Poll: The Helpful Hallows? (drama)

[china_shop]

Poll #33265 Helpful Hallows?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15

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When were the Hallows most beneficial?

View Answers

Sundial allowing Li Qian's grandmother to protect Li Qian (ep 2)
5 (41.7%)

Sundial giving a hint about where to find the Awl (ep 5)
1 (8.3%)

Sundial acting as locator device for Wang Zhang in the Hanga caves (ep 10)
2 (16.7%)

Awl making Wang Zheng an energy being (ep 10, flashback)
3 (25.0%)

Awl imprisoning revenge-rampage!Sang Zan (ep 10, flashback)
2 (16.7%)

Awl giving visions of the sub-zero lab (ep 19)
4 (33.3%)

Sundial shielding Zhao Yunlan from Ye Zun's energy attack (ep 20)
5 (41.7%)

Sundial exchange restoring Zhao Yunlan's eyesight (but corrupting Shen Wei's energy) ep 20
1 (8.3%)

All four --> time travel! (ep 34)
8 (66.7%)

All four --> time travel back! (ep 35)
10 (83.3%)

All four imprisoning revenge-rampage!Ye Zun (ep 35, flashback)
2 (16.7%)

All four facilitating the Skype call to YOHE (ep 38)
4 (33.3%)

The Lantern (with bullet) making a booby-trap for Ye Zun (ep 39)
1 (8.3%)

All four lighting Dixing (ep 40)
6 (50.0%)

other (please specify in comments)
3 (25.0%)

When Shen Wei heals himself in ep 2, it seems to cost him significantly more effort than any other time we see him do healing, because

View Answers

he's healing himself instead of someone else
2 (13.3%)

it's a physical injury rather than a failing life force (cf Teacher Zhang, Butler Wu)
1 (6.7%)

the injury hurts, owwww
3 (20.0%)

he's left it so long since the injury was incurred
3 (20.0%)

he's alone and doesn't have to hide his effort
11 (73.3%)

other (please specify in comments)
2 (13.3%)

Credits:
1. Thanks to autodach for the Hallows spreadsheet where I sourced most of the answers to question 1. <3 <3 <3
2. Question 2 was first posted on my journal in 2020, inspired by a discussion with laireshi. <3 <3 <3

Comments

[trobadora]

You say most beneficial, so obviously it's the time loop. Nothing else could compare! :D

As for the healing, my theory is that it's because it's not just an ordinary physical injury, but caused by black energy (the Shadow Man's black energy claws), and so takes more effort to heal than a more mundane injury would. And also, yes, he's alone and no longer has to hide his pain - he's gone through the entire rooftop scene hiding it! So just relaxing that control probably makes him a bit shaky on its own.

[china_shop]

You say most beneficial, so obviously it's the time loop. Nothing else could compare! :D

Hee! Fair and necessary. :D

my theory is that it's because it's not just an ordinary physical injury, but caused by black energy (the Shadow Man's black energy claws)

Oh, interesting! Is the "Shadow Man" made of dark energy? I'd never considered that. (Should we be calling him the Black Energy Man?)

he's gone through the entire rooftop scene hiding it! So just relaxing that control probably makes him a bit shaky on its own.

Great point. Yeah, that delayed reaction (especially to violence in his usually calm and peaceful Haixing workplace) must have really kicked in by then. *makes him tea*

[trobadora]

I mean, sure, bringing light to Dixing is great and all, but that wouldn't be happening without the time loop either, you know? *g*

Is the "Shadow Man" made of dark energy? I'd never considered that.

I always thought so - he looks like it to me.

[china_shop]

Without the timeloop, the Rebels might well have won the war, and the world as we know it wouldn't exist.

I always thought so - he looks like it to me.

I'm not convinced (I guess I just like the idea of him being made of shadows ;-p), but it does raise some interesting questions -- like, could Shen Wei (or someone less scrupulous) use that dark energy as raw material for other things? How gross would that be?

[trobadora]

Even if they'd still won, Shen Wei's life would have been so different!

Some people might be able to use the black energy in others's bodies in general ... :(

[amedia]

I ticked "other" - Sundial enabling Chu Shuzhi to bring Guo Changcheng back from the brink of death!!!

[china_shop]

\o/!! (Oh no, how did I forget that?!? Thanks so much for raising it!! Now I'm going to have to change my vote to include "other" too. :D)

[amedia]

You say most beneficial, so obviously it's the time loop. Nothing else could compare!

We wouldn't have a story without it! I hadn't really thought about its narrative and historical importance!!!

But I'd still put CSZ saving GCC high on the list - in part because, since we never find out what price CSZ paid, it's a great entry point for fan speculation and fic!

[china_shop]

I chose:

• Sundial allowing Li Qian's grandmother to protect Li Qian (ep 2)
  Because it's so loving, and it sets up the theme of people reaching beyond death to do good and help those they care about, which pays off at the end with the Lantern.
• Sundial shielding Zhao Yunlan from Ye Zun's energy attack (ep 20)
  Because I love that it works as a shield, not a weapon. *Both time travels because I love time traveller!ZYL so much! And also for plot reasons, but honestly, mostly because I was so delighted by the time travel on my first watch.
• All four facilitating the Skype call to YOHE (ep 38)
  Because it's so random, and I love how it twists the timeline even more, presumably giving Fu You and Ma Gui an opportunity to formulate their "Keep Everything Secret" time travel policy.
• All four lighting Dixing (ep 40)
  Because it's so good and worthwhile and meaningful.
• other (please specify in comments)
  Because it's such a small quiet act of love and desperation (especially compared to the Extremely Public Weilan version, hee). <3 <3 <3

I don't have a strong opinion for question 2, but it really does look to me like it hurts him much more than other times we see him injured, so I'm curious.

[donutsweeper]

for #2 - In e2 Shen Wei's spent a lot of his energy for the past few days (weeks, however long its been) in shock and pining horribly after seeing ZYL after so long so everything (including injuries and healing said injuries) affects him that much more.

[facethestrange]

I'm always so excited to wake up to a poll, YAY. :D :D

The first one - time loooooop! :D Both stages - I can't even separate the stages because there is no time loop without both of them. :D ♡♡♡

I'm also voting for Li Qian's grandma protecting her (because it's sweet and soft) and making Wang Zheng into an energy being (because I like Wang Zheng and I'm glad that she's around :D).

The second one - I've never thought about it, but now I'm pretty sure it's because he's alone? (Unless I'm missing some other scene where he's also alone, which is very possible. :D) He always has to hide something otherwise - the effort, or even the fact that any healing is happening at all. But also it's possible that it's the injury itself that hurts, not the healing - it does look angry and not very good. D:

[facethestrange]

100% the time loop for me too, hands down. :D :D

[facethestrange]

"especially to violence in his usually calm and peaceful Haixing workplace"

Oh yikes, I never even realized how suddenly his two lives started to collide!

[facethestrange]

"I guess I just like the idea of him being made of shadows ;-p"

I have no proof or anything but to me he's made of shadows, fwiw. :D :D (And maybe getting shadows into your bloodstream is not a good idea either, now that I think about it!)

[facethestrange]

AW, that's really important indeed!! ♡♡♡

[facethestrange]

TIME TRAVEL FTW, and yesss, the Li Qian story is such a soft and sweet introduction to 'death is not really the end'. :) ♡♡♡

[facethestrange]

Hah, defeated by pining! I like this theory. :D ♡♡♡

[facethestrange]

"But I'd still put CSZ saving GCC high on the list - in part because, since we never find out what price CSZ paid, it's a great entry point for fan speculation and fic!"

Just a few weeks ago it was a discussion in this comm (for about the 100th time, I'm assuming). :D :D

[china_shop]

Even if they'd still won, Shen Wei's life would have been so different!

Yes, absolutely.

Some people might be able to use the black energy in others's bodies in general ... :(

Oh noooo. /o\ (That makes me think of the blood-bending in Avatar: the Last Airbender. /o\ I don't know if you know that series?)

[china_shop]

*shadowy high five* ;D

(And maybe getting shadows into your bloodstream is not a good idea either, now that I think about it!)

Ooh, true. *shudders*

[china_shop]

TIME TRAVEEEELLLLLL!! :D :D :D (Dammit, I messed up my bullet points. *sighs in Markdown*)

yesss, the Li Qian story is such a soft and sweet introduction to 'death is not really the end'. :) ♡♡♡

*smishes LQ and her granny*

[china_shop]

Hee! That's a great theory. Maybe wielding dark energy requires actual focus of will, and he just can't concentrate on anything else.

[china_shop]

YAY! :D :D :D :D :D

Both stages - I can't even separate the stages because there is no time loop without both of them. :D ♡♡♡

Both stages definitely!! :D

I'm also voting for Li Qian's grandma protecting her (because it's sweet and soft) and making Wang Zheng into an energy being (because I like Wang Zheng and I'm glad that she's around :D).

Ahh, yay for both of those. <3

but now I'm pretty sure it's because he's alone?

*nodnod* That does make sense. But so does that mean it's always hurting that much, though, and he's just really good at controlling his sweat glands? ;D

*But also it's possible that it's the injury itself that hurts, not the healing - it does look angry and not very good. D: *

Yeah, it might be the combo. *pets him*

(And the thing is, he totally didn't have to hide this injury, right? Professor Shen was swiped by the Shadow Monster! That's not a secret! But of course he "staggers" out of the bushes with a cheery wave. *smh* :D)

[maggie33]

I love time travel and I love the Hallows for making it possible. :) But I couldn't choose just time travel. Because - repeating after Amedia above - for my shipper's heart "Chu Shuzhi using Sundial to bring Guo Changcheng back from the brink of death" is equally as important. :DDD

[autodach]

Hell yes, great poll<3

I picked lighting up Dixing because it's so significant to so many people.
Also the two time travel options, because the YOHE arc is awesome. And I love time travel in general.

For the second poll, I always found it odd how Shen Wei seems to be using a different power from all the other times he heals someone. He has this swirling ball of energy in his hand. Could it be self-healing requires a completely different power(a painful one)?