#ah and that untamed OST!

[kuromi-hoemie]

what's your favorite movie and/or tv show?

I've seen sm movies and am always looking for new ones i don't think i could really pick one as a true favorite i just know a bunch of good ones.. i do have other kinds of favorites though 0: Indonesia is my fave country for horror movies; supernatural, cults, indie and found footage r my favorite kinds of horror movies. I'm p open on the country/subgenre etc i just tapped out on caring about what we put out here in the US in 2016 😬

as a crossroad i could've watched all the older movies that never caught my attention or i could simply watch stuff from other countries and idk lol cats out the bag.. it has to be rly good to make me care about an American movie atp. or be an indie ☝🏾 but here are some movies i enjoy.. i am always down to watch one of these w someone 👇🏾👇🏾

and then for shows mm. Steven Universe is the first one that comes to mind.. only show I've bought the OST for and it's the only movie i have on a physical DVD and i just finished rewatching it the other week ^.^

shows are even more varied for me both in genre and countries of origin. another favorite is The Untamed (on yt for free in its entirety in HD btw). it's as homophobic as it is gay but The Rich Man's Daughter left a p strong impression on me too it was an Experience. i need to sit someone down for that rollercoaster again (also on yt for free/hd/its entirety). also like 👀👀👀 i have no clue where they're going with it but i am also rly liking the show From so far. and i just got caught up on The Ancient Magus' Bride the other day and god i wish there was more Right Now ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა i need to read the manga, but it's also still ongoing so idk 😮‍💨

right now I'm in the middle of watching Fabuniku/Fantaji Bishojo Juniku Ojisan to/Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 👉🏾👉🏾 it's kind of a comfort show to me atp and I'm watching it to avoid looking for a new thing to watch. Ah, another one i really liked was Rent A Girlfriend actually, my friend put me on to that one and i was HOOKED i burned thru all 3 seasons in like a week or so (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)

i like when the romcom has characters who love and care for each other fr, i don't mind if the reason they can't admit it is silly, if people were rational and realistic we wouldn't have the drama 💆🏾‍♀️ put them in a situation...

[baekdaedream]

Kind of want to rewatch The Untamed again but also need to finish The Gifted and catch up on Do You like Brahms? and... my list goes on

[aylinaliens]

what are your top 5 underrated drama?

Someday or One Day (Taiwanese): this drama was a literal masterpiece and it physically pains me that it’s not more well known. this drama has a perfect mixture of mystery/comedy/romance/angst and the cinematography/OST is phenomenal. i can’t go into the plot without giving away spoilers but ugh!! it’s so good. p.s. SDOOD also is getting a movie sequel/prequel AND it’s getting a Korean adaptation so...this might not be that underrated but it is in comparison to other dramas

Lovely Us (Chinese): oh gosh, Lovely Us is such a lovely little slice-of-life drama that deserves so much attention because of how wonderful it is. every single character is lovable, the romance is *chefs kiss* (slowburn childhood best friends to lovers is my favorite thing ever) and this is absolutely no unnecessary drama going on. this is my go to comfort drama to watch whenever i’m sad and in need of cheering up. plus it’s only 16 eps so it makes for a really great binge watch

The Best of You In My Mind (Chinese): this drama is very cliche but it makes me feel so happy and warm inside. slowburn childhood best friends to enemies to lovers is my weakness so as soon as I heard the premise for this drama I jumped into it. Like I said, it’s pretty cliche but the lovable characters make up for it. the romance between the leads was hilarious, wholesome, and healthy which is always a plus and this has one of the most satisfactory endings out there!

I Don’t Want To Be Friends With You (Chinese): this drama has literally everything i love. time traveling! slice-of-life! slowburn friends to lovers! tragical romance! second male leads who deserves better! complex mother-daughter relationships! ah, this drama was wonderful and heartwarming and probably my third favorite Chinese drama of all time (the first is Go Ahead and the second is The Untamed). it’s been like a month since i watched this but i still can’t get over it.

Voice in the Rain (Thai): i just started this a few days ago and i’m already so in love with it. i don’t hear many people talking about this but it’s so good!! i spend every single episode speechless because the FL, Rin, is breathtakingly beautiful (as is the ML so in all their scenes i’m just sitting there like “hand in marriage ma’am and sir). the concept is really cool too and even though i have yet to finish this i’m already putting it on this list.

[seojinws]

TRACK 003

✱  In which Seojin covers SPARK for the Chuseok Special

Seojin found himself complacent in the midst of softer tunes and slowed down melodies. A watered-down version of himself safer for public consumption. He gave up that part of himself willingly. Without the push from higher-ups that worried about a crafted image. And yet, he put himself in a situation that only contributed to his mood swings.

The energetic soul still thrived within him but another side sprouted from it. A new head to rest on its shoulders ㅡ something to steady the untamed chaos. Something heavier. Something with more anger. More feeling. Give me something that will make me feel alive again.

The soloist prepared for an unspecified amount of time for this day, unexpectedly. Initially, Seojin was under the impression they would only be performing for a small audience without the added pressure of playing for stakes ㅡ after all, it was said to be pre-recorded. Although it was far from the hardcore songs he missed singing, he was satisfied with the track they came to an agreement on. It was up and down just enough to satiate Seojin’s need to give his all. A spirit like his never rested.

( He wasn’t so sure about his fellow performers. Did those idol groups hold the same sort of fire in their eyes that he did? He wouldn’t bother asking lest he cause something he never meant to start. They all had their own positions to take care of, and their own reputations. )

He shuffled to the setup after Meta finished their set, giving them a nod of approval and supportive pats on the back as they passed him.

His fingers ran along the length of his new guitar. She was still unscathed, not worn from use like the one he used to have since he was 13 years old. Soon enough the shiny sunburst exterior of the Fender would start to fade and scuff marks would be concealed underneath stickers, duct tape, and badly-drawn scribbles with a marker. He didn’t mind. It was purchased with hard-earned money. He had every right to make something his own.

“Ah, ah. Hello.” Seojin pressed his lips against the mic to test how his voice would resonate in the room. Then, he placed the strap of his guitar around his form and grabbed it ㅡ left-handed position. He liked standing out in that aspect. As the song started, his eyes remained downcast, letting himself feel the beat before his lines came in for the song he would come to make his own. The original was one he listened to on repeat when it first came out. A pleasant surprise from a woman he perceived as just another idol with a solo career. How he should never have underestimated the power of that voice. Those words. He knew now that jumping to conclusions had always been the wrong move. It was certainly something he never would want to be done to himself. He was not just the man who sang a famous OST. He was here, in the flesh. Showing the face and name that came with the voice. He wanted them.to remember his name. Even if that came from performing a song that wasn’t his own.

Blow on it It’s a red spark My heart is like you So dangerous It’s about to burn I try to softly cover you up But you won’t turn off So what do I do?

He ended up singing with far more passion than he originally intended, his eyes dead set on the obscured faces of those in the audience. It was something fierce and determined. Though, he chanted something to himself inside his head. Don’t do something stupid to mess it up. Don’t mess it up. Don’t fuck it up.

Yesterday, you were only dreaming Like a small bird, like a small bird Now it’s the right time, it’s your time Breathe life into it, awaken the spark

The themes of the song resonated with him. When he covered a song, he typically brought his own flavor to it; either to improve or adjust the tempo into something he liked but that was not something he needed to do with Spark. Maybe turning up the existing rock tone to something filled with the deeper side of one's emotions. ( Without the execution of choreography, there needed to be something to fill in the gaps. ) If anyone in the audience, anyone watching during Chuseok, during any other time could feel the way he belted out those lyrics. He was uncertain if his being all alone on stage presented the performance with more impact. A lone man carrying a tune with his voice alone. Imagining his bandmates playing beside him rose his spirit up.

Nearing the end of the song, Seojin was presented with the chance to show off on the guitar. He shifted from the normal notes of the song and turned it into a makeshift, short riff that would match well with the tone. Passionate guitar solo. There was nothing wrong with subverting expectations. He could not see the production team shifting awkwardly as they drew out the backing track to compensate for the impulsive decision. What was he thinking? This was not a private concert. Nor did he run it by anyone beforehand. But with the way the crowd cheered for him, he knew it was the best decision he could have made. A show meant to display mostly idol groups flipped on its head at the end. It was everything he ever could have wanted and more.

Burn it up even more So it won’t turn off It’s so red Make it even bigger It’s the hottest right now Inside of me, that small Spark

It would only be later that he would come to find out that the section of him nursing those sparked flames was cut.

[starsonthewalls]

thanks for the tag @blas-ph-emy and @applejee!! 💙 audfhjasd i meant to do this ages ago and if u saw the other one no u didn't <3

Rules: we're snooping in your playlist. Put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first ten songs and then choose ten victims

Oh How the Years Go By - Amy Grant, House of Love

Guardians of the Three - Howard Shore, The Battle of the Five Armies OST

I Do (Cherish You) - 98°, Notting Hill Music from the Motion Picture

The Door in the Air Score - Harry Gregson Williams, Prince Caspian OST

If I Could Tell Her - Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Dear Evan Hansen OBC

Sound the Bugle - Bryan Adams, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Music from the Motion Picture

The Confrontation - Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Les Miserables Motion Picture Soundtrack

Cello Sonata, Op. 12, No.1 (arr. F. Amosov): III. Tempo di minuetto

Sylvie and Athos - Paul Englishby, BBC's The Musketeers Television Soundtrack

Wu Ji - Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, The Untamed

-

sdafiudah ah yes so much soundtracks so many fandoms very on brand for me. i only used my liked songs bc spotify doesnt let me shuffle the whole library so :/ but i think yall can see how unhinged my music taste can be <3

no pressure tags!! @jaddison @sunflowerim @alwaysinmydil @excusemekevin @writergeek @srbxzero @krazy-ky-sta-hatter @vikingpoteto and anyone else who wants to do this!

[watch-grok-brainrot]

ah hey! snowbunny again, and this time it's 6am where i live so yeah. i'd probably pick mandarin? it would make watching cdramas so much easier i think, and just in general? a year or so back i probably would've picked russian, my father had to learn russian when he was a kid and he still speaks it partly, one of my close friends family is from russia too, so i could speak it with her too. but rn? mandarin would probably the one i'd like to be fluent in.

the cql ost is currently 80% of my comfort playlist, though one of my mutuals and i (more like me and she just has to suffer through it and i enjoy making her cry) are making a wangxian playlist! it wasn't meant to be as angsty as everything turned out to be so far, but i'm not complaining. except for like one song everything is in english, the other song is in german actually and we're not sure if it categories as angst or happy. the acoustic version makes the song sound incredibly sad, the lyrics is somewhere between sad and happy, basically between "you make me happy" and "why did it have to be this way in the first place?". if you want to be specific, the song talks about the other person lifting a burden from your heart "freed it, revived it" is one of the lines, and.... it's a great song but 🤧🤧🤧 then there are these lines "[i] was stuck and didn't know what to do / and you took hammer and chisel / made an artwork* out of my cold heart" (ig to make it flow better you could say "made a masterpiece out of my cold heart" but he says "Kunstwerk" eng. artwork). idk the whole lyrics flows better in german but if you want to listen to it (i prefer the acoustic) it's Betonherz by Wincent Weiss (Cement-heart).

Today idk what to ask so: what are your favorite mutuals/the ones you interact with the most? was there anything you wanted to do this year but couldn't? a random fun fact over tea maybe? (btw i drunk tea this week and it was uhmmm mint tea? i think? and black tea but i can't say more about that tbh)

ahhh wait!!! if we include fantasy languages i'd like to speak quenya 😌😌 or sindarin, that would be okay too - ❄🐇

You did send me asks! Sorry i’m bad at responding. 

mandarin is pretty handy. i will vouch for that. i listened to erha audiodrama on maoer FM today while i was cooking. it was delightful. i had to google the languages you sent in. i know nothing of lotr. but @phoenixrisesoncemore is good with lotr. does neat art. loves untamed. great tea friend. so i would probably reach out to her! :D

cql ost is a lot of what i’ve listened to this year too. i’m really digging teh “I will take you life” song from Ever Night though. It’s so perfectly chipper. I come from so and so place, i’m here to take you life. I just giggle every time i hear it. a little morbid, but alas. Also, the end theme of ever night is cute and chipper too. and the words are really nice. I also LOVE the opening theme of love and redemption. it makes me think of some 80s rock ballad or something. and the words “Even if i drank the waters of wangchuan, I will not fail to meet you again” is really romantic. 

Uh... in case you don’t know what wangchuan is, it’s the river that make you forget your past life before reincarnation. so it’s a pretty intense promise IMO. I really dig that idea... maybe it’s because i read erha and wife is first back to back and now i’m all on board with the idea of “if i get a second chance i won’t fuck it up”. 

oh god. the two mutuals I talk to the most are definitely @needtherapy and @merelhyn. if i go more than 24 hrs without hearing from them i feel weird. I really wanna go on a trip post pandemic to visit merelhyn and spend a day drinking tea with her. and i really want needtherapy to visit me so i can make her crawl through the bowels of the place where i got married -- it’s a weird modern art, industrial playground space filled with mosaics and concrete and ironwork sculptures. it is actually that cool. but you can’t really wear nice clothes there. i’ve ripped holes in shirts before. AND it has a circus school inside. it’s the place of litte haoppo’s dreams. I also talk to lots of other people i didn’t mention (e.g. members of mdzsnet and other friends of mine) but that’s just because i am an extrovert and i talk to people. i like talking to people. and there are SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE on tumblr. but the two i listed are people who i swapped irl phone numbers with so they get listed as special. i’m drawing my line here or i would probably end up writing a page of people who i adore and that might get annoying :/

random fun fact over tea snowbunny says. random fun fact over tea... uh... i saw @yumingyesfairy‘s previous url and asked if “duchess of orange” was a reference to “duke of orange” which is where we get the tea grading “orange pekoe”. i was correct! and made a tea friend! :D

you are by no means obligated to know tea or even care about tea. i just love it and love sharing about it. because someone isn’t actually good at compartmentalizing. 

how is your week going? <3

[xueyangs-pinky-finger]

Mutual pining fics are soo good for wangxian because of all the meaningful stares and touches and gestures in cql 😪

Oh, I love BuzzFeed Unsolved!!! Even though I'm a scaredy cat and horror and true crime freak me out. Have you checked out Watcher, Ryan and Shane's new channel? They get up to more shenanigans there! They have this series called Puppet History which I LOVEEEE. If you watched Buzzfeed's Ruining History with Shane, this is like that but with more tomfoolery 😂

I once read a BuzzFeed Unsolved x The Untamed fic... Here it is, in case you're interested. It's a short one-shot but it was fun! https://archiveofourown(.)org/works/27241906

What are other fandoms (if any) that you like crossed over with The Untamed? like AUs or characters meeting or any type of crossovers!

Do you write fanfic? Is there any fandom activity that you wish you could do? Like art or music covers or fic, etc? I wish I could find the motivation these days to make piano covers of the Untamed soundtrack music!

- 🎵🦄

i definitely did not see anything and i definitely did not call it 🙈

very true~

omg same lol. i don’t do horror and true crime’s even worse in some ways... but i watch bun for the ~humor~ i am subscribed to watcher but i haven’t seen all of their videos... i’ve been enjoying the too many spirits series!! i haven’t seen much puppet history but i’ve gotta change that 😪

ah thanks, that was fun! i appreciate how they included wen ning’s canonical inability to not cause a ruckus lmao. & i’m always open to recommendations :)

hmm, idk bc i haven’t delved into that side of the fandom much yet... i will say i’ve got some ideas for crack vids/incorrect quotes that i’m excited about, lol. and i still stand by my earlier post about rly wanting a xuexiao good place au :// & i think it’s pretty fun when ppl make fanart and fics featuring tgcf characters, bc i love all of them~ i also rly wish there was a xue yang sour candy (blackpink & lady gaga) fmv, ha.

i used to write fics for a different fandom and then when i had to reread them to edit or write the next chapter i would cringe so much ahjdka. i used to fancy myself a good writer but that’s probably not true. & i don’t rly get the urge to write these days? even when i get an idea occasionally (*cough*xuexiao good place au*cough*), i’m just like ‘... can someone else do it? 😩’ lmao. i never planned my fics out or anything, i’d just get an idea, write it, and then edit it without rly adding or cutting out much. i always sucked at deleting my writing or rewriting something once it’d already been written~ ppl who write these incredible novel-length and quality fics that require so much thought and preparation... ugh, i’m just in awe of them!!

honestly it’d be cool to do anything, lol... write fics, sing, draw, play an instrument, make gfx, make rly smart thought-provoking posts, rly funny posts, know another language and be able to translate... but i guess we can’t all do everything (unless ur fricking,,, wang yibo or ten). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i’m just happy i’m finally making good gifs, that’s probably... my biggest achievement of the year ahjdks. (though i still struggle with the coloring every time 😩) i’m also currently working on a dumb fanvid and just teaching myself as i go, so if that turns out it’ll be cool to have that format to work with too~ & i’d like to learn how to make nice gif gfx but i just have no idea where to start rn...

ah that’d be so cool! the ost’s soooo nice ugh. wuji instrumental and yeben are god-tier (and during my rewatch i’ve noticed yeben’s used in like all the most emotionally devastating scenes lmao truuu)~

do you write fics? have you gotten into mxtx’s other works at all?

[kimmyyang]

My views on ‘The Untamed 陈情令’

I never thought I would write a review on a drama although I have watched a lot of dramas of different genres for about 15/16 years. There is something about ‘The Untamed’ that made me want to write a review or at least write out my feelings. I’m not going to write too deep and get into all the details. But I guess this could be a way for me to get out of this trap or try to get it off my chest. 

I’m not a fan of the original novel (well, not yet) as I don’t like reading so I haven’t read it yet. However, I have decided to read it as I have finished the drama and couldn’t get over it no matter how much I want to escape from it. 

Trust me, I don’t usually get THIS attached to a drama or any characters, I mean yeah, the casts are handsome and all, but I stayed for the plot and the characters, not just the good looks of those actors. Especially if it’s 50 episodes long, I wouldn’t stay for someone’s visuals like I ain’t got time for that – I can just watch the cuts of that actor lol. I’m quite picky because I have seen A LOT of dramas, if I watch 2 episodes and it bores me then bye and I don't like long dramas. But after the 50 episodes, I felt so empty like I wanted more??? I know that's normal since I have experienced that before but this time was slightly different.

I personally think everyone portrayed their characters very well, despite most of them are young actors/ actresses. I usually skip or play supporting characters’ parts in 1.5 speed if they’re not as interesting as the main characters. But they kept me riveted throughout the entire drama, I didn’t skip one bit. Most characters hit me at some point during the drama, and I loved it (while shedding buckets of tears haha). 

Apart from WWX and LWJ, my FAVORITE character is Jiang Yan Li - notice how I capitalized the word and it's in bold, that’s how much I loved her. She’s the best shijie/ sister that anyone could ask for. I feel like she’s WWX’s half mother, she takes care of him. She is a gentle and polite woman. She isn’t powerful in the Cultivation World (she mainly just focused on cooking tbh lol it's cute tho) but she doesn’t hesitate to protect WWX. She stood up for him even in front of her future mother-in-law, she trusted him until the end even when everyone went against him, and when her parents got killed, she didn’t blame him (it wasn’t his fault anyway) and eventually sacrificed her life for him. Her death was just so tragic like I was bawling my eyes out, she didn’t deserve it, she really didn’t. She was just a simple girl that wanted the best for her family. But she is the last straw that broke the camel’s back aka WWX, if she didn’t die for him, he probably wouldn’t get out of control. It was so cruel to WWX but I kind of understand why the author did it. 

I also enjoyed the cinematography, scenery and OST, all of it was so astounding. Even the name of the locations were beautiful like 云深不知处 – it sounds so poetic. I loved how each sect had their own colors which reflected their characteristics in the Cultivation World. The characters also had their own OST, my favorite ones are Wen Ning’s & Jiang Yan Li’s songs – it still hurts when I listen to them, and I nearly cried few times (yes, I have a soft spot for Wen Ning, too.) I want to add that Jiang Yan Li & Jin Zi Xuan's song hurts a lot as well, the lyrics are like a fucking knife stabbing me in the chest. I thought I was strong enough to watch the MV, but I couldn't control my tears gdi. You know when you're cutting onions and tears just streaming down your face, that's what happened to me - except there were no onions.  *I was a fan of the singer when I was younger so watching him singing the song on the stage also took me back to the old days ah~ This song gave me double feels lol ;~; 

A part of me regrets that I didn’t watch it last year but a part of me is thankful that I finally got to watch it this year. It was already a hot topic before it even aired in China, so of course I have heard about it and I know briefly what it is based on. But I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon and be like I’m a huge fan of the drama just because it’s popular (it’s hard to explain but I’m quite stubborn sometimes lol). Many said that you wouldn’t understand the story or the little details in the drama if you haven’t read the novel (I watched the animation before the drama, so I know a bit of the story). I don’t like reading anyway so I didn’t bother with it. Also, the genre of the novel isn’t something that I would read so that’s another reason why I left it. I’m not against any type of love, I just feel a bit iffy about reading it, which is kind of stupid now that I think about it lol. Another reason is that I don’t like depressing dramas, I used to watch a lot of those in my younger days, most of the plots are quite cliche. Although 'The Untamed' is sad, there were sweet, happy moments and it has a happy ending, so I loved it.

A lot of people didn’t like the ending, but I think it was a good ending. I mean they can’t really do much as they have to pass the censorship. My interpretation of the ending is that LWJ went to sort out everything in the Cultivation World so that he could be with (or protect) WWX later. He found WWX (maybe a few years) later and called WWX’s name. In that scene, WWX’s black outfit is different to when they parted, so it can’t be LWJ came back to WWX right after they went separate ways – that would very irresponsible to do since he is the Chief Cultivator. It’s an open-ended ending, so it’s up to the audience’s imagination, you can interpret it however you like. The camera didn’t show LWJ at the end so it could also be WWX imagined that LWJ called his name. But I believe that they got together, you can just tell just by looking at WWX’s facial expressions. It isn’t that difficult to figure it out, the novel has a happy ending so yeah. I also read it somewhere that when LWJ went to meet up with WWX, he also changed his outfit but apparently that part didn't pass the censorship (wtf?) so maybe that's why they didn't show LWJ at the end. 

I guess the good thing is that I can’t get all the related merch, if I watched it last year, I would definitely ask one of my relatives to buy and send everything over for me lmao goodbye my money. But I would buy the physical novel when I get the chance. If a drama left a big impact on me, I would buy the novel (if it has one of course).

I think I need a long cool-off period after this drama, I don’t want to watch anything else except their bts, interviews (even supporting actors’ interviews, I usually don’t watch those), crack videos lol, variety shows, fan meeting – basically everything that I can find, I don't think I have watched everything though. When I watched a cut of the cast saying goodbye to their characters on the fan meeting, I cried again (ffs just get over it). It’s definitely one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched and would definitely recommend to those who likes Chinese dramas. Not that anyone cares, but I would rate it 9/10 (if shijie was alive, I would give another 0.5 lol). I don’t know how good the subtitles are, but I did see some odd bits here and there (I watched it without the English subtitles). Sometimes it’s really hard to translate Chinese especially when it’s a xianxia drama – making it even more difficult. Anyway, if I get to finish reading the novel, I might write my views on the novel if I can be bothered lol – I’m a very lazy person XD

I kind of want to write another post just about WWX and LWJ, and how good Xiao Zhan & Yibo’s acting skills were. Basically, complimenting them for 2 pages haha. Ngl, I did fell for Xiao Zhan. I might watch it again just to focus on them a bit more. From the interviews I have seen, Xiao Zhan seems like a very humble, kind, genuine person – you can just tell from his eyes. He’s definitely a treasure boy (硬翻'宝藏男孩'). I don’t think I need to say much about Yibo, he’s super talented, I was already a fan of UNIQ when they were active. The character really suited Yibo and he did a great job portraying LWJ.

Anyway, it’s time for me to say goodbye to 'The Untamed', I don’t know how long I will feel attached to this drama but hopefully there’s another masterpiece that could help me to get over it.

忘羡一曲远，曲终人不散。

[hunxi-guilai]

Hi! New to your blog, so maybe you already addressed this and I missed it. Was wondering if you ever talked about the Untamed OST lyrics before. Specifically QuJinChenQing which Xiao Zhan sings. There's one line "剑挑姑苏十里春” which they translate as "and had a sword battle with the most beautiful person in Gusu." (Roughly 1:17). Was wondering where that came from. My understanding is that 十里春 literally means ten miles of spring, am I missing a reference?

well hello there, and welcome to the chaos!

The most I’ve talked about the CQL companion album is in this post, and a pretty big reason is that... I’m scared of the songs... they’re so complicated and difficult to understand... 

Not that the songs themselves are hard! But they hit that junction of lyrical and concise and poetic as all get-out that the odds of me just straight-up missing a reference or five is not even a question, it’s a certainty.

But! You’re in luck because I have googled that reference! 十里春, as far as I can tell, is a reference to two different poems:

《春》冯唐 / “Spring” by Feng Tang

春水初生，/ Spring waters, newly born

春林初盛，/ Spring woodland, newly flourishing

春风十里，/ Spring winds, for ten li*

不如你。/ -- none are a match for you.

*a 里 li is a historical Chinese unit of measurement for distance, roundabout 500m

(The general idea here being that even the sights of a spring in bloom are no match in beauty for the recipient of the poem)

Feng Tang was a 21st century writer and poet; if we want to go back farther, there’s this poem by 杜牧 Du Mu from the Tang Dynasty that people have pointed to as inspiring Feng Tang’s:

《赠别二首》其一 / “Two Poems, Presented at Parting,” the first

娉娉袅袅十三余， / Graceful and slender -- some thirteen years

豆蔻梢头二月初。/ Cardamom flower branch-tip -- the beginning of February

春风十里扬州路，/ Ten li of spring winds along the Yangzhou roads

卷上珠帘总不如。/ Pearl curtains, rolled up -- none can match her.

So this poem is much more oblique, but Du Mu here appears to be writing about a lovely young courtesan who has caught his eye, and compares her to a spring bud in the first couplet. The second couplet is a very, ah, delicate way of referring to some ten li of roads in Yangzhou that appear to be full of beautiful women, dancing and singing, hiding coyly behind pearl curtains -- but none of them are as beautiful as this young girl here. These poems appear to be presented as a gift of parting from Du Mu to the courtesan of the poems. 

BUT THE POINT IS 十里春 / ten li of spring is a poetic term heavily laden with implications of beautiful women, but, much like 佳人, are technically gender neutral

Hope that clears things up!

[smylealong]

Year in review - 2020

2020 has been a mixed bag of an year. Where on one hand it has been a raging dumpster fire with a global pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing, online schools, politics, forest fires, Karens and the general sense of ennui that the year brought. On the other hand, the year gave us all time. Time to reflect on ourselves. Time to teach ourselves new things. Time to binge watch. And boy did the streaming platforms make full use of it. Listed below are the best things I saw in 2020. (Across languages and in no specific order.) IT IS A LONG POST. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

HINDI Thappad: Dir: Anubhav Sinha. Starring: Tapasee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Diya Mirza, Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah. On surface level, the premise seems frivolous. After all, it was just a slap. Just. One. Slap. Yet, with that one slap, the protagonist’s neatly organized world comes apart at the seams. From there begins Amruta’s (Tapsee Pannu) journey into exploring the micro-aggressions and tiny slights that she has turned a blind eye to, for the sake of keeping peace. The film never veers into a glorification of violence nor does it get overly preachy. It is a mirror to the patriarchal society and raises pertinent questions about the things that the society as normalized. Things that shouldn’t be normalized.

Bulbbul: Dir: Anvita Dutt. Starring: Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwari, Rahul Bose, Parambrata Chatterjee and Paoli Dam.

Horror does not always lie in the things that go bump at night. Sometimes, horror is what society expects of you. Horror is the consequence of not fitting into the role that has been written for you. Sometimes, it is terrifying to be a woman in a male-dominated society. That is what Bulbbul explores. Wrapped in a beautiful package, Bulbbul tells the raw story of a child-bride who is punished, harshly, inhumanly, for acting her age. If you haven’t seen it yet, drop everything and watch it. It’s on Netflix.

Lootcase: Dir: Rajesh Krishnan. Starring: Kunal Khemu, Rasika Duggal, Vijay Raaz, Gajraj Rao.

This was a charming little movie that had me in splits. A story of a simple man who chances upon a bag full of money. What follows is a hilarious tale of lies, deception and comedy of errors. Kunal Khemu proves that Bollywood does not realize just how talented he is. Vijay Raaz’s deadpan comedy and Gajraj Rao’s evil smiling desperation are a delight to behold. I’m smiling even as I am writing this. This was fun!

Raat Akeli Hai: Dir: Honey Tehran. Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Ila Arun, Shweta Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia.

This was India’s answer to Knives Out. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is at his finest as the honest and frustrated (in more ways than one) police officer who finds himself attracted to the mistress of the murdered man. What follows is a tale so full of twists and turns that I could not predict where it is going. When you have Siddiqui at the helm, you are almost certain to get a good film. But when he is backed by stellar performance from the able cast, that takes the film to another level altogether.

Patal Lok: Dir: Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy. Starring: Jaideep Alhawat, Niraj Kabi, Abhishek Bannerjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Gul Panang, Ishvaak Singh.

Wow. Just. Wow. This is arguably the BEST thing that I have seen all year. On the surface this is an attempted murder case. But what it actually is, is a mirror to our society. It is a human story. A story of greed, corruption, power, violence, misogyny, depravity and true evil. It is a story of love, hope, support, kindness and humanity. It is a story of us. My hats off to the entire cast and crew for coming up with something truly special.

ENGLISH

Haunting of Bly Manor: Created by: Mike Flannagan. Starring: Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Amelia Eve, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli.

Based on Henry Jame’s Turn of the Screw, this was a poignant tale of love, loss and pain. While it pales in comparison to its brilliant predecessor, Haunting of the Hill House, and the 1961 screen adaptation of the novel, The Innocents, Bly Manor still manages to be a worthy watch. In Mike Flannagan’s deft hands, we get to see a completely different perspective of the Haunting. I won’t say more, for spoilers, but this was definitely one of the better things I watched this year. Especially since I almost eschewed English movies/series this year. (I did watch some forgettable movies like Extraction and Mulan, but even mentioning them here feels sacrilegious.)

Korean

This year, I returned to Korean Dramas after a long time. My last Korean Drama before this year was Faith that I saw in 2014. Since Boys Over Flowers (Read Kim Bum) is my guilty pleasure watch, I decided to have it on in the background sometime in March or April this year. (Honestly, in 2020, who knows?). BOF took me to The King: Eternal Monarch. And TKEM introduced me to Woo Do Hwan who gave me some of the best times in this year. Three of his dramas feature here.

Save Me:- Dir: Kim Sung-soo. Starring: Ok Taec-yeon, Seo Yea-ji, Woo Do Hwan, Jo Sung-ha, Jo Jae-yoon.

Do you fancy a kick to your teeth? Because that is what this series is. What starts a simple story of a regular family’s struggles upon moving to a new town, quickly turns into a harrowing nightmare in which you are simply the viewer. The story delves into cults and the insidious power they hold. Through Seo Yea-ji’s brilliant performance as Im Sang-mi, we see a K drama heroine who is not a damsel in distress. She isn’t the one throwing the punches, that is done by Ok Taec-yeon and Woo Do Hwan. Still she is the one that leads the fight. If that wasn’t enough, Woo Do Hwan, plays Seok Dong-chul. Arguably one of the best male leads I have seen.

Mad Dog:- Dir: Hwang Ui-kyung Starring: Yoo Ji-tae, Woo Do Hwan, Jo Jae-joon, Ryu Hwa-young, Kim Hye-sung.

What a treat this show is! Smart protagonists pitted against equally intelligent antagonists and a taut plot that rarely sags (It does sag just a wee bit in the middle but it picks up pace very quickly). Woo Do Hwan is fantastic as the ever changing, tough to pin down, Kim Min Joon. The layers in this character! This show will keep you guessing. Every cast member is stellar and no one has a single misstep. A must watch!

My Country: Dir: Kim Jin-won Starring:  Yang Se Jong, Woo Do Hwan, Kim Seol-hyun, Jang Hyuk.

This series brings a set of very complex emotions in me. Don’t get me wrong. I love the series. Its story, characterization, costumes, cinematography, acting, action scenes, OST. They are top notch. A+. But... and this is a big one, this series is also a glaring display of what happens when a writer falls in love with one of their characters. As a writer, I can say that we love all our characters. But it is very dangerous for a writer to move from simply loving the character to falling in love with the character. When that happens, the writer becomes afraid of letting that particular character make mistakes. Or glosses over their flaws. Often at the expense of the other character. Which is what happened here. The writer fell in love with Seo Hwi and Nam Seon ho paid the price. Hwi could literally assassinate people in front of Hui Jae and still be forgiven for it, while Nam Seon-ho gets demonized for trying to save Hwi by telling lies. I could go on and on about how unfair this series was to Seon-ho, but that would be a separate post altogether.

Tale of a Gumiho: Dir: Kang Shin-hyo Starring: Lee Dong Wook, Jo Bo-ah, Kim Bum.

I started this series for Kim Bum (I LOVE THE GUY). I was prepared for some cheesy, goofy fun with some good looking people. But soon, I was watching it for the story. A smart Urban Fantasy with elements of Korean Mythology, this was UF done right! This series made me do research. I am so tired of seeing the same old myths in fantasy that this came as a breath of fresh air. Intelligent protagonists who communicate well (gasp! what? That happens?). A flip-flopping anti-hero. A truly psychopathic villain and a bunch of other well-fleshed characters make for one entertaining watch. I highly recommend it.

Chinese:

K-dramas made me revive the Tumblr account that I had created sometime in 2017 and which lay dormant since then. Soon, my Tumblr feed was filled with gifs and metas of a show with pretty men. I did not pay much attention to it, till a post about Jin Ling’s Uncle made me snort. Even though I didn’t understand what it was talking about, it was still funny. Realizing that the show is on Netflix, I saw the trailer and wasn’t impressed. Then there was the length. 50 episodes! Holee-moleee. “No. I ain’t got that much time,” I said and moved on. But then, I saw a gif of a man smiling. I had never seen a smile that dazzling. There was something about that smile that made me go back and click on the first episode. And in less than ten minutes of the episode, they killed the man whose smile drew me to the show. WTF? But I had seen gifs of him. There had to be more. Then, the show began and I had no idea what was happening. I decided no smile could be worth the brain-cells I am having to expend for this. Chuck it. But people in Tumblr said, hold on. You will understand it. Episode 2, and I still wasn’t sold. I gave it till episode 5. Then, before I knew it, I finished the 50 episodes and currently reside in the rabbit hole that is The Untamed.

Dir: Zheng Weiwen and Chen Jialin Starring: Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, and a host of others. I can’t write the name of the entire cast, even though I want to.

PS: In case you don’t know, the man with the pretty smile is Xiao Zhan.

[dreamingsushi]

The Untamed - Episode 50 Final Episode

Here it is. The final episode. I am so not ready to say goodbye. Ever. I don’t want this to end. This has to be the best drama I ever watched. I went through a roller coaster of emotions during those past 49 episodes and I am so thankful for all the production team and all the cast for their amazing job. I enjoyed myself every step of the way, even when I cried so much that my eyes were swollen for days. Thank you and I am happy that I ever started watching, thankful that I passed through episode one because I was so unsure if I should keep on watching. Here’s to the last 40 minutes of my greatest joy for the past month.

Xichen reminds him that he wouldn’t be merciful if Jing Guangyao made the single movement, but then he asks, did he even move? Honestly, how could he move in the state he is in? But it’s best that he dies because anyways, what life does he have left? He’s better to start over and let’s pray he has a better father even though he did so much evil in this life. Maybe his karma will be balanced between his sufferings and his evil deeds? I hope so. Not because I like him, but because at the beginning, we should all stand a chance.

So Jin Guangyao guessed that Nie Huaisang was the person behind his downfall. But nobody would believe that Nie Huaisang lied. Then Jin Guangyao stands up and Xichen swords penetrates further in his body. He tells him that he did all the possible evils on Earth, but he never wanted, never even thought of hurting Lan Xichen. How long is it going to take before he dies? His body is really stronger than it looks. And then they just look, actually, like lovers that never could confess to each other.

Oh god. That guy is a creep. He goes all the way backwards to Nie Mingjue’s tomb and the bloods dripping on him wakes him up. No way. The building is about to fall apart. Then Jin Guangyao asks him if he will accompany him in death, and it looks like Xchen was going to, but then Jin Guangyao pushes him away and stays inside by himself. Nie Mingjue didn’t come out in the end. Ouf. Safe.

Poor Jin Ling. His uncle died. He must be torn apart. Ever since he was small Jin Guangyao took care of him, but then again he was the one that killed his parents. Lan Xichen is so heartbroken. Then Huaisang says something so smart which is “nobody can completely understand a person”. And Xichen asks him if he really saw Jin Guangyao trying to hurt him. Huaisang keeps on saying he has seen it, but since he asks so much, he can’t be sure anymore and says he doesn’t know. Pretty good at acting like a fool that Huaisang.

Wei Ying doesn’t have any scars. Great, his soul won’t be completely destroyed.

All the small disciples come in. Jin Ling takes Xianzi out so Wei Ying won’t be scared but when he comes in again, he’s already gone. Jiang Cheng tells him not to try to chase for them, then Jin Ling blames him for their departure, saying it’s because of his character that they left. Moreover, didn’t he have something to say to Wei Ying? There’s a flashback from right after they left Lianhua Wu and that Shijie is sick. Wei  Ying went to buy medicine for Yanli and when Jiang Cheng come out, he sees Wen soldiers about to get Wei Ying so Jiang Cheng actually acted as a bait to save Wei Ying. Those two. Really. I’m crying again. Gosh. My Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying TT

Lan Zhan tells he has something to tell him, but as he’s about to say it, Sizhui and Wen Ning just get there. No love confession ): Okay, it wasn’t probably that, most likely he wanted to tell him about Ah Yuan, but with that being said, it could have been. It’s just funny how so many times it’s hinted but never said.

So Sizhui has something very important to ask Wei Ying. He remembered about Wei Ying planting him so he would get bigger and grow some friends, how he wanted to invite Lan Zhan for a meal but couldn’t pay because they had to run away. He doesn’t remember everything, but he’s sure he used to be a Wen. AH YUUUUUUUAN. I don’t know, is it just me? Am I the only one crying now? Wei Ying missed his little boy so much and he was right by his side. And from the beginning Wei Ying liked Sizhui. It’s... I am sorry, I am sobbing right now. Wei Ying is so happy to find him back.

Yup, that’s the one thing Lan Zhan never told Wei Ying. Then Wei Ying and Ah Yuan hugs, both crying. They missed each other so much.

And that moment when Wei Ying says “no wonder it’s a child raised by Lan Zhan” and then Lan Zhan “it’s also the child you raised”. Meaning “it’s our child”. So cute. I’m so happy. That’s so sad, but so beautiful at the same time. Oh no I was wrong. The most beautiful moment is when Sizhui grabs Wei Ying’s leg, like when he was a child. And then Lan Zhan and Wei Ying look at each other and it’s just so beautiful.

Wen Ning and Ah Yuan are going back for a while to Qishan, then he will send Ah Yuan back to Yunshen buzhichu, start living for himself. Finally. I am so glad for Wen Ning. He deserves that.

What? There are not staying together? Lan Zhan and Wei ying? Oh. The relief. Wei Ying stayed with Lan Zhan. They stay together at yunshen buzhichu. Or maybe not, but I don’t care. I decided that’s how it is. For the drama. They look happy, I’m happy, it’s well deserved. Ok he’s not staying, why should they part... This is so annoying. It  should have stopped when they play music together. Why are they doing this. Well at least he plans on meeting again, someday.

OK WHAT IS THIS ENDING? I DON’T GET IT. Did they meet again like a long time after? Or is the same day? I. WAIT WHAT?

I don’t care. This was the most beautiful ending. I cried a lot. Way too much. I am already missing this drama and it just ended. For me I mean. Like one minute ago. I am going to watch it all over again. Never ever enough. I loved everything. Even the characters I hate. Like I hate Jin Guangyao. But he was perfect. Just. The whole thing. The music. The cast. No I just wish that my name was Wei Ying so it could be my phone ring for texts message. Maybe I will do it anyways and have Lan Zhan call Wei Ying whenever somebody writes to me. It’s to that point. And I am going to have my OST album this week. Finally. I could cry of happiness. Next month’s bullet journal is all going to be Chen Qing Ling theme. I have to keep it going on. I can’t just leave it like this.

Thank you for those that took the time to read my posts throughout my journey while watching this show. I am forever grateful for your time. I will probably keep posting a little while longer Chen Qing Ling related stuff, like character wise and just a big big recommendation post for people to watch it. Until next time!

[veronica-nardi]

Hwarang

La serie dei piccoli problemi di cuore

Mi aspettavo delle cose belle e divertenti da questa serie, non ho mai pensato che sarebbe stata un capolavoro ma pensavo che mi sarebbe potuta piacere molto. E per vari episodi, infatti, mi è piaciuta assai. Fino a metà serie circa, dopo di che... il baratro.

Non è una serie da bocciare, alcune cose positive le ha, e l'ho anche guardata con piacere, ma è innegabile che Hwarang abbia un sacco di problemi.

Tagliamo la testa al toro: LA LEAD È IL PIÙ GRANDE MALE DI QUESTA SERIE.

All'inizio è inutile e piagnona, pensa solo a essere innamorata del presunto fratello. Poi comincia a finire nei guai in ogni singola puntata, con la conseguenza che i due lead maschili passano il 90% del tempo a preoccuparsi per lei. E poi piange. Piange sempre. Ed è passiva, non fa nulla, tutto quello che le succede è perché le viene fatto da altri.

Nemmeno Shijie di The Untamed era così tanto inutile e passiva, almeno lei teneva uniti i due fratelli risolvendo i loro problemi. Ah Ro invece i problemi non li risolve, lei i problemi li crea.

Raramente ho visto una lead così tanto insopportabile e scritta male.

Per non parlare del fatto che nessuno riesce a ucciderla nemmeno quando se ne sta ferma immobile nel mezzo di una radura, ed è qui che capisci le gravi forzature di Hwarang.

Questa serie ha una sceneggiatura che fa acqua da tutte le parti. Credo di poter riassumere la cosa in questo modo: si sono persi per strada. Perché le premesse erano buone e interessanti, e quello che poteva venire fuori era davvero molto bello, ma nella seconda parte del drama la scrittura non ha saputo reggere le aspettative che aveva inizialmente creato.

Mi sembra quasi di aver visto due serie differenti: la prima è divertente, ricca di spunti, interessante, luminosa; mentre la seconda è sempre più seria, piena di lacrime, scura, con forzature a non finire, buchi di trama e dettagli che si perdono per strada.

Allora mi chiedo quale fosse l'intento di Hwarang: fare una serie spensierata ma comunque con riflessioni interessanti (tipo Weightlifting Fairy Kim bok-joo), o fare un drama storico che si prende sul serio? (Tipo My Country).

Su questo la sceneggiatura si è proprio persa. Sembra bipolare.

Boccio in toto anche la storia d'amore principale (meno male ce n'è stata una secondaria): ripetitiva e noiosa, una brodaglia di sguardi sofferenti e parole scontate. Si tratta di una delle peggio ship che ho visto quest'anno.

La recitazione in alcuni casi è buona, ma mai nulla di straordinario, ma i tre lead non mi hanno conquistata proprio per niente. Peccato sopratutto per Park Hyung-sik, che mi aveva fatto innamorare in Strong Woman ma che qui passa la maggior parte del tempo con un'espressione da ebete depresso sulla faccia.

Per quanto riguarda i due lead maschili, li promuovo per grazia divina. Così come la Regina e il dottore.

Il protagonista è stato un personaggio abbastanza standard e davvero troppo legato a quella lagna della lead, tuttavia ho apprezzato il suo pensiero di conquistare il trono (ma dovrei dire che lo avrei apprezzato molto di più se fosse stato sviluppato meglio), perché pensavo che lo avrebbe rifiutato come qualsiasi umile eroe rifiuta il potere quando gli viene offerto.

La Regina e suo figlio hanno dato vita a un rapporto abbastanza interessante, e tra i vari problemi di scrittura che presentano questi due personaggi, li promuovo.

Il villain non è né da promuovere né da bocciare, perché è un villain molto classico e banale, il solito tizio che vuole il potere. Mi ha fatto però molto ridere la sua strategia: anziché agire nell'ombra e in modo discreto, questo ha passato tutto il tempo a sbandierare i suoi piani a chiunque lo stesse ascoltando. Ci mancava solo che andasse in giro con un cartello con su scritto "sto avvelenando la Regina". Anzi, a pensarci bene forse lo devo bocciare, perché non capisco per quale motivo non viene ucciso nel finale. Da quello che ho capito cade in disgrazia, ma mi pare troppo poco per aver cercato di assassinare i membri della famiglia reale e aver quasi istigato una rivolta. Nel fatto che l'appena eletto Re non gli abbia tagliato la testa io ci rivedo lo stesso buonismo del protagonista di My Country, quando non riuscì a uccidere il suo nemico perché padre del suo ex migliore amico. Quindi mi viene da pensare che il re non abbia ucciso il villain perché padrino del suo amico Ban Ryu.

E parlando di Ban Ryu, ecco un bel personaggio. Non è un capolavoro di psicologia, ma è stato scritto bene e questo va detto. Mi ha ricordato molto Draco Malfoy e l'ho adorato insieme alla sua amata Soo Yeon.

LORO SONO LA VERA STORIA D'AMORE DI QUESTA SERIE.

LEI AVREBBE DOVUTO ESSERE LA VERA LEAD!!!! #petizione

Sono stati carini, adorabili, naturali. Lei coraggiosa, fedele, sensibile. Lui sembrava un adolescente di quindici anni alle prese con la sua prima cotta: impacciato e incapace di spiccicare parola di fronte a lei, che ha sempre guardato manco fosse l'apparizione della Madonna XD.

Un altro personaggio che mi è piaciuto un sacco è stato Han Seong, interpretato da Kim Tae-hyung. È ormai da un po' di tempo che sono fan dei BTS, ma non penso di essere di parte quando dico che questo personaggio risulta essere uno dei migliori della serie, e non me lo sarei mai aspettata. È stato un amore. Un bambino innocente che stava imparando a diventare grande tra sogni e amicizie. Peccato che passati cinque minuti dalla sua morte nessuno sembra ricordarsi più di lui e nessuno ne parla più. Bah. Come vi permettete, infami.

Nessuno potrà mai togliermi dalla testa che #hanseongmeritavadimeglio

Faccio i miei complimenti a Tae hyung per la recitazione. Essendo lui un cantante e un ballerino, non mi aspettavo chissà cosa dalle sue doti recitative. STUPIDA. È stato uno dei più bravi.

(E comunque ancora non riesco a giffare la sua morte perché devo ancora riprendermi)

Per quanto riguarda il gioco del trono, ha dei grossi problemi di sceneggiatura. In particolare, la scelta di mettere i due protagonisti l'uno contro l'altro per la conquista del trono SUL FINALE, è stata semplicemente ridicola. Siccome non c'era fisicamente tempo per una guerra come si deve tra i due (cosa che mi sarebbe anche piaciuta), ho subito immaginato che sarebbe finita a tarallucci e vino. E infatti...

Concludo parlando di questi benedetti Hwarang: io credevo che la serie parlasse di loro, invece si parla più che dei problemi di cuore del terzetto protagonista + la principessa (personaggio che devo bocciare perché inutile ai fini della trama).

Posso dirlo? A me sti Hwarang sono sempre sembrati più che altro un branco di pettegoli. Simpatici eh. Però mi aspettavo che gli fosse riservato più spazio, e che il loro percorso sarebbe stato diverso. Io ancora mi chiedo seriamente come questi Hwarang che a parole (in questa serie a parole sono tutti bravissimi) dovrebbero essere indipendenti e liberi di scegliere ma che poi vanno a "scegliere" come sovrano il re a cui guarda caso spettava il trono #lecoincidenze, mi chiedo come abbiano potuto unificare la Corea.

Tra l'altro io mi aspettavo anche delle bellissime bromance tra questi ragazzi, ma, di nuovo, gli è stato dato troppo poco spazio. La bromance tra i due lead non è riuscita a conquistarmi, per assurdo mi è piaciuta di più quella tra il protagonista e Han Seong.

MA UNA BROMANCE C'È.

LORO:

Il loro rapporto combattuto tra rivalità e amicizia mi è piaciuto un sacco.

Due parole su Soo Ho: io e @dilebe06 lo abbiamo giustamente soprannominato "raggio di sole", e per vari episodi è stato la gioia della mia vita e luce dei miei occhi, ma penso che sia uno dei personaggi che più è stato sfruttato male e che non ha compiuto nessuna evoluzione. Non ho nemmeno apprezzato la sua """storia d'amore""" con la Regina, una storia a senso unico in cui fa tutto lui. All'inizio era divertente, ma poi è diventata ripetitiva e anche inutile, perché non ha portato da nessuna parte.

Ultima cosa: mi sono piaciute tantissimo le OST. Alcune sono moderne e quindi in contrasto con la presentazione storica della serie, ma a me questo mixer tra medioevo e modernità è piaciuto assai. È stato qualcosa di diverso dal solito.

Punteggio: 6.8

Questo commento mi è venuto brutto tanto quanto la storia d'amore della serie.

Consoliamoci con due risate:

[i-am-just-a-kiddo]

playlist tag

rules: we’re snooping in your playlist. put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first ten songs (including music only stuff like OSTs as well as songs) and then choose 10 victims.

thank you for the tag, @cortue 💞 i always have fun with these, especially when it’s about music. i am tagging @vishcount, @sassyassassy, @intyalote, @the-cloud-whisperer. no pressure, but i am very eager for music recs and new music in general! 

i used shuffle on my entire music folder on my computer, which contains a lot of music from my teenage years but only a tiny fraction of what i listened to during the last four years. i apologise that half of the songs are Three Days Grace because i was obsessed during highschool and i have all of their CDs. let’s go down this nostalgia trip, shall we

Belize - 24/7 

this is one of the few songs on this adventure that i have added in recent years. when i first discovered it in 2018 i was obsessed and i still am? a friend of mine from italy gave me the best recommendations for italian indie and belize is definitely one of my faves.

Three Days Grace - Gone Forever

here we go. this is one of many songs that will make it up here, oh boy. i remember my first two years of highschool being absolutely obsessed with 3dg. i discovered them through some AMVs and from there it was downhill. i remember seeing them live on some festival in 2015 and i cried my fucking eyes out (even when they already had the new frontman at that time which i was a little bit sad about). to this day i like to wear my bandshirt that i got there. definitely one of my most intense concert experiences, damn

Three Days Grace - Last To Know 

oh boy, this truly brings up memories. i think this was the first album i bought as a physical copy and this song always hit especially hard? i haven’t listened to this in more than six years and i still can sing along to the lyrics, what the hell. it’s funny how this was such a huge part of my highschool years and now i’ve basically forgotten about their music.

Metallica - Don’t Tread On Me 

more highschool nostalgia for me. i think as for many, metallica was my gateway to metal and punk music and anything else that fits under the rock category. it’s just a solid classic i guess? this isn’t one of my top songs, but i am still happy hearing it after such a long time.

Three Days Grace - Time That Remains 

i don’t wanna say that Transit Of Venus was my favourite album, but it sort of was? i remember getting the CD of christmas 2012 and a few days later meeting my soon to be first girlfriend? so this album in particular holds these memories of my first love and first heartbreak. maybe that is how i fell out with 3dg, that i was unable to listen to them for a while after that. it’s just very personal and sometimes those memories are more intense than the music i associate with it. either way, i am fond of that christmas because i was so over moon about this album.

SHINee - All Day All Night 

wow, i have a very emotional response to this song. when they released this song in early 2018 everything still felt so raw, after Jonghyun left us. i remember crying over these mini albums a lot but also appreciating that they still sound so....shinee? this song is just so catchy and i loved how bubbly it sounds? i always imagined some funky underwater world with these sounds in my ears. but yes, this too lowkey makes me want to cry.

Queen - I’m Going Slightly Mad

of course, queen has to be here, because they will never leave me. this song is so delicious somehow, especially when i listen to it on headphones, where i can hear all the tiny sounds and instruments. gosh, rewatching this MV reminds me how much love i have for them

Three Days Grace - It’s All Over

if i had to list my top 5 3dg songs back then, am pretty sure this would be amongst them. honestly it’s still such a banger and i might just add this to one of my recent playlists. i think One-X overall is a very solid album and has so many iconic songs. during highschool when everything sucked this song felt so cathartic and i will be unapologetic about it. this was my emotional support rock band, i am grateful.

Aaron Lewis - Tangled up 

honestly, i have no fucking idea where i found this? i was probably like....13 or something lol. i suspect i might have found it on some Ouran Highschool Host Club AMV, but i am not entirely sure. i remember listening to this alot and writing my first fanfictions in my head (and on my crappy phone sometimes). i still like how the chorus sounds tbh

민수(Minsu) - 섬(Islet)

i discovered this song some three years ago or something and it’s still so sweet. it has these calm summer vibes that soothe my anxiety and the mv is so pretty? quality chill time, which is sort of funny after all these 3dg songs.

well, it was fun discovering what songs i have on my computer! honestly, most of my music is on youtube nowadays, but it was still interesting and makes me very fond. thanks again for the tag! 

[pips-fics]

ah i feel like ik that abt the untamed, lol i love it. ok this might sound weird but i’m not gay… but like i support if ofc (bc who wouldn’t)(literally) (and i swear i’m not being sarcastic bc smtimes i sound like i am when i’m not) and i find stories and stuff like that to be really good!! they’re usually wholesome and i love that but i have a feeling that the untamed isn’t… (IM SORRY IF I SOUND WEIRD IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN THIS)

anywho yes anime is great lol. probs why i love a lot of anime osts lol

it’s ok haha (this time lol) markiplier is a gaming youtuber lol and fnaf is one of the games he’s known for playing haha (u might know it as five nights at freddys idk lol)

LOL the untamed is wholesome in its own way. the show at least is - the source material less so. but the show is not overtly sexual or anything - it's just violent and brutal and has a dark but realistic approach to power imbalances and societal hierarchies.

cherry magic is one of the most wholesome shows i've seen, and i told sunset about you is very wholesome as well, although it also has a lot of angst. anyway it's funny you say that because me being old, i used to watch gay shows years ago and back then they were literally the opposite of wholesome :(( it's gotten so much better now though - the quality is still hit or miss, but it at least won't traumatize me like the very old shows did, so i've been enjoying it a lot in recent years

anime osts can be pretty cool!! waiting patiently for lucy to make on since wonsang has said that he wants to 🥰

ohhhh i gotcha, gaming is one thing i've not really gotten into so it makes sense that i'm not familiar - still i should've recognized the acronym since i have friends who are very into fnaf

[xueyangs-pinky-finger]

Hi Ruby! I've watched CQL and a few episodes of MDZS Q. It's not available in my country on youtube so it's been hard to watch. I'm just waiting for it to come out properly here. I also listened to a few scenes from the audio drama but I much prefer being able to see the scenes too, especially when I still need subtitles (although the voice actors sounded really good!). And I read a few parts from the book but I couldn't really get into it like I did with CQL.

And hahaha yeah my Spotify Wrapped is an Untamed, XZ, WYB mess too! All the top 30+ songs are either from the Untamed OST or are xz/wyb's other songs fjdjsjjss.

How long have you been on Tumblr? Have you had any different usernames in the past? Are there any other fandoms here that you're a part of?

-🎵🦄

So you know my name... You must be on desktop then unless you already knew me; I still haven’t linked to my about page on mobile alsdf

Ah that sucks!! I usually watch it on the website bc it comes out there first, but is that not available in your country either? :/ Be sure to watch ep 9 if you can bc that’s my fave so far; it’s good Wangxian content :))

I understand that; I also prefer visuals these days~ From what I’ve seen in my YouTube Recommended, the audio drama looks interesting though! I’ve never even listened to one before so I have no idea what to expect... Is it like a podcast alsdkf. I understand having trouble getting into the book, too~ I enjoy it but it also feels like a bit of a chore to read, especially since I’ve already watched most of the scenes play out in CQL, and it’s so much easier to watch things than it is to read them, lmao. (When I was a kid I read all the time... How...)

omg we love that 💕I relate so much asdkf. Seriously, between listening to them, watching and rewatching the mvs, and watching the performances, I’ve heard all of them soooo many times. I ain’t even know any Chinese, and I haven’t even tried to memorize the lyrics, but I still be mimicking the sounds and low-key singing along to Wuji bc I’m so familiar with it by now asdkl. It’s also frustrating tho bc there’s a lot of Chinese songs that aren’t on Spotify, so my options are limited and I can only really listen to a lot of their songs (Bonbon Girls, X-Nine, P101 performances, etc.) when I watch the vids on YouTube 😪

I’ve been here since March 2016! I joined for Stormpilot, hence my main blog being a Stormpilot blog bc I didn’t know what I was doing back then smh mess... I changed my url only once and it was for this side blog, from thorneanddameron (a reference to my two fave fictional pilots) to xueyangs-pinky-finger. CQL got me doing things I never did before~ ♡

Honestly I’m into so many things, but not many prompt me looking at and creating posts for them, making it to my blogs. I’ve abandoned many a blog in the past, as well, for interests that have since faded. This year I’ve been most into Asian dramas, so I’m currently (trying to be) active on this, my multi-fandom blog, but also my recently-created Enhypen blog. There’s a lot of stuff I love but don’t post about though, like other kpop groups and a lot of YouTubers~

Argh why do you always have such good questions T_T Got me responding in these long paragraphs every time 🙈💕