ghostlyenola

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Shiguang doodle

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Just some doodles of my blind Lu Guang au for now💗✨

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shiguang and their endless parallels when it comes to eachother

I'm still not over the finale (and trust me many essays are due from my end), and one of the things that I cant seem to get over are how expertly shiguang prove to be excellent mirrors of one another, with multiple references cross the 2 seasons showcasing this,

argument #1 : core personalities (status quo)

lu guang is rational. he is ever placid. he thinks five times before he speaks, and even so, is a man of few words. from the very start lu guang has been shown to be the ever mature, serious and aware between him and his best friend, despite being 'younger' lol mentally that's not the case rn I guess.

he is well aware of what exactly to do at which situation, and has been shown to get anxious when things tend to get unpredictable. he withholds information if he believes it would affect xiaoshi's state of mind, he has always been more aware of his ability in comparison to xiaoshi, and is seemingly hyper aware of the moral responsibility and karmic debt he must repay should he act against it.

he isn't adept at fighting, and is clearly the sort to wield a pen over a sword. he rarely even loses his cool, and when he does. well.

cheng xiaoshi ís imprudent, rash. he places heart over mind and acts on impulse. he needs to consistently be reminded to avoid giving into his urges during a situation at hand. he is clingy, he is an open book. he values his partner and sister more than the world, and his loyalty is evident. he's very loud and overt when it comes to his opinons, and can be interpreted as a more childish, naive type.

while xioashi has an idea of the greater moral responsibility he must hold, he is often shown to restrain himself only when lu guang requests it. even if he questions it, he listens to him, regardless of whatever alter motive lu guang may have (in cxs' eyes, there is none)

he is very martially adept, and can often take advantage of a situation if it comes to physical confrontation. very obviously a sword over pen sorta lad. to be immensely martially adept however, requires strategical thinking does it not?

argument #2 : cheng xiaoshi being a dark angel narrative

the highest stakes to shiguang have always been their own wellbeing. referenced multiple times throughout season 1 and 2, their partnership means a lot more than just a friendship to the two of them.

episode 3 showcases the sheer trust they have in each other when paralleling basketball scenes.

but how does their personality play out when times get the most dire?

back in episode 11. of the first season, shit hits the fan, and xiaoshi hatches a plan. this becomes a recurring theme when stakes reach their peak in the show btw, and showcases just how strategical cxs can really be. he plans for nearly every scenario, with almost no input from lu guang's end whatsoever.

he even (temporarily) wins the battle. he accounts for nearly everything including his own, and lu guang's safety. xiaoshi's reliability is shown very clearly here.

oh boy does cxs pull through. the shit is flying and cxs somehow narrowly dodges the blow. despite ql being possessed, with his partner quite literally stabbed through he maintains a clear stance when fighting, he thinks about the situation they are in and acts accordingly when the police show up, painting himself as the temporary perpetrator.

when lu guang's 'death' is announced, cxs laments for him silently, through their everyday, and begins to seriously consider shifting the timeline. however, he knows he shouldn't, that he cant. not necessarily because of the karmic retribution, but because lu guang would never agree to that. he considers his thoughts, and actions.

when it comes to lu guang, he thinks. he considers the best possible scenario. he strategises and he doesn't rush into things immediately.

argument #3: lu guang being a light devil narrative

to lu guang, he rarely shifts from his placid stance. but when it comes to cxs' danger, his wellbeing is the ONLY thought running through his head. (I plan on covering this in immense detail in it's own blog because holy SHIT the references I've found that date all the way back to season 1 and the damn chibi shorts)

instances of such can be dated all back to season 1, where lu guang rushes out of a police station and through an unknowing ql to yell at cxs over the potential consequences of fucking up their timeline. you would know a lot about that, wouldn't you lu guang?

when it comes to cxs, lu guang is selfish. lu guang is irrational. he does not think, no he does, but all he thinks about is cheng xiaoshi. a building is burning? where is cxs? I'm getting tortured? at least its not cxs. I'm getting STABBED TO THE SIDE? better than it happening to cxs. cxs got shot? time to use my lacking physical prowess to pummel the guy who did that.

the only time we have seen such raw RAGE from cxs happens to be the finale of season 2. the pure impulse he acts on beating the shit out of qj the second he shoots cxs. oh, the girl behind him is literally dying? when cxs got shot in the side so priorities. it's crazy just how irrational this man is when it comes to cheng xiaoshi, and we haven't even gotten into the fact that lu guang literally ripped apart the FABRIC OF HIS TIMELINE, THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM, because cheng xiaoshi died in it, and to live in a world without him is more dire than whatever karmic debt may fall upon him.

lu guang, he is rational, he is methodical. but he is selfish, and he loves. he's perhaps committed one of the most selfish acts one possibly can, and has quite literally gone against a rule he held so dear, a rule that he quite possibly upholds just because he is terrified of making it worse. he didn't even sleep on his decision, bloody clothes and a null void expression on his face as he decided to hell with the world, he needs to get it right this time around, even at the cost of himself

but as this show has proven time and time again, death is inevitable, at most, it can only be delayed

old official art depicting the two which inspired this blog, thought it made for a good visual

[ghostlyenola]

okay i understand the reason why ppl put ivantill and shiguang in the same box (doomed black and white yaoi) but oh my godddd the parallels between shiguang and mizisua make me so genuinely insane and i don't see. anyone talking about it in fact. if you have i'm sorry but i need to do this for my sanity

LOTS OF SPOILERS FOR BOTH LINK CLICK AND ALNST UTC! <3

starting with the fact that i don't think their personalities align perfectly or anything but just the way their relationships operate are Pretty Damn Similar

your ignorance is my bliss

let's start with mizisua for this one!

it's abundantly clear from the fact that mizi was actively looking forward to singing with sua on the stage that she had no idea what had to happen. she was a sheltered kid from the start and she had this innocence and naivety about her that, in my opinion, is part of the reason why sua was attracted to her. mizi essentially represented all of the happiness that everyone else could have if they weren't burdened by the knowledge and the fear of their looming deaths. and sua wanted her to stay that way, she wanted mizi to take a simple kind of joy in just being able to sing with the person she loved the most. because she thought that was right.

the thing that's the worst about this is that she made this decision on her own. she never let mizi decide if she wanted this knowledge, and just as ivan said, it ended up being a burden to mizi.

and now, for shiguang :>

when lu guang decides that he's going to dive back in time to save cheng xiaoshi, he also makes the decision to never let cxs know. his mantra is to never change the timeline, and he sticks to these morals throughout it all, never giving cxs so much as an inkling of what he'd done. to him, none of it mattered without cxs. he refused lose the one he cared most about without a fight, so he fought and fought and hid it all from cxs. second only to saving cxs himself, lg's most important mission was to make sure that cxs never ever found out the true nature of what he did. because the knowledge would kill him, knowing that cxs's life was the direct cause of someone else's life would kill cxs, and lg wanted to protect him from that.

insert quote about how lu guang liked cheng xiaoshi's naive nature. head in hands. goodnight.

2. my god, my universe

i guess this one is more of a minor thing on the part of shiguang, so let's start with them lol

technically speaking, there's no confirmation of what lg's true true thoughts about what cxs meant to him, but there is that one line from the live action opening that's "i don't wanna lose my world". combine that with, you know. All Of Lu Guang's Actions. and you can take a stab at the fact that cxs meant the world to him.

and of course the famous mizisua line(s).

i mean idk what to tell you. repeatedly throughout canon, they refer to each other as soulmates, each others' universes, their gods, saviors, etc etc the list stretches for the eternity that they could've spent together but they were robbed from. thanks. i don't need to say more AHDSHFJSF

3. the meaning of death

this one's obvious i supposed but let's talk about it anyways! first, mizisua

sua's death drives mizi forward. it changes all of her actions in the future, from her lashing out at luka to her full-on rebellion against the aliens, it's all because of sua. she doesn't have the power to bring sua back, so she does everything she can possibly do to make sure nobody ever loses anyone the way she lost sua. in her memory, in a way, for her.

and now shiguang

i mean the entire premise of the end of link click was that cxs's death drives lg's every action. he, unlike mizi, has the power to go back and fix the things that went wrong, so that's exactly what he does! and when he manages to save cxs, he intends to do everything in his power to keep him

i thought i had a lot more to say about this but i guess that's it? most of my thoughts were related to that first part. and the fact that they Liked Each Other HSUHFHSDF (i love ivantill i pinkie promise)

aaaanyways this was so dumb but i'm going to post it because i'm not a quitter and it'll be more embarrassing if i spent this much time writing this out only for it to rot in my drafts so BAM hope you enjoyed this!

[ghostlyenola]

Cringetober 2024 day 14: Incorrect quote

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i think the most underrated fucked up part abt shiguang is that lu guang would fuck up space and time for cheng xiaoshi. he would let innocent people get caught in the crossfire for cheng xiaoshi. but we know cx's would fucking Hate that. he would hate to know people, innocent people, died so he could keep living.

lu guang is so caught up in his fantasy of not letting cheng xiaoshi die he can't even fathom it. bc at his core. he doesn't care about others like cx's does. he cares about cheng xiaoshi enough yo let others pay the price. hes so awesome

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Tears in my togachaco eyes ,,,

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But why not in this lifetime?

In another lifetime

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Practice 🌸

I wish I could do him better justice in my art 😭

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beauty

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Now that I’ve calmed down (she says like a liar) I have so many questions about it all.

What exactly is it that Lu Guang did?

- did he go into a past photo, changed the past (and therefore the future), and exited it again - arriving in a future where Cheng Xiaoshi survived?

- OR did he go back and then stayed in the past (and also somehow gave part of his power to CXS) and is still trying to prevent Cheng Xiaoshi’s death?

Because we don’t know the year CXS died, right? That means it could be a date before or after 2021, right?

-> The implications of these two options are vastly different!!

Given he was surprised by Cheng Xiaoshi almost saving Emma…I guess it’s save to say it’s the second option? Because otherwise he would KNOW it’s possible.

But guys that means…

Lu Guang isn’t living the same past he did before (probably?) starting with this moment. He didn’t get stabbed in the first timeline.

It’s likely other things have changed as well, but nothing that was as significantly different as this.

And it’s all because CXS messed with things in the past (Emma and Xu Shanshan-though I believe Emma died before too as LG wasn’t surprised. The how was just different). So every time CXS does that:

The future becomes more unpredictable for Lu Guang!

so it makes perfect sense why he was so hesitant about the twins' photo in particular: their story was never part of his timeline!

Also:

Lu Guang really did want to die here.

Either because he thought he could exchange his death with that of Cheng Xiaoshi

AND/OR

Because he JUST witnessed that Emma couldn’t be saved after all, which means he lost hope again for him being able to save CXS…so instead of going through CXS inevitably dying again…he just wanted to die?

Either option is so tragic? Lu Guang doesn’t care about his own life AT ALL, man.

-> This would also explain why he seemed so anxious about Cheng Xiaoshi this whole season. Things have already changed so much that he can’t know when CXS’s “new” death is supposed to happen?

I could be so far off with this because I only watched the episode two hours ago and I don’t think my brain is back to functioning properly, but for now, these are my thoughts.

[ghostlyenola]

I'm not sure. While I do believe that Lu Guang was the person who was actually in control the first time, what's holding me back from believing this save point theory is whether or not they're able to dive into a photo when they're already in a photo Because Lu Guang is currently in one, right? Technically, this entire show is one, whole dive from lg's timeline. So wouldn't it be impossible to dive into a photo in an already active dive because that would only bring him back to his original timeline? It'd be interesting if he could, but if so, that would mean he could take as many pictures as he wants as save points so he would have endless chances to save cxs. But he says this is his last chance, so the ability does not allow that.

This is just a thought. But to be honest, I can't think of another purpose for the picture, other than using it to see 12 hours into the future.

alright everybody, it's time we talked about Hostage. (buckle up because this is going to be long, but it'll be worth it)

season 2 episode 8 of Link Click was one of the most confounding episodes in the entire season while airing. starting with Lu Guang's insane boat crash/martial arts smackdown rescue of Cheng Xiaoshi and ending with Cheng Xiaoshi diving into a photo to possess Lu Guang to get answers for his actions, from start to finish it was a wild ass ride where we, the fandom, AND the characters spent the whole time questioning Lu Guang and his motives

and...puzzlingly... didn't really get an answers by the end of the season

Lu Guang wasn't granted any post-climax time to explain what happened that day from his perspective, and while Cheng Xiaoshi was possessing him he didn't get any answers because he literally WAS Lu Guang, just doing whatever the hell he thought he needed to do.

the thing about Hostage that has always felt extremely off to me, is that we DO get explanations for Lu Guang's actions during the episode, but they're from people wholly unqualified to be giving them.

Captain Xiao finds Lu Guang's phone, hidden in a folded towel, and concludes that Lu Guang had left them clues. Qiao Ling, after seeing that Lu Guang had taken a photo that night, came to the conclusion that Cheng Xiaoshi must have been the one possessing Lu Guang during his deranged rescue plan at the pier, seeing as Lu Guang wasn't an adept fighter at the dojo and he was acting extremely impulsive. She even goes so far to say, later in the episode, that Cheng Xiaoshi HAS to dive into the photo, because it's already happened, and needs to follow Lu Guang's words to not change the timeline.

all of these assumptions, to me, are horseshit

I refuse to listen to ANYTHING Captain Xiao says. one, because he simply does not know these kids and should not be making assumptions about them, and two he is in fact the worst cop in the world. and Qiao Ling, bless her heart, has only found out how their powers work mere DAYS ago and doesn't understand the nuances of them at all

so I'm gonna debunk all that nonsense and explain to you what Lu Guang's REAL actions were that night, and what was up with that cryptic photo he took

now you might be thinking, Kelly, you're not even starting in the right place, because those weren't Lu Guang's actions, they were always Cheng Xiaoshi's, just in Lu Guang's body!

FALSE. on two counts! we have evidence of Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi performing the act of escaping the hospital differently. Lu Guang does not use the kettle to break the window to distract the cops. we're not sure what he uses, but that kettle is still there.

Lu Guang also places his phone face down in the towel

while Cheng Xiaoshi places it faceup

so by the end of the episode we have literal, physical evidence that these two performed this timeline differently, and therefore it was not "Cheng Xiaoshi the whole time" like Qiao Ling tried to misinform us to believe. i also have another Big Brain post [x] that explains why Lu Guang being an impulsive, supposedly "good" fighter during that pier rescue scene are both in-character for him.

(and if we wanna get really nitpicky about how an injured Lu Guang could have raced across town in his condition, i simply believe that Lu Guang was smarter about it that Cheng Xiaoshi, and probably took a bus or cab. Cheng Xiaoshi, pure of heart and dumb of ass, ran because HE physically could while inhabiting Lu Guang's body. our injured catboy did not sprint across town while holding his organs in place)

so if we already have all this cold, hard evidence stating that Lu Guang really is THAT bitch and did all that shit on his own, what the hell is my problem? why can I not let this episode go?

BECAUSE I WANNA KNOW WHY LU GUANG TOOK THAT PHOTO

Captain Useless seems to think that Lu Guang took that photo as some sort of helpful clue left behind for the gang

but what, pray tell, was this photo supposed to tell us without someone with Lu Guang's powers there to interpret it? without Lu Guang to tell him what to do, Cheng Xiaoshi left to his own devices knows just as much as himself as he does possessing Lu Guang

and, the bigger question, is if this was supposed to be some sort of almighty clue for the gang, why did he not text this photo to either Qiao Ling or Cheng Xiaoshi before escaping the hospital? he took the time to text Qiao Ling the location of the boat, did he not? why not the photo too? seems like a crappy way to clue someone in, to take a photo and save it on your password protected phone that you just went out of your way to hide from plain sight

because that's the thing! after the season finale we discover that Lu Guang's password is literally a reminder of his dive, or even more specifically, a reminder of his trauma. we KNOW that he didn't share his password with Cheng Xiaoshi, he just just happened to figure it out on his own

so tell me how Lu Guang expected this trauma-password protected phone, with it's one singular picture, to get in the hands of Cheng Xiaoshi, hmm? riddle me THAT

so we've established by now that 1. Lu Guang's actions in the beginning of episode 8 were indeed his own and 2. that photo was never meant to be seen by Cheng Xiaoshi, who shouldn't have known Lu Guang's passcode

given the trauma-passcode, we have to believe that the only person ever meant to see this photo was Lu Guang. i've made ANOTHER post previously [x] stating that Lu Guang might have used his powers in a way we haven't known possible, by taking a photo and using his Blue Eyes White Dragon powers to see 12 hours into the immediate future

plausible, but not what i'm about to propose now.

because I think Lu Guang took that photo as a contingency plan

listen, the only person who had ANY credentials to theorize what Lu Guang was up to that night was his trusted partner. while Qiao Ling and Captain Xiao spouted their nonsense theories, Cheng Xiaoshi said the only smart thing that entire brainstorming session

and I think Cheng Xiaoshi was right. he wasn't wrong in assuming this photo was a Save Point of sorts, the only thing he was wrong about was who would be using it

the only other person in this show capable of diving into a photo, we find out during the finale, is Lu Guang

we also find out in the finale that powers are transferrable, and it looks like they transfer when the owner of that power dies in someone else's arms

Lu Guang took that photo that night NOT for Cheng Xiaoshi to find and use, but for LU GUANG himself to use. i believe Lu Guang firmly believed that Cheng Xiaoshi was to die that night, and he would do everything in his power to make sure he had a chance to change it again if he needed to.

that meant:

1.taking a photo on his phone as a Save Point.

2. hiding his phone in the hospital bathroom so it could not be taken from him or busted later in the night. and

3. racing to where he knew Cheng Xiaoshi would be, so he could either

4. a.) rescue him, or b.) ensure that during CXS's death, the diving power was transferred back to him so he could do the night over again.

Lu Guang took that photo as contingency plan to save Cheng Xiaoshi's life should he get killed that night.

but that plan was botched when Cheng Xiaoshi used it instead to possess Lu Guang, because each photo can only be used once.

which might also explain why Lu Guang was SO DISTRAUGHT when Cheng Xiaoshi was shot

they had deleted all their photos earlier that week to prevent the twins from possessing them remotely

that was the last photo Lu Guang had taken. the ONLY photo on his phone. if Cheng Xiaoshi died that night, there would have been no Save Point to return to

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An attempt was made (please ignore the hair)

[ghostlyenola]

Like I said in the previous post, I had spent the entire night binge-watching The Spirealm and by the time I finished it, I could not delay my sleep anymore because I had to go to work the next day. So, I didn’t have time to write my thoughts coherently about this series except for a few snippets of posts here and there. Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to convey my feelings about the show and my thoughts on it. 

First, and foremost, I want to thank every single person that recommended the show. Every single one of you. If not for you hyping the show so much, I would not even touch the show. How horrible is that? Being deprived of a masterpiece which sat in front of you because you refused even to acknowledge its existence.

Second, OH MY GOD THE SHOW IS SO FREAKING GOOD!!! Going into the show, I was not exactly putting much hope into the plot and was just here for the bromance. But, the plot is so good. It had been a while for me to put my whole focus on a show and truly digest the plot of it.  I have never read the book and probably will never read it, but, based on my experience with Chinese bromance shows, sometimes when the setting of the show needs to be changed to adhere to the censorship rules, the plot of the show becomes way too convoluted to the point of incoherence and sometimes downright ridiculous (Guardian, I love you but, you are the worst offender of this). However, this show managed to change the fundamental setting of the story which is supernatural happenings to VR Game almost flawlessly. They set their own rules and managed to stick to them which gave the viewers the ability to understand and follow along while still maintaining the bigger parts of the show. At one point I felt my reason for watching the show changed. If before the romance is the main dish and the plot is salad, now, the plot is the full meal and the romance is the sweet bonus dessert you get free of charge. 

Next, also related to the plot, is how the show team managed to make the show feel alive and lived in. They make every single speaking character in the show feel like a human. Sure, some of them are downright despicable ( looking at you, Yan Shihe, may you rot in hell) but, they still feel human, even the non-human also felt human. Which leads to the woman in this series.

Quoting the wise word of Le Sserafim, “All the girls are girling girling, all the girls are girling girling, all the girly girls.” I. Love. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. The only time I cried in this show apart from Ruan Nanzhu scenes is Tan Zaozao’s death. From the first time she appeared in the show, I was already half in love with her. Sure, she might not be the brightest in the head but, she is so lovable that I understand how even Ruan Nanzhu is willing to break his principle to save her. I had to stop watching the show for a moment when her video ended because I was just plain sobbing (And I have to stop talking about her right now because man, do I have so many things to say about her). And she is only one example of a female character that I like in the show. Yeah, you read that right, one of the many female characters which was kind of a luxury in this type of show. And many of them are likeable and have so much depth even though they are just NPC. This show even makes me like Zuozi/Sako, the girl that scared the shit out of me every time she appeared on the screen (That moment when the three lady ghosts just chilling and vibing with each other at the final episode is one of the highlights of the show for me).

The set design in the show is *Chef’s kiss*. I was so used to weird CGI sets that the practical set in this show is such a fresh breath to me. Every single door has a distinctive vibe that is very different from one other. The combination of amazing set design, good lighting and clever camera angle really help you to be immersed in the story told in each door. The overall vibe of the show is really something that I cannot quite express in words because it was very specific, but, if I do have to try, the show gave me the dark sky after rain kind of vibe. Like, you know, the rain has stopped but, the sky is still dark, promising more rain to come. That kind of a vibe but, not quite. I am truly vibing the vibe because the show, at least for me, is always carrying this melancholic vibe even during its funny moments.

Lastly, Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi. Man, it has been a while since a pairing hit me hard like this. The last time this happened was my namesake, and they still reign supreme. But, RNZ and LQS brought with them this understanding and acceptance that was so intimate and private. There was no doubt that they loved each other. I mean, LQS spent fifty years of his life just to recreate the world where RNZ existed so they could be together. RNZ bet his life away if it meant LQS could live happily and safely. The actors brought this character to life so well that they understood the assignment clearly and made sure the sub in the subtext was silent. Bro, Xia Zhi Guang’s Nanzhu is so magnetic, charismatic, and intense that every time he is on the screen, he just takes my breath away. Huang JunJie, for me at first, was just okay but, slowly he grew on me with this casual way he acted like he was Lin Qiu Shi. He did small things, but those small things shaped the character well. The scene where he was trying to break down the door to save Ruan Nanzhu. Phe👏No👏Me👏Nal👏. And his smile is so cute. Anytime these two were in the same room alone, it felt hard to breathe even though they were doing nothing, just looking at each other. Their love for each other was never uttered, but it was never silent. 

And because of that, I would probably never read the book, well, at least for now. Even before the show, horror genre books had never been my favourite. So, the interest in reading the book before the show is already all-time low. I was satisfied with how the show ended and I wanted to preserve that feeling as long as I could. This is because I knew that I would start comparing the book and the show, and then, I would be left with what if which would affect my feelings for the show. I also love the portrayal of Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi in the show, and I am aware that there is a difference between the characters in the show and the book. As of now, I just do not have the capability to separate the book and the show as two different stories which was, for me, probably the best way to enjoy both of the two worlds. 

I have no idea if it was recency bias or what, but, I would put it at the top of my favourite BL series of all time. I may get hate for this but, I truly would put it even above The Untamed, a series that endeared me greatly. The Spirealm left me with this lingering feeling that I cannot understand and the urge to rewatch it again. I am not even a rewatch person. I am sorry for this long ass post. I thought I would be able to express my thoughts clearly after a bit of time, alas, I am still greatly affected by the show to the extent I just felt the need to shout out this feeling into the world.

[ghostlyenola]

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