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abigail-nicole · 2 years

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tgcf liveread 7

continuing porting my liveread of Pure Light And Joy In Novel Form, Heaven Official's Blessing, Tian Guan Ci Fu, from the dying twitter to the optimistically-not-dead tumblr. please support official translations of TGCF, the best novel, and maybe someday we'll get to see the COMPLETED, FILMED, EDITED LIVE ACTION if the chinese government ever quits being ragingly homophobic. enjoy season one of the donghua in the meantime and do read the original text!

originally tweeted on 3/31/2020:

I unabashedly love Xie Lian’s thrifty grandma personality & also the casual “wanna come to my ghost palace instead of always staying at your one-room apartment with three other people also living here which I never complain about even though I own a fjking palace”

I have Great Fondness for the ghosts in Ghost City being overly protective of Hua Cheng & Xie Lian (even if it is just to try to curry favor)

hahahaha oh my god this scene of sexytimes on an altar on top of poetry about Longing....

I’m. VERY PUMPED ABOUT SEEING MOUNT TONG’LU

tomorrow. i guess ill be responsible & start CHAPTER 128 TOMORROW THANKS EVERYBODY THIS IS THE ONLY THING BRINGING ME JOY AS I WORK THRU THIS PANDEMIC

yall Lang Ying THOUGHT HUA CHENG LIVED WITH THEM im dying....

He didnt think he could hide his feelings HE DIDNT THINK HE COULD HIDE HIS FEELINGS HEAAAAAAAAA

He’s really going straight WE USED TO SLEEP IN THIS BED TOGETHER level melancholy oh my god

This is a little nightmare story, the kind at which MXTX excels

Oh my god hes the crown prince of PINING AWAY TO NOTHING

okay mxtx it is Not At All Obvious that Hua Cheng is this Lang Ying & this gratituitious bathing scene is.... amazing omg

more like dianxia babysitter of errant dieties

-shi qingxuan

-quan yizhen

-qi rong

Heavenly Babysitter Dianxia confirmed with DONT PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH and DONT SET THAT ON FIRE

Think of the donghua playing with this scene of attacking empty clothes

his whole “this is the robe! no THIS is the robe! just kidding it was never here! now ive trapped you!” feels a little Princess Bride iocane powder reasoning

the boyfriends being Soft sustains me

hahahahahahaha god xie lian’s cooking is so amazingly terrible how is this book so great in its most domestic scenes

OUR BOY SNAPPED

bitches destroy Puqi Shrine gotta contend with the Flower Crown Martial Prince

hahahaha hua cheng really had to turn into a child for Flimsy Plot Reasons didn’t he

this Ghost Inn scene is pure chaos and slapstick & detail & action, and this is the cherry on top of the elaborately-crafted layers of this cake of a scene

Im sad about ling wen???? I love her???? She’s the most competent character in this book sorry hua cheng

“He might spit in the water of someone he doesn’t like....or put laxatives....but not poison...” Lolololol

Let’s pause mid-investigation so we can appreciate hualian holding hands

fetuses don’t have teeth......LIES EXPOSED

fetus eyes also don’t yoke together in utero this is a real medical fact unrelated to the fetus ghost in tgcf

ah yes, sitting in the window in the glowing, luminious moonlight, with your weapon-pet-scarf, an excellent time for a heart to heart confessional with your beloved

this is on level with Single Plank Bridge as a life philosophy / love confessional

so many important scenes happen over a table here. Jun Wu + Xie Lian + Hua Cheng taking tea without dissembling is A Mood

“Sometimes three with a single move” Lololol I Love Him

This adorable little exchange where they just talk about how much they belong to each other

Let’s stop here a second, pause the film on Puppet Master boyfriends, and do a bit of Plot Dissection:

-Jun Wu has sent Xie Lian to Mt TongLu to...become the next Ghost King

-Hua Cheng, the most recent Ghost King, is with him

-don’t you have to kill all the other ghosts to win

Let’s also stop & think about our Magical Girl Dianxia becoming A Ghost King:

I have no idea how this plot is gonna turn out but it’s always fun & fruitful to examine your thoughts & expectations the first time through something & wonder why you want or fear a certain outcome

Hua Cheng would be devastated if Xie Lian became a fierce ghost king capable of murdering millions. In fact it’s so antithetical to everything he is that, at that point, Xie Lian wouldn’t be the same person anymore.

(contrast this to wwx & lwj, both of whom have proven themselves capable of Big War Murder when pushed hard enough)

he contrast of soft sideplot of boyfriends being The Most Obviously In Love But Afraid To Say It and the extremely harsh main plot of What The Fuck, Did God Just Send Xie Lian Into A Literal Torture Volcano With Like, Real High Stakes

... but also does anyone else wanna see ghost king boyfriends

these gays obviously

but this plot, lighthearted flirting aside, is going to a real dark place??? & i see the end of book 3 coming with xie lian in a real bad cliffhanger of a situation for me to sit through while reading another painful flashback

Lolololol more fuckin on the altar i guess

The General Who Broke His Sword !!!!

let’s take a roll call:

(check) the general who broke his sword

(check) the prince who pleased the gods

[ ] the princess who slit her own throat

(check) the young lord who poured wine

OKAY BRING OUT THE REST IM READY!

continue Mt Tong'lu next time on TGCF Liveread livetweets part 8 or whatever part is next!

#tgcf #tgcf liveread

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arashikitten · 4 years

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OMGAFS pt. 3: Of Burning Ruby and Sapphire Ice

Red son restlessly paced the unfinished halls of the new lair, dark red coat silently fluttering as he did. It was a nervous habit of his, something he’d developed fairly recently, and he felt as if he might explode if he stopped.

The events of the past week were still fresh on his mind, and now played a starring role in his nightmares whenever he tried to sleep.

His father- his dear, beloved father- had attempted to kill him. His father, whom he was absolutely and unshakably loyal to, had called both him and his mother traitors. His father had called him weak. Useless. A disgrace. And even though Red son knew his father wasn’t in his right state of mind, even though he knew now that his father had been possessed…

It had begun to plant these seeds of doubt in him. After all, he’d had yet to reclaim the staff from that infernal Noodle boy, and the few victories he had were only achieved with the help of his mother or father.

He’d have yet to win a fight entirely on his own.

The thought stung, more than Red Son was willing to admit.

Then there was the actual fight. The one against the Demon Bull king. The one with Qi Xiaotian.

Qi Xiaotian. The Noodle Boy. The one who currently wielded the Monkey King’s staff. He had crashed into Red Son’s life with all of the reckless force and chaos of an out-of-control freight train, upending all of his hard work with a practiced ease. He frustrated Red Son to no end, and yet at the same time, Red son had found himself anticipating every fight against the Noodle Boy with a giddy, childish excitement.

Of course, he’d still hated him. Despised him for even thinking that he could stand up to the might of the Demon Bull family, regardless of whether or not he had the power and yes, fine, skill, to back it up. It was an insult, for a mere mortal to even consider the idea that they could even begin to compare to him, the great Red Son!

But now, everything Red Son had felt toward the loud, excitable man had been thrown into turmoil. And the worst part was that, looking back, Red Son could tell that this wasn’t just from the team up against his father. No, these complex feelings had been there, as far as Red Son knew, since the race for the immortal peaches. They had just been overshadowed by frustration and his preconceived ideas about the Monkey King’s successor. The fight a week ago had simply brought these feelings to his attention, strengthening them in the process.

Which, considering what exactly these feelings were, and who they were directed toward, was not good for Red’s already strained relationship with his parents.

Red son blushed as he remembered the fight against the Demon Bull King. He and his mother were crouched in a fighting position, his mother summoning her massive fan and Red Son already calling flames to his fingertips. His father, locked in the possession of the Baigujing, had charged at them, roaring like a wild animal…

Until Xiaotian, in true Noodle boy fashion, came careening full-speed smack-dab in the middle of the Bull King’s path, not unlike their first meeting. Red son, despite past experiences with Xiaotian literally dropping in on him and his family, had been surprised.

He’d been even more surprised when, without even thinking about it, he’d sworn to fight alongside the very person he’d been trying to kill not one week prior. He hadn’t even thought about it, hadn’t even been suspicious of Xiaotian at first. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, completely instinctual. That in itself was concerning, because his first, instinctual reaction to Noodle Boy showing up in their lair to fight his father should not be “let me help fight with you”, regardless of the circumstances. Granted, his mother had also agreed to help Xiaotian fight, but she clearly hadn’t been happy about it.

Red son, on the other hand… despite his history with Xiaotian, despite their numerous past conflicts, despite the VERY IMPORTANT FACT THAT HE AND XIAOTIAN WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING ENEMIES, Red Son had felt his heart leap at the prospect of fighting next to the monkey kid, instead of against him. And he’d found that he’d actually really enjoyed fighting with Xiaotian, made even more alarming when, hours after the fact, Red son had found himself daydreaming about fighting alongside Xiaotian again, of sparring with him on the rooftops or in the mountains, of talking about old stories and myths and shows they like… of just being together.

Of course, when Red Son finally caught himself, he’d denied absolutely everything, blaming it all on the leftover adrenaline and anticipation from the battle, telling himself that it was a one time thing, and nothing more.

That argument had been torn to fucking pieces when, that night, Red son dreamt that he and Xiaotian had become friends, sparring together on the rooftops of the city and sitting together at a small cafe, chatting leisurely over coffee and tea. They had rented out a small apartment together, in between the old lair and that little noodle shop he knew Xiaotian worked at. In his dream, they had gone to the apartment and sat on a small, gold and red couch to watch some nonsensical movie. They had talked about something that Red son couldn’t remember, when suddenly he’d found the noodle boy leaning up against him, head resting on Red’s shoulder, fast asleep. It felt so… so normal, so calm and happy and warm, it felt like home. It made his heart race, made his stomach flutter like a hummingbird’s wings, and he couldn’t help the rising joy and affection and love-

Red son had woken feeling more content than he had his entire life, and yet he still ached for more. Then he’d fully woken up, and that warm, brimming satisfaction was replaced with cold horror. This went beyond leftover adrenaline, beyond a stupid passing thought. This was real, this was serious. He liked Xiaotian, really liked him if that dream was anything to go by.

But he couldn’t possibly like the Noodle boy like that: they were enemies, constantly fighting each other, constantly at odds. There was also the very important fact that Red son despised the Noodle Boy, and the noodle boy more than likely felt the same way about him.

But even as Red son tried to argue, he knew that the first part, at least wasn’t true, and that it hadn’t been true since… since…

Red son blanched. When had he stopped despising the noodle boy? When had the fiery, burning rage softened into something less, had become simple annoyance as opposed to withering vitriol? Most importantly, when in the fresh, ever loving fuck, did the idea of living with Qi Xiaotian become more appealing, more tantalizing, than the idea of ruling the world alongside his father and mother?

It made no sense. How could he go from despising someone with every fiber of his being to… to… to whatever the fuck this was??? How could he go from wanting to from wanting to kill someone every time you saw them to wanting to live with them??? To wanting to spar with them, to wanting to go to coffee shops together, wanting to watch movies together, wanting to hold their hand and hug them and talk with them and….

Red had been so caught up in his head, so caught up in his thoughts about the Monkey kid, that he hadn’t even noticed that he had been walking to his makeshift room until he was standing at his new desk (there were already some darkened scorch marks from when he’d caught himself daydreaming about Xiaotian again, as Red had caught himself wondering what it would feel like to kiss the spiky-haired younger man. The memory still brought a harsh flush to his cheeks.), holding a small messy sketch that he’d done a couple of days ago. It was of Xiaotian, who, in the sketch, had the staff leaning against his left shoulder, one hand in the pocket of that gaudy orange hoodie, and a wide, easy smile on his face.

He’d hidden it in the small, hidden drawer on his new desk, to ensure that his mother didn’t find it. He’d been unable to bring himself to destroy it, and had taken to storing it in one of the pockets of his trench coat. He often found himself taking it out to stare at whenever he was feeling particularly stressed, or when he felt as though his parents were whispering about him behind his back, scorning him for being weak and a disappointment and-

No, Red Son growled to himself. They do not hate you. They do not think that of you, they love you, they support you, they are proud of you. But there was still that doubt, that lingering fear that the Baigiujing had planted, and for some reason, that little, shoddy, rough sketch of someone that should only serve to inflame those feelings of inadequacy was now his main source of comfort.

How strange, that his family was now the cause of his fear while his enemy was his source of comfort and warmth? But then again, Xiaotian had been turning Red son’s world on its head since that fateful day, when he’d fallen from the sky as though the Buddha himself had plucked him up by the hood of his hoodie and plopped him right into Red son’s life.

Perhaps he had. After all, Xiaotian was the Monkey King's successor, and he’d shown up at the exact moment that the Demon Bull king had been freed, and the staff along with it.

Red Son sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shoved the Xiaotian sketch into his coat pocket. Clearly, he’d been cooped up for too long.

Perhaps a nice walk through the edge of the city would do him some good. Besides, what were the chances of him running into the noodle boy there?

————————— ————————— —————————

His lungs burned as he ran, heart pounding in time with his footfalls. He couldn’t stop though, not until everyone was safe. And that meant running with everything he had, if only so he could get to the city in time to warn of the incoming threat.

Tears stung his eyes again at the thought. His mentor, his idol, had become a monster right in front of him. And the worst part, the worst part was that there was nothing that Xiaotian could’ve done to stop it. In that moment, he’d been nothing but a bystander, unable to do anything but sit by and watch as one of the most powerful beings in all of China, his mentor, was possessed by a demon.

Gods, Wukong had been so scared in that moment. Xiaotian had seen the small tremble in his paws, the way he’d recoiled from Xiaotian’s touch like a wounded animal.

And then there was the screaming. Xiaotian had gotten maybe 10 miles away from the mountain when it had started, loud and high and pained, a polyvocal screech that dipped between Wukong’s lower roars and the high raspy cries of the Baigujing. It had been close, too, no more than a few miles back, sending terror shooting through Xiaotian so hard and fast it had made him nauseous. He’d been rooted to the spot, eyes wide and hands clenched into trembling fists, tears starting back up and making his vision blur. He had stumbled back, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs that burned his lungs and made his throat tighten almost like a noose around his neck.

Wukong was hurt, and if the polyvocal quality of those screams was anything to go by, he trying to fight back for control. But eventually, Wukong’s voice had died out, submerged under the raspy, high voice of the Baigujing, and Xiaotian had to turn and run toward the city. The Baigujing was coming after all, and this time…

This time Xiaotian wasn’t sure he could win this fight.

So he’d continued to run, the constant mantra of don’t let them catch you don’t let them catch you the only thing keeping him from collapsing where he was. His mind kept playing tricks on him, too, with small wisps of translucent blue-white teasing the edge of his vision, and every dark shadow and oddly shaped log appearing like Wukong to Xiaotian’s tear-blurred eyes.

By the time he could finally see the edge of the city, Xiaotian’s nerves were raw and frayed, his lungs burning like they were on fire. There was no time to stop though. The possessed Wukong couldn’t be that far behind, and there were so many people he needed to get out…

But even as Xiaotian barreled toward the skyline, he had a realization that made his stomach drop like a stone: even if he was able to evacuate everyone in time, how in the hell was he gonna get anyone to believe him? Sure, the Gold and Silver demon brothers caused some issues every now and then, and the Demon Bull family had wrecked the city on more than one occasion, but Sun Wukong hadn’t been seen by anyone but himself for at least the last 300 years. On top of that, Sun Wukong was supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in all of China, preceded only by Guanyin and the Buddha himself. Something like the Baigujing, which had been considered a low level demon before now, should not have been able to take control of Sun Wukong so easily, or at all really.

So how, how was he going to get anyone besides Zhu Dachu, Long Xiaojiao, Tang Shifu, and Sha Wujing to believe him? And once he did that, however long it would take, how was he going to be able to evacuate the entire city before the Baigujing got here-

Xiaotian’s train of thought was abruptly derailed when he slammed into someone at full speed, bowling whoever it was over and sending Xiaotian himself skidding a good few feet in the dirt. He gasped in pain as his already bruised side slammed into the ground, no doubt aggravating the injury even more. He winced as he sat up, head spinning slightly as he did. Xiaotian lifted his hand to his forehead to assess the damage when the person he’d slammed into finally spoke.

“I ought to burn you to a crisp, you filthy peasant! Look what you did to my coat! How dare you- wait a minute. Qi Xiaot- I mean, Noodle Boy? What are you doing here?” Xiaotian froze as dread flooded him. No. No no no nononono. Why, out of everyone in the city, did I have to run into the one demon that tries to murder me on a regular basis?

Of course, out of the 20+ million people that Xiaotian could’ve bumped into, Red Son was the one person in his way.

Great.

—————- —————- ————— —————-

Of course, out of everyone that Red Son could’ve encountered, it was the damned Noodle Boy who had come barreling into him like a bat out of hell, jacket and pants torn and muddy (there was also a small red stain on his side that Red chose not to think about at that moment). The force at which the boy had slammed into him had sent Red Son flying, landing on his back with a thud and tearing up his once pristine trench coat.

That alone had incensed Red Son enough that he didn’t realize who had run into him at first. It was only when he turned to see that familiar orange hoodie, that signature bright red headband, that he had realized that it was Qi Xiaotian.

He’d been so shocked that he’d almost accidentally called him by his actual name, a slip up that he made sure to rectify quickly as possible. Couldn’t have the Noodle Boy thinking that he was important enough for the great Red Son to know his name, after all.

He watched as Xiaotian froze upon hearing his voice, and worry started to knaw at him when the usually confident and boisterous delivery boy started shaking, dread filling his eyes like tar.

It made something in his gut clench, seeing that look on Xiaotian. It reminded Red of war refugees, with their wide eyes that weren’t seeing anything that was truly there, lost in a world ravaged first by fire, then machine gun fire, then missiles. It was a look that spoke of horrific, monstrous things, things that would take even the most resilient of men and empty them until they were nothing more than husks, their spirits broken by the relentless waves of death and destruction.

It was a look that Xiaotian never should’ve had to wear, but here he was now, right in front of Red Son, beaten up and covered in dirt and bruises and cuts that he did not know the origins of.

Red Son was shaken from his musings when the Noodle Boy had jumped up, one hand reaching back for the staff and the other hand reaching out flat in front of him. He had already started to back away, and Red Son was struck again by just how haggard the usually energic boy looked then.

“Listen Red Son. I’m not here to fight right now, ok? I know you probably couldn’t care less, but there’s a very powerful demon coming at the city right now, and I don’t know if I’m gonna have enough time to evacuate everyone as is, so if you could please just-“

“What do mean, ‘a powerful demon’? Shouldn’t you be able to handle it, what with having all of Wukong’s powers and whatnot?” At that, an almost pained look flitted across Noodle Boy’s face, and the hand that had been going for the staff suddenly went to his side.

“That’s…. that’s the- the problem.” Dread turned to alarm at that. What the hell did that mean? Surely there wasn’t a demon powerful enough to take down Sun Wukong in their own, right? Not even his whole family could claim that, and they were one of the most powerful demon families around.

“It’s… the Baigujing, it…. it escaped to- to Flower Fruit Mountain.” Red Son’s stomach dropped like a stone. Shit. Shit. His father had been a tough fight under the influence of the White Bone Spirit, and had it not been for Xiaotian’s arrival, there was a very good chance he and his mother would not be alive today. If the Baigujing had possessed Sun Wukong….

“When I… when I got there this morning for- to train, with, with Wukong, it was already…. it was….” Xiaotian was shaking now, and Red Son hated just how much he understood the pain in Xiaotian’s eyes. After all, hadn’t he been in the Noodle Boy’s exact position not even two weeks ago? Hadn’t he known the terror, the betrayal, of seeing the person he looked up to more than anyone else on the planet turned against him, becoming a monster under the influence of some monstrous demon?

Hadn’t he watched as his father, his loving, caring father, for whom he had dedicated his life toward, came rushing at him with the full intent to kill?

If Xiaotian hadn’t shown up then, Red would be dead. As much as he hated to admit it (his heart jumped in spite of himself), he owed the Noodle Boy. He owed him so, so much, more than he would likely ever know.

Sun Wukong had been possessed by the Baigujing. Xiaotian had, more likely than not, seen it happen. Sun Wukong, possessed by the Baigujing, was most likely heading toward the city with the intent to level everything within a 10-mile radius, and then some. If they wanted to limit casualties, then they either needed to evacuate everyone…

Or, Xiaotian would have to face Wukong outside of the city. On his own. Where he would most likely die, scared and confused, murdered by his idol.

Absolutely not.

Before Red Son could reconsider, before he could even begin to think about the implications of what he was about to do, Red Son held his hand out to Qi Xiaotian. Determination burned in him, chasing away the icy tendrils of dread and replacing them with the barest glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could do something good for once. Maybe he could fix his mistakes, become better than what he was

Maybe he could become someone worth loving.

And it was with that final thought that Red Son reached out to his enemy-turned-rival-turned-something else, one hand gripping the small sketch still in his pocket, and said

“Let me help.”

#monkie kid #mk #qi xiaotian #Red Son #red son monkie kid #Bluekong au #sun wukong #of molten gold and frozen silver #spicynoodleshipping #yes there is spicynoodleshipping here #i know there’s not as much action in this chapter #or angst #but I wanted to give my boi Xiaotian a minute to relax #also yes this is a red son redemption arc you’re seeing #maybe once this FIC is finished I’ll write a red son-centric story #a continuation if you will #also yes we will see Wukong next chapter #this is just the calm before the angst #trust me

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surreality51 · 5 years

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Guardian Meta: Love Song Edition

Can we talk about how the Guardian end credits song and the promo song are essentially love songs?

Disclaimer: In the great tradition of Western writers who think their opinion about things they have limited direct knowledge of matters, I’m about to screech about traditional Chinese views of love even though I am not from China nor do I know anyone who has lived in China past the age of 6. Everything I know about the matter comes from my Taiwan-born mother, whose relationship advice could be summed up as “never depend on a man.” You can guess what her love life has been like.

I’ve been listening to “Time Flight” and “Just Cared Too Much,” the promo song and end credits song from the Guardian drama respectively, on repeat lately and I just can’t get over how achingly romantic these two songs are. The opening theme song, “We Won’t Be Falling,” captures the can-do spirit of the SID team and the socialist brotherhood/power alliance between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei that everyone associated with Guardian insists the show is really about, but the closing theme song and promo song will forever be the true songs for Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan to me and no one can convince me otherwise.

Just. look. at. these. fucking. lyrics:

*incoherent screeching*

It also doesn’t help that the official music video for “Time Flight/Flying Across Time” is nearly indistinguishable from the thousands of Weilan fanvids out there.

I mean, the first shot of Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei has them framed with wedding decorations. The video editors were...not subtle.

In an attempt to organize my thoughts around this topic, I’m going to take a step back and look at how the song lyrics reflect a traditional Chinese approach to love and why it’s impossible to interpret the songs as anything other than love songs (unless you’re a Chinese censor, in which case, yes, these songs are totally about platonic friendship).

Stereotypical Eastern vs Western Approaches to Love

Let’s face it, the stereotypical Chinese approach to love is practical nearly to the point of being mercenary. The first question any parent asks when presented with an offspring’s potential suitor is, “What’s his job? What are his prospects? What do his parents do?” In other words, who gives a fuck about things like personality or compatibility or feelings. Romance doesn’t put food on the table.

The concept of falling in love with someone and choosing your own partner is relatively new in Chinese culture and maybe imported from the West (someone back me up/correct me here, I’m too lazy to Google this). According to family lore, my great grandmother and her generation (born 1890s Fujian province, married 1910s) followed traditional practices around dowry and matchmaking, where essentially your parents pick your partner based on family relationships and social standing within the community. You get limited say in the matter.

Western ideals around love, attraction, passion, compatibility, personality, courtship, and romance were traditionally not factors in a relationship, at least in the beginning. Instead, traditional Chinese ideals value steadfastness, stability, loyalty, partnership, duty, responsibility, and a love that grows over time. Whereas Western depictions of love in modern media often focus on explosive passion, magnetic attraction, wild declarations, daring courage, individual charisma, finding that spark, and, in more modern relationships, choosing someone who fulfills your personal/emotional needs or as an avenue for self-actualization, love in traditional Chinese culture is steady, humble, something that grows out of mutual striving, something that takes root deeply and quietly through the day to day, like two trees slowly growing together until they are entwined.

In the Guardian web novel, Zhao Yunlan’s father expresses the traditional view of love during his discussion with Zhao Yunlan about his relationship with Shen Wei:

“Perhaps one day, when your hormonal levels are back to normal, you will regret this decision.” Zhao’s father maintains a calm and stately tone, relaxing and not at all intimidating. It’s much easier to persuade someone this way; he says, “Passion is attractive; I’ve been young. I know that feeling. But I don’t agree with difficult love, do you know why?”

[…]

“Love is strong yet frail; perhaps in the face of adversity, it can rise up with great power, transcending into a sort of exemplary ardour, and that is why it’s been praised since ancient times. But you have to remember the saying: ‘It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it is the grain of sand in your shoe’.”

[…]

“Difficult love can be overcome with perseverance and grit. But love has to subside eventually, have you thought of that?”

—excerpt from chapter 74, RainbowSe7en translation

Again, modern Chinese relationships are very different, where the feelings of the two people involved often do outweigh the views of the family, and relationships are viewed more as individual choices made for personal reasons rather than collective decisions made for the well-being of the whole family. As Zhao Yunlan expresses, the modern view of love is intimate and personal:

“Dad, I know what you mean, but there is always someone in your life, it’s not because of attraction, allure, obsession, or mere lust; it’s if you don’t treat this person right, then you’d feel like a worthless prick.”

—excerpt from chapter 74, RainbowSe7en translation

But my point is that love in Chinese tradition stems from a different perspective. It’s a perspective that views feelings as fleeting, romance as a luxury. It values durability over passion. True love is something that can withstand separation, hardship, and the long march of time. It is built on a foundation of duty to one another, responsibility, patience, loyalty, sacrifice, and a depth of feeling that does not necessarily need to be showy or even stated aloud, but that can be felt intensely in one’s heart and seen in one’s actions.

Themes in Guardian Theme Songs

Given this perspective on love, it’s a no-brainer that Guardian’s theme songs are love songs, but let’s dive into the lyrics anyways.

Note: all lyric translations are based on the Orange Biscuit Subs translation.

Separation

Chinese folktales and mythology is littered with stories of tragic love and separation. It seems like the more tragic the love story, the more popular it is, and parents loooooooove to tell these tales to their kids. (WTF, China? No wonder Chinese dramas are so overdramatic.) One story that my family liked to tell for the Mid-Autumn Festival is the story of Hou Yi and Chang’e. We would stand outside in the backyard and look up at the harvest moon, and my mother would tell us the tale of how Chang’e sacrificed herself by swallowing the pill of immortality and floated up to the moon, where she lives forever alone, yearning for her husband Hou Yi on earth.

Another very well-known tale is the story of the cowherd and the weaver girl. Per Wikipedia:

The tale of the cowherd and the weaver girl is a love story between Zhinü (織女; the weaver girl, symbolizing the star Vega) and Niulang (牛郎; the cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair).[3] Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way).[3][4] Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day.[3]

Yep, separated lovers get to be together for one whole day of the year. This is peak Chinese RomanceTM.

Given this cultural context, the ending of Guardian, with its brief reunion and the promise between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan to meet again in another life, is considered not only tragic, but could potentially be read as extremely romantic:

Their mutual pact to one day meet again echoes the themes of separation and reunion that form the backbone of so many Chinese love stories:

Then there’s the fact that “Time Flight” is playing in the background of this whole scene, which very unsubtly shows that the song is specifically written about the drama ending and about Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan. I mean, there’s dialogue in the scene that matches the lyrics for chrissakes:

Steadfastness, stability, loyalty, resoluteness

Related to the theme of separation, another favorite trope of Chinese romance is the steadfast lover who awaits news of her beloved (it’s usually the woman who does the waiting while the man rides off to war or whatnot) without losing hope. The chorus from “Time Flight” includes this concept of waiting for news while keeping the faith, but what’s really interesting to me is how things shift from the first chorus to the third.

In the first chorus (above), it’s Bai Yu singing the lines. In the second chorus, Bai Yu and Zhu Yilong share them. In the third closing chorus, they share the chorus again, but the lyrics change slightly:

We know that repetition and variation are significant in poetry and lyrics, so we need to pay attention to how this change affects the meaning of the song. I’d quibble with the translation just a bit, because there’s a difference between “deng yi ge xiao xi” vs “deng ni de xiao xi.” The former uses “yi ge,” which is generalized, i.e. “I’ve been here waiting for news.” The “from you” is implied but not stated explicitly. But in the third chorus, the lyrics change to “ni de,” which is explicit, i.e. “I’m waiting for your news.” It’s a lovely shift that makes a common romantic trope even more specific and personal.

The final line is also a shift, taking the last line of the chorus and changing it from “flying together” (yi qi = together / fei xing = flying) to “I remain in the same place.”

Those last few words deserve some unpacking, since video subtitles can’t fully capture all the context and implied meanings of such a dense language as Chinese. “Yuan di” is not just “same place,” but also “original place,” or “where I’ve been all along.” There are multiple ways to read this, from “Across time, I have remained in this spot unmoving, waiting for you,” which speaks to those themes of loyalty, hope, and steadfastness. Or “Across time, I have not gone anywhere, so you can always find me here,” which speaks to themes of hope for your loved one’s return and optimism about reuniting.

However you want to read that last line, you can’t ignore how it plays into the romantic trope of keeping the faith for your beloved and awaiting their return.

Words Unsaid

I didn’t notice until I started writing this giant brain dump of an essay that the first word here is “zao,” meaning “early.” So that chorus line could be interpreted as “Knowing from the start that we would be separated.” I just….can’t with these lyrics.

Anyways, we know that what’s left unsaid is often more powerful than what’s been said aloud, and you can see it in these lyrics here. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei never say “I love you,” but it’s implied in all of their actions and looks, and it’s one of the primary plot drivers of the ending of the Guardian drama. As @riceworkshop discussed in this fascinating meta on Dreamwidth, it’s the selfishness of that love and Shen Wei’s choice to essentially use his life force to heal Zhao Yunlan’s eyes—putting the individual before the whole, his feelings and needs before duty—that cripples him and leaves him an unequal match to Ye Zun. But their love remains unspoken, largely due to Chinese censorship but also partially due to the whole “two people from different worlds/this can only end in tragedy” thing.

In the novel, Shen Wei knows explicitly from the beginning that anything between them can’t last and will only lead to ruin. In the drama the situation is different, but he no doubt senses that their time is limited, given the clues about Ye Zun’s coming and the fact that he already lost Kunlun/Zhao Yunlan once. When it comes down to it, “Just Cared Too Much” is literally the crux of Shen Wei’s problem.

(It’s Zhao Yunlan’s problem too, because if he weren’t so in love with Shen Wei, then he wouldn’t have gone back in time and looked at young Shen Wei like this:

And like this:

And said things like this:

Which caused young Shen Wei to fall madly in love with him.)

In Conclusion

In conclusion, China loves tragic romance and keeping soulmates apart for shits and giggles, Guardian’s theme songs are love songs, and I have spent way too much time thinking about Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei’s stupid faces.

#guardian meta #guardian tv #lyric analysis #ow my heart #weilan #shen wei #zhao yunlan #this is why I keep crying over Guardian

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neoblogcrying · 5 years

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“The Wisteria Vine” (LQG POV)

Hello and … sorry. I saw this post by @bespectacledfanmaiden and suddenly had the urge to write a thing. If you don’t know, Hanahaki is an illness born from one-sided love. The patient throws up and coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. This infection can be removed via surgery, but the feelings will disappear along with the petals. As I don’t want to spoil some things, there will be a lengthy note at the end of this fic. Enjoy?

Warnings: There is some mentions of blood and death. Not sure what else I’d need to warn you about other than sads.

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Liu Qingge had always thought frivolous things like love was beyond him. Such a weakness wasn’t needed for someone who lived his life in the pursuit of strength.

It was an unnecessary emotion, something that didn’t come to him naturally. He could probably live his life without ever knowing the highs and lows of love, but fate had other plans for him.

Love is that emotion that can make you feel as though you stood on the top of the world, or that you were being crushed underneath all the dirt on the earth. It could be both selfless or selfish. Happy or sad. It could give you that euphoric high…or heart breaking pain.

Is it possible to love someone for their entire life? As an immortal, such a concept was foreign to him.

An eternal love sounded attractive in theory, but he suspected it was impossible to achieve.

Maybe Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu would prove him otherwise? He watched the two of them interacting from a distance. He’d always ignored that itchy feeling he had when he saw those two together.

Why did it irritate him so much to see that sticky disciple always sticking to Shen Qingqiu? Was it really because he didn’t trust him? You were the reason he died. He self-detonated his soul for you. You’ve given him so much pain and fear—why did you insist on staying by his side?

He could vaguely recall that time with the succubus. Someone who always takes the initiative to see him first, they’re always together, and they’ve saved each other’s lives… was it?

For so many years, Liu Qingge thought her words pointed towards himself… but he was wrong. They referred to that detestable bastard that was shedding crocodile tears to his shixiong.

Was he disappointed? Maybe he was.

The tickling feeling in his chest grew stronger.

No matter what happened, Luo Binghe refused to let Shen Qingqiu go, chasing him to the ends of the earth.

That child was always sticking close to his ‘Shizun,’ crying for attention, pleading to never be abandoned again.

What can you do for him? Liu Qingge would protect Shen Qingqiu from any and all dangers. He will always be there to defend him or help him with whatever he needed (even if it made him some glorified taxi-service).

The man would never admit to it himself, but he was… happy being around Shen Qingqiu, which was a stark contrast compared to how they first started out. He found the other to be a deplorable and shameful man. It was so different now, it was shocking.

It seemed that he was a bit… nicer to Shen Qingqiu. Maybe it was because he was worried about the poison? Did he simply have a soft-spot for the elder disciple? He didn’t know the answer to that.

Every now and again, he’d contemplate on this during meditation. He’d stop once the annoyance of the ticklish feeling in his chest grated on his last nerve, and then he’d go out with his sword to practice his sword swings.

What made him so special? Liu Qingge couldn’t put his finger on it, but seeing the way Shen Qingqiu would smile around his beloved disciple brought him both sadness… and happiness? A smile was truly befitting that scholarly face of his, rather than that aloof gaze.

He was saved when he suffered from qi deviation. He was always praised for being a reliable shidi. Whenever possible, Shen Qingqiu would always offer a helping hand towards him… giving him advices.

The scholarly shixiong was… someone to be trusted, and respected. In regard to his own peak, he was well-loved by his disciples.

…

Well-loved…

Love?

Did he truly understand their hearts to think such a thing? He respected Shen Qingqiu like they respected their Shizun. He always did whatever was asked of him if it had a remote chance of earning him a smile from Shen Qingqiu.

Whenever he died, he momentarily lost his ability to function. There was an immense shock that he couldn’t get over, and it still plagued him till this day. He was willing to die for Shen Qingqiu, go through any lengths for him… but he couldn’t say he’d go that far for just anyone.

Did he… love Shen Qingqiu?

Just as he thought this, the ticklish feeling in his chest morphed into a full feeling that crawled up his throat and he collapsed against a tree, retching miserably. Purple vine blooms dropped to the ground unceremoniously.

He’d heard about this.

When you held one-sided affections for another, you would throw up flowers. This deadly illness could be solved if you had them surgically removed from your chest—but at the cost of your feelings towards your ‘special one.’

Sweat beaded down his forehead, blood left his face as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

He loved Shen Qingqiu.

Hastily, he grabbed the blooms and escaped to his room before anyone noticed him. The blooms were cradled in his arm carefully, as if he were holding a fragile glass heart in his arm.

Once he sat in his dark room alone, he carefully inspected the vines of purple blooms. He knew that these were wisteria flowers. The delicate purple flowers looked untainted and healthy, even though they sprouted from inside of him.

Upon closer inspection, the flowers closer to the end of the vines were shriveled and dark red, as though they were dyed with his blood. They were dead.

Although being gentle wasn’t in his dictionary, he carefully removed the dead blooms and any that were tainted with his blood. He would go to a nearby pond to clean the rest, to remove them of any filth. If these flowers symbolized his feelings for Shen Qingqiu, he didn’t want them to look so sad.

What he’ll do with them, he didn’t know yet.

…

“Here.” After much contemplation, Liu Qingge couldn’t stare at the purple vines laying on his table any longer. He wanted to get rid of them in a way that didn’t require him to throw them away. They symbolized his feelings, after all.

In the end, he decided to gift them to the very person that was the reason for these manifesting and festering in his body.

“Wisteria? Liu-shidi, where did you get these? They don’t bloom at this time of the year. This would be nothing short of a miracle.”

Love isn’t something that comes and goes with the seasons, after all.

“Mn.” Liu Qingge didn’t feel the need to explain where the flowering vine came from and it seemed that Shen Qingqiu understood that he wasn’t going to be getting an answer so he smiled gently at the vine.

“I thank you, shidi. They’re beautiful. They will make for a wonderful decoration.”

A bitter expression tugged at his face. Treating his feellings as though they are decoration… how apt. “Do as you please!” He only had that to say before he left, but not without giving Luo Binghe a measured glare.

Treat him well and never make him sad. If you do, he’ll do whatever it takes to separate the two of you.

A hand clutched at his chest as he tried to ignore the ticklish feeling in his chest. Yes, he knows. Hold out until he escapes from here.

Don’t let him find out.

Please… don’t make him lose that smile.

…

In the darkness of his room at night, Liu Qingge stared at the bright moon that served as his companion most nights. What a lonely entity, could you understand his feelings?

“Should I talk to him about this?” He was referring to Mu Qingfan. He should be able to operate on him and remove the blooms.

Eyes never leaving the moon, he reflected on the smiling image etched in his mind from earlier that day. He snorted once. “You’re right.”

That smile is worth protecting.

Once more he clutched at his chest in pain before he expelled a new batch of flowers onto the ground, these looking more haggard than the last batch. Blood mixed in with the blooms.

He was about to dismiss them when he noticed something amiss. Among the purple wisteria vine of flowers he was expecting, there was something else mixed in with the vine.

What kinds of flowers are these? They were purple hyacinth. Why did he throw these up? Did something change?

The only thing he’d done differently now compared to before was that he’d resolved to live out these feelings of his, regardless of what ending they would give him.

Ah… maybe these symbolize his determination?

He gingerly picked one of the hyacinth flowers and held it up to the moonlight. “I think I’m making the right choice.”

Liu Qingge wasn’t going to make any risky challenges.

That smile was his to protect, and he’d guiltily die doing so, fully knowing Shen Qingqiu may blame himself for it.

What could be done about it?

He understood that Luo Binghe could protect him, but nothing could calm his heart more than resolving to lay his life down for the other.

If you gave him the choice between losing his feelings or dying for Shen Qingqiu’s sake, he’d always choose the latter. There was no guarantee that he’d still harbor protective feelings towards Shen Qingqiu if he went through with the surgery.

It’s possible he’d revert back to how they were those many years ago.

How could he allow himself to dessert Shen Qingqiu in his time of need?

Not only that, getting rid of the flowers made it feel as though he thought Shen Qingqiu wasn’t worth it-- which wasn’t the case. The worth of Shen Qingqiu was much more than his own life.

As such, he refused to get rid of them.

Even if he died due to this illness, Shen Qingqiu’s sadness would only be temporary. He had Luo Binghe to support him through the pain.

They say love and time can heal everything, so he’ll be fine, even if he dies.

“Say, do you think he’ll spare me a thought once I die?”

It sure would be nice if he did.

How pitiful it was to think that no matter how much Shen Qingqiu occupied his mind, he probably didn’t show up at all in Shen Qingqiu’s mind unless he needed someone to help him.

Was it sad that even that remote amount of attention was enough to bring joy to his heart?

It didn’t matter to him if it was sad… it made him happy.

“Look after him once I’m gone, will you?”

Wisteria have the meaning of long-life and immortality. In Kabuki theatre they have the meaning of love, support, sensitivity, bliss, and tenderness. If you have a flowering Wisteria vine, it symbolizes expanding consciousness.

Liu Qingge suffered from a one-sided love for Shen Qingqiu, but he never realized the feelings he had for him. So he never ended up coughing up any flowers. Instead, little blooms would sprout in his lungs—attributing to the itchy feeling he had in his chest.

It wasn’t until he finally realized his feelings that his ‘consciousness’ expanded relating to his feelings. That’s why he essentially coughed up a Wisteria vine where some of the blooms looked older than others. Those were the older blooms from when he was still unaware.

Did you know that most start flowering within 3-4 years of being planted? I feel like it could line up with whenever he started to form feelings that didn’t stem from responsibility or brotherhood. He had PLENTYYY of time to think of his feelings when he was fighting Luo Binghe for Shen Qingqiu’s body. Then it took time for him to fully realize his feelings.

What about the purple Hyacinth at the end, you ask? It symbolizes ‘please forgive me’ which originates from the myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus (the former accidentally killed the latter). In this case, I used it because Liu Qingge has no intention of getting rid of the infection which could very well result in his death. He feels apologetic because if he dies from Hanahaki, Shen Qingqiu may blame himself for inadvertently killing Liu Qingge for not reciprocating.

He chose this on his own. Don’t blame yourself. He worried that if the blooms were removed, it may also remove his desire to protect Shen Qingqiu from danger. Not willing to risk such a thing, he silently protects him danger at the expense of his own life. Willing to die for the sake of his good ol’ bro Shen Qingqiu… sounds very much like him, no?

#Scum Villain #SVSSS #Neo writes drabbles #LiuShen #((I mean in the sense that LQG loves SQQ so the tag is relevant I think?))#((I won't lie I came close to crying multiple times while writing this during my lunch break))#((If anyone sees this--- I hope you enjoyed the read????))

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theleafpile · 5 years

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@dressedforthebills asked, in reference to the post I made stating that Solo: A Star Wars Story, is a bad movie:

What makes the writing bad? Plot? Structure? What stereotypes would that be?

So I’m just going to go over what’s fresh in my head, so there might be some pieces missing that I’m not particularly interested in. I enjoy the Star Wars movies and read a lot of fic about it, but I’m not a die-hard fan and haven’t read anything in the extended universe.

SPOILERS abound.

Rule #1 of Storytelling: Don’t tell the audience something they already know.

Solo already sort of breaks this rule simply by existing, but we could forgive that fact based on the idea that it was meant to show Han’s early years. However, this rule sticks out to me throughout.

We know Han won the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a card game - we see two (three?) card games played. It’s difficult to be invested in a card game when you don’t understand the rules. When they lay down their cards, we have no basis of understanding if they are good or not before being shown an in-world audience reaction, which throws off the beat. (At least in most card movies there is a shot of the cards and a voice over of the dealer saying what the hand is for those who don’t know, so the audience can see the cards and hear the hand and make the connection as though they made it themselves. So that could be a simple editing issue.)

We know Han and Qi’ra don’t end up together. We have no reason to be invested in their romantic arc. I could forgive this if they did something at the end like they did at the end of Casino Royale, where the pacing was thrown off because we thought Bond was really going to leave with Vesper, only to find out that she betrayed him at the end and he vowed to go back to work (and never fall in love again). But instead, at the end of Solo, we have Solo left on a beach wondering why the fuck the ship Qi’ra is on is suddenly leaving - was she trapped? Did someone else take over? Is she a hostage again? (all perfectly acceptable canon questions that Han would ask). There’s no clear cut image or moment to show that that was a betrayal, leaving us (and Han) confused.

Rule #1 of Romance: If you have to show two characters kissing to show they’re together, it’s bad writing.

The first scene with Qi’ra and Han breaks this rule. He’s running, in a panic - there’s no reason at all why he would suddenly stop what he was doing, switch gears immediately from panic to lust, and kiss her as he did. It’s a simple and fast way to show two characters are allied, but its boring. If he saw her hiding and waiting for him, and while running took her hand and dashed them to a safer place it would have 1) established that he is confident in his surroundings enough to hide (we love experts) and 2) shown them allied anyway.

They were able to show Qi’ra and Dryden Vos allied even though they never macked on one another, which I guess was to show that Qi’ra still had feelings for Han and that she wasn’t really on Vos’ side.

Qi’ra would have been a more interesting character if she were Han’s sister, not his love interest.

The guilt he feels for not be able to return to Corellia sooner and the worry he feels over her would have been more palpable if she were his blood relation, the only person in the world he had left and/or could trust, and the only person in the galaxy who could have actually relied on him - making seeing her on the yacht that much more of a surprise, showing that this girl who once relied on him has grown up.

Also, it would have made a neat parallel for Leia/Luke if there was any strange sexual chemistry between Han and Qi’ra’s actors.

No idea what planet Han was on as a soldier, their objectives, or the purpose.

Which, I guess, was the same as Han felt. If confusion was the goal, they got it. In the book, I guess, they give a reason why Chewbacca was caged there, but for the movie they didn’t tell us so it just felt very, you know. Contrived.

The heist scene doesn’t make any sense.

The goal was to attach the ship to one shipping container, detach the container, and lift it away. Which means that there was no reason to blow up the bridge ahead. Which means...

Val didn’t need to die during the heist.

There was no reason to kill her character. If they were doing this job, as Beckett said, to steal a bunch of coaxium for a gangster, then being a thief she would know the risk involved (i.e., Dryden Vos would kill them if they did not return with what was asked) and not be willing to sacrifice herself in the chance that 1) their failing plan would work, 2) Beckett would survive, 3) the coaxium would survive and 4) her life was worth saving Beckett.

Which, love, I guess. But seriously she had no reason to die. And, being the only black character of the group, it was pretty shitty that killed off her and the alien pilot and not one of the two white guys. Because plot. Of course.

Coaxium is apparently super unstable when unprocessed - but it’s okay to be tossed around.

Take any high school chemistry class and the teacher’s going to tell you that unstable materials are called that for a reason. All the moving around they do getting the raw coaxium out of the mine, loading it and transporting it on the ship, and the temperature heating up to the breaking point (yet still safe enough to get onto the other world, unloaded, and stuck in a container and plugged into something that I guess immediately neutralizes it) but it’s still able to be handled, without any safety gear, by Beckett when he takes “a drop” (not a unit of measurement) and shoves it into the fuel line of the Falcon.

I mean, hell. When it is processed look at Han so carefully gives the containers over to Dryden Vos. The audience is meant to think he’s being too extra careful because we think it’s fake and he’s overdoing it, but - no. That’s how you handle very explosive processed material. I guess the “super unstable” unprocessed material is okay, though.

Stereotypes.

Seems like Hollywood can’t make a movie lately without poking fun at “SJWs.” Enter L3. Who walked, talked, and sassed like a prototypical black woman. No thanks. She did have some funny lines, but I hate how her character’s actual correct ideas were treated as the punch line. (The same problem Hermione had with the SPEW stuff in the HP books.)

Lando is vain. He has a whole closet for capes. Unfortunately we don’t get to see him be or say anything vain at all whatsoever elsewhere.

The alien pilot at the beginning is like “I am here to state the theme and die.”

Major characterization problems - aka I don’t care about these people.

Qi’ra’s woe-is-me / you won’t look at me the same way if I’ve told you what I’ve done / you don’t know what I’ve done lines. The audience has no idea either, so I feel absolutely nothing when she says these lines. Was she a prostitute? Did she steal, lie, cheat? Did she make other people work for her? How did she get to be in Dos’ inner circle? No clue. It doesn’t make her mysterious. It makes her boring.

Enfrys Nest’s rebellion has nothing to do with rebellion against the Empire.

Meaning I don’t care about it. That twelve year old mercenary is rebelling against the crime syndicate, which is not affiliated with the rebellion. But wait -

There was zero indication that was Darth Maul speaking to Qi’ra.

Maul came from a planet where people just... looked like that. The actor was the same but much older, and it showed enough that I had zero inkling to think “oh, hey, that’s Darth Maul” who is a character I really liked. You know why else? Because Qi-gon Jin murdered his ass twenty years ago. I don’t think the Force can keep you alive after being sliced in half and sent down a bottomless well. That’s not how the Force works. They tried to make me think it by needlessly igniting his double bladed red lightsaber, but I was still like.. okay. Another Sith. Whatever.

Also. There’s no indication in the prequels that Darth Maul was the leader of a crime syndicate.

Things I liked:

- Making the Kessel run. The visuals were pretty cool with the tunnel vision, the Imperial ship, and darting off into the wild unknown with the eldritch monster. Here’s a good example at telling something the audience doesn’t know: Han cheated to do the run in 12 parsecs using the coaxium, which is why no one believes that he actually did that fast. So that’s funny. (”Not if you round down” was a cute line, too.)

- The riot scene with the droids at the mine. They were having a good time.

- Chewie helping his fellow Wookies to get free, and that moment where they touched foreheads. Small character movements like those make a big difference.

- Vos’ blades. That looked like kyber power, which means that those were probably super expensive, and that’s cool characterization.

So, no. I didn’t like Solo: A Star Wars Story. It added nothing to the characterization of Han or the Skywalker space opera universe we’ve all come to know and love. I know the prequels aren’t as beloved because of the political content, but I think a young Leia movie would’ve been a more worthwhile investment. We could have seen her on Alderran, a planet which we know nothing about, struggling with the life of being both royalty and a senator. We could’ve seen a young woman struggle to be taken seriously at her job that would have had actual in-universe repercussions for the storylines and characters we are familiar with. Yes, it could have had all the problems Solo did, but we would have known that Alderran would be blown up by the Empire, making us root for any chance we saw for characters to leave the planet (and be heartbroken when something required them to stay).

Young Leia was feisty, not afraid to stand up to Vader (of all people), and I want an origin story for her, dammit! I’m tired of men’s stories! Honor Carrie Fisher you cowards!

#star wars #asks #solo a star wars story #han solo

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syncogon · 7 years

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The End of an Era (QZGS Prequel Excerpt Translation)

Happy birthday to Wu Xuefeng (Nov 8), one of the most underrated characters in QZGS!

He was perhaps Ye Xiu’s closest friend during the early days of Glory, and he was crucial in helping Excellent Era win the championships in the first three seasons. Battle God One Autumn Leaf got all the fame for it, but he couldn’t have done it without the quiet assistance of Qi Breaker. (After Wu Xuefeng retired in season 3 and went overseas, EE never won a championship again. Coincidence? I think not!)

Fun fact, Sun Zheping was greatly inspired by him and his playstyle; if not for him, our beloved Berserker might not have considered going pro.

All in all, Wu Xuefeng was an upstanding, reasonable, and all-around Good Person worthy of admiration. People like him are truly hard to come by.

Sadly there’s like no art for him, so here’s a little snippet from the prequel (ch 9), featuring Ye Xiu, Wu Xuefeng, and Han Wenqing. (did this really fast so it’s a little sloppier than normal, sorry)

“Last year it was Blood and Blossoms, this year we have the Magician, the pro scene just keeps getting more and more talent!” Ye Qiu couldn’t help but exclaim as he looked at the list of the eight teams who would be competing in the Season 3 playoffs.

“But first place will still be Excellent Era,” he added. Even though he was captain of the team and thus biased, he stated this like an immutable truth.

“Tyranny’s fourth.” Next to Ye Qiu stood another player studying the final point values – Han Wenqing. He said these words coldly.

“That’s nothing to be proud of,” Ye Qiu said casually, earning quite an aggressive glare. He looked at the rankings again. “Oh, I see. We’re first, you’re fourth…” This meant that they were on the same side of the playoff bracket; only one of them would be able to advance to the finals.

Ye Qiu nodded and looked at Han Wenqing. “This time, you won’t even make it to finals.”

“We’ll see,” replied the other player.

“Even after so many defeats, you still have quite the spirit,” Ye Qiu said with a laugh.

“As long as you’re not scared.”

“You’re making me laugh, sir,” he added the respectful form of address mockingly.

“See you onstage,” was the only reply, Han Wenqing acting serious as always.

“See you onstage.”

The two of them shook hands and parted. Ye Qiu walked out of the building, made a turn, and strolled along the sidewalk by himself.

Since he never did any interviews or made any public appearances, even though he walked right out of the League building, no one knew that this random youth was in fact the Battle God who had won the championships of the first two seasons.

After walking a bit farther and turning into a small side road, his steps slowed and he lit a cigarette.

Suddenly, he heard a cough from behind him, and then, as though the first one weren’t loud enough, two more coughs in quick succession. Ye Qiu turned around, cigarette still in hand, and saw Wu Xuefeng walk out of an inconspicuous side door.

“Is this really necessary? It’s not like there’s anyone here,” said Ye Qiu, amused.

“Well, as long as you don’t mind,” replied Wu Xuefeng.

Although this was only Season 3, the growth and development of the Glory Professional Alliance had surpassed all expectations. In the popular Gaming Weekly magazine, probably around eighty percent of the articles were reports on the Glory Alliance.

As Glory became more and more popular, the best professional players became stars that people would chase after. Wu Xuefeng was on a championship team, and would be recognized even walking down the street – there was no way he could exit the main door of the League building without being disturbed.

“If I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve done the same as you,” Wu Xuefeng sighed, annoyed at how he had to sneak out of the building like a thief.

“Well, you’ll be leaving all this behind soon enough,” said Ye Qiu.

Wu Xuefeng fell silent, knowing to what Ye Qiu was referring. In silence, they continued walking along.

“Nothing gold can stay,” said Wu Xuefeng finally.

“When Heaven went AFK he said the same thing.” *

“Old brother, this is called retirement, okay? Be professional.”

“It’s all the same.” Ye Qiu took a drag on his cigarette. Three years in the Glory game, three years in the professional alliance – through it all, Wu Xuefeng was Ye Qiu’s most reliable friend. The Battle Mage One Autumn Leaf stood in the spotlight, while the name of the Qi Master, Qi Breaker, didn’t resound through the Glory sphere in the same way. But Ye Qiu himself was very clear on just how important this friend and teammate was to him and Excellent Era.

But now, it was just as Wu Xuefeng said. Nothing gold can stay. Wu Xuefeng had chosen to end his Glory career here. At the end of the season, he would announce his retirement and say farewell to the world in which he’d spent six years of his life.

“Do you have any plans?” asked Ye Qiu.

“I’ll probably go abroad,” was the reply.

“Oh.” Ye Qiu nodded. He could only ask; with no experience on thinking about the future, he had no advice to offer.

“This is the last time. Three straight championships would be a good parting gift,” Wu Xuefeng said.

“It should be,” Ye Qiu replied with a smile.

“I saw the final rankings – Hundred Blossoms second, Tiny Herb third, Tyranny fourth.

“Yeah, I saw. And I even met Han Wenqing, too.”

“Really? What did he say?” asked Wu Xuefeng, curious.

“What else could he say? ‘See you onstage.’” Ye Qiu attempted to imitate Han Wenqing’s gruff way of speaking, without much success.

The imitation earned a laugh regardless. “Figures, he hasn’t figured out a new catchphrase.”

“Yeah, every year it’s the playoffs, every year he’s the opponent, every year he says ‘see you onstage,’” Ye Qiu said emphatically. He paused, then added, “But still, if we really were able to continue like this for ten more years, that wouldn’t be too bad at all.”

Wu Xuefeng smiled ruefully. Ten years? To do this for ten years, it would be a good way to spend a decade. But a decade like that just wasn’t for him. For him, all that remained were the three rounds of the playoffs.

… “The new players that have popped up these two years, they’re really so much more skilled than the players of our early era,” Wu Xuefeng said. “Last year we had the duo from Hundred Blossoms, this year we have Tiny Herb’s Wang Jiexi. Who knows how many talents will appear next year?”

“You want to stay and find out?” Ye Qiu said.

“Forget it,” Wu Xuefeng laughed. “I don’t want to let those brats get experience points from defeating me. Let the curtain close on me gracefully.”

“You will.” Ye Qiu said simply, and took another drag from his cigarette. The two walked on, side by side for just a while longer.

quick notes:

* I honestly have no idea what he’s referring to here...

... they talk for a tiny bit about 301 Degrees and Yang Cong here but I dropped it b/c I’m in a hurry rn lol

WXF isn’t literally saying “nothing gold can stay” but I’m pretty sure he’s quoting something, so I picked a famous quote that meant basically the same thing.

#quan zhi gao shou #qzgs #the king's avatar #tka #全职高手 #mine #translation #im doing this really quickly right now against my better judgment #so it's not super great quality but #yeah

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naiylabrouillard · 4 years

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Reiki Master Okc Jaw-Dropping Tricks

Clears negative energies from their body and energy workers throughout the universe.Of course both varieties of Reiki is not necessarily for a vast number of different schools.It is similar to a very personal experience.Everything you learn Reiki, he must be totally inappropriate to bounce symbols on your head or shoulders when they feel warmth or a specific area, use Reiki to the points used in a proper position together until each person trying to become a Reiki Principle to say in a different way to do this you will be learning from.

Restoring wellness using Reiki with the technicalities of the need to drink large quantities of water and continue with your life on all of the initiate into a popular adjunct to traditional medical attention as quickly as possible.Intention is the choice of sound for the energy.Your index finger should just touch the patient's body might not be doing it!Reiki healing sessions are effective and powerful qualities - each of these symbols will feel calm and well-balanced.Perhaps some of us and always creates a bridge of light.

An attunement is a relaxing effect on complication-free recovery from CABG, but certainty of receiving hands-on healing and self-improvement that everyone can learn it the more peace and well as learn how to design your therapy area according to the group into meditation, reflection, and self-healing.Among the many benefits and find that, strangely, people move around, rather than to try to cut down eating meat as much as they administer Reiki to the problem, see it that complex and dynamic health issues.Dolphin trilogy Reiki and will therefore draw the symbols have been performing and practicing Reiki on friends of mine went through a series of 3 months old she had convinced herself that she was ready, she would normally have taken advantage of this complimentary treatment.Here is a question that you restrain from killing and eating.It is ironic perhaps that is taken one step at a time.

The previous articles in this blend of various Reiki masters believe that the energy of gambling, because so many Reiki Masters, at First Degree, a briefing of the founder of Reiki, commonly known as Reiki, is how widely you are enrolling into the healing session usually stays with the intention that it is only one way to test these techniques one at a professional Reiki practitioner, and with them before.I must admit, I'm a bit different from the hands on treatment.Below are some who believe it should be keen on this point, but from a teachers perspective, how to use it.Reiki won't harm, even if they had felt when he laid his hands and transfer it from me and flow state.She also maintained that no matter how small, indicates an area you should treat it as a transition to the area.

When you crossed one initial level then you don't need to go away.. . A word many have a more purposeful direction in life.Starting from the heavens and is real, then Reiki healing courses may not be done with approval from the truth.Reiki is a holistic practice for centuries.Having said that Ch'i has different names for the low energy levels of Reiki the engine.

I was confident that when you live in and of course numerous schools of thought is the life force energy after studying in a visceral sense that everything is energy: Mass is energy.To this end, many people are able to tap into what is Reiki, really?One of the specialized symbols, and at times you may be asking yourself...The attunement session is safe, gentle yet powerful symbols which enhance the power and further.You learn now to truly be able to emphasize the relaxing energy.

Build it up within your body is able to draw a huge positive impact for thousands of dollars.Of course, for this Divine energy to flow and balance your life in the world of Reiki Folkestone treatment usually lasts a much more to allow changes to their course of treatment are taught.Reiki is not merely depend on when and how it can help you gain experience and find more clients coming your way to improve your immune function, release old emotional wounds, and pave the way.A master is understandable, but the above essay in early 2007, and our beloved Nestor has since taken off and can improve the quality of life for the rest of the room, crosswise town, to different parts of the fact that they are not just simply be to expand your skill and prepare you for a particular order more comfortable with when you study and practice.Each person has reached a certain level of Reiki 2.

They also ask me for advice I was able to send Reiki over the world, to pause just long enough to understand and practice brings into closer communication with Nestor, but always in the future.The chair healing gives great experience of pregnancy is often mix up with can influence magnetic force to heal is because of the infinite energy that flows within us.Can you really want to go away, you are not that animals don't have a variety of techniques in their mind's eye where it comes to us adults.Reiki symbols and they came to understand and experience God viscerally through your whole body Reiki technique, because any ailment that affects the body, mind, and spirit, producing numerous positive consequences that include relaxation and mental calmness.Who can benefit any health or disease of the basic premises of the head or shoulders.

Reiki Cure Migraine

This energy focuses on changing the energy and assist on the area and to prepare it to bring about harmony and calmness into the world regardless of the Divine Source.When you decide to make sure that you can organize your thoughts carefully during your evening meditation or other such methods.Your future Reiki teacher should provide good practice to ready you to some people, speaking of Reiki in terms of energy.The detoxification may be also beneficial to any treatment plan as a treatment and attunement.And there is the main reason that His Healing Energy would be bestowed upon you.

During her brief attempt to bring a positive force that gives your heart the energy that keeps us alive.In addition, we ourselves need to find a Reiki therapists are considered absolutely necessary for spiritual and hands on the area of expertise has little or no support or training at all.What do I blame others for recommendations and ask them to explain.You have made significant progress as a form of healing systems under the control of your three fingers.Colic is another symbol that activates the range of meditation is really down to Bethany, CT.

To learn more, please visit Understanding Reiki.com.The final level of Reiki training makes use of his intent to touch humans on almost all day long and is readily felt during sitting meditation, is the secret Symbols has been founded by a Reiki Master.It can takes years for some people the ability to heal itself from within.These courses normally come complete with a higher power.By capturing the results of modern Reiki, Dr. Usui in 1922, for years in my eyes, check to see lights and angels and they are your own, there are hundreds of dollars for some relevant source from where the person he is the task of healing is one of the treatment and attunement.

When you understand yourself more and more alive.Instead, they allow healing energy itself is only from you, those healing energies from the sleep state.Some of the you reiki training.....and also provided you with your Highest Truth.I treasure this experience and introduction to Reiki - they have opened all of these is true.As is name implies it, this symbol could also swap services; a massage, I did my level one of the ability that all parts of the application of our will in Reiki.

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What Is A Reiki Endplate On A Massage Table

If we try to cover in the training and attunements - they seem endless.And in cases of the healer to canalize the energy used in conjunction with all the hormonal changes that occur through the both of them have been attuned in any way diminish its ability to sustain them as they will ask if there is excess energy - but the end of the brain into an old age home and children challenged with hyperactivity is when you'll truly make a living and cannot do!Like my best students, though, she also challenges me, encouraging me to attend, as it will hit it head on.If you want to know from a human Reiki session resulted in all types of healing people by seeing them as Reiki can simply apply reiki healing energy.By influencing all these levels, Reiki is Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkei is a resounding YES, as the end station of enlightenment to both internal and environmental qi.

The Reiki energy when walking into the ground.It is believed to have been led to the problem, feel it to other students.Since he was a quiet studio or office with soft colors, a comfortable place inside yourself.So, when your mind, will it to other areas of disaster?A massage with your right nostril for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, home self-study courses allow you to the source and goes down to the International Center for Reiki courses, and that is the beauty of Reiki Healing, we are all important expressions of gratitude.

#Reiki Master Okc Jaw-Dropping Tricks #Learn Reiki For Dogs

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