#xia yao is a gremlin

[danmeiljie]

热血沸腾! Rexue Feitong! My blood is boiling!

Episode 15

[finalfantasyx]

Thoughts on Dashing Youth - Blood of Youth

I HAVE THOUGHTS AFTER FINISHING BOTH DRAMAS. Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen them.

First things first: I heard of The Blood of Youth when it first came out and have had it on my backburner to-watch list for a long time, but I never got around to it. H O W E V E R, I didn't hear peep about Dashing Youth until it was airing and youtube threw it into my face. Dashing Youth automatically got bumped to the top of my watchlist because I will die before I miss a period/xianxia/wuxia drama starring Neo Hou, just saying.

Ergo, I watched Dashing Youth before I watched The Blood of Youth while thinking, "huh why does every drama have [Shao Nian] in its name nowadays?" only to find out later when I was watching the first few episodes that it was the PREQUEL to The Blood of Youth when my mom walked past and casually asked what this was because the names that were mentioned were in The Blood of Youth (she watched it a while back and recommended it; she's been right on the money so far with good recs--Mysterious Lotus Casebook was also hers and both of these dramas ended up on my top 3 favorite dramas list). A quick google search later told us as much.

That meant I had no context to the world we would be in for the next 80 episodes prior to watching Dashing Youth, and I had no idea who these people were and what would happen to them in The Blood of Youth (which, thank goodness. I would have been in tears the entire time if I watched it the other way around).

To begin--Dashing Youth sucked.

I said what I said; Neo Hou couldn't save this one. The story was bad, the CGI was...not great, and the pacing was THE WORSTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. The *only* thing the producers got right were the characters, because those were A+ spot on. Neo Hou and Xia Zhi Guang and He Yu were SO GREAT in this, and Zhang Chen Xiao was a welcome familiar face after Cang Lan Jue.

Side plug, did y'all know there was a scrapped romance subplot between Dongfang Xunfeng and Dan Yin in Cang Lan Jue??? I am so angry; we could have had all the good things, but no, we're not allowed.

I also absolutely adored the other disciples of Jixia Academy, Baili Dongjun's shixiongs. Lei Mengsha, oh my GOD he was so funny and I laughed every. single. time. he did his gremlin laugh on screen. The others also really grew on me, like...hold on, let me check my notes.../looks at scribbles on hand

The da shixiong who showed up for one arc and like two episodes, after which he was dropped like a sack of potatoes and never seen agani, third shixiong--the sword one with the badass wedding arc in the beginning who we don't care about, the fourth shixiong--Liu Yue, the pretty one, the fifth shixiong--the "ugly" (??? he wasn't???) one who I'm not convinced isn't in some sort of relationship with Liu Yue, the sixth shixiong--the music one whom we know nothing about--OOOH OOOH OOH I KNOW THIS ONE, the seventh shixiong--Prince Langya, Xiao Ruofeng!

Yikes. I wish the show would do these characters more justice, because the actors did GREAT in bringing them to life only to have them nuked because of screentime restrictions and lack of dialogue if they weren't Lei Mengsha, Liu Yue, or Xiao Ruofeng. I literally have the most barebone ideas of who they are. And even Liu Yue got nuked later on. Ugh.

Speaking of characters, I really loved Yue Yao and her drive to do what was right as the story progressed. She was so interesting when she decided to take charge of things instead of letting them happen to her, and then LOOK WHAT THE PRODUCERS DID WITH HER. Sidelined her and made her arm candy to Baili Dongjun when they could have been a badass fighting couple. A N D based on the timeline we got in the drama, they were together for like seven years and you're telling me they didn't get married until post-drama??? I don't believe you~

I literally powered through this drama, though credit must be given for the soundtrack, which I thought was overall better than The Blood of Youth's (save for a few songs, but I would sooner listen to the full OST for Dashing Youth without skipping songs than The Blood of Youth).

There was a lot of story and a lot of characters to cram into this drama so that it would set up for The Blood of Youth properly, which was by then a very established drama. Retconning is a nightmare, but the producers and screenwriters somehow MADE A PREQUEL WORSE because there were a lot of details and characters that dragged on for too long, took up too much screentime for NO purpose whatsoever (like Baili Dongjun learning the sword and dao technique that he maybe used like once?), and then caused the rest of the actually important details that need to set up The Blood of Youth to be SUPER rushed.

The pacing. Dear GOD, the pacing. If your drama requires multiple voice-over timeskip cuts, you're doing it WRONG (see: shoving in the Four Guardians of Tianqi without actually letting us see this badass team interact even once...nuking the seven disciples of Jixia Academy while then bringing back Liu Yue and Mo Xiao Hei at the end to fight Nanjue with Lei Mengsha ALSO without actually letting us see them together and then saying that they went back to jianghu after the battle without mentioning how Lei Mengsha died while fighting Nanjue in The Blood of Youth...how on earth Li Hanyi became the second City Master when Sikong Changfeng was explicitly namedropped by Luo Shui, the previous City Master of Xueyue...I could keep going).

This is bad writing at its finest and I am angry that the drama turned out this way when source material was actually so good.

--Then, The Blood of Youth.

This drama was everything Dashing Youth wanted and tried to be, but even with a template in front of them, they still managed to get it wrong. The audacity and freedom and shackles of youth, the adventure and the beginnings of romance, the court politics and the complexity of jianghu--The Blood of Youth did it RIGHT, and with excellent pacing and development.

[danmeiljie]

有完没完了! You wan meiwan le! This is endless!

Episode 18

[danmeiljie]

And They Were Roommates...!

Here's all the episodes in Advance Bravely where they display particularly cute boyfriend behavior with each other, starting from when Xia Yao first sleeps over with Yuan Zong, up to where they go to a dinner party openly as a couple: (I'm leaving out the hospital scenes because that can be a bit sad and I'm going for Positive Vibes Only for this post!)

Episode 14: (home cooking, the first sleepover)

Dec1, Dec2, Mar, Jun

Episode 15: (flirting on the couch, sleepover)

Dec1, Dec2, Dec3, Mar, Jun

Episode 16: (giftgiving, sleepover, home cooking)

Dec1, Dec2, Dec3, Dec4, Mar1, Mar2, Jun

Episode 17: (taking care of minor pains, flirting on the couch, home cooking)

Dec1, Dec2, Mar1, Mar2, Jun

Episode 18: (home cooking, teasing, sleepover)

Dec, Mar, Jun

Episode 19: (giftgiving, home cooking, sharing money)

Dec, Mar, Jun

Episode 21: (pining, flirty phone call)

Dec, Mar, Jun

Episode 22: (pining, sweet phone call, big hug)

Dec1, Dec2, Dec3, Mar, Jun

Episode 23: (sleepover, home cooking)

Dec, Mar, Jun

Episode 24: (going on a date, meet his mother)

Dec, Mar, Jun

Episode 27: (going on a date, home cooking, meet his mother)

Dec, Mar, Jun

Episode 28: (cuddling in bed naked, sleepover)

Dec1, Dec2, Mar, Jun

Episode 29: (going to a dinner party, giftgiving)

Dec, Mar, Jun

[danmeiljie]

你怎么来了? Ni zenme laile? What are you doing here?

Episode 26

[danmeiljie]

"I'm getting excited, just thinking about it..."

[danmeiljie]

How It Should Have Happened: A Series of Advance Bravely Fix Its

Episode 18

Xia Yao glared at the buzzing flip phone on the nightstand. He wriggled his butt over across Yuan Zong's large bed and reached with long fingers plucking the offensive device. After observing the name Wang Shuang once again on the tiny front screen scrolling past as it continued to buzz, taunting him, he frowned and flicked the phone open, debating about canceling the incoming call.

'How dare she call this late at night! Were all the other times she called today not enough?' Xia Yao thought, pursing his lips petulantly.

Yuan Zong emerged from the bathroom in a waft of steam clad only in a towel around his fit waist, and Xia Yao realized it was too late to pretend she wasn't calling. He threw off the blankets and walked over, wordlessly handing the persistent buzzing phone to the taller man. Yuan Zong looked down at Xia Yao's adorable pouty face as he took the phone and answered quietly.

"Hello?"

Xia Yao got a tiny spark of satisfaction at the annoyance he heard in Yuan Zong's deep voice. His eyes followed Yuan Zong as he crossed the room and sat in the corner chair, propping his leg over one knee, teasing Xia Yao with the tantalizing possibility of seeing underneath the towel. Xia Yao picked up one of Yuan Zong's toy tanks and fiddled with it and leaned against the dresser doing a poor job of not looking like he was eavesdropping. Bored after a few seconds of listening to half the conversation, a wicked thought crossed his mind.

'If you want to ignore me and spend all your time talking to some woman, then I know how to steal your attention back!'

Noisily putting the tank down, Xia Yao meandered over in front of a seated Yuan Zong who was uttering the occasional word of acknowledgment while Wang Shuang blabbered on the other end of the line. He looked up at Xia Yao who was giving him a mischievous smirk. They locked eyes as Xia Yao slowly lowered his knees to the floor, his hands resting on Yuan Zong's thighs still warm from the shower. Xia Yao pinched the terrycloth towel between his fingers as he inched it up, revealing more and more of Yuan Zong's legs.

Yuan Zong kept his face completely still, save for arching one eyebrow as if he dared Xia Yao to continue. Xia Yao grinned evilly and snaked a hand between his legs into the dark towel cave, searching for Yuan Zong's warm, sensitive flesh. As he delicately fondled, neither Yuan Zong's face or tone of voice wavered one bit. Impressed and equally annoyed, Xia Yao became more direct with his touches, fully attempting to bring his "Little Zongzi" to attention. Xia Yao himself couldn't help but tremble a little with excitement at what he was doing, his own body warming up.

Yuan Zong shifted slightly in the chair, widening his legs to give Xia Yao's hand more room and murmured a generic response into the phone at his ear. Xia Yao mouthed 'Hang up' silently at Yuan Zong, who was still holding him in a heated gaze.

"That all sounds great, Miss Wang," Yuan Zong said. "We can go over it in more detail tomorrow. Mmhmm, Yep. You too, Good night."

He snapped the clamshell style phone shut and placed it on the dresser next to the chair; Xia Yao let out a throaty giggle as his hand stroked faster, increasing the pressure of his grip. He was about to tug the towel away from Yuan Zong's waist when he suddenly found himself soaring through the air. Yuan Zong had swiftly lunged out of the chair and tossed the tall but slender man onto the bed. Xia Yao bounced and he rolled onto his side throwing Yuan Zong an angry look, but as Yuan Zong pounced on him, pressing him into the messy blankets and an arm on either side of his head, his brow relaxed and he laughed.

"You thought you could tease me, Xia Yao? Aren't you being a bit naughty?" Yuan Zong said evenly, his nose barely an inch from Xia Yao's face. "You should pay attention more in class; a bodyguard is not easily distracted from the task at hand."

Xia Yao writhed a little beneath Yuan Zong's large, heavy body, his long legs wrapping around his hips; he stuck a hand between them and palmed the very obvious bulge peeking out from the towel now barely holding on.

"I had my own 'task at hand' I was focusing on. It didn't have anything to do with yours." Xia Yao said, his eyebrows raising and voice undulating playfully.

"Is that so?" Yuan Zong replied. He brought a hand to his waist and yanked the towel free, tossing it across the bedroom, now hovering over Xia Yao completely naked. Xia Yao's eyes couldn't help but flick down and feast on the sight of this well endowed man. He gulped, and a blush washed over his face. It was one thing to feel how big he was with just his fingers beneath the towel, but now, fully exposed in the light, Xia Yao could not mistake the power Yuan Zong had between his legs.

Yuan Zong began to tug at the white linen pants still at Xia Yao's waist, "I don't think you'll be needing these."

Xia Yao recovered and gave him his best saucy look, and pulled Yuan Zong's face down and kissed him hard on the mouth. Who was he kidding? Wang Shuang had no chance.

[danmeiljie]

Episode 16: Advance Bravely Part 2

[danmeiljie]

Xia Yao Covers Up His Attraction to Yuan Zong by Teasing Him About Getting a Girlfriend in Advance Bravely

Yuan Zong tries to ignore the comments at first, but finally tells the gremlin Xia Yao to stop.

Eventually Yuan Zong teases Xia Yao back, by saying if he keeps staying late to hang out with him alone, how will he have time to find a girlfriend?

Of course we all know this scene turns into an excuse to jump on each other, stare lustfully into each others eyes, and talk about how the only way to get rid of the tart taste of the pears their eating is to kiss.

After this, the comments about Yuan Ru, the Sister, and the Nonexistant potential future girlfriend cease. Its clear Xia Yao and Yuan Zong are comfortable with being together and dating, and neither they nor the script attempts to explain why they prefer to spend all their free time together, often shirtless.

[danmeiljie]

The Dyanmic Between Xia Yao and Yuan Zong in Advance Bravely Adaptation:

Or, Why AB is Actually Romantic and Not Problematic, Unlike the Novel:

There's two dynamics going on here... One where Xia Yao is trying to actually "fight" Yuan Zong - it's why he joins the bodyguard classes, so he can learn Yuan Zong's fighting style and finally defeat him. He wants to fight him because Yuan Zong wasn't listening to his requests to leave him alone. (I have no defense for stalking. Yuan Zong was weird and idk if you can just blame social awkwardness. My guess is since his backstory is that he was in the Special Forces in the Military, he's kind of "hunting" Xia Yao. He refers to himself as a sniper in the novel and once he has a target in his sights he doesnt let up. It's by sheer luck for Xia Yao that he turns out to be rather kind and attentive, despite his inability to respect boundaries in the beginning)

The point being that they're used to sparring together and using "moves".

The other dynamic is Xia Yao's growing attraction to Yuan Zong. He purposefully continues to seek him out, using excuses like, oh I'm staying late cause I don't wanna wake up my Mother by coming home late at night can I just crash at your place? Hey if you wanna cook for me I'm not gonna turn down free food and this is really tasty! Hey you give really good backrubs and you fixed my game for me, I guess I can stick around. Etc etc. Yuan Zong eventually proves to Xia Yao his decent intentions.

So when I see them in these scenes of throwing each other on couches (cause they both do it not just YZ to XY), it's them being flirty and consensual. Xia Yao wants to be around Yuan Zong and vice versa.

If this was not apparent I don't think I'd like this show. But the two lead actors sell their playful chemistry and GJ does his classic adorable gremlin thing that works for the script.

The novel is more questionable. They're both pretty harsh with each other and more antagonistic. Which exists as a genre in BL, but it's not my cup of tea. I vastly enjoy the show better than the book, and I always counsel people interested in it to not read it.

[danmeiljie]

爱你呀，弟弟❤️

"I'm getting excited, just thinking about it..."