwriter and director that night. everyone would then come to an agreement to ensure that the next day of filming goes smoothly. he is very diligent”