themarchioness

I'm pretending like I haven't watched the ending because I don't want to let go. In the meantime, if anyone's interested, I broke my rules against writing period fics and wrote one for LoF: A Man with a Past (When an unexpected visitor arrives to the 48 Strongholds, she brings with her Xie Yun's past and stirs Zhou Fei's jealousies).

Yep! Also, I just realized I got the women's names backwards -- it was Jia who was eliminated initially but ended up making it to the end of Sister Who Makes Waves while Fei was ultimately eliminated. Typing too quickly earlier. Sorry for the confusion!

Yesssss, doooo! :D

I didn't either, but that's because I'd stopped following Kpop closely by the time of their debut (my era is more second generation). But a friend of mine who was following Kpop at that time knew of Uniq. Also, like I mentioned, Uniq's overall progress was stunted by the breakdown in China-S.Korea relations back then and that's a reason why I believe they weren't more well. For a group that's not from a Big 3, it can take a while to gain traction and from what I've read since, it sounds like they were just starting to gain attention when things came to a standstill. It does look like Yibo is still on good terms with his Uniq members and I hope that's true and will always be so, but it can't be denied either that it must be awkward for them at times too. For example, there was that one episode of Sing and Spin where Yibo was invited as a guest and Yi Xuan was participating as a contestant and the audience didn't vote him through! That was incredibly awkward and Yibo was so upset as he kept asking, "Why?" Honestly, I give Yi Xuan a lot of props as he has gone from being captain of Uniq to Yibo's second fiddle on variety shows, but he always does it with good cheer, humor, and a positive attitude. I really liked their shared moments this past year when Yi Xuan was participating in that male idol group through DDU. Both of them were on the show and it had been expected that both, with all their girl group experience, would make it to the end. But Fei was eliminated at one point, which resulted in Jia having a very emotional breakdown as she kept asking why, and then in a twist, Fei and several others were brought back for a second chance and in the end, it was Fei who made it to the end while Jia was eliminated. Seung Youn was unfortunately a victim of the whole Produce x 101 scandal so despite the popularity he'd gained through that show, the continued opportunities he would've been afforded through that group frittered away once the group had to disband shortly after their formation. It remains to see whether he'll be able to keep that momentum going, but my fingers are crossed for him -- and all the Uniq members, especially Yibo. :)

It really depends on how well the group was doing originally. EXO was hugely popular at the height of their success and still enjoys a lot of popularity, so it's no wonder their three Chinese members were able to pivot into successful careers in China once they parted ways with the group. Lay is also doing well in China, though he is technically still a part of EXO. Miss A, on the other hand, had several hit songs, especially their debut song, but that's about it. As a group they did okay, certainly not like their junior group, Twice, and it was Suzy who enjoyed most of the group's popularity. I don't think Min, their other Korean member, is doing particularly well in Korea either, probably similar to how Fei and Jia are doing in China. We'll never really know how well Yibo would've done as a member of Uniq in Korea. For a group that was purposely formed as a mixed-Chinese/Korean group for dual country promotions, the timing of their debut ended up being terrible and that cut off a lot of opportunities. I often think of his other members and think how much it sucks for them, but I don't begrudge Yibo his success! On the contrary, as you all know I love him, and I think he's worked hard and deserves it all. I just think it's a pity for his other members. It's got to be hard as close as they all were/are.

There wasn't but in the same way that many others have recognized XY when they see him, I kind of assumed that even if ZF's mother may not have known who he was the first time he popped up in the 48 Stronghold, she could probably tell instinctively that there was more to this person's story given his mission and purpose for being there. Also, whenever ZF and the cousins leave home, she keeps regular tabs on them and I wouldn't be surprised (and would even expect) that in one of those updates, she'd be told who he was. I even suspect it's probably because of that, and not just the fact that he was responsible for her husband's prior departure from the mountain, that she was so dismissive towards XY the second time he visited the 48 Stronghold. I mean, I'm sure his part in that didn't endear him towards her but she's not an unreasonable/petty either and in fact, is an honorable and just person so I think she'd understand the greater need of the people. Which is why I think most of her reservations about him stem mainly from her concern for ZF; as she tells her daughter, becoming entangled with a person like XY means so much more than just that. He comes with a lot of baggage. (Speaking of that scene, I really liked ZF's answer. XieYun really is a wonderful couple. ) They really are, especially that backlit one of XieYun! And I like that WeTV included the parents in their montage of LoF couples. Gosh, so many farewell posts from the drama/actors these past few days! They're killing me. I'm not ready to say good-bye. Fortunately I still have until next week before I will finish watching the drama subbed.

Another drama where the leads have a past and an old tree plays a special part in their story. I don’t know why I’m a sucker for them all, but I am. Haha. Just caught up on first 6 eps. Thank goodness for weekends.... 😝

Yay, looking forward to this one! But omg, where am I going to find the time?! Lol.

Omg that is hilarious, especially because of how accurate it is. Hahaha. She definitely wears the pants in that relationship. It's great!

I can’t believe filming has wrapped already, time flies! But I am so so looking forward to this drama. A few more pics from the wrap up (includes the side characters). https://www.facebook.com/dramapotatoe/posts/897810250992355

Let's be honest. Even without a drama, he resides in our life 365 days of the year. Dramas just make it even better.

And there was good reason for that, haha! It's up to 42 now, actually, and there is so much sweetness between our OTP across all those four episodes. How will I bear the wait until next week when I can skim more raw episodes?! (If I've been silent lately, blame work, not LoF. If anything, my admiration for this drama only grows with each episode.)

Ugh, make that two of us. He's such a brat! In addition to the answer that @Tofu already provided, I believe...

@Lynne The lyrics to 无华 capture the soul of the drama so perfectly. Thanks for sharing!

@Tofu Yeah, I’m about to hit the caves part. I made no progress today because... I peeked ahead at 25/26 instead, haha! No regrets because the ending of 25 was awesome! Can’t wait to watch it again when I get there for reals!

@Tofu I’ve watched through 13. ETA: But I've skimmed through 24 so I have a fair idea of what happens next.

We are of one mind when it comes to Minglan. I, too, have watched it multiple times and I think when you do it really helps to unveil all the nuances and running themes throughout the drama. It's a very smartly written drama and between the fine acting (from all the characters!) and the beautiful set, there's a lot to love about it. It is also counted amongst my favorite dramas now. As for GYH, it is such a shame that MangoTV is determined to make people to pay to watch the rest! You have to find the remainder on others sites, I hate to admit. (I also admit that sometimes when I watch expressions from XY, I think back to Yibo's character in GYH. Hehe.) A wise approach. I basically told my mom the same thing when she kept commenting on LoF's ratings and opinions that she'd read about. It's all so subjective, and so she hasn't commented since. :P Yep. I'm still on Episode 11 so I haven't reached that part yet, but I know it's out there! Maybe those scenes will make more sense and be not so bad when I can properly understand what's going on with subs. I don't always need them, but I definitely need them for LoF, and I have to acknowledge that being able to watch with subs has changed my opinion about more than one scene after watching it initially without subs! ;)

Haha, it's true, it's true. I'm also invested in LoF because of the leads. WYB won my heart after last year's Gank Your Heart and I've been following him ever since. I love how he gets to play a character so different from himself and find Xie Yun utterly charming. As for ZLY, I somehow ended up on a huuuge kick of hers this year starting from Our Glamorous Times which was followed by Boss and Me and The Story of Minglan. Became a huge fan of her work, so the interest I'd already had in LoF was increased by that much more. The available translations of the book also piqued my interest. The drama's kind of clunky at times, but the parts I like I really like, and sometimes I surprise myself. I've been skimming the raws in advance so I thought I'd be bored during the Ninth Madam part and was dreading their separation, but those episodes went more quickly than I anticipated and I rather enjoyed them. I liked Ninth madam and learning about her history with ZF's grandfather. On the other hand, I truly am now dreading the next part -- from what I've seen from the raws there's this part that takes place in a cave and it just feels like it goes on forever, LOL. The saving grace is that ZF and XY are together and I swear, they just light me up whenever they're together. Their scenes really are my favorite and anyone who complains that there's no chemistry or romance in this drama, I don't know what what they're talking about. (In addition to his little subtle hints here and there, XY pretty much declared himself when he said that he was going to stick next to ZF's side, regardless of whether that meant life or death!) I suspect the same as well. I think LoF is a drama that requires a lot of patience, and I'm willing to give it in the hopes of a pay off in the end. Even if I end up being wrong about that, eh, I won't regret my decision to stick with this drama because already ZF and XY have brought me a lot of delight. She's so strong and he's so suave and smooth, I love watching them work together, just as much as I love watching ZF develop and the seeing the layers on XY's character being peeled back one by one.

It's good to see you here, too, @Celebrianna! I agree it's not the smoothest of dramas so far and there are some waxes and wanes for me where I find some episodes more interesting than others, but so far I would say it's overall holding my interest and propelling me forward. It has struck me as well that the drama seems to be missing an overarching theme, but I've taken the view that it's about a journey -- specifically, Zhou Fei's growth and emergence as a leader in the martial arts world. The mission to retrieve the Wu children seems and the problems they keep running into whenever the villains appear feel more like catalysts for Zhou Fei to divert from her intended path and meet a new martial artist. From each person she meets along the way or each new experience she encounters, she learns a new skill and/or piece of knowledge, and we can see how this is changing her and maturing her with each step. I suspect that at some point it will all come together in the end - including the mission and the villains - and hope that when it does we get something really awesome. :) As for the cousin, Li Sheng, I really hope he does learn his lessons and grows up. The death of the old lady seems like too high a price just for him to learn a lesson about not being so willful, headstrong, and impatient, but at the same time, I really hope her death is not completely in vain and he does gain something from it. Thank goodness for Wu Chuchu who has proven to be quite sensible and I hope she is a good influence for him.

Li Sheng. I just finished watching up to 11.

The cousin is killing me. And not in a good way.

https://38jiejie.com/2020/12/26/anonymous-person-deliberately-files-false-police-report-on-wang-yibo/ What is wrong with people??? They seem to have too much time on their hands. 😤 Glad his company is being firm about this. Poor Yibo!

@Tofu Yibo is a brand ambassador for Chanel; hence, those jackets he’s always wearing. I wish they’d sign him up for something else! 😝 As for that yellow jacket in the promos for his new single, as I said to @Lynne, it’s Baby Chick Yibo! 🐥😅

The acting and chemistry are a big reason why I'm so in love with Forever Love. The male lead, especially, is just blowing it out of the waters. There have been multiple times where I've rewound just to rewatch those facial expressions of his, heheh. He makes it feel all so real. ETA: Just look how natural they appear together here.

But not Forever Love?! *gasps* Calling @Mouse for reinforcement!!! 😂😂😂