#Merry Christmas Images 2018

[lovebirdgames]

Merry Christmas, Bandits! Have a warm and wonderful holiday, and thank you for joining us on this journey. See you in 2023! 

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Mission: Jingle Bells

(This post almost definitely won't be super long, but there was no way I was not gonna make a post for this video!)

Mission Jingle Bells was released on the 22nd of December, 2018, and as you all obviously know, it's a fusion between the Mission Impossible theme music and the song Jingle Bells, and it was legit sponsored by Paramount Pictures! Good for you, VoicePlay! The music was arranged by Layne, but we're not here to talk about that, we're here for the video! (Which was done by both Layne and Eli). So let's get into this!

'Hey you know how we got kidnapped for the Panic Medley videos? What if we got kidnapped again?' 😂

(Seriously, the Panic Medley videos were released just 5 months earlier, in July, and the Queen medley video, where Earl had to take on deities of death to get the chance to live again, was in November! 2018 was A Year)

Also I like that the camera feed says that the date and time is two minutes to midnight on Christmas eve, it's a nice touch.

Get that sponsorship money! Get that exposure! (Also it's kinda funny how VoicePlay has had ties with Disney, Paramount, and Universal! Getting a whole variety of connections there!)

Obligatory "man he looks so good here" 💜

Fun fact: The voice of "Creepy Evil Santa" was actually done by Eli! As for who actually physically portrayed him, I'm not entirely sure. I think I've seen people saying it was Kathy? But I can't remember if they were joking or not

A small thing, but I like how before Villain Santa tells you that the collar things actually control the guys' voices/vocalisations, the video actually kinda shows you! Villain Santa's presses a button on his device panel thing (see previous image), and then Geoff suddenly "kicks into gear", like starts doing exactly what is requested, no hesitation, as if he really is being controlled! It's neat!

(Follow me for more overexplanation of miniscule details /j)

And yes of course I am going to mention the bow in Earl's beard. It's hilarious and adorable, 10/10, no notes

And yes, their hands/wrists are all bound to the chairs with wrapping paper, with bows on top!

(Also I thought Geoff was the only one not wearing a tie but Eli isn't either!)

I am kinda interested to know what the collars were made from actually (there isn't any BTS stuff for this video sadly - I checked)

"What fun it is to ride and sing a-"

"-sleighing song toniiight"

*grabby hands* Gimme the controls, GIVE ME THE CONTROLS! 😂

(Seriously Evil Santa dude, you could've done so much more!!!)

J killed it with the rap part of course! (Who wrote that bit? Was it the same dude who wrote bits for VoicePlay's covers of Superstition and Valhalla Calling?)

Kinda looks like J is giving Layne hope/encouragement/reassurance here and it's kinda sweet!

Geoff! You're not supposed to be enjoying this! 🤣

(But also his head bobbing is kinda fun/amusing - I guess when he can't sing with his hands like he usually does, moving his head will just have to do!)

Now there's a freeze-frame bonus for sure! 😍

Also just noticed Geoff is moving his fingers a little bit in this part! He cannot be fully stopped! XD

(Also hey are Eli's shoes the same ones that he wore in Creep and In The Air Tonight and maybe one or two other videos? He seems to like black sneakers with thick white soles on them)

When the video started, the time on the camera feed was two minutes before midnight, and two minutes later... it's still two minutes before midnight! What kinda Polar Express time nonsense is this? 😂

"I'm so pleased, you may leave now! Merry Christmas, VoicePlay!"

"Thank you, mister evil... supervillain guy... but can you untie us now? ...Someone's coming to untie us right?"

(Lol rip)

I remember this was one of the videos I watched not too long after I first discovered VoicePlay in 2019, and I'm pretty sure that I wasn't entirely certain who was speaking at the end, but of course now I know it's Geoff! (Though his typical speaking voice nowadays is an octave or so lower, lol)

Okay so not too short of a post after all (3 more images than my post for Baby Its Cold Outside, actually!), and definitely well worth it! But the next post I have in store? Well, there might be a solid chance of me hitting the image limit on that one, lol. See you again soon!

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

Bringing back this lovely cast photo from the 2018 holiday season

Schitt's Creek: Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose (4x13)

(Click the photo to zoom in on the higher-quality image)

[mitskicentral]

how mitski came to write the most iconic song of her career, ever (a 3 minute read)

above: mitski and her band after performing at the bee, publika, a restaurant in kuala lumpur, malaysia, on february 18 2019

mitski released her fourth album, puberty 2, on june 17th 2016. this was her first album to be released under her new label, dead oceans, so she could afford to tour in more places, such as asia and australia

by the time she finished her australia shows, it was the holiday season and air fares had gone up. mitski opted to go to malaysia while waiting for ticket prices to go down. she thought it would be a good way for her to unwind as it was one of the countries she grew up in as a child.

unfortunately she felt lonely because she was "all alone in a country where no one knows me". this inspired her to start writing "nobody", which fittingly opens with the iconic line "my god, i'm so lonely".

after the release of be the cowboy, mitski returned to kuala lumpur to tour. "i walked to suria klcc and bought a toy piano from toys ‘r’ us. i wrote 'nobody' on a toy piano with two octaves on it, so that song is for you,” she told the audience. (note: suria klcc is a shopping mall and klcc stands for kuala lumpur city centre)

"I wanted to write a four-on-the-floor dance track, because I like dancing. And there’s something about being so hopelessly lonely that you’re like 'all I can really do is dance. There’s nothing else I can do,'" Mitski said when asked if she had always written it as a disco song.

after it was released as a single, "nobody" went on to garner 260m streams on spotify and 40m views on youtube

read more on mitski's 2019 concert in kuala lumpur, malaysia: (the image of mitski and her band is from this link)

read what mitski herself has said about the track in her genius annotations:

finally, i'd like to wish everyone who celebrates it a merry christmas, and if you don't celebrate i hope you still have a good time on this day and do something fun (pretend i posted this on time). this is day 25, the last day of mitski advent calendar 2022, a series where i post mitski-related content every day of december leading up to christmas day.

treat yourself and listen to the mitski song of the day:

if you'd like to read past days of mitski advent calendar 2022, you can simply search for "#mitski advent 2022" on my profile for ease of viewing :) once again, thanks for reading!

— mitskicentral on instagram | twitter

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#OnThisDay artwork: Dec 27th, 2017

Title: Family Presents Open

This is a "Christmas" drawing for MuruKir and the Speedsters Family. 🎄🌟

All my current O.C.'s are here in one paper, and yeah still Christmas in December after Christmas day. 🙂 Although, a few days to go before new year's upon us, as we entered 2018.

But in the mean time, MuruKir and the Speedsters family are opening their presents during Christmas day. Here are the ff items that they want:

• The twins got their new R.C. Cars with with red (for Riya) and blue (for Spot) colors. They're so like, they want to test it out. 🙂

• MuruKir got a new star rod Christmas theme w/ build in glow in the dark and light on feature. So he'll see during dark and also used as a night light to prevent from his nightmares. And also he'll always to play though.

• The twins' father Bonn just got his first own a mini flying drone/quadcopter with build in removable action cam. Just what he needs for his shooting outdoors.

• And finally, Rita just what she wants, a multi purpose mini blender. Now she'll make her delicious and nutritious healthy made foods to start her morning breakfast before exercise.

All of them are really enjoying this festivity holiday, and they're glad.😊

🎅🎄 So, Merry Christmas.🌟🎁

MuruKir & the Speedsters Family - created by ME!

[theopenbowl]

A very lovely Christmas celebration 2023! 

Grateful and humbled by the last 10 years. 

2013 - last Christmas in Washington Square Village

2014-16 - H’s apartment 

2017 - London

2018 - Nugget is here! Tiny roast and Christmas crackers on H’s big coffee table

2019 - Tanajhe from Long Island helps

2020 - Pandemic. Chaos. 2 littles. 

2021 - Backup care in Rockefeller Center. So. Much. Schlepping. Phew. 

2022 - Laid back Christmas at home. 

2023 - A lovely Christmas. Low expectations, cooked the food we liked, invited people we love. 

The lessons, they come over years! Not minutes or days. 

image credit: Bokeh christmas tree by peter baird Via Flickr: Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

[pashterlengkap]

Cher posts image of diamond ring, sparking rumors of possible engagement to 36-year-old boyfriend

Beloved pop diva Cher sparked rumors on Christmas morning after she posted an image of a diamond ring on Twitter. Many commenters assumed that the 76-year-old singer may now be engaged to her 36-year-old boyfriend, music executive Alexander “A.E.” Edwards — but Cher hasn’t confirmed the rumors. Cher’s post had an image of a sparkling ring in a black box. She wrote, “There r no words, Alexander, A.E.” Numerous fans congratulated her, asked whether he had proposed, and suggested that she get a pre-nuptial agreement to protect her riches in case of a divorce. About an hour after her original tweet, she re-posted the image and wrote, “I posted this cause his nails are so cool.” The bottom of the image showed a thumb wearing black nail polish with green flames. Approximately nine hours after that post, she wrote another which read, “Want to send my love out to u. We have been through tears of sadness & joy. Merry xmas.” THERE R NO WORDS, ALEXANDER,A.E pic.twitter.com/TZOYLGVWkv — Cher (@cher) December 25, 2022 Unnamed sources recently told Radar Online that Cher wants to marry, but her friends worry she has “fallen too fast” for her younger boyfriend. “Cher is head over heels in love,” one source said. “She knows she doesn’t have much time left anymore to find ‘the one’ and after two failed marriages and countless disastrous boyfriends, this could be her LAST chance and she isn’t going to let it pass her by.” The source added, “Of course, her friends are worried. Whenever there is a 40-year-old and $400 million gap between two people, you have concerns!” Paparazzi photographed Cher and Edwards in early November holding hands as they entered the West Hollywood restaurant Craig’s. The photographers also noticed Edwards “delicately kissing Cher’s hand while they were in a car,” the gossip site Page Six noted. At the time, numerous web commenters noted that the two are 40 years apart in age. However, Cher told critics to leave them alone because “we’re Happy & Not Bothering Anyone.” She eventually confirmed their relationship in a Vogue magazine interview. Of course, Twitter commenters were quick to warn Cher. One stated, “I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’ve been a fan for so long that I’m immediately suspicious of his intentions towards you. WE know you are fabulous and I’m sure your inner circle will continue to have your back. Want you to be happy, but not taken advantage of!!!” Cher responded, “As we All Know …I WASNT BORN YESTERDAY,& What I Know For Sure…There Are No Guarantees. Anytime you make a Choice You Take a Chance.I’ve Always Taken Chances…It’s WHO I Am.” The same commenter replied, “It would be naive not to question a 34-year-old’s motives and intentions. Our girl is smart but they don’t say love is blind for no reason at all.” Apparently tired of the chatter, Cher wrote, “Haven’t You Got Anything Else 2 Do Let Me Explain…I DONT GIVE AFK WHAT ANYONE THINKS.” She later added, “I’m Not Defending us.Haters are Gonna Hate…Doesn’ Matter That we’re Happy & Not Bothering Anyone.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by SOLUTION OF PEOPLE NEWS (@sopmagazine1) In 2021, Edwards’ former romantic partner, sexually fluid actress Amber Rose, said that he had cheated on her with at least 12 different women. Edwards and Rose started dating in 2018 and have a son named Slash. Edwards publicly admitted to wrongdoing, writing, “I want to sincerely apologize to my beautiful wife @amberrose you didn’t deserve what I did to you. You’re an Amazing person and a wonderful mother to our boys. I’m sorry for the pain that I’ve caused you.” http://dlvr.it/SfzblH

[2ndsparrow]

Message from Santa-

The Carol of Our Belonging

Merry Christmas 2018

Revised 12.19.2022

image credit - jrr tolkien - letters from father christmas

Hallo my Loves!!!

Seems time to say a few things about this and that.

I love all the thoughtful notes. Thank you. Please, though, I hope you might let a few questions go. Please as well, when another dreadful Santa story comes on, turn off the Telly. Maybe leave it off but for the rarest delights.

“So which Santa am I?” you ask. The real one? “And which nickname is the true one?” “What part of the world do I come from?”

Do you, my dear children, believe in me?

I am at home in each region, with every family that invites with sincerity, and I am home in the deepest north.

Please don’t bother with all those stories explaining what is mysterious about me. The mystery is lovelier than the explanations could ever be. Those who seek simple answers, as most do these days, would insist that no man could be in all places on a single night.  Perhaps they would be right about such a solitary old soul, but I’m also quite sure I may come home just as we wish. How could these both be true?

If your imaginative appetite and faithful wondrous curiosities flourish even though you have found no simple answers then you know that I am. 

On the other hand, if your logic leads you to some apparent fact that no person could circumnavigate the globe on a particular calendar night, stop for a personal visit in each child’s home, all while traveling through illogical means from the verifiably most desolate, inhospitable, unforgiving region on the planet, -and you are then expected to disregard your quite reliable sensibilities-  then there could be no rational conclusion to be drawn but to trust your judgment. Yet for open-hearted of you who trust that there is much we can never understand, and you continue to Love, I visit you and your children and I quicken your faithful spirit each Christmas. Ask me how I must either be none or many and I say just that I am.

But also that I am called to you in song - a voice - in harmonic resonance - a Carol of our Belonging. I am at home with you if you feel even slightly intrigued (that does not require blind disregard of well warranted and battle weary suspicions) but if you feel at least marginally intrigued by the currency of the ideas about the birth, life, death and resurrection of the Son of Man -if you find wonder in the Christ as that mysterious Holy Breath we draw in and let out marking every single NOW, then He is. I am. We are. I visit you in His Holy Name every Christmas Eve with the blessed marrow-born memory of the very first breath.

Oh, and my dear sweet children, let me be quite clear on this next point. I am very very old. My names and my history serve the Christ by aspiring to the image of the Most High - Gloria in Excelsis Deo - exalting the man of Jesus at his birth. He said in later years, “Before Abraham, I am.” You see he knows the reverie of Abraham, Krishna, Siddhartha, Fatima… it is not such a short list. Brahman, or the Chi, Source, Unified field of Consciousness, God - call it what you will - this is eternal and many beautiful mortals have known The Ineffable Divine. To honestly know this is to know that one’s particular context is no obstacle. Quite the contrary, arrogance does most adequately suffice in the tragic denial of Love. 

Our dear beloved Desmond reminded us that God is not a “Christian” AND He loves us, is Love, and will absolutely continue on Loving as Love. These are all narrow words for pieces of a wide eternal pulsating “now” within which we are unbearably privileged to bear the tension of divinity in our mortal moment. I simply return tonight to remind you.

None of us can sleepwalk through this holy night if we wish to truly wake each day. One day, as the promise inspires, we may all come to know what has always been true. We are one conscience, one body - and we truly wake each day knowing that We Are as I Am. This is the promise. And to be sure, even I, Nick, am still a trifle clumsy with all of this, just like you. (I know, it’s “Saint” Nick, but you can’t even get started without humility.) This, my beautiful children, is the what - the who - the how I serve. This is the Carol of our Belonging. Emmanuel God With Us.

Finally, hang in there my children. Just do your best. Yours is the heart of this journey.  Your reverence - your commitments - your honor - your grace - HIS GRACE- (Surrender and Gratitude, my loves)-  these are yours to carry and be carried toward this dreamlike sleigh-ride into Humanity. Be not discouraged.

Merry Christmas all my dearest Loves (that would be you, whoever so hears me) and God bless us, Everyone!

Nick

— GP X (Grand Père Christmas)

St. Nicholas

Santa

Father Christmas

Père Noel

...And whatever other names I have forgotten.

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

audio

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AjZrmE_8Y6crYzPCBkBNWdK4T07zWOIP/view?usp=share_link

[cutemarlin-blog]

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[fandom-imagination-ss]

Day 24 of 25 days of christmas

[zerochanges]

Merry Christmas from GeGeGe no Kitaro!

(GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) episode 86: Bloody Christmas) 

[nikki-lovely]

Merry Christmas, here is a transparent Grinch. Do what you will with it. 

Personally im printing this, cutting it out and putting on my door.

[imperialotakubot]

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

The Grinch (2018)

[wabbitseezonarchive]

                          PLAYLIST FOR @dukelcrange                                       full playlist here

[gorps]

Hey, I do apologize for this but if its okay, will you pls check my pinned post and reblog/boost it? I know things are kinda tough rn but this is really important. Appreciate it and Merry Christmas!

doesn't seem like this actually happened recently based on this image being older than 2018 lol

[potteresque-ire]

This is a response to @rainbowsky​ ‘s questions about BJYX, as the original post got too long for reblogging (I hope this is okay!). 1) Should we be worried about GG and DD being outed? I often think about what it’s like to be in the closet and I know how it feels to need to be SEEN. But I also understand the reasons why that might not be an option for them. Still, I worry about them being involuntarily outed. There are so many antis after them.

 2) What would you speculate is the likelihood of this ever happening, and what might be the consequences if it happened?Is leaving an option for them, even as a distant goal years from now?

3)Does their fame and popularity hold any protective power in the situation (i.e. if they were to come out or be outed, would public opinion about what might happen to them have any impact on the outcome given the nature of the regime)? To what degree would that depend on how much money they are still able to make for interested parties?

My response is under the cut, as it got long, as usual ~

@rainbowsky, you’re among the first BXGs I followed! I’d like to thank you for your insightful posts as well!

Your questions ~ I don’t think I’m qualified to speculate because I’m still a very new turtle and also because of the volatility as well as inconsistencies of China’s sociopolitical policies. I do have a better sense of China’s politics than most international fans, but I also don’t live there and the only way to truly understand how things work at the ground level in a non-transparent country like China is to be there.

(For example, China has officially banned Christmas celebrations  for the last several years, but as we saw last week, commercials remain very “Christmas-sy” and Chinese fans happily said Merry Christmas to each other. It takes someone who lives inside to know where to draw the line — what is permitted by the state and what isn’t — when the line shifts and adjusts accordingly.)

Here’re my thoughts, as of today (2020/12/31): if the perpetrator is only some segment of the fandom and the purpose is merely to knock them off the popularity pedestal, outing isn’t a particularly effective way to do so. Homosexuality, being a highly regulated subject in Chinese news and social media, is likely to mean limit transmission of the accusations. The accuser also has to run to risk of being banned themselves first. Also, with BJYX + ZSWW + LSFY being the sizes they are, the people who will most consider turning against gg and dd, ie, the solo fans, have probably already heard something. Some will leave, but the news won’t be a bombshell to them.

The next possibility is if a legal case becomes possible, ie. if China suddenly outlaws homosexuality. This scenario may seem the most dire on the surface but is also one that I least worry about, because with China’s judiciary system being very biased to those in power, if someone wants to frame gg and dd, they do not need to use sexuality as the accusation and subject themselves to the same restrictions as mentioned above. Tax evasion, as @peekbackstage has mentioned with the actress Fan Bing Bing, is far easier, because it tends the turn the audience against the defendant: these stars are making so much money and yet they’re not contributing their share! And as long as the accusers have sufficient power — remembering that commercial and political power are married in the country — the accuser can make up any evidence to suit their needs for any crime.

The third possibility is what I see as the worst case scenario: that the government decides they don’t want their major stars / entertainment industry to be *perceived* as queer — whether the stars are officially out doesn’t matter — and signals the media and commercial companies to stop using any “suspect” star altogether. (Chinese term: 封殺). This is the case of career murder without blood —  laws aren’t changed; all the fans will hear are rumours confirmed by nobody. I see this as a possibility because of the Xi regime’s view of The Ideal Men , and my admittedly limited experience with dealing with older generations of Chinese, who I’ve found tend to confuse perceived femininity in men with queerness. I think, and this is only my opinion, that the sheer amount of adapted BL dramas in production (the so-called “dangai 耽改 101” phenomenon) and the heated discussions of them on Weibo will at some point trigger the government (which is made mostly of older generations Chinese). Even if gg and dd don’t do anything, should the government decide these adapted BL dramas, even after the elimination of their queer element, are “non mainstream socialist core values”, all the major people involved with the Untamed—arguably the classic and the drama whose success all these follow-ups are trying to imitate—can be cast as the culprit. If the same officials become aware of BJYX and if they’re somehow convinced that BJYXSZD, it can be easy be used as evidence of the bad influence these dramas can do—“they can turn people gay���—and it doesn’t help that according to reports, gg, at least, used to have a girlfriend.

Something more to consider: Gg and dd are also in a very special position now, in that not only are they immensely popular in China, no other native mainland Chinese stars have achieved this level of international fame with a native mainland Chinese production (ie, not a production from Hollywood, Hong Kong or Taiwan, or with a Kpop band). As such, they are likely subjected to high levels of scrutiny from the state. Depending on who’s in charge in the appropriate department, they may decide gg and dd have to be China’s image; they may have a set idea of what image it is and most likely, it won’t be queer. 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 are special times for China, image wise, both at home and abroad. 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, and gg and dd are both starring in its propaganda productions (dd as a police in BAH and gg as an army officer in AT). CCTV, the state-controlled TV station, is already promoting these shows. So, for 2021, gg and dd are slated to not only be the faces of Chinese entertainment, but also the image of Chinese uniformed forces. If gg and dd come out or are outed, their allowing themselves to be being perceived as queer while donning uniforms will most likely to be viewed by the current regime as an embarrassment; a career murder, then, is an apt response to such transgression. 2022 is the year of Beijing’s Winter Olympics, so again, it’s the time where image matters.

You may have noticed a pattern, as I have as I write this up: them being outed is something to worry about, but also ... nothing more than anything else. If someone wants to tear gg and dd down — and there will be, given their massive commercial power right now and the increasing evidence that they’re working more like collaborators than competitors (ie, they aren’t about to tear each other down any time soon) — they do not need their sexuality as a reason.

(And if these accusers really want to use homosexuality as a reason, the unofficial BTS is, IMO, more than enough, as long as the accusers have sufficient power.)

Your other question ~ can gg and dd’s fame, popularity, and ability to draw consumers protect them? My (slightly) educated guess of the answer, then, is that it’s very much a double-edged sword. Indeed, the one major thing that may be going for these adapted BL dramas, and for those who come to superstardom to it — with gg and dd being the prime examples — is the economic health of China, which, by some reports that can no way be verified, are far worse than what has been reported. This is the thing about countries lack transparency; without reliable news, there’s no way to get the facts. Reports on China outside the country tend to be either propaganda or demonising / filled with conspiracy theories, and the truth is probably somewhere in between. If the reports of poor economy are true, the commercial sector — which, again, is tied to those with political power; ie the money made in the former goes into the pockets of the latter — desperately needs stars like gg and dd to move products (based on those recent consumer reports!) and with that, it will want to keep gg and dd and these dramas that can potentially make more gg and dd around. This *seems* to be what’s happening so far, with the the state-run media happy to show gg and dd’s dramas (when it should know, at least, that they got to the height of their fame playing lovers-not-lovers) and gg and dd’s sponsors not-so-subtly wooing the BJYX segment of fandom, so I’m tentatively optimistic. However, the current regime has also shown a willingness to sacrifice the economy for the sake of political ideology, so it’s not something to be taken for granted. (What’s going on in Hong Kong is a good example of that.)

(I always think, eat each candy like it can be the last one. With this regime, it can be. We can wake up tomorrow and gg and dd have to break up BJYX to protect the fans.)

(I always think, treasure, treasure, treasure. Ask for more dy and lz and Weibo posts, but never anymore from gg and dd when it comes to insights of their relationship, even without considering it’s actually their private lives and they’re under no obligation to share.)

(They’ve shared with us far more than enough.)

There’s really no precedence for us to predict the future of an outed gg and dd from, as far as I know. Confirmed queer stars in Chinese entertainment (those with sufficient followers to make news) have all been from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries. The successful BL dramas before The Untamed — Addicted (2016) and The Guardian (2018) — didn’t have a real-person cp that truly took off. Addicted, a true BL drama (ie, it retained the queer elements), was banned before it finished its broadcast. The two actors were also banned from appearing together afterwards, and this “signal” from the government almost cost the two actors their career. Bai Yu from The Guardian, meanwhile, already had a girlfriend as he filmed, so there was never a Weibo supertopic dedicated to him and Zhu Yilong. gg and dd, along with their millions of turtles, are treading untrodden ground.

Something I should clarify ~ all the things I said above may sound very scary to international fans, but to those who live in the country, they understand it as the way things are, and they strategise and move accordingly. This is their way of life. What I wanted to say, in my first reblog, is that we who’re outside may not understand why they do things the way they do, why they don’t, for example, come out with all the candies they are spending so much effort to give out, but I do believe that gg and dd have a plan, not in the sense that they’re scheming or trying to trick anyone, but that they are moving things along at the pace necessary to meet the pre-requisites for the outcome they want. What this outcome is is anyone’s guess, mine being that they have the freedom to work together, not necessary in lover’s capacity — most of us are not required to perform our day jobs carrying our identity as so-and-so’s significant other and gg and dd shouldn’t be exceptions — but as colleagues, professionals and friends (lovers are friends). 

To some international fans, this may sound implausible, ridiculous: why do they need a multi year campaign for something as simple as this? As working together again? And I suppose, all these words I’ve typed so far is my attempt to answer this question, to ease the … unease, the frustration of those who may not understand. True to its marxist root, perhaps, many things that are considered mindless, effortless tasks elsewhere somehow become battles, grand struggles of sorts in China. That sea of sea lights on the night of Tencent awards, for example? It was the result of gg’s fans fighting, strategising in real time to smuggle those LED banners in when they realised the venue had forbidden their entry. They wrapped the banners around their bodies under their underwear because they were patted down by security at the underwear level; they hid batteries in their shoes. They ran batteries from one zone in the stadium to another during the whole show for whose who only managed to smuggle in banners or batteries. They fought the security guards inside the stadium, who continued to snatch away their banners even after seeing they were merely support material for the idols. They fought and fought, despite their identities were recorded by their COVID pass and facial recognition. Many confessed they had no idea what gg was singing during the show; they were too busy. They were there, some paying scalpers > 10x the ticket price, just because they promised the sea of red would be there for gg when he returned. When some realised dd’s banners were confiscated in high numbers because his fans happened to have seats right by the strictest security, they improvised, found an image of a green block to show on their cell phones to make makeshift green support lights for dd. They used Weibo to spread this trick to fellow fans. All these trouble, all these effort, all these planning and scheming and sweat and tears — all for one night, one concert and they laughed about it, called it a wonderful day.

(There are many ways for lives to be hard.)

The very first thing gg and dd need to accomplish, therefore, isn’t to announce what they do in the bedroom—the very first thing they need, for their plan to come to fruition, is to stay on top of the industry. How can they be on the same stage for the yearly Tencent Awards if either of them fails to make VIP? What’s their negotiation chip for a future collaboration, when the current norm is against cps like them working together again, if they cannot draw enough viewers and consumers, or if they offend Tencent and other media companies by refusing to see to the needs of the other side (for example, the need to promote new dramas)? So far, the two of them have accomplished this in flying colours. The other thing they need right now, the way I see it, is for their fans to get along. I think part of the reason they’ve made BJYXSZD so easy to believe in and love, in addition to their very human need to be seen when their careers may be safer otherwise (yes, I think they know what they’re doing, the candies they’re throwing), is because they want their fans to unite, as they have united. To make sure something like 227 cannot happen again, or at least, if it does happen again, their fans cannot be used as an excuse, as scapegoats. And this union is happening — slowly, but it’s happening. The size of BJYX (>2.8 million as of now, on Weibo supertopic) is a powerful indicator; I also had a wonderful time reading the comments of gg’s solo fans who went to purchase dd’s new song. This is the part gg and dd need their fan’s help. This is the one of the fews things we, as overseas fans who have limited access to their products, can help.

Your final question — sorry, this is getting so long again — about leaving. Of course, it’s always up to the government and It’s impossible to say what can happen so far ahead. But my perception, right now at least, is that gg and dd have no intention to leave, no intention to sacrifice their career for their personal lives and vice versa. After all, this is a pair who has answered those A vs B choice questions with a straight-faced “I want both” and “so annoying” without a follow-up reply. They’re right to want both. I like them for wanting both. And maybe, with their intelligence, charisma and hardwork and ambition and personalities that seem to clash but somehow complements each other’s, they will figure out a way. Maybe they are, as the Chinese turtles call them, the Chosen Pair, and they will be the ones who’ll change the perception fo queer artists in China, and we’ll one day get a biography about them and laugh at the candies we get right, laugh harder at those candies we get totally wrong.

(Dd ~ I want your honest opinion, in your own words, on the ones we get wrong.)

(Gg ~ videos of your expressions while reading the crazy theories the first time will be very much appreciated. By me.)

It’s a good day to look forward to.