Updated: 8/26/2022. The Open Thread is here: Love Between Fairy and Devil: Open Thread
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As the old-timers on the blog know, it’s our time-honored practice to devote an “appreciation thread” to swoon-worthy heroes.
For example,
here’s Lee Gon’s thread: The King: Ep 12 Lee Gon Appreciation Post
and here’s Kang Taemoo’s thread: Business Proposal: Kang TaeMoo’s Appreciation Club
Although I’m still 14 episodes behind y’all, I’m reconvening the Shallow Islanders for a squeal-fest. This is my apology for being absent these past days and failing to open a thread for you sooner.
illustration by @phoenix, resident artist and co-chieftain of the Shallow Island, and president of the Xiao Nai’s “Best Boyfriend Club.”
Feel free to rave, gush, and fangirl over our favorite devil Dongfang Qingcang here. (Talking about the actor Dylan Lee is unnecessary but not prohibited.) Please remember the guidelines for Banned Words.
Here’s my contribution: gifs from tumblr.
Please give credit to the original creators when reposting them elsewhere. Thanks!
1. Gifs from natahjikio’s tumblr
2. Gifs from xinxiaojie’s tumblr
3. Gifs from belsmultifandommess’s tumblr
4. Gifs from belsmultifandommess’ tumblr
5. Gifs from da-qian’s tumblr
6. Gifs from xiaolanhua’s tumblr
7. gifs from belsmultifandommess’ tumblr
8. Gifs from xiaolanhua’s tumblr
Let’s enjoy the show.
Yay! We finally have a thread on this🤩 Thank you @packmule3👏 I’ll put down my initial gushing, though there may be more to come from the remaining episodes.
Not only do I like how Dong Fang calls Orchid ‘his person’ from the very beginning, I also like how he changes from using and saving her for his own gain to actually caring for her well-being. Later after Orchid has helped reveal the truth about his father, Dong Fang also stops showing her his angry and dominating side and restrains himself when he is displeased.Fairy actually notices this and comments on this later.
I like the scene in the ice room where he tries to hug and comfort her when she is feeling lost about her true identity. We know comforting others is an alien concept to him as he doesn’t know about how to form human connections. So this must take extra effort for him to do.
He was thoughtful even when he replaced the vial of blood for marking her with cinnabar, because he knew she wouldn’t like his blood on her face.
He always comes to her rescue, at first because of the heart curse but gradually because she becomes important to him. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he looks super cool while coming to her rescue, glaring at everyone’s dared to touch her and burning everything in his way with hellfire 😍
I’ve only watched 13 eps. He has just swapped all black for a sort of luxurious dark coffee-coloured outfit and is brooding in a very gothic, ecclesiastical looking chair. I have a lot to look forward to. Many thanks, @packmule3.
@Fern I’m with you on how well he does brooding, with his long hair, high cheekbones and long flowy dark clothes😍I can watch him brood all day😜 There is a dark peacock blue/golden attire which I like too (don’t remember which episode).
Later when he recovers from lightning (the open untied hair shots posted by @packmule3 above), I find it funny how he tries to pretend he can’t walk without fairy’s support, even while he sulks at having to take bitter medicines. That is so funny!
He becomes less broody in later episodes but never fully loses his broody side as he doesn’t usually talk much, his eyes are quite expressive (which I like in a man 🙂 ) . Hope you enjoy Dong Fang as much as I am 😄
‘Devil’ Appreciation!
LOL Thanks @pkml3. I’m usually on the boat between the islands, looking on in appreciation, but we haven’t appreciated a ML who is quite as dark grey as this one before.
Appearance – On the shallowest level, I will admit that I’m quite taken by the actor’s unusual face. He has 1 eye larger than the other and unusual angles to his face. Not standard, outright handsome, but an outstanding face. However in this Show, styled this way, he becomes extremely good to look at.
On the magic – I like the way he just moves his head or flicks his fingers and sets off magical things to happen. He seems so much more stylish than those others needing so many hand gestures to bring out their magic.
On the fear factor – the separation from his emotional root, plus his killing of his father, created a far more scary image of him than may have been true in actuality. Of course his control of Hellfire automatically made him a figure to be feared, but as far as we’ve been shown, he does not bandy about Hellfire irresponsibly.
On the fights – He fought in battle but did not start fights, he seems to only attack when provoked ie he came to defend … or to save Fairy Orchid, and although he unleashed a whole lot of Hellfire in Shuiyuntian, no one seemed even singed.
The only ones who got hurt were the Haishi City lot who were killing poor innocents to create evil spirits. By contrast, RH and his evil spirits have carried out more evil deeds.
On the threats – I did mention in the other thread and I believe it’s also pasted above, the many instances where his bark has been worse than his bite. After dire threats, his ‘victims’ still remained relatively unscathed. The only time he may really have killed someone was when he ordered Jie Li to be killed immediately for stealing something that had a great, painful significance to him.
On the swoon-worthy side, although partially connected to and starting with him wanting Fairy to be happy and well so that she would fix the Destiny Book, he will generally find out what will allay Fairy’s distress and then takes action to set the solution in motion immediately.
Although it started with his selfish reasons, Shang Que is surprised to find that more than once, MS is prepared to put aside his own schedule/convenience so that Fairy can achieve what she wants to do. This has nothing to do with being compelled by the Heart Curse, but was QC’s personal choice.
1) when he finds that she lacks energy to fix the Book, he does research, over and over – about orchid care LOL – to find ‘cures’.
2) he personally (instead of getting Shang Que to do these) collects dew, tends to Fairy and brings her to get the early morning sun.
3) when she’s upset over why she was rejected from a post in Fountain Palace, he brings her invisibly to the Yunzhong Water Pavilion to find out for herself.
4) he keeps her safe/defends her over and over.
5) he keeps his promise to not hurt the people she values.
6) he was prepared to give up being a psychopath in order to feel again, so that he could retain his happy memories.
7) he was prepared to be taught by Fairy to get on with his brother. He became more humble and he thanked Fairy. He’s also prepared to listen to Jie Li and Shang Que, admitting that he is clueless in some areas.
8) he has the ability to be drama-swoon-worthy because when he offers her the 3 realms, he isn’t boasting, ie he can actually achieve conquest over them and give them to her. The point though is, he really wants to give her everything that he can.
9) he continues to put her happiness first in the Mortal Realm and even respects her wishes for privacy, when he could have abused his power.
10) he has decided not to bother to repair the Shuofeng Sword, ie he is happy to live with the Heart Curse connecting him to Fairy forever. This is a constant source of weakness for him. (Unfortunately that sword will probably turn up again in the hands of his hopeless brother or someone else).
He does have flaws of course: a bit of a diva, given to threats and revenge at both the childish and scary level. He’s impatient, jealous and LOL he did force a kiss on Fairy as a way of getting at CH (I relish that look of triumph on his face when he looked at CH after the kiss).
On the whole, he could have done a lot more to get what he wanted, but he didn’t do so at the expense of others. In other words, he’s pretty considerate for a ‘bad guy’.
I love your list, @GB. Wholly agree to it😍
The fact that he is much darker, devious and ruthless (than our other traditional boyfriend MLs) makes his starting to care deeply for fairy much more remarkable.
I also like the way he handles power, as you said he never uses hellfire indiscriminately. Power with control is very sexy❤
@Phoenix, you’ve hit the nail on the head… why we find him so hot LOL. Power with self-control.
Really liked what they did with the pin there. The growth arc of DFQC is quite clear and smooth in this show. From having no emotions to growing them steadily. But i would also be a little shallow and not only praise Dylan Wang but the lighting and angles in the show. I have seen the guy before and never felt that he was attractive but here they are accentuating his features, especially his big eyes for softer and ferocious looks both. I understand why he is steeply rising in popularity but I wish more credit is also given to the FL and the rest of the actors because everyone is doing a good job.
Oooh. This is my first time I’ve heard of this cdrama and I can sense the intensity of the scenes even in just these gifs! I dropped AoS as I couldn’t cope with the stress of the drama and work. I just wanted something to enjoy watching after long hours of work — unfortunately, AoS is definitely not that drama!
Looks like I found a drama to binge watch when I finally get breather from work in Sep. For now, I’ll live through your comments in the thread. 😅
Hi @wapz and @Pingpongpang
Glad to see you on this thread. Yes, come and watch when you can and join us in the comments or lurk. This is one of those shows that’s easy to chat about, and likely to be enjoyed by most viewers.
@wapz, yes I watched Dylan before in Evernight2 and only considered him so-so. But he’s so much better in this show, it’s almost like he’s a different person, and yes, he looks so much better here. In his ‘normal’ photos, he’s actually not so outstanding, and in other shows, also… but this Show has done something in perhaps the directing, the design, the lighting and definitely in the styling, that works so well for him.
The popularity of the other actors has also increased a great deal with this show. I heard that the number of their followers grew by leaps and bounds.
I trust that the next episodes will be uploaded tomorrow night. It’s one of those shows where I’m impatiently waiting, even though we can guess how it’s very likely to end.
In episode 13, at about 05.23 Orchid and QC have swapped bodies and QC is telling Changheng why Orchid wants to stay at Cangyan Sea. In addition to getting her whip wounds healed, QC states on her behalf: ” I am not the lowly spirit in your eyes. I am also not a traitor or spy who colluded with the Moon Tribe. I can be myself happily. Compared with the days where everyone in Shuiyuntian can bully me, its a hundred times better.”
Orchid thinks, “Don’t talk nonsense. That’s not what I think.”
Later CH as Orchid challenges Changheng: “If I go back with you, can you guarantee to clear my name? If your Lord Yunzhong refuses to pardon me, do you dare disobey him? If he uses the Heaven’s rules to question you and force you, can you protect me? If anyone dares to hurt me or blame me, can you turn them into ashes?”
Changheng pauses then replies, “My brother has always been impartial. I believe he will find the truth.”
QH scoffs and says, “I knew you couldn’t do it. You can’t even tell me something nice.” All the while Orchid is looking more and more thoughtful. These are things she never would have thought through or demanded for herself, but QH is demanding them on her behalf for her protection.
@Fern, yes, that’s a great scene! I liked how QC knew the troubles that had plagued Fairy and that he challenged CH to respond on whether he’d be able to defend and protect Fairy.
It was quite swoon-worthy too, that even in Fairy’s body, QC was able to defend her with words, although he couldn’t with his Hellfire.
I hope what he said got not only Fairy thinking about the true situation, but also got CH to be more aware of how he’d been toeing the line rather blindly. CH could give no assurances. Instead he brings up the impartiality of his brother, which we know is wishful thinking on his part, since his brother is the number one person to treat the accused as guilty, before he’s proven innocent.
Thanks @GB! Hopefully I can join you sooner than later! will definitely lurk whenever I get the chance 😊
@GB
I’m wondering if you know the schedule has changed. As far as I know, we get new episodes 25 and 26 today. They are probably airing right now, the moment I type this.
Thank you @wapz. I just checked and you’re right. Episodes 25 and 26 are up!!
Yup they are released. I’m of to the Open thread to discuss it. Such good episodes.
Finally getting to read this thread
I’m in between but I’ll try to be rational…:P
@GB, On appearance. I heard someone comment that Dylan do not hold that long white hair look very well and this DFQC hairdo fits him much better. I agree on that unusual angular face that is not quite symmetrical but his profile views look really good.
AvenueX mentioned that Sichuan guys have a kind of look and Dylan is no different from the typical Sichuan guy look. Am I imagining a lot of good looking people coming from there? 😛
I had a classmate who have that same DW vibe and look, I’m sure he wasn’t from Sichuan but even after a few decades he still is handsome.
Anyway, either the director is really good at bringing out the best in DW or that he has improved tremendously. DW has been criticised with lacking emotions in one of his dramas. After all he wasn’t trained in acting, if he wasn’t an actor he would have been in the aviation industry. But his looks trump all that and one of the biggest reason he was chosen for Meteor Garden.
I’ll get back on the other appreciation of DFQC though @GB has listed it so well. In general, I like that even though he gets so upset with Orchid for the various things she does (I think he roared at her a few times), her sincerity outshines all that troubles she brings eventually. And he knows it and that really moved him. He barely hurts her physically even though he initially hardly thinks twice about that for other people.
@Phoenix, I’m with you on that “power with control”. Wow…that is really such a captivating trait.
The power with control is a good point but as @GB mentioned i really like that he hardly lifts a finger to release his hellfire while everyone else is making all those gestures. Makes him all the more domineering. Plus I love the blue color they have given to his Hellfire. Also compliments the shade of green they have given to XLH.
And yeah it’s a whole package of styling, clothes and hairstyle both, lighting, focus on small gestures making them very expressive and also the male dubbers voice I would say have made DW’s DFCQ very charismatic.
@grace I have not seen DW/Wang He di in anything so i can’t tell how he was before. I’ve only seen him in pictures and videos,not seen him act. But as far as LBFaD goes, you can see in the BTS that the director guides them quite well. I would say he is responsible for bringing out the character from the actor while the actor has also separately worked hard on his own to improve.
Swords / Weapons / Goddess Power and Music
I need to make a correction on the name of the sword I mentioned.
This is still a bit premature, but we can add on more info later. Here are the swords with power.
Chen Ying sword – Can break the Heart Curse. (I mistakenly called it the Shuofeng Sword). I believe it is supposed to be used to kill Fairy, so that MS will no longer be connected to her emotionally/mentally and even physically as in being wounded simultaneously. If any other way of killing Fairy is used, MS will die as well.
Shuofeng sword – The one with which Chidi Woman killed herself. It became a huge monument of a sword when it sealed/froze the 100,000 Moon Tribe soldiers. It is said to bear the seal of Chidi on it and can only be unsealed by her primordial spirit. MS wants to unseal it to bring the 100,000 soldiers back home (and as at Ep 26, to continue the war).
Hellfire sword – the one that only Yannv and MS seem to be able to wield. It only worked well or at least control of Hellfire only worked 100% if the wielder of it was devoid of all emotions, especially love. It seems to be summoned/fashioned by Hellfire at will by the wielder.
Shuiyuntian weapon – I thought at first the fairy soldiers were raining down rays of light and crystal spears. However @pkml3 says it looked like water. This makes more sense. They have the Yun Zhong Water Pavilion, the Fountain Palace and the Three Water Tower. They use the waters of ‘heaven’ as their weapon… fashioning ice spears and whatnot out of it. Again it is summoned at will.
So appropriate, isn’t it, since MS has Hellfire to fight against their Heavenly water. These tribes are out to extinguish each other!
Haishi weapon – evil spirits and the Evil God. (The evil spirits are also used to sustain Evil God). Evil spirits transformed good people into suicidal killers. It transformed Haishi townsfolk into zombies for a while, until RH dismissed the spirits back into the cauldron (I think), transformed the cute little Ying Zhao into an evil monster, and Wan Qing into a killing zombie.
Once released, usually the spirits did the destruction and then remained as black smoking stuff on the ground, but when they encountered the defensive shield of Fairy/goddess, the spirits of the people who had been ‘refined’ into the evil spirits were released. They swooshed around as lost spirits, and unable to find their bodies or a place of rest, and remained in agony.
So Fairy/goddess has the power to separate good spirits from evil, to unite 7 emotions and the primordial spirit with the body DFQC), to heal plants/fix books and bring people back to life with her blood (what she says in Ep 26).
Best thing that came of the Ep 26 after-wedding killings, was that QC and CH had a common goal ie to comfort/purify/restore the lost spirits using healing music LOL. I laughed so hard when they were supposed to each play the guzheng but let the notes clash so completely. I wait impatiently for the time when they both play the same melody, adding the harmony and trills to make it one piece of healing music. (Could we have an unexpected bromance here? LOL)
@gb you’re doing such good work breaking everything down. I was indeed getting confused on the weapons/swords.
I found the music clash especially funny since not long before we had seen them drinking like brothers in the mortal world.
@fern yes! That’s one of my favorite scenes. It’s the one that I was thinking of in one of my earlier comments when I said that Orchids heart had let chengcheng go.
@grace yes the white hair don’t work. I saw a picture of him wearing a wig like Xunfeng’s in the wig wear, styling phase and that doesn’t work either. His own wig works so well that just goes to show the detail they have put in the show. Who knew a wig could make such a difference.
This may be a spoiler for some. Maybe I should reply on OT.
@GB i think the change in CH is due to his mortal experience. Not only what he talked to his brother but also he now has a soft corner for DFQC. It’s totally out of character for the previous CH to even think of coorperation with QC but here he just came to Moon Tribe on his own, not scared for his life and also thought he’ll coorperate. I think he does think slightly fondly of him now.
Thanks @birdie007. It was a fun post and I did it randomly, on the spur of the moment, when I realised I named the sword wrongly upthread… otherwise I should have posted the weapons comment in the Open Thread, probably.
@wapz, you have a point. Definitely the changes in CH are due to his experience in Yun Meng/Mortal Realm. CH when he ascended and landed back in Shenshui Hall, had memories of his time in Yun Meng and they started with his friendship with DFQC before he remembered how he met Fairy. So he may have a soft spot for DFQC who did not harm him when he was a clueless mortal. What fun if they play another game of football sometime. But they need to master the guzheng!!!
@wapz I have liked Dylan Wang in both Meteor Garden and a part of Miss the Dragon which I watched (he plays the Dragon King in another costume drama, which I dropped because of the ending and the FL). I need to watch Evernoght 2. I like his intensity, and his way of emoting through his eyes. I think his acting is the best in this drama, and he has matured greatly as an actor since his Meteor Garden days.
@wapz @GB I agree that the change in the relationship between CH and DF is due to their human realm camaraderie. DF also saw CH helping them escape. I really liked how he was totally confident in his trust in both CH and Orchid in ep.30 when he came to know that CH had taken fairy out of Moon territory. He said he knew them both so well that he was sure fairy would return and CH would let her. Speaks a lot about someone who has mistrusted people all his life because of the position he us in (kings and rulers can trust extremely few and he wasn’t a trusting person to begin with).
@GB Thank you for a the details on the weapons. I confess I was confused between the Cheng Yin and Shuofeng swords😄.
OH MY GOD thank you ! This is the drama of the month for. It beats every other August dramas for me it is not even funny.
About Wang He Di, Am I the only one that thinks he looks like Hong Kong 80’s/90’s supersatr Sharla Cheung ?
And damn you got eyes ! I never noticed one eye is bigger than the other one !
@GB, @Phoenix, et al.
We have another swimmer here. Please show her around the Island. 🏝 Thanks.
Hi @Sirey, welcome to this blog and thread.
Yes, it’s crazy how all the other dramas I’m supposed to be currently watching have fallen to the wayside, because I’m addicted to this one.
I took a look at images of Sharla Cheung. I don’t really feel they look similar, however there might be other Chinese actors who from certain angles look a bit like Dylan Wang.
I posted this on the other thread as well… in this interview with ‘us’ International Viewers, you can see that his right eye looks smaller than his left. Instead of making him look odd, it makes him look more interesting.
Oh dear, I laughed til I coughed!! This video edit with that song is so funny! Kissing Strangers, indeed! Quite a lot of kiss scenes and many of them funny.
As this is an MV with episodes up to maybe Ep 20, there could be spoilers.
LOL, @pkml3 our posts just crossed paths. I was writing to @Sirey while you were writing to us!
Thanks, @GB. You’re quick!
I noticed that the camera mainly films his left side, especially when he is still or facing the FL. It’s not hugely different.
It’s all a matter of timing. I happened to see the notification for @Sirey’s post.
@Fern, I noted that when he looks stern, there is no noticeable difference in his eye size. Maybe when he’s just his relaxed self, the difference is more pronounced. But you are probably right, the camera chooses his ‘good’ side a lot, perhaps, so we won’t notice. 🙂
Lol @packmule3 Swimmer🤣
@Sirey welcome to the Dongfang Appreciation group😍
@GB His eyes are so expressive that I never noticed their defect😝
Thank you for posting the videos❤️ The kissing scenes are funny🤣
I’m obsess about this drama too, have been rewatching scenes🙈
@Phoenix, IKR? Nevermind that we have to wait til Saturday, we’ll just keep re-watching episodes, and looking for more MVs LOL. The interviews are getting subbed too, so there’s loads to enjoy while we wait.
All the other dramas will just have to wait too! 😉
@Sirey, welcome! I think I see why you say there’s a resemblance to Sharla Cheung, it’s the eyes and nose.
@GB, I’m same with you. If not for a short break to wait for new episodes this Saturday, I won’t be watching Love Like the Galaxy with hubby. All other kdramas have also fallen to the wayside. On my free time, I am rewatching this (now at ep.3) and watching all related FD extras and Dylan Wang stuff. Oh dear me….
His looks just helps him to win him into many things. His looks that gave him the upper hand in getting the role on Meteor Garden. Of course that bad boy look is perfect for the baddie Moon Supreme role.
On another interesting detail I was listening was about his long time gf. They said when he was filming Meteor Garden, she would frequently come by, that his company hoped that he would break up with her for his career but he refused. That got people commenting that their love is like golden marriage level (aka strong as 50 years). He is dubbed the “dedicated lover in the celebrity circle”. Respect. I really hope to see them married one day.
No subs here but this is the original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2kYqd4j4MQ
If i say more I will sink in shallow island
But before that…
IF you are trying to kill time… maybe you can watch a recent variety show Dylan is in??
Check out timestamp
1:03:00 for his ability to talk his way though to get the task done, they had to sell the veg to gain points. the other group members say he is a monkey
1:07:00 for waking up the national sports man early to exercise
Not something I would recommend to watch because it is really long..I kinda only scanned through. It cannot compare with the korean NewWorld which was so so interesting to watch.
Oops I missed the link to the variety show called Wonderland2
https://youtu.be/qLK_rLgE_xA
@Grace You are welcome to sink in Shallow Island anytime❤️🤗 You don’t need to stop ypurself here😝
@Grace, maybe Shallow Island needs a Swooning Swamp, Manly Marsh, Bewitched Bog or Qing Cang Quicksand.
@wapz yes wig could make such a huge difference. I am very impressed with the styling of this show. For DF CQ I can recall he has many looks:
1. The white hair in black robe – my least favourite look.
2. The full gear mode – with lots of fancy head gear which looks like a horn. heavy looking robe. I get the narrative is to show the energy radiates from him. He is supposed to be someone fearful, a mighty figure that 3 realms respect/fear of him.
3. Tone down mode in Orchid’s home. Black robe with a belt. That is the time he starts to know Orchid.
4. Regal mode, with gold on black. Moon crescent head gear. Match his position as Moon Supreme.
5. Coffee Latte mode. The warmest colours he has. That’s when I thought he warms up to Orchid.
6. Mortal mode. Simple sleep hair style, not more fancy head gear. Very neat and tidy. Monotone outfits.
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4804540597015934
And I figured there must be someone else who will have a better list and picture. So I found this post from the show official weibo account as above.
@Phoenix does Miss the Dragon has a sad ending? I am watching the Rational Life now. OK watch. Dylan is the male lead but the story line focuses on the female lead. I will write a bit more on this later. Off to work 🙂
@Fern You had me at “Qing Cang Quicksand”🤣🤣🤣 Let’s install that on our Shallow Island immediately, if Queen @packmule3vis willing😊
@Viva yes Miss the Dragon has a sad ending, I also dropped it because thr story made no sense to me – the main pairvhad to go through 3 lifetimes of not getting each other and still in the end, they don’t get married. Also, I didn’t feel the kind of spark between the FL and Dylan there like I feel in LBFD. I don’t know if it was because of the lackluster FL or Dylan’s white wig🤣
I didnt start Rational Lime because it’s a noona romance (borrowing Korean drama terminology here😛) and I don’t like that genre.
If you haven’t watched Meteor Garden yet, I would recommend that for watching Dylan. He is quite intense there, I liked him as Daoming Shi.
@Viva I love your details on Dongfamg’s attire – I had never noticed the significance of the Coffee Latte look.
Clearly a lot of emphasis has gone into designing his look for this drama, and it pays off when you compare his look here with the look in Miss the Dragon which didn’t have this kind of impact.
@grace it’s fun to paddle in Shallow Island from time to time. Brings out the young kids in us. You should just jump into the Eye Candy Bay and enjoy all the images of Dylan/DFQC.
Thanks for the link to the variety show. I will skim through it too. I consider the actor, Dylan, a nice kid from the little I’ve seen of him. It’s great to see him doing so well, as he incorporates more expressions in his character of DFQC and loosens up to be more humane.
Look-wise though, I really admire the styling of the character of DFQC. Especially after seeing him in other roles. The intensity of his look just blows me away. I’m just jumping around the old episodes to catch his costumes and looks and expressions.
I just noticed in Episode 6 that he had a look of relish when thinking of killing Danyin for Fairy’s sake LOL and his puzzled look when she stopped him. He started getting more expressive since the Cloud Whale time in Episode 5.
@Viva @Phoenix, I can never get enough of the images of Dylan as MS. Every costume is impressive. They show the different parts of his life without losing focus on how he has to bear the lonely job of being the only hope of his people. The stylist should be given a bonus for getting his every look so right, especially how attractive that hairstyle makes him. He’s not the tallest among the men who walk beside him, but he looks so imposing.
I found his armour most impractical (especially when Fairy in the armour got entangled in the curtain) but they certainly highlight the weight that rests on his shoulders. It gave the impression of being sharp and painful to wear, rather than protective and comfortable to fight in. Kudos to him and all the actors in armour who pull off the sword fighting scenes looking cool.
I particularly liked his bluey-green outfit (Episode 6 around timestamp 12:10) with jeweled coloured stone details on the collar and shoulder and his more informal look (was that the Coffee Latte one?) at home as he lounged and read his book. So relaxed, yet so hot, LOL.
The map was your idea, @Phoenix. Feel free to create a new layout for Dongfang Qingcang.
Just email it to me. Please note on the subject line that it’s from you. 🙂
Okie, thank you @packmule3.
Give me some time till this weekend, I’m currently bedridden following a bad right leg injury/accident and can’t easily get to my laptop (hence all the tupos on my phone🙈 and also the drama binge-watching to relive boredom🤣).
I’m trying to start walking and maybe by the weekend it will be less painful to hobble around my house😛 It would be good to add to the layout of the island a bit😊
Oh dear @Phoenix!!! Poor dear. May your leg heal well. Was it a road accident? My colleagues on motorbikes seem to have that happening to them.
Yes, dramas are a godsend. They keep us sane and save us from tearing our hair out in boredom.
I hope you’ll be able to rest well and limp less painfully before long.
Thanks, @GB. No I fell down while on vacation. Anyways I watched so much of DongFang scenes while resting that my sick leave may have been a boon in disguise 😝😝😝
I’m akways grateful I got addicted to kdramas, cdramas and found BoD🙏
Hi @Phoenix, yes I’m addicted but at times still able to JOMO lol. I’m supposed to be doing some heavy reading and thinking but I’m looking for more DFQC stuff to appreciate. 😉
@Pheonix that’s no good! We will keep you company and talk about DF CQ 🙂
@GB I know right. I think the stylist and the costume department have done an excellent job. Yes the armour is very impractical. The narrative of the armour per the picture (the weibo link above, here again https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4804540597015934 )is “DF CQ introductory war outfits. When people see it, they would want to call out Moon Supreme! Mighty!”
Oh that green one is nice! Did it appear more?
The Coffee one in the second picture in the weibo link. The details on the shoulders are like feathers!
Then the black and gold one has a “train” like a wedding dress! With gold leaf like pattern. It has a very elegant and classy.
I felt the success of the DF CQ character is teamwork. Dylan’s acting is on point. The costume and styling really have bought the best out of the handsome actor. The character setting is admirable, and the behaviour is very consistent so far.
When DF CQ doesn’t know what love is
He doesn’t pretend. He is out right bossy and arrogant. Sometimes even crossed the line under normal circumstances. Under the heart curse:
He ended up doing all these little romantic things without knowing. He has high standard of everything. He aims to excel in treating Orchid well. He works hard. He studies the Xilan tribe like a hard-working student to find out ways to pamper Orchid. He went to collect morning dew. He warmed it up. Ended up counting the types of flowers just because Orchid asked. Taking her to watch the cloud whale in the morning.
He ended up saying a lot of swoony/funny lines. If I have time I will try to go back and write some down.
He ended up being Orchid’s bodyguard and saved her every time. As cliche as they are, every time it feels rather swoony. Every time it feels like he is the good guy not the evil Moon Supreme.
When DF CQ is finding his love/emotion roots
Under the cold, bossy and arrogant shell, he is outright lonely. Feeling rejected by his father. Questioning his father’s love. Carrying the hope and the burden of the Moon Tribe like GB said. Endured all the pain to master Hellfire. Yet, all he remembers is the good times he had with his father. He is vulnerable just like everyone. Moon Supreme who is fearsome by 3 realms? He cried just like any of us when grieving over the loss of his father.
When DF CQ knows what love is
When DF CQ loves, he is 100% devoted. He declared his love in front of his people. He stood up for Orchid even under pressure from his nation. Orchid is the only woman he will marry. He shoulders the responsibility. He is willing to admit the mistake he thought he has made. He is willing to take the punishment and shows his commitment to his people. His judgment hasn’t clouded when he is in love. He still knows when the woman he loves poisoned him for a good reason and willing to play along out of respect to keep her happy. Yet, behind her, he is prepared to share and feel all the pain with her as his commitment to become a married couple.
DF CQ facial expressions
Agree @GB, DF CQ facial expressions is a performing art. Dylan did a very good job and his face really suits a frosty, lonely but kind inside character. I compared his character in the Rational Life where he plays the best boy. Warm, friendly, nice to elderly, easy going with big smiles. Dylan then simply becomes one of the many good-looking lovable characters in the many dramas I have watched. Likeable but not memorable.
@pm3 I have tried to post twice but it didn’t seem to go through. Could you please check if it has gone to spam? Thanks! 🙂
Found them. I approved the last version.
It might be the link to weibo. @grace’s post with a weibo link also went to my spam box.
Generally, there’s a limit of three links per post. If you have more than three, the post will be considered spam so I’ll have to fish it out of my spam box. I think links to weibo and yandex.ru are currently flagged.
Morning and thank you! @pm3.😊🍪🍪🍪 ☕☕☕I will watch out in the future.
@Viva, thanks! That’s a great summary of DFQC’s swoon-worthiness at different stages of his development!
Yup I noted that although he’s supposed to be so cool, calm and in control, he does not mind being vulnerable in front of Fairy Orchid. I just love that. He allowed her to comfort him when he wept like a baby.
Later, he didn’t mind honestly admitted he didn’t know how to befriend his brother, and accepted Fairy’s instructions. He didn’t even get upset that she laughed at him when he smiled most unnaturally.
Yup, his public declaration of devotion to just Fairy Orchid was a kyaa moment. I like how you put it that he took the responsibility, showed commitment, didn’t let being in love cloud his judgement and stood alone against his whole people to defend Fairy. That scene must have made a whole bunch of viewers fall in love with DFQC.
Generally, DFQC is fair. He does not punish people unjustly. He manages to be scary without actually doing much harm to anyone.
I loved that he strode into the cave to bring a fur blanket to Fairy. He was prepared to sit in the cold with her and keep her company while keeping her warm with that blanket. Unfortunately that good conversation they had showed up their irreconcilable differences. He shed tears along with her, to think that they could not have affection because of the gap between them.
Still after this, when he met her at Yun Meng, he didn’t insist on her going back to the Silent Moon Palace, but was 50% willing to let her tag along. We know, of course, that the Yun Meng interlude sealed their commitment to each other.
He saw that she did not want to hurt him, and in fact that she did her best to protect him, and he did the same for her. His heartfelt kiss after he recovered at Memory Loss River, when she chose him over her home and CH, demonstrated his great relief and gratitude that he was no longer alone. Again he did not mind showing how vulnerable he was with her.
All along he’d been saying that she was his person and that she was to remain by his side, but that had an ulterior motive, as you mentioned above. Still that was already swoony stuff. But this time, the kiss said everything that he did not need to repeat in words, which were the same words, but without the ulterior motive.
With just his character development and being an innately good person under the scary exterior, the character of DFQC deserves a heaping of our appreciation already, but he ups the ante with his genuine love.
@Pheonix, oh get well soon. Let DFQC keep you company while you recover.
@grace thanks for the real life tidbit. I’m seeing WHD’s gf tags are trending. At best we can say these are rumors because he never denied or confirmed which I think is a good move because that may sacrifice his significant others’ privacy. (As far as I know k-ent takes a backseat when a significant other is a non-celeb, is that not the case with c-ent? Or maybe it’s just because he is the IT actor right now.) Nonethless if any of this is true and he has been with his girlfriend since 6 years from university days then he earns repsect from me as well. It’s very tempting to give up on someone under the pressures of the industry but if he held on while he was a newbie that’s commendable.
@Viva, I love DFQC’s costumes and your detailed write up. You are right they have worked intricately on his character. I think Dylan Wang, WHD is the kind of actor who suits bad boy roles more. His expressions and facial features give off that vibe.
I especially like the green robe @GB talked about and the green/red collar shirt. I think his costumes are also fitted to his size very well. No other than him or Xiao Lan Hua get a dress change. I like her costumes too in Shuiyuntian, Cangyan Sea and Mortal world.
@Viva, oh! yes I saw the link for MS’s attire. My favourite is tone down mode at Orchid’s home and the Regal mode. They really make black look so good.
@Phoenix, speedy recovery for you! I agree that it is kinda a boon in disguise that you can enjoy the dramas while in bed! 😀 Still do rest well! I guess the dramas will help you heal faster!
I discovered Dylan wang in Meteor Garden and wanted to watch Rational Life but I kinda lost steam for something else I’m sure. I’m curious about his film ” Our Southwest General University” keeping that on my watch list..though he looks too good looking in there. I’m biased…
@Fern!! I burst out laughing at the Qing Cang Quicksand especially at the alliterations hahahahah This is so good!
Maybe @Phoenix can add these traps on shallow island when she’s feeling better.
@Viva,
I love the costumes too! Thanks for listing them out.
The styling is beautiful but it actually received flack for their styling. Saying it’s too European or too Japanese. The creators refuted that this is in the Oriental Fantasy style. When I read more about it I discovered how intricate all these details are.
I quote someone’s breakdown of it, translated:
“”Canglan Jue” 27 intangible cultural heritage craftsmen, 32 intangible cultural heritage traditional crafts, six major Chinese intangible cultural heritage arts (Su embroidery, group fan, sandalwood fan, jade carving, lacquer art, Chinese painting), script development 800+ days, preliminary preparation 400 + days, 600+ cast members, 5,000+ sets of costumes, 3,000+ pieces of accessories, and 20,000+ pieces of art props. In order to inherit intangible cultural heritage and oriental beauty, all the above are handmade. It’s not a costume drama, a fairy tale drama, it’s an oriental fantasy.”
Moon Supreme’s realm is inspired by the silk road which means the food, drapery in the bedroom, interiors have the style of the areas in the Silk Road. This has a lot of oriental, east asian styling. I find the screens in MS rooms has a geometric oriental style. If you think about it their colours of MS & Orchid is black and white, like of a bride and bridegroom.
The mortal world
Chidi’s mortal being Xie WanQing has a very Japanese geisha look. It is compared to the dressing of the Tang Dynasty…that they say inspired the japanese kimono. If you see her lips, her hair has a sense of Japanese geisha and make up. She is also so pale white like how geishas are made up. Their wedding attire is red which is really very characteristic of the ancient china dynasties.
Of course I would say there is this cultural imperialism that netizens seem to criticize for using other cultures in their attire.
I digress on the costumes here but MS definitely dressed Orchid in a way fitting for a queen. I especially loved her hair accessories because it is so dainty and very fitting of a fairy-like her.
@grace, I love to read about the costumes and sets. I think that anyone who is narrow minded about culture doesn’t realise that different countries have been trading, invading, warring and sharing for thousands of years. I mean to say, there is a lot of cross-pollination of influences, whether art, dress, technology, food, etc. I like the idea that people from different nations can relate to a style. At the end of the day, this show is a fantasy, not history.
@Grace, I watched the Rational Life because of Dylan 🙂 but the plot is getting quite interesting to me. A few attractions for me:
1. What got me is when the FL said “命運中所有的饋贈，都是暗中標了價格的，免費的午餐不好吃的，所以現在命運給我們的磨難，都是日後會換算給我們的獎勵，只要我們一直堅持，一定有機會的”. Translate to “Gifts in life are all secretly marked with a price. Free lunch doesn’t taste good, so if life gives us hardships in exchange for rewards later. If we persist, there will be an opportunity.” I agree!
2. Office politics – It is a little dramatic, but I like to find out this drama’s worldview of woman with a career.
3. As for the noona romance part, through out life I have seen a few noona romance. There is always an opposing voice from the family. Some are broken off eventually, some are married with kids, some are married but couldn’t have kids. Their paths can be tough. I am curious to see how it plays out in the drama.
4.The mum and daughter relationship is relatable to me. E.g. The FL doesn’t know how to cook nicely as the mum told her to focus on her studies when she was young. That’s totally me! When I first got married there was such a shock to adjust! What – the house doesn’t self-tidy itself?
@Pheonix I think I will give Meteor Garden a go. When the Jerry Yan version came out, I passed it as I was too young and too proud to watch an “Idol drama”. When I first got into K drama I also passed the LMH’s version. Now there is a Dylan Wang’s version. I felt life is calling to me to have a go. It has appeared 3 times in my life so I should put down my prejudice and give it a go!
Oh @Viva it’s good to see someone whose parents had a similar viewpoint growing up. People my age are great cooks and good at housework but at my home we were given the “you’re just a kid, study well” treatment. Though my parents certainly expected that I magically knew how to cook when I grew up 😂
@viva, I should give it Rational life a try too, sounds intriguing. I never watched all the other versions of Meteor Garden. The original was too old, I didn’t like LMH’s looks in the kdrama version. So when the cdrama version came out on Netflix it was easy to watch. Actually I was multitasking when I was watching initially but Dylan was too captivating to watch and I couldn’t multitask. I don’t totally like Meteor Garden ML character actually but he was quite an eye candy. The producer wasn’t wrong when she wanted Dylan casted despite his inexperience in acting.
Do try and share your thoughts after watching it!
@Viva @wapz I’m in the same boat as you all in not learning how to cook and do chores..till I got married.
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Appreciating MS for what he does for his tribe and Orchid
Ep31
1. He rejected her to save her. This is no noble idiocy. He had to make her stop loving him so that the Bone Orchid will release her from the curse of being killed by the primodal spirit of Chidi Nuzhi. But it pained him.
2. He went through ways and ways again to find a way that did not require him to kill her. I think he didn’t want to do what the evil spirit asked him to do. Even to free his 100,000 soldiers, he was going to use his own power to his detriment, not hers.
3. All the time he put her first. The heart curse is not a curse to him because when she was being slowly killed by RongHao and he sense it, he did not continue to try to break the sword spell. He knew she was in danger and the first thought was to save her. It didn’t look like he was worried he would die.
4. Even in his injury, he made his way to her. As a proud leader of his tribe, he humbled himself for her as seen in his crawling towards her as he tried to stop her from killing herself.
5. He did what he could to fulfill her dying request to see the sun. I’m glad he was the last person she saw before she died.
6. He reluctantly came out of his dream so that she can be born again, even though that means she won’t be with him. But he knew he will try to get them back together again. He didn’t and wasn’t going to give up.
7. Even at the expense of his happiness, he was willing to do what he can to revive her. This is especially when he realized that she was the one who revived him.
7.
Last one, do you realize they don’t say “I love you” much in cdramas, esp wuxia or xianxia ones?
Orchid, in her dying words told MS, ” You are so annoying, but I still like you.”
Not love.
Because love is expressed through actions and not words, there is no need to say it. You see it all in what they do for each other.
Bravo or bravissima @grace. I appreciate your appreciation post! LOL. Yes indeed. Is it more romantic that so much is done without fanfare, without words accompanying the action?
I loved her dying words,… there’s such an element of her spirit in them, together with assurance.
@Grace @wapz thankfully YouTube has lots of tutorials and cooking skills eventually got to an enough level to live. So there is always hope. Although during one of the lockdowns I tried to make man tou and sadly they never rise. Sigh.
Thanks for the list @Grace. Orchid said she loves DF CQ to CH, but never said it in front of DF CQ’s face. May be being so direct is that much harder in front of the person you love. Actions are comparatively easier.
Rational Life turned out to be an easy watch. They touched on relatable difficulties in life and realistic noona romance obstacles, but they allow us to feel good as most things resolved. True to that quote the FL said – Life gives you hardships but will reward you later if one persists. I was too early to say Dylan there was not memorable. In the later part of drama, his acting on the emotional scenes are moving (I can see why he is always casted as ML despite not a graduate from a drama school). Just as we all witnessed in ep 31 in LBFaD, his tears felt genuine. His relationship with mum is very touching. ML’s mum acting is very good. I totally get ML’s mum emotions and her support to her child.
Meteor Garden – that theme song should bring back collective memories for most generation Y/Z mandarin speakers around the world! It was so popular back then. I will see if I will catch it in the 2018 version.
Rational Life turned out to be an easy watch. They touched on relatable difficulties in life and realistic noona romance obstacles, but they allow us to feel good as most things resolved. True to that quote the FL said – Life gives you hardships but will reward you later if one persists. I was too early to say Dylan there was not memorable. In the later part of drama, his acting on the emotional scenes are moving (I can see why he is always casted as ML despite not a graduate from a drama school). Just as we all witnessed in ep 31 in LBFaD. His relationship with mum is very touching. ML’s mum acting is very good. I totally get ML’s mum emotions and her support to her child.
Meteor Garden – that theme song should bring back collective memories for most generation Y/Z mandarin speakers around the world! It was so popular back then. I will see if I will catch it in the 2018 version.
@Viva, now you mentioned, I remember that part where she told CH she loves DF in episode 30
“In this world, what is real and what is fake? I only know I love Dongfang Qingcang. It’s real. He loves me. It’s also real. It’s realer than anything. That’s enough.”
Meanwhile I have deviated to watching variety shows because I can multitask like cook/load the dishwasher etc while watching it.
Wonderland Season 2 EP3…the teammate swooning over how handsome he is
https://youtu.be/V55JvYqv4t0
Hello Saturday that he is filming now. No subs here but watch from 8:40, no need for subs to understand this. He is quite competitive and the kind of teammate you want when playing a game because he is the fastest, strongest and the best strategist.
https://youtu.be/AuOrMQutR30
And an old interview from 4 years ago
@packmule3
I have mailed the updated Shallow Island map to you, along with a brief intro for context setting 🙂
Hope you like it😃
Adding this because it has got to do with the drama and also on Dylan. I don’t have time to create subs for this because priority goes to the rewatch for now. None of this in the series has subs alas.
Will hopefully remember to sub when I’m done of if anyone begs for it so it will go up on the priority list.
Thanks for the interview link @grace. I didn’t understand much but it was fun seeing the expressions when they asked the questions.
This current day hairstyle with those spectacles actually makes him look much better than some other of his photos. Putting him in shorts made him look all of his very young, boyish 23 years. LOL when he had to try and walk like DFQC in those shorts. It’s not easy to get into the character’s body without the costume.
He was surprised that the Watermelon Head image would stick for so long. Love how he juxtaposed Watermelon Head with DFQC’s body.
Seems like a regular, nice kid in RL, but was smoking hot as DFQC LOL.
When you have the time, @grace, and if no one else subs this, I’ll be grateful to know the little nuances of what they said and how they embarrassed poor Dylan. 🙂
@GB, one of the funny parts is this.
Dylan shared that he read some comments :
Orchid’s original form is the Orchid plant.
CH’s original form is a deer.
DFQC’s original form is… Watermelon
🍉😂
Thanks @Viva! I was guessing that, that was what he said, but I needed your confirmation to be sure. LOL. He was good-naturedly, self-deprecating.
Well, come to think of it, a watermelon plant and an orchid plant sound more compatible than expected!!!
@Viva, watching Rational Life with hubby (because 2 episodes of Good Job a week isn’t enough) and we kinda slid in to this drama. If I am watching a drama with him I’m less likely to drop out of the drama which I do often for others. I’m only at episode 5 and yesterday AvenueX did a belated review of it and gave it a 2.5 gold mine out of 3….which makes me want to watch it more 😀
https://youtu.be/_HYgkCAhoPI
Have you finished the drama yet?
I found I had to adjust to Dylan in this role because he is acting his age..not DFQC! 😛 It does feel a lot like his real person especially after watching many of the variety shows.
Hey @grace😊, yes I finished the Rational Life. I like it. There is some depth in it. There are more touching moments than I anticipated. Not an idol drama so no huge swoony grand gestures like DFCQ. However it can be quite relatable. Some incidents can be too convenient but it’s a drama after all. The most important thing to me is that the love story development is natural.
I felt this drama has some good takes on life. We can certainly have a good discussion here.
A few aspects:
-Unfair favouritism at work
-A crush? Inmature passion that can die down? True love?
-Ideal other half at this day and age – Are we still in the thinking that the men should be the more successful one that can provide for women? Is that one type fits all or down to individual situation.
-The mother and daughter dynamics
-The mother and son dynamics
Yes, Dylan plays a very good boy here. He didn’t leave me a strong impression in the first few episodes. However, there are some good scenes later which we can discuss when/if you get there 🙂
There’s still a little bit of a fairy tale element in it. I think the show sticks to the theme – we may be given a raw deal by life but if we keep trying hard, life will reward us. It is a feel good drama afterall.
By the way, I did fast forward a bit when it comes to the second and third leads love life. 🤣
@Viva so it is true as AvenueX says the second and third leads story is not important 😅 looking forward to enjoy Rational Life. Because of this drama hubby and I had a few discussions of the reality of the workplace, and societal expectations, and the type of mum these leads have.
@grace, hmmm…in general, two reasons will make me want to watch the side leads stories:
1) I have to connect to the characters. They must have enough charm to make me care for them.
2) Their stories are relatable to me. In this case, I felt one story is about the toughness for an outsider to survive in Shang Hai. The other story is about – OK, you married someone who can provide everything for you. What’s next? .
I don’t think I connect to both couples. None of their stories are that relatable to me, so I just fast forward lol. May be to some other viewers they may be able to find the connections?
By the way are you joining the rewatch tomorrow? 🙂
Here’s an English-subbed interview with Dylan. He seems like a good sort, a down-to-earth likable guy. He seems to give his fans more than enough attention when they are there to cheer him on. So this is a Dylan Wang appreciation post.
Thanks, @Growing Beautifully. He seems to have his feet on the ground, acknowledges that he is getting more acting experience and learning. Good guy for appreciating his fans without being too big headed.