#same for Xia Fei

[raddestrose]

So I have found just about every Link Click Spotify playlist i can find

there are hardly ANY playlists for Qiao Ling, which is kind of sad but more will probably be made

there are a WHOLE LOT of Shiguang playlists

im kind if having a hard time finding any that aren’t Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang

[gh0stmew]

Assuming Vein and Xia Fei actually have powers, I wonder if it’s a coincidence that their eye color is the same as Tianchen and Cxs or if it’s on purpose because their abilities might be similar 👀

[hyxsn]

this is a crime

[pastorfutureletthembe]

Checkmate ♚

Apparently a temporary AR (Otome) game is coming soon and the artwork for it is just breathtaking! It is also full of details I want to explore OF COURSE. My brain is doing tetris things again, oops.

Looking for a senseless meta about chess pieces? You're in the right place, come on in~

>> Chess Theme

White vs Black

The first topic is obviously the chess theme. Of course, this part is to be taken with a grain of salt since the pieces aren't correctly disposed on the board. However, the characters themselves are walking on their respective squares except for Vein (because he's all powerful and he's above your stupid rules. Probably). Notably, Liu Xiao himself seems to be leaving a white square. And if there is any meaning to it, I'd like to believe it makes a gray character out of him.

Now, what can we say about the chess pieces themselves?

White: rook, pawn, knight

Black: rook, mystery piece, king

Each character is paired with a chess piece.

The most reassuring clue to me is that a white piece has been given to Xia Fei. Which, there is a fat chance this makes an ally out of him. He might be only a Pawn ♙ for now. For those who are not familiar with chess, a Pawn can only move ahead, never back, one square at a time. It has some cool moves too but it depends on the game you want to play. If the path is open, a Pawn can reach the other side of the board, turning it into a Queen ♕. If a Pawn can only move ahead in small range, a Queen literally rules over the whole board. She's quick, vicious and dangerous once she has enough space to move as she pleases. Of course, he can also be a mere Pawn, a tool to manipulate Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi.

[Edit: since I always turn mine into Queens because I like to inspire fear and admiration from my brother, a Pawn can also turn into a Rook, a Bishop, or a Knight. I like to think of Xia Fei as a Queen but it's very interesting that he could turn into either Vein/CXS, Liu Xiao or Lu Guang by the end of Yingdu Chapter. ]

Cheng Xiaoshi and Vein both getting paired with a ♖ Rook ♜ could mean they use the same kind of power or are equivalent in some ways. Rooks have a large range, can move horizontally and vertically, ahead or back. They are better used when paired with other pieces, though, cause a lonely Rook ♖ is an easy pray. I think the main focus here is the similarity more than the piece itself. Lu Guang seems to be the one being punished and haunted, but Vein probably offered his power to Cheng Xiaoshi (or Lu Guang, according to the last Yingdu Chapter PV). My personal theory is that Vein mirrors or shadows Cheng Xiaoshi's shape because he is the source of his power. Vein's position, if there is any relevance to it, keeps Lu Guang's Knight ♘ from moving at the center, his natural and most efficient position.

Toppled King

Liu Xiao has two pieces by his side, a King ♔ and a mystery piece. The merch revealed the later to be a Bishop ♝.

Note that only amateurs tend to topple the King. It is regarded as some kind of pop culture-only approach to chess. Because of this, let's take a look a what an actual checkmate is (where we don't get to step on the vainquished).

Checkmate is any game position in chess in which a player's king is threatened with capture and there is no possible escape. In chess, the king is never actually captured. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. The player loses as soon as their king is checkmated. In formal games, it is usually considered good etiquette to resign an inevitably lost game before being checkmated. (cf. wikipedia)

If Vein, the current character we might recognize as the ultimate villain of the season, is only a Rook ♜, equivalent to Cheng Xiaoshi, who does the King ♔ represent? My personal opinion is Time, Fate itself. The song "Mastermind" supports this theory, and Lu Guang himself really is defying the natural order to save Cheng Xiaoshi, after all. It would make perfect sense. Stopping the clocks at a tournament is the sign of surrender. So basically, the game is over when one gives up and stops when the King has nowhere to go.

The character of Liu Xiao is given a lot of care in this specific artwork. He actually always stood out, since his very first appearance in the season 2 artworks, walking past Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi's portray, looking away from us. Here, again, he's not interested in the audience, focuses on the photograph of what fans reckon as Lu Guang from "Dive Back in Time".

The truth is, he's playing the long game, he has no time to spare, and he regards people as puppets. There has been theories about him having a hidden agenda, independently of Vein, using/working with Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi for his plan. His intervention in "Trial Train" speaks volume of his strategic mind, "they wanted to escape but didn't realize I blocked the exit a long time ago". Also, one hundred years wouldn't be enough to escape.

This merciless sharpness makes the Bishop perfect for Liu Xiao. Funny story, the Bishop ♝ is not actually a priest, but it represents a war elephant. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. That's fitting.

Another possibility regarding the toppled King could be that it refers to Liu Xiao's background. The fallen piece could be a resolved situation but the motivation behind Liu Xiao's intent to manipulate the timelines. Perhaps he played this game before and lost. Does Lu Guang know him or is Liu Xiao a mere stalker? Did they play this same game together or against each other?

There's a lot that can be speculated but it is hard to say what these pieces represent for now. As I said before, this read is based on popular imagery of what chess is, not on the actual strategy on the board itself. Secondly, these three new characters we have yet to meet, they don't have a defined role in the canon, not until Yingdu Chapter finally aires.

>> Tokens

Each character is giving a object. I guess it might be relevant to the type of gameplay the AR game will offer but for the sake of this meta, we're still gonna try to understand why those in particular.

Cheng Xiaoshi has a camera. I don't think it deserve further analysis, his powers exist through the lens after all.

Xia Fei has a clock. Guess the time? 10:10. For those unaware, it is a very recurrent time. Put the promotional poster aside, I recommend you pay attention to the time on the clock in the Studio, above Lu Guang's head, right before the gang gets a ominous call from Xu Shanshan's phone at the end of 1x09. If it should mean anything about Xia Fei himself: I won't say it enough but, really: DO NOT TRUST HIM. Or, you know, perhaps he's doomed: it is worth mentioning that except for Xia Fei's Pawn ♙, each character is affiliated to a piece which can move forward and backward on the board.

Liu Xiao has a gear. I find this one intriguing because, so far, this object has belonged to Cheng Xiaoshi's imagery (cf. "BREAK!"). For someone on an ambitious project such as controlling timelines, he is giving a small tool that cannot be used on its own, is part of a machine. Could be relevant to the way he does things, never getting his own hands dirty, working through others. Or it could be that he's himself just another player, played by Fate. Or perhaps, he has the missing piece that Lu Guang needs to save Cheng Xiaoshi, who knows?

Vein is already using his own item: the pipe. He's the only one owning his object and aware of it.

>> The Case Study of Lu Guang

Because of course, our favorite character is actually the shadiest of all, I will dedicate a whole section about him specifically. Why do I insist on calling Lu Guang shady? We know and we see his chess piece is white. But you have to take a closer look to make out the White Knight ♘. The value of a Knight ♘ is equivalent to the Bishop's ♝. But ultimately, its worth less than Cheng Xiaoshi's Rook ♖.

L shaped path

Moving only in an 'L' shaped path, Knights ♘ are the most effective from the center of the board. This is because they get a broader reach in all directions from the central part.

Now, this is very important. Why should it be a mystery that Lu Guang's piece is a knight? What is a Knight ♘? The answer resides in the mechanism of his maneuver.

Part of the idea of the knight maneuver is to flank. And since the Knight is not a horse but a man on a horse, the odd maneuver reflects the knight's ability to guide the horse he's riding (to an extent). In other words, since the Knight comprises two entities (the man riding the horse), the move should sensibly consist of two parts as well, to reflect the added agility of the athletic horse. Conversely, the Knight has access to a maximum of 8 squares (as opposed to the "equal" Bishop's maximum of 13) because the horse is still an animal with a mind of its own.

Note that if you place a Knight ♘ somewhere on the margins, its efficacy will diminish exponentially. Additionally, if he only moved two squares, straight or diagonally, the Knight ♘ would always be restricted to the color squares that he started the game on.

Lu Guang being the Knight ♘ doesn't only means that he moves unconventionally. It is reflective of his duality. Perhaps, the fact he's using his power and Cheng Xiaoshi's. There is another aspect of him we could address here:

Burning Palace

For one thing, "BURNING PALACE" brings back the theme of strategy board game with the checkers this time (you see black pieces falling). It also introduce the Four Heads from playing cards. The fact they bothered to mention it implies a Fourth character.

Xia Fei: ♠

Liu Xiao: ♣

Vein: ♦

The fourth color ♥ is missing and I'm secretly convinced that it's Lu Guang's color.

Enygmatic Tokens

The portray behind Lu Guang is Lu Guang himself, from "Overthink". This image appears in the first bridge, when the lyrics goes "how did my sight got stolen once more?", superposing Lu Guang's face with mysterious shapes, erasing his eyes/power. This particular line comes to confirm what we already know: Yingdu Chapter isn't a resolution, let alone a happy ending, but a repeat of a tragic event in an unchangeable node. The end is the same, once again. Lu Guang's hope and happy ending has been stolen once more. And STOLEN also implies that there is an intent behind this failure.

A portray is still a photograph though, and it can be used to dive back in time.

What is the most curious to me is the familiar eagle on Lu Guang's chest. Eagles belongs to Cheng Xiaoshi's imagery so why does Lu Guang is wearing them here?

An interesting take would be that Yingdu Chapter isn't actually from Lu Guang's perspective, but from Cheng Xiaoshi's, diving in a picture taken by Lu Guang. This would be some kind of plot twist and would definetely makes the big reveal easier but not less painful.

I'll probably make a whole meta about this symbol at some point but in the meantime, I'll let you know the eagle is associated with strength, power, wisdom, and freedom. The eagle's ability to soar high in the sky was believed to be a symbol of divine protection and spiritual guidance. Additionally, eagles are tied to the sun. Some people see them as signs of a bright future on the horizon. As a symbol of light, they embody both the intensity and heat of the sun as a fearsome force of nature and the warmth and benevolence of the heavens.

This positive symbolisms are deeply rooted in Cheng Xiaoshi's nature, but if Yingdu Chapter actually brings us back to one earlier repeat, we can assume that Lu Guang had initially a brighter outlook on his mission.

The glasses are back and I'll say it again: once is weird, twice is a coincidence and thrice it's a pattern. The portray shows Lu Guang without eyes but his item is a pair of glasses. Might be a subtile hint of denial there. As far as glasses go, pink is a peculiar color. It helps to 'voir la vie en rose', as the french says: "look at the world through rose-coloured glasses." Meaning, being delusional.

Might it be the eagle or the glasses, I'd say they're both representative of Lu Guang's state of mind at the time: hopeful.

~

[Edit: I recommend you take a look to these threads regarding this very same artwork: | X | X | X | I don't agree with everything but it's always cool to have other perspectives.]

[littencloud9]

same eyes same earring same hair… is this a sister? someone else entirely?

my other theory is that xia fei’s power is some sort of shapeshifting/disguise, which would tie well with his whole putting on a facade as a perfect model thing. maybe he can shapeshift into the person in the photo or something like that

[miyamiwu]

Okay, serious time now. We NEED to talk about this scene

WHY ARE THEIR FRAMES LINKED???

The light from Xia Fei’s frame spilling over into Vein’s, and the smoke from Vein’s cigarette rising to Xia Fei’s frame.

Look at the other pairs

ShiGuang has distinct separate light sources in different colors, blue and green. No intersecting elements in the two frames.

Same with the lady and Liu Xiao. The lights are yellow and violet, and the objects they’re holding also don’t spill into each other’s frames

But VeiFei?

THE LIGHT AND SMOKE ARE CROSSING INTO THE OTHER’S FRAME

Could this be related to how their powers work?

But also, their hands above…Xia Fei blocking the light, but Vein, while holding his cigarette, looks like he’s welcoming the light.

Then there’s this:

Xia Fei covering his mouth, while Vein is smiling so brightly

THEY CONTRAST!!!

PLEASE I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM ALREADY

[mysterialistic]

Over-analyzing the Yingdu Chapter [PART 3]

They've already told us the synopsis of the Yingdu Chapter, but this is just scratching the surface. This is how I think the plot will go down:

The chapter will start with the flashback of Cheng Xiaoshi's death and how Lu Guang went back to the past. At the same time, we'll probably see the scene of Liu Xiao pointing his gun at the grown man and asking about Cheng Weimin.

Now, this is where things get confusing cause... what's the deal with Cheng Weimin? It's not confirmed, yet very evident that this man is Cheng Xiaoshi's father, but why would Liu Xiao be looking for him?

Well, I have three guesses:

1. Cheng Weimin has powers like his son.

2. Cheng Weimin had powers but gave them to his son before dissappearing/dying.

3. Cheng Weimin pretended to have powers but in reality it always was Cheng Xiaoshi so, to protect him, Cheng Weimin and his wife disappeared.

The third option is my favorite because there's a text in the teaser that says this:

It seems like a message directed to Lu Guang and it's either from himself from the future or it's from someone else who cares a lot for Cheng Xiaoshi, for example, his parents.

Going back to the plot...

Lu Guang has the nightmare, sees Vein and the messages for him to go to Bridon. There'll probably be a lot of reluctance regarding if they should go or not, ultimately taking the journey because... Well, because we need the story to move forward lol.

When they arrive to Yingdu something tells me that initially Cheng Xiaoshi won't find anything about his parents, which leads to this scene of him looking sadly at a picture (of his parents?) I would like to make a small parenthesis to point out that we DON'T know if in this part of the story CXS already has knowledge about his powers or not.

This part were he's looking sadly at the picture could mean one out of two things:

1. He has his powers and dived into the photo but found nothing.

2. He doesn't have powers and he simply didn't find any useful clues outside of the photo.

I honestly think that they will have their powers already cause it's a plot device, it helps advancing the story and solving mysteries/conflicts. Unless they decide to make CXS awaken his powers in here, which could be really cool too.

Getting back on track...

Cheng Xiaoshi doesn't find anything useful and Lu Guang is probably relieved because that means that they can go back home, but then the antagonists appear. I don't know how or why because, well, we haven't seen anything about it and I would just be making completely blind suppositions lol.

Tho, something worth noting on this scene is that, by the way the camera moves when focusing on CXS, it seems like if someone was... Watching him? Probably one of the trio. I could be totally wrong.

So yeah, long story short, they have to stay in Yingdu for some reason involving the antagonists and they get entangled in dangerous situations such as the previous seasons. One of the texts mentions: "The two had a quarrel that shouldn't have happened". I honestly don't know what this could mean. Is it referring to Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang as a pair or is it a one vs one? Let's wait and see.

So... This is where it gets tragic. Brace yourselves!

At the very end of this video that Bilibili and the Link Click official Twitter account uploaded two months ago, we get a small preview of the Yingdu Chapter.

And what's so relevant about this? Well, at the very end we can hear a gunshot and Cheng Xiaoshi groaning in pain before dropping to the ground, then we hear Lu Guang calling his name and another gunshot.

I'm sadly sure that CXS is going to die again. Why? Because it just doesn't make sense that they went through something so important and dramatic during Yingdu for them to never talking about it beyond mentioning a trip abroad. This is gonna sound bad, but it's the easiest solution the writers have to prevent plot holes.

Cheng Xiaoshi dies; maybe even Vein and Xia Fei die too? I kinda have the feeling that something big is gonna happen because of this text in the teaser:

The letters are yellow, a color that represents Cheng Xiaoshi. It could be him asking Lu Guang to go back in time to fix things, to which Lu Guang answers:

Lu Guang gets CXS's powers, goes back in time again and we'll arrive to the present time line... Maybe)? This I don't know because there's symbolisms of multiple attempts. A good example is this scene in the VORTEX/Overthink music video:

But yeah, who knows, this is all very speculative cause they haven't shown us a lot.

Probably the "trip abroad" that they mention on season one is not Yingdu? Maybe they do go on a journey, but something more happy like those images they've shown us of CXS and LG riding a car, with beach wear. Idk guys, I'm just trying to find a bit of happiness in here lol.

Anyway, the only thing I have for certain is that the Yingdu Chapter is going to HURT, just like the rest of the donghua.

So... Thanks for reading! Leave me your theories, I love hearing other's speculations!

[kuschelkissen]

Gonna ramble about Xia Fei, buckle up.

Right now, I'm the most interested in how his character will actually be in Yingdu chapter... because we really know the least about him.

We know that Vein is unhinged and dangerous. That was obvious from the very first trailer and every single thing that came out afterwards. (no normal person says they like the smell of rotten flesh)

And we've already known that Liu Xiao is someone working from the dark, manipulating the people around him.

We don't know anything about their powers (I mean, we don't even know if they have any, we just assume that. It's highly probable, but nothing has been confirmed afaik), but we know that they will be dangerous villains.

Xia Fei? Well. His PV looks like he's just a normal guy. A student, vlogger, waiter, who gets... well, recruited (? to whatever?) by Liu Xiao. It's not really obvious whether he was a model before that or if Liu Xiao is responsible for making him famous?

The imagery and lyrics have a really depressing undertone, he's faking his smile, pretending whenever cameras and spotlights are put on him, and the way his smile drops in the end... ugh. (The title being translated as "lending skin" and "body for rent"... yeah, that gives a bit of a darker tone, and that scene where he's being watched by Vein... icky.)

So this, paired with the pawn imagery from that chess picture, kinda makes it look like he's being used by Liu Xiao (and Vein?). Not sure for what and how. Maybe he has powers, too? Not unlikely, I guess.

From the lyrics he doesn't seem to feel like he's being used, though. I guess both Vein and Liu Xiao are too shady to not notice it. He sings "I don't care what it takes to stride", so he's probably okay with the shady business as long as it helps him getting to the top?

Then you have the creator's notes to the song and...

"Beneath XF's polished exterior lies a rich and conflicted emotional world" "conflicting voices inside XF's mind" "these elements blend his outward glamour with the undercurrents of his inner struggles"

So to me that sounds like he knows that these guys are shady, but he still takes their help, even though he's "conflicted" about it.

"No matter how exhausted he feels" "his breaking point" "his act begins to crumble" and he "retreats to his unassuming identity as an ordinary college student"

HNNNG what does all of this meaaaan xD There is definitely a lot more to his character as it seems at this point.

"Others may have the option to step away, but XF has no choice"

Ok why though. Is it because of the other two? Why does he have no choice to step away?

I feel at this point, there are more things pointing towards him being used than anything else, he is a pawn, after all. And a WHITE one, too. So this is interesting, why is he the same colour as the guys' team?

I think right now, there are 2 things that still make me very cautious about him.

talking in chess language, if a pawn reaches the other side of the board, he can be exchanged for another, more powerful piece. For example, a Rook. The piece represented by either Vein or Cheng Xiaoshi... idk, can't even really put my finger on the WHY, but it DOES give me a bad feeling.

in the House of the Hot Headed video/Artwork he sits on the couch with Liu Xiao, while Vein sits on the floor, beneath them. I'm not the first one to point this out, but as others have said... this makes it look like he's on the same level as Liu Xiao? And Vein is the one being used by them. Idk. Everything else points into a different direction? Is this just to throw us off? Will he be a big plot twist character?

I mean, he probably will be, one way or another. For now I kinda want to believe that he may be on the guys' side? Maybe help them in the end?

He's definitely gonna die, though. I hope he will die on the guys' side, though.

For now we have to wait. I'm looking forward to meeting him, ngl. He's definitely gonna be a surprise, no matter what happens.

[rainibao]

Liu Xiao is still reading Shakespeare's sonnets like in the concert interlude clip

"Magazine woman is Xia Fei's sister" theory real?

Whoever she is, maybe she has an ability too given how she noticed apparition Lu Guang

Wonder what this page says

The note with "Monday" and the crying face appears at least 2 other times on different pages

Edit: although it appears on different sides it looks like the exact same page

Is Vein able to hijack dives? Or is he specifically tracking Lu Guang through time? Or, something more normal 🤷

[forgetmenomore]

Bonsoir tis I the Qiao Ling hater hunter and the same person that found out she's voiced by The Suzie Yeung(Still not over this btw)

Uhm how do I ask this....

Is Vein a Cannibal or not,is Xia Fei bbg and is LIU XIAO A LITERAL CULT LEADER???????

Xia Fei is just there atp

Hello treasured asker! I'm also not over Qiao Ling's voice actor, I'm so glad you told me so I can look into more of her work <3

Alright! Personally, I think Vein's whole cannible gig is 🌟symbolism. I think he does really shady business, and maybe his ability is connected to blood and flesh and all that fun stuff. Although, him forcing people to eat (supposed) human meat could just be a show of his absoulutely crazy power! (Or, you know, he's a cannible, but what can you do?) I think he feeds upon his prey (Liu Xiao's hunter symbolisms/metaphors), and isn't really empathetic/sympathetic. Either he paired up with Liu Xiao, or Liu Xiao and him are rivals. I'm opting for the first option

Liu Xiao being a cult leader??? I agree with you on that so much, I mean, he literally (maybe) tried to get Blondie Boy (Xia Fei) to join some shady business. He's the mastermind, for sure. He probably likes keeping his own hands clean, and observes. Ultimately, he's probably going to be our worry in the future. He's also SO FINEE!

Xia Fei got some massive storyline packed in there and I know it. Cheng Xiaoshi's probably going to try and help our poor bbg and stumble into Vein's shady stuff. Honestly, I really hope he doesn't die. Also, him doodling in class was so real <3 don't bleed to death, please 🙏

House of the hot headed indeed

[brokenmachinemusings]

hi tumblr you get to hear my insane sgdlr ramblings theories whatever about mr vein which mifht be wrong but I DOTN CARE

LINK CLICK SPOILERS . OBVIOUSLY!!!!

ok sooooo first i connected the dots with cheng xiaoshi and vein bc they had the same shadow that dropped from the top left in the anniversary pv’s. most people reacted with “you didn’t connect shit”, but i’m telling you, i connected the dots.

what caught my eye on the shadow thing is that vein’s shadow didn’f have the same circular borders as liu xiao and xia fei who were obviously meant to be the same style. so they deliberately kept it at just the top left (to cover him up also). and did i mention cheng xiaoshi looks like he is trapped behind glass in the anniversary artwork? no i didn’t. i personally think all of the anniversary artworks are supposed to represent a special part of each character (qiao ling stepping out. you know).

i have not fully analysed vein’s outfit design because frankly i’m not sure what else to search up but. i’ll talk about the parts i did find

so. first of all the pattern on his shoulders looks like blood. isn’t rhat fun!

second of all the little knots around his design, i’m pretty sure are ‘round brocade knots’ which represent “balance, completeness, good fortune”. i haven’t made exact ties between that and vein myself yet but it’s worth noting it.

i didn’t find out anything else about his design. the necklace is cut off just perfectly to not be able to see what it is (like liu xiao’s)

anyway. i’m just gonna jump to my theory. i think he is connected to either cheng xiaoshi or the disappearance of his parents!!!! wow. it might sound unlikely i am aware but this is what theories are for.

the biggest reason i came up with this is because we don’t need a new villain. we don’t need to be introduced to someone new when we already have liu xiao. but you know what liu xiao wouldn’t do? GET HIS HANDS DIRTY. at least, most likely, he strikes me as the type to work behind the scenes.

so what other reason would there be to introduce vein? “you could make the same argument for xia fei” well yeah but xia fei is a pushing force in how cheng xiaoshi and lu guang discovered their powers (probably. idk)

okkkk back to vein and cheng xiaoshi’s parents actually. why i think it’s likely they’re either missing because of vein or, if they’re dead, their bodies got disposed of for some reason? it’s because if they were caught in the earthquake THEIR BODIES WOULD BE FOUND BY NOW. at least that’s what makes sense to me lore wise. and i don’t think they would just ghost their child for like 12 years. and because from narrative storytellijg it would make sense if vein was the one that did something. (let me redirect you to pattern that looks like blood on his shoulders)

of course this could all be a red herring but the last time i said something was a red herring it turned out to be true. so i choose to stick to it this time!

the other possibility (or actually, both possibilities could ring true) is that vein was the one who shot cxs. who else would? (feel free to debate lol) i don’t think xia fei would have interest in that after the whole overseas trip business, liu xiao wouldn’t want to do it himself (he’d make someone else do it) and li tianchen is an option but we don’t know if he will be the one to do it in the end. so

i don’t have a good way to end this weird theory bit. if i think of something else i will add it. it has been plaguing at my mind. thank you tumblr user for reading my weird theory rambling and feel free to debate me. if i tjink of anything else myself i will edit and add it

[fandomside]

NiF Rewatch Introduction and Episode One

I am making notes as I rewatch Nirvana in Fire and I thought I would share them with the internet. This is going to be focused on what I find interesting and useful and is not intended to be a comprehensive review. It is also not going to be helpful for people watching NiF for the first time, because I will assume you know who the characters are.

Episode One

Events:

Word gets out that Northern Yan has a new taizu (Crown Prince), who was previously a nobody, and he achieved this after receiving advice from Langya Hall.

Prince Yu is finishing up a tour of Jiangzuo; when he returns he will be promoted.

After surviving an assassination attempt from the Crown Prince (henceforth CP), Prince Yu makes a visit to Langya Hall himself; he and the CP are both told to seek the Qilin Talent Mei Changsu.

MCS is introduced defending a group of people who are fleeing across the borders of his territory; they are the plaintiffs in a legal case involving Duke Qing.

Lin Chen visits MCS's headquarters in Langzhou to see him off.

MCS travels to Jinling with Jingrui and Yujin; when they arrive they meet Nihuang.

Nihuang discusses her marriage tournament with the Emperor.

Names and titles: (I am particularly interested in learning how people are addressed; I have no knowledge of or cultural background with the Chinese language. I am happy to be corrected on anything I get wrong.)

Lin Chen’s title is 'shao ge zhu' (junior hall master)

Prince Yu is addressed as ‘xiangsheng’ at Langya and it’s hilarious. This says a lot about a) the power of Langya Hall and b) the powerlessness of the Imperial authorities with respect to the jianghu. Note that the way NiF uses xiansheng is somewhere in between its historical usage of 'respected teacher' and its modern usage as plain 'Mr'.

MCS is referred to as Jiangzuo Mei-lang, ‘lang’ being a title I don't know much about. His subordinates call him Mei-zongzhu.

Nihuang’s title is ‘junzhu’ (either duchess or princess depending on the translation).

Xia Dong is called ‘daren’.

Costumes and weapons: (this will only be about things that particularly catch my eye)

Ordinary Langya disciples wear brown with black trim.

No one at Langya wears silk except Lin Chen, and his is quite plain.

In the jianghu MCS wears cloth around his topknot with a green/white jade ornament in front. In JInling, of course, he always wears the same pale jade ornament and his hair is up.

Scabbard are attached to saddles while mounted.

Lin Chen carries a fan while at Langzhou.

I had completely forgotten about Lin Chen's ear cuff!

Lin Chen's hair ornament is a sort of round metal thing on the back of his head.

Characters:

The first thing we see Fei Liu do is put a cloak round MCS. The second thing we see him do is kill a guy.

Nihuang gets an awesome introduction.

I have a distinct memory of Prince Yu being made to wait and watch while Lin Chen does his sword practice; clearly that was wrong. The sword practice is just gratuitous wirework for Lin Chen.

Times:

The CP has been CP for 6 years.

It's late autumn; Prince Yu has missed the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Places:

Jiangzuo is a province of Da Liang. There are 14 states or districts within it.

Langya cannot be far from Jiangzuo – Prince Yu goes there as a side trip.

MCS’s rooms at Langzhou are painfully bare.

Jinling has better weather than Langzhou, or close enough to use it as an excuse.

Misc:

The sect next to MCS's Jiangzuo territory has large expensive looking ships on the river. Are they his or are they hired?

[dangermousie]

Before I get to the substantive meta post, let me just say that Sun Yi Zhou is ridiculously my RL type in terms of looks, and is 100% equipped to be one of those sexy general mains in danmei or het web novels. 

But also! The first time around and even more so on this run, He Xia is a wonderful character who is just as interesting and complex (and in some ways more so) than our OTP. This drama is 62 eps and sometimes it’s to its detriment (the separation near the end could have been shortened in terms of runtime) but most of the time it uses its time wisely and the run time allows all characters to breathe, not just focusing on the OTP, making it more epic and real. 

In another drama, he’d be the hero, a loyal, brave and competent general betrayed and hunted by his own king out of insecurity and returning to seek vengeance; Lan Ling Wang is actually about that very topic! (And is next on my rewatch list.) 

The pontentiality for him and Chu Bei Jie is actually the same - both of their rulers are insecure losers and CBJ’s king comes pretty close a couple of times to doing to CBJ what He Xia’s king did to him. The difference is solely in that CBJ’s king is somewhat more functional (and has a somewhat deeper relationship with CBJ than Yan ruler does with He Xia) and that CBJ is older and tougher. But in a less lucky universe, I can easily see the Jin king overstepping irrevocably and you know CBJ would embark on the path of vengeance. In a way, it is fitting that He Xia is CBJ’s ultimate and final opponent because it’s CBJ who created him by intriguing with Yan king against Yan’s best generals’ family. It is totally understandable CBJ would do that as a Jin subject but the concept of you sow what you reap is delicious.

Why yes, the Yan king is the type of man who decides to hunt down his best general(s) while he’s fighting an existential war. Clearly he doesn’t have TV and never watched The Young Warriors, Patriot Yue Fei, Rebel Princess, Lan Ling Wang or a dozen other dramas about perils of the same (and not even getting into reading a single rudimentary chronicle either.)

The thing that gets me in these early eps is that He Xia is just...good. He is a good person - a loyal subject, a brave general, a devoted son, a lovely quasi-brother/potential husband for Ping Ting and his incredulity about what is happening to him, to them, his attempt to believe that if he could only EXPLAIN, they would understand they are wrong and this is a good faith error, is heartbreaking.

By the end of the drama, he is a broken monster for whom death is a kindness, a man who amassed huge power but lost all humanity and everyone he’s ever loved. And he should be removed; a monster should not be allowed to rule the world. But when Chu Bei Jie kills him it isn’t a pure triumph of good over evil; it’s bittersweet at best and tragic at its base. Because CBJ is not the only reason He Xia is broken - the monster dimwit ruler is one, his psycho family (I agree with @mousieta his father’s “I am gonna off myself so he seeks revenge” is gross as hell), his own descent into darkness as the result of sufferings and humiliations he undergoes all play a part. But in a lot of way, Chu Bei Jie is putting down a monster he himself created, a man he once respected and who respected him, even if only as an honorable enemy, he is the one who set into motion a set of circumstances that turned a chevalier sans peur et sans reproche into a rabid animal. 

It’s interesting though because CBJ is ruthless but he has his own set of rules and honor. When he comes for the old prince of Jin’s head, it’s because the man broke his word to retire. Unlike so many others in this narrative (including later He Xia), he is willing to give you an out if you take it; it does not have to be blood. (Side note, hell of an entrance!)

Even here, he spares the old general because he realizes he’s too old to be a threat. Too bad the man is one of the characters who’d rather die that be worsted and live to fight another day. Old man, congrats, you are building a road for your son to become a psycho.

CBJ’s grim face at that. Old man ain’t wrong, he’s wrecked CBJ’s life for many years to come as payback (though ultimately works out.)

And He Xia survives his horrible battle and finding his mother having stabbed herself to death (a woman who did not think about her kid, both his parents are no good) only to find his father dead (I love love love that CBJ respected his fallen foe and made him a plaque.) PS when he starts digging into the burial mound with his bare hands!

PS This convo before it all goes truly to hell is super interesting because they are loving and affectionate but I do not get any romantic vibe on their part, just friends and quasi-siblings. The thing is, if nothing bad somehow happened and Ping Ting and He Xia got hitched, it would be a functional marriage with liking on both parts but not only is it not the passionate love she experiences with CBJ (or he with the Princess), Ping Ting would never truly be as fierce, as unleashed, as her own woman coming into her own as she is with CBJ. She’d always feel she owed He Xia’s family, and also much as I love him he’s not her equal the way CBJ is.

@renewedmotionforjudgment​ said that one of the things she liked that Ping Ting and CBJ are adults making adult decision in an adult way and that is so perfectly put! But also, the rest of the characters are the same. Even characters who are petty or self-absorbed or immature are so in an adult way, if it makes sense. This drama is so damn good!

[pastorfutureletthembe]

Hiii I hope i'm not bothering you, but I wanted to ask you something? Do you think it's possible that Lu Guang has his powers activated all the time?👀 I was looking at color wheels and how lights interact. Red light and Green light together make yellow light (Xiaoshi) meanwhile Green and Blue light make cyan light (Guang). If we would overlay the yellow with cyan (Red + Green + Green + Blue), we would have all components for a desaturated grey. Lu Guang has grey eyes. We would never know if he was using both powers at the same time - is this possible? What do you think? Also the only colors of light left out in this equation are Blue light + Red light, which gives magenta light, or purple, which I suspect will be the eye color of the next antagonist! - but then again I don't know 😂

Thank you for this very interesting question, anon! I apologize in advance, because you put me on the LIGHT topic, and there are loads of things to say.

Here you go, so everyone is up to speed:

First, I'm going to start with the eye color as a concept the Link Click' verse: it is fact that yellow/red/blue colored eyes when using powers are only seen by us, the audience. It is informatiive and clever. And when the show doesn't want us to know that, for example, Li Tianchen is controlling someone or that Liu Min isn't himself or Qiao Ling is about to stab Lu Guang with this apple knife, it just doesn't show us the unatural eye color until it needs to be revealed.

So it is absolutely possible that Lu Guang is using his power ALL THE TIME. I have one meta coming about Lu Guang's physical condition but I can already give you the outline:

Lu Guang is always tired. He always need to sit down and always has dark circles under his eyes. Add the white hair and his inability to do any physical exercice without hurting himself- Well, our boy isn't in good shape. That's one more hint that he's weak, perhaps weakining every passing day a little more because he's using his power 24/7.

Secondly, the colors itself. It's amusing that you mentioned magenta as the antagonist's eye color because I do think magenta when talking about light is Lu Guang's color. In the PVs, it is often associated with his character, just like Green.

But let's start from the beginning: the official artworks and merch state that Yellow is Cheng Xiaoshi, Cyan is Lu Guang and Pink is Qiao Ling. Indigo is Liu Xiao and Red is Vein. (Note: Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi's color is also pink, which is genius since there is a possibility that Qiao Ling got Li Tianxi's power or that it triggered her own). I think it is interesting that the first three colors are not primary when we're talking about LIGHT. Also, if we're refering to the color wheel, Lu Guang is Vein's complementary/opposite character and Cheng Xiaoshi is Liu Xiao's. Here, you have your antagonists.

As for eyes colors, I have two things to say. One, Qiao Ling had WHITE pupils when she got a glimpse of Lu Guang's memories through Li Tianxi's power. Two, we have no green character for now. Following the previous logic, the green character should be an antagonist. But we do have a trail: "Burning Palace". I mentioned it before in my analysis of the recent official artwork.

This PV introduces us to three new characters: Vein, Liu Xiao and Xia Fei. Because of the dark tune, the aggressive lyrics, and also Vein and Liu Xiao being here, we can only assume they are all antagonists.

If you look closely, you'll notice this pattern: X X X X

For one thing, Green isn't any of these character's color, might it be identity color from the merch or the eyes color revealed in this PV (note that Xia Fei's eyes are Yellow). But we see it in some details:

♠ ♦ ♣, with ♥ missing.

For starter, it does present Vein ♦, Liu Xiao ♣ and Xia Fei ♠ as part of a whole, not necessarily meaning they are on the same team, but we can assume it echoes our first conclusion: they are antagonists to our main characters.

Plus, every hint dropped regarding colors tell you all the same thing: there is one more character yet to be introduced.

Now, that's more interpretation on my part than solid fact if we talk about this particular topic but here you go:

♥ has been associated with Lu Guang before:

Note that this particular shade of magenta and green are complimentary. Could it be that Lu Guang is his own antagonist?

We know nothing of his past and his origin story, so it is an acceptable lead to follow. Green is present in "Burning Palace" but the absence of the character associated with it is too obvious not be a foreshadowing.

[Now, I'm going to go off topic for a moment, but I do think it is relevant:

Magenta and Green give WHITE. For now, we don't know what all these colors mean, we only got one clue:

I'll bring to your attention that the "Now and Forever" PV is advertized as Qiao Ling's song but the memories we sees are Lu Guang's, his and those from Cheng Xiaoshi's dives that he witnessed. Although the lyrics are obviously about grieving someone and could applied to either Lu Guang or Qiao Ling, they do sound like her feelings judging from the desire to move forwards. 1) She doesn't need nor want to change anything at all, 2) she represents the present, the current time in merch, 3) past and present are what they are but the future is what we make of it. This is the ultimate lesson that Lu Guang needs to learn. This is the moral of the story.

If we could go back to that time We wouldn't change anything at all Believing that this encounter Represents the promise of happiness For you, I gather more of my courage The future ours to pen The light in the depths of your eyes Lights up the whole world

She will find courage in these memories, in the name of Cheng Xiaoshi. I have a TAROT DECK meta coming so I won't go into the specifics but STRENGTH is Qiao Ling's major arcana, just so you know. This song is her song without a doubt.

Now, I don't know the exact words and their meaning in the chinese version of this song, but here, the english translation offers light twice, once as a noun and once as a verb. White light, after all, is only LIGHT. It could mean that "white" light is the ultimate and more powerful power in the Link Clcik's verse. It is at the center of the chromatic chart of light, after all.

I had a conversation about episode 1x01 recently and we argued that Cheng Xiaoshi didn't actually time traveled but merely relived a memory trapped in a picture. Basically, his power would be based on "quote" science "unquote" (and not magic or whatever supernatural thing). If we regard it in a scientific perspective, it has been said that light or water has memory, but there are actually no purely scientific proof to back up the therory, not with current technology anyway. Light itself does print impression of images though. For example, you look at something bright and still sees it when you close your eyes, and if it is magenta in real life, it will appear as green into the darkness of your eyelids. So the hypothesis is interesting to argue over.

In the context of the Link Click' verse, We can theorize that when Cheng Xiaoshi goes inside a picture through light, is part of it, and changes something, the impression left by the light trapped in this photograph could be changed and, by entention, the impression of the memory as well. Basically, Cheng Xiaoshi wouldn't change the past but change the memory of it. And it also could be the reason why we cannot touch an unchangeable node: if someone dies, they are physically absent in the present/future, and no twist in memory can change that.]

Some food for thought. Anyway-

One more puzzling visual is "Burning Palace": cyan and green fill Liu Xiao's silhouette while indigo is set to be his color identity. He's also surrounded with red here, but we cannot assume it means anything for now since the main color of the whole PV is red.

Liu Xiao is a mysterious charater for now but we know 3 things for sure about him:

Li Tanchen and he are a team/friends

He wants to "bring more parallel lines together" to erase uncertainties

He has a peculiar interest for Lu Guang

So, if green, magenta and cyan are all linked to Lu Guang in a way, he surely is a mandatory trail to follow for someone who wants to "merge" timelines. Liu Xiao being filled with both cyan and green could implied he is close to the truth or the ultimate power. Perhaps that's why he took Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi in. Maybe he was plotting to get what we assume is Qiao Ling's power.

I think I addressed everything regarding color and light.

Honestly, the grey color of Lu Guang's eyes don't seem as important to me as the fact he has vertical-slit pupils? Not enough people are willing to talk about this?? lmao (if that's a topic you're interested in...)

This is not a definitive answer but a few details that might help some of you to crack the case. I think about it every freaking day myself because it is obvious there is some kind of easter egg hidden there. Hopefully we might find an answer together!

[maleyanderecafe]

Hey! Do you review tv series? because I think the male lead in the chinese drama well-intended love is a yandere. He is really possessive and controlling. The plot twist too is very creepy. It's available in netflix and free on youtube if you want to trt watching it. Love your reviews❤

Phew, man I am not used to watching dramas. Cherry and I watched two seasons of Well Intentioned Love, but only the first season has the relevant yandere stuff going on. It’s got a lot from cancer, to car accidents, dogs, the driver, falling into a lake, kidnapping, cakes, amnesia and acting. There is so much going on and yet nothing going on at the same time. Sorry it took so long, but this will be a very long ask. I also found this wonderful review on this website that also tells probably a better summary from what I can tell.

Season 1 and Season 2 are sort of AUs of each other, with the first season set in the world where main character Lin Lin is a struggling actor and in the second season she’s a successful actress instead. We’re going to go season by season.

The first season starts with Xia Lin, an upcoming actor with bad luck who finds out one day that she has Leukemia. She's matched with a CEO Ling Yi Zhou, to which her and her best friend Jia Fei try to break into the company to talk to him. Lin is able to talk to the CEO about her situation, and he agrees under the condition that the two get married. The CEO wants to get married to make his grandmother happy, and we also run into An Ran, the CEO's childhood friend, who is in love with him. After an encounter at a rich jeweler show, Lin runs into her ex, and in a grand gesture of love, the CEO ends up buying the most expensive jewel to dunk on the ex and to court Lin with. The two get married, and Lin gets some visits from Chu Yan, a famous actor who seems kind of offended that Lin is ignoring him, and An Ran plots to separate the newly wedded couple. Lin gets a ring to further sell the idea of the two getting married for the grandmother, and Lin learns more about the CEO by finding a toy robot in his room, while the CEO helps her career by getting her into a movie. Lin ends up finding a dog one day by the park, and keeps it until she can return it to its owner. The man who owns the dog, Nan Jin Tian seems to be conspiring for something while the CEO and Lin bond over making cakes. Lin has to go meet Nan after he finds out he's sick to return his dog. The CEO ends up buying her a dog after because of how much she loved the dog she was taking care of. Also Jia Fei and the CEO's assistant/driver Wen Li get together. The CEO gets into a car accident (off screen?) and loses his memory of the past two years. Lin tries to win over his heart, and we learn that Nan seems to have had a hand in the accident. An Ran makes a soup for the CEO to make him feel better, but we find out that the soup was actually poisoned and that that she's been hypnotizing the CEO so that he will fall in love with her. While the driver and Jia Fei get closer, we find out that the CEO actually forged the documents about her having lukemia and the bone marrow transfer, something that makes Lin question their relationship. We learned the reason why the CEO fell for Lin in the first place was when the two of them met at a cake shop on their birthday (since they share a birthday) as well as helping him once when he was really drunk. For about two years, he's gotten the driver to essentially stalk her for the past two years. The CEO also eventually gains his memories of her back.

Lin gets framed by An Ran and Nan Jin to make it look like she was groped by Chu Yan as the two have been meeting up periodically. We also get more insight into Chu Yan's family as his father hits him with a cane for dishonoring the family image, as well as Chu Yan realizing that he has a crush on Lin. He ends up at the hospital because of his father, which leads to an explosion where he dies. They find Lin's earring at the scene of the crime, suspecting her as the one who caused Chu Yan's death, as well as a photo taken that made it looks like she was attacking him before he died. The driver (and CEO) find the culprit behind the photos and during a press conference, the CEO announces him and Lin's marriage towards each other. Lin finds out that An Ran was the one that framed her and that Chu Yan is actually alive. As it turned out, he was kidnapped by Nan Jin and met Xiao You who helped him escape (though initially unwillingly). Lin and CEO try for a baby and the driver and Chu Yan get into a car accident. Lin gets the driver to find the CEO's mother so that the CEO and him can bond (since she left when he was young). We find out that Nan Jin is actually the CEO's step brother and was the one who planted the earrings so that she would be arrested for Chu Yan's death. He seems to have done all of this for revenge for his mother(?), and we also find out that Lin is pregnant. Lin and Chu Yan get kidnapped by Nan Jin, and he and the CEO get into a fist fight after the CEO goes to try to look for the both of them. Chu Yan's dad gets a redemption arc and we find out that the CEO's mom was using him so that he could get Nan Jin's love, even though Nan Jin doesn't love her back. Nan Jin gets shot at some point and dies. Lin is saved and everyone is happy with the end credits having Lin and CEO get married.

The second season starts out in an alternate universe where Lin is a successful actor. She ends up being in fake engagement with the CEO and in a realty show with him to up the numbers. A lot of the season is fluff between characters, including going to sports together and eventually get married when they find out that CEO's grandmother may die soon. We also find that Xiao Yu is much more different in this version basically being a more naive girl who doesn't know much about the world and has a hard time talking with men. There's a person that tries to drag down Lin's reputation because of a car accident he was in. We also find out the manager is the one who is blackmailing Lin? The entire thing ends with the CEO and Lin having a child and living happily together.

Cherry and I watched the second season just to make sure that we were watching all of the yandere portions of the show, but really all of the yandere things by the CEO are in the first season. I will say if you do like the characters and a lot more fluff that you would probably like the second season as well.

This show is... I don't really watch a lot of dramas (and especially not a lot of C-dramas), but I felt like this show has really weird pacing. Often there will be important plot points that are then added with fluff, and specific important scenes will be shown off screen, like when the CEO gains amnesia from a car crash, or people who were built up will die very abruptly, like Nan Jing, who seems to die from a gunshot (not even from the CEO) and then never brought up again. I know that a lot of chinese media, like manhwa often have a bit of pacing issues where the stories can often be a bit choppy, but this one really takes the cake. It's not necessarily bad since there are quite a lot of cute moments and the characters are fun and endearing, but the plot is... kinda just all over the place. I feel like for the first season a lot of the important information was dumped near the end, with most of the middle being fluff, and there was just so much going on constantly, from drugging people to brain washing to kidnapping and not really in any order. The second season is more for fluff, but like I said, don't expect any proper plot or even that much yandere things going on.

That being said, the CEO, or Yi Zhou is pretty calculating all things considered. After falling in love with her, he got Wen Li to stalk her for about two years before swapping out the tests she got for anemia with results for leukemia so that the two would meet and he could get the marriage scheme going. I will say that the two of them meeting in a cake shop because they have the same birthday is super unorthodox as a love at first sight thing and it is pretty funny to see Yi Zhou drunk and attempting to drive on the wrong side of the car. I believe at some point Yi Zhou ends up also trapping Lin inside of the house after she learns that she faked the report. In the end with the giant plot of Nan Jing trying to usurp Yi Zhou, it is nice that Lin believes in Yi Zhou and that he won't betray her, and ultimately ends in a happy ending but... it does seem weird considering the vibe of the series tends to be more light hearted, so all of these random car crashes and people trapping the CEO and Lin inside of a storehouse to freeze are really weird out of context. Lin and Yi Zhou do care for each other despite these mishaps, which is something that I always find nice in yandere media.

I will now take this moment to talk about how Wen Li is the best character. He's the driver and he has the best surprised pikachu face ever thoughout the entire series, so much so that me and Cherry kept making jokes about him. He honestly does so much for the CEO and it was really funny watching him hang out with the girls only for him to be forced back into work despite him only wanting to play cards. He's the best character honestly and I think it would be super entertaining watching a show that is based around him.

Overall, this show was honestly kind of confusing, even though the characters themselves were pretty solid. I honestly watched like two episodes of this in a row once and got a headache because god does so much happen and yet so little happens at the same time. Big thanks to Cherry for helping me summarize all of this because lord knows that I wouldnt' be able to do it myself. If you are looking for a fluffy show that suddenly has a lot of drama and a yandere, maybe this one is for you.

[miyamiwu]

You can’t convince me that they aren’t a pair.

I have a feeling that Vein’s and Xia Fei’s powers are linked, the same way ShiGuang’s and the Li twins’ powers are.