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gaiaplantress · 2 months ago

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OKAY. Okay, so this is the first chapter of a long-form MDZS I've been planning for a while, and I thought I would put it up as a sort of 'preview'. Doesn't have a title yet, but it's a Wangxian modern-day-with-cultivation AU with some identity shenanigans thrown in! Honestly this AU was mostly born out of wanting to do a sort of slice-of-live vibes thing, but then it also has sort of magical girl vibes? Like very Cardcaptor Sakura inspired mixed with Ranma 1/2. This goes here while I work out the chapter order for the first arc, then I'll post it to Ao3 once I get the outline sorted. Anyway, here it is - the thing I'm calling the Pilot Episode: Hánguāng-jūn and the Yiling Patriarch

“It’s just that I’m worried! Are you really sure about this, didi? Don’t you think this is a bit extreme” Lan Xichen’s voice was nearly tugged away entirely by the night wind as the words came through the phone’s speaker. Unfortunately, Lan Wangji could still hear them. He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to remember that he must not snap at his older brother. They had had this conversion many times before since he had announced what he was doing - and announced it instead of asking for permission. This was also unlikely it would be the last one they had on the subject. At least his brother hadn’t really tried to stop him either.

The cultivator took a few steps towards the edge of the roof, staring down at the night streets below him. “I am sure, Ge,” he finally said, “I believe that this will be a valuable step in my personal growth.” They were words that had often been repeated over the months since he’d first come to his decision. He was almost starting to believe it himself. Perhaps looking up ‘how to tell your family you want to move out’ had been a good idea in the end. It had been part of the organized list of research he’d done when he first thought about the idea, and was trying to convince himself it would be a good idea.

There was a gusty sigh on the other end, “I know you say that,” was the reply, “and I also know that it’s too late to really convince you - but Wangji, you’re so far away!” Lan Wangji could almost picture his brother’s Very Concerned face. Somehow not being able to actually see it made him feel far less guilty, although there was still that strange lurch he got whenever Lan Xichen used that tone on him - the reminder that he was even on technicality Disobeying his Elders by moving away. Learning when to shove that feeling down and ignore it instead of giving had been a…journey.

At least with this objection he could just roll his eyes, “I’m only half an hour away by car, xiongzhang,” he said patiently, “and less than that by sword. I will also be at Cloud Recesses frequently. I’m still a cultivator of our sect.” That was one thing that was the truth no matter what happened - he was of Gusu Lan. He was in fact, waiting to start his shift on a night hunt watch right now.

Which, his brother knew since he would have helped coordinate the assignments for something this large. And he would also be very aware that Cloud Recesses protocols stated that cultivators on Nighthunt duties were forbidden from personal cell phone use for safety reasons. So he had called Lan Wangji right before his shift was due to start, to make sure the call would be picked up.

At least it also gave the younger cultivator a reason to get out of the call faster. He checked the time, and realized that he still had a few minutes left.

“Still,” Lan Xichen said earnestly, “it’s…in the city.” It ended on an uncertain note, but at the same time Lan Wangji understood what he meant. The Gentian apartments were still close enough for a casual visit, but it would still have to be something that his brother or Uncle set out to do. Even though they had lived in separate small buildings at Cloud Recesses, they had all still been nearby. Close enough that it was easy to spare a thought of ‘I shall go visit my brother’ and then do it within moments. Near enough that when they were younger, Lan Xichen would sometimes come find him at night, when he was having trouble sleeping. When they were older, it had been dropping by to ask if he wanted to go somewhere to eat, talking about an interesting case that had dropped, or just checking in. They would still do that of course, Lan Wangji was sure, but not nearly as often. Even with cell phones it would take…organizing to meet up.

He would be lying if the thought of that didn’t hurt a little, made his chest feel tight. Yet, he had still gone through with the moving idea. According to his Uncle, it showed a lack of filial piety. Lan Xichen hadn’t actually said anything on the subject, which almost hurt worse in some ways.

At a brief sign, his sword sprang free from its scabbard to hover on the ground in front of him, perfect mounting height. “There are many Lan sect cultivators that live in the city,” he said out loud as he stepped onto it, and ascended from the rooftop, hovering in midair in small way away from the building itself. From here, the wind almost seemed to be stronger, although he knew that it wasn’t true. He hadn’t moved that far. But some part of his brain would always be convinced that, once he was free from the confines of the earth , the air itself would want to know why he was there. “I will simply commute. It will not affect my duties, I swear.”

Traditionally, it had been very, very rare for cultivators to live outside the sect that trained them, unless it was some sort of special circumstances. As time marched on, however, all the sects had been forced to adapt to more modern expectations - especially if they hoped to keep recruitment numbers up. Now, although it was expected you stayed in Cloud Recesses your training - once you reached a certain level of cultivation you were allowed to seek permission to live outside the main campus. Many did, eventually.

Uncle had many, many things to say about the recent trends and how it went against all that being a cultivator stood for. About how it would reduce the level of cultivation of the overall sect and showed a lack of proper values. Lan Wangji had nearly given him a heart attack when he’d announced his own intentions.

“That’s the last thing I’m worried about,” Ge said, with another sigh, “I don’t want you to be lonely, didi. You don’t know anyone in the city.” It was with a touch of exasperation that made Lan Wangji almost want to sigh again. His brother was…very social. Not only because of his position but because he genuinely seemed to like people. At discussion conferences he knew everyone, remembered everything about it and seemed to look forward to meeting new people.

The second jade sometimes wondered if his brother just….forgot that not everyone was like that.

“I have never been bothered by being alone,” Lan Wangji said, “I will be fine.” In fact, he found that he preferred the peace and quiet of solitude much of the time. It gave him room to meditate and compose himself. Even as a child he had sometimes found the chaotic play of his peers overwhelming, and would go off on his own to relax. It had worried Lan Xichen even then, but as an adult the second jade had simply accepted that was how he was. “I will adjust.”

“If you say so,” his brother didn’t sound like he thought the conversation was really over, “but…Wangji, you are coming to dinner with Uncle and I tomorrow, right? I know things are tense between the two of you, but still…”

Fingers tightened around the phone as Lan Wangji took a deep breath. ‘Tense’ was one way to describe what was going on with him and his Uncle right now, and at the same time he didn’t think his brother understood why, at least not really. Because the flashpoint hadn’t affected him the same way.

Those had been Mother’s songs, for the two of them and he had kept that from them just because… !

No, brother didn’t understand why Lan Wangji saw it as a betrayal, even though he clearly knew his younger brother did, and the younger didn’t understand why his older brother wasn’t affected by it. But at the same time the second jade couldn't' blame Lan Xichen for it; he hadn’t know about it either. Their Uncle on the other hand…

But still.

It was his brother asking.

“I will be there,” he answered gravely, because this had all been decided weeks ago and he wouldn’t back out of any family obligations like this. Honestly, he might be mad at his Uncle but he would not make his brother suffer for it. Uncle apparently felt something of the same. The only reason they were currently talking was because Lan Xichen had been running back and forth between them for a while, looking so increasingly stressed that both he and Uncle had independently decided they could at least be civil in each other’s company. It was an icy politeness but it was still something of an improvement, and made brother happy.

“That’s good,” over the phone Lan Xichen sighed, “so I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.”

“Mn.”

There was a paused, “Just be careful tonight, didi. Don’t be getting injured so you don’t have to come!”

Lan Wangji sighed, wondering if he brother truly was worried or if this was a poor attempt at a joke. “It’s a routine night hunt, brother. Do not worry.”

Well, that was a slight exaggeration, but not by much and only because of the circumstances. There was a bird yao loose in the middle of this section in the city - away from the city center, in an area that was mostly houses and apartment complexes. It was unusual for an animal yao to turn up in the middle of the city at all - ghosts and walking corpses yes with all the people around but animal yao tended to stay more on the fringes of more populated areas.

This one was suspected to have been brought in, though for what reason they weren’t sure yet. Nor were they sure if the monster itself had been brought in already fully formed as part of the illegal trade in such things or if it had been warped from what it had been after being brought back into the city. All that they knew so far was that it had apparently burst from the shed behind one of the houses, killed the owner at some point then went after his wife when she came to see what the commotion was. She had managed to get into shelter and call for help, but the creature had feld by the time anyone who could actually deal with it had responded.

It had attacked several other people since that time two days ago, but there were thankfully no other fatalities…yet. The beast was just proving difficult to locate, so all hands had been called in to form a perimeter at its last known location. Lan Wangji wasn’t overly worried about dealing with it once it was flushed out - he had dealt with many yao by now. All they had to do was find it.

“I’m not doubting your abilities, Wangji, but you know as well as I do that a night hunt can be unpredictable,” his brother said, “So just be careful, please?”

“Mn, all right.” If it made his brother feel better. That only got a huff of laughter from Lan Xichen.

“You sound so sincere didi,” he said teasingly, “I’ll try to talk to Uncle about your…decision again. Maybe I can get him to understand your reasoning…”

It was almost time for Lan Wangji to start his shift as it was, something he was grateful for as he listened with half an ear. From up here, in the night sky, the area actually seemed calm, peaceful. Buildings were awash in the darkness of night, streets pricked by the lights that shone on them. There was no human movement on the sidewalks, the residents warned to stay inside while the night hunt was in progress but there was occasional furtive movement in the shadows along the edges as a small animal, far smaller than the yao were after, took the opportunity to explore. Occasionally a car would go past, the headlights cutting swiftly through the shadows before vanishing again just as quickly.

Despite that, the second jade realized with some surprise, the area felt far from lifeless. Warm, yellow lights glowed from the windows of the houses and apartments, movement inside giving glimpses of the homes inside. From somewhere he could hear the faint wisps of music playing - an upbeat song he wasn’t familiar with. These, these were the people that actually lived here. They couldn’t defend themselves from the threat that had been dragged into their lives, and they were trusting in the cultivators that had said they would deal with.

He would not let that trust be misplaced. As he prepared to say goodnight to his brother, he scanned the area once more looking for a starting point. Movement on the rooftop of an apartment caused him to tense automatically, but then he relaxed when he saw it was just a flag.

….A flag that stuck out like a sore thumb. One that was giving the cultivator an uneasy feeling. He flew a bit closer.

His breath caught. There wasn’t just one flag. There were many all placed in a very deliberate circle in the center of the rooftop, and standing in the middle of them was a dark robed figure. Crimson sparks seemed to echo from it for a moment before it looked up and waved at him.

He must have made some sort of sound he wasn’t aware of because suddenly his brother’s voice was sharp over the phone, “Wangji what is it?”

“The Yiling Patriarch is here,” the cultivator replied shortly before he hung up the call over his brother’s own exclamation, and then swiftly put on the earpiece all cultivators were required to wear on the field - the only reason his hadn’t been fully in was because his brother’s call had interrupted him.

“Cultivator Lan Wangji reporting in,” he said, and before whoever was managing the night hunt could respond continued, “the Yiling Patriarch is in the search area, south section.”

“Wha…Hánguāng-jūn, you’re not expected for another…Wait. Did you say the Yiling Patriarch!?”

“In the south section of the search grid,” he repeated almost impatiently, “moving to engage.”

“Wait, Hánguāng-jūn...!” But Lan Wangji was already moving, angling towards the rooftop and the dark figure. The Yiling Patriarch showing up in the same area as a yao was unleashed, when they didn’t know why or how it got here? That could hardly be a coincidence, and if he did have something to do with this….it was Lan Wangji’s job to stop him.

The Yiling Patriarch was a mysterious, dangerous figure that had shown up a couple of years ago - a twisted cultivator that used resentful energy and demonic cultivation. He called forth the dead to act as his army and the times he had come into open conflicts with the rightful cultivation clans had never ended well. He got his name from the fact that he had first appeared around the small town of Yiling, near the Yummeng region. That’s where he had stayed for a year, but then he had started migrating, appearing in other regions but using the same methods.

Around six months ago he’d reached Gusu, and became the problem for the Lan Sect. He would show up sporadically during Night Hunts, or there would be reports of sightings in random areas around the region, although mostly near the cities. Lan Wangji himself had made it a goal to drag the man in - they had clashed several times, with the Yiling Patriarch leading him on a chase before the dark cultivator found some way to escape.

Once it had been leading him straight into a vicious ghost that he had been tracking.

No matter what, the Yiling Patriarch being here meant that something was going to happen, that was something Lan Wangjir was sure about. It had almost become a routine at this point.

Now as he dropped down onto the rooftop, the Yiling Patriarch waved at him again, “Hánguāng-jūn ,” he said, sounding almost cheerful through the distortion of his voice, “I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re here! With how serious Gusu Lan is treating this nighthunt, they would make sure they sent their very best!”

As always, the man was dressed in what appeared to be black and red cultivator robes although they bore no signs that would mark him as being from a particular sect. The overrobe, however, was not part of any standard cultivator garb - instead it bore a hood that had to have some sort of spell sewn into it because the shadows inside were unnaturally deep, blurring the Yiling Patriarch’s features and causing some sort of echoing change with his voice. Or maybe that was a product of the elegant silver mask he wore across his upper face - something that meant combined with the hood all you could ever see of him was a pair of dancing blood-red eyes, a smirk of a mouth, and long elegant fingers.

Once he was on the ground the second Jade leveled his sword at the dark cultivator, “Yiling Patriarch,” he said simply, “submit yourself and come with me.”

All that got was an over exaggerated, shocked gasp, “Hánguāng-jūn!” The Yiling Patriarch said almost delightly, “Most men would at least offer to buy me dinner or a drink before they decided to drag me off somewhere! Yet here you are, being so bold! I wouldn’t expect it from you.” Then the man winked at him.

It took a flat second before Lan Wangji felt the implications hit him. The hand holding his sword tightened its grip as he felt his ears heat. It wasn’t as if this was the first time that anyone had said something with more sexual implications - he was aware that most people found him conventionally good looking - but no one was this blatant.

“Shameless!” He growled, which only got laughter in response for some reason, as if this was only a minor joke. “You will allow yourself to be taken into the custody of Gusu Lan, and answer for your crimes!”

“And just what,” the Yiling Patriarch said mildly, “are those crimes supposed to be?”

He really was insane, Lan Wangji couldn’t help but think, “You have attacked members of cultivation sects without provocation, you use demonic cultivation and willingly associate with resentment!” he growled, “you control the dead! You’ve been a wanted man since Yiling!”

There was a huff, and for a moment Lan Wangji could swear that the Yiling Patriarch actually rolled his eyes. “‘Without provocation’, is that what they’re saying now? Just because they started a fight they couldn’t win?

“There are witnesses,” the second Jade said bluntly. He had read all the reports he could get his hands on when the Yiling Patriarch had first started showing up in Gusu, so he was aware of what the man was capable of. Although there had been no documented casualties, there had always been suspicious disappearances around Yiling. Lan Wangj had chosen to treat the man as if he was as dangerous as he could appear to be. Even if the Yiling Patriarch hadn’t been nearly of a menace since he had shown up in Gusu, for some reason he couldn’t phantom.

The Yiling Patriarch huffed, “and I bet all of those ‘witnesses’ were from the same sect as the people that attacked me or were friends of theirs. Very unbiased. Totally not going to lie to save face. Completely honest.” The sarcasm all but dripped from the last words.

That the Yiling Patriarch would dare made Lan Wangji stiffen, “they were righteous cultivators,” he said outloud, even as a quiet voice inside him reminded him of the scandals that several Jin cultivators had been lately, and even the Jin sect leader’s reputation. Not to mention everything that had happened with the Wen sect. He choose to ignore it for now, “why would I trust your word over theirs?”

For some reason that made the dark cultivator chuckle, “You’re right, maybe you shouldn’t trust me,” he said easily, “but we can argue about the ‘righteousness’ of the sects later. There’s more urgent business right now, don’t you agree?” He smiled winsomely.

Lan Wangji didn’t want to agree with him, but unfortunately he could see the logic in it, “you mean the yao,” he said bluntly then glared at the Yiling Patriarch, “is that creature one of yours?”

“What? Hánguāng-jūn!” The dark cultivator placed his hand on his heart and staggered back dramatically, “You wound me!” he dropped the hand and seemed serious for a moment, “when have I ever gone after civilians?”

That was…actually rather accurate. Although there were many clashes with the sects in the reports, most of the civilians that had been caught up in them had seemed to be an accident. Still, that didn’t make the man who could wield resentment being here be any less suspicious. Lan Wangji tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, “then what are you doing here?” he said.

At that the dark cultivator grinned and gestured around them with his ghost flute, “I’m experimenting!” he said so happily, as if that entire concept wasn’t terrifying to think about.

“Experimenting?” For an alarmed moment Lan Wangji thought that he meant the yao was an experiment, but…no, the Yiling Patriarch had said he had nothing to do with that. While it was foolish to trust him, something rang true about those words. Unleashing a yao just did not fit with any of the dark cultivator’s previous actions. That could only mean… he looked around at where they were standing, “the flags?” he said, taking a step back and glancing around quickly, “is this an array!?”

If he had stepped into something that was meant to trap a cultivator he would never live it down.

But the Yiling Patriarch was clapping, almost amusing, “yes, you’ve got it! But, ah, don’t worry Hánguāng-jūn,” he spread his hands, “it’s not for you!”

Lan Wangji paused at that, studying the cheerfully Yiling Patriarch. Was he lying? No, probably not, the cultivator decided. The dark cultivator was standing in the circle with him, and despite all the mockery whenever they met he had never outright lied about what he was doing, “if not for me, then the yao?”

“Got it in one,” the Yiling Patriarch almost seemed to crow, red eyes glowing, “not that I expected any less from you!” He twirled his flute between his fingers and nodded at the flags, “or rather, the set up for a trap. I call these, ‘Spirit-attraction flags!’”

Spirit-attraction flag? That was not a term Lan Wangji had heard before, and the name itself was ominous. He tried to keep one eye on the Yiling Patriarch, and still get a glimpse at what the designs on those flags were. They were snapping in the breeze, making it hard to see what they were supposed to be in the first place.

A chuckle from the Yiling Patriarch, “if you want to know what they do, you just have to ask!” he said, “here, Hánguāng-jūn!” The dark cultivator made a throwing motion, and something dark came soaring though the air toward the other man.. Quickly Lan Wangji side sidestepped, and glared at the Yiling Patrarch as something soft thudded into the ground next to him. Quickly he glance down, and found only a tangled bundle of cloth flopped pitifully on the ground. When he looked up again, it was to find that the dark cultivator was also staring at the cloth.

The Yiling Patriarch twitched for a moment, then burst out laughing. All Lan Wangji could do was stare at him, nonplussed. He had no idea what was so funny.

“You didn’t have to dodge,” the dark cultivator said once he caught his breath, “and here I thought you wanted to get a closer look at my flags. I didn’t think you would run away from one! I would have named them differently if I thought they were good cultivator repellent! Did you really think I would do something that obvious if I was trying to attack you?”

The second jade bristled at that, but peered a bit closer at the bundle of cloth on the ground. It did appear to be the same design as the flags around them. That didn’t mean it couldn’t be a trap, since there were talismans that needed a touch to activate, but the Yiling Patriarch did seem like he was waiting for a trap to spring. He was actually almost bouncing on his heels, like one of the younger disciples when they were waiting to show off something they were proud of. Lan Wangji glanced at the dark cultivator again, then slid sideways and crouched to pick up the cloth, not taking his eyes off the man or moving his sword away from him as he did so.

The Yiling Patriarch gave a dramatic sigh, “you really don’t trust me at all, do you?” he said, as if that was a surprise. Lan Wangji chose not to dignify that with a response as he stood up and held the flag up so he could examine it.

After a few moment his eyes widened as he parsed the symbol on it, “this draws in resentful energy!”

“Only partially!” The Yiling Patriarch said gleefully, “I’ve refined it so that it only draws in certain types of resentment, and only for a set area. Usefully, no? After all, in cases like the night hunt you’re dealing with right now, a good chunk of the problem is even finding your quarry right? So I thought, ‘hey, maybe there’s a way to make them come to us instead!’”

That the Yiling Patriarch would even care was a startling revelation. Yes, he had been showing up at the site of several night hunts recently but the second Jade had no idea that he was actually interested in doing anything but causing trouble. Had he actually been trying to assist in some way? But why? What did the Yiling Patriarch hope to accomplish? Maybe it was just about this particular case that had caused him to act like this?

“If you are after the yao, aren’t you capable of summoning it to yourself?” Lan Wangji said harshly. Why the Yiling Patriarch was looking for the yao was concerning, but it was the fact that he’d gone through the whole setup for this when he had the ability to call forth the dead to fight on his side was already a mystery.

The dark cultivator threw his hands up, “just what do you people think I’m capable of!?” he demanded, “and even if I could, which I can’t for the record, this isn’t about me. This is about making night hunts faster! I thought even all the ‘righteous’ cultivation clans would appreciate that.”

Lan Wangji bristled at the almost mockery in the last few words, but he was not here to brandy words with a dark cultivator, nor was that the most important thing he said. “Your ‘help’ is to create something that will play with resentful energy?”

“It doesn’t even use it!” The Yiling Patriarch protested, “I made sure of that!” he gestured, “this will just make sure that something shows up so we don’t have to chase our prey around. It’s more convenient, even if it does require a brave cultivator to use it.”

The ‘we’ the Yiling Pataricarh had used left a sour taste in Lan Wangji’s as if the man was implying he would willingly work with the dark cultivator, but he couldn’t help focusing on the rest of it. “A ‘brave cultivator’?” he repeated, suddenly having a bad feeling about this.

“Yep, because in order for the hunter to use it they have to be bait,” he spread his hands, grinning, “willing, living bait!”

And they were still standing in the middle of it. “This is a trap” Lan Wangji snapped as he summoned his qin. It was the only thing he had been able to reliably counter the skillfully played notes of Chenqing with in past clashes, and if this had been set up…..

“And I said it wasn’t for you,” the Yiling Patriarch actually wagged his finger at him, “it’s for the yao! And no need to act so wounded about it. After all, I’m in here too.”

A shriek split the night air at almost the same moment as those words, and a massive shadow seething with resentment dropped from the sky with an impact that cracked the rooftop they were standing on. Lan Wangji barely managed to dodge back from the sweep of wings, letting off a blind cord with Wangji that make yao scream in an almost human-sounding voice as it shook its head.

Heads.

Perhaps it had been a crane at one point, Lan Wangji thought as he dodged another strike, or maybe more than one, but it wasn’t one any longer. It was ten feet tall at least, with two heads, massive talons that seemed almost oversized compared to its feet and…

“Why does it have teeth!?” the Yiling Patriarch yelled from the other side of the creature, “that makes it even worse! Teeth on birds should be illegal, Hánguāng-jūn! What does a bird need with fangs anyway!” His rambling continued even as he did a graceful dance away from one of the heads that snapped at it, slapping the beak off balanced with the ghost flute as he ducked away.

“It is a yao,” Lan Wangji grit out as he had finally had enough, and played two devastating cords on Wangji that sent the Yao back, nearly stunned. (There was an indignant yelp of ‘Hey!’ from the Yiling Patriarch as one of the strikes nearly hit him as well, but the Second jade chose to ignore that. This situation was mostly his fault after all.)

As the bird danced back, there was the eerie sound of a flute that echoed through the night. The Yiling Patarich stood on the other side, red eyes glowing bright. A sense of unease echoed through Lan Wangji. Dark strands lashed out from the shadows, as if the darkness had come alive, and winding around the yao in the circle, making it shriek and flap its wing. The eerie flute echoed louder.

Resentment was thick in the air, making the hair on the back of the second Jade’s stand on end. He glared at the Yiling Patriarch but the other man appeared to be so focused on subduing the creature. Or at least he thought so until the dark cultivator glanced over and met his eyes. He wiggled his eyebrows dramatically and pulled the flute away from his mouth to grin sharply.

“I know I’m pretty Hánguāng-jūn, but you should keep your eyes on the actual enemy instead of me,” he said almost cheerfully making Lan Wangji twitch with rage, “although I’m sure that…” he froze suddenly, eyes flicking towards the sky for a moment. The grin faded into something grim, “well, that’s shot. Sorry, you’re going to have to finish this off alone, Hánguāng-jūn. Devastating I know, but I have to go. I don’t mind dancing with you, but I don’t want to deal with anyone else cutting in.”

Before Lan Wangji could process what that meant, there was a shout from behind him. He glanced back to find several pale shapes on swords streaking towards them, bright spots against the stars and blackness of the sky. Reinforcements then. He whirled back around to find the dark cultivator stepping back into a swirl of shadows that had bulged up behind him.

“Stop!” he snapped and started to dash towards the shadowy figure. The bird yao shrieked and snapped at him with it’s free beak, a strike that was deflected by his sword at the last second, sending him skidding back. Cursing himself for the momentary distraction he looked up just in time to see one of the arriving cultivators descending on the swirling shadow-clad shape of the Yiling Patriarch.

For some reason the sight of a sword cleaving towards the dark cultivator made his stomach clench. It was irrational - he himself had gone after the Yiling Patarich with a sword before. Yet there was that flash of alarm, of something like anger and the urge to drag the other cultivator away. Even though he knew from experience that the Yiling Patriarch was far more skilled than he let on. Even though the dark cultivator was an enemy.

A soft chuckle echoed eerily across the rooftop as the sword cut only through twisting shadows, and the Yiling Patriarch jumped up onto the small ledge around the rooftop.

“Sorry, this party is getting a bit crowded,” the dark cultivator said, “I guess I’ll take my leave!” Then he jumped off the ledge.

It was a trick that Lan Wangji had seen him pull more than once during their own chases, so he was unsurprised when one of the gold-clad cultivators ran to the edge then gave a shout.

“He’s there, he’s getting away…!” and then took off after him. All five of them.

“The yao!” Lan Wangji raised his voice as the creature flailed free of the weakening bindings the Yiling Patriarch had laid on it. One of the other cultivators heard him, glanced back, and then kept flying after the Yiling Patriarch. The monster stood up fully, screaming it’s outrage as he whirled to face it.

Another strum of Wangji sent the yao stumbling back again as the second jade moved in closer, throwing several talismans out that flashed out into a spell designed to cause numbness the moment they hit and it stumbled, but surged forward Lan Wangji still, mouth wide - only to jerk to a stop. A single strand of shadow was still wrapped around one it’s legs, holding it fast. As one of the heads turned to glance back at what could be wrong, Lan Wangji dashed forward. The neck was long, but slim. His blade ripped through it, sending one of the heads falling to the ground. The yao screamed and lashed out with a stab of his beak, but the second jade whirled out of the way, using the moment of the movement to aim another strike at the neck of the remaining head. Its movements now were slow, stunned. The sword lopped off the head with little issue.

For a moment the body wavered, shaking, then the wings started to flap widely for a moment. Lan Wangji took a step back, his sword raised warily. More than one cultivator had lost their lives because a yao had lived past injuries that didn’t seem possible for it to survive. This however, just seemed to be its death throes, because the wings finally stilled, and the body dropped. THe resentment around it started to dissipate. After a careful moment of observation, Lan Wangji let out a breath - then raced over to the edge of the building. There was no sign of either the Yiling Patriarch or the pursuing cultivators. For a long moment he hesitated, then turned back to the rest of the rooftop and decided to call in the death.

“Status report, Hánguāng-jūn!” Was echoing rapidly through his ear-piece once he finally activated it again, “Hánguāng-jūn, respond!”

“Night hunt successful, yao neutralized,” he said once he’d given his designation and location, “a clean up team will be needed to deal with the remains.”

“Acknowledged, and thank you for your hard word Hánguāng-jūn,” was the quick reply, relieved reply, “but what happened with the Yiling Patarch!?”

“Fled,” was the short answer, “shortly after reinforcements arrived.” Lan Wangji let a beat pass then said, “I was not aware the situation was so dire that other sects were asked to assist.” Because those had been Jin cultivators, not Lan. And they were far from Lanling here. Normally one sect stepping in to assist another would at least have warranted an announcement before the night hunt had commenced.

“Ah, yes,” the voice on the other end of the line sounded almost apologetic, “a small group of Jin cultivators were a last minute edition. Zewu-Jun approved it.” Lan Wangji kept his face still at that remark. Somehow he was not surprised that his brother had bent protocol to involve the Jins. His friendship with Jin Guangyao was well known.

“Mn.”

Still, he should have at least informed someone about it. He would have to talk with his brother later. After answering a few more questions from the night hunt dispatcher, he got another thanks and a dismissal - head home to rest.

As he hung up he let out a breath, and glanced over at the twisted remains of the yao. There would be someone from the sect here soon, to take care of it so that it didn’t end up corrupting the surroundings. Perhaps he should stay for a small while, to make sure that…

“Hey! Hánguāng-jūn!” The voice was furious, and loud. Lan Wangji flicked his gaze towards the sky as the gaudy gold of a Jin cultivator swooped towards him. Then decided the man was not worth paying that much attention to. So he stood there, statically until the man finally landed and got right up in his face. “Hánguāng-jūn” he snarled, “What the fuck was that, huh?”

Lan Wangji glanced at him once, then continued looking over the other man’s shoulder. That level of rudeness wasn’t worth acknowledging. Which would have been true even if he had any idea what the ‘that’ the man was talking about actually was. So he just said nothing, and watched the Jin cultivator get redder and redder.

“Answer me!” he finally demanded as if even had the right, “Why did you let the Yiling Patriarch go!? He was right in front of you!”

The second Jade finally let himself glance back at the Jin properly, wondering why this man was willing to be so arrogant in a territory not his sect’s own, “My duty was to take out the yao,” he said, “that was the goal of the night hunt.” He still wasn’t sure what the Yiling Patriarch’s true goal here had been. Surely it hadn’t been just to help them with what was a relatively simple night hunt.

“Who cares about a yao!” the Jin said. Several of his men had landed but flinched back, looking over at the Loud Jin uncertainly, “the Yiling Patriarch is a bigger threat and you just let him get away!”

Lan Wangji did not move or change his expression in the slightest, “I was not the one chasing him,” he said, and it was true…this time. “I was fulfilling the goal of the night hunt.” He didn’t add that the Yiling Patriarch hadn’t started running until the Jin showed up. The dark cultivator had seemed content to stick around before that.

“You should have helped us!” the Jin was right up in his face now, “we need capture the Yiling Patriarch before he does something worse! Not some stupid weak little yao that any junior could take care of!”

The second jade felt his hand twitch as he fought down the urge to Silence the rude cultivator. Surely even Jin Guangshan wouldn’t take offense to it. At least the silence would be the least potential insult to another sect. Although now he was wondering about the intelligence of Lanling Jin as a whole, if one of their cultivators was so set on vastly underestimating how much damage a yao like that could do to an inexperienced cultivator. There was a reason that there were no Juniors in this nighthunt, except as a support capacity. The Jin cultivator was still yelling something about the Yiling Patriarch, but all it seemed to be was bitterness that he had gotten away.

When he next paused for breath Lan Wangji finally spoke up. “If you have any more questions about the night hunt, the support team should be here soon to answer them.” Then he whirled around to leave, ignore the outraged yelling behind him. Even Uncle would probably approve of at least this level or rudeness when dealing with such a character.

A few minutes later he was on his sword, heading back towards his apartment building, phone in hand.

“....so they were just passing through on their own errand and when they heard about the night hunt they volunteered to assist,” Lan Xichen said over the line, sounding almost apologetic, “it happened so fast that I didn’t get a chance to get word through to you that the Jin sect was acting as backup. Sorry, didi.”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji said. He had thoughts about how easily the Jin had shown up, especially given the distance from Lanling but he decided to ignore it, “they seemed more concerned with the Yiling Patriarch than with actually helping with the night hunt. They ignored the yao entirely.”

“I’m sure they assumed that you were capable of taking care of it, and thought they were going after a different threat,” his brother actually sounded confident about that, that was the thing. Lan Wangji sighed.

“They were annoyed I didn’t assist them with the Yiling Patriarch,” the second Jade said blandly. “The leader scolded me for it. Rudely.”

“Oh.” Lan Xichen’s voice became dangerously cheerful, “Really. I’ll remind them that they’re here for assistance only, not to critique the way the sect does things.” That was the tone that Lan Wangji was used to hearing from his brother when he was dealing with elders. Then he let out a breath, “but I suppose it’s understandable given how much trouble the Jin sect has had with the Yiling Patriarch…..”

The words made Lan Wangji pause for a moment, “Why does the Jin sect have so much contact with the Yiling Patriarch,” he said slowly, “when he has never been known to operate in Lanling?” Because the second Jade did remember stories of many clashes the Jin had with the dark cultivator, but they all seemed to take place in the territory of other sects.

“That…” Lan Xichen seemed to falter for a moment before he pulled himself together, “I’m not sure, but I’ll have to ask A-Yao about it. Perhaps he has some connection to the Jin?”

The second Jade fought down a twitch at the mention of Jin Guangyao - he was a good friend of his brother’s , but he couldn’t help thinking that Lan Xichen accepted some of his words far to easily. Still, he had nothing that he could actually say against the man so he chose to ignore it.

They exchanged a few more words, mostly reassuring his brother that he was, he hadn’t even fought the Yiling Patriarch really, and was told the clean up crew was already on the scene. They said goodbye shortly before Lan Wangji saw the balcony come into view. Gentian apartments was actually a smaller-ish building as far as the surroundings went, with his penthouse on the top floor. One of the reasons that he had been drawn to it was the larger balcony that it possessed - one that had solar-powered lights scattered around the fence around the edges of it. Something that made it a very convenient landing platform for someone who knew how to fly with a sword, even at night.

As he finally stepped into the new apartment he let out a breath, willing himself to relax. He was used to going back to the Jingshi after a night hunt, his body always read that as ‘safety’. Apparently some part of him was still getting used to the fact that this was now his home.

As he looked around, something in his throat felt tight for a moment. The apartment was cold, dark, and echoing empty even though it was furnished and there were only a few neatly stacked boxes he had yet to unpack. He had faced the dark countless times since he had started training as a cultivator. Yet now faced with it in his own home, he felt unnerved.

Quickly he crossed the room, footsteps echoing far to loudly even in this small place, and switched on the light. Then turned to look uneasily at his new domain again. His, yes, but it was far from the rest of the sect. The phone call he had just ended was all his brother could do to check in on him. There would be no surprise visits from Lan Xichen ‘just making sure’ he was all right. No meals delivered from the sect kitchen. His brother would often come into his house to turn on the lights before he came home, he realized. Now there would be no one to do that. There would be no dinner brought over from the sect dormitory kitchens after the night hunt.

For a moment the crushing alien feel of the apartment bored down on him. This was no the place he had grown up in. This was not the Jingshi that he had been given when he was old enough to graduate from the children’s dormitory. There was none of that familiar comfort. Not even the view outside the windows wasn’t something that would be assuring - nothing more than the lifeless city view instead of Cloud Recesses.

And it was something he had personally chosen. For the first time in his life it was not a temporary stay, but a place he would be living for the foreseeable future. Something he would just have to deal with.

With a deep breath he moved away from the wall, trying to focus on what he needed to do to finally be able to sleep. There was nothing else he could do, after all.

~*~*~*~*~*

The next day was the start of the rest day after a night hunt. Lan sect policy ensured that each cultivator who participated in a hunt received a day of rest after - and cultivators who actually made contact with the hunt target were given at least an additional day off. So Lan Wangji found himself at loose ends, in an entirely new place.

After waking up, after his usual morning routine he spent time writing out a detailed report for the night hunt, using the hasty notes he had scribbled out before he’d fallen into bed for a restless sleep. After that was submitted, he’d moved on to unpacking the last few boxes he had left, in the hope that would make the apartment feel more like he belonged here. He even took several pictures of the apartment to send to Nie Huisang. The Nie sect heir had been bothering over text about what his ‘new digs’ looked like, and he thought it would placate him for a while. Nie Huisang was the only truly social contact he had in his phone, so he felt he should at least respond somewhat.

A fact he regretted the moment Nie Huisang texted back that his apartment’s lack of decorations looked ‘like a weird corporate doctor’s office’, whatever that meant.

Then he set up the spare room he has designated as a music room, and relaxed by meditating as he played, not any spiritual songs - just for simple enjoyment of the music. Mentally calming himself for the dinner later that night.

At last he couldn’t put it off any longer, and headed over to get ready for the dinner. They were meeting at a restaurant, at his brother’s insistence. A neutral meeting place then. So, civilian formal then, instead of cultivator robes. Technically, most places in the city were familiar enough with cultivators - and Gusu Lan in particular - that he could wear his robes. Uncle would no doubt disapprove though, and in this one thing Lan Wangji was willing to grudgingly agree with him. It felt odd to be in a civilian establishment when he wasn’t dressed as one. So this time he donned a white suit with a light blue dress shirt, and pulled his hair into a side braid that had the ends of his white sect ribbon woven through it. The last a small act of rebellion - it was a recent fashion among the younger cultivators that his Uncle hated. Yet it wasn’t strictly breaking any rules, so his Uncle could only grumble.

For a moment before he left he looked over towards the balcony. As a cultivator of a registered sect, he was allowed to use swordflight casually. He could use that to get over to the restaurant…but that would probably be more trouble than it was worth and he would feel out of place dressed like this with a sword at his side. With last glance at the lights flickering on outside he turned and headed towards the elevator.

There were other apartments that had private elevators up to the penthouse. Lan Wangji had looked at several of them. This, however, was not one of them. In a strange way it had appealed to him, not insulating him from the rest of the inhabitants of the building. He was completely unsurprised when the elevator stopped for a moment at the floor below his own.

As the doors dinged open, there was an explosion of movement, of presence that seemed to fill the space as someone charged in. Everything abruptly seemed too crowded even though it was only one extra person, leaning over with their hands on their knees as they breathed heavily.

“Thank fuck!” a deep voice echoed far too loudly for the small box they were in, “actually made it!”

The blur of black and red finally straightened up as the doors closed, and Lan Wangji realized it was actually another person instead of some sort of chaotic spirit. A man, with long black hair pulled up in a high ponytail , tall - very tall, Lan Wangji realized. He was fairly tall himself and this person had what might be an inch on him. He was also lithe, but clearly worked out in some way because he had muscle definition - a fact which Lan Wangji was trying very hard not to notice as his ears burned but was almost impossible to ignore since the man seemed to be wearing a fishnet shirt. Oh, there was a bright red crop top over it but it was very brief. The long sweeping sleeveless coat didn’t do anything to hide that the fishnets on his arm didn’t cover any of the myriad of tattoos he sported. The baggy black pants with chains and the thick black boots were the most decent part of the outfit and even then they only seemed to draw attention to everything else.

Lan Wangji was trying very hard not to stare, but it was hard when the man was chattering away to himself, something about ‘I’m not late!’, and then he noticed the sparkling red drop of an earring the man was wearing and found himself almost distracted. Thankfully the man was also not paying attention, instead intent on taking a selfie and then quickly texted someone, still muttering as he did so. For a moment the second jade had hope that would keep the stranger’s attention until they reached the ground floor and he wouldn’t have to talk with the vibrant stranger.

Moon-silver eyes met his, dashing his hopes, and he was treated to an infectiously blinding grin, “Sorry about that,” the man said with a pleasant voice, “I…. well hellllo,” the man abruptly leaned back a little, and Lan Wangji felt his eyes sweep up and down him with an admiring gaze, “where did you come from? There might be a couple of people in the building I haven’t talked to yet, but I would have remembered seeing someone that looked like you around,” and then the man had the temerity to wink at him, “you’re way too hot to not stand out. I bet no one ever forgets you.”

The flirting was targeted and pointed and Lan Wangji felt his ears turn to fire, “Shameless!” he hissed leaning away, wishing that the elevator was bigger.

But all the stranger did was laugh, “that’s m…” suddenly the man froze, “wait,” he said slowly and peered closer in a way that felt completely different from what he had been doing. Then abruptly he went pale and jerked back, away as if Lan Wangji had threatened him, and hit the side of the elevator with a thud. Then he raised a hand and pointed at the second jade, “L…lan Wangji! Hánguāng-jūn!”

Lan Wangji blinked at the sudden change in demeanor. Although the man recognizing him caught him a bit off-guard, he wasn’t completely surprised by it. He had been one of the public faces for the Gusu Lan sect for years, and was often dragged in for articles reporting on successful night hunts. It wouldn’t be the first time a civilian had realized who he was even outside his usual uniform, but usually there was less…terror and more uncomfortable fawning. “Mn,” he said because he didn’t see the point in deny it.

“What are you doing here!?” the man demanded, still pointing, “and why are you a person!?”

The last was…slightly confusing, but perhaps it was because this distressingly dressed man had only heard rumors of what cultivators actually were. That also, unfortunately not uncommon, “I have always been human,” he said shortly, making sure he was looking at the safety poster over the man’s shoulder, so he was not staring at either his silver eyes or his bare stomach.

“I know that!” squawked the man, “I meant the rest of it! The whole,” he gestured at Lan Wangji, “the whole rest of it! And what are you doing here anyway? I know no one here has a haunting! Or a curse! Or an anything cultivator related!”

The second Jade blinked again, “living,” he said bluntly, wondering again about the distress on the man’s face.

“What does that mean!?” the man all but wailed before his eyes went wide, “wait. Wait. You’re the guy who moved in upstairs aren’t you? What. The. Fuck.” He pointed again, “Why here!? Why aren’t you in Cloud Recesses.”

The demand was an echo of his Uncle’s arguments, and sent his hackles up, “That is none of your business,” he snapped, voice as cold as winter ice. The stranger paused then, still looking at him suspiciously. Yet didn’t say anything for the last few seconds it took the elevator to reach the ground floor.

The stranger darted towards the doors almost as soon as they opened, “guessI’llseeyouaround!” he might have said before he was gone but Lan Wangji wasn’t sure, and just stared after the man’s retreating back bemusedly. Then shook his head and stepped off of the elevator. Distracting-strangers-who-might-be-neighbors aside, he still had a dinner to get too. One that he could only hope would at least be civil.

#mdzs #mo doa zu shi #the untamed #'which one is the magical girl?' you ask #Both. Both is good #Look I managed to keep a chapter under 10k for once!

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callgespenst · 4 months ago

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It wasn't a hugely eventful convention or anything but I should probably still write up my Matsuricon 2024 report.

Thursday: Had a friend stay over at my place for the weekend. Pregamed the con by watching a few more episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

Friday: Cosplayed Soujyurou from Mahoyo, made the jacket and safety pinned my Robin plush to my shoulder. Showed up, grabbed my badge, ran our Lupin III panel for the first time in...four and a half years? Went out into the hallway to chat with people who attended the panel. Then suddenly it was four hours later and we went home.

Saturday: Went home early on Friday to be awake and in a panel room at 8 AM on Saturday to talk about robots for two hours. Midway through the 90s we realized that, despite getting the longest possible timeslot, we were still almost out of time, and had to blast through the last three decades. Haven't done that panel in a while either (haven't done too many panels in general since the pandemic).

Got lunch and looked around the dealer's hall for a bit. I got a rubber charm of Bocchi (of Rock) from a gachapon machine. Not a whole lot else I was interested in, but that's objectively a good thing. Then it was off to the YGO tournament!

I'd revamped my deck (again) because I had made a few key realizations. First, I don't know my opponents' decks well enough to effectively use hand traps to shut down a combo. Second, many modern decks are relatively unprepared to handle a board-clearing spell. Monster effects are simple to negate and counter with a full board. But spells, maybe not. And third, and this one is the most critical part: having a balanced deck of 50/50 monsters/spells and traps no longer matters. I was taking out a bunch of monsters that would never, ever actually be played to the field, their only point in my deck was to be discarded as a counter; to switch in three copies of Raigeki, three Dark Holes, and two Lightning Storms.

It wasn't a huge tourney, there were eleven other players, for what would end up being three rounds of single elimination. My first game, I played a guy who had some kinda deck full of Dinosaurs and counter trap cards. It was an interesting playstyle I hadn't seen before, but I won that 2-0. Second game, Kashtira. Won the first duel, lost the second, won the third. Third and final game, which I sure didn't expect to get to the finals, was vs Ancient Gears, another deck that prefers to go second. Lost the first game, won the second, and I might have been able to win the third if I hadn't let myself get psyched out. But I'm still pretty pleased with my performance, considering I've lost just about every other match I've played with my new deck 0-2.

The second place prize was a bunch of tournament packs, and first place was as well, plus a free badge for next year. The first place winner let me have his pack pulls, which was nice, I'm still building back up a selection of trades to have available. I didn't really need a free badge for next year anyway since I'm planning on paneling again, and my opponent getting a free badge means we can rematch next year! So honestly, I'm kinda glad I got second.

Also while everyone waited for the tourney to start, everyone was ribbing on one guy for his very expensive deck he was keeping in the world's most basic $3 deckbox, so that was entertaining. Reminded me of the fellas I used to play YGO with at the local library, where there was always some friendly banter back and forth.

After that I hung out with a few more friends, played some Melty Blood, and went home.

Sunday: The traditional day at a con where I play mahjong with the homies until we pack up and go home. I got in one whole game before we took all the tables back to our organizer's car (that took half an hour to find). That wrapped up the event and then I got home and conked out early Sunday evening and most of Monday too. I didn't even do a whole lot of running around or anything, I was just tired.

Also my last few conventions have been so overwhelmingly positive on the whole that I forgot that these events are also frequented by people who are weird in not-fun ways. That last mahjong game, had a fella start spouting off about he hates being referred to as cis, despite being a cis hetero male. I hit him with the "I hate the cis because they are led by the treacherous Count Dooku" and that worked surprisingly well at changing the subject, but it was still, terribly awkward there for a second, especially when another of our club's regulars at the same table is one of the most Gender individuals I know.

Anyway that's probably my last anime con for the year, but there's a new event coming to the area in April I think I'll hit up, excited to see what that's like.

#gespenst updates #gespenst dueling

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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 2 years ago

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Planning on seducing Elrond and it not going exactly as you had planned would involve...

Elrond x reader. This is a modern!AU.

Dedicated to the lovely @montyc !! Thank you so much for your support!!

*****

🧝 You and Elrond meet on the job, since you both work for Gil-Galad, an important businessman; Elrond is his personal assistant and speechwriter, while you work in the marketing department.

🧝 You soon find out you take the same train to go to work and return home. You don't actively decide to ride together, waiting for each other at the station and sitting together, it just happens, and soon a friendship develops between the two of you.

🧝You like Elrond a lot. Clever, kind, humble and hard-working, focused on his work and capable to carry out a conversation and make you laugh the rest of the time, he is exactly the type of person you could appreciate; you rarely interact while in the office, but when it happens you work so well together that Gil-Galad assigns the two of you on a new project to manage together. Elrond also clearly appreciates you since, while he is friendly with most colleagues, you are the first real friend he makes at the office, and he often proposes to hang out in your free time.

🧝Life is not always easy for Elrond. While the company has strict rules against workplace bullying and a couple of employees have already been dismissed for mobbing, your friend is harassed by colleagues and superiors, who either resent his close relationship with Gil-Galad or belittle him for his Half-Elven origins; there have been a couple of very unpleasant episodes that he never reported to your boss or the HR Department despite the urging of his friends, inclunding you.

🧝Also, there are moments -days, sometimes even weeks- in which his usual sunny demeanor fades into melancholy and sadness, and he withdraws in himself, spending days at a time isolating in his office or at home; more than once you offer your help, your time and your support, to comfort him in whatever problem he is dealing with but, while grateful, he remains tight-lipped about his troubles, determined to keep them for himself.

🧝You care for him; a lot. When he is sad, worried or mistreated, you know there is nothing you would not do to see him smile again; in any case, he is the best company you could wish for, and when you are with him, even if you are just sharing a coffee in your living room or sitting quietly next to each other on the train, you feel happy, relaxed, safe, and you wish those moments would never end.

🧝Even through you think the world of him, it takes you a while to realize your feelings go beyond mere friendship; you have always known Elrond is handsome, with his elegant features, sunny smile and deep, warm brown eyes, but at some point you realize your heart beats twice as fast when he takes your hand to help you (he is such a gentleman!) climb down a ladder or that the flush on your face is due to a specific reason that time that you accidentally enter his office while he is changing his shirt after an accident with a cup of coffee...

🧝You have a crush on your friend; maybe even something more than that, you reflect one night when sleep has eluded you and you spend a whole hour staring at the ceiling, lost in your thoughts, and while you already consider yourself lucky to be his friend, you wish your relationship would develop beyond that.

🧝The problem is, you have no idea whether he shares your feelings or not; Elrond is an extremely private person, and while you know for sure he is single, you have no idea whether his heart beats for someone in particular. If you confessed your... affection, and you found it is not reciprocated, it could be the end of your friendship, and that you want to avoid at all cost.

🧝So you decide to... test the waters, trying to make your affection known to see whether Elrond reciprocates and at the same time acting with enough discretion to save you both the embarrassment if he had to let you down. You take special care in your appearance when you hang out, make sure you spend time together alone and not with other friends, especially in the privacy of your home or his, and take every opportunity to touch him -obviously not in a way that would make him uncomfortable; an hand on his arm to get his attention, your thigh lightly pressed against his when you sit side by side on the train, your usual hugs lasting just a second more and your kisses slightly moving from his cheeks towards his mouth- hoping to elicit a physical reaction before an emotional one.

🧝It doesn't work; not in the slightest.

🧝The problem is, your relationship with Elrond is already close, warm and affectionate; you already spend so much time together, mainly without the company of other friends, that there is not much more that you can do to in that regard without potentially resulting intrusive, and your friend is physically affectionate by his nature, as well as always complimenting you on the way you look or dress, which makes it difficult to understand whether those gestures and words are given out of friendship or something else.

🧝So, you decide to step your game up. One night when you have decided to visit a club together, you wear a particularly... interesting dress, showing more of your cleavage and legs than you normally would, and later, when you sit on his sofa to watch a movie, you press yourself against his side, almost sitting on his lap. Still, it doesn't work; Elrond compliments your dress, like he has done a thousand times before, and while you sit together, he simply asks if you are comfortable or want a pillow to put behind your back. Damn him! How can such a clever person be so clueless?

🧝Of course it is also possible that he knows perfectly what you are up to, and ignores your advances because he is not interested in you like that and is trying to let you down as gently as he can. It could be, you admit to yourself, since you have been friends for three years now and he has never shown to want more than friendship from you, but you still suspect... or maybe it is just wishful thinking, who knows... that he simply hasn't realized what you are doing. Which can only mean one thing...

🧝You have to be even more direct. You have tried dressing up to impress him; now you will do the opposite.

🧝Gil-Galad is away on an important business trip, and while Elrond usually leaves with him in his role of the CEO's personal assistant, this time he has been left home to run the company while Gil-Galad is away, a choice that has displeased many higher-ups and has made you enormously proud of your friend. Elrond has never been so busy, but he is doing a great job, even at the expense of his personal time. He deserves to be rewarded... and you are only to happy to take the matters in your own hands.

🧝The next day at work you barely see Elrond, who had to come to work early to take care of his new responsabilities, and who remains after everyone has left after dark. You, inspired by your friend's dedication to his duties, make sure to complete your work, then you wait for the building to be empty except for you.

🧝You have bought some very special lingerie, in a color Elrond once told you looks particularly good on you; your hands tremble as you put it on in the ladies' restroom, paired with a pair of high heels, then you fix your hair and make up. You look at your reflection in the mirror and yes, you tell yourself, you look really nice, and if Elrond doesn't want you tonight, he never will.

🧝The thought makes your legs shake as you cross the corridors, dark and empty, having covered yourself with a long coat; Elrond's office -he didn't want to occupy Gil-Galad's while he is away, even if it means having to go back and forth between the two rooms to check the CEO's mail and files; he is so humble, you have thought, your heart full of love and pride- is on the second floor, the light inside visible through the colored glass walls. You take a deep breath, push the door open, and enter.

🧝"Hello, Elrond; would you like some company?" you ask, in what you hope is a sensual voice -but maybe it is just corny- standing in front of his desk; you open the coat, revealing the lingerie you are wearing, and let it fall on the floor. You look at him, waiting for his reaction and hoping it is the right one... and then you freeze as you realize you have come in the least opportune moment.

🧝Elrond is crying. Sitting behind his desk, his back bent as if wishing to offer as small a target as possible to an attacker; his shirt, his hands and face and even his hair are dirty with what seems to be green paint, and your poor friend is shaking as he cries, holding something against his chest.

🧝He is so lost in his own pain that he didn't hear you come in, and when he realizes you are standing there, taken aback and not knowing what to do, he gasps, and then he looks at you, goggle-eyed. "Oh, you are here, I didn't hear... what are you wearing?! Why are you half-naked?!"

🧝"I wanted to surprise you, obviously! And make my intentions clear, since you appear to be blind to what I feel!" you cry, and seeing him blush is quite satisfactory, but whatever intention you had for tonight disappears from you mind a second later: you have no idea what has happened, but your friend clearly needs help and care.

🧝"What is wrong? Are you all right? Why are you covered in paint?" you ask as you hastily put your coat back on and walk to him; he shakes his head as he tries not to look at you, but then he sighs, too exhausted and pained to focus on your state of undress.

🧝Today is the anniversary of his brother's death. Elrond has lost him when the two twins were barely more than children, and while many years have passed since then he has, nor he could, never overcome the loss of the person who was closest to him, as well as the death of his parents, also untimely. Your poor friend has lost his entire family when he was still a boy, and that grief has remained his constant companion ever since, especially in the days that remind him of his solitude the most, like the festivities and the anniversary of his relatives' deaths. This is way he sometimes appears melancholic without an apparent reason, and even though he is generally more than happy and satisfied with his life; still, today he couldn't stop thinking about Elros, his beloved little brother, and he was so tired and stressed for his already demanding job and the added responsibilities due to Gil-Galad's absence. Moreover, those idiot colleagues who disapproved of the CEO's high regard for his assistant decided to pull a cruel prank on him.

🧝"I had gone to Gil-Galad's office to check some files, and returning I found the door ajar; I didn't think much of it, even though I always make sure to close it when I leave, but then... they had placed a bucket full of green paint above the door, and when I closed it, the bucket fell and its content spilled all over me. This shirt was new, and I am so tired and I have so many things to do, then I started thinking about Elros again, and... and..."

🧝It is too much, you realize as your heart fills with so much pity it could break it, too much even for a clever and resilient Elf like him; he could bear to do the CEO's job as well as his own, or face his colleagues' bullying, or mourn his family and withstand the solitude and the grief stemming from it... but not all three of those things together. No one could.

🧝"It is all right; cry if you want, if it makes you feel better." you whisper as you hug him, caressing his hair as you hold him trying to comfort him; you are still half-naked, the coat only partially covering your body, but neither of you pays any attention to it "My poor friend... if only I knew you were suffering so much. Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you..."

🧝Elrond delicately points out that actually you couldn't, since his family is lost forever and you don't have the expertise to help him carry out Gil-Galad's duties. He is sorry you had to see him like this, he had a... a moment of weakness, but he is all right, he can go back to work...

🧝 "That is out of the question; you cannot work properly in the state you are in, especially not today, and especially not after what those idiots have done to you. You need to go home and rest; come on, I will come with you." you decide; this is definitely not how you had imagined, not to mention hoped, your night would go, but now you need to take care of your friend, and this comes before everything else... including the embarrassment you will feel yourself blush with as soon as you won't have anything more important to focus on. "Come on. I need five minutes to put my clothes back on; I'll see you at the door."

🧝 Usually you are not so assertive, and maybe because of this, or maybe just because he is too tired, Elrond half-heartedly tries to protest he has too much to do to call it a night, but then he relents. The thing he was holding to his chest as he cried is the framed photo of his family, taken during the last birthday party he ad his brother celebrated with their parents; he kisses it reverently before putting it back in its place on the desk, and does his best to remove the green paint at least from his hands and face.

🧝 Five minutes later, fully dressed once more, you join him at the door. There is no awkwardness between the two of you, only compassion and gratitude; Elrond doesn't want the people you would meet on the train to see him in his state, so you call a cab and ask to be driven to his apartment.

🧝 "I will wait for you, shall I?" you propose once you have closed the door behind you "And I will prepare some tea while you take a shower, you look like you need it." Elrond's smile is weak but grateful, and as you take your coat off you see his eyes drift along your body, as if he is remembering what you had meant to offer him; he says nothing -because he is not interested? Or simply because he is waiting for the right moment?- but his look is enough to make you blush, maybe because in it you see what you want to see, or maybe because after being so brazen at the office, now you can't help feeling naked and defenseless, your feelings as exposed and easy to read as your body was, an hour ago.

🧝 When Elrond returns, wearing clean clothes and having gotten rid of that blasted paint, you welcome in his own kitchen with a smile and a cup of his favorite tea. You have just made a pot of it, and you drink it together, sitting side by side as you have done a thousand time already, and you don't need to tell him how sorry you are for everything he is dealing with, the mobbing and the pressure and the mourning for his family: he knows already, because he knows you, and he has never been so grateful as he is now.

🧝"Do you want me to leave?" you ask softly in the end, instinctively taking his hand in yours "When I am sad I like to have my friends close, but if you'd rather be alone to relax..." Elrond shakes his head; usually he does prefer to be alone when he's dealing with something important or dramatic -or both- but this is different... you are different, and he has known within three days of meeting you. "To be honest... I'd really like for you to stay. I don't think I can be good company and I want to go to bed early, since tomorrow I'll have to go back to work, but..." "But you don't want to be alone?" "Being alone would be fine; but being with you would be even better."

🧝You obviously accept. You order a pizza at Elrond's favourite restaurant, and you eat it together in front of the TV, paying little attention to the movie on the screen but enjoying each other's company as you have always done. Elrond wraps his arm around your waist, and you rest your cheek against his shoulder; there is nothing romantic about those gestures, but they speak of the affection and the trust between you, the way you just need to be together to feel comfortable and safe and happy, and you will treasure it as long as you live.

🧝"You need to talk to Gil-Galad." you tell him in the end; you know the last thing he wants to talk or even think about are the reasons for his moment of desperation just three hours ago, but you know that if he doesn't do something to change things, his situation will never improve "It was not fair of him to delegate all his work to you, since you are already so busy with yours. I know you are the person he trusts the most, and you should be proud of it; but this doesn't mean he can double your workload and not think about the consequences. Your mental health matters as well, and there is no shame in asking for help." Elrond nods, too tired to argue, and promises that the next time he will have to substitute the CEO, he will ask Gil-Galad to assign someone to work with him, to share the added workload.

🧝"And, you'll have to report the idiots who pulled that prank on you." you add, still munching your pizza, and Elrond sighs; he clearly would like to relax and enjoy his dinner and your company, rather than discussing such an unpleasant matter. "Can't we talk about it another time?" "I am sorry, we have to; and don't pretend you wouldn't insist as well, if I were the bullied one. Because this is bullying, not just pranks or friends joking around; you are continuously insulted, demeaned and harassed by your colleagues, and this cannot go on. The longer you do nothing, the crueler they will get. You need to tell Gil-Galad, and the HR; or I swear I will."

🧝 Your friend sighs, clearly unhappy at the thought of you getting involved in something he would like to forget; but he has to realize you are right, because "I'll think about it, I promise." he says in the end, and you are satisfied, because unlike a thousand other people he really means those words when he says them; his free hand finds yours, and for the first time since you met, you perceive his shyness as he looks at you "Now... I could call a cab for you, but..."

🧝You smile. Eru, you love him so much. "But?" "But, I would really appreciate if you stayed the night. With me. In my bed. I know it wouldn't be proper, but it would really be... of comfort to me, and..."

🧝 Those are the words you needed to hear. "Elrond?" "Yes?" "Stop talking. Do you have a shirt and a pair of shorts I could borrow?"

🧝 And so you find yourself sleeping, and only that, in your friend's double bed, wearing his clothes, after using a new toothbrush in his bathroom. You happily snuggle under the covers, and a similar joy is clear in Elrond's smile as he snakes an arm around you, to keep you close. As deep and close the friendship between the two of you has been, this is new, and beautiful because of it; to pass your fingers in his hair, still damp after the shower, to feel the heat of his body as you snuggle against him, to hear the strong, peaceful beating of his heart as you rest your cheek against his chest.

🧝 You smile in the darkness of the cozy room, and Elrond should not be able to see it, but he does, and answers with a smile of his own as he kisses your forehead. "I know this is not the night you had hoped for..." "Oh? You know?" "Well... not to be presumptuous, but I think I can make an educated guess. And I am sorry I cannot... give you what you wanted, since I am exhausted; but I am so happy you came."

🧝 You smile again as you turn on one side to look at him. Since I am exhausted, he said, which means that he would have welcomed your visit the way you had hoped, had he been less tired; this bodes well for you and the future you had hoped, but there will be time to think about that, time to talk and discuss and make plans. Now you only want to enjoy this moment, this intimacy with the Elf who has captured your heart, and in the meanwhile, make sure he is all right. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." you whisper as you cradle his smooth cheek in your hand "So clever, and loyal, and hard-working, and kind; I wish you would see how much respect you deserve, and that your origins are nothing to be ashamed of, quite the opposite..."

🧝 "I am not ashamed of my origins, and of my parents; I could never. And because of that, I am not touched by offenses and insults." You tell him you are glad to hear that, but that his moral superiority does not give his colleagues the right to keep harassing him, especially when the abuse turns physical; that night has been the last episode of a long list, and you wouldn't be surprised to discover that your friend has been shoved or tripped more than once.

🧝"You need to tell Gil-Galad, Elrond; about that, and about the need to share your responsibilities with someone else when he is away. Please, promise me you will." He huffs, but there is affection in his eyes, that you can see despite the darkness, not contrariety. "All right; I promise. Can we sleep now?"

🧝 The feeling of the soft sheets against your skin is pleasant, but not as pleasant as the one of Elrond, safe and content and in peace once again, holding you in his arms and kissing your hair as you both wait for sleep to claim you, your hand caressing his chest to listen to the beat of his heart.

*****

🧝 The other half of the bed is empty when you wake up the next morning, the memory of body heat on the sheet the only proof you haven't slept alone. For a moment you stare at that emptiness, more saddened and disappointed than any other time something like this has happened in the past, but then you realize this is different, because this is not your apartment or an hotel room found for a specific purpose, but his bed, and that Elrond has gotten up before you doesn't mean that he wants to forget everything that has happened... or not happened, since he was so tired. But you are happy nonetheless.

🧝 You visit the bathroom next to the bedroom, cleaner and tidier than what you could expect from a five star hotel, brushing your teeth and making a half-hearthed attempt to fix your hair. Then you move to the kitchen, where you are welcomed by the delicious smell of bacon, as well as Elrond's smile; he's standing in front of the stovetop, barefooted and handsome enough to leave you breathless, looking at you above his shoulder.

🧝You quietly exchange your hellos, and he confesses that last night he has slept better than he has in a long time, and for the first time in weeks he feels well-rested and ready to start a new day. He insists on preparing breakfast by himself, while you wait sitting at the table. You share a look, but neither he nor you feel the need to talk until he serves you a plate with a delicious breakfast, and a cup of coffee prepared exactly as you like it. "I just wanted to say... about what you did last night..."

🧝 "What did I do?" you ask, displaying your most perplexed impression.

🧝"Please, do not make fun of me. I just wanted to say... I am flattered. And I know I ruined the moment -no, no, it's ok- but if you would give me a second opportunity... I have cared for you for a long time, and I never thought you would think about me as something more than a friend, but I would like to show you... how important you are..."

🧝Your friend is even more adorable when blushing and stammering, but in the end you can't help putting him out of his misery. "Elrond." you start covering the hand resting on the table with yours "I have been flirting with you for four months and last week I spent a week's wage on a dress to impress you. Believe me, you are also very important to me. And as much as I care for your well-being and your mental health, it would be a complete lie if I said I only see you as a friend. So if you want to ask me out please do, because I won't refuse."

🧝Elrond's happy and slightly bashful face is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen; he quietly proposes to go out tonight, after he has left the office at the end of his normal working hours instead of staying so late it is almost early, to have dinner and maybe later go dancing. Of course, if you'd rather do something else...

🧝"I'd love that." you quickly reassure him; it is a new side of his personality you are discovering, awkward and shy when the person in front of him is no longer just a friend, but you quite like it, like you like everything about him "Now I better eat, and then go home to change. Do you mind? It smells delicious."

🧝Elrond sits next to you, in front of the second plate he brought; you feel his leg touching yours under the table, and you smile, and he smiles back, and neither feels the need to talk in the room bathed in the red-yellow early morning light.

Tagging @starlady66 and @elvenenby!

#The Lord of the Rings #The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power #The Rings of Power #Rings of Power #Elrond #Elrond Peredhel #Robert Aramayo #Bellona's stuff

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timetraveltasting · 7 months ago

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THE ORIGINAL PEACH MELBA (1903)

The weekend calls for a sweet treat, so I thought I would make my next Tasting History dessert: a Peach Melba from 1903. The recipe was created by Georges Auguste Escoffier, a French chef who became famous for his elaborate and delicious meals concocted while working for the Savoy Hotel in London, the Ritz Hotel in Paris, and the Carleton Hotel in London. Escoffier's 'Le Guide Culinaire', containing more than 5,000 of his recipes, is still used in cooking classes today, and his restaurant management heralded the popularization of the à la carte menu. The Peach Melba dish itself was one he created in honour of the Australian opera singer, Nellie Melba (he often named his dishes after other celebrities). The recipe originally appeared in Le Guide Culinaire, but the version Max and I use here was written down a bit later and directed at the general public, rather than chefs. I chose to make this recipe because it's simple enough that I hopefully won't screw up, and I absolutely love both peaches and raspberries. See Max’s video on how to make it here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

I only made a few minor changes to the modern recipe below. I decided to boil only 4 peaches, and serve only 2 immediately (saving the other two in the fridge to have the same dish again tomorrow). I also opted not to use the optional almonds, because I just plain don't like them very much. For ice cream, I just used home-brand vanilla bean.

When it came to blanching the peaches, the process went perfectly smoothly - my peaches must have been ripe! I also decided to use a trick that Max mentions in a different Tasting History episode, but not here, which is to score a cross into the end of the peach with a knife before blanching, so you can use the flaps this creates to grab onto when peeling the peach after its ice bath. Easy as pie. When it came to the raspberries, I mashed them by hand, since I don't have a blender. This also worked completely fine, but may have taken me a bit more manpower to crush it through the sieve with my spoon after. Sifting the icing sugar in took a little while, because if I rushed, the icing sugar would clump together and make the puree lumpy. Patience was needed! After an hour in the fridge for the peaches and raspberry puree, it was time to serve. The only tough parts here were that the peaches were a little hard to de-pit after being in the fridge, making my halves more like odd-shaped slices, and the ice cream was a little on the melty side due to our tiny freezer being a little packed at the moment. Still, the dish came out looking like a delicious mess, made to look pretty with a few extra raspberries I saved for garnish instead of the almonds!

My experience tasting it:

As a mid-day dessert, the Peach Melba hit the spot! I'd had a Peach Melba only once before, at a restaurant in Karlovy Vary (Czechia) with a beautiful view, but very terrible service. This homemade one blew that restaurant one out of the water. Nothing can beat perfectly ripe peaches and a fresh, homemade raspberry sauce! You could taste a bit of the sourness of the raspberries still, but it was balanced perfectly by the sweetness of the added powdered sugar, ice cream, and peaches. It was melting quickly, turning into brilliant pastel pink and orange colours, so my husband and I happily wolfed this dish down in record time. Having about half the sauce left and two more peaches, we already decided to have the Peach Melba again tomorrow for dessert. This dish is a real crowd-pleaser, and I plan to make it again if I have company visiting in the summer, or when we're especially craving a sweet treat and I have a bit of time on my hands to prepare it. Escoffier surely knew what he was doing! If you end up making it, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Peach Melba original recipe (1903)

Sourced from Memories of My Life by Auguste Escoffier (1872-1919), 1997.

Peach Melba Choose 6 tender and perfectly ripe peaches. The Montreuil peach, for example, is perfect for this dessert. Blanch the peaches for 2 seconds in boiling water, remove them immediately with a slotted spoon, and place them in iced water for a few seconds. Peel them and place them on a plate, sprinkle them with a little sugar, and refrigerate them. Prepare a liter of very creamy vanilla ice cream and a purée of 250 grams of very fresh ripe raspberries crushed through a fine sieve and mixed with 150 grams of powdered sugar. Refrigerate. To serve: Fill a silver timbale with the vanilla ice cream. Delicately place the peaches on top of the ice cream and cover with the raspberry purée. Optionally, during the almond season, one can add a few slivers of fresh almonds on top, but never use dried almonds.

Modern Recipe

Based on Memories of My Life by Auguste Escoffier and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

6 ripe peaches

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups (250 g) ripe raspberries

1 1/3 cup (150 g) powdered sugar

Slivered almonds, optional

2 pints (1 L) French vanilla ice cream

Method:

Prepare a pot of boiling water and a large bowl of ice water. One or two at a time, set the peaches in the boiling water for just a few seconds, then take them out and immediately put them in the ice water. Leave them there for 10 seconds, then set them on a plate. Repeat with all of the peaches.

Peel the peaches. The blanching should make the peels come right off.

Set the peaches in a single layer on a plate (or two) and sprinkle with the sugar. Cover them lightly so they don’t brown and put them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Blend the raspberries into a puree. Press the puree through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Sift the powdered sugar into the puree a little at a time, whisking until fully incorporated. Refrigerate.

After the peaches and puree have chilled for about an hour, cut the peaches in half.

Add a scoop or two of the vanilla ice cream to each bowl. Top with two peach halves. Drizzle on the raspberry puree and top with the slivered almonds if you wish, then serve it forth.

#max miller #tasting history #cooking #tasting history with max miller #keepers #20th century #Auguste escoffier #desserts #ice cream #fruit #peaches #raspberries #Peach Melba #french recipes #Le Guide Culinaire #france #europe

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bizarrequazar · 2 years ago

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GJ and ZZH Updates — April 30-May 06

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

04-30 → The Go Fighting! Weibo account posted a group promo photo for episode 3. Half an hour later, they also posted individual photos.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted nine more photos from the previous day’s photoshoot in Seoul. Caption: “Boss @ Gong Jun Simon taking a break for half a day, shuttling through the hustle and bustle.”

→ Zhenguoli yogurt posted a second teaser for their endorsement with Gong Jun that would be announced on 05-02. (1129 kadian)

→ The Go Fighting! Weibo account posted a promotional video featuring Gong Jun.

→ A Taobao store that had been used as an “official” means for purchasing the tour package tickets for the Zhang Sanjian concert was closed without refunds, and the tour organizer’s account was frozen. Over 400 people who had made purchases had their names leaked. Whalers blamed CPFs, of course.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted nine photos of him from Go Fighting! episode 3. Caption: “The target is locked, and the battle of the nine mansions is about to start! At 9:00 tonight ... watch boss @ Gong Jun Simon limit reasoning, looking for answers.”

→ BesTV posted four photos of Gong Jun from Go Fighting! episode 3.

→ Episode 3 of Go Fighting! season 9 aired. [full episode (raw)] [GJ cut (raw)]

→ The Instagram posted ten photos of “Zhang Zhehan” in rehearsals.

→ W magazine posted two photos of Gong Jun from the previous day’s Louis Vuitton event to their Xiao Hong Shu. They also posted these and an additional one to their Instagram.

→ Gong Jun posted four photos of himself from the Louis Vuitton event. Caption: “In the night of the Han River, take a closer look at the creative new works of @ Louis Vuitton, and explore the boundaries of style in the colorful modern design.”

05-01 → The Rising with the Wind Weibo posted nine new promotional stills, one of which includes Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted his public schedule for May: Magazine shoots on 05-02 and -05; livestream 05-06; 05-18 and -19 in France for an event and livestream. Caption: “Flourishing growth, everything is safe. Boss @ Gong Jun Simon's itinerary for this month has arrived, and he is eager to welcome the new road.” BGM is Rose Sea by 克拉松kkls.

→ Gong Jun posted five photos of himself from the Louis Vuitton event to his Instagram. Caption: “Tour the Han River“

→ Chrison posted an outtake video teasing their interview with Gong Jun that would release two days later.

→ The Instagram posted ten photos of “Zhang Zhehan”. Fan Observations: - The scars from his knee surgery are missing again. - Around this time, whalers started openly questioning how off the recent Zhang Sanjian photos have looked, with some claiming it’s because the photo editor is “colluding with CPFs.” 🤡

→ Louis Vuitton posted a photo of Gong Jun from their event to their Weibo and Twitter.

→ #ZhangZhehanBangkokConcert trended on Twitter.

05-02 → Zhenguoli posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun, announcing him as their new spokesperson. Caption: “Zhenguoli joins hands with the brand spokesperson @ Gong Jun Simon to taste the taste of youth. What is the taste of youth? Is it the longing on the road? Or the joy of harvesting flowers? ( ˶ｰ̀֊ｰ)੭ Youth is full of unknowns, but we believe that no matter what, there will always be rejoicing! ง⍢⃝ว” Fan Observation: The outfit he wore for this ad campaign is similar to one Zhang Zhehan wore for an ad campaign in June 2021.

→ Gong Jun posted a commercial he did for Zhenguoli. Caption: “When orange blossom meets honey pomelo, when the fragrance of flowers meets fruit, what kind of taste will the collision of slightly bitter flowers and fruits produce at first taste? Together with @ Zhenguoli, taste the flower and fruit milkshake that has just returned to sweetness, and meet the taste of youth” This was reposted by Zhenguoli and Gong Jun’s studio.

→ Zhenguoli posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ Gong Jun posted a silly douyin of himself. Caption: “Hahahahahahahahahahaha can't imagine”

→ Louis Vuitton posted a video of their event to their Instagram, their Twitter, and their YouTube featuring Gong Jun, among others.

→ The Instagram posted five selfies of “Zhang Zhehan” and five scenery photos.

05-03 → Second anniversary of the first day of the Word of Honor concert.

→ Zhenguoli posted a second commercial featuring Gong Jun. Caption: “Youth, is it bitter? ...... Youth is the courage to know that it is not easy to move forward, but to yearn to go out of your own way; youth is the joy that will blossom and bear fruit one day ᐡ⸝⸝˘̀ᵕ˘́⸝⸝ ᐡ Like the collision of orange blossom and pomelo, the taste of youth is a taste of bitterness at the beginning, but it has its own sweetness~ This May 4th Youth Day, let’s taste the sweetness of youth together with the Zhenguoli brand spokesperson @ Gong Jun Simon!”

→ #Happy2YearsofSHLConcert and #junzhe trended on Twitter.

→ Jimu Entertainment posted an extended clip of Gong Jun from the week’s Go Fighting episode.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted six photos of him for Zhenguoli. Caption: “Encountering freshness, boss @ Gong Jun Simon has a sweet aftertaste~”

→ A bunch of tickets for prime seats at the “concert” that had been kept on reserve for scalpers were made available, showing that less than half had been sold. They were likely returned to the scam gang because they weren’t selling, and were made available for the lower cost in an effort to get them sold before the concert date.

→ Louis Vuitton posted another Instagram reel featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Instagram posted a video with a countdown to the concert.

→ Chrison posted the video of their interview with Gong Jun. [subbed video]

05-04 → Second anniversary of the second day of the Word of Honor concert. #Happy2YearsofSHLConcert and #junzhe continued to trend on Twitter.

→ #Gong Jun says he’s recently a fan of panda Huahua# trended on Weibo’s entertainment hotsearch, being about something he had said in the Chrison interview.

→ The Go Fighting! Weibo posted a trailer for episode 4.

→ Xin Huan Net posted the video for Gong Jun’s new song 追风破浪 (Chase the Wind and Brave the Waves). Gong Jun reposted this with the added caption: “May young people always have the courage to #Chase the Wind and Brave the Waves#, in the name of youth, live up to their youth, and go bravely to hope!” His studio also reposted it, caption: “The footsteps measure the dream, and the struggle lights up the hope! On May 4th Youth Day, @ Gong Jun Simon sings about the years without regrets, conveying the power of youth!”

→ QQMusic posted a video spoken by Gong Jun promoting his new song. Flavour text from the caption: “My dream of chasing the wind and braving the waves is worthy of being watched, and the ups and downs of the road ahead inspire my initial belief. The sound of the grand start is loud and clear, and it is cowardly and irresponsible to hide in the dark. Go bravely to hope.”

→ Zhenguoli posted a video interview with Gong Jun. (1129 kadian) Caption: “🔓Unlock Gong Jun’s Returning to Youth Story In Gong Jun’s heart, youth is about daring to break through, fighting bravely and constantly approaching dreams. Every moment of breakthrough, you will slowly return to the sweetness 𖠚ᐝ 𖠚ᐝ 𖠚ᐝ ” [subbed video]

→ Charlotte Tilbury posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Instagram posted four photos of “Zhang Zhehan”.

→ BesTV posted an extended clip of Gong Jun from Go Fighting! episode 3.

→ SuperELLE posted a short interview with Gong Jun they had filmed after the Louis Vuitton event.

→ (stalking cw) QuelleVous et al. started posting about Danielle, a saesang (stalker fan) of Gong Jun who has been getting very bold recently. When Danielle found out about this, she threatened to sue for defamation despite the fact that she has been openly bragging on social media for months, and she later started deleting her posts. Some solo fans have been trying to defend her. Initial tweets and followups about this: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Background Info: - Danielle has brought her son to at least two of Gong Jun’s offline events in the last half year (Hogan 22-11-07 and the Tiffany event last month) where she had him to call Gong Jun dad. There is footage of this, I will not be linking it. Online, she has made posts referring to herself as “Mrs. Gong” and acting as if Gong Jun is her child’s father. A reminder that some of the smears against Gong Jun in spring 2022 included claims of him having secret children; Danielle acting like this could very easily be used as fodder for more similar slander. - Last week, she booked a first class ticket on the same flight to South Korea as Gong Jun, resulting in him moving to an economy seat to get away from her. She also booked a room in the same hotel. His staff does not seem to have done anything about her behaviour. - Due to the fact that her money and obsessive behaviour has allowed her to get a number of close photos and videos of Gong Jun, quite a bit of her content has been passed around fan circles. [screenshots from one recent video that was heavily circulated] Please try to be conscious of whose content you’re spreading; the fact that Gong Jun is a public figure does not mean he doesn’t deserve privacy.

05-05 → The Instagram posted ten photos of “Zhang Zhehan” and a recording studio.

→ One of Gong Jun’s lawsuits against an anti (see 03-17) came to a conclusion, settling with a handwritten letter of apology posted to her Weibo, removal of all slanderous content, and a fine of 30k RMB. The entire lawsuit took nine months. Fan Observations: Despite the anti trying to get out of the fine by claiming financial difficulties, she recently went overseas for surfing lessons and bought a new luxury car.

→ Chrison posted an article about Gong Jun.

→ The Deep Blue* Weibo Supertopic disappeared, with whalers moving to another supertopic that was created in Feburary which does not have active moderation, leading to slanderous posts being made in it by Zhang Zhehan antis. Before disappearing, the Supertopic had largely been filled with people trying to resell “concert” tickets and encouraging others to fake information for travel visas. *Zhang Sanjian album

05-06 → The official Zhang Sanjian accounts on Weibo started directing whalers to a new Supertopic that became available that day. It was pointed out that it takes 1-3 days for a Supertopic to be approved, and found that the new Supertopic was created less than fifteen minutes after the previous one disappeared.

→ The Instagram posted four photos of “Zhang Zhehan”.

→ Tiffany & Co. posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun appeared in a livestream for L’Oreal. [full recording] [subbed clips]

Additional Reading: → Pfps for Zhang Zhehan’s birthday: [1] [2] [3] [4] → A reminder of Bluebird’s charity drive for Zhang Zhehan’s birthday.

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

#Zhang Zhehan #Gong Jun #Word of Honor #woh cast #lld timeline

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animesavior · 1 year ago

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“Intruding on one soul is something I won't allow. This trespassing of yours shall not stand!”

- Tanjiro Kamado, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (Ep. 04)

The Toonami Trending Rundown for November 2023. After two years of being stuck in “Crunchyroll Jail”, Demon Slayer has finally returned to the better cartoon show to premiere the highly acclaimed Mugen Train arc. And it’s not alone, as Dr. Stone has also returned to resume the second half of the 3rd season, the New World, while IGPX returns to the lineup for the first time in 10 years, as Discotek releases an HD Remaster of Toonami’s first original series.

November 4-5 was a post-Halloween marathon night, as Toonami re-aired Part 1 of Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters, in addition to the first two episodes of IGPX due to the extra hour the block got due to the end of Daylight Savings. In terms of trending, both shows trended in the USA, although the former got some assistance as Part 2 was just released in Japan and on simulcasting. For the night of November 11-12, the premiere night of Demon Slayer and Dr. Stone, #Toonami trended in the USA alongside Demon Slayer and Dr. Stone. #Toonami also trended on Tumblr alongside Demon Slayer and One Piece. On November 18-19, #Toonami trended in the USA on Twitter and on Tumblr, while Demon Slayer and Dr. Stone both trended in the US. And on November 25-26, #Toonami trended in the USA alongside Dr. Stone and IGPX.

The feature for November 11 was a new ID bump made by The Foreign Correspondents' Club. You can check it out below.

The feature for November 18 was a game review of Sea of Stars, a role-playing video game by Sabotage Studio that is available on modern platforms. TOM and SARA have called it a modern-day rendition of the classic Chrono Trigger video game.

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And for November 25, Toonami aired another new ID bump featuring TOM and SARA trying out an explosive new weapon, this time from MoreFrames AnimationCo.

With Demon Slayer finally back on the lineup, Toonami has plenty of Demon Slayer to catch up on. Demon Slayer’s Mugen Train arc is only 7 episodes long, given it’s a TV version of the hit Mugen Train film. But there is also the Entertainment District Arc, which will be an addition 11 episodes in length to complete season 2. Followed by the 11-episode Swordsmith Village Arc that makes up season 3. During the Aniplex panel on Saturday morning at Anime NYC, it was announced that the Entertainment District Arc will also be making its way to Toonami on January 13, following the completion of Mugen Train.

Demon Slayer fans will have plenty more to celebrate in the future, as the official Kimetsu no Yaiba Japanese website has already confirmed that a fourth season is in production, to cover the Hashira Training arc. Additional details are to be revealed on December 10.

When it rains, it pours, and with Toonami rekindling relationships with Aniplex (and potentially all of Sony-Crunchyroll LLC), Aniplex USA has announced on Friday at Anime NYC this weekend that a second show is also on the way for the better cartoon show. Lycoris Recoil, an original anime series directed by Shingo Adachi, the character designer and chief animation director of Sword Art Online, will be joining the Toonami lineup on January 20, as the first new acquisition in the 2024 calendar year.

Luffy from One Piece made his debut on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade this year, as he had his own float parading down the streets of New York City for the very first time. Anime was well represented, as he was joined by a Goku float from Dragon Ball Super, as well as a Christmas themed Pikachu and Eevee float from Pokémon. Unfortunately, Luffy’s hat would deflate after it got snagged by a tree branch due to strong winds in the area. The float was still able to fly and would later be showcased on the NBC broadcast, albeit with Luffy’s straw-hat looking like a bucket hat as a result of the tear and partial deflation.

Finally, Toonami has announced marathon nights for Christmas and New Year’s as the block winds down with the year coming to a close. For Christmas week on December 23, Toonami will air all 7 episodes of Dr. Stone: New World Part 2 it has aired to that point from Midnight to 3:30 a.m. EST. While for New Year’s week on December 30, Toonami will air all 7 episodes of Demon Slayer’s Mugen Train arc from midnight to 3:30 a.m.

Until next time, we hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, congrats to the Texas Rangers for winning the World Series, and see you again next week as always.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

November 4-5, 2023 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [Trended with #IGPX]

#AttackOnTitan [#1]

Eren (From Attack on Titan) [#6]

Armin (From Attack on Titan) [Trended with Eren]

Mikasa (From Attack on Titan) [Trended with Eren]

#IGPX [#12]

Tweet Counts:

#AttackOnTitan [213k tweets]

November 11-12, 2023 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#12]

#DemonSlayer [Trended with #Toonami]

#DrStone [#20]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [3,522 tweets]

#DrStone [3,469 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#Toonami [#5]

#DemonSlayer [#4]

#OnePiece [#2]

November 18-19, 2023 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [Trended with #DrStone]

#DemonSlayer [Trended with #DrStone]

#DrStone [#15]

Tweet Counts:

#DemonSlayer [3,669 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#Toonami [#3]

November 25-26, 2023 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#9]

#DrStone [Trended with #Toonami]

#IGPX [#13]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [3,394 tweets]

If you wish to send me a tip for the work on the trending rundown, donations can be sent to PayPal.Me/DanielLimjoco. All proceeds will be used to help pay for my cable bill and other materials that make this trending rundown possible.

Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

#toonami #adult swim #cartoon network #toonami trending rundown #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #dr. stone #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #igpx #one piece #luffy #goku #eren #mikasa #armin #Youtube

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fancoloredglasses · 1 year ago

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Smile Time (Sesame Street meets modern horror)

[All images are owned by 20th Century Fox Disney and Mutant Enemy Productions. Please don't sue, bite, or stake me]

(This episode was written and directed by Ben Edlund, the mind behind The Tick)

You wouldn’t think a show with horror (and adult) themes would get a toy line, but this show managed not one, but THREE dolls based on the secondary plot complication of the episode (and a fourth, just because). What complication is that? Let’s dive into the episode and find out! If you would like to watch the episode, it’s available on Hulu or behind your favorite paywall.

PREVIOUSLY ON…

Wolfram & Hart (a multinational law office run by demons) has given Angel Investigations control over their Los Angeles branch (in hopes of corrupting the team) and Angel accepts (in hopes of destroying the organization from within). Neither side is doing well at it.

Two refugees from Sunnydale have joined the cast: Harmony, Cordelia’s old Mean Girls BBF (who is now a vampire), is Angel’s personal assistant, while Spike is back from his death scene in the series finale of Buffy as pissed off at the world (but trying to save it) as ever.

One of the people Angel has managed to help is Nina, who has contracted lycanthropy and seeks refuge from Angel (in the form of a cage so she doesn’t hurt anyone) every full moon.

One of Fred’s lab-mates, Knox, has been making romantic advances despite Fred having feelings for Wesley (who is clueless about the latter fact).

Gunn had a legal library implanted into his brain by the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart.

Lorne is in his element as Head of Entertainment Legal

I believe that catches us up, so on with the show!

The cold open has a mom taking care of her sick kid…

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(Thanks to kanemichaelg)

Cue the opening credits!

We come back to Knox and Fred discussing an epidemic of children being found like Tommy (7 reported cases thus far)

Then Fred finds a Valentine’s Day card from Knox in the files and gently shuts him down.

Then Nina shows up for her monthly appointment in Chez Cage. She awkwardly tries flirting with Angel before being escorted to her accommodations.

Then Gunn checks in with Harmony about a case he was working on.

This confuses and upsets Gunn, since his encyclopedic knowledge of law shouldn’t have failed him like that.

Angel discusses this Nina-shaped wrinkle with Wesley (since his curse would be lifted if he achieves True Happiness, as sleeping with Buffy proved (as well as being dosed with a euphoria-inducing drug earlier in his own series. Fortunately, he was back to his old soul-filled self once the drug wore off))

Wesley points out that not all relationships achieve “true happiness”.

Leave it to an ex-Watcher to put things into perspective. (Wesley may have been a twit and an asshat in Buffy, but he certainly came into his own after coming to LA)

Then Fred comes in with the results of her research on the kids. Angel reads the reports, and notes that all of the kids collapsed in the same half-hour time period in front of their TVs. He immediately takes the files and retreats to his office, leaving Wesley and Fred to awkwardly make small talk.

Wesley completely misses the cue and calls for a driver to take Fred home.

In Angel’s office, Angel has to get Lorne to stop talking about Nina long enough to get back to the case. Finally, Lorne has an epiphany about why that particular time period…

The next evening, Angel skulks around the studio where Smile Time is produced. He sees a custodian approach, but he doesn’t acknowledge Angel…

…at all. Angel then sneaks into an office/storeroom used to house props and sets for Smile Time, then pokes around until he sees…

OK, that’s weird. Angel approaches the man when the egg above him starts to…

…smile? Then Angel is hit with a blast of energy that throws him into a pile of boxes. Fortunately it takes more than that to keep a…

…puppet???? down? Cue commercial!

(As a side note, I love that puppet-Angel is as pouty-faced as the regular type)

As we return to the show, Angel has somehow makes it back to Wolfram & Hart undetected and calls for Fred, Wesley, and Gunn.

Then Angel realized Smile Time is on and rushes to watch. Fred has the lab boys record and completely scan the show, while Angel wants to mobilize the Black Ops teams (because of course Wolfram & Hart have Black Ops teams) Angel may have some anger-control issues in his Muppetized state.

After talking Angel down, Lorne reveals that the showrunner for Smile Time is a man named Gregor Framkin, so Angel sics Lorne and Gunn on him (wait, why Lorne? He can’t exactly be seen in Human Company!) while putting Fred and Wesley on figuring out how Framkin affected the kids…and him. And as for what’s happened to him…

Yeah, in an office run by the enemy? That’s definitely gonna stay under wraps.

Then Nina comes in unannounced, so Angel dives behind his desk and pretty much throws her out from there.

But the intrusions don’t stop there.

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(Thanks to TheLocalPlayer)

(Yes, even in puppet form, Angel can kick Spike’s ass)

Meanwhile, Gunn and Lorne have gone to Framkin’s office to attempt to shut whatever he’s up to down.

…but Gunn has forgotten the legalese version of “shut this shit down before we do it for you!” and leaves in embarrassment, but not before letting slip about Angel’s current state (did you forget what “classified” means too?)

No sooner do Gunn and Lorne leave does the camera do a slow pan around Framkin to reveal…

…Framkin’s the puppet and the on-screen cast of Smile Time is pulling the strings! The lead puppet (Polo) gets on the phone and calls the rest of the cast in for a meeting.

Once assembles, Polo announces it's time step up their plan to steal the kids’ life force, so instead on one at a time…

The cast intends to sell the kids’ life force (“100% pure innocence” Obviously they haven’t met the kids I went to school with) to the denizens in Hell and retire in style.

That night in Nina’s iron-clad luxury suite, Angel comes down to talk and smooth things over with her.

…sort of.

Nina starts feeling sorry for herself, so Angel steps in and comes clean. He then says he might be willing to let his guard down for her.

Maybe he should’ve let it down in the morning!

Fortunately, Angel’s made of felt, so…

…nothing a needle and thread can’t fix.

Meanwhile, Gunn has gone to the Mad Scientist who gave him his Instant Law Degree. The (for lack of a better term) doctor says it’s degrading, but he can’t do anything about it because it’s likely the Senior Partners decided it would amuse them. Gunn is desperate and pretty much begs.

The Doctor mentions he has a certain artifact tied up in customs. In exchange for rebooting Gunn’s knowledge…

[SPOILER ALERT: The artifact is the one that contains Illyria, so Gunn’s about to doom Fred!

…not that he would know that, and the Doc ain’t telling!]

Meanwhile, the research into the show goes on. Then Knox comes in and awkwardly tries making small talk (and insulting Wesley) before Fred sends him home. The pair talk a bit about Fred’s love life and Fred’s just about to confess her love for Wesley when he sees…

Polo pressing against the screen when the volume is muted.

Fred and Wesley go to Angel with their findings, and after analyzing the signal strength…

Wesley proposes that the egg is holding the kids’ life force, so destroying it should wake them (and restore Angel to his normal mopey self)

Then the new-and-improved Gunn comes in to drop some legalese.

Gunn tells them that the puppets are the key to everything.

The next morning, Polo puts his plan into action.

Polo gets the kids to touch their TV and begins draining them until…

Gunn manages to decapitate one of the puppets as Polo sends another to guard the egg.

Speaking of the egg, Wesley and Fred have found it and begin the ritual to destroy it. However, a puppet tackles him. Wes tells Fred to continue the spell while he deals with his dance partner.

Meanwhile, Gunn is having his own issues with another puppet.

And as for Angel…

(Thanks to John Thunder)

Wes and Gunn take care of their puppets as Fred finishes the incantation, destroying the egg.

The next morning, Nina wakes up…

…covered in puppet guts. She’s horrified as to what she thinks happened when Angel comes in, much to Nina’s relief!

Angel reports that he’ll be back to himself in a few days as he lets her out.

…and is ready to give a relationship a shot.

Well, that’s one awkward relationship down, let’s check in with the other!

Fred finally corners Wesley and bares herself (so to speak) to him. When Wesley gets a gobsmacked look on his face…

…she throws caution to the wind!

Fortunately, Wesley can take a hint when it smacks him in the face (so to speak) and reciprocates as the show ends.

Now, I mentioned a toy line. I’m pretty sure you can guess that the toys are (HINT: It’s not Polo and the Smile Time cast) Unfortunately, the only way to find them these days is on e-bay.

(Thanks to WorthPoint)

Hell, they even made one for Spike! (and he didn’t even need to be zapped by a demonic egg!)

#buffyverse #angel #spike #david boreanaz #puppets #Fan Colored Glasses

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waitingforeddyneddy · 1 year ago

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I have been reading your asks for the last half hour and I am thoroughly confused by your page. I'm not sure how far I would need to go back for most of it to make sense, but I digress. I wanted to address the claim that Fellow Travelers is an 'anti-communist propaganda' show. I'm curious as to how much you actually know about the red scare and McCarthyism, both historically and how those events are currently perceived.

You would be hard pressed to find a serious scholar who wouldn't refer to that moment in time as a cautionary tale—a blip in history that America would be doomed to repeat. Indeed, the show (the one episode I have to go on so far, and the synopsis of the book) doesn't paint McCarthyism in a positive light at all. McCarthyism being, for all intents and purposes, weaponized anti-communist propaganda. In the show, Tim is a professed anti-communist. This is true. He is also a young man living in 1950's America, who was, like all Americans, heavily scarred by WWII. To say that men like Tim weren't the norm in that era, and thus an irrelevant character for this period piece, would be ludicrous. You simply cannot make a true to life period piece about the 1950s without a general anti-communist sentiment. It's not propaganda. It's just the truth of the time. I might be wrong, but my hunch is that you are against (what you perceive as) anti-communist propaganda because you have a modern day idea of what communism is. I would argue that modern ideas of communism are VERY different from what communism actually produced in the 30s and 40s—a genocide of any and everyone that wasn't Anglo-Saxon, able bodied, opposite-sex attracted, and Christian. The character Tim would have had every cause to fear that type of rule, being a gay man. If the show accurately portrays that, it's warranted.

That is a lot to unpack. But I think if you are going to accuse this series of being 'anti-communist propaganda' then you need to provide receipts. And your earlier claim that (I'm paraphrasing) "Jewish people had a part in it's production, and the author used to be a Republican," is not good enough. You sound anti-sematic and ignorant to the general changes that happened in the Republican party that caused Thomas Mallon to leave it. You also need to explain why anti-communist propaganda is a bad thing.

Anti communist propaganda is bad thing for me cause I am a commie, I don’t have to explain myself to you on this and I’m going to ignore what you said to about what communism did in the 30’s and 40’s

If you have been reading my asks for so long than you have certainly read that the plot of the book/show is not even that relevant as of why people should boycott it in my opininion

Antizionism and antisemitism are two different things so don’t accuse me of being antisemitic. Israel is not a legitimate state and is currently committing genocide.

All I said is that people should not contribute economically to the success of a show made and acted by people who said “there is no Palestine”or something like that. All I said is that fans of the actors should consider 🏴‍☠️ and many of them are fortunately

#fellow travelers #asks

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view-from-over-the-controller · 2 years ago

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Half-Life 2 and Episodes 1&2 - Why 2023 is the best time to experience this masterpiece.

Half-Life 2 and its episodes are a cult classic that I revisited in 2022, they are the cool older brother of the gaming industry, sometimes lost on modern gamers now due to their age. But when I picked up the orange box for Xbox 360 I didn't expect this perfect little collection of games to live up and almost point out the flaws of current video games as they did. They have a class about them, a poise, a nuance that makes them feel utterly distinct.

Much like the cool older brother they have “lived” they have this mystery and status that makes you wish you were there in their hay day, but have a level of care and attention in their design that makes them some of the greatest games that have ever been made.

In this blog, I will break down how the Gameplay, Story, Atmosphere, and creative freedom make these games just a must-play even 18 years plus after their release!

“Pick up that can” - Gameplay

Possibly the most surprising thing to me when I re-acquainted myself with this masterpiece was the gameplay. The last time I played Half-Life 2 was an era ago when I would sit in my tiny gaming dungeon of a room and wait patiently as the loading screens buffered on my original Xbox! Since then most of the quaint pieces of gameplay had slipped away from my memory as it had been so long. So when I entered into some of these fantastic moments, now flawlessly loading on the Xbox Series X and with some all-time great games under my belt I was invigorated by how much this game stands out to this day as an example of fantastic and intuitive gameplay.

Physics are are the heart of these games, they are often referred to as a tech demo with a story and the use of these is constantly engaging and makes for some really memorable moments that stand out now against modern games. You are often presented with a scenario that feels like walking into a room with a set of tools hanging on the wall and everything you would need to use them on sprawled out on the floor. Moments that exemplify this are where you are hindered and need to find out via the use of physics how to get yourself to where you need to go.

As opposed to the more modern takes like Breath Of The Wild where you are literally put into a room with the available tools in the shrines, or God Of War where things at times feel inorganic and forced (you are Kratos why can't you just smash through it?) Half-Life organically places you into scenarios that are obstacles and puzzles but also tutorials and feel like realistic barriers that require problem-solving.

Such as putting bricks on one side of a see-saw-like plank so that you can use it as a ramp, or using buoyant barrels to fill an underwater crate to rise a platform. Later in the game and into the two episodes the gravity gun opens up so many fantastic and engaging ways to work out how to fix problems like when you can shunt a car into a hole at the top of burrows to stop the Antlion enemies from crawling up out of it. But what makes the physics-based puzzles so fantastic is their variety, their pacing and placement, and that they feel less intentional to get more hours out of the game but genuine obstacles for you to get through to get to where you are going. The tools are often laid in front of you but in a more experimental, do-it-yourself way, you can certainly see how these fed into Portal, utterly brilliant.

Another thing I must mention before we move on from gameplay is the plethora of weapons that Half-Life offers you as a player and how they not only have a distinct feel but also affect how refreshing and engaging the gameplay feels. The guns are super varied, from the zombie smashing shotgun to the hard-hitting Combine pulse rifle with its ultra satisfying reload animation where tiny spider-like robotic arms discharge and replace the ammo pouches, and a secondary fire that shoots an energy ball that bounces around the room and vaporizes any enemy it comes into contact with. But each weapon doesn't just offer a different means to destroy but a different strategy, Caught in sniper fire? Use cover and sneak up and throw a grenade into where they are. Facing a lot of zombies? Run away through an alley with a gas leak and use the pistol to ignite the flames and watch them burn away! Strider waltzing around laying waste to you and your freedom-fighting pals? Use a rocket launcher and a healthy dose of cover! Antlions burrowing from the floor fly aggressively at your face? Use the ant lion pouch from a queen and they become your new minions to pile into unsuspecting Combine troops.

Lastly, the gravity gun is the perfect example of how a weapon can be a gameplay tool, use it to pick up objects and smash them into the Combine. Or zombies, or Zombine! Use it to move supplies from unreachable places into your hands, use it to move turrets that are pelting you, Or when supercharged use it to literally grasp the very physical being of your enemies and toss them into each other, or better yet the abyss of the citadel. The gravity gun is one of the most diverse weapons in any game I have ever played, Offering a means to overcome obstacles and puzzles, but also cleverly use it to attack enemies with projectiles! Whatever the weapon the joy of using any of the ones given to you in Half-Life is that there is rarely a moment that they don't also offer you the opportunity to use your ingenuity and find clever means to make them the most lethal, and fun they can be!

“The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world” - Story

Half-Life and its episode's narratives on the surface are about a struggle against a brutal enemy, to bring down an overarching power as a rebellion. To fight Stormtrooper-like enemies and bring down the greater evil that controls them. But before you walk through a crowd of people and are awarded a medal of honor from the alliance, that you hopefully donate to the Wookie that accompanied you along the way, you should realize that this is more than a battle against a cackling Sith lord in a hood but a visceral tale of control, totalitarianism, loneliness, humanity, hope, and desperation that I believe especially now strikes a powerful cord.

In the wake of the Black Mesa incident, the combine is now almost in full control of the human race, but rather than a swift obliteration there is something more desperate and demoralizing happening, humans are in a suppression field that stops them from breeding. They are under lockdowns in numbered cities being fed on repeat the words of Dr. Breen, a voice that seems to have the feeling of something that is trying to offer you comfort but there is a disconnect, the feeling that although his words are presented in a manner of assurance that there is something just not right, and leaves you with a feeling of unease.

His echoing words saying, “Welcome to city 17, it’s safer here” then later justifying the current state of goings on and the suppression field in a long speech answering a concerned citizen that had written to him which included disconcerting comments like, “Do our benefactors really know what's best for us? What gives them the right to make this kind of decision for all mankind?”, “Our true enemy is instinct, inseparable from instinct is its dark twin superstition, instinct is inexplicably bound to unreasoning impulses, instinct has just become aware of its irrelevance, and like a cornered beast it will not go down without a bloody fight. It must be fought tooth and nail, beginning with the basest of human urges: the urge to reproduce. We should thank our benefactors for giving us respite from this overpowering force. The suppression field will be shut off the day that we have mastered ourselves. And that day of transformation, I have it on good authority is close at hand”

Although I have abbreviated Dr. Breen's words I believe even here there is enough to unpack, the combine are a disconcerting and mysterious entity, they wish to remove instinct and combine people into subservience, they do this by keeping people scared and forcefully policed. But they also apply further means to shatter the human spirit, keep people moving, and keep people confused and lonely, the people you first meet at the train station echo this, the woman waiting for her husband who she was separated from during the stopping of a train, the man who warns you off the water, “They put something in it, to make you forget, I don't even remember how I got here.” and a man pacing in anxiety about the trains explaining, “They are always departing but they never leave, there always full but no one ever gets on” all of this confusion caused by the combines clever schemes to sever what I believe is the most important human need, connection. One of the ultimate forms of that is sex and the ability to reproduce. Humans are being “Humanely” culled by the suppression field.

The combine are a powerful, intimidating force that makes people submissive through fear, now before I get all “does any of this remind you of the world you're living in now” I will say that Half-Life's story is a sight grimmer than the current state of the world we live in, but the removal of individuality, the lean towards subservience, the use of harsh physical fear inducing policing to establish control, and the voice of a man in a suit in control of where you reside telling you everything is okay but there is just that feeling of mistrust like he’s leading you in a direction that is in no way beneficial to you but certainly to him and his “benefactors” do all in some way make me feel a little uneasy about my own reality and I think that alone is a powerful thing for a video game to evoke in someone.

But what the story of half-life also does is highlight something that I certainly believe in and that is the unbreakable human spirit. Instinct is the very deep biological call that makes us question the uncomfortable and rise up against it. It's the feeling that calls you to remove yourself from situations that feel wrong. Even if it's that time you're offered a cigarette for the first time and your heart sinks and you think, I shouldn't be doing this. Gordon Freman embodies this, not only for the humans but for the Vortagons too, he is this silent anomaly, that finds a way no matter the situation of force against him, he is the guiding light you play as and every individual fighting the good fight against this suppression rallies behind him and gets to bask in his “freedom” the “free man”. The supporting cast are brilliantly written characters that fight with an upbeat and at times comedic energy against this seemingly unbeatable, unrelenting enemy with limitless resource. Alyx particularly has a great aura, a cheekiness, and slight air of flirtation, but also a childlike nature to her that makes her character particularly lovable, seeing her react to her father or dog is heartwarming, and her mischievous nature showing in excellent moments like when the lights cut out and she makes a zombie noise and laughs as you rush to turn your torch on worried you have unwelcome company but its really just her.

Each character in halflife and its episodes which are mostly solitary games manages to have genuine feeling and is really well delivered in the moments they get to shine, even Dr. Breen as an antagonist is perfectly performed and used in the narrative. They all add to the great storytelling and they all really motivate you to fight for the people around you, for freedom, and against those who seek to quell it.

Lastly like with any great storytelling, there is almost more mystery to half-life than there is revealed to you, who are the benefactors? What happened during the seven-hour war? How did Gordon get to city 17? Who is and what are the motives of the Gman?.......................................

{Fades to black} - *A Man in a dark suit approaches with slightly of center, but piercing turquoise eyes*

“Rise and shine…….rr, reader of this blog, Rise and shine! Not that I wish to imply you have been… sleeping on this read. No one is more deserving of a rest. All the effort in the world to understand would have gone to waste until….well, let's just say your time to continue reading has….. come again”

“Welcome…Welcome to city 17” - Atmosphere

The penultimate and perhaps to me most important part of this piece is about the atmosphere, Half-life has a near unexplainable magic in its atmosphere. Not only the source engine itself seems to carry this feeling but the sound effects and music do too. This is that of an eerie almost alien feel. Like you are being watched, but also alone. It's powerful, the sense of being disconnected with what is going on around you but also being intrinsically linked to everything around you as the protagonist.

The sounds of this game are so distinct, from the distant monotone robotic overlord voice echoing throughout the streets of city 17, to the sounds of the Combine's muffled voices behind their gas masks and the loud flat line as they die, the hissing of Headcrab's, the guttural moaning of the zombies that sound not only terrifying but also like they are suffering, the thundering, alien but yet mechanical moan of a strider, the hum of the gravity gun, the slight tinniness to the sound of anything being moved as if the sounds were recorded in a vast empty room. There is something individual about all of it, but there is a near indescribable nuance that seems to spread between the music and sounds that mirror that feeling of something Alien, of being watched, of being alone, a feeling of despair but also a feeling of hope and at times a sense of calm. Later games like The Last Of Us combine these feelings also but what makes half life special in comparison to The Last Of Us is that it manages to add that spooky otherworldly feel into that mix also.

A great example of this that I must highlight is the moment when you are under a bridge high above some water and there are these broken metal rails that loosely connect in a platforming section to the other end. As you begin to cross the song “Lab Practicum” plays, this song is filled with preternatural noises and a gong-like synth combined with the whistling wind hits you. (GO ahead and give it a listen) It is a stop-and-stare moment that along with the platforming, the metallic sounds of Gordons feet hitting the metal rails between jumps, and the intense rattle as one of the mysterious trains plows overhead, this is the most “Half-life” feeling moment I can possibly describe from the game. In my opinion, it connects with that part of us, that 6th sense or that “feeling” you get. I will now just place a couple of quotes below I found on the youtube link to this song that not only illustrates how this same piece connected with others but that they also tap into this “feeling” it gives them. All of these games throughout leave you with moments of this. It's just fantastic.

“This song makes me feel like there is something important I have forgot but I don't know what”

“This song feels like wanting to go home, but knowing there is no home”

“The only way I can describe this is, it's not depressing but just feels like eternal loneliness”

“The Abyss stares back”

Lastly, in this section about the fantastic atmosphere of these games, I must quickly tip my hat to a certain section of Half-Life 2 and that is Ravenholm. As a kid I think Ravenholm was the first time alongside my lifelong best friend that I truly felt fear, the game forces you through this area after cruelly building it up with the chapter name “We don’t go to Ravenholm”. This area is completely overrun by zombies and turns the game from a puzzle shooter to a horror game just for this segment, it's dark, gloomy, and full of zombies old and new. Especially the “Runner” zombies with their distant echoing howls, as opposed to the usual moans of the slower zombies they are particularly terrifying as they sprint on all fours at you and squeal aggressively as they lunge at you. The mood and general ambiance of the zombie-riddled wasteland give this area a distinct and horrific feel. But what I really want to highlight is the first moment you lay eyes on Ravenholm as I feel like with the bridge that this is a seminal moment.

The broken sign lays before you in white block caps you read “RAVENHOLM” and there is a tree with the bottom half of a body strung up on it swaying gently. The feeling of this area is just so eerie and you just have that awful gut check as you gaze upon this obvious and harrowing obstacle in your way and think to yourself “Nope”. This section is an example of how these games throughout the main and episodes flip the script, put you into different scenarios, from the citadel to the outposts, to city 17 and they all have a distinct, interesting, and memorable feel, but what is magic is that those feelings being watched but also being alone, those “spooked hairs on your neck stand up and you check behind you but no one is there” feelings are particularly special and something truly worth experiencing.

“This is the Freeman. The Combines reckoning has come” - Creative freedom

My final reason that I think that these games scratch the “Man this is a great video game and I am thoroughly enjoying myself” itch so well in 2023 and beyond is the feeling of freedom this game has. In a world where movies/games/media feel like it's rinsed dry and has no end in sight this game has a real refreshment to it. As Disney descends back down the hill to the skinny malnourished Star Wars cow, to give her yet another milk to package up and sell to us again, I personally feel a tiredness, a slog that feels like “Create, consume, create, consume” with characters being brought back that stood alone as excellent stories to be given more context and back story, that in my opinion detracts from one of the greatest things about storytelling, Mystery! Now Mos Isely cantina feels like a school reunion as you can probably name 90% of the characters in there and explain how they are all linked when, to begin with, it was this murky bar with strange and fantastic creatures drawing your eye and filling you with wonder.

Despite standouts like God Of War or Last of Us franchises that go back to the cow and find a new udder with perhaps even tastier milk than the first, Games feel to me like they are restricted like they need to only go back to the safe, and familiar ground but feel like they are under pressure from external forces to ensure they tick political boxes and comply, to market well or be seen to fit in. Which I think in certain circumstances makes them come across as pieces of art made by people who don't really “love” what they are making. They are often filled with obvious and tiresome tutorials and safe narratives. Although I am fully confident that games will continue to be amazing works of art, they definitely feel like they are products more than art at times now. Narrative games releasing with skins you can change the main character to if you purchase them. These kinds of things can make them lose that special magic.

Half-life is free of this, you can tell there is true craftsmanship behind each moment. That the people that made this game really cared about it, they cared about the narrative, the characters, the world, and the setting, and really cared about keeping this game mysterious. Half-life features a diverse cast of characters that don't feel deliberate but natural. Its narrative is about oppression, humanity, and hope. But none of it feels like it is trying to make a political statement, of course, all art derives from life, but you can tell it's from a time when people were not scrutinizing it because of social issues, and it is just a piece of art. It's a strange mysterious game full of fantastic fun, that shows you where to go without a mini-map and a curser ahead of you, it guides you without words. Silent tutorials like walking up and seeing a flammable barrel and ahead of you a slippery surface leading to the tongues of aliens that you get caught in and they pull you into their mouths above, so you throw the barrel down first and shoot it as it ascends and blow them all up. It gives you problems and the tools without a prompt appearing saying “Barrels can be used to blow enemies up if shot”. Its design does this for you, it makes you think but gives you the tools to work out problems as I mentioned earlier. This along with its narrative that is in my opinion about highlighting that gut “Feeling” of “this isn't right” and ensuring you fight against it makes these games feel so special, especially now.

These games have a freedom, a narrative that doesn't need explaining because you are supposed to wonder, to question why? I don't think you are ever supposed to really know what's happening. We don't really deep down know why we are what we are as humans, or what is beyond? Or what was before? But like Gordon here we are in this moment, faced with it all, with near no explanation and we may as well pick up a crowbar and follow our feelings and do what we can do help do what we can to feel free. They feature gameplay that promotes being inquisitive and finding a way to move beyond your current obstacle where you can tell the developers care about every moment you find yourself in. There is magic in their atmospheres that evokes so many feelings. They are the foundation from which so many fantastic games have drawn from. They have a timelessness that makes them seminal and so very playable now. They are masterpieces and I belive that the reasons above should give you the motivation to grab yourself the orange box and fire up a console or jump on steam and give these games a playthrough in 2023. if you're lucky it’ll be your first playthrough or if not like me last year give them another whirl and enjoy the nostalgia trip as perhaps you will find the experience, “Freeing”.

{Your eyes blur as if reality is crashing all around you, a man in a suit approaches again}

“Time…….. Is it really that time again? It seems as if you have only just arrived. You have read a great deal in this short timespan, You've done so …. Well in fact, that I have received some interesting offers for your services, ordinarily I wouldn't contemplate them. But these are …….. Extraordinary times.”

#gaming blog #gaming #half life #gordon freeman #valve #video games #video game photography

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