Dashing Youth Ring-related Musings

Dashing Youth ring-related musings

There is no question that Dashing Youth loves its rings. The indulgent ways the camera lingers on them is most prominent in the case of Zhuo Qing and Xiao Zhongjing, but there are other ring-wearers in the show, such as Xiao Xie, Master Tu, and Yan Bietian. Unsurprisingly, considering what rings (particularly thumb rings) tend to symbolize, the thing they all have most in common is their power and/or wealth. There are possibly deeper connections to be drawn between these characters, but I thought I’d focus on sharing my discoveries on the materials Zhuo Qing’s and Xiao Zhongjing’s are likely composed of.

My initial thoughts were along the lines of black jade for Zhuo Qing’s and carnelian for Xiao Zhongjing. However, in my search for similar rings online, I found that, among other colors, agate can come in black and red. Carnelian seems to often be compared to red agate, so my guess may not have been far off. Individually, the symbolism of carnelian and black jade likely fit the two characters a bit better, though them wearing the same type of stone could be seen as representing unification in their relationship.

Notable in this respect is their sun-and-moon symbolism, where Zhuo Qing is heavily associated with the Moon in terms of aesthetics and scene framing/transitions. Associating Xiao Zhongjing with the Sun isn’t a far leap, particularly considering the plaque hanging in Zhuo Qing’s hall, as well as the gold Xiao Zhongjing wears and the power he holds as emperor. The ring colors reinforce these associations, red-orange for the warmth of sunlight and black for the cold of the night.

Yesss, Zhuo Qing is finally officially introduced in the donghua! I love him and his sassy demeanor already 💜

So nice to see some Zhuo Qing action! With his reputation of fragmenting the heart and dissolving the bones, him full-on blowing up a guy shouldn’t have been surprising, but I’m still working on picking my jaw up from the floor 😹

And Zhuo Qing dressing up as Emperor Tai’an to foil an assassination attempt?!! I’m going absolutely insane over this and am so excited for the rest of the show

Baili family behind-the-scenes silliness

Gravitas

Yessss! We’re going to get Zhuo Sen and Zhuo Luo in the Brewmaster donghua! Aaaaah, I love the chains on Zhuo Sen’s Abyssal Eye! I think I prefer the hilt on Jin Wei’s version, but overall an awesome design 🗡️

I messed up so much on this and gave up halfway. requested by @feng-huli