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lotusflowerbreakingthesurface · 18 days ago

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❝Zhang Qiling's Birthday Congratulations❞

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓫𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂, 𝓧𝓲𝓪𝓸𝓰𝓮! ⸜(｡˃ �� ˂ )⸝⋆✧˚

On this special month, let's get to know 'the soul character' of Daomu Biji, the one who always gives Wu Xie a sense of security, Zhang Qiling aka Men You Ping aka Xiaoge in a deeper understanding. Who doesn't know him? He is one of the protagonists and the spiritual leader of the Iron Triangle!

©Divider by @saradika-graphics

Source: NPSS's WeChat or here

Since Daomu Biji is in Wu Xie's first person POV, it's difficult to know what Xiaoge is thinking and what kind of character Xiaoge is. Let's get to know him bit by bit through some info that I found in Chinese fandom and my meta hehe. Please note that I'm not fluent in Chinese, so this post contains a heavy amount of MTL, and people tend to have a different perception and understanding of things, so just take it easy, okay? (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

※ Contents List ※

Zhang Qiling's Appearance

Zhang Qiling's Body Type

Zhang Qiling's Personality

Zhang Qiling's Character Origin/Prototype

Zhang Qiling's Character Development (a simple meta by me)

First of all, let's take a look at the character "Zhang Qiling" according to Chinese sites and other sites as well.

Source: Baidu [I only took some parts of it, for more info about Zhang Qiling, please visit the site]

The author Nanpai Sanshu mentioned in an interview that Xiaoge is the kindest, wisest, mysterious and powerful character in the whole book. In addition, in the original text of DaoBi (Daomu Biji), Xiaoge has maintained a young appearance for decades. The author calls him "the complete body of immortality", so he will not suffer from the sequelae of immortality such as "corpse transformation", which can be said to be a perfect immortal.

❆ 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 ❆

He has a pair of calm (indifferent) and clear eyes—Daomu Biji Vol. 2: Heavenly Palace on the Clouds (Part 1) Ch. 48 (MereBear's Translation), Wu Xie's Private Notes Ch. 9 (MereBear's Translation)

Reference: A photo of a young man appeared on the slide. He was silent, calm, and his eyes were as clear as clear water. He was carrying something on his back and walking normally. His eyes were looking in the direction of the camera. He obviously saw the person taking the photo, but he didn't care at all.—Sand Sea 3 Ch. 28 | Ch. 139 (MereBear's Translation)

Good-looking

Reference: "Why don't we just find a wife for him and marry him off to a rich woman? With his looks, I think we can make some money."—Daomu Biji Vol. 6: Ancient Building Under the Dark Mountain Ch. 1 (MereBear's Translation)

Well-proportioned, handsome, and eye-catching (wearing a suit)

Reference: Men You Ping has a well-proportioned figure and a blank expression. He looks very handsome in a suit and is extremely eye-catching."—Daomu Biji Vol. 7: Stone Shadow in Qiong Cave Ch. 5 (MereBear's Translation)

His face is quite distinctive

Reference: Xiaoge's face is actually quite distinctive. He is not someone who would be lost in the crowd.—Tibetan Sea Flower 1 Ch. 21 (MereBear's Translation)

Wu Xie is the ultimate beauty that can be seen in the world, and Zhang Qiling is invisible to the world——too corny (NPSS's interview) [I think what it means by "invisible to the world" refers to the inner beauty, his kindness perhaps? But this kind of answer should be a joke lol]

He is 180cm tall, fair-skinned, silent, with dark hair and dark pupils, his eyes half covered by his hair (NPSS's interview)

❆ 𝑩𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝑻𝒚𝒑𝒆 ❆

He has a lot of muscle mass

Reference: Xiaoge's weight is actually moderate, and he has a lot of muscle mass. So even though he looks lean and well-proportioned, his actual weight feels much heavier than the last time I helped him.—Daomu Biji Vol. 8: Finale Ch. 56 (MereBear's Translation)

He has a high muscle fiber density

Reference:

Liang Wan was able to touch patient Zhang’s arm while giving him a routine examination. Although his muscles weren’t very exaggerated, the density of the fibers was beyond comprehension.—Sand Sea 1: Introduction Part 2 (MereBear's Translation)

He [the doctor] then proceeded to squeeze Men You Ping's muscles, "Your muscle fiber density is even better than that of athletes. What kind of exercises do you do?"—Notes in Rain Village 2 Ch. 20 (MereBear's Translation)

❆ 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 ❆

Silent, indifferent, alienated, and easily misunderstood

Reference: If you are not in the same group as Men You Ping, you will feel very uncomfortable with him, and you will feel more and more uncomfortable. People who know him know that he is just taking a nap when he leans there, but people who don't know him think that this gloomy guy is full of bad intentions and ready to torture them.—Sand Sea 4 Ch. 208 (MereBear's Translation)

Strong action, perseverance, and fearlessness

Reference: He is a man who keeps moving forward for his purpose. Even if there are countless barbs on the road he walks on, he will keep moving forward, regardless of any harm along the way, until all his flesh is scraped off by the barbs or he reaches his destination alive.—Daomu Biji Vol. 8: Finale Ch. 75 (MereBear's Translation)

Spiritual leader and give a sense of security

Reference: He often has a blank expression on his face, but once his expression changes, it usually means he is about to face a critical situation. In the ancient tomb, he acts as the spiritual leader of the team, and his companions obey his instructions, always giving those around him a sense of security.—Daomu Biji Vol. 1 (Part 2): Angry Sea, Hidden Sands

Strong heart and the king of fighting

Reference: Ma Pingchuan thought it very strange that he was having a serious conversation with a teenager, and he even felt overwhelmed by the child's aura.—Tibetan Sea Flower 1 Ch. 3 (MereBear's Translation)

Act cautiously and carefully, clear the way and lead the way

Reference: He leaped in front of the mummy without hesitation, and looked at his mouth first. Finding that there was nothing in his mouth, he put his hands under the corpse's armpits and pressed it down.—Daomu Biji 1 (Part 2): Angry Sea, Hidden Sands Ch. 62 (MereBear's Translation)

Mysterious and unique

Reference: There had to be something strange about those seven bridges-if you got on the wrong one, you'd likely encounter a disaster. In order to avoid this trouble, Poker-Face chose another way-it really was his style to never follow the path others had arranged.—Daomu Biji Vol. 8: Finale Ch. 59 (Merebear's Translation)

Calm and resilient

Reference: I remained silent. I didn't know what kind of person Menyouping was, but I could vouch for his psychological endurance. This kind of person's psychological quality has reached a certain level. It is very difficult to make him receive a great stimulus.—Daomu Biji Vol. 5: Snake Marsh Ghost City Ch. 60 (MereBear's Translation)

Selflessness, a strong sense of responsibility, saving people in distress, and silently dedicate to protect others

Reference: Men You Ping shook his head, "Your level of awareness is too low. If our theory is correct, then whatever happened is extremely dangerous. I am afraid you won’t be able to handle it. I'll keep watching all night, you should have a good rest."—Daomu Biji Vol. 5: Snake Marsh Ghost City Ch. 20 (MereBear's Translation)

Repay evil with kindness and respect life

Reference: An old man had died during our stay in the village, and Mem You Ping had also shown him a kind of attentiveness before he had died. When the old man fell asleep in the sun, Men You Ping would often stop and take a look at him.—Daomu Biji Extra: Fishing King Ch. 26 (Merebear's Translation)

[Note: I can only put one excerpt from the book as a supplement, but there are definitely many words worth your attention in the book :)]

❆ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏/𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆 ❆

If we talk about Zhang Qiling's prototype, we should go back to the first draft of Daomu Biji that NPSS posted on QQ Space under the title 《阴间笔记•七星皇陵篇》 "Notes from the Underworld: The Seven-Star Imperial Tomb" and its outline setting (see here for details). Later, he posted the fanfiction of Ghost Blows Out the Light on its Post Bar under the title 《七星鲁王宫》 "Seven Stars Lu Palace" (the original post is gone now, but here is a little glimpse of it). As you may already know, Daomu Biji was started as a fanfiction of 《鬼吹灯》 "Ghost Blows Out the Light" by 天下霸唱 (Tianxia Bachang). People often regard it as the pioneer of the tomb-robbing novel due to its popularity back in its heyday and it has a huge influence on the same genre later on, Daomu Biji is no exception. In the Ghost Blows Out the Light, there are three major characters, Hu Bayi, Shirley Yang, and Wang Pangzi. Among those three characters, only Wang Pangzi shares the similarity to "Wang Pangzi" in Daomu Biji. Then, how about other characters? Is Zhang Qiling a gender-changed Shirley Yang?

According to this post by MuzzledIdealist, the answer is below:

Q: Is Zhang Qiling a gender-changed Shirley Yang?

A: I don’t know where the rumor that Zhang Qiling is a gender-changed Shirley Yang came from… His [NPSS's] first chapter was indeed a Ghost Blows Out the Light fanfiction serialized in the Ghost Blows Out the Light forum [Baidu Post Bar], but the first chapter was about the tomb-robbing in Changsha fifty years ago, and the names Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie did not appear at all. The protagonists of Xu Lei's [NPSS's] earliest writing plan were ZYN (370’s original name), "I" and "Sun Zhongwei" (see the character setting, it was later split into Pangzi, Pan Zi, and Wu Sanxing). The prototype of Zhang Qiling is 370. I never whitewash Xu Lei, although the initial story background borrowed from Ghost Blows Out the Light, Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie have always been original [characters].

In the fanfiction that was written by NPSS, there were no characters with the name "Zhang Qiling" and "Wu Xie". Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie have always been the original from DaoBi and it has nothing to do with Ghost Blows Out the Light. Even so, Zhang Qiling indeed has a real person prototype which appeared in that fanfiction, he is ZYN (I don't know if it's appropriate to put a real person's name here), he is a former classmate of NPSS.

[For more info, see 张起灵相关bot's post or here or here]

NPSS had a classmate and roommate in high school. His bed number was 370 (homonymous with Zhang Qiling), and later he was his deskmate. In [TEDxSISU Fever], Sanshu said that he was a rare person who could notice and understand him, and he was a very good friend. The author turned this "most important man" into the most important character in the novel, Zhang Qiling, and expressed his feelings for this close friend.

"Look at your current deskmate, that inconspicuous little boy back then, who has now spread the story of you and me to the whole world." ✦

ZYN who is the prototype of Zhang Qiling is a man, then how could Zhang Qiling set to be a female character? See the explanation below:

About Zhang Qiling who was supposed to be a woman disguised as a man was first mentioned in the lecture at Fudan University in 2013:

Source: 大头尸胎

However, there is a follow-up interview on March 11, 2023 which basically implied that it's actually not NPSS's idea to set him as the female lead and Zhang Qiling is a man from the beginning to the end.

Q: It has been rumored that Zhang Qiling was originally intended to be a female character? NPSS: This happened a long time ago. These were my thoughts when I was writing the first chapter, he was definitely intended to be a male character at the beginning. Many colleagues told me that he should be a female character and that I should write him as a female character. The seniors at that time were still quite traditional. The seniors in the magazines said that you need a female lead. I was wondering what to do. They said that you should just write Zhang Qiling as a female character. I hesitated at that time, but then I followed the whole process to write it. Because his prototype was my classmate, it was difficult to write him as a female character. It was hard to imagine. I also know very few female characters. In fact, I have been working hard to learn how to write a female character in recent years.

Source: Text | Video | Summary

I think NPSS has his own idea in his mind, when his senior colleague suggested adding a heroine and thought about making PingXie as an official pairing, he hesitated at first, but in the end, he did try it and even had the idea of disguising as the opposite gender (and perhaps to make it easier to write), but later he realized that Zhang Qiling can only exist as a man. He sticks to his words at this point, because I can tell that in the subsequent series, he used descriptions such as "has a lot of muscle mass", "almost inhuman speed", "incomparably strong", "weight feels much heavier", "has a high muscle fiber density", "carrying on one shoulder", "a body more perfect than an athlete", etc. Why do I feel like he works so hard to nullify the words "the body is soft as a woman's" in the earliest book? Does he feel guilty to his former classmate? ( ≖‿ ≖ )

The most interesting thing is that Zhang Qiling and his prototype share many similarities, such as being born in November, being a Scorpio, having a shoe size of 43, being 180 cm in height, and Uncle 370's (fans in Chinese fandom often called ZYN "370叔") wife's birthday is on March 5, which is also Wu Xie's birthday (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Source: MuzzledIdealist

❆ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 ❆

This is only a simple meta of Xiaoge's character development before and after he meets Wu Xie and Pangzi, which is also purely my personal opinion and does not represent NPSS's opinion. First of all, since I think that Zhang Qiling's character development is deeply influenced and inseparable from Wu Xie's character development, I labeled this meta as a cp-oriented analysis just in case. Nevertheless, I tried my best not to see it with shipping goggles though we don't need it. It's short and may not be perfect, I only read the books from the main story to the period of Notes in Rain Village (and extra stories) once, and it was over half a year ago. If there are any mistakes, I apologize. And if it's okay with you, here you go~

⚠︎ Warning: Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!

What is so unique about Zhang Qiling (and Wu Xie) is that every stage of their life shows a different temperament (though I won't talk about all of them here, it would be too long). Zhang Qiling has lived for a long time and experienced many things.

Tibetan Sea Flower Online Q&A on August 31, 2024:

Q: Universe God, I want to ask you, when Xiaoge first saw Wu Xie being so friendly and kind to him, did he find it hard to believe that there are people in the world who simply cherish and love him without any ulterior motives?

A: Zhang Qiling can see through people's hearts at a glance. It's not that he is smart, but that he has seen too much. People are very simple to Zhang Qiling.

There is a change of heart before and after Xiaoge meets Wu Xie, as well as some behavioral changes when he gets out of the Bronze Door in ten years. It's difficult to see because we rarely have a glimpse of what Xiaoge is thinking through Wu Xie's perspective. However, it's not impossible to see as long as you pay attention carefully to his various actions. In ten years, his outer appearance may not change, but the core of his personality has changed to a certain extent, and he started to put value on many aspects of his life. In other words, he is no longer indifferent to some things. His world has gained a warm color.

Let's go back to his early days. In Three Days of Silence, there are three perspectives about Xiaoge. The first one is the perspective of the little lama's senior brothers, they said that he resembles a postman without destinations. Outsiders who don't know about Xiaoge think that Xiaoge lacks human nature, so he looks out of place in the human world. However, he is not without destinations. He knows clearly what he has to do because he had those so-called missions appear in his head before he had the chance to figure out who he was. The second is the little lama's perspective, he thought that Xiaoge is like Buddha who has no desire to think about worldly affairs. And the third is how the master denied that Xiaoge is like Buddha, people who are born without desires are stones.

Since the day he was born, Xiaoge's freedom has been taken away from him. This freedom was replaced with the Zhang family missions, making his life full of purpose, and yet it was not his own purpose. No one tells him to live his own life, and he doesn't even know how to do it, because from the very beginning he has been living this way.

In the subsequent narration, the master said that Xiaoge was like a stone, but Xiaoge eventually came to meet his mother. It was proof that he was not completely a stone, it was just that his desire as a human was hidden within himself. He needs a revelation to make him realize that it exists and that it's okay to feel it.

“You have to learn to think and miss that the first and last gift your mother gives you will be your heart that was hidden by those people.”

Even so, trusting and loving someone is not an easy task. The moment he understood what the master said, he lost his mother. It was the first time he could feel his connection with the world, but also the first time he lost it. He has a strong heart and resolve, so he was searching for this "connection" again, but the only thing he could find was all about the Zhang family's missions.

He continued, "I am a person without a past and a future. All I do is to find find my connection with this world. Where did I come from and why am I here?" He looked at his hands and said calmly, "Can you imagine that if someone like me disappears from this world, no one will find out, as if I have never existed in this world, without leaving any trace? Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I often doubt whether I really exist or am just a phantom of a person."—Daomu Biji Vol. 4: Snake Marsh Ghost City (Part II) Chapter 18 | Chapter 47 (MereBear's Translation)

In the process of searching, he had seen too much and gradually understood that what has meaning today may lose its meaning tomorrow.

Tencent Video Interview in September 2024

Q: Tibetan Sea Flower is actually a process of searching for him.

A: Searching for his past is also a process of him going from a god to a human being, and Sand Sea is a process of Wu Xie going from a human to a god, and they cross paths in the middle.

"Does meaning have any meaning?" Menyouping showed a rare concern for the word "meaning". He looked at the blazing bonfire and said, "The word meaning itself has no meaning."—Daomu Biji Vol. 8: Finale (Part II) Chapter 17 | Chapter 78 (MereBear's Translation)

He once hoped, but he never dared to put so much expectation, until Wu Xie appeared.

Tibetan Sea Flower Online Q&A on September 22, 2024

Q: Has Wu Xie ever taught Zhang Qiling anything?

A: There is a person called Wu Xie in the world, and this is the first time you have seen him in a hundred years.

Then, let's take a look at this series of statements by NPSS about Zhang Qiling.

NPSS wrote about Zhang Qiling at the end of vol. 8:

Men You Ping: This is a powerful man who is like a god or Buddha. I can always write with extra ease when he is around, because as long as he is by your side, he can protect you from all disasters and pains. He has no words, he is not happy, he is not sad, he always stands there like a [Chinese] porcelain doll, watching everything indifferently [my friend said "瓷娃娃" is a symbolic sculpture without the feeling of sorrow or joy], but you know he cares about you. No one can ever bring you so much sense of security like him. However, I don't know why, when I write about the various actions of this man, I always feel a deep sadness in my heart.

As he said, he is a person without past and future. His only connection with the world seems to have little value [it was before he claimed Wu Xie as his only connection with the world, at that time he was only searching for his memories and clues about himself which actually led to his responsibility as Zhang Qiling but not his true self]. He doesn't know where he came from or where he will go. He only knows that he has something he must do in this world. "Can you imagine? One day, when you wake up from a cave, you don't know anything and look around in confusion, you already have a responsibility that you must shoulder. You have no right to see the scenery along the way, you can't enjoy [to be with] friends and lovers, and all the beautiful things in your life have lost their meaning to you the moment you regain consciousness."

Zhang Qiling is carrying his own destiny in silence. What hurts me the most is that he just carried it nonchalantly, as if it was all natural, as if it was just an insignificant matter. If you ask him, he will just shake his head silently and tell you: "It doesn't matter". This is the man I wrote. He bears the most painful fate in the world, even a thousand times more painful than death, but he is not angry or sad, neither escaping nor suffering. He is right there, telling everyone he protects that it doesn't matter.

Zhang Qiling is physically and mentally strong, if not he wouldn't have survived all alone by himself in those years. However, being strong doesn't mean he has no weakness. He is not omnipotent nor a god. Having a weakness is a sign that he is human. He is observant and cautious, he is often caught off guard when received Tianshou (which can't be predicted) or when he loses too much blood (because his wound takes longer to heal than ordinary people). Most of the time, he feels indifferent to the pain. He endures it well, but he is not immune to it, he still feels hurt.

Snake Ancestor ignored him. After he was done, he said to Men You Ping: "Your hand will hurt so much that you can't move it for three days. It will be like stone, but you won't die."

Men You Ping raised his bitten hand and took a deep breath. He saw that the blood vessels near the wound were bulging, and his stiff fingers began to move instantly.

"Can you still move? Impossible?" Snake Ancestor was surprised. "Don't you feel pain?"

"It does hurt." Menyouping shook his hands and switched the knife to his other hand. With a loud snap, the young master was knocked over and fell on his back. The entire floor arched up, and a huge claw-like insect flipped up from under the floor, and the floor fragments were scattered everywhere.—Daomu Biji Extra: Fantasy Ch. 20 | Ch. 2.24 (MereBear's Translation)

Then, he meets Wu Xie.

Tibetan Sea Flower Online Q&A on August 31, 2024:

Q: What was Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie's first impression of each other?

A: Wu: Wow, what a cocky guy. Zhang: It seems like there is an amateur in the team.

Facebook Interview on September 18, 2014:

Q: I want to know why Xiaoge takes such good care of Tianzhen throughout the whole story, because his care for Tianzhen has gone beyond the scope of friends and colleagues (personal opinion).

A: When you see people around you being as weak as tofu*, you will also think of giving them some protection so that you don't have to do the laundry [something like 'avoid unnecessary trouble'].

*豆腐 "tofu": I'm not sure if international fans know about tofu, there are many variations of tofu, but the texture of tofu is usually very soft and easily broken if you don't handle it properly.

Tibetan Sea Flower Online Q&A on August 31, 2024:

Q: When did Zhang Qiling start to feel that Wu Xie was special?

A: When Wu Xie performed impossible and inhumane miracles time and time again.

Douyin Live on 16 September, 2024:

Q: There is a line in the book "Tibetan Sea Flower" that says that Xiaoge lost his connection with the world. Do you think it was a certain turning point that made Xiaoge feel that he had some connection with the world again? Or was it not a certain moment, but the accumulation of various friendships and experiences?

A: I can give you an example. You know that there are people who can establish a connection with you, and you know that there are people who can work hard to connect you with the world. Maybe he himself is the anchor point of that connection, but you also know that this person will not always be there. Zhang Qiling knows very well that it is impossible for someone to always do this, because his destiny is to be disconnected from the world, and his entire life is to be constantly disconnected. So he knew that in his long life, there might be many people willing to do this, but who would be willing to do this all the time? Zhang Qiling had no hope for this, because he had experienced many separations and seen many such situations.

So when the Iron Triangle was formed, Zhang Qiling initially thought that this might just be a short journey, a short connection. He knew that maybe it could be done. Ordinary people can always become god-like in a short period of time. Ordinary people have this light, but if you can become god-like for a lifetime, Zhang Qiling has never thought about it, but the Iron Triangle is moving towards this possibility. They will become a lifelong connection. For Wu Xie and Pangzi, they have burned up all their time.

This is a more real connection than anyone Zhang Qiling can remember.

Tencent Video Open Day Live on 9 September, 2024:

Q: It is known that Wu Xie is a magnificient scholar of Zhang Studies, but what about Zhang Qiling? How much does he know about Wu Xie? Who knows him better, him or Wu Xie?

A: I think Wu Xie is a very simple person. Wu Xie's resume is written on one A4 page. So I think Zhang Qiling knows more about Wu Xie. Moreover, Zhang Qiling has seen so many people. He may have only one question about Wu Xie, that is, among so many people, what is the difference between Wu Xie and others. Wu Xie in his long life, he would think that Wu Xie is somewhat different. What is the difference?Right, because Wu Xie wiped out the Zhang family (slip of the tongue, it should be the Wang family) by himself.

Nanjing Live Broadcast on August 16, 2023:

Q: What is the relationship between the Iron Triangle from Zhang Qiling’s perspective?

A: I think he has to go through several stages. At the beginning, he will think of two mortals, two ordinary people, and then try his best to protect them. Then slowly he discovered that these two people also had a slightly different aura. And in many cases, it is said that the behaviors and states of these people are beyond the energy range of ordinary people. For example, he may encounter very persistent people many times in his life. But those who are persistent may not be able to hold on for a year or two. In other words, his harsh life is something that others cannot keep up with. But he met someone like Wu Xie who always persistent and became stronger and stronger, constantly upgrading himself. This person is very special. He may be different from others. In such a long world, people like this are rare. This person is very special. He may be different from others. In such a long world, such people are rare. Then there is Wang Pangzi. How can this person do it? The way they do it is different. Wu Xie relies on persistence, and Pangzi relies on being heartless and shameless. So it feels that in the past, all the companions around you may disappear after walking and walking, but these two people not only did not disappear, but their presence became stronger and stronger. In the end, I feel that I will get used to it slowly.

Taobao Live Broadcast on October 30, 2022:

Q: After Zhang Qiling met Wu Xie and others from the beginning and experienced so much together now, will there be any changes in his mentality?

A: I think his world will become a warm color. His previous world was not a cold color, but a neutral color. It made no difference to him whether he had it or not. There was no concept of ownership in his life, whether I was owned by you or I owned something myself. When the world has warm tones, (although) he is essentially a person who has no meaning to him for any possession, the only thing he can have is that color. There may still be various problems with his memory in the future, but that touch of warmth will eventually belong to him, and the color of that world and that period of time cannot be washed or erased. What I mean is that even Tianshou can't erase that kind of temperature. I think this is the most core change in his mentality.

Live broadcast on June 11, 2021:

NPSS: For Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie is his only connection with the human world. He can have no connection with the human world. After so many years, Wu Xie is the opportunity for him to be willing to connect with the human world. This is also something that requires courage for him, because connecting with Wu Xie means connecting with other people. At the beginning, Wu Xie was just one of the many people he had saved, but Wu Xie reached a state of transcendence through his own qualities. He can attract another person who is not a mortal. There is such a person. When you look at him, you will have this feeling-

Host: This is that person, this is the person I am looking for.

NPSS: Yes.

It only takes less than two years to change Zhang Qiling's opinion about Wu Xie, from 'one of the people he had saved' to 'his only connection with this world'. Two years are just a small number in Xiaoge's long life, but the days when they got along together in life-and-death situations are much more meaningful than what he ever imagined. Knowing him little by little, Xiaoge feels that Wu Xie is different, a rare soul. Wu Xie cares about him without any hidden intentions. He is sincere and persistent, proving himself that he has exceeded Xiaoge's presumptions of human beings, again and again.

"Human beings are much scarier than ghosts, and it is hard to understand people's hearts," said Men You Ping, "Living people are worse than ghosts." After saying that, he glanced at Laba's hidden knife.—Tibetan Sea Flower 1 Ch. 12

Later, NPSS explained about Zhang Qiling's farewell in Hangzhou (see more here or here):

"He came to find Wu Xie, which was the biggest emotion in his life for so many years."

Xiaoge is not without emotions. For Zhang Qiling who has seen too much and experienced all sorts of things, it's not easy to cause a spark in his heart. He has his own way of dealing with his own emotions and expressing his feelings. As an analogy, his emotional state is like an ocean; vast, calm, and deep. A small ripple won't have any effect on him, and the waves were just small frictions on the surface. Despite this, that day when he came to Hangzhou to say goodbye to Wu Xie, he felt the greatest emotions after so many years of emotional numbness.

"I came to say goodbye to you." He said, "It's all over. I thought about my connection with this world, and it seems that the only one I can find now is you."—Daomu Biji Vol. 8: Finale (Part II) Ch. 25 | Ch. 76 (MereBear's Translation)

It was stated in Tibetan Sea Flower that Xiaoge also came to Pangzi and entrusted him with three things, which are related to Wu Xie's presumably future actions.

"The first thing is that you found his statue." Pangzi said, "This proves that you found the place where he began to lose connection with this world. This statue was made for him by the best craftsman in the temple at that time. It is his only projection in this world."—Tibetan Sea Flower 2 Ch. 19 | Ch. 84 (MereBear's Translation)

Each encounter has its own purpose. Pangzi didn't chase after Xiaoge, because he understood that if Xiaoge choose not to tell him everything, then so be it, and no one can stop him once he made a decision. On the other hand, Wu Xie has an intrigued temper which is different from Pangzi. If Xiaoge deliberately didn't tell him anything, Wu Xie could just go find it out by himself.

Xiaoge is someone who solves the problem right on the spot the moment he figures it out, and he will not do something unnecessary.

Tibetan Sea Flower Online Q&A on 6 September, 2024:

Q: How would Wu Xie or Xiaoge overcome difficulties when they encounter them, or what is their psychology?

A: Xiaoge overcomes the difficulties on the spot, while Wu Xie overcomes the difficulties secretly.

He came to Wu Xie, even though it had nothing to do with his mission. He could just go straight away to Changbai mountains, but he didn't. What did he expect after saying those words? He was aware of Wu Xie's temper, yet he still went to find him and said something that even Wu Xie might not know what it meant at that time; because he wanted him to know.

He had lost his connection with this world once, and he was going to experience it again. There was no need to carve his emotions on a stone, he now understood it very well; to think and miss; to have his own desire. He wanted Wu Xie to know how important he was to him. He is always selfless, but this time he found again his long-lost desire, a selfish desire.

"It's all over. I thought about my connection with this world, and it seems that the only one I can find now is you."

Those words are not just ordinary "romantic" or "insignificant" words. They can't be understood with a superficial approach, but only after reading Tibetan Sea Flower and Three Days of Silence or Zhang Qiling's story that the meaning can be conveyed properly. They carry so much meaning that speaks volumes of what Xiaoge was thinking at that time. It was the first time after he lost his mother, Baima, that he had his own "desire" again.

“Wu Xie is the opportunity for him to be willing to connect with the human world. This is also something that requires courage for him, because connecting with Wu Xie means connecting with other people.”

In other words, Wu Xie is like a "bridge" that connects Zhang Qiling's world to the human world, and leads to another lifelong companionship like Pangzi. Even to this day, a genuine and sincere relationship without any malice is rare to be found in this world. Wu Xie is an important part of Xiaoge's existence, and recognizing this strong bond won't make Zhang Qiling lose himself. On the contrary, Wu Xie helped him to find his pieces of life and finally do something he truly wants. It's not a one-sided feeling, Xiaoge sacrificed himself for Wu Xie, and it was not out of obligation or courtesy. And it was also the case with Wu Xie defeated the Wang family. Their feelings for each other have always been unconditional, they don't ask anything in return, and what they have done only shows how far they can go for the other.

Xiaoge: “I will give you my whole life in exchange for your ten years of innocence.”

Wu Xie: “I will use my ten years in exchange for your stability and peace of mind for the rest of your life”

There is so much happening after this period that it is worth talking about, but it's getting too long. Perhaps I will continue it, but I cannot guarantee anything (∩˃ω˂∩)

Thank you for reading! ^^

Source: Original picture by 刘巴布

#zhang qiling birthday month #daomu biji #dmbj #dmbj meta #zhang qiling #pingxie #pingxie only #盗墓笔记 #张起灵 #瓶邪 #瓶邪only #congratulatory post

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sweetbottletops · 9 months ago

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The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All (Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta) Drama CD cast interview (more pictures) after they completed the project. Horrible MTL below...

Mitsuki Koga: Mariya Ise Aya Oosawa: Akari Kitō Joe: Kenjiro Tsuda Narita: Tasuku Hatanaka

Ise (Mitsuki): Actually, on X (formerly Twitter), I was secretly looking forward to reading this manga drawn by Arai. A handsome aura that overflows without Koga's awareness...I was excited as well as there. (Laughter).

No way I will be able to play Koga-san I am grateful!! There's nothing happier than being able to play a character you love. I was allowed to play Koga-san politely and carefully!

Kitō (Aya): It was a large volume of drama CD recording, but I was able to play freely and it was very fun! I was happy to be involved in this work that I had originally read, and I thought again that this work, in which music is greatly involved, is a title that I am very excited to be shaped as a drama CD!

Tsuda (Uncle Joe): It was able to record in a good atmosphere. The comedy part, the serious part, each had tension and relaxation in the air, and it was a fun time.

Hatanaka (Narita): When I participated in this work, of course, I read manga, but I felt that I was really happy that I was able to participate in the drama CD of such a work because I was filled with the wonderfulness, suffering, and regret of liking someone. 　

――Please tell us the impression of the character you played.

Ise: I like the fact that I value the honesty of Koga's favorite things and what I want to do. I also want to live with such a part carefully, so I felt sympathy on my own. It is also wonderful to care for the person in front of you. I think that Koga's coolness is such a way of thinking and behavior. You can see why people around you are supported and loved.

Kitō: It looks like a yang person, a gal, who is the upper class of the school caste, but in fact it is a frowning Western music otaku, and a CD shop Onii-san(?) I thought that it was a child with various faces that there was a cute side that was in love with him. At first I was worried about where to make a role based, but I thought that it was an ordinary girl and tried to play it.

Tsuda: A nice uncle who is active and gentle while making a rock sharp. It is saved that there are such adults who are close to young people. I played it consciously so that I could put out a large vessel that wraps up with the spatula and the light part. He's a nice character.

Hatanaka: Narita-kun, it was very easy to perform. When I was a student, I did not feel that I was used to women to that extent, but is it the lightness of footwork, something like that, there was something that passed, and there was a feeling that I could quickly enter even if I tried to play it with care…! It was so much fun to play! 　

――Ise had a singing part of "Creep" this time. If you have any feelings of singing, points you want to pay attention to and listen to, please tell me.

Ise: It was a test (laughs). The difficulty level was too high. I really wanted to run away (Laughter). But for the work, I decided to be prepared that I had to do my best. Please listen with warm ears…. 　

―― Please give a message to all of your fans.

Ise: I am close to or excited about Koga-san, which is the image of all readers, but I also played Koga-san, which I imagined, carefully and wholeheartedly because I was a reader and a fan for many years. Please, DramaCD 『気になってる人が男じゃなかった』 also like and enjoy! Thank you very much!

Kitō: 『気になってる人が男じゃなかった』 I was originally a fan reading this work, but it is a very popular work with many people who love reading it even around me, so I think that there are many people who are looking forward to this drama CD! This work that is loved by many people is enjoyed as a voice, and I will be very happy if you love me!

Tsuda: It is a wonderful work where laughter and cuteness are tightly tied and young. I think that people who like rock can enjoy it because there are many legendary rocker songs, and I think that those who do not know rock can enjoy refreshing youth drama.

Hatanaka: It was such a work that makes me think that it is really nice to read and fall in love with people. I hope it becomes a drama CD filled with its goodness! By all means, I hope you can enjoy the original together many times! Thank you very much!!!

――cast everyone, thank you!

[x]

#they had her sing radiohead #the guy she was interested in wasn't a guy at all #arai sumiko #green manga #manga #yuri #drama cd #audio drama #Mariya Ise #Akari Kitō #Kenjiro Tsuda #Tasuku Hatanaka #Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta

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phoenixtakaramono · 7 months ago

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I believe Cheating Men must die is a great story

It adds wonderful twists in existing tropes and genres. The protag isn't perfect but she's great, she likes eliminating assholes, which is valid

It's also interesting how Su Luxia doesn't have an identity issue since she lives under so many identities but I guess she's hardened for the job

For everyone who hasn't read Cheating Men Must Die (comic "Wan Zha Chao Huang" (万渣朝凰) by Shi Dai Man Wang (时代漫王)), this is an open invitation for y'all to read it. Genre: quick transmigration, revenge story. Basically your ex-cannon fodder MC, Su Luxia, is a System agent who transmigrates (isekais/ world hops) into the bodies of women of each world who are wronged by the Male Lead, Female Lead, another canon fodder, author, etc and changes their fate. I forgot how many chapters of the manhua there are presently but I believe the freshest ones that are still being updated in Mandarin Chinese are over 700+ chapters of art. (The MTL offers English translation, but y'all can also peep at other sites for ENG fantranslations.)

There are a couple of different summaries but I love this summary the best:

Don't you think that all cheating sc*m need to die? Su Luxia, an intern pro working in a transmigration agency, doesn't believe in that. For her, all cheating bastards need to rot in hell before they die. Or else they won't suffer the taste of their own medicine! Using elaborate means, she beats up countless cheating bastards and b*tches. Su Luxia sneers... "People take everything they get for granted. The more they get, the more they don't strive for it. An unrequited love is an example. There is always a sc*m who takes advantage. Since they brought this upon themselves..." She studies her face in the mirror and smirks, "... let them have a taste of their own medicine." System: "You're making that scary face again!" Follow our female main lead, Su Lüxia, who is bound to the Female Lead Counterattack System and transmigrates to several small worlds beating up countless sc*m.

Art bait for y'all who are still hesitating (and some of my favorite arcs, and those that'd surprised me like the arc where she transmigrated into the Second Male Lead):

RE: I have to agree! Ty for the Ask, @bernkastel11! I had a response ready for ya the day I saw this in my inbox and literally typed a long essay with links, but lo and behold tumblr ate it. 😭 But finally I have the motivation for a take 2. Honestly the manhua is a guilty pleasure of mine. The art's great (we definitely see the artist improve over time with each arc...even with the obviously borrowed assets and sometimes janky perspective, hahaha) and I love how Su Luxia is a badass femme fatale (white lotus & green tea b*tch), as well as her friendship with her cute talking hamster System. I also love how the artist is giving variety; it's not all just kicking butt, chewing bubble gum, finding romance. She's become an empress, made a friendship with the exorcist Female Lead, become a mother, led revolutions, survived a death game, became a guy, made a Male Lead yandere and obsess over her to the point of trying to hunt her down in whichever world it is, has some...questionable sapphic overtones, transmigrated into a BL novel, revisited some worlds with reoccurring characters, etc. They satirize a lot of preexisting tropes, and I love it when artists and writers have fun with the meta. I also like how they're slowly expanding on the lore of her interest with previous System agent Zero (the whole reason why Su Luxia became a System agent).

"It's also interesting how Su Luxia doesn't have an identity issue since she lives under so many identities but I guess she's hardened for the job"

The thing about QTs in general is the artist or author usually don't put much emphasis on the consequences of transmigrating so many times into other people's bodies. It's just a staple of the genre (because they're usually portrayed as badass, cunning, and OP, what have you with a strong willpower to assume all these identities, overcome challenges, and not experience dysphoria). So far I think the only writer I can think of off the top of my head that addresses it is: The Exhausting Reality of Novel Transmigration (novel / manhwa). I highly rec it. So far it is one of the few works where they explore that concept of how mentally exhausting it is adopting another person's identity as well as the consequences of "the characters" finding out (it's not your usual "oh, you hopped into my dead daughter's body and assumed her identity? Well la de dah, guess you're my daughter now." No, we're talking about the mother suspecting, finding out, being horrified, and having a mental breakdown trying to exorcise "the evil spirit" who's taken possession of her daughter's body). It also touches on the danger of an ordinary woman transmigrating into the body of a Female Lead in an R18+ novel where the Male Lead is a yandere.

Since you'd mentioned CMMD, I can give you several other links:

Cheating Men Must Die animated audio version of the first few arcs (King of the Phoenix), comes with ENG subs

Mission in Parallel 2022 Chinese short drama (it's the late 1910s socialite arc where she transmigrates as the overweight nightclub owner & wife of the abusive husband who gets seduced by a singer who's also a transmigrator), comes with ENG subs

Cheating Men Must Die (2022)(it's the arc where she transmigrates into the world where she's the villainess and the CEO Male Lead is self-aware, and the author has signed with the evil System trying to kill off Su Luxia so that she herself can transmigrate into the body of her own FL), comes with ENG subs

#cheating men must die #manga rec #The Exhausting Reality of Novel Transmigration #reading recommendations #ask #ty for the ask <3 #bernkastel1 #it's so nice to find another CMMD enthusiast; usually I'm the one reccing CMMD to everyone else hahahaha #phoenix talks

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gacha-incels · 2 months ago

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[Journalist's View] The Courage and Solidarity of the Victim in the 'Jinju Convenience Store Misogyny Assault Case'

published oct 9 2024 Reporter: Kim Saewon

this article is originally in Korean and has been mtl and edited into English here. it’s not going to be 1:1 but the basic info should be there, if you see any discrepancies though lmk and I’ll edit it asap. thanks everyone for your continued help and understanding.

Verdict hearing for the 'Jinju Convenience Store Assault Case' scheduled for October 15

On the morning of August 27, outside the Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam, a press conference calling for the severe punishment of the perpetrator in the 'Jinju Convenience Store Assault Case' was held by the Gyeongnam Women’s Association and the Gyeongnam Provincial Emergency Response Committee of the Women's Party. ⓒReporter Kim Saewon

On September 21, I visited Hyehwa Station in Seoul to cover the 'Protest Calling for Severe Punishment of Deepfake (Illegal Synthetic Material) Sexual Exploitation Crimes.' There, I encountered a familiar face—the victim of the 'Jinju Convenience Store Misogyny Assault Case,' known as Ms. A. Despite still suffering from ear pain due to incomplete recovery, Ms. A greeted me and other protest participants warmly.

This was not my first time seeing Ms. A outside the context of the incident. In July, I had met her at a policy discussion hosted by the Women’s Party on the issue of dating violence and related legislative reform. This event was attended by the bereaved families of victims of the Geoje dating murder case, the families of victims of dating violence in the hair clipper assault case, and the bereaved family of the Incheon stalking murder case. After the event ended, as I was packing up, someone approached me—it was Ms. A. She had come to Seoul to support the victims and families of dating violence cases.

Our society is currently facing an intense backlash against social changes, especially regarding gender issues. This backlash is evident across all fields of Korean society, and I’ve felt it firsthand. Despite being assigned to cover gender issues for only a few months, I’ve already received multiple requests from interviewees to avoid mentioning the government’s policies on women, not to bring up specific women’s issues, or not to use the term 'misogyny.'

The reasons for avoiding women’s issues were varied. Some feared that any mention of 'misogyny' in articles would lead to uncontrollable backlash against the victims of misogynistic crimes. Others worried about potential disadvantages from the government. One parliamentary office staff member, who had earlier asked me not to bring up women’s policies, later confessed that in the past, the National Assembly would at least make token gestures toward addressing women’s issues, but now, even that has become too difficult amid the backlash.

As a reporter visiting these scenes, I often feel frustrated. I frequently think, "It would be great if more women weren’t afraid to come forward and speak up." But the fact that so many women avoid discussing women’s issues publicly is a clear indicator of how severe the attacks on them have become.

Crimes targeting women, even those who are complete strangers to the perpetrators, continue to make headlines. Just recently, a teenage girl was murdered in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, in what seemed to be another misogynistic crime. Yet, discussions about misogynistic crimes remain lukewarm. At last month’s protest at Hyehwa Station, the organizers handed out black hoods to participants and prohibited individual interviews with the media—measures taken to protect the predominantly female participants. Living in a reality where women feel threatened daily, it’s no wonder that speaking out publicly is not an easy task.

In this context, the courage shown by Ms. A deserves special attention. Not only has she attended events like the dating violence discussion and the Hyehwa Station protest, but she has also consistently raised her voice against misogynistic crimes through her social media and interviews with the press. In April, she even published a journal documenting her experience with the convenience store assault, titled One Day, I Became a Victim. She also shares cases like the 'Busan Classmate Assault, which Left the Victim in a Vegetative State' on her social media, encouraging solidarity among victims.

While backlash continues to sweep through our society, we must keep moving forward. The courage and solidarity expressed, even amid threats, will ultimately come together to change the world. This month, the Changwon District Court will deliver its verdict in the 'Jinju Convenience Store Misogyny Assault Case.' In the second trial held in August, the prosecution rejected the defense’s claim of the perpetrator’s mental incapacitation and sought the same five-year sentence as in the first trial. As the October 15 verdict approaches, Ms. A needs continued support and solidarity from us all.

#South Korea #jinju #Jinju convenience store #assault case #male violence #misogyny #article #korean feminism

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itgirlgyu · 1 year ago

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TXT MTL! would i smoke my first weed with them?

◌⃘ ⪩☘️⪨ ۫ ִ✮ txt.ot5% ໒꒱ WORD COUNT⇆ 613!﹒☆WARNINGS: do not condone smoking, will never smoke﹒♡﹒🔋

★◜YEONJUN...

ah yes I will actually smoke with him.

because I think he will hook me with some fine imported mary jane.

puff puff pass baby.

i would be like, yeonjun ☝️☺️ i heard for the first timer you have to pass the smoke from your mouth,,

also like of course he would consume nothing but the best of it.

his dealer probably wears some gucci set as he delivers it to him.

he won't even ask me to venmo the money back to him.

he would probably start acting like best friends though, trying to tell me his relationship problems.

like no sir

which is a con because i want to get into his pants.

sorry yeonjun im not your bro.

★◜SOOBIN...

hard no.

he doesn't even know where his dealer is from.

but dude smelled fine so maybe it's ok to consume.

but im not ready for that kinda risk in my life.

to be honest he only smokes to get some good sleep so he isn't even the best option to smoke with.

very boring.

04/10

that four is because the off chance you find him in a happy mood and got to smoke and he will actually take off his clothes and twerk if provoked enough.

★◜BEOMGYU...

i think for the first time he would be fine.

but like soobin, don't expect him to know where his dealer shits from.

probably gets his shit while his dealer is getting chased by police.

which to be honestly would be thrilling if beomgyu wasn't crying half the drive.

still has the audacity to be like,, bestie you ready?!?!

as if he didn't commit to half his life crimes on the drive earlier.

bro got loser rizz.

probably tells you it's okay to hold his hands when you take your first puff.

would nod knowingly in sympathy when you shoot him a dirty look.

gets high way too fast.

you finish one puff and he's out in the corner, dazed out of his mind.

i think the quiet is fine, so yeah he will just do fine.

im not saying i might fall in love with him but i might.

and so will you.

thats why stay away from drugs kid.

★◜TAEHYUN...

doesn't do weed.

too classy for it.

i suggest mushrooms and he looks at me like i insulted that his grandmother smells like fake LV.

whatever that means.

but he is shocked, like his palm on his chest and mouth making perfect 'o'.

drinks alcohol like a real man.

maybe if you convinced to smoke with you, he will probably go into a catatonic state, like you won't know but he is not there.

mentally.

prefers edibles after hitting the bong a bit to many times despite his "irk" for it.

mannequin challenge 2k23 edition.

you push his arm and he's actually sleeping like a baby.

maybe the best one he's ever gotten.

would be a good smoking partner to be honest.

if he's awake for it of course.

★◜HUENING KAI...

best option.

just yes.

anything with him is a yes.

he would be so cool with you.

like he takes care of you.

also snatches the bong when you've done too much.

makes you eat stuff so you don't get too high and end up suffering the consequences.

kinda panics when he sees the stuff he made you eat were laced with edibles.

i want him as my best friend if that isn't clear yet.

probably gets really high off his mind.

but like very, very giggly way.

which is always the best version!

fuck weeds, id even do hard drugs with him ( i won't.)

aN from txt crack to txt literally doing crack.

©ITGIRLGYU 2023! feedbacks and reblogs are appreciated, and encouraged!

PERM TAGLIST / @impureperhaps @full-sunnies @wonioml @1921choi

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coconox · 10 months ago

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what if,,,, hypothetically speaking,, i do a frame by frame analysis of the nocti v nigel cg,,, ahahaahaaaa,,,,,,

I AM GONNA PUT THIS HERE NOW THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR SANDS OF WRATH AND, OBVIOUSLY, SPOILERS FOR THE CG

i do recommend watching the cg first before reading all this since i will mention a lot about nocti and nigel's movements using timestamps for the vid since my storage hates me and i can't really properly add multiple clips 💔

!! LINK TO CG ANIMATION HERE !!

I WILL ALSO BE USING MTL FOR ALL THE DIALOGUE SO I'M VERY SORRY IN ADVANCED IF THE DIALOGUE IS INCORRECT TO WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS

from the get-go i will mention that before nocti entered this fight, skk had a m.i.n.d link with nocti. and since skk is poisoned, nocti is gonna feel the same over the time

aside from him coughing up vital fluid at 0:39, you can really see the poison start getting to him when he fights. starting from 0:14 you see nocti's movements getting slower and slower which becomes more obvious when you see him throw less punches/kicks and his reaction time worsening, allowing nigel to easily counterattack

callback to his last fight with nigel shown at the beginning of the chapter

ER05-01

i would also love to point out how nigel is such a good foil for nocti. from the opposing color schemes to their behavior. nigel having a black color scheme to fit with the whole idea that he is an assassin hiding in the shadows (which is an often recurrence of him throughout the story by either him watching nocti in the distance or showing up unexpectedly). black can also be associated with power and death, connecting to the fact that nigel carries such a strong poison to where there's no known cure, which allows nigel to easily control others to his bidding and/or make them suffer. as opposed to nocti having a white/vibrant red color scheme to fit how bold or loud he is. red can be associated with anger and white can be associated with purity/innocence so it fits with his personality too (since nocti is often left in the dark of a lot of situations back when he was in the purifying force)

ER05-08

around 0:46 - 0:57, 1:05, 1:18 - 1:33

essentially any part where nocti is heavily breathing

ER05-01 structure that this narrator is mentioning is nocti

this is probably leaning more into hc territory, but i think out of all the playable constructs we've met, nocti feels the most "human." he eats, drinks, sleeps, has breathing patterns that the narrator loves to point out, basically does a lot of human practices that constructs don't need to necessarily do, but he does it out of habit. he even believed at one point that constructs can get sick (obv they can't)

dialogue at 0:27

nigel: "you are still the same as before" nigel: "everything covered by anger" nocti: "nigel!!!!!" nigel: "you always thought my poison could only be attached to weapons, right?" nigel: "never doubted what i said"

callbacks to the last fight nocti had with nigel. when nocti was at his lowest, that's when nigel finally spoke. nigel alludes to nocti's naivety again, making nocti finally realize the poison wasn't contained in a separate attachment/weapon, rather nigel is the poison itself

ER05-12 nocti telling skk where the poison might be (remember at this time he still didn't know how nigel injects the poison, he just knows nigel has the ability to do so)

ER05-08 nigel pointing out nocti's naivety

the realization of where the poison's actually located, after the dialogue at 0:27

the location of the poison is more obvious in the reference sheet of nigel (since the ref removes the cloak he's wearing) (link to tweet about nigel that includes this ref)

callback to when nocti and skk first began to plan how to track down nigel after the rediscovery of nigel's poison

ER05-12

callback to him saying "leave everything to me" shown in the previous image.

the light in nocti's hands in the animation is skk (figuratively, not literally ofc LOL), having faith in him that he WILL beat nigel and will give him their all to help. though honestly, all he ever really needed was someone to trust him unconditionally

2:15 - end

"give that bastard a taste of our true wrath"

"partner"

the peak embracement of nocti and skk's partnership. this was the missing piece that he needed to finally beat nigel.

ever since the beginning of this chapter nocti has implicity or explicitly stated (whether it be through his first encounters with skk or in flashbacks of his hubris being in the purifying force/early days of cerberus) he prefers to work alone and leave it at that. he thought it'd benefit everyone if he didn't rope people into his mess, and he fully believed finding and confronting nigel again is something only he should burden

ER05-06 nocti and skk took turns asking for context of what's been going on

skk, cerberus, and the people of new oakley however say otherwise.

skk, in their words, "took a gamble" and just had a gut feeling to stick around and help him and even be down to consider him as a partner

ER05-05

ER05-06

it should probably be noted that skk saying they believe him "just because" carries a lot more weight than at first glance. having someone believe him without him really needing to prove himself with evidence makes nocti appreciate skk a lot more than when he first encountered them in EX05 or at the beginning of this chapter, showing that skk isn't like everyone else he's met and perhaps has a chance to be friends or more with them

ER05-11 first instance of nocti calling them partner

ER05-11 nocti "subtly" correcting vann with referring to skk as his partner

these screenshots can keep going on and on but you get the idea LOL they call each other partners from ER05-11 onwards.

21 and vera believe cerberus isn't complete without him

ER05-15 despite nocti technically being considered as a part of the purifying force at this time, vera and 21 will always believe he truly belongs in cerberus

and the people of new oakley see him as a brother/friend they could rely on and share a drink with

ER05-09 after nocti saves new oakley he gains a lot of respect from the people in town and they all decided to celebrate nocti's win

for most of his life he was practically feared or looked down upon by the people he was with 'cause of his loud and reckless demeanor, and to finally have that revelation that he IS wanted, needed, LOVED even, that people are able to put their trust and faith in him, that allows him to be the best version of himself he could ever ask for

am i looking too deep into this? probably

there's probably a lot of bias from that whole analysis i just love nocti ok—

i do wish we can see more of his backstory. he's one of the few that actively hide it (with the addition of vera not revealing it out of some respect for him), and i just wanna do a deep dive of how he became the way he is today. he's also one of the older constructs given his frame id (BPO-03), makes me wonder how or why he became a construct in the first place-

anyways, that's my rant for the month, ty for reading if you made it this far lol

have some love and a cookie you deserve it ❤🍪

#GODDAMN its been a while since ive done a deepdive like this #honestly i cooked this up out of pure boredom while i was in class and honestly idk if any of this made sense #just let me scream into the void abt nocti ok i love him WAY too much #fbj rambles #pgr #punishing gray raven #pgr noctis #战双帕弥什 #パニグ��

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h3llraz0rr · 5 months ago

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MTL OC RAMBLE TIME

I wrote this angsty ass fic of my MTL OC Dorian and how after meeting Lionel (USHUM'S OC!) he has a change of heart and wants to quit the Revengencers, but Magnus manipulates him into staying 💔 I really wanted to illustrate their dynamic and I haven't written in a while so I figured WHY NOT 😈

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Dorian stands in the bathroom and hunches over a cold sink, water pouring out the faucet to drown out his quiet cries. His head bowed down, tears falling and mixing with the water already rising in the sink.

After spending copious amounts of time with Lionel, someone he recently met whom has ties with Dethklok, his whole perspective has shifted leading him to sit in his mental turmoil. His entire life was dedicated to hunting down Skwisgaar Skwigelf, his negligent father whom declines any biological ties to him. He was so blinded by hate, that once this passionate man sprung into his life unexpectedly, it seemed to wash away. All the pain, suffering, depression and anxiety.. gone. Forgotten, as if it hadn't been there for his entire life.

Therefore, all of this led him to this moment. Thoughts of regret and denial running through, was revenge what he really needed this time? Or is it time to forgive and move on? If it's one thing his time with Lionel taught him, it's that sometimes you need to forgive not because you HAVE to, but because if you don't you'll be consumed by the trauma.. forever. It is his own brain that has become his biggest torturer, not his father. He began to realize this now as he sulked in front of the mirror.

After tightening the knob to the sink, he raises his head to get a good look at himself. His eyes were dark and puffed from all his crying, now wiping away the wetness that dampened his cheeks. He catches a glimpse of a figure standing behind him, leaning against the doorframe with it's arms crossed. This causes him to immediately turn around, now seeing it's-

Magnus.

Dorian would sniff a bit, clearing his throat before leaning against the sink.

"Oh. Hi." He'd avoid eye contact with the man that stood before him. The other bore a cold stare as he analyzed the man before him.

"Hi." Magnus rose a brow, "You.. good in here man?"

"Yeah- yeah. You gotta use the-?"

"No. I was looking for you, and then I found you here crying. You.. really sure you're okay man?" Magnus emphasized.

Dorian would bite his tongue, a burning sensation filling his chest as he found himself struggling to breathe. How was he gonna tell him? Especially now with Toki in their possession, isn't it a little too late to call it quits suddenly?

"... Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Dorian nodded to himself, leaning off the sink as he prepared to walk past the taller man.

Magnus blocks the doorway suddenly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving. Dorian tenses under his grip, now finally giving him the eye contact he clearly wanted.

"Talk to me man. Really, you look shitty." Magnus pushed the issue further. He clearly sensed the tension here, making Dorian even more nervous. It felt as if his throat was tightening the more Dorian looked to Magnus. He was paling, and Magnus noticed it.

Dorian knew he couldn't avoid the issue anymore, because Magnus refused to let him. He had no other choice but to spit it out. He complies, now backing up before anxiously rubbing his hands together.

"Look. There's.. no easy way to say this. I don't think this is gonna work out for me. I've been doing some thinking and I-"

"So that's it." Magnus cuts him off, his arms crossed again, "You're quitting?"

Dorian's palms began to dampen from his nervousness, his face starting to feel hot as his throat tightened more. ".. Y.. Yeah."

It was hard to read Magnus's expression, he was so nonchalant throughout this interaction on purpose. It was his tactic of intimidating Dorian, and he knew it too. He would then sigh, "Well, alright. Tell me one thing though, did that little 'lion' guy have something to do with this?"

Dorian felt his heart sank.

"... What?"

"Oh c'mon. You didn't think I knew about that? You left behind his business card. Lionel, right?"

This only increased his anxiety, making it harder for him to NOT have a full blown panic attack.

".. Right." He swallows hard.

Magnus nods at this confirmation, now standing aside to allow space for him to walk through the doorway. He'd even gesture his arms out of the room for Dorian, though he could barely budge.

"I understand. I'm not mad bud, you can leave. But.. I just find it odd, you spent your entire life searching for him and now you're giving it all up. All those years are just.. wasted now. But who am I fooling?" A smile suddenly beams on his face. It's.. an unfamiliar expression, making it harder for Dorian to gather the courage to walk out. He looked similar to a frightened dog, tail between his legs.

After a tense standoff between the two, Dorian walks out the bathroom and returns to his room. Magnus remains in the bathroom doorway with his hands now behind his back as he watches Dorian gather his belongings into a duffel bag of his. He could feel Magnus' eyes watching his every move closely.

"I just find it funny. We're so close to getting our revenge, and suddenly you want to bail. Since when did your moral compass shift?" Magnus asks with a sly look on his face, he continues rambling to the other man as he packs up.

"You have no where else to go, Dorian. I picked you up off the streets and gave your life purpose again. I didn't have to do any of that, but I saw a drive in you, kid. I saw something in you that no one has ever seen before. It's a shame."

This causes Dorian to stop packing for a moment, now looking back at Magnus. The grin he once had now shifts back into it's neutral expression.

"You know there's no coming back after this, right?"

"I.. I know."

"And you're just- okay with letting Skwisgaar do what he wants still? Consequence free?" Magnus unfolds his arms to now hold them out, exaggerating his words.

"There's nothing I can do, Magnus. I wasted my entire adolescence years trying to hunt down a man that doesn't even know I exist, let alone care. I'm tired." He says in a defeated tone, even his eyes expressed how exhausted he was of this cat-and-mouse game that never leads to anything.

"What about your mother? She was killed at their concert and it made your life crumble, and all while this affected you, he was probably out in some foreign country getting laid by numerous women, celebrating their success. Doesn't that anger you? That this cycle continues to repeat? Think of all the other children he's affected that are his too! You aren't the only one, you know that right?" Magnus now approaches Dorian, looming over him and his duffel bag.

"He's impregnated millions of women, made them all sign that 'paternity waiver', and left them while he gets to swim in his riches unbothered. It isn't right that he gets to do this to so many people, it isn't right that ANY of them get to." He squats down to his level now.

"And if you think for a second that that little 'boy-toy' of yours is gonna heal all of that pent up trauma you got goin' up here.." Magnus gently knocks on Dorian's forehead, making him jolt in response.

"Then you got another thing coming. Face it, until you get this revenge, you'll always be burdened by it. Seeing his face on television, hearing their devoted fans talk about him, you'll always be bothered and reminded that you.. you mean nothing to him. You're nothing more than a orphan with intense daddy issues. And then? What if your little boyfriend ends up leaving you? Decides your issues are too much for him, then you're back at square one? Eh? You gonna go back to being homeless? Living in the streets.. sleeping on garbage bags.. while he gets to live in a bed made for a king?"

All of Magnus' points would overflow his mind, now his gaze lowering as he sits in thought. He was so sure about his decision earlier, why now is he back-peddling? What if he's right, what if he is too much?

What if he ends up at square-one again? Homeless with no secure place to stay, while his father is lavished like a king. He could feel the anxiety begin to boil up again alongside the hatred and anger he felt. He looked back up to Magnus, who would return his deceptive grin.

"But hey, it's your choice at the end of the day. If you feel like this is what you really want, aye, nothing a little therapy won't fix right?" He shrugged before standing back up, Dorian would nod in compliance.

"No.. You're right, what am I doing.." He'd ask himself before then standing back up with the taller man, now slowly looking back up to him. "We.. We came so far. I'd be a fool to throw this all away. It isn't.. fair." His hands that once calmly rested by his sides would ball into fists, that gleam in his eyes of anger returning.

Magnus seemed proud of Dorian for reevaluating this decision, now opening his arms wide. "Now that's a good boy, come here."

Dorian seemed hesitant at first, but regardless walking into his arms and hugged him. Magnus would return the gesture, rubbing his back. He'd stare into the a long mirror that stuck to Dorian's wall across from them, smirking at himself in deep satisfaction. His plan worked, he had successfully manipulated Dorian from leaving.

"See.. It would've been a mistake of you to leave. You'd be full of regret, and you don't want to live a life of regret.." Magnus whispered to Dorian who would nod.

"I know you, Dorian. That isn't what you would've wanted. You need.. to think for yourself. You just need guidance, a hand to redirect you when you feel like giving up. Let me be that for you. You have so much..

...

Potential."

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agearinthevastklok · 1 year ago

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Thoughts on AotD

I like that "it's about fear" very much announces the theme of Nathan's own fears of failing and self doubt, which stem from his constant perfectionism we've seen since s1. This is really emphasises in Nathan telling everyone he doesn't know how to write the Song of Salvation and subsequently crossing 'band' off - he is filled with self doubt and fear and is unable to find safety with that. This hits especially hard when you get that "is this the wrong song?" moment that hits so sudden and so hard. I think the "come back" line also really feels full of that fear - his fear is reinforced by loneliness and abandonment and grief and it's so, so powerful when he really becomes vulnerable in that moment.

The entire funeral scene is almost unbearable it felt like way too many things to deal with all at once made 100% more painful because they were ruining the funeral. I wish the bit with Nathan had happened back at their home because I had to keep stopping it just to cope with how much second hand cringe I was getting seeing that all happen in front of all those people at the funeral.

Skwisgaar using his own name/3rd person in speech feels new?

Charles' character seems to have changed quite a bit but I'm obsessed with literally all of his scenes because they pack so much punch. From his speech at the start to his return with the fans, his cool as fuck fight, his final smile - i literally cherish them. "Those are my spiritual savours you're fucking with" knocked the breath out of me.

The character arcs are so good! Nathan's "Life might actually be precious" at the start to realising how to write the Song of Salvation at the end. Murderface putting himself out there to help Charles after being convinced he had no value at the beginning. General Crozier's entire redemption arc.

Also character relationships really do so much here. Toki and Skwisgaar's dynamic becomes far more caring and close with Toki literally looking after Skwisgaar despite still bickering. The whole band getting emotionaly upfront with Murderface about needing him and that beautiful "but you always feel it" line is so so good. Pickles knowing Nathan's order perfectly, their "see you on stage" moment, hugging Toki, being so parental, honestly doing the Most for them all. Nathan's relationship with his parents being still loving and full of supportive words. Toki getting Deaddybear back and Nathan saying "you're one hell of a motherfucker" to Edgar in that fond voice. Murderface honouring Knubbler before the song. Nathan calling the band his family. Hell, even Nathan going from despising the fans to opening his hand to them and eventually thanking them, it's so good. And, yeah, his "relationship to music" bit with the visual metaphor penis, i thought that was good too!

Character confrontations are also really good! I LOVE the bit where Skwisgaar confronts Murderface in that really intense voice- probably my fav bit of voice acting in the whole film. Also Pickles cofnronting Nathan and making him realise why he'd failed his task (with that hilarious "this is weird" commentary from Murderface).

The animation is GORGEOUS - especially in scenes focused on Murderface. There are some very heavily anime-influenced moments which are sometimes beautiful and sometimes a little jarring. Nathan also somehow suffers from some off-model moments a few times.

The artwork is also gorgeous! Backgrounds, stained glass, graphic design, so much beautiful work! Similarly to the animation, there is some very anime-esque scenery I found jarring compared to what MTL usually looks like.

The humour is really great! Knubbler falling down those stairs had me wheezing and the gong breaking is funny both times. Murderface's "like us" funniest joke in the whole movie. "That was upsetting!" made me cackle. Nathan's conversation with Salacia was also very funny but I felt that was at the price of a less dramatic character confrontation.

The amount of 'men in female roles' is so good. Mother Pickles and Sister Toki are doing so much gender for me especially because of how much Pickles just COMMITS to that. "bring mommy his scotch" "you're the absolute best mother" both excellent for my heart. Also "you are the beast daughters of the apocalypse" offers so much gender feeling.

Nathans weird awkward moment during the "your role" bit is very endearing somehow and feels very similar to his sense of humour when he learned he could make a silly voice in the shower

There's some great one-off lines. "Sunshines rainbows marshmallows man" my beloved. "Good rock talk" love that. Nathan's entire realisation sequence at the end calling fans the army of the doomstar and that they're the great reuniting is just very fun final moment stuff. "It's about what we do when we fail" LOVE that as a line esp as they do in fact fail to prevent the metalocalypse and they have to pick up and regroup and try again.

Big whale god my beloved.

I really like how Nathan's voice becomes very breathy and weak compared to his usual growl. For a character who consistently has such presence and power it's such a choice to have his iconic voice be the signifier of his internal weakness. This feels especially interesting when we really see Nathan's raw physical strength when he rips himself from that metal wheel.

Seeing the retreat being destroyed scene by scene was actually very sad!!!! As well as all those Klokateers, especially after Doomstar Requiem

The character deaths hit harder this time around! Knubbler calmly sacrificing himself while Nathan desperately slammed against the barrier not wanting to see another person sacrifice themself for him, that hit hard! Edgar's sacrifice with that "my brother, my love, i'll be with you" was so heartwrenching especially after the "do it all for my brother" in Doomstar Requiem. Even Senator Stampingston has such a visually grotesque, dramatic death I enjoyed that too.

The drowning/near death moment was SO strong, however the jarring animation was particularly notable then and the "or all will die" line seemed ? weirdly unfitting given all dying anyway seemed to be the plan. I LOVE that eerily quiet way they handled nathan doing cpr for so long though

"gear in the wheel of the klok" "go into the water" those song references rock so much i love that.

probably a bad take but I sorta wish the resulting Song of Salvation had been....more??? i guess after the musical diversity of Doomstar Requiem i was expecting something completely next level. it's a good song dont get me wrong and i LOVE the lyrics! i guess i just expected some sort of 10 minute genre-mixing thing to really shake up stuff

I love the final scene I think it really tied off the series in a very strong way

Remember when this was a comedy etc etc

#metalocalypse #army of the doomstar #mtl:aotd

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danmeiljie · 1 year ago

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Yuan Zong Pays His Respects to His Parents

This is from a cut scene that is briefly teased in the ending credits of Advance Bravely. Its a shame this scene was cut, because it would have really worked for the narrative, giving more context to Yuan Zong. The scene in the book is rather touching:

(MTL lightly edited by me for clarity)

Yuan Zong said again: "When they were alive they were unable to take advantage of living a happy life, and when they passed away, I was still so useless. The biggest failure of my parents is that they gave birth to such a belated son. By the time I wanted to be filial, they had already gone."

"Its not your fault!" Xia Yao comforted Yuan Zong, "It's because your parents were too old and didn't live while you were young and strong."

"I was very young when my dad left. He was 25 years old when he was in the army, so I didn't get the chance to see him one last time."

Xia Yao was suddenly speechless.

Yuan Zong said again: "Has such a son been raised for nothing?"

A cup of strong wine poured down his throat, and Yuan Zong's eyes turned red. Xia Yao's mood suddenly became heavy, he snatched the second glass of wine from Yuan Zong's hand, and swallowed it down. Then he sat down on the snow, beside Yuan Zong. He grabbed Yuan Zong's collar with all his strength and dragged him into his arms.

The first time he didn't pull, but the second time Yuan Zong's head slammed into his shoulder. Xia Yao patted Yuan Zong's back hard, and it was the first time he spoke to him in such a mature tone.

"At least you raised a daughter for them, which is filial enough." (Especially this little girl who doesn't want to make progress, is haunted by ghosts all day long, and changes men every now and then... She is about to raise your two elders, how many years of suffering will she have to suffer!)

Later, Yuan Zong talked to Xia Yao about many family matters, what he owed to his parents, and the guilt he had hidden for many years. Xia Yao now understood why Yuan Zong had to come back for so long, in fact, he just wanted to accompany his parents and warm the house.

Even stepping foot on the snow in their yard can make one's parents less lonely.

Yuan Zong stroked the back of Xia Yao's head, feeling a little helpless. "I was supposed to show you around and have fun, but instead you've had to be with me while I'm depressed."

Xia Yao is quite magnanimous, "It's okay, I like to see you depressed, when you are depressed, you look like a man."

Yes... Yuan Zong nodded, you are my heart-warming little man.

#advance bravely #advance bravely... meta?!#l pretends to translate #xu feng #my bad gifs #徐峰 #盛势 #chai jidan #shengshi

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scalamore · 11 months ago

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YM Idioms localization

So for the readers that try to support the novel by purchasing the and using MTL to get a good idea of the events, here's some fun extra information to enhance ur reading experience. YM is slightly unique, in that some of its idioms are almost impossible to localize to English 1:1 because 1) the usual differences in idioms by the country and 2) because of POV issues. When I translate/edit, I'm the type that tries to retain as much of the original language's intention while making it easy to understand for English readers. Some examples I'm having particular trouble with are:

Literal translation: "isn't seeing or hearing anything" It's a common idiom in KR meaning "too busy/no time to look or listen to anything" I could just leave it as is, but the nuance will be lost: Rupert is still frazzled by seeing her in the bathroom and is pretending to ignore her for his peace of mind, and that's why he's so shook when she pops up close to him again. That's a super cute detail that's really difficult to localize, because the story is written in Lari's POV, and she has no idea that Rupert is suffering because of HER (loool). I could translate it as "Although it felt like I was talking to myself, It was intended more for Rupert, who appeared to be too busy to notice me" ... or maybe even "who appeared to be too distracted to notice me" <--- will probably go with this. "Although it felt like I was talking to myself, It was intended more for Rupert, who appeared to be too distracted (reading) to notice me" ✅ Without actually saying "isn't seeing or hearing anything", by replacing it with "notice", it's evident he's not seeing/listening to her --> aka ignoring ✅ If I use distracted, it captures the continuity that he's distracted... by seeing her in the bath ^^ ✅ original author's intent retained -- Here's another one:

This is the ridiculous one: Literal translation: If you lie, you'll develop horns on your butt

KR idiom: A naughty calf grows horns on its buttocks

The meaning: this is a common KR expression that is often used by parents scolding a kid for continuing to do the bad thing. The nuance: In this case, Lari's basically scolding Rupert. She KNOWS he's hurt, and he's lying that he's fine, and she tries to get him to admit he's hurt but he refuses, and even tells her that she's lying - then she thinks he's so stubborn for insisting he's fine (continuing to lie) The request from my translator buddy:

So if I leave it as "If you lie, you'll develop horns on your butt", that's easy to do, but it does not capture AT ALL, Lari scolding Rupert like a kid and calling him out for his bad behavior of lying. The closest ENG idiom is "putting on a false front", but it's not the best.

So,

"Doesn't it hurt?" I attempted to grasp Rupert's forearm, but he concealed his arm. "It doesn't hurt." "You're lying." "Really." "I've heard that if you continue to lie, you will develop horns on your butt. Be cautious." "…You should stop lying too." So stubborn. Options: "You should stop lying and pretending you're fine. If you're not careful, and keep making that face it's gonna get stuck that way forever. "

(idiom that if you keep the same ugly face expression, it''ll stick that way)

"You should stop lying and pretending you're fine. If you're not careful, your nose will grow "

(Pinocchio reference, more popular/well-known) "You should stop lying and pretending you're fine. If you're not careful, your nose will twitch " (Australian scolding) In the end, by popular vote, I have decided to go with

"You should stop lying and pretending you're fine. If you're not careful, and keep making that face it's gonna get stuck that way forever. " because of Lari's current belief that he always looks dissatisfied and cranky and frowning, and basically tells him that if he continues to lie/scowl it'll be his permanent expression --> which we know doesn't happen because he's all smiles around her later ^^.

So, I'll probably go with -->

"Doesn't it hurt?" I attempted to grasp Rupert's forearm, but he concealed his arm. "It doesn't hurt." "You're lying." "Really." "You should stop lying and pretending you're fine. If you're not careful, and keep making that face it's gonna get stuck that way forever. "…You should stop lying too." So stubborn.

✅clear she's scolding him like a kid ✅ uses a common English idiom ✅ written especially clear for those who might not know the English idiom ✅ Rupert's next line of calling her a liar also makes sense ✅ original author's intent retained

#your majesty please spare me this time #rupelali #manhwa #rofan #otome isekai

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kresnikcest · 1 year ago

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partial mtl: camlann earthen historia

(cw: attempted rape)

very much unverified machine translation bc i kind of don't want to look at it for too long, except for the lines that merit that content warning (thanks mauro for suffering with me)

😅 i didn't know a less blunt euphemism in English and i couldn't make the softer definition work, so i ended up omitting that phrase entirely, but the implication is there so. content warning for that.

---

The former Shepherd, Michael, named the village "Camlann".

The village was created with the eager help of the devout who had not forgotten the seraphim, and Michael's younger sister, Muse.

A few years prior, Michael had stopped being the Shepherd. He felt limited by the role of Shepherd, and told Lailah, whom he travelled with, what he felt inside his chest. Michael told Lailah about wanting to spend the rest of his life in peace, and to live quietly with his important secret, thus Lailah ended their pact and told him about a land in the north of Rolance.

That pure land, uninhabited and lacking in malevolence, suited Michael's wishes.

Michael thanked Lailah and bid her farewell, to spend the rest of his years keeping his secret on that land--or so he had planned.

The situation changed completely, when Camlann became occupied by the Rolance army, led by general Heldalf.

---

"General... How much longer do you plan on making us live like this?"

In the large public square of Camlann, Michael glared at the man standing before him, General Heldalf.

The general was said to have an impressive military record, greatly trusted by the Emperor, but on the other hand, his strategies were ruthless and without hesitation. He was an opponent you could not let your guard down around.

"You've besieged our village and put up this fence for half a year now, when will you stop trampling on our way of life?"

Michael suppressed his anger, and placed his hand against the fence. Immediately, the soldiers on the other side of the fence pointed their spears at him.

Michael, and the villagers who came with him to complain about the soldiers, could not help but tense up. At that, General Heldalf expressed a scoffing smile.

"What are you displeased with, Shepherd?"

He raised a hand, and the soldiers drew back their spears. Like comforting a misbehaving child, he made a slight grimace.

"We are protecting you from invasion by Hyland. You should be grateful."

"This isn't protection! It's house arrest!"

Michael glared at the soldiers stood in a row on the other side of the fence. Their eyes never looked outside the fence, but rather always looked in, like they were making sure the villagers of Camlann didn't escape.

"Would Hyland have acted if the Rolance army hadn't taken over this village to begin with?"

"That's not true, Shepherd. This village has strategic value. That cannot be dismissed just because a Shepherd founded it. It would be the same no matter the country."

"... So you mean to say, it was only a matter of time?"

General Heldalf laughed and turned to leave.

Frustration twisted the faces of the villagers gathered around Michael.

"Michael-sama, is this really okay?!"

"They've even turned the shrine into their fortress! How much more must they blaspheme the seraphim?!"

"Could it be that they know the secret of the shrine...?"

"Shhh! What'll happen if they hear us?"

The villagers' voices revealed uncontrollable anger, irritation, and anxiety. Michael felt the same way. But, as the village chief, Michael controlled himself, not letting the rage inside of him run free.

"Camlann is indeed situated at an important place on the northern border. By controlling this area, either country could freely enter both capital cities. Neither side can ignore that."

"Do you really believe what that general says?"

Michael spoke calmly to the disbelieving villager, who was shaking his head.

"Don't concern yourself with what they believe in, we can't forget what we ourselves believe in."

Seeing Michael's kind but lonely smile, the villagers sensed his true feelings, and had nothing else to say.

Do not forget what you believe in. That was the basis for the village, and the very reason why the village was created.

Michael commanded the villagers disperse from the area and returned to his home.

On the way back, he passed the front of the shrine. The vast shrine of Camlann contrasted the small village in scale.

Everyone had made great pains to construct a dignified shrine suitable for enshrining a seraph, but under the thumb of the Rolance army, it became a fort for General Heldalf and his soldiers' use.

Michael frowned at the completely changed shrine and returned home.

Upon returning home, he found his younger sister, Muse, in the middle of offering a quiet prayer.

In her arms was a newly born baby. He didn't appear disturbed by his mother's prayer, as he was sound and fast asleep.

Noticing Michael's return, Muse turned her head and smiled.

"Welcome home, brother."

"I'm home. I’m sorry to disturb your prayer."

"It's okay. I'm almost finished," Muse said, rubbing her cheek to the cheek of the baby in her arms. "Truthfully, I would have gone to the shrine's altar to pray, but... Well, I want this child to meet him soon."

"Mhm, I'm sure Maotelus is also waiting impatiently at the shrine..."

From the inside of his house, Michael couldn't help but turn his eyes towards the direction of the shrine.

Camlann's biggest secret. That was to say, that Maotelus lived there.

He was originally enshrined in the Pendrago shrinechurch, but following the dwindling faith, Maotelus gradually became susceptible to malevolence.

Distressed by this, Michael secretly moved Maotelus from Pendrago to Camlann.

Only those who shared Michael's thoughts, the villagers of Camlann, knew of this secret.

However, the malevolence generated by General Heldalf and his soldiers' were causing the village to lose Maotelus' blessing.

"Brother, how were negotiations with the Rolance army?"

At Muse's inquiry, Michael shook his head feebly.

"They refused to listen to me. They would only repeat that the usual story that it is to protect the village from invasion by Hyland. However, I think that in truth, it's a show of force against the country to the north, that they want a pretext for war. Heldalf wants to make a name for himself only on the battlefield. The way things are right now, he probably thinks he can't get that just by glaring down the enemy."

Muse's brows fell in sorrow.

"Maotelus is said to use the earth itself as a vessel to extend his divine protection over the entire continent, but if Camlann has already lost his blessing, if this goes on any longer, even Maotelus will become corrupted..."

"That won't happen."

"Brother..."

With both hands, Michael grabbed the anxious-looking Muse firmly by the shoulders.

"If Maotelus were to become a hellion, the world would end. I won't let that happen. Even if it costs me my life. I won't let your son's future be destroyed."

Michael gave a reassuring smile, and Muse too hid her anxiety, giving him a brave smile in return.

"Of course. I believe in you, brother. I know you can do it."

Michael ate the meal Muse made, then left the house. Perhaps because he'd eaten, his empty heart felt like he'd regained a little bit of energy.

However, more than anything else, what revitalised him was the sight of his newborn nephew. His pure nephew was a symbol of the "future". He had to protect that child’s world.

Michael headed towards the shrine, hoping to at least to be allowed to return to the shrine's inner altar.

"...What?"

As Michael ascended the last of the stairs, something made him feel uneasy.

He twisted his head to looked up at the shrine. Though he didn't want to get used to it, he had become accustomed to the fortress the shrine had been turned into, and it looked the same as ever.

However, something else had changed.

Soon, the source of his unease became apparent to him. Michael blinked.

"That's right... the soldiers aren't here."

The numerous soldiers who had loomed over the shrine only yesterday had disappeared.

But, when on earth did they...? As Michael retread his memories, the smell of smoke carried on the wind hit him. He stopped, looking around his surroundings for the source of the smoke, and gasped.

Smoke was rising from the northern end of the village, the wind carrying with it the sound of yelling and shrieking.

It was the start of a calamity.

---

"Kill them all! This is an enemy village! We must destroy it completely!"

The Hyland soldiers invading Camlann raised their swords overhead and without hesitation, cut down on the villagers attempting to flee.

"Rolance scum, you thought you could sneak away into the mountains, did you?"

"Don't spare any woman or child! Rolance must be taught a lesson! Exterminate them all!"

Without any ability to fight back, the people of Camlann could only run for their lives.

Michael arrived in the public square, to see the pure land dyed red with the bodies of his friends.

He rushed over to a fallen villager on the ground, and checked for signs of life, but soon realised he was too late.

"Why... What is Heldalf doing?!"

"Heldalf..."

Hearing a small, feeble voice, Michael raised his head. Nearby, a young man on the brink of death said, his lips trembling:

"Heldalf... abandoned the village... he ran away..."

"What?! Then--"

Michael rushed over to the youth, but the young man perished.

"Why... Why is this happening...?"

In the midst of Michael's shock, an injured villager ran up to him.

"Shepherd! Muse-sama went to the shrine!"

"What?"

"She went to ask the Rolance army for help!"

"But Heldalf's already--"

As Michael spoke, the reality of the situation sunk in. He got to his feet at once and ran for the shrine.

As the shrine had been converted into a fortress, anyone who saw it would see it as a stronghold for the military.

Hyland soldiers would have already rushed into the shrine. If a woman like Muse had gone there alone, then--

"Muse! Please be safe!"

Taking a shortcut only known to the villagers, Michael avoided the Hyland soldiers and headed for the shrine. But--

"How could this have happened...?"

By the time he finally struggled to the shrine, Michael's body felt entirely drained of energy. He fell to his knees.

The shrine he and his friends had worked so hard build was burning.

And not only that.

Malevolence was overflowing. The very last remnant of Maotelus' blessing had been extinguished.

"Maotelus... Even you..."

He had become a hellion.

Michael hung his head, heartbroken. Then, a shriek, and Michael stood on instinct and ran to the inside of the shrine.

That shriek had been Muse's voice, screaming for her beloved child.

"Muse!"

Michael could not believe his eyes once he reached the altar.

The altar enshrining Maotelus was burning.

Hyland soldiers held Muse down as she screamed. Beside them, a soldier appeared to be enjoying dangling Muse's baby in the air like a pendulum.

"What should we do with the baby?" the soldier asked his superior, who had Muse pinned. The superior officer answered without raising his head.

"Throw it in."

'Stop it!' Michael wanted to shout, but his dry throat made no sound.

Instead, the sound of something snapping rang out inside of his head.

Eventually, he found himself holding a sword in his grasp. The bodies of Hyland soldiers surrounded him.

Somehow, he had stolen the sword of the one of the soldiers and slain each of them one after the other.

“M…use…?”

His empty eyes turned towards his sister, drenched in the dead soldiers' blood. She was dragging her injured body, reaching her hand out towards the growing flames.

"The baby! The baby--"

Beyond the reach of Muse's hand, the flames engulfed the silhouette of the child.

"!"

Michael quickly jumped and rushed into the fire, heedless of the burning against his skin, and picked up his beloved nephew in his arms.

"He's..."

His nephew, the symbol of the future. He dedicated everything he believed in for the sake of this small life.

But the newly born skin, once soft, was now burning hot and blistered, about to extinguish the flame of life.

"I... I was going to show you the future... and..."

Michael hugged the baby tightly to his chest.

Then, the massive flames around them flared even higher. The red fires suddenly turned black. The black flames thundered and coiled, and from it rose a single silhouette--that of a dragon.

"Maotelus..."

Michael looked up in despair and exhaustion at his friend's transformation for the worse.

No, it wasn't only his friend who had changed. Something had changed in himself as well.

Michael's eyes fell as he felt malevolence overflowing from him.

"Brother!"

Michael slowly turned his head towards Muse's voice.

On the other side of the flames, Muse looked at him crying. Was his sister crying because her son couldn’t be saved? Or, was it from seeing her brother stained in malevolence?

An emotion Michael had never felt before arose from him, a muddy stream that took over his entire body with its force.

Burning. All of his blood burned with violent emotion, and Michael staggered to take one first step.

"All is lost... Maotelus has become a hellion... and this child is already... All because of one man's foolish ambitions..."

"Brother...?"

Michael held the baby tightly to his body, and advanced towards the burning recesses of the altar.

"Wait... What are you doing with that child...?"

With Muse's fearful voice at his back, Michael rested the dying baby on the altar. No matter the time or place, great wishes need an offering in order to...

"Stop! Please! Don't kill him--!"

Muse, guessing Michael's intentions, screamed. But Michael's will did not change.

Drawing a dagger used for self-defence, Michael exclaimed:

"To you who caused this calamity, I bring upon you an [eternity of solitude]!"

He raised the dagger over his head and brought it down on the offering.

Muse screamed, and the black flame howled with her, whirling up from the center of the altar.

Malevolent fire consumed the former Shepherd, becoming a great force that broke through the ceiling and overflowed.

In the middle of the fire, the man murmured softly:

"This... my answer..."

#v #if you want to know the phrasing i omitted is いまにも陵辱しようとしている #mtl:zes #ceci n'est pas une traduction #michael's feelings about mikleo ;-; he really cared for him #zes

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