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sid_guardian2026-05-04 11:18 am
china_shop) wrote in sid_guardian2026-05-04 11:18 am
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Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 15, part 1
Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!
Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.
Episode 15, up to 23:56
Summary
Cong Bo hacks into the university CCTV and hits paydirt when he sees Shen Wei use dark energy and talk to a smoke messenger from the Regent. Cong Bo goes to Zhao Yunlan and threatens to expose Shen Wei and the SID. The Apology Scene!!! Shen Wei has taken off his glasses; Zhao Yunlan sprawls barefoot on a barstool. Also, Zhao Yunlan has a plan: Lin Jing remotely wipes Cong Bo's hard drive, and Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan pay Cong Bo a visit, showing him the error of his ways and inviting him to join them. Zhu Jiu is still wounded and still holding a grudge against Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei celebrate their success with a toast (water), and Shen Wei explains his power. Zhao Yunlan attempts a do-over of his request for compensation last episode, and this time he gets it right by asking Shen Wei to tidy his not-very-messy flat. Changcheng writes in his diary. In the SID lab, Zhao Yunlan contemplates groping the Hallows again, but Shen Wei catches him and offers a better strategy for finding the missing two Hallows. Zhao Yunlan takes him out for a meal (no drinking!), which tragically happens off-screen. Zhu Hong is drunk and crying because Zhao Yunlan doesn't want her; Da Qing and Guo Changcheng offer comfort. The next morning, an old man arrives in Dragon City, nearly gets hit by a delivery van, and is rescued by a solicitous Changcheng. They meet again a few minutes later, whereupon the old man asks for directions to 4 Guangming Rd. Dun-dun-DUNNN!
Quote
Da Qing to Zhu Hong: You're good in all aspects. You have a special physique that can provide a promising talent: warm in winter, cold in summer.
Detail
I love that when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan toast having dealt with the Cong Bo threat, Zhao Yunlan as well as Shen Wei is drinking water.
Also, I don't think I've registered before that Cong Bo was also spying on Ya Qing and that this had constrained her movements. (I'm impressed she didn't just kill him!)
Questions
Any thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's changed hairstyle? (Is it why Zhu Hong is drinking?) Do you think Zhao Yunlan had forgotten about the banner cam, or he just hadn't come up with a way to take it down without admitting he'd put it there in the first place? When Shen Wei sees the smoke filtering through the blinds, he immediately summons his blade: who or what does he think it might be? What is Zhao Yunlan's first thought when Cong Bo shows him the blackmail material? How do you feel about Cong Bo and his motives? What's your favourite thing about the apology scene? Do you like Cong Bo's apartment? After the averted-Hallows-groping scene, does Zhao Yunlan take Shen Wei out for street food, or do they go somewhere nice? (How date-like is it??) What was your first impression of the Regent? Does he deliberately target Changcheng (and if so, what does this say about his information networks in Haixing)?
Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?
(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)
And here is our schedule -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!
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Shen Wei really enjoys his university work. He is visibly pleased with his student's doing well and/or the science. <3
He has previously asked the Regent for info about Zhu Jiu (I don't know if I'd noticed that before), and the Regent's reply is singularly unhelpful ("The Regent said he was too old to remember clearly," makes Shen Wei huff incredulously). Shen Wei says to bring him the Register in three days -- does that mean the Regent visits the SID earlier than that? Or visits the SID instead of the Envoy? (Could the Envoy have come to Haixing at all if Shen Wei hadn't summoned him? Huh.)
Zhao Yunlan's office. This time it's someone else (Cong Bo) sitting on the furniture, and ZYL in the chair. No one comments on ZYL's changed hairstyle (I would 1000% approve of it even without the "married" symbolism; it looks so goooood! And I'm so happy to see his forehead/eyebrows!!).
Cong Bo threatens to expose the SID. (In 15 episodes, Ya Qing will do exactly that, and six episodes after that, ZYL himself will become a whistleblower, ha.) But right now, although Cong Bo makes a reasonable point, he is being such a dick about it... which is an exaggerated parallel with ZYL uncovering Shen Wei's secrets and being ebullient and gloaty.
Little fic excerpt addressing that parallel
From all your tomorrows.
tl;dr: I loooove this scene, and the post-Cong Bo visit scene so so so so so so much. It's so intimate, and ZYL is so long-legged and physically present -- bare feet! stockinged feet! the way he sprawls/lounges/sits, splays his legs everywhere, and the extremely visible oral fixation!! akslaksjfd;laksdfjas *dissolves into incoherence*
ZYL tells Cong Bo he's breaking the law, but doesn't threaten to arrest him (even though the libel against the business guy is a pretty seriously charge; Cong Bo's misinfo literally ruined lives!). I guess it's partly that they can't let him go, knowing what he knows, but mostly their extraordinary compassion and belief in second chances (and ZYL's suspicion that Cong Bo might be useful in the future). <3 <3 <3
Zhu Jiu is completely incapable of playing nice, lol. ;-p
Shen Wei and ZYL are literally just hanging out together in ZYL's flat for the pleasure of each other's company, ahhhhhhhhh. Shen Wei is relieved at the satisfactory resolution to the Cong Bo situation, and ZYL is pleased with himself and Shen Wei and everything. I love that they're both drinking water. <3 <3 <3 And ahhhhh, ZYL's hands and mouth and HANDS and MOUTH. :D :D :D
And then we get a second request for compensation -- a do-over. Last time, Shen Wei got angry, so ZYL is trying again, playing, asking for something personal this time, something Shen Wei had done before voluntarily. It's like "touch all my stuff, make yourself at home, make my place comfortable for yourself," even if it is dressed up as "clean for me." (I really don't think Zhao Yunlan cares at all whether his flat is tidy, so it's not really payment in that sense.) And he gets it right! \o/!! (I've written about this scene so many times, in meta and fic. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! My first Guardian PWP was set here, as well as the first kiss in my Taking It Slow series, in all your tomorrows (which also covers the lead-up to the mutual apology and what came after).)
So anyway, a lot of this half-episode is a kind of replay of the events of the Envoy reveal: Shen Wei's identity is once more exposed due to ZYL's behaviour. Zhao Yunlan crosses a room to sit at his side, like he did in episode 12. Cong Bo has hurt people but is given a second chance (he is Zheng Yi!!). Afterwards, Weilan talk in private, Shen Wei concedes more information, and Zhao Yunlan playfully asks for compensation. But compared to the Envoy reveal, it's softer, more comfortable, less formal: ZYL's cosy flat rather than Shen Wei's brightly lit, painfully tidy one. Shen Wei barefaced. The two of them partners, working together, on the same page. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Changcheng's diary entry pushes home the theme of "the truth is not always the same as what we saw." Which, come to think of it, Shen Wei's power itself fits that theme -- it seems like there are dozens of abilities, but there's a single underlying principle.
Then we must have something of a time jump. Maybe the next night? ZYL is in the SID lab, contemplating groping the Hallows (having recently collapsed TWICE after touching the Awl *facepalm*). There's serious thought going into this, but zero self-preservation. Shen Wei stops him, and then we find out that ZYL was driven by lack of knowledge, ie, more of Shen Wei's secrets (about Ye Zun, but we don't know that yet): "But you also told me there is still another powerful dark force hiding behind Zhu Jiu, and he is coveting these Hallows. A war concerning the survival of the world can be triggered anytime. And now, only I can activate the Hallows. What can we do but use this silly method to detect the other two Hallows?"
Even hearing this, Shen Wei doesn't tell ZYL everything he knows/suspects. Instead he offers a counter strategy: sit back and wait. Zhao Yunlan readily accepts this, with more flattery (and relief?). He says they have a surprise guest coming tomorrow, and takes SW off for a dinner date. (That sultry, wicked look from beneath his fringe!!! ahhhhhhhh asdlkfjas;dlfkjasd;flkj) <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Zhu Hong is miserable and drowning her sorrows. Guo Changcheng is clueless but Da Qing isn't. I'm pretty sure ZH only pretends to call ZYL -- she doesn't actually drunk dial him, right?
Changcheng reading the combat book as he walks to work!! \o/ And the Regent, who gives a deceptively good first impression. I wonder how much he knows about the SID. Does he have informants? Does he know Changcheng is Chu Shuzhi's protege, and is that why the Regent targets him? /o\
Regent: The cars on the ground are so different. (21:30) - Does that mean there are cars in Dixing, too, or that the existence of cars on the ground is the difference?
Love how here the Regent confidently calls himself resilient and fit as a fiddle, given he otherwise invariably uses his age as an excuse for forgetting things or not doing things. ;-p
When the Regent gives the SID's address, does Changcheng immediately assume the old man is "special" in some way, I wonder?
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Yes! I really love that he gets to have that. :D
Shen Wei says to bring him the Register in three days -- does that mean the Regent visits the SID earlier than that? Or visits the SID instead of the Envoy? (Could the Envoy have come to Haixing at all if Shen Wei hadn't summoned him? Huh.)
I think yeah, the Regent is deliberately going behind the Envoy's back in contacting the SID, before the three days are up.
And we learn later that the Envoy and the Regent are the only two people who have permission to use the passage between Dixing and Haixing, so presumably the Regent didn't need any summoning.
In 15 episodes, Ya Qing will do exactly that, and six episodes after that, ZYL himself will become a whistleblower, ha.
Yes! This is done so well, integrating these themes and that threat into the drama before it actually happens, and then Zhao Yunlan turning it around. :D
But right now, although Cong Bo makes a reasonable point, he is being such a dick about it... which is an exaggerated parallel with ZYL uncovering Shen Wei's secrets and being ebullient and gloaty.
Ha! Too true!
tl;dr: I loooove this scene, and the post-Cong Bo visit scene so so so so so so much. It's so intimate, and ZYL is so long-legged and physically present -- bare feet! stockinged feet! the way he sprawls/lounges/sits, splays his legs everywhere, and the extremely visible oral fixation!! akslaksjfd;laksdfjas *dissolves into incoherence*
Hee! It's realyl good! Though I'm more about Shen Wei NOT WEARING HIS GLASSES OMG, being all himself in private, without any of his masks!!!!! *screams*
I guess it's partly that they can't let him go, knowing what he knows, but mostly their extraordinary compassion and belief in second chances
Yes! They're never about punishing people for what they've done, only about helping them do better. ♥
Zhu Jiu is completely incapable of playing nice, lol. ;-p
Ha, yeah, and he's so nasty about it. Like, Ya Qing is absolutely nasty to him personally too, but he's the one who goes all racist against Yashou. Ugh.
It's like "touch all my stuff, make yourself at home, make my place comfortable for yourself," even if it is dressed up as "clean for me." (I really don't think Zhao Yunlan cares at all whether his flat is tidy, so it's not really payment in that sense.)
Yes, this, exactly! And Shen Wei knows exactly how little Zhao Yunlan cares about cleaning, LOL. He's picked up those wine bottles and smelled that fridge! He knows what it's really about.
So anyway, a lot of this half-episode is a kind of replay of the events of the Envoy reveal
YES! I hadn't looked at it quite like that, but that's really the perfect framing, that's exactly what it is. So good!
Then we must have something of a time jump. Maybe the next night?
I assume it's the next night, yeah - before the three days Shen Wei gave the Regent are up, the Regent has already arranged to meet with the SID behind the Envoy's back. (And the Regent clearly knows things about the SID, but doesn't in fact know Shen Wei is close with the SID.)
There's serious thought going into this, but zero self-preservation.
Yes! He has good reasons, but also he's been there and done that and got nothing usable out of it before, so the chance of it working doesn't seem particularly high. And yet he's risking it anyway!
Shen Wei stops him, and then we find out that ZYL was driven by lack of knowledge, ie, more of Shen Wei's secrets (about Ye Zun, but we don't know that yet)
I don't think he's driven by lack of knowledge? I mean, even if Shen Wei did tell him all about Ye Zun, the situation would still be the same and they'd still need to find the missing two Hallows, and his rationale for trying to use Hallows resonance would still be the same.
I'm pretty sure ZH only pretends to call ZYL -- she doesn't actually drunk dial him, right?
I don't think she pretends - I think she's too drunk to notice she hasn't actually turned on her phone, LOL.
Regent: The cars on the ground are so different. (21:30) - Does that mean there are cars in Dixing, too, or that the existence of cars on the ground is the difference?
车 means car, but also vehicle in general, so I'm not even sure he's talking about cars in particular, LOL. But he says it's been years since he's seen sunlight, and comparing modern cars to older vehicles would make sense.
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Trying to get on the Guardian's good side before Shen Wei can poison Zhao Yunlan against him... ;-p
And we learn later that the Envoy and the Regent are the only two people who have permission to use the passage between Dixing and Haixing, so presumably the Regent didn't need any summoning.
True. But still, there's a difference between the physical ability to travel and the political etiquette. It's pretty weird for the domestic head of state to visit a foreign territory without informing their ambassador. I wonder whether that would have been jurisdictionally verboten.
Hee! It's really good! Though I'm more about Shen Wei NOT WEARING HIS GLASSES OMG, being all himself in private, without any of his masks!!!!! *screams*
LOL! We are complementary. *g*
Yes! They're never about punishing people for what they've done, only about helping them do better. ♥
This and the Zheng Yi outcome really help to set up later events like Ya Qing switching sides, and Shen Wei forgiving Ye Zun in the afterlife. <333
Yes, this, exactly! And Shen Wei knows exactly how little Zhao Yunlan cares about cleaning, LOL. He's picked up those wine bottles and smelled that fridge! He knows what it's really about.
= "my stuff is a proxy for me, and I want your hands all over it." ;D :D :D
YES! I hadn't looked at it quite like that, but that's really the perfect framing, that's exactly what it is. So good!
\o/!! THIS SHOW!!
I assume it's the next night, yeah - before the three days Shen Wei gave the Regent are up, the Regent has already arranged to meet with the SID behind the Envoy's back. (And the Regent clearly knows things about the SID, but doesn't in fact know Shen Wei is close with the SID.)
Yes, that's so interesting. I guess because it's all been in Professor Shen's name, and maybe he isn't monitoring the professor persona? Or his spies don't know about the connection?
> Shen Wei stops him, and then we find out that ZYL was driven by lack of knowledge, ie, more of Shen Wei's secrets (about Ye Zun, but we don't know that yet)
I don't think he's driven by lack of knowledge? I mean, even if Shen Wei did tell him all about Ye Zun, the situation would still be the same and they'd still need to find the missing two Hallows, and his rationale for trying to use Hallows resonance would still be the same.
Idk. Atm, he knows a war might be coming, and given Shen Wei's reticence, the Hallows are his one and only lead. I think if he had more understanding of what was going on, his first impulse would be to strategise and discuss with Shen Wei. Try to address the threat at its source. (And honestly, I kind of like that Shen Wei is still causing problems with his secrets. He's perpetually walking a fine line wrt information about YOHE (which includes information about Ye Zun), and it would be too neat and tidy if he only erred on the side of caution that once (about Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi), and then immediately afterwards judged everything perfectly. His inclination is to play his cards close to his chest, and that should have conseqences...)
I don't think she pretends - I think she's too drunk to notice she hasn't actually turned on her phone, LOL.
Ha, yes. That's what I meant. It wasn't a real call.
车 means car, but also vehicle in general, so I'm not even sure he's talking about cars in particular, LOL. But he says it's been years since he's seen sunlight, and comparing modern cars to older vehicles would make sense.
Oh, right. Comparing modern Haixing cars with older Haixing cars. That makes sense!
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Yeah! He thinks he can get Zhao Yunlan on his side and clearly has no idea whatsoever that Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are a package deal. *g*
It's pretty weird for the domestic head of state to visit a foreign territory without informing their ambassador.
Yes, absolutely! And what he does do is definitely weird and underhanded.
LOL! We are complementary. *g*
We are indeed! :D :D :D
This and the Zheng Yi outcome really help to set up later events like Ya Qing switching sides, and Shen Wei forgiving Ye Zun in the afterlife. <333
YES, I love that so much. Thematic consistency, hee!
= "my stuff is a proxy for me, and I want your hands all over it." ;D :D :D
This, 100%! ♥ ♥ ♥
Yes, that's so interesting. I guess because it's all been in Professor Shen's name, and maybe he isn't monitoring the professor persona? Or his spies don't know about the connection?
He obviously does know the name Shen Wei, so presumably he hasn't heard that a certain Shen Wei has become a consultant. Maybe whatever sources he has are out of date? Idk.
Idk. Atm, he knows a war might be coming, and given Shen Wei's reticence, the Hallows are his one and only lead. I think if he had more understanding of what was going on, his first impulse would be to strategise and discuss with Shen Wei. Try to address the threat at its source.
But no matter what they discussed, they'd still have needed to find the remaining two Hallows, so IMO he'd have arrived at the same result regardless, and would have decided to try his luck with the Hallows again. Because he underestimates the danger of black energy corruption and has no sense of self-preservation. *g*
And honestly, I kind of like that Shen Wei is still causing problems with his secrets.
Generally I agree with you, but in this case I really don't think it'd have made much of a difference.
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Maybe, sooner or later. But I really think he is going, "I only have this one stupid lead, and I'm the only one who can follow it up." It's not even that he underestimates the danger; he just believes he's expendable. As does Shen Wei, for that matter, but on a larger and more strategic scale. It's like Changcheng said about the SID, they have a willingness to sacrifice.
Generally I agree with you, but in this case I really don't think it'd have made much of a difference.
We can't know, though. Shen Wei will have thought it all through carefully, but ZYL would be a pair of fresh eyes on the problem. And ZYL is inventive. At the least, he could have suggested cordoning off the Sky Pillar so people didn't keep haplessly wandering into Ye Zun's snares. ;-p Plus it might have meant ZYL knew more about the potential dangers of Dixing before charging in full tilt...
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- WEILAN OMG, the way they are both NAKED gets me even more than Zhao Yunlan's shameless sprawling on the stool, hah, which already gets me A LOT. :D (I don't even need to link my (NSFW!) drawing, but I'm gonna do it anyway. xD) Like, every single way they could be naked-coded, they are. ♡♡♡ Shen Wei's glasses and jacket, Zhao Yunlan's jacket/vest and BARE FEET, asdfghfjdksjkl;; (Shen Wei's feet are never shown, are they? I wouldn't be surprised if he's not wearing shoes either, though he probably is wearing socks. :D)
- To me this is all so intentionally filmed to say very, very clearly that yep, they have slept together, and that's why Zhao Yunlan was so excited that morning. :D And then the repayment theme comes back, and Shen Wei swallows extremely suggestively AGAIN (it's basically the same scene again, so soon after the previous one! except with also wildly suggestive thumb biting this time :D :D), and Zhao Yunlan sprawls on the couch with his legs as far apart as possible, lmao, and it just sounds 100% like 'and now they're
already conveniently naked andabout to do it again'. :D :DAnd that's just the way these scenes are filmed - then there's Zhao Yunlan's hair change and drunk Zhu Hong on top of that! Which btw I have no idea how they got away with - this is more than Zhu Hong ever does in the novel, iirc? Since they also kept the actual confession later, this is not the equivalent of it, this is a drama-only scene? Howwwwww? And Xiao Guo is too young to hear about these things, lmao srsly, I love the drama creators so much for just going all-out and never ever backing down until they absolutely had to. :D
Last but not least, let me just screm about this absolutely brilliant piece of skirting the censorship - Xiao Guo saying/writing "the underlying truth of things is not always what we see" literally immediately after Shen Wei starts ~~cleaning up~~. :D
... My comment ended up just being all Weilan, lmao, I regret nothing. :D :D
- The lollipop offering for Cong Bo, hee, it's so random. :D :D And Shen Wei's eyeing it - he must still be having pretty fresh feelings about the swirly wrappers!
- Novel parallel in an entirely different context: Xiao Guo helping someone who got hit by a car, who is not what he seems!
"Any thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's changed hairstyle? (Is it why Zhu Hong is drinking?)"
It's so wonderfully sneaky, I never would have caught the significance of it without the fandom! :D And re: Zhu Hong, I feel like she knows many different things from many different sources (including Zhao Yunlan himself - it's not like he's ever been subtle about Shen Wei. xD) It's a final straw maybe, but it's still just one of the many ways she's had the same information shoved in her face.
Recently especially Da Qing must have been vocal about it, lmao - as much as I totally agree that Weilan wouldn't have sex when Da Qing is in the room, I'm also absolutely sure that Da Qing would go 'ewwww' and bolt the moment they start doing anything at all in that direction. xD If he then yowled and complained that they kicked him out, and now he now has a drunk crying Zhu Hong to take care of, that kinda serves him right, lmao.
"Do you think Zhao Yunlan had forgotten about the banner cam, or he just hadn't come up with a way to take it down without admitting he'd put it there in the first place?"
I think he either forgot or decided it wasn't a big deal? I think there were ways to take it down (the office is pretty much a public place, or Da Qing could sneak in as a cat?), and also he's not super concerned that Shen Wei knows, so he probably wasn't concerned that he would find out either.
"When Shen Wei sees the smoke filtering through the blinds, he immediately summons his blade: who or what does he think it might be?"
Oh, now that you asked this, I thought of a novel scene with Shen Wei's puppet:
The quote is obviously about Zhao Yunlan, but it fits so well that Shen Wei expected someone big and menacing, and when he saw someone so small and adorable it made him back off. :D
"What is Zhao Yunlan's first thought when Cong Bo shows him the blackmail material?"
Probably blaming himself for putting the camera there.
"How do you feel about Cong Bo and his motives?"
His heart is ultimately in the right place, he's just really obnoxious about it, lol. He feels like a teenager, but he says he's been doing this for 10 years so he's clearly not, he just hasn't grown out of the self-righteousness.
"What's your favourite thing about the apology scene?"
I think the obvious nakedness, but I'm not choosing just one thing. :D ♡♡♡
"Do you like Cong Bo's apartment?"
I don't think I have an opinion on it. :P
"After the averted-Hallows-groping scene, does Zhao Yunlan take Shen Wei out for street food, or do they go somewhere nice? (How date-like is it??)"
Either option is delightful honestly, or something in-between - a higher quality street food? xD Assuming that Zhao Yunlan has figured out that Shen Wei didn't particularly enjoy that one, lol. (It is a literal date, and afterwards Zhao Yunlan can make it up to Shen Wei for worrying him, lol, to continue the repayment theme that is clearly working for them. :D :D)
"What was your first impression of the Regent?"
I don't remember anymore, but now that I thought of the novel parallel, he's much nicer than the evil yao. :P
"Does he deliberately target Changcheng (and if so, what does this say about his information networks in Haixing)?"
Ohhh, he does seem to know where Changcheng works! I've never thought of that because I think their first meeting was a total accident (he couldn't have known that GCC will come and help him even if he decided to get hit by a car on purpose), but the second meeting does sound like he knows exactly what he's doing!
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Oh, ha, I totally didn't think of it as a reaper. I'm never sure if it's like an automated messaging service or a person with a mind of its own. Like, does it have an opinion on the Regent claiming that he's too old to remember stuff? Is it scared of the Envoy? I guess low-level reaper equivalent could go either way?
Like, every single way they could be naked-coded, they are. ♡♡♡ Shen Wei's glasses and jacket, Zhao Yunlan's jacket/vest and BARE FEET, asdfghfjdksjkl;; (Shen Wei's feet are never shown, are they? I wouldn't be surprised if he's not wearing shoes either, though he probably is wearing socks. :D)
Yes, they're both exposing themselves so much here -- ZYL's vulnerable sprawl on the stool, too; no defences at all. :D :D :D (I tend to read it at face value, so I don't think of them as naked, myself, but I still really love the idea of "naked-coded", even if for me it's mostly emotional! a;slkdfjas;dlkjf :D :D :D :D :D)
And that's just the way these scenes are filmed - then there's Zhao Yunlan's hair change and drunk Zhu Hong on top of that! Which btw I have no idea how they got away with
I guess this was the very early days of danmei adaptations? I mean, there's no question AT ALL that Weilan are a couple and they're obsessed with each other, so I guess the show is just clinging to its flimsy shreds of plausible deniability about whether it's platonic or not...
And Xiao Guo is too young to hear about these things, lmao srsly, I love the drama creators so much for just going all-out and never ever backing down until they absolutely had to. :D
Yessssss! It's amazing!! They really went all in. :D :D :D
Last but not least, let me just screm about this absolutely brilliant piece of skirting the censorship - Xiao Guo saying/writing "the underlying truth of things is not always what we see" literally immediately after Shen Wei starts ~~cleaning up~~. :D
Hahaha, that totally went right over my head. Fantastic!! And that's a theme for the whole show, too, which says so much. :D
... My comment ended up just being all Weilan, lmao, I regret nothing. :D :D
Absolutely zero reason for regrets!! JUST LOOK AT THEM!! :D :D :D
- The lollipop offering for Cong Bo, hee, it's so random. :D :D
LOL, it is. It's not the only time ZYL offers someone a lollipop, either -- he does it to Ying Chun at the "Yashou market", and to a lab tech at the Haixing Inspectorate. It's kind of a wonder he doesn't try it in Dixing when he's being chased all over the place, lol.
And Shen Wei's eyeing it - he must still be having pretty fresh feelings about the swirly wrappers!
Aww, yes. I think he's also having feelings about ZYL being compassionate and giving their -- if not enemy, at least bugbear -- a chance at redemption, too. <333
- Novel parallel in an entirely different context: Xiao Guo helping someone who got hit by a car, who is not what he seems!
Ooh, awesome! Thanks for that. :D
It's so wonderfully sneaky, I never would have caught the significance of it without the fandom! :D
Right? I wonder how obvious it is to Chinese viewers...
And re: Zhu Hong, I feel like she knows many different things from many different sources (including Zhao Yunlan himself - it's not like he's ever been subtle about Shen Wei. xD) It's a final straw maybe, but it's still just one of the many ways she's had the same information shoved in her face.
True! I'm assuming she just saw them going off for their date, too, with ZYL being super flirty on the way out... *pets Zhu Hong*
I think he either forgot or decided it wasn't a big deal?
Yes, same. It wasn't important enough to deal with. He didn't expect them to be targeted by a hacker.
and also he's not super concerned that Shen Wei knows, so he probably wasn't concerned that he would find out either.
Do you think so? I think he find the admission rather excruciating and would have avoided Shen Wei finding out if he possibly could, especially since it exploded in their faces. Idk. (Maybe I'm projecting, lol.)
The quote is obviously about Zhao Yunlan, but it fits so well that Shen Wei expected someone big and menacing, and when he saw someone so small and adorable it made him back off. :D
Oh, maybe that is it! In that case, do you think some of the smoke messengers are actually dangerous?? Surely they wouldn't attack the Envoy?!
Probably blaming himself for putting the camera there.
Not unreasonably. *pokes him* ;D
His heart is ultimately in the right place, he's just really obnoxious about it, lol. He feels like a teenager, but he says he's been doing this for 10 years so he's clearly not, he just hasn't grown out of the self-righteousness.
Ha, yes.
> "After the averted-Hallows-groping scene, does Zhao Yunlan take Shen Wei out for street food, or do they go somewhere nice? (How date-like is it??)"
Either option is delightful honestly, or something in-between - a higher quality street food? xD Assuming that Zhao Yunlan has figured out that Shen Wei didn't particularly enjoy that one, lol. (It is a literal date, and afterwards Zhao Yunlan can make it up to Shen Wei for worrying him, lol, to continue the repayment theme that is clearly working for them. :D :D)
Hee! Absolutely. :D :D :D
Ohhh, he does seem to know where Changcheng works! I've never thought of that because I think their first meeting was a total accident (he couldn't have known that GCC will come and help him even if he decided to get hit by a car on purpose), but the second meeting does sound like he knows exactly what he's doing!
I think if he had enough intel on Changcheng, he could have guessed there was a reasonably good chance that if Changcheng witnessed an elder in trouble, he'd rush to help, you know? It's not like it's a well-hidden characteristic. Like, I bet the Crows know and have reported as much to Ye Zun? But idk where the Regent gets his info -- whether his sources are as good.
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I think of it as a black energy chatbot, tbh. *g*
He didn't expect them to be targeted by a hacker.
Except that Minister Gao warned them that Cong Bo is a hacker! Too much confidence in Lin Jing's (clearly insufficient) security measures? But tbh yeah, I really think he just forgot about the camera altogether. *g*
Do you think so? I think he find the admission rather excruciating and would have avoided Shen Wei finding out if he possibly could, especially since it exploded in their faces.
Yeah, I'm with you on that. It takes a lot to get Zhao Yunlan to completely drop his glib act, but this does it.
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LOL!
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Hee! I love the intimacy of the scene so much. :D
And that's just the way these scenes are filmed - then there's Zhao Yunlan's hair change and drunk Zhu Hong on top of that! Which btw I have no idea how they got away with - this is more than Zhu Hong ever does in the novel, iirc?
Yeah, definitely more than the novel! They couldn't spell out the relationship otherwise, so they used Zhu Hong's feelings to make it 1000% unambiguous anyway. I think it mostly slipped through because Guardian was a niche drama and the rules were a lot less strict at the time - but then it turned out to be wildly popular, and other popular danmei adaptations followed, and with each one, less and less became possible ...
Novel parallel in an entirely different context: Xiao Guo helping someone who got hit by a car, who is not what he seems!
Oh yes, very neat! I had forgotten about that until you mentioned it!
I think he either forgot or decided it wasn't a big deal?
Yeah, I think he must have forgotten, since Minister Gao specifically warned them that Cong Bo is a hacker?
His heart is ultimately in the right place, he's just really obnoxious about it, lol. He feels like a teenager, but he says he's been doing this for 10 years so he's clearly not, he just hasn't grown out of the self-righteousness.
Ha! Yeah, that's 100% the vibe he gives off: overeager, overly self-righteous teenager who thinks he knows better than anyone else.
Ohhh, he does seem to know where Changcheng works! I've never thought of that because I think their first meeting was a total accident (he couldn't have known that GCC will come and help him even if he decided to get hit by a car on purpose), but the second meeting does sound like he knows exactly what he's doing!
Yeah, 100% agreed on the second meeting! I'm not sure about the first one, it could be a set-up or it could be accidental, but the second one is so deliberate!
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Yes! Really, everything goes right this time - all the not-quite-right bits from last time are gone. This time, it isn't dropped into an already tense and complicated conversation, but into a moment of triumph and celebration, and this time, Zhao Yunlan has already proven he takes things seriously, and this time, he asks for something silly/personal/a thing Shen Wei has already done without being asked. We do get a visible swallow again! Because suggestiveness, of course. But without the underlying tension of last time - and when Zhao Yunlan asks him to tidy "Da Qing's" mess, Shen Wei laughs. I love it so. :D
(And that he goes and tidies the bed first, hee!)
Zhao Yunlan takes him out for a meal (no drinking!), which tragically happens off-screen.
Yes! Why has fandom not delivered 50 million versions of that date?!
You're good in all aspects. You have a special physique that can provide a promising talent: warm in winter, cold in summer.
Hee! Cat priorities! Yeah, I love that.
(Viki subs? Solo's subs have this as "You're great! Talented, warm in winter, cool in summer." Looking at the Chinese, it's something like, "You're great! Amazing physiology, warm in winter, cool in summer." Viki sort of gets the meaning across, but is very oddly and formally phrased.)
I love that when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan toast having dealt with the Cong Bo threat, Zhao Yunlan as well as Shen Wei is drinking water.
Yes! I really appreciate this. Though given this, I do wonder why Shen Wei felt the need to remind Zhao Yunlan he doesn't drink, in the later scene in the SID lab ...
Also, I don't think I've registered before that Cong Bo was also spying on Ya Qing and that this had constrained her movements. (I'm impressed she didn't just kill him!)
Huh, was he? Where does it reference that? I only noticed her talking about being stalked by a Yashou: ",There's a snoopy Yashou following me around recently, I have to be careful." Which is presumably either Ying Chun herself, or one of Ying Chun's Flowers.
Any thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's changed hairstyle?
My thoughts: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Also, he looks so much better like this, LOL.
(I've written them getting together here, but I generally prefer it happening later than this. But Zhao Yunlan is making a commitment - and somehow it's even better for me if he does it before they actually get together. ♥)
(Is it why Zhu Hong is drinking?)
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was the last straw for her. ZYL really is committed! No chance now of it being a passing fancy!
Do you think Zhao Yunlan had forgotten about the banner cam, or he just hadn't come up with a way to take it down without admitting he'd put it there in the first place?
I think he totally forgot about it very shortly after he set it, because things between him and Shen Wei changed, and he didn't feel the need to be that suspicious any more. And now he's kicking himself because it turned out to be a security risk.
When Shen Wei sees the smoke filtering through the blinds, he immediately summons his blade: who or what does he think it might be?
Something Zhu Jiu-related, probably. I assume he sensed black energy as well.
What is Zhao Yunlan's first thought when Cong Bo shows him the blackmail material?
"Fuck, fuck, FUCK."
How do you feel about Cong Bo and his motives?
He's not wrong about transparency, is the thing! AND YET. He just lacks maturity and critical thinking, not to mention journalistic integrity, or he wouldn't jump to conclusions on such limited, one-sided evidence. Or congratulate himself on it all so much. *g*
What's your favourite thing about the apology scene?
Shen Wei without glasses, at home at ZYL's place. Being all of himself, not the professor or the Envoy. ♥ ♥ ♥
Do you like Cong Bo's apartment?
It's vey industrial chic, not my style.
After the averted-Hallows-groping scene, does Zhao Yunlan take Shen Wei out for street food, or do they go somewhere nice? (How date-like is it??)
Somewhere decent but not upscale or formal. And VERY date-like, because it IS a date (obviously). *g*
What was your first impression of the Regent?
Slime. This impression did not change upon further watching! :p
Does he deliberately target Changcheng (and if so, what does this say about his information networks in Haixing)?
Idk if he planned on running into GCC initially, but he's clearly running with it and intercepting him on purpose the second time, creeping him out and all.
On to my notes!
I love the way Shen Wei's expression and body language changes when he notices the smoke, and the way he bangs the door shut and goes to face the threat, summoning his dao and all. And then the immediate switch back when he dismisses the messenger!
I really love that we get the contrast between his personas, but also see him smoothly integrating them at home/with Zhao Yunlan in this episode. So, so good. ♥ ♥ ♥
Interesting to me that Cong Bo is so excited about witnessing Shen Wei using black energy - sure, now he has video, which is great for him! But did he just fail to notice Chu Shuzhi using his powers when he shot down the drone? Why didn't he try harder to get video of that? (In other words, I still don't quite understand Cong Bo's reactions to all things black energy.)
When the smoke messenger tells Shen Wei the Regent doesn't know if Zhu Jiu and "that man" are connected, I'm not sure who it's referring to. The Chinese is even more obscure; it has just 那位 ("that person"). I expect it's about Ye Zun, but it's really not clear.
I had also forgotten that Shen Wei asked about the effect of the Hallows on humans, and that he was trying to do a background check on Zhu Jiu, which the Regent was stalling on.
Blackmailer Cong Bo is so offended when Zhao Yunlan asks him whether he wants money or fame, LOL! He's so proud of everything he's done, and so very sure he has the truth. He's really the personification of that entire thematic strand in Guardian, heh.
Zhao Yunlan's improbable sprawl! I love it. :D
The simultaneous "sorry"! Zhao Yunlan making a face and telling Shen Wei this isn't Shen Wei's fault! He's really not being glib here at all, or flirty or anything - he's taking this seriously, and it's so good to see.
I adore the way Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan gang up on Cong Bo. Zhao Yunlan with the little wave! Shen Wei with the glare! And I especially love that it's Shen Wei who has the phone with the evidence, and that he's the one who shows it to Cong Bo and makes him face the truth about what he's actually done. And to his credit, Cong Bo's denial doesn't last long in the face of that evidence. And then Zhao Yunlan offers him a better way where he can still use his skills to find out the truth! Aw. :D
(I think it was
I had forgotten that Zhu Jiu had such a personal grudge against Zhao Yunlan after he got shot! But his injury is clearly serious, Zhu Jiu is worried about dying for it, and so, so indignant about it, LOL.
The toasting scene is so lovely. Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei about his powers, a little lecture about how Shen Wei's powers work, and a lot of praise and admiration and suggestive thumb-biting from Zhao Yunlan. :D And the flirting/teasing about compensation again!
Ooh, here's Xiao-Guo spelling out one of the show's themes: "The underlying truth of things is not always what we see." :D :D :D
Zhao Yunlan's little startle and flail when Shen Wei catches him trying to use the Hallows! Hee! And going smoothly from "Hei-laoge" to "professor" in his comments on Shen Wei, integrating them both!
And Shen Wei is so worried, and frustrated Zhao Yunlan is ignoring his warnings. But Zhao Yunlan isn't ignoring them for no reason. Still, Shen Wei proposes an alternate strategy, which carries its own risks, but they've just had a victory against Zhu Jiu, and Zhu Jiu has been seriously injured, so they have no reason to think things will turn dire soon.
I'm always so intrigued by Zhao Yunlan deliberately not telling Shen Wei who their important guest is going to be, and I always wonder what he expects from that meeting. Because it sure as hell isn't what actually happens, LOL.
Zhu Hong! Awww. The drama really makes it 100% clear that she's romantically interested in Zhao Yunlan, and that she knows she's lost to Shen Wei, and I appreciate that so much.
Oh, and here's the Regent. Ugh, that guy.
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Yes! Really, everything goes right this time - all the not-quite-right bits from last time are gone. This time, it isn't dropped into an already tense and complicated conversation, but into a moment of triumph and celebration, and this time, Zhao Yunlan has already proven he takes things seriously, and this time, he asks for something silly/personal/a thing Shen Wei has already done without being asked. We do get a visible swallow again! Because suggestiveness, of course. But without the underlying tension of last time - and when Zhao Yunlan asks him to tidy "Da Qing's" mess, Shen Wei laughs. I love it so. :D
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
china_shop who pointed out that this is not the kind of threat Shen Wei usually handles, but Zhao Yunlan handed him a viable weapon, so that Shen Wei, the person whose secret is at risk, can be the one to use it. So much love!)
Yesssssss! All so good!!!! asdkjfhasdlkf
(And that he goes and tidies the bed first, hee!)
LOL! So true! He could have started with the kitchen. *g*
> Zhao Yunlan takes him out for a meal (no drinking!), which tragically happens off-screen.
Yes! Why has fandom not delivered 50 million versions of that date?!
RIGHT?????? (I did write it in 180 degrees of you, fwiw. I'd forgotten that.)
(Viki subs? Solo's subs have this as "You're great! Talented, warm in winter, cool in summer." Looking at the Chinese, it's something like, "You're great! Amazing physiology, warm in winter, cool in summer." Viki sort of gets the meaning across, but is very oddly and formally phrased.)
VIKI subs are, "You're good in all aspects. You have a special physique that can provide a promising talent. You're warm in the winter, cold in the summer." I tidied them up a tiny bit.
Yes! I really appreciate this. Though given this, I do wonder why Shen Wei felt the need to remind Zhao Yunlan he doesn't drink, in the later scene in the SID lab ...
Because he's intimately familiar with the pile of empty bottles that used to live by ZYL's bed? Yeah, Idk either.
Also, I don't think I've registered before that Cong Bo was also spying on Ya Qing and that this had constrained her movements. (I'm impressed she didn't just kill him!)
Huh, was he? Where does it reference that? I only noticed her talking about being stalked by a Yashou: ",There's a snoopy Yashou following me around recently, I have to be careful." Which is presumably either Ying Chun herself, or one of Ying Chun's Flowers.
Oh, you're right. VIKI subs use "Demi-human" for Yashou, and I misread it as an insult of Cong Bo, lol. So, okay, everyone's been under surveillance by different people.
> Any thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's changed hairstyle?
My thoughts: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D
(I've written them getting together here, but I generally prefer it happening later than this. But Zhao Yunlan is making a commitment - and somehow it's even better for me if he does it before they actually get together. ♥)
Oooh yes, I need to re-read that one. And yes, I love ZYL silently confessing his feelings, taking that risk.
I think he totally forgot about it very shortly after he set it, because things between him and Shen Wei changed, and he didn't feel the need to be that suspicious any more. And now he's kicking himself because it turned out to be a security risk.
Yeah, that's what I think, too. *noogies him*
> When Shen Wei sees the smoke filtering through the blinds, he immediately summons his blade: who or what does he think it might be?
Something Zhu Jiu-related, probably. I assume he sensed black energy as well.
So do you think that means the smoke messengers are a rarity? Or do they come reasonably often, but Shen Wei is being hypervigilant atm?
> What is Zhao Yunlan's first thought when Cong Bo shows him the blackmail material?
"Fuck, fuck, FUCK."
LOL, yes!
He's not wrong about transparency, is the thing! AND YET. He just lacks maturity and critical thinking, not to mention journalistic integrity, or he wouldn't jump to conclusions on such limited, one-sided evidence. Or congratulate himself on it all so much. *g*
Agreed 100% on all of that.
Shen Wei without glasses, at home at ZYL's place. Being all of himself, not the professor or the Envoy. ♥ ♥ ♥
:D :D :D :D :D
Somewhere decent but not upscale or formal. And VERY date-like, because it IS a date (obviously). *g*
:D :D :D :D :D
I love the way Shen Wei's expression and body language changes when he notices the smoke, and the way he bangs the door shut and goes to face the threat, summoning his dao and all. And then the immediate switch back when he dismisses the messenger!
Yesssss, it's so dramatic and such a stark contrast. AWESOME! :D
Interesting to me that Cong Bo is so excited about witnessing Shen Wei using black energy - sure, now he has video, which is great for him! But did he just fail to notice Chu Shuzhi using his powers when he shot down the drone? Why didn't he try harder to get video of that? (In other words, I still don't quite understand Cong Bo's reactions to all things black energy.)
LOL, great point. Maybe he thought CSZ was using some kind of technology? Though he does jot down something about powers, doesn't he? Maybe it's Shen Wei in particular having powers? Because he has a respectable position, influencing Haixing's youth?
When the smoke messenger tells Shen Wei the Regent doesn't know if Zhu Jiu and "that man" are connected, I'm not sure who it's referring to. The Chinese is even more obscure; it has just 那位 ("that person"). I expect it's about Ye Zun, but it's really not clear.
I think it has to be Ye Zun. It's another hint that Shen Wei knows more than he's admitting about what might be going on in Dixing.
Zhao Yunlan's improbable sprawl! I love it. :D
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The simultaneous "sorry"! Zhao Yunlan making a face and telling Shen Wei this isn't Shen Wei's fault! He's really not being glib here at all, or flirty or anything - he's taking this seriously, and it's so good to see.
Yes, he's taking this seriously, and by extension, he's taking SW's reputation/secret seriously. ALL SO GOOD!
I adore the way Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan gang up on Cong Bo. Zhao Yunlan with the little wave! Shen Wei with the glare!
Good cop, bad cop!! :DDDDDDD
And I especially love that it's Shen Wei who has the phone with the evidence, and that he's the one who shows it to Cong Bo and makes him face the truth about what he's actually done. And to his credit, Cong Bo's denial doesn't last long in the face of that evidence.
Yeah, I think being responsible for the layoffs really shakes him. Which is good!!
(I think it was
:D :D :D
The toasting scene is so lovely. Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei about his powers, a little lecture about how Shen Wei's powers work, and a lot of praise and admiration and suggestive thumb-biting from Zhao Yunlan. :D And the flirting/teasing about compensation again!
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I'm always so intrigued by Zhao Yunlan deliberately not telling Shen Wei who their important guest is going to be, and I always wonder what he expects from that meeting. Because it sure as hell isn't what actually happens, LOL.
In How the Other Half Lives, I have, "He’d assumed the Envoy and the Regent were, if not friends, at least trusted allies, ruling Dixing together with the Dijun, but this wasn’t the surprise reunion he’d anticipated."
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Yes! Isn't that neat? :D
And yes, I love ZYL silently confessing his feelings, taking that risk.
YES, exactly! :D :D :D
So do you think that means the smoke messengers are a rarity? Or do they come reasonably often, but Shen Wei is being hypervigilant atm?
I think he's being hypervigilant, and also messengers are comparatively rare and/or usually come on a mostly-regular schedule to bring reports from Dixing?
Maybe it's Shen Wei in particular having powers? Because he has a respectable position, influencing Haixing's youth?
He does write something down about powers! And yeah, possibly - "law enforcement guy from weird agency has weird powers" and "respected professor has weird powers" isn't quite the same thing. But you'd think when he's looking for the SID's secrets, that he'd go after that angle more. Idk, it's just all weird.
I think it has to be Ye Zun. It's another hint that Shen Wei knows more than he's admitting about what might be going on in Dixing.
True! That makes sense.
Good cop, bad cop!! :DDDDDDD
Indeed! And not so heavy-handed that it's immediately obvious that's what they're doing, but clearly there all the same.
In How the Other Half Lives, I have, "He’d assumed the Envoy and the Regent were, if not friends, at least trusted allies, ruling Dixing together with the Dijun, but this wasn’t the surprise reunion he’d anticipated."
Oh, yes! I'd forgotten that, I should reread that fic ...
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It's very cool! And it makes sense of why Ya Qing isn't just killing them. ;-p
> And yes, I love ZYL silently confessing his feelings, taking that risk.
YES, exactly! :D :D :D
Though with plausible deniability. *pets him*
I think he's being hypervigilant, and also messengers are comparatively rare and/or usually come on a mostly-regular schedule to bring reports from Dixing?
*nodnod* That makes sense. There's something later on about the Dijun expecting him, isn't there? So they must have regular meetings.
He does write something down about powers! And yeah, possibly - "law enforcement guy from weird agency has weird powers" and "respected professor has weird powers" isn't quite the same thing. But you'd think when he's looking for the SID's secrets, that he'd go after that angle more. Idk, it's just all weird.
Yeah, I think it's more that he went from "weird secret agency" to "this pillar of the community is associating with that weird secret agency, and also has his own weird secrets." It's more clickbaity that way, perhaps?
> Good cop, bad cop!! :DDDDDDD
Indeed! And not so heavy-handed that it's immediately obvious that's what they're doing, but clearly there all the same.
Yes -- all very low-key, and both of them being 100% themselves, but specific aspects of themselves. <3
Oh, yes! I'd forgotten that, I should reread that fic ...
<3 <3 <3
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Yes! Excellent point.
It's more clickbaity that way, perhaps?
Haha, definitely Cong Bo's number one priority! *g*
all very low-key, and both of them being 100% themselves, but specific aspects of themselves. <3
This! It's so good. :D
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