#zhang zhehan told fans to live with love

[bluebirdmuppet]

As some might know, we organized a birthday fundraiser in Zhang Zhehan's name for the Canadian Charity Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) this year. After a month of donating, I'm proud to report that this year, we raised $15,133 CAD (78,657 RMB) in Zhang Zhehan's name to this worthy charity!

This builds on our success in 2022, where we raised $10,224.98 CAD (52,904 RMB) in an impromptu fundraiser also on behalf of Zhang Zhehan to EGRC.

These are amazing results! Thank you to everyone who participated!

As a result of our gift this year, we sponsored 12 girls living in rural China to complete one year of EGRC's program which includes financial aid. emotional support, guidance, and coaching.

Since 2005, EGRC has sponsored over 2000 girls through its program. Their girls have a 99% graduation rate and 100% of their graduates have found jobs. These graduates contribute back to their families, helping to lift them out of poverty, and become mentors for other girls as well.

It is so lovely to see our small but strong community on Twitter contributing to this project.

Giving to charity and doing good is consistent with who Zhang Zhehan was as a person. On many occasions, he emphasized the importance of having love in one's heart and sharing that love. As a result of his words, his fans donated to many causes.

This is a video of Zhang Zhehan thanking his fans for their charity work at his 2019 birthday event. Listen to how he talks about the importance of living with love in our hearts.

This is the Real Zhang Zhehan, the person who CAPA sought to erase and whose character continues to be replaced by that copycat Zhang Sanjian. If only Zhang Sanjian had also preached love instead of toxic hatred and naked greed, so many more would have fallen for it.

[immortalwanderers]

On this day one year ago, Word of Honor first aired to Chinese audiences.  It was a series which came as a surprise to many, and one which didn’t take long until people were excitedly sharing their newest find with both their friends and others upon the internet, encouraging them to join and watch along. The early days themselves were a fun filled adventure. Many fans hurried to catch the new subtitle releases as they dropped onto sites like YouTube, while Youku’s release schedule changed to air the series quicker as attention grew. International fans went as far as to follow translated tutorials in order to make Youku accounts so they could continue watching via Youku’s own streaming service. And just as the fandom family were saddened into believing they would have to say farewell to these characters and the world which they had quickly fallen in love with, they were soon pleasantly surprised to learn that the majority of the cast would be returning for a sold out two-day concert event. While the airing season alone had been an excitable time to be a fan, that love only continued to grow long after the show aired, continuing to attract new fans through word of mouth and community rewatch events. Even now, it is apparent to see that the little show that stepped into our lives with a very limited budget and everything stacked against it quickly became something beloved to many, and it is both from the passions of the original cast and team as well as the fandom which followed that made it so.

Over the past year the fan community has created many kinds of works and been involved in a number of incredible projects, including two lovingly put together zines ( @shlzine and @wohzine), as well as last years Big Bang event (@shlbigbang) and the future Reverse Bang event ( @shanheling-reversebigbang). Many have also shared their own individual works with the community, expressing their love through many mediums including that of art, writing, graphic making and videos.

However, the community has suffered great grief and hardship as well as the highest of highs throughout the past year, yet the continued strength of fans has also shown their great resilience in what has since become a wait for justice. With touching projects created to show Zhang Zhehan and his family support after the events which transpired back in August, the community has proven just how much it is capable of showing love and compassion, not just to the cast they admire but also to the other friends around them whilst moving through this difficult time. One of the most recent projects includes the Zhang Zhehan Chinese New Year event, which invited international fans to leave their messages of blessings and well wishes for both Zhang Zhehan and his family.

In honor of Word of Honor’s anniversary, Immortal Wanderers would like to say thank you. Thank you to all the fans camped out upon this mountain beside us, who continue to keep this fandom alive through the love and joy of creation. We see you, we appreciate you, and we love you ⛰️ 💖

As a small way to say thank you and to pay the love back, a few of us here would like to share some of favourite works over the past year, as well as saying a little something about why these works in particular pulled at our heartstrings.

Recommendations from @wanderingfandoms

Song of Divination → written by bluemorningsoup 

Summary:

The letter floated down to the Yellow Springs on the back of a dark river, safe in the glowing belly of a fish-painted lantern. It read, Try to eat, and ended, I miss you always. —What happened to Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu in Jing Beiyuan’s first life.

Readers Comments:

“Love,” Wen Kexing finally replied, chuckling. “Isn’t it a funny story?” 

- A story of love, told through poems, told through seasons. It's haunting and isn't that what wenzhou is? haunted souls who found each other.

The Price of Iridescent Wings → written by enkiduu and Leaves_and_Smithereens

Summary:

Wen Kexing throws Zhou Zishu into the past in an attempt to save him.

Zishu realizes time travel has consequences, and it is harder than expected to save Kexing from himself.

Readers Comments:

One of the earliest multichapter woh/shl fics. It's dear to my heart because when the fandom was just starting and blossoming, this fic felt like a gift. But aside from that it's a version of wenzhou at their peak and darkest and the struggle to let each other live. It now has an ongoing sequel that's also worth reading :)

Familiar Lives → written by manic_intent

Summary:

The chamber in Diyu smelled pleasantly of sandalwood and tea, wreathed with ever-burning lanterns in pale shades of gold. Standing beside a brazier, an ageless woman with long black hair brewed tea in a large black kettle, occasionally adding in pinches of ingredients from the array of dried herbs floating in jade dishes beside her. She was dressed simply in white and black, unadorned with jewellery. But for the immense aura of stillness about her, the woman would not appear to be the Goddess that she was—the ruler of the 10th Court of the Underworld.

“Lady Meng Po.”

The woman didn’t glance up from her work. “Hu Jia. What is it?”

“It’s happened again,” Hu Jia said, his tone heavy with grievance. “White-haired, at the Stone of Three Lives, refusing to drink your Tea of Forgetfulness—”

Readers Comments:

Manic_intent's fics always give me a sense of wonder and it's so hard to choose one but this....this one... What's not to love about gremlin wenzhou even as they reach the underworld? That nod to all the versions of the endings wenzhou got is like Priest writing extras to her beloved novels. Now that I think about it, this feels like an extra chapter to shl. A new but familiar beginning to a story so loved. 

sick with love to the point of falling → written by SpringxSakura

Summary:

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu are learning how to lean on each other in times of peace, and how, sometimes, the medicine to heal is not a thing, but a person.

"The words spilled out of Wen Kexing, seeking somewhere to find a home. “When I was younger, I used to think autumn was sad, but my...my mama told me that the leaves only fall because they are tired and that once they rest, the leaves will be back again. They are only not feeling well and need to sleep for a little while, and though they love being there to shield the tree from the sun and rain, every single being needs to take a break. To lay down their weary bodies on the ground for a season. Silly, isn’t it?”

A lone leaf had fallen over them, coming to rest in Zhou Zishu’s hazelnut hair. It was a vivid red amongst the dark brown and called to Wen Kexing. He plucked it out, twirling it in his fingers, and waited for the mockery. For someone to tell him that his mother had been too nice and he too gullible, but it never came."

Readers Comments:

Autumn, rain, a head on a shoulder's beloved and wounds both seen and unseen. Told from Wen Kexing's perspective, we see Zhou Zishu, and it is beautiful, that I too wanted to say "Just a little more". This fic paints a simple but one of the most beautiful scene of wenzhou ever written.

Dandelions → created by rosenana708

Viewers Comments: 

One of the earliest fanvids on youtube. There's a reason it has 200k+ views. The song choice is perfect that ever since I watched this video, I would always think of wenzhou when I hear "Dandelions". The editing is superb, from the coloring to the scenes picked. I come back to this video everytime I want to be reminded of wenzhou's early dynamic, the flirting, Ah Xu's exasperation, and two people bruised and bloodied, weighed down by their pasts. It's a reminder that even when woh/shl's early eps might seem light, it is in fact the saddest episodes if the whole show.

Recommendations from @carmine-sunlight 

Endless Summer / 常夏 → written by stormoverdose

Summary:

Truth be told, he doesn’t want to tell anyone about Wen Kexing. On a superficial level, there’s something thrilling in the secrecy of it all, the idea of being intimate with each other only in front of each other. What they share, physical or emotional, completely preserved away from the world.

On a deeper level that Zhou Zishu is reluctant to confront, Wen Kexing scares him.

***

Or, Zhou Zishu meets Wen Kexing on a hot summer's day in a musty neighbourhood library and never truly recovers, ever.

Readers Comments:

I've read this fic (and its companion piece) so many times, I love it with all my heart. It doesn't matter that I know everything that happens at this point, it always breaks my heart and mends it again in the most wonderful way. This story makes you feel everything so deeply, from mundane sensations to the character's most intense feelings. Even though it's somber at various points, this story never fails to cheer me up when I'm sad, maybe because it's so easy to relate to its themes and it provides a hopeful resolution to all of them.

Rest Stop → written by Vorvayne

Summary:

You meet a man in a bar and go home with him. He's.......strange.

Or: one person Wen Kexing fucked before he met Zhou Zishu who'd say the whole thing was hot, but SO weird.

Readers Comments:

One of the best outsider pov's I've read, and such an interesting look into WKX's character in all his weird glory, in a modern au no less. The pov character's voice was so distinct and has you intrigued from the start. I can't describe the feeling you get going from the first to the second half of the fic, but each time I reread it, it feels just as amazing as the ones before.

A Curse Upon the Stars → written by quaint_marauder

Summary:

One is the Chief of Ghosts, while other is the Keeper of the List of Unfaithful.

They say only death and stench of blood permeates in the valley of ghosts. Humanity was a merely a weakness, just a weapon against you in the hands of an enemy.

So what of love? Can a ghost hope for a chance at love? And would the love of cursed souls rain destruction or could it maybe be their salvation?

Additional: 

At the time of this post first being shared, this fic is currently still in progress.

Readers Comments:

This story has it all, from amazing worldbuilding to mystery, comedy, horror, and everything in between. Wenzhou are placed in a setting that's familiar but at the same time so different, and it's amazing to see how that affects the progression of their relationship, which btw is delightful!!!! As shown by the tags, it deals with many heavy subjects (also, the author is always careful to expand on the content warnings each chapter), so keep that in mind going in. But yeah, this fic has me at the edge of my seat with each new chapter!

trembling on the branch, unfurl your petals and grow → written by minnabird

Summary:

Ye Baiyi didn't wake Wen Kexing; Zhang Chengling lied to protect him and held the secret of Zhou Zishu's death in his heart; and life at Four Seasons Manor went on. Until, that is, Bi Xingming comes running up the road from the town and tells Zhang Chengling there's something he has to see.

“I brought him as fast as I could,” Bi Xingming said to the man. “I still don’t know why you had to be so secretive, shifu—”

Shifu.

Zhang Chengling’s heart fell like a stone, and he crashed to his knees beside the man, reaching up as if to sweep the hat off and stopping just short. The man lifted his hand, impatiently shaking his sleeve back in a gesture so familiar he was sure even before he recognized the hand, even before the hand tilted back the hat to reveal his master’s gentle smile.

Additional:

At the time of this post first being shared, this fic is currently still in progress.

Readers Comments: 

It haunts me that I almost missed this fic because it's brought me such genuine joy! It shows a version of the future that I'd never considered before despite how naturally it comes to be, and it's so detailed and fleshed out that I was immersed in its world right away. You get emotionally invested in all the characters, even those with less 'screen time', and you end each chapter feeling hopeful and a bit melancholic. Reading it has been such a wonderful experience.

Big Cats are still Cats → written by Andreri25

Summary:

Zhou Zishu picked up a kitty from the trash. She did it because it was a pathetic little thing that was going to die, and Zhou Zishu wanted to be a better person.

Ok so maybe she was a little drunk at the time.

And mayyyyybe…. that wasn’t a kitten.

The vet bills are going to be off the roof. Zhou Zishu wouldn’t mind as much if the local exotic animals specialist wasn’t such a harassing menace.

Or

The one where Zhou Zishu accidentally acquires a wild animal. And a baby clouded leopard, too.

Readers Comments: 

I wanted to add at least one fem!wenzhou au, and this one ticks so many of my boxes! Meet-cute!! Animals!!! WKX as an exotic animal vet!!!! And ZZS's pov is as funny and endearing as ever! This fic is funny and sweet and will make your day instantly better.

Recommendations from @theyilinglaozus

Ladyhawke AU → written and drawn by @rhymesswith

Readers / Viewers Comments:

I’m very much a child who grew up surrounded by 80′s fantasy movies - Legend, The NeverEnding Story, Labyrinth, Willow - it doesn’t matter if they’re cheesy by today’s standards, they hold a special place in my heart to this day. So imagine my absolute delight when wenzhou!Ladyhawke au hit my dashboard for the first time. Every piece added to this universe causes me to break out in a huge smile. The art is beautiful, and the written pieces which have been included to this series are just so engaging and brilliant. I love whenever the newest piece appears on my dashboard, as it’s always guaranteed to be fantastic.

Stardust AU → drawn by @sadfishkid

Viewers Comments:

​Tasha’s art style is always incredible, but I lost my mind when they dropped their two-part wenzhou!Stardust AU! Another favourite story/movie, and I love everything about what this chooses to be. Wen Kexing as his obnoxiously strange self but ✨ shiny ✨ is absolutely perfect, and I love how done Zhou Zishu is. Tasha has a way of making her artwork so expressive in how the characters show their emotions, and it’s just so lovely. 

I will carry you → created by solariene

Viewers Comments:

This video entered my life and played with my emotions. It is a beautifully put together journey through Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing’s relationship, and just how much they mean to one another. The song choice is absolutely perfect for them and the editing fits on point with the lyrics. I’ve often come back to revisit this video, since it’s one of my absolute favourites from this fandom. 

in this lifetime and the next →  written by PhantomWriter

Summary:

Zhou Zishu was no better during waking hours, sparing what he could in reminiscing about what he actually recalled from his random dreams of a faceless little girl. She was dressed in hues of blue, sometimes pink with a touch of red. Effortlessly, he filled out the blanks among her vagueness: dark eyes in the shape of almonds, a button nose, pinchable cheekbones, and bow-shaped lips; altogether, they would crinkle adorably when her face lit up with a beam or when she stuck out her tongue in impertinence.

Albeit on a young girl’s image, those were exactly two of Wen Kexing’s trademark expressions.

Or, the times Zhou Zishu gets to witness how Wen Kexing handles children and catches extra feelings. ™

Readers Comments:

I absolutely adore this fic. It feels like a warm blanket on difficult days, never failing to pick up my mood. The whole family is present, and seeing Wen Kexing around babies is absolutely darling. No wonder why Zhou Zishu decides he wants to have a family with the man, I’d be weak to such sweetness too! The images created with the words in this story are so beautiful, painting vividly warm scenes that feel like they could be put to canvas.

In Death’s Bed →  written by jaemyun

Summary:

Word has spread in recent years of a temple on Mount Qingya that houses the god themselves.

If one goes to pray to the White Death, they may just get a miracle for their efforts; as long as they are careful not to offend, of course, lest they be carried out as a corpse.

The Prince wishes to ask this god quite the favor; help in seizing the throne. How fortunate that all he asks in return is Zhou Zishu.

Additional:

At the time of this post first being shared, this fic is currently still in progress.

Readers Comments:

The concept of this fic is one that is so interesting to me, every time it updates I’m excited to see what the next chapter will have in store. The interest Wen Kexing has in Zhou Zishu is so delightful, especially as his motives are truly a mystery to the entire cast of characters - well; except maybe Gu Xiang and himself. I don’t really know what direction this story is heading in, but somehow, that just makes it all the more engaging. 

Recommendations from @minnarr

The winds of the heavens shift suddenly → written by UnrememberedSkies

Summary:

After a prophetic dream shows him the bloody battle over his disciple's legacy, Ye Baiyi makes the decision to repay his debt to the Zhen couple by rescuing their fifteen year old son from the Ghost Valley. Fate is unpredictable, he discovers, but Wen Kexing is even more so.

Readers Comments:

YBY has a vision of years in the future (the show's events). He decides to rescue a young WKX and GX about it. Such an incredibly tender journey as YBY figures out how to care for GX and WKX and begins to care about them more than he ever planned to. I love the dynamic between WKX and YBY, it takes very fun notes from canon, but there's a surprisingly sweet affinity that springs up between YBY and GX that lowkey steals the show sometimes, and the way he, WKX, GX, and ZZS all settle into a whole in the end is so good. Sometimes you come down off your mountain and you just feel everything despite yourself.

Siji Mountain Rest Stop for the Weary Traveller → written by sundermount

Summary:

“The souvenirs are decently priced, but the food is not.”

One employee, two uncles, a colleague and the (nonexistent) business of tourism.

Readers Comments: 

This like, a highly slice of life thing seeing immortal Wenzhou as they are in vaguely modern times through the eyes of someone hired to help out in the rest stop they run on their mountain. With possible flavors of reincarnation, who's to say. It's just...quite lovely, and lets you live in the sensory details and in some OCs' lives while still giving Wenzhou's eternal wedded bliss and relationships built with new people.

this harbored deluge for you and i // 像我和你需要下一场雨  → written by gardencitymovements

Summary:

Three months. He’ll stay three months. Just long enough for that shrimpy Zhang Chengling to wean into this new world, and then he’ll leave. Just three months he’ll allow himself that brassy, beautiful line cook, who barked the most flirtatious insult at Zhou Zishu as he charged down the cracked asphalt with a towering pallet jack of wholesale soy sauce boxes; his voice magnetic like an army general’s, clear above the rumbling gallop of his condiment fleet.

-

chaperoning a new orphan across the Pacific runs into complications.

Readers Comments:

This author writes SO much lyrical, slow modern AU that doesn't shy away from canon's sharp edges and it's all very good but this is the quintessential one of their fics for me. Zhou Zishu arrives in California to escort Chengling and babysit him for a while; meets cook Wen Kexing and his collection of found family, gets attached to Chengling, and decides to stay instead. Excellent ensemble cast that comes with the romance, delicious-sounding food, slowly falling into a life you want instead of just drifting alone.

dear heaven → written by foreverstudent

Summary:

In a darker world where the Combined Six Cultivation Method fails and the snowy mountains become the burial mounds for his shifu and shishu, Chengling trains his martial arts under Ye Baiyi to be able to do only one thing: go back in time and save his found family.

Readers Comments:

I love time travel fic and I especially love time travel fic where a member of the younger generation goes back to help the older one. Here, Chengling trains with Ye Baiyi after a bad-ending AU until he can, like, use Combined Six to travel back and save Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing and ends up in his younger body. So there's some excellent bittersweet seeing people you love again, some "hmm, my disciple doesn't seem quite right," and fix-it for a thing the author broke in the first place along with things canon broke, which is always fun. Also: I really enjoy seeing their version of adult, fully-trained and powerful Chengling.

you’re the trouble that i always find → written by sundiscus

Summary:

“Do you know him?” Jin Wang asks.

The ringing in Zhou Zishu's ears gets louder. “No, Wangye,” he says.

At Zhou Zishu’s voice, the prisoner freezes.

Or: Jin Wang tries another way to get Zhou Zishu back.

Readers Comments:

This is tagged "falling in love with your soulmate all over again in the middle of a nightmare" and that is so accurate. Instead of what actually happened when he captured Zhou Zishu, Jin Wang decides to try to bring Zhou Zishu back to him by essentially like...drugging him into visions where he can confront and kill Wen Kexing. Except, that's not always what happens, and it definitely doesn't work. There's elements of time loop, and dream sharing, and a thousand ways things can go right and wrong, and Jin Wang being unable to break the loyalty and love Zhou Zishu feels towards Wen Kexing even when Zhou Zishu doesn't quite remember or understand. It's twisty and painful in a fun way and honestly a very Wenzhou getting-together story.

Recommendations from @korre

to ensnare a mama → written by silk_suture

Summary:

Zhou Zishu, suddenly aware that he’s staring, catches himself because what is he doing creeping at a random dad but also! Is he married? He must be! There are two kids! But where is the mom? the...other dad? Why does he care?

He picks up his goods and walks to the parking lot only to see them again. They're 3 cars away! Zhou Zishu discreetly looks over and the little girl is already staring at him. He tries to smile sheepishly and the little girl’s mouth, in her cute purple overalls, goes “o” and suddenly grabs her baba's shoulders and points at Zhou Zishu.

"Mama!"

They all freeze.

In which: The world didn't give her a mother? No problem! Independent toddler Ah-Xiang assigns one anyway.

Readers Comments:

This fic is such a happy read! It's funny and fluffy and in between that we also get ZZS's insecurity to if WKX actually wants him. The premise itself is hilarious and I smiled while thinking back on this fic several days later.

Spring Festival: A Time for New Beginnings → written by LuckyDragon

Summary:

It’s during the Spring Festival that Xingming picks the wrong pocket. He’s fifteen, and he thinks he knows a good mark from a bad one. He spots the old man in the crowded market — he’s big but slow, walking with a careful gait that suggests a hidden limp. However, when Xingming liberates the man’s purse and ducks into an alleyway, the man is already there waiting for him.

Readers Comments:

This fic hit me right in the feelings. It explores the lives of Han Ying and the rest of Tian Chuang through the eyes of Bi Xingming. It is beautifully written and I love how the author really fleshed out Bi Xingming, he is perceptive and funny as a POV. The fic is full of melancholy and it made me ugly cry. I love it.

to be seen is the penalty → written by northofallmusic (tofsla)

Summary:

Han Ying, recovering from his wounds after escaping to Siji Manor, finds himself struggling with his feelings for Zhou Zishu and with his understanding of his place in the world.

Readers Comments:

This is a fic where Han Ying lives and gets to be a part of Siji manor. It's so well written and full of angst (hello Han Ying's unrequited feelings), but also of hope. Han Ying's feelings punced me in the gut as he tries to navigate his place in Siji manor and around WenZhou, when he has detailed insight to the abuse ZZS suffered in the past. The fic is very raw, yet tender at the same time. Which is a super effective combination for making it stay in your thoughts.

... And a few special mentions:

These are either works created by our lovely friends at Immortal Wanderers, or fond favourites that many of us have spoken of enjoying:

Wenzhou ‘first kiss’ art → drawn by @raymuratadraws

Word of Honor memes and articles → created by @antique-forvalaka

‘Bad Dreams’: Wen Kexing fanvideo → created by @scorpionkings

‘Touch’ series → written by @theyilinglaozus

trembling on the branch, unfurl your petals and grow → written by @minnarr

Wenzhou and tropes → created by @wanderingfandoms

Lessons Learnt → written by sunromance

Modern AU sex worker!Wen Kexing/ dying!Zhou Zishu thread fic → written by gahyeonfleur

Yi Guo lives!  → drawn by slothxian

Sanguine → written by jaemyun

Wenzhou fanart → drawn by @sadfishkid

Thank you so much to all the talented creators in this fandom!  Happy anniversary to all, and here’s to many more years of enjoyment upon the mountain!​

[kimmyyang]

210503 My favorite moments & translations of the SHL concert including the warming up livestream

1. Zhao Jing calling fans adopted sons and daughters during the livestream and revealing that there will be a game where they hug each other, telling fans to look forward to it (he knows what we want to see haha).

2. Gong Jun arrived at the livestream first, but he still waited for Zhang Zhehan and told Zhang Zhehan to introduce himself first.

3. Zhang Zhehan saying he will talk less as he needs to take care of his throat for the actual concert, so Gong Jun talked mostly in the livestream (translation is here).

4. In the beginning of the concert, ZZH introduced himself: "I'm your Ah Xu." (T ^ T)

5. The MCs asked the casts to write down their top 1 iconic scene, some of them picked the scene where Gao Chong died. GJ & ZZH were having a discussion and the MCs were like "why do these two have to discuss their top 1 scene?" (yeah, you just need to write your own fave scene, it's not pair work LMAO) ZZH picked "you're not worthy" scene where they had to fight against Ye Bai Yi, and GJ picked the sun basking scene where they called each other 'Lao Wen', 'Ah Xu' 3 times. ZZH said: thanks to Gao dage's iconic scene, they got to rest haha.

6. Gao Chong, Zhao Jing & Shen Sheng sitting behind GJ & ZZH wrote "Lao Wen ♡ Lao Zhou" on their whiteboards, they were laughing so much while holding it up.

7. When they played the sun basking scene, the MCs asked GJ "you were pretty focused when watching the scene." GJ replied, "it reminded me of the time when we were filming, it felt so warm just like now, I'm being surrounded with love."

8. MCs said that ZZH added the part where calling Lao Wen's name 3 times. ZZH said: "yes I even asked GJ to call Ah Xu 3 times, I like the number 3 and calling the names 3 times shows 3 different emotions". When MCs asked them to reenact the scene, I heard CWN saying he wants to see it. (I hope I didn't mishear it lol and the MCs were smiling so much while watching them)

9. After ZZH finished singing Gu Meng (T ^ T), the fans were all screaming 'lao po'. XDDD

10. At the beginning of the game segment, when the rules came up on the screen. Fans were screaming loudly and ZZH said: "did you guys even read/ understand it to be screaming like that?" And one of the MCs said: "shouldn't that be Ye Bai Yi's job to diss people?" (The MCs definitely did a lot of prep before the concert haha XD and that is the hugging game Zhao Jing talked about in the livestream)

11. GJ & ZZH were laughing hehehehe when they found out they got the same number.

12. The MCs had to say a number, they have to find enough people to make that number. At one point Ye Bai Yi was with 3 actresses, and ZZH said: "Ye Bai Yi you're a guy and you're hugging 3 girls??? I didn't expect you to be like this." (AHAHAHAHA)

13. I missed out on what happened with CWN & GX, but it seems that they wanted to get eliminated together. (T ^ T)

14. So at the end, ZZH and Cheng Ling won the game and GJ was like: "the person who won the game will sing until tomorrow's concert." (LOL)

15. GJ said: "I feel like you guys planned it out to make me lose the game." (ZZH called 'Lao Wen' 3 times here ahhhh GJ kinda just gave up lol) "Am I right, didi?" Cheng Ling replied yes. ZZH asked GJ to dance as a punishment but GJ forced ZZH to dance and ZZH was like why do I have to do it when I won the game?? Then ZZH sang and GJ danced to 爱的恰恰 (so cute I cry) GJ couldn't do the dance properly, he explained: "I need to save my energy, I have to sing later."

16. When they were picking the winners for the prizes, GJ said: "it's so unfair to the bottom floor, they haven't won anything." ZZH then jokingly added: "the people on the bottom floor, they're super fast at getting the tickets and they're pretty rich too." (because the tickets are more expensive) GJ jokingly followed: "then let's pick someone from level 3, haha I actually did pick out level 3 (from the bag)."

17. Another game, the MCs asked them to say something fierce to the other team, GJ was facing his teammates and kept saying (I can't remember what he said) really loudly. And ZZH was like did you not understand (the instructions) why are you shouting at your teammates? (AHAHAHAHAHA come on I don't think he would say anything fierce to his lao po XD)

18. I can't remember what happened but Ye Bai Yi shouted: "卧槽 (fuck)" during the game segment. (really loudly!!! and I haven't heard any Chinese actors/ celebrities say that in public lmao)

19. GJ couldn't find all the nails on ZZH and asked: "where did you guys hide it?" Ye Bai Yi lifts up ZZH's clothes and said: "here". GJ said:" I can't reach there, they won't be able to broadcast it." (asdfghjklfuuuuu)

20. When they reenacted the "you're not worthy" scene and still bickering like 3-year-olds XDDD

21. When Cao Wei Ning & Ah Xiang were singing Yuan Mie, Ah Xiang got so emotional she cried and messed up, so Cao Wei Ning sang her lines and held her hand really tightly. (I CRIEDDDD)

22. Afterwards, ZZH & GJ walked out with Cheng Ling (then everyone came out too). GJ forgot to bring the red bracelets and ZZH was like "where are the red bracelets? Lao Wen did you give it to someone else?" (AHAHAHAHA)

23. When they had to put the red bracelets on each other's wrists, CWN's hands were shaking so much, you can literally feel how nervous he is through the screen. (sobs) CWN called Ah Xiang "Cao furen (my wife)" and GX called Cao dage "my husband". (T ^ T)

24. When Xi Sang Gui came into the centre, she said: "Ah Xing (WKX) when will it be your wedding?" GJ just smiled and side-eyed ZZH. XDD

25. GJ said that SHL means a lot to him, it's a special, irreplaceable drama to him. I think he also thanked ZZH. ZZH said: "thank you shanrens who're here and watching in front of the screen for giving us the chance to dream and made our dream come true. (no, thank YOU for bringing Ah Xu into our lives T ^ T)

26. Picking winners again and CWN was trying so hard to find the bottom/ centre area card. (so cute)

27. ZZH & GJ singing Tian Wen, ZZH got confused at the start and GJ helped him to get back into the right key, they both laughed and it was just so cuteeeee. And GJ said: "everyone together" which made ZZH laugh cuz you don't usually say that during a slow song lmao.

28. Liu Qianqiao presented 嗑 upside down which is phonetically “嗑到了/ kdl” and it means my ship (cp) is sailing.

Day 2

[dangermousie]

Why is East Asian fandom so crazy? I thought I had seen crazy in Western fandoms but then I got into Korean and Chinese stuff. O.o My favorite thing about it is how when an actor has a "scandal", that can be anything from going on a date with another consenting adult to running a child sex ring or buying and selling babies and you can't tell which it is when people just reference the "scandal".

I am not East Asian so would not feel comfortable speculating as to what cultural elements of their societies specifically may make them the way they are.

BUT. I do think fandom insanity is not unique to those fandoms - though obsession with not dating/dating only "proper" persons seems to be unique to them for cultural reasons I cannot speak to, plenty of Western fandoms can be seriously insane if in somewhat different ways - think of lunatics who used to believe they are Snapewives or people who shipped Sam and Dean actors, viewed their wives as beards and the fact they couldn't reveal their love as some sort of conspiracy. Or same for Merry x Frodo actors.

Speaking broadly about fandoms in general - I do think any time any fandom, Asian, Western or whatever, moves from liking someone's roles/songs/whatever other work output into obsessing over them AS A PERSON, trouble follows.

Yes, sure, if someone is a child molester/rapist/whatever, they should be in jail/not be a star but there is a huge difference in caring whether some celeb is a wannabe felon or not before you enjoy their works, and thinking every aspect of their lives belongs to you. I find the whole "this is not a real person but a poseable doll for us to project our desires and wishes into" aspect of many a fandom repugnant. I get the sense those people don't quite really see the aspects of their obsession as actual people - that is why they want input into how their idols behave or date, the way you would with a fictional character.

And I think that is why there is no difference in degree of insanity between "celeb X bought babies and then wanted to get rid of them" or "celeb Y is dating someone fans don't like." Because these people are not real to those "fans" - think about it, if you read a novel or watch a drama, a character who comes between the OTP is as disliked and gets as much hate as some other character who is killing people. Because in fiction, the greatest sin is to be either annoying, bad, boring or come between characters you like. There is no difference between those. Which is fine in fiction but in real it's insane!

And the thing is, I don't think fans ever think through what that does to the objects of their obsession. What adult wants to hide they are dating? Or have their every move recorded? Or worse? I mean, I was reading an Asian drama blog and the news they had this morning was that Zhang Zhehan's agency had to go after people who kept changing his plane reservations and other insanity. LIKE THE FUCK!!!! Or think about Xiao Zhan, whose career almost got permanently destroyed by his so-called fans and it's a minor miracle he was able to bounce back.

(By the way, that is why I hate RPShipping and RPFic and am sad that it got normalized in fandoms, Western, Asian and otherwise. I find treating real, living people as fictional objects creepy but also it just blurs that line between real people and fictional beings further.)

PS I come from Bollywood fandom and I am old enough to remember when stars had to hide they had wives and it was a surprise when Shahrukh Khan refused to hide his. My mother told me about going to Muslim Magomayev (famous Soviet singer) concert and women literally throwing themselves under the wheels of his car to kiss the tires. People are insane world over, it's just their insanity may take different forms.

[chalkrevelations]

Well. Episode 34 of Word of Honor, and, oh.

(Spoilers. Scroll on by and come back later if you want to watch it unspoiled.)

Oh. No. NO, show. Only A-Xiang is supposed to make me cry, so fuck you, Zhou Zishu, with your SAD LITTLE FACE, oh my god, why don’t you just pull my heart out of my chest, throw it down in the dirt and stomp on it? It would be kinder than having to watch you deal with the implications of whatever it is, precisely, you’ve done to yourself that means you’re expecting to drop dead any day and lose your chance at lifetime happiness with your soulmate but are hiding from everyone. (Well, I guess it’s your turn to be hiding something, because it looks like everyone in the jianghu except you was in on at least some part of Wen Kexing’s plan.)

So, the first thing that struck me in this ep is the way ZZS sits at the table at the post-Hero’s Conference meal drinking session, hunched over, like his bones are made of shattered glass, and here’s the thing: He’s absolutely just had a serious emotional blow. But also, this is a guy who’s terminally ill and in chronic pain, and we saw that repeatedly for about the first two-thirds of the show, and then the emphasis on it kind of slacked off. And I’m thinking now that maybe it wasn’t just slack writing or WKX playing his xiao in the rain through the nights at Four Seasons Manor like the worst emo kid ever that helped, that maybe some of the progression of the deadening of ZZS’s senses might have offered him some relief, but whatever it was, I’m wondering if whatever he’s done now – I presume pulled out those gd Nails - has exacerbated everything all over again. I cannot believe that at least Wu Xi can’t look at the way he’s moving and holding himself at the table and see that he’s not just stone-cold angry and emotionally hurt about being left out of the loop, he’s in physical pain. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a little like being stabbed in the chest when he gets confirmation that Chengling and WKX were in on WKX’s “death” together while he was in the dark and believed this asshole actually died on him. But I also think we’re getting physical pain ramped up again from him; there’s a hesitation and delicacy of movement that speaks of someone who’s judging their movements and maintaining a high level of control, because if they do make a wrong move, everything could just explode into agony. I also noticed the way he clutches his cup when A-Xiang starts explaining how WKX made a deal with Xie Wang in order to rescue ZZS from Tian Chuang, and I can’t for the life of me figure out if it’s having to hear about WKX finding himself in that position in order to save him, or if it’s A-Xiang calling him “Sick Dude” at a moment when that’s going to press right on one of the tenderest, most vulnerable places. Because, god, everyone else at this table who even knows about his terminal illness still thinks that Wu Xi is going to be able to fix him. And here’s where ZZS apparently is a better person than me, because I don’t know that I wouldn’t have an absolute breakdown and end up throwing it in WKX’s face that if he had just told me what was going on, maybe I wouldn’t be about to drop dead tomorrow and leave him alone for the rest of his life, asshole. But no! His zhiji’s happiness is so important to ZZS, that he’s not going to say a word about it! It’s more important than his own life, that his shidi has been able to avenge his parents while keeping his own hands (relatively) clean of any more sins. He’s going to continue to be there, to be whatever WKX needs him to be, for however few days he has left. I won’t fail you. (Even when you fail me). Here’s the thing though – at some point, you’re going to drop dead, Zhou Zishu. And apparently you’re going to leave WKX completely unprepared for it, so I don’t know that you’re doing him any favors being the one who’s hiding something, this time around. And oh my god, I just realized something – you made him drink three pots of liquor as a punishment – was that to get him so blind drunk he wouldn’t notice the Nails were gone? You realize you have to tell him at some point, right?

ANYWAY, WKX gets sloppy drunk and stumbles into their(? has everyone just given up any pretense at this point?) bedroom, and first of all, can I take a minute to flail over the way ZZS pushes drunk WKX’s hair back off of his shoulder? Can I? Because I rewound and re-watched that 2 seconds of the show three times. But then, then, WKX starts drunken rambling about how happy he is, and how scared he’d been that he wasn’t worthy of ZZS, and tears start welling up in ZZS’s stupid eyes, and WKX starts talking about how finding ZZS made him a whole new person, and ZZS’s stupid precious face gets SO SAD, and I start fucking welling up too, and then WKX talks about his parents and their shifu, and ZZS presses WKX’s head to his chest and gives us his stupid sad little smile, and I’m literally clutching my shirt hem in inarticulate pain and distress by this point, and then ZZS starts to break down as he holds WKX’s hand as WKX finally falls asleep, and he gives that stupid shaky sobbing little gasp, and just UGH. I’m DYING here, show. Also, how did you manage to do this to me with just your face, Zhang Zhehan? I’m not sure I can take the next couple of episodes, when the whole Nails dilemma is sure to come out.

Second big takeaway of this ep is that I just … oh my god. I cannot with you, Xie’er, holy shit. And I say this in a completely loving yet utterly aghast way. Was it absolutely necessary to literally sit on Awful Yifu’s lap? I’m reduced to a state of horrified laughter over the envelope pushing. The absolute fuckery of the power dynamic fluctuations of the Zhao Jing/Xie Wang relationship at this point … it’s something. It’s finally reached a point where it’s so fucky and complex that I may have to go looking for some fic, despite my general desire to punt Awful Yifu into the sun. I do have to say that the whole (one-sided) conversation when Xie’er finally let everything out was super-cathartic. Go off with your unfilial self, Xie’er. Li Daikun has been amazing all through this, and he’s continuing to maintain a perfect balance as we move toward the finish line. I’ve heard he was offered Wen Kexing and supposedly didn’t want to take the role because he didn’t think he was ready for it? And while I absolutely appreciate Gong Jun and the chemistry between ZZS and WKX that he built with Zhang Zhehan, I’m flabbergasted that Li Daikun was able to pull off Xie’er like this, yet thought he couldn’t manage WKX ... and I have to admit, I kind of would like to see what WKX would have been in his hands. I’ve also heard a rumor that they’re talking about maybe filming an origin story for Xie Wang? I … am torn, because on the one hand, more Xie’er, but on the other, more Awful Yifu. Anyway, I think we’re continuing to see a whole tangle of resonances between Xie’er, Wen Kexing, and Zhou Zishu, and the awful men in their lives who helped make them who they are today; there’s something of a contrast between Zhou Zishu, who, maybe significantly, was older and had some grounding from his Four Seasons shifu when he got tangled up with Prince Jin and Tian Chuang and who was willing to gnaw off his own leg to get out of the trap (and only finally struck back because he was forcibly taken back) and the other two, one of whom killed and … dismembered? flayed? his abuser before taking his literal throne, and the other of whom turned his abuser into a muted … piece of furniture? sex toy? before taking his figurative throne. Xie’er is about five steps behind Wen Kexing on a parallel path, and maybe there’s still time for him to untangle some of the fuckery in his head about his awful yifu. But meanwhile, there it is: You failed me. Xie’er, you’re breaking my heart, but I feel like I have to point out, again, this is the guy who is literally responsible for the existence of the Department of the Unfaithful. I did have a brief moment when I was convinced Xie’er was poisoning himself and Awful Yifu in a murder-suicide move, but then we got lap-sitting instead? Which could have made me think we were getting some kind of reversion to wanting to feel safe, like a kid able to (finally) sit in his father’s lap and play at comfort, but then he went and made it – let’s be honest – a little weird.

Last really big takeaway for me from this ep is that A-Xiang and I continue to be simpatico, because lady, I also have a very very bad feeling about Fan Shishu’s absence in this wedding “party” from the Gentle Wind Sword Sect, and watching your dawning realization at the end of the episode when he doesn’t show up and doesn’t show up and doesn’t show up as the group enters only confirmed my suspicions that something is UP. Am I supposed to expect a fakeout to Mo Huaiyang’s haranguing speech to Cao Weining, with a wrap-up of “But since you clearly love her so much and want to be a good influence …” Because I won’t believe it. And I’m not going to be happy or comfortable until we see the back of this asshole, because speaking of somebody who says everything with his face, Mo Huaiyang was NOT happy when Ye Baiyi called off the rest of the Heroes Conference, after his horse in the race had already been completely repudiated and he lost whatever chance he had at gaining power and influence on Zhao Jing’s back. Even if he did come all this way – bearing gifts – just to tell Cao Weining he’s an ungrateful brat and to never darken the door of Gentle Wind Sword Sect, it would still be a jerkass thing to do. But I don’t trust him as far as I could spit, and my only question at this point is whether all of Cao Weining’s shidi who came with him to the wedding are in on whatever bs Mo Huaiyang’s planning to pull.

A couple other random things:

Oh, so A-Xiang’s two moms are going to stay together for the rest of their lives, are they? And Liu Qianqiao is even like, “Loser Boyfriend? I don’t know him.” Followed by a cut to Luo Fumeng and her vaguely smug reaction. I’m dying.

No one’s going to say anything about this random body that Wen Kexing used for his plan? Just, you know, went to the store or something and picked out a random body? I realize it’s very late in the game to be getting moralistic about the adorable merciless killers, but come on, man. I also think we have once again overused the infodump. I realize we only have 35 episodes, but some of this explanation of WKX’s very complex plan should have been shown, not told. Anyway, cue series of flashbacks to finally explain how the whole Rube Goldberg plan was put in place, and ah-hah! WKX, himself, talked to Chengling ahead of time. I notice that in that flashback scene and the one when he talks to Ye Baiyi, he’s prominently still wearing That Hairpin, so we’ll realize this all got set into motion before ZZS was rescued and brought home.

Finally, why has everyone seem to have forgotten (still) about that KEY that WKX was waving around? No one’s going to mention it? Really?

And now, I think I’m going to fortify myself with some bourbon for the next ep.