#linghe my fucking man

[zhouyes]

you're right. a saint is useless. what this world needs is heartless men. those who abide by the rules can't move forward fast. then, screw the rules.

ZHANG LINGHE as XIE WEI

story of kunning palace, 宁安如梦.

[thegreymoon]

Yesterday, somebody on Reddit said Cheng Yi for Xie Lian and I can't unsee it! I was never down for the casing in that doomed Eternal Faith adaptation (I did like Zhang Linghe for Hua Cheng, though), and now that Cheng Yi has been brought to my attention, he is literally so perfect for the role for me! 😭

I mean!!

He couldn't be more of a Xie Lian if he tried!

Also, this is what this man looks like under those white, flowy robes, and you don't understand!! It's so important to me that Xie Lian is a martial god and absolutely fucking ripped (which only Hua Cheng gets to see, ofc) 😭😭

[ajaxbell]

Story of Kunning Palace is everything I shouldn't like and I love it

I picked up Story of Kunning Palace rather spontaneously, something to watch when I couldn't sleep, something to replace the run of really awful xianxias I keep quitting after a couple episodes. I went in knowing nothing about SoKP.

I was not prepared.

Oh, I said to myself, Zhang Linghe is in this. Fun!

Well my friends, while you should watch this because it's excellent, you should also brace yourselves. I did not expect to be utterly obsessed with this show and binge it all in like a week. Like literally I never do that. But the plot is interesting. It's beautifully shot. The cast is quite excellent. And the chemistry is off the charts.

Bai Lu is fantastic in this. She takes a complex roles and nails while giving the character an undercurrent of vulnerability that should win anyone over. She has sizzling chemistry with everyone she encounters, including one character who is the human equivalent of cream of wheat, and with the princess which is utterly delightful.

But Zhang Linghe. Whew, let me sit down and fan myself for a second. This is not the man who deftly played both Changheng and Xiao Run in Love Between Fairy and Devil. This is not the sweater-clad romantic his Studio seems to want to portray him as. This is... something else. Let me start with the caveat that I rarely go for the villain. I especially do not go for the villains who do not seem redeemable. And here in SoKP his character, Xie Wei, does not initially appear to be redeemable. He is a red flag a mile wide. He is a calculated mask of refinement over seething rage that always seems on the verge of breaking through. He appears capable of real violence. He sneers. He threatens. He's possessive and jealous to a disturbing degree. He generally looks disgusted with the world around him. And it is sexy as fuck. Why I am so in to this character? I can barely explain it beyond good acting and good storytelling. He is an utterly unhinged character, a veneer of civility over a feral creature ready to kill you at the slightest provocation, at least until you penetrate his armor. And then whew. You're in for quite a bumpy ride from beginning to end with his character, but so worth it for some incredible character development.

This is a reincarnation story of sorts, though slightly muddled since Chinese censorship won't allow those stories. It opens on the Empress, Jiang Xuening (Bai Lu) narrating her rise to power by any means necessary only to fall when rebels over take the palace. We see a lot of cruelty and violence and then rather than dying the Empress wakes up in the past with all her memories intact.

In this new life Jiang Xuening does everything she can to change events from the future she remembers, but ends up in the thick of it anyway. Along the way she collects an incredible cast of characters who all seem to fall in love with her (as you will too) and a long list of enemies so vile you will find yourself shouting at the screen for our heroes to just poison these assholes already.

It is especially interesting that here many of the side characters are the kind of good and honorable heroes, with excellent fighting skills or noble birth, that you often find at the center of these stories. Our secondary characters are sunshine, sweetness, and upright morality. But our leads are intensely morally grey, rely only on their wits, and are so packed full of trauma it's amazing they can function at all. And yet the story manages to wring some incredible depictions of friendship and loyalty out of this morally dubious center and make a story so irresistible that I lost sleep to watching several nights in a row.

In fairness some of that was because I just sort desperately needed more of Xie Wei the walking red flag, because whew he was so compelling. But it is truly a good and intricate story so full of twists that the constant surprise makes it even more satisfying. Highly recommend. But don't go into it looking for a sweet love story, it's a violent palace intrigue story with a side of very morally dubious and toxic romance with a smattering of consent issues, but weirdly, maybe even better for that? (And if you have a choking kink, this show will reward you!😅)

(And I'm not much one for celebrity gossip, but I will say that Zhang Linghe and Bail Lu gazing at each other in promo appearances for this has real 'get you someone who looks at you like Wang Yibo looks Xiao Zhan' vibes. Their on screen chemistry is searing, but it seems to have somehow carried over to or from real life because these people seem to very much, uh, admire each other.

gif from here

[dangermousie]

Ok last poll for the day I swear I am just so amused by all this fuckery (and pissed that after The Ingenuous One ends I have no cdrama in sight.)

[randomingoftherandomness]

Omg I totally forgot to update this post. Thank you @lianabrooks for this addition.

Yes. HIM >>>>

Him and his bitch-the-fuck face ranks as one of my favourite things this year from cdrama. 10/10. no notes. we love a man who speaks in eyebrows.

Also, their kisses are so so hot and I'm thissssss close to screaming.

Prayer circle that Zhang Linghe gets more good roles and that his role in the upcoming Grand Princess will be yet another stellar showing. I need me more of this Zhang Linghe yes please and thank you.

Okay I just have thoughts. I don’t know what these thoughts are, but they’re there.

Zhang Linghe as Gong Ziyu, especially in the beginning, was everything I’ve never seen him as — soft, almost delicate. How he was shot and framed in those early episodes still makes me feral (tbh everything about this show makes me feral and that’s the cinematography whore in me)

And then even after he starts maturing and levelling up! There’s still this sense of gentleness in the way he is visualised and portrayed. Guh. Love it.

But then contrast him as Qi Xiao Xuan

He’s dressed is lighter colours as compared to Gong Ziyu and he’s definitely more “in the light” but how he is shot and framed is much more masculine? In the essence that he feels more “aggressive”? If that makes any sense.

I’m still in the earlier episodes of Tiger and Crane but I’m having a bit of whiplash with how he is on this show as compared to MJTY. It’s fascinating.

(obligatory if evil why hot HNGGH)

I’ve been keeping an eye on him since his debut on Maiden Holmes (and wow has it just been three years since he debut? Bruh is doing good!) and to see him get more roles and gain more prominence makes me very happy. I don’t know, just feel like it would be nice to see him in more roles that see him in a softer way? I think it’d also be great to see him team up with Jin Jing again? But I think that’s just me haha

[tokumusume]

thots and thoughts: Love Between Fairy and Devil episodes 8 - 11

Qingcang is jealous of Xiao Lan Hua’s love for Changheng. He’s so cute trying to make sense of all these new emotions!

So Changheng’s brother is the guy I thought was his father, the one who’s like a king. He wants Changheng to marry Chidi so Changheng rejects Xiao Lan Hua in order to protect her. It’s painful to watch.

Sexy Ronghao alert! Those bedroom eyes!

Slightly off topic: this pic of Xu Haiqiao and Zhang Linghe has been living rent free in my mind, they’re so cute, hmpf.

Back to the series...

WORST WATER SPECIAL EFFECTS I’VE EVER SEEN. And I’ve seen Tientsin Mystic. Why write an underwater scene if you don’t wanna put your actors actually underwater?

Dylan Wang looks GREAT soaking wet. The hair tendrils really add to his already perfect face.

Changheng asks Ronghao Masked Man about the evil spirit. Ronghao Masked Man says it’s Qingcang’s doing. How does Changheng not recognize his friend under that mask?!?!

Changheng goes to Arbiter Hall after Qingcang and finds him there. They fight in a forest because Qingcang doesn’t want to destroy the place. That’s very considerate of him.

During the fairy nomination ceremony, Turtle God Xuanwu refers to Xiao Lan Hua as old friend and tells her she’s special. She’s confused, of course. She’s accused of being not a fairy but a member of the bad news Moon Tribe. Uh oh. Changheng’s brother tries to arrest her but Qingcang arrives and chaos ensues. The CGI is decent.

Then Qingcang fights Changheng outside and escapes with Xiao Lan Hua. He takes her to his tribe. We’re introduced to his brother Xunfeng, who isn’t happy to see him back. He gives me Xue Yang vibes.

Xiao Lan Hua is having a hard time adapting to life in the Moon Tribe. Qingcang hates that Xiao Lan Hua still thinks about Changheng. Baby, it's called jealousy.

Dylan Wang bath scene alert! Nothing is shown, though :/

Can Dylan Wang do this to me?

Xunfeng hates Qingcang because Qingcang killed their father and took the throne. I love him already so whatever he does in the future, he did nothing wrong. #XunfengApologist

(Also, doesn’t he look a bit like Natalie Dormer?)

Qingcang builds a replica of Arbiter Hall to cheer Xiao Lan Hua up but it only makes her more homesick. Harsh words are thrown around and Qingcang says he never loved or cared for Xiao Lan Hua, he only protected her because of the curse connecting their bodies and souls. He doesn’t even need her anymore because his new jade ring cancels the effects of the curse. Ouch. Xiao Lan Hua then pretends to be sick, attracts Qingcang to a place outside during a storm and kisses him. They switch bodies again (the key to the body swap is being hit by a lightning). Now Qingcang can’t discard her.

AND IT’S A HOOT.

Xiao-Lan-Hua-in-Qingcang’s-body has Qingcang-in-Xiao-Lan-Hua’s-body arrested and takes his place. She messes up the coronation ceremony and rejects some ladies, leading to a rumor that Qingcang prefers men. Specifically his dragon servant Shangque. I hollered.

Then Qingcang-in-Xiao-Lan-Hua’s-body teaches Xiao-Lan-Hua-in-Qingcang’s-body how to behave like him for another 3 days (when another storm is going to happen and they can unswitch) to varying degrees of success.

Fuck, Xunfeng is involved with Ronghao. I love a twink with a hidden agenda. *opens ao3*

Can’t wait for the next episodes! Will RongXun* take RongHeng’s place as “number one ship where one of the parts is Xu Haiqiao’s character” in my heart?

*I don’t know the official ship name.