#bei tang tang

[paganimagevault]

Tomb of An Bei 589 CE. Sogdian tomb.

I couldn't find the translation for the epitaph for this one.

"Differently from the other tombs quoted in this paper, Anbei’s tomb was not excavated by archaeologists, but found and looted by the robbers, therefore the archaeological context of this tomb, even the date of this accidental finding are lost. Until now, all we know is that this tomb robbery happened someday between 2006 and 2007. Several stone figurines, a funerary couch and Anbei’s epitaph stone were found in the tomb. Two stone figurines, parts of the base of the couch and the epitaph are now exhibited in the Tang West Market Museum in Xi’an (Fig.20), four panels belonging to the private owners, including two processing and two banqueting scenes, were published, too (Fig.21).

Although owning the typical Sogdian name An, which means his ancestors migrated into China from Bukhara, his homeland was described in a completely different name, the state of Anjuyeni, which was never recorded by any source before. An’s family moved to China during the Northern Wei dynasty, some of his family members once served in the Bureau of Tributaries. For the court, it’s also an usual way to adopt expatriate immigrants to work in the diplomatic system. Anbei’s father, An Zhishi, served as a middle-rank commanding officer among the honour guards of the court.

As a, likely, third generation immigrant, Anbei’s life depicted in the epitaph was very brief, too. Except for the usual eulogies commonly written in every epitaph, two main parts of his experience were emphasized: his mercantile ability and simple bureaucratic career. The one who wrote the text made a metaphor, assimilating Anbei with two famous ancient Chinese merchants, Baigui and Xiangao during the Eastern Zhou Period (approximately between 8th c. - 3rd c. BC); After that, Anbei’s only short official career as a very lower status clerk of the military headquarters of vassal leader Xuchang was recorded, probably happened in 575 AD when he was 20 years old. Soonafter the Northern Qi was replaced by Northern Zhou dynasty in 577 AD, Anbei returned home in Luoyang, the place where he died and was buried in 589 AD at the age of 34.

The motivation for me to list this robbed tomb here, together with the other tombs which have detailed background obtained through scientific archaeological excavation is, however, mainly not for its elaborate funerary couch, but because of his distinctive identity depicted in the epitaph. Prior to the discovery of Anbei’s tomb, the deceased of all five tombs which constituted the most important foundation of the studies of the foreign immigrants in early medieval China, namely the tombs of Lidan, Kangye, Anjia, Shijun and Yuhong, owned high-ranked official positions such as head of a prefecture or Sabao, which may result in a misconception that only aristocrats of the foreign immigrants could be buried with such elaborate funerary furniture. However, Anbei’s tomb provided an additional possibility about the status of the tomb occupant who used the stone funerary furniture. What is expressly shown in the epitaph, during his 34-year-long life, Anbei was just a very ordinary person, without any notable ancestry from homeland, neither held any high-ranked post, nor received anyone as a posthumous reward.

Except for the basic information above, there is also a remarkable narration during the introduction in the beginning of Anbei’s epitaph, which may reflect the collective mindset among most of the foreign immigrants in China and their efforts in social integration, ‘Although he is a foreigner, after a long life in China, there is no difference between him and the Chinese’.

-Yusheng Li, Study of tombs of Hu people in late 6th century northern China

[incorrect-web-novels]

Webnovel Carrd Links [Part 1]

I usually use Novel Updates, but Carrds are great to support the author, find translations not on NU, find Content Warnings, and learn more about the story / other adaptations. If there's a novel not here, it can be helpful to search the name of the novel + "carrd" or "novel updates"

Library Carrds / Carrds with Multiple Novels

Completed Baihe Carrd (click the sunglasses)

Baihe Novels Carrd 

Baihe Support 

Novel Carrd Library (Danmei & Baihe)

Aelia’s Library (Modern & Historical Danmei)

Unlimited Flow Danmei Carrd 

Danmei Recommendations List

Underrated Danmei 

Modern Danmei 

Twitter Thread with Danmei Carrds 

Author Carrds

(These authors have more works - I just listed the most popular ones/the ones I knew)

Cang Wu Bin Bai - author of Golden Stage and Fight the Landlord, Fall in Love

Cyan Wings - author of Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know, High Energy QR Code, They All Say I’ve Met a Ghost, etc.

Feitian Yexiang - author of Dinghai Fusheng Records & To Rule in a Turbulent World

Huai Shang - author of the Sword Named No Way Out

Jiang Zi Bei - author of PUBG: Online Romance of the Century, I Can Do It, and I’ve Liked Your Boyfriend for a Long Time

Liu Bing Jie - author of The Wife is First, Peach, and The White Cat’s Divine Scratching Post

Man Man He Qi Duo - author of Those Years In Quest of Honour Mine 

Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat - author of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Meng Xi Shi - author of Estranged, Peerless, Thousand Autumns, The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua, etc.

Mo Chen Huan - author of The Earth is Online and the Villain Has Something to Say

Mu Su Li - author of Panguan and Copper Coins

MXTX / Mo Xiang Tong Xiu - author of MDZS, TGCF, and SVSSS

Please Don’t Laugh novels - author of FGEP, Ruzhui, and JQWS

Priest - author of Guardian, LHJC, Can Ci Pin, Mo Du, Gumen, Liu Yao, etc.

Shui Qian Cheng - author of Wu Chang Jie 

Tang Jiuqing / t97 - author of Qiang Jin Jiu & Nan Chan

Wu Zhe - author of Unbridled, Sa Ye, Antidote, etc. 

Zhichu - author of Fanservice Paradox

Danmei / BL

2ha / the Husky and His White Cat Shizun (1, 2)

Bat / Bianfu 

Can Ci Pin

Carven Jade / Zhuo Yu 

Cold Sands

Copper Coins 

Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Dinghai Fusheng Records

Di Wang Gong Lue / The Emperor’s Strategy 

Don’t You Like Me? 

Encountering a Snake 

Everyone Thinks That I Like Him

Fake Slackers

Fanservice Paradox 

Fight the Landlord, Fall in Love

Fox Demon Cultivation Manual / FDCM 

Global University Entrance Examination / QQGK / Global Examination 

Golden Stage 

Green Plum Island 

Guardian 

Guomen 

How to Survive as a Villain 

Jun You Ji Fou / How is the Gentleman Feeling? 

Lie Huo Jiao Chou / LHJC 

Little Mushroom 

Liu Yao (press the 3 circles) 

MDZS / the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (1, 2, 3)

Mist (CW: glitch effect, flashing lights)

Mistakenly Saving the Villain / MISVIL

Mo Du / Silent Reading 

My Junior Still Hasn’t Killed Me

Nan Chan 

[Part 2]

[dtriad]

《早安！三国打工人》 Good Morning! Workers of the Three Kingdoms, written by 蒿里茫茫

here to shout into the void with a cnovel rec!

The world is boiling, the people are suffering. In truth, Lu Xuanyu didn't quite understand the meaning of those eight words. Ever since she had landed face down in the dirt of the sixth year of the Zhongping era, the fleeting dream she'd once held had scattered like ashes and vanished into thin air. She had a plain face, low EQ, no family background, and a baffling debuff that made everyone mislike her—but it didn't matter that she wasn't treated as the white moonlight of whatever duke or prince. She could work hand and foot, balance the books, butcher hogs, and even had a sword that was enough for her to walk alone in a chaotic world. Her goal was also very simple: a small house, some close friends and neighbors, a room full of food, and a courtyard where she could enjoy the cool breeze at night. So—in the end, just what had gone so wrong for her path to turn entirely in another direction? "I am ready to die here." She held the Black Blade, fully focused as she stood amid the flames, and looked arrogantly at the tide of Danyang soldiers pouring in. "If you want to seize Xuzhou, be ready to do the same."

I have a weakness for the sub-genre of cnovels that's about the main character transmigrating into a historical setting, preferably stories set in an actual historical dynasty (tagged 古色古香) instead of an invented historical setup (tagged 架空历史) or in-universe fictional storyline. And even more specifically, the kind that deals in infrastructure building or military conflict. Conveniently, JJWXC has tags for specific periods, e.g. Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties—and of course the Three Kingdoms period, which is how I came across 早安！三国打工人 aka Good Morning! Workers of the Three Kingdoms while on a historical transmigration reading spree, and consequently fell down a very, very, very deep hole orz

Among the stories that I’ve read in this sub-genre, 3K Workers really stands out to me as one of the best (imo!). The MC Lu Xuanyu doesn’t transmigrate into someone native to the Three Kingdoms period, but as her own DnD character with high combat and terribly low charm per the debuff from the summary. 😂 There is no System, only her sentient sword—the Black Blade—that may be as much of a hidden existential poison to her as it is her one “friend” in the beginning. Slowly, she makes an ordinary life for herself in the capital city of Luoyang, with sufficient food and necessities, a decent-paying job, friendly and nosy neighbors, a small home of her own… But none of it can last, because these are the deathbed years of the Eastern Han dynasty according to history—and the people are suffering.

Over the course of more than a decade, from a lone hunter to a butcher, from a handyman to a refugee, from a night watchman to a general—who’s responsible for the lives of many thousands, both soldiers and civilians (the line blurring as ever between them)—Lu Xuanyu never forgets why she decided to step up and fight: to save people. And her struggles in the attempt, both internal and external, comprise the propelling force of the story, as we can see from the author's notes in which they say up front that Lu Xuanyu will join Liu Bei’s team, and then add:

The heroine is an idealist unto death; don’t think about using reality to change her.

(no way!!!! I love her as she is.)

Some things I really like in 3K Workers:

Lu Xuanyu starts out as a true no-name, rather than someone with an established and/or influential family background (b/c lbr that is quite common for this sub-genre). When she appears through an outsider's POV in Ch. 1, she’s been living alone in the wilderness for several months and is a little desperate for some kind of positive human interaction (the low charm debuff does her no favors, which makes the instances people overcome it more notable—it either says something about the impact her behavior has on them, or their ability to disregard inexplicable annoyance). She doesn’t have power or influence to leverage; she doesn’t have the ambition to do something great or world-changing. She simply wants to live a normal life. It’s just unfortunate that “normal” in the 3K period easily leads to death. Her abilities make her abnormal—she is, quite literally, something like an android according to Word of God, a superhuman who’s a wrinkle in the fabric of this timeline’s reality—but she feels and thinks as a 21st century human, with the assumption of a common humanity that makes her a fish out of water.

There's a strong focus on the consequences of war for the common people, and the PTSD that is a simple fact of existence for those exposed to the conflicts; it consistently turns its lens back to look at the farmers, the soldiers, the people who are treated like trampled grass, and shares their perspectives as well. I recall seeing this done in a few other novels, but iirc the framing in those cases was set up more as a way to show people reacting to the changes wrought by the MC, whereas here the framing allows the MC to better understand the attitudes & status quo of the period.

A lot of stories in the sub-genre have the MCs quickly adjusting to the past on the outside and leveraging the power of their position (again, typically based on preexisting family clout) to proactively push for changes, whether it’s to protect themselves or drive swift societal/technological change. In contrast, Lu Xuanyu doesn’t ever truly adapt to the values of the past, is clearly an oddball to others in her behavior and actions, and has enough on her hands with battles without any time or attention to initiate some golden-finger-boosted upheaval of norms. But the ripple effect of her existence is such that other characters, native to the period, are the ones who see clearly what changes they can make and want to make, and pursue those goals of their own accord: reducing the power of the aristocratic families, sharing knowledge more widely, establishing a strong foundation to support better opportunities for women… They come self-motivated to their own enlightenment, which I feel really enriches the story—Lu Xuanyu is the match that lit the fire, but they keep the fire burning. A special shout-out to Lu Bai, who proposes and leads the women-only Jianfu Battalion; her character has some fantastic development throughout the book ♥

I consider this novel very anti-war in attitude—even though we want Lu Xuanyu to win her battles, by the end there’s only bitter weariness rather than delight in victory.

It’s the Three Kingdoms period, so if you like loyalty kink then this naturally caters 300% to that!!!

Ft. great content about battle strategy, tactics, and logistics that makes my inner history geek super happy, and it's combined very effectively with character portrayal and development shown via battle; outside of battle, it gives attention to rebuilding during the rare periods of temporary peace in a historically grounded way.

Plus the tension in the (im)balance of power—there’s the imperial court, the various warlords, appointed officials, aristocratic families—and how the norms of society slowly, slowly start to change...

Despite the subject matter, it is also incredibly funny 😆 Lu Xuanyu's 21st-century-shaped outlook does not jive with period attitudes, and the resulting disconnects in communication are hilarious if you enjoy dry humor; the low EQ squad, ft. founding members Lu Xuanyu and Lü Bu lololol, are an absolute riot, whether they’re interacting with each other or anyone else, and outside their low EQ sphere of immediate influence the story doesn’t shortchange readers on everyday absurdities either, whether it’s the internal squabbling within Yuan Shao’s harem of strategists/advisors or the 3K period take on “lying flat” among certain scholars (paging Zhuge Liang’s uncle…)

The events and historical characters are based on actual historical records rather than fictionalized Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but you don’t have to be knowledgeable about 3K history at all! Lu Xuanyu certainly isn’t! (And if you are, you’ll enjoy all the references to 3K memes & whatnot… actual lol at the “burning of the thatched cottage” in 3K Workers @ 2010 Three Kingdoms drama do you see that!!! do you see what proper plot logic is!!!)

Technically it falls under JJWXC’s m/f category, but I consider this story essentially gen with background UST at most. Lu Xuanyu is very shippable, in the sense that she has lots of interesting relationships with characters in roles ranging from loyal subordinates to tsundere colleagues to ideologically opposed enemies. (And I was pretty satisfied with the endgame ship, though it really isn’t the focus at all during the main story.) She passes as a man for the first ~20% of the cnovel before revealing she’s a woman, and while the f/f potential is limited (alas!), I do love the supporting female characters.

The bad news: … it’s long… and untranslated… /cries/ I want to translate some excerpts as I reread it, but I gotta be realistic—despite my love for this cnovel I just can’t sign myself up rn to translate 2.7 million Chinese characters over 700+ chapters. If you can read Chinese or if you’re ok with reading via mtl, then you can find it at:

JJWXC [how-to guide]

or alternately here, Ch. 1-601 (Parts 1-5) and Ch. 602-757 (Part 6+extras)

Additional links (potential spoilers)—

Reviews on Weibo & Lofter (one) (two) (three)

Review - Peking University Online Literature 2022-23 Biennial List

Interview with the author 蒿里茫茫

Meta re: Lü Bu

Maps of Luoyang; army movements in the years 193, 195, & 199 CE (+zoom in on Puyang); Emperor Xian's journey 195-199 CE

Translated excerpts—

Ch. 13: LXY defending the neighborhood

Ch. 23: Mei-niang invites LXY over

Ch. 66/73: "you cannot retreat, you cannot lose, and you cannot die!"

Ch. 99: funerals for the dead

Ch. 210: Lü Bu's innate taunt skill

There is also an audiobook adaption in progress!!!

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok but Wukong claims MK as Yubei's honorary/sworn older brother. Macaque who was in the room suddenly feels a cold swear as he Realized Wukong Sees MK As His Kid. His Clcub, who Macaque had chased fown and hunted like an animal in an effort to keep LBD's attention off of Wukong himself.

Macaque has that revelation loooong before Yuebei is born.

You see...

When Macaque was still processing that Wukong (his former mate) had been pregnant with the Egg for many many years - he had a brief brain-fart during "Shadow Play" and at during his panic he asks;

Macaque: "Is it my kid!? Wait..." *glares at MK really hard* "Are you my kid???" MK: "Wut." Macaque: "No, no, wait, thats dumb, it's the same baby now as back then. Sorry bud, but I am totally freaking out right now." MK: "Because you spent the last couple hundred years being a deadbeat dad?" Macaque, grabs MK by the shoulders: "YES!!"

The rest of the MKrew escape the Shadow Lantern simply because Mac was panicking so hard he dropped it. Even being super mad at him, they stay until he stops hyperventillating. In Mac's defense, he's not sure how long normal Stone Monkey pregnancies should be.

Even once the realisation kicks in that the "Egg" is a Stone Egg formed from Wukong being encased in the mountain without resources - Macaque has a second "crap Im dad" realisation when he realises that him abandoning/cutting-off Wukong back then is what triggered the process. He still wants to take responsibility for the Egg as it's indirect creator.

And ofc during S3, Macaque notices how protective/paternal Wukong is with MK and starts to realise;

MK might not be Macaque's kid, but Wukong certainly considers MK to be *his* kid.

Macaque has tricked, fought, and psychologically tormented said kid in his goal to either hurt Wukong or extract information.

Macaque is now being forced to capture said kid and/or Wukong for LBD less he suffers a fate worse than death. And while Macaque would hate to do either, he can't stand the thought of handing Wukong over. So MK is his primary target throughout S3, even if Mac tries his best to "soften the blow" if it were when he tries capturing him.

MK is super excited to meet the Egg when it's finally born, and is acting in a manner typical of an older monkey cub wanting to care for their younger sibling. It's too fricking cute and-

Well crap, now Mac doesn't want to turn the kid over. Mostly cus doing so will def hurt Wukong and make his King somehow hate Mac even more than he does now.

Maybe if they do get the Samadhi Fire, him and Wukong might- Macaque, begings violently batting away his talkative shadow clones: "NOPE! Get the heck out of here with that!! I'm just getting the Fire to be free of LBD's influence!"

And once Yuebei is finally born...

Wukong, talking to the baby: "Bao bei [treasure], this is your big brother, MK. Well, honorary big brother, but you get what I mean." MK, holding Yuebei: *is so happy he can't form words + is happy-crying* Macaque: *trying his best not to ask MK "hey, wanna be our son?", cus Mk has his adoptive dads + Mac thinks the kid hates him anyway* "Hah. Crybaby." MK, still crying: "Shut up. You cried when you saw her for the first time." Macaque, trying his best not happy-cry again: "She looks like me! Of course I'd cry - such a curse to place upon a innocent soul!" Wukong: *sighs fondly at the back-and-forth*

Mac's gut reaction is to insult others/himself when he feels emotionally vulnerable, and MK knows how to flip it around.

It very much becomes a "Dad treating his eldest son vs younger daughter" situation, especially if Bai He is thrown into the mix. Mac will 100% spoil his little princesses, but MK...

MK can handle it. He's Wukong's heir. He's ok with Mac only really being soft on him when no one else is around. Secretly Mac's kinda jealous of the dad-attention Pigsy, Wukong, and even Tang get from the kidm even though in his heart he knows it's unlikely MK will ever see Mac as a father figure.

[nemainofthewater]

This poll might look a little familiar.... Due to a timing mix-up yesterday, I am proud to present the 'Best Non-Sword Weapon' poll take 2: Electric Boogaloo!

This time I've chosen to group the options by weapon with wielders in brackets*. Due to space issues, the media that each of them come from is under the read more, and this is definitely a non-exhaustive list!

*Except Xie Lian, who by virtue of winning the previous poll has been brought straight through to part two!

Thank you to everyone from the NiF discord and the watch party discord (and especially @shadaras) who have been amazing at suggesting characters with non-sword weapons! Couldn't have have done it without you! Also thank you to @thebansacredbanned who looked up the names of various obscure characters for me.

Propaganda, examples, and write-ins absolutely welcome!

Fan Wen Kexing (Word of Honour) Shen Qingqiu (SVSSS) Qing Ming (Yin Yang Master)

Umbrella Lord Grim (The King's Avatar) Chu Xuanji (Love and Redemption) Zhan Shiqi (Ancient Detective) Su Muyu (Blood of Youth)

Musical Instrument The Lan Sect (The Untamed) Wei Wuxian (The Untamed) Huang Yaoshi (Legend of the Condor Heroes)

Gun Wang Zhi (Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty) Fan Xian (Joy of life, novel)

Spear/Staff Sikong Qianluo (Blood of Youth) Hong Qigong (Legend of the Condor Heroes) Sun Wukong (Journey to the West) Guan Yu (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) Wu Zhu (Joy of Life)

Knives/Other Bladed Weapon Tang Lian (Blood of Youth) Yang Lu (A Journey to Love) Xiao Mei (House of Flying Daggers)

Whip Chu Wanning (Erha) Gu Xiang (Word of Honour) Jiang Cheng and Yu Ziyuan (The Untamed)

Bow and Arrows/Crossbow Bo Ya (Ying Yang Master) Yan Xiaoyi (Joy of Life) Mei Changsu (Nirvana in Fire, Novel) Xiao Yao, Fangfeng Yiying, and Fangfeng Bei (Lost You Forever) Strip of cloth Xie Lian (Heaven's Official Blessing)

Needles Gong Yu (Nirvana in Fire) Wen Qing (The Untamed)

Giant Bell Wu Xin (the Blood of Youth) Demon Monk (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

[a-sea-with-no-shores]

Good news from @yuletidetreasure everybody!

The tagset is up and includes

莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV) (15)

Yun Biqiu (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Di Feisheng

Fang Duobing

He Xiaofeng

He Xiaohui

Huli Jing (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Jiao Liqiao

Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi

Liangyi Xianzi

Princess Zhaoling (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Qiao Wanmian

Shan Gudao

Shi Shui (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Wuyan (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Zhan Yunfei

少年歌行 | The Blood of Youth (Live Action TV) (14)

Baili Dongjun (The Blood of Youth)

Jin Xian (The Blood of Youth)

Lei Wujie (The Blood of Youth)

Sikong Changfeng (The Blood of Youth)

Sikong Qianluo (The Blood of Youth)

Xiao Lingchen (The Blood of Youth)

Ye Ruoyi (The Blood of Youth)

Yin Luoxia (The Blood of Youth)

Ji Xue (The Blood of Youth)

Luo Mingxuan (The Blood of Youth)

Tang Lian (The Blood of Youth)

Xiao Chong | Prince Bai

Xiao Se | Xiao Chuhe

Zang Ming (The Blood of Youth)

成化十四年 | The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (TV) (8)

Ding Rong

Dong'er (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty)

Duo Erla

Jia Kui (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty)

Sui Zhou

Tang Fan

Wang Zhi (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty)

Wu Yun Bolage

与凤行 | The Legend of Shen Li (TV) (8)

Jin Niangzi (The Legend of Shen Li)

Shang Bei (The Legend of Shen Li)

Shen Li (The Legend of Shen Li)

Shen Muyue (The Legend of Shen Li)

Xing Yun | Xing Zhi (The Legend of Shen Li)

You Lan (The Legend of Shen Li)

Fu Rong (The Legend of Shen Li)

Mo Fang (The Legend of Shen Li)

[you-will-never-find-me-anymore]

Bei Tang from manhua That Star 此星

[grand-theft-carbohydrates]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN TANG DYNASTY CANNIBALISM?? /gen /that sounds so interesting /pls ignore if you don't feel like talking about this

Oh ho im always down to chat about history. I actually cant name any specific instance of tang dynasty cannibalism, since my knowledge of chinese history stops after 300 CE, but in general the cultural attitude towards cannibalism has been fairly pragmatic. It's not considered a moral event-horizon you can't return from. Of course, every society has instances survival cannibalism, e.g. you’re under siege/ theres a famine/ some other infinitely nuanced circumstance. But outside of actually history, cannibalism shows up in basically every single story. Not even as a major plot point it’s just there.

Take the 4 great classics:

Romance of the three kingdoms: a hunter kills his wife and uses her flesh to feed the virtuous Liu Bei. This is framed as a noble and selfless act. bonus autocannibalism; Xiahou Dun eats his own eyeball due to *checks notes* filial piety.

Water Margin: i cant remember the name of this guy, but there was this inkeeper who was killing passerbys and feeding them to the guests. He joins the main lineup of heroes. This is never brought up again.

Journey to the west: every demon wants to eat the Tang Monk’s flesh to gain immortality. Happens every 10 pages. Not technically cannibalism by the standard definition but it is a) consumption of human flesh and b) they are humanoid/are embodiments of human vice. So im gonna count it. my blog my rules.

Dream of the red chamber: havent read it and at this point im afraid to ask.

Historical tidbit: Lingchi (death by slow cuts) was sometimes followed up by selling the person's flesh to the crowd, either as medicine, or if the person had committed a particularly egregious crime, it was a way for the people to show their hatred. The phrase "the people want to eat your flesh" is a byword for "they fucking hate you, dude." though this is more to do with desecration of a corpse than the actual consumption, because if a body is destroyed, the spirit will not be whole in the afterlife.

followers feel free to chime in!

[lttawnymadison]

Danmei most highly rated/loved

This list is based on my poll of people's favorite danmei novels. They're also the ones I've heard about multiple times. Many are licensed for English, and more are being licensed all the time!

MXTX – Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) 

MXTX – The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi)  

MXTX – The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong) 

Meatbun – The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun)

Meatbun - Remnants of Filth (Yu Wu)

Meatbun - Case File Compendium (Bing an Ben)

Meng Xishi - Thousand Autumns (Qian Qiu) 

Meng Xishi – Peerless (Wu Shuang) 

Priest - Stars of Chaos (Sha Po Lang)  

Priest – Lord Seventh (Qi Ye)

Priest - Faraway Wanderers (Tian Ya Ke), sequel to Lord Seventh

Priest – Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire 

Priest - Guardian (Zhen Hun) 

Shisi - Little Mushroom (Xiao Mogu) 

Feng Yu Nie - Mistakenly Saving the Villain 

FTYX - Dinghai Fusheng Records

FTYX - Legend of Exorcism (Tianbao Fuyao Lu) (loose sequel to DFR)

FTYX - To Rule in a Turbulent World (Luan Shi Wei Wang)  

Tang Jiu Qing - Qiang Jin Jiu 

Tang Jiu Qing - Nan Chan 

Cang Wu Bin Bai - Golden Terrace (Cang Wu Bin Bai) 

Cang Wu Bin Bai - Chun Feng Du Jian 

Qing Se Yu Yi - Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know  

Man Man He Qi Duo - Those Years In Quest Of Honour Mine 

Lu Ye Qian He - The Wife is First (Qi Wei Shang) 

Yi Yi Yi Yi - How to Survive As a Villain (Chuanyue Cheng Fanpai Yao Ruhe Huoming)  

Zhìchǔ - Fan Service Paradox (Ying Ye Bei Lun)  

Mu Su Li - Global Examination (Quanqiu Gaokao)  

Wei Feng Ji Xu - Mist (Bowu) 

Xue Shan Fei Hu - The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish 

Wu Zhe - Run Wild (Sa Ye) 

bafflinghaze - Dao Of The Salted Fish (Salted Fish Cultivator) 

Lin Qian - The Fallen Merman 

Feng Liu Shu Dai - Quickly wear the face of the devil 

Yin Ya - The Legendary Master’s Wife  

Wú Yì - The Killer of Killers (Sha Qing) 

Bing Kuai’er/ICE (冰块儿) - After Dawn/Dawning 黎明之后 

Jiang Weiji - How to Feed an Abyss! 

Lei Xu - The Grave Robbers' Chronicles

[the-monkey-ruler]

Sun Wukong vs. Red Boy (2021) 孙悟空大战红孩儿

Director: Qian Yong Screenwriter: Qi Ling Tong / Six Ling Tong Starring: Eleven Lingtong / Yao Baiqing / Ying Linfeng Genre: Opera Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2021 (Mainland China) Duration: 86 minutes (Mainland China) Type: Retelling

Summary:

Shaoju "Sun Wukong vs. Red Boy" is adapted from the story of the classic novel "Journey to the West". It was originally a play in the full version of Shaoju "Journey to the West". It was previously edited and performed by Qilingtong and Liulingtong. In 1979, famous Zhejiang playwrights Gu Xidong, Shuang Ge, Bei Geng and others adapted the old version and put it on stage again by the Zhejiang Shaoju Troupe. It has been performed more than a thousand times and has won praise from the audience and drama colleagues.

Plot summary: Tang Monk and his disciples went west to obtain Buddhist scriptures and were blocked by the 800-mile Flame Mountain. Red Boy, the owner of the "Fire Cloud Cave", intercepted Tang Monk and his disciples with his trick of spitting out "Samadhi Divine Fire". Sun Wukong, who was sworn brothers with Red Boy's father, Bull Demon King, could not bear to hurt his life, so he used a clever trick to subdue Red Boy to the side of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/36714293/

Link Trailor: https://tv.cctv.com/2021/09/21/VIDET6hF1M9CVm8AajIjgWxv210921.shtml

[tactidoll]

Dollypop, got any rap recs?

so ive been planning on doing a series of playlists as a kinda introduction to rap, especially so after the dot vs drake beef has put rap back in the spotlight and made more people than ever actually aware of the lyrical content of these songs, its mostly been an issue of executive function beating my ass 5 ways to sunday lately, but suffice to say rap recommendations has been on my mind a lot lately

i could probably go on for a few hrs about hip hop and its place as the culmination of all music prior, but rap is a genre that more so than others rewards album listening so i will more often than not recommend albums over singles/tracks but ill try my best to isolate what i consider to be a well rounded list (no links cus i dont use spotify lmao)

theres a lotta ways to split up rap and hip hop as a whole into a thousand micro genres, especially when you take regions into consideration but i think im gonna go with just 15 tracks that cover as many bases as i can and give a little explanation for each track starting with

NY State of Mind - Nas: ny state of mind is THE classic in my books, dj premier provides the perfect boom bap beat for nas to make the final push to usher in a new generation of rap, literally sampling eric b and rakim in the chorus, the previous pair to bring the genre from the 80’s into the 90’s, furthering that push with more complex rhyme schemes and blending the street/gangsta rap of nwa and wu-tang with the jazzy introspection and philosophy of de la and tribe, a perfect set piece for the album of a desperate kid rapping and telling his stories like its his last day on earth because it just might be

Doomsday – MF DOOM: the manifesto of a super villain, a rulebook on rap, a re-emergence of a forgotten rapper, after the death of his brother and issues with the record label dropping KMD Zev Love X disappeared in ‘94 and then in ‘99 MF DOOM dropped operation: doomsday, the dizzying rhyme schemes and word play, the casual humor and pop culture and sampling referencing lends to a true statement of a song, that DOOM was here and was gonna change the world

4th Chamber – GZA: a dozen wu-tang tracks could’ve appeared on this list and all would be justified but 4th chamber is my favourite by far, starting with the now iconic samurai or kung fu film sample and then kicking into a crazy intro beat that calms slightly in time for ghostface killah to come in and pick it right back up with the first verse of this slick posse cut

Mathematics – Mos Def: Yasiin Bey Is a genius plain and simple, another track produced by preemo another masterpiece of a beat, Bey raps about the sociological statistics that work to keep the black population down in this mathematically driven guide through the politics of the late 90’s

You Got Me – The Roots: this track really shows just how good live instrumentation can be, black thought is one of the greatest of all time, simple as frankly I don’t have too much more to say its just a brilliant song

Wesley’s Theory – Kendrick Lamar: the opening to the greatest album of all time, opening with the mission statement of the album, the sample at the start before the james brown esque hit me pulls the tone back down to earth, part one of the track being a young kdots reactions to the money hes been looking for and part two kendrick plays the role of uncle sam the mascot of white supremacy looking to exploit over eager black artists and talents and lump them with a bill and lock them up when they cant pay it, the deep seeped politics, the groove of thundercat and george clinton of the parliments and funkadelic collectives and the dr dre break really helps sets the tone of the album

Jazz (We’ve Got) – A Tribe called Quest: the perfect jazz rap song, the beat was original made by pete rock before being remade by q-tip, a quintessential classic of the genre simple as

Shook Ones pt 2 – Mobb Deep: the greatest gangsta rap song of all time and frankly its not close its something spectacular, the hardest two 19 year olds ever sounded, over a dark almost evil beat produced by havoc this track is an absolute landmark for not just queensbridge but the entirety of the east coast

Introvert – Little Simz: this track is nothing short of spectacular, a powerful, cinematic, orchestral masterpiece, deep diving into her inner turmoil and her roots, the corruption of the british government, this song shook me to my core when I first listened to simbi, a rallying cry that calls for a war against the oppressing forces further tightening the chains if we ever are to be freed from the oppression

Don’t Cry – J Dilla: this song is gorgeous, chopping up I cant stand (to see you cry) by the escorts into a wonderful beat, made by jay dee in the final throws of his life, half worked on while hospital bound, frequent collaborator and fellow soulquarian questlove stated that this was a message to his mother as J dilla knew the end was near

Nuthin’ But A G Thang – Dr Dre ft Snoop Dogg: the quintessential G-funk banger the genre doesn’t get better than this

SORRY NOT SORRY – Tyler, The Creator: a weird choice for this list, I wasnt sure if I wanted to include it because its so tied to tylers discography but its honestly one of the best rap songs ever when you have the context, especially when you take into account the music video where tyler and all the various versions of himself stand before an audience of ex’s and other notable judgemental presences in his life, as he kills almost every version of himself barring the ‘ugliest’ sides of himself in igor and goblin era tyler potentially insinuating those parts of him still reside inside him

I Used to Love H.E.R – Common: this song is so very important, maybe the best use of metaphor in the whole genre, a fallen out of love story for that very same genre, fantastic storytelling and a great beat by no I.D. one of the most important producers and figures in hip hop out of chicago

Aquemini – Outkast: the title track from one the duos third album and really the record that put the dirty south on the radar on a nationwide level, a sign of their decision to stick together for as long as possible, andres verses really shows hes one of the all time greats and that big boi is not far behind at all

Hazard Duty Pay – JPEGMAFIA: this song was all I listened to for a few weeks after it release, an aggressive single verse track over a soulful beat what more could you want

[mademoiselle-red]

Hi, do you read danmei? Favourites?

Hi! I’ve read quite a bit of danmei over the years and my absolute faves are two pretty 古早 (1990s/2000s era) novellas:

北京故事 Beijing Story（read it in Chinese here）— It was adapted into an explicitly queer movie called 蓝于 Lan Yu in 2001. It’s a poignant and tragic story about a decades-long relationship between a young entrepreneur and a college student set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the economic miracle of the 1980s and 90s. (Yes, you read that right. And yes, it got made into a movie, with minimal censorship. The early 2000s were fun times in China.)

十年 Ten Years (read it in Chinese here) — It’s about a complicated and bittersweet decade-long relationship between two men who befriend each other in high school and come of age in early 2000s China (the early 2000s vibes are so on point in this novel ❤️). They end up together. But I’m not sure I’d call it a happy ending.

Nowadays my Chinese fandom reading consists of fic for fandom pairings like

瓶邪 pingxie ( Zhang Qiling x Wu Xie from 盗墓笔记 The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles) — the Chinese multi-chapter longfics in this fandom are breathtakingly good. If you can read Chinese, I can recommend a few.

玄亮 xuanliang (Liu Bei x Zhu Geliang historical RPF set in the three kingdoms era)

元白 yuanbai (Yuan Zhen x Bai Juyi historical RPF set in the late Tang dynasty)

And of course 笛花 dihua fic from 莲花楼 Mysterious Lotus Casebook. The novel is actually mainstream wuxia and not danmei.

I’ve read or tried to read most of the popular danmei novels on 晋江 Jinjiang in the mid and late 2010s, and here are a few I’d recommend (that don’t already have officially released tv dramas)

二哈和他��白猫师尊 Erha and his white cat shizun

将进酒 Jiang Jing Jiu

杀破狼 Sha Po Lang: If you can read Chinese, you should definitely check out this author (Priest). She really knows her way around a sentence and has a solid grasp of literary Chinese

(二哈 Erha and 杀破狼 Sha Po Lang were adapted to TV and then cancelled)

And here is one that has a TV drama adaptation but the book is still worth checking out if you can read Chinese:

鬓边不是海棠红 Winter Begonia: the atmosphere of the novel is very different from the tv drama (which I also adore). It’s a lot more 妖娆妩媚 coy and seductive. It’s really good.

[choujinx]

SHEN WEI GUICHU UP DE WO BEI YINGDI KANSHANG LE (2021) by bing tang hu lu, wdnmd & ah yu

[doodledoesthing3]

SUPER COOL SNEAK PEAKS OF THE CROSSOVER CHAPTER FOR MY FIC! This scene takes place in @monkiebois ‘s Tangled Star au!

Here we go!

1. “Hey there! Have you seen a black monkey? He’s this tall, clearly emo but we haven’t had the talk yet. His name is Macaque and also known as Liu’er Mihou for some odd reason.” Bei Da asked as the baby monkey stared at her in confusion.

The brown monkey began hissing at her, so in response the black haired girl hissed back. They were hissing at each other for a solid five minutes before a familiar voice was heard.

2. “How did you get in Ghonzhu’s garden?” He asked as he picked up Xiaohua.

“How did I get in who’s garden?” She asked back, not knowing who this ‘Ghonzhu’ was.

“Ghonzhu! Tieshan Ghonzhu? Are those ringing any bells for you?” The lotus prince questioned with an annoyed expression.

“Nope!” The child replied.

“Ugh… Princess Iron Fan?”

“PRINCESS IRON FAN?! THIS GARDEN BELONGS TO RED BITCH’S MOM?!” Bei Da loudly exclaimed in shock.

3. “You’re not Macaque. Where’s the real Macaque? Where’s my Macaque?” Bei Da asked as she glared at the monkey.

“Wha…I am Macaque! Who else is Macaque?!” The other version of Macaque exclaimed.

“ME, BITCH!”

Here’s a bonus sneak peak! Since my AU uses songs like there’s no tomorrow, here’s a parody of FNAF The Musical Night 4!

Macaque: Is it true? Are they here? Am I going mad?

TS! Macaque: One mistake's all it takes, and this may go bad!

Macaque: No one's there!

TS! Macaque: No one's there!

Macaque: No one's-

Nezha: Is somebody there?

TS! Macaque: Few more hours left for me to stall!

Bei Da: Why's that nerd sneaking down the hall?

TS! Macaque: No one's there!

Macaque: Someone's there!

TS! Macaque, Bei Da, & Macaque: Wish I could say, no one's/Someone's there!

Tang: Hey there!

Macaque & Bei Da: *scream*

Tang: Ok, good talk…

TS! Macaque: I'll fill the void with noise...just focus on me!

Macaque: Something's breathing out beyond the door!

Ghonzhu: Hey it's me, I swear we've met before!

Macaque: I don't care!

TS! Macaque: No one's there!

Nezha: Where'd Xiaohua go?

Tang: She’s in there!

TS! Macaque: Hurry guys, I think I'm losing ground!

Bei Da: Why's that closet making monkey sounds?!

Xiaohua jumps out of the closet as Macaque and Bei Da scream.

Ghonzhu: Please come help us!

Tang: Hat Kid has gone insane!

Xiaohua: *unintelligible baby monkey sounds*

Nezha: Does this help explain?

That’s all the sneak peaks I have for now! Kay byeeee!

[shookethdev]

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

NAKU 🫵

[creativeafterdark]

Chapter 9 and 10

Heyo folks taking a @journeythroughjourneytothewest

Had to take a break from book club last week, burn out was very bad. But I've had a week to relax, celebrated my birthday and slept most of the day lol. Let's get back into Journey to the West

First: Chapter 9.

We finally meet our Monk and learn the story of his family!

We don't spend a lot of time learning about them (minus his Dad, gets a thumbs up from me. Kind to all and easy going enough to be like "I got hit by a ball-- oh I'm married now? Okay cool". Like talk about a shotgun wedding), but we do see little bits that remind me of our Monk. He does share his kindness with his Dad, and I genuinely think his anxiety is from his mom. I'll talk about her in a minute because she is a whole other thing.

My one question is... wouldn't other officials notice that Liu Hong, essentially becoming Chen E, had no idea what he was doing??? He went on business trips, did no one recognize he wasn't who he said he was????? I mean you would think anyone who took the exams with him who got positions would be like "uh... that's not him tf??". Or they just did not care. Who knows at this point. Apparently he had Six Eared Macaque level disguise skill, rolled a nat 20 in bullshitery.

Now. Lady Yin. The poor lady went through hell for over 18 years. She had to watch her husband get murdered, had to abandon her baby, and had to play wife to a murderer. Even when her husband came back... I'm not surprised she still ended up passing. That's a lot of guilt (and I'm sure Liu Hong was not kind to her) on her mind for a LONG period of time, nearly two decades. I wish there was a happy ending for the family but I get why it ended how it did, knowing what depression and anxiety can do to people.

Now our baby Monk. Our Xuanzang. I am so proud of him for being as brave as he was. This recently turned 18 year old did everything he could to help his family. Licking his grandma's eyeballs was...a choice. But it was for a good cause so good on him. I can see why he was a good choice as the Scroll Pilgrim.

And as promised, a sketch of Xuanzang

And as a bonus baby Monk with a doggo

But now we move to Chapter 10.

...I legit got annoyed going thru the debate between the fisherman and woodman. Like it went on far longer than it should have. I'm sure there was a profound moment that we're supposed to glean from it but I just wasn't receptive to it. Maybe I'll read it again.

Anyway.

I have been doing some looking into of Chinese historical heroes (I desperately want to read Romance of the three kingdoms, and I need more reading material about folk heroes and heroines) so seeing some references to the stuff I learned made me happy. There was mention of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang and the painting of The Emporer's Generals on the doors (supposedly the Tang dynasty is where this practice was first used. A few three kingdom folks also get this treatment as door gods, or menshen, along with other important heroes and deities. Makes me wonder if the Emperor essentially deified his Generals and Wei Zheng. How does Heaven handle that?)

Fun fact! In my jttw x mythology story Wukong will work with Asena, mythical wolf mother of the Ashina Clan of Gokturks. Guess which dynasty of China had to deal with them a lot? :)

Anyway.

I've also come to the conclusion that Dragons just like to fuck around and find out. Like, the Dragon King just goes against heaven's orders to spite a very accurate fortune teller, does not even THINK of the consequences, and is surprised Pikachu face when he gets in trouble. Also not sure why he thought appealing to an earthly emporer would save him from THE SUPREME DAOIST DEITY'S JUDGMENT. Like, y'all, I'm beginning to think dragons just don't give a crap or just don't think. Got what he deserved for being dumb. Did the emporer make promises he shouldn't have? No doubt, you don't promise supernatural beings anything because it will make you want to die if they catch wind of you breaking promises, regardless of nationality. Did he deserve what he got? .... I mean historically probably but in the sense of this story, no.

I find the Tang dynasty interesting (because it gave us a certain Empress and had some fun female warriors, like Taizong's sister, who helped her father found the dynasty) and I can definitely thank jttw for getting my attention about it.

I think that's all I have as far as thoughts. And I apologize if my rambles just jumped around too much lol.

Over and out ✌️