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mariacallous · 9 months

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The green transformation can be a depressing business. We know we need it, we know how to do it, and life fueled by renewable energy could be extremely attractive. There’s just the issue of the metals needed in vast quantities to make the whole thing work. As virtually every digital-gadget user knows by now, China processes by far the largest share of those metals—which means it can cut other countries off from them.

Enter Norway, where a mining company says it has just discovered an extraordinarily large phosphate reserve that could meet the world’s needs for the next half-century. Let’s just hope it pans out.

China’s already started to flex its muscles over its control of critical materials. This month, Chinese authorities introduced export restrictions on two metals used in semiconductor manufacturing, gallium and germanium, allegedly to “safeguard national security” in response to the barrage of U.S. restrictions on the Chinese semiconductor sector. It was an ominous sign. China conducts more rare-earth mining than all other countries combined (63 percent), and it carries out 85 percent of the processing. Not only has it spent years building up its mining and processing; it has also been building remarkable strategic reserves of the metals, which are crucial to the manufacturing of digital life (no smartphones, digital cameras, hard drives, or monitors without rare earths), lighting, and the green economy (without rare earths, no transition to electric vehicles, also known as EVs, or wind power).

Though gallium and germanium aren’t rare-earth metals, they’re similarly critical to digital life, and the export curbs were clearly meant as a warning to other countries that if they annoyed Beijing, they could be cut off from the technologies of the future.

But what are countries to do now that they’ve painstakingly built digital lives and embarked on their green transformations in the belief that globalization would, as it has for decades, efficiently provide the components needed? Though the United States is trying to expand its rare-earth mining and processing (perhaps unsurprisingly, China is thought to have been part of a NIMBY campaign against a rare-earth processing plant in Texas), it’s slow going.

That’s because the known rare-earth deposits outside China are comparatively small. China’s reserves are twice as large as those of Vietnam, the world’s no. 2. Russia and Brazil, tied at no. 3, possess reserves just a bit smaller than those of Vietnam, but after that there’s a big gap. Knowing that China could cut us off at any moment makes the green transition dangerously vulnerable to the harsh winds of geopolitics.

The beginning of this year delivered further troubling news, when three Chinese firms signed a $1 billion deal with Bolivia’s state-owned YLB to explore Bolivia’s lithium reserves, the world’s largest. (Lithium is indispensable in modern batteries, including those for smartphones and EVs.) Last month, YLB signed further lithium agreements, worth $1.4 billion, this time with a Chinese firm and a division of Russia’s Rosatom, for lithium exploration and extraction. The deals follow a 2019 agreement for $2.3 billion between Bolivia and China’s Xinjiang TBEA Group.

Leave it to Norway, which has achieved extraordinary wealth thanks to the discovery of enormous oil deposits under its North Sea waters in the late 1960s, to deliver rare good news for mineral resources. Last month, Norge Mining—a British-Norwegian company—announced that it had finished its exploration of phosphate, another crucial component in devices including batteries and solar panels. And, ta-da!, Norge Mining had found that the Norwegian mineralized, igneous phosphate rock contains enough phosphate to keep the world going for another 50 years. The numbers involved are enormous. The Norwegian deposit contains an estimated 70 billion tons of phosphate, nearly as much as the world’s heretofore documented reserves of 71 billion tons. Morocco has the next-biggest reserves, at 50 billion tonnes

Phosphate’s main use isn’t as glamorous as rare earth’s role in the digital world, but it’s equally critical. It’s mostly used as a key part of modern food chains by way of fertilizer—but while used in smaller quantities in digital devices and EV batteries, phosphate is a crucial component there, too.

Until the Norwegian discovery, the available phosphate reserves were dwindling. The discovery will change that, and in the nick of time. “We believe the phosphorous that we can produce will be important to the West—it provides autonomy,” Norge Mining co-founder and deputy CEO Michael Wurmser told the news website Euractiv. Now the West needs the Norwegian public to do its part, because like rare-earth mining and processing, phosphate mining is dirty, and it also emits considerable amounts of CO2. Wurmser told news media that Norge Mining will be using modern carbon-capture technology—but Norwegians (and the Norwegian government) still need to go along with the mining plans.

“Continental Europe is rich in many strategically important raw materials, and the large raw material deposit in Norway is a stroke of luck for Europe,” Matthias Wachter, head of the Department for International Cooperation, Security Policy, Raw Materials, and Space at the Federation of German Industries, told me. “It has the potential to significantly reduce Europe’s import dependence on autocratic regimes, especially China. However, it will be many years before extraction can actually begin.” And a geologist at Oslo University’s Natural History Museum similarly downplayed expectations on the find. Experts have known about the reserves for some time, Professor Axel Müller told Courthouse News Service, adding that the problem is the extraction – the part Norge Mining wants to pursue. “We are talking in the far future, and the processing technique is complicated and energy intense,’ he said. ‘You have to separate minerals from each other by crushing the rock. Then you have to apply different processing technologies such as magnetics, flotation, and possible acid treatment to get a phosphate concentrate out.”

A lot is riding on Norge Mining, a company founded by Wurmser less than five years ago. According to Wurmser’s LinkedIn profile, this is his first position in the mining sector, other than a position in another mining company led by Wurmser, which has a minimal footprint but which, when I reached out to Norge Mining, they told me “advised globally on mining projects and commodity resources.” Norge Mining’s website lists as its staff only Wurmser, a CEO, a CFO, an advisor (who also runs a small consultancy), and an executive assistant. The European Raw Materials Alliance has said that it would support Norge Mining’s undertaking, but the organization is a public-private industry alliance, not a financial outfit.

Norge Mining certainly has big ambitions. It’s is also exploring Norway’s reserves of vanadium and titanium—metals used in everything from aircraft and submarines to laptops. Today, China produces by far the most titanium in the world, followed by Mozambique, South Africa, Australia, and Senegal. The United States, in 10th, produces 200 tons per year, compared to China’s 3,400. In the production of vanadium, China’s dominance is even stronger. Last year, it produced some 70,000 tons, followed by Russia at 17,000, South Africa, and Brazil. (If the BRICS nations were to stage a vanadium boycott of the West, we’d be in trouble.)

Norge Mining might end up being the company that solves the world’s phosphate shortage and tackles China’s domination of vanadium and titanium. But Western economies would be wise to make a few more bets. There are deposits to be found of not just phosphate but vanadium, titanium, and all manner of rare-earth metals as well. The Canadian firm NPM is upgrading it rare-earth processing facility in Estonia (supported by funding from the Estonian government).

And, Wachter said, European governments should do more to help get the continent’s rare-earth metals and other critical resources out of the ground: “We need a regulatory framework that supports resource extraction, incentivizes private investment, and massively accelerates permitting.”

The biggest news might, in fact, come from Sweden, where the mining giant LKAB is already painstakingly drilling its way toward the enormous rare-earth and phosphorus Per Geijer deposit in the Kiruna mine in Sweden’s far north. It’s already clear that the Per Geijer deposit is Europe’s largest. Digital life and green transformation without dependence on China are within reach—especially if consumers and companies get serious about doing their part and begin recycling far more gadgets.

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mdjalhokbabu · 3 months

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HM is the most typical example.

In June this year, HM Beijing Sanlitun Taikoo Li flagship store officially ceased operations. The closure of H&M stores in China HE Tuber has become the norm in recent years.

On June 24, 2022, H&M’s first store in the Chinese market, the Shanghai Huaihai Middle Road flagship store, officially closed; in March this year, some netizens discovered that H&M Hangzhou West Lake Yintai store had ceased operations. In addition, in Qingdao, Zhuhai, Chongqing and other cities, some netizens said that H&M is gradually closing stores.

H&M's financial report shows that the number of H&M stores in China has begun to shrink since 2019. From 2019 to 2021, the number of H&M stores in China was 520, 505 and 445 respectively. The number of stores has declined year-on-year for three consecutive years. And the proportion of decline continues to expand, from 2% in 2019 to 12% in 2021.

Li Ning, which is actively investing in coffee and pop-up stores, has poor financial data. In 2021, after briefly stripping away the impact of the epidemic, Li Ning, which bottomed out and rebounded, achieved revenue of 22.57 billion yuan that year, a year-on-year increase of 56%. However, by 2022, its growth rate has slowed significantly to 14%, which is the slowest growth rate in the past four years except the year when the epidemic broke out.

Under the dual pressure of market and finance, some light fashion brands have turned their marketing focus to pop-up stores.

Liang Yiru, public relations manager of a fashion brand in Shanghai, told Value Planet that because pop-up stores have a shorter cycle and require lower costs such as manpower and rent, as long as the creativity is sufficient, the social communication effects and sales conversions they bring are very impressive. Creativity is a great way to drive sales. On the other hand, these creative ideas will also continue to empower consumers' impressions of the brand, allowing the brand to get rid of the labels of "quickly out of season" and "low brand value", and promote the transformation of some consumers into long-term buyers. Nowadays, the entire market is relatively cautious about advertising and marketing, so pop-up stores, which can give quick feedback and bring ROI, are very popular.

3. Can pop-up stores “save” light fashion?

Low customer acquisition cost, wide coverage, short cycle, and flexible operation are the reasons why pop-up stores have become a new trend in fashion marketing. And why do many pop-up stores choose to combine them with coffee and cultural and creative peripherals?

Xiaoyu, the pop-up store operator, believes that coffee has more social attributes than tea and feels more "high-end" than milk tea. Coffee itself can also be creative with a lot of themes in terms of taste and packaging, making it a good and consumer experience. A tool for "communication".

He gave an example: "Many consumers are passing by or coming to join in the fun. They may not buy clothes worth a few thousand dollars, but they can still buy a cup of creative coffee, take photos, and post on Moments. These displays There is no additional cost for the clothes, only the venue and planning of the event. On the one hand, coffee can generate income, and on the other hand, the posts on Moments also promote the brand, so coffee is very suitable.”

As for cultural and creative peripherals, they are similar to coffee. They have low unit prices, strong social attributes, and are easy to combine with brands for creativity, so both of them have become products that pop-up stores are willing to choose.

So, can the sluggish light fashion industry be "revitalized" by pop-up stores? Pop-up store operator Xiao Yu believes that this depends on whether the pop-up store is creative, whether it can achieve product sales or consumer conversion, and whether it can empower brand value.

First, look at creativity. Rent a venue, hire a few temporary workers, print a few creative peripherals and start selling them. Although this method is low-cost, it is also highly replicable. As more and more brands adopt the pop-up store marketing format, the ability to produce eye-catching creative ideas becomes increasingly important.

Previously, luxury pop-up stores often focused on styling, such as making a certain bag into a giant bag for display, or expanding the logo into a three-dimensional store size. However, Xiaoyu believes that light fashion pop-up stores should work harder on content, such as combining classic film and television IP and the tone of the brand itself to create a more meaningful theme.

In addition to creativity, it is also necessary to evaluate the ability of the pop-up store to convert actual sales . No matter how many marketing tricks are used, they will ultimately serve the purpose of brand transformation, and no matter how lively the activities are, they will not be of much significance if they cannot effectively serve the brand promotion. Light fashion does not have as strong cash flow as luxury goods. For them, pop-up store activities are not only about "making buzz" but also "making business." How to use co-branded pop-up stores to create popular items, or even deliver more effective customers to the brand in the long run, are issues that light fashion pop-up stores must consider.

In addition, it also depends on whether the planning can empower the brand itself.

Pop-up stores are the most convenient way to update your brand positioning. Xiaoyu believes that in order to attract traffic, you cannot choose some eye-catching but not favorable strategies. The brand concept should be truly emphasized and updated in the pop-up store, so that consumers can see the new vitality of the brand. This is the pop-up store. The direction of the "volume".

After attracting a wave of consumer check-ins and social media popularity, whether the pop-up store can truly drive light fashion brands out of the predicament and achieve a two-way increase in brand value and sales is an important test for brand strategy and marketing capabilities. .

#video #sharing #watch #upload

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william26guzman · 2 years

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Mary Katrantzou X Bvlgari Launch Serpenti Bags

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chavezerickson9 · 2 years

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Bulgari Bag

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from-a-reckless-writer · 3 years

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RE: the tags about being tempted to post a half finished fic and guess the ending, well you are a reckless writer for a reason

this is long overdue, so here have a fic.

It has come to the point that nothing fazes her anymore.

A kidnapping? Been there, done that. It means calling Sam Arias to intimidate the board of members into temporary submission.

An explosion at the office? Just a typical Tuesday. It means relocating to the 23rd floor and sharing the desk with two other interns for 2 months tops.

An assassination attempt? It means bracing herself for at least 3 deliveries of donuts and coffee for the two following weeks that Kara Danvers would be protectively hovering over L-Corp, until her boss snaps and shoos her away back to CatCo.

She’s seen it all, endured it all and she sure as hell is prepared for it all. She’s got three different ironclad statements ready to publish for whatever PR disaster will most likely turn up that week. She’s got contacts from the FBI, DEO, CatCo, Daily Planet, Gotham Gazette-- hell she even has Lillian’s personal cell (just in case the Luthor matriarch ever tries anything y’know? ) and yes, even the number of that 'Mexican place at 5th and Spring, you know the one Kara likes, Jess?'

She’s got two pairs of heels, a raincoat and four sets of outfits neatly folded in a duffel bag, at the back of the office, reserved for any emergency that requires a change of clothes.

The point is, she is an independent Asian-American woman who has worked her ass off for the better part of the decade and has long learned to take no shit from anybody.

Not even stupid superpowered Kryptonians.

See, it takes a lot to be her. It takes unlimited patience to put up with a woman like Lena Luthor, not because she’s a terrible person. Oh no, no, the complete opposite, actually. She is so overwhelmingly kind to a fault, and she doesn’t want nor let anybody see it. It’s infuriating to see sometimes. Okay, fine, she sides with the Krytonian on that one matter. But oh, ho, ho, not today. Today, she’s mad.

She’s livid, actually and it’s all Supergirl’s fault. (and Lena Luthor's too.)

Jess has had her fair share of ‘I-Should-Not-Have-Been-Here’ moments, like that one time she forgot to knock and stumbled unto Lex mid-yell with Lena whose eyes were shimmering but was still keeping a rigid posture.

Or that one time when she thought her boss had long left the office, only to be greeted with quiet sobs and an empty bottle of scotch rolling on the floor. Or that time she happened upon Lena, skirt and sleeves on fire with fumes rising from a green solution.

Apparently, her staff from the lab refused to let her in after three days of their CEO holding herself in isolation with the experiment. Lena had gotten the great idea of smuggling the chemicals to her office instead. Luthors are nothing but determined. Jess still remembers the adrenaline rush of holding a fire extinguisher—as if she were the chosen 5th grader for a school fire drill—and shoving her boss out of the way.

Like she said, nothing fazes her anymore she’s seen it all, except maybe, this one. Yep, definitely this one. This one just made a hot ball of fury unfurl at her very core. This one might just take the cake.

Jess was just going about her day, returned from a hearty lunch and feeling reinvigorated from that dose of sunlight and fresh air. It was a quiet day today, she noticed, which should’ve been a foretelling.

Nothing really is ever quiet. Well, when it comes to L-Corp, at least.

She’s been sitting on her desk for about a good fifteen minutes and finished with screening a few papers from their new contractors, when it occurs to her that the latest blueprints from R&D are still on her desk instead of already being reviewed by her boss.

She grabs the drawing tube and quickly makes for her boss’s private office. They’ve spent enough time with each other that Jess could just come and go as she pleases, instead of having to knock each time. Saves both of their time, that way.

Although, usually, she buzzes through the intercom first to double check, but it was 1:20 P.M and she knows Lena doesn’t have anything scheduled after lunch. So, she pushes the door, confidently strolls in and promptly stops in her tracks.

Jess stops breathing for a moment, blinks once, twice, stares at the scene before her.

Lena Luthor sat atop her work desk; blouse open, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, neck currently being ravaged by Supergirl with legs wrapped around the waist.

She probably should’ve just turned and left while they haven’t seen her yet. That would’ve been the smart decision, right? Yes. Yes, it was so very clearly The Right Decision.

Of course, she doubts she could look Lena in the eye for the next few weeks after that, but at least she wouldn’t know that Jess walked in on them during an er- make-out session? Office tryst? Oh God, she shudders internally. It sounds even worse.

Incident? Yep. Yeah. She’s sticking with incident. Indecent incident sounds more apt really.

She should’ve left. Would have left, if her eyes didn’t just land on the desk—well, more like Miss Luthor’s as- backside—and felt the stirrings of rage make itself known. Because there, underneath Lena’s ass (Backside!! Jess, that’s your boss!) is the squished—probably crumpled—pages of a contract.

A contract they’ve spent 5 months securing!!

Jess decides to do what everyone else would have done in a situation such as this; she clears her throat. Loudly.

Classic move.

Supergirl’s head immediately shoots up and Lena’s eyes snap open.

“Jess!” Supergirl squeaks and she sees the exact moment the realization hits Lena. Her eyes widening at her girlfriend’s exclamation, whips her head to the side, spots Jess, hands scrambling to a panic to close all the buttons of her blouse.

She hears Lena hiss, “Fuck, shit. Oh my God. Shit. How did she even- You have superhearing!!!” as she pushes Supergirl—who lets herself be pushed, stunned by the intrusion, face redder than a tomato.

Lena gets off the desk, fixes herself all the while to futile results. Her hair is tugged down from her usual ponytail, her neck and chest is marked, her lips swollen.

Supergirl's hands twitch at the sides and Jess sees her gulp as blue eyes frantically dart to Lena and her, and then Lena, and then back to her.

Lena finally turns around after those few awkward beats.

"Jess," she begins, clearly trying hard to put on her business bitch persona, but come on, there's a hickey under her jaw for fuck's sake.

"It's not what you-"

Jess doesn’t let her finish, she stomps her way across the office and forcefully puts the drawing tube on the desk. It makes a hollow thump.

“Jess I-”

“Supergirl, do you know how long it takes to finalize a business proposal, pitch it to the board, persuade the board and finally have a contract drawn?”

Supergirl gulps again. Lena’s eyes are wild next to her, she doesn’t like not knowing what the next best move is, Jess knows this all too well.

“Uhhh- no?”

Jesus Christ, you’d think after years of shadowing Cat Grant, she'd had at least learned a thing or two. Then again, if somebody is full on glaring at her after getting caught red-handed, Jess doubts she could answer coherently too.

“That’s right,” Jess says, “You don’t.”

“Jess,” Lena repeats pointedly. She knows that tone. It’s a warning.

“Ms. Luthor.”

A period not a question mark. It’s a challenge.

"I've spent all my evenings working late on that, do you know how many dates I've had to cancel? Just so I can secure a meeting with Qatar and simultaneously sync it with Beijing's time? My boyfriend hasn't seen me in two weeks!” Jess bursts out.

“Two weeks, Supergirl!” She gets close enough to jab a finger to the Girl of Steel’s chest. A feat she will gladly tell all her coworkers later when she’s calmed down enough.

“Not to mention, the 10 other people who worked their ass off trying to make sure that Miss Luthor's presentation is airtight, bulletproof and waterproof!” Lena has the decency to look a little guilty at this point, nothing big though, just a slight tug at her lips, but it was enough for Jess.

“IT TOOK ME 3 FUCKING MINUTES TO PRINT THAT GODDAMN CONTRACT WHICH MIGHT NOT SOUND LONG—” Jess raises a finger in emphasis, “BUT BELIEVE ME WORKING IN L-CORP? A 3 MINUTE DIFFERENCE CAN MEAN AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT OR PSYCHOPATH PRESS!”

Supegirl of all people should already know this! For fuck’s sake!

Jess’s chest is heaving. She takes a deep breath, kneads her knuckles to her eyelids, “So, please if you're gonna have sex in the office, please, pleaseeeee clear the desk first. And at least, lock the door.”

She stares them both down, till Lena gives her a solemn nod; cheeks and ears still red. Supergirl squeaks out an, “U-understood, Ma’am.”

“Good. Glad we’ve come to an agreement.” Jess gives them one final nod before finally fulfilling what she came in here to do, “Miss Luthor,” She turns to Lena, “here are the R&D blueprints. Good day, to you Supergirl. I'll be going now. "

When she finally goes home, tells her boyfriend, and wonders aloud if she’ll still have a job the next morning, he tells her she’s such a badass.

And well, Jess can’t disagree with that.

*****

"Did I just- Did I just get yelled at by your secretary?? D-did she just chew us out?"

"She did, and she deserves a raise."

#i call this fic how many commas can i use in one sentence?#i think this is by far the most crack thing ive written #poor jess #in this house we worship and praise jess the secretary and her thrity second cameo in that ONE scene #if u see a typo no u didnt #the reckless writer writes #a supercorp ficlet of sorts

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cheri-translates · 3 years

Text

[CN] Summer Palace Tour with Gavin

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for content not yet released in EN 🍒

Summer Palace Tour Video: here

The weather in autumn is exceptionally clear and refreshing. Standing at the entrance of the Summer Palace, I look at the tickets in my hand with anticipation.

The documentary from my previous collaboration with the Forbidden City garnered positive feedback, and many viewers expressed that they had a better understanding of traditions and culture through the film.

As such, the company managed to clinch the rights to shoot a sequel. This time, the collaborative partner is another famous imperial palace...

The Summer Palace, also known as “The Royal Garden Museum”.

This is a rare opportunity. Before filming officially begins, I decided to visit the venue to take a look around. Of course, I’ve also invited him along.

My gaze flits past the bustling crowd. Just as I’m searching for that familiar figure, a voice rings out -

Gavin: It’s crowded here. Don’t stray off.

Gavin walks over to my side, taking my hand.

MC: I’m looking for the guide board. This place is really huge.

I blink at him, releasing a soft sigh of awe.

With a small smile, Gavin grips my hand lightly.

Gavin: It’s over there.

He brings me to the guide board. Giving it a sweeping glance, he turns to me with a relaxed smile.

Gavin: It says there are two entrances. Where do you want to go first?

MC: Let’s start from the north entrance.

LOCATION 1: Suzhou Street

Standing on the white marble stone bridge of Suzhou Street, I tiptoe, staring into the distance.

Beautiful shopfronts span as far as the eye can see, and tiny colourful flags outside the shops drift in the breeze.

MC: Wow, I can see the Yuquan Mountain and the Western Mountains from here!

I tilt my body to the side, pointing them out to Gavin. He glances in the direction of my finger, then nods.

Gavin: Mm, the view is pretty good. There are many shops as well. Why don’t we take a break here?

He asks relaxedly and contentedly, and it seems as though the beautiful scenery has melted into his eyes.

A wave of joy surges from my heart. Without realising it, I start to talk even more, pulling on Gavin’s arm as we walk down the bridge.

MC: Sure, let’s walk around!

There are many visitors in Suzhou Street. Row upon row of shops are arranged neatly.

MC: I heard that after Emperor Qianlong returned from an imperial tour in the Jiangnan region, he longed for the bustling view in Suzhou... For the 70th birthday of his mother, he built this street in order to bring the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan to the city of Beijing.

All of a sudden, I think about the “ideal home” that Gavin and I once talked about. My eyes crinkle upwards.

[Note] This is a reference to Hometown Date!

MC: Gavin, do you still remember the question about our “ideal home”?

Gavin pauses slightly, then nods.

Gavin: Why the sudden question?

MC: It just came to mind after looking at the scenery and greenery.

My gaze slowly sweeps across the view before me, and I express the thoughts in my heart.

MC: In the future, our home must definitely have a huge garden. I want to grow all sorts of trees and plants in the garden, and create a beautiful Jiangnan scenery.

Gavin can’t help but chuckle softly. He lifts his hand, scratching the tip of my nose affectionately.

Gavin: Sure, we’ll do it together.

He turns around. Standing in front of the railing, he blends into the pictureque scenery behind him.

A gentle breeze brushes the stray hairs on Gavin’s forehead, revealing a pair of crystal clear amber eyes.

Gavin: But the scenery isn’t important. The most important thing is that you and I are in that scenery.

LOCATION 2: The Marble Boat of Purity and Ease

MC: “The Marble Boat of Purity and Ease”... it’s a really beautiful name. But why was it given such a name?

Gavin follows my pace unhurriedly, walking towards the riverbank. We watch as sunlight descends on the boat, casting a dazzling halo over it.

Hearing what I said, he flips open the guide map and reads it aloud.

Gavin: “The Yellow River is clear and the sea is calm - the world is at peace throughout the years.”

Gavin: Its name originated from a wish for peace and prosperity.

MC: Peace and prosperity...

Gavin lets out a “mm”. Staring at the tranquil lake, his voice is calm.

Gavin: It’s a shame that things didn’t go as planned.

His words make me recall the past that I’d read from history books.

The land was left in tatters, and fresh blood spilled like wine. The rippling and surging lake of the Summer Palace couldn’t salvage everything that was burnt down.

We pass by white marble railings. They are pure white, and one can no longer see traces of a vastly different past.

MC: Back in school, I remember the solemn atmosphere in the classroom when we learnt about this moment in history... It’s as though everyone experienced it firsthand.

Muttering to myself, I find my mood dampening. However, Gavin suddenly speaks.

Gavin: I used to feel angry about it, but not anymore.

MC: Why not?

Gavin: Because I understand now that if you want to protect something you cherish, you have to keep getting stronger.

Gavin looks at me, his eyes filled with calmness and bright rays of light.

He doesn’t continue, simply hugging me from behind as we stare at the Marble Boat of Purity and Ease quietly.

Specks of radiance land on the boat. It’s as though this historical boat has been stranded in this moment, bringing with it the tranquility of consistency through the ages.

Looking at this peaceful scenery, I suddenly tilt my head upwards. Gavin lowers his eyes and meets my gaze, his eyes clear and bright.

MC: Gavin, in the past, I always thought that peace and prosperity was something ordinary. But afterwards, I slowly understood the weight behind them. It’s been difficult for you, Officer Gavin.

Gavin chuckles softly, encircling me even more tightly into his arms. His chin rubs the top of my head gently.

Gavin: I already have a reason to fight. So, it isn’t difficult at all.

LOCATION 3: Long Corridor

Even though it’s already autumn, the weather is still pretty hot. However, cool breezes weave through the Long Corridor, and they are incredibly soothing.

MC: No wonder the imperial household enjoyed coming here to avoid the heat... it’s much more cooling than other places!

I smile at Gavin. The moment I finish speaking, a visitor from the side suddenly bumps into me.

Before I can react, Gavin reaches out to pull me into his arms.

Without a word, he simply uses his body to shield me from the crowd behind. Then, he tilts his chin at me.

Gavin: What were you saying?

Sweeping a glance at the growing crowd, I find that the originally cooling Long Corridor is gradually becoming stuffy and hot. I shake my head.

MC: Nothing much. It’s just that this path is pretty long, and it’d be a while before we reach the end.

Gavin: Want to go somewhere else?

Meeting Gavin’s gaze, I shake my head. After fanning myself with a hand, I stand on my tiptoes to fan Gavin as well.

MC: Since we’re already here, we might as well finish the walk. Anyway, the scenery along the way is really pretty.

A faint breeze brushes stray hairs on his forehead. Gavin’s bright eyes notice my actions, and he smiles slightly.

Gavin: Sure.

Tugging on Gavin’s hand, we continue walking forward. Gavin doesn’t say anything, and it seems like he’s pondering on something.

After a moment, I feel a refreshing breeze drifting from our interlaced palms. It gradually encases my surroundings, lifting up a few locks of hair.

I immediately turn to Gavin. He blinks, his eyes innocent and bright.

Gavin: It’d no longer be hot like this.

A breeze brushes my sleeve, and I can vaguely hear someone exclaiming from the front.

Visitor: It’s so cooling all of a sudden!

I turn my head, watching as the person beside me stares out of the corridor as if nothing happened.

Gavin: The view’s pretty good here.

I can’t help but laugh quietly, pulling on his hand as we continue walking.

LOCATION 4: Hall of Peace and Longevity

MC: Gavin, look at that lady. The hanfu she’s wearing is so pretty!

I tug on Gavin’s sleeve, signalling for him to look.

MC: The design of that hanfu was likely inspired by items in the Hall of Peace and Longevity. There are images of phoenixes, Yulan magnolia flowers, and peonies woven on it. The workmanship seems so exquisite...

Gavin: Do you like it?

MC: Mm! It looks really pretty, and it’s an innovative blend of traditions and cultures! I just don’t know where I can buy... huh, Gavin, why did you take your phone out?

Gavin: I’m searching for the shop selling this outfit. Since you like it, get one.

MC: ...it won’t be too late to do that after returning home!

LOCATION 5: Garden of Virtue and Harmony

MC: Gavin, look! There are paintings of dragons on the ceiling of the Garden of Virtue and Harmony!

Walking past the inscribed board outside the Garden of Virtue and Harmony theatre, we arrive at the inner hall.

Arching my neck to stare at the paintings on the ceiling, I point them out to Gavin.

Gavin’s gaze follows the direction of my finger, and he nods slightly.

Gavin: It does look very nice, but that’s not all.

MC: Huh? Did I miss something?

Gavin suddenly lifts his hand, tilting my head gently and enabling me to see uneven ridges on the paintings.

Noticing the curiosity on my face, he smiles while explaining.

Gavin: That should be a movable board which allows actors to descend from the ceiling.

Astounded, my eyes widen as I turn to him.

MC: Wow, there were already elevators back then!

Gavin smiles in amusement at my exaggerated tone and expression. He nods.

Gavin: Mm, it’s pretty amazing. Aside from that, there are many other mechanisms here.

He casually points at the decorations on stage, and seems to find them interesting.

Gavin: In order to carry out a perfect performance, they spent a lot of effort on the decorations. The ingenuity of predecessors have remained till this day, and they are by no means inferior.

I nod in agreement. Something occurs to me, and I can’t help but laugh.

MC: Then again, Officer Gavin doesn’t need an elevator to descend from the sky!

The corners of Gavin’s lips curl upwards subconsciously. He seems to think of something, and coughs softly.

He looks around at the surroundings. When he’s certain that no one is watching us, he turns back to look at me, a somewhat resigned expression on his face.

Gavin: Not so loud.

Receiving Officer Gavin’s “instruction”, I give him a wink, doing a “zipping” motion over my lips.

Gavin glances at me, then suddenly lowers his head, chuckling softly into my ear.

Gavin: But it’s the truth.

LOCATION 6: Lotus Pavilion

MC: From here, we can see green pines and the palace on Longevity Hill!

I pull Gavin to the corner of a veranda.

MC: I originally thought the Hall of Jade Billows was just a tiny palace. Turns out it must be seen from this angle.

Gavin: Mm. Aside from Longevity Hill, we can also see the Jade Spring Hill. It looks just like a landscape painting stretched out in front of us.

MC: Looks like the person who wrote a couplet based on the Lotus Pavilion had the same thought as you.

I stare at the hanging couplet on the rear eaves of the Lotus Pavilion, smiling as I read it aloud.

MC: “The uneven pavilion is akin to a magnificent palace basking in the glow of sunset, and the scenery is reminiscent of a painting”.

Gavin studies the words on the couplet, then grips my hand.

Gavin: Let’s go and admire that “painting”.

LOCATION 7: Garden of Harmonious Pleasures

MC: I heard that the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures has a winding corridor comprising over a hundred sections that connect the entire garden into one structure. I couldn’t conceptualise this clearly through the guidebook. Now that I’m in it, I can experience the beauty of this classical architecture!

Walking through the corridor with Gavin, I click my tongue in amazement.

Gavin: Mm, it’s extraordinary. Based on the map, this corridor connects the north and south.

Gavin unfolds the map in his hands.

Gavin: Look at the markings. The mountain spring here is the source of the Kunming River.

Leaning into Gavin’s arms to look at the map, I nod along with his words.

MC: I see! No wonder I felt a certain aura of unity while walking.

Gavin chuckles, then keeps the map.

Gavin: “A winding path leads to quiet seclusion” - I guess this describes the view in the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures.

LOCATION 8: Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

Spotting a strange bronze creature in front of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, I walk over to it curiously.

MC: What’s this? It doesn’t resemble a lion or any other animal...

Gavin: It’s a Qilin.

Hearing Gavin’s words, I’m a little shocked as I examine this sculpted bronze creature before me -

It has the head of a dragon, deer antlers, and hooves. Its body is covered with scales, and it looks mighty and awe-inspiring.

MC: Is this the Qilin which treads on auspicious clouds and prevents disasters in the world? Why would there be a sculpted Qilin here?

Gavin: It’s probably because the Qilin is a legendary auspicious beast which prevents evildoing and wards off evil spirits.

Gavin responds calmly. Since this makes sense, I nod, flipping open the guidebook to learn more about this.

MC: “The sculpture of the auspicious beast Qilin was cast during the reign of Qianlong. It sits on a white marble base with lotus petals carved around it. There are seven pearls carved on the base. There’s a treasure carved between the two front limbs of the Qilin... it exudes a mighty aura, and greatly enhances the beauty of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.”

My head bobs from left to right as I read the introduction on the guidebook.

Finding this amusing, Gavin crosses his arms, looking at me with a smile.

Once I’m done reading it aloud, I take another look at the Qilin, scrutinising the sculpted scales on its arms.

Seeing that I’m entirely focused, he suddenly asks a question.

Gavin: Does it look that impressive?

I nod vigorously.

MC: It does! It’s incredible and even symbolises good luck. If possible, I’d want to meet a Qilin! That way, it can guarantee that everything I do will go smoothly, and that each day will be happy!

Gavin doesn’t say anything. He suddenly takes my hand, looking at the decorative patterns on the Qilin together with me.

After a moment, he pretends to be casual as he speaks.

Gavin: You probably won’t get to meet a Qilin.

Gavin: But I can make you happy every day.

LOCATION 9: Shop

Noticing that I’m deciding between postcards from across the display window, Gavin turns to me.

Gavin: Shall we make a postcard?

MC: Mm! Let’s pick a photo~

At this stage, you can customise your own R karma by selecting a pose and backdrop :>

[ LITTLE SNIPPETS ]

Gavin grabbed a stray kitten which attempted to carry a sandwich away in its mouth

We met a fortune teller, and he appeared to tell Gavin something secretively

A boy was trapped on top of a bronze cow, and Gavin carried him down

A little bird hovered over your heads. Perhaps tired from flying, it suddenly landed on Gavin’s shoulder and took a short break

At the city wall, Gavin carried you up to look at the distant scenery

When you’re tired from walking, Gavin immediately carried you to a wayside pavilion

While on a boat, there was a soothing breeze on the Kunming River. You leaned against Gavin’s shoulder and fell asleep

Passing by ginkgo trees along the west dyke, Gavin caught a few drifting ginkgo leaves and gave them to you

[ MOMENTS ]

MC: I saw quite a number of ladies taking pictures in ancient costumes. I regret not preparing an outfit...

Gavin: It’s okay, we can come again next time.

MC: The “Sacred Tree” is very beautiful this season. No wonder it’s a must-see.

Gavin: If you like it, we can stay here for a while longer.

MC: There are so many people. Should we come back again later?

Gavin: Sure. How about walking around the Garden of Virtue and Harmony first?

[ EVOLVED KARMA ]

Just as you said, there’s a different feeling when seeing the historical architecture of the Summer Palace up close.

I took many pictures today. There are photos of you, but there are even more photos of us.

When we head back, let’s look at them together.

- Gavin

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc gavin #I won't be doing translations for the other love interests!

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myjunkisyuzuruhanyu · 2 years

Note

hi, i'm a new fs fan who came in liking shoma, but aside from the "misogyny" many people are currently bashing him based on the dating rumors about him and marin because of him allegedly offering to be her bf when she was 12/13 and he 16/17... on one hand there are a lot of red flags with that but 1) i don't think everything in the article is real, since the sources are very unreliable 2) this dropping the moment 2022 starts + with only a month to go to beijing? sus 3) if the intention was to out/accuse shoma as some kind of creep this kind of article would have been released years ago and not when both are now adults 4) the streaming incident may not have been as bad as haters make it out to be but i really don't see shoma having had a gf then. 5) if it WAS real the parents may have been involved + we don't know if it's a cultural thing. atp it's really hard to say what i feel about shoma but it's kind of disheartening to see fanyus obsessively dragging him when yuzuru and shoma are very good friends. (as a mainly fanyu myself)

They accused Shoma of many things in the past before they had any as they would call it "valid" concerns - for example 2018 they claimed he was not complying to the Olympic oath of fairness because he has the wrong jumping technique - they sadly will continue to spread hate. He could cure cancer at this point and they would have found something problematic in this.

And you're absolutely right that Yuzu likes Shoma. But sadly haters care more about their hate than Yuzu's friendship with other skaters. (It's also very funny when they try to ignore Yuzu and Shoma interactions when Yuzu is so affectionate towards Shoma and speaks so highly of him)

The obsession and vitriol is what is truly concerning. Yes point out that things he said could be seen offensive, that the age gap if the rumor is true can be seen as problematic, but 1. Don't make it your job to tell others what they should find offensive and what not 2. Don't make others feeling differently about it invalid of any opinion or hate on them (because this is what happened when ppl defended Shoma with the stream incident) 3. Don't obsess about ppl you don't like and don't know 4. Don't like a skater fine, no need to read about them 5. It's fandom it should be fun. So what does it matter to them if I like Shoma or not, if he has fans? His fans problem and his problem not theirs. Stick to the skating!!!

Ppl are more about policing what skaters you can like than actually talking about skating. I stan skaters for their skating. Shoma could be the most awful person in the world and I would still like his skating. He is a figure skater, but atm I have the feeling he is the candidate in a Bachelor show.

Anyway I don't see the point in ranting about it further. At this point it's gotten ridiculous.

Some points towards what you mentioned:

1) I haven't read a full translation about that article with Marin and Shoma. As far as I know some unknown JSF official shared that story from 2014, so what that was 8 years ago? All Shoma allegdly did was pointing to himself when Marin was talking about boyfriends as far as I know. So to say he offered anything is wildly blown up. Can you imagine that shy insecure boy he was at this time would come up to a girl he thinks is pretty and tells her to be his girlfriend? Really? I can't. And 2nd what an official is this that shares such a story? If it was even an official after all. I don't think anyone would have shared that if it would have been seen as problematic in Japan as you said if they would have found fault in it, they would have published this much earlier. Still to me it sounds more like a story that has been shared from person to person and details have been added in the get go. It's a tabloid paper with gossip. A thing Fanyus like to point out when there is something misleading about Yuzu in it. So actually they should know better.

I myself don't see any problem in the age issue that she was 17 (close to 18) and he 21. We don't know anything of the nature of this dating if it's even true...they were both young, Shoma is also said to not really behave like his age at that point (he was 18 years old when he still said on Keiji's lap in an official competition). She was in highschool and he was in college - is that so rare?...I am not sure about anyone else but I know girls at age 16/17 who dated boys who were in college, some boys even much older than 21. I think it's a problem when both are on different parts of their lifes but that wasn't the case. They both spend the most time in skating, not school or college, spend all their time in training, competitions or shows and both lived with their parents. So actually their situations were similar. So it's not like they lived the normal teenager/young adult life some may know. I think it would have been inappropriate if the age gap would be 17 and 25+ or if the perspective of life is different and if you have power as an elder over the other. But when both are in education at 21 and 17 the perspective of life usually isn't that different.

2) the whole timing is dubious. Why share such a rumor now? And still what's the fuss about it if it's not even confirmed by any of the involved parties? Fanyus claim it's PR created by Shoma's mom. Sure she would make up dating rumors because of some Englisch speaking fans calling Shoma names. Beg your pardon you don't have that much influence in his life! It's delusional to even think this. And when this is all PR, why not chose someone that is close to age for Shoma to mitigate the rumors? Why Marin? The media shipped Marin and Shoma for years. Who knows what was in the media's minds to pull this out now? Is it true? I don't know. I don't actually care. For all we know that is true is that Shoma and Marin are close friends.

3) You can see the stream in many ways. The problem is we don't know anything for real. I can't picture that he was dating at that time but maybe he was dating and didn't like the way he was still approached by girls? I dunno. On what was said in the stream I have explained my stance on this often enough now that I won't repeat myself here.

4) All I know if Shoma and Marin are truly dating for 3 years then they seem to be good for each other when they already spend 3 years together. I can only say if it's true, I am happy if they are happy. But it's not my business.

All feelings about Shoma are valid. No one has to like him or forgive him for what he allegdly said and did. All I ask is actually to not spread hate about him. Not constantly trashtalk every piece of even uncredited info. And pls don't hate on Shoma fans for liking him. Just why cannot all fans stay in their circles and let others live unbothered fan life.

#replies #shoma uno #marin honda #Rumors it's all rumors at this point #No proof from anyone for anything

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lucientelrunya · 3 years

Text

Like a lonely house pt 6

So, they continue being stupid... Yeah, that's it. Not much happening here.

@nope4ever I'm weak for clothes-sharing :) I'll have to come up with a reason why Rishan needs to wear a changshan, because I just love that look <3 Your comments always make my day/week, thank you so much :) @gaiahenshin Thank you, it's already much better :) Not that that could keep me away from those two for long... @psychic-waffles Thank you :D @kholran Thank you, I'm already much better :) And Rishan is absolutely gonna angst a lot more, especially at the end of this whole thing, hehe.

~*~

The moment lasts until Ba Ye opens his mouth, inhaling like he wants to say something. But then he seems to reconsider, closing his mouth again and swallowing visibly. He looks down at the sweater in his lap and strokes the soft wool with one hand. Zhang Rishan wonders what he wanted to say and why he chose not to. But since Ba Ye decided not to say anything he doesn’t ask.

“I should get dressed, shouldn’t I?” Ba Ye asks without looking up again. “If you want breakfast, then you should get dressed, yes. Do you want me to pack up your changshan?” Zhang Rishan asks and gets up again when Ba Ye hums in a mixture of affirmation and thoughtfulness. Carefully he rolls up the silk fabric and packs it away in his bag while Ba Ye gets dressed. Combined with the dark trousers he normally wears beneath the changshan, it makes him look surprisingly normal. Even the white undershirt peeking out doesn’t look out of place.

“This is surprisingly comfortable," Ba Ye remarks, tugging the turtleneck almost up to his chin while a small smile appears on his lips. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s go eat!” Zhang Rishan is just glad that Ba Ye seems to be in a good mood again and that whatever had made him so unhappy has passed. At least for now. He nods, all of his things are already packed and since Ba Ye doesn’t have anything (yet), there is no need for him to pack and they can go eat with the others.

Breakfast is not as loud and boisterous as the dinner the evening before, possibly due to a lack of alcohol. But it's still nice. There are delicious steamed buns and noodle soup and really good tea. None of them seem in a hurry to leave, enjoying the easy chatter and company a bit longer than strictly necessary. Wu Xie is indeed very happy to hear the news from Zhang Haike and makes him promise to celebrate that another time, either in Hangzhou or Beijing. Liu Sang on the other hand is not very happy to learn this way that the karaoke machine is indeed Wu Xie’s.

“Please, take me with you, you just need to get me as far as the nearest train station," he pleads at one point and Zhang Rishan can’t tell if he is actually serious or just joking. Because he does sound really serious about it. Pangzi throws an arm around Liu Sang’s shoulders, patting him and grins at Zhang Rishan. “Ah, don’t listen to him! Jinx, Kan Jian is waiting for you, can you do that to him, huh?” Liu Sang glowers at Pangzi, plucking the hand off his shoulder, but he seems to think that he can’t just leave Kan Jian hanging. “Fine, fine," he mutters, but still looks quite unhappy, sitting rigidly next to Pangzi.

“Why do you dislike karaoke that much? I thought it sounded quite nice?” Ba Ye asks the still sulky Liu Sang, who frowns at him for a moment. “I have very sensitive hearing," he replies rather curtly and glowers at Pangzi again when he snickers and adds, “You see, he just doesn't know what’s good.” He winks dramatically at Liu Sang, who splutters indignantly but actually seems to be trying to fight against a smile that twitches at the edges of his lips. Zhang Rishan watches their banter with quiet amusement.

“Ah! Just like the hearing maids of Xinyue Hotel! Is that why you always wear those strange earplugs?” Ba Ye asks, gesturing with his half eaten bun in the general direction of Liu Sang’s face. “Yes, those are noise cancelling earplugs, they help a lot to tone all the noise down.” Liu Sang nods to Ba Ye’s earnestly interested question and even explains how they work when Ba Ye looks a little confused.

“So, they already had people with exceptional hearing at the hotel back then?” Pangzi asks, to which Ba Ye nods enthusiastically and ends up recounting how much trouble those hearing servants had been when they had tried to steal the cure for Yatou.

Zhang Rishan knows most of what happened then, but he had never heard the full story told like this so he listens, too. It has been so long since he last heard someone tell a story about something Fo Ye had done who had actually been present at that time. Surprisingly it doesn’t make him sad, just a bit nostalgic. Because those are fond memories of Fo Ye, willing to sell everything he owned just to help Er Ye and his wife, only to come back from Beijing with a fiancee of his own.

“And in the end Er Ye had the cure for Yatou, Fo Ye had Miss Yin and poor old me didn’t even have a place in the car!” But Ba Ye doesn’t seem too broken up about that fact anymore, because he laughs with the others. “Huo Xiangu said nothing about all this, she made it sound like he lit the sky lantern just to get Yin Xinyue!” Wu Xie exclaims, positively delighted. Zhang Rishan can only share an amused look with Ba Ye who is outright laughing at that. Even if they married in the end and were really happy, Fo Ye had no idea he would end up bringing Yin Xinyue back to Changsha. And in the beginning he had tried to get rid of her quite a few times. That had been a really awkward time for everyone involved.

“So did everyone who ever lit a sky lantern end up destroying your hotel or was it just us?” Wu Xie grins at Zhang Rishan mischievously, while Ba Ye gapes at his words. “Eh? What do you mean his hotel?" he exclaims, almost throwing his half eaten bun at Zhang Rishan in astonishment. “It’s not my hotel, it’s Yin Nanfeng’s. I’m just one of the managers,” Zhang Rishan corrects Wu Xie, who just keeps grinning. “But you are technically her boss, aren’t you?” Pangzi asks with a confused expression, obviously thinking of their meeting about the recorder.

“Not really, no. We are co-managers, no one is the other’s boss.” He shakes his head. She had tried going against him in the past and had wanted to get rid of him for quite some time, but he understands why she did it. She just wanted to protect Xinyue (which is basically her baby) and honor the wishes of her ancestors. They had made peace with each other after Gutong Jing, especially since she had become friends with Liang Wan.

“So you can’t lift that ban she put on us?” Pangzi asks casually, like he doesn’t know and like they had ever shown an interest in that before. “No. She is the one who banned you, so she is the only one who can lift that ban. Her hotel, her rules.” Out of the corner of his eye Zhang Rishan can see Luo Que smiling to himself, probably glad that both of his bosses get along so well now. Pangzi on the other hand doesn’t seem too sad about the ban. Instead he seems to wait for Ba Ye’s “Ban? Why were you banned?” so he can start recounting how Wu Xie accidentally lit a sky lantern and then ran away with the auctioned good.

While Pangzi describes in vivid detail how they fought off Huo Xiangu’s bodyguards and the servants, Zhang Rishan finds Wu Xie watching him thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, you were already the manager back then, weren’t you. You could have stopped us. Why didn’t you?” he asks thoughtfully after Pangzi finishes his story with a big grin. Zhang Rishan raises both eyebrows. “Why? Did you want me to?" he asks, a little ironic smile on his lips. “No!” Wu Xie protests instantly, eyes wide, but a smile is already spreading on his lips again.

“I’m sure President Zhang just wanted the seal to be in good hands," Pangzi adds in a pointedly serious tone, elbowing Wu Xie lightly to make him drop the subject. And Wu Xie does, patting Pangzi’s elbow affectionately. Zhang Rishan wonders for a moment if he suspects the Wang clan had already been watching back then and had their eyes on the seal. Either way, he is glad that they decide not to question his lack of involvement further, because he doesn’t really want to explain himself or think too much of that time. Looking up again he finds Ba Ye watching him with slightly narrowed eyes.

“It feels like you don’t have a lot of different stories but one very long one," he says, looking from Zhang Rishan to Wu Xie. “Um… yeah, I guess you could put it that way," Wu Xie answers, blinking. “We’ll come visit you in Beijing and then we can tell all the stories that need to be told.” Ba Ye seems to be okay with that promise and Zhang Rishan doesn’t mind another visit.

But then Wu Xie seems to think of something else and suggests they book the same hotels on their way home, because the way to Yucun is in large parts the same as to Beijing. “And you’ll have to take the car, right?” He seems genuinely disappointed when Ba Ye tells him they are going to Changsha before they will return to Beijing.

This bit of information seems to upset Luo Que, especially when he hears that Ba Ye can’t drive a car (and even if he learned it back then Zhang Rishan wouldn’t let him drive now). He suddenly seems reluctant to leave, too, and even offers to postpone his vacation and visit another time so he can drive them (or at least share the load of driving hours), obviously not trusting in Zhang Rishan’s ability to drive himself across the country. Zhang Rishan is not sure if he should be offended or moved by his concern. The normally so stoic and quiet Luo Que showing his worry like this is not something that happens everyday and Zhang Rishan appreciates his loyalty very much. Maybe he does lean more towards being moved. Even if Pangzi and Wu Xie laugh at the whole thing.

“Your boss told you to have a nice vacation. And Kan Jian prepared some jokes just for you, there is no getting out of that," Wu Xie says and for a moment Luo Que looks like he would consider that another reason to not go. But then he just nods with a hint of a smile on his lips.

They pack some of the leftover buns for later and get their bags to leave the little inn. Wu Xie pulls Ba Ye away to give him something while Pangzi comes over to Zhang Rishan to say his goodbyes. "So, is he like your Wu Xie?" Pangzi grins at him, patting his shoulder companionably. Zhang Rishan can only lift a questioning brow at that. "Oh, you know, the idiot you have to look after so he doesn’t touch anything he is not supposed to touch in a tomb?”

Judging by his tone, ‘idiot’ is absolutely meant as an endearment, but Zhang Rishan still frowns. Ba Ye is certainly not an idiot, but neither is Wu Xie. And he doesn’t really like being compared to Zhang Qiling (or maybe to Pangzi himself, who knows). It reminds him too much of how often he still feels like he just barely fills the hole Fo Ye left behind, especially in the eyes of other people. But even if Yin Xinyue herself had once said that he was like Fo Ye, he is not Fo Ye and he is not Zhang Qiling either. He really doesn’t appreciate this comparison, even if Pangzi probably meant it in a flattering way.

“I think several people would not approve of this comparison,” he says, looking over at Zhang Qiling for a moment, but if he heard those words he doesn’t show any reaction. “Ba Ye is really not at all like Wu Xie. He only ever went into tombs for Fo Ye, he wouldn’t do that by himself.” Zhang Rishan still remembers various threats of bodily harm he had to deliver to make Ba Ye join Fo Ye at all. And while Ba Ye was certainly willing to risk something to help the people he cared about, he wouldn’t set out on some adventure just out of curiosity. “So it’s not likely that you two will join us if we happen to find any other interesting tombs?” Pangzi asks, a little disappointed. “No, not very likely.”

They say their goodbyes then, before the others pile into Wu Xie’s van and drive away, leaving Ba Ye and Zhang Rishan with the rental. Ba Ye gets in the back, immediately scooting to the middle seat, probably out of habit. “You can sit in the front, if you want?” Zhang Rishan offers, while he looks up the nearest shopping center. “But the important people always sit in the back," Ba Ye quips and grins at him when Zhang Rishan looks at his reflection in the rearview mirror. Zhang Rishan only huffs a little laugh at that but nods, starting the engine, which makes Ba Ye scramble to his door to get out and back in on the front seat. “No, I changed my mind, I’d rather sit here. The view is better.”

They slowly leave the rural area, the streets getting wider and wider. “So, you work at Xinyue hotel?” Ba Ye asks, looking out the window. “Why didn’t you say so?” Does he now regret declining his suggestion of staying there? “Would it have changed your mind about staying there?” he asks, eyes focused on the road. Ba Ye can still stay there if he wants to, Zhang Rishan can always arrange that. “Do you live there?” Ba Ye answers his question with another question instead. “No, I just work there," which is most of his time if he isn’t away from Beijing on other business, like this trip. “Hmmm, no…," Ba Ye mutters, still looking out the window and sounding glum again.

“Ba Ye, it’s not that I was deliberately hiding that fact, but there are 80 years of life you don’t know about and what I told you yesterday is barely a fraction of that.” Because that part had been mostly about the people that they both lost. And it had been a very, very compressed summarization of events. “So, just ask anything you want to know, we have at least four days of boring driving ahead of us.” Ba Ye hums thoughtfully at that and then actually starts asking things. A little more about the hotel, who Yin Nanfeng is and lastly who Kan Jian is. Zhang Rishan tells him about the message in Kan Jian’s shoe, just to make him laugh and thankfully it works.

When they enter the city Ba Ye gets visibly distracted by the first skyscrapers and the sheer number of cars, scooters and other people participating in traffic one way or the other. He obviously tries to hide it when they enter the shopping center and all of it gets a bit overwhelming. Zhang Rishan assumes it’s a ‘too much’ of everything, too many people, too many new things and aggressively blinking advertising boards everywhere. And this is just a small town shopping center.

He doesn’t like places like this very much himself, but it must be even worse for Ba Ye, who hovers really close to his shoulder but doesn’t seem to dare to grab his arm with so many strangers around. His fingers are gripping the back of Zhang Rishan’s sweater in a vice-like hold instead and he is definitely ducking behind him, rather than complaining about other people bumping into him. And that’s never a good sign. So Zhang Rishan decides to find a quiet little place in one of the cafés where they can rest for a moment and drink some tea.

“There really are so many more people," Ba Ye sighs, sipping his tea carefully and it’s not really a complaint or his usual whining, but it’s a start. Zhang Rishan just nods and quietly hums his agreement. This might take longer than he thought and he adds another day to his planning. But he doesn’t really mind, it’s not like he is looking forward to another meeting with the Chens.

They get the phone first (“Whatever you have.”), then some of the daily necessities (“Electric razor? Is everything electric nowadays?”). Clothes take most of their time even though they are only looking for simple things. Zhang Rishan firmly believes suits should be custom made and that Ba Ye should get most of his new wardrobe in Beijing. He basically only needs a change of clothes and a pair of shoes that are more suited for hiking right now (even though they are done with the hiking part of this vacation. Hopefully). Their last stop is a supermarket for some supplies, which seems to be Ba Ye’s favorite so far and then they are off again, with a few more hours of daylight to drive.

It’s a rather quiet drive, Ba Ye is fixated on studying the manual of his new phone while he tries various snacks and just occasionally comments how much he likes them. He also offers Zhang Rishan some, every time he opens something new, but he doesn’t want sticky fingers or crumbs all over his seat. Ba Ye ignores his protests with a “Oh, this is really interesting, you have to try!” and he ends up with half of a flowery pastry stuffed right into his mouth. “No crumbs, no sticky fingers, if you let me feed you," Ba Ye comments with a grin and seems to enjoy himself tremendously.

“What is this?” Zhang Rishan asks around his mouthful of actual flower petals, wrapped in puff pastry. “Rose Cake.” Ba Ye is looking at him like he is waiting for something, probably a comment on the taste. “I don’t like puff pastry," he has to disappoint and Ba Ye pouts at him for a moment before he starts looking through the various packages. “What about pineapple cake?” Zhang Rishan peeks at the packaging and then just shrugs, accepting another piece of food from Ba Ye’s fingers.

They reach their next hotel late in the evening. “Would you like your own room?” Zhang Rishan asks while they get their bags. Ba Ye looks almost affronted for a moment. “That would be stupid, I don’t want to leave my room in my nightclothes when I want to talk with you," he says, holding onto his new bag with both hands and pressing it to his chest. “Unless… unless you want your own room," he adds more quietly and looks away.

“I don’t mind sharing," Zhang Rishan answers. He really doesn’t mind sharing, he had been a soldier for far too long and he actually likes Ba Ye’s company. He just wanted Ba Ye to know he had options, that he doesn’t have to share if he doesn’t feel like it and would rather be alone for a while. After all, they had slept next to each other so many times in the past on their various journeys.

So they get one room with two beds and hand all of Ba Ye’s new clothes over to the laundry service. After a rather quick dinner at the hotel restaurant Ba Ye finally starts up his new phone and immediately adds all his new contacts. He quickly finds out that he doesn’t have to type his messages and can just use voice messages. He also tests his new camera, taking pictures of almost everything in the room (including Zhang Rishan) and ends up making a video call to Wu Xie.

While he is busy Zhang Rishan rummages in his bag to find his laptop and start on a little research and give Ba Ye his changshan back so he can pack it into his own bag. He has packed the zip-lock bag which they have used to secure what was left of the strange white liquid into the same pocket as the laptop to keep it safe, so he gets both of them out only to find the zip-lock bag completely flat and empty. It’s still sealed and the bag has no holes, but it’s completely empty. There is absolutely no trace of its content left, it looks like it has never been used.

#zhang rishan #fuba #ba ye #qi tiezui #mystic nine #dmbj fic

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marilearnsmandarin · 3 years

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So this is what happened in August, and what I’m planning for September.

Keep reading for full report + September tracker.

Listening to a podcast in the morning and opening Hello Chinese before going to bed (even if only to review what I have learned) have been consistent habits. Of the 3 days when I didn’t listen to Coffee Break Chinese, one was on a weekend when I stayed in bed muuuuch longer than usual, and on another Spotify wasn’t working for whatever reason. I’ve finished all episodes and repeated a few that haven’t stuck yet, but now I’m going to look for another podcast. But anyway, I don’t feel like I need to track this habit anymore.

I included watching the Coursera HSK1 online course with other input like Slow Chinese Stories and Peppa Pig, my reasoning being that with those I’m hearing language in context (and in a more active way than watching dramas, for example). I had been watching those very often before, but haven’t been consistent lately. That has to do with being back to work; I have less time during tha day and in the evening I’m just not motivated. I’ll keep watching those but probably sporadically.

I’ll keep tracking the Rosetta Stone habit. I wouldn’t recomment it as the only resource for studying Chinese, but I really like the lessons and love the no-translation methodology. I think I haven’t been very consistent for feeling tired after work and, not being able to just do a review like on Hello Chinese, starting a lesson (even though they are short) feels like a bigger commitment...

I’m still pretty much still listening to those three songs from the Word of Honor soundtrack on repeat, and let me tell you, it’s been a long time since I last discovered a new song that I got so hooked on. I’m loving it. I’m still trying to memorise all the words. (I did listen to other songs over the month though lmao)

I confess I expected to have finished those 2 graded readers by now, but it actually took me a long time to start. I don’t know why I was waiting, I guess maybe I wanted to study more characters before - which is, like, what reading the book is all about? But anyway, even when I did start reading ‘Welcome To Beijing’, I was reading mostly in bed (I was reading Lord of the Rings on my other “book reading time slots”) and couldn’t read much before falling asleep. I also kept forgetting the characters and going back so I read the first 2 pages like a million times. Only when the month was coming to an end did I start reading it in a more productive manner, and taking notes on the characters that I kept forgetting. And yes, Lord of the Rings is on pause for the moment.

I will post a review once I finish it (the reader, not Lord of the Rings). It’s basically a guidebook. I’m a fan of graded readers and recomment it if you find it for a good price like I did. I think I’ll be more motivated to read the others though.

For September, I decided that I will track my reading, writing and speaking practices. I think it will be harder to be consistent. I have lots of reading material and I will focus on the graded readers and the poetry book. For writing I’m including character practice, writing on my journal (what has been happening a lot is that I take a few notes over the week and only write them down over the weekend) and copying texts and dialogues, but not just new words or example sentences.

I think speaking is the most difficult skill to practice while studying alone. While considering my options I decided to try the 30 Day Record Yourself Challenge - but I'm already having a hard time thinking of what to say and Day 1 will have to be tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.

(in my defense, Tuesday and Wednesday are particularly hard days at work and today I got home at 9:30 pm and started writing this...)

#personal #studyblr #langblr #language learning #chinese #mandarin #mandarinblr #journal #accountability #self-study #resources

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skullsandwineglasses · 3 years

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Remembrance of Things Past - Eps 1-10 Impression/Rant

Not really a first impressions post since there are only 2 episodes left, but as I’m waiting on the last few episodes, I thought I’d rant a bit about the drama here.

First of all, I agree with everything that AvenueX said in her review of the first 6 episodes. Her review is what prompted me to start the drama. I needed a realistic slice of life drama to balance out the idol drama that is You Are My Glory (which I’m also waiting on for new episodes), and ROTP seemed to fit bill. ROTP is just so good.

I binged ROTP in 3 days. It could have been 2 days, but I started it at 2am on a Wednesday night, so I didn’t get very far the first night. Each episode is about 75 minutes long, so almost the equivalent of 2 regular lengthed episodes, but not quite.

I cried during the first two episodes. The character development is just phenomenal. You really feel for Jing Jing’s character even though you’ve only seen her character for an hour. There are little moments throughout the drama that made me tear up too, like when the girls were celebrating Nan Jia jie’s 36th birthday and I got emotional over how close their bond is, or moments when the girls reflected on their aging parents and how we often take our parents for granted.

Plot pacing and structure

The plot is tight and well-paced, and each girl’s storyline is interwoven well. Sometimes they’d cut between simultaneous scenes between the girls to compare and contrast what they’re each going through. For instance, when Xu Yan is having an argument with her boyfriend, the drama will also cut and flip back and forth to Qiao Xi Chen going through problems at her workplace. When Xu Yan makes up with her boyfriend, the drama cuts to QXC and Nan Jia being romantically pursued by Jian Yi Fan and Ou Yang. It’s interesting to see how their lives mirror and differ from each other.

Because the storylines between the girls are so interwoven and keep flipping back and forth between each other, it makes it hard to skip scenes because you can’t just skip an entire segment or else you’ll miss something important in all 3 storylines. I can see that this might be a little annoying if you have a preference for one of the girls and want to skip someone else’s storyline. But I actually like seeing all 3 of their stories play out, so I’m not bothered by it.

Another aspect about the plot’s structure that I appreciate is how they use the mystery behind Jing Jing’s suicide as a throughline for the drama. Up until episode 8ish(?), each episode ends with a question about Jing Jing’s life prior to her suicide and the next episode opens with the girls trying to find an answer or a clue to it. The girls and we the audience learn more and more about Jing Jing with each episode. However, episodes 9 and 10 deviate from the structure a bit and so the drama has recently been less and less focused on Jing Jing’s story, especially after they found out that she had depression. The drama seems to imply that her depression due to the stress of living in Beijing was the main factor that led to her suicide, while the successive unfortunate events that happened on her birthday was the trigger.

Characters

I like all the main characters in the drama, albeit some a little more than others, which I’ll explain. I think the 3 male love interests are a little too perfect though, and so I guess this slice of life drama is actually a little idealistic after all.

Xu Yan - My least favourite of the four girls. She’s materialistic, but not as spoiled as I though she would be. But it does annoy me how she keeps picking fights with Shen Zi Chang, when he’s just trying his best. He’s so tolerant and patient with her. He apologizes, they make up, and then the cycle repeats. It’s just a very unhealthy relationship, and I’m tried of seeing them fight and make up.

EDIT: So, I started writing this review when I had only watched up until episode 9, but now that I’ve finished episode 10, um, wtf?? Xu Yan made a bad choice and got scammed of all her money, her friends try to comfort her, loan her money, and tell her not to repress her emotions like Jing Jing. And then she just lashes out at them saying they have no right to comfort her because they were the ones who caused Jing Jing’s death. Xu Yan starts off blaming QXC for not knowing that Jing Jing had a crush on her boyfriend, and then she blames Nan Jia for being a bad older cousin. She blames both of them for being ignorant of Jing Jing’s depression and only caring about themselves. QXC (rightfully) retorts back than Xu Yan knew all along that Jing Jing had a crush on her boyfriend, and yet Xu Yan never told anyone, so she’s just as guilty as all of them. Honestly, I was sympathetic towards Xu Yan before, but she was just so ungrateful and entitled in that scene. What right does she have pointing fingers and assigning guilt to people? And to weaponize Jing Jing’s death against them? That’s just cruel. The argument between them in that scene at the end of episode 10 just felt so random and out of place. All of a sudden, Xu Yan points out all of these problems she has with QXC and Nan Jia, when all they’ve ever done is pamper her. Also, you can’t blame QXC for dating Lin Rui even if Jing Jing liked him first, and not to mention that QXC wasn’t even aware. QXC might not have even chosen to date Lin Rui if she had known. But it happens all the time between friends where your friend might date someone you like. All’s fair in love and war, and there’s no first come first serve rule when it comes to dating.

Jing Jing - She becomes more complex as you learn more about her. She puts her friends first and is fiercely supportive and protective of them. We get a glimpse of how far she’s willing to go for them she pulls a butcher knife from the kitchen and points it at QXC’s debt collectors in the first episode. Her friends see her as being really open, expressive, and bubbly. She’s the first one they each go to whenever they need help with a problem or want to show off an achievement. But in reality, she’s really secretive. She hides her feelings to keep her friends happy, and when they slowly uncover her secrets, she becomes less and less recognizable to them, as though she’s been living a double life all along.

At the end of episode 10, Jing Jing is described as the “hole in the tree” that everyone goes to to share their secrets, but they forget that she’s also a person with her own secrets to share, and she’s not just a tree hole to serve others. Can we blame the friends for not paying enough attention to Jing Jing and only using her for emotional support? Yes and no. It’s complicated. We should always do more to try to care for others and to be more attentive to them, but at the same time, it’s impossible to completely know a person. I purposely hide parts of my life from my friends because I don’t want them worrying or judging or commenting. So I would never expect them to be able to figure it out, and neither do I want them to figure it out. I think it’s interesting that the drama is exploring the friends’ self-imposed guilt, but I don’t agree that Xu Yan should be the one to point it out them and to be Jing Jing’s spokesperson. Xu Yan positions herself as Jing Jing’s heroic and righteous advocator, when really Xu Yan is the most problematic person out of the three remaining friends.

Also, after seeing how the friends interact, they don’t feel narcissistic. Yes, they each readily vent about their problems to each other, but they also ask about the other person. It’s not one-sided. Xu Yan talks about her problems with her boyfriend, but she also asks and cares about what’s happening in QXC’s life and vice versa. Nan Jia is more mature and is busy with her business, but she always takes the time and effort to help her friends. All of their conversations are reciprocal and they are genuinely interested in each other’s lives. So, I don’t think they have a major communication problem or that they don’t care or that they’re ignorant. Which again, makes Xu Yan’s accusations in episode 10 feel even more unfair.

Ji Nan Jia - Jing Jing’s cousin and also the oldest of the three girls (about a decade older). Sassy, witty, unapologetic, confident. She’s who you’d think of when you imagine a successful, independent, career-driven woman. She’s extremely annoyed by her mother’s nagging to get married. But she herself is trying to figure out whether she actually wants to find someone to settle down with or if she just wants to beat her biological clock and have children while she still can. She’s pursued by Ou Yang, ten years her junior, and he’s absolutely enamoured with her. He seems to be unconditionally in love with her, which is what I meant when I said that the male leads in this drama seem too perfect and idealistic. But I like Ou Yang though. He’s adorable.

Qiao Xi Chen - The main character of the four main characters. Like Nan Jia, she’s also quite sassy. In some ways, she’s like a younger version of Nan Jia. QXC is also very career driven and competitive. She’s confident and believes in her abilities, but she also gets easily overwhelmed and emotional (like when her stress and nervousness prevented her from being able to give her proposal presentation and she ran out of the room. I’ve definitely felt that way before my committee meetings). QXC is a character you can self-insert as because she represents the everyday employee who struggles with the long commute to work and tries to stand out and make a name for herself in the company. QXC is also extremely paranoid, which is understandable when you’re a woman living alone in the city. I know what it’s like to have to briskly walk home late at night and constantly having to look over your shoulder to make sure no one’s following you, or having to check your hotel room before you change, or having to make it seem like you’re not the only one living in your apartment. QXC is smart, logical, helps people when she can, but is also reasonably selfish when she needs to protect herself, like when her co-workers try to take advantage of her or throw her under the bus. She’s a character everyone can relate to.

She and Jian Yi Fan also make such a cute pairing. I love all their interactions. I love how Jian Yi Fan can’t help but smile when he’s with her, but he tries hard to clamp it down. I love how QXC is aware of her own attraction and easily admits to to Xu Yan that she does have feelings for him instead of beating around the bush. And I especially love the awkward but adorable confession scene in episode 8. Such great banter and play on words (”你是什麼意思” “沒意思” “你對我是不是有意思?”). The drama did a great job of depicting the frustration of trying to guess whether someone likes you when they seem to be sending mixed signals. A lot of dramas that don’t focus on romance seem to do a better job of showing romance than idol dramas that focus on nothing but romance. I grew up with TVB dramas, and in most of them, romance is usually secondary to the main plot, but I always loved the romances in those dramas.

Like Ou Yang, JYF is such an idealistic love interest. He’s so supportive of and attentive to QXC. I haven’t watched too many slice of life dramas, but To Dear Myself and My Best Friend’s Story both had flawed (and sometimes even irredeemable) male love interests. This drama’s rose-coloured glasses definitely reduces the amount of performative angst, but it also makes the drama a little less realistic. The men in Jing Jing’s life aren’t villainized either even when you expected them to be sinister. I think the most antagonistic character is Lin Rui, but even he’s made to be sympathetic. In fact, nearly all the characters in the drama are sympathetic characters because many of the choices they made were forced because of the situation they found themselves in, and what they did was an act of self-preservation. And so, you can’t hate them or blame them.

Acting and Dialogue

I mean, what’s there to say? The acting and dialogue just sucks you right in. I love it so much. The characters are so animated and charming because of how well the actors delivered their lines. I’m not a mandarin speaker (I’m a cantonese speaker but learned mandarin afterwards), but even I was able to notice the colloquialism and slangs and idiosyncratic ticks in speech that made the dialogue feel so real and alive. The actors had great comedic timing, and when they cried, you could feel how vulnerable they are.

Lastly, I also like the little “life lessons” they include at the end of the drama where there’d be a voiceover by one of the actresses and they’d muse about life. One of my favourite musings when when they talked about what it means to have a sense of security. For some people, having a sense of security is about having a certain amount of money in your bank account, or having someone waiting for you to come home, but a sense of security isn’t something tangible or physical that you can achieve or possess. It’s a belief. It’s a belief that you’re able to face any problem and that life will go on. It’s a belief that the one that you love will be faithful and supportive. It’s a type of belief that allows you to be confident to face uncertainty. And thus, a sense of security is something that only you can give yourself. I really like that little food for thought because it’s a great reminder to be self-dependent and to not rely on external gratification. Que sera sera. What will be will be. Don’t get too hung over on failure and don’t let stress dominate your life.

Note: Watching this at the same time as You Are My Glory is extremely humbling. YAMG is an idol drama, and so they make the romance look so easy. Heck, idol dramas make being a protagonist easy. The protagonist is destined to stand out from the crowd. It’s easy to be noticed. It’s easy to cause a change in the status quo. But ROTP is a reminder that we’re all practically nobodies in the big city. It feels impossible to make an impression when there are millions of other people living almost the same life as you are. There’s nothing special about you, and it’s hard to find meaning and purpose. Obviously, the drama shows that even when it feels like you’re trying to swim upstream in a big city, we each have a life worth living. We may feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but to our friends and family, we’re their world and they’re ours. I think it was Camus who said that we should find meaning in the face of absurdity. Live in spite of how absurd and meaningless things feels. Anyway, this drama gives you a lot to think about, even though I don’t really like the melodrama they’ve recently added to drag the plot (*cough cough* that explosive argument scene at the end of episode 10 that I keep ranting about). You’d think that a 12-episode drama wouldn’t have filler, and yet here we are.

#我在他乡挺好的 #remembrance of things past #cdrama #zhou yu tong #bai yu fan #cdrama review #jolin jin #ren su xi

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salt-warrior · 3 years

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Hey salt-warrior! Can you write a kaider oneshot where either Cinder or Kai act like workaholic and Torin and Iko are trying their best to get them a life please? Loving your kaider fanfics especially The Other Side of Sorrow!!

Thanks for the request! It was loads of fun. And I’m so very glad that you liked The Other Side of Sorrow! That was a good one to get out<3

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Summary: Iko and Torin conspire to get Cinder and Kai a moment together. (WC: 1k)

“Cinder, I can tell when you’re reading stuff on your brain interface,” Iko huffed, rolling her eyes in agitation. It was almost frightening how human she was, despite being, well, not human. “Won’t you look at me while I’m talking to you? I’m trying to help you get a life.”

“Sorry,” Cinder sighed, switching out of the article she had been looking at and giving Iko her full attention. “I was just reading about the new Letumosis outbreak in the US–”

Iko put a hand over Cinder’s mouth, her golden eyes fierce as she glared at Cinder. They were in New Beijing Palace, which still felt weird even though Cinder had lived there for a few months now. It was late—they were the only ones still up and working— but Iko was dressed in an elaborate rainbow-colored dress that somehow made her hair look more electric than ever. Meanwhile, Cinder wore a less spectacular dress, but it was soft and fluttery and comfortable.

“That can wait until tomorrow,” Iko said, grabbing Cinder by the arm and pulling her down the hall. “You need to take a night off— enjoy being young.”

“What the hell are you going on about?”

“Well, you’re getting married in a few months, and all you do is work,” Iko complained. “Take the night off. It’s far too late to get any work done now anyway. Just relax. Have some fun.”

They turned the corner and a stretch of moonlight lit up the hall, flowing in through the glass walls. It was a hallway that overlooked the palace gardens, and it glowed with a bluish tinge in the darkness, despite the vibrant flowers grown in the garden.

“It’s not even ten yet,” Cinder complained, though her heart was hardly in it as she looked out over the trees with soft green leaves and flowers in full bloom.

Iko caught her longing stare and shot her an evil grin. “You’re right,” she said, her synthetic eyes full of mischief. “That means there’s still enough time for a bit of fun tonight.”

***

“Torin, I still have to look over those documents for the meeting tomorrow,” Kai complained as his advisor dragged him from his work desk. “And we need to figure out a game plan for what we’re going to do with the issues concerning Lunar cooperation with the United Kingdom.”

“That can wait until tomorrow,” Torin said, his voice almost gruff, which was quite unusual for him. Normally Torin was all gentleness and calm, but he was rather agitated for reasons that Kai could not understand. He was the one pulling Kai from his work after all.

“What could you possibly need me for at this hour?” Kai demanded, though he was no longer fighting Torin as he pulled him along through the dimly-lit hallways of the palace.

“I told you, Your Majesty,” Torin said, refusing to call Kai by his name even now. “There’s something I want you to see.”

“Well this better be something spectacular,” Kai grumbled as they turned out to the secret passageway that led to the palace gardens.

Torin checked his port and grinned at Kai as he pushed open the door to the gardens, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. “Believe me, Your Majesty, it is.”

There were two doors that led to this particular spot in the palace gardens, facing across from one another. A glass hallway rested above them— a change that Kai’s own mother had directed so that she could view the place every day as she walked to and fro throughout the palace.

But as Torin opened one door, the opposite door opened as well, revealing Cinder on the other end. Kai couldn’t help the happy little gasp that escaped him as he rushed past Torin and to Cinder. She moved for him in the same moment, and they met in the middle of that garden, all limbs and laughter and untouchable joy.

Kai pulled Cinder into his arms and spun her around, her pale blue dress fluttering almost magically beneath the moonlight. In the distance he heard Iko let out a sigh, but ignored her as he set Cinder down and kissed her with a fervor.

It felt as if it had been years since he’d seen her, even though it had only been a matter of hours. He hadn’t realized how much he yearned to see her until she was there, and he was there, and all that was left between them was distance.

“Iko dragged me away from work,” Cinder whispered, her arms wrapped around his neck. He kissed her face, his lips trailing from her mouth to her cheek to her jaw to her neck. “But now I can’t seem to remember what was so important.”

“Me neither,” Kai sighed. His lips met Cinder’s again, and all he could think about was her and the way that she tasted and felt pressed up against him.

After a time, they broke apart and sat down on the grass. They lay down together, side by side, Kai’s arm resting under Cinder’s head and her arm thrown over his body. It was cool outside, but in a manner that was refreshing rather than chilly.

They stared up at the stars, marveling at the universe and the way it splayed out before them in such a magnificent way. Cinder whispered the constellations to Kai, and he complained that she had the unfair advantage of a computer in her brain to map them out, and it was all completely perfect.

“We need to do this more often,” Kai said, his fingers playing with the ends of Cinder’s hair. “I know we’re both busy with all the wedding stuff and running a country and a half, but…” Kai trailed off, turning his face toward Cinder’s. “I miss you. I know it’s strange, seeing how we see each other every day— fall asleep together and wake up—but I miss these moments where it’s quiet and just, normal, I guess.”

“Me too,” Cinder yawned, kissing Kai’s cheek. “I think we could both use a little less work and a little more normal. We’ll have to thank Iko and Torin.”

Kai hummed in response, kissing the top of her head. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him, and she dragged him close to her in return. And in that moment, all their worries were gone, replaced with the knowing feeling of one another and a strange but certain sense of normalcy.

Tags: @just2bubbly @cindersnightmare @cindersassasin @cinderswrench @healing-winston-pratt @shellyseashell @kaiderforever @f-r-o-p @idkwhattosayaboutit @impossiblesuitcase @alysendria @lazydreamlandblaze @they-need-a-revolutionary @quicklyascendinguptosoundness @bookpapaya @baileysbabbles @theviolettulip @courtlung @joslyne-thinks-thoughts @lunar-greywaren-24601 @dreamlonelygirl @horton-hears-a-who @winterrhayle @storysaremyreality @demydreamer-otaku-and-book-lover (let me know if you would like to be added or removed <3)

#kaider fanfiction #tlc fanfiction #marissa meyer #kaider #linh cinder #selene blackburn #prince kai #emperor kai #konn torin #iko #the lunar chronicles #lunar chronicles #salt warrior stories #tlc #canon compliant

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anambermusicbox · 3 years

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September 29 Day Countdown (13/29): 2020/09/05 Interview on Beijing TV Daily Entertainment Broadcast

(3:50) “When did you—or others—discover you had a talent for singing?”

Probably since I was little, because when I was in primary school, the music teacher who was recruiting students for choir discovered that I didn’t go out of tune when singing a different melody than everyone else, and thought “Oh! This one has talent!” (*laughs*) Saying it like this makes it seems like our choir’s requirements were really low—if you don’t go out of tune, you’re in. (*laughs*)

(4:40) “Six years ago, standing on the stage of the Voice of China, did it feel overwhelming?”

That time- because I’ve always been nearsighted, but I wasn’t used to wearing contact lenses before, so during the competition I wasn’t wearing contacts. (Interviewer: Oh, isn’t that good? Less scary) Exactly, it was great! Everything was super blurry, all I saw was- (Interviewer: everyone looks like cabbages) Oh I couldn’t even see cabbages, I could barely even see the lights. (*laughs*) Okay it wasn’t that bad, but everything was very blurry. I felt like, okay I’m just here to sing, but still, the moment the music started, my whole body went numb. I got through that song with my eyes screwed shut and face all contorted. (Interviewer: But you did well!) Good thing I didn’t wear contacts—if I saw the world clearly at the time, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sing. (*brings hand up to mouth and laughs*)

(7:55) “Actually, I think you’re probably more of an introvert.”

Yes, I am! I am!!! It’s getting harder to convince people of that now, but I am *laughs* (Interviewer: It’s just that you need a more extroverted personality to match with the atmosphere of variety shows.)

(9:00) “Would you consider yourself to have strong life skills?”

Yeah of course, I’ve basically been looking after myself since I was little. So it’s passable—not that good, but enough to stay alive *laughs* (T/N: he’s being way too modest again >.>)

#zhou shen #周深 #my translations #mine #zs 29 #this interview was relatively short bc a lot of the video was just newscast parts introducing him #that one post he made on children's day years ago like yeah i didnt wear contacts for the first 22 years of my life asdfASDFAS

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ohnobjyx · 4 years

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A hotpot of candies EP 1-2

It took me so long to find somewhere to watch all of the episodes of “Let’s hotpot together” that I only sat down to write this today. This is going to be a “compilation post” since most of the candies are already out there, but picking them and putting them together was still fun for me.

Disclaimer: fake fake fake.

1. Gongcai expert

The first big signal for this one is the director saying “only people who frequently eat Sichuan hotpot will order this”. Sichuan and Chongqing are very close and Chongqing cuisine is considered a derivative from Sichuan cuisine with local flavors (Henan, where dd’s from, has a cuisine that’s a mixture of Jiangsu and Beijing cuisine, and it’s known for being mild and a mixture of flavors).

Then ZHL adds that “this person must have a good understanding of me, and must not be very young”. This received a bjyx explanation, as apparently, as many parts of the Chinese cuisine, this is a dish better appreciated by older people, so it’d be rare for dd to know of this vegetable.

However, I think that he was just talking about age differences. ZHL follows an almost vegetarian diet, which would be known by people who know him well. He’s 45 years old, more than 20 years older than dd, so it’d be strange for dd to know that he prefers vegetables to meat in his dishes. That’s why, in my opinion, dd chose this dish just because he likes it, no deeper meaning.

Not just that, but for someone who struggled to remember the name of a typical dish of his hometown, he knows surprisingly well how to prepare it in a hotpot, and which is the best way to eat it. And he keeps taking bites from ZHL’s plate throughout the episode.

He also was the only one who recognized it in a TTYSJ episode (ttxs during quarantine).

2. The spicy hotpot (EP1) and the Sichuan pepper oil (EP2, more info in point 4)

This is the most telling one for me in the episode. When gg and dd were asked whether they preferred all-spicy or mixed hotpot/鸳鸯锅 (the photo is a mixed pot, whereas an all-spicy only has the right side) in CQL interviews, gg said “all-spicy”, and dd, “mixed pot”.

They also explained in other events/shows what kind of dippings they preferred for their hotpot. Dd liked sesame paste, while gg liked a mix of powdered spices (spicy as f***, really).

They both changed their hotpot tastes:

As shown in the episode, dd now likes to eat an all-spicy pot with a base of Sichuan pepper oil and garlic, “classical Sichuan hotpot” combination (EP2). Just look at his face after he says “this pot is so spicy”.

Gg, in more recent interviews, admitted that he now likes the mixed pot and that he now prefers the sesame paste. In one of the interviews, he admitted that if he ate a too spicy hotpot now, he’d have diarrhea.

They both said they like cow tripe (mao du) for their hotpot. Dd likes it so much he eats it anytime he has hotpot in a show and gg once said that it’s one of his “3 must have” for hotpot.

Dd’s change is very drastic. Really. In the variety show (极限青春) dd filmed in 2019, dd was uncapable of eating Chongqing’s spicy dishes.

If any of you have travelled to Sichuan, you’ll know that it’s hard to eat there (and in the surrounding provinces) if you’re not used to spicy food. When I was there, we asked every restaurant to serve food without chili or spicy condiments for us, but everything tasted spicy no matter where. Because the pots had been used hundreds of times to cook spicy food, no amount of scrubbing could take out the spiciness. Thus, whatever they cooked was spicy for a non-Sichuan person’s standards, even if they don’t add spices.

The kind of spiciness of Sichuan cuisine also takes time to get used to, because they boast a 麻辣 (málà) flavour that’s both numbing and spicy at the same time (dd said in the variety show that it was so spicy it made his stomach hurt. I confirm that it can happen to people not used to it).

What I mean with all of this is that it takes time and a lot of spicy dishes to change someone’s taste as much as it has changed dd’s. He couldn’t even have the spicy half of the mixed pot (which is usually milder) a year ago and now he eats it even when he shouldn’t (because of his cough).

It’s not just dd who changed his tastes. These level of spiciness requires frequent exposure to not lose tolerance (almost like what happens to people who drink a lot and stop for a while, after that their alcohol resistance is diminished). So gg had to tone down the spiciness of his food, but this is likely due to him being a professional singer now, and having to take care of his voice. I find much more meaningful that he prefers sesame paste now.

3. Sore throat

So it’s a really big thing that not only did dd get used to it, but he likes it so much he’ll order it even if he has a sore throat. You really have to like something a lot to eat it even if it hurts your throat (I dare you to try having a spicy soup with a sore throat... not a good experience, I assure you).

I talked about this somewhere (oh, here), but there are 4 prohibitions in Chinese traditional medicine for those who have to take care of their throats and/or voices: spicy, sweet, oily and alcohol. These flavours and foods can be overstimulating for the lining of throat and it’s also advised not to have cold food/drinks.

So seeing him gulf down a spicy hotpot and follow it with a bottle of frozen water it’s like (sigh).

4. Sesame oil and garlic

In EP2, the captains put their hotpot base together. Dd picked Sichuan pepper oil and garlic, which is mildly spicy, so one of the directors said: “this is classical Sichuan hotpot” (dd just nodded and said yes).

Director: Have you always eaten this combination? I saw your old interviews, and you said you liked sesame paste.

Dd: Yes, at the beginning I ate sesame paste, but I met a friend in a filming crew, who taught me this way of preparing hotpot. This way, the spicy pot won’t be so spicy, so it suits my taste.

Director: yes, it’s also better for the stomach.

This is one of the many reasons mtjj don’t like people mentioning hotpot 😂. Remember that time mtjj dug up a list of people born in October 5, just trying to prove that dd’s Colgate post wasn’t about gg? Well, bxg did the same and did a list of all the people dd has worked with in a filming crew and where they are from (I only have the list in Chinese).

And... surprise: the only two people in the list from Chongqing who could have taught him Sichuan cuisine, are gg and JL. And I love jcisthebestfightme take on JL 😂

5. Bo ge/博哥 (”older brother Bo”)

A few moments after, WJE says: “bo ge said it”. Inmediately, dd jumped in and said: “it wasn’t me”.

WJE was actually talking about HB, a guest for EP 2-3, whose name contains a character that’s also pronounced “Bo”, with the same intonation. They all laugh at dd, because he’s actually the youngest of them all, and no one would actually call him 哥 (ge, older brother).

BUT... we all know of someone older than dd who actually called him Bo ge quite frequently in interviews and bts. I’ll leave here a video with some of the instances gg called dd that, though in the s/na interview (when dd was typing) gg called him “bo ge” a lot more times than what the video shows.

He’s obviously used to someone calling him that, that’s why he reacts so quickly when he hears it. Most of the people he usually works with and the friends that we know of are older than him, and out of all of them, we’ve only heard of gg calling him “bo ge”.

6. Washing a little bit

There’s also speculation and theories about another of the dishes dd picked (chicken tendons), but I don’t find it especially meaningful.

The same thing happens with “being near-sighted is like opening your eyes under the water”. Bxg were saying that the sensation must have been described to him by gg, also very near-sighted, but well... I dunno? Besides, there’s no proof for these two.

(Sad bonus, not-bjyx related: I felt really bad for them when one of the directors announced that WJE’s mum was on the backstage and coming up and it ended up being a very bad joke. While they earn more money than I’ll ever see, they can only see their families like twice a year in a very family centered society due to work schedule. They all looked very expectant and happy for a moment, until it was announced as a bad joke.

Dd said: “I thought there were true feelings in humans, I thought true love existed”. They were all disappointed, even though they cover it with laughs, and you can see WJE rubbing the corner of his eye. Even the director that played the joke felt bad and said “this was a bad one, we can cut this from the episode”. WJE said it was fine.)

Part 2: EP 3-4

#yizhan #bjyx #sdoc s3 #candies #hotpot

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be-bhinn · 2 years

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Chopsticks

Just a fluffy scene from my fanfiction of Loki trying to use chopsticks for the first time <3

Loki pursed his lips with displeasure but handed me the takeout bag and settled into the bed next to me. “I will never understand your obsession with eating in the bed we sleep in.”

“It’s cozy,” I insisted as I removed containers of food. “Pick something to put on the TV.”

Loki hummed but picked up the remote for the television I’d made him put on a stand near the foot of his oversized bed. He pretended to hate television, but I’d caught him pretending a little too hard to be reading while I was watching something he found interesting.

“What are these?” he asked suspiciously when I handed him the paper packet of chopsticks. I slid mine out of the paper and demonstrated snapping them apart.

“You eat with them.”

Loki followed my example, huffing when his break wasn’t as clean as mine. “How exactly does one eat with these?”

I gestured to the packages. I’d gone a little overboard when I realized Loki had never tried Chinese food and ordered a bunch of my favorites. “Pick something you want to try.”

“Choose for me, my love,” he said, sounding exasperated but smiling fondly at me. I rolled my eyes and opened the package of dumplings, letting the steam escape from it before settling my chopsticks in my fingers.

“Okay, so you hold them like this, and then you just push down on this, and hold it like this… and then you grab the food and viola!” I grabbed the dumpling easily and took a bit out of it with a grin. Loki was blinking at me, obviously confused.

“Midgardians are far more creative than I believed, it seems,” he muttered as he tried to replicate my finger positions. I bit my lips to keep the smile off my face while I watched, taking nibbles off my dumpling as I did. His first few attempts he couldn’t even grip the dumpling; when he finally got ahold of it, it fell from his chopsticks just seconds after he lifted it from the container. “This is impossible,” he insisted after a moment, tossing the chopsticks into the container with frustration.

I stifled my giggle at his tantrum. “Sometimes it is soobvious you grew up rich,” I snorted. “Oh, my prince, do you require my assistance? Shall I feed you, my lord?” I teased mockingly, a laugh catching in my throat when I noticed the look he was shooting me.

Oh. Oh. Prince Loki of Asgard liked being reminded of his title. That should be filed away for future reference…

“Show me again,” he demanded, pointing to my now empty chopsticks. I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Don’t be a child, Loki. Use your manners.”

He narrowed his brow at me, but his voice was silky smooth and captivating as he spoke, living up to his nickname. “Show me again, please, darling.”

I handed him a packet with an eggroll in it first. “That’s finger food. You eat that while I show you,” I instructed, opening the other containers to find what I was looking for. “Okay, so, for future reference, this shit isn’t, like, real Chinese food. It’s American Chinese food. But I ran a mission in Beijing a few years ago and—”

“Love, I have absolutely no idea what you speak of.”

“Oh. Right. Uh, China. It’s a country on the other side of the planet. Sketchy government, weird obsession with some dark stuff in their more underground operations. I used to have to—” I saw Loki’s lost face as I spoke and stopped short, snorting a little. “We’ll look at a globe tomorrow, babe. The point is, this isn’t the real deal, it’s a result of immigration, but it’s still delicious.” He took a cautious bite from the egg roll, lighting up when he chewed.

“We have something like this in Asgard,” he explained after swallowing. “My mother and I used to make them together when I was being punished. She thought cutting all the vegetables would be good for me.”

I grinned. Loki rarely spoke of his mother, though I knew she was very important to him. It hurt a little that I would never get a chance to meet her, the woman who, according to Thor, had kept Loki some semblance of sane during his imprisonment under his father. I owed her a debt of gratitude. “Was it?” I asked as he took another bite. I grabbed a piece of orange chicken while he finished chewing.

“It certainly helped hone my skills.”

I snorted. “Somehow I don’t think that was her intention.”

When Loki finished the egg roll, I was munching on a piece of broccoli. He picked his chopsticks up again, fumbling them between his long fingers as he tried to copy my grip. “It’s nice to see something those fingers aren’tgood at,” I murmured slyly as he struggled.

“You are lucky that I adore you, pet,” he growled, leaning into me. “Not many can speak to me in such a way.”

I only grinned and leaned in as well, pecking his lips lightly. “Lucky indeed.”

After a few more failed attempts the god sitting next to me gave up. “This is impossible, and you are a witch,” Loki finally said, tossing his chopsticks into the container again.

“You’re the witch.”

He sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I have told you, my dove, I am—”

“A god who knows magic. Whatever.” I bounded out of the bed and yanked open the door. “Thor!” I yelled through the floor.

“What?” came a faint response.

“Come here!”

“Stop yelling!” added in Tony’s yell from somewhere in the compound. I rolled my eyes and waited for Thor to arrive in the room.

“Áine, your clothes,” Loki hissed from the bed, standing quickly to find something to cover me. I rolled my eyes and batted him away.

“I have a shirt on and it covers my panties. Chill your grill, my dude.”

Thor came bounding in with a wide smile. “What is it, little one?” he asked as I climbed back onto the bed.

“Show Loki how to use chopsticks,” I said, offering him my set. He grinned and climbed onto the bed as well.

“Quite a few centuries have passed since I last shared a bed with my brother,” Loki said dryly as Thor easily held the chopsticks in his large hand and reached down to pluck some lo mein out of a container.

I blinked. “Wait. How old are you?”

Loki looked at me with an eyebrow raised after glaring at Thor, who was now helping himself to our dinner. “One thousand and forty seven, why?”

I choked on the lo mein I’d grabbed with Loki’s chopsticks so Thor couldn’t eat it all, Loki patting me on the back in concern. “Holy fucking shit,” I finally coughed, looking at him with wide eyes. “I knew you were old, but it never occurred to me that… Damn, you’re ancient!”

“Thor is a year older!” Loki insisted haughtily, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Alright, I’m just not gonna think about that right now,” I said with my hand raised, trying to remember what was even happening on Earth a millennia earlier. “Back to chopsticks.”

After a few more minutes of watching him suffer I handed Loki a plastic fork. He glared at the chopsticks as he handed them to me, finally trying the rest of the food. He kicked Thor out a while later when they were bickering over the last eggroll.

“You bring out a strange side of me,” Loki murmured against my temple when we’d settled in. We were laying on the bed with me between his legs, my back against his chest, watching Animal Planet in an attempt to introduce him to Earth geography. The lights were already shut off, and sleep seemed to be trying to claim me already.

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

He kissed my head gently before replying. “Before meeting you, I never would have imagined sitting on my bed with my brother and my lover, eating dinner and telling stories of our past.”

“That’s because you needed to lighten up,” I said with a yawn. Loki chuckled into my curls.

“Perhaps I did. You should rest.”

“Mhmm,” I hummed as my eyes closed. Loki’s gentle hand stroking my hair was the only thing I needed to lull me gently to sleep.

#loki fluff #loki fanfiction #loki x ofc #mine #my writing

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tripleaxeldiaz · 3 years

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maybe one day i’ll fly next to you

chapter 3/8

read on ao3

start from the beginning

The two weeks before Skate America breeze by, every hour filled with skating or conditioning or trying not to creep on message boards to see what people are predicting for the season. Buck feels good, the best he’s ever felt this early on. He tries to reign it in, that voice in his head reminding him that he could still lose it all at any moment, but it’s muffled and quiet and easy to ignore.

He’s also been seeing more of Eddie, now that he knows he’s not the douchebag he always assumed he was. They condition together, watch each other's jumping passes and offer tips, even take their lunch break together, talking about everything skating and some non skating things too. It’s easy and nice and the best parts of Buck’s days, if he’s honest. He maybe always thinks about talking to Eddie, picking his brain for his thoughts on various skaters’ programs, watching him laugh with his whole body at some snarky comment Buck makes about someone’s horrible choice in costume. Buck likes the way he laughs, likes the way he feels a little warmer when he makes him laugh.

He should have known this brief bubble of happiness would be popped sooner rather than later.

The day before they leave, he and Maddie get an email — an email — from their mother, inviting them to dinner while they’re in town for the competition. To say Buck’s surprised would be an understatement.

“How’d they even find out it’s in Reading this year? Did you tell them?”

Maddie rolls her eyes, stabbing her salad with a little more force than necessary. “I haven’t spoken to them in longer than you have, so no. They’ve probably seen ads or something.”

“We could lie, tell them Bobby’s really strict about non-skating things during competitions?”

“Sure, but then they might just call Bobby on their own and blow our whole cover.”

“We could tell them we’re sick? Food poisoning? Then miraculously get better?”

“If that didn’t work when you tried to get out of taking your SAT, I don’t think it’ll work this time, either.”

“I wasn’t even planning on going to college, why did I—” Buck huffs as Maddie shakes her head at him sympathetically.

There’s really no way for them to get out of this.

The thing is, their parents aren’t bad people — a doctor and a PR manager who are on every non-profit board in the county, volunteer at the local animal shelter, and donate plenty of money to plenty of charities. As parents, though, they somehow manage an interesting balance of using their children’s successes for their own bragging rights and making them feel like they’re always just shy of good enough. They supported them growing up, sure, paid their way through lessons and competitions before endorsements started coming in, but it always felt like it was serving their own clout more than helping Buck and Maddie follow their dreams. When they moved out to LA, it was easy to distance themselves, rescheduling calls indefinitely until their parents eventually just stopped trying.

The last time Buck talked to them was right after his leg surgery — they called under the guise of “checking in on him”, but spent most of the call figuring out the quickest way to get him back to practice, offering to pay for extra surgeries and PT to speed up the process. He’s sure they thought they were helping, but it felt more like they were eager for him to get back to winning medals so they could tell their friends about it.

As much as he loves to win, it’s not the same when someone else is pushing you more than you’re pushing yourself.

He sighs again, slumping down in his chair. He hadn’t been nervous at all about Skate America, but now the itch of self doubt has made a home right under his skin, and it wasn’t even for a skating reason. Maddie reaches across the table to grab his wrist, squeezing lightly.

“It’ll be two hours max, then we’ll make an excuse about early practice and leave. It won’t be that bad.”

Buck nods, turning back to his lunch, suddenly not hungry as his stomach continues to churn.

~~~~~~~~~~

He didn’t expect to get this nostalgic, but the familiar drive toward Reading and the Sovereign Center (Santander Arena now, because capitalism is a prison) fills him with jittery excitement and a weird sense of calm, just like it did when he was a kid competing in the regional circuit. The arena was a palace compared to their rink in Hershey, and it always made him want to skate well enough to be worthy of the ice there. It’s where he won his first medal ever, his first gold, his first trip to Nationals, and would hopefully now serve as a stepping stone once again, this time leading him towards Beijing.

Eddie’s lounging on his bed, shirtless and flipping channels, when Buck gets to their room. It wasn’t a surprise this time — they’d requested to room together anyway — but seeing Eddie like this, soft and relaxed and somehow at home in a hotel room, makes Buck’s heart flip a little bit.

Buck’s heart has been flipping a lot around Eddie, and making him think about stupid things like kissing him and how his abs would feel under his fingertips and how he’d prefer his eggs in the morning. It’s taking up a lot of real estate in his brain, and it’s going to get even worse now that they’re sleeping 10 feet away from each other, he’s sure.

That doesn’t stop him from sneaking glances at Eddie while he unpacks. Just to get it out of his system so he can focus.

It’s fine.

He can totally handle this.

~~~~~~~~~~

Skata America is a much bigger deal than ACI — more cameras, more interviews, more people watching in the stands and on TV. That should mean it’s all more intimidating, too, but Buck is thriving under the lights and camera lenses. This will be the first real chance to show people — not just skating people, but everyone — what he can do, and the anticipation of how it will be received buzzes through him constantly. That buzz practically dictates his every move through practices and his short, finally ceasing as he hits his final pose. It’s quickly replaced by elation — he knows he nailed everything, he knows the resounding applause is deserved.

He knows he’s in first place before they even announce his score.

When they do, he’s right, and he’s thrilled, but there’s also a pang of disappointment, because the margin is tight — only three points between him and Eddie in second. Bobby hands him his protocols in the green room, and his stomach clenches when he sees that his step sequence and his sit spin were downgraded to level threes. His brain starts spinning, mentally combing through every revolution and edge to figure out where the hell he fucked up, when he feels a warm, solid hand on his shoulder. He looks up and sees Eddie, but instead of pity like he expected (or gloating like he feared), he just sees understanding in his eyes, maybe even a hint of the same irritation he’s feeling.

“They screwed me over too, my camel should have had a plus three GOE at least.” Eddie says, squeezing Buck’s shoulder. Somehow, he’s already feeling better.

“I bet it was the French judge, he’s always been a conniving bastard.”

“We could take him out, we have time before tomorrow.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Buck says, as Eddie offers his hand and pulls him up to stand. He tries not to miss the warmth when he lets go.

“For what it’s worth,” Eddie says quietly as they make their way around skaters and coaches in the hallway toward the press room, “I think you should be at least 10 points ahead, if not more. You were something else out there.”

Buck can’t make his brain come up with a proper response by the time they take their seats on the makeshift stage in front of the reports, so all he can do is smile and hope it comes across as totally chill and not as dopey as it feels.

Eddie smiles back, and Buck thinks he’s beautiful.

The presser goes just as expected — a few questions lobbed at the Candian skater currently in third, more for Buck since he’s in first, but the most still go to Eddie. Being the favorite for Olympic gold doesn’t go away after half a competition, and the reporters are rabid as ever. Buck’s seen Eddie’s press routine — the humble charm and gracious smiles, cracking jokes like he’s talking to friends and not a bunch of strangers with tape recorders. He’d spent years mentally rolling his eyes at what he thought was the fakeness of it all, but after getting closer to Eddie, he knows that’s just how Eddie is. Kind and patient, actively listening to what people are saying, taking his time to form thoughtful answers.

But whatever’s happening now is not the Eddie he knows — his laughs are forced and almost too loud, his smile is tight and boarding on a grimace. He keeps fidgeting with his credentials and the sleeve of his Team USA zip-up, eyes darting around like he’s charting his path to get out of the room as fast as possible once they’re done.

He’s nervous. Buck doesn’t think he’s ever seen him nervous, at least not like this, and it’s honestly a little unsettling. So much so that all Buck wants to do is fix it, bring the light back to Eddie’s eyes, bleed the tension out of his shoulders.

There’s probably not an easy way to do that while answering questions about his performance.

He waits until he sees the “wrap it up” signal from the event worker off to the side, the next reporter giving one last question to the Canadian skater. He doesn’t think about it too hard, just stretches his leg a little to the right, slowly, until he and Eddie are ankle to ankle. It’s not much, but Eddie still looks over at him, first confused and then grateful, a small, real smile on his face, his shoulders falling away from his ears.

Eddie’s quiet on the ride back to the hotel, but he looks calmer, listening to everyone else talk about their events and what could happen tomorrow during free skates. He’s still jittery though, leg bouncing as he sits next to Buck on the bus. Whatever was bothering him during interviews is clearly still lingering, and Buck has to fight the urge to reach out and calm his shaking with a hand on his knee.

They make it back to their room, door barely clicking in place behind them, before Buck breaks.

“Are you okay?” he asks. Eddie freezes in front of him, half turned around like he was about to ask Buck something before he steamrolled over him. “You seemed stressed during the presser and on the ride back, and I just...wanted to make sure you’re good.”

Eddie looks stunned for a second before letting out a breath, hand rubbing over his face. “I knew this would happen, you know? The extra attention. It happened after Pyeongchang and the bronze medal, but it died down eventually. I thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare for it again, I guess.” He shakes his head, hand falling to his side as he shrugs his shoulders helplessly. “Today was just a lot.”

Buck nods, patting Eddie’s arm in understanding because he gets it. Most of the time he basks in any form of attention, but some days the lights are too hot and the voices are too loud and faking a smile through it is impossible. The one Buck sees now is real though, he knows it, and he’s happy to see Eddie relaxing now that they’re away from the vultures.

“Well, lucky for you, I’ll be out of your hair tonight, so you’ll have plenty of time to yourself,” Buck says, crossing the room to his bed, digging through his bag for his dinner clothes.

“Where are you going?” Eddie asks, and when Buck looks back at him as he heads to the bathroom to change, he swears he looks disappointed, briefly, before it shifts to confusion. “We don’t have any team stuff tonight, right?”

“Nah, Maddie and I got suckered into dinner with our parents.”

“Are Buckley family dinners always black tie affairs?” he asks when Buck comes back in slacks and a white button down, struggling to knot his tie.

“No, but they told us to dress nicely, so we’re probably going to some fancy restaurant downtown. Knowing them, we’ll also be dragged to some party one of their friends is having that’s conveniently close by.”

He groans in frustration when his tie comes out crooked again, and Eddie laughs, taking pity on him and coming to do it himself. Buck tries to keep cool, willing his cheeks not to turn red, but it’s hard when he can feel Eddie’s breath on his chin, feel his fingers run across his collarbones, and he’s so close, if he just leaned in—

“Sounds like it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Buck sighs through his nose. “I love my parents, they’re just...better from a distance.”

Eddie winces in what looks like sympathy, smoothing Buck’s tie and the front of his shirt as he finishes. Buck misses the motion as soon as it’s gone.

“Maybe they’ll prove you wrong this time,” Eddie says.

Buck rolls his eyes at that, but can’t help a small part of him desperately hoping that Eddie will be right.

~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie is so wrong.

Not only is there a party, it’s a party at their parent’s house, which is in full swing by the time Buck and Maddie pull up in their Lyft. Their mother opens the door, hair up, dress immaculate, lipstick-stained wine glass perched precariously in her hand.

“Evan! Maddie! Come in, so glad you could join us!” She kisses both their cheeks and hugs them quickly before taking their hands and dragging them deeper into the house. There are people everywhere, some faces Buck remembers and some new ones. There are waiters milling around too, passing bacon wrapped figs and mini bruschetta, and Buck feels his stomach rumble.

“So I guess we’re not doing dinner, huh Mom?” Buck asks, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. Judging by the look Maddie gives him, he’s not doing a great job.

Their mother, of course, doesn’t bat an eye. “Sorry, sweetheart. We didn’t realize we were double booked, and we’d already moved this party once. There’s plenty of food in the kitchen though, you can eat after I’ve introduced you to some people. Everyone’s so excited to hear about how you’re doing. Philip, there you are!” Buck spots his father too, a head above the crowd, tie loose and cheeks flushed. He shakes Buck’s hand firmly, kisses Maddie on the top of her head, and is gone in an instant when someone beckons him towards the bar set up on the back wall of the living room.

“Nice to see you, too. We’re doing fine, thanks for asking!” Buck says under his breath before their mother is whisking them away again.

They spend the next hour flitting between couples — the Whiteheads, the Culls, the Carters, and a bunch of others he can’t differentiate — getting whiplash from their mother’s flipping between actual praise and backhanded compliments.

“Evan’s one of the top skaters in the country, though not as highly ranked as he was before his accident. We’re hoping he’ll be back up there by the time the Olympics roll around so he’ll make the team.”

“Maddie’s been with her partner for about three years now, right darling? They don’t have as many golds as she had with Doug, but they do skate well together.”

“Yes, that skater from Japan is very good Rebecca, you’re right! Evan, do you know him? Maybe he can give you some pointers about your edges going into your spins? I know you struggle with those.”

On and on and on, Buck and Maddie barely able to get a word in. They see their father only a few times, and each time he’s gone as quickly as he comes, pulled away by colleagues or board members or whoever it is they’re entertaining tonight. Buck is exhausted, and not just because it’s been a long day already, but from having to keep up the good natured laughs and graciousness when he doesn’t even feel like a person. He feels more like a trophy, being shuttled from room to room to be admired for a while before being shoved into a closet where no one can see you. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen — their parents will tout them around for the night, send them back to the hotel, and not speak to them again until they need something.

Buck really forgot just how small this big house can make him feel.

Eventually, he breaks away, making an excuse about needing the restroom before quietly sneaking up the back staircase to the second floor. Maddie finds him 15 minutes later, sliding down to sit next to him in the guest room closet.

“Old habits die hard, I guess,” she says, and Buck smiles weakly. He hid in here a lot when he was a kid, sometimes with Maddie and sometimes alone. When it was all too much — the pressure from their parents or his coach or himself — this is where he came to quiet his brain. The darkness and the smell of the cedar chest full of their mother’s old sweaters was comforting, and it wrapped around him like a blanket until he could breathe again.

“None of their habits have died, that’s for sure,” he says. “Is it sad that I thought they would?”

“It’s not sad to hope for better. It’s just hard when all that hope is for nothing.”

Buck sighs, head thumping against the wall. Maddie threads her arm through his and rests her head on his shoulder. They sit like that for a while, quiet, both in their own heads, though he’s sure Maddie is thinking about and wishing for the same things he is.

He shifts eventually, head resting on top of hers. “Can we go yet? We could probably sneak out the back door. If they haven’t come looking for us yet, they definitely won’t notice.”

“Should we just go back to the hotel? It’s only 8:30.”

“What else are we gonna do?”

Maddie types furiously on her phone for a minute. “Chim, Hen, and May are down to hang out. And WhirlyDome is open until midnight.”

“That place is still around?”

“Apparently, and they have half price appetizers after 9.”

The thought of mozzarella sticks and onion rings makes his stomach growl loudly again. “Alright, let’s do it. But I’m inviting Eddie too.”

Maddie just smirks at him, getting up and out of the closet before he has a chance to ask what the look was for.

It would just be rude not to invite him.

And maybe part of Buck wishes he had stayed in with Eddie tonight from the start.

[to: Eddie] tonight sucked. we’re going to play whirlyball and eat fried food. u in?

[from: Eddie] ????? What the hell is whirlyball?

[to: Eddie] omg now u HAVE to come. meet us here in half an hour

He sends the address and does not smile like an idiot when Eddie says he’ll see him soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So it’s...bumper cars?”

“Bumper cars plus lacrosse plus basketball, kind of. It’s super fun and only a little dangerous.”

“Can I watch for a bit first?”

“Sorry Eds, first timers have to play. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

Eddie still looks skeptical as they get ready for the next game, carefully sitting in the car and picking up his scoop.

A bell rings and the cars come to life, rumbling around the room as everyone starts scrambling for the ball. It takes about 30 seconds for Eddie to get the hang of steering, and by the end of the first game, no one would ever guess he’d never played before. He leads their team to three victories in a row, laughing and cheering loudly along with everyone else, like he hadn’t been overwhelmed with anxiety just a few hours earlier. Something warms in Buck at the thought that he helped with that smile, and it’s a feeling he thinks he could get used to, a job he wouldn’t mind having if it meant Eddie was this happy more often than not.

Despite it all — despite good friends and good food and the feeling of Eddie’s shoulder pressed against his, Buck still feels the tendrils of doubt and panic floating around him. They’re bad enough during competitions normally, but pair them with what happened at his parents’ house — being reminded of how he’ll never live up to their lofty image of him, even if he does make it to Beijing — and everything just feels dark and cold, and he doesn’t think his lungs are working properly. He leaves the table, says he’s going to the bathroom, but ends up outside instead. WhirlyDome is in the older half of a shopping center in downtown Hershey, and the outside has been renovated since he was last here, now featuring an elaborate fountain surrounded by benches and newly paved pathways to the other stores. He sinks down on the nearest bench, the cool October air grounding him, making it easier to think, easier to try and smash down all these swirling emotions he’s trying not to feel.

Eddie finds him there, sits down next to him on the bench without saying anything. They stay in companionable silence, watching the fountain dance and the people bustle back and forth across the plaza, getting last minute shopping in before the stores close.

“I’m sorry dinner sucked,” Eddie says eventually, quiet and sincere.

Buck shrugs. “I knew it would. Just got my hopes up too high that things would be different.”

Eddie nods, eyes drifting back to the fountain. Now that they’re alone and the excitement from the games is gone, he can see the slightly weary lines of Eddie’s shoulders, see how he’s still curling in on himself, like he’s trying to escape into his own body.

“How are you?” Buck asks, knocking his knee against Eddie’s gently. “I know this isn’t exactly a quiet night in.”

“I’m alright. Better than I would be, thanks to you.”

“What did I do?”

Eddie’s staring at the ground, but his cheeks are flushing pink, and Buck wants to reach out and feel the heat of them under his fingertips.

“You were there,” he says. “I’m usually alone when I start feeling like that, and nothing makes it better. But I wasn’t alone this time.”

I don’t want you to be alone, Buck thinks, and these thoughts he’s been having — about Eddie, about being with Eddie — are getting louder and louder and harder to ignore. Especially now, when it’s just the two of them, and Eddie’s eyes are sparkling like gems under the street lights.

It’s almost hilarious that barely six weeks ago, and for 10 very long years, he could hardly stand the sight of him.

Eddie finally looks up from the ground, facing Buck, and they’re so much closer than he thought they were. He can count every eyelash, smell his cologne, watch his eyes trace over Buck’s face, from his eye to his lips and back again.

Buck doesn’t even realize he’s leaning in until his vision starts to blur, and he stops short. He tries to move back slowly, casually, but then firm hands are cupping his jaw, pulling him forward until soft lips meet his own. There’s no fireworks, no angels singing, just warm molasses in his veins, spreading to every part of him until he’s so warm he’s certain he must be glowing. His hands twist into Eddie’s jacket, pulling him as close as possible until he’s practically in his lap. They move to his shirt, feeling the abs he’s been thinking about for weeks now, and he almost melts right to the ground at the sound Eddie sighs into his mouth.

He’s not sure how long they kiss, but it doesn’t feel like long enough by the time they come up for air. He doesn’t go far, still close enough to feel Eddie’s breath fan across his lips, but he’s not sure what to do now. He wants to know what this means (if it means anything at all), he wants to know what Eddie’s thinking, he wants to memorize the way Eddie tastes and feel his abs for real.

His phone buzzes in his pocket, making them both jump. It’s a text from Maddie, telling him they’re car is here and asking where the hell they went. He looks back at Eddie, still so close, and swallows down the urge to kiss him again and tell his friends to leave them here.

“We should— we have to go,” he says, gesturing toward the parking lot. Eddie’s eyes are flitting over his face again, unreadable but still bright. He nods finally, standing up and offering his hand to Buck. He can’t fight the smile or the blush that he feels, so he doesn’t, taking Eddie’s hand to help him stand. They stay put for a minute, until Eddie squeezes his hand and drops it, smiling that soft smile again as he turns away.

Buck smiles himself, still full of warmth and lips still tingling, before following Eddie to the car.

~~~~~~~~~~

The ride back is quiet, everyone tired and settling back into the competition mindset they were able to let go of for a few hours. Buck feels it too, already running step sequences in his head again, but he keeps getting distracted. Eddie’s sitting next to him in the back seat of the Lyft, head tipped back and eyes closed, looking at peace for the first time all day. Buck tries to stop, tries to keep his focus, but his eyes keep drifting back to Eddie’s jaw, the cut of his cheekbones, the stubble shadowing his cheeks. It’s hard to remember what edges he’s supposed to hit tomorrow when he keeps thinking about how that stubble felt under his lips.

They silently make their way back to their room, and Buck knows they need to talk. He’s trying to figure out where the hell to start as he turns on the light in the small entryway, illuminating everything in a light that feels too harsh for whatever is currently simmering between them. Eddie’s right behind him when he turns around, looking just as unsure as Buck feels. It’s comforting, them being on the same page, but Buck hates that he’s responsible for making Eddie feel like this.

He can’t figure out where to start, mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tries to figure out what to say. Eddie takes pity on him eventually, reaching for his hand again.

“Let’s talk tomorrow?” he asks. “After free skates.”

It’s an out that Buck is more than willing to take. Not that he doesn’t want to talk, he just...can’t. Not right now. So he nods, squeezing Eddie’s hand in thanks. He goes to pull away, but Eddie’s grip stays firm.

“It wasn’t nothing to me,” he says, tilting his head until Buck meets his eye. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing or what it meant for you, but it was something for me.”

Buck’s doesn’t know what to do with that, either. He wants to kiss Eddie again and he wants to run far away from him and he wants to skate, but he can’t until the morning. So he just nods again, and it seems to be enough. Eddie nods back, finally dropping his hand as he heads into the bathroom and shuts the door.

Buck doesn’t bother waiting for his turn, just strips out of his dress clothes and crawls into bed. He falls asleep fast, dreams of brown eyes and triple axels — taking off, rising, and falling, falling, falling…

~~~~~~~~~~

He knows he’s falling before his ass hits the ice.

It was inevitably, really — he felt like he was fighting himself through the entire program, trying to keep it from completely unraveling. He knows that to anyone else, any casual fan and even some analysts, he looked good, strong, put together right until the end. But he knows that this isn’t his best. And this fall is definitely going to cost him.

He recovers quickly, finishing the rest of the program as close to perfectly as he can manage. He smiles and bows, waves to his friends in the stands, tries to pretend like he’s okay with knowing that he’s definitely not winning this gold.

It’s his own fault. He’d let his parents worm their way into his brain again, amplifying the self doubt that was already lingering, making him second guess every move, even the things he knows are good. Pair that with the fact that he can’t stop thinking about Eddie — not just the kiss, but his smile as he took the ice, his effortless jumps — and it was a miracle he only fell once.

He takes silver, four points behind Eddie’s gold. The fact that it was that fall that did him in stings worse than anything.

At the medal ceremony, he catches Eddie’s eye for the first time all day on the podium, and surprises himself with the genuine smile he gives him. It’s certainly not Eddie’s fault, what happened today — he didn’t ask to take up most of Buck’s thoughts, Buck let that happen. And if he keeps letting it happen, he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to skate clean again.

He knows they still need to talk, and he knows exactly what he needs to say, but he really doesn’t want to say it.

Luckily, he doesn’t have to say anything right away. Eddie disappears after the presser and doesn’t join him and May in the stands for the free dance. Buck tries to ignore the empty seat next to him, but it’s harder than usual.

They have a late flight back to LA, and Eddie’s already packed but the time Buck makes it back to the room. They stand across from each other in the entryway, just like last night, but the tension in the air feels wary under Buck’s skin instead of hopeful.

“You were amazing today,” Buck blurts out, not at all how he wanted to start this conversation. It’s worth it, though, for the smile and blush he gets from Eddie.

“Thanks,” he says, eyes on the floor. “So were you.”

Jesus, just tell him, Buck thinks, and he squares his shoulders like he’s preparing for a fight.

“It was something for me, too,” he says softly. “Yesterday, it— it definitely wasn’t nothing.”

Eddie looks at him, waiting, and Buck hesitates.

He really, really doesn’t want to say it.

“But?” Eddie prompts, because of course he knows there’s more.

“But,” Buck sighs. “But I can’t— We should wait. Until after the Olympics. I don’t think either of us want to be too distracted before then, and I don’t know if you know this, but you are very...very distracting.” Eddie snorts and rolls his eyes, and Buck lets his gaze rake over Eddie from top to bottom, distracting himself for just a little bit longer.

“You’re right,” Eddie says quietly. “Let’s wait. And I’ll try and be less distracting, so I can keep kicking your ass fair and square.”

“Oh really?” Buck laughs, and Eddie’s laughing too, and it feels good and normal and Buck doesn’t want it to stop. But it has to. Because as much as Buck wants to dive deeper into this...whatever this is with Eddie, he wants to win more. Not much more (which is a thought he never expected to have about anyone), but definitely more.

And if anyone in the world understands that feeling, it’s Eddie.

There’s a knock on the door, Bobby giving them a 15 minute warning before they’re supposed to head to the airport. Buck moves to head toward his things so he can pack, but Eddie grabs his arm before he can go too far. His eyes look soft and sad and hopeful and a million other things Buck is feeling too, and he just wants to drown in them, in this moment, before he has to go back out into the world, alone.

Eddie leans forward, softly kissing Buck’s cheek, lingering in his space before he heads out of the room, door quietly shutting behind him.

#buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 fox #buddie fic #911 fic #9-1-1 #fs au #ficcery #the self indulgence really popped out on this one because i lOVE whirlyball sm #also they continue to be idiots but that's not totally my fault #they're just Like That

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