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leahsfiction · 1 year

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Song of the Bronze Immortal Leaving the Han - Li He

Foreword: In the 8th month of the 1st year of the Qinglong Era (237 AD), Emperor Ming of Wei ordered his palace official to move an immortal of the Emperor Wu of Han (d. 87 BC) south by cart. This immortal, holding a dew-plate, had been installed in front of the palace hall.

The immortal started its journey once the palace official dismantled and removed the plate, whereupon it shed silent tears.

Upon which Li Changji, scion of the Tang royal house, composed "Song of the Bronze Immortal Leaving the Han." [1]

In fall the youth Liu came lightly by his flourishing mausoleum[2], One heard his horse whinny in the night; he left no trace at dawn.

The rich scent of autumn is hemmed by osmanthus[3] and balustrades, Thirty-six palaces, all, mossing over jade-green.[4]

The procession begins its thousand miles, led by the man of Wei, Out the East Gate, a sour wind like arrows to the eye.

The Han moon was lured outside the royal walls in vain; Our tears turn to drops of lead in imperial solemnity.

Fading orchids in mourning garb[5] line the Xianyang road, If the heavens too could feel, the heavens would grow old.

Bearing our plate of dew alone through moonlit desolation, River and city[6] far behind, the voice of waves grown small.

Li He, Tang superstar "demonic poet", wrote this poem en route from Chang'an to Luoyang -- the same route the statue was taking. (The statue, in actual history, never made it to Luoyang and got left in Ba City, due to the troublesome size or manifested tears, who knows.) The poet was leaving the capital bc he had to quit his post due to chronic illness. (You can see more of my research notes in my tumblr tag for this poem.)

1: I've inserted the corresponding Gregorian dates, but this is all Li He's own foreword contextualizing the poem.

There are 3 dynasties, 3 nested layers of history, at play here.

Emperor Wu ("martial") - birth name Liu Che - the Han dynasty flourished under his rule due to all the conquering and wealth; like many emperors before and after him, he became obsessed with attaining immortality. hence the poet calling his statue "bronze immortal". According to the commentary in my 1983 Chinese-lang Tang anthology by one 朱世英 Zhu Shiying, the statue this emperor commissioned of himself was enormous: 20m (丈) tall and 10m (围) in circumference. The "dew-plate" is a dish designed to collect morning dew as an offering to the heavens (in hopes of exchange for immortality?) - they're found on top of some Buddhist pagodas also.

Emperor Ming - birth name Cao Rui, grandson of the Cao Cao - 300 years later in the Wei dynasty, he ordered people to remove many Han artifacts from the imperial palace to Luoyang, an expensive and dangerous affair, replacing them with his own commissioned statues, etc etc. The "palace official" refers to a court eunuch - not sure if this is meant to be a specific person.

Li Changji, scion of the Tang royal house - the poet himself (Changji was his courtesy name). i wasn't able to find a genealogy but i do know his was a minor branch of the Tang dynasty founding line; he was quite poor and unsuccessful at getting a good court position (poets is the same). You can read more wild facts about his life on his wikipedia page.

The Tang poet is imagining the statue in the Wei remembering the living Han emperor. History repeats. Rulers grow dissolute and wasteful. Dynasties break, unite, then break again.

2: This first couplet seems unmoored from the rest of the poem. Is it a ghostly vision? a memory? The youth Liu, Liu-lang, is a ballsy way of referring to Emperor Wu. He's visiting his own royal tomb, Maoling Mausoleum (it's on wiki - highly rec the satellite photos, it's still standing), literally translated as "flourishing mausoleum". He started constructing it in his 2nd year of rule - he was 16 years old.

3: 桂树：Commonly mistranslated as "cassia" (chinese cinnamon) due to its prominence in traded goods, but in poetic context usually means 桂花 osmanthus - the smell is peaches, not cinnamon. The blooms are associated with the much-vaunted imperial examinations in eighth month (around September); sort of the equivalent to the greek laurel.

4: 三十六宫土花臂：A difficult line to fit in english metre, because "thirty-six palaces" takes up the entire first half of the original line. And then the second half is an odd phrase probably coined by Li He - "earth flower jade-green".

5: I know my friend has explained this one already but I just need to yell again about how many images are packed into two characters, 衰兰 "withered orchids". (a) 衰 pronounced shuai, "frail," "old." The flowers are withering because it's autumn. (b) shuai, "reduced." There are few flowers left, and the flowers represent the crowd seeing the procession off. Barely anyone cares about the statue in this new dynasty. (c) pronounced cui, "mourning garments." Now this is a bit of a stretch, but I'm imagining the orchids as white with brown edges (the withering) - as in white and sackcloth mourning clothes. They're symbols of mortality they're the last few loyal mourners they're moved by emotion and thus are able to age, unlike the unfeeling heavens in the next line.

6: Originally says 渭城 "Wei City" in the poem, i.e. city on the Wei river, i.e. Chang'an. Both the Wei and Jing are famous rivers - Chang'an sits near where they touch. There's a nice parallelism b/t the sound of the waves growing small (or faint) and the heavens not growing old in this stanza that not many existing translations point out.

#poetry #translation #my translation #gushiwensday #li he #金铜仙人辞汉歌

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gaymer-hag-stan · 1 year

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Most Memorable Tekken Stages

In no particular order:

Pagoda Temple - Tekken 2

Wayang Kulit - Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Fiji - Tekken

Mystical Forest - Tekken 6

Windermere - Tekken

Tunnel Disaster - Tekken 6

Festival - Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection

Hong Kong Street - Tekken 3

Souq - Tekken 7

Final Stage - Tekken 5

Mishima Building - Tekken 7

Hell’s Gate - Tekken 5

Poolside - Tekken 5

Arena - Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Nina - Tekken Tag Tournament

Yoshimitsu - Tekken Tag Tournament

Violet Systems - Teken 7

Kinder Gym - Tekken 7

Geometric Plane - Tekken 7

Infinite Azure - Tekken 7

Moonlit Wilderness - Tekken 5

Central Tower - Tekken 6

Fallen Colony - Tekken 6

Electric Fountain - Tekken 6

Angkor Wat - Tekken

Kyoto - Tekken

Beach - Tekken 4

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thichnhathanhgems · 3 years

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When I wanted to become a novice monk, my family thought that a monk's life would be too difficult for me. But I knew it was the only way I could be happy, and I persisted. Once I became a novice, I felt as happy and free as a bird in the sky. When it came time for chanting sutras, I felt as though I had been invited to a concert. Sometimes on moonlit nights, when the monks were chanting the sutras standing by the crescent pond, I thought I was in paradise listening to angels. When I could not attend morning chanting because I had another task, just hearing the words of the Shurangama Sutra coming from the Buddha Hall brought me happiness. Everyone at Tu Hieu Pagoda practiced with interest, joy, and diligence. There was no forced effort, just the love and support of our teacher and brothers in the practice.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

#mindfulness #dharma #awakening #understanding #meditation #happiness #peace #love #joy #zen #gratitude #serenity #innerpeace #insight #wisdom #spirituality #thichnhathanh #thichnhathanhgems

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mia-japanese-korean · 2 years

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Poling a Boat in the Moonlit Water, Matsukawa Hanzan, 1866, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Japanese and Korean Art

Two men pole a boat through the water. The reflection of the full moon is fractured by the boat's wake. The water's blue color suggests the clear sky of a moonlit night. The image may depict Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. If so, the pagoda on the distant mountain range is Ishiyamadera Temple, located on the southern end of the lake, and long renowned as a good spot from which to view the full, harvest moon. As the date written on the print indicates, the print was made in autumn of 1866. An unidentified poetry association probably commissioned it to commemorate their gathering on the night of the harvest moon in late September. Interestingly, all twenty-three poems directly mention the moon, but Hanzan playfully avoided depicting the moon itself. Size: 4 7/8 x 15 in. (12.4 x 38.1 cm) (image, sheet) Medium: Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/42537/

#museumarchive #matsukawahanzan #minneapolisinstituteofart #artsmia

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huariqueje · 4 years

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Yasaka Pagoda, Moonlit Night - Itō Nisaburō, c. 1960-69

Japanese,1905-2001

Colour woodcut on paper (print) , 15.8×23.3 cm.

#Itō Nisaburō #japanese artist

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prettyponyblog · 4 years

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Hmmm,, fake dating trope Flutterdash.

Rainbow is finally sick of Zephyr’s antics so begs Fluttershy to pretend to date her in order to get him off her back.

Initially they only pretend to be marefriends while over at Fluttershy’s/interacting with Zephyr buuuut Zephyr totally goes around complaining about how his sister stole his girl.

Suddenly everypony thinks they’re dating.

Oops.

Well they can’t fess up now!! That’d be super awkward!! Just a few more weeks and then they’ll pretend to end things and everything can go back to normal.

Oh no, now Rarity is setting them up on date nights. They’d better go along with it so as not to make her feel bad. Rainbow is not wearing the dress though.

Huh, it was kinda nice.

Welp, they forgot about Pinkie planning every single party milestone in their life. She even has their 8th foal’s baby shower prepped.

All these dates aren’t half bad actually. They could get used to them.

Oh well, everyone thinks they’re having a date night tonight, may as well stay in and help Fluttershy put her animals to sleep- they’re beginning to feel like Rainbow’s as well.

Everypony’s asleep but they aren’t even tired, let’s go for a purely platonic moonlit stroll down to the pagoda.

Oh sweet Celestia, Rainbow wants to lean in for a kiss oh my stars what is she doing oh wait is Fluttershy kissing back? Wow.

#mlp #my little pony #fim #text #Flutterdash #rainbow dash #fluttershy #rainbowshy

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that-cunning-mind · 4 years

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The Untitled Chuckie Sputterspark Origin Fanfic Pt.1

(Guess who wrote a fanfic for the first time in years lmao...

Read below if you want to see my take on how @based-ducks and me thought up of Quackervolt fankid Chuckie Sputterspark’s origin...somewhat)

As the crisp, evening air descended upon the moonlit shadows of St. Canard, a particular purplish protector of the poor found himself investigating a case of deductive interest. A case of shadowy intrigue and mystery. A case that would decide the future of St. Canard in its epic battle between good and evil.

A case of price gouging tickets at a pizza arcade.

“Twenty dollars for an adult ticket and twelve for kids over ten years old? Why these crooked capitalist crooks, thinking they can force parents to come in here and charge them extra! I should just quit SHUSH and open up one of these places myself! I’ll be richer than Glomgold!” Part-time superhero and full-time parent Drake Mallard grumbled under his breath as he handed over his card to the tired teenager manning the cashier. His daughter, Gosalyn, was busy putting on the paper bracelets on herself and her other father, Launchpad McQuack.

“It can’t be that profitable,” Gosalyn said, “I mean, they’re taking out all of their animatronics! Can you imagine Pepper Panda’s Pizza Pagoda without Pepper Panda and the Pie Gang? I tell ya, there’s gonna be rioting in the streets after tonight! RIOTS!!!” Launchpad, not expecting the outburst, startled and ripped his flimsy paper bracelet.

“Eheheh,” he laughed nervously, “you guys got any tape or...”

“Ten dollars to replace any missing or broken bracelets,” said the cashier.

Launchpad turned to his husband with big puppy-dog eyes, a method that tended to work about 99% of the time. Drake grumbled some more as he took a solitary bill out of his wallet.

“If it wasn’t for our case,” Drake whispered harshly as they walked inside the pizza eatery, “I’d leave you outside in the car.”

“Aww,” Launchpad pouted, “but you know how much I love coming here! Plus, I know how much the animatronics scare you, DW.”

Drake scoffed. “Scared? The daring duck detective isn’t scared of any cheaply-made robot! Drakey Mallard, on the other hand, never recovered from that time he thought Cheddar Charles was going to bite him at Elmo Sputterspark’s tenth birthday party.” As he spoke, a run down animatronic of a child-sized rat in blue overalls and a yellow shirt sprang to life, scaring Drake into Launchpad’s arms. Gosalyn just rolled her eyes and sighed.

A crackly speaker from the animatronic known as Cheddar Charles started. “Hey kids! Pepper Panda and Pie Gang’s Nighttime Spectacular is about to start in ten minutes! Grab a seat now!”

“I’ll go grab us a table,” yelled Gosalyn as she ran to a booth.

Launchpad let Drake climb off of him, then sniffed and wiped away a tear. “I can’t believe it, after forty years the Pie Gang is going away for good!”

“Launchpad, the case? Remember the case?” asked Drake.

“Buh-“

“We’re here to stakeout the joint and lie in wait for that nefarious thief, Dr. Anna Matronic! Dishonorably discharged from the Imagineers, that raving robotics rascal will be using the Pie Gang’s farewell show to unveil her deadly creations. Little does she know that I, Darkwing Duck, will be waiting for her! Now, any questions?”

“Uhh, can we order the extra-large with cheese?”

Drake simply sighed as he moved to sit down on the sticky seat.

“Gee DW, what makes you think she’ll show up with all these people around?” asked Launchpad.

“Because, as a former Imagineer, she’ll no doubt want to watch such a historic show one last time. Although, I can’t imagine what kind of psyche an adult must have to want to watch Pepper Panda and the Pie Gang willingly.”

———

“Come on Megsy! I’m not gonna miss Pepper Panda and the Pie Gang’s final performance because of you!”

Little did Darkwing Duck know that behind the scenes, his two mortal enemies Quackerjack and Megavolt would be attempting to watch the show as well. However, they were taking a break from their usual crimes and attempting to have their monthly date night, per Quackerjack’s insistence on coming to see the last hurrah of the animatronics he grew up watching. Megavolt, meanwhile, was trying to carry leftover pizza boxes up the scaffolding over the stage as he and Quackerjack prepared to take their seats.

“You know, I think I kinda remember coming here as a kid,” said Megavolt. Quackerjack was surprised to hear this, as it was rare for Megavolt to remember anything before his fateful transformation into Megavolt. He pressed on with a simple, “Oh?”, demonstrating a rare moment of selfless interest.

“Yeah,” Megavolt continued, “I think I had a birthday party here once. Mom forced me to invite everyone in my class, so I spent most of the day playing with the animatronics. I even got Cheddar Charles to almost bite this one duck, Jake. Or was it Lake...” Megavolt trailed off as his train of thought was derailed yet again.

“You must have been quite the kid growing up, a public nuisance in the making,” laughed Quackerjack. He looked off to the side in an almost wistful manner. “Though if I was a parent, I wouldn’t force you to hang out with any snot-nosed brats that stuck their faces into an arcade game!” Megavolt twitched, deciding not to tell Quackerjack that he definitely remembered sticking his face into arcade games as a kid, one of the happiest moments in an otherwise bullied childhood.

But more importantly, Megavolt picked up on Quackerjack’s wistful tone and cursed himself internally for bringing up his childhood. “Come on Quacky,” he whined, “we’ve been through this already. We can’t just-“

“Well, so what?” interrupted Quackerjack, “It’s just not fair! Lots of kids have parents that go to jail!”

“Yeah, but their parents aren’t criminal masterminds guilty of trespassing, theft, vandalism, and littering!”

Quackerjack pouted, “You throw a banana peel on the ground one time...”

“I’m serious Quacky,” Megavolt frowned, “we can’t just bring a kid into the super-villain business! Do you want to be like Dorkwing and have a pipsqueak get in our way?”

“Need I remind you,” hissed Quackerjack, “that his pipsqueak is fully capable of handling herself?”

“Ugh,” shuddered Megavolt, “don’t. Remind. Me. I still have the bruise marks from the last hostage attempt...”

“See?! The two of us could totally take care of a kid! All a kid really needs is food, a loving home, a pocket grenade...,” Quackerjack droned on, almost forgetting the point of his argument. Megavolt had to snap him back to reality if he was ever going to finish this conversation.

“Hey don’t get me wrong, it’d be nice to have some kids that aren’t just the poor, enslaved bulbs of St. Canard,” said Megavolt. “But, don’t tell me you aren’t the tiniest bit worried of screwing the kid up?” At this, Quackerjack pursed his lips and went uncharacteristically still, not daring to look at Megavolt in the eye.

“Besides,” Megavolt continued, “what if we go to jail without it? How would a normal kid protect itself? What if F.O.W.L or Negaduck found out about them and-“

“Oh alright fine! You’ve made your point, gloomy pants!” Megavolt shut his mouth quickly, turning to get a slice of week-old pizza and hopefully move on from this talk. Quackerjack pulled out his beloved Mr. Banana Brain, in an effort to calm himself before his temper took over. “Some date night this is! I’ve seen better chemistry in a high school science lab!”

“Butt out, banana boy!” Megavolt grumbled. “Great, could this date get any worse?”

The explosion that rocked the building answered that question.

———

The duck family ducked under their table as dust filled the room, sending screaming families in a panic. A giant hole had opened up in front of the stage, and from it rose a goose in a purple trench-coat honking maliciously. This was-

“Dr. Matronic!” Drake shielded Gosalyn behind himself as Dr. Matronic climbed onto the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she cried out, “children of all ages! To all who come to this happy place, Pepper Panda’s Pizza Pagoda is now MY Pizza Pagoda! Which means the animatronics are now mine to keep! Mwahonkhonkhonk!”

Gosalyn stuck out her tongue in disgust. “Ugh, you call that an evil laugh? A baby would sound more menacing than that!”

“Never mind that now,” said Drake, “we’ve got to get these people out of here! Launchpad, Gosalyn, evacuate the building while I keep her busy.” With a plan of action in place, the daring duck of mystery went off to find a broom closet to change in. Unfortunately, it was a very tight squeeze, as Drake tried to change and avoid the brooms at the same time.

“This night couldn’t possibly get worse...,” muttered Drake.

——

“Megavolt! That stupid doctor just ruined our date night!” Quackerjack’s temper had come out in full force, and now he was ready to let it all out.

“The nerve of some people! I mean, who breaks into a pizza parlor and steals the animatronics??” Megavolt yelled. Sparks started to fly as he locked onto the target of his ire, who was beginning to disassemble the helpless robots. “D’ohhh! Well at least it can’t get any worse.”

The blue smoke cloud that burst out answered that.

“Gah! Will you stop saying that!” shouted Quackerjack.

“I am the terror that flaps in the night!”

“I am the cheese pizza that burns on the taste buds of crime! I am Darkwing Duck!” Like clockwork, the purple caped crusader appeared out of the smoke.

“Oh no. It’s Darkwing Duck. Whatever shall I do,” said Dr. Matronic, not intimidated in the slightest. Failing to frighten his foe, Darkwing pulled out his gas gun as his mood worsened.

“Listen here doc! I may not like these rusty robots, but there’s no way I’ll let you take them away! Now suck gas, evildoer! Schpadoink!” As he shot off a canister of knockout gas, a Dalmatian puppy came out from behind Dr. Matronic and caught the canister, throwing it away from the doctor.

“What the-!”

“So,” Dr. Matronic grinned maliciously, “you don’t like rusty robots, eh? Well, I’m sure you’ll find that they have their uses!” Dr. Matronic pulled a walkie-talkie from her coat, and yelled, “Code 101: ATTACK!!”

From the crevice, a noise of barking and howling approached, growing louder and louder until from out of the hole, one hundred robotic Dalmatians came bursting out.

Darkwing gulped, hoping to hide his nervousness. “Alright, you digital dog deviants, prepare to face the might of Dark-AAAACK!!” The dogs never let him finish, immediately pouncing on Darkwing and biting everything that belonged to the flapping terror.

“WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND DALMATIANS!!!”

“Well, since you’re tied up at the moment, I might as well explain my origin story,” said Dr. Matronic as she got to work detaching the Pie Gang from the stage. “You see, those Imagineer fools said it was impossible to make one hundred and one animatronics! They said it was too expensive! That I was a lunatic! Well who’s laughing now, huh?! Mwahonkhon-AHH!”

Before the doctor could finish her evil laugh, a bolt of electricity from behind the stage curtain zapped her and sent her flying off the stage. In her hands she grasped the Cheddar Charles figurine, the remote controlling the chaotic canines flying off somewhere else.

Megavolt stepped out onto the stage, a wide manic grin on his face as his hands lit up. “Well, looks like we’re the ones laughing now, and much better at it too! Aheeheeheeheee!” With a flick of a wrist, Megavolt shot another electric bolt at the pack of piranha-like puppies, putting a stop to their attack on the poor, punctured defender in purple as they scattered off.

“Th-thanks for that...Megavolt,” Darkwing said shakily, as he attempted to stand up and not jostle his wounds at the same time. “Wait a minute, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! I swear, if that lunatic toy-maker Quackerjack is here too I’ll-“

What Darkwing would do, Megavolt would never know, for at that moment Quackerjack decided to introduce himself with one of his patented exploding toys. Laughing maniacally, he took out his signature mallet as he attempted to stomp out any robot trying to attack him. Dr. Matronic began turning her attention towards the most annoying threat in the room, directing robot after robot at Quackerjack.

“What, did all the freaks decide to come out tonight?!” yelled Dr. Matronic, as she whipped out a small flamethrower aimed at Quackerjack. The jester merely giggled and blew raspberries as he dodged all of her flame attacks. Darkwing and Megavolt, however, were not as lucky, and had to hide behind an overturned table to avoid the flames.

“Oh great,” sighed Darkwing, “the cherry on top of my already lousy sundae. Could this possibly get any worse?” Megavolt let out a yipe and braced himself.

“Uhh, you alright there Mega-,” asked Darkwing, before Megavolt clasped a hand around his bill.

“Don’t say that again! The universe has been more vindictive than usual today whenever somebody says that!”

“Alright alright, I’ll stop! Now, either help get me rid of this riddle-some ridicule of our rights, or GET OUT!” Megavolt’s train of thought got back on track, his temper overtaking him as he remembered his terrible night.

“Uhh, Sparky-“ said Darkwing, before a stray bolt from Megavolt zapped him away as the electric rodent turned back to Dr. Matronic.

“YOU RUINED DATE NIGHT!!!” roared Megavolt. Darkwing was dumbfounded, for once Megavolt hadn’t responded to his hated nickname of Sparky. Dr. Matronic began to worry, as she was inexperienced against the full force of the Quackervolt duo. Darkwing stepped back, hoping to get the upper hand as the villains fought each other when who should appear but Gosalyn.

“Don’t worry Darkwing, I’ll help ya!” cried Gosalyn.

“Gosalyn, NO!” Darkwing dived towards his daughter, shielding her from the wayward flames with his cape as he caught the full brunt of the attack. Dr. Matronic took the time to gloat evilly at her fallen foe.

“Well well well, guess the Pizza Pagoda is serving roast duck tonight! MWAHAHAHAH! How’s that for an evil laugh, by the way?” In her distraction, she failed to notice Megavolt and Quackerjack charging up the remaining animatronics, bringing them back to life.

“Hey lady, ever heard of the Bite of ‘87!?” they both yelled.

“The Bite of ‘87? That’s just a-“ Dr. Matronic looked back and saw the looming, terrifying animatronics trudging towards her. She gulped.

“...Just a myth,” she finished quietly.

As the robots began their attack, Launchpad came in and helped Darkwing to his feet. “Gee DW, how’re we gonna stop those three?”

“Oww, can’t we jus’...let ‘em kill each other?” Darkwing meekly asked.

Gosalyn, guilty over her father’s second degree burns, tried to remember about any useful information pertaining to the animatronics.

“Well, I read online that old robots used to explode from time to time...” she suggested. Inspiration struck Darkwing, reaching into his pockets for a special gas canister.

“Launchpad, hand me my gas gun!” With his weapon in hand, Darkwing loaded up the canister and aimed between the animatronics. “Get behind that column,” he motioned.

Megavolt, taking a break from the action that was almost too exciting to put in words, took a side glance to see Darkwing’s fan club hiding behind a concrete column. As he wondered what was going on, the duck pulled out his gas gun and yelled, “hey Dr. Matronic, see if your pooches can stop this knockout gas!”

Darkwing shot out the canister towards the animatronics and quickly took cover. As planned, Dr. Matronic took aim with her flamethrower, unable to tell the difference between knockout gas and explosive gas.

FWOOSH!

KABAM!!

“SHPOOSH-“

“Dad! Do ya have t’ make sound effects right now?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Darkwing sheepishly said. “Well, better make sure no one died or anything.” As the smoke dissipated, he could see Dr. Matronic knocked out on the ground, singed and certainly not triumphant. Quackerjack, who had tried to run from the explosion, was somehow still standing, albeit close to passing out at any second. Behind them, all of the animatronics were nothing more than scrap, their somewhat cute faces now melted and resembling characters in a subpar horror video game franchise.

Megavolt was nowhere to be seen.

“Uh-oh, Megavolt?” The prospect of being arrested for manslaughter began to unnerve Darkwing. “Hey Quackster, you seen your boyfriend anywhere?”

The only thing Quackerjack heard through his concussion was ‘Megavolt’, and tried to snap out of his daze as best as he could.

“Megsy! Sparky-poo, where are you!? Ooooh, I’m gonna get you for this Darkwing Duck!” But before Quackerjack could get him, the sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance.

“Mmm, but maybe not today,” said Quackerjack, and then took out Mr. Banana Brain. “Time to hit the road, Toad,” he said in a falsetto voice.

“MEGAVOLT! See you at the hideout!” And Quackerjack ran backstage, toppling over Launchpad who had attempted to catch him.

“Ah geez, sorry DW, he got away. Should we go after him?”

“Nah,” said Darkwing, “I’ve got enough on my plate with Miss Robot over here. Also I gotta make sure Megavolt didn’t explode or something,...”

“Ughhh,” groaned Dr. Matronic, “that’s DOCTOR- wait. The animatronics! What have you done to them you fiend?!” Before she could freak out entirely, the police came in, slapping handcuffs on her and leading her away.

“Why I say I say, ah-thank you Mr. Duck sir.”

The team looked back and saw a rotund rooster in a tacky pizza print suit come up to them, taking Darkwing’s hand and shaking it profusely. “I am the owner of this here establishment, Rolan N. Dough the Third, thought you may call me Mr. Dough. I must congratulate you sir on a job well done!”

“Ah-yep, yep, yep, all in a day’s work for Darkwing Duck, Mr. Dough!”

“So you’re not mad that he blew up your animatronics?” piped up Gosalyn. Darkwing hurriedly placed his hand over her bill, “Gosalyn! Ix-nay on the obot-ray! Ahaha, kids...”

“On the contrary, Mr. Duck, I’m overjoyed! Thanks to you, I’m gonna save a fortune on properly preserving those robotic freaks! And receive a rather sizable insurance check! A nice little profit for today’s events!”

Darkwing soured, remembering his distaste for the Pizza Pagoda once more. “You’re welcome, sir.”

“I simply must reward you! How does a coupon for a free pizza sound?”

Launchpad’s stomach rumbled at the sound of that. “Gee DW, can we cash it in now?”

Darkwing sighed, “Fine, fine, we’re not coming back here anytime soon.”

As Launchpad and Mr. Dough made their way to the pizza station, Darkwing crouched down to check on Gosalyn for any injuries.

“You ok?” he asked. “I mean, aside from seeing your favorite pizzeria in ruins that is?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I’m just sad the Pie Gang met their end like that.”

“Well it’s an Italian eatery owned by a Southerner themed around China, it was bound to end horribly. You gotta admit though, it was a pretty cool explosion.”

“Okay yeah, it was pretty cool. I mean the way that flamethrower just went GWOOSH and the canister was like SCHPAAAAM! Not too bad from Darkwing and his helpful sidekicks, huh?”

“Oh, that reminds me, you’re still in trouble for running in like that.”

“WHAT? Daaa-uh, I mean, Darkwiiiing!” The two walked away, preparing to stop Launchpad from spending more than $50 on pizza.

“Hmm, I feel like I’m forgetting something though,” said Darkwing.

“Ah well, I’m sure it was nothing important,” reassured Gosalyn.

———

In the subterranean hole where Dr. Matronic had come from, Megavolt had begun to regain consciousness, slowly sitting up as he willed the surroundings to stop spinning.

“Owwww, that’s it, next date night will be at the mini golf...”

From below, he could hear the faint voice of Quackerjack at hysterics, then fading away. Then he heard the shrill voice of Dr. Matronic screaming over the ruined animatronics. Megavolt perked up, remembering the explosion with clarity now.

“NO NO NO! The animatronics! Darkwing Duck and that stupid doctor lady ruined my childhood! This is worse than that reboot of my favorite movie with an all-female cast! Why I oughta-OW!!”

In his rage, Megavolt failed to notice an object in his path, and stubbed his already fragile toe against it. He was prepared to blast it to smithereens, when he noticed something familiar about the object.

Something metallic.

“Wait...it can’t be,” he muttered. He crouched down, digging through the rubble until the object was set free. It was Cheddar Charles, banged up a little but perfectly intact.

“Oh you poor thing,” Megavolt cooed, “you must’ve fallen down here after that mean old Darkwing blew us up!” He cradled the orphaned robotic mouse in his arms, feeling his paternal instinct flare up as he gently dusting the dirt off of it. A ghost of a childhood memory panged within him, recalling a time in his life when he felt safe and loved, unaware of the harsh realities of life that would face him later on.

Was it too insane to believe that he could pass that love on to something else?

He loved Quackerjack. He loved his life of lightbulb liberation. But if Megavolt was honest with himself, maybe there was something nice to the whole family concept. Maybe the idea of taking care of something and watching it grow with someone he loved seemed exciting to him. Maybe Darkwing had the right idea about having a kid sidekick-

Nope. It’d be a cold, day in Hell before Megavolt would admit to being jealous of Darkwing Duck.

He took out one of his trusty light bulbs to illuminate the scene, when an idea came to him.

“Wait a minute,” he said, “Quacky and I want a kid. This little guy doesn’t have a family anymore. That means...that means! Wait, where was I going with this?”

The Cheddar Charles let out a shock, charging up Megavolt once more.

“Oh right! Welcome to the family, new son! This is gonna turn out way better than that time I split Darkwing into two.” He took his son into his arms, already bonding with the temporarily lifeless robot.

“But ya know, Cheddar Charles is kinda long for a name. How about I call you...Chuckie!”

------

Meanwhile, on the other side of town…

“OH MY GOD,” cried out Drake Mallard, “I BLEW UP MEGAVOLT!”

#darkwing duck #quackerjack #megavolt #quackervolt #drake mallard #gosalyn mallard #launchpad mcquack #implied drakepad #my stuffs #fanfic #chuckie sputterspark #one of these oc's is actually #canon to the dwd lore #can y'all guess who it is lol #this took me way too long pfft

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monstaxnight · 5 years

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4.03am with Kyunnie? It has been forever and I’m still trying to send messages it seems nothing I send get to you :((((

Warning: NSFW.

04:03

Prince Changkyun sits alone in the middle of a small wooden pagoda.

His eyes are closed, his ears filled with the sounds of night: the soft summer chanting of insects, the tranquil splashing of fish in a nearby pond, the gentle rustling of leaves on a moonlit wind. Above him, the endless expanse of a black sky glitters with stars, the only witness to this most clandestine of meetings.

He feels her, then, notes the distinct shift of energy in the air around him. The night air loses its freshness, turning sparkling, hot and charged. The skin covering his arms prickles in that way he’s grown accustomed to her making it, and his heart kicks into a dizzying race that has him fighting against his own body for control, a body that no longer really belonged to him.

He opens his eyes, slowly, and finds her sitting silently before him. She’s positioned herself between the second and third steps, looking up at him with eyes of fire. Her white robe, silvery in the light of the full moon, falls off her shoulder, teasing bare skin and a sinful body. Her skirts are around her thighs, pulled up to reveal a bare leg that she’s raised so that her foot rests against the decorated frame of the pagoda.

She came, just like he knew she would. The dirtiest, darkest of royal habits.

Her hand slid up that bare thigh and disappeared beneath the layers of skirts. Her lips parted in pleasure as she reached herself, her head sliding back against the stone as her back arched, and Prince Changkyun could feel her pleasure deep within his own veins. He didn’t need to touch her to be overcome with it, all he needed was to watch. She was so beautiful, so fucking perfect, that he was sure witnessing her pleasure herself was enough to reach his own.

One of those little moans escaped her lips, and he pushed up onto his hands and knees and crawled to her across the pagoda floor. The moonlight bathed him in silver-white light as he reached her, his fingers reaching beneath her skirts to find her fingers.

“Do you want me, your Highness?” she asked him.

#monsta x #monsta x scenario #monsta x imagine #changkyun #i.m

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kootenaygoon · 5 years

Photo

So,

Paisley needed a break.

We’d weaved our way on to the Fractal Forest dance floor around midnight, and we’d been half-dancing awkwardly for maybe two minutes, when she grabbed my hand and nodded her head towards the exit. There was a slight tinge of panic in her eyes. I followed her through wet surging bodies, trying to breathe through my mouth, shoving people out of the way with one hand. It smelled like cocaine farts and Axe body spray, like next-level B.O. and stinky skunk weed all mixed together. I was finding there were so many sensations coming at me I could only really focus on one at a time. I was trying to will myself into the moment, trying to share in this pseudo-religious party vibe. Each stage really did feel like a church, or a temple, or some pagan altar from thousands of years ago. You got the feeling that this place would be ideal for sacrificing live humans to the Sun Gods, to cut out still-beating hearts with ceremonial blades and display them dripping for the ravenous hordes.

“I’m sorry, Will, I just don’t like it. It’s too loud, it’s too much, it smells so bad. I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have come, maybe this was stupid,” Paisley said, once we’d reached a shadowy clearing just off the dance floor.

“I’m obviously not a Shambhala person.”

“Don’t say that. Listen, nobody’s judging you, okay? Everyone’s just trying to support everyone else in having a good time. It’s not an exclusive club.”

“You sound like you’re totally buying into it.”

“I’m trying to understand the culture, babe. I mean obviously this isn’t my scene, but when in Rome, right?”

She sighed. “I think I’ve gotta go to bed. I can’t do any more of this. Can you take me back to the RAV? I don’t think I can find it in the dark.”

I wasn’t surprised that Shambhala was lost on Paisley. She often compared herself to Piglet, as she shared his easily flustered personality. She liked her nest at home with Muppet and Buster, where she didn’t have to navigate too many personalities and things were fairly predictable. Because of her health issues she was fragile, and didn’t always sleep properly through the night. When she first suggested accompanying me I’d been reluctant to discourage her because I didn’t want her to feel like I’d rather go alone, and I figured she would ultimately flake out at the last minute. But in the weeks leading up to it she started to get excited, looking up outfits on Pinterest and endlessly researching on her iPad. She took us out to purchase spirit hoods, something she’d read about online, and now we were hiking across the Salmo River Ranch with bison and elk horns jutting from our skulls. I took her hand and led her through the vendor area, where hundreds of people were milling in line to purchase hot dogs, nachos, Thai food. We passed by the Pagoda Stage, transitioning from one audio soundscape to another, and then through a looming archway topped with Shambhala’s owl logo.

Paisley and I walked by a psychedelic pirate ship with people hooting and dancing in the prow, down a long line of trailers and out into the wide open camping area. There were enough tents stretched out into the distance to sleep an invading army.

“I’m worried about Muppet and Buster, do you think they’re okay?”

“Of course they’re okay. They’re with Tamara.”

“I’m sorry I’m being such a wet blanket. I’m totally ruining the party.”

“You’re not ruining the party, duck.”

“Yes I am, I’m so pathetic. I can’t even have fun anymore.”

“You’re not pathetic, okay? Look at us, we’re having a nice time. This was a nice day, we saw a bunch of cool things, and now we’re going back to the RAV to sleep just as planned. There’s nothing to be upset about.”

“Are you sure?”

As we passed through an intersection another kilometre down the road, a volunteer in an orange vest motioned for us to stop. A giant truck rumbled by, rattling loudly, with water gushing out behind it. This was to keep the dust down, I’d learned earlier, because at times walking from one stage to the next was like being swept up in a sandstorm. While we waited for it to pass a small crowd gathered around us, including a guy who was only wearing a tube sock. Two bikini-clad girls in combat boots were standing beside him, looking surly. The music continued to chug through the trees like some nightmarish science fiction machine gone bonkers.

“Are we lost?”

“No, we’re not lost.”

“You know where we’re parked, right? We’re not going to get lost? There are like no lights anywhere.”

“It’s a ranch.”

“I know it’s a ranch, I’m just saying this feels a little sketchy.”

“It’s not sketchy.”

“What if some druggie freak like comes to rape me?”

“I’m here, and I’ll make sure nobody fucks with you, okay? We’re just spending the one night here and then we’re back to our little refuge with the dogs. Focus on that, okay?”

“This was a bad idea, coming here.”

“There’s no reason to be negative. It wasn’t a bad idea, it was just an experience and pretty soon the experience will be over and you’ll be fine, okay? You’re not going to feel like this tomorrow.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right.”

Paisley got like this sometimes, with the hyper-anxiety, which was one of the reasons I was concerned about her cannabis use. We’d both proclaimed our intent to quit multiple times in the past six months, but we couldn’t seem to kick it. We were excellent at sabotaging each other, at justifying why we should be forgiven for just having a puff or two here and there. I was starting to feel like I’d permanently altered my personality, like I’d lost a piece of myself, but then I’d tell myself that was my religious upbringing talking. That was anti-cannabis propaganda. Weed wasn’t what they said it was, it wasn’t this soul-stealing sin like I’d been taught in church. It just calmed me, took care of me, carried me through experiences I didn’t feel like I could get through otherwise. I could never judge Paisley for her need, especially knowing how much pain she’d been through since I met her.

She deserved her medicine.

“You know what the craziest thing was?” Paisley asked, as we hiked diagonally down a row of campsites. A few of them were lit up, with people sprawled out in lawn chairs and blaring their music.

“From tonight, you mean?”

“That spider-woman, the one that was hanging upside down. I couldn’t even tell which of the legs were real and which were fake. You know how hard it would be to do that, like dance upside down in midair?”

“I could see you doing something like that, becoming a little festival dancer.”

“Fuck off.”

“I mean it, with your burlesque experience and everything, you could probably at least get one of the gigs where you play with a glow-in-the-dark hoop or whatever. Can you imagine what your Mom would say?”

She laughed, and it was a lovely sound. Being with Paisley meant learning how to successfully navigate her emotional transitions, and nobody could do that better than me. The woman had the most intense emotions I’d ever experienced in another human, and they could be overwhelming to encounter, but they always passed eventually. Then I was left with my adorable stoner girlfriend, the woman I’d literally crossed a continent for, my muse. She was my past, present and future.

Eventually we found the RAV, and we sat in the open back door to smoke a moonlit joint. I chugged two bottles of water, then got up to pace in the grass. Paisley was wrapped in a blanket, looking content. The music was fainter now, chugging and whirring, while multi-coloured lasers swooped through the clouds. I’d been told that the stages play music for 20 hours a day, so the party wouldn’t be shutting down any time soon. Paisley was ready for bed, but I was jacked up on Red Bull and ready to mingle with strangers. After crawling inside to tuck her in, I told her I was going to take a walk around the grounds. I wouldn’t be gone long, I said, I just wanted to tire myself out.

“And you’re not going to do anything crazy?”

“Of course not.”

The Kootenay Goon

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tourpeer-blog · 5 years

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Vietnam: Ten things to do in Hanoi | Local tours Hanoi

Hanoi, which is the cultural heart of Vietnam is one of our focused destinations at the moment. We intend to discover top ten things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam today.

Vietnam is an incredibly vivant country with an affluent culture and a delicious cuisine style. Our numerous guides will take you through the different significant spots that show the best of Hanoi. We bring to you the local tours and experiences offered by tour guides, artists, adventurers, and other local travel experts in and out of Hanoi. We connect travelers with locals, worldwide. No matter what kind of tour you are on and how many days you have, you can still ensure that you don't miss these ten most fun and exciting things to do in Vietnam.

Have a look at the Hanoi Train Street and learn about the packed life of locals here.

Hanoi Train Street is an intriguing, old and narrow street in the Old Quarter. The whole place seems like a zip-line running in the midst of a colony street, and in this street, these trains pass horrifyingly near to the houses. Imagine streets where instead of watching children playing, all you see is a web of trains passing through each other all day long. The place makes an interesting visit and lets you appreciate our advancement and what not.

Take a romantic walk on the Long Bien Bridge.

Few things in the world hold more regards than walking hand in hand over a French bridge. Well, this Long Bien Bridge was designed and proposed by French designers and executed by the Vietnamese ones. The bridge trails over the Red River and is the connecting link between Hoan Kiem and Long Bien.

Visit the Ho Chi Minh museum and learn more about the Vietnamese past.

The Ho Chi Minh museum is a tribute to the great and late Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, or as he is fondly remembered, Uncle Ho. You can watch his whole life unfold in front of your eyes through the eight different sections of the museum which showcase his life, straight from the way he was brought up, to his young days, his beliefs and ideologies and also, the whole sequence of events that led him to go for the Vietnamese Communist Party. The museum stays closed on Mondays.

Take an evening walk along the West Lake and shop your heart out.

The largest freshwater lake of Hanoi is surrounded by scintillating restaurants and bars, and a number of shops with amazing goods for you to shop and indulge your heart out. The West Lake lies in the center of the city and is an excellent spot for going on an evening stroll.

Feel proud and grateful at the Military Museum of Vietnam.

Military museums are often associated with gallant feelings and enormous respect. And this museum holds a very special position in Vietnam too. It is one of the seven prestigious national museums of Vietnam and hosts the means and tales of wartime artillery. You can see depictions and artifacts from the most distant past of Vietnam, starting from the era of Huong Vuong, the era which marks the beginning of Vietnam.

Experience uniqueness as you explore a one of a kind Pagoda, the one Pillar Pagoda.

The one Pillar Pagoda has a single and thick pillar holding all the demeanor and weight of the Pagoda. The pillar is a magnificent 1.25 meters in diameter and speaks of the legend of Ly Thai Tong's dream meeting with Quan The Am Bo Tat. The Pagoda was built as a tribute to the goddess of mercy, Quan The Am Bo Tat who had shown her mercy on Emperor Ly Thai who had no heir.

Learn more about the dark past of Vietnam at Hoa Lo Prison.

The Hoa Lo Prison is also a wonder of the French architecture in Vietnam. Senator John McCain was also held captive at this place and his uniform also makes a part of the items put for display. The American prisoners of the war regarded this place as 'Hanoi Hilton'. Ironically, though the meaning of Hoa Lo is a stove, and the place is nothing compared to Hilton.

Pay your respects to the literary pilgrimage, the temple of literature.

The temple of literature is a charismatic place which is also the house of the Imperial Academy, which is the oldest University of Vietnam. The emperor Ly Thanh Tong built it in 1070 for a centralized center of learning. This literary temple was consecrated to respect the Chinese scholar Confucius.

Enjoy classic and vintage art at the Hanoi Opera House.

Hanoi Opera House, true to its name and nature, is one of the most graceful and elegant buildings of Hanoi. Spectacular dance performances and operas are organized here and you can enjoy the vintage fineness of this place and its art. The moonlit makes this Opera House look even more gorgeous, beaming in total contrast with the cream-colored floodlights.

Watch puppetry charm at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.

Water puppetry is an intricate part of Hanoi's history and its past with civilizations after civilizations adopting it under their own reign and carrying it forward. The puppet masters present an exquisite and refined performance by their respective puppets who tell you the popular legend of the King Le's sword. Watch the show to know it better.

Hanoi is the cultural icing of Vietnam, and once you're here, no amount of days will feel enough to cover its generous attributes. You can let us know about your interests and we'd provide you with a customized itinerary taking you through every promising part of Hanoi. Visit Tourpeer to know more.

#thingstodohanoi #thingstodovietnam #localtourshanoi #localtoursvietnam

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