#Doll Leaves Zheng
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Boyfriends
#special interest#bjd#anti recast#abjd#bjd community#legit bjd#Doll Leaves Zheng#Doll Leaves#Angel region Fair Kai#Angel Region#Soom#Soom gem#gem of doll#neo angel region
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Episode 8 thoughts
I’m scared
Philosophy with Edward, good start
He looks strangely cute honestly, like a very happy boy
Alright, random guy just aggressively “HMMMMMM”
You indoctrinating them into your sea cult Eddie?
Random guy being more aggressive, aight
At this point I had to leave for class, so like tbc for me
Okay I’m back!
Aww they hugging :)
Mans name is pop pop?
Okay it’s not
I adore Ed’s hair, but I think that’s a given here
Yeah okay mans is strugglin
Bye bye Eddie!
Prince boy is back…hurray
Spanish Jackie is absolutely slaying, I adore her
Aaaaaaaand, I have class again, jolly good
If I get called away again I’m gonna loose it
Oh great the stupid nose jar is back
Oh no Swede!!
Oh the bridge is back!
This is a strange friendship, but I kinda love it. The gay loser and bisexual girlboss is back
Let’s go Stede! Save your bestie!
Eddie nooooooooooooo
Eddie yessssssssssssss
Goth Ed is back, ready to avenge his bf
My god he looks fucking cool
OH THE KRAKEN
Izzy keeps on being the best character of the season
I think Prince boy has a crush on Izzy, just like the rest of the fandom
What you trynna do prince boy
“It’s about belonging to something when the world has told you you’re nothing” pirating keeps on being an allegory for the queer community, and it keeps being so sweet, especially to Izzy’s story
Wait when did Roach and Fang even get here?
THOSE LETTERS ARE NOT FOR YOU MISTER
Casually reading the letter while stabbing a guy, he just keeps on winning
The fanfics were right!!! He did find the letters!
“YOU WROTE ME A LOVELY LETTER!!” gurl saaaaaaame
THE BLACK BEACH!!
Girlboss is helping!!
STEARD!!!
Smooch!
I’m so soft…
That reunion is all I ever wanted out of this show actually
“For love!!” Stede we don’t deserve you
Don’t ya dare touch Lucius scarf!
Oh Auntie is alive!
When did Jim become the crew doctor? They are somehow worse at it than Roach I’d say
New trio to obsess over
Edward Teach canonically did a flip during a fight, my baby
They are both so supportive to their golden retriever friend/bf
Babe!!
“But you’re not a man. You’re soft” alright auntie
Trans Oluwande?
Izzy keeps saying eat the rich, and we stan him
Izzy!!!!!!! Hell yes!!!!
Oh oh my god
Please don’t tell me Swede died for that!
Oh okay no he’s like that princess bride dude, aight
Olu is a great support system
Ed is slaying in his gay ass sitting way
I DID NOT CONSENT TO HAVING A FULL BARE ARSE JUST DISPLAYED IN FRONT OF ME
Stede looks surprisingly sexy in that outfit
Alright, a little Archie Jim action, hell yeah
How come every time they kiss Izzy is just, in the background
THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD!!
Frenchie!
Girlbosses, all of them
HOLY FUCKING SHIT JIM
Aww, Eddie cares <3
Aww, Izzy does not care <3
Frenchie helps Izzy! Fuck do I ship that now?
If Izzy dies I’m gonna throw my computer
Izzy remains the best even while on deaths door
Wait he called him Eddie?
Okay I don’t have captions, so I have no idea what Izzy is saying here
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?!?!
Okay I heard Twat
Something about family?
Oh my god…
Okay I’m not throwing my computer because it’s technically my school’s computer but like bruv
NO!!!
IZZY!!!!!!!!
Why him??????
Zheng apart of the crew? Ayo?
Stede don’t push it
WEDDING!!!
Why is Wee John officiating?
Maybe it’s because he’s Calypso
Oh no they’re all officiating that’s sweet
Mateys!!!
Roach is a doll
Frenchie is officially the first mate? Ayo???
INNKEEPERS!!!!!!!!!
Does that mean Frenchie is the captain??
The cravat!
Hi Buttons
Frenchie!
I think this is the first interaction Wee John and Frenchie has had all season, which is sad honestly
If we get a season 3, it better switch povs between The Revenge and Stede and Ed’s adventures as innkeepers, together with their pet bird Buttons and the ghost of Izzy
#ofmd s2#ofmd season 2#ofmd spoilers#our flag means death#stede bonnet#edward teach#blackbonnet#gentlebeard#stedward#Black Pete#lucius spriggs#Lupete#Ofmd roach#Spanish Jackie#The Swede#zheng yi sao#Izzy Hands#jim jimenez#oluwande boodhari#Ofmd Archie#Oluarchim#wee john feeney#Ofmd fang#the crew of the revenge#Ofmd Frenchie#Ofmd Buttons#Ouizzy
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[CN] Gavin’s S2 R&S - Inevitable
🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (不可抗力) which has not been released in English servers!🍒
This R&S features S2 Gavin!
It is incredibly important to read Ch 9 Part One before embarking on this!
[ Chapter One ]
At midnight, a young man makes a turn at a secluded alley, walking into a small hotel that’s still open for business.
He walks around the main hall, and straight into the innermost booth. The sound of shuffling in the night is continuous, and the dealer holds a cigarette in his mouth, drawing a card.
A hand suddenly approaches, and the muzzle of a gun covers his temple.
"How long will it take for you to finish this round?" Gavin’s voice is calm, fingers exerting more pressure on the trigger.
The others are so frightened that they rush out. With no way out, the man suddenly whips out a knife and swings it at Gavin. Gavin grabs his wrist, the other hand reaching for the handcuffs.
All of a sudden, a voice rings in his head: Don’t get hurt, and don't ignore the consequences. If he were to do this, it seems someone would be very sad. He doesn’t seem to want to make that person sad either.
In that second of distraction, the knife glinting with a cold light in the man’s hand slices the area between Gavin’s thumb and index finger. The thoughts in his mind accumulate amidst the pain. Gavin gathers some strength in his palm, a raging gale rolling up the battered tables and chairs. The man’s gaze turns frightened...
-
Three minutes later, the man, who was puffed up with pride earlier, is firmly handcuffed and kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.
Gavin pushes the person out of the booth, and the colleague responsible for providing assistance steps forward, escorting the person into the police car.
In the main hall, the little girl who was clapping her hands and singing the birthday song earlier has burst into tears, shocked by the sight before her. Her mother comforts her. "Don't be afraid, darling. This is the Special Police Uncle who catches bad men and is here to protect us.
After glancing at him, the little girl cries even more fiercely.
Gavin nods to the girl’s mother apologetically, then walks towards the claw machine at the entrance of the hotel. After a short while, he returns, hugging the largest doll in his arms.
"Happy birthday.”
He hands a huge cartoon doll to the little girl, then turns and walks out the door.
-
An hour of interrogations is enough to leave one exhausted. Tang Chao stretches, holding a tidied statement while heading towards Gavin’s office.
It’s late at night, and the lights are still on. Tang Chao knocks thrice but receives no response. He tries pushing the door open, and is shocked to find that Gavin, who is seated behind the desk, is neither dealing with a case nor official business. Instead, he’s in a daze.
Gavin leans against the chair, his gaze fixed on the computer screen for a long time, brows furrowed deeply. Tang Chao walks over and glances at the screen - it’s a report regarding the arrest of the producer from [MC’s Company Name] not too long ago. He reaches out, waving his hand in front of Gavin. He asks, "How many fingers?”
When Gavin glares back coldly, Tang Chao feels relieved. However, seeing the scab wound on his hand, he’s confused again - what could be so important that he’d forget to tend to his wound?
He places the tidied statement on the table, then drags Gavin to the infirmary. "Even a body forged in iron can’t be compared to you.”
Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep, and can be healed in a few days. But Tang Chao’s intuition tells him that Gavin is a little different from usual. This time, the offender wasn’t considered dangerous, and could be easily subdued by Gavin’s skills. How did he get hurt this easily?
Before Tang Chao can ask a few more questions, Gavin has already vanished without a trace.
-
[ Chapter Two ]
At four o'clock in the morning, the clerk at the 24-hour convenience store yawns, overcome with boredom as he stares at the TV commercial on the wall to pass the time. A cheerful electronic sound rings. The automatic doors slide open, and a young man walks in.
The clerk perks himself up, and is about to say "Welcome" when he realises that the customer in front of him looks very familiar.
This man lives in an apartment in the vicinity, and visits this convenience store frequently. Sometimes, he drives past in a smart-looking motorcycle. When someone tries to hit on him occasionally, he always rejects them coldly. It’s a pity that whenever he visits, he either buys instant noodles or instant bento... looks like it’s the same this time.
When the clerk sees him heading towards the convenience food shelf, he sighs in his heart: Young people these days don’t take care of their health at all.
Gavin leans down, his gaze flitting across the neatly arranged food on the shelf, absentmindedly differentiating the expiration dates marked on the packets.
Shiitake mushroom flavoured instant noodles aren’t tasty. The stray cats at the entrance of STF prefer meat, not anchovies. Don’t get hurt, don’t get mired in danger alone, don’t leave without saying a word.
Such thoughts once again surge forth. From a certain point in time, many unfamiliar experiences have been intruding into his life. It’s as though he’s sharing another memory, these disordered fragments of memories twisting into a long, thin thread, holding onto his wrist, tugging at him secretly from time to time.
Gavin returns to his senses, subconsciously drawing back the hand that was reaching for the convenience food, and picks the brand at the side which contains more vegetables.
When checking out, Gavin notices that there are rows of potted succulents next to the cash register.
"This is a public welfare activity jointly launched by our store and the Loveland City Environmental Protection Association. For every plant sold, we will donate the same amount of funds to the environmental protection charity.”
Seeing how unresponsive the young customer in front of him is, the clerk is tactful as he continues scanning the remaining products, "Nine dollars in total.”
The receipt is printed, and the clerk hands it to him along with the bento. The young man suddenly points at the small potted plant that had just emerged from the soil.
"Add this too.”
-
Back home, Gavin throws his jacket into the washing machine, sets the time for washing and drying, then heads into the bathroom to take a shower.
A strong gush of water flows from the shower, and white mist quickly fills the entire space. The stinging pain from the wound sobers him up quite a lot, and he subconsciously thinks: The wound should be tended to quickly, and “she” can’t know about it.
Realising what he’s thinking, Gavin is once again stunned-
Who’s “she”?
And why is he so concerned about how that person feels?
Stepping out of the bathroom, the washing machine makes a "ding" sound. Gavin wipes his head and walks over to take a look, only to realise that he had put bleach instead of laundry detergent. He stares at the washing machine in silence for a while, then reaches out to unplug the power, retrieving the ruined jacket.
After all of this, Gavin suddenly remembers the small potted plant he just bought. The clerk said that if it is placed in a location with sufficient sunlight, there would be new shoots in a week, and that it’s very easy to grow.
Gavin places it on the balcony, then picks up the phone and begins to search "How many times must succulents be watered in a day". Whether it’s a mere illusion, that sense of deja vu once again surfaces.
"What in the world am I doing...?" He mutters to himself, tossing his phone aside a little irritatedly. He returns to the bedroom, lying on the bed and closing his eyes, waiting for sleep.
In the depths of this autumn night that no one knows about, the rain outside the window patters against the leaves gently, and there is a very, very light stirring in his heart.
Gavin opens his eyes, looking at the ceiling which is illuminated by car lights. Suddenly, an unnamed emotion surges in his heart - he feels that the memories he has never been able to grasp weren’t “forgotten”. Rather, they are “losses” which render him powerless.
-
[ Chapter Three ]
On a rare, idle weekend, Tang Chao calls a group of friends from the STF together for hotpot. Right after ordering the hotpot base, Lu Yi’s conscience suddenly bugs him, and he asks if he should call Captain Gavin over.
Thinking about how rarely Gavin gets to rest and how he definitely wouldn’t be willing to see this group of people, Tang Chao knowingly shakes his head. However, his mouth has a different idea. “I’ll call him then.”
On the other side, a few special police officers are comforting Xiao Zheng from the Publicity Department who was hurt emotionally. Xiao Zheng fell out of love last week, and has been feeling extremely fragile and sensitive these few days. Hearing the bitter love songs in the shop, his eyes immediately redden.
Tang Chao taps open his contacts list, silently recalling the odd behaviour of Gavin recently. He isn’t interested in being a busybody, but his instincts tell him that Gavin has something on his mind, and it’s a change obviously brought about by that girl’s appearance. But whenever Tang Chao wants to inquire about it, the words get halted by Gavin’s killer glare.
Thinking about this, Tang Chao glances at Xiao Zheng sympathetically, and comes to a definite conclusion - if Captain Gavin were to continually suppress his emotions without releasing them, it’d result in an illness.
Tang Chao asks the waiter to serve two dozen beers, then dials Gavin’s phone.
"Good evening Captain Gavin. Have you eaten?"
"I don’t mean to annoy you, but Captain Eli invited us to have butter hotpot. You coming?
"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I’ve got something to talk to you about. Yes, it’s happening right now... it’s of utmost urgency.” Tang Chao shoots a grin towards an astonished Eli. Then, he continues fabricating a tale. "I don’t want to run laps. There’s a genuine matter.
Half an hour later, Gavin frowns as he walks into the hotpot restaurant. Seeing this, a few young special police officers immediately set down their chopsticks and stand up straight in a row. The only thing they haven’t done is to salute at Gavin.
Tang Chao grins, asking the waiter to bring an additional pair of tableware over. “Captain Gavin, you’re here.”
Gavin glances at Tang Chao and says in a cool voice, "What’s the urgent matter?"
“Xiao Zheng fell out love, so he asked you over to console him with us.”
“...”
Xiao Zheng frantically waves his hands in surprise, stammering a retort. Tang Chao pushes him back onto his seat and signals for him not to speak.
"Don't be sad, the chances of people ending up together is always unpredictable." Tang Chao pats Xiao Zheng on the shoulder. "Besides, who doesn’t have someone in their heart? Don’t you agree, Captain Gavin?"
These words are akin to a sudden clap of thunder on a calm sea. Xiao Zheng immediately forgets to cry. Eli immediately straights up, and the others hurriedly set down their chopsticks, whipping their heads over to look at Gavin like meerkats.
Gavin remains expressionless, though the hissing sound emanating from his body is even cooler than the ice cubes in the beer.
Since they’re in public, Tang Chao knows that it wouldn’t be convenient for Gavin to give him a beating. As such, he’s incredibly composed, and continues with his questions without a fear of death. “Captain Gavin, why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Why do you think this has anything to do with her?”
“I already saw the photograph back in the training days. Is she the lady from before when you roared “Tang Chao, put your hands away”?
[Note] These are references to R&S [Tempering] and Ch 2 Part One!
"...Tang Chao!”
“I'm here, I'm here." Tang Chao fills Gavin’s glass with beer. "Captain Gavin, I actually realised that you haven't been in the best state recently, but you don't like speaking your mind. I’m showing my concern."
“It’s said that you speak the truth after drinking, and today’s beer should be enough. Whatever you want to say, whatever’s suppressed in your heart, just release them all happily. Right, Captain Eli?”
After three rounds of drinking, Tang Chao fails to get Gavin drunk, but ends up drinking too much himself. Once again, he complains about Gavin's "Death Training" back in the days of special training. In the end, Gavin foots the bill.
Eli steps forward and pats him on the shoulder, saying, "Did something happen recently?" Gavin shakes his head in resignation. "You really believed him? His mouth is like a runaway train.”
Eli looks at Gavin and sighs. "I know you don’t need anyone to worry about you.”
"But that kid Tang Chao said one thing right. If one keeps suppressing their feelings, they’ll be suppressing problems.”
-
[ Chapter Four ]
On the way back, Gavin sees withered leaves on the branches along the street, and only then remembers the small succulent he had bought not long ago.
Back home, the potted plant on the balcony shrinks alone in the corner. Originally thinking that the plant he had left “free range” for so many days would meet a premature end, it turned out to be alive despite having a few withered leaves. Gavin finds this a little unbelievable, and he becomes more meticulous in watering it.
-
The next morning, Tang Chao opens the door to Gavin’s office and apologises solemnly. "Captain Gavin, I'm sorry. I promise that I’ll never inquire about your personal life in the future, let alone make arbitrary conjectures about your feelings.”
Without looking up at Tang Chao, Gavin only tosses out a sentence. "Before next Monday, re-check all the case data in the Archive Room.”
The Archive Room is on the third basement floor. The dust is very dense and the materials are very thick. Tang Chao wails immediately, leaving dejectedly.
Gavin picks up the document Tang Chao had just placed on his desk. It is a sealed report for the seizure of "small syringe" production plants, which records in detail the batches and output of pharmaceutical companies which participated in the production.
Reaching the final part of the report, Gavin is silent for a moment. At the end of the report, there is a line of small characters - "Ten boxes of drug samples are suspected to have gone missing."
Without putting much thought into it, a face with a beaming smile locks onto his mind.
“...I won't investigate you this time." He sighs, putting the report back into the drawer.
After ferreting the mole out of STF, Gray Rhino seems to have erased all traces of the "small syringes". But Gavin knows they wouldn’t withdraw easily from competing for "CORE" - naturally, neither will Black Swan.
Gavin is clear that the current peace will not last for long. Before the girl stands against him on the opposite side, what he has to do is be one step ahead, obtaining more crucial information as soon as possible.
The phone beeps, notifying him of a new e-mail. Gavin is pulled back from his thoughts, and his eyes fall on the unknown email that popped up.
"Congratulations on your successful registration in the Hunter Game" - the sender’s address is encrypted, and there is no doubt that no information can found.
Gavin's thoughts gradually settle. His hands are clasped lightly on the table, his gaze falling on the words "Hunter Game", his gaze turning sharp and determined.
That place definitely has something they’re looking for.
-
[ Chapter Five ]
In the STF Intensive Care Unit, a dripping sound accompanies the plastic tube. Gavin sleeps very peacefully, and he feels like he had a lot of dreams in his dazed state. They aren’t nightmares which wake him up with a start, but dreams which make him willing to remain asleep.
However, it seems he can only remember the final dream from the long series of dreams. When he’s roused awake by the sound of footsteps in the corridor, what lingers before his eyes is a blurry yet familiar face. Gavin sits up on the hospital bed, the pain from the no-longer-effective anaesthesia making him more awake.
Despite not telling Tang Chao and Eli about his participation in the Hunter Game, they aren’t suspicious. They’ve grown accustomed to Gavin’s aloof nature, and as such, assumed that he went on a secret mission.
During his absence over the past few days, there was a new development in the Evolver assassination incident - a new victim has appeared.
Gavin is very clear that if the cases were to be allowed to ferment, the higher-ups from “that side” would intervene in the matter. They have to take immediate action.
“There’s one more tricky thing." Tang Chao sits at the edge of his desk. "For the latest assassination case, we encountered a witness with a special situation. We might have to ask an Evolver who can read memories for help."
Tang Chao blinks and asks, "But I don't know any Evolvers with this ability. Do you know any, Captain Gavin?”
-
According to theory, aside from work purposes, they should be keeping a distance from each other. But according to the girl, the reason why they’ve come out for an idle stroll is, for one, to relax. Two, to search for inspiration to solve the case.
The lead from the only witness to the Evolver assassination was cut short. Gavin isn’t affected much, since he knows that this matter isn’t simple. In contrast, the girl is especially bothered by it, and feels apologetic for not being able to help.
On the bustling street in the afternoon, Gavin returns to his senses, taking the oden which the girl hands over with a smile.
When walking by her side, Gavin realises that he’s barely thinking about the things that are bothering him. He naturally picks up her conversation topics, as if they had wandered aimlessly on the street side by side before.
Does she feel the same way? In his heart, Gavin shakes his head in self-mockery, wanting to forget these thoughts which confuse him.
Walking out of the food street, rain patters down. The pedestrians on the street crowd together suddenly, rushing towards the station. Gavin holds up an umbrella, planning to send her back.
The yellow wintersweet flowers exude a subtle fragrance in the rain. The smell, colour, and the scent of the person next to him seem to be magnified, forming a memory of the present moment.
Perhaps, even before he noticed it himself, while he has been deliberately neglecting the complex emotions in his heart, they have been also been growing in a place where he cannot see. When she calls his name, when she accidentally touches his hand, it’s as though some things from a very long time ago are coming back to life in his mind--
Someone had once called his name using such a tone.
Someone had once held his hand in this way.
Someone... was once his strength.
The emotions which he conceals deeply, whether they are good or bad, were once held gently.
A scorching wave of heat suddenly rushes into his chest.
The traffic lights change, and the crowd waiting at the side of the street slowly surge towards the middle of the road. The surrounding pedestrians squeeze past each other, bumping into his shoulder from time to time.
Gavin lifts his head abruptly, watching the side profile of the girl as she’s in the rain. It’s as though there’s an intriguing overlap. It’s as though a very long time ago, his heart had leapt this fiercely for her.
The girl suddenly turns around, looking in his direction and waving at him. Putting away her umbrella, she points to a mother-daughter duo hiding from the rain underneath the bus stop. She asks for his opinion through her gaze. Without much thought, Gavin removes his jacket, brisk walking towards her in the rain.
Raindrops patter down, and the water beneath his feet leave splashes in their wake. Akin to rain, they land on his body. It’s as though he gets slightly more drenched with each step. At this moment, Gavin realises that on days when memories are muddied, he has grasped a thin thread since a long time ago.
The jacket supports a narrow world, and wind and rain occasionally blow in.
If their reunion was meant to verify their directions, no matter what the future holds, what he has to do now is to run forward with her, together.
[Note] Please don’t ask me about the Hunter Game! I haven’t had the chance to read the earlier chapters in detail so I don’t know the specifics 😅
💙 More S2 content: here
💙 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!
#mlqc#mlqc cn#mlqc spoilers#mlqc gavin#...T^T#please don't send me asks about the new chapter even if it's about verifying spoilers floating around!#I haven't read them and I don't wish to be spoiled HAHAHA
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Guardian rewatch: episode 10
The tone of this recap is going to be the crackiest so far. The production quality plummets dramatically here, in a way which is as unintentionally hilarious as it is endearing. I have very little of import to say on events of this episode, and there is nothing much for me to hyper focus on, so a lot of this write-up are snark and bad jokes. Apologies in advance. I would not be getting annoyed at a show I did not care about.
Day two of the Road Trip starts with Zhao Yunlan waking up with a splitting headache and his own jacket draped carefully over him. I choose to believe Shen Wei left it there.
Zhao Yunlan wakes up - and discovers that Wang Zheng had slipped a sedative into the party’s water, effectively knocking them all out. He even discovers that she left her doll-body behind as a decoy; thankfully, it’s still Li Siqi and not the blow-up doll from the previous episode.
With the daunting realisation that he’s been betrayed, Zhao Yunlan instantly spirals into hurt and anger, and this is the moment Shen Wei chooses to appear out to nowhere. He enters offering comfort, his entire focus on making Zhao Yunlan feel better by assuring the man that his subordinate is not one of the bad guys, but rather one of the self-sacrificing ones. How SID manages to function when it’s full of people with non-existent sense of self-preservation is beyond me.
“Professor Shen, why are you okay?”
Zhu Hong narrows her eyes. Zhao Yunlan’s look is the one of vulnerability, not suspicion, almost as if he is silently asking to please not be betrayed by his newest partner.
“I didn’t drink the water she gave me.”
Another thing I would like to question here is the reasoning behind Shen Wei waiting until the morning with this. He knew that Wang Zheng was about to do something, since he refrained from drinking the water she offered. Everyone else being unconscious would be a perfect opportunity for him to go full Hei Pao Shi on her, or follow her quietly, or do literally anything but wait for the morning.
“What is your purpose of coming here?” Shen Wei asks because he needs to know how much Zhao Yunlan knows. He does so with a perfect set of puppy eyes.
We cut to Wang Zheng entering the chamber which houses the pillar/totem, and witness the absolute devastation of her hearing her love’s voice for the first time in a century, as he mistakes her for the enemy and calls her a rat.
I should say that while I’m not always on board with Li Siqi in this show, props to her for acting her heart out opposite a literal pillar. Her reunion with Sang Zan is incredibly touching; she really is wonderful here.
Flashback 1. The execution of Ge Lan.
This method of execution seems so inefficient, I actually tried to find if it has any legs in history. As my research yielded exactly no results, I am guessing this is the producers showing hanging without actually showing hanging. They kind of accidentally made the whole affair infinitely worse. People are weaker than gravity, the angle offers no possibility of the neck being broken, so this would be a very slow, and very painful death. Yikes, is all I can say.
Flashback 2. The montage.
Sigh.
This imagery is so carelessly contemporary it’s killing me. I’m not saying it’s completely impossible for the heart shape to have been known to represent love in this fictional tribe on a fictional planet. I’m just saying it’s a boring shorthand for romance, made worse by the fact that so much of the show’s imagery is otherwise fairly intelligent. I am not angry, I’m just disappointed.
Wang Zheng and Sang Zan’s reunion triggers another earthquake, which is felt all the way back in the village, and shortly thereafter Zhu Jiu interrupts the couple, knocking Wang Zheng out. This - her being knocked unconscious - cuts to Zhao Yunlan wincing while clutching at his temples, which almost implies that he can feel it when his people are in danger. Which would be very cool if true.
Shen Wei, in the meanwhile is remarkably good at keeping his Professor’s mask on the whole time, offering enough information without betraying his own knowledge or motives, but it is clear by now that Zhao Yunlan starts to see right through it.
The chief sprints into action when Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng arrive, instructing the two to join him in investigation. Shen Wei opens his mouth to volunteer to come with, but ends up hesitating before saying anything out loud.
Zhu Hong, too, makes a move to go after the three men, but is firmly instructed to say behind and look after Shen Wei. She proceeds to loudly explain that this is the wrong time and place to be fussing over this guy.
Shen Wei looks like he has no idea what to do with this display of emotion.
Zhao Yunaln whispers to Zhu Hong to watch the professor for him: which could equally be him manipulating the Yashou into staying, or a sinking realisation that Shen Wei will actually try to join them either way, or genuine desire to find out what the professor will do next. Or, indeed, a combination of the above. Zhu Hong will attack her task with conviction.
Sure enough, Shen Wei finally voices his desire to go with the group. Zhu Hong reminds him that he has his own people to look after and instructs him to return to the house with barely contained resentment.
Shen Wei will predictably try to sneak out very shortly afterwards, and will be, equally predictably, caught by Zhu Hong. Why the man who can teleport would not just teleport out of the house before proceeding on foot is anyone’s guess.
“He surprisingly views you as a good friend”, says Zhu Hong when she stops Shen Wei from leaving. “You surely noticed it, right?”
He certainly did, although he will always have trouble realising that he is actually cared about in a way which is anything but casual.
Shen Wei obediently sits down and follows Zhu Hong’s instructions as she attempts to hypnotise him. Those instructions are anything but subtle.
“Professor Shen, look at the flame closely”.
Meanwhile, the other party has successfully deduced the location of the Hanga tribe cave/shrine, and heads there, only to find no visible entrance. Thankfully, gaining access to the mountain is not particularly hard for the party. Mostly because this part of the mountain is made of foam.
This is where I want to metaphorically pat Guardian on its non-existent head, cooing, “Oh, Guardian. Baby. What have you done.”
On the bright side, this is also where Guo Changcheng accidentally shocks Zhao Yunlan with the Fear Stick, and Chu Shuzhi literally gives him a thumbs up. Those two are a duo for the ages.
Youchu appear to fight our heroes, and after the first wave is eliminated, Zhao Yunlan decides to go inside, leaving the other two fend them off near the entrance. Considering that the beasts are all hiding inside the cave, rushing in without backup seems incredibly ill advised. Zhao Yunlan instructs Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng to run away if the danger becomes too great. Which he must know surely that they would never do: his department does not leave people behind, and his subordinates will never abandon him.
To no one’s surprise, the cave is crawling with Youchu. Zhao Yunlan goes on the offensive, kicking the feet out of the monster, but failing to incapacitate it. I am going to do my best to ignore how the scale of the beast fluctuates as it falls down, and focus on Bai Yu’s excellent reaction when his character realises that he is about to very much die.
Luckily for our protagonist, Hei Pao Shi sends a ward his way with a note, warning him of the danger ahead and ordering him to return. Zhao Yunlan makes no move to do as instructed and uses the upper hand he’s gained on the Youchu to get out his gun. Before he can fire however, he once more experiences the painful flashback of the devastation this gun carries, and freezes.
This is when Shen Wei shows up in person, jumping in front of the gun and gutting the beast.
The jumping in front of the gun part of the action is sweet, because it indicates, albeit indirectly, the absolute trust Shen Wei must have in Zhao Yunlan’s instincts, knowing that the man will not accidentally shoot him in the back.
The gutting itself happens in reverse grip, with Shen Wei being easily within reach of the beast’s long stabby claws, and as such really questionable to me in terms of logic. I would have not minded it if he had been moving through the space in front of the beast, slicing it while passing through. That would be at least an indicator of both speed and dexterity enough to make me believe Shen Wei made a clever avoidance of the claws. But he doesn’t: he just materialises dead-on in front of the monster and the later just.. lets itself be killed.
Let’s just say that maybe the beast is supposed to be deliberately slow here, and park the long essay in regards to the bladework until the next episode.
“Chief Zhao, are you alright?”
Everything about Hei Pao Shi in this moment screams of Shen Wei-ness. Well, maybe not the sword. But the obvious concern, the tone of voice, the general air: it’s all Shen Wei. It’s remarkable that Zhao Yunlan does not see it. Or maybe, I suppose, he does, without even realising it. His cheeky grin suddenly appears; the corners of his eyes crinkle, as he goes into a very long-winded, almost flirtatious away about thanking Hei Pao Shi, teasing him for not always arriving on time.
Unperturbed, Shen Wei chides Zhao Yunlan for not listening to his warning, and Zhao Yunlan defends himself in a very playful kind of manner, adding that he’s not leaving his people behind. To Shen Wei, this is to be expected, so instead of arguing he goes into a lot of detail on how the road ahead is dangerous, as if he is not really expecting Zhao Yunlan to accept help.
He is wrong of course: proud though he may be, Chief Zhao knows when he is outgunned and outnumbered, and only grins, happy for the Envoy to join him on his mission.
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan exploring the cave is interspersed with pretty damn harrowing scenes of Zhu Jiu torturing Wang Zheng as her trapped lover screams for mercy. It’s a lot; in fact it’s so much even the cave ghosts attempt to intervene, because while they may be very much pro-murder, they are evidently anti-torture.
As the two keep exploring, they bump into another three of the beasts, which Shen Wei slays in three slick moves. It’s actually pretty cool, despite slightly sketchy teleportation effects.
“Wow!”
(Apparently, this “wow” made Zhu Yilong corpse so much he nearly laughed his mask off. Which sounds adorable)
Shen Wei proceeds to inquire Zhao Yunlan about the gun, party to confirm that it is indeed the dark energy weapon he knows, and partly having noticed that the other man failed to fire it. I wonder how many times Zhao Yunlan froze in the past, considering how easily he once again slips into his mask of playful deflection, claiming that he never planned to fire the gun at all. It’s almost tragic how this person keeps feeling like he needs to prove his own capabilities over and over again.
Interestingly enough, in this particular case Hei Pao Shi actually does own up to a weakness. It’s calculated: he knows this is something Zhao Yunlan must already be aware of, but still, “full disclosure” is not something Shen Wei usually does when it comes to his own capacities.
What he admits to, on the other hand, does not seem very consistent with the rest of the show. He says that he can only use half of his power above ground, which - okay. But he also states that he can’t spend a lot of time here, and I am a little bit… confused? He lives above ground. He spends absolute majority of his time here. I really don’t want to think of this as a writing inconsistency, so please let me know what I have missed; I’ll appreciate it.
Hearing the admission, Zhao Yunlan grows serious for once, asking which they they should be going next. Shen Wei barely smothers a smug smirk seconds before he scries the surroundings with unbelievable panache.
Show off
Unfortunately, his search does not yield any result, as whatever readings he is getting are muddled by the Hallow. Luckily for them, and to Shen Wei’s great dismay, Zhao Yunlan has the Dial on him which he is uses as a compass.
Shen Wei’s wordless reaction conveys a million questions from “what the hell?” to “are you completely stupid?”
Instead of asking any of those things, he settles for a more neutral “I’ve told you not to use the Hallows.”
“You are very much like a friend of mine”, remarks Zhao Yunlan.
Which is, incidentally, also the title of this episode.
Even behind the mask it’s clear to see Shen Wei’s blind panic as he realises he may have just blown his cover sky high. Fortunately, Zhao Yunlan reads the reaction as bashfulness rather than existential despair, and laughs it off.
Now that they know which way to go, they finally make it to the chamber which houses the pillar/totem, which now has Wang Zheng tied to it.
This show sure does like tying their characters to totems containing souls of people significant to them, huh?
In all seriousness though, as parallels go, this one is… uh… unparalleled.
(I am so very sorry.)
Zhao Yunlan makes a move towards his trapped subordinate, but Hei Pao Shi, again in a way which is extremely Shen Wei-like, grabs at his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
Zhao Yunlan obediently halts, and calls Zhu Jiu out, correctly guessing that the Undergrounder lured them here deliberately. Shen Wei, on the other hand, relays in a hushed tone information what he had observed so far: namely, that the Hallow stored here is the Dire Awl, and that something is incredibly fishy about Wang Zheng.
As he does so, he is staring at Zhao Yunlan’s lips. It is neither the time, nor the place, but hey, I’m not complaining.
They have a brief discussion about the next moves, in which Shen Wei just says he would like to try something, and Zhao Yunlan nods, letting him do it without asking for any details.
Flashback 3: the Backstory.
We hear the full tragic tale of Ge Lan and Sang Zan: how they met, representatives of the warring sides of the conflict, two people from two different worlds; how their love did not stop the awful bloodshed; how it could not be enough to overpower the politics; how it lead to Ge Lan’s death, and, finally, how Sang Zan could not bring her back to him. They hear how the man changed once he lost the only person he cared about.
Zhao Yunlan is visibly moved by this story, recognising echoes of it in himself.
“The most basic dignity of a man is to ensure that the person in his heart stays safe. If the person I love gets destroyed in my own hands ruined under the system I established myself, it’s very likely I’ll hate these people more than I hated the former tribe leader.”
How much did he harden after his mother was taken away from him? How much of his initial hatred of all those from the Underground stems from that day? And, of course, how much will it break him when he will not be gifted this dignity in his own future?
Shen Wei is near vibrating with how much his very soul resonates with the tale he has just heard. He, who has met someone from the other world, who was lost that person, is visibly weighed down by his own memories.
“That’s right. Even if they’re cut into a myriad of pieces, the hatred would be hard to dissolve.”
Zhao Yunlan stares at the other man, astounded, wondering what hardships and losses the Envoy endured in his long and eventful life, as the episode draws to a close.
And I am left here trying to soothe my aching heart, bruised once more by this show’s relentless fatalism.
Next up, episode 11: Oh Boy Do I Have Sword Opinions
---
Notes.
Look. It’s been a long week okay. Besides, I am basically marathoning my way through Zhu Yilong’s entire filmography.
The normal service in terms of analysis will hopefully resume next week.
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Tears of Themis: Lu Jinghe’s Birthday - NPC Interviews Part 3
Translation Masterlist
Event Story: 6.13 Decision to Compete | 6.15 Personal Instruction | 6.17 Building Block Dolls | 6.19 Participating in the Competition | 6.21 Birthday Celebration
Event Story Interviews: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Interview 11 – Middle-Aged Woman
MC: (This auntie looks quite classy.)
MC: Hello, I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition. I contacted you regarding this previously.
Middle-aged Woman: Ah, it’s you, young lady. Let’s start.
START QUESTIONING
⊳ Reason for competing
MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?
Middle-aged Woman: Because I am currently writing a book related to building blocks. When I saw news of this competition, I signed up to participate.
MC: Writing books? Are you an author?
Middle-aged Woman: I am a sociologist, and I mostly research major societal issues. Building blocks are my next topic.
⊳ Competition Theme
MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?
Middle-aged Woman: Based on my current inquiries, this is a relatively special theme. It’s been a long time since it has appeared. The last time was around 15 years ago, and a young woman took the grand prize. This was also the first time that a woman took first place in a building blocks competition.
⊳ World-Famous Artworks
MC: What do you know of world-famous artworks?
Middle-aged Woman: My apologies, I don’t know too much about art. However, if I have the chance, I very much would like to perform research regarding female artists.
⊳ “Z”
MC: Do you know of “Z”?
Middle-aged Woman: I do. My daughter likes this artist a lot. She showed me Z’s new works before – he changed from the past portrait works that were common to depicting the shepherd girl scenery. That painting makes me feel relaxed and happy.
⊳ Things she wants to say to “Z”
MC: Is there anything you want to say to “Z”?
Middle-aged Woman: I hope that he can create more works and leave some more treasures for this time and age.
END QUESTIONING
MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.
Middle-aged Woman: No problem. Goodbye, young lady.
MC: Goodbye!
Interview 12 – Zheng Ze
Zheng Ze: Miss Lawyer, we meet again.
MC: Zheng Ze? Are you also participating in the building blocks competition?
Zheng Ze: Yes, I didn’t think that the person who asked to interview me was you.
MC: Then let’s start.
START QUESTIONING
⊳ Reason for competing
MC: Why are you participating in this building blocks competition?
Zheng Ze: Because I heard that “Z” would personally make an appearance at this building blocks competition as an evaluator. For that issue last time, though I requested Pax’s CEO Lu to help me express my apologies, I didn’t apologize in person, so I still felt apologetic. If I participate in the competition, I might be able to see “Z” and say sorry to him in person…
MC: (He’s talking about the counterfeit “Z” artwork issue before...)
MC: Don’t worry. “Z” will definitely feel your sincerity and apologies.
⊳ Competition Theme
MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?
Zheng Ze: I like this theme very much. Though I don’t know much about building blocks, painting is my specialty. To see “Z”, I will study to the best of my ability.
⊳ World-Famous Artworks
MC: What do you know of world-famous artworks?
Zheng Ze: This is my specialty. I’ve recently been learning Friedrich’s painting techniques. His “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” uses snowy mountains, fog, and lighting to express majestic spiritual power – it’s incredibly unique.
MC: This painting… I don’t think I’ve heard of it.
Zheng Ze: Yes, this painting is rather unpopular - it’s never been exhibited in Stellis City. But if you have the chance, you must see it for yourself.
⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”
MC: If you meet “Z”, is there anything you want to say to him, aside from apologizing?
Zheng Ze: I would like to discuss painting techniques with “Z”. His usage of Rembrandt’s lighting is superb. If I can speak with him, I would surely benefit from it.
⊳ Recent Circumstances
MC: It’s been a long while since we saw each other. Are you and your wife doing well?
Zheng Ze: Thank you for your concern. We’re doing very well, and Ruirui’s illness is gradually improving. Back then, CEO Lu helped me a lot. I’m very grateful to him.
END QUESTIONING
MC: Alright, that ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.
Zheng Ze: No problem. Goodbye, Miss Lawyer.
MC: Goodbye!
Interview 13 – Tired Young Man
MC: (This interviewee looks really tired…)
MC: Hello! I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition. I contacted you regarding this previously.
Tired Young Man: I remember you. Let’s start then – after the interview I’ve got to get home and sleep.
START QUESTIONING
⊳ Reason for competing
MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?
Tired Young Man: Because my favourite painter will be serving as this competition’s special evaluator. He’s a very mysterious person and has never revealed himself in public. This sort of opportunity is so rare that I definitely can’t miss it.
MC: Favourite painter… is that “Z”?
Tired Young Man: You know “Z”?
MC: Yes, “Z” is very well-known. Lots of people came for this competition because of him.
⊳ Competition Theme
MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?
Tired Young Man: This theme fits with my major very well. I’m very interested in it.
MC: Major?
Tired Young Man: Yes, I am a grad student at Stellis University, majoring in oil painting.
⊳ World-Famous Artworks
MC: As a student majoring in oil painting, you must know a lot about world-famous artworks, right?
Tired Young Man: I wouldn’t say that I “know a lot”, but I have once written a thesis related to Rembrandt. Rembrandt is skilled at using the contrast of lighting, giving his paintings a dramatic feeling. This is also what I am aiming for.
⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”
MC: If you were to meet “Z”, is there anything you want to say to him?
Tired Young Man: Ah… I’d probably want to thank him.
MC: Thank him?
Tired Young Man: Yes. There was once a period when I wanted to give up on art, feeling like I didn’t have enough artistic talent. Z’s artworks gave me the courage to continue. I want to tell “Z” that his excellence encouraged many people like me, and that he’s set an example for all of us.
⊳ Reason for tiredness
MC: You look quite tired. Did you not sleep well?
Tired Young Man: Mm… I actually haven’t slept for two days.
MC: Huh?
Tired Young Man: I’ve had a lot of inspiration for these past few days and ended up staying at the art studio for a bit longer. Though I’m just an unknown student right now, one day, I will become an artist whose name people will know.
END QUESTIONING
MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.
Tired Young Man: Okay, then I’m heading back to the dorm. So tired…
MC: Do your best! Make sure to pay attention to your health while drawing.
Interview 14 – Middle-Aged Uncle
MC: Hello, I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition and contacted you regarding this previously. Are you alright? You look very tired.
Middle-aged Uncle: It’s fine, I just got off work. It’s always like this when we’re rushing on projects. Go ahead and ask what questions you have.
START QUESTIONING
⊳ Reason for competing
MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?
Middle-aged Uncle: To get the competition prize. I’m a building blocks hobbyist, and I’m dedicated to collecting all building block sets. There is only one set of Austin’s “Future” series, and I definitely can’t miss this chance.
⊳ Building Blocks Hobbyist
MC: You must love building blocks a lot?
Middle-aged Uncle: Yes, I’ve been collecting them for nearly twenty years. I even have a collection room at home that’s specifically to display the sets. Each time I see them, my mood improves, and they make work worth it no matter how tiring it is.
⊳ Competition Theme
MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?
Middle-aged Uncle: This sort of theme is rarely seen, and it’s personally my first time seeing it.
⊳ World-Famous Artworks
MC: What do you know of world-famous artworks?
Middle-aged Uncle: I’m not too knowledgeable on art, though I’ll be studying for this competition.
⊳ Profession
MC: If I may be so bold, what is your profession?
Middle-aged Uncle: I am a social platform programmer. Don’t look at how much hair I’ve got, because actually…
A gust of wind blew past, and the uncle rushed to press down on his hair.
MC: (So it was fake hair…)
⊳ “Z”
MC: Do you know of “Z”?
Middle-aged Uncle: I do. It’s that guy who often appears on the hot searches. Each time he appears on there, I have to work overtime. He’s clearly just an artist, yet he’s so popular – it really is inconceivable.
⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”
MC: If you had the chance to speak with “Z”, is there anything you want to say to him?
Middle-aged Uncle: I hope that the next time he puts out new works, he won’t choose a holiday or the weekend. I want to be able to take a break.
END QUESTIONING
MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.
Middle-aged Uncle: No problem. I’ll be heading home then.
MC: Okay, thanks for your efforts at work!
Interview 15 – Young Boy
MC: (This interviewee… is a little kid?)
START INSPECTION
⊳ Soccer ball
MC: (It’s not a surprise that a boy of this age would like soccer, taking the ball wherever he goes. Although, Lu Jinghe probably liked art the most when he was little…)
⊳ Head
MC: (He’s sweating a lot and his hair is wet. He probably just finished exercising, then?)
--
MC: (So he’s also a participant in the building blocks competition. I should hurry and interview him.)
END INSPECTION
MC: Little friend, are you a participant in the building blocks competition?
Little Boy: I am, big sister.
MC: Where are your parents? They aren’t with you?
Little Boy: Mom said I’m already a big kid, so I can be interviewed alone. Let’s start!
START QUESTIONING
⊳ Reason for competing
MC: Why are you participating in this building blocks competition?
Little Boy: Because I really like playing with building blocks, and I’ve participated in lots of competitions. This competition is different from the ones I’ve done before, so I wanted to try.
MC: Lots of competitions? What sort?
Little Boy: Hm… robot competitions, racecar competitions, programming competitions…
MC: That’s amazing!
⊳ Competition Theme
MC: Do you know what the competition theme this time is?
Note: The game showed that the boy was the one to say this line, but logically speaking (and based on the next line), it probably is MC’s line.
Little Boy: I do! It has to do with art, and it’s called… Uhh, I can’t remember…
MC: That’s fine, it’s already great that you know that it has to do with art.
⊳ Soccer
MC: You’re holding a soccer ball, so did you just finish a game of soccer?
Little Boy: That’s right! Aside from building blocks, I like soccer the most. Though I accidentally fell, I didn’t cry at all. I’m already a man!
MC: (What a strong kid.)
⊳ Robot Competition
MC: What’s a robot competition like?
Little Boy: You use blocks to create a robot to complete set movements. Like shooting baskets or moving things… and also kicking soccer balls.
MC: Kids these days really are way too amazing!
END QUESTIONING
MC: Alrighty, that ends today’s interview. Thank you, little friend.
Little Boy: No problem. Ah, mom’s here to pick me up. See you around, big sister!
MC: See you around!
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Thunderous Silence
A roar like thunder filled her ears, the Reaper’s magitech cannon ripping a shot through the air... The smell of smoke, ceruleum filling the air as dirt flung itself high and wide. Then would come the screams, the sound of pain as she’d see the bodies rag dolled from the blast... The Raen man that was a twitching smoldering mess upon the ground now.
Her hands shook, gripping those controls as his companion shouted and turned upon her. It was like an instinct to try and turn those controls, trying to bring the weaponized behemoth to bear against the new assailant...
It was then, that time seemed to fade, the woman vaulting onto her reaper and driving that sword into the controls seemed to blur. Her heart racing as the sounds of the battle around her filled her senses, the cries of the injured, and the clashing of steel... The thud of a Reaper’s cannon shaking the ground, before the cracks of rifles and carbines fill the air.
She could see the her Reaper collapsing forward, her body being thrown from the cockpit as the earth of the shroud approached her, surging forward to encompass her vision before it all turned to black. No sight, only the sound of the screams of weapons clashing around her.
“Run... I need... to run...”
Her mind raced, and in what seemed like an instant, she was thrust back into the reality of the situation. Her reaper a wrecked heap, the doman woman that took out the controls trying to rip their sword free, as a looming heavily armored man with a greatsword had her in his sights...
She saw his hand lifting, and the Aether gathering around it. She had barely enough time to raise her shield up, absorbing the impact of the blast as she felt her lungs emptying. It wasn’t until his assault ended, that she realized it had been from herself screaming out in fear.
“Run! J-Just run---”
Her thoughts were screaming at her, until she heard Zheng’s voice over the Linkpearl... They were to hold the line. All around her, were Au Ra and their allies, outnumbering them as Reapers fell, and men and woman were trampled underfoot... If she stayed, she’d die. Yet... If she ran again, they’d look for her. They’d find her... And they’d extract their payment from her.
It was without thinking, that her arm raised her shield, and she found herself charging at the armored man perched above her. Every inch of her mind -screaming- to turn her feet, to run deeper into the sylph lands... To delay her feared death. Yet... No such luck came to her, throwing her weight behind her shield as she tried to slam into the man to push him over the log, and break her two opponents apart.
Yet... He did not budge. He was a wall to her, holding her there for but a moment, long enough that she felt that blade from behind come down into her left shoulder. The uniform’s protective nature failing below the blades onslaught as it tore through the fabric, digging into the flesh of her shoulder, and even cutting at the bone as it rendered her left arm little more than an inferno of pain.
“This is it.”
The thought lasted an instant, yet it echoed like the roar of a cannon through her mind. She was outside of her reaper, surrounded by hostiles, and they’ve gotten blood on her. Her falling was only a matter of time now... And as her shield fell from her hand, she felt a boot in her chest, knocking the wind out of her as she was sent sprawling back to the forest floor below. Her body landing with a dull thud as she coughed, and a pathetic whimper left her.
“Play dead. Let them think they’ve won.”
Her mind raced with the thought, she could play dead... Yet, the sight of that smoldering and twitching Raen was next to her. What were the chances they’d let her leave alive? That they wouldn’t remove her head and place it upon a pike? No... No, as futile as it was, she had to fight. So she rose to her feet, sword in hand.
The woman’s assault came first, swinging that long blade for Aedwen’s body, she barely managed to bring her blade up to redirect the impending gutting away from herself. Her breaths heavy and filled with panic, as the armored man moved to try and jump down upon her, and she barely managed to escape his retribution by diving forward. The armored man’s attack skimming past her as it seemed he was intending to try and drive his pommel down upon her skull.
“Hold out. Help may come... Help can come.. You can survive.”
Her sword lashed out, as she screamed with all the fear and anger she could find in her small body... The flat of the blade smacking into the Doman woman’s face with a loud crack, sending them to the ground unconcious, before she brought it forward in a powerful swing for the armored man’s sword hand.
“One hit... One hit... You can do this, you can -win- and you can retreat---”
The sound of her sword clashing into his greatsword filled the air, the man leaving the massive blade pointing down into the ground. His armor, and defenses too strong her her to overcome. Still then, even as she attempted to try and push back, away from him, she felt something rip into her right leg...
Strands of the man’s Aether spiking through the ground, dug into her flesh, ripping at the leg, and with it, her one chance of winning. She felt her voice rise, all the air in her lungs forcibly rushing out in a pained scream as her sword dropped from her hand, and she collapsed to the ground in pain. Her voice little more than a whimper as she felt her blood filling out into the soil of the shroud.
Yet... He did not move to finish her. No, he moved to talk into his linkpearl, and see to his companions. Perhaps, she was not worth finishing off? Whatever the reason, she knew only the need to survive at the moment. And so, with her remaining good arm, she pulled herself against that rotting and ancient log... Attempting to press herself into the crack of it near the ground, as she was left bleeding on the ground, listening to the gunshots, clashing swords, and cries from friends and foes.
“N-Not like this...”
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Ways to ease social media's strain on your wallet
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Ways to ease social media's strain on your wallet
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Jessica Jones, 26, jokes that when she wants to spend more money, she goes on Instagram.
Jones, an at-home care provider in California, often gets the urge to buy the same shoes or makeup she sees people wearing when she scrolls through Instagram’s stream of carefully curated images. Last week, she bought a pair of Dolls Kill high heels embroidered with pink roses after seeing them on the app.
Those Instagram-inspired purchases put Jones in good company. A recent study found that 57 percent of U.S. millennials shell out money they had not planned to spend because of what they see on social media.
“Social media can be very aspirational, because people often post things that are an idealized version of what they’re living,” said Kimberly Palmer, a personal finance expert at NerdWallet. “You might get good ideas for a vacation or an outfit or jewelry, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it might not fit into your budget.”
Nearly 90 percent of millennials (ages 20 to 36) surveyed by Allianz Life Insurance Co of North America said social media pushes people to compare their wealth and lifestyle to others’. Only 71 percent of Generation X (ages 37 to 51), and just 54 percent of baby boomers (52 to 70) feel the same way.
Enviable images of other peoples’ lives used to come mostly from glossy magazines and TV, but now we are constantly getting a peek via social media.
“It can be an overwhelming influence on how you see the world,” said Paul Kelash, vice president of consumer insights at Allianz Life. “If you pay too much attention, then you might start making decisions you otherwise wouldn’t in your spending.”
DO I REALLY NEED IT?
To avoid getting into financial trouble, be honest about what is most important to you.
“Ask: Do I really need that, or do I just want it?” Kelash said.
Once that line is clearly differentiated, keep track of your budget and set goals. For the short term, that could be a vacation. A medium-term goal might be a house, while a long-term goal for most of us is retirement, he added.
The temptation to spend is partly why Joanna Zheng, a 24-year-old equity analyst in New York, recently cut back on her social media use.
“Seeing a friend (on Facebook or Instagram) who is particularly well-dressed or has a cute purse makes me wonder how I can enhance my own wardrobe,” Zheng said.
When Zheng shops, however, she rarely regrets it and makes sure to compensate in other ways. Recently, Zheng bought a pair of merino wool Allbirds sneakers for around $100 that a friend recommended after later seeing several ads on Facebook. For the next few weeks, she avoided shopping areas to stem temptation.
Advertising companies understand how powerful social media ads can be. In 2017, Facebook alone brought in $39.9 billion of revenue from ads. Companies will pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have their product mentioned in social media posts by an influencer with a large following.
Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, recently rolled out Instagram Shopping, which allows people to view product descriptions and pricing without ever leaving the app
Spending is also driven by posts from friends and family. In the Allianz Life survey, more than half of millennials report a “fear or missing out,” also known as FOMO. In fact, 61 percent said they feel inadequate about their own life and what they have because of social media.
To curb impulse purchases, decide ahead of time whether you are going online to shop or if you are just browsing, Palmer advises. Close out other shopping tabs to limit spending.
And rather than buying things immediately, Palmer suggests putting things in your basket to save and then revisit in a day or two. That makes it easier to take a step back and ask if the purchase fits your goals and budget.
An added bonus: Sometimes retailers will send a discount code to entice you to buy.
“It’s about separating that initial impulse to buy,” Palmer said.
(This version of the story corrects spelling of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America in fifth paragraph.)
Editing by Lauren Young and Leslie Adler
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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I don't normally bitch about this type of shit but I've found out that Luo has found a way to recast dolls before the legit gets released. Why is this an issue? Because with modern technology and AI recasters can make counterfeit dolls using images, literal fucking images. I own plenty of old school BJDs, some of which has never been recasted due to them being limited, and now it is possible for old school BJD collectors to have their dolls recasted. Please stop supporting these companies and buy a legitimate doll. Use layaway or save up the funds for the doll.
Sculpt: Doll Leaves Zheng
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#legit bjd#anti recast#bjd#bjd community#doll leaves#SD bjd#Chinese bjd#doll leaves zheng#pro artist bjd#ball jointed doll community#abjd#ball jointed doll
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Guardian rewatch: Episode 9
This episode starts with Zhao Yunlan being a bloody good boss. I’ll talk about how the opinions of others must have affected this man’s perception of himself a little later on, but in this scene it is important to note that Zhao Yunlan is supportive, caring and loyal. Wang Zheng comes to him in tears, asking for permission to leave and see the home she had just remembered, and he not only supports her verbally, but drags his entire team on the trip with her the very next day. Sure, he has are ulterior motives, as he strongly suspects one of the Hallows must be around the same area, but I maintain that Zhao Yunlan would have insisted on going with Wang Zheng regardless.
There are complications to this trip; namely, Wang Zheng is a ghost energy being and can neither be in sunlight, nor leave the SID really. Thus, the plan to take her on the trip includes buying a doll. The implication is that Wang Zheng can be somehow placed inside it, and thus be able to move, but the details of how this is done are actually curiously hazy. I’m not sure if censorship is the reason for muddled writing, but there really is very little explanation for the ghost in a doll situation.
Guo Changcheng is tasked with securing a makeshift body for Wang Zheng, and the boy, eager to act fast, and without much to work with in terms of instructions, ends up buying this.
We can only thank the Universe for the role of Wang Zheng not being played by a blow-up doll for three episodes straight.
Zhao Yunlan instantly realises that being places inside this thing might be a little bit upsetting for his subordinate, and lashes out at Guo Changcheng with an excellent “Is the thing above your neck a urinal?” This snaps Zhu Hong out of her mirth, too; she rushes to her friend’s side to offer emotional support, and will remain there for the entire episode.
I love this blocking, in which Zhu Hong is the only one who feels comfortable approaching Wang Zheng in a situation where she is seemingly being mocked by her male colleagues, as Zhao Yunlan and Guo Changcheng look on, unable to offer a meaningful apology.
The evening prior to this Shen Wei is musing over ancient map of the region. His costume is arranged deliberately so you can see the Pendant of Pining hanging around his neck.
I am really wondering when this was shot, because it looks very out of place. The costume differs from Shen Wei’s usual attire, including chinos and an uncharacteristically ill fitting shirt. His hair looks so wrong I am wondering if this is styling, or a different haircut entirely. And, since we’re on this train of thought, his eye colour is so off I genuinely spent quite a bit of time examining the shots in order to figure out whether he’s wearing contacts. I don’t think he is, by the way, but the colour grading makes his warm syrupy-brown irises look almost olive green.
During the scene it is revealed Shen Wei’s only worry in regards to leaving the city and rushing into what could be trouble is a possibility of Zhao Yunlan encountering danger in his absence. It is easy to see that Shen Wei here firmly associates his own worth with his work as Hei Pao Shi, and his own needs with Yunlan being safe and sound. You could trace this thought process back to the mountainside conversation ten thousand years ago, and to years of loneliness and isolation that followed. While, frankly, equating self-worth with comfort of other it’s not necessarily so unusual, and neither is equating it with one’s work, Shen Wei’s disregard for his own life is still horribly upsetting.
The morning after, Zhao Yunlan with his team and Shen Wei with his students move out of Dragon City. Destination - North-west. I have to ask though, why is Shen Wei taking his students with him? I get that it’s a cover but also: he can totally just teleport where he needs to and do his stuff as Envoy, can he not? It’s fast, efficient, and can all be done during the night without arousing any suspicious.
As it happens, Shen Wei goes by car, which breaks, and causes him to instantly cross paths with Zhao Yunlan. What I like about this meeting is that we see it from an outsider perspective, as we drive into the scene with Lin Jing, Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng.
“Is that Professor Shen? This must be their destiny. They keep meeting each other wherever they go.”
Zhao Yunlan confesses that he feels like Shen Wei bugged him and pops up everywhere he goes; Shen Wei counters by saying that in this case Zhao Yunlan who followed him. Zhao Yunlan can just laugh awkwardly. It’s kind of adorable how the two men just basically admit that they’re stalking each other, and are both kind of okay with that. Shen Wei then introduces the other man to his students as his good friend.
Zhao Yunlan, having already figured out that he is not likely to get any answers from Shem Wei, goes on a charm offensive with his students. I think this is the first time Shen Wei sees Zhao Yunlan using his jovial manipulation on others, and he is not particularly happy about what he is witnessing. Below are the series of facial expressions he wears every time it happens throughout the episode.
The way I read it, this could equally be jealousy, or the daunting - and incorrect - realisation that Zhao Yunlan is being like this with everything that moves. He could be even beating himself up for falling for this man’s charm now that he sees that Zhao Yunlan using the same wide smile as a tool to placate, gain trust and access information. In his mind, this is a further confirmation that he is not in any way special in Zhao Yunlan’s eyes. Again, Shen Wei’s supposition cannot be further from the truth. But you could imagine how he may have come to make to this conclusion.
In this particular case, Zhao Yunlan uses his charm to get some information out of Jiajia, and ends up hearing the direction of their expedition.
Shen Wei nervously adjusts glasses in the shot which is not even his close-up. It’s lovely, seeing how good of an actor Zhu Yilong is. Good actors don’t need to be directed to to most of the little things their characters would do, and don’t have to be told what their character quirks are.
Shen Wei very politely shuts Jiajia up when she starts talking about the earthquake, asking her to get out of the sun, despite this not being a hot day.
“Chief Zhao, you are really good at making people talk.”
As he is making this observation, he is offering Zhao Yunlan his water, because the man mentioned that he may be thirsty, and hydration is important. Should I once again be obsessing over how their fingers are touching here? Perhaps not. I am, once more, doing it anyway.
During the conversation that ensues here, Shen Wei reminds Zhao Yunlan that he was asked not to leave the city, and makes one more attempt at forcing them to part ways after the car fixing is done. Chief Zhao is having none of it. He reminds Shen Wei that no promises were given, and suggests they work together and protect each other instead. It’s interesting how their end goal is similar: they want to keep each other out of harm’s way. But for Zhao Yunlan, who works with a team, this implies sticking together. For Shen Wei, who has been alone for what could have been centuries (we are never given a timeline for when his magical coma ended), this implies being as far away from each other as possible. Many things about their relationship will change - but this one will never do.
Zhao Yunlan proceeds to charm his way into driving Shen Wei’s car. He is after all very good with people, and he’s not afraid to use this skill to keep himself near the Professor.
Next, we have intercut scenes depicting conversations in two separate cars.
Lin Jing is driving Zhu Hong, Guo Changcheng and Wang Zheng in the jeep. There, Guo Changcheng tries his darnedest to offer exceedingly moody Wang Zheng apologies and consolation, but his weak attempts to very little to lighten the young woman’s dark disposition. In the meanwhile, Zhu Hong is seething with resentment and jealousy. She notes discontentedly that Zhao Yunlan once again chose to go and spend time with Shen Wei, hypothesises on why Shen Wei is unmarried, and then goes into a long-winded rant about Zhao Yunlan being an uncaring person. Lin Jing reluctantly participates in this conversation, but he does not look very much like he cares for it.
I have mentioned in my previous recap that those around Zhao Yunlan comment on his crassness, and now I am wondering how much this creates a vicious circle for the man in question. He may have heard - from his father, from his previous romantic partners, from his colleagues - that he is a failure, a boorish, unloving and superficial man who only does things to chase clout and carnal pleasures. It is difficult to not internalise that, and Zhao Yunlan may have just grown to see this as an unshakeable truth about himself.
As for Zhu Hong’s part in this, it is easy to call someone not responding to your advances an uncaring jerk. It does not, however, necessarily make them one.
Curiously enough, the only person speaking up in defence of Zhao Yunlan here is Guo Changcheng. He notes that he considers Chief Zhao to be a nice person; despite only being with SID for a month, he is able to see good intensions behind the bristles. No doubt, this is another case of Xiao Guo being incredibly empathic.
In the other car, Zhao Yunlan is driving Shen Wei and his students. Here, we see the chief continue to crack jokes and use his bountiful charisma to find out more about their expedition. Presumably, this has been going for a while, and Shen Wei’s patience finally runs thin when Zhao Yunlan states that their research must be very important. “Thank you for the compliment”, states Shen Wei flatly, according to subtitles.
According to my dictionary however, what he actually says is, roughly, “Chef Zhao overpraised [us]” (“赵处长过奖了”), which even with my very basic comprehension of Mandarin, I can see as overly formal and clearly dismissive.
Zhao Yunlan seems to be taken aback, and a few seconds pass before he composes his features into one of the chuckles he uses as a mask: it is loud and wide, but does not quite reach his eyes, sliding off his face almost instantly. In the passenger seat, Shen Wei is slowly and deliberately readjusting his own mask.
We cut to Zhu Jiu trying to secure assistance of a whole bunch of Youchu he drags out of the cave. It goes even worse than his other plans do, with the beasts grumbling and effectively refusing to do any work whatsoever.
Zhu Jiu’s ineffectiveness is actually pretty sweet on rewatch, and I am starting to kind of appreciate Wan Naichao in this role. It’s not that I find his performance particularly good, but between the costume, the wig and the script, he does not have an awful lot to work with, and he nonetheless appears to have so much fun hamming it up to his heart’s content. He is not intimidating by any stretch of imagination, but he is surprisingly, albeit ironically, watchable. And, honestly, I would rather watch an actor being hammy and enjoying it than visibly longing for death on set.
After passing a checkpoint through a combination of Zhao Yunlan’s connections and ever-present charm, the now joint SID/DCU expedition shuffles around in cars once again. Despite their destination being allegedly twenty kilometres (or about 12.5 miles) out of town, it takes them a whole day to reach it. Who knows, maybe the Seastar’s measuring units are different.
This time, it is Lin Jing driving, with Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan having relocated to the back. We see that Zhao Yunlan has got a cold again - which could theoretically be from being so close to the hallows. He sneezes, and Shen Wei microexpressively overreacts.
Then, Zhao Yunlan unceremoniously arranges a pillow on Shen Wei’s shoulder and settles in for a nap. Does he remember napping on Shen Wei’s shoulder a few nights prior to that? Because he might do, considering how comfortable he feels with this casual close contact.
After a momentary panic, and a comment about flu meds, Shen Wei not only lets Zhao Yunlan do it, but also rearranges his pillow several times to make it more comfortable for the other man. I have no hot takes on this apart from just... those two. I love those two. How are they so adorable.
The car enters CGI fog, and promptly get stuck. To make matters worse, Lin Jing says he does not have a phone signal and asks Shen Wei to check his phone. “He does not have a mobile phone”, deadpans Zhao Yunlan before Shen Wei even opens his mouth.
Finally, Zhao Yunlan’s head vacates Shen Wei’s shoulder, and the professor leaves the car to scout the area. Jiajia tries to follow, but Zhao Yunlan dissuades her and goes after Shen Wei himself, catching up just as the other man is starting to scry the surroundings with his powers.
Zhao Yunlan enters the scene quoting poetry to highlight the beauty of their current location.
Shen Wei instantly tries to send him back: partly to continue using his dark energy, and partly, perhaps, out of genuine worry. In response Zhao Yunlan notes that Shen Wei is the only one who can order him around. This is not all done in cheek: it’s actually kind of true. Even before finding out that Shen Wei is powerful and ancient, and imposing, Zhao Yunlan is readily listening to him, and following his lead.
As a precursor to returning to the car, Zhao Yunlan takes his jacket off and drapes it over Shen Wei’s shoulders, despite the other man’s loud protestations. Again, Yunlan has got a cold, and he is visibly filling the chill air later in the scene. He has no way of knowing that this jacket will become a catalyst for his suspicions about Shen Wei’s alter ego, so there can’t be any other reason for him forcing his jacket onto the other man apart from a desire to make sure he is warm and comfortable.
Shen Wei stares at Zhao Yunlan in absolute wonder.
It is easy to believe that the idea of someone wanting to look after him is foreign no Shen Wei: we know from the text of the show that before Kunlun no one has shown him any consideration, and seeing Shen Wei now, it is not difficult to imagine, heartbreaking as it is, that no one has done it since.
Jiajia’s scream cuts through the air, interrupting the scene. As the two men take off in the direction of the sound, Shen Wei grabs Zhao Yunlan by the elbow as they run out of the shot.
When they rejoin Jiajia and Lin Jing, she girl stammers a few words about ghostly presence that she witnessed, and Lin Jing confirms her words, sharing his knowledge about ghosts seen in this area. Zhao Yunlan reprimands him for speeding feudalistic and superstitious concepts. Just remember that their HR manager literally is a semi-corporeal dead woman. This line is such a blatant and somewhat tongue-in-cheek appeasal of the censorship, that it sounds delightfully silly.
The group finally reach the remote village they were heading to. As everyone files out of the cars, they notice a strange looking crow nearby - clearly Ya Qing is checking in on them. Lin Jing proceeds to tease Xiao Guo, saying the young man in unlucky. Chu Shuzhi is looking disapprovingly at this comment, but it’s actually Zhu Hong who shuts it down. She does use this excuse to make an impolite jab at Shen Wei, noting that the misfortunes are someone else’s fault, while looking at her romantic rival from the corner of her eye.
Shen Wei graces the screen with another one of his “why does the snake woman hate me?” faces.
It’s quite amusing that as the group starts walking towards the guesthouse, Zhao Yunlan sends his people off while he himself deliberately lingers in place, so he can walk with Shen Wei, sneaking a hand across the professor’s back.
Just as the company enters the premises of the guesthouse, they find a human skull. Of course they do. But the reason I am including this here is to point out that Shen Wei’s reaction is to cover Jiajia’s eyes. Zhu Yilong does not do it in all of the takes used in the scene, which indicates to me that this is an in the moment acting choice.
Shen Wei then leads his students away to give the SID a chance to investigate. While Lin Jing and Zhao Yunlan do just that, Wang Zheng sinks to her knees and starts praying to comfort spirits of her ancestors. Hilariously, this goes unnoticed for a while.
After completing some preliminary checks on the skull, Zhao Yunlan suggests they park the investigation for the night, citing that he does not want students and their teacher to get ill as the reason for doing so. Da Qing notes that this is more considerations than he shows his subordinates. I don’t think he means it, but it’s a lovely little jab at Zhao Yunlan’s unmistakable crush.
Inside the house, everyone settles in to hear Wang Zheng’s tale of the Hanga tribe. What follows is an massive exposition dump. She sets up as “some things she heard from rumours”, but considering how forlorn she is throughout this tale - and that she was praying earlier - it is pretty obvious that she is of the Hanga tribe herself.
Again, I love the blocking here. Zhu Hong is keeping her shoulder in front of Wang Zheng, protecting her from the strangers (and Shen Wei) that they are sharing the table with. Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are watching from afar, and Chu Shizhu is perching above them on the stairs. The composition is easy on the eye, and implies that the SID men are ready to protect those at the table from all directions.
Soon, they are interrupted by a villager pretending to be a ghost, and a reluctant village head explains that the outsides may not be welcomed because there has been a murder here in the recent days. Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong leave to investigate the crime scene. As they do so, Zhao Yunlan catches the woman gazing upon him in adoration, and freezes uncomfortably, for a second before laughing it off.
He should really force himself to have an uncomfortable conversation with her, but he won’t do it until pushed.
In the meanwhile, Zhu Jiu is having more luck riling the actual ghosts up than he did with the Youchu. After some hesitation - and some baseless threats from our unfortunate villain - the Hanga tribesmen launch an attack against the guesthouse.
Just to note: their masks don’t look anything like the masks Wang Zheng drew. Considering that the guesthouse parts of the episode was likely to have been shot together, I don’t see any explanation for this as it pertains to production.
Chu Shuzhi and Xiao Guo leap into action to fight the ghosts - and the young man actually successfully fends one of them off. They are soon joined by Lin Jing, who leaves Shen Wei in charge of looking after the students and Wang Zheng inside the house. The ghost woman energy being asks to be let outside because she guesses correctly that the ghostly warriors are here for her, but Shen Wei refuses to let her go. The reason he states for denying her is that “Zhao Yunlan would never agree to it.” He knows that the other man would never put his crew in danger - and adopts the same attitude.
Shortly after, Zhu Hong and Zhao Yunlan arrive on the scene.
Here we see for the first time Zhao Yunlan’s painful flashback to his mother’s death, followed by him freezing with the gun in his hand. Zhu Hong does save the way by snatching the weapon away from him and firing it, but she also goes on full offensive afterwards, berating the man. Hers is not a kind response at all, and this type of a reaction is likely to be the reason Zhao Yunlan has not felt comfortable talking about his tragic past, perhaps even seeing it as something to be ashamed of.
After the ghosts disappear, Zhao Yunlan stays outside with his team, and uses the Dial in attempt to locate the other ancient item which he knows is somewhere close.
Shen Wei, on the other hand, tells Wang Zheng about the totem hidden in a cave, and asks her for any information on the matter.
His interrogation does not get him anywhere, but he does get suspicious enough to refrain him from drinking the drugged water she offers everyone present in the very next scene.
It is clear from this shot that after toasting with warm water, everyone goes to down their cups - apart from Wang Zheng and Shen Wei, who lock eyes over their cups for the second.
Having escaped her protectors in the night, Wang Zheng heard towards the cave in which Sang Zan’s spirit is kept, Zhu Jiu hot on her heals, and we witness the first of many flashbacks to her life and death.
Next up, Episode 10: Death By a Thousand Flashbacks.
—
Notes.
The next post here will actually be some thoughts on the Lost Tomb Reboot which I have spent this Easter Weekend binging. And if this post is more Zhu Yilong-centric than usual, this would also be why.
#guardian#zhao yunlan#shen wei#weilan#rewatch#recap#ill advised attempts at psychoanalysing the characters
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