#which resulted in rus losing the only friend he had without knowing why

[littleredstory]

when Poppy gets towel-dried after a bath he looks like a dandelion-fluff beastie. Russel is usually the one that brushes him- if Pop wants the fluff to be tamed, of course, which he usually does. Russel is the Hair Guy- he really enjoys brushing Poppy's fur but he also is the one that does Stan's hair. Usually twists, but sometimes he switches it up. Russel isn't perfect but definitely passable enough for Stan to be happy and to save a bill having somebody else do it, plus Rus thinks it's relaxing and likes spending the time w his brother. He improves as time goes on.

Stan tells everybody that'll listen how innately talented his little brother is and how he can pick up any skill with ease. Russel is like the bowler hat guy from Meet the Robinsons, though, in that he THINKS everybody is tired of him and dislikes him but they're all like "hey Rus great to see you!" "Wow Russel you're incredible at art!" And he sulks like "they all hate me don't they.."

[homoerotic-shonen-rival-showdown]

Round Two Match Eight: Sasuke and Naruto (Naruto) vs Gojo and Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen)

why should you vote for them?

Sasuke and Naruto (autoqualified but still got 4 submissions):

duh

Idk I don’t go here I just wanna help them for all the tumblr girlies

because of every single crazy quote they’ve said

Gojo and Geto (3):

uh…divorced. i love them

STSG ESSAY TIME >:)))))) Warning for Jujutsu Kaisen anime/manga spoilers ahead! I had to explain deep dark depths of the story to prove that they deserve to win the crown. Here I go. Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru (also known as Satosugu or simply stsg) deserve to win the crown for the following reasons. Please bear with me throughout this whole essay because I am unequivocally insane about them. First of all let’s get into the rivalry side of things.

In high school, Gojo was an absolute menace. The first time Gojo and Geto met, the latter hated the former because he was annoying, rude, and arrogant. Now eventually they became best friends, but you see, their rivalry returned when Geto was exiled from the school because they had a stark disagreement in moral ideologies, which resulted in a dramatic breakup in front of a KFC (yes, this is actually canon). Gojo was supposed to execute Geto because he did some Bad Things (that we don’t need to get into right now) but as Geto walked away he said (paraphrased) “Go ahead and kill me. There’s meaning to that.” And My Lord is that a line. So for the next ten years of their lives, these two were separated, now on opposite sides, now each others’ enemies. Eventually this came to a climax when Geto declared war on Gojo, but before we get to that, let’s pause for a second, and talk about the meaning behind this all. I’ll try to make this part quick because without restraint this would become excessively long. So technically, Gojo and Geto’s breakup directly caused the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen to unfold. If they hadn’t broken up, then Geto wouldn’t have declared war and then died. If they hadn’t broken up, Geto’s body wouldn’t have been possessed; his body wouldn’t have, completely against his will, trapped Gojo in a prison, as Geto sat back helpless, unable to do anything to stop his best friend from being sealed *by his own hands*. Every single other tragic event that happened in Jujutsu Kaisen would not have happened, because, assuming you have never watched/read Jujutsu Kaisen, no, Gojo and Geto are not the main characters, and the whole rest of the cast was affected by this event. Yes, this homoerotic rivalry breakup is the very Big Bang for Jujutsu Kaisen, because if it didn’t happen, Jujutsu Kaisen wouldn’t have the incredible plot that it has. Butterfly Effect at its finest. Anyway, now that their rivalry is out of the way, I will now get into their homoeroticism.

My first piece of evidence for their homoeroticism is that… it’s in the name. Both of their first names start with “s” and end with “ru”. Both of their last names start with “g” and end with “o”. And both of their full names have the same amount of syllables. There is no possible way that this wasn’t done on purpose to get the point across that they are literal soulmates. Do I sound insane yet? In addition, Gojo called Geto, and I quote, “my one and only”. Now if that isn’t some fruit ass shit then idk what is. And now the most damning evidence of homoness, comes when Geto died by Gojo’s side. This was after the war that Geto declared on Gojo, and Geto ended up on the losing side. Even though they had been rivals for ten long years, they still had an important and heartfelt history together, so as Gojo walked over to his dying best friend, Geto smiled, glad to see not only an old friend, but the most important person in his life, for the last time. Gojo’s last words to Geto as he died were NEVER REVEALED. Only very very few producers of the anime know the words. They will be released soon but for now we don’t know. But it was confirmed that his last words were THREE WORDS. Now I don’t wanna put any words in Gojo’s mouth but the most obvious theory here is that he said “I love you” as his best friend and rival of 10+ years died by his side. This is even further affirmed when, after hearing those three words, Geto BLUSHED, SMILED (as he was in the process of bleeding out!) and described the words as (paraphrased) “embarrassing words that they had never said to each other before”. IT’S BARELY SUBTEXT AT THIS POINT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THEY’RE GAY AS HELL!

Now before this gets any longer I will cut myself off here. Thank you for coming to my way-too-long Ted Talk about these stupid ass anime men who have been plaguing my mind for months, I hope you take my submission into consideration! I don’t expect them to win but I’m just happy I get to aggressively type an essay about them in this google form :D

[queenofcats17]

Shawn And His Inky Son 2

@bornoffireandwisdom asked for another story involving Grant and Shawn and I am happy to deliver. I’ve decided to make it a continuation of Shawn And His Inky Son, since it deals with Grant and Shawn again.

------------------------------------------------------

As happy as Shawn was to have Grant with him, surviving in the studio was still hard. Scavenging for food was difficult, especially with the roaming bands of Searchers. Grant could protect Shawn when there were just a few Searchers, but large groups tended to overwhelm his own will with the Searcher hivemind. It might have been easier if Shawn had just left him in the office. Shawn wasn’t going to leave him alone, though. Grant got sad and panicky when he was alone for too long, always worried that something had happened to Shawn. It made them both feel better to be together. 

Although, Shawn’s steadfast determination to keep Grant with him...Often ended up putting him in danger. Just as it had this day.

Shawn was getting ready to go on another supply run. He’d just about run out of bacon soup, which was pretty much the only thing in the studio to eat.

“Alright, ready for another adventure?” He asked, slipping on his bag and picking up the pipe he most often used as a weapon. Grant immediately perked up, rising out of the puddle he’d been in. 

“Whe...re?” He trailed after Shawn to the elevator. 

“Probably just the Heavenly Toys area or level P,” Shawn said. “Wouldn’t want to run into Alice or Drew.” He spat their names as though they were poison.

“Bad...” Grant agreed, screwing his face up. Joey’s name didn’t draw up good memories for him. Joey didn’t draw up good memories for anyone, really. And Alice was just mean. 

“Exactly.” Shawn nodded, pressing the button for Level K. In addition to looking for bacon soup, he also wanted to collect a few of his unfinished plushes. It got boring sitting in that office all day. He needed something to occupy his time. Grant was more than happy to just chew on a bone or a shoe, so he didn’t need all that much entertainment. 

The elevator began to lurch upwards with a sickening creak, which made Shawn tense. Shawn hated using the elevator. Tom had been right about it being unreliable. Even when the studio had been working, the elevator had always had mechanical issues. And now that the mechanics had been turned into ink creatures...Well, the elevator wasn’t really getting any maintenance anymore. 

But the elevator was enclosed and much safer than just trudging up the stairs, where they could encounter rogue Searchers or Butcher Gang clones. It was easier to haul big things in the elevator as well. Besides, it wasn’t like Grant could use stairs. If Shawn wanted to keep Grant with him, he had to use the elevator. And he did want to keep Grant with him.

Suddenly, the speakers in the elevator crackled to life, and to Shawn’s horror, a familiar voice spoke through them. 

“Well well well, hello, Mr. Flynn. I’m surprised to see you out of your little hidey-hole.”

“I’m not in the mood, Alice,” Shawn growled. He knew better than to call her Susie. Doing that would result in a meltdown of epic proportions from her.

“Oh, but I think you are,” she purred. The elevator shrieked to a stop. She’d been kind enough to stop them between floors, so there was no danger of them getting attacked. But she still had a captive audience. Grant squeaked, hugging Shawn’s leg.

“Sca...ry...” He whimpered.

“It’s okay,” Shawn whispered. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Aaaw. You’re talking to it like it’s still a person,” Alice cooed, her voice cloying sweet. “That’s cute.”

“He is still a person,” Shawn snapped. 

“Are you sure?” Alice asked innocently. “Are you absolutely certain that the creature beside you is still Grant Cohen?”

“Of course, I am.” Shawn instinctively pulled Grant closer. Grant let out another whimper. He didn’t like the tone in Alice’s voice. 

“And what makes you so sure exactly?” Alice asked. “That it can mimic speech? That it ‘knows’ your name?”

“I’m serious, Alice. I’m not in the mood.” Shawn felt his heartbeat beginning to speed up. He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want Alice to give voice to all the fears that lurked in the back of his mind. 

“Grant Cohen is dead, Mr. Flynn,” Alice continued with malicious glee. “I imagine you watched him die, didn’t you?”

“Stop it!”

“That thing next to you is nothing but a sentient pile of ink. Maybe a reanimated corpse if I’m being generous. Certainly not Grant Cohen, though. Not anymore.”

“Stop talking!” Shawn roared, covering his ears. 

Grant pressed closer to Shawn, starting to get concerned. Why was Shawn getting so upset? What was Alice saying? He could hear her voice, but her words were indistinct and muffled. She had such a lovely voice, but it sounded...cruel.

“It’s hardly healthy to be galavanting around with a corpse, Mr. Flynn,” Alice cooed. “Especially when you’re pretending it’s still the person you know. They make horror moves about that sort of thing.”

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!” Shawn screamed. Grant whimpered, hugging Shawn’s leg. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like seeing Shawn so upset.  

“It might even be Joey stringing you along. Have you considered that?” Alice asked. “He controls all the ink, after all. He could just be luring you into a false sense of security so that it will be even more wonderful for him when he finally destroys you.”

Unfortunately for Alice, this didn’t have the effect she’d hoped. Instead of yelling or blowing up, Shawn slowly lowered his hands and smirked at the camera she was watching through. 

“It’s been months,” He snorted derisively. “Joey’s impulse control isn’t that good.” The thought had crossed his mind before, that this was just Joey stringing him along. But there was no way Joey would wait this long. If it really was Joey puppeting Grant, he would have pounced far sooner. Delayed gratification wasn’t something that Joey was at all a fan of. He’d been a nightmare to work for, certainly, unable to wait for anything. 

Alice was silent because she knew Shawn was right. Joey would never have waited this long. Perhaps that hadn’t been the best path to take. She’d been doing so well. Suggesting Joey’s involvement had been a misstep. 

“Maybe I was wrong about that,” she finally said, her voice soft as silk. “But I’m right about the rest. That thing is not Grant Cohen. Grant Cohen is dead. You can play house with it for as long as you like, but eventually, it’s going to end up killing you.”

“He’s not going to kill me.” Shawn narrowed his eyes at her, but she could tell she’d hit a nerve by the way his jaw clenched. 

“Maybe it’s fine now, but as soon as you run into more Searchers, it’ll turn on you,” Alice hummed. “Joey’s little hivemind is rather strong, after all. Your pet doesn’t stand a chance against it.”

The speakers crackled off and the elevator began to move once more. Shawn muttered some insult under his breath. 

“Ok...ay...?” Grant asked, tugging at Shawn’s pant leg. 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Shawn patted his head. He would have preferred not to have that confrontation with Alice, but he could deal with it. It wasn’t like she could actually do anything to him. They all knew she didn’t leave her level. All she could do was play mind games. 

“Alright, here we are,” he said as the elevator reached level K. Grant made a happy noise, oozing out. That happy noise trailed off as he noticed the stairs leading up to the Heavenly Toys area. 

“Oh shoot.” Shawn grimaced. “Sorry, forgot about those stairs.” 

Internally, he was beating himself up. How had he forgotten about the stairs?! He’d worked here for years! He’d have to leave Grant to get the soup and plushes from his workshop. If he left Grant, he’d be unprotected. But Grant would also be unprotected and susceptible to being dragged into Joey’s hive mind. He could try carrying Grant, but that would occupy both his hands and leave him unable to defend himself. There was also the possibility of the ink soaking through his shirt sleeves or getting on his bare forearms. He had to leave Grant there.

Grant whined, clinging to Shawn’s leg. He knew Shawn would likely go off on his own. It was dangerous for Shawn to be alone. He could get attacked when he was alone. Grant needed to be with him to protect him. 

“I’ll only be a bit,” Shawn tried to reassure him. 

“Not..sa..fe...” Grant said. 

“I know. But I’ll be quick.” Shawn crouched down so he was eye level with Grant, patting his head with a gloved hand. He always wore gloves when touching Grant.

Grant whimpered again but still allowed Shawn to move away. He watched as Shawn climbed the stairs and disappeared into the Heavenly Toys area. Grant began to pace the little area next to the elevator, or do the closest thing he could to pacing without legs. He could feel other Searchers nearby. If they got close, he’d be overwhelmed by their influence. Then he’d probably end up hurting Shawn. He didn’t want that to happen. Shawn was his best friend. 

He kept pacing and worrying until Shawn returned, bag full of soup and a few unfinished plush projects.

“See? I told you it would be fine,” Shawn said. Just as the door to the stairs burst open. 

Shawn froze, his breath catching in his throat. There stood Sammy Lawrence, stumbling forward on legs almost completely consumed by the ink, flanked by several other Searchers in various stages of losing themselves to the ink. The Searchers stopped as they caught sight of him. Shawn’s eyes flicked from the Searchers to the elevator. Searchers moved slowly, so he could probably get to the elevator in time. Sammy was a bit of a wild-card, though.

“Ru...n...” Grant rasped, beginning to shake. “Wa...nna...hur...t...” He could feel the urge to attack Shawn rising up again. This always happened when other Searchers appeared. 

Sammy opened his mouth, a low growl coming out as he took a step toward Shawn. The Searchers stayed behind him, seemingly waiting for the signal to attack. Shawn’s heart pounded in his ears. He’d had close calls before, it was part of surviving in the studio, but he hadn’t come face to face with Sammy since the day of the outbreak. It was horrifying to see how Sammy had degraded. Sammy still looked mostly human. The ink had consumed parts of his body, yes, but his body wasn’t amorphous like the other Searchers. Shawn could still see his face, his limbs. It was a sickening sight to see one of his former coworkers reduced to little more than a slavering beast. 

Shawn bolted for the elevator, jabbing the button for level S. 

“Come on come on come on.” He muttered as the doors slid closed and the elevator began to lurch downward.

Most of the Searchers were too slow to catch the elevator, but Sammy moved quickly. He slammed against the door, reaching through the slats and yelling. Ink dripped from his mouth, spraying toward Shawn as Sammy yelled.  

“Hey! Get back!” Shawn swung at Sammy’s arms with his pipe. Thankfully, Sammy recoiled from the blows, groaning in pain. 

“I’ll catch up with you, Grant!” Shawn called out as the elevator descended out of sight. He just hoped Grant would be able to shake off the hivemind. He didn’t like leaving Grant on his own like that, but he didn’t have a choice. He didn’t want to get infected. Grant could take care of himself, right?

....Right?

[captainderyn]

Tucdela as a Companion

A follow up to the Tucdela Banter I did yesterday (Should I do this for Ru just for the hell of it?)

Inquisitor’s Name: Tucdela Lavellan

Alternate Name?: (name they have as Companion, if different from Inquisitor name) (Same)

Race, Class, & Specialization: Dalish elf, rogue, archer

Varric’s Nickname for them: Arrow/Dalish (prior to Bull’s chargers coming into the picture)

Default Tarot Card: It shows the silhouette of Tucdela shooting her bow, from the back of one of the Dalish horses, surrounded by green/foliage. 

How they are recruited: If the Inquisitor is Dalish: The Inquisitor will receive a war table operation letter from Tucdela Lavellan, expressing concern over their wellbeing and the wish to meet in the Hinterlands. 

If the Inquisitor isn’t Dalish there will be an alert from Leliana stating that there is an elf searching around the Hinterlands for the Herald of Andraste, asking about their cause and that they should probably check her out. 

Should the Inquisitor choose to meet her they will find her fending off some of the rogue bandits playing on travelers. The Inquisitor will be given the option to stay out of it or join the fight. 

If the Inquisitor joins: They will fight alongside Tucdela, which will transition to a cutscene where she jumps from the tree she had taken the higher ground in to shoot from and she greets the Inquisitor either with a Lavellan specific greeting (”Aneth ara, it’s wonderful to see your face again! You have much to explain.”) or another greeting; (”Thanks for the help, I assume your the one they call the Herald of Andraste?”). She’ll go over to her fallen mount, taken down by the bandits and mutter a brief farewell before returning to the Inquisitor and explaining that:

a) The Clan has been worried about Lavellan’s well being and sent her to at least see how s/he is, not trusting the letters entirely. She then explains that she wishes to join the Inquisition to help because since the rifts opened she’s already lost her best friend and many friends to demons and raiders.

b) She’s heard whispers of a force able to stop the Rift and wants to join the Inquisition to help bring the rifts and demons to an end for the above reasons. 

The Inquisitor can choose to accept or reject her offer--should she be rejected she’s visibly displeased and asks if she can at least return with them to get another mount, or else the journey is going to be long on foot. The Inquisitor can either amend their decision and let her join, agree to let her find a mount, or turn her away again. 

If the Inquisitor stays out of the fight:

Much the same as above, with differing opening dialogues. 

(Should the Inquisitor be Lavellan): “Fenhendris have my skills awed you so much that you can’t raise a hand to help? You’ve seen me shoot a bow before, no need to let me struggle.”

(If not Lavellan): “Fenhendris, thanks for the help (sarcastically). I’d think the Herald of Andraste would be a little free-er with their aid.”

Where they are in Skyhold: Tucdela can be found outside the stables, standing by one of the stalls with a big, black stallion (Spook!) in it or wandering around the stable area. 

Things they Generally Approve of: Helping people, inquiring about her history/the Dalish, sarcastic comments directed towards enemies, justice for those who have committed wrongs. 

Things they Generally Disapprove of: Derogatory comments towards elves, killing innocents, agreeing with slavery/subjugation of individuals, allowing those who have committed awful crimes (like that guy from Adamant idk his name) to walk free. 

Mages, Templars, Other?: (do they side with templars, mages, or don’t give a shit? maybe a mix? explain if you want)

While there is no big drop in approval if the PC sides with the Templars a dialogue tree will open up where Tucdela demands to know the  PC’s reasoning for punishing the mages by choosing the Templars and why they chose them. Should the PC choose an option that suggests mages are lesser beings there will be a small approval drop, though some approval can be regained if the PC chooses an option that states the Templars were the more tactically sound choice. 

Friends in the Inquisition: Tucdela becomes close with Dorian, Varric, and Sera and have some pretty funny banter should they all be in the party at the same time. Tucdela also becomes close with Josephine and Cullen, with mentions being made in the ambient comments of the War Room. 

Romanceable?: Tucdela can be romanced by any race/gender, though initiating her as a human is harder. Special dialogue options open up if a human Inquisitor inquires about the Dalish and some negative options result in a large approval drop. Her romance is sweet and sincere with the attack on Clan Lavellan causing her personal conflict. Her romance will not be locked in until her approval is high enough. 

Should the Inquisitor choose not to initiate a romance with her she grows closer with Cullen (as long as Cullen isn’t romanced) and there is some banter if she’s in the party with Varric or Sera and some comments at the war table that suggest she and Cullen get together. 

Small side mission: Buried History

Tucdela will ask the Inquisitor if they can travel to the Exalted Plains to find some lost texts and artifacts from the last Exalted March on the Dalish to send back to her clan since she has the means and resources to search for these things through the Inquisition. 

This activates a two-part war table mission--Fact Checking (verifying the legitimacy of the history before sending false artifacts/documents to the Dalish) and History for Clan Lavellan (sending the information off to her clan.)

Having Tucdela in the party when finding these relics triggers unique comments on her history and grants large approval gains. Simply returning them to her gives a smaller approval gain. 

Companion quest: Journies for the Departed

Should the Inquisitor’s approval be high enough for Tucdela’s personal quest to trigger they will find her outside the stables, clutching a letter in hand. She informs the Inquisitor that she ’s received word that her brother was killed in the latest attack on Clan Lavellan. She says she wants to travel to Var Bellanaris to give her brother and best friend that she lost to perform the ancient burial rites (exactly what I wrote about in Telanadas) and wants the Inquisitor to accompany her (as a friend, love interest, or as protection depending on the approval rating/dialogue options taken.).

The Inquisitor can put up a stink about going or refuse, resulting in a loss in approval. Should the Inquisitor agree a cutscene will trigger that puts them riding into Val Bellanaris. The Inquisitor and Tucdela will go through the rites, with options to inquire further and help her (giving small approval boosts), or to stand by and watch, or actively be an ass (resulting in approval losses). There’s a flirt option that allows the Inquisitor to put an arm around her and pull her close when the rite is finished. 

As they prepare to leave some Freemen Raiders, seeing action in the burial grounds and looking for more valuable loot from any new or disturbed graves come in, prepared to take. Tucdela throws herself in front of them, standing between them and the sites, with their freshly planted trees and valuable, hand-carved staves buried beneath the dirt and pleads with the Inquisitor to help her defend it. 

If the Inquisitor Helps: Tucdela greatly approves. Together they fight off the bandits, with the fight breaking into a supplementary cutscene where she takes down the lead Raider and then pivots to go make sure the sites remained unscathed. The Inquisitor is given the option to ask why she was so concerned with preserving them and she just shakes her head and answers, trembling that losing this would be like losing them all over again, like everything she did, every honor she laid there would be stripped away for only the sake of some coin. 

Back at Skyhold if the Inquisitor speaks to her again they will find themselves in the gardens, where Tucdela will thank the Inquisitor for helping her in this matter and that she can’t think of any way to repay them. Three options are a kindly acknowledgment, a scathing remark that sure, no problem but she better not ask something like that again, or a flirt reminding her that s/he’d always be there for her. 

If the Inquisitor Refuses: Tucdela greatly disproves. She’ll attack the bandits on her own with a vicious intensity until she’s pushed aside, the Raiders moving to ransack what they can, throwing aside the saplings planted and causing destruction. The Inquisitor is given the choice to either pull Tucdela--who’s struggling to escape their firm grip and shouting for the attackers to stop--away and retreat or stay and remind Tucdela that that is what the Dalish culture is worth, resulting in an even greater approval loss. (there’s always got to be that one asshole. Don’t hurt my elf bby please). 

If approval is low enough  Tucdela will automatically leave the Inquisition upon returning to Skyhold on the grounds that she has no reason to be there under a liar and tyrant. If approval is high enough she remains, though she’s furious and cold towards the Inquisitor for the remainder of the game (consider her hardened, like what you can do to the dao crew.). A very small amount of approval can be regained if the Inquisitor chooses the option to lie and say that it was too dangerous to stay, though overall the gain is insignificant. If the Inquisitor is locked into a romance with her and tries to choose a flirt option saying that they had no choice and that she should forgive them for doing their job they’ll be rebuffed and pushed away. She’ll terminate the romance there without a way to reopen the route. 

Tarot card change

If the sites at Var Bellanaris were protected: 

Tucdela’s card shows her standing, bathed in golden+green dapples light holding her bow in one hand and two saplings with their branches stretching upwards towards the light source. 

If the sites at Var Bellanaris were destroyed:

Tucdela’s card turns to a red-scheme, with her bent on her knees, clutching broken saplings to her chest with one hand while the other rests over her broken bow. 

—-

[dawncleyne-blog]

Hallow's Eve Engagement Part 4

You all know what this is a Picture of!

This is Klaus crown for when he wins the title of prince. I took inspiration from the color of Ania’s crown and the fact that Bronze is more Prince and Princess

This is the crown for Ania when she wins title of Princess. 

Tiva and Ania share the skirt both are wearing a skirt similar to the one in this picture. (And can I just say I WANT THOSE BOOTS I’D WEAR THOSE!)

Luca’s crown was inspired by the fact he’s pre-Royalty and since the symbol for the country is a dragon. THe green is to represent his hair eyes and the stone from his mothers earring 

This is the crown Tiva wins for becoming Queen.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

Ania POV

With a snap of my fingers, the haunt cleaned itself up. The minute the room turned normal, I was face to face with my grandfather, who, mind you, was looking rather concerned. Tears slowly fell from my eyes as I looked down in shame. His long fingers lifted my chin up, removing my tears with his thumb, and he pulled me into a warm but firm hug.

“I broke my promise. I said I’d never lose control but failed. I let you down, I let Klaus down, I-I... ” As I whimpered into his chest, he slowly stroked my back before speaking.

“Karma, look at me.” His voice had an authoritative tone, so I figured it best not to argue. Peeking up, I met with a familiar smile, the same gaze I saw the day I lost my parents. “You never broke your promise. You entrusted Tiva with the safe word I taught you just in case you lost control. Any other demon would have given into the urge and their pride and not told anyone their safe word.” With a smile, he ruffled my hair. Giggling, I tried to push his hand away.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just feel bad because I’m afraid of what could happen with Klaus. What if he doesn't think the same? What if he leaves me for a mortal girl he can grow old with? What if-” Firmly, he placed his finger to my lips.

“Sweetheart, those are only what if’s, not realities. Soon enough, you'll understand that sometimes, you stress yourself out too much. Now, go enjoy the rest of your birthday.” Hades faded away into the dark shadow of the wall, leaving me in the room alone.  

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a faint shadow pass by. Rolling  my eyes I face the shadow and say.  “Nice try, Undertaker. What are you doing here anyways?” Letting out his signature laugh, he replied.  “Can't a grandfather check up on his only granddaughter and wish her a frightful birthday?”

“Right…” I knew that the Undertaker’s motivations were almost always for pleasure and business combined. “Who are you taking away tonight?”

Silence. The shadow appeared to wince in pain as if I had pushed on a pressure point. It was clear to me that whoever he had to take away, the Undertaker would be doing so at his own dismay. Who could he possibly not want to take away? It disturbed me that for once, he was not happy about doing his duty to Death. If it wasn’t me, then… “So help me, if you're here for Klaus…”

The Undertaker laughed hysterically. “If it was him, I'd let you do it yourself. No, some random student is about to die of disease, and I was gonna make your cousin do the deed.”

Who’s my cousin again?” Silence. It took me a few seconds to realize who he meant. “Right… I forgot about that.” He kind of has a duty when it comes to teaching ‘new’ reapers. (You may be wondering how I’m related to a Reaper, but that’s a story best left alone... Maybe another night.) “Well, I'll let you go ahead and bug the cousin,” I said just as the shadow faded into my shadow.

Snapping my fingers, my armor faded away, replaced with a orange corset lined with black weaves that appeared to represent the thorns normally wound around my silver crown. A black skirt hiked up in front, cascading from my hips down to the floor. My shoes heightened, putting me in sleek black combat boots that zip up the sides. Being left alone in the room, I walked myself out the throne room doors.

    The demonic melody filled the ballroom as Elias began playing classical Halloween medley Moon Trance. It was a catchy song, so it wasn’t a surprise the dance floor was soon crawling with people. On the other hand, no one wanted the center of the room, which resulted in awkward dancing. A familiar arm circled my waist slowly pulling me towards where everyone was dancing.

As Klaus dragged me towards the center, I remembered that I had the honor of announcing the Hallow’s Eve king and queen. Without even counting I knew who it would be. No demonic meddling involved... besides getting Zach’s help to pick the crown for the unlucky gal.  Zach was silently snickering while watching Tiva trying to get her boyfriend Luca Orlem to dance with her. They were both mysterious in their own right and Tiva loves his sadistic creativity, so it’s a win-win situation. Luca’s pranks ceased to hurt anyone, and Tiva FINALLY accepted Luca’s feelings even though it took him 7 months to succeed (But that’s only because Tiva’s a hard ass).

Resting my head on Klaus’s shoulder, we contently danced, ignoring the spotlight we were in. After all, demons don’t give a shit about anything unless it’s condemned souls for feeding or our closest friends. Being crowned Prince and Princess of the dance definitely wasn’t on that list (Damn you, Zach). Zach’s creepy yet familiar cackle filled the room. I couldn’t help sending Tiva a look that said, what the hell is he up to? The students stopped dancing and Elias made the music faint away, so Zach could continue his spheil. “It’s the time all you pathetic wizards have been waiting for. Your King, Queen, Prince, and Princess shall soon be announced!” Shooting my gaze to Tiva, I mouthed to her. DID YOU PUT HIM UP TO THIS? Tiva mouthed back, You’re the one in charge of this, not me!

Zach continued the greatly anticipated announcement, “On this Hallow’s Eve Night, the Prince and Princess is none other than our Emperor Klaus Goldstein and his lovely Empress Anyia Michaelis!” I smirked.

I knew exactly what was gonna happen next.

Nodding my head towards Zach, he continued. “Now for the main event. Your Hallow’s Eve King and Mysteriously lovely Queen are none other than our Favorite Prankster Luciano Orudeus Gedonelune (Luca Orlem) and the sneaky, insane, half-Reaper Tiva Nasia Nightshade!” (SPOILER ALERT) The look on their faces was the best thing ever.

*Time skip brought to you by hours of dancing and a lifetime supply of endless punishment for Zach*

Having taken many pictures and danced for hours, Klaus began to lead me somewhere alone in the light of the full moon. The music soon faded away, the endless woods remained semi-dark with an elegant shimmer from the moon, and Klaus’s figure continued to lead me along. Granted, I could see where I was going, but his sudden adventure still had me curious. The further we walked, the more aura shadows I noticed out of the corner of my eye. I wanted to know where he was taking me, so I gave in to the urge. “Nascha, where are you taking me?”

It’s been awhile since I last called him that, so I figured now was the best time. After all, we were ‘alone.’ Persistent in his guiding, he simply turned his head, smiled, and kept leading me deeper into the trees. Soon, we found ourselves in a open and wide field, with noticeable tombstones left and right. Once I spotted an ancient royalty headstone, I knew exactly which cemetery we were standing in.

“How did you even...” I was at a loss for words. There’s no way he could have found the forbidden Michaelis cemetery by himself, right? Before I could react, I began to hear a mysteriously familiar violin song playing from the distance (Song of a Caged Bird - Lindsey Stirling). I hadn’t heard Lindsey’s Song of a Caged Bird since... not since I last picked up my father’s violin and played it for his birthday, then his funeral. My eyes widened as unfamiliar tears began to fall from my demonic eyes. Shimmering dancing lights began to dance around alongside the music, replaying the days that my parents were still alive. It was a lie to say I didn’t desperately want them back.

Turning to Klaus, I could tell that this was his birthday present to me, an opportunity to see my parents one last time. Without saying a word, I walked up to him and buried myself in his arms. Holding me tightly, he whispered in my ear, “Koko, turn around and open your eyes.” Doing as he said, I turned around and was face to face with none other than my raven-haired father and blonde-haired mother. Covering my mouth, I couldn’t help letting out a quiet sob.

Naturally, my parents heard it.

My dad walked towards me and pulled me into his chest for an unusually heart-warming hug. Holding me closely, my mother came next to my dad and stroked my hair, speaking, “My little crow have grown into such a beautiful and powerful young lady.” My father scoffed, knowing full well that I would not accept such a title, and spoke in the soothing voice I’d so longed to hear, “Kitten, we’re sorry we weren’t able to be there for you like real parents, but we never left your side, not once.”

Gripping them both harder, I whispered, “If you were here the whole time, why couldn’t I see you all the time? I alway needed you both, even if I am a Demon-Reaper Wizardess.”

Smiling down at me, my father replied, “Silly kitten. You know full well that the dead resides on a different plane, with the exception of those who cannot or chooses not to move on. It doesn't mean that we aren't with you all the time. Especially not with part of ourselves inside of you.”

“I missed you so much. Do you have to leave again?”

“Who says we ever did? Happy birthday, little kitten,” my father lovingly said as he and my mother hugged me tightly. I closed my eyes to take in as much of them as I could. The tightness of the hug faded away, but the warmth never did. When I finally opened my eyes, they were gone, replaced by dancing lights that soon became faint as the song came to a close. Turning to Klaus, the rude brainiac who could be very sweet at times, I was met with a warm smile and kind eyes. Unable to hold myself back, I punched him in the arm before giving him a hug. “What was that for?”

“You made me cry. I don't like crying,” I replied with a smirk on my face. Rolling his eyes, he took his arms and wrapped them securely around my waist. Pulling me closer, he whispered sweet nothings into my ear before finally speaking in a nervous voice, “Ania, I want to ask you something. I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, but now, I cannot delay any longer.”

Klaus is NERVOUS? That’s unusual. He’s normally calm and composed, even in dire situations. He’s starting to worry me... What question could he possibly have that he’s been waiting to ask? I stared at him, waiting for him to keep talking. After a moment of awkward silence, he finally got the hint that I was waiting for him to ask whatever was on his mind. “Well…”

“Well?” I was starting to get impatient. And then, out of nowhere, Klaus kneeled on one knee only for him to pull out a small black box. Huh? He opened it, revealing an amethyst gold ring, and asked the last question I expected to come out of his mouth, “Anyia Kai Lainey Michaelis, will you marry me?” Wait a minute… WHAT?!?!

I was completely thrown off track. He’s not that good at keeping secrets from me! How could I have been so oblivious to this? Unless.... Looking out of the corner of my eye, I noticed two shadows, one fairly shorter than the other, standing in the trees. The tall shadow appeared to be snickering, whereas the other calmly walked up to the tall shadow and smacked him on the back of the head, only for said figure to kiss the shadow. Oh, Tiva. Of course Klaus asked for your help. At least she finally manned up enough to kiss Luca. Once I realized Klaus was still in front of me, I quickly looked back at him, nervously awaiting my answer.

I finally answered, “Yes.”

Sighing in relief, Klaus stood slipped the ring on my finger and pulled me to him with a smile. Peeking from the ring to his god-like features, I asked, “Are you sure you can handle me? I mean, I am a sadistic demon after all, Oh, and I forgot to mention that I'm also part Reaper.” Letting out a soft chuckle, Klaus replied, “Love, if I didn't think I could, I wouldn't have considered proposing in the first place.” Smiling widely, Klaus pulled me against his chest and laid a playful kiss to my neck, then to my lips.

This was One Hell of an Engagement on this Hallow’s Eve night.

[tenyearsapeasant]

43. The Sent-Down Youth Return

There was a major incident in China in September of 1971. Chairman Mao's official successor, Vice Chairman Lin Biao suddenly got on a plane and flew away, then died when that plane crashed in Inner Mongolia. After that, things began to change in subtle ways.

In 1972, I was home for the new year when President Nixon visited China and shook Chairman Mao's hand. This was very clearly an attempt to warm up to America after ten years of worsening relations with the Soviet Union. The government was trying to use America, an ocean away, to exert some control over our neighbors to the north. My mother said this was the traditional method of keeping your friends far and your enemies close by.

President Nixon meets Chairman Mao in February 1972.

My family lived in the employee dormitories of the railroad department. Before the revolution the building was called a "Chinese garden." Every Thursday afternoon, the residents' study group would meet in the courtyard. The female party official on the neighborhood committee was very loud, and I could hear everything she said from my room.

She said, "Why did Nixon come to see Chairman Mao? First, because we scared him during the Korean War. Second, after the Cultural Revolution, he's lost hope of peacefully changing us. So, he is surrendering to us." According to her, this was a sign of our victory.

Upstairs, I laughed out loud. America was always our biggest enemy, and this was how the party official was trying to reconcile that with the visit?

Everything has its counterpart. Twenty years later I was in Washington DC, in a building near the White House. There was a US government photo exhibition. The last one was from Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping's visit to America, where he was pictured standing next to President Carter. I remember the caption ended with, "... Our new allies - China." The implication here is that America won. No wonder once Deng Xiaoping returned, we started warring with Vietnam. It was like we were getting revenge for America's defeat to prove our worth as new allies. I thought about this, and felt that the alliance between America and China was very good for our own safety - it was now less important to send hundreds of thousands of young people to the borderlands.

In those years, as the political and economic arenas changed, so did the policy around sent-down youth.

Starting in 1970, not every middle or high school graduate needed to be sent to the countryside. The "four directions" returned: one could focus on the countryside, borderlands, factories and mines, and the lower class. Some students could be assigned to factories in Shanghai. Because I was already in a village, my parents only had my little brother Jianyuan left. So he was able to get a job at the cargo shipping department. Half a year later Nixon came to visit, and we started needing to export manufactured goods to America. Jianyuan then transferred to an apprenticeship in a factory.

My mother always liked me, and would often say to my brother, "You're in the factory now because we lost your brother to the countryside."

The first time I heard of getting "sick leave" from the village was in 1970. A man from the Pioneer Production Brigade, by the name of Ru, had a brain infection. When he returned to Shanghai, I heard his residency had been transferred back and he wouldn't have to come back. A few years later, I heard that the criteria for sick leave had been expanded to include pre-existing conditions as well. For example, if your vision was worse than -8 diopters, you shouldn't have been sent down anyways and were allowed to leave.

Starting around the second half of 1974, there was another change. Those families where all the children were in villages while the parents were childless in Shanghai were allowed to bring one child back to Shanghai to work. As a result, Lu Yuping's older sister was able to return from a village in Jilin province, and Ma Liping's little sister was able to return from a village in Anhui province. Since the older of Xia Yuanlin's little sisters was already working in Shanghai, nobody else from his family was allowed to leave Yang'aosisters was already working in Shanghai, nobody else from his family was allowed to leave Yang'ao.

Chairman Mao and Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping.

In 1975, Chairman Mao wanted Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to take charge of the daily operations of the country. Some of Deng Xiaoping's actions were seen by others as "walking the capitalist road." After a bit over a year, he was again disgraced and fired. In the early summer of 1977, I went to Lugang to hear an official announcement. Deng Xiaoping's former position had been restored. The commune added that Deng Xiaoping did make mistakes in the past, but had personally guaranteed Chairman Mao that they would not occur again.

Immediately after Deng Xiaoping (re)assumed office, the universities reinstated their entrance exams. The sent-down youth in Lugang ran to spread the good news: "We can apply to college!" But from 1966 to 1977 we had spent eleven years without any formal education. Our fingers, which had once grasped pens and pencils, had been reshaped by our hoes and sickles. The test was imminent, and there was no time to learn or review. So applying to college was not an easy task.

In 1977, the siblings Xia Yuanlin and Xia Yuanjie both got into college. That was the first entrance exam in ten years; allegedly the acceptance rate to colleges nationwide was four percent.

In the latter half of 1978, I heard in the villages that a Vice Premier had identified the "Four Dissatisfactions" of the Down to the Countryside movement. These were the dissatisfactions of the sent-down youth, their parents, the farmers, and the nation as a whole. At the end of the year, Deng Xiaoping replaced Chairman Hua Guofeng. Deng Xiaoping was officially the Vice Premier, but in reality he was the paramount leader. The newspapers began to criticize some aspects of the Cultural Revolution. With this, the sent-down youth's discontent of the last decade exploded.

Before the plenum, a Shanghainese sent-down youth in Yunnan province wrote "A Petition to Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping," which allegedly garnered six thousand signatures. The petition detailed the various complaints of the sent-down youth in Yunnan: first, they felt that life was monotonous and devoid of meaning; second, a majority were losing hope for their futures; third, some sent-down youth got married very early and only cared about their nuclear families; fourth, many female sent-down youth left the villages to try to get married in a city, which made it hard for the men who remained to find partners; fifth, the sent-down youth who spent their time at home with their parents were squandering their youth; sixth, the sent-down youth who thought only of getting home were unproductive workers. The petition asked for sent-down youth to be allowed back home.

At year's end, they organized a group of volunteers to head to Beijing. They held up a banner that said, "We want to go home" and started walking north. When they got to the province capital, Kunming, they lay down on the train tracks and blocked train traffic in order to force the officials to let them go to Beijing. After consulting with the national leadership, the party leaders in Yunnan allowed them to return to their homes.

The activists asking to go home in December 1978.

Almost simultaneously, during the Chinese new year celebrations in 1979, hundreds of thousands of sent-down youth went back to Shanghai to visit their families. The Shanghai government held various events to try to support the sent-down youth who were particularly unhappy. But there were still many sent-down youth who took to the streets and blocked railroads, asking to go to Beijing to make their case.

Suddenly, everything changed.

My mother sent a letter saying that the residents' council told her that she didn't need any specific reason to apply for my "sick leave." She had already done all the paperwork, and it was en route to Yongfeng.

About ten days later, I received not the paperwork but another letter from my mother. She wrote that the railroad department had told my father a few days prior that he could retire, which would open up a spot in the department's labor quota, which he could then transfer to me. Then I would be able to work for the railroad department. Now that paperwork had also been done, and it, too, was in the mail. She said that my father was still working every day at age sixty-four, and his wages had not gone down even a single cent.

Everything was changing so fast. I was in shock. I was unspeakably happy, of course, but had an inexplicable sense of loss as well.

The great return of the sent-down youth was beginning.

I was a substitute teacher at Yongfeng Middle School. After receiving my mother's second letter, I told the school what my plans were, and went back to Libeishang. I never did get that paperwork - it must have been lost in the mail.

There was one family in Libeishang that had a patriarch who worked outside of the village. He was over fifty years old. At the time he was home to celebrate the new year. He had heard that I was going back to Shanghai, and came to find me. Very seriously, he said, "In the past couple of years, all the college spots have gone to you sent-down youth. Us farmers have been upset by that. Now, you all are oing back to Shanghai. What are we villagers going to do then? Aren't we a country of workers and farmers? Is it right for the government to do this to us?"

I knew in my heart that the great pendulum of Chinese politics was swinging rapidly toward the right, but I didn't know how to explain this to him. Faced with his confusion and doubt, I was completely speechless. All I could do was explain the "subsitution" method that my father had used to get me a job. Later I heard that he quickly prepared his own retirement, transferring his job to his son. No individual among us is strong enough to turn the tides of history.

When the villagers learned that I was leaving, they came to my house to express their congratulations. The old team leaer, Zhang Famao, took issue, saying, "Old Xia's been here for so long, everyone should be thanking him for his time." Qingkui, Sixi, and other major figures in the village fell in line. Sixi had some education, and he suggested giving me a pennant. They all agreed. Famao went to buy the fabric, Sixi was to write the characters, and a deft young girl was to cut the characters out and attach them to the flag.

Famao and Sixi gave it to me without much ceremony. The pennant was red, with a yellow borrder. It wasn't very big, and there were three lines of white text attached to it. The first line was "A Memento For Comrade Xia Jianfeng," the next read "Leaving behind love for the people," and the last read, "A gift from the members of Libeishang, Feb '79."

I pointed at the characters on the pennant, and jokingly said to Sixi, "Wow, being a teacher really left an impression on you. The 'Jian' and the 'memento' are both written as alternate forms, and the 'leaving' and 'members' are in Traditional Chinese."

After they left, I stared at the four characters "遗爱待民, leaving behind love for the people." I couldn't tear my eyes away, and I felt a little twinge in my nose as a few tears welled up.

Did I really deserve such high praise? Wasn't this pennant a little like the old "Umbrella of the People?"

I read that the upstanding government officials of yore were described as "creating fortune for a whole region by working for one term." When they left the people would give them an umbrella in thanks. Inside, the umbrella would be covered with the names of his constituents. This was the "Umbrella of the People," signifying that the official had been able to protect the people from all sorts of misfortunes. I had also read that corrupt officials would sometimes force their citizenry to make one on their departure.

Later, I found the phrase in the encyclopedia, where it said that the "love" in the phrase also means "benefit" in this case.

When I was production team leader, I felt like I was fairly upstanding, but I didn't count as a government official.

That night I couldn't sleep as various scenes flashed through my head. Digging the emergency spillway at the reservoir during a storm; the soreness of my back during planting and harvesting; horsefly and leech bites; the mice running races above my bed; frozen in fear before the jackals; pigs oinking endlessly in hunger; my yellow dog happy to see me; jogging with a bamboo stalk on my shoulder; nearly falling over while carrying a big sack; villagers bringing me piping hot dishes...

I began to pack my things. Only then did I find that I had many things that I couldn't bring home: the water tank, water buckets, the dining table, benches, the pigpen, the chicken coop, the rice bin and the bed, the pantry cabinets, pottery urns, my hoe and sickle, the chamberpot...

There were twenty-six families in Libeishang, so I split the things I wasn't bringing with me into twenty six parts, and gave them to teach family. Something to remember me by, and a way to thank them for taking care of me for all these years.

After all this, I still had a substantial amount of luggage. Not only did I have the brown synthetic leather trunk from my arrival, I had a few camphorwood trunks and a round hardwood tabletop. To protect my luggage, the villagers made me an immeasurable amount of straw rope, to tie all of my things together tightly.

I went to the Lugang bank to transfer my account. I still had over two thousand yuan in my account. I wrote a two thousand yuan check and took the rest out as cash. The accountant sighed, saying, "If only more sent-down youth were like you. I heard you even gave your things away to all the families in Libeishang."

The accountant knew that in the future, when a villager was in dire need of some money, they would come to the bank and borrow some from that fund. If someone couldn't pay it back down the line, I wasn't going to collect on their debt.

As the last sent-down youth to leave the Pioneer Production Brigade, I went to their headquarters and asked if they could give me a tractor ride to the Jiangbian village railroad station in Le'an prefecture. The production brigade secretary told me, after some discussion they had already agreed that I could use the tractor whenever I wanted. To express their thanks for my ten years of work, they waived the fuel fee of fifty yuan.

The secretary especially emphasized that my contributions were worth far more than those fifty yuan; waiving the fee was to express their gratitude, not to remunerate me for my service.

It was a beautiful morning when I left Libeishang. The village sent four people with me to go down to the train station.

Libeishang village slowly moved farther and farther away, and I couldn't see it anymore.

Lugang bridge was up ahead. When we were picking tea tree seeds every year, I'd often rest my shoulders under the bridge here.

We passed by the production brigades' oil press. I felt the heat, as if I were still there, shirtless, pressing oil.

The road to Cunqian was close by, which I once traveled to go see Ma Liping.

The "Grain Mountain" was swelling towards me. This was the mountain we went to harvest tea tree seeds on.

The narrow "Flag Row Ridge" swept by in an instant. Was there someone digging on the ridge? Was someone singing a folk song?

The Pioneer Production Brigade oil-press near the road, in 1998.

I didn't know the next mountain by name, as it wasn't part of the Pioneer production brigade. I did know that there was the "White Cloud Temple" on it. They said that no matter how hot it was, you would feel cool when you went there. Unfortunately I never made it there.

The tractor rumbled louder as it worked its way up the mountain towards Guanqian Production Brigade.

Goodbye, Libeishang. I've bled in your mountains, I've sweated in your fields, I've dug in your rivers and I've fished in your ponds.

Goodbye, Libeishang. Even though you've humiliated me in some ways, you've given me bits of pride in others.

An individual is a tiny speck in the universe, but I still left the most important ten years of my life here.

I would definitely return, but I would be a different person then. You can't step in the same river twice, after all.

When we arrived at Jiangbian village, the railroad station was completely empty. There was a new announcement posted on the wall. It read, "Because this station's luggage rooms are full, we will not check baggage or other cargo starting today." It was dated five days prior. I guess I wasn't going to leave after all.

Someone who looked like a sent-down youth walked up. I asked, and he was also going back to Shanghai. He had already stayed here for three days because he was unable to check his luggage.

"There are too many people going back to the city. The railroads can't keep up. I hear tomorrow they'll open up the luggage again. I guess we'll just have to wait and see," he said.

"Where's all your luggage?" I asked.

"Oh, over there." He gestured with his mouth. "I come by twice a day, doesn't seem like people are going to steal it."

I guess I could try my luck too. The villagers helped me bring my luggage down, and put it next to that person's.

Then they climbed back onto the tractor and went back to Lugang.

At eight the next morning, the ticket window opened, and I successfully bought my train ticket. Even better, they were checking baggage again!

I transfered at Xiangtang station, and my final destination was Shanghai. I sat in the train, the cabin gently rocking. The wheels clattered over the sections of rail as they always did. I thought of my first train ride to Jiangxi, a decade before. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the tides of history were pushing me back onto a green train, but in the opposite direction. The train was going a different direction this time, and so was China.

The PA system crackled to life, bringing my attention to the present. The announcer used her well-trained voice to welcome us, "Travellers, we have arrived at the last stop Shanghai station." The way she said "travellers" was " 旅开, lükai," not the standard "旅客, lüke." There had been a skit about this in the 1950s. In any case, the railroad department stated that this was intentional, and created a friendly environment on the train.

When I got back to Shanghai, my father told me that because of the great return, the travel season for the new year was particularly busy. Even the ample luggage rooms of the Shanghai station were no longer ample, and they had to build temporary ones on the platforms.

When I went to the police station to transfer my residency, the young police officer looked up at me. What a coincidence, they said, you left in February 1969 and are returning in February of 1979, a round ten years. That's not easy.

Everyone in Shanghai knew that over ten years, over one million youths from a city of six million had been sent to the countryside. Their lives were certainly not easy.

But many in Shanghai didn't know that there were many peasants in China who, like those in Libeishang, were born, lived, and died in the same place for generations. Their lives were even harder.

In the innumerable villages of China there were many people whose natural environments were not as rich as what we had in Libeishang, and their lives were especially hard.

If you thought closely, I was lucky to have lived and worked in Libeishang for ten years.

Some sent-down youth got rashes and sores when they started working in the rice paddies. It was called "paddy rash." I was lucky, and didn't get it.

I later found out that I would get altitude sickness anywhere over 1500 meters above sea level. Fortunately, Libeishang was barely 100 meters above sea level.

Even more luckily, I was in the relatively rich Libeishang, where I could feed and clothe myself with just my own labor.

By the time of the sent-down youth's great return to the cities, many had already made their way back. Only about seven million were still living in the villages, about forty percent of the original total. Many of them were like Lu Yuping and I, unremarkable and not well connected. Over the course of a few months, all of these people went back into the cities.

In 1981, the departments of sent-down youth across the country began to shut down. Before the Lugang department was disbanded, the director went to all of the villages to ask them to buy the houses the government had built for the sent-down youth. The asking price was low, as they were only looking to offset the initial investment, but he had few takers.

In most villages, they knew that even if they didn't spend a single cent the houses were effetively theirs. If the whole department was being disbanded, was the government going to take the houses too? But Libeishang's Zhang Xianzong and Zhang Sixi decided they would do as the department said, and bought our house.

The director of the sent-down youth department heard there was still one sent-down youth living in the Qingshan Production Brigade, who didn't want to go back to the city. So he went to pay him a visit.

It turns out that this sent-down youth was very happy to stay in the village. He didn't have to work - his parents sent him an allowance regularly. He bought food from the village and vegetables from the villagers, and spent his days without a care in the world. He was living the pastoral lifestyle.

The director had no choice but to send someone to bring this last sent-down youth back to Shanghai.

Lugang Township of Yongfeng Prefecture of Jiangxi Province turned the page on their life with the sent-down youth.

The old Lugang Commune sent-down youth department office had become the Mount Linhua Tea Orchard lobby in 2013.

The old director retired soon after sending the last sent-down youth back to Shanghai. Many of the Lugang sent-down youth should recall that, in his office that doubled as a bedroom, beyond a bed, a desk, and a chair there was also a small file cabinet. Rumor has it that there were dossiers on every one of us in there.

Now his office has been merged with the next room over, and is the lobby for the Mount Linhua Tea Orchard, a company developed by someone from Zhejiang province.

I once asked the manager, "Where exactly is this Mount Linhua?"

He had probably talked to many visitors before me, and he waved his hand toward the window, at a local hilltop in Lijiacun. "Right here." I laughed to myself.

Mount Linhua is the tallest mountain in Yongfeng Prefecture, at the intersection of the Yongfeng, Ningdu, and Le'an prefectures. It's 54 kilometers from Lugang Township, and has no relationship to Lugang. Its peak is 1454 meters above sea level, allegedly the ideal altitude for growing tea. But of the 2000 hectares of Mount Linhua Tea Orchard, not a single one is above 200 meters in altitude.

Ma Liping likes drinking tea, and she says that their white tea is actually pretty good.