#I love banter and a kickass female lead

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you have an example of a well written "will they-won't they" couple ? Cause usually it seems like these type of couples always flop and not just in Miraculous (like I remember the will they-won't they main couples from SVTFOE or Friends also being very divisive within their fandoms).

The Good Place has a couple of good interesting romantic relationships that are drawn out over multiple seasons, but that's a bit of a special case due to spoilers, so we'll go with a couple I can actually talk about instead: Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Katherine Beckett (Stana Katic) from ABC's Castle, an episodic murder mystery show whose premise is summed up pretty perfectly in the opening.

This is the will-they-won't-they that I think of when I say that the love square could have worked if it was a b-plot. Rick and Kate quickly develop a romantic tension between them, but they are first and foremost partners. Multiple episodes will go by without any mention of their potential romance. When it does come up, it's subtle moments and not a major focus of the show because the focus is their partnership and solving mysteries. They are legitimately fun to watch together even if you don't ship them and - as the show progresses- you get this sense of deep love and respect that goes beyond romance.

The show has Rick and Kate date multiple other people to draw out the will-they-won't-they and those alternate romances actually work reasonably well. I never felt like they were just a cheap cop out even though they were mostly there as a delaying tactic. In spite of the fact that the alternate love interests are rarely on screen, they are not presented in the dismissive way that Lukanette and Adrigami were. They're genuine relationships that are used to give Rick and Kate this "right person, wrong time" feeling. It was one of the ways the writers justified dropping the romance b-plot for large swaths of time because Rick and Kate respected each other and their partners. Which was so lovely. I hate cheating plots and, while I think the show did have some occasional moments of tension even though one or both of them were dating, nothing comes to mind as going too far or crossing a line.

Whether or not you like this specific couple is going to be pretty hit-or-miss. Rick is very much a Peter Pan to Kate's serious adult, which works for me because of their professions and backgrounds, but I could see it getting under people's skin. Like them or not, they're still a good template for how to draw out a romance without it getting aggravating. I absolutely think that Ladynoir could have been played the same way. Not only are the personalities a match, but the general type of story matches, too. Castle was a formulaic crime show whose main focus was stopping that week's villain. Every episode stands alone. The only thing that changed over time was the characters and it was incredibly subtle. If Ladynoir had been allowed to be partners first and love interests as a more subtle second, then Miraculous could have been fantastic.

Quick note: I do recommend Castle, but only the first five seasons. Which I can do because it's a true episodic formula show! You can stop those before you get to the end and still feel satisfied! To be clear, you can totally watch the whole show, I don't think it ever gets horrible. Every season has good episodes! It's just that I'm only giving my full stamp of approval to the first five seasons as a cohesive whole. It's been a while since I last watched the show, but I remember that seasons six and eight have really bizarre endings, so I don't feel comfortable giving the entire show a rec.

To end on a positive note, I will say that it's one of the few shows that I can think of where the couple was allowed to get together before the end and it worked because it wasn't that big a change to their relationship. Their established dynamic was one that worked even if they were dating. Their romantic relationship was also pretty darn healthy. There was some weird TV-style drama, but it was all external drama and not internal toxicity because the characters didn't need to add much drama. The weekly mystery plots provided more than enough drama on their own.

[ja-ckkelly]

Musical Theatre Tropes/Things I Never Get Tired Of

The Runaway New Yorker - mc wants to leave NYC because they feel like they aren't achieving anything there. Like a typical New Yorker, they want to leave for someplace warm and sunny (probably Santa Fe). They almost leave when they lose hope, but then they realize that their home is in New York City with their friends-turned-family.

Ex. Usnavi (In The Heights), Jack Kelly (Newsies), Mark, Roger, Angel, and Collins (Rent)

Kickass Female Trio - probably have a song where they sing about how powerful they are and how everyone bows down to them. Adored by the whole fandom. They also have this iconic pose that everyone can recognize. Also have a distinct colour palette among their outfits. The leader is the most powerful, popular, and feared of them all and is in the center of their pose & the main singer of their song. She's somehow defeated in a later part of Act 1. The second-in-command takes over for the leader and is at her right. The innocent sidekick is at the leader's left & she's very youthful and childlike. Has yellow somewhere in her outfit. She's likely to be an alto.

Ex. Angelica (leader), Eliza (2nd-I-C), and Peggy (IS) - the Schuyler Sisters (Hamilton) | H. Chandler (leader), H. Duke (2nd-I-C), H. McNamara (IS) - the Heathers (Heathers) | Regina (leader), Gretchen (2nd-I-C), Karen (IS) - the Plastics (Mean Girls)

The Seductress Song - hot young woman breaks into lead male's house in her own song where she belts some mad vocals and then flirts with him cause she wants him.

Ex. Mimi Marquez - Out Tonight (Rent), Maria Reynolds - Say No To This (Hamilton), Veronica Sawyer - Dead Girl Walking (Heathers)

The "My Life Sucks and I'm Struggling Because I'm Poor and I Have To Work and I'm Too Young For That BS, but life goes on" song - It's probably a bunch of oppressed New Yorkers singing that.

Ex. In The Heights (In The Heights), Carrying The Banner (Newsies), It's A Hard-Knock Life (Annie), Rent (Rent)

The romance between the Girl Who Has It All and the Boy Who Has Nothing trope - also self-explanatory. The girl's father is probably wealthy or respected.

Ex. Alexander & Eliza (Hamilton), Jack & Katherine (Newsies), Nina & Benny (In The Heights)

The Silly Little Banter Between Two Love Interests song - the two characters are lowkey into one another, but they're like, fighting-flirting.

Ex. I Never Planned On You (Don't Come A-Knocking) (Newsies), Light My Candle (RENT), Anything You Can Do (Annie Get Your Gun)

The "Let's Have Some Fun In The City!" song - super upbeat instrumentals and ensemble, the characters are exploring the city and having fun.

Ex. When You're Home (In The Heights), One Short Day (Wicked), The Schuyler Sisters (Hamilton)

The Badass Revolution Song - the song that makes you want to take down capitalism and scream something at the top of your lungs. take down the oppressors. the poor kids are taking over now.

Ex. The World Will Know (Newsies), One Day More (Les Misérables), My Shot (Hamilton), Yorktown (Hamilton), Defying Gravity (Wicked)

There's probably more to add.

[malexfan10]

Malex thoughts

I was watching some old episodes of Dawson's Creek and it made me want to get some thoughts out. I watched a lot of TV shows growing up. For me, the couples I liked were either ones I casually rooted for or on the rare occasion, a couple took me by such surprise that I became extremely emotionally invested. Malex is the latter.

I've been a fan of Captain Swan (OUAT), Stydia (Teen Wolf), Kurt & Blaine (Glee), Buffy & Angel and lots more. The rare pairings I've been completely lost on, I can name on one hand. Pacey & Joey (my first OTP), Chandler & Monica and Malex. I'd say Destiel on Supernatural too but with them, everything is subtext. I don't think the writers will have the guts to go there, not even with the show ending.

With PJ, I love how they started as antagonists, became really great friends, and then fell in love. For me, PJ vs DJ was incomparable. DJ brought out the worst in each other (my opinion) while PJ showed each other what love was supposed to be. The only thing I hated about DC was the constant back & forth between the two pairings. It lasted until the final moment when you realized PJ was endgame (one of my fears for Malex). I hated that but I was a kid so it didn't bother me as much as it would now.

I loved Chandler & Monica because they started out as friends who fell in love, got married and had all the moments in between before adopting a set of twins. I loved their story because it showed their entire journey. True, the show was a comedy but their story didn't end in season 5 when they started dating. Their story just began.

It's hard understanding writers who feel that only the journey matters. Of course it does. The journey is important. It's what makes you root for a couple but the destination and what happens after is important too. It makes you continue rooting for them, seeing all that angst and pain amounting to something substantial in the end.

So as much as I loved PJ, the fact that they kept us guessing until the last 5 minutes before we realized who she chose was too much. The long, drawn out, multi-season, will they/won't they storytelling style is one I'll never be a fan of.

Which leads me to Malex.

They were two broken boys, both brought up under horrible circumstances, who found the missing piece of themselves in each other. When Alex gave Michael a warm and safe place to stay, it was probably the first act of true kindness Michael had ever experienced and it was made by a boy whose pain and suffering mirrored his own. How incredibly heartbreaking but beautiful is that? That initial bond, that "cosmic" connection stood the test of time. Separated for 10 years and it felt like no time had passed at all.

That first moment in the pilot episode outside his Airstream, you could feel the tension. I remember reading interpretations of that scene. People thought Malex were cold and angry with one another "probably over a girl". Are you kidding me? That tension could only be romantic. But that first kiss at the reunion was when I hopped on the Malex Forever train. One stop only. Endgame.

They set them up so amazingly in the first three episodes. The angst was there but you could also feel the deep love between them. They weren't shown as two guys who had a fling back in high school and then crossed paths again 10 years later, said what the hell and hooked up again. No, they were shown as soulmates. Their level of connection even scared and confused them but they both knew it existed. Their love was pure and true and rare.

With all their history and with so many odds already stacked against them, the writers deciding to throw in a triangle just because they could and doing it in such a rushed and messy way really made me scratch my head.

Carina said she loved the triangle on DC. I honestly think she was the only one. That show was incredibly divided, DJ vs PJ. But as much as I hated the constant back and forth, I'll give the DC writers some credit. Joey's feelings for both were fully touched on. I saw her romantic feelings for Pacey more profound and her feelings for Dawson as true friendship (just my opinion), but both sides were shown in depth.

The problem with Roswell? Where did those feelings come from between M&M? They shared a moment when Maria cried and I took that as the start of a wonderful friendship. I was obviously wrong. They hooked up in the desert. OK I hated it but they were two single people and Maria didn't know about Alex so I accepted. All of a sudden, the feelings were real and Maria was conflicted because of how strong her feelings were. Michael chose to be with Maria because he needed something fresh and new and according to the wonderful Vlamis, someone he also had strong feelings for (still hate that last interview LOL).

I understand where Michael was coming from a little better, as much as I hate it and hate how he went about it by leaving Alex just waiting. He'd been through so much trauma and Max and Isobel kept telling him to stop looking to the past (which, really Max? If someone told you that about Liz, would you listen?? But he died so he gets a pass). But as far as Maria's feelings are concerned, I feel like I missed something.

Between episodes 9 and 10, did the M&M feelings bloom overnight from flirty banter to crush to "OMG this is love"? Was their moment in the desert that mind-blowing that the weirdness of episode 11 happened? I don't get it.

The one thing going against M&M is that Malex is overwhelmingly loved and has been embraced by fans and critics alike.

One critic said it best when they reviewed the finale (Vulture).

"I was intrigued by the possibility of Michael/Maria at first, but the love triangle has been so rushed — with so little time spent on Maria’s developing feelings for Michael — that it’s ended up just making her look terrible. We know from Maria’s conversation with Liz that she hasn’t even spoken to Alex about the situation because she feels too guilty, and so having her accept Michael with open arms is such an odd note. Sure, she doesn’t know Alex is waiting for Michael right at the same moment, but she does know that he’s been in love with Michael for a decade."

And therein lies the problem. A lifelong friendship ruined over a guy (unless Carina makes Alex give his blessing next season which would really make me scream) to push forward a pairing that had little development and makes Maria look bad. One side of the triangle is Michael's soulmate and the other side is the friend with sudden feelings. Not the best character development which is sad because we know how awesome Maria can be and as mad as I am with her, her character that I enjoyed until episode 10 and the actress deserve better. But instead of being original, the writers chose the path always taken. They chose to use her as the odd end of a triangle where, unless they want everyone to hate the show, she will likely be the one forced out so Malex can eventually reunite and for what? Drama?

Season 1 started out really strong and it still had a lot of strong moments in the latter episodes (end scene of episode 9 between Malex, Liz & Jenna being kickass in episode 11, all of episode 12 - my fave of the season, Kyle's confrontation with Jesse etc).

But honestly, I feel like the inclusion of this triangle (amongst other reveals like Noah as the 4th alien) somewhat brought the story down. The writing for M&M felt OOC and was messily done.

Only in recent years have LGBT pairings started becoming more mainstream, given better development and importance in the overall story. With Malex, they have the potential of making Michael and Alex one of the greatest love stories on TV. As much as I love the show, I'm not saying Roswell is on the same level as Breaking Bad or The Sopranos etc. But from all the pairings on the show, Malex is the most profound and has the potential to go down as one of the best on TV. To overcome everything they've been through and still choose each other and their love would be the ultimate happy ending because unlike most male/female pairings that go through mostly regular angst, being two males in a small town, Malex have a whole other level of obstacles to face. That doesn't even include their personal history, the fact that Michael is an alien or that Alex's father is the cause of so much pain between them. Or the fact that Alex is a disabled war veteran. I mean, there is so much amazing points to their story. They are the OTP of OTPs.

But so far, it feels like the triangle is the only major roadblock the writers want to concentrate on and that's the biggest mistake of all.

Season 2 hasn't aired yet. We don't know how little (🤞) or how long (😢) M&M will last. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes and hope that Twitter Carina is not the same as Season 2 showrunner Carina.

But for me, Malex will always be each other's endgame. That's what I saw in the first 3 episodes. That's what I saw in the flashbacks. That's what I saw in Caulfield. Try and convince me differently, show. You'll fail.

❤

[abbyholmes]

Some thoughts on Captain Marvel

I saw Captain Marvel on Friday and I was blown away. I didn‘t like the trailer at all tbh so I didn‘t really know what to expect. I got more than I could‘ve wished for.

This movie tells the entertaining origin story of a kickass, emphatic, intelligent, funny female Hero driven by the wish to do the right thing. It‘s FINALLY the female Marvel Hero I‘ve been waiting for. I do love all the Wakandans (especially Shuri and Okoye), Pepper Potts and Black Widow, but it‘s just so great to finally see a Marvel movie where a female Hero really is the center of the story. Marvel did this without making it feel like „LOOK SHE IS A WOMAN WHO CAN DO THINGS“ but embedded it into a good, coherent story that perfectly touches on equality and gender stereotypes without shoving it down your throat like „here, something for you feminists.“ Carol‘s struggle of being taking seriously is an integral part of the story and how she proved them all wrong time and time again is awesome. The way the movie breaks with the stereotype that female emotions are problematic and have to be controlled was mind-blowingly awesome. I also loved how there is no lovestory at all I this movie even though I wouldn‘t have minded it either. Having a female lead without touching upon the topic of romantic love is something unique and I appreciate that. One of the best things of the movie, to me, was how much it focuses on friendship. The friendship of Carol, Maria and her daughter is just beautifully written. This is one of my favorite portrayals of female friendship. I usually love the portrayal of male friendships on the screen because they‘re mostly about playfulness and loyalty and stuff and this movie FINALLY shows that female friendships are no different. They are beautiful. Carol‘s friendship with Fury is another thing I really enjoyed. A female/male friendship without a hint of sexual tension but with some awesome banter and character development. Just great. Fury was awesome anyway. It was cool to finally get to know his character a bit and Captain Marvel was kind of as much his origin story as it was Carol‘s. More things I loved: The Cat <3 and how much Fury adores it while Carol is all „wtf“, the way villanry is not black and white, the dickishness of Yon-Rog that is rooted in false beliefs and leaves space for a redemption arc, Carol‘s humor and absolute power, the soundtrack, the 90s references, the way women in this movie are dressed and not naked. IT‘S JUST GREAT. And moreover, it is a classic Marvel movie full of humour and little parts to blink tears away to and it fits perfectly into the whole MCU-narrative. Favorite line of the movie sums it all up brilliantly: „I don‘t have to prove anything to you.“ PREACH, SISTER! This movie was enjoyable and funny and heartwarming and exciting. And Important. I‘m not going to compare it to Wonder Woman because that is a whole different (equally awesome) story but it did indeed send the same, important message to women and girls around the globe: You are powerful and your stories matter. All in all I L O V E the movie and am ready to fight everyone who says it‘s shit. You don‘t have to like it but don‘t you tell me it was any less awesome than the other MCU movies just because Carol does not have a dick. I think the world needed this movie and I don‘t give a shit if ancient Marvel-Fanboys agree or not. This is as much our fandom as it’s theirs (maybe it’s even more ours because we contribute more to it). My boyfriend found the movie great as well by the way. Which is one of the reasons why I love him.

[charmingyourheart]

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Rating: ❤❤❤1/2

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Release Date: 2007

Synopsis: Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic…

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Magic Bites is the first book in Ilona Andrews incomparable Kate Daniels series. This is a series I highly recommend and it only gets better with each book. While it's hard to call this “romance" per say but there is kissing, some sexual tension building banter, and the romance features further in the series. So in my book it counts.

There is one huge problem with the book and I know Jen had the same issue and it's the reason it isn't rated higher. So let's get the unpleasantness out the way and then dive into why this is one of my favourite series.

The big, glaring issue is that you feel like your missing something plot wise. It's kind of hard to explain. Here you are reading along and then events you haven't read are being referred to. I know there is a few novellas before this book which I haven't read so I'm not sure if it's related to that or not but a book should be able to stand alone without the novellas, especially the first book.

The story is set in an alternative version of Atlanta where magic and tech flows and fluctuates in the world. It's a compelling blend of magic, creatures, with a medieval vibe. There are different factions and oh my is this world full and vibrant. One of my favourite aspects is the Pack dynamics which is such an interesting change from so many shifter related stories. The hierarchy, the rules, the Beast Master… Urgh… So freaking good. I wish I thought of it myself.

Kate Daniels is an emotionally constipated, badass, and professional big mouth. There is no one else on earth that would dare to call “here kitty, kitty, kitty” to the Beast Lord and get away with it. She is selfish, driven, and all alone in the world. But never for one moment do you stop backing her. Kate is so endearing, so fun, and oh so kickass. She is one strong female lead and I think she is my favourite female of all time.

Unfortunately, we don't get to see a lot Curran aka Beast Master aka “kitty" but what we do see is fantastic. He has a huge weight on his shoulders and is one of the most powerful men in Atlanta. His relationship with Kate is mostly antagonistic but he never becomes an asshole. You understand him, you understand the pressure he's under. For a relatively minor character, he has a huge impact.

The chemistry between Curran and Kate is electric from the start and I can't wait to see where their relationship goes.

The side character’s in this are fantastic. Something Ilona Andrews excels at is have a dynamic cast of characters and this is no exception. From Dr Doolittle to young, precious Derek you fall in love with all the characters so fully.

While it's a traditional detective story at heart, it never gets boring and there is enough surprises to keep the fairly predictable story interesting. I think in part is the desire to learn more about the world and the characters. It's all just so original and intriguing.

This is a series for anyone who loves a strong, female lead and a detective story with a strong dollop of the paranormal then this is a series for you.

[youtiaoshutiao]

gotd eps 38-49

more random rambles on glory of tang dynasty after the read more cut! i need an outlet to spazz hahaha :P

Allen Ren was soooo good in this entire scene, from not speaking a single word while staring at the rattle drum Li Chu bought for his son yet to be born, but conveying volumes through the emotion in his eyes, to the tear falling from his eyes after he passed the rattle drum to the advisor to pass to his manor in case something should happen to him, to the resolve and determination in his eyes as he turned to walk out of the tent to prepare for war. SO MUCH FEELSSSS ;_;

Omg, this scene, where Zhenzhu has a hallucination of Li Chu after giving birth to Li Kuo. The comments on bilibili reminded me that in the hallucination, Li Chu’s outfit was that of the first time they met at the poetry event/searching for Wan Shi Tong. ohmygosh I couldn’t ;_______; somehow inexplicably that just adds a whole new level of emo to it!!!!!!!!! “人生若只如初见” ahhhhh ;___;

This scene, where An Lu Shan’s hearty (?) laughter reverberates and is layered over interspersed scenes of his troops looting and murdering in Chang An was so so creepy and anger-inducing.

Throughout the whole Anshi Rebellion arc, seeing Yang Guozhong mislead the emperor and cause Tang forces to lose ground really made my blood pressure rise omg hahahaha. But surprisingly I teared up at the death of Yang Guifei, sigh, ultimately it was Xuanzong who chose to indulge himself in music and dance and in her all day long, yet in the end it’s she alone who has to pay the price. And when she asked Gao Lishi if Xuanzong wasn’t going to come and send her off.... 哎......

(it’s really interesting (though your blood boils too) watching how the Tang royalty cling on to the remnants of opulence and decadence they were used to, even as they are reduced to fleeing for their lives. Like having one whole carriage for a cat, like Xuanzong getting angry over how the temporary residential quarters weren’t well-prepped enough, like Xuanzong reminiscing to Li Chu about the times when 70 vassal states all came to pay tribute to Tang. Yet at the same time, this power counts for nothing in a chaotic world, as seen when Xuanzong had to accede to the generals’ and military’s demands (though thankfully he did, in the context of war) for them to continue protecting him.)

And for Yang Guozhong’s death, well... At least he was kind enough to illuminate Li Chu on He 01′s shady background, though Li Chu didn’t really believe him. And I almost got swayed by his words haha, about how Li Chu can’t hold anything against him because all this plotting and backstabbing is just a 你来我往/mutual exchange. But well that may be the case, but his intentions (to gain power and to gain wealth) and the consequences of his actions (causing Tang to lose foothold certain areas, causing the masses of citizens to suffer) are what differentiates him from Li Chu.

(Speaking of Yang Guozhong’s death, this cut of this scene on bilibili is a MUST-WATCH hahahaha, skip to 04:10 onwards to watch Li Chu strangling Yang Guozhong to the BGM of JJ Lin’s 我们背对背拥抱~~~~~ I laughed out loud HAHA the lyrics are inexplicably suitable)

Nuo’er (whom I used to ff through her scenes, but now I quite like her) trained up a female army of servant girls! Even though they kind of caused trouble in the end.... But ahhhh so cute and cool! And the banter between the three siblings was so so sooooo cute, but every time I think about how it’s not going to last I just ;______; *sobs*

I fell in love completely with Zhenzhu these few eps hehe, because of her bravery + wits + priorities + general awesomeness and kickass-ness despite not knowing a single bit of martial arts :) I like how even though physically she’s weak and needs to be saved by people it doesn’t at all diminish her image as a strong lady in the drama, because her strength that captivates the people around her stems from her conviction and her mind. I loved this line from her when talking to Dugu Jingyao - “Even though I am a female, I too have my own things I hold fast to and moral integrity.”

I heard about what went down in the original novel after Li Chu was drugged with the aphrodisiac... All I can say is, the scriptwriter is really good to Li Chu and is really committed to building up his image in the drama hahaha (so far at least), for which I’m glad. Proud of you Li Chu for staying strong!!!

The youtube comments supporting An Qingxu, saying that they don’t understand why Zhenzhu doesn’t accept him/if they were her they would have long married him/comparing him to Li Chu and saying that Li Chu would give up Zhenzhu for the kingdom while for An nothing is more important than Zhenzhu.... make me want to vomit endless blood... Even when you don’t consider his manic killing tendencies, his love for Zhenzhu is more like an endless torment, and it feels more like a deranged desire to possess her heart more than anything (though of course we have to thank him for saving Zhenzhu’s lives a couple of times). So what if his ultimate priority is Zhenzhu and he’s willing to give up everything for her? That’s never been what Zhenzhu wants, as can be seen from the multiple times she told Li Chu to put the country over her, and from the sacrifices she makes.

I guess it’s just kind of frustrating because why are drama watchers always more lenient to the second male lead compared to females?? Cross-refer to Cui Caiping, where even though towards the end there were some comments pitying her, ultimately most of the comments I saw kept on cursing her etc, when to me her level of terribleness/mania/the lows she would stoop to for her beloved is wayyyyyy below that of An Qingxu. Sigh ):

Lastly, shall end off with some random outfits of Li Chu that I found really good-looking hehe. 1st being his blue outfit when out on the streets and buying the rattle drum for Kuo’er (ALSO: appreciation for how he is always wearing the scent pouch Zhenzhu made for him whenever he is in casual wear!!)

2nd: I just really like this visage of him standing by the ledge on the 2nd floor of a teahouse, holding a tea-cup in his hand. It’s really attractive HAHA it has such a wuxia vibe~

3rd: perhaps my 审美 has gone completely wacky because I thought he -disguised as a musician in the Yan empire with that fake mustache- was really really handsome here...... (till I read a comment calling that hat on his head a rubbish bin... HAHA)

[okay wait, not lastly, because now that i’ve put screenshots of musician!Li Chu, how can I not put screenshots of OTP reunion after 10 eps?!?! For some reason, when I saw this scene in the opening/closing credits (can’t really rmb), I thought it’d be a scene of them after he became emperor (haha I guess the mustache gave me BBJX flashbacks)]