#7S

[h1mmel]

About the 7s visual novel's characters and their symbolism

Taking a break from fanfiction to infodump about my favorite thing ever, which is symbolism in etymology! Sit down because this is going to be a long one... and if you read the whole thing I applaud you and also would love to talk about your thoughts!

Lin Zhaoyu

The origin of her name is actually stated in game itself, coming from the Book of Odes- a Chinese poetry book. Meaning literally, "morning rain," it is taken from the following poem. The letters that make up her name are bolded.

蝃蝀在東、莫之敢指。

女子有行、遠兄弟父母。

朝隮于西、崇朝其雨。

女子有行、遠兄弟父母。

乃如之人也、懷昏姻也。

大無信也、不知命也。

Here is the translation of the poem:

The part about her being untrue to herself in marriage rings very true.

Li Sushang

The symbolism of Sushang's name is connected to that of multiple other characters, despite the literal meaning of it sounding quite simple on the outside. You might see her name via MTL written as "plain clothes," but it's a stark oversimplification of something that's partially lost in translation.

素 (Su) refers to plain silk which has not been dyed, or white silk.

裳 (Shang) is a dress.

The first letter of her name is shared with her mother. Between Sushang, Suyi, Lingshuang, and Su Mei, there is a correlating theme of clothing that I will touch on in each of their sections.

Qin Suyi

As she had amnesia, Suyi does not remember her birth name and was gifted a new one by Fu Hua. Following the trend of how she named Su Mei, her name was also taken from the book of odes. The word Suyi appears in two different poems- again, I've bolded it as written in both.

揚之水、白石鑿鍪。

素衣朱襮、從子于沃。

既見君子、云何不樂。

揚之水、白石皓皓。

素衣朱繡、從子于鵠。

既見君子、云何其憂。

揚之水、白石粼粼。

我聞有命、不敢以告人。

And the translation:

The second poem:

庶見素冠兮、棘人欒欒兮、勞心慱慱

兮。

庶見素衣兮、我心傷悲兮、聊與子同歸兮。

庶見素韡兮、我心蘊結兮、聊與子如一兮。

And the translation:

From the second poem, you can see the references to grief in regard to clothing. While Suyi and Sushang both have the same literal translation of their names, "plain clothes," Suyi's name also carries an additional symbolism. The second letter of her name, 衣 (Yi), refers to a robe instead of a dress, so her name refers to "a robe of colorless silk." This specific term is used in certain contexts to refer to mourning garments, as it is customary to wear white while mourning in some parts of Chinese culture.

This theme of dye is continued in other contexts, where Suyi is known among the Seven Swords as "The Blade of Ink-Dyed Incense." Additionally, her Xuanyuan sword, while known in English as Ebonstyle, is also referred to in Chinese as "Ink-Dyed Incense"- but the word for ink used is different between the two. (It is not letting me copy/paste Chinese words right now so, source: trust me bro)

To delve into my personal thoughts, I think it's so clever that Sushang is "a dress yet to be dyed," while Suyi is a mourning garment, since Sushang still has a long life ahead of her, and Suyi has passed on. Anyways please hit me with a car.

((fun fact: the last letter of Suyi's name, Yi, is shared with Raiden Mei (Yayi), hence why her name comes through MTL as "bud clothes" sometimes 😭😭))

Su Mei

We actually do not know Su Mei's birth name either! She was given a new first name by Fu Hua, and was going to be given Zhaoyu's last name (Lin), but chose to take her mother's surname instead. The reason as to why she chose (or was recommended by Fu Hua) to change her name while still remembering her birth name is unclear.

At Zhaoyu's recommendation, her name also comes from the following poem of the Book of Odes:

It is not letting me highlight the text :,) so the part of the poem that is her name is "margin of the water." Mei specifically refers to where the bank of a river meets the water.

Fun fact: Her surname Su is shared with the MANTIS Su! It is said in legend to also be the surname of Xuanyuan's descendants.

At a time where Filial Piety was of the utmost importance, her changing her surname to take her mother's surname is significant. To change your surname from your father's name could be seen the same as disowning him. At the time, women did not change their names to that of their husband when getting married, hence QIN Suyi vs LI Shen or LIN Zhaoyu vs MA Feima.

While not significant to her name itself, she continues Sushang and Suyi's clothing theme. Her ability revolves around being able to see the threads of fate and predict things that may happen. Hence, it is said about her that anything she says will come true. It's never mentioned in the text, but if you zoom in up close to this art of her, you can actually see her threads surrounding her.

From the threads plus her hair color, it makes me think of the legend of "The Red String of Fate," which is ironic being that she says she does not love anyone.

Cheng Lingshuang

Yes, she does share a surname with Cheng Lixue, but no, they are not related. Lixue was named by Fu Hua, and her surname comes from the philosopher Cheng Yi, and a saying about his disciples waiting for him in the snow, hence Lixue- Snow. Their names are so similarily themed that it's likely not a coincidence on Hua's behalf, but it's more of a homage than them actually being related.

Lingshuang means ice frost. It does not come from the Book of Odes.

To continue the talk on Filial Piety, Lingshuang is the only character to not go by her surname, either in character or on her actual dialogue name tag. She's only referred to as her full name twice, once when she is introduced as a baby, and twice when Senti is beefing with Sushang and low-key throwing shade on her master's name. Lingshuang is a character who ignores societal rules, and Filial Piety is no exception- she has no reason to care about her family or her father, so she disregards her name.

Any instance of her name being translated as "Ling Shuang" is a following mistake on HYV's localization team. (I did personally email them and they fixed it 😭😭😭) It was because the translators did not receive the context that she doesn't use her surname, so they assumed how her name was separated by first and last, as Chinese names don't have spaces between the two. If you spell her name with a space in the middle I will show up at your house at 3am.

The theme of clothes continues from her kid's as she has a loom in her house which she uses to make silk. She says that honing her fingers in such a way is also a way to hone her martial arts.

Ma... Yanqing, Feima

Ma Feima means "the horse is not a horse." He changed his name to this after getting married because he hated his past identity. It comes from "Bai Ma Fei Ma," a Chinese grammatical paradox that does not make sense in English. Don't ask me to explain it because I can't, but it means "the white horse is not a horse."

Ma means horse, and is also the most common surname within the Chinese Muslim community (specifically the Hui people.) It is used often in reference to the prophet Muhammad.

Yan means swallow, continuing Hua's bird theme.

A lot of his names and titles relate to horses. He really likes horses. A lot.

Jiang Wanxi & Wanru

These two get the smallest part because they aren't developed enough for me to GAF (I'm sorry 😭) basically their names come from a poem in the Book of Odes, which is funny since Hua isn't even the one that named them.

I hope if you read this that you enjoyed this session of Fun Facts With Mel and please tell me your thoughts. I also definitely forgot something so I might go back later and add things. Thank you for reading!

#honkai #honkai 3rd #cheng lingshuang #fu hua #honkai 3 #honkai impact 3rd #7s #taixuan #taixu #sushang #li sushang #yanqing #zhaoyu #lin zhaoyu #hua #shattered swords #7s vn #su mei

[higherentity]

#teresa graves #actress #singer #black #teresa #7s

[distantsonata]

#romin kassidy #yugioh #yugioh sevens #yugioh 7s #7s #gif #gifs #my gifs #anime #anime girl #guitar #duel guitar #life points

[02cm]

The Husky & His White Cat Shizun Vol. 1

I said this already on Twitter but- copy/pastes

I honestly don't know how popular or unpopular this is already but I was thinking: I usually joke about how much I want a cover à la trashy novel for 2ha and while they aren't giving us that, we're getting the romance-type font and I love it.

#Mo Ran #Chu Wanning #2ha #Erha #二哈和他的白猫师尊 #Meatbun #7s

[hyyhwwx]

This is one too isn't talked about much even if it changes the meaning of the character words which can influence the interpretation of new readers.

#mdzs #mdzs translation #7s #really upsetting that mxtx passion project was treated like this

[brassaikao]

7S - 整理(Seiri)、整頓(Seiton)、清掃(Seiso)、清潔(Seike)、素養(Shitsuke)、安全(safety)、速度/節約(speed/saving)

7S是一種提高工作效率和品質的方法，它包括以下七個方面：整理、整頓、清掃、清潔、素養、安全和速度/節約。在這篇文章中，我將介紹這七個方面的含義和實施方法，以及它們對企業和員工的好處。 整理(Seiri)：指的是將工作場所中不需要的物品分類並清除，只保留必要的物品。這樣可以減少空間佔用，提高物品的使用率，減少浪費和成本，也可以避免混亂和失序。 整頓(Seiton)：指的是將工作場所中需要的物品按照一定的規則和標準放置在固定的位置，並加上標示和標牌。這樣可以方便快速地找到和使用物品，提高工作效率，也可以減少損壞和遺失的風險。 清掃(Seiso)：指的是定期清理工作場所中的灰塵、污垢、油漬等污染物，保持環境的清潔衛生。這樣可以改善工作氣氛，提高員工的健康和安全，也可以發現和預防設備的故障和隱患。 清潔(Seike)：指的是在清掃的基礎上，對工作場所中的設備、工具、儀器等進行保養和維修，…

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#5S #7S #品質

[8nightsperweek]

#8nightsperweek #style #sneakers #rare #air jordan #VII #7s #michael jordan

[azenta]

hi i hope you’re doing well! do you mind explaining an easy way to differentiate the tritypes 486, 487 & 485? i literally cannot figure out what i am - i see traits of myself in all three :/

The easy way is to not focus on the whole but on what makes them different.

It's normal that you see yourself in all of them, they all got the same core and second fix. What you should ask yourself is how you deal with fear/anxiety specifically.

5s deal with anxiety by withdrawing and by compulsing into the "preparation" aspect of anxiety. They never feel prepared enough, thus why they tend to "learn" compulsively about the object of fear to try to get a sense of power over it. The sense of competency around the knowledge is ultimately what makes them get the impression of having "power" over the issue, thus why they self isolate and compulse. It's an avoidant tactic since the goal is almost to outsmart the problem or threat before it attains the 5's security.

6s deal with anxiety by complying to the "rules", which means they get to know "how to play the game" to predict how things will unfold and how to worm themselves through the issue. This tactic has also for goal to ally themselves with a "side" (good vs bad) so they manage to maintain a support system that helps them navigate any threat to their security by becoming the reference (set of rules). Cp6 fundamentally has the same goal, but rather than fawning like p6, they rather attack the "enemy" side (read: the threatening side). To resume 6s tactic, p6 fawn and abide to the securing side, cp6 attack the threatening side. In either case, they get to choose a side to be loyal to, they simply show it differently.

7s deal with anxiety by avoiding the threat, but they do so by acting on their whims and desire (assertion). Anxiety implies a feeling of being stuck or trapped for 7s, and they interpret that feeling as an indicator of yes, insecurity, and thus of unsatisfaction. This leads them to search in the opposite direction, where they assume what they think they need to feel secure lies. Therefore, they get to avoid the threat and distract themselves with a new avenue which is assumed to be where security will be.

This is only a resume of the head triad tactics tbh, but ultimately that's on those tactics you need to focus on. And remember, you need to ask which you tend to take when you face fear/anxiety, or in other words, when you feel your need of security is threatened. Since it is your last fix, this feeling might not be the one you experience the most neither a need you are much preoccupied with. So, it might not be the easiest to spot in yourself, and the tactics will probably be less intrusive and intense than if they were your core or even second fix.

If you have any other questions or want any other specifications, you're welcome to ask x)

#ask #head triad #5s #6s #7s #p6 #cp6 #enneagram #en #tritype

[antediluvianprose]

Tonight's neo-psychedelic soundtrack to smoking too much weed and then having *it all* hit you

#avey tare #7s #neo-psychedelia #freak folk #alternative rock #psychedelic rock #tonight's soundtrack #Bandcamp

[sinceileftyoublog]

Avey Tare Interview: Making Sound And Putting It Together

Photo by Amy Grace

BY JORDAN MAINZER

When you’re listening to Avey Tare solo or even his work with Animal Collective, you’re waiting for that moment: a scream, a jittery melody, chaotic percussion that pans throughout the speakers like ping-pong balls. His latest album, 7s (Domino), has almost none of that. A subdued, reflective affair, 7s was born out of a desire to collaborate. In 2020, Animal Collective had just finished making Time Skiffs remotely, and Dave Portner wanted to channel his creative energy into in-person collaboration. Of course, during the early stages of the pandemic, the inability to (wisely) be in the same room as many others disrupted just about every facet of life, let alone every line of work. Portner, ironically situated in the musical mecca of Asheville, where he’d have a murderer’s row of collaborative choices any other time, felt depressed, and a bit lost. Luckily, he did have Adam McDaniel and Drop of Sun.

Unlike on his past records, Portner went into 7s with very little ideas of how his songs, casually written during 2020, would take shape. During the first week of 2021, he and McDaniel spent three days with achievable goals--a guitar part here, percussion there--and emerged happy even if they only got half done what they set out to do. It’s these initial sketches that inform the aesthetic and ultimate vibe of 7s. The first song Portner had for it was the 9-and-a-half-minute centerpiece “Hey Bog”, originally written to play on his 2019 tour for Cows on Hourglass Pond. Ambient and rubbery, it’s easy to get lost in before strumming and thumping percussion enter, his ethereal, yet outwardly emotive singing combining with the instrumentation to make a sort of New Age acid house. The rest of the songs were sculpted around “Hey Bog”, from the trilling tribute to essential workers and good deeds, “Invisible Darlings”, to the ever-anxious shuffle “Sweeper’s Grin”. Though Portner’s words are devotional and grateful, they’re also extremely uncertain. On “The Musical”, he converses with himself, questioning how he came to be as a musician. The woozy closer “Cloud Stop Rest Start” seems to be one of many moments where he questions humanity’s motives, referring to the impersonal nature of COVID data and inherent, yet unavoidable selfishness of living during a pandemic. “Oh American stranger, is it always like this? Losing things to spikes and the ups and downs?” he sings. 

Those ups and downs, albeit of a different type, have continued ever since for Portner. Of course, live music would return about a year and a half later thanks to an unprecedented, life-saving vaccine, but the still volatile nature of COVID would mean Animal Collective had to cancel their EU/UK tour as recently as last October. Time Skiffs and 7s were released last year and this February to critical acclaim, and Portner still finds time to work with McDaniel. “We’ll...just get together and make something and record,” he told me over the phone from his home last month. “He’s always down.” Portner knows that there will be trials and tribulations, but just like his and Animal Collective’s approach to playing live, it seems as though he’s starting to look at everything--studio albums, careers, life, and everything in between--with a sense of wondrous improvisation and honesty, no matter how messy.

Read my conversation with Portner below, edited for length and clarity. Catch Avey Tare at Sleeping Village tomorrow night. Lipsticism, the solo project of local musician and producer Alana Schachtel, opens.

Since I Left You: Animal Collective finished Time Skiffs remotely, and it led to a creative streak for you at a time when people were working by themselves. What specifically for you led to this period of being prolific?

Dave Portner: When I have time around the house or time off from touring, I try to write songs. It’s a big part of my day, my time in the studio, my work. During the transition from 2020 to 2021 in particular, I was getting more and more depressed about being cut off from collaborating musically with people. It’s such a big part of my life. We had planned to record Time Skiffs together in the studio, and that couldn’t happen. [It] isn’t a bad thing in terms of process, but quarantine and 2020 and the pandemic, having me shut in so much and not able to do anything beyond going outside of my studio, led to a lot of cabin fever. I was craving musical collaboration with somebody.

It worked out that Adam McDaniel, my friend, had this studio called Drop of Sun. We just decided to be really relaxed about it. I had a lot of time around the house, so I started writing these songs. [We blocked] off three days at the beginning of January [2021], because I had to get out of my house and into another musical environment. At that time, Drop of Sun was one nice studio room in his basement, and the whole Drop of Sun team was working on building this new studio, which was done by the time we started the mixing stage. But even starting in his basement, it was nice and crucial to be able to bounce ideas off somebody. I didn’t have a huge game plan, just basic structures of songs I wanted to start working on and see where they would go.

SILY: After this time period of less collaboration or remote collaboration, it seems like the journey from the demos to the finished product was pretty seamless. It that true, or were there bumps in the road?

DP: No, it felt really good. We started with three days, and when they ended, we wished we had more time. We had to do other things here and there. Allowing myself to step away from things and go in every day with a goal of, [for instance, “ finish] this guitar part” or a few ideas I wanted to accomplish, [felt] really good. We started wanting to do more and more. 

At the beginning, I didn’t know what 7s was. It was just me recording some songs. As we got towards the end, I was still working on “Invisible Darlings” and wanted to get that in the fold. I had “Hey Bog” already, which I wrote in 2019 when I had solo shows and wanted to put new songs into the set. I wanted to record that one for a while. Since I knew it would be a centerpiece, or at least on the record, it was a matter of fitting other songs around it. I think that’s why 7s feels like it has one foot in the past and one foot in the present and future. I wanted everything to feel cohesive and not too random; it was just a matter of building it from the bottom up in Drop of Sun. That’s not usually how I do my solo records. Typically, I’m planning them beforehand when I’m off from Animal Collective, and I know what I want to do. This one was created as we went, even though the songs were kind of written.

SILY: Do you think the casual vibe of the recording made its way into the quality of the songs? “Hey Bog” and “Sweeper’s Grin” are relaxed, reflective, melancholy songs. In other words, did the anomaly in process allow the songs to breathe more?

DP: Definitely. Having a lot of time at home to work on stuff and play them, it was a very introspective time. There were melancholy thoughts that went along with that, and there were happy thoughts, joyous thoughts, anger. Music and making and recording music is often a very cathartic process, especially when I’m doing stuff at my home studio. I’m working through a lot. The same is the case with 7s. I [was] working through the emotions when recording and doing the vocal parts. Some of the vocal parts were written and created as I was recording them. It’s really relaxed working with Adam, because we’re good friends, and at the time, there was nobody else around, so we set our own limits and time and let it feel good. “The Musical” and “Invisible Darlings” had a couple different versions we tried, and having the time to not feel rushed about it helped them because we took the time to really find the place for them.

SILY: This all reminds me of when you sing on “Sweeper’s Grin”, “Happy to be carefree / Do tell.” 

DP: It’s kind of a cynical question. Some interpret that as me saying I’m happy to be carefree, but it’s really somebody else saying they’re happy to be carefree, and I’m like, “Oh, really? Do tell.” What’s there to be happy about? The world is crumbling. That’s not my typical worldview or outlook on life, but it comes into my mind sometimes. That side is there, so I want it to be there.

SILY: Is that also why you decided to end the record with “Cloud Stop Rest Start”, a bit more of an uneasy track?

DP: For sure. I also didn’t see that song going anywhere else.

SILY: On “The Musical”, you sing, “I wonder, how is it explained that a person comes into the field of making sound and putting it together.” Was that something you were wondering especially when making 7s? Is that a question you get asked a lot?

DP: I feel like I’ve [lately] been a lot more interested in conversational songwriting. That’s me starting to mess around with that, which isn’t something I’ve done before. I haven’t been so personal about my process of making music and my place in music. Asheville is a musical place. I’m around a lot of musicians, and there’s a lot of history of music with Appalachia, people doing all kinds of stuff. Being in this environment, I have friends that play music for the joy of making music, and they’re not so interested in a record contract. 

There are a lot of people in the music industry frustrated or trying to figure it out for themselves. It’s been a transitional period, which I was feeling at the time. I had a lot of thoughts about Animal Collective and 2020 and the pandemic. It was a big shift for us. This wasn’t an attempt to answer those questions, just saying what’s on my mind.

SILY: Last October, Animal Collective cancelled their European tour. It seemed like a reality check for people not in the music industry, to see this very successful band unable to tour for financial reasons. Do you still sort of feel like you’re in that transitional phase?

DP: There were a lot of factors that went into cancelling that tour. In some ways, the band is always in a transitional phase because there are so many things we want to do alone and together. It gets complicated to map out. There’s a need these days to really map out your future in the music industry, and probably in a lot of other fields of work and life. People need to plan far in advance, which is difficult for us, being so spread apart. There’s a lot of complicated things that go into setting up a tour and getting together to practice. There were a lot more hurdles, the fact that COVID was still peaking pretty hard during the tour, and having gone through cancelling shows because two of the band members got COVID, myself being one of them. The risks were just too high. It wasn’t fully because we were in transition, but beyond that, the music industry is in transition. Musicians need to get on the same plane and same field and work together a bit more. I think we can work through the transition to make tours happen and not have these kind of worries, and make everyone who wants to tour able to tour. There are so many musicians and bands out there that want to tour, and because we’re such a name already and people know us, it’s fairly easy for us to get shows. I feel like stepping back and letting newer musicians [step up] is the right thing to do, to let people have their chance. It’s tough these days.

SILY: Do you think something like the Union of Musicians & Allied Workers is a step in achieving more equitable touring?

DP: I think so. There’s a certain state of being and frame of mind. A lot of musicians have different goals. For some, it’s not all about making money. There are many different reasons to do it. That kind of thing is helpful, but I don’t think you’re going to get everybody on the same page. It’s a little bit more than just getting everybody in the same union.

SILY: You just mentioned that you feel like other industries are also in flux, which reminds me to ask: On “Invisible Darlings”, are you singing about essential workers during the pandemic?

DP: I am, yeah. I’m trying to sing about anybody that would go unnoticed in your regular day. It could be an essential worker. There are people in the music industry that do a lot for a band that take a lot of crap, too, or are overlooked when they make the night go as smoothly as the music does. It’s also about people that do simple, good deeds, like holding the door open for someone else or pick up a fallen bag of groceries.

SILY: Is the album title simply a reference to the number of songs on the album?

DP: It is, but 7 is an important number for me. I wanted to have that energy be part of the record once it seemed like 7 songs is the way to go. I usually run with stuff like that on my solo records and Animal Collective records. 

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art?

DP: I’m really into collage and trying to take my own visual art in different directions. It’s some sort of landscape, for me, the psychological landscape of the record. You could call it dreamlike, and I’ve referred to it as surreal, even though that’s pretty vague. I’m influenced by the surrealists and [André] Breton’s work.

SILY: Do you think the music on this record is equally influenced by surreal visual artists?

DP: I’m very influenced by visual mediums, film, art that I see that affects me. During the writing and recording of Time Skiffs, I had been reading a lot of surrealist essays, diving deep into the short stories and essays of surrealist writers.

SILY: During recording, do you ever have images projected or displayed to inspire you?

DP: I do. We’ve done that with Animal Collective since Feels. Projections, visual accompaniments. In my own studio, maybe not when recording, but when writing or jamming, I’ll put something from my computer on and let it play. Old cartoons--I was in a real Rocky and Bullwinkle phase. He-Man. Any 50′s/60′s abstract avant-garde stuff. It’s all over the place for me.

SILY: How are you adapting these tracks to a live show as compared to how you’ve adapted past material?

DP: I’m trying to keep the set pretty diverse. I’m playing from all my records. In terms of playing live, I’m never trying to recreate the record. That’s not very interesting to me. A live experience, as a performer, and I hope for the audience, too, should be something different. If you want to listen to the record, you can stay home and listen to the record. There are strengths to [7s], though, that I can’t look past. [I want to keep] pretty true to the vibe of the record. It’s just gonna be me on stage, using sequencers and playing guitar, mostly. I’ll do some acoustic songs. I want it to also feel organic and like a live experience. It’s a balance between finding the strength of the record and feeling like I’m making something as I go.

SILY: What else is next for you and the band?

DP: We’re finishing up a new Animal Collective record. We hope we can put it out this year, but that will depend on our label. I’m finishing the artwork now.

SILY: How did you find the experience scoring The Inspection? Would you do it again in the future?

DP: Definitely. That’s something else we’re trying to wade into more and more and get deep into, being able to do scores and have a reputation  as musicians who would like to do that. The Inspection was a positive step in that direction. It got some good attention. It was tough work. It was a challenge to step out of our Animal Collective comfort zone, which is how doing scores is gonna be. It’s a driving factor in our creative communications: We look for challenges, for things outside of ourselves to instigate a change for us. Having a cool film to score is just what we need in that regard. It’s an added creative outlet for us. [We made] a long format video, ODDSAC, with our friend Danny Perez. We’ve always loved psychedelic, horror, and sci-fi films, which is why The Inspection, [a drama based on a true story,] was [even more of] a challenge.

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

DP: Right now, I’m reading a collection of short stories called Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki. I’m a big sci-fi fan. Music-wise, it’s all over the place. I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from my vinyl collection, a lot of older stuff, since I’ve been working on artwork and [that’s] where my turntable is. I listen to a lot of jazz, Chico Hamilton, Eric Dolphy, Sun Ra. When I’m making visual art, I listen to less cohesive, more improvised stuff to get in that zone. I like the record that Eric Copeland and Josh Diamond made last year, Riders on the Storm. Good electronic grooves. I like a record called Felicita by Anadol. It’s a little more out-there, [an] experimental record. A lot of the bands that I have opening for me on tour, Paradot and Anastasia Coope, have music they’ve just put out or [that’s] coming out that I’ve been listening to a lot. That’s why they’re opening up for me.

#interviews #avey tare #live picks #domino #drop of sun #sleeping village #7s #amy grace #animal collective #domino recording company #time skiffs #dave portner #adam mcdaniel #cows on hourglass pond #lipsticism #union of musicians & allied workers #andre breton #rocky and bullwinkle #he-man #the inspection #oddsac #danny perez #terminal boredom #izumi suzuki #chico hamilton #eric dolphy #sun ra #eric copeland #josh diamond #riders on the storm

[h1mmel]

shattered swords continuation chapter one: 白露為霜

this is a fan-made continuation of the shattered swords vn originally posted to ao3, but i've decided to delete my ao3 account and wanted to share it here instead! i tried to stay true to the original's lore but i also added my own headcanons and bits and pieces to the mix. this is the first chapter, and there will be more chapters posted eventually in the future! please leave me feedback if you enjoy it <3

--

“Your mother is dead.”

These were the words that Sushang heard but didn't hear, as if they'd been spoken in a language she didn't understand. Her brain processed it in slow motion, trying to rationalize what she was hearing in a way that wasn’t about to shatter her world apart.

But the eyes of her Master displayed no hint that she spoke anything but the truth; her somber expression nearly same look of calm, yet utmost seriousness that it rarely deviated from. However, a slight, rare look of displeasure and another emotion she could not identify curled at the woman’s upper lip.

And then reality hit Sushang as if she’d been struck by a carriage pulled by racing horses.

Her breath left her lungs in one fell swoop and she sucked in an empty gasp, struggling for air. Eyes quickly blurred with tears could only see the outline of her master’s shape now. Anger and loss and fear raced through her mind, afraid of the reality she was facing more than anything else. Sushang tried once, and then twice, to take in another breath, but her chest was constricted and she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were being crushed and she couldn’t breathe. Everything was starting to spin, and she clung to the figure that hugged her- her master was hugging her?- as if it were the the only thing keeping her grounded on earth.

Flashes of memories drifted through her hazy mind as if she were watching them on replay. She saw Mother and Father arguing, and she saw her master’s carefully manicured nails sweep across the surface of the Xuanyuan Sword as if she were familiarizing herself with an old friend again. She saw the cold eyes of Eagle as he slapped her across the face without remorse, and she cried not because of the pain, but because her mother had never prepared her for the sort of cruelty that might come from the world.

The last memory that drifted past was probably the oldest, a practically toddler Sushang swinging around a practice sword much too big for her when she lost her balance and found a scrape upon her knee after falling. The pain wasn’t notable enough to remember, but what was notable was instead the memory of crying in her mother's arms after the fact. Sushang held on to the memory of her embrace for as long as she could until the memory spiraled away and she realized it was her master holding her instead.

Lingshuang’s embrace wasn’t quite as warm or emotional or comforting as her mother’s, but Sushang buried her face in the older woman’s shoulder nonetheless. She didn’t know how long she’d been crying; her throat was hoarse, and her eyes felt puffy and swollen.

“Master…” Sushang finally mumbled, hugging her a little tighter. “Please, stay.”

Cheng Lingshuang didn’t object. However, her voice broke the brief silence that followed.

“There’s something else I need to tell you.”

-

Ma Feima made his intention clear that he was leaving as soon as the sun rose, but he hardly expected the child to wish to speak with him again. He’d beaten her and her Rakshasa friend within an inch of their lives- though the latter injuries were not technically his fault. Then, he'd came to deliver the news of her mother’s death immediately after he woke, so he surmised he was not exactly on her good terms.

So, while collecting his belongings, he was surprised to hear footsteps belonging to someone very obviously too small to be his senior disciple.

Feima had no reason to wish to speak with Sushang; he’d already talked with Lingshuang earlier and addressed the matter Mei requested they talk about. And, for as much as he’d have loved a rematch with the young girl, he bet her master might kill him for real if he hurt her beloved disciple one more time.

“That silly girl,” Lingshuang had remarked about Sushang during their private conversation. “What she lacks in smarts, she makes up for in bravery.”

But this Sushang was no longer the confident young girl he’d fought against a few days prior. Her eyes were slightly puffy around the edges, and the spring in her step was dulled. Clothes meant for traversing the sandscape had been replaced with a casual robe, and her massive belt meant for carrying an equally massive sword was nowhere to be seen.

“I forgot your name, but I want to talk to you,” Sushang called out.

He had no reason to humor the girl, but the man turned to face her regardless. Now that they were up close and no longer in combat, he could see the resemblance to Suyi in her face and stance.

He hated to admit it, but her face with the remainder of tear-stains blotching her eyes was eerily resembling of her mother whenever in their childhood, she would lose a spar to Yanqing and sneak off to cry afterwards. After a stern warning from Lingshuang, Yanqing had started let her win a couple of times. He would never let a girl beat him normally, but Suyi’s tears were genuine, unlike other girls who might cry to get their way, and he couldn’t help but feel bad making her upset over something so trivial.

But Sushang wasn’t crying over a lost spar or other childhood incident. She'd lost the most important person in her life, at the age he was when his own master had been killed by his own and Lingshuang’s hands.

It was ironic that Lingshuang, the one of them to have dealt the killing blow and carry Hua’s blood on her hands, was now the only one with hands gentle enough to raise a child.

“How do you think she’ll take the news?” Feima had asked Lingshuang a bit worriedly.

“Extremely poorly.” the cold-eyed woman had replied. “I’ve raised her for the last ten years, but that doesn't mean her and her mother weren’t close.”

Feima was hardly the person to offer comfort, but maybe comfort wasn’t what she was looking for. Thus, the man sat down on a crate near Lingshuang’s small shack of a house, patting the surface next to him as an invitation for the child to sit down.

“We’ll talk.”

The short girl struggled to get up on the crate beside him, something he’d overlooked as he’d forgotten about her injuries that still ailed her as well as her height (or lack of, rather). However, she managed her way to sitting after a moment.

“Master told me everything. Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn’t realize you were Suyi’s daughter,” the man admitted, quite awkwardly as he was unsure how to word his statement without offending her. “I only recognized you as your master’s disciple due to your fighting style.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t. You’d have been horrible at consoling me.” Sushang voiced Feima’s thoughts out loud as if she read his mind.

“You’re right,” a light chuckle came from the man. “But, I never knew your master to be an empathetic person… are you truly feeling alright?”

“No.” Sushang admitted. “But Master helped me. People think she’s emotionless, but she’s all soft inside… just doesn’t show it,” the young girl smiled slightly sadly. “She always shares whatever she’s thinking without a second thought, but never what she’s feeling. But she’s hurt too, you know.”

Sushang was speaking the truth; Lingshuang and Suyi had once been close in the past, during their days as the Phoenix’s disciples. But those days were long past, and Suyi had left Lingshuang to raise her daughter who wielded the same sword they’d shared during childhood.

“Did your master inform you of all that’s taken place, or only the details about your mother’s death?” Feima decided to touch on the subject that he was sure was still raw like an open wound.

“...Yes.” Sushang took a moment to respond. “To some degree. She said that my Grand-Master is still alive, and that my mother altered my Master’s memories using her sword- MY sword.”

“The second disciple, Su Mei, told me she believes that our master is the one who murdered Qin Suyi. After seeing what was left of your family estate, I can’t help but agree that it's a kind of devastation she’d be capable of.”

“Do you… honestly think my Grand-Master would have killed my mom? You and Master both knew her, was she really that kind of person?” Sushang’s voice was betrayed with a slight waver, but she managed to keep herself together.

“Su Mei thinks so. She said a person can change a lot in twenty years.”

“But the person you knew wouldn’t have,” Sushang inferred, and was surprised when Feima did not deny her suspicions.

“I don’t doubt Su Mei’s opinion. That’s all I have to say on the matter.”

“Not very helpful-” Sushang puffed her lip out as if she were pouting for a moment. “But I have some more stuff I wanna ask you.”

“Such as?”

“My mom’s Blade Sanction. Did you ever see her use it?”

“Qin Suyi's Ebonstyle- I did bear witness to your mother in combat a couple of times, but she rarely made use of her Xuanyuan sword's ability. From what I and the other disciples knew, she could create mirages to confuse her opponents.”

“And how did it work?” the child asked, curiosity eminent in her eyes.

“I’m not quite sure, but I have a guess,” with a wave of his hand, Ma Feima grasped his own sword from previously empty air as if it had been beside him the whole time, the red and black blade erupting from nothingness in a radiant gaze of pink and purple colors which quickly faded.

“My sword, Chi Jueying, creates mirages as well- but they trick the eyes. During my fight with your master, I used it to create many copies of myself- none of which were enough to confuse her, of course. That woman is much too observant.”

“My master beat you?” Sushang had a giddy smile.

“Of course she did. She’s Chi Yuan’s strongest disciple, after all.”

At the mention of her Grand-Master, Sushang perked up intently, listening to Feima’s words closely and speaking no more.

“Anyways, while Suyi’s sword seemed similar to mine in the way that it also created mirages, I believe hers worked by directly confusing the mind, unlike mine which only affects one’s sight. In the way she could confuse her opponent's mind, she could likely subtly alter or add memories to an unsuspecting foe– or friend.”

“I see,” Sushang nodded. “Thanks for explaining it. Master was pretty angry and didn't do a good job of telling me things that made sense.”

“I’m impressed you managed to talk your way out of being kicked out of her house.”

“Kicked out of her house?!” Sushang’s eyes widened; this was obviously news to her. “Why would she do that?!”

“Huh?” Ma Feima’s eyebrows furrowed together. The woman earlier had seemed so serious when she had remarked such. Perhaps… had she been joking? Such a thing seemed a very inappropriate thing to joke about, but of course, this was Cheng Lingshuang. Social rules weren't exactly something the woman obeyed.

“Oh, never mind. I must have misunderstood.” Ma Feima brushed it off with a wave of his hand, dismissing his own sword in the process.

“Wait, bring the sword back! I wanna talk more about Blade Sanction!”

“As much as I’d like to, I’m not exactly a welcome guest at your Master’s home. I’ll leave the teaching to the proper teacher.”

The conversation ended soon on that note, and Feima left soon after giving a quite laughably brief goodbye to the younger girl, who did not protest any longer. He did not attempt to re-enter the house to say farewell to Sushang’s master or check on the condition of the unconscious Rakshasa.

-

The Rakshasa man dreamt of a beautiful nightscape, walking alongside a woman dressed in a robe of white. This woman had hair the color of fresh snow which spilled over pristine shoulders and down her back, and a bright smile paired with sparkling blue eyes.

On this woman’s other side walked a “man” who bore his own appearance- nearly identical to himself spare for the uncharacteristic smile which tugged at zeir lips.

“Void Archives-” the Rakshasa spoke aloud, eyes narrowing slightly. “Please do not use my resemblance without asking.”

“Hush, you’re disturbing Kallen,” the other person replied, using zeir arm to catch the young woman’s and slow her to a halt as well. She looked a bit confused as she looked between the man and the cube who mimicked him, but seemed unfazed of the fact that they shared the same face.

“Otto, Inanis, what’s wrong?” Kallen’s voice was gentle, but melodic, like that of a songbird. “Is something the matter?”

“It’s laughable to call yourself by a human name when you’re anything but such,” The Rakshasa– Otto himself laughed as if to prove his own point.

“Humans can’t come back from the dead,” the other responded. “So, if Kallen were to come back, what would she be then?” Zeir eyes narrowed.

“How would she be different from me?”

“Because Kallen has human values, of course. She values life and has a good heart.” Otto was sure of his words.

“Oh, so it's you who’s hardly human, Otto,” Void Archives brushed a finger across the collar of the Rakshasa's coat in order to maintain his attention. “Am I wrong?”

“Inanis, stop saying foolish things. We’ll be late to see the sunset if we dawdle any longer!” Kallen pursed her lips together in frustration, obviously not quite understanding the conversation between the man and his mimicked form.

“Of course. Let’s be going,” Void Archives replied with a smile. Otto wishes to follow the two of them as he watched them walk away, but he found his feet rooted to the ground as the dream began to swirl away from his control. The last thing he remembered seeing was Archive’s hand on Kallen’s shoulder, and his own lingering rush of jealousy as he watched zeir display of affection towards a woman zey’d never even met.

-

The Rakshasa man awoke with a gasp and was immediately greeted with a splitting pain in his chest and right arm. Eyelids fluttered as he groaned, trying to move but only worsening his condition.

“You’re awake?” an unfamiliar female voice startled him, and his body tensed. Through blurry vision, he could make out the image of a woman with white hair who leaned over where he laid, and for half a moment he held on to the brief hope that he had died and been reunited with Kallen in heaven.

But Otto Apocalypse would not see heaven, and the woman beside him was not Kallen. She had addressed him speaking Chinese, not German, and her white hair was much too neatly styled; which he came to realize as her features slowly came into focus.

He then realized that he should give some sort of response to her question, acknowledging that he was indeed awake. However, his “yes, I am,” came out sounding more like “yesh… I hngnnhm…”

“If you try and move, don’t move your arm. It's burnt to a crisp,” the strange woman addressed him bluntly. “You’re lucky to have woken in the first place.”

Finally, once he managed to regain his words, the Rakshasa decided to start with the most important question.

“What’s happened?”

“The sixth disciple brought you and my own disciple to my doorstep, neither in very good shape. Sushang has already gone outside to speak with that man.”

So Sushang was alright. After he’d seen her body collapse lifelessly among the sands, he’d feared the worst despite the odd swordsman’s promise that he would not kill her.

“And you are?” His second question.

“Lingshuang,” the voice coldly replied. “That child’s master. But oddly enough, she couldn’t tell me your name.”

“It’s Otto Apocalypse,” he couldn't contain a weak laugh that came out more like a wheeze. “She… couldn’t pronounce it. You may call me the Rakshasa as she does.”

“Rakshasa,” Lingshuang repeated, the tone of her voice unreadable.

Now that the Rakshasa’s sense of vision and balance had both returned to somewhat of their normal states, the man managed to pull himself into somewhat of a more comfortable position propped up against the pillows, albeit not without a pained wheeze. He tried not to think about the way his right arm dragged uselessly beside him when he moved.

“How bad is it?” he managed to ask.

“Bad. I was surprised to find you still breathing when I saw the state you were in.”

“Senior-”

“Who are you calling Senior?” the younger woman replied, lowering herself to his level and making unblinking eye contact which he found to be slightly intimidating. “Don’t address me as if we’re acquainted. I don’t care if you and my disciple have become friends; there’s no need to call me as such.”

The man’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Then, miss-”

“Lingshuang is acceptable.” She interrupted him bluntly. “Now, let’s skip the formalities; take off your clothes.”

The Rakshasa froze. “Ah… why?”

“In order to heal your wounds,” the woman replied. “My silly disciple requested I instill you with Qi energy in order for your demonic artes to heal your body properly. In addition, I’m quite curious what tricks someone from the western world might be capable of.”

The Rakshasa hesitated briefly. “I hate to disappoint, but I know no demonic artes; simply a healing practice which only works under certain circumstances.”

Lingshuang showed no visible reaction to his words. “I’m still curious. Now, strip.”

It was difficult to remove what remained of his clothes with only one functioning arm, but the Rakshasa made do and lifted away fabric to reveal burned flesh. The swordsmaster beside him did not flinch away at the sight of his arm as he’d expected she might, instead watching him with her same unreadable expression. It was worse than he thought; blackened flesh left no trace of ordinary skin and instead exposed muscle and bone in some places. He expected it to be painful peeling the bandages away, but felt no sensation at all; likely due to the nerves having been completely burnt away, he realized.

It was hardly recognizable as an arm anymore. The Rakshasa tried his best not to be sick at the sight.

Once the bandages were gone, he made much easier work of the rest of his clothes. The man noticed he wasn’t wearing his outfit he’d traveled in anymore, meaning someone had already changed his clothes once while he slept. He wondered if this was the work of Sushang’s master, or if the older man whom had attacked them and then apparently returned them both to Lingshuang.

“Don’t be shy,” the woman wasn’t oblivious to the way he was uncomfortable bare under her gaze, wearing nothing but his underwear. “I feel no attraction towards men; I simply want to see what I’m working with.”

“About my arm-”

“It’s worse than I thought,” the woman remarked nonchalantly, leaning to get a closer look. “I hope your method of self-healing doesn’t require use of both hands.”

“I can make it work,” the Rakshasa gritted his teeth together, watching as the younger woman placed an outstretched palm against his bare chest and began the transfer of Honkai energy. It started off slowly, a burning sensation filling his lungs with every breath he took as a flow of the corruptive strength began to restore his vitality. This alone wouldn’t heal his wounds, but if he restored enough energy to call upon Void Archives, there was a chance the accursed cube would be able to heal his injuries completely through the use of the Abyss Flower’s mimicry. At least, that’s what the Rakshasa hoped.

However, the flow of energy was not painless, and the man gripped the sheets of the bed he laid upon with his good hand as rough breaths became ragged. He hated to show such weakness in front of the unfamiliar woman, so he did his best to keep his expression neutral despite the agony each breath of air brought with it.

Finally, Lingshuang seemed satisfied with the amount of energy she had transferred to him, and stood up after dusting her hands.

“That’s all I have to grant for now without exhausting myself. I hope it’ll be enough.”

After struggling his way into a sitting position, the Rakshasa called upon the slumbering cube whom had been ignored until now. Immediately, he felt the power of Void Archives answer to his call, surrounding him with a familiar golden energy which pulsed with its own life.

Golden tendrils spiraled around the Rakshasa’s good hand, forming the appearance of the lance (or umbrella, rather- as Sushang had called it) out of thin air. He held it firmly for a moment, admiring the black and white blade and feeling Lingshuang’s curious gaze upon him without even looking up.

The sensation of being healed by Abyss Flower was unique in its oddity, the man feeling little pain but instead a tingling numbness that spread across his charred skin as if it had been dipped in soothing oil. He could feel his internal strength sapping as his body’s vitality restored itself, destroyed skin mending before his eyes and burns turning once again into ordinary human flesh.

Lingshuang watched, transfixed as the strange foreign man repaired his own body which was previously at the point of scarring beyond repair, blackened skin becoming healthy again before her eyes. She looked to the man’s face expecting an expression of pain, but saw only exhaustion in his eyes, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Whatever power he’s using requires the use of Qi energy, but doesn’t seem to hardly harm him in the process. How intriguing.

Eventually, the Rakshasa’s hands grew too weak to grasp the lance any longer, and it dropped into his lap before dissolving into a wave of golden sparks, which dissipated in midair.

And yet, Lingshuang’s expression betrayed little of her interest, despite her words. “I’m impressed.”

The Rakshasa did not hear these words, however, as his eyes were glossed over and no longer seeing the world around him. Barely a moment passed after the lance vanished that they rolled back into his head and he fell limp against the pillows and blankets beneath him, head lolling to the side slightly. Lingshuang lifted a hand to his neck to find his pulse, then swept his bangs from his forehead to check his temperature, satisfied when she found both normal. He was merely exhausted.

Sushang chose this perfect moment to re-enter the small house, greeted with the sight of an unconscious and barely clothed Rakshasa lying next to the form of her master. Eyes blotchy with tears were quickly covered by her hands.

“He’s naked!”

“He’s healed.” Lingshuang remarked.

“Where are his clothes?!”

“He took them off so I could transfer him Qi energy, like you requested.”

“Master!” Sushang protested, waving her hands frantically with eyes still closed. “Put them back on, please!”

Lingshuang did not wish to spare the effort to put his pants back on, so she opted to cover the man’s sleeping form with a blanket for modesty instead.

“He’s decent now. You can open your eyes.”

“I-i-is he okay?” taking cautious steps forward, Sushang made her way to stand before the older man who laid in her bed.

The older, unconscious, half naked man who laid in her bed, splayed out pathetically across the sheets.

“Did he wake up?” she added on, noticing his state.

“He did. Quite an odd man.” Lingshuang affirmed, not taking her eyes off him. “But, as you said, he had a way of healing himself. It drained his own energy and he lost consciousness because of it, but wasn’t harmed in the process.”

“Did his arm heal all the way?” cautiously, Sushang tugged at the blanket ever so slightly to reveal the top of the Rakshasa’s shoulder. Blackened skin was no longer covering his side as it previously had, instead replaced with healthy flesh.

“I like him much more than your mother’s husband.” Lingshuang said without filter. “He’s distinctly older than both me or your mother, but still, a responsible father figure nonetheless. I trust him to continue traveling with you.”

The Rakshasa, being like her dad?! At first, Sushang mentally turned up her nose at the idea of being parented by such an unemotional man, but then glanced down at him again. The man who refused to show weakness to a point of keeping his hair from blowing in the wind via his strange magic was now unconscious from injuries he’d received protecting her.

“I told you he could heal himself! Did he use his weird umbrella thing again?”

“Umbrella?” Lingshuang quirked an eyebrow. “He summoned a lance, which recovered his wounds in the span of a minute’s time. It was impressive even to my eyes.”

“Well, whatever it was, he used it on me too! I got all hurt fighting that Eagle guy, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it back, but then he whips out his magic parasol and boom! No more injuries!” Sushang gestured with her hands as if to drive in her point. “Oh yeah, Horse guy left, by the way. Said he had things to attend to.”

"I told him to leave once he was finished with his business, our house isn't meant for entertaining guests.” Lingshuang affirmed. “We already have an extra body to care for as is.”

“An extra two bodies,” Sushang added on, not forgetting the coffin they’d left outside. It had felt odd to bring a stranger's corpse into the house, so Lingshuang had found a place for it under cover outdoors instead.

“The second body is not a problem of ours; it does not take up one of our beds, nor require food. The first one, however…” Sushang’s master narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at the blonde-haired man, and the girl did not catch on to the fact that the older woman was joking in her words.

"That’s right! Where am I going to sleep tonight?!” Sushang exclaimed, turning about as if searching for a solution. She’d feel bad pushing the Rakshasa man onto the floor again as she had earlier, even if his wounds were now healed.

"In my bed?” Lingshuang replied.

“Then where will you sleep?!”

“In my bed.”

The younger girl narrowed her eyes. “And when I kick you in the middle of the night while sleeping…? Or steal away the blankets?”

“You’ll be punished accordingly.”

Sushang yet again did not realize that her master was joking, and felt a shiver run down her spine. However, it was a fate not near as worse as sharing a bed with the unconscious Rakshasa.

“I promise I won’t! I’ll sleep as still as a dead man!”

“If you don’t, you’ll find yourself in that coffin too come morning.” Sushang would have been genuinely afraid had it not been for the smile that rose to her master’s lips as she said this.

As the day went on, Sushang tried to keep her mind occupied, but it was hard to do when her master was hardly much of a conversation partner, and only other person she might talk to was currently out cold. No matter how many times she prodded the Rakshasa’s cheek or called out to him, the man would not stir, to her own irritation.

Sushang was uninterested in dinner, to her master’s concern, but the woman didn’t push her to eat. The girl was still sore and it hurt to move around a lot, so by the time the sun began to creep down the horizon and cast an orange glow of sunset along the distant sands, Sushang was flopped across her master’s bed and ready for sleep. Lingshuang said little to her as she helped her braid her hair for bed so that it wouldn’t get tangled, and helped her change into sleeping clothes when the girl found it too difficult to get up again.

Moving Sushang to her own side of the bed so that Lingshuang could make room for herself proved to be a difficult task, but the older woman was strong despite her height.

Lingshuang was not oblivious to Sushang’s helplessness, and was not the kind of person to let her thoughts sit idly by.

“Are you feeling alright, Sushang?”

A muffled voice came in reply, as the young woman had her face buried in the pillows currently.

"Mm… everyth’nn hurts…”

Lingshuang’s eyes narrowed slightly, as she hadn’t recalled Sushang complaining earlier in the day. “How long has it been this bad?”

Sushang didn't reply right away. “...dunno…”

“Sushang,” the older woman’s voice came, a little more persistent this time. “Is it something medicine can help?”

Lingshuang’s question seemed odd at first, but it took Sushang a moment to realize she was asking to figure out whether or not the girl was complaining about her injuries ailing her, or her heart hurting from loss. It was just her Master’s weird way of stepping around talking about emotions, which Sushang didn’t mind, as she knew how blunt the older woman could be with her words sometimes.

“No.” Sushang finally replied. While it was true that she was sore especially around her shoulder and it was painful to move, Lingshuang had already done all she could to treat her injuries and the next best cure to them was time spent resting.

“Come here, then.” Lingshuang laid down beside the girl now, having dimmed their lantern in order for them to sleep. Sushang didn’t understand what she was asking and awkwardly shuffled herself a little closer, but strong arms pulled her tightly against the woman’s chest.

Her master said nothing as she held Sushang like this, pressing her into the crook of her shoulder with a force that was only slightly less than uncomfortable. The younger girl welcomed the grip that she normally would have squirmed away from, feeling a bit safer with something weighing her down.

It was Lingshuang’s odd way of comforting Sushang while also dealing with her own grief, holding her like this. In the past her disciple had noticed the woman doing a similar thing with her Xuanyuan Sword when she thought nobody was looking; merely gripping it to her chest as if she were mourning something lost and afraid the sword would disappear. When Sushang would cry, she’d hold her in a similar manner in her arms until she’d calmed down. It wasn’t an effective way of talking about emotions, but for Lingshuang, it was still an effective way of releasing them.

Sushang couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she nestled into the woman’s arms until sleep took her away.

The next morning when Li Sushang awoke, she found herself splayed uncharacteristically across the sheets beside her master. She’d had a restless sleep, if the state of the bedding was any clue in the matter, and a resonant soreness remained within her body.

Lingshuang was awake beside her, having already risen; sitting atop the bed with her legs folded and eyes closed. Sushang, not wanting to speak for risk of disturbing her master’s deep meditation, did not speak- instead letting out an audible exhale of breath to test if her master was currently listening or aware of her surroundings.

The pale-haired woman showed no reaction.

Despite the pain she was in, Sushang managed herself up into a sitting position mirroring that of the older woman’s. She let her eyes flutter closed and tried her best to regulate her breathing. However, with the pain her injuries brought, it was difficult for her to focus upon reciting Blade Swara without finding herself surrounded by ripples of distraction.

Her vain attempts were eventually interrupted by her master’s voice.

"You need to tend to your physical state before attempting to clear your mind,” the woman stated, and Sushang felt a hand brush scattered bangs free from her eyes before they fluttered open again.

"Master-” Sushang’s voice was slightly raspy from disuse over the course of the night. “Good morning.”

The older woman’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. “I need to tend to your wounds again now that the sun has risen. Are you in pain?”

Sushang was hesitant to admit it, but she nodded.

“Rest for a moment. I’ll return soon,” and with that, Lingshuang had risen from the bed and left to the other room.

Now left alone in her thoughts, Sushang settled down to a more comfortable position atop the bed and bundled herself within the blankets. Soon, the older woman returned to the room with a warm towel and some fresh changes of bandages. Gentle fingers loosened the ties of Sushang's sleeping robe, pulling the clothing down to reveal a blossoming splay of bruises covering her left shoulder. The young girl winced at the sight despite the light touch causing no pain, and the air between them remained wordless until her master broke the silence.

“He set the bone back into place, but was not kind in doing so. Men do not have a gentle touch,” there was a rare anger barely audible in the woman's voice.

“It’s sore,” Sushang murmured.

“As I’d expect. You should refrain from use of this arm for some time,” Lingshuang’s reply came coldly. “There are more bruises to your sternum and torso as well… just what did you do to provoke that man?” she asked it not as a question as much as a rhetorical statement, but Sushang still replied.

“Nothing! Me and the Rakshasa were traveling alone just fine by ourselves and did nothing wrong!”

“Don’t be offended by his actions,” Lingshuang soothed her. “He is a man of many battles, and little reasons behind them.”

“I’m not offended! I’m just-” Sushang pursed her lips. “...first, he challenges me for no reason, then comes to tell you my mom died? Nobody taught him to be soft with a girl’s feelings!”

“I tried to,” the young girl nearly missed the slip of slight amusement in Lingshuang’s words. The warm cloth pressed up against the bruises to sooth them, and the young girl sharply inhaled, eyelids fluttering. Sushang did not make a single sound while her master cleaned and re-bandaged the rest of her injuries, most of which were smaller cuts and scratches.

“Next, we’ll head outside- you need a bath.” Lingshuang stated rather matter-of-factly.

“But, the Rakshasa-”

“...has not woken yet, so don’t let him concern you.”

"Okay,” Sushang gave in, and accepted her master’s hand to help her free from bed.

#honkai #hi3 #shattered swords #seven swords #7s #taixu #taixuan #honkai impact 3rd #fu hua #li sushang #sushang #yanqing #lin zhaoyu #cheng lingshuang #qin suyi #fanfic #xuanyuan #honkai impact #hi3rd

[reckonslepoisson]

7s, Avey Tare (2023)

With Panda Bear’s solo stuff you get dazzling highs and miserable lows; with Avey Tare you get dependability. The other main AnCo guy puts out another solid neo-psych work with 7s, a release no better or worse than 2019’s Cows on Hourglass Pond but still very pretty, surreal, patient and, in general, enjoyable.

Pick: ‘Hey Bog’

#avey tare #7s #pop #psychedelia #neo-psychedelia #psychedelic pop #ambient pop #2023 #music #review #music review

[distantsonata]

#romin kassidy #yugioh #yugioh sevens #yugioh 7s #7s #gif #gifs #my gifs #pink #purple #anime #anime gifs #anime girl #rocker #punk #eyes #red eyes #ramen

[02cm]

The Husky & His White Cat Shizun Vol. 2

#Mo Ran #Chu Wanning #2ha #Erha #二哈和他的白猫师尊 #Meatbun #7s

[rayjuss]

Played some records at Jazz Stroud festival. Here is the track list

#Seven #Seven inch records #45rpm #45s #7s #Singles #Rare #vinyls #vinyl #beats #london #records #music #dj #grime #house #food #uk garage #Classic vinyl #Vinyl art

[brohammas]

Rugby Sevens in Los Angeles

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#7s #All Blacks #antoine dupont #fiji rugby #france rugby #perry baker #rugby #rugby sevens #usa eagles #Youtube