#样young

[dtriad]

tfw when you fall down the rabbit hole of a new canon that:

is 2.7 million Chinese characters long—so half a QZGS/The King's Avatar, not as long as QZGS but still pretty damn long

doesn't have what one would exactly consider a low barrier to entry... hello ancient China circa 190-200+ CE with a huge cast, 3K era good times good times, gotta pull up a map of the historical provinces in order to track the armies moving around (logistics!! see ACOUP)

doesn't have an English translation orz

/o\

早安！三国打工人 Good Morning! Workers of the Three Kingdoms is so good though ;__; (alt source pt. 1+2)

[niteshade925]

🙂

[lufyuu]

,, Tied Up Prince ''

Psychotic villain x Isekai'd second prince male reader

Tw/s: bondage, stockholm syndrome-ish, reader is into how the villain puts him in his place, dub-con, ripping clothes, degration, angry sex, punished reader, yandere-like oc, agressive sex.

The original post

The sound of blades clashing is loud. Ear deafening even. The sound continues for what feels like a century to the young man. When it finally stops, he lets out a frustrated sigh. Not being able to guess what will happen next.

The masked man refuses to fall down on his knees. Instead, he limps a bit while looking up at the sword wielding main character, his sword casted aside. His long messy hair covers even more of his features due to the fact his mask has sustained some damage and yet he still finds a way to taunt the other. “你真的觉得这样就结束了吗？” , letting out a chuckle. With only a few seconds left in the episode, the viewer watches in anticipation, wondering what will happen. The semi masked man limps towards the other and out of nowhere, throws needles towards the main character. As he passes out, so do the end credits.

"WHAT!??? IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS???", you freak out over the cliffhanger ending, urgently scrolling to see if it's ongoing or if there are more episodes— unfortunately, it's neither. You feel as if you're about to metaphorically cry due to frustration. Nobody warned you there'd be a huge cliffhanger after 50 episodes! "God damnit!", you yell at nobody in particular while trying to do more research. Maybe if you look hard enough, the 51st episode will appear...right?

Even after 2 hours, you refuse to give up. You've wasted almost 3 whole days to watch this stupid series, it can't just end like that. You even go through some tiktok comments and edits too find any clues to an episode 51. Though, it's odd that nobody cares to mention the fact that there's a huge cliffhanger on the last episode. Everyone seems to be okay with it? That can't be right. Either everyone's crazy or you're going crazy.

"AHA!", you finally find a "clue" of some sort in the official website. It states that although the series does end on episode 50, it's based off of a novel which is completed. Without a second thought, you search it up only to find that the novel name is...your name? It clearly says [Name] [L. Name] as the title. As they say, curiosity killed the cat. You mindlessly click on the link.

“我们终将相遇，灵魂伴侣。”

.ᐟ.ᐟ

'My head's killing me...', when you open your eyes, you're faced with a ceiling. It wouldn't be odd if it weren't for the fact that it's not your ceiling. "What the...", you instantly sit up on the bed to look around. Not only is the ceiling not the one you usually wake up to, the entire room isnt even yours. You scramble to get on your feet, almost sprinting towards the door. When you are about to open it, it opens from the other side. "Ah!", the short, well dressed girl lets out a shocked noise, "your highness, you're up early", she regains her composure and sesms to be waiting for something. You stay quiet for a few seconds which prompts her to try and break the silence, "may I come in..?", to which you take a step to the right, allowing her to enter the spacious bedroom and put down a tray with food. Before she exits, she opens the windows for you to which you thank her for as she walks out the room, leaving you all alone once more.

"Gosh it's bright out", you walk over to the now opened window and look out. The scent of nature lingers on your nose, it calms your panicked mind in just a few seconds. The birds chirping, the leaves rustling, the sun shining brightly. Far different from the traffic jam and loud vehicles you'd normally hear. This gives you enough time to think about the situation in a calm and rational manner. 'Your highness?', is what you think of, along with the fact that the room and environment is vastly different from the messy, dark room you would usually wake up to. Questioning yourself only led to even more questions and so, you turn to look at the plate that has been served to you. Two steamed buns and a few fruits for nutrients.

"Alright let's see what I can find!", you have some optimism in you as you begin your "investigation". The courtyard is ridiculously big and so are the halls. You alnost got lost halfway in! Deciding it's time for a little break, you sit down on a nearby pavilion. "I've been here for almost an hour, am I just dreaming..", you pinch yourself a few times but end up with a red cheek and still no answers. "Ow...", you sigh, nothing has given you any answers.

"What's gotten you so stressed?", a voice rings out behind you, prompting you to turn around just enough to get a glance. A good-looking and well built man stands behind with a small smile on his face. He takes a few steps forward and sits next to you, "I don't think I've ever heard you sigh that loudly before", he tries to lighten up the mood seeing how blue you look right now. "Well...", realizing something, you do a double take, "Zhou Jian!?", you jump up in disbelief to which he responds with a very shocked face, "yes..?", he looks worried for your well, "was I really gone that long?", he chuckles and scratches his head, "I could have sworn it was just a month", you could only stand frozen in time, jaw almost wide open but you manage to keep it closed. "C'mon, sit down, tell 哥哥 what's on your mind", he smiles with his eyes closed, patting the seat next to him. You slowly sit down while staring bullets into him. "Are you mad at me?", he asks with a worried expression, you turn away, realizing your stare was bothering him. "Ahem no, of course not", in all honesty, you're trying your best to act like a younger sibling and it sure it hard when your older brother is THE Zhou Jian.

He had previously heard of your dissatisfaction with how he is almost always away from home so it wasn't unreasonable for him to think that way. "Hm, then?", he asks, tilting his head and moving closer to you. You don't even know what you want...maybe just a bit of help 'recalling' who you are. Of course you can't just say you lost your memories or something like that, it'd worry Zhou Jian.

What to do...you have to continue exploring this strange world but also can't risk alerting Zhou Jian...That's it!

"I think I just need a stroll out", you look at him. He tenses up and his eyebrows begin furrow. "You know that's not a good idea", he shakes his head, shit you just fucked up..how were you supoosed to know you're not allowed out?? "Please? There's something I need to do", you try to plead, "and I won't be out an hour", but no matter how you persist, he doesn't waver. "弟弟, if it truly is important, I'll send someone to do whatever it is for you", he offers an alternative but that doesn't work for you. There is no way to convince him so you think of another idea. You close your eyes for a moment and nod, "it's okay, I changed my mind", giving a half smile.

"Oh...they're so tall..", you look at the walls you planned to climb to get out. You never learned how to climb a rope either so that's out of the question. Maybe your secret get out plan won't be happening afterall.

'Think [Name], think!'

You pace around, trying to think of another plan. Those cliche romance shows lied to you! You can't possibly climb a tall building. While pacing around, you can't help but feel as if you're forgetting something but what? You try your best to recall the whole series, the plot, what happened and what started it.

"Zhou Jian has to defend his kingdom against the villain due to the fact that...", you talk to yourself, trying to regain memory of the show, "the villain seeks out the Kingdom's rumoured hidden temple in order to seize...", as if everything's connected, you remember the most important thing, "..the power within!", your fist gently hits your palm, and your eyes widen with excitement. "That means I probably have powers like that too!", you almost let out a happy noise but remembering that you are most likely going to be spotted faster if you do, you contain yourself. "How to activate it..", you try to think of jumping over the wall, maybe gracefully flying over to the other side but nothing happens. "They make it look so effortless in the shows", you start to wonder if there's really not a single system window to guide you.

"Your highness! It's time for your tea", a maid is clearly looking for you, shouting loudly as she searches for you everywhere. "Oh shit!", you'll get found out in no time if you don't escape now! A sudden wave of panic sends your body suddenly flying over the 40ft tall cement wall. "W-wAoHH", You brace for impact but fortunately for you, your body doesn't hit the ground roughly, infact, your fall is cushioned by an invisible object. You need time to process what just happened but the guards right around the corner says otherwise. Without missing another second, your legs sprint towards the town in hopes of not getting caught red handed. 'It seems my magic is unstable..is it because I'm not from here or is it just my new body that's weak..?'

You huff and huff due to how fast you just ran from the imperial palace to the bustling streets. After a while, you pull yourself together and look around, finally noticing the amazing scent of the street food being sold. "Excuse me", a little girl says, trying to get past you as you're blocking the middle, "sorry!", you instantly move to the side to let her get past. "Now, where to start", your eyes dart around, a mom and daughter sharing a tanghulu, a couple enjoying their stroll together and even a homeless looking man being given a baozi to eat. Looking at everything up close in person gives a different feeling than when you're watching behind a screen. Despite being here, you still have little to no clue as to who you are in this world and what your purpose is. All you know if that you're the brother of the protagonist. In the original show, there were no mentions of the protagonist ever having a younger brother so people assumed he's an only child. The only heir to the thrown, who knew there would be a spare?

Well you can't dwell on that too much, you have to at least find out what arc you're in right now. Maybe by knowing, you'd be able to assist the protagonist in fighting! Technically you're the main character now that you've isekai'd into the world so there's no way you'd be in any sort of danger!

You turn your attention to your right, the neverending displays of food makes your mouth water. Unfortunately, due to you not paying much attention to where you're walking, you bump into someone. The impact was enough to send you stumbling backwards. The stranger's hand instinctively wraps around your waist, preventing you from falling onto the people behind you and potentially creating a domino effect. His taller stature surprises you. Only when you stabilize yourself, he removes his hand. "Next time, be more aware of your surroundings", his voice is somewhat elegant yet intimidating and indifferent. You can't really diciphere him as his face is covered by a very oddly terrifying mask. It definitely stands out which makes you wonder if he does like the attention if brings him or simply he's unaware of his unique accessory. Though, before you can ask anything, he walks in past you, dissapearing into the crowd. Something about him seemed...very familiar.

After several hours of strolling and finding absolutely nothing, you notice the sun going down, dusk is coming and the night is about to settle in. So, you decide to get back to the palace the same way you got out of it, panicking and then being thrown over the wall.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Nobody seemed to have questioned why you were gone for half the day. Fortunate for you of course but does beg the question why nobody noticed a prince going missing.

In the morning, however, the same maid who had been calling out to you for tea did question where you were. "I wasn't feeling tea", was your simple yet effective answer.

"Gosh I was out for so long and yet found nothing in return", you kick a rock in the courtyard while sighing loudly. The masked man already erased from your mind. What's even worse is that with your hair this long, it takes more effort to take care of it, not to mention the hanfu which made you stand out like a sore thumb. At just a glance, one could tell you're royalty due to your attire. Maybe you should have thought of that before going out yesterday. This time, you'll dress up just like any other commoner there. There must be at least one that doesn't look like a prince's daily outfit in the closet. You look through the ginormous closet, sorting them out one by one until you finally stumble across an acceptable one.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Back to the bustling streets once more. The smell of food is still as amazing as you remember it. You seem to have forgotten something but fret not, your stomach is here to remind you of it. "I forgot...I didn't have breakfast..", you vaguely remember the picture of a plate filled with food on the table of your room. Well you can't turn back now, you're too far in. "I'll just buy something in the market", you say to yourself, walking towards the nearest food stall which sells roasted meat on sticks. The sight is already mouth watering, you can't wait to sink your teeth into it. "老板! One roasted meat please", you grin ear to ear knowing you'd have one in your hands in a few seconds, "that'll be 3 coins", did you even bring any money? You desperately try to search your hanfu for any signs of coins but to no avail. "C-can I have it...for free?", you awkwardly ask, "hah? Who do you think you are, just so you know, have to feed my family too."

'Time to pull out my status' you thought to yourself, "well, I'm—", "I'll pay for it", a hand behind you gives a few coins to the seller, prompting the seller to give the roasted meat to you. You look behind to see who had stolen your spotlight only to be face to face with yet another mask. The same mask actually. "Thank you but I could handle it by myself", you give a slight smile, "oh? It seems to me you had no money, or perhaps you'd like to pay me back?", you can tell he's a bit annoyed but what you can't tell is that he's amused. "In that case, I take it back", getting a sudden eerie feeling from the man, you leave immediately and he watches you run off.

You run until you're sure he wouldn't be able to see you anymore. "Jeez what even was that..", you wonder to yourself, why did your guts just tell you to run?? That's odd. Really though, something about that man is super familiar but what?

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

6 months have passed since you've been transmigrated to this world. Fortunately, you adapted quite a long time ago. The strange masked man hasn't been seen at all and because of that, you forgot all about him. The past few months have been relatively peaceful, with some royal guards getting occasional injuries from the amount of fights they've been in. Thankfully, Zhou Jian isn't one of them. You had a hard time accepting that your life in the original world might never return but hey, at least you're treated like royalty. The only downside is that you still aren't allowed outside. A huge bummer.

You enjoy some afternoon tea with Zhou Jian as bonding time for the two of you. "I'm surprised you haven't been sent to the battlefield yet", you jokingly comment, earning you a playful glare from the protagonist, "don't jinx it", he puts his porcelain teacup down, "though, it is strange that the scoundrel hasn't shown up in a while", he's referring to his enemy, the man who has been trying to get rid of your kingdom so they say it. "He's so mysterious too, no matter how many men I send to discover more about him, it's as if he doesn't exist at all but at the same time, he does", Zhou Jian says, looking up and wondering to himself, confused. "One day when you do catch him maybe you'll find out who he truly is", you sip on the hot fragrant tea. The two of you chat for a while before a guard interrupts it.

"Your highness! It's an emergency! The King himself has personally requested you on the battlefield to fight alongside him, it seems the enemies have gotten stronger", the voice is panicked, shaky, stumbling over his own words and trying his hardest to keep his composure but ultimately failing, miserably. Zhou Jian immediately gets up, grabbing the weapon he always carries by his side and rushing out with the guard, "I'm going to be back soon", he glances at you while he says this. Without anyone to chat with, you get up from your seat and head towards the library. Behind you, the servants bow as they take the cups and desserts away.

Even when night falls, neither the king nor Zhou Jian has returned. It's quite common for soldiers to camp out for a few days so you don't worry too much about it.

The hallways are oddly quiet. Probably since there are less guards and servants surrounding the place seeing as a few went to tend to the King and heir. More peace and quiet for you. The stars at night twinkle, the moon glowing so brightly, the sound of crickets. Not even the cold air bothers you. You yawn a bit, "time for bed", your legs carry you to the bed, not as comfortable as the one you had back at home but you can still sleep on it. You tuck yourself into bed and close your eyes, wondering what you'll have for brekafast tomorrow.

At the stroke of midnight, the sounds of blood gushing doesn't even wake you up. No scream can be heard due to the intruder's silencing them. "PROTECT THE SECOND PRI—", the loud voice cuts off, indicating the murder of the man. The imperial palace is a mess, filled with fresh blood and dead bodies. You sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware of the massacre happening just outside your room. Even the door creaking open doesn't wake you up from your deep slumber. A tall man hovers over you, a crown in his hand. He mumbles something but it's so quite that not even a soul can hear it. With a snap of his fingers, your hands and ankles are bound together respectively without you ever even noticing it.

"你真是个可爱的睡美人"

.ᐟ.ᐟ

Your eyes are half open, your vision all blurry due to just waking up. Your whole body aches but when you go to stretch, you find it to not be possible. You struggle and notice your hands and ankles bound by something that's glowing red. It hurts whenever you try to get rid of it. "Go on, the sight of you struggling amuses me", a voice says out loud from a corner of the room. The masked man gets up from his seat and as he walks closer to where you are bound, you notice that his mask is slightly damaged. Well, a part of it has broken off, revealing his blood colored eye.

He carries himself with such elegance that you'd think he's royalty at a first glance. He brings himself down to your level, his eye crinkle softly at the corner, the look on your face is just so adorable. "I never would have thought we'd meet again, 小王子", he grabs your chin, lifting it up so you two make eye contact. "I had an inkling you were apart of their little kingdom, I just didn't expect you to be so naive", he continues while looking at your frustrated face which he adores, "did you really think those pesky little servants could ever protect you?", you turn your head to the side, not wanting to even touch him. It is honestly a bit embarrassing for you as you've watched this whole series, know the plot and yet here you are, kidnapped by the villain himself of whom you finally remember the name of, Xu RenFeng, and not even getting the chance to put up a fight.

Xu RenFeng thinks for a moment, the silence deafening. "How about this, you and I become partners so to say", you're confused by what he's suggesting but he elaborates, "since you're hidden and have no purpose in that palace, you could be with me could you not?", he looks at you expectantly with a psychotic look in his eye. "I would kill you now but you're way too adorable to be killed just like that, I'm offering a role of a lifetime", while it does tempt you in a way, you're still not too sure about dying with him at the end. "No thank you", you don't even look at him as you say this, "I'll give you some more time to think", he stands tall and turns around, walking out the door to your prison.

To say it's a prison is exaggerating. At least it looks like an average bedroom. Not as luxurious as the one you had before but still comfortable. After a few seconds pass, you find your hands and ankles no longer bounded, giving you some freedom to explore the room you've been captured in.

Of course the surviving servants and royal guards had to inform their king and future king what had happened. From the massacre of many, many servants to the second prince going missing, presumably taken by their enemy. "We should've known it was a trap the moment he left", the King is referring to the man himself, Xu RenFeng. "Why would he want [Name]?", Zhou Jian questions, frustrated by how the situation has gone from manageable to a complete mess. His hands balled into fists, worrying for his brother's safety. They have to find you, and fast.

Meanwhile, you've been held in the room for about 5 hours. All you've been up to is trying to think of a plan to maybe just maybe, trick him long enough for the psychotic guy to let you go. From what you've seen in the show itself, he is a very calm and calculating individual, making it hard for anyone to get past him. "Gosh, it seems that the only way to get out is by relying on brute force!", compated to modern times, the door isn't made out of very strong material, maybe you can knock it down or something. When you body slam the door, it doesn't move an inch. "Well that goes my plan", you just sit against the door you had just tried to body slam in defeat.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

As days passed, you try a different method of breaking out each day but they all fail in getting you out the the prison-like room. The only time the door would open was when Xu RenFeng himself would bring you food and place it on the table in the room. Even then, when the door opened, you would be bound once more. At least the food was always good. Each time he brought food to you, he'd try to persuade you into joining him. Something about you really did pull him in. You had power over him whether you knew or not.

One day, when there's a knock on the door, you get an idea. Xu RenFeng enters the room in silence, holding a plate in one hand. He puts the food down and as he's about to open his mouth, "can you eat with me?", you ask, surprising him. Today he's wearing a different style of mask. It doesn't cover his lower face, only the eyes. You wonder why he covers his face and remain mysterious. Even towards the end of his life, he never once took off his mask. The reason was never revealed. Though, it did add to his charm which is why a lot of people fell for the guy. He hesitates but gives a slight nod, closing the door with a wave of his hand.

He takes the seat across from you, not having anything on his side of the table. "Oh, I thought you'd grab your own food?", you ask while munching down on the prepared food. "No, I'd rather enjoy the view while I can", his lips turn into a smirk. Unsettling but not the weirdest thing he's said while with you. You get a bit nervous, wanting to pull off the plan but what if he notices beforehand? 'Agh, no more overthinking it, it's now or never [Name]!', you think to yourself and reach over the table, violently tearing the mask off his face, taking him by complete surprise. With great strength and agility, he grabs ahold of your wrist which has his mask. You stare at his face. He wasn't an average looking man. No scars or bruises. Instead, he's the most gorgeous man you've ever laid your eyes on. You're left speechless and so is he for a few seconds.

The look of shock in his eyes is replaced with that of anger. Without uttering a single word and with your wrist still held in his hand, he walks over to your side of the table, glaring at you before pulling you to the bed and throwing you on it. Fortunately you aren't hurt, only frightened. You're pinned to the bedframe by the intimidating villain. Your back is against the frame and you have nowhere to run. "I've been painstakingly patient with you and yet here you are taking off my mask. Was it not obvious to you I didn't want it off, EVER?", to say he's angry is an understatement, his eyes are even more psychotic. All you can do is freeze up due to fear, knowing neither fight nor flight are options in this very moment. You can't muster up an apology, both due to fear and also the feeling of superiority, to you, this man is just a character, he'll be no longer once you find a way back to your home! Without an answer, he takes it as you not wanting to apologize. "Do you really think just because you're a prince that I can't hurt you?", he chuckles at your pathetic expression. With another snap of his fingers, you're bound once more.

As much as you'd like to deny it, the way he's aggressively holding you is really turning you on. Xu RenFeng grabs at your clothes and rips them, leaving your body vulnerable to the man. "What a sight", he looks at you up and down. You try to cover your face with your hands because of embarrassment but he pushes your hands away. "Oh my prince, don't hide your adorable expressions", he purrs.

When you blink, his hanfu has already been diacarded on the floor not far from the bed. "Won't you help a stressed man out?", with his clothes being gone, you can see his hard cock. You stare at it for a little too long, long enough for Xu RenFeng to notice. "Hm? Lost for words are we?", he seems proud of that. "I..It's..—", you bite your lip to contain the moan you were about to let out as the man lifts your legs up to his shoulder and stretches you out with two fingers. "There's a much easier way for this but I'd rather do the old fashioned way to see how you writhe in pleasure just from my fingers. You close your eyes shut, clenched fists as his fingers move around inside, "I'll stretch you so well that this big cock slips right in", just that alone makes you tighten up, earning a satisfied hum from the other. Before long, he decides it's time to add another finger, stretching you out even more. "Ah..ngh...", your moans aren't really heard, the noises you let out are more comparable to humming. Xu RenFeng doesn't like that one bit.

His take his wet fingers out of your tight hole, leaving you feeling empty and opening your eyes as to why he did that. Relying on his strength, he pulls you onto his lap, your hole hovering over his cock, almost touching the tip. "Hu–aggh", you barely have time to react before he plunges you down all the way. You let out the loudest moan that Xu RenFeng's servants are able to hear from outside the magic-sealed room. "What an amazing voice you have, 小王子", he looks up at the person who is unable to speak due to the pain and pleasure he has brought them. His cock remains inside your hole without moving an inch, "a-are you trying to tease me...move", you try to stimulate yourself by bouncing on his cock to the best of your abilities but you can't seem to do that due to him having a tight grip on your waist. "You're so fragile, I'll have an easier time breaking you", he lifts you up until the only thing left inside is his tip and immediately slams you back down on his large cock, repeating this over and over again. "Fuck..", he groans while you're almost screaming-moaning. You never imagined this would be how your first time would go. Xu RenFeng pounds your ass so rough and fast that your ass is turning red.

You feel his precum inside you as he hits your prostate over and over, showing no mercy. "Your hole was made for my cock, wasn't it?", you can't even come uo with a response in that cock filled head of yous, "I'll make sure you remember the shape of my cock by fucking you everyday", he lets out a deep laugh, watching you bounce up and down his cock. Just when you think you can't take anymore, he goes deeper until you can't think of anything anymore. You cum while moaning loudly, still being bounced up and down. The stimulation is driving you crazy, everything feels like a fever dream. Not long after you came and without warning, he cums inside while still pounding you, not stopping for a second. He's cumming as he's thrusting inside, giving a new sensation you never thought you'd feel. "I see you're enjoying this more than I am, how adorable that expression of yours", he points out, "aren't I glad I picked you up along the way", if he could, he would have given himself a pat on the back that moment. You try to push him off, wanting to go at your own pace or to possibly just take a breather, "ah-ah, we're not done", he keeps thrusting deep inside, "don't worry, I'll return you in one piece to your family soon~"

He didn't stop until he had pumped at least a few cups worth of cum inside of you. You passed out due to how rough he was being. Xu RenFeng made sure to tuck you into bed. When he came out the room with his mask back on, he appeared to be very refreshed, some servants even whispered to the others that he was practically glowing. All because of a certain young prince named [Name].

You may not know it yet but you're now stuck with a psycho of a man.

Translation notes!

你真的觉得这样就结束了吗？

Do you really thinks this is over?

老版

Boss (in this context, used to address shopkeepers/vendors you want to buy from)

我们终将相遇，灵魂伴侣。

We will meet eventually, soulmate.

弟弟

Little brother/younger brother

哥哥

Big brother/elder brother

你真是个可爱的睡美人

You really are a cute sleeping beauty

小王子

Little prince (endearing)

I have so many ideas for this man but couldn't fit all of them in one fic🥹

There's this one kink I know you'll love but unfortunately didn't make the cut, maybe next time/drabble!

[syrupsyche]

in honour of our boys appearing yet again for Les Mis Letters, here is a look at their names + my favourite lines from the Chinese translation of Les Mis (by Li Dan and Fang Yu)

Enjolras = 安灼拉 (Ān zhuó lā)

安 meaning peace

灼 meaning burning/bright

“他有天使那么美。” = He was as pretty as an angel

“他在欢乐中也不苟言笑” = He did not smile even when he was happy.

“他是自由女神云石塑像的情人” = He was lady liberty's marble lover.

Combeferre = 公白飞 (Gōng bái fēi)

公 can be found in the word 公平, meaning just

白 meaning white (which makes me think of: "Combeferre was as gentle as Enjolras was severe, through natural whiteness.")

飞 meaning flight

安灼拉近于义，公白飞近于仁。= Enjolras was closer to righteousness, Combeferre was closer to kindness.

如果这两个青年当年登上了历史舞台，也许一个会成为公正无私的人，而另一个则成为慎思明辨的人 = If these two young men had ascended the stage of history, one would have been a fair and just man, and the other a careful and discerning man.

公白飞也许能双膝着 地，两手合十，以待未来天真无邪地到来，希望人们去恶从善的巨大 进化不至于受到任何阻扰。= Combeferre would have gone on his knees, hands clasped, and bring about the innocent arrival of the future, and hoped that nothing would impede the evolution of the people.

Jean Prouvaire/Jehan = 让·勃鲁维尔 (Ràng·bó lǔ wéi'ěr) / 热安 (Rè ān)

shares an 安 with Enjolras, meaning peace

让·勃鲁维尔是个多情种子 = Jean Prouvaire was the affectionate type

他说起话来语调轻缓，俯首低眉，腼腆地微笑着，举动拘束，神气笨拙，无缘无故地脸羞得通红，胆怯。然而，猛不可当 = He spoke in a soft and tender tone, bowed his head and lowered his gaze, smiled shyly, moved reservedly, had a clumsy air, his face would flush red for no reason, and was timid. But his ferocity was undaunted.

Feuilly = 弗以伊 (Fú yǐ yī)

他只有一个念头：拯救世界。他还另外有种愿望：教育自己，他说这也是拯救自己 = He only had one thought: to rescue the world. He also had another wish, to educate himself, which he said was also to rescue himself.

弗以伊是个性情豪放的人。他有远大的抱负。这孤儿让人民为父母 = Feuilly had a bold temperament. He had great ambitions. This orphan took the people in, and became their parent.*

Courfeyrac = 古费拉克 (Gǔ fèi lākè)

克 meaning overcome or subdue

古费拉克确实具有人们称为鬼聪明的那种青春热力。这种热力，和小猫的可爱一样 = Courfeyrac had what one might describe as the cleverness and passion of youth. This passion can also be found in the cuteness of a kitten

不过古费拉克是个诚实的孩子 = However, Courfeyrac was an honest boy.

在多罗米埃身上蕴藏着一个法官，在古费拉克身上蕴藏着一个武士。 = In Tholomyès' body contained a judge; in Courfeyrac's body contained a knight.

安灼拉是首领，公白飞是向导，古费拉克是中心。= Enjolras was the leader, Combeferre was the guide, Courfeyrac was the heart.

Bahorel = 巴阿雷 (Bā ā léi)

雷 meaning thunder

巴阿雷是个善于诙谐而难与相处的人，诚实，爱花钱，挥霍到近于奢侈，多话到近于悬河，横蛮到近于不择手段，是当魔鬼最好的材料 = Bahorel was a humourous man, though difficult to get along with, honest, spendthrift, spending to the point of extravagance, talking to the point of eloquence, bold to the point of brashness and had the perfect makings of a devil.**

他的父母是农民，对父母他是知道反复表示敬意的。= His parents were peasants, and he knew to often treat them with much respect.

关于他们，他常这样说：“这是些农民，不是资产阶级，正因为这样，他们才有点智慧。” = Regarding them, he often said: "These are peasants, not bourgeois; thus they are the wiser."

Lesgle/Bossuet = 赖格尔 (Lài gé ěr) / 博须埃 (Bó xū āi)

博须埃是个遭遇不好的快乐孩子。他的专长是一事无成，相反地对一切都付之一笑。= Bossuet was an unfortunate, but happy child. His specialty was to achieve nothing, and would laugh at everything.

他能很快用到他最后一个苏，却从不会笑到他的最后一声笑。= He could quickly spend his last sou, but he would never smile a last smile.

Joly = 若李 (Ruò lǐ)

他认为人和针一样，可以磁化，于是，他把卧室里的床摆成南北向，使他血液的循环不致受到地球大磁场的干扰 = He believed man and needle were the same - able to be magnetized - and so he had his bed turned facing the north and south to prevent his blood circulation from receiving any interferences from the Earth's magnetic field.

可是在所有这些人中，他是最热闹的一个 = But amongst these men, he was the liveliest of them all.

年轻，乖僻，体弱，兴致高，这一切不相连属的性格汇集在他一人身上，结果使他成了个放荡不羁而又惹人喜爱的人 = Young, eccentric, frail, and cheerful: all these individual characteristics constituted his being, resulting in a peculiar man whom people were fond of.

Grantaire = 格朗泰尔 (Gé lǎng tài ěr)

朗 meaning bright or clear

格朗泰尔是个不让自己轻信什么的人。= Grantaire was a person who did not allow himself to believe in anything.

这个乱七八糟的怀疑者在这一伙信心坚定的人中，向谁靠拢呢？向最坚定的一个 = To whom did this mess of a skeptic lean towards in this group of confident and steadfast men? To the most resolute.

没有谁比瞎子更喜爱阳光。没有谁比矮子更崇拜军鼓手。= No one could love the sunlight more than the blind man. No one could worship the drummer more than the dwarf.

这是种深深的矛盾，因为感情也是一种信念。= This is deeply contradictory, for love*** is also a form of belief.

他经常受到安灼拉的冲撞，严厉的摈斥，被撵以后，仍旧回来，他说，安灼拉“是座多美的云石塑像”！= He was often attacked and harshly rebuked by Enjolras. Still, he would return even after being driven out, and say that Enjolras "could be a beautiful, marble statue!"

—

If anyone is interested in other lines and what they have been translated to, feel free to let me know and I can dig it up for you! And thanks for reading all this way :)

*Other Chinese speakers pls help me verify if this is an accurate translation? Idk why this particular sentence is tripping me up.

**Verification on his translation most welcome too; this REALLY sent me on a doozy.

***感情 can also be translated as feelings, affection, fondness etc. Used as "He has feelings for him."

[ruanbaijie]

啸鹰啊，你知道吗，我年幼的时候，我的母妃……不受宠。我们母子三人过得……不太好。我记得有一年冬天，下了很大的雪。现在想想，都觉得……真冷啊。我那时候年纪小，身体又不好，挨不过那么冷的冬天了，眼看着就要不行了。我母妃的陪嫁丫鬟……用命请来了太医。太医来了看我这样，就知道我家不受宠，就不想治了。那时候我记得，我哥哥就那样跪在雪里，给那个太医磕头，求他救我。后来，雪停了，我得救了，我的哥哥却变了。如果说他以前是一位温柔谦和的皇子，那么自那以后，他就变成了一位手握利剑的君王。出身皇家，非我所愿。如果可以的话，我也想像我的师兄弟一样，一人一剑，肆意江湖。但是我的兄长不一样。他自幼学习的便是如何成为一位君王。他有魄力，亦不会如我这般感情用事。以后，他会是一位好君王的。 Xiaoying ah, did you know, when I was young, my mother… was not in favour. My mother, my brother, and I… had a tough time. I remember one winter, it snowed very heavily. When I think of it now, I can still feel… the biting cold. Back then, I was still young, and my body was frail. I could not survive such a cold winter, and I was on the brink of death. My mother’s maidservant used her life… to call for an imperial physician. The imperial physician saw the state I was in, and knew that my family was not in favour, and didn’t want to treat me. Back then I remember, my brother kneeled in the snow, and kowtowed to the imperial physician, begging him to save me. After that, the snow stopped, and I was saved, but my brother had changed. If in the past he was a gentle and humble prince, ever since then, he became a monarch wielding a sharp sword in his hand. I did not wish to be born into the imperial family. If I could, I would also want to be like my seniors and juniors, one person, one sword, roaming the jianghu without a care. But my brother is different. Since young, he learned how to be a monarch. He has ambition, and is not sentimental like I am. In the future, he will be a good emperor.

BAI SHU as XIAO RUOFENG DASHING YOUTH 少年白马醉春风 (2024) 1.32

[asksythe]

House Jiang’s Lost Founder - Jiang Chi - Lost canon detail from the novel - Wen and Jiang, how their names foreshadow their fates

Did you know the man who founded House Jiang is named Jiang Chi 江迟? 

This name is not included in any materials from the official novel, the Donghua and its character data sheets, or even the live-action drama Chenqingling. 

The name Jiang Chi was mentioned only once in chapter 56, Sandu 12, The Three Poisons - 12, of the original web novel version of Modaozushi before it underwent rewriting and editing in 2016. Here  is the full passage in which it was mentioned: 

云梦江氏立家先祖江迟乃是游侠出身，家风崇舒朗磊落，坦荡潇洒，虞夫人的精气神与之完全背道而驰。而江澄模样和性子都随母亲，天生便不投江枫眠之好，从小诸般教导，始终调不过来，是以江枫眠一直表现得似乎不是太青睐他。

Lit: The ancestor and founder of House Jiang, Jiang Chi, came from a knight errand (traveling hero) background. His House philosophy revered open-mindedness, earnestness, purity of heart, fairness in dealing with people of all castes and backgrounds, and unrestrained by rules. Yu Furen's personality is in direct contrast with his House philosophy. Jiang Cheng had a similar personality as his mother and was naturally not a favorite of his father. Regardless of how much he was taught from a young age, he still couldn't understand this (the House Philosophy). This was the reason why Jiang Fengmian's behavior seemed to suggest a lack of favor. 

I. The Wen and Jiang founder’s names and how they foreshadow their historical positions and final fates: 

Wen starts things. Jiang ends them.  

The Wen founder is named Wen Mao 温卯. Mao 卯 is an ancient word specifying the 4th shih (double hours) of the day, from 5-7 am in our modern time. Mao is also the time when court officials started their working days in ancient times. The royal court began with Mao. 

In other words, Wen Mao’s name foreshadows the fact that he’s the one to end one era (the era of the cultivation sect) and begin another era (the era of the cultivation house/nobility). This was in the novel during Wei Ying’s first class in Cloud Recess. Lan Qiren asked Wei Wuxian who was the person that ended the cultivation sect era and began the cultivation house era. 

On the other hand, the Chi in Jiang Chi 江迟 means late, slow, outdated, behind in era. 

This name foreshadows Jiang Chi’s place as the “last of the herd” and “reluctant follower” in Wen Mao’s cultivation house era. Wen Mao started the rise of the house system and the ending of the sect system. Yet House Jiang, despite being called Jiang Shi like its historical peers (Wen Shi, Lan Shi, Jin Shi, and Nie Shi) had the system of a sect and not a house. 

Because of how Jiang Shi was created and its system rooted in the sect system, House Jiang continuously prevaricated between being a sect (in all but name) and a house in the novel under Jiang Fengmian’s reign.  

House Wen massacred House Jiang. The eradication of the original Jiang Shi is the spark that ignited the Sunshot War. 

Wei Ying, the last member of House Jiang who still holds Jiang Chi’s philosophy, is key to making the defeat of House Wen possible.

Jiang Cheng, the last biological Jiang, headed the Burial Mound Siege and slaughtered the last of biological Wens, with the only surviving Wen child becoming a Lan.   

II. The difference between a sect and a house: 

There are overlapping areas between a sect / zongmen 宗門 and a house / shijia 世家. So it’s easy to mix up these two concepts. However, the novel highlights the key difference between these two systems itself. 

Sects prioritize the inheritance of their philosophy and teaching.    

Houses, on the other hand, prioritize direct bloodline hereditary. 

This is crucial in things like deciding who the next generation leader will be, as well as the policy in treating their members. 

Under the sect system, barring unforgivable mistakes or heinous crimes, the eldest disciple inherits the title of sect heir and next-generation leader. 

Under the house system, the previous house leader’s son inherits the title of heir and the position of next-generation leader. 

For example: under the sect system, Wei Ying is the heir and will inherit the leadership. Under the house system, Jiang Cheng is the heir and will inherit the leadership.

Similarly, sects place far less importance on a person’s caste and background and have fewer and less restrictive rankings. Sects are meritocratic. 

Houses, because of their nature and the heredity that is central to their concept, have extensive and incredibly strict rankings of their members. Houses are nepotistic. 

For example: Wei Changzhe was Jiang Fengmian’s sect brother under Jiang Fengmian’s father’s time. In the book, Jiang Fengmian called Wei Changzheng his sect brother. Wei Changzhe also accompanied Jiang Fengmian to Cloud Recess to study and met Cangse Sanren there. These are privileges not allowed to house servants. But from Jiang Fengmian’s time forward, because of Yu Furen’s influence, he was called a house servant. 

In the novel, Yunmeng Jiangshi was a house undergoing a crisis of identity. It has the name of the house, the trapping of a sect, and constant chaos and confusion as to where it was going, the ranking and positions of its members (with Wei Ying holding the title of eldest disciple and still treated like a servant being the most glaring part), and who its next-generation leader would be. 

Well, until the death of Jiang Fengmian and the eradication of the original Yunmeng Jiang Shi put a stop to that confusion. Jiang Shi under Jiang Cheng’s reign is a house through and through and completely disconnected from Jiang Chi’s House Philosophy. 

[nyeigneous]

Garth Igneous 加什·伊格尼斯

Age：45 年龄：四十五岁

Birth: 20/05/1893 生日：一八九三年五月二十日

Height：188cm 身高：一百八十八厘米

Build：Emaciation 体型：消瘦

Sexuality：Homosexuality 性取向：同性恋

Appearance:

He has short blond hair, light blue eyes, and an aggressive pointed nose.

There is a huge scar on the right forehead. A tattoo on the inside of his left forearm but is damaged by a scar. Both forearms were covered with scars made by knife. In addition, there are countless scars on his body, some of which are left by knife, some of which are left by wolves.

金褐色短发，浅蓝色眼睛，有着一个咄咄逼人的尖鼻子。

他的右侧额头有一个巨大的伤疤。

左臂内侧有一个纹身，但是已经被疤痕破坏掉了。他的每条胳膊内侧都布满了刀子划伤后留下的疤痕。除此之外他的身上也布满了数不清的伤疤，有些是自残留下的，还有一些是被狼咬伤留下的。

Personality:

Garth is a neurotic, selfish, arrogant, and cunning man. His good family background and rich knowledge make him have the arrogance to master everything, so once the development of things is not expected, he will lose his temper like a child.

加什是个神经质，自私，傲慢又狡猾的人。

他的良好的出身和丰富的知识储备让他有着一种对一切都尽在掌握的傲慢，所以一旦事情的发展不在他的意料之中，便会像孩子一样发脾气。

His mind is not complicated, but it is this straightforward way of thinking that makes it easier for him to do impulsive and reckless things.

他的心思并不复杂，反而正是这种单刀直入的思维方式让他更容易做出冲动和不计后果的事情。

He often overreacts to others.

他经常对别人的言行反应过激。

Because of bipolar disorder, almost all his shortcomings are magnified, making him a completely uncontrollable madman.

在患上躁郁症之后，他所有的缺点几乎都被放大了，令他变成了一个完全不可控的疯子。

Weapons and skills:

Shotgun, hunting knife, poison bait; Good at tracking, anti-reconnaissance, setting traps, and piss his partner off.

双管霰弹枪，猎刀，毒饵；

擅长追踪，反侦察，设置陷阱，还有惹毛自己的同伴。

重要的人：安德烈·别列科夫

宝贵之物：浪琴狩猎者腕表（安德烈送给他的）

恐惧之物：极光；骑马

Important people: Andre Berekov Precious things: Longines hunter's watch (Andre gave it to him)

Fear: aurora; riding

Other：

吸烟很多；Smoking a lot;

情绪激动时会过度呼吸；Excessive breathing when excited;

酒量很差；Poor drinking capacity;

画画很好；Good at painting;

写日记；Keeping a diary;

喜欢用口哨吹肖邦的降E大调夜曲九号第二首；He likes to whistle Chopin nocturnes op.9. no2;

小时候被父母逼迫学过钢琴，虽然很痛恨钢琴，但是弹得不错；When he was a child, he was forced by my parents to learn the piano. Although he hates the piano, he plays it well

人物历史History:

北方口音Northern accent

加什的父母是是来自伯明翰的地质学家和生物学家，他们是典型的守旧并且固执的知识分子。 受到父母的影响，加什有着丰富的博物学知识，以及英格兰北方口音。 

Garth's parents are geologists and biologists from Birmingham, UK, they are typically old-fashioned and stubborn intellectuals. Influenced by his parents, Garth has rich natural knowledge and a northern English accent.

在1900年左右淘金热时期，伊格尼斯夫妻带着18岁的大儿子赫尔，16岁的女儿利兹和10岁的加什来到阿拉斯加进行调研。与他们同行的还有26岁的詹森·斯坦福斯，作为孩子们的家庭教师。年幼的加什正是需要父母的时候，但是夫妻俩的工作非常繁忙，便将照顾加什和教他读书写字的任务全权交给了詹森。

During the gold rush around 1900, Mr. Igneous and his wife come to Alaska with their 18-year-old son Hull, 16-year-old daughter Liz and 10-year-old Garth for research. Along with them is Jason Stamford, 26, a tutor for the children. The young Garth is in need of his parents, but the couple's work is very busy, they entrust Jason with the task of taking care of Garth and teaching him to read and write.

温柔的人 A mild person

詹森是一个才华横溢的年轻人，本职专业是古生物学，曾经是加什父亲的学生。他性格随和有耐心，但是因为患过小儿麻痹症，他的左腿肌肉萎缩，只能靠手杖行走，同时还有各种并发症，导致他虚弱而瘦小。但是这并没有影响他的温柔和对生活的��爱。这些美好的品德同时也深深地影响了加什。

Jason is a talented young man with a major in paleontology. He was once a student of Garth's father. Because of polio, his left leg muscles atrophy and he can only walk with a walking stick. Various complications lead to his weakness and emaciation. But this does not kill his tenderness and love of life. These beautiful virtues also deeply influenced Garth.

加什小时候体弱多病，不喜欢户外活动，因此除了上课，他也有大量的时间跟詹森相处，两人像手足和父子一样促膝长谈，读书，学习钢琴，亲密关系与日俱增。在加什18岁那年，他大胆向詹森袒露了自己炙热而迷茫的倾慕之情。詹森也很喜欢这个好学而热情的男孩，但是职业道德让他拒绝了男孩。因为詹森也是一名同性恋，他没有指责加什非同常人的性取向，而是鼓励他勇敢做自己，不要违背自己的意愿。

As a sickly child, Garth does not like the outdoors, so he spends a lot of time with Jason in addition to attending classes. The two talk like father and son, read books and learn the piano, and their bond grows.

When Garth turns 18, he boldly confesses his hot, confused admiration to Jason. Jason also likes the studious and enthusiastic boy, but the work ethic makes him turn him down. Jason, who is also gay, does not criticize Garth's unusual sexuality, but encourages him to be himself and not go against his will.

但是这些事都被加什的父母看在眼里，他们辞退了詹森。加什与父母大吵了一架。

But Garth's parents see all this, and they fire Jason. Garth has a big fight with his parents.

詹森回到曼彻斯特的老家之后身体状况堪忧，但是一直跟加什保持着密切的书信来往，给年轻人的困扰和疑惑以中肯而温柔的建议。三年后，加什22岁那年，詹森怀着遗憾离世。

Jason returns home to Manchester in poor health, but keeps up a close correspondence with Garth, offering gentle advice on the young man's troubles and doubts. Jensen died three years later, when Garth is 22.

逃婚 To escape a marriage

1919年，加什25岁，关于自己的职业和专业规划问题，他跟父母进行了一场非常激烈的争吵。他的父母已经详细地为他安排了工作和婚事，要求他迎娶当地投资商的女儿，以获得学术上的经济支持。但是加什冲动地向父母表明了自己的性取向以及对自由的渴望。他的父母非常生气，认为是詹森给自己儿子灌输了不好的想法。一怒之下加什收拾行李离家出走。

In 1919, when Garth is 25 years old, he has a very heated argument with his parents about his professional planning. His parents have arranged work and marriage for him in detail and ask him to marry the daughter of a local investor in order to obtain academic financial support. Garth impulsively tells them his sexual orientation and desire for freedom. His parents are very angry, abuse Jason for instilling bad illusion into his son. In a rage, Garth packs up and leaves home.

在这件事前半年左右，加什的父母认识了来自美国南部的安德森·黑斯廷斯（27岁），这位英俊而富裕的年轻人正在为自己的事业寻找地质学以及生物学领域的专家的协助，他衣着华丽，谈吐得体，很快就得到了加什全家人的认可。两个年轻人就此相识了，并且私交甚密。

Half of year ago, Garth's parents meet Anderson Hastings (27) from the south of the US. This handsome and wealthy young man is looking for the assistance of experts in geology and biology for his career. He is gorgeous in clothes and spokes appropriately and is soon recognized by the Ignoneus family. The two young people meet and become intimate.

加什离家出走之后理所当然的去投奔了安德森，他很快就带着加什踏上了去往苏联出差的游轮。两人开始热恋。

Garth runs away from home and goes to Anderson. Anderson soon takes Garth on a cruise ship to the Soviet Union for a business trip.

安德森对于自己性取向从不隐藏，并且向外人介绍Garth为自己的男友。这些行为令Garth感到安全，他以为这是安德森认真对待自己的表现。但是Garth没想到的是，自己只是安德森炫耀的资本。

Anderson never hides his sexual orientation and introduces Garth as his boyfriend which makes Garth feel safe. But what Garth doesn't expect is that Anderson just takes him as a property could show off.

另外，安德森还是一个非常有控制欲的情场老手，他认为爱情只是交易，他提供奢华的生活条件，而男孩们只要听他的安排就好。他认为Garth寻找精神伴侣的想法非常无聊且没有意义。

In addition, Anderson is a control freak playboy. He believes that love is only a trade. He provides his boyfriends with luxurious living conditions, and the only thing the boys need to do is following his arrangement. He thinks that Garth's idea of finding a spiritual partner is very boring and meaningless.

白月光Bright moonlight

在那个年代，通过学术研究项目来洗钱的现象逐渐在有钱人的圈内流行起来。而安德森带着Garth去见的人，大部分也是这类执绔子弟。游轮上的日子花天酒地且奢靡混乱，Garth对这种气氛感到无助且厌恶，安德烈·别列科夫（23岁）也就是在这段时间内出现在他面前的。

In that time, the phenomenon of money-laundering through academic research projects becoming popular among the rich. Most of the people Anderson takes Garth to see are such dandies. The days on the cruise ship are extravagant and chaotic. Garth feels helpless and disgusted at the atmosphere. Andrei Berekov (23) appears during this time.

安德烈是那群苏联学者团里最安静的一个，大家都在喝酒应酬的时候他会找个安静的角落独自写写画画。相识之后Garth很快发现安德烈像自己一样也是对这场所谓学术旅行抱有错误的期待的人，并且，他在植物学上的知识令Garth震惊（虽然安德烈的口音给两人的沟通带来了不小的困难）。

Andrei is the quietest member of the group of Soviet scholars. While everyone drinks and socialize, he would sit in a quiet corner and write alone. Garth finds out that Andre, like himself, is also the one who has false expectations for this so-called academic trip. Moreover, Garth is shocked by his knowledge of botany (although Andre's accent makes it difficult for them to communicate).

跟安德森完全相反的是，温文尔雅的安德烈总能看到Garth灵魂上的闪光点，他尊重他的每一个灵感和观念，并将其演变成一场场友好而意义非凡的学术讨论。这几乎就是Garth一直在追求的关系状态。

Contrary to Anderson, the gentle Andre can always see the flash in Garth's soul. He respects every inspiration and idea of Garth and can turn every chat into a friendly and meaningful academic discussion. This is the kind of relationship state that Garth has been pursuing.

与此同时，Garth与安德森的关系在逐渐瓦解。安德森自顾自地将Garth引荐给学术圈名人，用钱打通渠道让Garth发布未完成的论文，擅自为他安排好了一切，Garth只要做一个不用思考的精致男孩去谄媚安德森就可以。这所有的一切都违背了Garth的原则。一次次的争吵并没有让他们互相理解，最终两人分手。

At the same time, the relationship between Garth and Anderson is disintegrating. Anderson arranges cocktail party bender to introduce Garth to celebrities in the academic circle. He buys ways for Garth to publish his unfinished paper and plans everything for him without authorization. The only thing Garth needs to do is being a good boy to flatter Anderson. All this violates Garth's principles. They row again and again and break up.

这之后安德烈正式开始追求Garth，将他介绍给自己的家人，并且在白俄罗斯的老家一起生活了一段时间。后来，两人决定前往爱丁堡大学进修植物分类学。

Then Andre and Garth fall in love. He introduces Garth to his family and live together in his hometown in Belarus for some time. Later, the two decide to go to the University of Edinburgh for master's degree in plant taxonomy.

一年半之后，两人研究生毕业，安德烈在毕业典礼上向Garth求婚。两人偷偷交换了戒指之后，踏上了前往北极圈的旅行。

A year and a half later, they graduate. Andre proposes to Garth at the graduation ceremony. After secretly exchanging rings, the two men embark on a trip to the Arctic Circle.

极光中的骑行 Riding under the aurora

婚后三年，两人旅行来到了加拿大育空地区，与另外一伙皮草猎人小队起了争执，被对方发现了恋人关系之后，遭到了恶意的报复。安德烈被殴打致死，割下生殖器之后尸体被悬挂在树上，并在脖子上挂着“我是鸡奸者”的牌子示众。加什则被监禁起来，被迫在极夜的漫天极光中看着恋人的尸体一天天被乌鸦啃食殆尽。几天后他凭借最后一口气逃了出去，骑马朝着南方一路狂奔，最终得救。

In 1923, the two men come to Yukon, Canada, and have a dispute with another group of fur hunters and they are maliciously retaliated. Andre is beaten to death. After being cut off his genitals, his body is hung in a tree and displayed with an "I'm a sodomite" sign around his neck. Garth is imprisoned and forced to watch his lover's body being eaten by crows in the aurora of the polar night. A few days later, with his last breath, he escapes, rides all the way south, and is finally saved.

育空疯狗The mad dog of Yukon

这段噩梦般的经历对他的打击非常之大，残酷的折磨也给他的右侧头皮部分留下了丑陋的巨大伤疤。他患上严重的躁郁症，自残，并且有自杀倾向。他曾经非常温和并且幽默，现在变成了一个臭名昭著的人，并且得到了一个育空疯狗的绰号。

This nightmare experience is a great blow to him, and the cruel torture leaves a huge ugly scar on his right scalp and countless scars on his body. He suffers from serious bipolar disorder, self-mutilation, and suicidal tendencies. He used to be a very gentle and humorous man, but now he has become an infamous one and gets the nickname of Yukon mad dog.

有传闻说，失去理智的加什找到了当年折磨他的狩猎小队并且用极其残忍的手法报复了他们，但是因为精神问题，警察让他只在监狱里待了很短的时间，他便重获自由。但是这也只是传闻而已。没人知道加什到底做了什么。人们只是再也没有在育空地区见到过那些人。

It is rumored that Garth finds the hunting team that hurt him years ago and retaliated against them with extremely cruel methods, but, the police let him stay in prison for only a short time because of his mental problems.

 It's just a rumor. No one knows what Garth does to them. People just never see those people again in the Yukon.

危险游戏 Dangerous game

尽管加什的精神问题非常严重，行为也非常不可控，但是不可争议的是他是这一带地区最杰出的猎狼专家。1932年，他被邀请加入一支狩猎小队，他们计划南下去狩猎大型毛皮猎物。

Although Garth's mental problems are very serious and his behavior is very uncontrollable, it is indisputable that he is the most outstanding wolf hunting expert in this area. In 1932, he is invited to join a hunting team. They plan to go south to hunt large prey for fur.

初冬季节，加什遇到了身为守林员的哈特。哈特毫无怜悯的攻击将小队逼出了林区，同时，这个阴沉而凶悍的护林员吸引了加什的注意。他觉得，能杀死他，抑或被他杀死都是不错的事情。

In early winter, Garth meets Hart, a forest ranger. Hart's merciless attack drives the team out of the forest, while the gloomy and fierce ranger attracts Garth's attention. He thinks it is all good to kill him or be killed by him.

加什很快发现，尽管这个护林员的攻击非常凶猛并且极具威胁性，但是他似乎并不是真正想要他们的命。加什离开了队伍，独自回到木屋附近，开始用主动攻击的方式试探哈特的耐心的底线。哈特几乎是马上回应了他的攻击。然而像加什想的一样，哈特并不打算杀掉他——每一次射击都擦着他的脸颊飞了过去，只有几厘米的距离。

Garth soon finds that although the ranger's attack is fierce and threatening, he doesn't seem to really want to kill them. Garth leaves the team, returns to the cabin alone, and begins to test Hart's patience by taking the initiative to attack. Hart responds to his attack almost immediately.

As Garth thought, Hart does not intend to kill him - each shot wipes his cheek and flies over, only a few centimeters away.

加什几乎一下子就沉迷在了这场危险的游戏当中。哈特的反应让他十分满意——他的反击不会真正的对自己构成威胁，其中的威胁性又能让他兴奋起来。尽管他自己也清楚，这种病态的情绪源于当年他面对死亡时在心里留下对的心理阴影，这让他恐惧，狂躁，想哭又想笑，但是却是唯一能让自己感觉到活着的时刻。

Garth almost immediately indulges in this dangerous game.

Hart's reaction satisfies him - his counterattack would not only really pose a threat to himself, but also could excite Garth. Although Garth himself knows that this morbid emotion originates from the psychological shadow leaves in his heart when he faces death, which makes him afraid, manic, want to cry, want to laugh, it is the only time that he could feel alive.

怪人组合Freak couple

然而这场荒诞而危险的对决并不是以某一方的死亡为结局。在一个初雪天，哈特把加什逼到了绝路，但是他没有扣动扳机，只是问他为什么这么做。加什又哭又笑，说自己想死。哈特转身离开了。

However, this absurd and dangerous duel does not end with the death of one party. On a snowy day, Hart forces Garth to a dead end, but he doesn't pull the trigger, just askes him why he does it. Garth cries and laughs, says he wants to die.

Hart turns and leaves.

加什想不通为什么哈特有那么多次机会杀死他却没有下手。仇恨和恐惧在他的心里已经燃烧了太久，将他内心世界的草原烧得一片焦黑。然而从那天起，他能感觉到，一束光穿过黑烟照了进来，有什么东西在重新慢慢地萌芽。

Garth couldn't figure out why Hart has so many chances to kill him but doesn't do it. Hatred and fear have been burning in his heart for too long, burning the grassland of his inner world to black. However, from that day on, he could feel that a beam of light comes in through the black smoke, and something is slowly sprouting again.

重新建立信任的过程非常漫长。但是他们并没有什么细致的沟通和交流，对那场莫名其妙的枪战也只字不提。两个怪人只是共享一堆篝火，简单地说两句话，然后便自然而然的一起行动了。加什知道自然界也有不少很奇怪的搭档，比方说渡鸦和豺，蜜鸟和蜜獾。有的搭档甚至能终生在一起行动，即使一方死亡，另一方也不会再找新的搭档。也许他俩也是这样的动物吧。

The process of rebuilding trust is very long.

They do not have any detailed communication and exchange and do not mention the inexplicable gun battle. The two freaks just share a bonfire, say a few words, and then naturally act together.

Garth knows that nature also has many strange partners, such as raven and jackal, Greater Honeyguide and honey badger. Some partners can even act together all their lives. Even if one party dies, the other will not find a new one. Maybe they are such animals, too.

[zhuzhudushu]

Beauty Standards

新词：

美甲 / měi jiǎ / to have one's nail's done

指甲 / zhǐ jia / nail (e.g. fingernail)

这回 / zhè huí / this time (equivalent to 这次)

讲究 / jiǎng jiu / to be particular about; pay attention to

秀气 / xiù qi / delicate, fine (re: beauty, features)

一干二净 / yī gān èr jìng / entirely, completely (idiom); very clean

审美 / shěn měi / appreciation of beauty; taste

古代 / gǔ dài / ancient time period; olden days

时代 / shí dài / time period; era

当代 / dāng dài / current era, present time period

面霜 / miàn shuāng / face cream (cosmetic)

杨贵妃 / yáng guì fēi / name; one of the 4 ancient Chinese beauties

观念 / guān niàn / sense, concept, view

亚洲 / yà zhōu / Asia

身材 / shēn cái / figure (re: body)

重视 / zhòng shì / to put importance on smth (lit: heavy +vision)

气质 / qì zhì / aura of elegance/class

缺一不可 / quē yī bù kě / indispensable; one can't do without the other

评判 / píng pàn / to judge; judgment

单一 / dān yī / single, unitary, sole

小鲜肉 / xiǎo xiān ròu / young handsome guys (lit. "little fresh meat")

语法：

以A为B / taking A as B; using A as B

语法例子：

中国人以米饭为主食，而美国人以面包为主食。Chinese people take rice as their staple food, Americans take bread as their staple food.

我妈妈以我为骄傲。 My mom takes me as her pride.

句子：

中国人讲究以百净为美，就是皮肤白干干净净的，然后秀秀气气的那样。Chinese people are very particular about taking whiteness/cleanliness as being beautiful, so pale skin is clean, so it's delicate/fine.

我把老公的生日忘得一干二净！I completely forgot my husband's birthday!

不干不净吃了没病。It's not dirty, so eat it and you won't get sick (This is equivalent to the "3 second rule" when food falls on the ground)

每个民族不一样，它对审美的不一样。Every nationality/group is different, (so) their taste in beauty is different.

你说中国古代的时候讲究以胖为美。You know, in ancient China they thought fat was beautiful.

杨贵妃时代，那现在来说胖可不是美啦。(That was in) Yang Guifei's era, (but) nowadays there's no way fat is (seen as) beautiful.

中国古代的审美观念和现代的比了一下。The ancient China's sense of beauty and our present day's (sense of beauty) has changed a bit.

脸啊，气质啊，身材啊，也缺一不可。Face, elegance, body (figure), all are indispensable.

不是说单一的就是一个脸漂亮就行了。(If) we're not talking about a single (aspect), then a pretty face is enough.

对美女评判。The judgement of women (re: beauty).

在中国，那些特别受欢迎的男的叫小鲜肉啊。In China, those especially popular type of guy is called "little fresh meat".

在美国人看来那些小鲜肉看着就象十几岁的小孩似的。In America, people see these "little fresh meat" guys and think they look just like ten year olds (lit. ten years and some change).

[sonderwrit]

Source: 王佑硕工作室 (Wang Youshuo Studio)

宗之潇洒美少年，皎如玉树临风前，快来欣赏王公子@王佑硕 不一样的古装扮相～

Translation:

Without restraint, Zongzhi is a gallant young man, Like one of the jade trees standing in vernal breeze,* Hurry and welcome Prince Wang @/WangYoushuo in a different kind of ancient costume look~ *Quote from "Songs of Eight Immortal Drinkers" by Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu

[tavina-writes]

Nie Mingjue's Age

Briefly popping back into Da-ge posting hours (this will not be long so no cut lolsob) to scream about this line from chapter 49: 

当年，在聂明玦只有十几岁，清河聂氏的家主还是他父亲的时候，有人上贡给温若寒一把宝刀。温若寒高兴了几天，问身边客卿，你们觉得我这把刀怎么样？

Which I would translate as:

"Back in the day, when Nie Mingjue was still a young teenager, and the family head of the Qinghe Nie sect had still been his father, someone had given Wen Ruohan a treasured saber as a gift. Wen Ruohan was happy for a few days, and asked the guest beside him "what do you all think of this saber of mine?"

Here’s that line from the ExR translation: 

“Back then, when Nie MingJue was only a teenager and the leader of the QingheNie Sect was his father, someone gifted Wen RuoHan a rare saber. Wen RuoHan was pleased for quite a couple of days. He had asked the guest cultivators—what do you think of this saber of mine?”

That same line from the official translation (which happens to be on two different pages, forgive me lmao): 

The thing I want to scream about here is the phrasing of Nie Mingjue’s age in the Chinese, which says “只有十几岁” “only shijisui.” 十几岁 does refer to a very specific and kind of narrow age range, however it’s not a phrase that actually has a good English equivalent because it refers to the ages of 10-15, which in English is both pre-teen and teen wooo. BUT, the most common usage and definition of 十几岁 in Chinese is older than ten and younger than fifteen which. Means that at best, according to this line, Nie Mingjue was no older than a high school freshman when his dad died and could’ve been anywhere from finishing elementary school to a whole middle schooler!

(The best English equivalent of this sort of phrasing I can think of would be like, “early 20s” which in Chinese is the parallel 二十几岁 “ershijisui.”)

 Okay time to lie down and cry. 

[peach-blossoms]

缝合 (Fix You) – Zhou Shen

Album: 《反深代词》 - Track 8 Lyricist: Zhou Shen & Wang Qian Composer: Song Yang Arrangement: Song Yang & Qian Lei Producer: Qian Lei

Where to buy/listen (not available on Spotify or Youtube yet)

Live performance at 9.29Hz Concert in Hangzhou (eng subbed by me)

[T/N: literal translation of title is “sewing / suturing / mending” all artistic liberties in translation are mine, and paragraph breaks were added for ease of reading. although zs participated in writing the lyrics for many songs in this album, this detail is an even more devastating fact when it comes to this song. read the extras at the end for more sufferingdetails]

"This is a song I don't wish for you to understand. If you do understand it, give yourself a hug. Thank you for your hard work." - Zhou Shen's comment on Weibo post about the song

LYRICS

情绪伤口 修补能手 These emotional wounds were mended by a professional 短暂缝合之后又渗出血流 Shortly after suturing, blood seeped out again 同父母说 相同困惑 I told my parents to their perplexity 也正在大人身体里经历着 Adult bodies also experience the same 不停思索 寻找缘由 Thinking incessantly, seeking reasons 听见左胸传来回声的空洞 Hearing a hollow echo from the left chest 这不够好，那要改过 This is not good enough, must correct it 无尽的盼头 Hope is inexhaustible

I’m giving my all 寻找缺口 修补伤口 Find the nicks, mend the wounds I’m giving my all 缝补之后 又再次泪流 After mending, tears flow again I’m giving my all 新的伤痕 旧的内疚 These new scars, these old guilts I’m giving my all 如何才能 找到出口 How can I find the way out?

否定成果 爽约承诺 Negated gains, broken promises 都缝合成细腻温柔的眼色 Are all sewn into smooth and gentle eyes 落单门口 独行角落 Left alone at the door, in a solitary corner 都包扎成坚强独立的成就 Are all bound up into strong and independent successes

重复工作 重复失落 Work keeps repeating, loss keeps duplicating 调换角色修补找新的成果 Swapping mending roles to seek new results 不同身体 不同角落 A different body, a different corner 同样的苦痛 The pain is no different

I’m giving my all 大人背后 常乌云盖着 Behind each adult are often dark clouds I’m giving my all 孩子内心 底色是晴的 The colour of a child’s heart is sunny I’m giving my all ��的天空 留了一滴墨 A drop of ink lands in the white sky I’m giving my all 如何调色 如何来涂抹 How to blend the colours, how to paint them

所有无助的绑住的困住的我都清楚却也无法挣脱 These helplessness, bindings, and entrapments, I know them all, yet cannot break free 所有偏执的逃离的期盼的他们都懂也无法从头来过 These fixations, running away, and expectations, they understand them all, yet cannot start over

I’m giving my all 各自运转 各自角色 Each of us is functioning, each of us has a role I’m giving my all 你们都是 第一次活着 You all are living for the first time I’m giving my all 万般无意 伤口却留着 However unintentional the slights, they still leave behind wounds I’m giving my all 伤痕再多 也值得被爱着 How ever many scars there are, you are worthy of being loved

EXTRAS

About the song’s setting:

“In the world of 200 years later, all injured humans will be mended by magical robots. Adult robots are responsible for mending adult humans, and young robots are responsible for mending children; they form a family unit and work together. All human wounds will eventually heal, except for one part...

One day, a young mending robot asks its parents for help: "This child's heart was mended yesterday, but today the wound has reopened..."

The parents, who are also mending robots, smile as if they are used to it: "Adult hearts are just as difficult to mend...but you'll get used to it after you mend them a few more times."

The little robot knocked on its chest unknowingly – a hollow echo came from the metal shell. "Can a robot without a heart mend a bleeding heart?" it wonders.

The little robot decides to exchange the client with its parents. It wants to find the answer to achieving "completely mended".

With its parents around and watching, it opens the chest of an adult human with great expectation―

Misunderstanding, regret, guilt, helplessness, self-blame, pain...

These emotions, akin to old and new scars crisscrossing, cover up the bleeding heart in layers.

"We can't truly mend the person’s heart, right? Dad, Mom..."

"Perhaps...but as long as the heart is still beating, we still have a chance to mend it again."”

Zhou Shen’s Weibo post sharing his thoughts about the song:

“Mending” is a song that made me very very very very very very very very very very very very very stressed.

Sometimes I even felt that I was doing something that was a bit "indelicate". But I also feel that "being seen" has a certain kind of meaning!!

As a singer, I feel like I am a little mending robot from 200 years later, slowly mending everyone's new and old wounds, including my own, through singing.

I hesitated many times, wondering if writing these emotions would be a bit "indelicate", but I ended up burying many of my own shards into the lyrics. I also worried whether this song would touch the shards that many listeners buried in their memories that they do not want to be touched?

But just like the little robot, despite failures and despite lack of solutions, it still persists in dissecting the wound and mending it again and again.

In the face of unchangeable facts, only by facing and meeting them head on, only by accepting and understanding, only by listening and empathizing, only by being sincere and courageous, and never giving up on yourself, can you create opportunities and allow the wounds to be truly mended.

In fact, I also know that many wounds will not heal in the end.

But to have the opportunity to mend them again and again, I think that is a very happy thing.

I wish for everyone: To not be afraid of new wounds, to not be afraid of old scars; no matter what, you are always worthy of being loved.

I am very happy to be your mending little robot.

Each of us is our own mending little robot.

Even if you have been bearing new and old scars all this time, it will not prevent you from being surrounded by passionate love!!! Not because of any reason, but because it is you, so it is worth it!”

[marx-engels-lenin]

"Because no candidate completely opposes Israel, I won't vote for anyone" – is this really the mindset of most young liberals in America? As if letting Trump win would somehow improve the situation in Palestine. I might just witness the most absurd moment across the Pacific: a group of people who claiming to protect the color people 's rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and students' rights, ends up putting an extreme right-winger in the White House, effectively destroying the all of rights they claim to protect.....And Palestine will be worse off under Trump they elected

“因为没有候选人完全反对以色列，所以我不会投票给任何人”这就是美国大多数年轻自由派的想法吗？好吧，说得好像然特朗普当选就会让Palestine好起来一样。我或许会亲眼见证太平洋对岸最荒谬的一刻：一群声称保护有色人种权利，保护女性权利，保护lgbt权利，保护学生权利的人，将一个极端右翼分子送进白宫总统办公室，亲手毁掉他们声称的要保护的一切人的权利。

[mejomonster]

Modu chapter 5: fei du blew him a kiss

两位大爷谁也得罪不起，陶警官只好冲着无辜的夜空翻了个白眼，快步跟上骆闻舟。

走了几步，他下意识地一回头，果不其然，看见费渡正一动不动地站在原地目送他的背影，见他回头，费渡好像早料到这一幕一样，倏地一笑，伸出两根手指，在自己嘴唇上贴了一下，然后冲陶然轻轻一弹。

陶然：“……”

So the thing is. I read edanglartranslation's english translation of modu before. And I remember that while early in the story tao ran seems more like he cares for fei du... the more you learn, the more you realize Tao Ran is a realist and Luo Wenzhou's actually the one who is more open to believing Fei Du can't be capable of truly monstrous things... even when evidence implies otherwise. Luo Wenzhou acts like he assumes the worst, but hes trying very hard to push fei du onto a good path and be a good person. Knowing (some) of where fei du came from and some of the reality of his still cruel at times behavior. Whereas Tao Ran sees the fruits of fei du being influenced by luo wenzhou in a good way, and has hope for the kid, but when fei du does or seems to be involved in dark stuff well Tao Ran is less unfailingly in his court. The little girl who kills in case 2 is, as always, my favorite fei du parallel. Shes done similar to what he has done, and tao ran cant imagine saving her after all shes done or how she could even be this cruel. Luo wenzhou saw a fei du much like that little girl, and tried to help him grow into someone better than his surroundings (his dad etc). Luo wenzhou found a victim he failed to save, failed to help in time (and failed even as an older kid regarding fei du's own self harm versus what luo wenzhou didnt know), and still tried to help. And in just trying to helo, he did help fei du heal to some degrees and ultimately make some good choices and have a much better idea of his own internal morals and confidence in them.

Its always interesting to me the roles tao ran and luo wenzhou played in fei du's life abd as the story shifts what it lets you know. And as like an age gap relationship story, it actually uses that aspect to explore some really interesting perspective stuff about responsibility and blame and delusion and naivety. From luo wenzhou seeing fei du as His Responsibility to care for/help/save/fix as more than you'd ever see an adults choices (until of coursdl luo wenzhou learns to see him as an adult who now is responsible for himself), to fei du assuming unrealistically high blame and self hatred for things he isnt the cause of (because children tend to blame themselves more for tragedies in their lives and things they had no control over). Those two aspects make them very much savior/victim and hero/monster in each others eyes when they arent thinking clearly. To fei du, at his most irrational, hes a monster and its all he can be and luo wenzhou is a hero. At his most emotional, luo wenzhou sees himself as a failed savior and fei du as a victim he desperately wants to prove he can save.

They can both think clearly, but meeting when fei du was so young meant fei du took personal hatred of himself for his own trauma (and put luo wenzhou on a pedestal that luo wenzhou FELL off of by failing to help), and it meant luo wenzhou naive young detective faced the reality he cant save innocents and cant protect even if he tries and he reacted in a very controlling parent/cop way to try and fix by controlling (an interesting parallel and reverse of how fei dus dad acts - luo wenzhou punishes in ways fei du finds soothing and non threatening, luo wenzhou pressures him to be Nice, luo wenzhou lets him throw fits and hit and be a brat and be Anything versus his actual father who was terrifying if fei du actsd out even a little. Luo wenzhou is the "safe" outlet where fei du actually gets something close to a healthy upbringing, and by extension tao ran - who helps with that healthy modeling of safe authority figures because luo wenzhou pushes him to help give fei du safety and support).

Their ages when they meet develops this very particular way of using each other to heal and lean on, and then the relationship cant really bloom as romantic until luo wenzhou faces the fact fei du is an adult responsible for his Own Choices now and that luo wenzhou Cant Protect. They cant be together until fei du stops seeing luo wenzhou as a replacement for his mom - a precious person who loves him, who he fears he'll hurt or kill because his dad made him believe people he loves will die like his mom and itll be Fei Dus fault (in his head). They both have SO much baggage with each other by the time they start to try a romantic relationship. Because theyve already had each other to serve various roles and supports (and to support their own deluded way of hating themselves) for years.

Tao Ran, the realist, has had the least lies built up in his own head and least relying on those two (versus luo wenzhou who sees tao ran as a proxy wife/partner/beloved trusted person which Luo Wenzhou tends to NEED to fully trust in someone, and fei du who uses tao ran as a safe outlet to csre about... since luo wenzhou is too beloved like his own mom, too parental like his own dad, too precious to risk being close to lest fei du harms what he values). Tao Ran has his own delusions, mostly that he hurts ppl by being in their life, that he has to take on risk alone, and a lot of self sacrificing biases that are typical of a lone detective mold. If luo wenzhou is a optimist who hopes good people exist, and fei du is a pessimist who believes everyone is a monster, then tao ran is a middle view of believing its up to him (on his shoulders) to try and keep the world FROM being all monsters. And his failures crush him (where luo wenzhou can bounce back better), his hopes are fragile. As a trio the 3 of them make for an incredibly interesting story exploration.

[arrow90-alrakis]

Larksharius (their soul) wandering along the River of Souls.

Fullsize on my Toyhouse

@dujour13 Thank you so much for the inspiration!!! ^^ I wrote a short fic below.

tw: brief mention attempt to give in to death (a brief bad brain moment)

My ocs: Larksharius (archlich, They/Them), Rimerock (silver dragon, He/Him)

Dark, silent, stiffness and heavy drowsiness suffocated them like hinges of a death sentence, until a familiar biting coldness pricked their palm, Larksharius opened their eyes. The perilous journey into the Abyss had drained them, it might not be wise to venture into Yhidothrus' domain like that, but at least they earned a souvenir—a dagger with the ability to connect any two planes. 

Another wave of piercing chill struck them, the archlich realized they were walking unconsciously. Lark stopped and held the cold silver dragon scale tightly, pressing it into their palm—if they were not merely a soul, its rigid edge would have scratched their skin. The silver scale nestled in their hand like a small, delicate star, its pale shimmer illuminated the surroundings—wet sand under their bare feet, the River of Souls was only a few steps away. If they stepped into the water, their soul would be gone. They were so close to a true death.

Odd, similar situations had happened before, the scale always woke them up much earlier, far away from the river, but recently they slept longer and longer. Maybe their luck finally ran out, and that would be all right. 

Lark let their thoughts drift while wandering down the river bank, wet sand clinging to their feet, but as a soul, they could not feel it, nor did they mind the discomfort. Over eight hundred years, they had persisted in this undying way. The number of planes they visited and the strange knowledge they collected might surpass any living being, but all journeys had to end. Maybe next time, it can be mine.

Lark sighed, fingers brushing through the surface of the dragon scale gently. The scale had saved them many times, rousing them from their slumber with a vigilant chill. It might be a relief for both of them if they stopped struggling and gave up their eternal life—and it only took a few more steps. As for what deity would be born from their unlucky "blessed soul" was never their concern. I am tired, and I need to rest.

Without a warning, the light in Lark's palm flickered and went out, leaving only the faint glimmers from those waves of the river. This was unusual, the archlich frowned, it proved that they were wrong all the time: it was not their soul's sickness that caused them to wake up late, it was the owner of the scale—that silver dragon must be in trouble, he was dying. 

Lark remembered him—it was the only memory they still kept and cherished from their previous life as a human, and in that memory, he saved them. The elegant young adult had crown shaped horns and glacier eyes, his enormous wings shimmered iridescent under sunlight—he was the most beautiful creature they had ever seen. 

The scale shuddered as if it knew their thoughts, and like a miracle, it lit up again. So stubborn, it refused to die. Its faint glow focused in one direction, like a compass, eager to guide them back to safety.

I should check on him, maybe I can help.

Lark took one last glimpse at the river before they walked away. They had to get back to their body, the clock was ticking, and they hope they were not too late.

手心又是一阵刺骨的寒意，大巫妖这才发现他正不自觉的向前走，他赶紧停下，用力握住银龙坚硬的鳞片，若不是他现在只是一个灵魂，它锯齿状的边缘早已划伤他的掌心。闪耀的龙鳞像一枚小小的月亮，它发出的微光照亮了昏暗的环境——脚下是湿润的沙地，再往前几步远就是灵魂之河，一旦踏入河流拉克夏不死者的灵魂就会被强行带走，这次他离彻底的死亡如此接近。

手心又是一阵刺骨的寒意，大巫妖这才发现他正不自觉的向前走，他赶紧停下，用力握住银龙坚硬的鳞片，若不是他现在只是一个灵魂，它锯齿状的边缘早已划伤他的掌心。闪耀的龙鳞像一枚小小的月亮，它发出的微光照亮了昏暗的环境——脚下是湿润的沙地，再往前几步远就是灵魂之河，一旦踏入河流拉克夏不死者的灵魂就会被强行带走，这次他离彻底的死亡如此接近。

这很奇怪，以前发生类似的状况时龙鳞总能在距离河流很遥远的地方就叫醒他，但最近他醒来的越来越晚了，也许很快他的好运就会用完。不过或许这样也好，拉克夏想着，他沿着河岸顺流而下，潮湿的沙土粘在他赤裸的脚上。他已经这样坚持了好几百年，到访过的位面和收集的知识或许已经比任何活物都多，如果就这样放弃永生也不是什么坏事，他倒霉的特殊灵魂在被审判后会转化成什么样的新神也跟他毫无关系，他有点累了，他想要休息。

手中的辉光突然闪了闪，然后熄灭了，四周重回黑暗，只剩下河流波浪泛起的微弱银光。这很奇怪，拉克夏皱眉，他一直以为是他的灵魂出了问题才导致他醒来的时间变晚，现在看来或许是鳞片的主人出了问题。他想起了小时候见过的那条银龙，那优雅的身形和绚丽的鳞片依旧栩栩如生的印刻在记忆中，那条银龙依旧是他见过最美丽的生物。鳞片好像颤抖了一下，又亮起了微弱的银光，它不想死去，倔强的为他指引方向。

我应该去看看他，或许我能帮他。拉克夏最后看了一眼奔流的灵魂之河，然后转身离去。他得尽快回到他的身体里去，希望一切为时不晚。

Thank you all for reading!! I'd love to have beta readers or any kind of writing help! if I made mistakes I'd love to know! ^^

[sutekooooo]

First I was glad to see some nice fanarts of the brothers Karamazov but then like usual with artists on the internet (from west and ch/jp/kr especially) you need to draw and be involved in mlm and even worst, an incest and nsfw one. Why are you using relationship of works like this ? We can't have anymore platonic or family relationship without some people like you who needs to use for romantic one. Have you ever wondered if the author would like to see his characters shown in these type of positions? Do you have any respect for his work and him ? I can understand you don't have any religion but where the line is for you ? Stop for a minute and ask yourself is it the right thing to do ? This is because of this type of fanarts that now we don't any more relationships in a work other than romantic one. Bc even there is some there will always someone who will use it to show them in some sexual or romantic positions. But God knows how sweet it is to have a relation with a sibling, a parent, a same gender friend, someone you respect without involving sexual desires.

God protect us from a society of (young) people who grow up on internet without any advice or protection and think that these shippings is the norm and okay. Do not complain then that there is so much incest and sexual harassments. You will be held responsible for your acts.

First of all, thank you for recognizing my work, and sorry that some of my work has given you a bad experience.

I must say that when I was drawing TBK homoerotic fanwork I expected that posting these works would bring controversy, so I didn't post more aggressive pictures on my main account, and as an audience of other people's artwork, I also have my own disliked works of art and disliked artists, so I can understand your feelings. In the future when I post these works I will think more about some audiences' opinions and feelings, and I will also think about the content again and post more warnings. I'll also think about whether the platform is appropriate for posting the content or not.

But as a creator of artworks, I cannot accept your exaggerated comments about the impact of my work on others, nor can I accept that I can ignore the morbid content in TBK and choose to not express these possibilities, and more importantly as a content creator, I have the natural right to draw whatever I want, even if it is questioned or criticized.

Thank you for your comment anyway.

首先感谢您对我作品的肯定，并且抱歉我的部分作品给您带来了不好的观感。

我必须说在绘画陀氏同人作品的时候我就有预料发布这些作品一定会带来争议，所以之前我并没有把一些裸露过多的图片发在主账号上，而且作为一个同样是他者艺术品的看客来说，我也有自己不喜欢的艺术作品和不喜欢的艺术家，所以我能够理解你的心情，以后再发布这些作品我会更加多地思量一些观者的看法和感受，并且在发布内容时多做一些警示，也会再思度发布内容的平台是否得当。

但是作为一个创作同人作品的作者来说，我不能接受您关于我作品对于他者影响的夸大叙述，我也不能接受我自己忽视陀氏文学作品中病态的内容的而不去表现这些可能性，而且更重要的是作为一个内容创作者来说，我有天然的权力画我想要表达的任何东西，即使这些内容会遭到质疑和指责。

感谢您的评论。

[dkniade]

Translating the Narrated Poem of the Story Teaser: “The Boy and the Whirlwind”

It’s an interesting thing, knowing that Venti’s poetry is not meant to be Chinese stylistically (usually traditional Chinese poetry has a specific syllable count per line depending on the style and is very condensed in imagery), but rather it’s in Chinese only in language. It carries a certain form and meter that makes it hard to recognize what it’s trying to mimic… But I’ll take a look at this lost ballad waiting to be found anyways.

This is the story teaser known in English as “The Boy and the Whirlwind”.

This is also the story teaser known in Chinese as “微风与少年”, or in other words—

“The Breeze and the Boy”.

——

.

Original Chinese Title: 微风与少年

Original Chinese Transcript

.

我要说的故事

开始于旧蒙德。

.

在那暴君统治的国度，

我认识一位少年。

.

少年懂得弹琴，

寻着自己的诗篇。

.

但他生在风墙之内，

从来不曾见过蓝天。

.

「我想看见飞鸟翱翔的模样。」

少年眼神倔强，瞳中有光。

.

但他的声音被呼啸风声盖过，

因为龙卷只会收取颂歌，不再留下其他声响。

.

真正的天空，囚笼外的诗与歌，

难道不是值得为之而战的愿望？

.

所以少年对我发出邀请：

「与我同去吧——碾碎暴君，撕开风墙。」

.

少年接起反叛之旗，

我亦投身追求「自由」的战争。

.

冲破囚笼之人一路得胜。

令神位崩毁，千风卷乱，诸国动震。

.

在硝烟中，我们见证暴君之末。

在灰烬中，我们见证高塔崩落。

.

如事，「新蒙德」之造史。

至此，无人再登王座。 ------

My Translated English Title: The Breeze and the Boy

My English Translation (Prose)

The story I’m about to tell

Starts in Old Mondstadt.

.

In that kingdom ruled by a tyrant,

I met a young boy.

.

The boy knew how to play the lyre, 

Searching for lyrics of his own.

.

But he lived within the storm-walls,

Having never seen the blue sky.

.

“I wish to see the birds soaring freely.”

The boy’s unyielding eyes had hope in them.

.

But his voice was lost in the howling wind,

For the whirlwind only accepted hymns, and left no other sound.

.

The true sky, the poems and songs beyond the cage,

Are they not wishes worth fighting for?

.

So the boy extended his invitation to me:

“Come with me. Let us pulverize the tyrant, and rip through the storm-walls.”

.

The young boy raised the flag of revolt,

And I threw myself into the fight for “Freedom”.

.

Victory followed those who broke through the cage,

Making the god’s seat crumble, the thousand winds whip, and nations shake violently.

.

In the parting smoke, we witnessed the end of the tyrant.

In the flying ashes, we witnessed the crumbling of the spire.

.

Thus, the epic of “New Mondstadt”.

So far, none has again taken its throne.

.

-----

Official English Title: The Boy and the Whirlwind

Official English Transcript

In Old Mondstadt transpired the story to be told,

.

Where a tyrant ruled, 

I met a boy, not that old.

.

The lyre he played, 

and for a song he sought,

.

But storm-walls blocked blue sky — 

he was sincerely distraught.

.

“I do so wish to see the birds in flight,”

Said he, his strong eyes filling with light.

.

But his voice was lost in the howling wind’s churn.

For the whirlwind takes, and gives naught in return.

.

The true sky, and songs that cageless soar…

Were they not wishes worth fighting for?

.

So the boy turned, extending his hand:

“Let us cast down the tyrant and his walls from this land.”

.

The young boy raised then the flag of revolt,

And I threw myself into freedom’s tumult.

.

Victorious were we who fought to be free.

Gods fell, winds whipped, nations shook violently.

.

In the smoke, a despot met his doom,

And we watched as his great tower fell none too soon.

.

Mondstadt began anew, the story passed down—

And since then never has another worn its crown.

. ----------

.

Noteworthy Terms and Phrases

少年 (Shàonián / shao4nian2)

(modern term) young boy, around the age of ten to eighteen years old. The nameless bard should be around this age, but it’s hard to pinpoint due to the general artstyle. (literary term) youth.

—

少年眼神倔强，瞳中有光。

(Shàonián yǎnshéng juéjiàng，tóng zhōng yoǔ guāng / Shao4nian2 yan3sheng4 jue2jiang4, tong2 zhong1 you3 guang1)

Literally “The young boy’s eyes [were] unyielding, there’s light in [his] pupils.” 倔强 could mean stubborn but in this context it’s closer to unyielding. 光 means light but here it means something more metaphorical like “his eyes filled with hope”. 

I have also considered “with a glint in his eye” but it sounds too mischievous (like he’s about to pull a trick) so for the more righteous bard I went for the first interpretation.

Thus, “The boy’s unyielding eyes had hope in them.”

—

冲破囚笼之人一路得胜。

(Chōngpò qiú lóng zhī rén yīlù déshèng. / Chong1po4 qiu2 long3 zhi1 ren2 yi1lu4 de2sheng4)

More literally it’s “Those who broke through the cage achieved victory throughout the entire path” but in English it’s better to say “victory followed those who broke through the cage.”

—

神位 vs 王座 (shénweì / shen2wei4; wángzuò / wang2zuo4)

Literally speaking, the first means seat of god and the second means throne. However—

神位, also known as 排位, means spirit tablet (or memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet). It’s part of East Asian culture, though it originated from traditional Chinese culture. Simply put, it’s a sort of wooden tablet with the name of a spirit, ancestor, or deceased person on it, along with some auspicious sayings, placed on an altar for sacrifices and offerings.

(Here’s a Wikipedia link)

Why such a word is used in a poem about Mondstadt, which is based on German culture with some Greek mythology influences, is beyond me.

Though, it seems multiple tablets (thus, for multiple spirits, deities, ancestors, etc.) can be placed on the altar at once, and the word does appear in the poem when the Thousand Winds break free (令神位崩毁，千风卷乱). One could argue that the 神位 in question was for the thousand winds (be it the group the wind spirit Venti once belonged to or the thousand winds of time Istaroth), along with Decarabian, the God of Storms himself. After all, the Thousand Winds Temple exists in Mondstadt, and both Barbatos and Istaroth were worshipped around Decarabian’s time (according to the Sacrificial Fragments weapon lore).

But taking the context of the rest of the poem, I’d say 神位 should still mean something like seat of god or the position of god here, and 王座 would be throne.

——

如事，「新蒙德」之造史。(Rúshì，“Xīn Méngdé” zhī zàoshǐ. / Ru2shi4, “Xin1 Meng2de2” zhi1 zao4shi4.)

It's pretty formal to say this. Directly, it’s “These events, the creation Epic of ‘New Mondstadt’.” 造史 itself isn’t an actual word but the first character means creation (as in 创造) and the second character could either mean history (历史) or epic poetry (史诗) here. I figured that this is meant to be a poem about a hero, so I’ve chosen the epic sense.

So it’s rendered as “Thus, the epic of ‘New Mondstadt’.”

------------

Rhyming Scheme

Original Chinese Poem

AX / XB / XB / XB / CC / XC / XC / XC / XD / DD / EE / AX

.

Official English Stylization 

XA / XA / XB / XB / CC / DD / EE / FF / GG / HH / II / JJ

.

Okay, so the rhyming scheme between the two versions is similar in this section:

少年懂得弹琴，(qín)

寻着自己的诗篇。(piān)

但他生在风墙之内，(neì)

从来不曾见过蓝天。(tiàn)

「我想看见飞鸟翱翔的模样。」(yàng)

少年眼神倔强，瞳中有光。(huāng)

or 

The lyre he played, 

and for a song he sought,

But storm-walls blocked blue sky — 

he was sincerely distraught.

“I do so wish to see the birds in flight,”

Said he, his strong eyes filling with light.

.

The last two lines of both are couplets, and the three pairs are the only instance where the two versions rhymed at the same place. It’s the XB / XB / CC part of the above rhyming scheme.

The official English stylization primarily uses rhyming couplets, but as to why the length of the couplets became shorter after “‘I do so wish to see the birds in flight,’ / Said he, his strong eyes filling with light” is… unknown, unless it’s to show turning point, and thus emphasis on the couplets make you pay more attention to the events that followed? The rhyming scheme is not as noticable in Chinese… But the syllable count isn’t particularly noticeable in Chinese either, so it’s probably closer to a modern Chinese poetic style. 

But then, without a strong rhyming scheme nor meter, the structure of the poem is a little weak in Chinese, and it didn’t seem like it was freestyle, since they were clearly trying something with the rhyming. (With that said however, Chinese isn’t a very rhythmic language compared to English, so it’s okay.)

I want to see if I can write it into an English poem that follows the rhyme scheme and meaning of the Chinese poem.

----

Rhyming Scheme: AX / XB / XB / XB / CC / XC / XC / XC / XD / DD / EE / AE

Meter

okay so the Cecilia which has three main petals is shown in reverse on the flag of rebellion so it would make sense to use a trimeter

Old Mondstadt was used by Decarabian, one ruler, so the first syllable should be stressed, with three syllables per meter 

In other words, dactylic trimeter (which is not as common as iambs and is therefore hard to write with!! Start with an unstressed syllable to make it easier!) 

In other words, catalectic amphibrachic tetrameter 

And iambs have a better flow so it could be used for the parts representing freedom (and good for rhyming couplets too)

Let’s say for the free parts to use iambic tetrameter (four winds) 

And also a nonspecific tetrameter for Those Particular Parts where the Chinese cut it up into phrases of four characters (and thus syllables)

Meter, Summary

catalectic amphibrachic tetrameter (- / - - / - - / - - /)

iambic tetrameter (-/-/-/-/)

Amphibrach  (- / -) for Decarabian, the one ruler, ruling Old Mondstadt, which causes an imbalance in power, hence the lopsided feeling of the meter 

Trimeter (foot repeated three times) for the three-petaled Cecilia 

Iambs (- /) for the balanced feeling of freedom and peace, and New Mondstadt having no ruler

Tetrameter (foot repeated four times) for the four winds, thus the better flow of the meter 

Link to my rewriting of the poem in English