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#im just vibing with friends and watching dramas that catch my fancy
xiakeponz · 3 months
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I just wanted to translate a lil' bit of this book I was reading, because I didn't realise just how many poems (in the case of this book, Tang dynasty poems) have been lost to the ravages of time, and what a miracle it is that we even have a 唐诗三百首 today. Short note from me about translation approach is at the end under the cut.
唐诗寒武纪
王晓磊 (六神磊磊) 著
ISBN: 978-7-5302-2250-8
The Cambrian Age of Tang Poems by Author Wang Xiaolei (ISBN: 978-7-5302-2250-8)
Chapter 1 
Do you know how fortunate you are to be able to read Tang poems today? 
我志在删述,垂辉映千春。- 李白
My ambition is as grand as when Confucius compiled The Book of Poems, so that the radiance of my poems may shine a thousand springs from now. 
At a time 400 years ago from the present day, during the Tianqi Era (1621-1628) of the Ming Dynasty, when Eunuch Wei Zhongxian’s (魏忠贤)authority could eclipse the heavens- 
In the Haiyan district of the Zhejiang Province, there was an old man who silently shed his official’s robes, and folded them neatly. This was a set of blue robes embroidered with white pheasants, signifying that he was a fifth-rank court official. 
Outside, someone yelled, “Official Hu, why haven’t you come out yet! We’re waiting to escort you to De Zhou so you can take up your post there!”
“Take up my post?” The old gentleman gave a small smile, then muttered to himself, “Goodbye,  court politics! I have long grown weary of you. I’m going back to my hometown, and spending the rest of my years completing a very important matter- to compile the most complete set of Tang poems, so that there will no longer be any left out, so that no longer will there be any lost to the ages, so that our descendents can read them all!”
Let us remember the name of this old gentleman: Hu Zhenheng (胡震亨). 
Perhaps it is very difficult for people of the present day to understand - wasn’t he just wanting to make a compilation of poems, was that really so difficult? Did he need to really go this hard? Actually, yes. Back in that time period, it really was that difficult.  During that time, there were no publishing companies, printing factories, libraries, or convenient search engines. If you wanted to look up a poem, you’d have to pore through countless scrolls, you may even need to  trek over mountains and cross rivers just to be able to make a copy - and even after all that, you may not even have been able to make that copy. 
If Ol’ Hu slacked off, and didn’t make this Tang poetry compilation, what would have happened? The answer to that is, that the consequences would have been very dire.
At that time, Tang poetry was already starting to go extinct just like how our flora and fauna species are going into mass extinction today. According to Hu Zhenheng’s estimations, at least half of all Tang poetry had already been lost. 
Perhaps you are thinking, how the hell does poetry just go missing? As long as the poet is good enough, as long as the poem is good enough, then wouldn’t such works just be passed down through the ages, and be able to endure, that way? 
It really doesn’t work like that. 
Let me ask you a very broad question: out of all of the Tang poems, which one is the best? Perhaps many people will respond, off the top of their heads, “A night of moonlit blossoms on the river in spring” (春江花月夜“). This poem is lauded as the “a singular page eclipses the entire Tang dynasty” poem of poems, after all. Well then, who is the author of this fine poem? Many of you readers can answer, Zhang Ruoxu(张若虚). 
This Mister Zhang has written such a great work, and has made such a great contribution to Tang Poetry. Well then, how many of his poems remain today? A hundred poems? Eighty? The answer will shock you - merely two of his poems remain today. 
The only reason “A night of moonlit blossoms on the river in spring” was able to be passed down to the present day, is really nothing more than a giant fluke. It was thanks to a very accidental opportunity, that when people in the Song dynasty were compiling a book of songs and ballads for their music bureau, they recorded this very poem by Zhang Ruoxu into the compilation, and enabled it to be passed down through the ages. 
Apart from two poems, all the other works created by Zhang Ruoxu in his lifetime, do not exist today. 
Now let me ask you another similar question: out of the pentasyllabic quatrain poems (五言绝句)in the Tang dynasty , which one is the best? Many will immediately respond, “Climbing White Stork Tower” (登鹳雀楼). Yes, the one which everyone recited as a child - the sun sets against the mountains, the yellow river flows into the sea” (白日依山尽,黄河入海流). Its author is recognised by most people as Wang Zhihuan (王之涣). 
So then, how many poems has the great poet Wang Zhihuan left behind? The answer will again flabbergast you as you read it: there are only six poems left behind, the rest are all gone. 
Within a thousand years, we do not know how many lines like “the sun sets against the mountains (白日依山尽)”, and “the tides of the ocean and the moon rise in tandem (海上明月共潮生)” have been lost to the ages forever. 
The misfortunes of our friends Wang Zhihuan and Zhang Ruoxu, were not mere happenstance. 
How many poems of Li Bai (李白)have lived on to see the light of today? The most pessimistic takes say that, about one-tenth of all his poems exist today. 
This great genius has been writing poetry all his life, so estimates of his total poem count sits at around five thousand to ten thousand poems. For every ten of his poems, we may never ever be able to read eight or nine of them. 
Before passing away, Li Bai had sorted out all of the drafts and writings he had made in his lifetime, and solemnly entrusted it all to his uncle (族叔), Li Yangbing (李阳冰), and asked that he compile them into volumes, so that it can be passed down through generations. Li Yangbing did not fail Li Bai’s wishes, and poured his heart into compiling the Thatched Cottage Anthologies (草堂集)of which there were ten scrolls … which then subsequently got lost to the ages in the Song Dynasty. 
Now let’s talk about Du Fu (杜甫)。Essentially all the poems written by this similarly great poet before the age of forty, have been lost to the ages. How long did Du Fu live? Until age fifty-eight. That is to say, that all the poems he wrote for most of his life, were all for nothing. 
Another big shot, Wang Wei, (王维)fared no better. During the Kaiyuan era alone (713-741) he wrote hundreds if not thousands of poems. By the end, less than one-tenth of the total remained. 
There are countless other examples. The early Tang poet, Song Zhiwen(宋之问)was big-name poet who established the foundations of regulated verse poetry. He had poetry volumes circulating during the Tang Dynasty, however the circulation still ended during the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty, and was finally lost during the Wanli era. All twenty volumes of the writings of gifted female scholar-official, Shangguan Wan’er (上官婉儿), were entirely lost in the Song dynasty, and we only have thirty-two of her poems remaining today. 
The poetry volumes written by one of the “Elite Fours” of the early Tang dynasty, Wang Bo (王勃),the genius who famously wrote “the hues of twilight fall in line with the solitary flight of a wild mallard (落霞与孤鹜齐飞)”, were arduously able to survive for a few hundred years, however, come the Ming dynasty, they were all completely lost all the same. 
This is like saying that the complete works of Jing Yong (金庸)were all lost to the ages, and you would only be able to glean snippets and excerpts of his original writings from the column writings of Liushen Leilei (六神磊磊)to get your hit. Just the thought of it makes me want to cry. 
The great Meng Haoran (孟浩然) can be counted as lucky. Shortly after he passed away, there were already people making compilations of his poems. Even so, many of his creations have still been lost. There is also the great Li Shangyin (李商隐), who wrote “the silkworm spins silk even ‘til death (春蚕到死丝方尽)” and “our hearts are connected through a singular nexus (心有灵犀一点通)” , who personally compiled forty-odd scrolls of his writings, however, those have all been lost, and not a single volume remains. His poems have all been scrabbled together piece-by-piece, by those after his time. 
So, do you still think that those poems which have been lost to time, were lost purely because they were shoddy poems, of little worth, so no one wanted to remember them? Not at all. Even if they made a mark in their heyday, poems that are handed down will eventually be lost to time, all the same. 
People in the Tang dynasty have recorded, that of Li Bai’s CiFu (辞赋)poetry, the poems Dapeng Fu (大鹏赋)and Hongyou Fu (鸿猷赋)were incredibly marvelous, so much so that they even surpassed the calibre of writings of the big guardians of CiFu poetry from the previous generation, Sima Xiangru (司马相如) and Yang Xiong (杨雄). Fortunately, we can read Dapeng Fu today, but … where is Hongyou Fu? Sorry, it’s gone, lost forever to the ravages of time. 
Translator’s note:
There are many ways to do a translation, and this one is more for the vibes than for the “literal” translation - that is not to say it is inaccurate, but as someone who has translated for years from Japanese to English, or from time to time, Chinese to English (when I feel like it lol) I thought I’d state the purpose of this translation so you can get a sense of my choices here.  I am translating this very casually and more for speed / for fun, it is a very pulling-words-off-the-top-of-my-head translation than the other kind of translation I do where I sit there for hours milling over a singular word. A partial reason for why I can do this style of translation is because the prose of the book itself is very conversational and casual (I will tangentially note, this writing style is kind of controversial with the Author’s other works that discuss poetry, as some readers view it as “low-brow”, but for me, I like it. I think it makes the content very digestible and accessible to readers who are new to poetry). This translation is for my buddies in the poetry club, who are mainly diaspora and/or can read Chinese to any extent anyway (in particular, I want to thank the funny and great @fwoopersongs, for always being here to chat poem stuff and making me interested in the lives of the poets and the context surrounding the poetry rather than just the poems themselves).  As such, I will try to remember to include the Chinese characters for people’s names, so you can read it with the correct tones. I bought this book and started reading, and thought wow, this is cool, I want to share it. A lot of the Chinese terms here I’ve only thought about and experienced in Chinese, I don’t watch Mandarin-language shows with any subtitles, and I don’t typically experience other Chinese Media in English so I am not sure what the “standard” (if any) terms in English would be - it’s for the vibes, especially the parts where I am translating literal poetry. For example, the author pulls verses from poetry here to set the tone for the start of a chapter, so the goal of my translation here to make a translation that it conveys to the reader a reason why that verse was chosen, rather than the “perfect” way 千秋, 碧落,独倚 or a word like that is translated (or, for example, everyone let’s agree on a translation of the poem title 《春江花月夜》 - pain - lol). I do not think I can do any of these poetry translations justice, as poetry translations in any language is more like a feeling of the soul that you try to fit within the available confines of another language, hoping that the reader on the other side can experience something in their own individual way through your shared humanity rather than language alone. Also, I do have a lot of commentary and notes that I wanted to make but I might do that in a different place (maybe as footnotes) at another time, I don’t want to interrupt the flow of the reader by sticking my own comments everywhere.
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lampoest · 3 years
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Unfiltered thoughts watching mission impossible rouge nation inspired by @chaotically-cas
(sorry its so long my brain is all over the place)
this is also part 14 of me watching it every day :/
CURSING WARNING !! ALSO SPOILERS !!!
why is brandt first to speak
starting out with "shit" good call benji
brandt man we get the package is on the mcfucking plane
badass luther 10/10
nervous benji 10/10
that one sound effects sounds like the discord notif
why he in a fancy suit
*jumps on a plane with almost no plan on getting inside*
why did tom cruise think this was agood idea?
but like why would benji even open the ramp?
how is he not winded from that?
classic ethan
THE INTRO 1000/10
SOLOMON LANE !!
wait you can already see lane in the record shop.
how do they tell the agents these little convos?
also damn way to give it away
what if someone just looked in that room and saw the secret message?
also how did the disc get changed? because the imf definitely didnt make that
and how did lane know where he was going?
speaking of lane---
dang that man is pretty
he always sets guns down carefully
i can only see alec baldwin as trump from his snl skits so i dont take hunley seriously ;-;
damn brandt needs to step it up. man keeps letting himself be inturrupted
bruh the imf is only luck
why did no one resrict his legs?
also why is janik such an asshole?
dang she cool !!
why does it take janik so long to get that gun?
bravo-echo 1-1
this man is bleeding but decided instead of taking care of his wound he calls brandt.
i like how you actually see ethan worried and confused trying to plan his next moves. he is rarely caught off guard so it's refreshing to see his more human side
hunley spitting accusations damn bro
also a big fuck you from ethan to hunley
dang ethan is good
brandts little hidden smile
and ethan leaving trails
bitch how you sketch that good???
STAN BENJI !!
youve won, your way out of a job
benji is good
my little brandt x benji shipper in me is happy
simon pegg is such a good actor
the first time i saw this i was like: aww noooo
all dunn with that
TO THE OPERA !!!
TUX BENJI TUX BENJI
i cant tell if that was ethan
it just looks like youre talking to yourself thats more sus than using a phone
want drama? go to the opera
ok but like if you look like that im sorry you are a bad guy. thats like a stereotypical bad guy face
benji-
you can see ethan in the background of that scene
flute gun flute gun
oh no benji is in the closet. dont worry man we love you
if i were there and i just had a good vantage point i could find lane in an instant
ooh ilsa pretty
pipe gun
also pamphlet computer
those key things are cool and plausible
spiderman spiderman does whatever, ethan hunt can?
a W O M A N
what W O M A N?
reminds me of a marshmallow gun i made out if pvc pipes.
why does she not put that thing back?
also the dude loads it and then later it is unloaded
dang that guy is pretty tall.
ethan is so tiny
dis bitch is like uhh gimmie a sec to catch my breath mate
why he only dropkick people?
only 30 mins in ?!?!
the cinematography is exquisite
yes benji goin sicko mode
*gets shot* just a flesh wound
bruh i would've been so startled at that
i love how confused he is at that
ilsa saves ethan once again
they did this on the first day of filming
skdjs
ah yes random package in car = not bomb totally
if she tried to shoot benji then yes she is a bad person
but she didnt try to, she could've easily but didn't
benji being paranoid
she could just say the dude's name
benji being scared
hunley jumping to conclusions
brandt actually cares yeey
why di they approach from different sides of the street they were in the same car.
benji was far away from the sparks why he flinch?
friendship goals
oop plot dump that only mission impossible can get away with
ok...
why this mf's voice so smooth
lane is struggling with chopsticks
also lane :))))
ive chocked on my water so many times watching this scene
lanes voice :))))))
SHE RUINED HIS SUSHI WHAT THE FUCK ILSA
this man dont know what personal space is
gotta look up these peeps mbti types
casablanca references
also benji is wearing dollar store lookin glasses while ethan is wearing some fancy glasses
luther is top notch
as much as i dont like jeremy renner he delivers these lines really well
because atlee is a bitch
oh honey please, impossible is a walk in the park
benji just wants to wear a mask
id be so nervous walking through those
yes...
personal wellbeing who?
why not bring a plastic bottle full of air?
tom cruise can hold his breath for 6 minutes and he learned to do so for that scene
luther big brain
damn cctv
why did they need to break in while benji was going in?
das sus but ok
also isnt et voila french?
she just randomly tapping the ipad
benji being stressed
if he missed the exact center
i want one of those to open my locker's lock
if he just went with the current and didnt try to force his way against the water ilsa wouldn't have had to save him
imagine if he put the wrong one in-
she is breathing heavily to over saturate her body with oxygen so she can hold her breath longer
see ilsa makes it out without well and she went with the current
BENJI'S OUTFIT YESSS :))))))
no you didn't
you gave her a false sense of security
ethan's confused face for the next like 10 mins is great
liar
why does that one man look like sean ambrose?
parkour
skdjdksjdjdkfjs
the facial acting in this
STAIRS STAIRS STAIRS
the glare yesss
vrrrm vrrm
hey its you !
drivin like a grandma
shit !
benji just screaming
im convinced that ethan is indestructible
no you didn't survive that
bonk
dskfh
ethan didnt just-
also why didnt benji just tell ethan he made a copy ???
dont shoot and drive kids
high speed motorcycle chase with no helmet or leather. tom cruise, how?
i wanna learn how to drive a motorcycle
HOW THE FUCK IS HE NOT DEAD YET ?!?!
the lighting
ofc brandt would be the person why sits backwards on a chair. fkn bi vibes
benji to the rescue
fuck off atlee
i am so proud of us ...
the lines are done so well here
benji lookin like how i look when my parents argue
YES THIS SCENE
LANE LANE LANE LANE LANE
im too fucking gay for this movie-
once again no personal space
*inhales* :))))))))))))))
ive like memorized the entire script of this including the music
1 man performance of m:i5 ???
benji's outfit
also i love how youre able to see the characters in the background. props for the attention to detail
i need that haircut because his hair is lookin A+
fuck you atlee
ilsa spitting straight facts
uhh ilsa he still loves julia
NO BENJI NOOOO
EW FUCK OFF JANIK NO ONE LIKES YOU
speak of the devil-
betrayal--
WOULDNT YOU LIKE TO KNOW WEATHER BOY !??
actin sus
BENJI LANE BENJI LANE
his posture shdhskhsj (i cant be talking though)
0 personal space whatsoever
why does everyone have the same haircut in this???
simon mcburney pretending to be hunt prentending to be atlee
manipulation !?
the syndicate you say ? i know a thing or two about them 😼😼😼
damn though renner delivers these lines really well
a black tie? how informal. ..
complimenting hunt right infront of him
but he really didnt
i never realized that they were on the clock for this
huh...
the lil head nod though-
HAHA YEAH FUCK YOU ATLEE
is it bad that i hate atlee more than i hate lane?
ethan big smart wrinkle brain
janik just reading a fucking magazine
ethan has a photographic memory
oh look its benji :)))
lane :))))
ethan being tough
it must be aquward to get the low angle shots
lane is running out the clock to put pressure on ethan hmmm big brain
it isnt working though :\
damn he so cocky that hes telling the villain his plan
ill give you 1/5 of the money you wanted to get my bf back
ok but like does tom cruise just not age?
kill the woman
ugh i hate janik
the trust that is shown between those two is great
yes the score and the chase are so great
also this man really hates windows for some reason
fuck off janik
sneaky sneaky
EYY ITS LANE !!!
yeyy janik is dead
once again dodging bullets and hating glass
couldve killed him but needed him alive
the glass box
badass ethan
all the pretty men assembled
lane really let himself go aster this
dang though lane is my favorite villain ever
i like how for once the girl and the guy just are friends instead of romantically involved
eyy the callbacks to how the movie started.
welcome to the imf
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gayoperatorgunclub · 4 years
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For the ultimate ship meme, Lion and Doc? I'm sorry, I'm LionDoc trash-
it’s all good!! whenever someone sends in an ask, i get an excuse to talk/write about one of my interests! really, it makes me so happy to be able to create content that people hopefully enjoy!! 💝💝💝
General:
Rate the Ship -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs
How long will they last? - until the end of time, babey
How quickly did/will they fall in love? - it was love at first sight but then they started talking i do think it was some form of ~interest~ in one another at first sight, but then all that drama and lack of communication happened so they didn’t really allow themselves to even dream about the possibility of a relationship. HOWEVER! once lion joined rainbow and they talked their shit out like people who know how to cope, there was a period of a few months that is now referred to as The Four Months of Pining™, during which glaz did a lot of paintings where the subject (who usually bears an uncanny resemblance to doc or lion) is staring at something (or someone) longingly. he calls it his french period. when they finally get together, a LOT of money changes hands. and goes straight into sledge’s pocket (he was the only one who bet that it would take them this long). diana gets a brand new collar (handmade), bed (handmade), dish (handmade), and many new toys (some handmade, some store-bought. sledge’s craftsmanship can only get him so far) 
How was their first kiss? - you know how the french are supposed to be super suave and confident??? and how gay people are trying their hardest but they’re just Not Good at things????? (i know these are stereotypes but stay with me). well, with their 5/8 french blood (i hc one of doc’s parents is fully algerian while the other is half french, half algerian), and their 4/4 gay blood, they have an 81.25% chance of success in matters of the heart. sadly, that 18.75% chance of failure came into play during this situation. picture it. doc and lion. romantic, home-cooked dinner. le festin is playing in the background. they’re holding hands over the table. suddenly, doc’s cat goes into labour. all hell breaks loose. lion is getting flashbacks to his son’s birth, so now he’s hyperventilating. doc carries him to the couch and turns on the fan so he can cool off and catch his breath, before carefully moving his cat, Rayie (arabic for gorgeous, pronounced rye-ah) to the living room in his handmade Birthing Box, then grabs a pile of blankets and a heat lamp and situates himself on the ground nearby so he can help her if she needs it. once the kittens are born (they’re twins!! Sadiqi is the boy, and Amirti is the girl!!!) doc makes sure they’re nice and warm and that Rayie is recovering, and gives her pets while she cleans her babies. once the happy family is all settled in for the night, doc walks over to the couch and just. lays down on top of lion. once he’s gotten over the adrenaline of the birth, he takes lion’s face in his hands and says “promise me you’ll be more calm if we ever decide to have kids” and gives him a BIG smooch while lion’s just short-circuiting like “does he know i have a son???? did i forget to mention my son?????? also what about these kittens??? are they not sufficiently childish to count as children????? DOES HE WANT KIDS????? does he want to marry me??????? wait why is he getting so clo-”
Wedding:
Who proposed? - lion. it was the day of their two year anniversary (yes i AM saying they got together the august after outbreak don’t @ me) and they were on vacation at doc’s family’s Secret Beach House. they were vibing on the balcony, watching the sunset, when lion suddenly clears his throat. doc turns to look at him and finds his boyfriend down on one knee, looking like he might flee to Bermuda. he’s reaching for something in his pocket. doc starts laughing. lion, completely misunderstanding his reaction, flushes and stammers out an apology. doc sees this, and immediately stops, though he’s still smiling gleefully as he catches lion by the biceps, then reaches into his own pocket and pulls the ring he was going to give olivier. they exchange rings, giggling like little kids, and spend the rest of the night making out on whatever surfaces are available. 
Who is the best man/men? - for lion? montagne. (his son is the ring bearer and doc’s niece is the flower girl). for doc? rook. he’s so happy he gets to participate in his dad’s wedding
Who is the bride’s maid(s)? - for lion: finka. for doc: twitch
Who did the most planning? - both of them!! do you know how hard they worked to ensure the ceremony was valid in the eyes of both of their religions
Who stressed the most? - s e e  a b o v e
How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.
Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - lion’s parents. they tried to call him during the reception but doc’s grandma grabbed his phone and started cussing them out, talking about dishonor and how they tried to disown him so they’re not his parents anymore, and besides, his new family absolutely adores him, so really, it’s their loss. once she hangs up, she pulls lion into a hug and he calls her his favorite, if only, grand-mère
Sex:
Who is on top? - who’s topping? lion. but sometimes doc gets bitchy so he gets to set the pace if you know what i mean
Who is the one to instigate things? - they are both lowkey horny 24/7 so 👀👀👀
How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now (only because they do get to see each other fairly often. if one goes on a long mission without the other, once they get back they will bump it up to a 10 real quick)
How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head
How long do they normally last? - idk long enough ig. maybe longer if someone feels they’ve been left ~unsatisfied~ they might go a few more rounds ;))
Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - ok it depends on what they’re doing but usually it’s one or two each, but on ~special~ occasions it’s either doc getting edged and denied for hours, OR doc getting forced to come over and over again until he’s begging for something, whether it be more or a goddamn break even he isn’t really sure. either way he’s crying and lion is consistently asking if he needs to safeword and otherwise checking in because they may like it rough but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care
How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.
How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.
Children:
How many children will they have naturally? - unless someone’s hormones and organs get fucked, zero
How many children will they adopt? - probably none?? idk they’ve already got lion’s son and they’re both busy enough with work so
Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - NEITHER!!!!! DISGUSTANG!!!!!!!!!
Who is the stricter parent? - god i wanna say both. like lion and his attachment to rules??? but doc and his Mom Friend energy????? but ig lion BUT HE’S NOT STRICT TO THE POINT HE’S A BUZZKILL OR ANYTHING HE’S JUST RESPONSIBLE (he will NOT allow his husband and son to go vandalize the property of some islamaphobic brits, as much as he agrees with the sentiment) 
Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - doc will only allow vandalism if it’s in the name of righteousness. meaning, he’ll allow their son to spray paint the walls of a goddamn walmart with shit like “eat the rich” and a portrait of robespierre and a guillotine, but it is a HARD NO on defacing places like the library or community center (unless he has a good reason to do so). lion spends his time praying and making sure his son knows which acts of civil disobedience are acceptable and which are distorting their goal 
Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - doc. he (privately) dreams of retiring (eventually) and living out his lifelong dreams of being a househusband. so
Who is the more loved parent? - SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE IM GONNA BEAT YOUR ASS. but ig lion??? BUT ONLY BECAUSE THEIR SON HAS KNOWN HIM LONGER. doc is half Dad and half Cool Uncle Who Gives Me Spray Paint And Tells Me To Make Myself Heard (to clarify, i know doc is a pacifist, but im kinda projecting my own sentiment of “we’ve tried to be peaceful but you wouldn’t give us the time of day. now that we’ve “acted out” we’ve gotten your attention, and rest assured, things are going to change.” he won’t hurt anybody, he’s just tired of having to be everyone’s “muslim friend” and educating people on things they could google themselves)
Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - it used to be lion out of necessity, but when people started asking about his “wife” he was really torn between telling them that he and his son’s mother separated, but now he has a partner and his son seems very happy about it. when doc finally attends a meeting with lion, people really struggle to hide their shock. a few clunky but well-meaning “we support you”’s and “we’re sorry for everything that’s been going on”’s later, doc has used his charm to make friends with literally everyone. from then on, he is on pta duty on behalf of lion and his ex
Who cried the most at graduation? - lion! his parents purposefully didn’t show at his, so it’s a big deal for him to show his son just how proud he is. doc tears up a little too, but manages to mostly keep it together so he can support lion, who spends most of the day heave-crying about how proud he is into his husband’s shoulder. gustave just pats him on the back and tells him that they’ll run out of donuts if they don’t get to the concession stand soon
Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - doc. civil disobedience, baby!! he has never been caught. lion fears the law after his youth, so he tries to avoid any visits to law enforcement. he also can’t stand to see his son behind bars
Cooking:
Who does the most cooking? - doc. househusband, remember?
Who is the most picky in their food choice? - doc, but only because he can be a bit of a spice supremacist. he has to get his ingredients from these very specific farms and markets or else his great grandmother will begin manifesting in their house to curse them
Who does the grocery shopping? - doc, bc he does NOT trust lion to not just sweep all of the microwave ramen and kraft mac n cheese into the cart then sprint to self-checkout
How often do they bake desserts? - whenever possible. doc and maestro live by the philosophy “don’t do anything halfway” if they’re going to go through the trouble of making a meal, it will have multiple courses. 
Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - doc is more of a salad eater but only for ease of consumption with halal laws. he adores filet mignon
Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - lion! maestro enlists himself as assistant head chef after walking into the base’s kitchen one day to find lion covered in flour and lying facedown on the floor, crying
Who is more likely to suggest going out? - also lion! though he’s memorized doc’s order at all of their favorite restaurants, so he usually just gets take out and puts on a big show of being a “tired housewife who works in the kitchen all day just for this one meal” and setting up the table so it’s all nice and romantic
Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - lion. he tried crème brûlée once. never again 
Chores:
Who cleans the room? - lion. organization is everything to this man. doc helps with laundry and such, but for the most part he leaves organization to lion and his systems (think leslie knope levels of planning and organization)
Who is really against chores? - neither! they both understand that teamwork makes the dream work, baby!!
Who cleans up after the pets? - doc, since lion’s already asked him which color hanger should represent “clothes i can tear off my husband before we fuck” and he needs a Moment
Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - neither. they don’t own a broom
Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - lion because of the deep-seated catholic urge to appear perfect in front of others, and doc because people will gossip, olivier!
Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - lion. he immediately called doc into the room and asked “is this your stash of drug money?” doc, who had been asleep because it was 3 in the morning on a saturday, just stares at him
Misc:
Who takes the longer showers/baths? - it is so bold to assume they don’t shower together to “cut costs”
Who takes the dog out for a walk? - lion is known in their neighborhood as the man who walks cats. there is a facebook page where people post pictures of him walking his cats. vigil is an admin
How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - LITERALLY EVERY HOLIDAY GETS DECORATIONS. lion makes his own for the muslim holidays since there really aren’t many “of good quality” in stores. when they first started dating, doc came home to find his house covered in ramadan decorations, and lion standing precariously on a ladder, trying to string up fairy lights while learning how to pronounce important arabic words. needless to say, doc cries
What are their goals for the relationship? - mutual joy and contentment!!!! 
Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - doc. he’s sleepy
Who plays the most pranks? - lion, but they’re stupid ones like replacing certain pictures with danny devito. doc gets back at him by replacing pictures of jesus with ewan mcgregor, and putting yoda into his nativity scene. lion doesn’t notice
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