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sadquickchristmassnowman · 11 months ago

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Hiiii I have a community question I wanted to ask!!

Abed mentions all sorts of movies and tv shows through out Community, but I just wanted to know if maybe you have like a list of which ones are real and which ones he seemed to like more than others.

I can only think of the dark knight because of the dvd Annie broke, and the Star Wars movies (except he apparently hates the prequels) and cougar town!

great question! sorry for the delay on a response.

so, he mentions/references an insane number of movies and tv shows throughout the series, and I unfortunately do not have a list of every single one. although, I am (VERY slowly) working on an in-depth episode-by-episode analysis of the entire series, and listing every pop culture reference is a subsection in that. but that's not helpful right now. moving on

I don't have the picture, but there's this questionnaire abed filled out (outside of the show, it must have been uploaded to a website as promotional material for the show). he says his favorite movie is a tie between:

ghostbusters (1984, comedy/horror)

an american werewolf in london (1981, horror)

back to the future (1985, sci-fi/comedy)

blade runner (1982, sci-fi/action)

stand by me (1986, adventure/comedy)

stripes (1981, comedy/war)

star wars (1977, sci-fi/fantasy, also called "a new hope")

star wars: the empire strikes back (1980, sci-fi/fantasy)

star wars: the return of the jedi (1983, sci-fi/fantasy)

ferris bueller's day off (1986, comedy/drama)

jaws (1975, thriller/adventure)

raising arizona (1987, comedy/crime)

jurassic park (1993, adventure/sci-fi)

seven (1995, crime/mystery)

the matrix (1999, action/sci-fi)

the goonies (1985, adventure/comedy)

the breakfast club (1985, comedy/romance)

real genius (1985, comedy/sci-fi)

better off dead (1985, comedy/romance)

the fog of war (2003, documentary/war)

pulp fiction (1994, crime/thriller)

(btw if anyone knows what I’m talking about and has the screenshot please rb with it! I cannot for the life of me find it lmao)

I believe this is a list he apparently made in 2009, either in the first few weeks of school or right before the school year started. so it's possible he would answer differently as the series progressed. also, I do take some of these extra-canon things with a grain of salt, as on the same form he said his favorite place on campus was study room D or something, when obviously they definitely meant to write study room F. so, the credibility of my source for this information isn't exactly rock-solid. although, he does mention a lot of these movies on screen, and expresses love for many of them (the most notable ones probably being star wars episodes IV-VI, the breakfast club, and pulp fiction)

as you can see from the list, abed particularly loves american movies from the 80's. just a trend I thought I’d point out.

here's a few others he mentions loving, or just pretty notably references:

the dark night (2008, action/crime, as you mentioned)

rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (1964, musical/animated, is the whole basis of 2x11 abed's uncontrollable christmas)

the shawshank redemption (1994, horror/crime, is the basis for his plot with troy, annie, and shirley in 4x05 cooperative escapism in familial relations)

freaky friday (I believe it's the original one from 1976 specifically, but it's been remade a bunch. comedy/fantasy. it's the basis of abed and troy's story in 4x11 basic human anatomy)

rambo/first blood (series starting in 1982, action/thriller. abed talks about how messy the progressive series titles are in 3x14 pillows and blankets)

ocean's eleven (2001, crime/thriller, the basis for the heist scene from 3x21 the first chang dynasty)

hearts of darkness (1991, documentary/war, abed mentions it while pointedly filming dean pelton's production of his greendale commercial rather than helping with the commercial itself. similarly, hearts of darkness filmed the making of apocalypse now)

apocalypse now (1979, war/action, see the above explanation)

die hard (series starting in 1988, action/thriller, abed mentions wanting to do a die hard homage for christmas multiple times throughout season 4)

good will hunting (1997, thriller/romance, troy and abed's story in 1x24 english as a second language is filled with references to this movie. abed is doing homages on purpose, troy is not)

my dinner with andre (1981, comedy/drama, abed does a very elaborate homage at jeff's accidental expense in 2x19 critical film studies)

indiana jones (raiders of the lost ark, temple of doom, and the last cruscade only. he mentions loving the first three indiana jones movies in 1x04 social psychology)

aliens (1986, action/adventure/sci-fi, he and troy dress up as an alien and ripley in 2x06 epidemiology) (side note, I believe they're specifically referencing aliens, which is a sequel to alien. could be wrong though)

blade (1998, horror/action, they watch it over the course of 3x15 origins of vampire mythology after troy and abed assert multiple times that it is an amazing movie)

I think he generally talks about movies more than he talks about tv shows, but he does mention quite a few of them. some notable mentions are:

friends (1994, sitcom, mentions at least twice)

m*a*s*h (1972, sitcom, mentions in passing in 1x05 advanced criminal law, and references throughout 1x13 investigative journalism)

the cape (2011, action, mentions throughout 4x13 advanced introduction to finality)

who's the boss (1984, sitcom, is the premise of his whole storyline in 2x20 competitive wine tasting)

LOST (2004, sci-fi, mentions at least twice)

obviously there are a LOT more, but I just tried to list some of the most important ones, plot-wise and for understanding of his character. hopefully I’ll be able to get back to everyone with a super long list of every tv show and movie he ever mentions lmao, but that'll take a while. (there are lists online that say they list every movie and tv show abed has ever mentioned, but ngl I don't 100% trust those, so I’ll make my own lmao. but I put the link to one of them if you're curious. here's another one too)

at this point anyone who has seen community knows there are some really really big ones that I haven’t mentioned yet. pieces of media that are INTEGRAL to abed as a character. I was saving them for last lmfao. they are:

kickpuncher

inspector spacetime

cougar town

if I had to pick a holy trinity of media for abed, it would be these three things. these are EASILY the things he talks about the most, which is interesting, as both the kickpuncher movie franchise and the inspector spacetime series are completely fictional, and only exist in the community universe. (this is probably so they can show abed actually watching some of the shows/movies he talks about, without the obvious copyright issues that come with playing clips from an already existing movie/tv show on your screen. they kind of do that with blade in 3x15, but they only play vague fighting sounds, and never show their tv on our screen. anyway. not relevant.) to answer one of your questions from the ask, I believe those two are the ONLY fictional pieces of media abed talks about. as far as I know, everything else he mentions is real, including cougar town.

kickpuncher is obviously reminiscent of sci-fi/action films from the 80's, like robocop. like I said earlier, taking their place so that they could have a more substantial role in abed's on-screen life without any copywrite worries. it's a whole franchise, so there are multiple movies: kickpuncher, kickpuncher 2: codename: punchkicker, kickpuncher 3: the final kickening, kickpuncher: detroit, kickpuncher: miami (?), and kicksplasher (?). kicksplasher is apparently shown as a poster on abed's wall, and I’m assuming it's from the same franchise, although that could be wrong. the point is there's a very elaborate universe for kickpuncher, and it's a big part of abed's, and later troy's, film taste. the first time they mention it is in 1x15 romantic expressionism, when abed, troy, shirley, pierce, and chang all get together in abed's dorm room to make fun of stupid movies together. it's funny that it was introduced as a stupid movie to watch ironically, then troy and abed both end up genuinely loving it lmao. classic

inspector spacetime is obviously reminiscent of doctor who. they're both british sci-fi series that have been running for decades. doctor who uses a police box to travel the multiverse, while doctor who uses a telephone box. doctor who has malicious daleks who chant "exterminate," while inspector spacetime has blorgons who shout "eradicate." the concepts of the shows are obviously the same, with the actor for the doctor changing every season, etc etc. they're essentially the same exact show, but, like I said before, changed slightly so they can world-build without getting copywrited. there is something a little bit silly about this, though. it's definitely a continuity error and it's up to everyone whether they want to accept it as canon or not, I guess, but there's an episode where abed is actually wearing a doctor who t-shirt. (it also references bill and ted, but the doctor who part is what's relevant.) here's some pictures:

awesome shirt tbh, but it is a little bit funny that is essentially makes it true that doctor who and inspector spacetime both exist in the community universe. and, these pictures are from the cold open of 4x11 basic human anatomy, which is way after inspector spacetime is introduced to the show (3x01 biology 101). so, is inspector spacetime just a rip-off of doctor who? is abed a fan of both shows? if he is, clearly he likes inspector spacetime better. anyway. I would guess that this wasn't intentional. but that is definitely a tardis on that shirt. maybe it's just a classic season 4 continuity mistake. oh well. I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles. anyway.

cougar town time! yes, it's a real show. I didn't think it was but it is. what's not real is cougarton abbey, the short-lived british remake that britta gets abed into in 3x01 biology 101. but yeah. it has 6 seasons and is streaming on hulu, if you're interested. I’ve heard it's not good but who knows for sure. something cool about cougar town is that abed is actually in an episode. let me be clear: not danny pudi. ABED. it's similar to the story abed tells about being invited to the cougar town set and shitting his pants while having an existential crisis about the layers of reality. here is a youtube clip of the scene. I found out about it while stalking danny pudi's wikipedia page months ago, you know, a typical sunday afternoon activity, and I saw a cougar town credit on there. I didn't even know it was a real show at that point so you can imagine my surprise lmao. anyway. idk if you knew that already but it's one of my favorite community easter eggs. so funny.

okay! I hope this is enough information to suit your needs, and I am once again opening the floor to anyone who wants to add anything 💯 this was fun, thanks for the ask, and stay fresh everyone ✌️

#classic sadquickchristmassnowman blunder of writing an entire goddamn essay to answer a simple fucking question #also just to be clear george lucas went back and fucked with the original star wars trilogy #so unless you really put some work in to find the original versions of the original trilogy #you won’t be watching the versions that abed loves the most #sorry my indoctrinated me into his elitist star wars opinions #but I’m keeping it in the tags as to not clutter up the information with more of my senseless yapping #anyway #community #nbc community #community nbc #abed nadir #media analysis #community encyclopedia

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lizzie-queenofmeigas · 5 months ago

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Wake me up when Targ antis who are so obsessed with them and their dragons have the same energy for the Andals, Rhoynar and First Men who did more of the actual colonizing than the Targs ever did even with all their dragons put together. (*cough* destruction of weirwood trees, Children Of The Forest *cough*).

Yes, the Targs had a major advantage in form of their dragons and the dragons, at the end of the day, were a resource not unlike men, ships, gold or weaponry that other houses possessed. Using this resource in wars and as a deterrent for enemies was not that different from what other members of the warring nobility did and would have done and it was fairly within the rules of the game. The first time when the dragons were used for inflicting wanton damage was during the Dance when Aemond torched the Riverlands. And the Dance was a conflict that occurred when one specific branch of the family that just happened to be influenced by Andals got too greedy and disregarded the lives of their kin.

The dragons,on their own, weren't malevolent creatures and weren't any different from other animals who would attack only when provoked. There were three dragons left alive at the end of the Dance: Cannibal, Silverwing and Sheepstealer. Unless GRRM reveals what became of them, it is safe to assume that those three remained somewhere in the realm without bothering anyone.

The Targaryen dynasty also ushered in a period of political stability and economic prosperity as compared to before when the kingdoms were all constantly at war with each other. They were also the ones who did some concrete work for the realm such as improving the infrastructure and introducing legal reforms like ending the right of first night and creating domestic violence laws. Aegon V was devoted to the smallfolk's welfare and could have initiated further reforms for them had it not been for the nobility - who didn't want the status quo to be disrupted - holding him back. That's another reason why the dragons were necessary. The bad apples of that dynasty were the exception and not the norm.

And to those who think Westeros would become a utopia if the Targaryens were to be removed, the realm went to shit in canon after their downfall and has been a shithole ever since even when they aren't involved with it.

“Aerys Targaryen left the treasury flowing with gold. How could you let this happen?”

-Ned Stark

This is Ned's reaction when he discovers in the Small Council meeting that the Crown is 6 million gold pieces in debt to several families and institutions.

There is also this little gem A Clash Of Kings:

She looked about to see that no guards were near, and spat three times. "There's for the Tullys and there's for the Lannisters and there's for the Starks." "It's a sin and a shame," an old man hissed. “When the old king was still alive, he'd not have stood for this." "King Robert?" Arya asked, for- getting herself. "King Aerys, gods grace him," the old man said, too loudly. A guard came sauntering over to shut them up. The old man lost both his teeth, and there was no more talk that night.

It is hilarious because Aerys was an objectively horrible person and one of the worst Targs but still, according to a member of the smallfolk himself, made a better king than the ones who came after him. There is also some degree of truth to it because Aerys went mentally unstable later in his life. But I guess the account of smallfolk matters not when it paints the Targs - for whom this fandom has a hate boner - in a positive light.

For the antis, when it is about other noble houses tearing the realm apart over their personal issues and conflicts, it is just fiction and fun. Wars are treated as normal occurrences because it's the medieval times and bloodshed and murder is supposed to be common. Who cares for the smallfolk when all that matters is watching the drama unfold in their favourite mid feudal house that they simp over? But the moment Targaryens are involved with their dragons, it becomes all about how all of them are mad and evil and how dragons and magic are bad. Everyone suddenly becomes an advocate for the rights of the smallfolk. Unless it's their favs tormenting the smallfolk of course.

Everyone needs to read this.

#house targaryen #a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #targaryen loyalist #pro targaryen

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liberty-or-death · 2 years ago

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Thousand Autumns Chapter 1 Explanation of Names, Historical Context and Possible Influences

THE WORLD BUILDING!! I could scream. I was so so so impressed with Thousand Autumns.

Aside from literary poetry devices, MXS also uses a lot of historical characters and places in her novels, which was probably why they changed a lot of names in the donghua lol. Personally, I find it really interesting and this was what drew me to this book.

Here’s a round up of Chapter 1! I apologise that it's lengthy and it's a a short history class. But you'll need to know or else you're going to get really confused later on lol. Anyway, it gets a lot better! I came across a few videos that were very helpful for my understanding so I've linked them below.

There are 3 demonic sects, and at least 5 righteous ones in the whole show. And that’s excluding the royalty members 😂 and the Tujue folks. I was so confused when I first started reading and I had to do a lot of historical research myself before I fully understood what was going on.

Locations

玄都 Xuandu - This is where immortals were rumoured to reside in. It was also the name of a Taoist temple (Xuandu Guan 玄都观). This temple is located on Mount Heng and was built in the Southern Qi Dynasty. I’m not sure if this temple was the inspiration behind Xuandu mountain, but it is pretty interesting! Also, incidentally, there is a pavilion named Half Mountain Pavilion that's situated on the same premises. Doesn't it sound a lot like Half Step Peak?

Political Climate/Characters - Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Chen Dynasty

Thousand Autumns takes place in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a period where China was split politically during the 420-589AD. During this period, there was the spread of Buddhism and Taoism. This period came to and end with unification by the Sui Dynasty. So lol, if you know your history, you’d know that Thousand Autumns would logically end with the establishment of the Sui Dynasty if the novels continues to the end of the Northern Southern Dynasties period. 😂

The video below explains the role of Yuwen Hu 宇文护 and Yuwen Yong 宇文邕 (Emperor Wu) and their impact on the Zhou Dynasty. MXS puts her own spin on it but it's good to read about it or else it'll get really confusing later on. (I personally feel that her world building is underrated and MXS should get more credit for this!) You can skip to 8:39 of the video if you just want to learn about Yuwen Hu and Yuwen Yong. I'd suggest to bookmark this video whenever you're confused with the timeline of events! The Zhou Empire storyline follows this!

Gao Wei 高纬 of Qi Dynasty - Yet another historical character. The same video talks about the decline of the Qi Dynasty around 32:10

Tujue - Here's a video explaining how the Tujue were a part of all of these.

Hulugu 狐鹿估 is a fictional character but his name is very similar to another Hulugu 狐鹿姑 (note that the pronunciation is exactly the same but the last character is different) who was the Chanyu (Supreme Ruler) of the Xiongnu Empire in 96BC.

Kunye 昆邪 is also a fictional character, but there was a King Kunye 昆邪王 (? - 116BC) in history. According to the historical records 史记, he was defeated by Hua Qubing's army and subsequently became a vassal under the Han Dynasty. After his surrender, he was granted the title of the Marquis of Luoyin (located in modern day Shandong Province). Interestingly, his descendant was called Hun Su 浑苏. (If you've read on, you'll probably know the significance of this haha.)

youtube

Other Notable Characters

凤阁 (Qi) Feng Ge - this either means a beautiful tower, or a government official position in the Tang Dynasty. It’s also the name of a star in Zi Wei Dou Shu, a form of Chinese astrology. People who were born under this star were cultured and talented.

青城山纯阳观易辟尘 Yi Bichen of Chunyang temple on Mount Qingchen - Mount Qingchen’s a sacred Taoist Mountain in Sichuan China. It’s greatly regarded as one of the birth places in Taoism. Chunyang Temple’s a real temple in Guangzhou that was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. (MXS is clearly mix and matching temples with locations 😂) Yi Bichen’s name can be broken down to 易 = Easy, 辟尘 = avoid the mortal world.

雪庭禅师 Zen Master Xue Ting - Xue Ting’s name likely comes from the renowned monk, Xue Ting Fu Yu in the Yuan Dynasty. Xue Ting was his monastic title. He was an abott in the Shaolin Monastery and was famous for inviting martial artists to gather in Shaolin Temple.

临川学宫的宫主汝鄢克惠 Ruyan Kehui, Gongzhu of the Linchuan Academy - Linchuan, located in Jiangxi, has always been known as the “Home of Talents 才子之乡” as many talented people came from Linchuan since the ancient times. The Xuegong/Academy 学宫 is a place of learning. This term has appeared since the Western Zhou Dynasty and was commonly associated with Confucianism. The 宫主 Gongzhu was the title that’s given to the one who was in charge of a Taoist temple. (Okay MXS might not be historically accurate here 😂😂)

Previously discussed topics

Half Step Peak

Regret Peak

Yu Shengyan

#thousand autumns meta #thousand autumns

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angstydisaster02 · 2 years ago

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A “small” analysis of bkdk’s relationship - manga spoilers

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I watched this edit I liked a long time ago in my editor phase. This was just the song “Dynasty” by Mia mixed with manga spoilers, and it made me realize how much their relationship has improved today.

It’s crazy to think how this started as childhood friends, with bullying, and ended up with sacrifice. Today, we have Katsuki Bakugo, who’s ready to sacrifice twice for Izuku when he was the one who despised him at the beginning. This story isn’t jousted about their chemistry and how they complete each other but also about their character development, especially Katsuki’s. We’re talking about a teenager who was lost with himself and used violence as a coping mechanism, someone who’s about to fight for his goals and know what he wants to do. The same guy was scared to admit his weakness and revealed them twice before Izuku.

The whole Izuku/Bakugo relationship has been strong since the beginning. When Izuku integrated UA and learned that the blond had left the place, his first thought was to rush toward his childhood friend and explain everything…because the thought of Katsuki hating him was unbearable to him (at this period and how distant they were). Katsuki was the first one to know about the OFA, to learn the most important secret in his childhood friend’s life, and to adapt himself to this new lifestyle.

Which made us switch to kidnapping. The Kamino arc when Izuku saw his biggest fear taking form in front of him for the first time in his life…when he couldn’t save Katsuki. Imagine how hard it must be to see someone you’ve known your entire life and care about fading in front of you without knowing if you’ll meet them again.

This moment was an essential point in their relationship where it reflected their mindsets. Izuku was afraid of being rejected and failing the rescue mission, so he gave it to someone the blond could trust. Izuku never truly spoke about this period, and I’m wondering what he truly felt…if Horikoshi even said himself how it was an angsty moment, it says a lot about his character’s mindset. The fact that Izuku thinks his childhood friend would’ve never accepted his hold, putting his life in danger even more, would be heartbreaking. At this period, Izuku was the only one showing his admiration for Katsuki and thinking it was one-sided.

It was the opposite. Indeed, Katsuki had been warning the freckled man not to reach him because he knew Izuku would risk his life for him, and it was something he wanted to avoid.

Then Deku VS kacchan happened and changed their relationship into something healthy. For the first time in their life, they both had a heart-to-heart talk and expressed what they truly felt, revealing their vulnerabilities around each other. It led to a more robust and healthier relationship to the point where today, Katsuki apologized for his mistakes in front of everyone after being the one finding Izuku.

Katsuki’s characters’ development is insane and well written, revealing how Katsuki wasn’t just the bad guy but a human with feelings, fears, and doubts. Izuku was the one by his side and never left him until the end (aka the event chapter bc the story isn’t over yet). Today, Katsuki bakugo sacrificed himself to save his childhood friend, Izuku, the first thing he had in mind when he woke up, only to learn it was too late…saying the opposite of the things he said years ago.

Katsuki cares about Izuku. Izuku cares about Katsuki, and yet…none of them know. The freckled man was planning his friends’ rescue mission, with the impression of being a burden…when Katsuki planned to find his childhood friend the entire time and look for him at the hospital.

None of them know how much they mean to each other, and it's the saddest part of the story…the untold things. Maybe they’ll never know, maybe they will one day, but this is insane.

#mha #izuku midoriya #bakudeku #bakugo katsuki #bkdk #izuku #my hero acedamia #bakugo #bakugo x midoriya #katsudeku #dekubaku #comfort ship #mha analysis #i love these dorks #bkdk brainrot #manga spoilers #boku no hero academia

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hyog-blog · 4 months ago

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Thank you for tagging me, lovely @alxina 🥰 This reminds me of the questionnaires we filled back in the schooldays to know each other better, hehe, it's so cute)))

Three ships: Word of Honor got me back into the world of BL and I've been a heavy Wenzhou fan for a long time, for obvious reasons, but then I discovered Qi Ye and turned into a passionate Beiyuan/Zhou Zishu shipper, those two are so bad and so good for each other, I've written almost a novel-long fic about them (and another one is still in the making, ahah). I'm absolutely in love with Li Lianhua/Di Feisheng dynamic and their whole story (with Fang Doubing being a very welcome addition to their throuple, I think it works like a charm). I also have to mention A-Li/Duke Su from The Double because this couple just proves that heterosexual relationships can be hot, fun, and steamy. I haven't shipped a F/M couple for a long time, but they are just too good.

First ship: If we're talking like the first ever ship, oh god, that was a very-very long time ago (I grew up in the 90s, okay😂). My first F/M ship was somewhere between Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask and Buffy/Angel and later Buffy/Spike (James Marsters was EVERYTHING). I then was exploring the world of yaoi for a long time, but can't remember any anime characters right now. I was a very avid fan of Supernatural, but wrote quite extensively for Teen Wolf's Stiles/Derek CP and even Siles/Peter Hale. Oh, those were fun days)))

Last movie: I think the last movie I watched before falling into the cdrama rabbit hole was Spirited Away. I don't know how many times I've already watched it since I was a kid, it just never gets old🥰

Last song: listening to a lot of old-school rock'n'roll these days - Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel probably was the last one. Lots' of Little Richard, hehe

Currently reading: I read whatever MLC fic snippets the dashboard brings me, but other than that, I'm on a reading diet right now (writing my own thing so I try not to get distracted).

Currently watching: I'm "watching" Snowfall through the tumblr's dashboard XD It's on my watchlist, though, along with Dashing Youth and Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty.

Currently eating: my second cup of coffee XD I quit it once along with sugar and other 'unhealthy' stuffs, but now it's back and it's making me so-so happy))) I can't even describe))

Currently craving: Get my life back together, ahah XD I've spent year 2023 living between the ashrams of India and Nepal and now I'm back home and things need to be sorted out. The money/work/what do I want to do with my life kind of thing. But for now, I'm mostly craving writing and that's what I do in various forms. Do what makes you happy)))

tagging @pi-ying-xi @silviakundera @mira-likes @mlc-melons @onnasannomiya or anyone who sees and likes it really

#tag game #questionnaire #ships and stuff #fandom #writing #ships #it's fun

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brookebeebe-blog · 4 months ago

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July 21st - Independent Excursion, Tai Chi and Meditation

This morning I woke up still sick. I mostly have a sore throat, so it’s not the worst but it’s still a bit annoying. Still, I am an academic weapon, so an illness could not stop me. I got up at 5 am because when we got here I remembered seeing people doing Tai Chi super early in the morning. I knew this was what I wanted to talk about for my independent excursion blog post, so I woke up extremely early in order to make it to a park and get to witness it. I walked to the first park next to the hotel, but unfortunately, no one was there. I ended up walking about half a mile to a bigger park when I found people doing Tai Chi and meditating. I will expand more on this in the academic reflection portion of the blog, but I sat here for about 2 hours and just enjoyed the nature and the scenery and observed the Tai Chi and meditation taking place. I also ended up talking to my friends in the park because it was about 8 pm for them. I hadn’t talked to them in a while, so it was really nice to catch up. Then, I walked back, but it was some poor planning on my part. I wore sweatpants because I figured it wouldn’t be too hot super early in the morning. I underestimated how long I would be staying in the park, so by the time I was walking back, I was sweating like crazy. I stopped at a 7/11 for some food and Super Supau (which is my new favorite drink and I am going to crave it when I go back to the States). When I finally got back to the hotel, I ate my food and then fell back asleep. I hadn’t gotten the best sleep because I’ve been sick and I want to get as much rest as I can on this free day so I am ready for the activities tomorrow (I am so excited for the zoo). For the rest of the day I plan on getting some food, finishing a bunch of assignments, and resting so I can get better as quickly as possible.

Academic Reflection

Tai Chi is a Chinese form of martial art. It is a low-impact, slow-motion exercise. Not only does it focus on movement, but it also centers breathing as well. Because of this, it is popular among older people because it is an exercise that is extremely good for you and will not lead to injury or take your breath away. It is also extremely good for physical well-being, but since I am majoring in psychology, I will be focusing on the mental benefits that can arise from the practice of Tai Chi. I found an interesting scientific study on how Tai Chi affects mental well-being. According to the study, Tai Chi interventions show reductions in depression and anxiety (Sani, Yusoff, Norhayati, Zainudin, 2023). Not only do they reduce these mental ailments, but they improve general mental and physical well-being. Tai Chi could be utilized as a treatment for depression, along with therapy and health education. Tai Chi is extremely popular in Taiwan, especially early in the morning. It is hard to miss it. The fluid movements and centered activity could catch anyone’s attention. The earliest reference to Tai Chi is from the T’ang Dynasty (618-960 AD). When reflecting on how this is similar to my culture, Americans also partake in exercise to stimulate mental well-being. In fact, most therapists and psychologists strongly recommend it. Most Americans go to the gym, run, or play sports in order to feel mentally and physically healthy. It is definitely also different in a way though too. Unlike the American exercises, Tai Chi is low impact, which means it can be carried on to old age. Also, Tai Chi focuses on centering breathing and focusing on bodily sensations, which is not something incredibly common in most American practices. We do have yoga, which is probably the most similar exercise we share with Tai Chi, but one last major difference is the popularity. It is easy to find someone doing Tai Chi in Taiwan, especially in parks and areas where reconnecting with nature is no problem. It is much more rare to find Americans practicing yoga in a normal park. We have an obesity problem in the United States, in fact, we have more than double the obesity rate compared to Taiwan, and it has a good amount to do with the different cultures. They put an emphasis on working out and meditation, while Americans put it on the back burner. I chose this for my independent excursion because mental and physical health is important to me. As a psychology major, I care about my own mental health and the mental health of others. I firmly believe physical exercise is extremely beneficial for humans, which is constantly backed up by scientific studies. I not only admire Tai Chi, but I also admire Taiwanese culture for putting an emphasis on it. I will attach pictures of the Tai Chi I saw, but the faces of the people partaking in it will not be included to protect their privacy.

Citations

Sani, N. A., Yusoff, S. S. M., Norhayati, M. N., & Zainudin, A. M. (2023). Tai Chi Exercise for Mental and Physical Well-Being in Patients with Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 2828. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042828

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi

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magistralucis · 7 months ago

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Hello ma'am! Good day to you first of all I just wanted to say Viridian made my blubber like a 5 years old who got a puppy or kitten as a birthday gift it was so so so! Sweet and heartwarming! I am literally holding my breath until next chapter I am so excited!!

I want to write an entire assay but I am very pressed for time so I wanted to ask about something that really stick out to me; we'll we ever see a reunion between Orikan and his family? I know he made himself a promise as a boy (I imagine his father's behavior is the reason he talks about being disgraced like in the Unravel so I think the old bastard just as cruel here as he was there) but maybe IF we see the wedding or perhaps a gift from Trazyn? In Unravel he never got to chance to hug his mom or siblings ever again and since you are giving him the tenderness and happiness he deserves (they all deserve!)... a happy family reunion until tumors or old age takes her? If you ever considered of course!

Whenever you update its a good good day! ❤️ thank you for this story!

Ahh thank you so much for your message! I'm super happy to hear you're enjoying Viridian so far 😍🥰💖 The next chapter is well underway (actually the first part I started writing so lmao), so hopefully you will be regaled with more soon.

That's an interesting question about Orikan's family. I'll put the reply proper under a cut because it's technically spoilers, though not a heavy one. After all, you did ask and I'm willing to tell! 😁

---

Trazyn brings up the issue himself. The pair are close enough in Viridian that Trazyn is aware of the extent of Orikan's sacrifice, and he's 100% up to date on where they live/what they do/how long it's been since Orikan last saw them. I think he, and the Nihilakh Dynasty as a whole, takes kinship ties very seriously: the Nihilakh are isolationist and traditionalist, and if they are not willing to accept other dynasties, their society would have to rely heavily on their own families and houses and the innumerable ties formed between them instead. When Trazyn proposed to Orikan (at least; one of many small proposals) he basically said he considers Orikan's kin as his own, leaving the conversation open at least for a reunion, if not bringing Orikan's family over to Solemnace altogether.

Viridian will end when their night comes to an end, so it's unlikely this reunion will be depicted. But I think Orikan would be open to it. Sadly, it's unlikely Orikan's mother would have survived to the time period of Viridian, but all or most of his siblings may well have. The question therefore is how Orikan will reconcile the years of silence with his siblings - a daunting prospect, but one Trazyn would definitely help him with!

So yeah. It is something they're seriously thinking about. The issue will be raised in Chapter 3, so I hope you'll stay and enjoy the story until then!! 💖

#viridian #Anonymous #reviews

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covertnarcissismblog · 1 year ago

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Review #1

Taylor Swift - Folklore

This so-called review is the my first ever written review about literally anything, and I’m very sure it will definitely be so far away from an acclaimed critic’s review, but since I would like to express my opinions better and more understandable both in English and in my native language, I guess it can be said as a very fresh start, I shall say.

The reason that this is the first album I review is that it is the first ever CD I have bought for my collection! (which doesn’t exist just yet)

So, what can I mention of this album from my head only?

It is Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, which was released on July 24th, 2020, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and the finest work of hers until this day. But why am I saying this, so bluntly, without proving any points based on my own notes and vision? Well, it is just my own gut feeling that speaks from me now, but if I had to actually support this gut feeling with valid objections, then I’m really sure I would say the same.

This album reached the general public really unexpectedly, and so had the fans.

Swift announced her new studio album without any early signs and just posted the cover of the album with the news that folklore is coming next day, midnight EST, with a new music video for the song called cardigan.

Before I’ll go into the detailed analysis, I would like to talk about the album itself, after hearing it in a whole.

(Disclaimer: the review was written after 3 years of the release and many thorough listens of the whole album, so the opinion was not formed by a first impression)

Folklore as a whole is a very cohesive record, to say the least. Every song stands its place in itself but harmonises so much with the other tracks as well. Swift always knew how to create an aesthetic, a vibe, a harmonical piece within an album. Since her sophomore album, it is quite noticeable, but sometimes stood off from this route (let’s say reputation or Red - these two are very diverse records from her). With the more acoustic production, she left behind the electronical way, which mostly defined her previous 3 records, and that made her really good. She broke through the pop girl image, which she carefully built throughout her career, and really showcased the writing, composing skills she previously had as well.

Besides all this, and without getting into her career analysis, let’s go back to the record itself.

The main focus of the album is as simple as the title: storytelling, in a detailed, descriptive way she had not done before for a whole record long. (of course, there are exceptions - yes it’s All Too Well and also Dear John)

She tells not only biographical, but mainly fictive stories for 67 minutes. We can find many perspectives in a song, and some of them are actually connected (which is a very very smart way to get people engaged in your record, if they even care that much)

The vocals on the record are very clean and simple, and the acoustic instrumentation even helps to it. The whole album fits into a kind of melancholia and sadness feeling, and from the first seconds of the first song, it does not leave until the lakes end (yes, I’m counting that into my review as well)

the 1 starts with a statement that “she’s doing good” but the song’s theme builds around a relationship that did not end as she would have wanted to. That song is a solid opener, as it is not that much of an acoustic style she plays with for the whole length of folklore, but the sense of the new style can be noticed there.

The cardigan-august-betty trinity is the three that are definitely connected. These are telling the same story but from different perspectives. The story is about a love triangle, and each character tells their own side of the events.

The third and the fourth tracks are the complete opposite (for me!!)

While I’m not not liking, but the least enjoying the great american dynasty, I’m always moved by exile, which is one of Swift’s best craft until this point.

The story and the lyrics in itself do not bring me in for tlgad, as much as exile does. Maybe this opposition gives the third track a weaker chance to get success by me.

There is a very solid track run from 5-9 (from my tears ricochet to this is me trying), and I am simply cannot skip any of them. The hauntiness, the emotional overload, the instruments - especially for august!! - are all peaking here in each of these.

This streak breaks with illicit affair and invisible string, but not entirely. These are a bit laid-back songs, with still touching narratives. It all comes back with mad woman and betty (and even in peace, in its own special way). epiphany is an odd one out, as it is a very deep and personal story. However, the length of it is a bit of a lack; don’t matter, how beautifully composed it is and how deep the lyricism is, I do not feel the same attachment and interest through the whole song as I did with the previous ones.

hoax and the lakes are the perfect closers for the standard and the deluxe versions, respectively. Both are underrated in most ears, but they achieve the matching feeling that the album gave since the beginning, and did not get flat in this case.

I might seem like a biased bitch according to this, but if considering her music, I can seem critical. But to my taste, my personal preference in lyrical style and production, and most importantly, album-wise, this is a near perfect record.

It surely will not be one of the best album ever in most people’s top lists, but as of now, Swift had not done a better album in my eyes. And I really like all of her records.

It is equally honest, creative, beautiful, ethereal, but also melancholic, hopeful, and clean.

This album is really a great starter if you are into indie genres or folk-acoustic genres, and also if you are skeptical about her and her popularity. Because this might just break the top of the iceberg enough to get a little interested about Swift.

The highlights for me: exile, seven, august, hoax

My least favourite: the last great american dynasty, epiphany

9.7/10.0

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myresearchings · 4 months ago

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http://topazx.blog78.fc2.com/blog-entry-139.html

Political System of the Galactic Empire by One Fine Day

This article criticizes the Empire pretty harshly, so if you're a fan of the Empire, please turn back now. The Free Planets Alliance, seen as a "representation of actually existing democracy" in the Galactic Empire, is entirely corrupt. There's no denying that. It's no wonder that the imperials are surprised to find that Yang, Bucock, and others are fighting, however reluctantly, to protect this corrupt system. To them, it must have seemed too good to be enslaved to a democractic system. By the same token, it makes sense that certain fans get fed up with the Alliance, which forces Yang do things he doesn't like, and side with the Empire instead. To put it another way, "I like Yang but hate the Alliance, so I'll just put Yang in the Empire." No one wants to see their loved ones suffer, and it's natural to dislike any environment which binds them. According to the political values of the New Empire's Lohengramm Dynasty, it's commonly held that "making use of outstanding talent" is the same as "cutting out incompetent (useless) people." That certainly seems efficient and rational (although it seems to me not so different from welfare reforms that aim to improve efficiency by cutting off the elderly and disabled). In their eyes, democracy may be a foolish system which "eliminates God-given geniuses in favor of opportunistic incompetents and traitors." However, this actually serves as strong evidence that they are blindly militaristic and judge people based on how they can be mobilized for war. Of course, they have personal relationships with family and friends. However, if I were to give an answer to whether they have ever analyzed society from a perspective other than "politics and strategy," I would definitely answer "no." Because if they thought not as soldiers but purely as individual stakeholders in society, they would immediately find flaws with this idea that "democracy eliminates geniuses." Their model of "genius" is an individual who is skilled in politics and strategy, like von Lohengramm, and other fields are not taken into consideration at all. They may have a vision of genius soldiers and politicians, but they can't envision genius composers, genius painters, genius scientists (in fields other than weapons production), genius ballerinas, genius soccer players, genius film directors, genius doctors, or genius cooks. They may recognize the talent to kill and manipulate human beings, but they have no interest in the talent to entertain people, make them happy, or even transform/save people. (Some readers may object, saying, "That can't be helped since they're soldiers," or "Leisure can't be afforded during wartime," but I would like to point out that this is precisely the way of thinking which promotes militarism. It just the same as thinking "We have no other desire than to win.") That's why I don't think the Lohengramm Dynasty could have lasted long. After all, "He who rises by the sword shall perish by the sword" (I don't think all Christian teachings are right, but this saying is true). Further, the first ruler of the peaceful era was "that" Kaiserin (yes, that Kaiserin who was grateful for the era of war in which people died like insects, calling it "an interesting time." I found this statement shocking). (TN Note: She's talking about Hilda here. She seemed anti-militaristic to me; however, the author of this article read the novels and has a quite different impression of the character compared to mine.)

There was also Trünicht, who used the fact that democracy is morally superior to tyranny to promote himself. I agree with Yang's assertion that "even democracy is not an absolute and unchanging value." The form of democracy that we know today is like a newborn when seen in the light of all human history. It's scraping by in the world today, but the democratic ideal, and systems based on it, are not without contradictions. Above all, there is no guarantee that democracy will be the sole, universal, and valid political system for all time. The union of church and state, commonplace even 5000 years ago, and the class system, once seen as divinely ordained by God, are now withered corpses in today's world. Bad habits should be discarded. Democracy as we know it may be outdated and headed for the history museum in the next 1,000 years. Nevertheless, if I had to pick one of the two political systems featured in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and entrust humanity's future to it, I would have to pick democracy. I am not claiming that the Lohengramm Dynasty is the same as the Goldenbaum Dynasty and that only the name of the ruler changed. (Well, it's true that, although the aristocratic families were wiped out, the privileged class of aristocracy itself was not eliminated in the end. Instead, the new empire's laudable servants and the the families of the new dynasty became the ruling class, so the class system will return to its previous state in about 100 years. The signs of this were visible before the end of the original story--such as the title of Archduchess given to Annerose.) Anyway, whether it be the Goldenbaum Dynasty or the Lohengramm Dynasty, the system is not new at all. Even the most ordinary citizen of today can easily deduce, predict, and imagine its scale: it is a broken system. The time when Christianity appeared in the Roman Empire was the age of the rulers of the earth, that is to say, gods. It was natural for them to be worshiped as gods after death, and in the Kingdoms of Egypt, which existed even longer than Rome, the unity of church and state is so infamous that there is no need to describe it. In those days, the ideas of early Christianity--that God is on the side of the poor, and that in God's eyes, the emperor and the poor are equally beloved creatures--was so sensational that it turned society upside down. This was something completely new, unimaginable in society up to that point. Then, more than 1,000 years later, when Christianity--or more precisely, the Catholic Church--had become a vested interest, the Protestant Revolution begun by clergymen, represented by Martin Luther, was something that Europeans at the time could only perceive as the voice of God or whispers of the devil. The people of that time had believed there was only one church on earth and that the Pope was God's representative for more than 1,000; the concept of religious freedom was completely new and unimaginable.

There are many such examples. The emergency of new ideas, cahnges in society, and changes in people's ways of thinking are recurring in history; the accumulation of these things could be called history itself. However, in LOGH, there is nothing new about the imperial political system that sits around criticizing democracy. This is something far more important than the trivial debate about whether the Goldenbaum and Lohengramm Dynasties are different. The tyranny represented ni LOGH is not something that will be replaced by democracy in the distant future, but instead something that was, in our time, already replaced by democracy 300 years ago due to its inherent contradictions and inefficiencies. It is a very old and corrupt system. Even if the human race of LOGH stopped developing along the way, it is logically impossible for a system proven useless 1,800 years ago to destroy a system that functioned reasonably well 1,500 years ago. (And I think this is the limit of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes novels, the reason why it cannot become science fiction that predicts social changes and the future based on careful observation. The political systems and societies depicted in it were all already existent when it was written.) Even if the Alliance can be seen to signify the inevitable end of democracy and need for a better system, said system is by no means the tyranny of the Galactic Empire, and for that matter, it is also not the "constitutional monarchy" that the Iserlohn Republic hopes for. Because whatever comes after democracy, it will be something we have never seen or thought of before, and at least for us ordinary citizens, with it will come confusion and shock of our world ending. Just like democracy did for the people living under the monarchy at the time of the French Revolution. Some of us will hate it, detest it, seek to elimate it, while others will enthusiastically welcome it, be fasinated by it, and risk their lives for it. That's how history is made.

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amoveablejake · 2 years ago

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Phoenix Rising

A trade and a record breaker.

What is happening in Brooklyn. In the summer of 2019 the Brooklyn Nets managed to lure Kevin Durant away from the Golden State Warriors dynasty in the Bay and to try his luck in Brooklyn. Try his luck is the phrase that we may be coming back to. Alongside KD, the Nets also brought tin Kyrie Irving and from those two trades alone the once laughable team now looked a bit more threatening and formidable. Actually, it looked like a championship contender or at least on paper. It looked even more like a championship favourite when Harden came in 2021 and then as you might expect the trophies fell into pla- Oh no, wait, no thats not what happened. Not one bit. Despite some moments of KD’s brilliance, the trio of superstars never really got the Nets going. Largely because they didn’t really get any game time together. There were injuries in the mix and then Irving’s, complications shall we say whether that be his vaccination stance or the other political side of things. Either way, the Brooklyn Nets never clicked and with Harden never truly getting into gear he was the first to go with a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. Then a couple of weeks ago Irving suddenly ended up going to the Dallas Mavericks and on deadline day Kevin Durant has wound up back on the West Coast with the Phoenix Suns. The trio that I was once truly excited about seeing play together has now left Brooklyn. No trophies and not too much to talk about other than a few tumultuous seasons and a positive-ish season that they were a part of now before jumping ship. Where will the Brooklyn Nets go from here. Honestly, I have no idea. They tried to buy (in part) success and it hasn’t worked. They have got good deals for the superstar players who have left so this could be a chance to rebuild but I have a feeling what will really happen is a slide into mediocrity and a lot of fans looking around thinking, how did this happen when it looked like we were shooting for the top of the world at one point. Halcyon days of promise and endless possibilities.

Where are they now. Well, as I said James Harden is at Philadephia and I think thats a good place for him. At one time Harden was my favourite basketball player when he was at the Houston Rockets but after his trade to the Nets he never really seemed to be himself and hopefully being at the 76ers alongside the heroic Embiid he will rediscover his true form which at times it looks like he has. Kyrie Irving to Dallas? Look, Irving isn’t exactly a player that I want to give airtime to here so I’m not going to dive into this trade too much. The Mavericks wouldn’t be a team that I would get excited about if it wasn’t for Luka so I hope Irving doesn’t take away from the growing icon that is Mr Doncic. Now, the trade that does deserve looking at is Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.The last time that Durant played int he Western Conference he was the best, alongside Steph Curry ofcourse, player around as he was an integral part of the Warriors’ championship winning dynasty. When he left, it was actually quite sad, especially because it seemed that he moved for the money. The Warriors have done well without him, sure they have had their moments when things haven’t been going too well but they won the 2022 NBA Championship and showed that they aren’t finished yet. Durant going to the Suns is in part, quite exciting or rather interesting at the very least. It is fun to have Durant back in the West and for him to be applying his craft with a team that already has a superstar roster. This trade does look to make the Suns a true championship contender which really, they were already. In all honesty, I think Durant will win another championship and it will be with the Suns. Will he be the MVP on that team, I’m not too sure but I think he will definitely help them get there. It is smart trade for Phoenix and one that will benefit them in the short term even if not for the long term. Although I do think the Golden State Warriors will have quite the welcome party ready for when they face their old team member.

There are some records in sports that seem so outlandish that they will never be broken. How could they., They are up on the scoreboards and in the history books to live there forever. This is to say when I woke up one morning this last week and saw LeBron James was now the NBA’s all time leading scorer I couldn’t believe it. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points seemed biblical, an incredible accomplishment that no one would be able to eclipse. I mean, Kobe Bryant is only fourth on the all time leading scorers list with a certain MJ paced in fifth. Becoming the all time leading scorer does not make you by default the greatest player of all time, ofcourse not, but it does definitely add something to your case. LeBron James has accomplished a lot in his career and whilst he may not have as many rings as Bryant and Jordan, this record of being the all time leading scorer is a magnificent accomplishment and one that he deserves. It wasn’t as if James’ name was going to be left out of the history books and that he won’t be talked about for generations and generations to come but this, if we are in the endgame of his career this feels like another fitting entry into the final chapter of one of the greatest players of all time. One of. One of because lets be honest, he’s no Jordan and really, who else could ever be.

-Jake, a man falling pretty hard for ‘Death Stranding’, 12/02/2023

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steelcladbutterfly · 2 years ago

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Yandere Sun Wukong

This is one of my older works, but I still look back on it fondly. I made it before Monkie Kid became popular/came out so don’t expect it to be from that universe. It also doesn’t really take place in the Journey to the West timeline, so sorry for any mistakes with characteristics and the like.

The Mokey King, who can be found as far back as the Song Dynasty, specifically through the story of Journey to the West.

You were a close companion of Sun Wukong. You were with him through many of his adventures and even gained immortality right alongside him. You had been born into a cold family who never showed you any sort of warmth or love of any kind, so the one thing you longed for the most was someone who could give that warmth and love to you. When you met Sun Wukong, he exuded such warmth that you immediately gravitated to it. At first he tried to get you to stay behind, but when you broke down sobbing and told him what your life had been like up until then, he finally agreed to let you come.

From then on, you felt that your life was going to get better. And for a time, it had. You went on many adventures with him and even helped fight off monsters by using the ability of fire passed down through your family. You had always found a sad sort of irony in the fact that your family could use fire, yet always seemed colder than even ice. As the years passed, you began to fall for the one who shown you the warmth that you had always longed for.

You never told him as you never felt it was the right time or you ended up stumbling over the words you tried to say. But still you strove to tell him, thinking that even if he ended up rejecting you, as long as he didn’t do it coldly, you felt that you could cope. One day, you were finally able to get out the words you had always wanted to say to him.

~~~~~

“Look out!”

You were knocked to the ground as the monster swiped the air above your head. “Are you okay?” Sun Wukong asked as he looked down at you.

”Ah, y-yes,” you stuttered as he got to his feet and helped you up, “Thank you.”

But your gratitude was not heard as Sun Wukong immediately leaped back into battle. You sighed. “And I wish you would stay long enough for me to thank you. Let alone confess.”

You sighed again, but ran back to begin attacking the giant wolf monster while Sun Wukong distracted it. You quickly went through the hand motions to summon a giant fireball. When it was fully formed, you sent it at the wolf where it managed to kill the monster. You smiled, happy to have defeated the monster. Sun Wukong cheered and ran up to give you a hug, before quickly running off to tell the villagers, who had asked you to defeat the monster as it had been terrorizing them for some time, to gain the reward. Normally you would try to stop him from forcing them to give too much, but the village was relatively prosperous and had promised a feast.

Once you calmed down enough to not look like a fool from the hug you had recieved, you quickly followed. There you saw the village getting ready for the celebration and immediately found Sun Wukong talking to the village chief. With a fond smile on your face, you quickly jogged to catch up. “.....and how about big statue of me in the center of town as well?”

You came into the conversation as he tried to coerce the chief to give him more for his reward. Sighing, you said, “Come on Sun Wukong, surely you don’t need another statue.”

”Of course I do (Y/n),” Sun Wukong shouted passionately, “It’s a matter of principle. If I save their village, they should build a statue of me!”

Giggling at the look on the chief’s face, you said, “Alright Sun Wukong, I’m going to help set up the banquet then. Call if you need me.”

As you headed off in the direction of the kitchens, you managed to hear him say, “Yeah, yeah. It’s not like I ever really need you.”

You felt an ache in your chest at those words, but it was a familiar ache. Sun Wukong said such things more often than you ever cared to remember, but you still had faith in him and loved him all the same. On the best days, you were able to let the comments slide off you like water on a duck. But on the worst days, you had to stifle your crying so that Sun Wukong wasn’t alerted to how badly the comments hurt you.

Somehow, you always managed to make it through the days, even after constant cruel comments, monster attacks, and others underestimating you for being a woman. You knew that even through all that, you could always count on Sun Wukong to somehow lift your spirits even if he was the one to bring them down in the first place.

You made it to the kitchen, where you found them mostly done. When you asked what you could help on, the chef you asked distractedly pointed to a counter in the back where they were preparing annin tofu for dessert. As you began to help, the kitchen hands who were making it gave you grateful smiles. You smiled back, happy to help. Throughout the many adventures you had been on with Sun Wukong, you had first and foremost learned that he was most definitely not a cook, so you were usually the one who prepared all the meals. This lead to you being a very competent chef, especially after you were made immortal, as you then had much more time to practice.

When you finished making it, you then helped serve it as by that time the meal had been finished. One of the kitchen hands, who had introduced herself as Zhi Ruo, leaned toward you to whisper, “Don’t worry, you can eat with us. Honestly though, I’m more surprised they haven’t noticed you were missing or sent anyone looking for you.”

You thanked her as you then caught sight of Sun Wukong sitting at the head of the table, laughing at what one of the women who surrounded him had said. “Yeah,” you managed to choke out, “It is surprising.”

Another familiar ache started. Even when you would tell him where you would go, most of the times Sun Wukong would forget to call for you if something started or happened. But you were used to this ache as well, so you didn’t let it bother you as, whenever you brought it up, he would apologize in the end. Zhi Ruo saw your expression and, looking in the direction you were staring in, saw what you were looking at. “In love with him, huh,” she said.

When you blushed and started to protest, she laughed and said, “Don’t bother. It’s all over your face. I don’t know why you would like him, but at least tell him that you do.”

At that you quieted your protesting and said, “He brought me a warmth I was missing from my life and for that I’m eternally grateful.”

Zhi Ruo’s lips quirked into a smile. “Well, if it’s like that, it gives you all the more reason to confess. Do it tonight before you go to bed. You may not share rooms, but you are right next door to each other. I should know, I had to set them up for you. Catch him before he goes into his room and confess.”

Confidence given to you from her encouraging words, you nodded. “Okay! I will! Tonight, I, (Y/n), will finally confess my feelings to Sun Wukong.”

”That’s the spirit,” she said, “Now come on, let’s go eat.”

As you went off with Zhi Ruo to eat, you were unaware of how the conversation would play out, but you wanted to believe in the positives, so you went with a smile.

~~~~~

After you had eaten and said goodbye to Zhi Ruo, you rushed off to the rooms that were given to you, just in time to catch Sun Wukong about to close his door. “Wait,” you shouted out to him, “Wait! I have something to say to you!”

As you got to the door, Sun Wukong stepped out and closed the door. “Alright,” he said, “What is it?”

Drawing in a breath, closing your eyes, and remembering what Zhi Ruo had told you, you confessed. “I love you! I have for a while now. I just never worked up the courage to tell you before now! You brought a warmth to my life that I had been lacking from my family and I am eternally grateful for it! When you let me tag along with you, that’s was when I first started to like you. And I know this seems sudden, but honestly it is anything but that!”

You kept your eyes closed, waiting for what he would say, but all you heard was silence. As you began to grow worried, you opened your eyes and drew in a breath to apologize when laughter rang out. Quickly looking up, you saw that Sun Wukong was laughing at you. “Seriously? Man, if I knew you would do this, I probably would have left you there in your village,” he said.

”W-What,” you breathed out, not wanting to believe what he was saying.

”I’m saying,” Sun Wukong growled out, all traces of humor suddenly gone, “That I do not love you, let alone like you. I let you come with me because your sobbing was annoying and I felt pity for you. I let you stay because you knew how to cook and could actually hold your own in a fight. The only reason you’re even still here is because you are not totally dead weight to me.”

With that said, he turned and opened his door. Your eyes widened as you heard a woman’s voice from inside asking him what took so long. “Nothing really,” he answered, “Just an annoyance that needed taking care of.”

He then turned back to you and said, “Now let go of your stupid dream and leave it behind.”

He then slammed his door shut, leaving you to fall to your knees as, silently, tears began to roll down your cheeks. You somehow managed to get to your room and curl up, silently sobbing, in the bed that had been prepared for your visit. You cried for hours, but somewhere along the line you must have finally fallen asleep, because you woke up with the sun shining in your eyes and dried tear tracks on your face.

You managed to get up and somehow continue your day relatively normally. The only difference was that you tried to avoid Sun Wukong instead of seeking him out. The two of you had plans to stay in the village for a week, so you hoped to be able to get over the rejection by then or at least enough to continue with your life. But when the time came, you still hadn’t gotten over it.

On the last day, Sun Wukong ended up seeking you out, which was the first time you had seen him face to face since he broke your heart.

~~~~~

Sun Wukong was mildly annoyed. He had finally rejected (Y/n) and crushed her stupid idea of love for him, but she had started to avoid him after that. This didn’t bother him until the last day of their stay and she wasn’t waiting eagerly for him to continue on their journey. As much as he felt he shouldn’t care, he wanted her to come, as she at least kept some of the boredom away while on the road.

So he sought her out. He found her in a rock garden where she appeared to be meditating. “Hey,” he shouted, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere, “Why aren’t you ready to go yet!? We have to leave now before the sun completely rises you know!”

(Y/n) startled at his loud voice, but when she looked to see who had shouted and found him, she quickly averted her eyes. Sun Wukong felt a sudden pang in his chest, but he shook it off as he didn’t have any reason to feel bad. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by (Y/n)’s soft voice telling him, “I’m not coming with you.”

”What,” he shouted angrily.

”I still want to explore, but I need more time away from you before I can travel safely, so I’m going to set off on my own in about a week. I already talked to the village chief and he said he was fine with me staying an extra week as long as I earned my keep. So I’m going to help out around the village while I gather my thoughts enough to be able to travel safely.”

”No way,” Sun Wukong shouted, “There is no way you will be able to travel on your own. Besides, shouldn’t you be over it already? I mean, come on, I rejected you a week ago, this just proves that you’re too weak to travel on your own.”

”Shut up,” (Y/n) suddenly screamed at him. He jumped back, unused to her cursing or shouting at him.

“Shut up and leave me alone,” she continued as she finally looked at him. He was shocked to see tears in her eyes. He had never seen her crying since he had first let her join him.

She opened her mouth, appearing to want to continue, but closed it again before finally getting up and saying, “You just don’t understand.”

She then ran off and he shouted, “Wait!”

But it was too late, she had already disappeared. “What is with her,” he wondered to himself, “Too bad for her. If she wants to kill herself by traveling on her own, fine then.”

He then left in a huff and the village disappeared in the distance with nary a look back. For about a year, Sun Wukong didn’t even notice she was gone. He still saved villages, fought monsters, and attracted the attention of pretty women.

But soon, he found that he was disgusted by the way the women threw themselves onto him, fighting monsters became a boring chore, and the villagers’ gratitude began to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He often found himself asking (Y/n) what she was making that night, only to realize he was talking to thin air.

He began to notice that he missed more than just the fact that she would cook for him. He missed the way she would always look after him, the way she fought, the way she smiled at him, the happiness in her beautiful (e/c) eyes when he complimented her, the pretty blush that would become imbued in her (s/t) skin when he hugged her unthinkingly after a battle, the softness of her skin, the silky quality of her hair, the scent of fragrant woodsmoke and cherry blossoms that always seemed to surround her, and so much more. After another year, he found that he had become completely obsessed with the woman he had last seen crying and running from him. He had tried to stop the way he was feeling, but every time he tried to do so, he found he fell even deeper in love with her. He finally decided to get her back. And even if he had to do so with her fighting him the whole way, he would keep her to himself and never let her run away from him again.

With those thoughts in mind, he set off to find her.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, you had left when you said you would. The entire village came to see you off as they had all grown fond of you in the two weeks that they had known you for. “Be safe,” Zhi Ruo, who had come to be a very close friend, shouted at you, “I hope you find what you want to be on your journey!”

”Thank you,” you shouted back, “I’m sure I will. And take care my friend!”

After that, you headed off on a journey to find yourself. You traveled from village to village, helping those you came across and fighting off the monsters that threatened you or others. After half a year, you came upon a place that needed your help. They had had a flood and many of their crops had been ruined. Having traveled for most of your life, you knew what types of edible plants would grow in nearly every condition. So you taught it to the people and even stayed to help them learn the best ways to cook the plants. You left with a smile on your face, happy to have finally found what you wanted to do; help those who needed knowledge on food and survival.

As the year ended, and the second year was coming near an end as well, you had gained a reputation as a hand of mercy, who helped all those she came across. You were happy to help, but you never knew that your reputation would be what brought about your downfall.

~~~~~

You had just finished helping the people of a village learn how to hunt and take down the fleet footed deer in their surrounding area. Normally, it wouldn’t be that hard, but the deer were faster than normal and had enhanced hearing, so they could easily get away from the hunters, leaving the village to survive mainly on half-eaten vegetables that the deer had gotten into. The villagers were grateful for your help, so they had let you stay for a few days to rest.

On the third day, one of them came to where you were resting on a bench in a courtyard filled with flowers. “There’s someone here to see you,” the villlager said.

”Okay,” you responded with a gentle smile, “Please, let them in and tell them where I am.”

”Of course.”

After that, you waited for the individual who sought you out to come. You figured it was a messenger from another village that came asking for your help. All of a sudden, a loud shout of “(Y/n)!” broke your peaceful atmosphere as you had recognized the voice, even after two years apart.

But, before you could flee, a pair of arms wrapped around you and lifted you into a strangely possessive grasp. “Let me go,” you cried, struggling to get away from Sun Wukong.

”Why would I do that,” he asked in such a strangely lovesick tone that you stilled out of shock, “Especially when I finally have you in my arms.”

”What do you mean? Didn’t you say that you didn’t love me? Why are you acting like this?”

”Becuase I was wrong! I do love you, I just never realized until you were gone. I took your love for granted and now that I don’t have it or you, I am here to take it back.”

With that, your face was lifted up and Sun Wukong leaned down and kissed you. As he deepened the kiss, tears began to run down your face. When he finally pulled away, you started to sob. “What’s wrong,” he asked worriedly, “I know this must be surprising, but there’s no reason to cry over it.”

”You’re so dense,” you sobbed, “How can you say you love me when you broke my heart and stomped all over it? Especially when I’ve gotten over it. You really are cruel Sun Wukong. First, I love you and try to confess. Then you turn me down in the coldest and cruelest way possible. After that, my heart finally heals and I manage to get over you, but then you come bursting in, expecting me to love you after you told me I was basically a waste of space. I can’t ever truly hate you Sun, but this has brought me very close to it.”

After you finished, you pushed out of Sun Wukong’s limp grasp and ran. But this time, before you could get away, a hand grabbed your wrist and roughly yanked you back against Sun Wukong’s chest. “Never,” he started, scaring you with his suddenly angry tone, “Never run away from me. Never again. I let you get away one time, not again. You are mine now. Even if you try to fight it, I will force you to be mine.”

”No,” you cried out, struggling against his iron grip, “I don’t love you anymore. And you can’t force love Sun Wukong. Please, just leave me alone!”

You heard him growl in frustration before he slammed his lips onto yours. As you gasped from how roughly he had done so, he took that opportunity to slide his tongue into your mouth. You pounded on his chest, trying to get him to stop, but he wouldn’t stop until he had had his fill and savored the sweet taste of your mouth.

When he finally broke away for air, he picked you up bridal style. He looked down at your flushed face, dazed eyes, and swollen lips and smirked. He gave you a final kiss, before whispering, “Don’t worry. You’ll learn to love me again. And even if you don’t, I still will never let you go. You will always be mine, my flame of mercy.”

You tried to struggle out of his arms again, but he quickly shifted you into one arm so he could pinch a nerve cluster on the side of your neck. With a gasp, you could feel yourself quickly losing consciousness. The last thing you heard before you woke up far from humanity and in the arms of the one you had loved, yet who you now feared was, “You’ll never get away from me again. Life has no meaning without you in it, so I will do everything in my power to make you mine and keep you there.”

Annin tofu is a soft, jellied dessert made of apricot kernel milk, agar, and sugar. It is a traditional dessert of Beijing, Cantonese, Hong Kong, and Japanese cuisines.

#yandere #yandere sun wukong #yandere mythology #yandere x reader #older work #not monkie kid #Or journey to the west really #Kind of indulgent more than anything else #I’m probably going to work on something new for him #Eventually #probably for monkie kid universe

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stirringwinds · 2 years ago

Note

will you do a character sheet for yao? please roast this old man

this is my personal take on him (partly biased by how he’s basically one of my great-grandpas and it’s always my duty to roast him). CW for some body horror.

1. He might've changed his surname to 皇 (huang; emperor) instead of 王 (wang; king) if not for the First Emperor. Because there can be Only One. After Qin Shi Huang kicked the bucket, he could do whatever he wanted of course, but 王 just stuck. I think he may have changed his name at various points throughout history, but he’s partial to 王 after all this time and he usually comes back to it.

2. Heavy smoker nowadays. Bad habit that he knows he should break but he has a hard time doing so. He’s like “smh can’t believe the fucking PSI is 400 again in Beijing” *lights up a pack of zhonghuas*. He’s trying, though. Keep going, old man. 😔

3. Vietnam/Lien has all the receipts on him; she’s pretty old too. One huge flaw I see Yao having is that he can be pretty condescending at times. And he may often depict himself as being Pretty Chill and just generously dispensing Confucius, writing systems, Taoism, fashion styles and other fun things to his neighbours “unlike those Western Barbarian Empires” (very untrue). Lien: You lying old goat, I fought multiple wars against your dynasties and that’s even before the 20th century!* (shoutout to my grandma’s side of the family).

4. Very adventurous, cuisine-wise. A really good cook and gourmet. He can take really, really spicy food no problem.

5. He can be kind of flashy in the present, similarly to Alfred (especially Alfred during the Gilded Age). Bigger is better, conspicuous consumption. His sunglasses probably cost $5000. Kind of has an outrageous architecture phase; had a glass bridge obsession for a while.

6. Very tech-savvy. He was slow about it at first, but from the 90s onwards the old man figured it all out. Sometimes he’s way too online, honestly. Has a weibo/wechat. Uses a VPN to circumvent the Great Firewall all the damned time.

7. Has a sort of “mandate of heaven” mentality towards political authority, up till the present. Basically, mandate of heaven was the idea that an incompetent ruler could be justly overthrown and in ye old days, natural and human disasters might be seen as proof that a king/emperor had lost heaven’s mandate. Basically a ready-made philosophy justifying regime-change (or pushing out one leader for the next). Overall, I see him being quite ruthlessly pragmatic, skeptical and not really very sentimental towards any particular form of political authority/institutions (compared to the way Arthur or some other Old World nations might view their monarchies as part of tradition, or the way say, Alfred might talk about American democracy) —he’s very much a “does this work, does this give me economic growth” (think Deng’s Xiaopeng’s “It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice") sort of person nowadays. I think he can be that way with some leaders too; there are some humans important to his history that he is fond of and attached to, but there’s also a bit of that ‘I’m 4,000 years old—and I’ve seen so many emperors come and go’ sort of jadedness.

8. Has been beheaded so many times throughout history that he’s pretty blase about it (and probably took great pleasure scaring the fuck out of whichever new emperor who made the mistake of thinking that this Eldritch Old Man could be disposed of that easily).

#hetalia #hws china #aph china #wang yao #long post #hetalia headcanons

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starsfic · 3 years ago

Note

Prompt for LMK

Mei looses control of her dragon form and fully transforms when MK was hurt.

Nobody can get close to her without the threat of mortality coming to get them

…Except for Monkey King.

(Dad-Wukong calming down his overprotective daughter)

Anon: Mei turning into a full on dragon for the first time

When she had first met Qi Xiaotian, Long Xiaojiao’s first thought was, “I need to protect you.”

They had met at a business party where the staff showed all the kids to their private party room. While the adults chatted about business, the kids got all the good snacks and danced. At least, that was what was supposed to happen. Xiaojiao, the second eldest out of everyone, had been bored out of her skull and chilling in a corner, counting down the seconds until she could go home.

Then there had been a small body next to hers and a quiet “I saved you a slice of cake.”

When Xiaojiao looked up, there had been the smallest child she had ever seen, looking almost like the fancy life-sized Tang dynasty child doll she had given once, holding out a slice of cake. The thought had popped into her head. Before she could say anything, the kid had plopped down next to her. Then they started talking.

Their name was super long, but they went by Qi Xiaotian.

That had been the day Long Xiaojiao met her best friend.

And Xiaojiao kept to that first thought.

She was the first one Xiaotian came out to. She was the one who picked him up when he called her in tears about his parents kicking him out. She was the one to give him a place to stay until he left, not wanting to be a burden. She was the one to scope out Pigsy and Tang to make sure Xiaotian was safe. She was the one who went after Xiaotian’s bad exes and stalkers.

And then Xiaotian had gotten the staff and then could protect himself.

And Xiaojiao didn’t feel bad about that. She didn’t! She was more… awestruck over his ability than anything else. Then she got the sword and…they were on the same level! Right?

Right.

But now…

Xiaotian was bleeding. The staff was gone. His powers were gone. He was bleeding. “Xiaojiao?” he gasped out.

Protect him.

The Samadhi fire roared around her body. If she were more herself at the moment, Xiaojiao would’ve been amazed at her new dragon form. Right now, she glared at the flames coming too close to comfort.

Don’t you touch him.

The flames retreated enough that Xiaotian would be safe.

Just like he should be. Who cared if they had seen each other in weeks if the flames around them were the reason why Xiaojiao left? It was her greatest desire to see him safe.

“Xiaojiao,” Xiaotian managed, sitting up. “I’m okay.” He wasn’t. “You’re okay.” She was. “Okay? How about you-”

“No.” she rumbled out, her tail pushing him closer. “Not safe. Hurt.” Xiaojiao could smell the blood on him. “Need to keep you close.”

“Yeah, I know. I feel the same.” Did he? That was sweet. “But, Xiaojiao, I don’t know if you notice-” The tail came close and gently pushed him down.

“Hush,” she ordered, wrapping her tail around and bringing Xiaotian closer. “Safe. Not hurt.” Not with her. Never with her. Xiaojiao was determined.

“But-”

She silenced him again, not caring about the flames drawing close again. As long as Xiaojiao had Xiaotian and nobody else-

“XIAOJIAO!”

Like him.

Sun Wukong stood at the edge of the flames, staring up at her. “Xiaojiao,” he said, taking a step forward. “I need you to-”

“NO!” Xiaojiao screeched, her voice echoing and flames rising even higher. Xiaotian shrieked and Wukong gasped, scrambling a few steps back. She ignored it to instead let out her own shriek. “NO! GO AWAY!” He wasn’t safe, never been safe!

“Xiaojiao, listen to me!” Wukong continued, at least not stepping forward. “You aren’t thinking clearly right now. The dragon and the Samadhi fire should have never been combined like this! You need to-”

“YOU DON’T TELL ME WHAT I NEED!” Stupid monkey, stupid king, stupid successor business! “YOU LEFT XIAOTIAN BEHIND! YOU PUT HIM IN DANGER!” Fury was bubbling her blood. “YOU HURT HIM!”

“I NEVER MEANT TO!”

She paused at the yell. Wukong had never raised his voice like this before. The flames died down a bit, allowing Xiaojiao a good look at his face. He looked determined…and oddly open. “What do you mean?” Her voice wasn’t coming out as a roar anymore.

Wukong took a deep breath and sat down. “I thought I would have forever to train Xiaotian,” he admitted. Xiaojiao could barely hear him but her voice was steady. “Xiaotian isn’t perfect and that’s okay. It took me years to learn all my powers. I expected him to take years too.” The flames died down even further. “I didn’t expect…her.” Her head ached with the memory of blue. “She’s not his responsibility. Xiaotian was powerful but he’s not ready for her. I should’ve told him that.”

Silence.

“Why didn’t you?” Xiaojiao and Wukong both looked down. Xiaotian, still gripped tight by her tail, stared at him.

The silence dragged on, only broken by the snap and crackle of the embers. Wukong stared at Xiaotian. Finally, he opened his mouth. “I need therapy, kid. I know that. I’ve known that for years. But instead of getting help, I thought it would be better to bottle everything up so it couldn’t hurt anyone. So it couldn’t hurt you.”

He looked up, right into Xiaojiao’s eyes.

“Or you.”

The flames had completely died out.

A odd noise broke the silence.

Oh. She was crying.

Wukong stood. He took a careful step forward. Then another. Then another. “Kid,” he said, “I am so proud of both of you.” He held out his hands. “And I know Ao Lie would be proud of you too, Xiaojiao. But, right now, I need you to come back down.”

Her head hurt.

Wukong’s arms were warm around her.

#LMK #Monkie Kid #Lego Monkie Kid #Long Xiaojiao #Sun Wukong #Qi Xiaotian #my writing.#my writing #prompt fill #prompt fic #fic #fanfic #fanfiction

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audreydoeskaren · 4 years ago

Text

Abridged history of early 20th century Chinese womenswear (part 1: 1890s & 1900s) *improved version

Source here

*I’m fixing and reposting the first two posts of this series because back then I had no idea how Tumblr formatting functioned and they deserve better. I’m keeping the shoddy original versions for archival purposes.

*After some thought I think it makes more sense to group the 1890s and 1900s together.