revisiting the classic pd101 "thousand-faced senior, xiao zhan" quote
i.e. on how xz is a constantly thinking, constantly-moving machine who inhabits different identities; and how this is a lovely contrast against the yz emotional dynamic
✼ originally posted on alterspring ‧₊˚ ⋅
aw thank you so much anon, and hello!! 🥺✨
i have my film professor to thank for making sure i never consume any media without (over)analysing it ever again sdhfsjhs but i enjoy it a lot! so you're always welcome to pick my brain anytime + i would love love love to hear your thoughts too ♡
now. where do i even begin with this man.
you know how you mentioned that you found him difficult to get a read on when you were getting to know him? that's 1005% by design. i feel like the absolute best way to describe xz is actually a line that came from his produce 101 appearance waaaaaay back in the day, which i wrote a bit about in the introduction to my wm analysis: the thousand-faced senior, xiao zhan.
xz inhabits so many different identities and desires and personalities — i don't just mean when he's switching between The Two Xiao Zhans (i.e. his private and public selves), but at any one moment. he's all big, guileless boba eyes, but he's also extremely deliberate and calculating with everything he does and says. he's humble, but very aware and confident of his self-worth. he's gentle with his words, so silver-tongued, but we've also seen that he can be snappy and sharp and a little crass sometimes. he's fairly easygoing and always seems to shy away from the spotlight, but he has a competitive streak a mile wide. he makes it a point to take really good care of himself, but he's also strict and demanding and ruthless with what he asks of himself. the list goes on!!
i think xz is deeply empathetic because he sees the beauty in the nuance/complexities of the many different ways there are to be human. it's why he's a great logo designer: he's skilled at reading the pulse, the heartbeat, the life of a brand, and translating it through art and design. it's why he's a great actor: he gravitates towards characters/roles that are never just one thing, and enjoys the challenge of portraying all their different sides, flaws and all.
heck, it's why he's a great celebrity: he refuses to be placed in boxes people so often assign to public figures, and has said before that pure pleasantness is a terrible benchmark for perfection.
and imo the reason he's able to do this is because he's so perceptive (more in this thread!).
xz strikes me as the kind of person who has, like, every nerve ending alight at the same time? just as he's deeply attuned to his thoughts and emotions, he also has a good read of the room around him at any one time: he discerns what is expected of him and either matches it, skirts it, or navigates it — all with that same practised grace that comes from the caution he's built over the years. he's so quick on his feet!!!!! like in so many interviews, he somehow gives you everything you need in his answers without actually giving anything away.
—which is the total opposite of what i believe the yz emotional dynamic is like! with yb, he doesn't have to decide if he's actor xz or spokesperson xz or role model xz or colleague xz or singer xz or some other xz. he's just xz, simultaneously all those parts and none of them, and i think that's why the relationship feels like a bit of a sacred space. i'd just answered an ask about that a few days ago, and you can read more about that here ♡
so there’s this bxg — 你好山崩崩我係3bb who likes to share fakes from other people and i mostly saw their name through the turtle eating contest tag. they sometimes do livestreams to connect with the community. and i think this is pretty normal for bxgs. we have our own set of known fandom people, whether that’s because of art ( mugui ), fanfiction, photos (global fever) or maybe how they share cpn etc. 3bb falls on the last one, fakes/cpn.
they did a community livestream last night, and i’m seeing posts from that around cpfs on weibo. the information that people found the most “tasty” are allegedly from wf (solos) who were able to join in.
treat all of this as fan fiction. i think anyone can say “im this person…” and give a piece of alleged “candy” to all. that’s just how the internet goes. i’m doing a compilation of all the pieces mentioned to archive, and well, if we see it anytime in the future, we will know. i have no opinion on these, so please don’t ask “when this happened” or what. in the grand scheme of bjyx cpn history, i don’t think this is important lol or is it? who knows.
just read along. enjoy. don’t take it too seriously. 🍨
• They've been photographed together before. When XZ reached out, WYB immediately put his head up to him, tilting his head to look at him. They were both laughing happily. Before WYB pulled his head away, XZ gently touched WYB's chin with his hand.
• The two of them had a snowball fight when they were on set of Small Town Remedy. ( WYB went there )
• There is a photo of the two of them feeding stray cats together; one was standing, and the other was squatting. This prompted many members of the "Old Flying Heroes" group to express their admiration for Xiao Zhan's kindness and to question the purpose of Wang Yibo standing there.
• Back in the “Spy” era, there was a time when Xiao Zhan was filmed jumping off a scene and leaping into Wang Yibo's arms. What left fans speechless was that it was clearly summer, and Xiao Zhan is usually so afraid of the heat, but he wasn't afraid of it at all when he was with Wang Yibo (there's video, and the old fans threatened everyone in the group to delete it).
• Wang Yibo visited Xiao Zhan on set and was seen raising him. Another photo shows Wang Yibo holding Xiao Zhan's hand; Wang Yibo was walking briskly ahead, while Xiao Zhan followed behind. (These two photos weren't captured. They were likely taken in Qingdao.)
• I remember seeing a picture of W carrying a very large thermos, going back to the room with X; W was carrying the bag.
• Xiao Zhan acts cute (Qingdao) when WYB is there
XZ will draw out the sound when saying "I don't want to eat" or "I'm so tired." a friend in the group said this, I thought she made it up, but she was actually being serious.
• X and W were photographed several times during their trip to Qingdao. When X and W were together, they were talking about something, and X suddenly slapped W a few times.
• Extras in a Small Town Remedy would mention that these 2 are close and WYB would watch XZ on screen during shooting.
• The bone necklace was something W asked X for, because X had been feeling insecure for a while, and W wanted to comfort him. I don't know the meaning behind it, but W just wanted X to give him something.
• If xx only eats a few bites and then stops, w coaxes him to eat more. After xx eats a few more bites...W took the leftover rice and ate it.
• they bought rings abroad and it was incredibly sparkly 💍💍💍
• XZ reads and looks at fanworks ( fanfiction and fanart )
• Yibo messages Xiao Zhan every day: "Send me a picture of your lunchbox after you finish eating."
• What I've heard is that X doesn't want to send WeChat messages while he's rock climbing, afraid of disturbing him, but W says he has to send them anytime, anywhere, whether there's something to say or not.
• The most frustrating thing was the bracelet, because W later gave them a really ugly one, and X wore it a few times before stopping. Furthermore, XZ also boasted to his best friend about the gifts Yibo gave him, and then immediately went to talk to Yibo... people said it wasn't good-looking.
• WYB asked XZ if he can see the bday letter in advance ( this is the one YBO posts ) but XZ told him to wait so he can see it himself. For his bdays, XZ will send him a bday song and voice message.
• After filming wrapped on "Zang Hai," he picked me up at the airport. Before the roadshow in Beijing...
• I don't know the specifics either, but XZ has been to Shanghai and Zhuhai ( to see WYB racing )
• XZ will tell gzry: I've been too busy today and haven't sent Yibo a message to check in yet. I'll send it first so he'll be very touched when he opens the message.
Hmmmm... 'kay. One applied lipstick; the other didn't wipe his mouth... Sure, sure. It's just a coincidence that YOU BOTH got shiny lips and are looking at each other like this 👁️👄👁️
