(ayo it's been a while since I saw Ji Xiaokun play CXS and oh boy, he is so back ✨)
Recently Ji Xiaokun has been quite active on weibo and posting behind the scenes photos. He takes most of them himself and is clearly having fun with it, so check them out:
look, isn't it basically live action Cheng Xiaoshi running around, taking pictures of his friends and Lu Guang? im sobbing
240121 lineup was: Deng Xianling, Ji Xiaokun, Guo Hongxu
🥹😭💖
I honestly don't know who crushed my heart harder today
lc musical clip list pt.4! i'm calling this one, the birthday special!!
(pt.1, pt.2, pt.3, and pt.5 here)
Why is this the birthday special, well because of this:
51. 28/02/2024, Happy BDay Guo Hongxu! I don't usually upload promovid but uhh he's so cool in this one so, here. Sidenote, Shu Rongbo is very hyper and cute this performance. And Qian Anqi's cute english plss i love her.
52. 03/03/2024 night, Happy BDay Zuo Yiping! Watch also, Cao Muzhi penguin walk across the table, Wu Yihan please watch your steps and don't poke other people's cake!!
(funny coincidence, I happen to watch a Santa Lucia/Mio Fratello clip of Cao Muzhi-Wu Yihan just a couple days before this)
53. 10/03/2024 night, Happy Bday Shu Rongbo and Wu Yihan!! Hehe the way Qian Anqi knocks their heads together and insisted to sing them happy birthday is so cute. Wu Yihan said 'Happy Birthday' before their customary Guiding Light hug. And pls someone translate (or at least transcribed) the closing speech for me, there's a lot of laughing involved, I'm curious. Also, have this bonus stage door clip.
Some funfacts. Since last year they play in the same 4 musicals including Link Click and out of those 4 plays they shared 2 roles. Shu Rongbo played a total of 9 roles while Wu Yihan played 7. (Yes, I am at that level of hyperfixation)
54. 11/03/2024, HBD Teng Chunpeng! LMAO It's you, so of course your promo video would be great! His face during the sofa choreo though. And why are both him and Du Guangyi stomping and jumping on the table so hard. You menaces, please you're gonna break it. The couch trio is also looking cute behind them.
Moving on from the birthdays starting with this special one,
55. 11/03/2024 Valentine's day special, <- Official ver. Forgive my language TENG CHUNPENG DU GUANGYI YOU FCKING TEASE! YOU GEM OF A HUMAN BEING! Have this fancam with the superior angle.
(This makes Du Guangyi the first and only actor who have played all 3 roles in that scene. Congrats!)
56. Special Encore rehearsals/BTS! Special mentions to Teng Chunpeng's fashion sense, Wu Yihan's cute act, Ding Xingchen's falling wig, Zhang Jiahao's IDGAF mood, and Wang Minhui's violent tendencies.
57. 26/02/2024, when I say Cai Qi and Wang Minhui have the best dynamic, this is what I meant.
58. 29/02/2024, watch Ji Xiaokun and Guo Hongxu's "Oi!" "Oi."
59. 01/03/2024, Look at them stumbling through singing "Guiding Light" and it's a Wu Yihan-Shu Rongbo duo which means hug! Also Wu Yihan, why are you a menace at holding hands, this time with Zou Ziyue.
60. 03/03/2024 day, why is there a piglet??? Why are you seasoning the piglet??? Why are you stepping on the piglet?? Why is the piglet bowing?? piglet??
61. 04/03/2024, Bai Zhuoming being extra sassy and playful on the couch makes me so happy. Of course Cai Lu also becomes playful in response. Typical Guiding Light mistake also causes Wang Minhui to crack.
62. 07/03/2024, Guo Hongxu putting up the wrong foot and stumbling on the sofa choreo.
63. 07/03/2024, same performance as above, Ji Xiaokun being annoying <3. When other pairs hug, they wrestle.
64. 10/03/2024 day, Mooom! Cai Qi and Wang Minhui are fighting instead of doing rock-paper-scissors again.
65. 09/03/2024 day, uuuhh Wu Yihan sitting on the counter like that with those lights and shadows during Guiding Light is creepy.
66. 09/03/20204 night, love me some Du Guangyi shenanigans, the way he just gives up on the handshake and walk off the table plss and him teasing Deng Xianling during the closing speech. Speaking of, she brings out the bat and forces their arms to form the heart. Then there's Bai Zhuoming being cute and the little shimmy dance he does.
67. 09/03/2024 night, bonus to the one above. Du Guangyi last minute adlib was unexpected but very enjoyable. Also, I love the contrast between his and Bai Zhuoming's tutting.
That's all for now!
Bonus clip with Bai Zhuoming! The song "Number 7" from "Fan Letter" musical is really good, I'm obssesed. But special performance where they're joined by their alternate cast? And his alternate cast is, Shu Rongbo? Even better!! They're kinda in their own world too. Here's a close up. Their voices go so well together!
(I swear they're playing something on that paper, and that makes it 3 musicals I know where they share the same role. Is it time I made a venn diagram?)
so at which point do i admit this brainrot is slowly but surely turning from linkclick focused to actor focused?
In the nineteenth year of Jian'an (214), after Liu Bei had conquered the Shu region, he sent the General Who Maintains Distant Places, Deng Fang of Nan commandary, to serve as Administrator of Zhuti and Commander of Laixiang, with his base at Nanchang county. Deng Fang thought little of wealth, and he was a stalwart and resolute fellow; the tribal peoples and the Han people respected his power and trusted him.
After Deng Fang passed away, Liu Bei asked the Attendant Officer of Internal Affairs, Li Hui of Jianning commandary, who would be best suited to replace him. Li Hui replied, "I can only reply as Zhao Chongguo did when asked who should lead the campaign at Xianling: 'there’s no better choice than me'." So Liu Bei appointed Li Hui as the new Commander, and Li Hui had his base at Pingyi county.
After Liu Bei passed away, a leader of the Sou people of Yuexi commandary, Gao Dingyuan, killed the general of that commandary, Jiao Huang, and raised the commandary in rebellion, calling himself King. A gentry leader from Yizhou commandary, Yong Kai, also killed the Administrator of that commandary, Zheng Ang, who was replaced as Administrator by Zhang Yi of Shu commandary. Claiming magical influence, Yong Kai declared, "Commissioner Zhang is like a gourd kettle; he might look fine on the outside, but within he is actually crude. It would not do to kill him; we should tie him up and send him to Wu." So he arrested Zhang Yi and sent him to Wu. Sun Quan secretly appointed Yong Kai as his Administrator of Yongchang. He also appointed Liu Zhang's son Liu Chan as Inspector of Yizhou and stationed him on the border with Jiaozhou and Yizhou. The Minister of Zangke commandary, Zhu Bao of Zhuti commandary, had been appointed as acting Administrator of Zangke, but he too did as he pleased.
The Prime Minister, Zhuge Liang, felt that since Liu Bei had only recently passed away, the state was in no position to launch a campaign to deal with these threats yet. So he sent the Administrator of Yuexi, Gong Lu of Baxi commandary, to Anshang county so that he could administer that region from afar. He also had the Administrative Officer, Chang Qi of Shu commandary, assume control of affairs in the south, and he had the Protector, Li Yan, write a letter of instructions to Yong Kai. But Yong Kai replied, "I had heard that 'the sky cannot have two suns, nor the earth two masters'. Yet now, the realm is ripped asunder, and three regal calendars are being kept. As such a distant person, I am nervous and confused, not knowing to whom I owe my allegiance." Such was Yong Kai's arrogance. And when Chang Qi arrived at Zangke and detained the Registrar to examine him about wicked behavior, Zhu Bao killed Chang Qi and openly rebelled.
When the tribal peoples of Yizhou commandary began to drift away from Yong Kai, he sent Meng Huo of Jiankang commandary to persuade the Sou and other tribal peoples. Meng Huo told them, "The government is demanding impossible things from you. They want three hundred crow-dogs whose heads and breasts are all black, and they want mosquitoes without essences. Vipers have essences, but it is difficult to acquire. They also demand three thousand branches of 斲 wood that is three zhang in length. Are you able to acquire such things for them?" The tribes believed Meng Huo, so they followed Yong Kai again. 斲 wood is naturally sturdy and firm, and it coils and bends, so it does not grow taller than two zhang; this was why Meng Huo mentioned such things to mislead the tribes.
In the third year of Jianxing (225), Zhuge Liang went on a southern campaign, taking a water route from Anshang into Yuexi commandary. He also sent Ma Zhong to campaign against Zangke commandary, and he sent Li Hui towards Yizhou commandary. He appointed the Administrator of Jianwei, Wang Shi of Guanghan commandary, as Administrator of Yizhou.
Gao Dingyuan had established many defensive ramparts at Maoniu, Dingze, and Beishui. Zhuge Liang wanted to wait for Gao Dingyuan to concentrate his forces so that he could attack all of them at once, so he camped at Beishui. Gao Dingyuan's forces killed Yong Kai, Wang Shi, and others. Meng Huo replaced Yong Kai as the leader of the rebellion. Zhuge Liang then beheaded Gao Dingyuan.
Meanwhile, although Ma Zhong took Zangke commandary, Li Hui was surrounded at Nanzhong.
In summer, the fifth month, Zhuge Liang crossed the Lu River, and he advanced to campaign against Yizhou commandary. He captured Meng Huo, then brought him into his camp and asked him, "What do you think of my army?"
Meng Huo replied, "I regret I had not known about it earlier, Sir, or else I would have defeated you easily."
Zhuge Liang considered that although his chief business would be in the north, the people of Nanzhong enjoyed rebelling and causing chaos, and he wanted to see through their tricks. So he pardoned Meng Huo and sent him back to his own army. The two sides then fought each other, and Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times and released him seven times. This caused Meng Huo to earnestly submit, and the tribal peoples and Han people also reconsidered their rebellion. Zhuge Liang once again asked Meng Huo what his intentions were, and Meng Huo now replied, "Sir, you are the scourge of Heaven! We border people shall trouble you no more."
By autumn, the four southern commandaries had been pacified. Yizhou commandary was renamed to Jianning commandary, with Li Hui appointed as its Administrator; he was also appointed as General Who Maintains Han and acting Inspector of Jiaozhou, and he shifted his base to Wei county. Parts of Jianning and Yuexi commandaries were split off to form Yunnan commandary, with Lü Kai appointed as its Administrator. Parts of Jianning and Zangke commandaries were also split off to form Xinggu commandary. Ma Zhong was appointed as Administrator of Zangke.
More than ten thousand families of Green Qiang tribal people and other strong fellows from Nanzhong were moved into the Shu region and organized into five divisions; since no enemy could stand before them, they were called the Flying Army. Others of the defeated rebels were organized into the great clans of Nanzhong: Jiao, Yong, Lou, Cuan, Meng, Liang, Mao, and Li. These were organized under the command of the five Commandants, called the Five Lords. This was what the people of Nanzhong referred to when they talked about the Four Clans and the Five Lords. Since many of the tribal peoples were obstinate and not willing to enrich these great clans, the local Prefects were encouraged to distribute gold and silks and develop plans to persuade the stubborn people to organize themselves into the family divisions, with many of them securing conspicuous hereditary offices. This caused the tribal peoples to begin craving fine products, gradually bringing them under the control of Han, until they became Han subjects.
Zhuge Liang recruited several particular talented people: Cuan Xi of Jianning commandary, Meng Yan of Zhuti commandary, and Meng Huo became his subordinates. Cuan Xi rose in office as high as General Who Leads The Army; Meng Yan became General Who Maintains Han; Meng Huo became Middle Minister to the Imperial Secretary.
Gold, silver, cinnabar, and lacquer were taken from Nanzhong, plow oxen and war horses were used to provide for the needs of the army and the state, and the Commanders often used the local people.
After Li Hui passed away, the Administrator of Shu commandary, Zhang Yi (Bogong), was appointed as Commander. Zhang Yi was severe in enforcing the laws, and he could not maintain peace in the region. The tribal leader Liu Zhou rebelled. Zhang Yi was ordered back to the capital, and Ma Zhong was appointed as his replacement. However, before Ma Zhong arrived to replace him, Zhang Yi developed military preparations and gathered together supplies. His subordinates were afraid for him because he was doing this. But Zhang Yi told them, "I am in the midst of a battlefield; how could I go off and leave things unprepared here? Wouldn't that be abandoning my duties to the state?" After Ma Zhong arrived, he vanquished Liu Zhou. Shu later appointed Zhang Yi as a Marquis Within The Passes.
During the time that Ma Zhong was in the south, he was kind to distant people and accommodating to nearby people, and he displayed great love and kindness. He rose in office as high as Grand General Who Guards The South. After Ma Zhong passed away, the people of the south raised a shrine to him, and they prayed to him whenever there was flooding or drought.
Zhang Biao of Shu commandary was appointed to succeed Ma Zhong, and he was also appointed as General Who Maintains The South. Yang Xi of Jianwei commandary was appointed as an Army Advisor to assist Zhang Biao.
After Zhang Biao, Yan Yu of Nan commandary was appointed as the new Commander, with Huo Yi of Nan commandary as his Army Advisor. This Huo Yi was an excellent assistant, and so he succeeded Yan Yu as General Who Directs The Army and General Who Maintains The South. He worked to resolve divergent customs, and he established laws for the people and educated them. Both light and heavy things became abundant, and the tribal peoples and the Jin (ethnic Han) people were secure. When Shu-Han was succeeded by the Jin dynasty, Huo Yi was kept on in the same role. At that time, since Jiaozhi had not submitted, Huo Yi was granted authority as acting Inspector of Jiaozhou to govern it from afar, and he was able to select and appoint his own chief officials. Even now (~350 AD), the local officials are tolerant with the tribal peoples and lenient in punishing them, following the example of Huo Yi. After Huo Yi passed away, his son Huo Zai took command of his soldiers and established peace with the leading local families.
First week of 'Soul of basketball' event 🔥🏀, part 1
(chill start with Du Guangyi 😌 lots of bonus videos though!)
⬆ Days we'll cover🌟
Official announcements: Reminder from an urgent update, we got a detailed lc stage set tour* 😊 We also got another video! Where LG actors answer the question 'If there was a Time Photo Studio irl, what task would you entrust?' (parallel to the vid with cxs's actors).
Links in replies: stage set tour, LG actors answer the question + my twt thread with translations 🌟, Cai Lu's 2 new clips from rehearsals 🙏 + Metablue's video about composing 'Friendship's Faith' (found by @saelterlude <3
* thanks to a set tour (and @shimmeringweeds translation <3), now we know the mystery drink from encore is not a vinegar but a plum juice!
Aside from that, Encore Musical's weibo is keeping a score record of basketball matches:
I will delve deeper into some individual scores, because we (musical brainrot gang from lc discord) are doing our own bets on who wins. We're invested and so should you, trust me 😤
April 19th: Teng Chunpeng, Du Guangyi, Deng Xianling
Nothing out of usual during the match, Basketball God tcp just doing his job 😊 At 'You can forget about it' Deng Xianling was having a hard time tying her shoes ><
Listen, I am sorry for potential 'clickbait', they just look like this ;w;
April 20th, noon: Ding Xingchen, Du Guangyi, Cai Lu
Basketball match was a tie this time. Also, puppy hat made a comeback thanks to dgy :>
a boop
⬆ this picture of Shen Tian was apparently taken by Ding Xingchen :>
(Jing Yanqiao's birthday 🥳 AND Cheng Xiaoshi's birthday 🎉)
Links in replies: all two (2) weibo clips from jyq 13.04 performance, new behind the scenes vlog from Encore Musicals (karaoke time 🌟)
April 13th, night: Jing Yanqiao, Zhu Hanbin, Zuo Yiping
Huge thanks to @shimmeringweeds for finding Jing Yanqiao's pictures on xiaohongshu 🙏 This boy doesn't get enough attention 😤 Let's wish our youngest Xiaoshi happy 21st birthday 🎉
April 14th, noon: Cai Qi, Wang Minhui, Deng Xianling
Boys being boys 😌 Instead of rock, papers, scissors they engaged into a fierce palm pushing game ><'
For some reason Cai Qi tried cupping the mic (it boomed at first ><)
April 15th: Ding Xingchen, Du Guangyi, Zuo Yiping
It was Cheng Xiaoshi's birthday, so the theatre did an event similar to QL-themed one, where audience members who wore cxs cosplay elements could be later picked to take pictures on set and with dxc ^^
(The 100th performance and 2 special encore videos, also I cried from joy and it's not an offtop)
@elaraqwq attended the 100th play, gave away the postcards we made to the audience and SOMEHOW delivered them to the trio actors 😭🧡💙💕 As an absolute legend she is, she sent me the pictures as a proof 🙇♂️ So I lost my mind about the loveliness of it all and took a while to chill o7 💝
But enough of that! Lemme tell you abt today's events ✨
Feb 25th, noon performance: Ji Xiaokun, Guo Hongxu, Cai Lu, Guo Zhenyan, Li Zexi
For special encore they did full version of 'You can forget about it' ('Rock, paper, scissors song') but sung is 3 different dialects: from Hebei, Shandong and Shanghai (lowkey foreshadowing).
TW:CXS's dramatic ass once again puts on the noose, so if it makes you uncomfortable, be warned~
If you've been listening to this song over and over again (like me), you should be able to hear the difference in pronounciation. It's as if they changed the lyrics completely ><
Feb 25th, night, the 100th performance: Cai Qi, Wang Minhui, Deng Xianling, Zhang Jiahao, Zhu Jiayan
It's full version of 'As the saying goes' (earthquake arc mom and son quarrel) with Cai Qi in place of Cheng Xiao and Wang Minhui as his mom. Joined by the rest of cast :>
I called the earlier encore foreshadowing bc (like in dongua) the earthquake arc characters speak in Sichuan dialect (the province where the plot takes place). And despite the role swap Wang Minhui used Sichuan as well.
⬆from Zhu Jiayan's weibo
⬆ @/渲染KL不加糖_瑾家 posted this picture on weibo with caption: 'Chicken run'. And I think it's the funniest joke ever ><
Check the replies for both videos 💙🧡 And I hope you'll have just as good time watching it as I did ^0^
If final season of LC won't include them going for a happy hug with their arms wide open like inthe musical, then what's even a point?
Honestly Wang Yifei and Zhu Honbin are cooking 👌👌👌 (look up their performances, Zhu Honbin's voice is amazing)
^Deng Xianling as QL 💗
⬆those 2 pics were posted by Zhu Hanbin, 1st one to tease his debut peformance, 2nd one on a debut day ^^
oh yeah, check Encore Musicals weibo for another 2 batches of debut photos. There are 3 new actors for side characters: Yu Mengying, Zhang Zhiwei (1st group pic) and Song Yuanming (2nd group pic) ✨ (all of their profiles are linked on my masterlist)
On his weibo, Shu Rongbo posted photos he gathered throuough 2023, performing in LC. Here they are :>
shiguang under the christmas tree 🥺
Some more photos, that were posted for Ji Xiaokun's birthday (by actors, fans or himself):
Not musical relatad. but he posted a really heartfelt message on his weibo acc on his birthday. Self-reflecting on personal growth and work experience... it really made me appreciate him from a different angle, so I recommend you check his weibo profile if you're interested ^^ he's a very sweet guy <3
As always, we had Deng Xianling being adorable 😊💗💖
And Teng Chunpeng being goofy ahh
🙏
To see bonus stage door photos of Teng Chunpeng carrying a comically large backpack , you can check my twitter @niebo_asdfghjkl (I couldn't fit them anywhere)
(two very chaotic Cai Qi & Wang Minhui performances)
Aight so we're gonna cover these 3 days. However, wmh&cq take the spotlight 🌟😔🙏 I swear I looked hard for the other pairs too but didn't find nearly as much to share, sorry ;w;
From official announcements: Encore Musicals released a schedule for April to early May. I breezed through it and what stood out is that we'll get to see Cai Qi with Guo Hongxu for a first time and with Wu Yihan again 🌟 sadly not a single Shu Rongbo & Wu Yihan set (they will peform, just with other actors)😔
It seems there will be some special events for Qingming Festival and Labour Day. Some days have the special holiday stamps, though I don't know what we can expect 🤔...
Videos to check out in the replies: a vlog from rehearsals by Zhang Jiahao 🌟 + both encores with wmh&cq bc they're way funnier on video.
March 14th: Cai Qi, Wang Minhui, Deng Xianling, Zhu Jiayan, Zhang Jiahao
Wang Minhui slides over the table at the beginning of 'You can forget about it' (sofa song) and Cai Qi can't stop laughing for the rest of the performance ><
+ LG's hair looked very fluffy that day :>
March 16th: Wang Minhui, Cai Qi, Qian Anqi, Zhu Jiayan, Zhang Jiahao
Cai Qi performs half of the encore in extreme conditions, with a 'broken' thumb & blinded by a dog hat ><'
Wang Minhui tries to intervene but is helpless 😔
Disclaimer: No chickens, dogs and Xiaoshis were harmed during the performance 😇
First week of 'Soul of basketball' event 🔥🏀, part 2
(Bai Zhuoming testing Wang Minhui's patience)
Official announcements: theatre will be doing 2 more guided set tours for the audience. If we get any pictures or trivia from it I'll inform you o7
Links in replies: bzm&wmh arguing during closing speech
The guide lady's name is Chen Xiaoyi (I think?). She is the Chief producer of LC stage 😇 I've added her weibo profile to the masterlist (I've also updated the navigation info a bit).
April 20th, night: Jing Yanqiao, Zhu Hanbin, Deng Xianling
Unexpected, crushing victory with 2:9 score for jyq vs. zhb 🏀
⬆ some extras from Deng Xianling's weibo :>
April 21st, noon: Bai Zhuoming, Wang Minhui, Cai Lu
This one was really fun ^^ wmh wore a dog hat and bzm was particularly cheery, bc he won the match, with score 15:12 🏀 he kept making fun of wmh for loosing, especially during rock, paper, scissors:
then he sung wrong lyrics ><
So bzm won🏀 And it was a source of 'serious' drama! In the closing speech wmh complained how bzm didn't want to pass him the ball and they started arguing to a point where Cai Lu had to step in 🙏 Look at him, so proud of himself...
then he laughed, doubled down and hit his chin on Cai Lu's arm ><
⬆ Schedule we're gonna cover today :> Split in parts because it's been an eventful time ✨
As you can see there's been slight changes in cast. Which lowkey freaked me out. One day I was whining on twt how the shared birthday was the last time we got to see Wu Yihan and Shu Rongbo perform together, bc in new schedule they share no dates. And literally a day after, theatre announces that, for health reasons, Guo Hongxu is going to be replaced by Wu Yihan. A DAY later, Ding Xingchen has a fever and theatre announces that Shu Rongbo will be replacing him. So there were 2 extra wyh&srb performances, but at what cost 😔
From official announcements: on March 29th Encore Musicals is doing an event where audience members will be able to explore the LC set backstage :'>
Links to videos in replies: rehearsal video from Cai Lu 🙏(a treat for Ji Xiaokun & Guo Hongxu dynamics enjoyers) ✨, Zhu Hanbin&Jing Yanqiao performance on tv talent show
March 21st : Shu Rongbo, Wu Yihan
There was barely anything posted from that performance (which is understandable, since most ppl were going to see ghx and the replacement was on a short notice, but I'm still sad) 😔 HOWEVER, I've stumbled upon a twitter account (@/yyl1995) that posted this:
It seems that person behind the acc is actually working as a part of LC Musical crew, I think as a sound technician? Like:
(yea that's tcp in the bg aight, I'd recognise his drip from miles away)
And I think that's very cool of them to share such an important video with us. If it wasn't for them, we would never see that sweet hug 🙏 Much love 💖💖💖
^the only photos I could find from that day
March 22nd: Jing Yanqiao, Zhu Hanbin
Do you guys recognise Jing Yanqiao? I don't think I mentioned him since his debut stage ;w; I was gathering materials to make a focus post abt him, but he appears so rarely that I barely have anything. Only these old pics from January >< Soo that's him:
Thanks to @saelterlude 🙏 we know, that he's the youngest in whole cast (20yo) and still a student (which is prob a reason he doesn't have time to perform a lot). Fun fact, that he and Zhu Hanbin already performed together in City of Musicals s2 (a music talent TV show), you can watch it on yt ^^
Other than that, there weren't many pictures from that day either :<
I love this one sm, he said ':)'
March 23rd: Wang Yifei, Zhu Hanbin, Deng Xianling
Truly wonderful encore, described in detail by Sael in their post 🌟