#top historical chinese dramas

[kingsandbastardz]

So for basically my whole life I'd grown up with and was resigned to accept that the chinese concept of formal/nice clothing of my and the previous generation has been western clothes. So at any awards ceremonies or performances, entertainers would show up mostly in western suits/dresses and maaaaaybe you'll spot the occasional cheongsam if they're going for a Wong Fei Hong vibe. Which, you know, kinda sucks if you have any concept of western cultural imperialism in asia.

So when the hanfu revivalist movement started, I was waiting to see when it would enter the mainstream -- my hope was for fashion designers to integrate traditional/dynastic elements into their work and make it common place enough that I can buy this shit online for ME. Because I WANT.

Though some of the designs can be a bit hit or miss, I am LOVING what various stars and entertainers are wearing out and about now.

Anyway - here's a collection of Xiao Shunyao's modern hanfu inspired/hybridized stage outfits from the last couple years. For his MLC performances, his stylists seem to be borrowing inspiration from his Di Feisheng and possibly other character costume silhouettes.

I'd been seeing a few comments about how his outfits play with gender - and some of his outfits do! But I think the interesting thing to discuss is from which standard is he playing with gender? Because from a western perspective, the things he does with his western suit tops, belting on top of the jacket for a tightly cinched waist, and the addition of a trailing skirt = femme. But if you're talking from a hanfu-hybridized pov, that's just a modern take on hanfu and having any of those elements is not inherently femme and would often read masc to me.

So these things aren't necessarily gendered because they exist traditionally in chinese men's clothing or costume designs (ie video games, comics, historical fiction illustrations and film, etc, so therefore in the modern lexicon of masculine/acceptable for men):

presence or lack of a skirt

silky, velvety, gauzy or sparkly material choice, esp in formal or stage clothing

short or long length of skirt

embroidery

flowers/floral/bird designs

folding fans

certain styles of makeup

beading, gold, tassels, jewels

non-chunky jewelry

headbands

widely flowing silhouettes

What XSY's stylists are doing with some western clothing items are interesting. I'm convinced there have been one or two western jacket tops made of thinner material that they're folding over the front, and belting down instead of buttoning (which then matches with his other outfits that are designed specifically to do this). Then they're adding a skirt, cloak or bracer element to it.

The western portions often bring a military minimalist feel which they balance with a more gauzy material in the skirt or cloak portions.

Things I think are playing with gender:

row 1 - image 1: red di feisheng-inspired outfit

The lace-up girdle is there to match the bracers in both material and style. And it's positioned to be similar to the heavy belt that Di Feisheng wears. HOWEVER. That style of girdle/corset-like clothing item can't be divorced from the modern idea of sexy leather corsets. So imo, this waist piece on that outfit was a choice. Especially when paired with his allergic-to-collars-higher-than-his-sternum necklines. And if you take into context how masculine yet female coded his character is in the drama, the whole look evokes that.

row 2, image 1: black western suit with belt on top, hat, cloak, black boots and not-visible but also a black tassel fringe skirt

Hat and cloak moves the intention of the outfit from western toward a more Asian slant, because alone, it looks like a western black suit with western heeled boots, cinched waist with a lady's belt (seated photoshoot) and western style tassel skirt. The suit top consists of a vest and a shrug-like sleeve portion that appears masculine at first glance. But take the shrug and pair it with the tassel skirt (I can't find the red carpet photos but here is a better view of the skirt when seated), and I think you got a look that's both intentionally edging toward the femme in a western sense but also confusing matters by hiding within the parameters of both western and chinese traditional male styling.

row 2 - image 2 : white asymetrical western jacket styled in a front fold-over style, gauze skirt, trailing pearl embellishments

The more traditional leaning version of this is the white outfit in row 3 that he wears to the Hi6 Hello Saturday variety show -- the skirt portion on that outfit is one I'd consider non-gendered. Row 1, images 2 and 3 are examples of masculine/neutral uses of gauze that plays with flow of form but isn't inherently femme. This stage outfit is very western-appearing masculine suiting, until you hit the skirt which is giving me long ballerina tie-on skirt with the additional swan/mermaid pearl strings. Imo, another example of deliberately using traditional masculine styling but switching it up with the combination of material choice and make that is feminine.

row 2, image 3: black space military boots, black suiting, black -silver ombre sequin trailing skirt and white gauzy shawl with black floral design

The over all design is going for a masculine military-feel. (think this outfit for shen langhun) But instead of a thicker military cloak, it's replaced with a woman's gauze shawl and a skirt that trails behind him very much like the back of a woman's formal fish-tail gown when he moves around. If you take into context Wang Herun's outfit is a white-silver sequined dress cut in a way to also give a space-military-queen vibe, imo they both coordinated their outfits to balance out with both femme and masc qualities.

Thoughts? I'm curious what others think about this.

While I wait for the CNY photoshoot for XSY's red and black look, here's him with his stage collaborators with a nice range of skirt lengths, period influences and material choices. The woman in the center is the one with the most military-fighter design out of the bunch. The dudes are all in variations of formal-wear-with-good-kicking-boots (and lots of crotch space).

#xiao shunyao #mysterious lotus casebook cast #my royal ramblings #fashion #chinese fashion #gendered fashion in cultural context

[rongzhi]

do you have any idea when people in china stopped bowing to each other as a greeting? it seems like the most common forms of greeting now is to shake hands or wave both which were introduced from the west. it's the same in taiwan too.

Tldr: It never stopped because Chinese people never had the practice of bowing in greeting the way that Japanese people did/do.

-

(Note: there are types of greetings that involve a sort of bowing (ketou), but this is reserved for special occasions)

Back in the day, the greetings were made by clasping one's hands in front of them in the direction of the person being greeted. There might be some head lowering/slight bowing involved but it's done in conjunction with the hand greeting. You can see various forms of this in historical dramas and even hanfu shows and shortform videos. The exact way one held their hands changed in some years but the general idea is the same.

Women's and men's hand greetings differed back in the day. A women's greeting was called 万福礼 wànfùlǐ and consisted of holding the hands in front of oneself and bending the legs, or holding hands at the hip, etc. The exact way to hold the hands also changes through the years. Women also do what is called 肃拜 sù bài, which is an earlier form of a women's greeting and includes getting on one's knees (thus the 拜).

Some examples of greetings:

Men's vs women's hand positions

拱手礼 gōngshǒu lǐ ("cupped hands greeting"). The most common greeting. Top photo shows the gendered difference for proper etiquette for nowadays if you ware going to do it, for example, as a new year's greeting. Bottom photos: I think if you look carefully in modern society, you can still see examples of this greeting in China. It is a gesture that can also be used to expresses one's gratitude. It is still there, it's just fell out of vogue in favor for waving and hand shaking.

This can also be seen in The video above shows Ming era 万福礼 as well as men's 揖礼. 作揖礼 zuòyī lǐ ("bow with clasped hand greeting") is kind of the same thing as 拱手礼, but 作揖 specifically includes a slight bow whereas 拱手礼 is merely the raising of the hands.

叉手礼 chāshǒu lǐ ("crossed hands greeting") popularised during the Western Jin - Song dynasties, seen in the drama "The Longest Day in Chang'an", which takes place in the Tang Dynasty. This particular greeting started out as one used by Buddhists in the Eastern Han dynasty. https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/489897518

抱拳礼 bàoquán lǐ ("cupped fist greeting"). This one is something done more so by martial artists. For men, you use your left hand to cover your right hand. For women, the opposite is true. It is also called 吉拜 jíbài when showing respect. If you flip your hand (keep in mind men/women do this the opposite way), it is called 凶拜 xiōngbài and it used to show respect to the dead. So one has to pay attention to this.

There's kind of a lot more etiquette rules you could get into but this answer has already sort of gone beyond the scope of your question lol. Chinese people wrote rites books over the many dynasties so actually there are descriptions of how these greetings were done and over time and that's how they are replicated in dramas and movies.

#text #answered ask #chinese culture #chinese history

[absolutebl]

BLs with Strong Historical Elements

Costume dramas, historical BLs, and BLs with time travel or flashbacks to historical locations & times.

These are in order of my personal preference, best at the top.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

2023 Thailand

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). It's about a gay man from our time who falls into the past, becomes a servant to a noble house, and falls in love with the heir. It turns out this has all happened several times before. Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but not as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy soulmates BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and as individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

2021 Korea - WeTV

A boy cross-dresses to take his runaway sister's place as a bride to a shy scholar, turns out they like being married. A historical setting allowed this BL to use some seriously old fashioned romance tropes (arranged marriage, evil step-sisters, Cinderfella) but also modern BL stylings like fake relationship & secret identity (drag) plus some cute gay panic. It reminded me of 12th Night more than anything else which just happens to be my favorite Shakespeare play. For all these reasons, I adored it.

(the ghat kiss!)

Tinted With You

2022 Korea - Viki

Fun stylish time travel meets portal fantasy with a likable cast, historical setting, and two actual kisses that mitigate the rough plot and issues around anachronisms.

Word of Honor

2021 China (censored) - Viki/YouTube?

I don’t rec Chinese stuff often, because I believe in censoring the censors, but this show is one of my favorites of the post 2016 censored bromances. It’s two murder-gay assassins (pining sunshine/tsundere), and they are so insanely gay for two boys who will never be allowed to kiss. Tropes include: wuxia, soulmates, paranormal, historical, and fantasy elements.

To Sir, With Love AKA Khun Chai

2022 Thailand - YouTube?

This is a true lakorn (basically Thai tellenovella or soap opera) with scenery chewing performances, especially from the mother characters. Gone With the Wind + Days of Our Lives but gay. That said? I loved it: A glorious central brother relationship (the best, made me cry), het romances, class divide + gay *gasp* main romance - oh my word, the campy drama of it all! Arranged marriage, rebellion, cut sleeves, over-the-top death with curses and regrets, beautiful if inaccurate costumes, secrets unraveling, cover ups, sparkle murder, sex herbs, coils within coils including snakes and murderous green metallic sequins (is anything gayer on this earth?). It’s a WILD ride but it does end happy for our gay boys. A man cries when he finds DEATH GLITTER. Come on! You haffa watch it. That said, like Manner of Death I struggle to rate something on a BL scale when it patently isn’t a BL. So I ended up giving this exactly what I gave that show, 7/10 I enjoyed it a whole lot, but not as a BL.

The Untamed (Special BL Edition)

2020 China (censored) - YouTube

Censored wuxia bromance, amorphous ending. Probubly the best known BL of its kind out of China and responsible for bring many fans to the BL side.

Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go

2023 Thailand - YouTube

I was nervous to watch this PondPhuwin vehicle but I liked it a lot! Doomed soulmates + paranormal time travel to fix the past. I’m happy for the outfits and the dancing (if not the singing). It’s not a bad premise and it’s nice to see GMMTV lean into its high production values for a change. I'd adore a full historical starring these two and this was definitely the best of the second series of Our Skyy. I don't think you have to have watched the original Never Let Me Go to enjoy this.

Legend of Long Yang: Rebirth

2017 China

Gaga

Whipping boy trope... literally, servant character takes the strap for the prince, who then makes him his bodyguard and lover when he becomes king. Low budget historical, comes off as kind of cosplay wuxia version of Irresistible Love, but we get (in the credits) an actual kiss, and they both live. So yay for small mercies.

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

2023 Korea (historical flash backs)

iQIYI

A new employee at a film company encounters a director who claims to have lived 300 years and insists that they have to date (eat, hug & kiss) if baby doesn't want to die. It has a lot of Japanese elements, not the least of which are: an office setting, the fact that every character in this show is unhinged, and a killing of the gays. Featuring a gorgeous & stellar cast, TDWBMD should have utilized them less for melodrama and more for chemistry. This BL surprised me by going there with a lipstick mark AND an actually gay idol. But (you knew there was a but) while it's a unique twist on an office romance it is NOT a unique twist on the doomed red thread trope, resulting in it feeling less than the sum of its parts and ultimately unsatisfying. This might have also had to do with the fact that this was one of those KBLs where I felt how very short it was the whole time I was watching, like I was missing something constantly, in every episode. Worth watching for some but seriously flawed.

First Love Again

2022 Korea (historical flash backs) - Viki

A popular novelist who remembers his past lives meets his soulmate for the third time, only to find she has been reincarnated into the body of a man. This one started out a touch mean-spirited, but we eventually got a good kiss. The confession/rejection scene was justified and the reconciliation and ending was... fine. All in all, the pacing felt rushed and the romantic arc was underdeveloped. They go from like to love to boyfriends in a red hot minute. But that’s par for the course with Korea’s short form. If you don’t mind a heavy does of melodrama in your BL this one has a solid story with a strong concept that’s well acted and produced, making it a classic KBL with better than average chemistry but ultimately a touch forgettable.

Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush

2022 Korea

This show was all over the place with uneven acting, narrative, and focus (sometimes it wanted to be a slapstick comedy, sometimes a depressing melodrama) which meant no one, actors or viewers, took anyone or anything seriously.... AND it’s a bromance. I was left wondering if SalHyung is now code for “they were roommates” in Kdrama historicals but otherwise largely apathetic and unimpressed. Korea, I now know you can do better. Do better.

Mermaid's Jade

2019 China (censored-esk) - Gaga

Kills the gay.

The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao

2016 China - Gaga

Kills the gay. Schrodinger's BL, both a BL and entirely not one at the same time.

Diary of Heong Yeong Dang

2014 Korea

Kills the Gay

I was gonna do a top 10 list, but there aren't enough by my metrics, so many end sadly.

This post at the behest of @verymuchof thank you for the idea!

Dated April 2023, includes only BLs that had finished their run by that date. Not responsible for cool costume flix that come after that. But you should check the comments to see if any have been added by others!

I might have missed a few that only have time historical elements since I don't always track those.

Also I would like to point out a decided lack of Japan on this list. My ninja yaoi consuming tiny past self is VERY upset about this void.

WHERE ARE MY GAY NINJAS??!!!

(source)

#historical bls #time travel bls #bls with historical elements #korean bl #chinese bl #thai bl #I Feel You Linger in the Air #Nobleman Ryu's Wedding #Scholar Ryu's Wedding #Tinted With You #Word of Honor #Khun Chai #to sir with love #The Untamed #Never let me go #Legend of Long Yang #The Director Who Buys Me Dinner #First Love Again #Love in Spring #Spring of Crush

[ziseviolet]

Hi! I have a question. Im not entirely sure if these belong to chinese fashion because I only ever saw them in uncredited pictures. Theyre very intricate "eye patches", seemingly made from like gold or metal? they cover only one eye and I was wondering if they have a name or if its something made up? thank you for all your work!

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (x)

The intricate gold/metal "eye patches" covering only one eye that you see are most likely based on "半面妆/Ban Mian Zhuang" ("Half Face Makeup"), a popular Chinese novel written by 萧十一狼/Xiao Shi Yi Lang and published in 2015. Well-known Chinese gufeng-style illustrator 古戈力/Gu Ge Li provided beautiful artwork for the novel, as seen below (1, 2):

Gu Ge Li's artwork inspired many hanfu photoshoots with ornate eyemasks (1, 2, 3, 4, 5):

These eyemasks are essentially made-up fantasy masks with Chinese elements incorporated into the design. They are not based on historical Chinese masks, which look very different. Thus you can just call them 面具/mianju, which is the general Chinese term for masks.

On a related note, similar types of fantasy masks also appear frequently in Chinese guzhuang (period costume) films & dramas, especially in the wuxia and xianxia genres. As @audreydoeskaren touched on in this post, these masks are typically not historically accurate, but are included for aesthetic effect (like many other elements in guzhuang media).

Below - fantasy masks in Chinese film/dramas. Clockwise from top left: women - Painted Skin: The Resurrection, Legend of Nine Tails Fox, The Empress of China, The Blue Whisper; men - Love and Redemption, Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky, The Untamed, Battle Through the Heavens:

Deriving inspiration from art and television, fantasy masks have become a popular accessory for hanfu photoshoots.

For more examples of Chinese masks (both historical & fantasy), please see my masks and eyemask tags.

Hope this helps! ^^

#eyemask #masks #hanfu accessories #hanfu #半面妆 #banmianzhuang #古戈力 #gugeli #art #gufeng #cosplay #recreation #guzhuang #drama costumes #drama #>100 #reference #ask #reply #chinese fashion #chinese clothing #china

[spirit-lanterns]

I just love everything about the celebrity au AAAA

How do you think reader met most of the celebrities and what started their interest in us? I'm most interested in how we first met serval and ruan mei but also how kafka and himeko started falling for us

Ooooo okay! It’s LOREEEE TIME 💕

Since you only asked for Serval, Ruan Mei, Kafka and Himeko, I will only be going over how you met them and how they fell for you. If you’re curious about the other characters, feel free to ask again in my inbox :D

sfw under the cut

Serval: You both met at a gala. Your careers don’t often intertwine (as Serval is a musician and you are an actor) but since the event was one that all celebrities were attending, you met Serval through there. She fell for you because of how much you genuinely enjoyed her music and how sweet you were in comparison to her other “fans” as you didn’t overwhelm her and treated her like a normal person. You also didn’t bring up her recent breakup with Cocolia, as everyone was dying to know the tea on that since it was so new.

Ruan Mei: You both met on the set of a Chinese historical drama that was super popular among fans. Ruan Mei played as the female lead, while you were playing as her handmaiden. Your chemistry together popped off, as people shipped Ruan Mei’s character with you (the servant) rather than the male lead who was supposed to end up with her. She fell for you because of how intimate you made the scenes with her as her “handmaiden” and admired your charming personality.

Kafka: You both met on the set of a super intense action movie. You were only a rookie actor when you first met Kafka (having only starred in small roles and commercials) but Kafka took you under her wing and pretty much introduced you to every big shot actor in the business. She fell for you when you managed to pave your way to the top, blooming from just a rookie actor, to a woman with one of the largest fanbases in the industry. She really admired how determined and hard working you were, which lead to her falling for you.

Himeko: You both met after Kafka introduced you to her during the filming of a romantic thriller. You admired Himeko greatly (both as a person and an actor) and Himeko could see just how giddy you were when you first met her (it was really easy to see your excitement). She fell for you when you managed to nail a particularly sexy scene despite how cute you were, and that switch up practically turned the poor woman into a crushing schoolgirl!

#🕯️ghostly whispers #celebrity au #hsr women x reader #star rail women x reader

[heaven-is-in-your-arms-series]

Costume Break Down

aka more than you ever wanted to know about Thai dance costume details but I think they are gorgeous and require so much effort to create and wear that they are worth celebrating.

Let's take a look at Khem's beautiful red costume.

Here the presence of the dagger and the colour choice quite firmly indicate that he is performing the role of the hero Prince Inao from the Lakhon Nai dance drama 'The Romance of Inao.'

His costume is based on the traditional costumes worn by heroes in both Khon and Lakhon Nai. There are some historical differences between the two types but they have very much influenced each other from the 19th Century onwards.

There are some elements of his costume that read as modern influences which I suspect are to reflect both current tastes and also the fact that the costume was intended to be seen on screen rather than a stage.

Here we see Khem's ornate headdress, known as a chada, he has a flower garland on the right side of his crown, which is the side that male characters always wear these flower pendants with heroines displaying them on the left.(Historically Lakhon Nai was only performed by women and was only for the eyes of the royal court although rules did relax in the 19th Century.)

It's hard to see in these pictures but he would usually be wearing the ornate wing shaped ear kaffa as well, which sit around the ears.

We can also see his very fine inthorn-tanu, which are those high pointed shoulder pads, worn by male characters to exaggerate their body shape.

We can see him wearing the ornate wide collar around his neck, known as a krong-kaw and a large pendant pinned to the end of the collar against his chest.

A body chain known as sangwan is then crossed around the pendant and is usually attached to an ornamental belt or just below it, at the front and back of the costume.

Khem's sangwan is a relatively simple looking version of what can be a very intricate piece of jewellery but I suspect it is because the camera will be getting a much closer look at him than an audience looking at a stage could do.

In general I think his costume is not quite as ornate and covered with detail as a stage costume often is but there is just enough there to show the luxurious nature of dance outfits without looking too much on screen.

The above picture also gives us a great look at both his hoy-na, a silk panel that hangs at the front of the costume, (here it is red and gold with gold fringe) and his hoy-kang, the silk panels that sit either side of the central hoy-na.

We also see one very modern addition - the shiny gold buttons!

Traditionally dancers are sewn into their costumes with no visible seams, a lengthy process which does run the risk of damaging the costumes every time they are stitched and unstitched.

I suspect that Apo is still partly sewn into this outfit but I imagine they wanted to give him a top that he could get in and out of more easily as he would need to be able to change constantly for filming.

I really like the design of the top, it gives both a hint of Western influence with the shape but also has a Chinese feel with the high collar and then those beautiful very Indian looking fabrics, which feels appropriate for the era and for Man Suang itself. We see it sits over the pha-nung and hoy-na etc which would not typically be the case and is why I suspect he is not also wearing a cloth belt under it as well (mentioned below.)

The red tights are also a modern addition, usually we would see bare legs and feet but they do give a very theatrical look which feels fitting for Man Suang.

From this angle we can see his pha-nung, which is a long rectangular cloth that is usually pre stitched and pleated and is wrapped around the waist and drawn through the legs to be tied in a knot at the back.

Underneath that he will be wearing a pair of sanab-plao, short trousers with deep embroidered hems that sit just below the knee.

He may also be wearing pha-pawk, which is a fabric that basically functions like hip pads to assist the pha-nung in exaggerating the body shape to create an image that mimics statues and murals depicting dancers.

Usually he would be wearing a radsa-aew, a cloth belt which is stitched into place and secures the pha-nung. I can't tell just by looking at this but I suspect he may not be given the way his clothes are lying.

We can see he is wearing a lovely cloak here that appears to be silk lined velvet.

Here we can see his embroidered sleeves, these are usually sewn on to an undershirt which also has padding sewn into it to exaggerate the shape of their chests. The decorative outer shirt is then usually sewn onto that undershirt.

Now in this picture, we see the fancy sleeves taper off to a plain red fabric at the shoulders which could indicate the presence of an undershirt but there is that clip in the trailer where Khem tugs his costume open and we see his bare chest so I don't know whether he is or isn't. Perhaps it depends on the necessity for him to be able to strip in any given scene which is totally fine by me!

We can also see his decorative golden vambraces and he is likely also wearing beads or a bracelet of rings as well. Usually more is more when it comes to dance jewellery but once again, I think they have been more restrained here.

Rings worn on the fingers are common and of course, anklets are essential.

At least they are to me ❤️

#thai dance #thai dance drama #thai dance costumes #khon #lakhon nai #thai culture #man suang #man suang fic inspiration #khem #apo nattawin #i love this costume #i want to know who designed it #give them a medal please #its perfect #does this count as #man suang meta #? #man suang costumes

[bananaproved]

Top 6 shelved dramas that I would still really like to see

Ranked in no particular order, selection based on my personal tastes.

1) The Prisoner of Beauty

Plot : Adapted from the novel "Zhe Yao" by Peng Lai Ke, it tells the story of the arranged marriage between Wei Shao (Liu Yuning) and Qiao Man (Song Zuer). The fun thing about this marriage is that they both hate each other for complicated family reasons (in the novel Qiao Man's family is directly responsible for the death of Wei Shao's father), so they start they relationship by trying to make the life of the other a living hell. Ultimately, their relationship will develop as they are impressed by each other's ingenuity and discover common interests. There is also an important "let's protect the empire and the common people" plot behind the romance.

Why I wish I could see it : It looks good !! The main duo of actors are both really good looking, but the production in general looks really high budget, with good costumes and sets. I would love to see that. Just look at this trailer !

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Song Zuer :/ bestie :/ tax evasion is bad !!

Can we have some hope ? : Not really, at this point of time, no c-actors caught for tax evasion managed to make an actual comeback in the industry (even really popular ones like Deng Lun or Fan Bing Bing). Song Zuer is still being investigated, so maybe we can hope to see her name cleared but it's a little unlikely because they don't investigate people just for fun. However Song Zuer was involved in a lot of high budget projects so I am sure a lot of people are really motivated to try to airdrop at least some of her projects if they have the possibility.

2) The Fated General

Plot : Classic high-budget historical drama telling the story of real life historical figure Huo Qubing (Zhang Ruoyun) during the Western Han Dynasty. It follows his military feats that got him the reputation of being one of the best military generals in the history of China.

Why I wish I could see it : First, the cast is incredible. We have Zhang Ruoyun (famous for being really good at choosing his scripts), Mao Xiao Tong, Bai Yu, Li Hongyi, Xu Yue, and others. It's really an all star cast except the drama was shot in 2016, before some of them became really famous, so it can be really interesting to watch ! Plus it's a really high budget drama, most of the outdoor scenes are shot in real landscape and not in a studio and it globally looks really good. For a better impression, look at this nice looking MV based on the different trailers of the show :

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : In 2019 (I think ?) the censorship rules changed concerning historical dramas and established the fact that dramas were forbidden to "distort" certain historical facts. This kind of put an end to traditional historical dramas as they became a way more risky investments, and stopped this one from airing as it already took some liberties in terms of storytelling. Huo Qubing is also a semi-controversial historical figure so it is not helping.

Can we have some hope ? : It's been 7 or 8 years and the regulations concerning historical fiction only got more restrictives in China so I would say no.

3) Immortality

Plot : I'm sure everybody knows the plot of Erha so I don't need to write it but just in case the important tags are : xianxia, dangai, shizunfuckers, reincarnation, blood spitting, stairs, ...

Why I wish I could see it : Outside of the obvious reasons (gay people on my screen, Luo Yunxi spitting blood), it's also produced by the same people involved in the production of Till the End of the Moon and Shui Long Yin, so I have I hopes for the artistic direction of the drama. Also for dmbj fans : did you know Liu Chang played a guest role in this drama ? Idk what he is doing here but I would love to see it.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : We are all aware of the famous 2021 dangai ban, but in general the chinese government is not a big fan of massive and really agitated fandoms (in the way The Untamed fandom was), so Immortality is in a pretty bad position.

Can we have some hope ? : Yeah !!!!! Hyx TOMORROW !!! Believe in your dreams !!!

For real : Two options. 1) On a random morning of the year 20XX you wake up to danmei fans in your tl losing their marbles bc the 6 first episodes of hyx were randomly airdropped during the night with no promotion and no warnings. You cry some tears of joy and immediately go watch Luo Yunxi spit some blood on screen. 2) After many years hyx is still not out but there were so many leaks that the fans managed to recreate the entire series from scraps and now you can watch it in full. Look, they already started :

4) Night Wanderer

Plot : Zong Yin (Ni Ni) is a forensic expert living in Shanghai in 2021. She met, in her own apartment, a man, called Sheng Qing Rang (Deng Lun), claiming to be the owner of this apartment but in 1937. Together they discover that they can travel to their respective time periods through their shared apartment and start to develop a strong relationship, first as confidence and progressively as lovers. However, the situation get complicated as the Battle of Shanghai broke out in 1937 putting both of their lives in danger.

Why I wish I could see it : First, for lesbian reasons as I would never miss an occasion to stare at Ni Ni for 36 episodes (Wang Yuwen also has a supporting role here and I really like her ! Double win !). Second, it's actually a really nice and original plot for a CDrama and I have full confidence in both actors' capacity to pull off a really good performance to go with it. Look at this trailer ! It looks so promising !

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Deng Lun !!! Tax evasion is bad !!

Can we have some hope ? : Even less than for The Prisoner of Beauty as Deng Lun is 100% proved to have committed tax evasion. There is often rumors about him coming back to acting but it's unlikely.

5) Winner is King

Plot : Based on the novel "Sha Po Lang" by Priest, set in a steampunk version of the Liang Dynasty. It tells the story of Chang Geng (Chen Zhe Yuan), a young man living in a random countryside village, who discovers after a raid on their village that the closest people around him were hiding a big secret about his identity. He also discovers that the people around him are not who they pretend to be, especially his yifu (adoptive father, played by Tan Jianci), and realizes that his life will never be the same.

Why I wish I could see it : Outside of the reasons already mentioned in hyx's case, Winner is King is also directed by the same director as Guardian and a Journey to Love. I really like his work and he proved that he was able to do really good things even with a really low budget, so now imagine with a decent amount of money ? It could be great. Also I really like the idea of an ancient china steampunk but I am too lazy to read the book.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Same reason as hyx and all the other dangais </3 Also I am not sure of how advanced the production was when it was stopped, because I feel like there are not as many content leaks.

Can we have some hope ? : If we can manifest hard enough the end of the ban, it is possible.

6) The Love of Hypnosis

Plot : During the end of Qing Dynasty, a (patriotic) young man named Yen Shen (Jing Boran) meets a fragrance shop owner named Lu Man Sheng (Liu Yifei). Man Sheng has the special ability/ mission to relieve the hearts of people suffering because of love, but it does not mean that her own romantic life is easier to deal with. Together they fall in love and have to navigate the really troubled times of the end of Qing Dynasty.

Why I wish I could see it : If you are familiar with Liu Yifei and Jing Boran acting I'm sure you can see the potential of this pairing ??? Just the poster has more on screen chemistry than some pairings have in 40 episodes. At this point the plot could be written by a cat walking on a keyboard and I would still have hope for a good chemistry. Also the drama has Liu Mintao in a supporting role and I am in love with her so it's a plus.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : First, there are some copyright issues with the original manhwa author. Second, the second male lead, Zhao Lixin, got more or less canceled a few years back for political reasons (sorry I don't have the details).

Can we have some hope ? : I would say maybe a little. Copyright issues can be solved and I've heard that Zhao Lixin is still shooting in dramas, meaning that there is hope for some of his stuff still being released.

That's all <3

Sorry for depressing information maybe ? Next time I promise I will make a post about dramas I am looking forward to and that are likely to be released sooner or later. 

#cdrama #the prisoner of beauty #the fated general #immortality #hao yi xing #night wanderer #winner is king #the love of hypnosis #hitting my head against the wall

[douqi7s]

Baihe novels I read in 2023, in order of when I read them:

Miss Forensics by Jiu Nuan Chun Shen. Contemporary thriller featuring a push-pull romance between a forensic pathologist and a police detective. Big action scenes, big emotional set-pieces, big emotions.

Distance by Mi Nao Nao. Contemporary romance billed as 'woman who has broken a thousand hearts vs woman who has never lost her heart'. I found it underwritten and lacking in structure, but lots of people seem to like it.

The Collapsing Palace by Ming Ye. Historical palace harem novel. A wilful noblewoman marries her cousin, the crown prince, so she can get close to his mother/her aunt the empress, whom she's been crushing on since forever. And she's not even the most toxic / messed up main character in this novel.

Life is Like a Dream by Qing Xiang. A short novel set in the Yue opera scene during the Republican Era. Small-scale, elegantly understated, makes highly effective of use of the author's detailed knowledge of opera and the opera scene.

Suffocation by Hua Qiong Ran. One of those 'toxic lesbians' contemporary thrillers, featuring the protagonist being repeatedly stalked and imprisoned by her own wife. Amped up the depravity too quickly to be wholly effective.

Zebra Crossing by Yi Bai Shou. Early baihe novel featuring a romance between a CEO and police detective, a mixture of thriller and romance. Strong beginning with appealing characters, somewhat let down by meandering middle and end and odd approach to extras.

She Belongs to Me by Da Ying. An uncomplicated contemporary romance between two femme professional women who are excellent communicators. Does make effective use of several k-drama style romantic set-pieces.

Bo Zhou by Ruo Hua Ci Shu. Time loop contemporary romance in which the protagonist tries to safe her girlfriend's life again and again. Overall competently plotted, well-paced and genuinely suspenseful.

The Tribulation of the Peach Runaway Blossom by Ning Yuan. A solid xianxia/xuanhuan novel with a big cast of complex female characters, competent world-building and assured prose. Somewhat falls down on the main romance (though the secondary romances make up for that a little), which was at once the lynchpin of the plot and not particularly present on the page.

The Abandoned by Mu Feng Qing Nian. Three words: sapphic xianxia shizunfuckery. Horny unhinged lesbians, plot twists on top of plot twists, and much violence.

Her Mountain, Her Sea by Fu Hua. A contemporary high school romance. Very solid, competent slice-of-life for the most part. The leads are well-characterised and their growing relationship is deftly handled, especially in the early stages.

The Creator's Grace by Ning Yuan. A near future sci-fi thriller. 12/10, no notes (though the sci-fi element is subordinate to the romance and thriller elements).

Minister Xie by Ruo Hua Ci Shu. This historical novel is The Goblin Emperor meets Sha Po Lang. Teenage emperor Liu Zao does her best to turn her prime minister Xie Yi (who is 14 years older) into her wife.

Snow on Her Pillow by Liu Yuan Chang Ning. Historical fiction featuring a romance between Princess Jieyou and her devoted attendant Feng Liao (described as the first official female diplomat in Chinese history). Competently and compellingly written; manages the Feat of treating Central Asian characters (of which there are many) as regular, undemonised people.

Spring on the River by Da Ying. This xuanhuan novel features supernatural women behaving very very badly, weird structure and pacing, and a rather hapless main character who frequently reminded me of a protagonist in a shoujo reverse harem novel.

Listen, God by Xian Yu Bu Chi Cai. A contemporary time loop thriller featuring a romance between a scriptwriter and an up-and-coming actress. Mostly carefully and cleverly plotted (though starts to unravel in the last 20%), though the relationship development between the leads left me cold.

A Taste of You by Si Bai Ba Shi Si. A contemporary romance between a talented chef and a CEO. A grounded, realist novel told through a charmingly wry first-person POV (bar a sharp swerve into melodrama in the last 10%), deeply embedded in the local lesbian scene.

Snow in the Spring Courtyard by Liu Yuan Chang Ning. This wuxia novel had good relationship development, a compelling love interest, and excellent pacing, and is likely to appeal to readers for those reasons. For me personally, it was let down by an extraordinarily bleak view of the jianghu which I don't think the author was fully aware of.

I Think About You Day and Night by Yu Shuang. In this contemporary romance, a CEO rescues a penniless girl from an abusive household, and k-drama-style shenanigans ensue. There's terminal illness, birth secrets, an incest scare (dw they're not actually related), and corporate machinations. The author's commitment to these tropes and their emotional stakes makes this an enjoyably dramatic read.

Cover Her Face by Qing Tang Shuan Xiang Cai. A mostly breezy, mostly fluffy, and unexpectedly sexy historical romance plus a dash of wuxia, with likable main characters.

Waiting for You by Min Ran. A contemporary showbiz romance, basically an exes-to-reunited-lovers story courtesy of a handy rebirth and time rewind. Another one for the 'attractive femme couple resolves their relationship problems through Better Communication' folder.

Climbing High by Po Po Po. In this historical court intrigue novel, aspiring scholar Fang Jian sells herself into indentured servitude to court official Gao Yunqu in exchange for the latter's promise to help her free her parents from unjust imprisonment. Published on PO18, so allowed to be sexually explicit in ways JJWXC and Changpei novels can't be, and the author makes full use of this (though I found the sex scenes between the tertiary couples stronger than those between the main couple, for the most part). Very strong political writing, a great cast of complex female characters.

#baihe #chinese gl #wlw

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

Top 10 cdramas (of all time)

With a few disclaimers: this is obviously an extremely subjective list based on my extremely subjective preferences. I love palace conflicts, enemies to lovers, grumpy-sunshine, and devoted MLs. I’m not a big watcher of xianxia as a genre (the last one I finished was …journey of the flower? Unless you count novoland: castle in the sky as one, which I don’t) and youth dramas. I’m also generally allergic to republic era dramas. But it doesn’t mean that there aren’t good ones, just not my genre.

Anyways, drumroll…

1. Legend of Ruyi (bc I refuse to call it Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace)

I wrestled back and forth with this and my #2. Funny enough, this one does not have a devoted ML (I think Qianlong is like the opposite). Zhou Xun’s acting is breathtaking and what a journey she takes you on.

2. Story of Minglan

This is pretty much what I wish BBC period dramas could produce and everything that Downton Abbey wished it could be. Yeah I said it. The only reason it’s #2 is that I rewatch Ruyi more.

3. Bu bu jin xin (step by step/original scarlet heart)

I have it higher than Gong because BBJX is one of those dramas that you see new things even upon the 10th rewatch. It’s also a master class on concise writing/directing.

4. Glory of Tang Dynasty

I’ve devoted a lot of posts about it. There are probably ones lower on my list that are objectively “better” but that entire list that I’m weak for? This contains all of them.

5. Legend of Zhenhuan

Funny enough, 5 years ago it would have been on the top of my list. It’s still great, but I just like the 4 above better.

6. Go Ahead

Wait, a modern cdrama on this list? Yes. What can I say, it’s a show where in the span of an episode I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts and crying into a pillow.

7. Singing all along

I didn’t anticipate this would be so high up my list when I first watched it. But it’s probably one of Yuan Hong’s best performance to date and other than the enemies to lovers, it hits all of my kink. It does have an HEA (that’s not a spoiler, it’s based on 2 historical figures), but get ready for a lot of angst to get there.

8. Jade Palace Lock Heart

I maintain that it’s the best adaption of boys over flowers and I stand by it.

9. General and I

This is probably where my disclaimer comes in. Yes, there are plot holes. Yes, Angelababy’s acting is questionable. Yes, there are questionable CGI. Yes, there are pacing issues.

But it is a sweeping romance novel coming Tom life and hit every one of my kinks.

10. Battle of Changsha

A republic era drama on this list? That has motherland patriotic tones giving this first gen Chinese American very complicated feelings?

But it’s like Wallace Huo’s best acting to date. It is hopeful and heartbreaking at once.

(Honorable mention, goodbye my Princess which narrowly came in at #11)

#cdrama

[theoppositeofprofound]

Pondering (not for the first time!) the culture clash between two very distinct styles of happy endings, which I can only describe as “stay and fight” narratives and “fuck off into the woods” narratives.

A Stay and Fight narrative is increasingly common these days. The protagonists end the story embedded in their cultural matrix, with the promise that even if the structural issues they faced aren’t fixed, they’ll get better. With hard work you can improve the system somewhat! In the most optimistic of these stories, the hero is coronated, evil is defeated, and universal human rights are suddenly the norm. In grittier stories, they settle for incremental change. Think of the Tortall books, especially the Alanna and Kel cycles. Lots of contemporary SFF fiction (including most YA) falls into this category.

A Fuck off Into The Woods narrative might spend most of its time preoccupied by the same societal ills (corruption! an evil ruler! a war!) as a Stay and Fight narrative, but at the end it reaches a different conclusion. Instead of taking a place in the system, the protagonists decide everything is too broken and retreat into the woods. Sometimes this is framed as a sort of rebellion itself, protecting a small group of friends and family over continuing a fruitless struggle, sometimes it’s more solitary. Nevertheless, it is a happy ending—escaping from the horrors of the world that rejected them is framed as a good thing. A large number of queer Chinese dramas conclude along these lines. It’s also not uncommon in historical fiction, where escaping can be the only way to survive.

These aren’t hard and fast categories, lots of stories mix and match aspects of the two endings. The Hunger Games, for example, has elements of both endings—the protagonist continues to help rebuild her hometown but rejects influence in favor of a quiet family life.

Where trouble arises is when audiences expect one ending—most often a fighting, uplifting conclusion—only to get the other one. I’ve seen complaints about authorial ineptitude, simply because… the main character ended up feeding chickens and orphans instead of ruling the country?

Complicating the matter is the fact that Fuck Off Into The Woods endings, are (based on my limited sampling) overwhelmingly queer and overwhelmingly non-American. Audiences used to a single sort of happy ending can’t always perceive that there are multiple ways for characters to find resolution, and that aiming for the top isn’t always the goal. The story must be taken into account, but there is narrative catharsis in just living unabashedly, safe and happy.

#a huge generalization #but it is a interesting phenomena

[shanastoryteller]

Heyo! So it seems like you've watched a bunch of K-dramas and I was wondering if you have any recommendations for a first one to watch for someone who's never watched any Korean shows, let alone many dramas either? I know this is vague and of course tastes vary, but does anything come to mind? Not sure if it's a common sub-genre, but bonus if they aren't super dark and grim. Thanks so much, love your writing!

i love foreign dramas! most of what i watch is from korea and china, but i've watched a few really good ones from thailand and japan too

some of these exist multiple places, but if it's possible to watch it on viki, that's my recommendation. their translations tend to be the best

business proposal (korea, netflix) is a really good intro to kdramas and covers a lot of common tropes, plus the main and secondary couples have FANTASTIC chemistry, which can be rare. a woman pretends to be her rich friend on a blind date, but it ends up being with the ceo of her company and identity shenanigans and hijinks ensue. if you like this one, you'll also really like what's wrong with secretary kim? (korea, viki) but i'd watch this one first because it's a little bit less wacky

the romance of tiger and rose (china, viki) is extremely cute and stars zhao lusi, who i love. a scriptwriter gets trapped in her own alternate historical drama script as a character that she kills off in episode three and has to try and change the story to ensure her own survival and falls in love along the way. it's meta enough that it gives you a good sense for the vibe of historical/fantasy chinese dramas. the acting can be a little meh from some characters in this one, but the leads are all great and respective emotional support characters for the male and female lead are hysterical

word of honor (china, viki) is i think a digestible-ish intro to the wuxia genre, but honestly you just kind of have to jump into wuxia and trust you'll figure out the tropes and world basics as you go. a dying former leader of an assassination organization gets stalked by an unhinged serial killer who's also an excellent cook. they fall in love an adopt a son. the ending here isn't fully happy as some beloved characters die

mr. queen (korea, viki) is one of my absolute favorites and straightforward enough that i don't think the politics are too confusing for someone going in with no background in historical korean culture and politics. a male chef drowns and ends up in the body of queen cheorin, the main wife of the king from the late 1800s, and is determined to return home and NOT fall in love with the king. it's unintentionally very queer and the acting and plot is really a plus here.

bad buddy (thailand, youtube) is a bl drama that is about the sons of neighbors who hate each other going from eternal rivals to boyfriends. it's cute and the chemistry pops off. thai dramas are top tier for non censored queer content, but be prepared for some awkward dialogue and a lot of product placement. the chemistry of the leads tends to make up for this. a tale of 1000 stars (thailand, youtube) is one of the worst offenders of this, but the leads carried that show on the power of their vibes and sexual tension alone. kinnporsche (thailand, dramacool) is the best thai drama i've watched, but i would not describe it as light.

crash landing on you (korea, netflix) is another favorite, but you do need to just disassociate a bit from the fact that it takes place in north korea. a successful girlboss ceo is paragliding, gets caught in a storm, and ends up north korea. a military official finds her and after some light threatening agrees to try and get her back to korea instead of turning her in or killing her, but to pull this off she has to pose as his fiance. the relationships in this one are so good, and it's a happy ending for our main, but it takes some trials and our secondary couple does NOT end happily ever after.

i'm currently going feral over love like the galaxy (china, viki), but i think it's better appreciated after consuming another historical chinese dramas so you have socio-political-trope context for what's happening

goblin (korea, viki), untamed (china, viki), and nirvana in fire (china, viki) are some of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE shows but i think opening with them would be a mistake and you'll miss a lot nuance going in cold

#asks #anon #rec #jesus fucking christ this got extremely long

[talistheintrovert]

JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO SEND U A BL ASK !! I SAW YOUR POST ASKING FOR BL ASKS! BESTIE I AM HERE. Just got top surgery and I'm bored as all HELL and in the mood for some BL, but don't know what to watch. I love plot heavy or character driven stories, wouldn't mind checking out historical BL, or some Drama. I know you made a whole ass video about your favourites, BUT recommendations and shit change. In this present moment, what BL are you ancestors telling you I should watch?

firstly CONGRATS ON THE TOP SURGERY!! stoked for you 💜

if we're talking historical BL that isn't quite historical OR BL may I suggest A League of Noblemen! (I've been watching A LOT of Chinese bromance in preparation for my video on them so they're on my mind)

Chinese historical/fantasy/mystery drama with the polycule to end all polycules. No actual skinship or outspoken romance (obvs) but everybody in this show is dating each other I am so serious. Also the mystery and hijinks are fun!

if we're going for DRAMA my recommendation is always going to be The Eighth Sense, it's in my top ten things I watched this year, I wrote fanfiction for it, I'm obsessed with them they are my everything.

and just for fun, a third BL I really loved this year was My Personal Weatherman. I love these toxic, stupid bitches who can't communicate properly to save their lives.

thank you for asking!! if you've seen all of these I have other recs, I've watched about 200 things this year, half of which were BLs lmao

#a league of nobleman #the eighth sense #my personal weatherman #asks #answered #my recs #FAVES

[aroacehanzawa]

Also completely unrelated to the last ask, but what danmei and/or baihe have you read, other than Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's? I'm in a "mildly curious for recommendations" mood atm XD

Ohhh i've read a few! Sadly no baihe yet because i'm a victim of only consuming media with mostly male characters but i plan change that because i've been really meaning to read clear and muddy loss of love and/or female general and eldest princess since i've heard really good things about them

As for danmei, i've read (somewhat ordered from most to least favourite):

mist unlimited (REALLY REALLY RECOMMEND i wrote a whole post on why orv enjoyers should read it too!!)

little mushroom (top tier post-apocalyptic scifi, it won an award for best chinese science fiction novel one year too, which should tell you enough)

global examination (another good one i consider the holy trinity of scifi danmei, the overarching plot is brilliant + possibly one of the most romantic novels i've read yet)

sa ye (slice-of-life coming-of-age with plenty of family and relationship drama that at the same time manages to be super comforting and overall just feels really? warm? despite being really raw at times)

can ci pin (another scifi one, this one's a space opera on a really large galactic scale and spans several decades so it's really epic with a lot, i mean a lot, of political intrigue)

legend of exorcism (fun fantasy one with a great mix of actual historical references, which seems to be the author's signature style, although i haven't finished it yet because it's also relatively long)

silent reading (crime thriller!!!! really great mysteries and good action, although the ending felt a bit convoluted to me)

kaleidoscope of death (unlimited flow horror mystery adventure, it's a fun read but the ending kinda sucks and the character development is pretty non-existent, i recommend only if you want light entertainment to read with no thoughts head empty)

golden stage (historical drama, somehow everyone seems to love this but gun to my head i could not remember a single thing about it to tell you)

lord seventh (historical drama, also could not tell you a single thing about it except that i didn't even like it)

#i haven't finished can ci pin either because it's just so lonnggggg and arguably the political intrigue drags out a lot towards the end #and i'm not super interested in it anymore. but it's still really good #i haven't finished saye either because it got licensed by seven seas so the tl took down their links but i did read most of it

[a-slut-for-smut]

*years later* thanks so much for the tag @lovelybeautifulpretty!! cant recall if i warned u before but i tend to go buckwild with these, sorry and your welcome :D

Here are top 10 fav films and surprise surprise, im just a hot mess of eclectic tastes 🤷‍♀️ in no particular order:

Robocop

This 80s masterpiece is a smart political satire/social commentary disguised as a comic book/action revenge movie that interweaves hilarious dark humor, ultraviolence and science fiction in a simple yet seamless plot. It will honestly SHOCK you just how much it has to say on American evolutions in capitalism, media influence, desensitization to violence, gentrification, and our perception of heroes, each in service of a greater conversation about identity and culture.

Atonement

I consider this film the pinnacle of an angsty/doomed romance executed perfectly on-screen: the performances, the cinematography, the music, EVERYTHING!! Funny story, me & the girlfriends went to see this in theaters expecting a typical period romance; left completely snot-dripping, bawling our eyes out. I shit you not, i felt the utter devastation from this film for WEEKS

Amelie

If there was a film to define the term "whimsy" then this is it!! Its so creatively rich, with such a fun and sweet art style in the characters, the way its filmed, the music, the romance- it'll make your heart ache for days.

Inglorious Basterds

I'm a big whore for Tarantino ever since Reservoir Dogs, but I consider film his ABSOLUTE masterpiece. The comedically distinct characters, the sharpness of dialogue, how he builds up the tension of scenes to the point of explosion with just a simple conversation- *CHEFS KISS*

Children of Men

This dystopian sci fi drama was made in 2005 but with all the social commentary woven into the background of the story, it is eerily topical in today's tumultuous political & social climate (which is very telling about us as a society I suppose). The director Alfonso Cuaron is a master at "show don't tell" filmmaking and it SHOWS. Also the tracking long shots in this film are something to witnessed, beheld even. Masterpiece.

Bridget Jones' Diary

My absolute FAV romantic comedy, i totally relate to this bumbling, epic disaster of a woman, even more so now that i'm 30+ like her. Fun fact, the plot is heavily inspired by Pride & Prejudice which is probably why i love it so much. Also Colin Firth 🥵 (which leads me to another fun fact- he was cast as Mark Darcy mainly due to the author's crush on him from his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1996 BBC miniseries which put him on the map, and rightly so. I know the film adaption is super popular, but any P&P fan NEEDS to watch this version, so so good)

Chicago

This musical ruined all theater musicals for me forever- the film adaptation is THAT good!!! The spectacle, the numbers, the PERFORMANCES- Catherine Zeta Jones slayed as Velma Kelly (also my ovaries), i love it so much that i watched it 3 times back to back on a flight i honestly couldnt get enough lol

Kung Fu Hustle

This film is Stephen Chow's magnum opus- an action comedy that blends kung-fu and all sorts of historical chinese references and homages of the directors favorite films, you can tell the passion and the fun that went into making this film and it really REALLY shows. I consider this a perfect execution of what a live-action anime could be, this film is an absolute blast and classic

Annihilation

I've got a bit of a cosmic/existential horror kink (where a form of media makes you question the world/life as we know it or triggers an existential crisis) and this film gets it RIGHT. It's a philosophical sci-fi thriller but is so much more with its themes of pain and identity, exploration of humanity's disposition for self destruction but also its unsettling visuals and soundtrack. Funny story, the sound design is so alien/unsettling that it spooked my cat from her nap and got her staring at the screen with wide eyes and an arched back trying to figure out what the eff was going on (me as well).

Also love how its an all female cast but its never mentioned in-film; just a bunch of capable women going to take care of business (i didnt even notice until my 2nd watch)- im a fan of this approach as it in effect "normalizes" this scenario whereas calling it out as if its special just highlights how it's an exception...anyway, its a horrifically beautiful film.

Sicario

Denis Villeneuve can do no wrong in my eyes (nor cinematographer Roger Deakins), a beautifully shot thriller that serves as a social commentary on how laws are meant to be broken, lines are drawn and then erased when convenient, as long as it serves a so-called greater purpose, that keeping a moral code is a futile effort. Brilliant performed and written, nuanced characters, glorious cinematography and a killer soundtrack (RIP Johan Johansson), A+++++

alright sorry for the long rambling post, cant help myself! Tagging a bunch a folks that seem alive per my notifs, no pressure of course!!!

@writebecauseyoucannotbreathe @nuri148 @your-lavender-dreams @warbarbie @levi4mikasa @onigiri-dorkk @helena-thessaloniki @misplacedgamer @lovely-apparitions @ally147writes @stalactice @vero-icon @mylienated @hellhorsedotjpg @magicalanchordestiny

#thanks for the tag!! #tag game #robocop #atonement #amelie #inglorious basterds #children of men #bridget jones diary #chicago film #kung fu hustle #annihilation #sicario

[floralcrematorium]

What do you think of France x China? Has this ever been popular in the fandom? Or would it be more like a rarepair?

Hey! Thanks for the ask!

Gonna be real with you, I’ve never heard of that pairing! So gonna say, definitely a rare pair.

I don’t know about any historical context that would spark the ship (like how FRUK is just enemies to lovers to enemies and back in a never ending cycle). I’m not gonna get into the intricacies of nationverse because I don’t personally know enough about Chinese and French histories beyond broad understandings from my high school AP studies. Also, I’m not gonna consider canon material because I don’t think Fran and Yao have interacted much since seasons 1-4 and I hate early France characterization

If I were to throw them together in some sort of human AU, I’m not sure they’d get along and not in a fun enemies to lovers or toxic codependency kinda scenario. I think Yao can be dramatic in his own right but can’t stand Francis’ particular brand of over-the-top Drama Queen. These two definitely have their differences, but they have similarities that make them clash. You know how “opposites attract?” Yeah, the opposite of that.

In my head they’re both artistically inclined men who have refined tastes in food. They’re both Pretty And About To Make It Your Problem (Yao was the OG Pretty Boy but Francis is loud about his own attractiveness). Both of them experiment with their gender expression through clothing (I don’t think this would set them apart, but it’s definitely something I think about often with the two of them because I Envy Them). Both of them try to take on a mentor-figure to the younger people in their lives (For Yao it’s Kiku and Yong Soo and for Francis it’s Mattie and Alfred). Both are stubborn, proud, and opinionated.

I don’t know what would draw them together, but if this is a ship of yours Anon, I’d love to hear about it because this isn’t something I’ve heard of!

I’ve been thinking of a Bakery AU when I’m at work and Yao and Francis are actually the managers. Yao was formerly the cake decorator but ended up moving to be the department manager and regrets the decision immensely. He hates corporate because the way they do things is stupid and the way he runs the bakery is efficient. Francis is the assistant manager and is vying to become department manager but Yao doesn’t trust him. Francis is skilled and in theory is capable to be more in charge than he already is as assistant manager, but his ambition and need for validation would clash with the systems Yao’s set up and trained their employees with. Also!! When they train new employees Yao is very to the point and is a good teacher with some patience (he’s a perfectionist and likes to stick to his routine) whereas Fran handholds the whole way though. Yao is more reliable than Francis is but is prone to being a hardass. In the end they can get along at work, but their relationship is best left at that, especially since they’re rarely on shift at the same time if ever at all.

#floralcrematorium ask box #anon ask #hws china #hws france

[audreydoeskaren]

what do you think of the costumes from the drama Royal Feast/尚食 ? It's set in the kitchens of the ming dynasty. The higher ranking ladies in charge of food have a really interesting hairstyle, but I couldn't find anything about it

Firstly I think the costuming in this drama is very much in the repertoire of "dramas that use costumes from all over the Ming Dynasty anachronistically regardless of the actual time setting", so it isn't historically accurate by any measure. I'm sorry I can't be bothered to find the ladies you're talking about because this drama and stuff surrounding it annoy me to no end. The story is allegedly set between the Yongle and Xuande eras (1404-35) in the early Ming, but as always many of the costumes are taken from the late Ming and even the Qing. I shouldn't need to say this but the Ming Dynasty was long, and what people wore in 1404 obviously wasn't going to be the same as what they wore in 1620. Well, this drama doesn't care. This kind of anachronistic mishmash of Ming fashions was fresh and cool when Song of Youth did it first, because at the time the bar for costuming was so low and people were so starved of Ming representation that it was impressive for dramas to have costumes that have even the slightest twinge of connection to the Ming, but now I'm starting to see a trend and it's disturbing. If I'm watching something set in the early 15th century I want to see the early 15th century, not the 16th or 17th or even 18th for God's sake. I think the Chinese period drama industry needs to actually have standards now, because otherwise instead of improving the quality and accuracy of costuming, it's just going to replace guzhuang norms with a new but equally bullshit set of norms.

Looking at what the guy is wearing here, this kind of gunfu robe with colorful roundels and hat with the gold decorations were not seen on formal portraits of emperors until Emperor Longqing (reign 1567-72) 150+ years into the future. This is already enough for me to rest my case.

I strongly urge some of these costumes to go back to their respective corners of the Ming Dynasty since few of them are from between 1404 and 1435. Aside from the anachronism, some of the costumes are badly constructed and come from nowhere in the Ming. It's repeatedly mentioned on online sources that the costumers referenced 明宪宗元宵行乐图, which I find hilarious that they think it's a good thing because that artwork is from 1485, 50 years in the future (not to mention that the full skirt look of that era was distinct and not existent earlier).

@guzhuangheaven posted a gifset from this drama that looks almost 100% 18th century (Qianlong era, as always. I'm not even surprised at this point)

On top of the bad costuming, the producer Yu Zheng again does what he does best and tries to play the nationalism card by picking fights with Korean people online (whether they are genuine Koreans or hired actors/photoshopped screenshots I will never know) who claimed some elements of the costuming and plot plagiarized iconic 2003 Korean drama Dae Jang Geum. I don't even care whether it was true, it's this attitude of always trying to artificially manufacture hatred against Koreans to make himself look good. It's like he's much less concerned with making an actually good drama than generating clout. I am so sick and tired of his shenanigans I just want a drama with decent, non time travelling costumes is that too much to ask for.

#ming dynasty #hanfu #royal feast #costume analysis