#29 lei

[dedibelyegei]

Jó régen volt már a keleti szomszédunkból bélyeg. Ezt az egész míves darabot, a lovasrendőrség létrejöttének 100-adik évfordulójára nyomták 1993-ban. A 29 leies névértéket értelemszerűen még a régi leiben kell érteni. Én nem tudok románul egyáltalán, de feltűnt, hogy a bélyeg tetején szereplő Jandarmeria mennyire hasonlít az francia Gendarmerie (csendőrség) kifejezéshez, de persze ezzel nem csak a románok vannak így, sokan átvették. A képről nem találtam semmit, hogy egy festmény e, vagy kifejezetten erre a bélyegre tervezték vajon. Értéke nem jelentős, egymillió példányban készült, 100 forint körül hozzá lehet jutni.

[lostinadrama]

𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 (2024)

[succhinoallapesca]

Ci sono persone che vedono qualsiasi minuscola cosa come una competizione, così quando ci parli e magari racconti qualcosa di te senza alcun secondo fine, sentono sempre il bisogno di controbattere dicendo come fanno loro quella stessa cosa, ovviamente nel modo migliore, più interessante etc. Ma Dio buono calmatevi! Che poi fino alle medie mi sembra un comportamento anche normale, superati i 30 anni la questione è grave amicii

[nothingunrealistic]

PCF To: Wendy Rhoades

Pancreatic Cancer Foundation $25 million Research Initiative Today at 10:29 PM

Pancreatic Cancer Foundation $25 million Research initiative due to a donation of Bobby Axelrod

Bobby Axelrod funds $25 million initiative for The Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research

New York, NY -- The Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is pleased to announce a new $25 million research initiative, thanks to the generous funding of Bobby Axelrod, head of Axe Capital. The Foundation announced the fundraising round for this initiative last month, and had raised $5 million of the total $30 million goal.

President of the Foundation, Dr. Zhang Lei, said, “Bobby Axelrod stepped in and closed the gap so that we’d reach our goal months sooner and be able to commence research. The current survival rate for pancreatic cancer is less than 9%, so every single moment counts in trying to prolong the lives of patients and find a cure.”

The research initiative is expected to focus on sharpening molecular profiling, targeted therapies, and most importantly, forced autophagy -- a term that means “self-eating.” Autophagy is one of multiple ways that cancer cells get their fuel.

Foundation researchers posit that by introducing a drug that forces cancer cells to rely on autophagy and then introducing a second drug that renders autophagy ineffective could weaken the cells considerably and halt tumor growth.

The tumor cells most often associated with pancreatic cancer tend to rely primarily on glycolysis for fuel. There are many glycolysis inhibitors on the market that could cripple this pathway and force the cells to rely on autophagy.

The Foundation’s research initiative would be partially focused on developing more effective autophagy inhibitors for the second part of this one-two punch experimental treatment. Should both inhibitors work optimally, the cancer cells would be more susceptible to radiation and chemotherapy. This could improve prognoses and give patients considerably more time to live.

Dr. Zhang Lei is optimistic about what the Foundation could achieve with this research initiative.

[elbiotipo]

speaking of werewolves does Argentina have a werewolf legend? in Brasil the legend is that if a couple has 6 daughters and the 7th child is a boy, he will turn into a werewolf on his 13th birthday

NOT ONLY WE HAVE WEREWOLF LEGENDS, WE HAVE LEGAL PROTECTIONS AGAINST THEM

According to Argentine Law No. 20.8431, the President of the Nation becomes the godfather (or godmother) of the seventh male son or seventh female daughter of any Argentine, so that they don't become werewolves (lobizón) or witches.

This by the way, is a real law. It's still enforced today.

There are 11.000~ Argentine godchildren who are protected by the Argentine State from becoming werewolves.

This comes from a petition from Russian inmigrants who also had the same legend.

In Argentina, werewolves are called "lobizón" (plural, "lobizones") and traditionally they are related to the Guaraní legend of the Luisón, one of the cursed children of Tau and Keraná, which is also popular in Brazil. However, that legend has several modern retellings and it's difficult to access to its origin.

In fact, according to Juan Ambrosetti, the lobizón isn't a native legend on itself, but it comes from European Brazilian inmigrants who interacted with the criollo and native people of the region, including Argentina. For example, in Argentina, and I believe also Brazil, the Lobizón or Lobisome is associated with the Aguará Guazú or Lobo-Guará. This is not a connection found in the native peoples of the Americas, at least not in historical records, and it doesn't really fit the rather gentle and skittish nature of the Aguará Guazú.

In fact, the Tupi-Guaraní peoples, and most of the people from the Amazon to the Mata Atlántica to the Great Chaco if not the whole of the range of the jaguar, have therianthropic legends of Jaguar-men, most prominently in the Guaraní cultural sphere (Paraguay, Northern Argentina and Southern Brazil) the Yaguareté-Avá, sorcerers or madmen who could turn into jaguars. This was an incredibly common motif found all over the continent. It seems that this legend was syncretized with European tales of werewolves, thus transforming into the Lobizón, associated (rather infamously) with the Aguará Guazú as we know it today.

This is something that deserves careful reading and study, but if anyone has time, here is a fascinating read:

[dangermousie]

Middle (sort of) of 2024 list - cdrama edition.

Yeah I realize it's neither the end of the year, nor half a year, but what's the point of being predictable? It's also gonna make my end of year post easier. This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2024; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

42 My Divine Emissary - it's actually a pretty good drama year when the worst cdrama I've checked out this year is merely utterly shrill and brain dead but not horrifyingly offensive to good taste.

41 Fight for Love - they had wonderful actors and a great premise and utterly wasted it. There might someday be a good drama about a female general torn between a royal and an enemy general but this ain't it.

40 Peacock in Wonderland - I am a few decades too old for this brain dead fest but I am glad Zhou Jun Wei is not canceled at least.

39 Her Fantastic Adventures - honestly, this, MDE and Revenger are all the same type of subgenre - they aren't offensive they are just as empty as air. This also suffers from casting an utter dud as ML and a charisma boat as SML. Why?

38 Lady Revenger Returns from the Fire - the main thing I remember from this is that Miles Wei must have stolen the wig maker's parking spot. That wig is the one that should have gone into the fire.

37 Your Trap/Imprisoned Love - the plot of this mini made no sense but the softcore vibes of sanitized 1990s cinemax were on point!

36 Fox Matchmaker: The Red Moon Pact - it's so pretty, so full of gorgeous costumes and actors and I enjoyed the first few eps, but ultimately it was like watching colorful paint dry. It was so dull, I couldn't even hate watch it, and that is more damning than anything.

35 The Unexpected Marriage - cutesy dumb period romcom. Could be worse, not that this is much of a praise.

34 Love’s Rebellion - so twee, so precious, so full of cutesy awful CGI and actors who aren't bothering. I am not sure why Zhang Linghe and Jing Tian are in this mess that looks like rainbow vomited on a xianxia set.

33 My Wife's Double Life - her life may be double but her brain is only half.

32 Jade's Fateful Love - I lost some braincells trying this one, but (a) it's gorgeous and (b) no transmigration say you? Multiple transmigration in first ep alone! Good for you, makers!

31 Follow My Heart - how do you have Luo Yunxi, Song Yi and Cheng Lei and waste them so utterly? First few eps were nice and then it's like exercise in how much you can tolerate before you call it quits.

30 Sword and Fairy 4 - it's kinda a mess but I loved the actors and some of the plots and you can do worse.

29 Blossoms in Adversity - dumb as a set of particularly dumb bricks and ML I don't think could act if his life depended on it, but it was strangely addictive and I watched it often before better dramas. It's just a genuinely good time somehow!

28 Judge Dee - it's not you it's me in action. It's smart and gorgeous and well acted, I just don't do procedurals.

27 The Substitute Princess’ Love - it's like some of those trashy web novels I enjoy. It was clearly cut, its budget was equivalent to loose change found in the pockets of makes of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, but it was a surprisingly fun watch, though I enjoyed the first half better than the second. Also as a drama old, it was a fun blast from the past seeing Dylan Kuo (if you have never watched the old twdrama The Outsiders, what are you even doing with your life?)

26 Rise from the Ashes - a wacky as hell mini where reborn FL wreaks revenge with help of her fake uncle as they carry on as some sort of Borgia/Phillip II of Spain fame hybrid. If you don't need to use your brain, you could have a worse time.

25 The Legend of Heroes - it suffered from me seeing other versions of this tale before that I liked more and not loving how dark looking it is but that cast is A+ and Wang Hongyi was a revelation as Yang Kang.

24 Beauty Strategy - a mini of what a few years ago would have been a proper angsty drama of palace scheming enemies while lovers, powerless emperor etc etc. Honestly, I loved it.

23 Lovesickness - this year's gender-reversed Ancient Love Song, not as artistic or good but still a good time about a woman traveling back in time and falling for a powerful but doomed duke.

22 Fragments of Kylin - demon slayer falls for a demon; this one came out of nowhere and didn't have much of a budget but is surprisingly lovely.

21 Enslaved by Love - the only reason it's not the most fucked up drama on this list is because Shadow Sect, Palace Shadows and Burning Flames exist. The ML is toxic enough to be banned by the Geneva convention but FL does get some of her own back and also if you ever wanted to see blindness curing sex, boy do I have a drama for you!

20 Secrets of the Shadow Sect - head of sect lady and her very very subby bodyguard. What's not to love?

19 Palace Shadows: Between Two Princes - ML pretends to be his own twin, bdsm and sluttiness ensues. I cannot even explain how wild this drama is but the acting is on point and way way fun!

18 Dashing Youth - I had no expectations of this drama (either indifferent to or dislike everyone in the cast, wuxia and wuxia-adjacent is rarely my genre, the number of characters is huge) but I loved how under its bright colors, it eventually gets very dark (it's quite old school that way) and somehow I am invested in everyone in the huge cast. This being a prequel to The Blood of Youth makes us know the fates of many of the characters and this adds the air of tragic inevitability to it all.)

17 The Last Immortal - a surprisingly sweet and touching xianxia that works largely because Zhao Lusi and Wang Anyu are so so so so solid separately and together.

16 Burning Flames - the most gonzo drama on this list. I love it for committing to insanity as it should (if you pick insane source material, commit.) Humans taking on the worst Gods since Olympus, fur and chains, sentient crystal FL, ML who goes from Crown Prince to mine slave to rebel leader, bare chests and fur, demon elves, a villain that leaches color from the world - this drama has everything and I loved its unhinged glory.

15 Lost You Forever 2 - it would have been higher except it fell apart in the last third so badly I am still wondering how the makers could misunderstand their own characters and their own narratives so badly. The first season was a masterpiece. This is a hot mess.

14 The Princess Royal/The Grand Princess - I am in the minority of finding this drama very mid. The acting was fine (except for former eunuch dude), the writing was fine, but I never really got invested alas. I don't even know why. I think it's just not my type of narrative; there was no intensity.

13 Different Princess - a ridiculous amount of fun and ship about an author falling through to her own novel and falling for the villain.

12 Sword and Fairy 6 - I love this tale; the young OTP (a whale weapon and a clone of her trigger? More wholesome than you think) who are so ride or die for each other, the other amazing characters (sect leader who has to live as a man and her "twin" who is an ancient trapped spirit, a wolf demon, etc...) It's just genuinely good and proof that targeted to younger audience doesn't have to be bad.

11 In Blossom - sure, we all know JJY can't act, but the narrative was so fun and the visuals were so gorgeous and Liu Xueyi so gorgeous and magnetic in his first proper Male Lead role, it was all worth it. I liked the first half when they were still cautious of each other more than the second but this is just a good time!

10 Hard to Find - my second favorite mini on the list, this is an aesthetic feast. The doomed couple from enemy kingdoms, the vengeance, the twists - if ever a mini deserved to be a proper drama, this would be it. But alas, if it was they'd probably not let it.

9 The Double - unhinged web novel vibe done so perfectly in the inimitable Yu Zheng style. The leads were so good even the amazing villains didn't truly steal the show. Like with a lot of cdramas, it lost a lot of steam in second half for me, but still a great watch.

8 Fortune Writer - the best mini this year and better than most "proper" cdramas (Douban raters agree), this tale of villains in love fighting the narrative has a lot to say about writing cliches and writing conventions. I love how clever it is and how it actually made me care for the characters.

7 Tender Light - except for that ending, this was in the running for my favorite 2024 cdrama. The writers' lack of ability to commit and carry through pushed it lower but otherwise it's a genuine masterpiece. The acting, the chemistry, the looping narrative, what it has to say about abuse and complicity of society and blazing your own moral path is something else.

6 Derailment - who knew a little quasi scifi modern would be this high but this one is amazing. If you watch one modern this year, make it this one. Our FL is a rich girl a little in the future who somehow wakes up in a different timeline a few years back in the body of that universe's version of her (who is poor and has been missing) and her one connection is a young man who was in love with that universe's version of her. I don't want to say more so as not to spoil because the twists are twisty but this is EVERYTHING and also addresses transmigration, what it means to love, what is ethical etc etc. And that OTP!

5 Snowfall - a fever dream of a vampire narrative set in an alternate universe of the Republican era, it's gorgeous, passionate, hella queer and just like watching the most amazing fanfic come to life.

4 Heroes - a complete masterpiece about three men about to be on the scrapheap of history in the Qing Dynasty about to fall (a constable devoted to obsolete norms, who spent his whole life studying for the imperial exam which got canceled, the world's best swordsman in the era of guns, and a former imperial guard who emerges from prison into a different world) whose stories intersect as they search for treasure and the women and other people in their lives. This is smart, impeccably acted, filmed in a stunning way, bleak and funny at once and - I don't use the term masterpiece often but I will use it here.

3 The Legend of Shen Li - I am often indifferent to xianxia that suffers from too much CGI, hella immaturity and not enough stakes. Shen Li is everything. It's gorgeously filmed, it's adult, it gives the story time to breathe and centers it on characters and relationships. And the OTP is everything you can ever dream of - it reunites Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin, totally healing those Princess Agents wounds - their chemistry is still utter fire but the narrative supports them every step of the way.

2 Eternal Brotherhood - if JoL2 did not come out this year, this would be my favorite cdrama of the year. It's clearly a passion project with a small budget but this complex and grim tale of three rather different sworn brothers in a world at war is gorgeous, smart, well acted, dark and inspiring at once. There are shots that take my breath away, the love stories are amazing, the pace is perfect, and ohhh our complex mainsssssss.

1 Joy of Life 2 - nothing can beat this masterpiece. The first season was perfect and somehow the second is even more perfect. It's smart, it's funny, it's heartbreaking, the cast is still impeccable and Zhang Ruoyun still gives a completely jawdropping performance as the focus of all the madness Fan Xian. If you watch only one cdrama this year, make it this one.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Joy of Life 2 - there is not one second I forwarded, not one unnecessary scene, not one weak link character. It's a smart, fierce masterpiece.

Eternal Brotherhood is a runner up - it came out of nowhere and owned my whole heart. It's the sole other cdrama this year where I did not ff a second.

WORST DRAMA

My Divine Emissary - honestly, this is a decent year because even this drama was just "forget it" not burning hate.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Fan Xian (Zhang Ruoyun), Joy of Life 2 - how could it ever be anyone but smart, irreverent, fierce, broken, idealistic, funny Fan Xian. The man who fights against the horrors of the universe, who remains human while being so larger than life. This character is everything.

Runner up: Zhou Luo (Zhang Xincheng), Tender Light - idealistic loner who refuses to compromise his principles even as it would be easier to, even as it destroys his life, ZXC has always been a solid actor but here he is beyond.

Alternatively, Zichuan Xiu (Yang Xuwen), Eternal Brotherhood - only way to describe Xiu is "trauma sunshine." He's funny, he's irrevocably fucked up, he is magnetic and intense and he fights for his hopeless ideals and he breaks and he keeps going.

or Xing Zhi (Lin Gengxin), the lonely ancient god discovering the pleasure of life for the first time in aeons.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Shen Li (Zhao Liying), The Legend of Shen Li - so fierce, so certain, so alive. She is a goddess but ZLY made her feel so real.

Runner up: Nan Ya (Tong Yao), Tender Light - an abuse victim who keeps trying to find a way out, she's strong and damaged and complex and honestly, one of the best performances this year.

Alternatively, Jiang Xiao Yuan (Liu Haocun), Derailment - she makes a character that in other hands would be boring or trite, someone I want to reach through to the screen and protect and love.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

99% of the denizens of the town in Tender Light - selfish every day denizens monstrous because of their very everydayness - they watch abuse and choose to blame the victim and gossip and enjoy the view. I hated them all.

FAVORITE SHIP

Shen Li x Xing Zhi, The Legend of Shen Li - the chemistry, the yearning, the slow inevitable collapse into admittance, the way he protects the world and she protects him, the way they dance around each other, her being the aggressor, his surrender to forbidden emotion, their utter mutual belief in each other's competence. They are everything to me.

Runner up: the OTP in Derailment. Those two went through some mind and soul breaking stuff and made it out.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Amusingly enough, Fu Xin Bo is the male actor in both - the crossdressing sect leader x wolf demon OTP in Sword and Fairy 6, and First Prince x Eldest Princess in Joy of Life 2. What can I say, man knows how to pick them. Those OTPs are both utterly adorable!

If we are talking about an OTP where it's not that it's not the main but it's not a ship-centric drama so they don't get much time, then we have either Fan Xian x Lin Wan'er from Joy of Life 2 - she is his peace and sanity

and Si Yilin x Ka Dan, Eternal Brotherhood - they are both such desperately good people in a mad world, tender with each other despite surrounding cruelty.

NOTP

The couple in Fox Spirit Matchmaker - such pretty people, and so bland and boring and pointless together. It was kinda amazing.

FAVORITE SCENE

God, so many good scenes this year so far - Fan Xian watching the death of the old censor and the aftermath, in JoL2; his confrontation with Wan'er after she finds out about the truth behind her brother's death, the scene where he poisons Second Prince, his scene with the registrar. Xiu giving up his future to protect the surrendered soldiers only to come back and find Di Lin executed them all in EB, the scene in Ning's bedroom when he tells her how he really feels because she can't hear, the very end of that season and Di Lin striding into the light, Ka Dan and SYL's night. The last scene of LYN and his girl in Heroes, the way Heroes always intercuts the golden past of the guard and princess and the dreary present (especially when we see her bicycle spin out of control back when and her husband lose it in the present and this time there is nobody to catch her), the big reveal in Derailment and the hairwashing scene, Mi Lan touching Vamp Daddy's face as their thing in Snowfall, and the cage stuff etc etc.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Shen Zhiheng (Gao Weiguang), Snowfall - Vamp Daddy made me hormonal in a way I haven't felt for a cdrama lead since the heady days of Darren Wang in The Wolf. Those outfits, that hair, that height, that restraint, that lack of restraint. THE CHAINS

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Liu Duan Duan as Second Prince in Joy of Life 2 - what a performance! Unhinged, magnetic, pitiable, terrifying and always mesmerizing. The Second Prince is Fan Xian's foil and a worthy one. LDD is always a great actor, and with a role that actually gives him something to sink his teeth into - wow!

MVP OF THE YEAR

Liu Yuning (Heroes, Eternal Brotherhood) - there is only one actor who somehow managed to be a main character in two of my five top 2024 dramas. His ruthless, driven Di Lin in EB, who knows he's doomed as the ruler's executioner but has no other way forward, and the man out of time (best swordsman in a gun era) in Heroes are both unforgettable characters in amazing dramas.

ACTING SURPRISE

Ouyang Nana - Li Muge performs miracles. He made Yang Chaoye be good in Heroes (2022) and now Nana, who was always as wooden as a post, is a revelation as blind abused girl who becomes a vampire in Snowfall.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Joy of Life 2 of course - I need to see the looming confrontation between Fan Xian and the emperor, though not sure how that will pass censorship.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

FF button has cured me of finding contenders for this category, but perhaps cutting out a lot of terrible acting and lack of stage presence of "not yet a eunuch" dude in The Princess Royal, would have improved it.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Lost You Forever 2 - there were other issues with it, but all the cuts couldn't have helped with coherency.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Same as last year - the emperor cannot be irredeemable. WTF, China, you are a communist country! Though they are nibbling at the edges this year.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Men (and women) knowingly fighting for a doomed cause because otherwise they'd cease to be who they are.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Lost Your Forever 2 - the first season was my favorite drama of 2023 but LYF2 just fell apart so so so badly, it was almost fascinating. It totally eviscerated the characters and the meanings of the story.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

Three out of the top 5 dramas on my list are not dramas that were on my radar at all before airing - Heroes, Eternal Brotherhood and Snowfall were not anything I anticipated, let alone I realized how much I'd love them. Same for Derailment and Tender Light. This has been a year of surprises.

2024 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have honestly watched almost everything I wanted. Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2 will be the one I will list since I still need to finish s1.

BEST NON-2024 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2024

Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty - I, a procedural and mystery hater (especially when there is close to no romance) somehow fell like a ton of bricks for this gorgeous, smart, impeccably acted show.

MOST ANTICIPATED

This is always a bad idea and kinda a curse but I really really want The Story of Pearl Girl, with Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning because I love them separately and together and the thought of them reuniting is a dream come true. Also Eternal Brotherhood 2 (it's filmed but they can't air it until a year from EB1), Love of Nirvana with Ren Jialun and Li Landi, and Snowy Night: Timeless Love with Li Qin and Zheng Shunxi.

[canesenzafissadimora]

L'altro giorno, ero al supermercato a fare la spesa intorno alle 18:30 quando un uomo anziano è entrato nel corridoio della pasta e mi ha messo una mano sulla spalla. Ho sobbalzato. La mia prima reazione è stata quella di arrabbiarmi e chiedergli di non toccarmi. Poi ho notato qualcosa. L'uomo stava piangendo. Sembrava sconvolto e confuso.

Improvvisamente mi ha chiesto: "Sai dov’è mia moglie? La sto cercando." Gli ho risposto che non lo sapevo e gli ho suggerito di chiedere aiuto al banco informazioni per trovarla. Pensavo che l'avesse persa tra le corsie. A chi non è mai capitato? Ma mi sbagliavo.

Ha continuato a chiedere: "Dov'è mia moglie? Era proprio qui." Le lacrime gli riempivano gli occhi. Gli ho detto di nuovo che non ne ero sicura e gli ho proposto di accompagnarlo al banco del servizio clienti, dove avrebbero potuto fare un annuncio tramite gli altoparlanti. Ha accettato.

Lì, la donna al banco ha chiesto un nome. Lui mi ha guardato, come se fossi io ad avere la risposta. La donna ha alzato gli occhi al cielo e si è rivolta a me: "Signorina, ha IL NOME?" Le ho spiegato che non conoscevo quell'uomo e che non avevo più informazioni di lei. "È uno scherzo?" ha chiesto. A quel punto mi sono resa conto che quell'uomo non era semplicemente confuso, ma affetto da Alzheimer. Avendo avuto un nonno con questa condizione, lo riconoscevo fin troppo bene.

L'ho portato all'area ristoro e ci siamo seduti. Ora tremava e piangeva piano. "Dov'è il mio amore?" Gli ho preso le mani e gli ho chiesto se avesse un cellulare. Mi si spezzava il cuore per lui. Mi ha detto che non ne era sicuro, così gli ho chiesto se potevo cercare nelle sue tasche. Ha acconsentito. Con attenzione, ho trovato un piccolo cellulare a conchiglia. Ho cercato tra i contatti e ne ho trovato uno chiamato "Figlia Krissy". L'ho chiamata subito. Ha risposto in pochi secondi.

"Pronto?" ha detto, con la voce già preoccupata. Le ho spiegato che ero con un uomo anziano che presumibilmente era suo padre. Che eravamo al supermercato di Lane Street e che lui era molto sconvolto e turbato.

"Sto arrivando," ha detto. "Puoi assicurarti che non si allontani?" Ha continuato: "Grazie, grazie mille. Sto venendo."

Per circa 20 minuti, sono rimasta seduta con uno sconosciuto in lacrime. Gli ho tenuto le mani. Gli ho asciugato le lacrime. Quando ha tremato, gli ho messo la mia giacca in grembo. Gli ho dato le risposte di cui aveva bisogno in quel momento. L'ho tenuto lontano dal vagare. Perché era il minimo che potessi fare.

Improvvisamente, è entrata una giovane donna alta, che sembrava avere circa 28 o 29 anni. Lunghi capelli neri e occhi verdi. Ci siamo scambiati uno sguardo e lei si è precipitata verso di noi. "Grazie. GRAZIE," ha detto. "Dovevo assentarmi solo per un'ora, e questo succede. Sapevo che non avrei dovuto lasciarlo. Mi dispiace tanto." Mi ha spiegato che a volte lui si allontana per cercare sua moglie. L'ha persa 13 anni fa, ma non smette mai di cercarla.

Ha aiutato suo padre ad alzarsi dalla sedia e mi ha ringraziato ancora una volta. Mentre uscivano, l'ho sentito dire di nuovo: "Dov'è mia moglie?" Mi si è stretto il cuore, ma ero così felice di vederlo con la sua famiglia di nuovo.

Condivido questa storia non solo perché quest'uomo mi ha toccato il cuore, ma per dire questo: La maggior parte del mondo sono estranei per te. Lo so. Ma non dimenticare mai che condividiamo tutti questo mondo e, in esso, possiamo condividere gentilezza. È l'unica cosa che può farci andare avanti. Se vedi qualcosa, fai qualcosa. Non sai mai quanto grande può essere il tuo impatto sulla vita di qualcun altro.

Non mi importa che il carrello della spesa che avevo lasciato nel corridoio della pasta durante il trambusto sia stato svuotato e messo a posto. Non mi importa di aver cenato un po' più tardi quella sera. Di essere tornata a casa e di aver pianto in cucina per questo dolce, povero uomo. La gentilezza non costa nulla.

[yuan4i]

CULT OF DIONYSUS al haitham x reader x kaveh

SYNOPSIS kaveh, al haitham and you are close friends and went to the same high school. but after your junior year, you left them and sumeru behind for liyue’s 2 year med school exchange program. now you’re back in sumeru for a class reunion and attending sumeru akademiya. 

STATUS 01/14/23, on going, slow updates

GENRE social media au, modern au, college au 

CONTENT WARNINGS childhood friends to lovers, love triangle, angst, suggestive, implied afab reader (they/them prns), unhealthy behaviors, written before kaveh's in game release & pre 3.4 version release, messy timestamps, will add more later! (✿) = written chapters

TAGLIST closed! please let me know if you changed your username.

CHARACTERS 4LYFERS | overwork no sleep

ACT I - "I'M FEELING DEVIOUS"

01 . still sleeping ? 02 . packing 03 . reunion message?? 04 . bitch this you? 05 . i'll try to miss you ✿ 06 . bro's down bad fr 07 . 10/10 08 . reunion day ✿ 09. what's his problem? 10 . pretty boy 11 . asked them out 12 . why r u here? ✿ 13 . his text 14 . lying to me? 15 . you? upset? 16 . call me if u get lost

ACT II - "YOU'RE LOOKING GLAMOROUS"

17. is it too late to switch majors?? ✿ 18. third wheeling? 19. tall, blonde and gorgeous ✿ 20. cuddles on the couch 21. do you like him? 22. wingman !? 23. tickets (and backstage) 24. welcome to the renaissance ✿ 25. you guys knew?? ✿ 26. get drunk 27. sober up, bitch 28. cruel summer ✿ 29. can i kiss you? ✿ 30. good for them. | 30.5 cult of dionysus notes ✿

ACT III - "LETS GET MISCHIEVOUS"

31. hello panda cookies 32. man wtf ✿ 33. get me out 34. homophobia arc 35. fuck this 36. exams 37. fool ✿ 38. brunch cafe! 39. ch*lde 40. miss u 41. ate that 42. operation cute guy.. ✿ 43. consider it a date 44. rough patch? 45. double date ✿ 46. we aren't dating 47. no one noticed

ACT IV - "AND POLYAMOROUS"

48. again? 49. your roommate let me in ✿ 50. ily im sry 51. r u serious rn 52. not your fool 53. ur so fking selfish 54. tba...

TAGLIST @yelshin @alizaneth @red-chester @rhaitanis @sunsinrinn @achy-boo @cerisearan @ceylestia @afoxesgreed @im-bili @pyrrhicgaze @victoria1676 @akagism2 @kokxm1 @rifran @squishychongyun @sharkiestory @cafezjjn @gautier-lei @scaramouche-slut @hangecanweholdhands @aixaingela @kay-stryker @giggles8899 @imma-too-many-fandoms @starryeyedkoko @awritingotaku @ittosoneandoniwife @sukunasrealgf @crowbird @jaeminbabygirl @rainbowsaz @h4chi @myaaones @prettypei @jiminscarmex @istgnature @vvasant @dreamingkace @sunsethw4 @aludicpoet @just-simping-over-genshin @scarlet-kazuha @icedmocha1 @kittycasie @hydration-is-for-weenies @jayvolans @angelkazusstuff @ky-uuu @vanitasbrainrot @temshouineichi @kaoyamamegami @serenareiss @lordbugs @lez-zuha @boxdisappeared @tamikahoshiko @makimakimi @yuminako @minty-vxnilla @eunchaeluvr @sukunasin @screechingxiaolover @ragnvdnr @cicato @letthewindlead @jkbubbs @simp4bakuh03 @kunikuzi @mochicurls21 @celestair @amaruthine @spadecentral @kitsunechan707 @jjkclub @younganarchist @kokoscutie @warcelia @tinandabin @pomeiu @annoying-and-upset @twstmemebox @ashhh-14 @wonderland-fan @cartoon-obsessed-aroacelesbian @sunnyskiesv2 @anteroz @bloombb @teapartyspilled @butterflyqueen234 @cindywasneverhere @parcqq @randomidk-123 @crazydreamcat @wateredfay @h-8chi @Imgayandshesanime @sweetkyojuro @thegalaxyisunfolding @tikitsune @yae-lover @aerisellesuchi @emiliona @kaoyamamegami @kemireads19 @novasstar @3cst4syy @cherrybb-ily @tighnariskobi @whoskaikai @lamcos @ganertys @bananasquash @frosted-hyacinth @fallenisded @manhdayyyy @mccnology @lulumallow @siomairice135 @samyayaya @matchablossomsss @mccnology @lulumallow @siomairice135 @matchablossomsss @ciel-solar

sign up for taglist (closed) here

©yuan4i 2023/2024. all rights reserved. do not repost, modify, steal, plagiarize, or translate any of my work without my consent.

[lunarriviera]

Do you know what age shen yi was when he first met du cheng and what age is he now ???? Did they mention this...i just assumed hes 24 or 25 ?? What about du cheng ??? (This is very random question...im kind of obsessed with under the skin i need to know every detail)💕😆🤭🥰🫣

WELL SO SINCE YOU ASKED [unskippable cut scene follows]

We have both Shen Yi and Du Cheng's precinct IDs from season 1, first of all, and here they are (I've also seen He Rongyue's around):

From these IDs, we know Du Cheng's birthday is March 1989 and Shen Yi's is November 1993. Let's assume that when s1 aired in 2022, therefore, they were their exact ages at the time. That would make them 29 (Shen Yi) and 33 (Du Cheng). Then, let's further agree that the events in the flashbacks happened 7 years previously (per the drama, though various promotional materials and MDL erroneously give this as 5 years). In that case, Shen Yi would have been 22 and Du Cheng would have been 26 when they met, at the time of Captain Lei's murder, which roughly tracks—so we can assume that Shen Yi was probably in his last year of art school, and that Officer Du (not yet a captain) had been with the force for about 4 years.

I'm not sure what time of year the events of s1 were supposed to have taken place. "Beijiang City" (coastal/island southeast China) has a monsoonal humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), so it's hard to tell from the weather what season it's supposed to be, and there don't seem to be any major holidays celebrated during the drama.

With s2, though, we were given additional info: actual birthdays!

The typeface is tiny so I can just tell you: according to these promo tidbits, Shen Yi's birthday is 15 November 1993, and Du Cheng's is 22 March 1989. (Feel free to assume they were both born in Fujian, and calculate their astrological charts accordingly, ahaha.)

So if they're 29 and 33 during s1, that makes them 32 and 36 when s2 begins, because we're told several times this is 3 years later. This time we also know it's all taking place around Shen Yi's birthday in November (since Du Cheng has the date circled on his calendar).

Finally, Jin Shijia is currently 38, and Tan Jianci is 34, so they're each about 2 years older than their fictional counterparts.

Thank you for this question, it made my day! Please feel free to repost or reply with corrections/amendations. Happy UTS2 viewing!

[luca-ercolani]

Rachel McLish: First Ms. Olympia 💪💪💪

(Image via: reddit.com)

Rachel McLish: Ms. Olympia

🏆 1980 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 1ª classificata

🥈1981 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 2ª classificata

🏆 1982 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 1ª classificata

🥈1984 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 2ª classificata

Rachel McLish bodybuilder

Rachel McLish si appassionò al bodybuilding femminile spinta dal successo riscosso da Lisa Lyon.

Il definitivo ingresso nel mondo del culturismo fu essenzialmente motivato dalla convinzione che questa disciplina le avrebbe potuto fornire una piattaforma per pubblicizzare sia la propria attività che il fitness tra le donne.

La McLish rivestì un ruolo fondamentale nella crescita del culturismo femminile negli anni ottanta del XX secolo.

Il suo anno d'oro fu il 1980, quando vinse i campionati la prima edizione del concorso di Ms. Olympia.

Grazie a tale vittoria apparve nelle copertine delle più note riviste di culturismo più di ogni altra donna, per i successivi cinque anni, oltre a guadagnarsi importanti sponsorizzazioni.

La bellezza e il carattere molto competitivo, infatti, ne fecero subito una stella del bodybuilding femminile, catapultando su di lei l'attenzione dei media locali.

Nel 1981 perse il titolo di Ms. Olympia a favore della finlandese Kike Elomaa, anche per via di un fisico meno definito rispetto all'anno precedente.

Presentatasi anche nell'edizione del 1982, alla terza partecipazione si riconquistò il titolo.

Tornò per un'ultima volta a Ms. Olympia 1984, con lo scopo di diventare tre volte campionessa, ma fu detronizzata dalla più massiccia e giovane Cory Everson al culmine di una discussa gara.

Al termine della contesa alcune sue rivali criticarono apertamente il suo 2º posto, convinte che non meritasse il piazzamento ottenuto per via di «un fisico troppo magro».

Lo stravolgimento dei parametri di giudizio dei giudici, ora inclini a favorire fisici più voluminosi rispetto alle figure snelle e toniche da lei promosse, la portarono ad annunciare il ritiro nel 1984, all'età di 29 anni.

Nella seppur breve ma importante carriera, durata quattro anni, giunse sempre a podio.

Fonte: Wikipedia

[angelap3]

Storie di Donne...

Lei si chiamava Grazia...

Grazia Deledda per la precisione.

Nasce a Nuoro, in Sardegna, nel 1871,da una famiglia benestante.

Grazia fin da piccolina legge sempre, ovunque. Finisce la quarta elementare e i genitori le dicono che è tempo di lasciare la scuola.

Grazia non capisce, le piace tanto studiare...

"Semplice, perché sei una femmina" le viene risposto.

Grazia serra le braccia e ,in qualche modo ,la spunta. Studia a casa con un precettore, poi continua da sola. Ha 17 anni, invia un racconto a una rivista.

Lo pubblicano! Grazia festeggia, mentre in paese si grida allo scandalo. Anche il parroco si unisce alle malelingue. I genitori tentano di farla ragionare, spiegano che le donne badano alla casa, funziona così...

Grazia non si arrende, continua a scrivere ma a Nuoro trova ovunque terra bruciata , per cui fa le valigie e parte per Roma, la capitale della cultura, dove crede che non verrà giudicata per la pretesa di scrivere pur essendo una donna...

Pia illusione!

Scrittori e intellettuali la guardano dall’alto in basso. È una donna e anche senza istruzione, chi crede di essere?

Grazia non crede di essere qualcuno ,crede però in sé stessa e continua imperterrita a scrivere.

Ha 29 anni quando incontra Palmiro, un uomo schietto, gentile e senza pregiudizi che entra con garbo nei suoi pensieri e nella sua vita. Diventano marito e moglie.

Grazia è felice, ma un dubbio l'assilla : sarà contento suo marito di aver sposato una donna che vuole scrivere?

Palmiro, in effetti , non solo è contento di avere una moglie scrittrice ma lascia il suo lavoro e ne diventa l'agente .A questo punto, Grazia e Palmiro diventano gli zimbelli della città. Una donna intellettuale e un uomo che si mette al suo sevizio : si è mai vista una tale assurdità?

Grazia non raccoglie, si difende scrivendo a getto continuo libri che piacciono e non solo agli italiani.

I suoi libri, infatti, viaggiano oltre confine e arrivano agli occhi di una certa accademia reale svedese.

È il 1926.

Grazia Deledda, prima donna italiana, vince il premio Nobel per la letteratura e sale sul palco, mano nella mano con il marito.

Fu criticata, definita un’ignorante, un'illusa , ma lei si rivelo' semplicemente una donna che non ebbe paura di lottare per le sue idee e che riuscì ,alla fine, a vincere la sua battaglia.

[alipeeps]

Episode 30

I think I'll have to skip doing gifs for these last few commentaries, or it'll take me days to get through them all... 😭

Oh dang, Zhou Yichen's words are weighing on Li Lun.

Zhu Yan gave Li Lun the Truth Eye?!! 😭

What I don't get about this show is that they act like these two have been enemies for centuries.... but we know from the timeline it's been 8 years! They fell out and Li Lun was sealed 8 years ago just before the blood moon where Zhu Yan lost control.

"How long has it been since we played Go so peacefully?"

"I don't remember anymore"

IT'S BEEN EIGHT FUCKING YEARS!! 😂

It never had to be this way Li Lun, you're the one who made this a zero sum game.

How are his eyes so big?

Yeah but of those two friends, Li Lun, only one is a) a mass murderer, and b) actively choosing to possess and kill the other. When it comes down to a choice of who gets to inhabit one body - the original owner of the body, who is a literal child, has far greater rights to it than the one who stole the body and has killed lots of people.

The thing is... this is lovely and dramatic and all... but it's so unnecessary. All y'all idiots had to do was what I suggested at the end of episode 29 - tie that fucker up until Zhuo Yichen gets back with the sword and then sever his primordial spirit and free Xiao Bai. Why let Li Lun loose to start a fight that risks losing the opportunity to save Bai Jiu?

Also, can we please bear in mind that only recently Zhao Yuanzhou had his inner core damaged and a lot of his demon power consumed... and was warned it would not be a quick recovery.

Ah fuck... and Li Lun knows it. Wait up tho.. he's lost ALL his demon power? And is no different from a human? Is that true? And will he get it back?

Oh nice! Your opponent... is me!

But AGAIN... this is so fucking unnecessary! I mean yeah, badass fight scene and all... but you could have fucking resolved all this safely while Li Lun was unconscious.

Give it up for baby bro!!

Wait did baby bro like.. DIE, die? He's a puppet infused with Pei Siheng's spirit... I didn't think he could die?

Ahhh fuuuck and Wen Xiao is using the baize power (though without the token, it seems?) which could exacerbate her poisoning...

Zhuo Yichen would you please just fucking do whatever it is you need to do to remove Li Lun's primordial spirit, while he is fucking restrained!! Please! You're killing me here!

Great. So Wen Xiao injured herself for nothing because you didn't take advantage of the opportunity offered.

YING LEI!! NOOOOOOOO!!!

Well, this is going fucking great. 4 out of 5 of the team are now incapacitated in some way.

Don't you fucking do it. Don't do it. Not Ying Lei. Please...

Don't die don't die don't die don't die

JFC Bai Jiu will never recover if his body is used to kill Ying Lei...

Oh fuck he's crying... is... is Bai Jiu fighting back?!

DOITDOITDOITDOITDOITPLEASEFUCKINGSAVEHIM

Here you go, stick him in this piece of wood. 😂

Oh fuck not just any piece of wood... the root of Li Lun's pagoda tree... given to Zhu Yan centuries ago... 😭

So that was what Zhao Yuanzhou meant by a draw... a chance for Li Lun still to live. You didn't even give him chance to explain what he was offering Li Lun...

OH FUCK there was more to that "Promise me" that Zhou Yichen agreed to!!

Ying Lei won't let go of him. My heart!!

Oh don't you fucking have Ying Lei die on me now??!!

I don't like this close up of his face with a blurry lens. Don't fucking do this to me...

It was. You're best boy, Ying Lei. You always have been.

I hate this. Please don't let him die.

How can a half-god, half-demon mountain god die from such wounds?

How dare you fucking finally give him the validation he has always been seeking - and always deserved - only as he's dying?

This is killing me. He didn't need to die. And they are dragging it out soooo long. 😭😭😭😭😭

You bastards. You fucking bastards. I am NOT ok.

Xiao Jiu. Come back to us baby boy.

He's going to be devastated about YIng Lei. 😭😭

Oh dang, he wakes up and the first person he sees is his mum!!

I am actually genuinely fucking crying.

So has he lost his demonic power permanently?

So... there's 4.5 eps left to go. Wen Zongyu is dead. Li Lun is defeated. Bai Jiu is rescued.

What's going to be the plot for the next 4 episodes? It can't all be about Wen Xiao's poisoning...

Is shit about to go down with Chongwu camp/the results of Wen Zongyu's demon hybrid experiments?

Why is this show so determined to rip my heart out and stomp on it?

Zhuo Yichen is best big bro

My precious baby mountain god... 😭😭😭

Your girlfriend still needs you, Sijing. The polycule still needs you.

What the fuck was he going to say?!!

After this? After WHAT?!!

Why the fuck is he talking like he might no longer be around to protect Bai Jiu?

This has to have been a hell of a trip for Bai Jiu... he wakes up from being possessed by Li Lun to find:

Mum's back Ying Lei's dead Zhuo daren's a demon

THAT'S A VERY GOOD FUCKING QUESTION, BAI JIU!!!

Why the fuck does it feel like he is saying goodbye?! Is he... is he planning to absorb the poison from Wen Xiao?!!

(Shit. I guess there's no longer an option for Zhao Yuanzhou to do that cos his demon power is gone...)

Fuck me, that is exactly what he's planning, isn't it?

Oh and is Zhao Yuanzhou planning the same? (Sorry, demon daddy, Xiao Zhuo Daren already knows that's the only option).

Are they going to be fighting over who gets to sacrifice themselves to save her?

You're damn right she wouldn't let you.

FUUUUUUCK. This episode destroyed me. I am an emotional wreck.

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Eps 28-29 Speedrun...

I'm trying to play catch up after falling behind a bit, so here's just a highlight reel/speedrun (as much as I can speed...which is not very much tbh). The meta has dwindled down to nothing; I do apologize. This is very much just reaction-based. Also, I'll probably have to stay out of the tag once the express episodes come out, unless the site I'm watching on uploads those eps too.

Spoilers incoming!

Ep 28

Heh. ZYC's plausibly deniable jealousy is back and boy have I ever needed it. His cursing better be more intense now that he's basically confessed to ZYZ several times over lmao. And oh how precious he is, taking Ying Lei's ice marks comment seriously enough to double check his neck.

Ah. Watching WX's convo with Princess Longyu while knowing what happens in ep 29, the irony of her lie about being poisoned...Good (and terrible) stuff...

Oh god oh dear I was watching the whole acting ordeal through my fingers with preemptive second-hand embarrassment for ZYC. The moment WX pulled out her little booklet but we were cut off from seeing the msg, I knew, esp given the very pointed shots of the fish right before their whole convo haha. Not bad of a set-up imo, more subtly natural than usual which I like since I prefer explanatory flashbacks to have a bit more premeditation baked into the original scene for viewers to pick up on in real-time, which this show doesn't always do.

But oh my. I have to say this. I apologize in advance but it's in my damn handle so forgive me but—ZYC is so fucking lovely when sulky and embarrassed. I'm smitten. I had seen the director post those shots of TJR all dramatically lit and beautifully framed months ago and I had no idea it was going to be used for this. And this is coming off the heels of the previous episode's mpreg joke, which I'm still not over. This show's commitment to flustering ZYC's character needs to be studied and replicated in fanfics. Who said that? Not me. Anyway.

I've seen mixed reactions to ZYC not being in on the acting, but just for me personally, I like that it wasn't intentional for them to leave him out, and I really am glad to have heard his honest feelings in that moment. It felt significant to see him make that decision against even the rest of their family, and I'd personally rather it come out while the rest of them are playing at discord than actually seeing them fight internally just to witness ZYC draw his ultimatum so genuinely and seriously. It feels like yet another moment where the narrative is creatively committing subtext into text for us and for ZYZ to hear, without having to torment us with somehow worsening the stakes within their group to the extent that would elicit such a reaction.

WZY and Chongwu Camp really invest in a lot of latex skin huh?

Oh my god I love that PSJ sucks at acting too. Her panic at having to pretend lmfaooo. Also, this gets at something I really should have realized much earlier on, but the way ZYC and PSJ have so many similarities in disposition and belief, and also how WX and ZYZ overlap a lot in their inclination for acting and playful tricks and teasing—I love that. WX and ZYC each gravitating towards respectively familiar personalities in romantic partners, which actually very much happens irl. Basically seeking out personalities similar to their comforting (pseudo-)familial bonds. Also explains why I love both ZYC and PSJ so much.

Lmfao Ying Lei's theme song kicking in as he volunteers to hold onto the dragon scale really does get me. His song captures his character so well.

Any day I get to watch TJR inception-act as Ao Yin acting as ZYC is a good day for me. That little snarl of a reaction after Ying Lei pulled out his weapon is some good shit. I love that even the texture of his voice and the cadence of his line delivery is different (the stark contrast when actual ZYC shows up in the next scene is *chef's kiss*). And he is uniquely suited for batting his eyelashes, I must say.

Okay! Onto Ep 29:

First ZYC forgets how to count when he calls them a group of five...now ZYZ tricks Ying Lei into giving his all to protect an empty box...when will the grievances against Ying Lei end?

My live reaction to finding out WX's been fatally poisoned: ZYZ, ZYC, Bai Jiu, and WX passing around the hot potato of mortality.

I'm glad for some more emotional development on the Li Lun!Bai Jiu front! I feel like he's been on the back burner for a bit with the ZYC demonizing (which he caused anyway, lol). I am certainly intrigued by Ying Lei being around to hear Li Lun!Bai Jiu's monologue and what this may lead to. And it's been said but LZY (Bai Jiu's actor) does soooo well here it's such a great watch.

Also...Li Lun wants a roof (well, technically, eaves) to shelter from the rain and a lamplight in the dark? Sounds like a throuple with ZYC and ZYZ really might fix him tbh.

Justice for WX in ZYC's flashback from two years ago. She does not say "Are you stupid?" but more along the vibe of "Don't be silly" as she and ZYC discuss his snake bite. The subs are too literal here it makes her sound so out of pocket lmao

God I'm so glad PSJ slapped all of WX's will to live back into her in ep 27 because yes girl!!! Fight for your right to live!! Also, speaking of, where tf is PSJ ): Her girl is dying, why doesn't she get any screen time to react? Do I assume she knows or not?

But yay! The contract ripping was cute. As an aside, I do wish I personally felt enough of a spark between ZYZ and WX to ship them on my own because the writing is there for their pairing to be pretty solid. Like I've said before, they're sweet and good together but they just don't rot my brain. I wonder what's missing for me because I honestly like their acting much more than I expected to. Perhaps it could also be a matter of contrast, as some dynamics in the web of relationships stand out to me in terms of chemistry more than others, even if we're not talking strictly romantic (I mean, I'm of the belief that TJR could have chemistry with a brick wall if he wanted to). Anyway though, I'm going off topic. ZYZ and WX cute (and tragic)!

I gasped at ZYC going to meet WZY. That's what I call desperate measures.

Ha, ZYZ asking ZYC to protect him while he's weakened from the Ever-Burning Wood reminds me of CQL c:

Yooooooo ZYC grabbing the newly reforged Cloud Light Sword and all that gorgeous light. What a hero. Smitten, I say.

Ohhhh the Li Lun/ZYC superimposed images, the way I was holding my breath and worried for a second that ZYZ would call ZYC by the wrong name !!!! That's some legit ex-vs-current-lover storytelling like whew. But I needed ZYC to catch ZYZ a little better than that when he fell like embrace the man already pls

The cave scene!!!!! I'm looking through my fingers. I feel like I'm intruding. How many jade pendants does ZYC have on his person for ZYZ to drink at any given moment? And oh wow something about the framing of ZYC's hand on the wine bottle as he mixes it—what an intimate ritual. Feels like I watched ZYC make three separate confessions just seeing him pull out the jade, mix the drink for ZYZ, and hold it out to him with his eyes averted...And then he goes and lays his heart bare (again! once more on top of the conversation in ep 26 like he is really not letting any chance of misunderstanding arise he is trying to show his hand as much as possible wow). But yeah who's gonna gif the wine mixing for me?

Fuckkkk, they're zhiji, they said it, I'm going insane.

I love ZYZ's pause right before he drinks the first cup. Watching the gravity of this moment and ZYC's absolute sincerity hit him, settle on him. Such a meaningful and significant breath between actions. Like, we are allll aware of how serious this is.

ZYC holding intense eye contact while drinking the second cup??? Uh??? I really should be turning away now right? And ZYZ's stare back is truly indistinguishable from his openly loving looks at WX. I am on the floor.

All of ZYC's toasts are about ZYZ being a savior of some kind ;-;

Another live reaction: WHEN DID ZYC BECOME A SURGEON THEY JUST DID SURGERY ON ZYZ'S CORE IM CRYING.

ZYC most dramatic surgeon I've ever seen did you see the way his hair caught the wind? God but his nonchalance is killing me. Yes why not bare your heart and soul over some wine you mixed specifically for ZYZ and then operate on ZYZ's core in one sitting? All in a night's work I guess. Also ZYZ's still recovering from the Ever-Burning Wood oh my god someone take ZYC's license away what is this medical malpractice. Bai Jiu is out of commission for a little bit and all of a sudden everyone thinks they're a doctor smh.

All I have to say about the WZY meeting is sometimes I get so distracted by ZYC's eyelashes. Also goodbye and good riddance WZY! Unless the drama decides to pull a fast one on us, which is never beyond the realm of possibility here. But at least he burned.

PSJ is back :D Head empty except for how pretty her red cape is.

Ouuugh Li Lun who is constantly possessing people and obsessively making others look at the real him and Ao Yin who is constantly impersonating people and now asking to be remembered for how she actually looks. What a pair, I can see why they stuck together all this time. Also Ao Yin's true form is so pretty. Girl I know you killed a bunch of people and continuously framed our heroes and caused so so so much heartache for them but I'll remember your true form dw )-:

The borrowed sympathy Li Lun gets while in Bai Jiu's body is quite poignant and so complicated and tbh I want more of it. As someone who doesn't want him to go down this unfortunate path any further, I have hopes about the potential there, but it's probably safer to expect the worst.

Not sure if this more surface-level commentary is still fun to read, but this will probably be all I have time for from now til the end. And since I'll be staying out of the tag soon, it'll just be me shouting into the void for the next few days. Thanks to anyone still sticking around and reading these!

Also sorry I don't add more photos on the regular, I'm watching the show in pretty shitty resolution and on a player than is awful to screenshot from (-:

[kandadze]

Ep 29 loose thoughts

Oof, Li Lun's really on his last legs, eh? I do feel sorry for him, but I feel even worse for Bai Jiu - locked up inside his own body, poisoned, forced to ingest human livers, coughing up blood and dying. Can this kid get a break, please.

It's funny to me how ZYC might have figured out ZYZ's ruse because of his top-tier observation skills... or it might have been because he pays *that* much attention to the demon. I guess we'll never know 😅

It's heartbreaking in a way how well ZYZ knows LL, still, after all, and trusts him not to hurt Ying Lei, trusts LL to honor an emotional debt. Also, interesting how even while pointing a sword to ZYZ's throat, ZYC trusts him not to go to certain lengths for his goals... I keep saying this, but- the bonds in this drama! 😭

Is this really the time to walk away without saying anything, ZYZ? (I know, I know. It's so that they can break our hearts more thoroughly real soon.)

Oh okay. So even Wen Xiao doesn't know what exactly is wrong with her - don't you think that's kind of vital info you should've shared, Bai Yan daren? Ngl, I guffawed when ZYZ said, "I searched Wen Xiao's body etc," not sure if it's the translation that's lacking or what, but I'm pretty sure we all had the same thought about how thorough that search was 😝 On a more serious note though, is poison always the most powerful weapon of destruction in cdramas? Like ZYZ has the power to heal stab wounds and vein cuts that would otherwise be lethal, but he can't do shit about poison?

Thanks for explaining why she wasn't there when the gang came back with the scale, I thought it was so weird for Bai Yan to just leave like that when she was supposedly the one to tell them how it works. (Still not sure why it had to be her and not Ying Long or even the princess Longyu herself, but oh well.)

Yes, that's why ZYZ stole the scale. The never ending variations on the trolley problem in this drama (I think I saw someone mention it re the Bingyi cave and then it happened again in ep 28, and now it's happening again)!

"It's hard." And? That doesn't mean it's impossible, right? Bai Yan, *please* speak plainly and in full sentences, because instead of raising tension you're raising my blood pressure.

Ah, of course she would withhold that info if it meant saving her son. ZYC, going straight for jugular lol (gotta love the man, for him restoring the sword means not only getting Bai Jiu back but also saving his own life, and he still would choose not to go through with it if it meant losing ZYZ or, as he just found out, WX.) As a mother, she might have thought of letting her son know who she was when she still had a chance; she might have thought of a contigency plan in case something happened to her. They might have not been in this particular mess now, had *someone* made sure the kid didn't have to resort to making wild guesses, ultimately leading him to be lied to and exploited.

Wow, yeah, okay. I officially dislike both of Bai Jiu's parents now. Also, Bai Yan's words once again reinforce the difference between humans and demons/gods and how they think about time and bonds. ZYC might be a demon now, so technically his lifespan is way longer than human's, and still he might not live long enough to see the next incarnation of the Baize goddess; and even if he could, at this point his concern is the *current* incarnation, thank you very much, whereas BY's looking at the situation from a much wider perspective. Because of course both worlds will be involved. And I'm still with ZYC on this. (Unrelated, but I love Bai Yan's voice. It's not often we get to hear that low of a voice from a woman, and especially not in cdramas, as far as I can tell.)

Oh, fuck off. The fatalism rubs me the wrong way always, and coming from such a supposedly powerful being it's even more grating. (Not for the first time while watching this drama I get a flashback to reading Clamp's "X-1999," the set-up and tone is eerily similar.)

Well I guess I got my wish. Li Lun, you sad little demon possessing a dying child's body, I feel for you and your longing. The white petals around them (white, for death and mourning), oh my heart. The fact that they kept switching the actors throughout his reflections made it even more painful. And then he goes and (indirectly) quotes ZYC, the bit about the lamp kept on for travellers... while Ying Lei can only listen and cry. Oof. Can't help but notice that he still focuses mostly on his own suffering, though... I guess it's fair, for all intents and purposes he still has a mentality of a hurt teenager.

The whiplash I got when he switched to, "if I die, I have to find someone to die with," ouch 🤣 Once a drama queen, always a drama queen, right, LL? Gotta find yourself the grandest stage for your final exit... am I ready to see that? (I adore his character song, btw, even though when I first heard it, it gave me a completely different image of what his character's going to be. Hmm.)

Again, fuck right off, Bai Yan. I kinda wish they showed us more of WX in that scene, but hey, I'll take ZYC's memories, too (probably the first time with a time stamp!). "You must live well." It's like a refrain at this point that they seem to cling to, the worse the circumstances get. And the care between them, I'll never be over the bonds we're being shown in this drama.

I relate to WX so much. Like I get the idea that some things are worth dying for and no one in the gang would hesitate to put their lives on the line. And still, WX wants to live. Staying alive is just as, if not more, difficult as dying. Staying alive while others leave is difficult. Only when you stay alive can you really change the narrative. (Also, can we please *stop* sitting on that goddamn bridge. Why are you even there when ZYC was clearly shown back at the Mount Kunlun? Come to think of it, I just realized that they seem to have completely forgotten about Ying Lei??? And where did PSJ go?)

"How is wanting to live not the right choice?" Funny, coming from you of all people, ZYZ. Will you make the right choice for yourself, then? Thank you, WX. Make him sit on that for a bit... Ngl, I cheered when she tore up that goddamned contract. I don't care if they get to kiss now or no, but I care that he won't have to experience a mild heart attack every time he focuses on his affection towards her. (Because I've never seen him look at her as you would a colleague, so technically his heart should've been acting up nonstop, unless the emphasis was on conscious intent on his part. I'd have to rewatch that ep to see if they actually mention the exact wording.)

Awww look at her boys going "I'll find a way" at the same time! I just hope I'm not gonna cry when their way turns out to be yet another self-sacrificial mission. Interesting, there's a bottle of wine and two cups sitting by ZYC, even though he seems to have been sitting there by himself for quite a while... is it going to be one of those tiny details that become relevant later? (I love how this drama makes me pay attention!)

Oh dear gods, I really hope this isn't what I think it is. ZYC!!!

GODDAMNIT IT IS, HE WENT TO SEE WZY BY HIMSELF, FUCKKKKKK

At this point in the story my sincere wish is that, if nothing else, we *will* get to see WZY dying a slow and horrible death. If *he* survives, I'm throwing this whole drama in the garbage. (Also, somehow I'm not in the slightest concerned about what ZYC's choice might be. I trust him this much.)

Lol the moment Bai Yan mentioned that the fire of the mortal world is not enough to forge ZYC's sword I totally went, "it has to be taken to the Mount Dooooooom!" 🤣

Huh, okay, I didn't expect the ever-burning wood to be necessary for this. That's how we know that we're close to the final boss battle, folks, the quests are getting more and more complex.

"Take it"??? Wait, is it that easy? Oh no, of course not. How did it *not* burn him up after all this time though, was it just chilling in his body without actually doing anything? Other than accidentally hurting LL with it, I don't think we've ever seen ZYZ use it in any way, either 🤔 Okay, so he needs the creation stone as well, okay-

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲

That's the live reaction of yours truly at *that* visual of golden light blasting from ZYC's sword as he grasps it. Holyyyyyy shit, Guo Jingming, Silmarillion adaptation when????

Oh gods, their hands on that stone. Like in ZYZ's vision. I'm scared again. The image of ZYC morphing into LL and then back again!!! If you want ZYC to promise that he'd protect the Wilderness with you, then *you* better promise not to die, ZYZ! Also, could they be any more queer coded at this point? (Aww, WX, I want to give her a hug so badly. Where the hell is PSJ when you need her???)

I take that back, they can and currently are even more queer coded. ZYZ's face when ZYC prepares his drink for him with yet another jade pendant!!! This whole scene, starting with one of my favorite songs from the OST playing in the background, the soft focus, warm lights, close-ups of their faces, the way they gaze at each other... so beautiful. Of course there had to be some theatrics (ZYZ) and fond exasperation (ZYC) involved, too, that's just how they roll, and I'm eating it alllll up.

Did they *have* to go and draw the parallel to last drink and meal though? 😭 also, also, ZYC doing his best to emphasise that their "blood feud" is in the past! In how many ways does he have to tell you that he wants you to live before you get it, ZYZ?

I also remembered their conversation in ep 15, when ZYC asked how ZYZ could live with contradictions, and boy, is ZYC a walking paradox himself. His feelings seem so tangled and complex, but at the same time he's so clear eyed about them, and able to express them, even while saying that they're ineffable. And ZYZ's response! His face! ::head in hands::

The toasts broke me a bit. The way ZYZ hesitated for the longest time before downing his cup for the first toast. The goddamn *poetry* in ZYC's words, the goddamn eye contact throughout, the goddamn tension, HMH's goddamn face!  So good! 😭

!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay you know what? I think I'm getting better at this. There *was* the slight pause before the camera cut to WX and then back to our soulmates (they said it more than once now, I feel justified in using the word for them 😁), I'm gonna wait and see first!

Aw but they're both just so stunning with their hair flying around them lke that. I could watch them forever.

Loved the slow-mo before ZYZ collapsed. Poor WX! That quick shot of her wiping the blood off of ZYZ's chin was so satisfying somehow...

Ahhh I was right, they were in agreement and trying something dangerous together, not against each other! Yay for removing that godawful thing from his inner core, but now what? Are they gonna give it to WZY in exchange for the antidote? Do they actually believe that after all he's done he will play nice??? I love WX, scolding them both like a pair of unruly children 😂

Okay this is getting a little too convenient that they can get eavesdropped on so easily. And not to repeat myself, but where the hell are Ying Lei and PSJ?

I certainly didn't expect to get my wish so quickly lol I guess now we're really down to business when it comes to death countdowns... What did I just say? There is no goddamn antidote! What the fuck did WZY use to create that poison in the first place? The only solution is for someone to use their demonic power to absorb the poison into their own body??? Don't tell me that that's how ZYZ is gonna cure WX. And then ZYC will kill him so that he doesn't suffer. Looking at ZYC, he's about ready to sacrifice himself, though... ::incoherent pterodactyl screeching::

I keep repeating myself, but how is this kid 12. And finally the missing members of the squad reappear! (Just to get the front row, of course.) Oh, oh no. Even though I kinda knew that Ao Yin was going to do this... (I wonder if the poison worked way faster on her because she's a lesser demon?) I can't believe they made me cry over the human livers dealer!

I feel like I said it after every episode so far, but what an episode. I also find it more and more difficult to watch without being tempted to read other folks' commentary first, since I'm so anxious about what's going to happen next; so on one hand, I'd want to be prepared for the worst (so I should spoil myself), on the other though, I want to see what happens with my own eyes first... ah, decisions, decisions.

[colonna-durruti]

A Mario mancano tre anni alla pensione, da 35 è impiegato nella grande distribuzione, in un supermercato Pam di Corso Svizzera a Torino.

A un certo punto la vita comincia a precipitare: il mutuo di casa schizza alle stelle, sua moglie si ammala. Mario stringe i denti, dà fondo ai risparmi. Ma con questi lavori mica metti in banca milioni e i risparmi finiscono presto.

Un giorno perde la testa, sono parole sue, e ruba sei uova e una scamorza affumicata dagli scaffali del supermercato, gli stessi che aveva riempito e su cui aveva vigilato per tanti anni. Lo beccano subito perché lui non è un ladro di professione, è solo un uomo disperato e affamato. Appena viene sorpreso con la scamorza nel sacco, ammette tutto e chiede scusa: “Ho sbagliato, ma vivo una situazione privata ed economica al limite del sostenibile. Non è una giustificazione, solo una spiegazione”.

All’azienda le scuse e la mortificazione non bastano. Il licenziamento in tronco arriva per raccomandata: “Appare particolarmente grave che lei abbia deliberatamente prelevato dagli scaffali di vendita alcune referenze per un valore complessivo di 7,05 euro e sia poi uscito dal negozio senza provvedere al pagamento delle stesse. Le scuse da lei fornite non possono giustificare in alcun modo l’addebito contestato. Considerati violati gli obblighi generali di correttezza, diligenza e buona fede, ritenuto venuto meno l’elemento fiduciario, avendo abusato della sua posizione all’interno dell’organizzazione a proprio indebito vantaggio e a danno della società, le comunichiamo la risoluzione del rapporto di lavoro per giusta causa”.

I sindacati, giudicando la misura del licenziamento sproporzionata, hanno fatto ricorso.

Anche Jean Valjean, il protagonista dei Miserabili, ruba un mezzo pane e per tutta la vita viene inseguito da Javert, il poliziotto che diventerà il simbolo universale della giustizia ottusa e, appunto, sproporzionata.

Ma questi sono gli aggettivi della burocrazia e dei tribunali, abbiamo bisogno di altre parole per capire un sistema disumano, che si basa su uno schiavismo legalizzato che (anche) nella grande distribuzione trova terreno fertile.

Questo sistema feroce – in cui si sono polverizzate le reti sociali (in un alimentari a gestione familiare la vicenda di Mario sarebbe andata a finire nello stesso modo?) e milioni di individui sono esposti alle intemperie del mercato – è pensato a discapito della maggioranza e a vantaggio dei pochi che si spartiscono le ricchezze del mondo, con l’avallo dei governi.

Il nostro, nonostante una situazione di crescente, paurosa povertà, ha abolito il Reddito di cittadinanza anche grazie a un’indegna campagna di stampa portata avanti dai principali giornali italiani per conto di lorsignori.

In un bel libro appena uscito per Einaudi, Antologia degli sconfitti, Niccolò Zancan mette in fila le storie dei nuovi Valjean: nella discesa agli inferi dell’emarginazione gli apre la porta Egle, un’anziana signora che fruga nell’immondizia del mercato di Porta Palazzo, in cerca di verdura per fare il minestrone. Ma nella vita di prima c’erano state una casa, una famiglia, le vacanze a Loano sulla 500. Poi si è ritrovata a vivere con la pensione di reversibilità del marito e la dignità perduta in un cassonetto della spazzatura.

In questo atlante della disperazione c’è tutto il catalogo degli emarginati: un padre separato, un senzacasa che dorme in auto, un cassintegrato, prostitute, migranti, rider. E un ladro di mance che viene licenziato come Mario. L’aiuto cuoco gli dice: “Da te non me lo sarei mai aspettato”. E lui gli risponde, umiliato, “nemmeno io”.

Invece è tutto prevedibile e ha un nome semplice: si chiama povertà. Dei poveri però non frega niente a nessuno, incredibilmente nemmeno dei lavoratori poveri: sono solo numeri nelle statistiche dell’Istat.

Finché non rubano sei uova e una scamorza.

(Silvia Truzzi, FQ 29 febbraio 2024) da Tranchida.

[ikemenfangirl]

For All Time (Lovebrush Chronicles) CN

💛 Rorschach (Luo Xia) CV: Xia Lei

“He was born as the sun, a lion, and a free god who loves life.”

Game: For All Time Time: September 29 - October 13 Server: Mainland China

SSR card

━━━━━━━━━━━ Title: For All Time By: NetEase Platform: iOS, Android ━━━━━━━━━━━ ※ female protagonist

OFFICIAL SITE 🌏 EN: https://www.lovebrushchronicles.com 🇨🇳 China: http://hlr.163.com 🇯🇵 JP: http://www.foralltime.jp 🇹🇼 TW: https://www.foralltime.com.tw