I am perhaps going through the hardest time in my life to date. Last week was a particularly tiring and taxing time and one the first things that came to mind was to hear GG’s album. I listened to it the majority of that day and it has stuck with me into this week. I even woke up with Wo Men on the brain this morning.
I have always adored GG’s voice (think I have a favorite voice tag somewhere) but there’s something so soothing about this release specifically.
Of course my favorite track is Bonne Nuit but there’s always Half-Dream/Back to Zero, Night Person and Return. Each track on the album is interwoven beautifully, telling the story of lived experience that is down to earth, while also deeply intimate and philosophical. The message is all love and hope and treats the human condition (in every aspect and relationship) with compassion and intuitiveness, revealing even more of that tough yet tender heart we all know GG possesses.
For me personally, the entire album is sweet and comforting and my favorite listen of last year. [Yes, it took me that long to get around to it 🫣.]
on yz's emotional dynamic being akin to shedding skin at the door
✼ originally posted on alterspring ‧₊˚ ⋅
i feel like the best way to describe yz's emotional dynamics is "free of pretence" ♡
xz and yb feel so fluid as people, inhabiting so many different roles depending on the job of the day: they could be actors taking instructions one minute, and then studio bosses giving instructions another, and then shrewd businessmen looking through contracts and projects, and then stars rubbing shoulders with fashion elite, and then singers and spokespersons and hobby enthusiasts and—
i imagine they're no strangers to switching between several of these identities in a single day (looking at you, model turned racer turned golden rooster award nominee yb...), and consequently they're also used to acting differently around different company, because that's just what's expected of them in each of these roles. this is compounded because so much of their work is in the public eye, which subjects them to doing all this under the watchful gaze of, well, everyone 😭
but coming home to a significant other who's also gone through the same things you have is like shedding all that skin at the door: with each other, they can just be unapologetically honest. fun. angry. childish. snappy. flawed. indulgent. mischievous. selfish. human!!!! all the things we seldom see from them in public now, because they both know what it's like to have given too much of themselves as idols, and have grown to realise the most sustainable way to navigate all this is to keep this little pocket of whimsy to themselves.
in a world where everyone wants them to be a million different things, they can just be xiao zhan and wang yibo at their core when they're together, no more and no less. they feel like each other's refuge, you know? (something something lighthouse and small boat...)
they can rely on each other unconditionally; they find joy and whimsy in sharing even the littlest parts of their days with each other; they mess around as freely and belligerently as they did that summer; they discuss a future together as easily as they do what's for dinner; they sit in total silence on their phones and still feel comfortable; they carve out time for each other despite their insane lives because they love, for a few hours or days or months or however long they spend together, that they can just be :') they never need to pretend because the other is so attuned that they will always be able to just Know
i like to think that they keep each other sane and grounded this way! and i also believe it's why their relationship is always growing alongside them as people ♡
that unforgettable summer (and not just because of cql)
✼ originally posted on alterspring ‧₊˚ ⋅
i was initially trying to prescribe different seasons to them, but then i realised... aren't they both summer? ☀️ they're just different things about the summer, different times within the summer:
yb is the rush of excitement at the start of summer; the adrenaline, the plans you make with your friends, the trips and activities and anticipation pencilled into your calendar. yb is the unbeatable feeling of freedom at the start of a summer vacation. yb is the height of summer, an intense sort of heat that burns steadily, a heat that clings to your skin. yb is as fleeting as dry sand between your fingertips, slipping away at a moment's notice — but somehow, in the same breath, he is also high tide in the summer. he's a fearsome wonder, all-consuming and lightning quick, even though you see him coming from a mile away.
xz is the clear blue, cloudless expanse of sky that stretch on forever in the summer. xz is the light pitter-patter of summer rain, the light breeze that blows past you. xz is the fleeting brilliance of summer; the flare when you look directly at the sun, so bright and searing that you have to look away. xz is the tail end of summer; nostalgia, wistfulness, a bittersweet joy; when you're returning home from a trip, when you're putting up your summer polaroids and holiday photos on your wall, when you're hovering between the worlds of escape and reality.
they both give off a Feeling Of Summer that is really abstract, but hard to associate with any other season! ♡
I know WYB is a dancer and a singer (a celebrity in every sense) but my personal favorite WYB is in the wild. Him adventuring in the open air, being free and unconfined.
I have a question : what is 622 for BXG or for DD and GG ? What happened on this date ?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hi lyndariell! I'm doing well, thanks! Hope you're well too. ☺️
I actually have a long post about 622 in my drafts from an anonymous ask in 2023. It's shocking how many old, long posts I have unfinished in my drafts. 😥
Rather than try to finish that old post (that was frankly getting into the weeds and trying to be too comprehensive - an ongoing curse of mine!) I'm just going to give you my thoughts on what I think 622 is, and I'll wrap it up by giving a bit more about why BXG feel 622 is significant.
My thoughts on 622
My CPN is that 622 is the day they first met.
If you look at the Devil's Timeline, one of the earliest and most controversial data points on that timeline is the rumor that when GG was preparing for X-FIRE and he wanted to learn more about the idol lifestyle, he went to a Uniq promotional event in Guangzhou on 22 June 2015 (and there met DD).
Promo clip for the event.
The timing certainly fits.
The open auditions for X-FIRE happened in June of 2015. One of GG's college profs recommended GG to the production team, and production called him and invited him to participate. He was accepted after auditioning in Chongqing.
It makes sense that during casting for a show like this, a graphic designer/photographer who has never participated in the entertainment industry would want to learn a bit about what he'd be getting himself into. We know GG puts that kind of research into his roles, and this is somewhat similar.
GG in 2015.
It makes a lot of sense for him to attend a fan event. This is the kind of event he would be expected to participate in were he to pursue that path, and it would give him an opportunity to immerse himself in that atmosphere and maybe even talk with members of the band and rub elbows with fans to see what the experience is like.
Photos of DD from the 6/22 event.
And when you think about GG and DD meeting on a day like that, it makes perfect sense why they'd hold it as such a significant anniversary to celebrate. What a unique (no pun intended), interesting, fateful way for two people to meet; both of them embarking - in different ways, at different stages and on different levels - on careers in the entertainment industry.
We will likely never know for sure when they met, or what 622 means, but this is my favorite theory for so many reasons.
The timing fits
It would explain some of the gaps in other timeline theories
It seems so fateful, which lends powerful significance to that number and explains why it would mean a lot to them
Other theories haven't fit for me
It makes for a compelling story
They've both been on this interesting path through entertainment industry, it's cool to think of it all starting like this. The fandom loves the idea that GG and DD met on set of CQL and fell in love while playing characters who were falling in love. I get it - it's a sweet story.
I think this story is far sweeter, especially when taken alongside all the rest of it. These two meet in 2015 at the beginning of their careers, they stay connected, fall in love, cross paths on a variety show, find an opportunity to work together - and (largely due to their amazing chemistry) that project launches them both into massive popularity and top tier success.
And if they really met at a fan event, how crazy is that when you consider the complicated role fans - especially BXG - play in their lives and careers? It's almost portentious when you look at it from that angle.
The Devil's Timeline has always made the most sense to me, so it's only natural that I'd find this 622 theory compelling. This 'the day they met in 2015' theory has always been a bit of a footnote in the fandom - something that people consider as a possibility, but never seem to take all that seriously.
I've always found the theory intriguing, and hopefully from what I've said you'll have a better understanding of why it holds such appeal for me.
Why some fans hate this theory
This rumor/theory is controversial because on 6/22/2015 DD would have been 17 years old and GG would have been 23. A lot of fans feel that age gap is too wide at that time in their lives, and they get very offended by the idea that anything could have happened between them when DD was underage.
Photo from the event.
However, the idea that they met on that date does not imply that they 'got together' then, even if they had an attraction. I doubt DD would have slipped away from his bandmates and management to hook up with GG at a hotel or something, let's be realistic. Relationships take time to form. So the 'the day they met' theory doesn't imply anything people should feel uncomfortable about.
Whether fans like it or not, GG and DD are 6 years apart in age. That's just the reality, regardless of when they met or when they got together. I find the idea that there's anything inappropriate about their age gap foolish and extreme. These are not unusual ages for people to meet and build connections, or even relationships.
Why do BXG feel 622 is so significant?
BXG have long known there's something up with 622. GG and DD's behavior has highlighted that number many times in the past.
GGDD birthday posts 2019
The biggest example of this was during their birthdays in 2019. Each of them shared a birthday greeting for the other that year (and sadly that was the last public birthday wish they ever shared).
Nothing more to say! Happy birthday, Lao Wang! Keep charging forward!!
On 5 August 2019 GG shared a birthday message for DD on his Weibo account. It was the 622nd post on his account.
DD replied in typical DD fashion 😅:
My god, thank you so much, Zhan-ge!!! (The motorcycle photo needs to be updated.)
On 5 October of that same year, DD shared a birthday message for GG. Fans noticed that it was also DD's 622nd post, and that he'd gone to some effort to make it the 622nd post (by deleting posts until this one would be his 622nd post).
Zhan-ge, Happy birthday!!! hahahahahaha
GG replied:
Thank you, Lao Wang! Going to bed early feels like I missed out on the whole world! (I salute you, much respect!)
Fans later realized that 22 June 2019 translated to the 20th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar for that year (5/20 - I love you).
Dragon Boat Festival dinner date
Another big connection BXG tend to draw to 622 is GG and DD's Dragon Boat Festival dinner date in 2018, which I talked about in more detail in this post. This was believed to be an early celebration of 6/22 (because DD was going to be away).
GG had been going on and on about foods he wanted to eat, with special emphasis on Japanese food.
Later DD's assistant was seen queuing up for a table at a Japanese restaurant near where they were filming. Paparazzi showed up hoping they could capture photos of DD with his rumored girfriend and instead caught photos of he and GG going for dinner with the director and producer for CQL.
Everyone lost track of DD for the rest of the night until he showed up at the airport in mostly the same clothes from the night before (almost like he spent the night somewhere else). He was especially cheerful and cute in the variety show appearance he was filming that day.
That was also the first sighting of the famous Nike bag, which fans believe was a gift from GG.
GG's Secret Garden, 2018
Early on in his career, in 2017, GG shared a vlog where he confessed that he had a difficult time keeping up with communications with fans. In the video he said he was going to designate one of his Weibo posts the 'secret garden' where fans could share stories or ask questions, and he could reply or give little updates.
The original post:
Let some words be kept in your heart.
His reply in 2017, the beginning of the Secret Garden.
Then let it stay here, our little secret. 🤫
He kept that up for quite a while, until Nov 2019 when he closed it down because it had become a target for anti activity.
Anyway, at 11:28 on 22 June 2018, GG shared a message in the Secret Garden. It's unclear whether that was in the morning or night. If it was morning, the kadian would be 'want want love Bo', if it was at night the time would have been 23:18, and the kadian would ai zhan ai bo (love Zhan love Bo).
There is a song like this,
a song that captures the highs and lows of life, yet speaks of them softly. People are never just black or white. Time changes, circumstances shift, and people inevitably change with them.
Move forward gracefully, still young in spirit, carrying a heart full of passion.
If I were a song…
Good night 🌙
Fans believe that he was referencing the song "If I Were A Song" by Yoyo Sham.
Pie shared a full translation of the song lyrics here.
The final refrain of the song is, "If I were a song, I'm the song that loves you very much."
The CPN here, of course, is that GG was sharing a message about his love for DD, on 622, during a year when they had to be apart on that day.
Midsummer Moon
Another connection with 622 is the name GG's management company Xiao Zhan Studio was originally registered under, "仲夏之月" meaning, "Midsummer Moon" which is the summer solstice - usually occurring on 21 or 22 June.
2026
Fans of course haven't failed to notice that the fated year 2026, is basically 622 backwards.
622 in Paris, 2025
I believe that no story of 622 would be complete without mentioning the theory that GG and DD spent 622 together in Paris in 2025!!
GG had been on vacation in Europe for a couple of weeks, spending time with his family and visiting multiple countries. People lost sight of him at some point, and didn't know where he was.
DD flew to Paris on the 20th for Paris Fashion Week, and spent a couple days there.
Of course turtles were hoping and praying that GG and DD got to spend some time together in Paris for 622, but there was no confirmation that they had any opportunity.
Until they were on HS because they both flew (separately) back to Beijing from Paris on the 23rd.
Final Thoughts
As astute turtles will have noticed, there are many beloved CPN about 622 through the years - instances where we saw signs that GG and DD valued that number, instances where it seemed like they might be celebrating or marking the date in some way - however, none of it actually explains what 622 is, or what it means to GG and DD.
We may never know, but I like the idea that this might have been the day they first saw each other's faces, first looked into each other's eyes, and began the path together that they're now on.
Maybe one day we'll get a final answer, but for now it's just another one of those fascinating fandom mysteries!
Some posts connected to this that you might enjoy:
Pie's detailed 622 post, 22 June 2022
jcisthebestfightme's post about "If I Were A Song"
Happy days when they are very playful, interacting with fans, with each other and and and here’s more posts from them praising each other, and another moment where 🦁 tells 🐰 he loves him
💬 0 🔁 14 ❤️ 31 · What a happy day, 7.10.2019
Link here for 🦁 calling 🐰 SpongeBob. It comes with a YouTube vid link with English sub of th
another round of fakes going around and summarized over here. as usual, treat these as fanfiction. i just like posting these and keeping track in case something comes up later that fits. y’all know that in this fandom, sometimes the most impossible ones turn out to be true. 🫶🏼
( the fakes have nothing to do with these photos, i just find these v sexy of them. 🔥🔥🔥)
• ZZ had played guitar for WYB before, and WYB recorded it. Once, while chatting with a friend, the topic of guitar came up, and WYB pulled out the video/recording, basically showing off how his wife had played for him.
• When WYB visited GG on set, he would often buy him delicious treats like soufflés and mini breads. GG asked WYB: "Don't you get bored?" (Here) WYB replied: "Isn't it because you're here?"
• If anyone else says that Wang Yibo often visits the set, ZZ will retort: "It's okay, he can come whenever he wants."
• ZZ would complain to his best friend that Wang Yibo was too clingy, but if his best friend turned around and said something about Bo Ge, ZZ would retort with something like, "Not really," or "He's alright."
• Yibo once sent someone a message: "I'm poor, let's split the bill (just kidding)." Then Xiao Zhan said to that person: "Children say whatever comes to mind, children say whatever comes to mind."
( this is ZZ being superstitious, he doesn’t want WYB saying things like this even as a joke because it may come true. )
• GG often treats the extras to milk tea. Once, a director said, "This family is very generous." Then an extra tentatively asked, "Who is it?" The director then said meaningfully, "Of course, the best should be reserved for family." ZZ then lowered his head and smiled shyly.
• During WYB racing, ZZ would draw some small support posters or simple sketches and send them to Bobo.
yibo is on lowkey mode but not really. i guess people get information on his own terms, especially when it comes to his projects. he was seen returning to beijing today, he has a wildaid hat on so people are saying the it’s related to that and wildlife conservation. others are guessing it is promoting sanjiangyuan region. CCTV posted about this place last 7/6, and the home of the snow leopard. so a collab with wildaid x cctv and yibo? sounds about right. plus it looks like PAUPAU’s team was with him. he obviously had a good time with her team in ETU S1 so it’s best choice.
it’s so him, cause ETU S2 was about WYB going to national parks abroad. and he said when he comes back home, he wants to explore the same in China. so him going to China’s largest national park is a no brainer.
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
gummygunk
yousharknotpass
theartofmadeline
tangentwithtanner
2087
dailybridgerton
stormborns
pixelskylines
