Lyson

It was after Tan ZaoZao died, in episode 31. After he recovered from his grief, he changed his hair. The changes in his appearance gradually began before that, and the subtle differences in his and Lanzhu's behaviour, but it was clearer after 31.

I edited and added another one, I feel like we've been cheated of something we never even had 😭😭

It won't disappear, I made it, I posted it, I won't let it disappear😭

HE'D be sooooo good bro.

Yeah, he changed his hair as if they wanted to make it visually obvious for us (censorship and all that), because there was a time lapse in the novel at that point, the times between doors increasing the higher the doors get, and that left a lot of time for relationship development between them (just like the novel). I felt that even the way they talked to each other was subtly different as well after that point in the show, but still obvious af.

I feel like they hooked up in the series at the same time as they hooked up in the novel tbh, there was a shift in the relationship tone in the series that just fit that same timeline 😍

Whyyyyyy can't see??? 😭 😭 😭 I'll send it in a msg.

Guy guys, let me share my hopeless XZG dream okay? https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/290693350965690011/😭 I was tempted to edit XZG eyes and stuff to match Hua Cheng's but just like this is sooo convincing already.

Edit: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/290693350965691240/ I'm officially lost to this dream...

"Reading for me is like watching for you." that really made it so clear, I can totally understand your perspective then. It's also tricky reading translated content, especially the fan translations because the diction is sometimes odd to a native English speaker/reader, but I guess I got used to it. Especially since I read the MXTXs stuff before it got licensed for translation. I struggle too though with books. Like, rn I'm still trying to get through Silent Reading, but it's boring the hell out of me and I wish Justice in the Dark hadn't been taken off air because those first 8 eps got me so hooked in a way the novel just isn't managing.

The top/bottom thing is a point of contention in the new gen, they don't like hearing that someone prefers there to be that distinction, but I don't care. I like what I like, and I don't like what I don't like. It sounds like you lean visually into a character first before getting to know them? Me too I guess, although if the personality puts me off, then blegh, I'ma head right out.
The fact that you watched Advance Bravely recently isn't surprising, so many WoH fans raged about Gong Jun without knowing AB existed and I was like 'nah, watching him several years ago in Advance Bravely was hard enough'. I do envy the time period AB came out in though, it was after Addicted effed up the whole China uncensored BL scene, but before The Untamed lead actors' fans effed up the censored BL scene 😂 so we actually got a WHOLE ASS HUG in AB. Compared now with The Spirealm where even in situations were two men/people would naturally hug each other for comfort, the ML's aren't getting past a handshake or a shoulder touch, that hug in AB was like a treasure. Dayum. Such a short amount of years and yet so much mess.

I agree though, watch what you want and don't let negative OR positive opinions sway you. If you try and don't like it, drop it, if you don't want to try it all, don't. If you tried and failed to get into it, but then a year later you tried again and loved it, that's all good. If you love it right away while everyone hates it, who cares. And if it's bad, it's bad, actor/actress notwithstanding. This stuff is all for entertainment after all, don't take it too seriously, it's just meant to be enjoyed for fun you know?
You said WR was your first Thai BL, but I skip A LOT of Thai BL's, so I don't recognize this abbreviation? As for TWM, it's an older one, so finding it ain't easy. The first season is officially on YT with official subs luckily. The second season is a bit more difficult to find. If you make it through S01 and you're keen to continue, let me know, I'll hook you up with S02. As for the 'no one is gay, everyone is fluid' that usually annoys me tbh. Another reason to drop a show for me 😂 and another reason I like TWM. The lines are more clearly the defined in TWM. IFYLITA also, clear sexuality lines. I support sexual fluidity, sure, but I also like realism where it's necessary. And everyone just being fluid within a small group of friends isn't realistic.

ALoN managed to get past censorship and some people say that they ML's don't seem to even like each other? I'm guessing that's how they got it approved. They must have reeeeaaallly dialed it down beyond censorship, right into the basic platonic bromance, nothing underlying, other wise it would have been taken down like The Spirealm and JitD.

You were exaggerating.

I want us to be right about the possibility of Zhiguang taking on the role of Hua Cheng someday, so I'm gonna gaslight myself about it 😂😭😂

You mention specifically watching TGCF, so then you've only watched the donghua and read the manhua? Can't remember if you said you read the novel, but it was more heavily centered around him since it's his narrative most of the time. I read the novel before I watched the donghua or read the manhua and I just loved it. Truth is, I often don't get too attached to the subs/bottoms/shous (whatever you want to call them). I generally prefer and relate to the opposite, but with Xie Lian, I just loved everything about his attitude and temperament, and Hua Cheng was just a superb addition, they are the perfect match and complement to each other. We can totally agree that MXTX holds the W for danmei.

When I read how much you watch I almost can't believe you have so much patience! You give these things a try and I don't even go beyond looking at the actors or reading the synopsis before I decide it's not worth my time. I just cant honestly. I've never been able to watch something for the sake of watching it, or just because I've started it. But I know many people are way more open to trying things than I am. I'll tell you though, I Feel You Linger in the Air is QAULITY stuff. It far exceeds other Thai BL's, even in different genres. I don't even like time travel as a theme, but IFYLITA is just done so well, the time travel thing is both central to the plot and yet not over done. Certainly not campy, I promise. It's actually quite a lovely LGBT show actually, not even just a BL. All the other shows you mentioned I gave hard passes back when they came out. I guess I'm weird too with how I watch stuff, just in a different way 😅
I agree about Taiwan, 2023 was their best year yet, but SK too, 2023 they made a couple of serves.

I look forward to hearing what you think about TWM if you end up watching it, it was before the era of 'change' in Thai BL's, before all the wokeness and do's and dont's made by delicate fans that now clog up the genre with their do this/don't do that stuff. It was also so well acted, natural, less make up'd and yes, tropey, but in a funny way and with great characters, even the BG characters were memorable. I say all this as it's my fave Thai BL of all time, but I always keep in mind most people have issues with it, so I will not be surprised if you don't like it!

I'm on the second ep of ALoN btw, and I only just found out the source material was a BL novel? Did they downgrade the show to actual bromance (not the forced tag like on The Spirealm, TU or WoH, etc), or how did they get it officially aired?

🤣🤣 for real

Yep, I asked, they said nope. Original format they said. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That's a choice you can make 😁 totally understandable. I'll give that speculation a skip though. But I won't say why I disagree with the versions where Lanzhu turns out to be real, because everyone deserves their personal choice on interpretation!

I don't think it's a farfetched dream that Cn will one day overturn the dumb ban, I think it's an empty dream that Zhiguang will be cast as Hua Cheng. Two danmei based shows?? Unlikely...although, Gong Jun did it, so maaaaaybe it's not THAT impossible 😭
I am actually not familiar with Liu Yu at all, just saw the pictures of him, I don't even feel any type of way about him. It's interesting that you say TGCF wasn't really about Xie Lian, because I feel very differently about that. I LOVE Xie Lian's character, I actually prefer him more than Wei Wuxian in many ways. Hua Cheng is obviously outstanding, but Xie Lian wasn't in his shadow as a character. But as you mentioned, that's MXTX's strength as a writer, I also love the 'give all, give anything and protect each other equally' dynamics of HuaLian and WangXian.

I agree about Zhiguang, about the physical action roles, but also that if he starts acting in basic romcoms he'll be doomed. It's such a sh*t genre 😂 sorry not sorry. ANYTHING but basic romance. He's got some dramas coming out, both costume dramas, one the filmed before TS and one after, but in both he's not a main. I think he might have to work harder to get lead roles unfortunately, because he doesn't fit Cn's standard appearance mold, what with the tattoos and his personal fashion choices. I just hope he doesn't change how he is because of the box they want him to fit into. They already have him covering up his tattoos.

Thai BL's have come a long way, and yet also not somehow. There are some tropes that they just can't seem to shake. Personally, I don't mind a clear distinction between pairings of one being 'stronger' or more dominant than the other that Thai BL's have, but there are other tropes that just irritate me. Unpop opinion, but 95% of the BL's Japan makes irritate me. I can barely get through one ep of their shows most of the time. Every scene is a trope or generic type of thing. Ugh.
As for dead fish kisses, South Korea wins the award for that hands down 😂 I often skip the kisses in SK BL's. But I vouch for The Eighth Sense and Semantic Error, and despite many who disagree, Jun&Jun was actually pretty enjoyable.

ALSO I just stalked your watch list again and I see you haven't watched Together With Me (OG BEST imo) and I Feel You Linger in the Air (best quality Thai BL to date). Did you intentionally give them a pass? If so, that's fair, if not, maybe add them to your possible watches. You may dislike Together With Me, it's my all time fave Thai BL but it doesn't appeal to a lot of people, But IFYLITA is kind of a must-watch when it comes to the Thai BL standard.

The novel ending can still sooth the pain 🥺 as for how the show ended, I guess it's just down to personal interpretation. For those of us who see it as Ling Juishi just having a comatose dream and then spending the rest of his life recreating friends and the person he fell in love with in virtual reality 'world', the novel is our safe place!

There is no 'game', it's another world in the novel and Nanzhu (Lanzhu) is 100% real. So try to forget those last 8 min if you can, because the novel ending ties in quite nicely with the show ending when Jiushi says:
"I'm on a quest, the combination of virtual reality and real life, the Spirealm."

You're welcome 😭

Are those pics new though? Looks like same outfit from that rooftop photoshoot two weeks ago lol like he just posted them late

😭 my bad

Oh I didn't end up watching it 😂 BUT you can check it out on dramacool, it's one of the most common unofficial sites to watch, I don't know if it's available anywhere official.