#YIBO MOMENT IS ALWAYS THE BEST MOMENT

[accio-victuuri]

yibo-official weibo update

#YIBO MOMENT# Love as usual, follow your heart. Cool dance practice saves are randomly dropped, wish you all a happy weekend in advance! 😎This topic: @UNIQ-王一博's cool moment

[rainbowsky]

Hi...I am new fan and I want to ask is it true that during wyb birthday the letter that 'someone' write was first seen in 2020 until now except for 2022? Do you know why there no letter in year 2022?

Hi new turtle! 💛🐢💛

Those letters are always exciting for turtles to read, and it's a shame we didn't get one that year, but it was what was best for DD at the time that such things didn't get posted that year.

There was almost no birthday content at all that year, and nothing official posted, because of the political situation in China at the time. There was a great deal of political tension, and China was ramping up to go to war with Taiwan. At the time many suspected it was just posturing, but when your country is talking about going to war, that's no time to make a big deal about your birthday on social media.

If you want to see what was said about the situation at that time, I talked about it in my birthday post for that year, and later in an ask I got about it.

Here are the letters so far:

24th birthday in 2021

26th birthday in 2023

27th birthday in 2024

I didn't post the letter for his 23rd birthday in 2020 because I actually joined Tumblr on that day and didn't post any birthday content that year, but here's the letter from 2020:

Translation:

If you want to view any of the past birthday content you can browse my tags for each one:

Hello, 23-year-old Wang Yibo~ At this moment, you are filming on the set. It is both your birthday and a notification day as usual. As time goes by, you now have multiple identities. As an actor, the currently filming "Being a Hero" is a breakthrough and brave attempt for you. You can learn acting skills from senior teachers and accumulate experience. I believe this drama will allow you to gain more different experiences and get a new cool thing in life. As an idol, you are incredibly demanding of yourself, working tirelessly to achieve perfection. In the late-night rehearsal room of Street Dance of China 3, you practice over and over again, just to get every note and rhythm right, just to live up to your demands and persistence to be true to yourself. Regarding "pursuing passion to the extreme", everyone actually overlooks that your original intention is not to deliberately pursue "extreme", but because of your all-out passionate efforts and your unwillingness to admit defeat, you inadvertently take your passion to the extreme. Every day, you are making rapid progress; every time you appear, you are new and bright. You have multiple identities, but you are also the purest you.

DD 27th birthday

DD 26th birthday

DD 25th birthday

DD 24th birthday

GG 31st birthday

GG 30th birthday

GG 29th birthday

As a new turtle you might also find my masterlist post helpful. A lot of older topics, common questions and background can be found there.

[peachjagiya]

Wow Peach, your journey is so interesting! Mine is simple in comparison or maybe weird. Take your pick! So, I was in CQL (Untamed) fandom sort of and used to watch K dramas. Funnily enough, my first drama was of Soejoon- What's wrong with my secretary Kim (sorry Taehyungie I met him first) but I had no idea they were friends. It was a random Instagram scroll that changed everything. A BTS concert video popped up, and there was this familiar name (chant) – Kim Taehyung. I vaguely remembered hearing it on a Chinese show, "Day Day Up," where he'd appeared with Wang Yibo when BTS was promoting in China. Back then, I was oblivious to the BTS hype and thought, "Wow, this kid is full of energy!". So yeah back to the video, since I had heard his name I wanted to see who Kim Taehyung is (btw I think I was in cave because I never heard of BTS). And was I blooooown away !?!?! 🥵. I couldn't identify anyone because they pretty much looked same to me 🫣.

I'm a big believer in starting with the basics, so when I first heard about Kim Taehyung, I was determined to understand the minimum basics, so I googled about him and in one of the recommendations it was written Kim Taehyung and Park Jimin are best friends/soulmates. That was enough for me to go searching for this beautiful friendship. I saw more and more videos on Instagram (only concerts/moments without dialogue) and fell in love how they were together. So, you see as there was no description on the videos at the time (only clips and music) I really didn't bother learning about everyone and wasn't aware of OT7 thing. What attracted me was how they looked into each other eyes, and how Jimin used to look at Tae, desparate for his one look like a puppy. So, I feel hook line and sinker. Like who wouldn't ? Little did I know, I was caught up in a case of mistaken identity! It was only after a careful search and some embarrassing self-reflection that I realized it was Jungkook, not Jimin, who had stolen my heart. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions!

I made it a point to read about all of them but now with their pictures. LOL. Saw almost every content, love all of them but taekook always have a very special place. What can I say I'm one loyal girl, there was no coming back from them. Ah! Those were some good times.

Oh my gosh, I love this. But I couldn't help laughing at you mistaking Jungkook for Jimin. Just the thought of you being like "wow they're so close! Wow! Truly soulmates." 😂

I love this, thank you @purplemoonlibra 💜

[faery-snow]

Who else wants to rehash LRLG highlights? Because I do!!!

I have been having a really shitty month so far (and I'm a Leo so this month should be a happy exciting one!! Sigh) and today I hit several walls with some doctor visits and just needed something to get me through the day.

I came on to ask for your favorite inspiring quotes/moments from YiZhan and instead I got LRLG??!!!!!!! Best cheer to inject into this shitty day.

I love the quotidian nature of LRLG, the day-to-day of shared life and of people intersecting. There's always some sweetness, and yet the sweetest parts are often the most mundane.

That said, Yibo has some incredibly romantic things to say in these snippets??!!! 😳😳

There are a lot of sweet moments in here (DD being in awe of GG's beauty! DD has never been more relatable haha!) but just to pick out a few:

(Gonna put these in my own words/with my own interpretation; you know the drill, these conversations are often hard to parse anyway, and I am not a native speaker!)

DD wanting GG to visit, and saying that if GG forgets something when he comes (I took this as, "who cares about packing, just come"), they can just buy it. We don't get GG's reply, but based on context I implied that GG teases him, "oh really, NOTHING is missing at all, you have EVERYTHING?" And DD says, "You're missing; I can't buy you [at the store]."

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

And then when DD and staff are talking about a staff member's partner/relationship. Lots of teasing; I'm so glad he has this camaraderie around him. One staff member teases him that we can't all have the idyllic romance DD and GG do, and DD answers back with seriousness that I really loved:

Do your relationship in the way that makes you two feel comfortable. Work through your differences, and the rest will slot into place.

🥹💛💛💛

It's encouraging to me that even when my own life and health are going poorly, there are moments of joy and happiness for people who deserve it, and queer couples having healthy, growing relationships.

May DD always have this hopeful light inside him burning brightly, and may he and GG always have what they need to work through their differences and through the hardships they encounter in life.

I also love how they both make an effort to meet in the middle. That's how healthy relationships are done! GG travels to see DD, and DD takes care of him with time to rest and a neck massage ❤️💛💚.

One day all queer folks will get to live openly. I truly believe that.

[yibo-wang]

Yibo official weibo update (230805):

Hello, 26-year-old Yibo~

The small number is updated again, carrying the growth and harvest of the past year, and also entrusting the hope and expectation for the new year.

This year, I often meet you on the screen, and you search up and down in breaking and reshaping, experience and perception. You bring the stories and life from afar to the audience. Three films were released one after another, with Mr. Ye, Lei Yu and Chen Shuo appearing one after another. The stubborn figure who worked hard day and night at that time also received the best response at the moment. Perhaps those times of struggle will be sealed by each character, but the insights accumulated through persistent learning and the experience of experiencing life growth with heart will definitely have echoes that will never be forgotten outside the screen.

In this year, you gradually learn to relax and face the world more and more gently. You are willing to look at the stars during the rush, to watch a downpour in the afternoon, to quietly look at the distant horizon, and to stop for a beautiful sunset. Time does not have a pause button, but you seem to have mastered the password for the occasional pause in this world, and you greet and touch the world with your calmness. Yibo, the sunset is very beautiful, just like every evening you used to focus on moving forward but didn't have time to appreciate it.

On your journey of life, you will naturally have to overcome ups and downs and thorns, and it is difficult to describe the details in detail, just like crossing ten thousand mountains and facing thousands of waves, youthful spirit without regret. Fortunately, there are a lot of gifts along the way, and there are often good teachers and helpful friends, fans and friends who support me. There are always expectations and a lot of harvest.

It is always said that "everything is cool and grows up slowly", in fact, there is a second half of this sentence, that is-traversing the wonderful, embracing the beautiful.

26-year-old @UNIQ-王一博Happy birthday! 💚 Wish you create your own playground in this wonderful world and have a more enthusiastic new year!

[petrichoraline]

HONESTY HOUR!!!!!!!! (or hours, if you're me ;;;;;;)

since i have no personal 'caught in the rain' moments to talk about im gonna turn the question on you!!!! any particular memorable ones you feel like sharing??

also i've been trying to think about something juicy to ask but the only thing my mind could came up with is to talk about BL actors you have a crush on, if there are any!!!!

hours indeed, I'm two days late 😂💓 and I'm figuring things out as I go so it's a yapping session with gifs, enjoy 😙

i do have a few but one that always sticks out to me was one summer (or was it late spring?) my best friend and i were doing some shopping at the city centre and this rain started pouring, ive never felt anything like it. we had no umbrellas, we were carrying stuff and we walked (maybe kinda ran too lol) a great distance to the subway station; drenched rat doesn't begin to cover it, the rain curtain was thick, it was coming down fast and it seemed like it'd never stop.. I don't think I have any photos or videos from that day, i don't remember it all too well and her and I don't talk anymore but i think I remember it accurately enough. i loved it. it's happened a lot and I still don't carry an umbrella, some lessons are harder to learn

crushes..hahah see, so many years as a young woman and a girl, a romantic and a romcom truther and yet I don't really know the definition of a crush. when it comes to celebrities, I actively avoid feeling like that for them? nothing bad about celebrity crushes but you can blame it on my ocd symptoms [too much to explain]; i do fangirl about them and jokingly think up scenarios (I used to be a y/n fic reader lmao and im loud and proud about it!!) but it's just innocent stuff

I'd say the bl actors i have somewhat of a crush on (by how I understand it) are pond and joong; i find a lot of guys attractive but I don't know much about them like sea, boun or tay

ohhh anderson cheng who plays mark in love is science? is smth else for me

but it could be the character okay, i don't know anderson like that except for a few lives with lin yu😂

I had somewhat of a crush on yibo too but he done fucked up recently so.

OH JIWOONG

DUH

jiwoong is a mystery to me and im just happy when he's happy

also seoham and jaechan in different ways lol

kim sunghyun exuded so much charm as jinwoo I couldn't not fall for him a bit

^like maybe that should be me. js.

yu is stunning any time I see him

he had me crazy about zhou shu yi, soo handsome when he's angry and even more when in love (seeing a man cry whether in character or not bonds you to him idk what to say)

now for the jbls... it's gonna take a bit

meguro ren had me in a chokehold for a while

so did yagi yusei

sato yusuke had me all glued to the screen as well

obviously kimura tatsunari

(happy second anniversary ofc!)

inaba yuuuu

yamanaka jyutaro (I've now hit the ten image limit so that's the blond photographer dude from ameiro paradox); suzuki kousuke (jack o'frost and takara kun to amagi kun); nomura kota (perfect propose) but!

the ones I actually know more about are kouhei and acchan since I used to tune in for their insta lives and kouhei is just so 🥰🥰🥰 that's segasaki from taikan yoho

and currently losing it a bit with the mains of 25 ji akasaka de, niihara taisuke and komagine kiita

I think the reason I just go for "dudes I don't know outside of their role but are handsome af" for japanese bls and "I need to know him better" for thai bls is because of how much content there is of the actors interacting with their on screen partners. plus it's much less likely I see stuff about japanese actors on my dash whereas random interviews and show bits come up constantly with not only gmm dudes but guys from other companies as well. it feels like I get to know about thai actors without putting that much effort in but with those from other countries I'd have to go out of my way so it'd be harder to list someone close to the definition of a crush, you know.

I am very tired so this is a mess, most of this doesn't even need to be written down but I hope you get to read it as a relaxing nonsense list the way it's intended haha

[pudding-cake]

2023.08.05 YIBO-OFFCIAL weibo update

26-year-old Yibo, hello~

The small numbers are updated again, carrying the growth and harvest of the past year, and also entrusting the hope and expectation for the new year.

This year, I often meet you on the screen, and you search up and down in breaking and reshaping, experience and perception. You bring the stories and life from afar to the audience. Three movies were released one after another, with Mr. Ye, Lei Yu and Chen Shuo appearing one after another. The stubborn figure who worked hard day and night at that time also received the best response at the moment. Perhaps those times of struggle will be sealed by each character, but the insights accumulated through persistent learning and the experience of experiencing the growth of life with heart will definitely have echoes that will never be forgotten outside the screen.

In this year, you gradually learn to relax and face the world more and more gently. You are willing to look at the stars during the rush, to watch a downpour in the afternoon, to quietly look at the distant horizon, and to stop for a beautiful sunset. Time does not have a pause button, but you seem to have mastered the password for the occasional pause in this world, and you greet and touch the world with your calmness. Yibo, the sunset is very beautiful, just like every evening you used to focus on moving forward but didn't have time to appreciate it.

On your journey of life, you will naturally have to overcome ups and downs and thorns, and it is difficult to describe the details in detail, just like crossing ten thousand mountains and facing thousands of waves, youthful spirit without regrets. Fortunately, there are a lot of gifts along the way, and there are often good teachers and helpful friends, fans and friends who support me. There are always expectations and a lot of harvest.

I always say "everything is cool, grow up slowly", in fact, there is a second half of this sentence, that is - traverse the wonderful, embrace the beautiful.

26-year-old @ UNIQ-王一博 Happy birthday! 💚

I wish you can create your own playground in this wonderful world and have a more enthusiastic new year!

Trans: bjyxiao

Oweemjiii Happy birthday Yeebs. That bday wish from a certain staff is so dam sweet

[madridismodelcorazon4ever]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Hey there! I'm sorry for taking so long to answer, I've been away and only checked Tumblr in a rush.

Actually, I haven't had asks for a long time so this is really nice, thank you for the question!

Gotta say my top changes depending on my current obsessions haha but once I fall in love with a character, they stay in my heart forever.

Here comes my top 10:

1. Chu Wanning from 2ha/Erha (The Husky and His White Cat Shizun). Where do I start with Chu Wanning? I was never able to properly express everything this man made me feel along the journey that 2ha was. He is, imo, what makes the story so lovable and memorable, so unique. Cold and aloof but at the same time gentle, kind and eternally selfless, Chu Wanning is a dream character that changes the way you perceive things.

2. Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed - Lan Wangji is my first danmei love and has a special place in my heart. The fact that Wang Yibo plays him in the drama can only make his character more special for me because even though I love him in the novel, I adore him in the drama! Yibo's charm is unparalleled.

3. Kagome Higurashi from Inuyasha - my childhood sweetheart! So brave, smart beautiful and kind (she is, in fact, way too good for Inuyasha, I've always said that... but it is what it is I guess). She deserves the world! Kagome is the one who helped Inuyasha grow into a real man, make friends and become more understanding with people around him. Props to the best girl ever!

4. Eiji Okumura from Banana Fish - the definition of an angel boy! Eiji is to me what he was to Ash in the anime: a balm for the soul. He soothes everyone around him and allows them to be themselves without restraints. I loved him since the first moment I saw him!

5. Sunja from Pachinko - a female character that stayed with me for a long time after finishing the book. Sunja fell in love with Hansu - a proud and rich man who already had a family of his own. She was left alone with a kid, struggled and raised her children by selling kimchi on the streets of Japan (Sunja had one more kid later on with another man, pastor Baek who did what Hansu never dared to - married Sunja and formed a family with her). Throughout her journey, she never gave up and sacrificed many things for her family. She is kind, fierce, brave and unwavering.

6. Hua Cheng/Xie Lian from Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing - just can't choose between these two. They're amazing characters individually but together they're perfection! They're also my favourite danmei otp so far and I guess their obsession for each other only makes them more appealing. I adore how Hua Cheng respects Xie Lian's opinions and decisions even when he doesn't agree with them and how Xie Lian saw right through Hua Cheng and didn't misjudge him like everybody else. Once again: perfection!

7. L from Death Note - a favorite since childhood. Death Note has been incredibly dear to me ever since I was a little kid. I admired and was fascinated by L's intelligence and diligence, he was an unbothered king from beginning to end! His "fights" with Kira were legendary and made the story an unforgettable masterpiece.

8. Sam from Lord of the Rings - everybody loves Sam but let's be honest, who wouldn't be in love with such an outstanding character? I have to say Frodo is a close second fave from LOTR and now that I'm an adult and see things in a different light, I'm in love with Sam and Frodo's relationship. Who needs a spouse when you've got such homies? Lmao! They're both (along with the other members of the fellowship) the heroes of the story. Sam was especially dedicated and loyal and also said one of my favorite quotes of all time: "There's still some good in this world, Mr Frodo. And it's worth fighting for!"

9. Nana and Hachi from Nana - again, I can't choose between the two heroines of this iconic anime. They're strikingly different but compliment each other perfectly. And let's get real - their relationship was the best thing of the story. Sorry guys, but the girls got the upper hand in Nana! I loved Nana and Ren but unfortunately, their bond was very toxic whilst Nana and Hachi developed a healthy and happy relationship throughout the tale. Still bitter about the ending of Nana though...

10. Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach - another childhood sweetheart. Rukia made me watch Bleach and as a kid she was a role model for me. She's one of the best female characters ever created and I love her for being so brave, strong, witty, persistent and understanding. She's Ichigo's (the protagonist) pillar and strengthens him whenever he's down. As a young girl, I must say I shipped them together but nevertheless, I'm happy with how the story ended because Renji has always loved her (and protected her too, in his own way).

[laramd13]

I watched Wang Yibo's movie One and Only 2023 in Monterey Park Movie theatre. I did not get a chance to take. pictures. They were setting up the One and Only Cardboard Poster inside the theatre as I was leaving. I went to watch the movie early during matinee hours because I wanted to get home early. One and Only was definitely enjoyable and fun to watch, especially when Wang Yibo as Chen Shou was dancing! The finally competition was so cool!

There was a small arcade place near the movie theaters called NeoFuns, and they I had some claw toy machines, I won the boba stuff toy as I waited, since I had an hour before the movie starts because I already bought the tickets online.

*************SPOILERS******************

Besides Wang Yibo as Chen Shou, Huang Bo as Ding Lei the Coach, Song Zouer as the journalist (Shou Shou meets her at the subway train), Ye Yin/David plays Wukong, George as Dragon, Jr. Taco/Xiao Hai as Jr. Taco. I believe I saw Kevin/Yang Kai as a judge in the final competition and Rochka as one of the opponents on the other team. There were other dancers from SDC Variety Show but I could not remember their names but I only recognize some familiar faces. I kind of wish the camera was not moving so much in the final competition because I wanted to see the dance moves more clearly.

I did like the part where Chen Shou integrated his dance moves he learned from other E-Mark team members in the final competition along with a special E-Mark dance move!

Can there be a part 2 for this movie? It felt like this movie was the beginning or introduction to Chen Shou's journey as a dancer. But I really wanted to see more competition/battles both freestyle team/solo battles like in SDC variety show. I felt like the ending was not enough, I kind of want more dancing competition. Where we see some win/lose battles in a different competitions, but we more progress a long the way as Chen Shou and his team meets tougher opponents and has to figure out/strategize more creative moves to defeat their new opponents. I am hoping for more intensity like we see in SDC variety show, the elimination part was really hard in variety show and many teams fought together to keep their team mates.

It was sad to see Ding Lei eliminating Chen Shou because of financial reasons to keep their dance studio. But thankfully there was a happy moment when they chose Chen Shou instead and had found a different place to practice dancing. 😎🦁Wang Yibo as 🐷 or 🦆 Chen Shou!! Jiayou 🦁💚💚💚, wishing you the best always!!!

[gwarp]

HAPPY 26TH BIRTHDAY, WANG YIBO💚

Hello, 26-year-old Yibo~

The small number is updated again, carrying the growth and harvest of the past year, also entrusting hope and expectation for the new year.

This year, often meeting you on the screen. You searched up and down in breaking and reshaping, experience and perception. You bring the stories and life from afar to the audience. Three films were released one after another, with Mr. Ye, Lei Yu and Chen Shuo appearing back to back. The stubborn figure who had worked hard day and night in the past also received the best response at the moment. Perhaps those times of struggle will be sealed by each character. But the insights accumulated through persistent learning and experiencing the growth of life with passion will definitely have echoes that will never be forgotten outside the screen.

In this year, you gradually learn to relax and face the world more and more gently. You are willing to look at the stars during the rush, watch downpouring rain in the afternoon, quietly look at the distant horizon, and stop for a beautiful sunset. Time does not have a pause button, but you seem to have mastered the secret of the occasional pause in this world, and you greet and touch the world with your calmness. Yibo, the sunset is very beautiful, just like every evening you used to focus on moving forward, but didn't have time to appreciate.

On your journey of life, you will naturally have to overcome ups and downs and thorns, and it is difficult to describe the details, just like crossing ten thousand mountains and facing thousands of waves, youthful spirit without regrets. Fortunately, there are a lot of blessings along the way, and there are often good teachers and helpful friends, fans and friends who support you. There are always expectations and a lot of results.

It is always said that "everything is cool and grows up slowly". In fact, there is a second half of this sentence, which is - traversing the wonderful, embracing the beautiful.

26-year-old Wang Yibo, Happy Birthday! 💚

Wish you create your own playground in this wonderful world and have a more enthusiastic new year!

© YBO weibo

[accio-victuuri]

(zing) a famous make up artist talked about wyb in this interview. so he basically said that bobo is beautiful, and that he looks his best when he is on day day up since that’s the time that he has less make up on. he said that when he first saw wyb, he didn’t understand what makes him good looking. but when he saw him (wyb) take off all his make up, he understood. he said wyb is real and so handsome!

i know some of you here have seen wyb in person and i’ve always been so curious about how different he is from the screen to irl. on btf + ono, the staff had to make him less handsome lol. give him flaws. i am a fan of his eyeshadow-era and all the idol make up but i have to agree that bare faced yibo is something else too.

which reminds me of when xz said he prefers wyb with light to no makeup at all 🥹🥹🥹

this was such a sweet moment, and i’m cackling at how wyb was probably embarrassed ( but happy on the inside lol ) ; the way he was speaking about “idol wyb and actor xz” hahahahahahaha!

xz saying stuff like “i like the natural-looking you” / “the way you are like this (light makeup) is pretty nice” and wyb’s face was all “go on clown, tell me more…” there seems to be a disconnect in this conversation. the way i see it, wyb was half flattered and the other is defending the way he prefers make up and how it’s necessary as an idol. xz on the other hand was truly complimenting wyb.

this is truly in my top 10 favorites for unreleased bts.

and the best part? xiao zhan’s freakin face 😂😂😂he’s like — how the hell did he interpret it like that??? i was literally saying how much i adore him??? that he is perfect just the way he is???

[nostalgiqueajamais]

List of series about revenge, justice, revenge-justice and solving mysteries (Warning: Spoilers)

If you're as vindictive as I am but still like a happy ending, these maybe for you. (Don't worry, I've never actively tried to ruin someone's life irl...yet)

Also, if you're like me, once you get hooked on one genre or type of series/movie, you'll probably want to watch more similar items.

So, whether you want to kick back with a relaxing series about revenge/murder or you want to take notes for your own revenge, here's a list of series about revenge/solving mysteries that I've watched recently:

1. Taxi Driver (2021-) starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram

I mean, it's starring Lee Je-hoon. Need I say more? Ok fine. He's an ex-militant that had a loved one murdered. He groups together with like-minded people that seek revenge but for other people who are experiencing similar pain as they are. It's thrilling but also ridiculous, funny, goofy, and very satisfying. i.e. The good justice-seekers always win. I mean, what they're doing to get justice puts them in a gray area at best. But still better than the soulless that they go after.

2. Bulgasal: Immortal souls starring Lee Jin-wook, Kwon Nara, Lee Joon, Gong Seung-yeon, Jung Jin-young, Park Myung-shin, and Kim Woo-seok

I did a review for this once (with spoilers). I wouldn't say this is entirely about revenge per say but it's in the mix. Here's the review if you're interested: https://www.tumblr.com/nostalgiqueajamais/681321371629944832/bulgasal-on-netflix?source=share

3. The Untamed starring Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo

Based on the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian's spirit is summoned 16 years after his death to seek revenge for the summoner. On his quest, he unravels the common enemy that was responsible for his own demise. The theme starts with revenge but it's so much more than that. If you love slow-burn love and chemistry bursting through the screen without uttering a single word, this is for you.

4. Birth of a beauty starring Han Ye-seul, Joo Sang-wook, Jung Gyu-woon, Wang Ji-hye and Ha Jae-Sook

Sa Geum-ra, played by Ha Jae-Sook, is kindhearted and overweight (this is a plot point) housewife that's married to Jung Gyu-woon's character, Kang Joon. The latter is cheating on the former with Wang Ji-Hye's character. Long story short, she loses weight to win back her husband's affections but ends up seeking revenge because... find out for yourself. It's funny, ridiculous and goofy and the plot kept me at the edge of my seat. The series does drag a little during the last three or so episodes. The plot is mainly based on revenge, infidelity, and fat-shaming. As someone who grew up being dubbed "fat," "pig" etc. even when I wasn't and later when I eventually was, Sa Geum-ra's pain of feeling unlovable simply because of her size was something I related to greatly. Which leads me to my next recommendation:

5. Switched starring Kaya Kiyohara and Megumi Seki

Kaya Kiyohara is Ayume whose body gets switched with that of Megumi Seki's character. The latter is the "invisible" archetype while the former is the popular, pretty girl. This series explores an interesting perspective (mindset) that challenges that of Birth of a Beauty.

6. Cafe Minamdang

I loved the goofy satire elements of this series. And the ending was satifisfying but admittedly, sometimes the episodes had a tendency to drag the plot on and I had moments when my attention was elsewhere. But I still recommend it.

7. Girl from Nowhere starring Chicha "Kitty" Amatayakul as Nanno

Nanno seems to be an entity of some sort (think Eris, Goddess of Chaos) that infiltrates school after school after school while seeking "social justice." Nanno doesn't pick sides but it has a righteous tone "holding up the mirror to hypocrites." The overall theme isn't evident until about 3 episodes later. Kitty gives a truly enchanting performance as Nanno.

8. The Glory starring Song Hye-Kyo, Lim Ji-yeon

How could I possibly forget the Glory? But I did while writing this list. However, it is one of the best series I've watched. I've liked Lim Ji-Yeon since her movie Obsessed starring opposite Song Seung-Hyeon. She was so natural and convincing that as much as I liked Lim Ji-Yeon, I hated her character so much. Unpopular opinion: While I really like the actor Lee Do-hyun as well as his character, I feel like I could've done without the latter in the movie. His character was really sweet towards Song Hye-Kyo's Dong-eun and very supportive. Bf material, he accepted her with all her flaws. That's all a girl can ask for. However, I feel like his character had nothing to do with the main story and that I would have been fine if he weren't in it.

9. Celebrity

The revenge plotline comes much later. But each episode was so enticing and left me at the edge of my seat. However, they dragged the plotline in the later episodes and the ending was a bit disappointing. So this is on my recommendation list but with a grain of salt.

10. Flower of Evil

The last one is more or less about revenge. But it is about solving a mystery and clearing up one's name. This one made me hella confused and got me hooked. I really like the characters' chemistry. The ending could've been better but great series overall albeit very bittersweet.

[huigusu]

HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY WANG YIBO 💚

[drwcn]

Having actors who are way older than their characters always makes me so mad? I love the Untamed cast and I think they did an absolutely amazing job, but I am a stick in the mud who wishes they would’ve stayed more true to the original ages - I feel like it would’ve had a real impact to see actual teenagers going through all of the traumatic events of the story and then have the huge shock of seeing the cast being grown adults, just like Wei Ying did. Plus I feel like it would’ve helped with the timeline confusion, BUT I totally see why they’d want to use the og cast the whole time, they’re absolutely beautiful

yeah totally. ie: WoH casted 16 yro Sun Xilun as Zhang Chengling and nailed the "idiot child going through trauma" trope. But I think the reason CQL couldn't cast someone younger is because their faces are all too beautiful LMAO, and like... half the show existed in the past timeline and that wouldn't have given the more famous casts (ie: wang yibo and xiao zhan) enough screen time.

Though... I suppose that does beg the question: if they were to cast younger casts for The Untamed, when in the plot (ie which scene and episode) they would switch them to their adult counterparts. In particular, the most important 3 glow-ups would be wwx, lwj and jc.

LWJ: Personally, I think a good turning point to introduce Wang Yibo as Lan Wangji would be when he walks up those stairs at Nevernight. It's just...such an iconic scene and he looked so badass. Because he's no longer just Lan-er-gongzi. He's Hanguang-jun, a warrior of the sunshot campaign.

WWX:

Hm, a good transition point for wwx would be when Wen Chao throws him into the burial mount and you see him battling with the dark energy there. Classic, boy goes in, man comes out situation. In the Burial Mount, he's so disheveled. You can easily play with the camera and cuts to shift him from his younger cast to his older one, particularly when he crawls to the Yin Sword and grabs a hold of it. When he looks up through his bangs, the pure dark determination to seek vengence, that would be a good time to introduce Xiao Zhan.

JC:

For Jiang Cheng, it would be after his core surgery. He has that strange dream sequence where he is back at Lotus Pier with his family but then everything is on fire. It would be interesting to see him enter that dream as a teenager and wake up on the hills of Yiling as a Wang Zhuocheng. That moment, whether he realized it or not, changed his life. It dictated everything that happened thereafter.

Others:

I really thought it was important for Wen Ning to be casted as a younger teenager early on and to switch to Yu Bin later. It was just so awkward to see Yu Bin trying to be a little kid when he's like... tall as shit. Lol.

Wen Qing (let's not forget the ladies). Even though we don't get to see Wen Qing at the core transfer surgery until the reveal at the end, I think it's important that they show her as a younger girl at this stage. Remember that they were all just kids making dumbass mistakes but doing the best they could. Wen Ning especially, needs to be portrayed as a kid. The two of them were just stumbling through this political nightmare trying to keep their morals intact but also their necks attached to their shoulders. Once Wen Qing and Wen Ning are imprisoned I think it's okay to switch to the adult actors.

Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan. These two can be switched at the same time. Jang Yanli arriving by carriage and Jin Zixuan awkwardly trying to help her down but then changing his mind. LOL It's the first time that we see him as actively trying to be nice to her, which is a shift from his previous characterization. For Jiang Yanli, who just lost nearly everything, that moment when she lifts the curtain of the carriage and steps out has the potential to be used as a new introduction of this post-lotus pier massacre Jiang Yanli.

Some of the other actors don't need switching. Like Nie Mingjue can just grow a mustache later LOL. Lan Xichen can switch up his hairstyle.

[potato-jem]

jem carstairs // 不忘

warning: long post!

a/n: i spent way too much time on this. is finding essays fun a red flag?

lyrics and translation, sourced from: https://radishtears.home.blog/2019/07/23/lyrics-bu-wang/ 

jem carstairs, a boy with a tragic past who came to london with nothing but his violin, a terminal illness and his kindred soul, is arguably one of the best characters ever written, hands down. despite his hardships, he makes sure that everyone he cares about feels the deep love he has for them, and would be the type of person to smile when you walk past, no matter if he knew you or not. 

one of the main parts of jem’s story is when he is forced to undergo the ritual to transform him into a silent brother for his own survival, at the cost of never marrying the love of his life, the bond between him and his parabatai being forcibly tethered and being separated from his five year home of the london institute. for over one hundred years, he had to watch the people he loved most die, while he was forced to serve the greater good for the shadowhunters. none of these deaths affected him like the death of his parabatai, will herondale. 

keeping this in mind, the song 不忘/bù wàng (translation: don’t forget) was sung by singer, wang yibo, for the chinese television series, the untamed (陈情令). it is a beautiful song with such meaning, entirely sung in mandarin (jem’s first language), composed with a combination of chinese and western instruments, violin included. 

now, let’s go through the lyrics that i think are linked to jem:

云深夜微凉

皎月清风拂心绕

一人对雪望

望尽前尘事过往

The night in the Cloud Recesses is cool

The bright moon and clear breeze winds around my heart

Someone watches the snow

Gazing into the days long gone

NOTE: cloud recesses refers to a location in the untamed tv show (you should watch it)

this can be interpreted as jem reflecting on the days of when it was just will and jem. jem often reflects on his time with will and with tessa, so he doesn’t forget how he felt for them, but the runes of a silent brother nulls his emotions. “the bright moon and clear breeze winds around my heart,” can be interpreted as a representation of this experience, having to associate his emotions with objects so he remembers what it is to be human. “gazing into the days long gone” is quite self-explanatory, as jem always has his two favourite people in the back of his mind (annoying the rest of the silent brethren.)

你还在问吗

问尽古来世人的痴狂

谁又在远方

再问世间故人

黑白毁誉几多量

Are you still asking?

Asking after all the relentless fools that came before

And who is there in the distance?

Asking again the departed people

Black and white, praise and blame, what is it all worth? 

one of jem’s most frequent lines, an automatic reflex of his, is the question “will, is that you?” sadly enough, i would only imagine that this reflex doesn’t leave him. the first part of the chorus can be interpreted as an internalised monologue, telling himself that will is gone (because will is indeed a relentless fool). “asking again the departed people:” constantly imagining will in his mind, giving him some sort of sarcastic remark or some genuine advice. and the last sentence, “black and white, praise and blame, what is it all worth?” refers to jem’s inner turmoil towards the end of his time in the silent brotherhood. 

还能忘记吗

云深共许一诺人茫茫

君又在何方

相望不忘

Can you still forget?

In Yun Shen, amidst the crowd, we made a promise together

And where are you now?

That exchanged gaze, unforgotten

maybe, not in yun shen, but remember this? 

“Will rose slowly to his feet. He could not believe he was doing what he was doing, but it was clear that he was, clear as the silver rim around the black of Jem’s eyes. “If there is a life after this one,” he said, “let me meet you in it, James Carstairs.”

“There will be other lives.” Jem held his hand out, and for a moment, they clasped hands, as they had done during their parabatai ritual, reaching across twin rings of fire to interlace their fingers with each other. “The world is a wheel,” he said. “When we rise or fall, we do it together.”

Will tightened his grip on Jem’s hand, which felt thin as twigs in his. “Well, then,” he said, through a tight throat, “since you say there will be another life for me, let us both pray I do not make as colossal a mess of it as I have this one.”

yeah, that’s all i’m saying on the matter.

还能忘记吗

看客散去唯你我不忘

与君在身旁

别来无恙

Can you still forget?

The world passes by but I remember only you

You are by my side

Unchanged since we last parted

okay, this is the last verse of the last chorus. jem finally returns to the shadowhunter world, as jem carstairs. he is free from the restrains of brother zachariah, which ironically is the name he chose for himself when joining the brotherhood as it means “remember.” he finally has a chance at a normal life, without yin fen, without weird steampunk things walking around, without a dark war occuring (for the time being), and yet he still thinks of will. he only got to have will for five years, and for a love so big, jem had mourned his entire lifetime for all the time he lost. 

the great andrew garfield said, “i hope this grief stays with me, because it’s all the unexpressed love i didn’t get to tell her,” which has links to the relationship between jem carstairs and will herondale. will won’t see jem marry tessa, or meet jem’s children, or grow old with him - will did that all years and years ago, while jem was trapped in his eighteen year old body for 129 years. 

this song, despite being sung by a different character for another man, perfectly describes jem’s life experiences, in particular his relationship to his parabatai. although jem’s character is not limited to just being will’s parabatai or tessa’s husband, the lyrics represent the love he felt for them both and his disconnection to the shadow world, once his eyes and lips are sealed shut. 

honourable mentions:

满足 - xiao zhan

heavenly - cigarettes after sex 

always forever - cults

[fadelbison]

I made the mistake of reading the translation of Wang Yibo's indelibility and have spent the entire morning just sobbing over Lan Wangji. It's so difficult to pinpoint why he's such a great character but I think this song captures his quiet suffering so perfectly that I had a very galaxy brain moment. Whoever wrote this line really gets Lan Wangji:

are you still playing the qin and looking for him? The answer isn't about the obsession towards unfulfilled love

I generally don't like characters that suffer in silence but Lan Wangji was always different and I could never understand why and that's because everything about Lan Wangji is quiet - his suffering, his joy, his love, his ambitions. So much of Lan Wangji is a projection of what others think of him. So much of what Lan Wangji does is what others require of him. But he doesn't necessarily do it at the cost of himself. In fact he does very little at the cost of himself. I just think Lan Wangji wants...so little from life.

Who was Lan Wangji before he met Wei Wuxian? What was he aspiring towards? The audience meets him at 15 through Wei Wuxian and it was at this point that his entire life changes to be about Wei Wuxian. All we ever see him want is to be Wei Wuxian's husband. And the only other thing we know that he's wanted before this point is to be with his mom. Very little about his personality actually changes outside of his interactions with Wei Wuxian whether they're together or apart. Which is why the other sects are SO surprised that Lan Wangji sides with Wei Wuxian after he comes back even though that's exactly what he did before Wei Wuxian died as well. That's exactly what he did the entire time when Wei Wuxian was dead too. But Lan Wangji's motivations are not visible until it has to be. I don't think he's hiding them though. That's the thing about him, he's not hiding his pain, he's not hiding his joy, he does almost nothing to hide his love for Wei Wuxian. He's quiet and no one other than his brother (including Wei Wuxian for like the majority of the book) bothers to pay attention. This is why Lan Xichen has such a different view of him than everyone else - willful, romantic, brash - despite there being NO evidence that he acts any differently around Lan Xichen. I saw a tumblr post a while back that called Lan Wangji 'ever-steadfast' and I don't think there's any better description for him. In the book he overlooks Wei Wuxian's shortcomings to a fault. But it isn't because he can't see them. I think he sees them perfectly, probably with even more clarity than anyone else. But he knows what happened when his father tried to control his mother. What he does for Wei Wuxian isn't just because he's whipped - he tries his best to be Wei Wuxian's safety net but at the end of the day he lets Wei Wuxian make his mistakes even at the cost of not being able to protect him. I think it's easy to think of Lan Wangji as someone who likes to be in control but I don't think I've met another character that deals with chaos with the consistency and compassion of Lan Wangji.