𝕸𝖞 𝕵𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖓𝖊𝖞 𝖙𝖔 𝖄𝖔𝖚 (2023)
overview : episode no - 24 | genre - wuxia
yun weishan has only ever known darkness. brought up and honed from a young age to become a spy under the mysterious sect wufeng, she longs for freedom. the drama begins as she is sent on a mission into the gong family, the enemy sect of wufeng. if she succeeds, freedom she gets. surrounded by schemes and treachery with possible death looming on both sides, yun weishan must navigate the dangerous waters of the gong family and her own turbulent emotions towards her target, gong ziyu.
l⃣e⃣ t⃣’ s⃣ b⃣e⃣g⃣i⃣n⃣
YALL THIS DRAMA. THIS DRAMA. this drama was simultaneously the worst and best thing I have experienced in a long time. however, if I could only use one word to describe this drama, it would 100% be stunning. the drama is absolutely stunning. from the music to the costuming to the makeup to the actors- this drama's visuals is quite frankly something never seen before in chinese dramaland- its so dark and brooding and so cool. the plot on the other hand...? let's get into it.
o⃣u⃣t⃣ o⃣ f⃣ t⃣ e⃣ n⃣
𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 3/10
𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 7/10
𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 7/10
𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 10/10
𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕖 - 6.7
o⃣u⃣t⃣ o⃣ f⃣ f⃣ i⃣v⃣ e⃣
𝖍𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖌𝖊𝖒 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - 💎💎💎💎💎
[ honestly, this drama is pretty unique I have to give it that much. in every way. the characters? the premise? and the style? I think the visuals alone grants it it's five gem value. ]
𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - ✨✨✨
[ despite the plot that is quite literally held up by like two stitches, I would probably rewatch it for the characters, but probably not think too deeply about the drama's construction as a whole because honestly- it would frustrate me to no end. ]
‘keep reading’ for detailed review
𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 3
okay- hear me out y'all. I know people absolutely LOVE this drama and I am one of them, but I have to admit the logic in this plot sucks ass. like it really sucks ass. recently i heard a youtuber describe the characters as people who thought they were zhen huan but in reality were just a bunch of xia dongchuns and it really made me laugh- and guys... unfortunately, its true. some of the methods that the characters use to scheme and idk "verbally spar" honestly were just so- sigh. so ridiculous.
generally speaking, I felt that the drama didn't really have a "thread" or a central purpose, which I think is mainly a result of the build up to the ending. it failed to answer so many questions and instead made it worse by creating even more. overall, the plot kind of just felt like wading through a gigantic mud marsh with pointless confrontations and plot points popping up everywhere. the scriptwriters gave the drama a super complex framing that they just weren't able to do justice. two powerful sects and two people from completely opposing sides. one is an assassin-spy that initially (?) yearns for freedom and one is the leader of the sect that she is trying to destroy. add to that all the scheming that goes on the gong family. and a lot of childhood trauma. that's a shit-tonne of emotion and plotting to deal with which you can't realistically develop to a good quality within just 24 episodes.
I also got the vibe that the scriptwriters were scared to pin point any of their characters down for the sake of mystery, which honestly instead of making the drama better, really just made it worse. so many characters' motives were constantly doing 180s and big revelations were thrown in without any evidence of it being interlaced with the rest of the drama (I'm looking at you Big Plot Twist At End of Drama). like, the general concept was amazing, show-stopping, fantastic, never seen before, but then came the execution and it all just sort of fell apart.though I did enjoy the plot and watched the show until the end, ultimately I felt that there was honestly just too many frustrating flaws to justify it getting anything higher than 3. I loved the drama all the same though, the concept, the music and cinematography was just insane.
𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 7
ugh all the characters in this show where literally sO COOOLLL. they all had such distinctive characters, styles and personalities, it was amazing. honestly, literally never seen before. their tragic backstories were so so heartbreaking. while plot wasn't fantastic, the drama was pretty good at establishing and handling the characters and their emotional attachments to each other. its kinda funny to me that for a drama which marketed romance as it's main thing, the non-romantic relationships were so much better written. I loved yun weishan and yun que's relationship to their master han yasi and the relationship between xue chongzi and xue gongzi. and omg, gong ziyu's relationship to lady wuji? brought me to tears.
speaking of the romance department; I found it really hard to invest in the ships. while I approved of all the pairings and thought a romantic dynamic between them would be very interesting, it did feel like the storytelling was yet again lacking. I couldn't be sure wether I could really invest and ship the romance between shangguang qian and gong shangjue bcs both their motives were so unclear, and neither of their feelings towards one another were never really explored properly? and while I definitely understood yun weishan's attraction to gong ziyu, I didn't really get why gong ziyu loved her and risked so much for her which made some of his actions seem really silly and hard to stand by. overall, for the romance, i think I liked what it had the potential to be than what we actually got.
𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 10
Y'ALLL. time to talk about my absolute FAVOURITE part of this drama. THE PRODUCTION. the colouring, the lighting, the sets, the cinematography?? the makeup? the music? the costume design?? THE COSTUME DESIGN?? its quite obvious that a huge amount of the budget for this drama has simply been poured into the design, like I've seriously never seen a drama shot like this ever before and it was absolutely insane (though they definitely had to cut down on the cast and extras, the whole drama has this weird kind of empty feeling for a manor that is so rich and famous and so tightly guarded, like yun weishan didn't even get a personal handmaiden) I remember seeing the trailers for this show and literally screaming- the drama itself did not disappoint. I would even go as far to say that I would watch this drama completely just for the aesthetics.
𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 7
in my personal opinion, no complaints about the acting, it was pretty great. although it's pretty dramatic at times and everyone speaks at the volume of a whisper, at no point in the drama did I get taken out of the show by the acting. esther yu really slayed in her new assassin role which was so fun to watch especially since most of her roles thus far have been rather cutesy and light- and her marital arts scenes ate- in fact all the martial arts scenes ate in my opinion. I think even the side characters did fairly well, it was all very nice. no complaints.
.
.
𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘!!
favourite character(s) :
yue gongzi ( who doesn't love an angsty angsty man? he's literally the definition of that teary wet cat meme and I love that for him )
xue chongzi (yet another angsty man- you can see a pattern forming lmao- his arc at the end was literally so heartbreaking. one of my favourite characters from this show fr. )
.
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜 (source mydramalist)
lead actors : esther yu, zhang linghe, lu yuxiao, cheng lei
director : guo jingming, luo luo
screenwriter : guo jingming
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Extension / Spinoff Of This Thread With @shacchou
The vibration from his pager in his pocket was sudden and out of nowhere, but he reacts to it as effortlessly as he did anything. Tasuku, along with Jack who was back in his card form, both move away from the other members of the Buddy Police that had gathered to arrest the criminal they both apprehended. His face shifts to one of concern as he presses the button in the center, immediately connecting the human to the youngest of the two Kaiba Brothers.
"Mokuba, are you okay?! Are you hurt at all?! What's your status?!"
"Tasuku...I'm...I'm okay. I'm not in danger or anything. I just...didn't want to contact you through...normal means."
"Oh..." He can feel his heart rate slow with that confirmation, but he still remains on edge. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt. Didn't expect you to use the pager for a non-emergency, but that's no matter. It's clear you called me for a reason through these means. So, please. Say what you want to say. You...don't sound like yourself."
"Y-Yeah...I...I kinda have a big favor to ask of you."
"I see... Well, all you need to do is ask me, Mokuba. I'll do my best to help you in anyway I can. I promised you that the day we met, and that offer still stands now."
"Thanks, Tasuku."
The officer can hear Mokuba taking in a deep breath next. It was clear as day something was up. The way he was speaking now reminded him of how he was during the period his older brother was in a coma, when he was in agony over his brother's condition despite what Seto Kaiba had done to him. He was a caring and loving soul, Tasuku knew that much to be true.
"I...I wanted to ask if I could...stay with you for a while? I...I need some time away from my house, away from...away from..."
"You don't need to say it. I already can understand what probably happened. In any case, you're more than welcome to stay at my place for as long as you need. It's no trouble at all."
"A-Are you sure? I wouldn't...be burdening you at all? I know how busy you are with your work."
"Of course not. Friends and family are never burdens." He makes sure to emphasize that for him before continuing. "And while I'm an important part of the Buddy Police, I'm not the only officer on duty. Besides, Mr.Takihara was going to have me go on forced vacation for a few weeks now that the Rare Hunter situation is handled anyway. So, it really is no trouble at all."
Ruby hues widen once the sounds of sobbing reach his ears. The sounds of crying where among his least favorite noises, but not because he found it irritating. Crying often was a signal someone was in pain. Pain was a form of suffering, and as someone who wanted to rid the world, especially children, of suffering, hearing it made his heart ache and his ranger towards his assumed source of it grow.
"How...How dare he..."
The thoughts echo in his mind as he clenches his free hand, it shaking in his righteous anger. Seto Kaiba was already someone he didn't exactly like for several reasons, but to think he'd do something again to hurt his brother after the stunt he pulled at Death-T? Did he really learn nothing after almost losing everything?
Whenever he runs into that bastard again, he's going to give him a personal taste of Tasuku's own brand of justice. No one, no matter who you are or what the circumstances, should treat the only family they cherish in such a horrible way. He didn't even need to know the full details to know just how bad the situation was. Mokuba's tears he can hear through the speaker spoke volumes.
"It's going to be alright, Mokuba. I'm going to help you get through whatever it is that's troubling you. Just stay strong until I see you, okay? Know you're not alone."
"...T-Thank...T-Thank you...C-Can we meet at...the park?"
"Sure, no problem. Jack and I will meet you there. He can carry you back to my place. You did say you always wanted to fly on a dragon, right?" Jack normally wouldn't be too comfortable carrying someone on his back, but considering the circumstances, even Tasuku knows his Buddy wouldn't turn this down. The dragon cared for the young boy just as he did, after all.
"Mhmm. S-See you soon."
"See you soon. Be careful."
The transmission ends and his hand falls to his side. His teeth gritt in frustration, his breaths almost sounding like a dragon's growl. Despite his politeness and warm smile he tried to maintain as a part of his professionalism, he was still a rather emotional person. He felt thing so intensely, so deeply, that they threatened to consume his actions. And his emotions right now were screaming at him to go down to the Kaiba Mansion and personally give Seto Kaiba a piece of his mind.
It's at that moment when he feels a warmth and sees a glow coming from his chest. Tasuku knows right away it was his Buddy calling out to him, no doubt sensing his emotions. He puts his hand over the pocket where Jack's card was stored, closing his eyes as he moves to communicate with him telepathically.
"Tasuku... I understand your feelings toward the situation. You are not wrong to feel how you do. Your righteous heart of justice always cries out at the suffering of others, especially those you are close to. However, if you wish to truly help your friend with the emotional troubles he is facing, then you must calm yourself first. If you are consumed by your anger, then you won't be able to help anyone. Your friend is counting on you right now. Do you understand what I am saying?"
In situations like this, Jack really acted like his own consciousness. Everything he was saying was absolutely correct. Getting upset now would not help the situation. It would probably make it worse than anything. Mokuba was his priority right now, not his brother. All his focus should be put into making sure the younger Kaiba was safe and taken care of. In a way, he's to assume the role of an older brother for the time being, the role at this very moment Tasuku thought Seto Kaiba didn't deserve at this moment. And it's a role he will not fail at for the sake of his friend who reached out to him desperately, a friend who needed him and wanted his aid.
He would not fail.
"I...I understand, Jack. I know what must be done." He takes a deep breath then, trying to steel himself before he makes his next move. Tasuku reaches into his pocket to remove his Buddy's cards, holding it up into the air as he prepares for their departure. "Let's go to work."
With that, Jack's card glows, the dragon manifesting in his mini-form before the human. Tasuku grabs his deckcase, the Star Pulsar, from his pocket and shows it to the other. The red gem in the yellow case's center resonates with a golden glow of Jack's eyes, the deckcase eventually transforming into its true form, that of a yellow drone with four points sticking out of it.
"BUDDY SKILL ON."
The technological voice from his device is soon followed by a light burst of wind as Jack's Buddy Skill makes itself known. Two green rings appear at the boy's heels, their power causing him to start floating in the air. Once airborne, he wastes no time flying straight into the clouds towards his destination, with Jack soaring at his side.
It is during this flight that he informs his legal guardian of the situation. Mr.Takihara, being the kind of person he was, had a soft spot for children. So, of course he was okay with the idea. Tasuku had his own apartment joined with his, anyway. It was up to him how he managed the one-bedroom space. He gave the boy that kind of trust as if he were an adult.
Within minutes, the pair made it to the park. They sit on a nearby bench as they wait for the younger Kaiba to appear, Tasuku getting anxious as the minutes pass. Would he get there safely? Should he have just gotten him? What if he got mugged on the way here? All these thoughts rushed through his mind, and he was debating about going, until he hears footsteps approach and Mokuba comes into view at long last.
"Hey, Mokuba. Glad you got here safe."
He offers the young boy a warm smile he hopes will offer him some comfort and relief. Ruby hues observe the other's response, Mokuba providing only a small nod. The bag he was carrying with him was quickly noticed as well. Seems he brought things with him. Good. It be difficult to be away from home without some of your personal items, after all.
"Got everything you-"
Mokuba then approaches the Buddy Police Boy Wonder, Tasuku remaining still as he watches on. It is then that Mokuba slowly moves up his hands until they find themselves wrapped around the older boy's waist, the other's head resting on his shoulder pad. Before he can make a response, he freezes in place at the all too painful sound of crying reaching his ears for the second time tonight.
Tasuku responds soon enough, wrapping his own arms around the boy and providing gentle pats on his back. This is not his first go around comforting a crying child. It was something he, unfortunately, had plenty of experience with, considering his line of work. Children were often targets of game-related crimes, but that was part of why he did what he did, to protect those who could not protect themselves. It was his life's mission and one he continues to get stronger for.
"Mokuba...Don't worry. It's all going to be alright. Have faith in me, Jack, and your friends to help you. We'll be right there by your side to help you through this. I promise."
His grip on the boy tightens slightly then, a physical confirmation of his promise. He was going to care for Mokuba as if he were his brother, just as he would do for Gao or any of his friends should they need it. The selfless boy who was too desperate to become an adult would always shoulder the burden of those around him, being their rock when they needed it most...even at the cost of himself.
"Now, let's get going. You must be exhausted after everything." The Buddy Police officer speaks up once he hears the sound of the sobbing decrease, gently letting go of Mokuba and directing him towards Jack who was now in his true form. He lowers his body to the ground, allowing Mokuba to climb on his back safely. Tasuku will be sure to thank Jack for allowing this to happen, considering he was not a fan of being ridden.
Once secured, the three then soar into the air and into the clouds, leaving the town of Domino behind for the neighboring city of Cho-Tokyo, a place where Seto Kaiba had no power in. Hopefully, this change of scenery would help his friend recover from the emotional wounds inflicted on him, wounds that he should have never been inflicted on one so young, so innocent...like Mokuba Kaiba.
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The Deathdream
There is a tale, now old, I call the Deathdream—
The final flash of thought through fading minds,
Recounting the account of life in full
Before the fire fails and flickers out;
The brain, it's said, takes on the role of friend
Most dear and offers out a cigarette
By way of memory, the only gift
Of comfort it can give before the light
Sinks down into the darkling, Lethe sea.
I wonder whether fear is put aside
When it begins, or does it gain a new,
Less choking flavor? Become more like bitter
But soothing medicine, the fertile soil
That gives way to calm before oblivion?
The dream must seem so peaceful from outside,
Where others see what seems a quiet sleep;
It's kind to hope the same is true within.
Perhaps the dream must rush itself as Death
Begins to press; yet, still there must come stillness
In a soul as the vision nears its end.
If nothing else, the living may find comfort
In peaceful stillness washing suffering
Away, and hoping that a careful reaper
Now ferries love into the dreamless dark.
The way I hear the story told, the mind
Does not pass judgment on the soul; instead,
I hope, it shows the truth - the better, worse -
Then takes one's hand and smiles - sad and soft -
While saying, "'Twas a lovely dream, this life;
The evil scars will fade before the kind."
And even should it be an empty lie,
It matters not for those who then must die;
Such comfort would be cruelest to deny.
Before the long, unending, dreamless sleep,
Our final dream should bring to us some peace.
It may be vain to ponder on a dream
Forlorn that none alive may ever see;
To claim to ken what happens at the end
As though it might resolve the mystery.
It is, indeed, the greatest irony
That death, our single commonality,
Must stay unknown to all humanity.
Perhaps the dream is nothing but a tale;
Yet, comfort still I find within the question:
What shape, I wonder, shall my Deathdream take?
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Princess/Prince Themed
Neopronouns
For Anonymous!
⚜
Royal/Royal/Royals/Royals/Royalself
This morning, Royal went to the park. I went with Royal. And Royal brought Royals frisbee. At least I think it was Royals. By the end of the day, Royal started throwing the frisbee to Royalself.
Knight/Knight/Knights/Knights/Knightself
This morning, Knight went to the park. I went with Knight. And Knight brought Knights frisbee. At least I think it was Knights. By the end of the day, Knight started throwing the frisbee to Knightself.
Crown/Crown/Crowns/Crowns/Crownself
This morning, Crown went to the park. I went with Crown. And Crown brought Crowns frisbee. At least I think it was Crowns. By the end of the day, Crown started throwing the frisbee to Crownself.
Castle/Castle/Castles/Castles/Castleself
This morning, Castle went to the park. I went with Castle. And Castle brought Castles frisbee. At least I think it was Castles. By the end of the day, Castle started throwing the frisbee to Castleself.
Jewel/Jewel/Jewels/Jewels/Jewelself
This morning, Jewel went to the park. I went with Jewel. And Jewel brought Jewels frisbee. At least I think it was Jewels. By the end of the day, Jewel started throwing the frisbee to Jewelself.
Thou/Thee/Thy/Thine/Thyself
This morning, Thou went to the park. I went with Thee. And Thou brought Thy frisbee. At least I think it was Thine. By the end of the day, Thou started throwing the frisbee to Thyself.
•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦👑✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•
Divine/Divine/Divines/Divines/Divineself
This morning, Divine went to the park. I went with Divine. And Divine brought Divines frisbee. At least I think it was Divines. By the end of the day, Divine started throwing the frisbee to Divineself.
Gold/Gold/Goldens/Goldens/Goldenself
This morning, Gold went to the park. I went with Gold. And Gold brought Goldens frisbee. At least I think it was Goldens. By the end of the day, Gold started throwing the frisbee to Goldenself.
🏰/🏰/🏰s/🏰s/🏰self
This morning, 🏰 went to the park. I went with 🏰. And 🏰 brought 🏰s frisbee. At least I think it was 🏰s. By the end of the day, 🏰 started throwing the frisbee to 🏰self.
👑/👑/👑s/👑s/👑self
This morning, 👑 went to the park. I went with 👑. And 👑 brought 👑s frisbee. At least I think it was 👑s. By the end of the day, 👑 started throwing the frisbee to 👑self.
💎/💎/💎s/💎s/💎self
This morning, 💎 went to the park. I went with 💎. And 💎 brought 💎s frisbee. At least I think it was 💎s. By the end of the day, 💎 started throwing the frisbee to 💎self.
⚔/⚔/⚔s/⚔s/⚔self
This morning, ⚔ went to the park. I went with ⚔. And ⚔ brought ⚔s frisbee. At least I think it was ⚔s. By the end of the day, ⚔ started throwing the frisbee to ⚔self.
⚜/⚜/⚜s/⚜s/⚜self
This morning, ⚜ went to the park. I went with ⚜. And ⚜ brought ⚜s frisbee. At least I think it was ⚜s. By the end of the day, ⚜ started throwing the frisbee to ⚜self.
(Sentences used from pronouncy!)
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