#otp: structured complexity
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đ_is this deviant enough for you, my dear? _đ
or jon makes some deliberate changes to his outfit, after catwoman said that he's not 'a real pervert'.
...
(i was re-reading all those 'crow vs 'cat issues recently, an' i gotta say i don't ever get tired of how much those two genuinely loathe one another. there is smth beautiful about one part of my otp pretty much having it out for a character, who is canonically supposed to be the 'main' love interest for the other part of my ship. internalized jealousy is delicious.
that's bit aside, i do find crane n' selina's antagonistic relationships pretty entertaining in the void as well. they are both petty n' tend to take a lot of things personally, while dehumanizing others with ease. looking at selina n' jon side by side, their hatred toward one another makes a lot of sense. they are similar in certain *smaller* ways. selina might have not crossed the line n' becoming a murder, but in few versions, it came very close to it. or even come to it. not to mention, that while her own motivations are different from crane's, she also driven by her bitter life experience, when it comes to how she sees others n' how she acts. at times, she'd be doing shitty things just bc she felt like it. her sociopathy is latent in most cases, but it is there.
but regardless of complexity of all those themes, this whole thing was born only bc i found it funny how out of all things, selina n' jon had an argument about who get offs on fear harder lol. n' then, bc of how the very moment catwoman hallucinated batman, jonathan was literally almost in her face lol. listening to all those things with rapt attention.
as result, i ended up thinking about what if crane took selina's comment a bit too seriously. i imagine, he was sitting there trying to study what makes 'pervented' n' 'sexy'. but in like very nerdy way. drawing diagrams an' all.
the scarecrow historically has no impressive man bossom or ass, so he has to be clever about it. expose some skin, but like 'naugthy' bits. it helps that the way his costume is structured, fabric will always poof up a bit. so even his semi-muscular man pecs n' narrow hips can work too. an' then it should be short too. v-cut. n' stockings? yeah, sure. the greatest detective would take it upon himself to figure out what they're cliping to. an' what else is hidden underneath.
i still stan by my belief that jonathan can only be seductive or sexy by pure accident. but it is fun to think about how far he can go, if he's challenged n' his pettyness is what drives him to go out of comfort zone.
in general, i love how different this version of jonathan's costume is compared to his other looks. it's still classic, but so colorful an' whimsical. i wish he wore it at least one time in front of batman in canon. like come on, let my dude live out his goth fantasy. n' let bruce have some fun on his usually hard n' grim job.)
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Vortex We Took Every Breath to Follow : Shiguang and Their Companionship Through Life and Beyond
@justfrolikin I hope this will be a suitable reply to the question you asked; what I think about the nature of the bond Shiguang share.
First, a few words from me :
Even though I love engaging in fandom spaces and enjoy ship fanarts, fanfictions etc, till today my heart truly belongs to a very few ships. Shiguang is one of them. As long as one is not blinded by homophobic delusions, I enjoy discussing any kind of interpretation of my OTPs, be it 'Platonic', just friendsâą, romantic or whatever. But I have a fixed category (which very ironically is not quite fixed if you read the whole discussion) that fulfills my idea of true love.
for me, Love is a dialogic discourse with your existential other.
The terms I used are very loaded terms; 'dialogue' and 'other' come from the Bakhtinian philosophy of ethics, 'discourse' is a Foucauldian term and existentialism has a long postmodern and post-structuralist philosophical tradition. The reason I LOVE Link Click is because of their postmodern lens and the narratives of the characters, not only the protagonists fundamentally question what is the real purpose of life? Why do human bondings matter? The answers reside in the simplest vignette of everyday life. Grief, trauma, hope, memory, reconciliation, remembrance, love, family - these are the central themes of Link Click. Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi's separate existence and their interpersonal dialogue thematically and structurally complements the main ethos of Link Click.
When asked about the nature of Shiguang relationship Director Li Haoling answered : æŻçæ»äčäș€ćŻ! (ShĂŹ shÄngsÇ zhÄ« jiÄo gÄ! - It's a life and death relationship!)
source :
Fate, mortality, death, remembrance are the building blocks of their relationship as we perceive it.
Now let me talk about something. When I first watched Link Click on September 17th, 2024, the first Intertexual connection I drew was with another text called Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Funnily enough, early in this year I wrote a crossover Hamlet adaptation (and won the second prize in a competition hehe) interweaving a few elements from Godot. Time loop, fragmentation of time and space, panopticon with no exit - all these elements featured in that. I recommend Waiting for Godot to you all, you'll understand why it resonates so much with Link Click.
Now,
Lu Guang is a person who is shown to be a character who has some mysterious powers to manipulate time and space. Even from the very beginning, he has this dominant (and sometimes seemingly monologic that feels problematic to new viewers) voice with which he guides Cheng Xiaoshi through the dives. He is apparently headstrong and has acquired all kinds of praises âą like hypocrite, selfish (lol) and what not. Again quoting Li Haoling "Lu Guang is a complex and delicate character." But after the release of 'The Eye' and 'The Lull', I think we are pretty sure that Lu Guang has been trapped in a rewind, like a Sisyphus figure. A friend of mine told me the other day, "Superficially, Lu Guang is presented as an archetypal strategist, the one who guides, the one who keeps things in control, but in reality, he has no agency whatsoever." Lu Guang lacks the fundamental agency in life (we all do but we have to accept it one day or other) and that mortifying realisation comes to him with the death of Cheng Xiaoshi. What is unacceptable to him is the most obvious outcome of a mortal life : death. Lu Guang's tragic flaw stems from this unacceptability of Cheng Xiaoshi's death and him attempting to manipulate time, very Sisyphus of him. Till now, we are yet to see Lu Guang's character traits without any reference to Cheng Xiaoshi but this does not reduce his character depth. His denial is actually very delicious ( I almost wrote a paper on this, taking the popular sci-fi trope of time travel as an allegorical and symbolic means of resistance and subversion but anyway, it's not relevant here)
Lu Guang's character makes me fall in love with the song Flash by Gorilla Attack. It is from Lu Guang's character, no one can convince me otherwise.
Just a loop A bored 'n loop Should I do this now 'til the end? Into the story As just an extra You are the reason I live But you don't remember me? Oh, can I be with you?
And
The only thing that I got, just like a little lamp I gotta go in one-way smoke Resist the lifeless scenario Become the person The person I wished for that day The room like a coffin, too bright A groove that I lost faraway Blanket, I need a blanket Not a synthetic one Notice the regret engraved so hard
And the line that keeps coming back as a haunting refrain :
Flash me, flash me Gotta get the power to rewrite I just wanna deny, I just wanna rewrite, yeah
Every time I listen to this song, these lines send a chill down my spine. But Lu Guang's obsession with 'rewrite' echoes with what my professor said to be Hamlet's constant meta-theatrical discomfort with the script, role, play he has been provided with. He does not comply with the playwright's words. Apart from time and death, I think Lu Guang's most wretched enemy is Li Haoling himself. That's why he constantly wants to 'rewrite', but all he has got till now is 'rewind'. Now whether his 'urge to rewrite' will turn into a successful 'write back' is the central play of the plot we are looking up to. What is my personal opinion on the ending?
The ending which is so dryly plausible in our real world is Lu Guang accepting his defeat and carries within him the remembrance of Cheng Xiaoshi.
But my question is, my brother in Buddhism Li Haoling, why the fuck would I watch your Link Click to know that death is the node that can't be changed? Is it not the given fact? It's a cultural text, however modern or postmodern a text might be, it ultimately uses the plot to defamiliarise and convey well known concepts and emotions with a critical engagement. A plot is just a vehicle, a crucial one, to help us have a greater and more nuanced vision of life. Due to non-linear narrative and active subversion of chronotope, complex plot will have plot twists and cliffhangers BUT it still has to perform a crucial, non negotiable role - the arc. If the beginning point and the ending point have the same temperaments, what kind of significance will it even achieve?
If Lu Guang can't write back at the end of Link Click, the structure of the plot will be like this :
1. Exposition, rising action : Cheng Xiaoshi died at the very beginning, Lu Guang is fucked.
2. Climactic stage : shit and shit and complex quantum physics, hallelujah hot villains, 'I am a great writer I can kill any character TeeeHeeeeHeeee', backstories, parallel narratives, foil characters have no relevance and rendered completely meaningless,
3. Falling action and resolution : Cheng Xiaoshi is still dead to the very ending, Lu Guang is still fucked.
No catharsis, not a milimeter of displacement from the beginning point.
What is the fucking point?! From the perspective of a writer and a critical reader, I can say it will be a sheer waste of money, time and potential. I would rather watch... whatever.
The friend I mentioned before told me, " You know why Emma or Chen Bin die? They had to die. Emma had a loving family, she got the job she wanted, she had her hardships but she didn't begin with tragedy. And when tragedy came, she was so not ready to negotiate the problem and considered self-annihilation as her first choice. She actively erased the possibility of dialogue with herself. If Emma were an orphan, struggling with unemployment and other hardships from the very beginning, I don't think Emma would die that easily. Emma was denied the conflict of life which very ironically tests human agency itself."
And for Chen Bin...during my first watch, the moment I saw him my instincts told me he was going to die. He had a loving wife, a daughter, he loved her, she accepted the proposal and they married soon. Conflict where? To bring his story to a full circle, he had to die.
I can say every parallel story in Link Click can be judged from this lens. People who had a point of conflict (the noodle lesbians, the couple who lost their child, Xu Shanshan, that old man) engaged in dialogue with themselves, others and social forces ultimately got a happy ending. Even in the earthquake episode, it's a story of reconciliation with the past, the man got his mother's photos and it's plausible and satisfying (and bittersweet resolution). He got his (absent) father back.
Another thing, we as a fandom have a collective amnesia about....*drumrolls* Cheng Xiaoshi's character! Congratulations! The man, the freaking protagonist just dies at the beginning, accepts his death, and remains dead. Doomed yaoi allegations are just nonsense. Link Click is doomed if Shiguang doesn't get a happy ending. Link Click is NOT a dramatic monologue told from Lu Guang's perspective, engaging with his perpetual trance of melancholy and him holding onto Cheng Xiaoshi's memento mori.
If Lu Guang is attempting to write back to Li Haoling and the doomed yaoi allegations, Cheng is attempting to write back to Lu Guang himself, not in confirming his own death, but saving Lu Guang from the loop of eternity and by being together. Cheng Xiaoshi is always seen to be guided by Lu Guang, he has to witness repercussions of his actions. Even with all this knowledge I will say, Cheng Xiaoshi has way more agency than Lu Guang has. During my first watch, I could feel Lu Guang has this barrier of guilt and unsettled emotions wrapped around him which denies Cheng Xiaoshi access into the deepest core of his subjectivity. Even though he achingly wishes to be together with Cheng Xiaoshi, the burden of his past actions and PTSD holds him back from being together with him, as if his existence is antithetical to Cheng Xiaoshi's existence. Cheng Xiaoshi is that glitch in the matrix that messes up Lu Guang's plans of withdrawing himself from Cheng Xiaoshi. Cheng Xiaoshi should not listen to everything Lu Guang orders. In season 1, he mostly conforms to Lu Guang's ideals, but in season 2, when Lu Guang was hospitalised, Cheng Xiaoshi became more active and you could tell a layer of barrier melted away. He was less of a stone statue, showed more emotions (the S2ep1 lmao when he said "would you prefer if I die?" abhimaan we call it), then the unique high five that feels like Lu Guang accepting Cheng Xiaoshi's proposal or something :
(LMAO ignore my comments, but what I said is true)
My point is, Cheng Xiaoshi is Lu Guang's existential other and vice versa. They cannot live without each other. They cannot exist without each other. If one dies, the other will die and I want them living happily ever after in heaven. Cause 'Break' clearly depicts them as soulmates. I personally take Break as the ultimate canonical ending
Do you see? each of them has one wing missing, meaning that it's their cumulative effort that will make them fly successfully. FYI, there is another Haoling directed, Haoliners Animation League animated canonical queer donghua called 'Beryl and Sapphire'. A separate episode, episode 13 just explores this 'one wing soulmate trope'.
Now take them as friends, platonic friends with no erotic feelings, pure familial feelings or whatever, they are like Yin and Yang, like Shiv and Shakti, and Yin changes to Yang and Yang changes to Yin actively as they interact. You will have a hard time pointing out who is who. I have watched TGCF and Beryl and Sapphire and a tiny bit of Spiritpact - all three directed by Li Haoling and I am well aware of his narrative strategy to represent soulmates and Link Click seems to be the one of the greatest (and my favourite) product of that genius mind.
I began with team Lu Guang cause he is a scorpio, I understand him, his birthday almost coincides with mine, we share some identical issues. But the fandom's often yeeting Cheng Xiaoshi out of the narrative phenomenon brought back my due attention to him. Is Cheng Xiaoshi so willing to be doomed? Does he not yearn to be with Lu Guang? Let me whisper to your ear...he yearns for him too.
so he
does understand that the person who dies...dies, death affects them the least who dies, it's the people, the family and loved ones who actually suffer. This man will leave his Lu Guang on his own volition? eh.
Also I wanna talk about Link Click's strategy of deliberate misdirection. The first and second seasons are so deliberately crafted (manipulation of narrative you can say) to actively erase Lu Guang's subjectivity and nuance. We are just denied access his perspective. He is mysterious but not that aligns itself with a viewer's emotions. In fact, during my recent re-watch, I felt "wtf Lu Guang, why are you interacting with Cheng Xiaoshi like a straight dudebro?" He is a menace, the kind I usually don't like. But there also seemed to be a critical undercurrent which I couldn't really grasp, but it was surely there. It was adding up to my increasing discomfort and made me question - "was it just my wishful projection? they do not share that bond at all." I was so pissed at that thought that I almost decided I am not gonna abandon Link Click. BUT BRO, BRO
'The Eye' and 'Lull' just blew my mind. I was not that affected by Cheng Xiaoshi's corpse advertisement agenda (that corpse is drawing people's attention who is suddenly aware of Yingdu release, great tactic, Haoling) what pleasantly brought me out of despair is Lu Guang's love for Cheng Xiaoshi was acknowledged in these songs. You will read between the lines on your own in season 1 and season 2 if you have that critical method to engage with a cultural text, but the silencing narrative was also very prominent. I very much felt that the Shiguang story is actually the central action, and not the creative sci-fi archtexual exercise of genres, which again, is just the vehicle. But The Eye and Lull focus upon them, them and them. Their emotions are acknowledged, they are no longer behind the veils of symbolism, parallel narratives, intense defamiliarisation; their emotional dialogue now not only demands a voice of their own but also has the potential to reclaim the central part of the stage as they struggle and negotiate power and agency. And I am here for it.
@guangshi-091305 I present to you my rubbish.
#meta#tumblr meta#link click#shiguang daili ren#shiguang#lu guang#cheng xiaoshi#donghua#æ¶ć
代çäșș#guangshi#queer
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Challenging a Queen - a love letter
Look, at first this post was going to be about Look into me (my first love when it comes to this game's soundtrack and still one of the songs I adore the most).
Then I wanted to wax poetic about You and I and You and I reprise (three different versions of the reprise depending on what you do with the throne and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's glorious voice, yes, please! Plus Persephone and Grace is my personal OTP).
After that I moved on to The Throne because I think it's both absolutely awesome and absolutely bonkers you get two themes to mix and match there instead of only one (1st theme based on your first choice and the 2nd on your answer to Orpheus' question). It's still a huge, HUGE personal favourite.
(I will still write love letters to these three songs eventually.)
But then I read Austin Wintory's commentary on the Pantheon version of the soundtrack he posted on YouTube and it caught my attention that he called Challenging a Queen the most complex song in the game. Previous to reading that I had thought it was the same as a lot of the other songs - three main themes that you just get to mix and match but aside from that nothing much changes. Oh, how wrong I was!
Reading that comment made me curious about trying different combinations to see what would happen and once I started doing that I was completely blown away. Because it turns out that this song is anything BUT simple! The choices are even more interlinked here than in most other songs and the possible combinations that lead to different outcomes are so, SO many!
Based on my experimentation (8+ hours of gameplay that's only replaying this one song)Â I have discovered the following:
1. The first choice you make directly influences the second. So if you go from Green to Red for example you get a completely different outcome than if you had gone from Red to Green.
2. The first choice also influences the third/middle one. BXGXX is not the same as RXGXX or GXGXX (X stands for any colour). In the case of middle Red, I think, there's the most possibilities because there the second choice also comes into play. For example the banter between Grace and Persephone is different if you go with RBRXX (which is the same as RRRRR) or RGRXX.
3. Then the third and fourth choices also influence each other and lead to different combinations. Say, XXBRX is decidedly not the same as XXRBX.
4. Last but most certainly not least that pesky first choice continues to have an effect until the very end. The combination between it and your fifth or, sometimes, fourth and fifth choice/s is what leads to all sorts of different and unique endings you can get.
That's already a super complex song structure that I'm still not sure I have figured out completely, to be honest. I continue to experiment with different combinations and plan to try to see if I can compile a guide to all the possibilities here. I'm very much not statistically or mathematically inclined so this has been a bit of a struggle but I'm also having so much fun trying to pick apart this song that I don't really mind.
I've never experienced anything like this in any game before and honestly playing around with this song has been a revelation. The amount of screaming I have done in front of my laptop every time I come upon something new is insane. I've come to a point where I have bits and pieces of Challenging a Queen rattling around my head at all times and I LOVE it! Because, as weird as it sounds, I have not become bored with this song even after so many hours of listening to it. I happen to love all the different permutations and listening to Laura Bailey and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn try to outperform each other is far, FAR from a hardship. In fact it's an absolute joy.
I'll leave you with what's probably my most favourite discovery about this song: there are 17 different endings you can discover. 17!!! That's insane! Or at least that's as many as I have personally discovered and I am still very much in awe. If you're curious about checking them out on your own, here goes:
1-4 - RRRRR, BBBBB, GGGGG with a Charming Grace and GGBGG or GGRGG with a Clever or Kickass Grace. These are what I call the regular or classic endings. You're pretty much guaranteed to discover these.
5-8 - BXXBG, RXXBG, GXXBG with Clever or Kickass Grace and one extra XXXBG ending for Charming Grace. The first choice does not matter for Charming Grace, the ending is always the same no matter what.
9-11 - BXXGR, RXXGR and GXXGR
12-14 - BXXBR, RXXBR and GXXBR
15-17 - BXXRB, RXXRB and GXXRB
What I find impressive (aside from the huge number of endings) is that the endings from 5 and onward are all genuinely combined endings. They're not just alternative versions of the RR, GG or BB endings, they're a combination of approaches and/or musical styles and I cannot even begin to express how much I adore that.
I'm not going to lie, doing the experimentation for the GR, BR and RB endings in particular hurt my feelings a whole lot because I'm a Persephone stan and hate to see her trounced by Grace so thoroughly when I know she's actively grieving Calliope. But what really broke my heart (again as a Persephone stan) is those BG endings. Those have made me cry actual tears (the only other ending that's had this effect was GG with Clever or Kickass Grace). They're also the only endings I've been able to discover that have the camera panning down instead of sideways and come with their own backdrop. Discovering my first version of them had me squealing like mad and feeling like an archaeologist who'd discovered priceless ancient treasures. They're probably my personal favourites, all of them. Both because they're so unique and because I love how compassionate Grace is in them. As much as I do think Grace is badass when she wins, I love her being soft and understanding towards Persephone a whole lot more.
I'll stop here because this is already a wall of text for which I'd apologise but this is not even all my thoughts and feelings on this song. I just have so many! Now off to listen to it again and work on my guide.
#stray gods#stray gods: the roleplaying musical#stray gods grace#stray gods persephone#nad talks about the things she loves#song analysis#sort of#long post
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What do you like about Eddy? Do you really think him and Double D will work out?
I think Eddy is the most interesting, deep, complex and well-written character on the show. It seems contradictory to say this, but even though Double D is my favorite character, I think Eddy is the best character. He's full of content for psychological analyses, something I'm passionate about doing because I love psychology and writing, I love analyzing human behavior, so complicated characters like Eddy are perfect to me in that sense (just as I am fascinated by Jinx from Arcane). I have so much to say about Eddy, I feel like every day I think of something new about his character, and I find this so exciting!
My analyses of each Ed will only be done in the future after I rewatch the show another two or three times, so I won't write here everything I have to say about Eddy. But you can find some of my EEnE analyses by scrolling through the posts in this tag. I talk about him in some of them.
But about Eddy and Double D... EddEddy is my OTP, you know? I've already talked a lot about them, and of course I'm going to talk much more in the future too. You can read a little about what I think of their relationship here.
In "short":
Eddy's backstory and his character development fascinate me. Characters who are emotionally broken to the point of developing a problematic personality fascinate me. Characters with mental disorders or traits of mental disorders fascinate me (I personally see him as ADHD with borderline and narcissistic traits, and perhaps a bit of histrionic traits too). I love analyzing and understanding what led them to that point, what made them so difficult to deal with, what hurt them so much that they developed an emotional armor and/or that makes them act like selfish jerks. The way Eddy's brain works fascinates me, his behavior, his defense mechanisms, everything. And to me the best part is seeing the little moments where the show shows us how he actually has a terrible self-image deep down and is not as confident and secure as he tries to show himself to be. I love seeing a character who isn't just a jerk, but someone who acts like a jerk because of things that happened that he tries to hide or that he doesn't even understand or realize happened (Eddy's reality denial defense mechanism is very strong, so I think a lot of the things related to his brother he genuinely didn't realize were problematic and had hurt him because his brain denied them to protect him. And it's common for our brain to block memories as a way of protecting us from the truth because it thinks we'll not have the emotional structure to deal with it, and I believe it may have happened to him), someone who is deeply hurt and does everything he can to hide it, someone who doesn't want to be emotionally vulnerable and tries to act like the most confident person in the world... Characters like this are the most interesting to me. And besides, I find Eddy extremely funny and annoying in an adorable way. I love his chaotic behavior, his voice and the way he talks (God bless Tony Sampson)
He and Edd were made for each other. Would they kill each other if Ed wasn't around? Absolutely. But their relationship is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and the combination of their personalities is what makes them grow and have their character development. They mature and improve because of the influence they have on each other. Their personalities complement each other perfectly because one is good where the other has to improve. And the love and affection they have for each other is visible and makes me emotional
#ed edd n eddy#ededdneddy#ed edd and eddy#eene#eene eddy#eddeddy#eene double d#eene double dee#eene edd#my headcanons#eene headcanon#my analysis#eene analysis#tony sampson#eene crew#arcane#jinx#jinx arcane#arcane jinx#eene ed
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for that ask thingy you just reblogged, could i perhaps say loki and/or thor?
Sure! I can do both.
How I feel about this character
I really enjoy both Loki & Thor (in their original incarnations, not the TR retcon versions. Or the Loki Show - which legitimately made Cursed Child look well written and canon compliant). I find them to be really interesting, deeply flawed and dynamic characters. I think the fact that they have a very different world view due to being magical alien space vikings with extremely different values and perspectives than most modern day humans makes for some very interesting storytelling.
All the people I ship romantically with this character
I find thorki to be a really interesting ship as I think it heightens the stakes and tensions surrounding their fraught relationship and also allows for the exploration of a number of really interesting themes, character arcs and and plot structures, depending on the exact iteration.
My non-romantic OTP for this character
Give me all the brodinsons sibling bond content. Give me the precanon fluff. Give me the angsty fics of them resolving their canon issues (or not resolving them).
My unpopular opinion about this character
Thor is not stupid. I think Asgardian society doesn't value intelligence as much as being a Strong Warrior TM and so for that reason Thor often downplays his intelligence. However he is actually extremely clever and perfectly capable of being cunning and manipulative when he wants to be. I think out of universe this gets overlooked a lot and I think it also gets overlooked in-universe as well. I think Loki is one of the few people to notice and appreciate this side of Thor.
Also, Thor is not a sunshine golden retriever puppy. Thor can be very loving and devoted to people he cares about. He can also be terrifyingly violent. In the opening sequence of Thor 1 he is literally laughing while committing mass murder on Jotunheim and his life's ambition is to wipe out the Jotnar - aka commit genocide. (These attitudes are, of course, normalized and encouraged in his society). I think these traits make him a much more complex and interesting character and provide a lot of fodder for character arcs where he works on these flaws.
I also heartily disagree with the retcon in TR and the Loki show that prior to the events of Thor 1, Thor viewed Loki as untrustoworthy or as a threat. Thor clearly relies on and trusts Loki implicitly in the beginning of Thor 2011. That's why Loki is able to lie to him successfully. If he habitually did that then Thor wouldn't have trusted him (unless the implication is that Thor is incapable of forming short-term memories).
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.
I wish instead of TR we got a movie that meaningfully resolved both their character arcs where they actually discussed their issues, Loki got to confront his self-hatred over his heritage and Thor came to terms with the flaws in Asgardian society and the harm his treatment of Loki did, even if it was unintentional at times, and where they both returned to Jotunheim and tried to make amends and establish a lasting peace. I think something where they both got to unite against the real threat - Odin - would also have been cool. Thor ultimately renouncing the throne and giving it to Loki could've been super neat. Especially as it would free up Thor to do Avenger stuff so it'd be convenient from a plot pov too.
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"International Criminal Court delivered Arrest Warrants for-"
Hello let me stop you right there, as of May 25th 2024 this ICC did not deliver any arrest warrant.
Friendly local lawyer breaking down what's happening because your local TV channel will not break down what is happening, and it's a bit too complicated to be tweet-sized. And if I read one more time "ICC ISSUES WARRANTS" or "ICC SEEKS WARRANT" I will actually start slapping people with the Rome Statute
And I am just giving a breakdown of the procedure, ok, this is not a politics blog, I am just a jurist always very mad at how bad communication about (international) law is online. Consider this your "ICC procedure 101" so you can tell your weird relative to shut up about things they don't understand and back it up with facts.
Here is the basic information you need to know:
The International Criminal Court is different from the International Court of Justice.
The International Criminal Court is a complex structure, but what matters right now is this: it has an Office of the Prosecutor, and then it has the Chambers: pre-trial Chambers, trial Chambers, Appeals chamber .
The International Criminal Court deals with non-state actors, ie people [as far as I know, it does not deal with organisations or non-flesh-and-bones-entities?], and handles entire "situations", ie it can end up charging and convicting both sides of a conflict.
It deals with crimes of atrocities, which include three categories (genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity).
Ok? Ok cool. So now about these arrest warrants. Broadly speaking, the decision procedure goes:
Office of the Prosecutor conducts the Preliminary Investigation
Office of the Prosecutor conducts investigation, which can include applying for Arrest Warrants for suspects.
Pre-trial Chamber decides whether to issue that Arrest Warrant or not.
Arrest Warrant is issues (or not).
Right now, we are at phase 2: The Office of the Prosecutor, with a panel of experts, delivered a report and an official application for Arrest Warrant for multiple officials/high-ranking decision-makers on both sides. THIS is what you are hearing about [because frankly the OTP took its sweet ass time before actually delivering them, may we one day know why. They might ave a good reason, they might have none].
The report in question is easy to read in that it is not full of jargon or legalese - it is plain English, so you can read it, but note that it does deal with very difficult topics, as tactfully as it can.
We now have to wait for the pre-trial chamber to decide whether to issue the warrants or not. Might take weeks. Might take months. Once that's done, procedure will continue. And the next step is NOT "trial" - there are still additional steps.
Being said that, it IS huge, on at least 39 different legal and political aspects, none of which I have the energy to unpack here, but yeah. This it is, this is my contribution to the state of knowledge on Tumblr.hell
#friendly neighbourhood lawyer is here to scream into the void about international law#begging for 5 minutes of your attention to understand what is happening#also because it helps better understand why things take time#and what expectation we can reasonably have!#askbox is super timidly open for question#like barely open so you can enter very gently
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the anatomy of my TODO.md
this is for the language I've been working on and actually making progress with. right now, I've got just a small handful of tests for ints and floats and strings doing basic stuff, just like all of the operators. but really besides basic types and operators and a couple of print statements, there's not that much. (for those who are curious, here are the types: Obj, Ty, Str, Int, Float, Bool, Nil, BuiltinFunction, UserFunction, Method.) this is all in about 4500 lines of code including comments and blanks.
we have "if" statements and functions, so we are technically turing-complete, but we don't even have "while" loops. obviously some things have higher priority than others. bit twiddling operators are pretty low on the priority list, and "while" loops are pretty high up. I have four categories of "TODO" on my list:
things that need to get done ASAP to even be considered a "programming language". this includes stuff like while loops, picking a name, collections (lists, maps, tuples etc), imports, exceptions, custom types (e.g. classes), and other things. basic stuff that you hypothetically use in nearly every single program you would write.
"things that need to get done". much lower priority, and really I shouldn't be working on any of these until the previous list is completed. these include things like robust slicing (for strings, lists, etc), iterators, for loops (blocked on iterators), string interpolation, bit twiddling operators, variadic arguments, and others. other things that are fundamental to any programming language, but are either a little more complex or easier to work around not having for a while.
"wishlist". this is broken up into "near future" and "far future", but it covers stuff I haven't put a lot of thought into but have thought "this would be neat to have". they are features that are not guaranteed to make it into the language. the "near future" list is pretty short, containing just method/function decorators (like python), context management (like python's "with" statement), runtime type checking syntax, pattern matching, and a "bytes" collection type. the "far future" list is just two items: good tooling, like a formatter, static type checker, docs generator, etc; and compile-time function execution (CTFE).
"incubator". this is the longest section and each item will need a lot of thought put into them since they could fundamentally change the language, or because I don't know if they're good ideas or not. these items include object literals, atomic values (like erlang/elixir/OTP languages), a pipe operator, asyncio, and a structured macro system for the language.
okay I lied. there's a fifth section, called "standard library" for stuff that I want in the standard library. I really like python's (can you tell I'm drawing a lot of inspiration from python) philosophy of "batteries included" and want to have a big standard library. hopefully I don't come to regret that decision. for the standard library, I have these packages written down so far for what I want: json, regex, random, time, ast (abstract syntax tree bindings), "system functions" (maybe like python's os module? not sure what I meant by this), paths, file i/o, ffi?, PNG images, sockets, basic HTTP client, basic HTTP server, CLI option parsing (python's is REALLY good), logging (supposedly python's is REALLY bad)
so there you go. that's what my todo list looks like. it's kind of interesting which language features would take at least a week of iteration to get integrated how I like (like imports or custom types), versus features that I could knock out in an evening (like 'while' loops). idk, this is the furthest I've gotten with any language I've started. I'm looking forward to getting through the first two sections of my todo list, so I can stop looking at "which features NEED to be implemented" versus "which features do we WANT to implement".
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I often hear huntlow fans say that one of the reasons they like that particular ship so much is because, in popular media, it's actually quite rare to see plus-sized girls being framed as attractive or desirible romantic partners for other characters; and that, in fact, 'fat girl + skinny boy' pairings are so rare, they're basically non-existent in popular media! This is, of course, very much fair and valid, it's not hard to imagine how seeing more relationships like this represented on screen goes a long way towards dismantling all sorts of weird long-standing societal attitudes towards beauty, bodies, gender etc etc.
BUT.
Did you know, The Owl House actually has another CRIMINALLY UNDERAPPRECIATED big girl + skinny boy pairing that might potentially be as, if not MORE compelling than huntlow?
Bold claim, I know but don't scroll away yet, just hear me out...
Now THIS here, this is what we in the biz call a Diversity Win!
Look at the size ratio between these 2 lovebirds, easily the biggest one I've seen since the day I first learned about anglerfish mating. BEAUTIFUL, INSPIRING, MAGICAL union between this charmingly disgusting stickman-shaped bug boy and this mysteriously shy small-scale proof-of-concept steampunk evangelion unit prototype girl!
And hey, guess what? They Have CHEMISTRY. What kind of chemistry you may ask? Well... let me tell you about this one particular type of chemical reaction called "nuclear fission". Picture this, a tiny but eager little brown-haired neutron, one of the smallest things measurable with current day scientific equipment, is rapidly approaching a lonely and often-misunderstood atom of Uranium-235. Mesmerised by its complex and hypnotic atomic structure as he gets closer and closer, in the final few pico-seconds before the inevitable high-speed collision the marker-mustached atom finally understands what the phrase "Love at first sight" means. And now, there it is... The Chemistry is Finally Happening. What's it like? Well, to them it felt like the warmest of a lover's embraces as this particular chemical reaction is know to release up to 320 million kilojoules of pure energy, the purest form of energy, in fact, you might've already heard of it, it's called LOVE...
In conclusion: matthrok OTP!!!
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Now it's your turn. Let's go with Sharon as well.
Oh good, now instead of commenting on your post, I get to rant on my own đ đ
How I feel about this character: I love her. I love the cold, snarky, closed-off Sharon from The Closer, and I love the warm, funny, maternal Sharon from Major Crimes. She is tough and intelligent and a total boss bitch in the best sense of the word. Plus, she has mermaid hair and looks incredible in a pantsuit. (And have you seen her with a bean bag rifle? I mean, really).
All the people I ship romantically with this character: This may come as a shock to anyone following me here but... I'm a big Brenda/Sharon shipper đ€Ł. I wholeheartedly believe that if they had met in a less antagonistic setting, they could have been friends, at least... and that having a female friend would have given each of them a nice sense of balance. Sharon eventually (in MC) gets Rusty to crack her wide open, but for Brenda, Sharon is the closest thing she gets to a friend who won't let her get away with shit but isn't condescending about it (eventually) and I think she really needed that... oops this is supposed to be about Sharon, not Brenda.... Also a fan of Shandy, Sharon/Andrea, and I do find Sharon/Fritz intriguing and think they fit better than Brenda/Fritz (speaking of which, I am not opposed to reading a Brenda/Fritz/Sharon fic every now and again...)
My non-romantic OTP for this character: Rusty. He is responsible for most of the drastic changes to Sharon's character in MC (which, as I've said, I'm a fan of), and I think that their relationship is so beautiful and complex. I also love Sharon and Provenza - both when they are being antagonistic and also when they secretly kind of get mushy and supportive of each other.
My unpopular opinion about this character: Probably that I like MC Sharon just as much as TC Sharon đ€·ââïž .
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: We are going to ignore that thing that didn't happen and I will instead say I wish we knew more about Sharon's relationships outside of the LAPD. I love episodes where she is going toe to toe with Jack and would have liked to see more of that, but also, what happened to her parents? Is she an only child? Where did she grow up? Go to school? You can't tell me that she had no social structure of any kind in place before MC, so who are her friends?? But I guess that's what fanfic is for đ
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Yeah I enjoyed boarding school-genre (St. Mallory's etc.) books when I was little--- my grandma used to get them for me. I wasn't big on HP because it was boarding school genre minus a female protagonist, and not nearly as fun or as silly. Overall my issue with HP's reception is that it's very intentionally a riff on that genre, not fantasy (and you can see this with the historic aversion to categorising it as fantasy at all, like rejecting the Hugo award). Even right down to what you describe with Snape in that linked post is that his archetype is very common in the boarding school genre (mean teacher who is secretly nice) that I knew immediately he was going to be a Good Guy the Whole Time, though the way it's done is with more emotional gravitas and probably more moral condemnation than those teachers ever warrant, since the nature of HP evolved. Imo the silliness/whimsy never sat right with its serious war narrative and that's not for the better, because the former is what the setting is really all about. But regarding Snape, I think the reason his reception wasn't anticipated is because he's probably one of the archetypes most directly translated; when figuring him into the more serious narrative, much more resonance slipped through.
Anyway! I really wanted to know whether it was DHr or SHr that you were into because I find which of those people ship to be interesting lol. It makes much more sense that SHr fits into your BatB paradigm, though I have definitely read plenty of renderings of DHr which play into that idea--- those tend to lean into inventing more complexity for Draco than there are in the books, though, and yeah I would say on average DHr leans much more rivalshipping. I know what you mean about being picky with fic and slipping into something more casual since that's basically the majority of my fandom experience. If I'm genuinely serious about something (e.g. most of my OTP's) I have to write the fic myself lmao. Reylo is probably the one exception to that where I never ended up writing very much just because canon was So Good screams and there were a rare few handful of fics which leant more into that characterisation we both seem to prefer--- I generally just enjoyed daydreaming with Reylo and theorising than anything else lol.
Anyway, good tidings on your fandom adventures and thank you for indulging my nosiness âš
Yeah, pretty much. People seem to want to group HP with high fantasy and it has no business there, but you can see where the impulse comes from. It's structurally unsound because of the war plot and heavier themes clearly not fitting into the whacky boarding school setting. The genre conventions do not get along with what she's trying to do with the war and it leads to bigger and bigger problems as the plot progresses.
I think them being classmates who have known each other as peers since childhood fundamentally changes the stakes and makes your job pretty difficult as far as trying to set up a B&tB dynamic. They're much more suited to doing a play on Romeo and Juliet. Where with SSHG, half the work is already done for you, the set up is built in, all you need is a reason to force them to spend time together.
I did end up needing to write my own reylo fic for exactly this reason lol. That, and the fandom refusing to provide Ben resolution with Luke. But the reylo AU machine is fantastic, a nigh-endless font of stories to read.
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Gem Consultation: Quick Guide To GEM Registration For Businesses
Are you a business owner and looking to expand your market? Registering on the Government e-Marketplace (GEM) could be your golden ticket to tapping into government procurement opportunities. In this guide, we'll walk you through the quick GEM registration process, fees involved, and how GEM consultation can ease your journey.
What is GEM Portal Registration?
GEM portal registration is the process of signing up your business on the Government e-Marketplace, an online platform where government departments procure goods and services. By registering, your business becomes eligible to bid on government contracts, opening doors to a vast market.
Why Should You Register on GEM?
Access to Government Buyers: Connect directly with government departments without intermediaries.
Transparent Processes: Enjoy a fair bidding system with transparent policies.
Timely Payments: Benefit from assured payment timelines.
Ease of Doing Business: Simplified processes make it easy even for small businesses to participate.
Quick GEM Registration Process
Wondering, "What are the quick GEM registration processes?" Let's dive in!
Step 1: Visit the GEM Portal
Go to the official GEM website and click on the "Sign Up" button.
Step 2: Choose Your Profile
Select "Seller" as your profile type since you're registering to sell products or services.
Step 3: Provide Business Details
Type of Business: Choose from options like Proprietorship, Partnership, Company, etc.
Business Name: Enter your registered business name.
PAN Number: Provide your business PAN details.
Step 4: Verify Mobile and Email
Enter your mobile number and email address for OTP verification.
Step 5: Upload Required Documents
GSTIN: Goods and Services Tax Identification Number.
Udyog Aadhaar: For MSMEs (optional but recommended).
Address Proof: Utility bills, rental agreement, etc.
Step 6: Create Username and Password
Set up your login credentials for future access to the GEM portal.
Step 7: Agree to Terms and Conditions
Read and accept the GEM portal's terms and conditions to complete the registration.
GEM Registration Fees
Curious about "GEM registration fees"? Here's the breakdown.
As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2024, registering on the GEM portal is free of cost for sellers. However, transaction charges may apply based on the value of contracts won. It's advisable to check the latest fee structure on the official GEM website or consult a GEM expert for updated information.
GEM Consultation: Why It's Beneficial
Navigating the GEM registration process can be straightforward, but complexities may arise, especially when dealing with government protocols. This is where GEM consultation comes into play.
Benefits of GEM Consultation
Expert Guidance: Get step-by-step assistance from professionals familiar with GEM procedures.
Document Verification: Ensure all your documents are in order to avoid registration delays.
Bid Assistance: Learn how to identify and bid on relevant government tenders.
Compliance Support: Stay updated with the latest GEM policies and compliance requirements.
How Can I Register on GEM Portal Quickly?
Let's answer the burning question: "How can I register on GEM portal?"
To register quickly on the GEM portal:
Prepare Your Documents in Advance: Have digital copies of all necessary documents ready.
Ensure Accurate Information: Double-check all entries to prevent errors that could delay approval.
Seek GEM Consultation: Consider professional help to streamline the process.
GEM Online Shopping: A Marketplace for Government Procurement
Once registered, your products or services become part of the GEM online shopping catalog. Government buyers can browse and place orders directly, making it a seamless experience for both parties.
GEM Registration Process Simplified
To sum it up, the GEM registration process involves:
Visiting the GEM portal
Choosing the correct profile
Providing accurate business details
Verifying contact information
Uploading required documents
Setting up login credentials
Tips for Successful GEM Registration
Use Official Channels: Always use the official GEM portal for registration.
Stay Updated: Policies may change; keep an eye on official announcements.
Customer Support: Utilize GEM's customer support for any queries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Quick GEM Registration Processes?
The quick GEM registration processes involve:
Online sign-up on the GEM portal
Verification of contact details
Uploading necessary documents
Acceptance of terms and conditions
How Can I Register on GEM Portal?
You can register on the GEM portal by visiting gem.gov.in, selecting "Seller" as your profile, and following the on-screen instructions to complete the registration.
Is There a Fee for GEM Registration?
As of the last update, there is no fee for registering on the GEM portal. However, transaction fees may apply on successful bids.
Can I Edit My Details After Registration?
Yes, you can log in to your GEM account and edit your business details as required.
What is GEM Consultation?
GEM consultation refers to professional services that help businesses navigate the GEM registration and bidding processes efficiently.
Conclusion
Registering on the GEM portal is a strategic move for businesses aiming to expand their market reach to government buyers. While the process is user-friendly, leveraging GEM consultation services can further simplify your journey. With no registration fees and a transparent procurement system, GEM offers a valuable opportunity for businesses across India.
Ready to take the next step? Start your GEM registration today and unlock new business ideas with Bidz Professional!
For more information on GEM registration, fees, and consultation services, feel free to reach out or visit our website bidzprofessional.com.
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 Online GST Registration in India
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, introduced in India in July 2017, has revolutionized the country's taxation system. It has replaced a complex web of indirect taxes with a unified tax structure, making compliance easier for businesses. One of the essential steps for businesses is GST registration, which is now conveniently accessible online. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive guide to the online GST registration process in India, covering its significance, eligibility criteria, and step-by-step instructions.
Significance of GST Registration
GST registration is a legal requirement for businesses that engage in the supply of goods or services in India. It is essential for several reasons:
1. Legitimate Business Operation: GST registration legitimizes your business in the eyes of the law, making it mandatory for certain businesses with turnover thresholds.
2.Input Tax Credit (ITC): Registered businesses can claim ITC on GST paid for input goods and services, reducing their tax liability.
3.Compliance: GST registration ensures that you comply with the GST law, avoiding legal penalties and consequences.
Eligibility Criteria
Not all businesses are required to register for GST. The eligibility criteria are as follows:
a. Threshold Turnover: Businesses with an aggregate turnover exceeding INR 20 lakhs (INR 10 lakhs for Special Category States) must register for GST. However, certain businesses, like those involved in the supply of goods, are required to register even if their turnover is below the threshold.
b. Interstate Supply: Any business involved in the interstate supply of goods or services must register for GST, regardless of turnover.
c. E-commerce Operators: E-commerce operators and aggregators must register, irrespective of turnover.
Steps for Online GST RegistrationÂ
Now, let's delve into the step-by-step process of online GST registration in India:
1 Visit the GST Portal: Access the official GST portal (https://www.gst.gov.in/) and click on the "Register Now" option.
2. Fill in the Basic Details: You'll need to provide details such as your legal name, PAN, email address, and mobile number. After filling in the details, an OTP (One-Time Password) will be sent to your email and mobile for verification.
3.OTP Verification: Enter the OTP received on your email and mobile to verify your identity.
4.Temporary Reference Number (TRN): Once verified, you'll receive a Temporary Reference Number (TRN). You can use this TRN to log in and complete the registration process later.
5. Complete the Application: Log in with your TRN and fill in the GST registration application. You'll need to provide details about your business, place of business, bank account, and authorized signatory.
6.Upload Documents: Attach the required documents, including proof of business registration, bank account details, and photographs of the authorized signatory.
7.Verification: After submitting the application, a verification officer will review your application. This may involve a physical visit to your business premises.
8. GSTIN Allocation: Once your application is approved, you will receive a unique Goods and Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN).
9. GST Certificate: Finally, you'll receive a GST certificate with your GSTIN, which signifies your successful GST registration.
Compliance and Ongoing ObligationsÂ
After obtaining GST registration, businesses must adhere to certain ongoing obligations:
1 GST Returns: Registered businesses must file regular GST returns, including GSTR-1 (outward supplies), GSTR-3B (summary of sales and purchases), and GSTR-4 (for composition scheme taxpayers).
2.Timely Payments: Ensure that you pay the GST collected to the government within the prescribed due dates.
3.Compliance with Rules: Stay updated with the latest GST rules and regulations to avoid non-compliance and penalties.
4.Records Maintenance: Maintain proper records of invoices, receipts, and other relevant documents for at least 72 months.
ConclusionÂ
Online GST registration in India has simplified the process of complying with the country's GST laws. It is crucial for businesses to understand the significance of GST registration, the eligibility criteria, and the step-by-step process to ensure smooth and legal operations. By registering for GST online, businesses can not only avoid legal repercussions but also benefit from input tax credits and become part of India's streamlined taxation system, contributing to the nation's economic growth and development.
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NUMB3RS Mood Boards (9/?):
Megan & Larry
#Megan Reeves#Larry Fleinhardt#Larry x Megan#Megan x Larry#numb3rs#numb3rs moodboards#my edits#otp: structured complexity
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Mousieâs absolutely subjective, very biased Top 10 web novels list
Please note that this is hardly aiming to be objective, if one can even be properly objective about a work of fiction. It is 110% based on my preferences, which means this list is heavy on the angst and has nothing set in the modern day. It is also heavily danmei-centric, even though I read way more het romance than danmei, because for whatever reason, most of the danmei Iâve read has been insanely good.
10. Return of the Swallow - one of the two non-danmeis on this list. Smart and nuanced and with a large cast of characters. Our heroine is a long-lost daughter of the family that is brought back in and has to cope with familial struggles, crazy royals, court intrigue, invasion et al. Itâs SO GOOD! There is romance with the sexy smart enemy general but honestly, itâs the heroine that is the main selling point for me.
9. Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - the only other non-danmei novel on this list, this was my very first web novel and what drew me into this insanity. This is just a ton of fun, probably the lightest novel on this list, not an ounce of angst to be found. But itâs hilarious and features competent heroine and tsundere hero and I will always love it for opening a new world to me. Anyway, our heroine transmigrates into the novel as the female lead. Unlike the original lead though she doesnât want to seek adventures and angst - she just wants to comfortably live with the wealthy, nice husband heroine has. Alas, said husband is no longer nice since he has previously lived this story where he was betrayed by FL and then transmigrated/reincarnated into the past. Oh well, the heroine opens up businesses and makes friends. And eventually, her husband realizes his wife is way different this time around. This actually doesnât have much romance, not until close to the end, but this is so fun I donât care.
8. Lord Seventh - I am only partway through this so far, but itâs already on the list because itâs smart and somehow intense AND laid-back (not sure how this works, but it does) and is honestly just a really really solid and smart period novel, with the OTP a cherry on top of a narrative sundae. Plus, I love the concept of MC deciding he is not going for his supposedly fated love - heâs tried for six lifetimes, always with disaster, and heâs just plain done and tired. When he opens his life in his seventh reincarnation and sees the person he would have given up the world for, he genuinely feels nothing at all. (Spoiler - his OTP is actually a barbarian shaman this time around, thank you Lord!)
7. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS) - oh come on, how are you even on this tumblr if you donât know MDZS/The Untamed? This was my very first danmei and itâs so much fun! I love everything about it - the unreliable narrator, the looping structure, the main OTP, Wei Wuxianâs laidback, traumatized insouciance, everything. Anyway, the plot in the event you somehow transported here from 2005 is that the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian, was defeated by the righteous sects over a decade ago and fell of a cliff to his death. Only now that same Wei Wuxian opens his eyes in another body and everything that was supposed to stay in the past starts again.
6. Heaven Officialâs Blessing (TGCF) - people either love its meandering narrative, picaresque structure and cast of thousands, or find it a detriment compared to much more compact MDZS. I love it even more than MDZS for those very qualities. It does have a rock-solid, darling OTP, but what really elevates it to me are the MXTX trademark combo of snarky/light tone hiding a ton of trauma underneath, the insanely intricate world-building, and what it has to say about the nature of grace and goodness. Xie Lian is one of my top 5 web novel characters and probably in top 10 from anywhere. Oh, and while MXTXâs stuff is not as angsty for me as Meatbunâs or even Priestâs, there are always exceptions, and there is one chapter in this novel that pretty much broke me and sometimes I still flashback to it and feel unwell.
Anyway, what is it about? There is a commotion in the heavenly realm - Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of a long-destroyed kingdom, has ascended to Godhood. That in itself is not so exciting. However for Xie Lian this is the third time (!!!!) as heâs ascended and lost his godhood twice prior. And now, the biggest joke of the divine realm is back, throwing the heavenly realm into chaos. And elsewhere, Hua Cheng, one of the four most powerful demons of that Universe, sits up and takes notice.
5. Golden Stage - my perfect comfort novel. Probably the least angsty of any danmei novel on this list (which still means plenty angsty :P) It also has a dedicated, smart OTP that is an OTP for the bulk of the book - I think you will notice that in most of the novels in this list, I go for âOTP against the worldâ trope - I canât stand love triangles and the same. Anyway, Fu Shen, is a famous general whose fame is making the emperor antsy. When he gets injured and canât walk any more, the emperor gladly recalls him and marries him off to his most faithful court lackey, the head of sort of secret police, Yan Xiaohan. The emperor intends it both as a check on the general and a general spite move since the two men always clash in court whenever they meet. But not all is at is seems. They used to be friends a long time ago, had a falling out, and one of the loveliest parts of the novel is them finding their way to each other, but there is also finding the middle path between their two very different philosophies and ways of being, not to mention solving a conspiracy or dozen, and putting a new dynasty on the throne, among other things. It always makes me think, a little, of âif Mei Changsu x Jingyan were canon.â
4. Sha Po Lang - if you like a lot of fantasy politics and world-building and steampunk with your novels, this one is for you. This one is VERY plot-heavy with smart, dedicated characters and a deconstruction of many traditional virtues - our protagonist Chang Geng, a long-lost son of the Emperor, is someone who wants to modernize the country but also take down the current emperor his brother for progressâ sake and the person heâs in love with is the general who saved him when he was a kid who is nominally his foster father. Anyway, the romance is mainly a garnish in this one, not even a big side dish, but the relationship between two smart, dedicated, deadly individuals with very different concepts of duty is fascinating long before it turns romantic. And if you like angst, while overall itâs not as angsty as e.g., Meatbun stuff, Chang Gengâs childhood is the stuff of nightmares and probably freaks me out more than anything else in any novel on this list, 2ha included.
3. To Rule In a Turbulent World (LSWW) - gay Minglan. No seriously. This is how I think of it. itâs a slice of life period novel with fascinating characters and setting that happens to have a gay OTP, not a romance in a period setting per se and I always prefer stories where the romance is not the only thing that is going on. Itâs meticulously written and smart and deals with character development and somehow makes daily minutia fascinating. Our protagonist, You Miao, is the son of a fabulously wealthy merchant, sent to the capital to make connections and study. As the story starts, he sees his friendâs servants beating someone to death, feels bad, and buys him because, as we discover gradually and organically, You Miao may be wealthy and occasionally immature but he is a genuinely good person. The person he buys is a barbarian from beyond the wall, named Li Zhifeng. Itâs touch and go if the man will survive but eventually he does and You Miao, who by then has to return home, gives him his papers and lets him go. However, LZF decides to stick with You Miao instead, both out of sense of debt for YM saving his life and because he genuinely likes him (and yet, there is no instalove on either of their parts, their bodies have fun a lot quicker than their souls.) Anyway, the two take up farming, get involved in the imperial exams and itâs the life of prosperity and peace, until an invasion happens and things go rapidly to hell. This is so nuanced, so smart (smart people in this actually ARE!) and has secondary characters who are just as complex as the mains (for example, I ended up adoring YMâs friend, the one who starts the plot by almost beating LZF to death for no reason) because the novel never forgets that few people are all villain. There is a lovely character arc or two - watching YM grow up and LZF thaw - there is the fact that You Miao is a unicorn in web novels being laid back and calm. This whole thing is a masterpiece.
2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - want the emotional hit of 2ha but want to read something half its length? Well, the author of 2ha is here to eviscerate you in a shorter amount of time. This has the beautiful world-building, plot twists that all make sense and, at the center of it all, an intense and all-consuming and gloriously painful relationship between two generals - one aristocratic loner Mo Xi, and the other gregarious former slave general Gu Mang. Once they were best friends and lovers, but when the novel starts, Gu Mang has long turned traitor and went to serve the enemy kingdom and has now been returned and Mo Xi, who now commands the remnants of his slave army, has to cope with the fact that he has never been able to get over the man who stabbed him through the heart. Literally. This novel has a gorgeously looping structure, with flashbacks interwoven into present storyline. There is so much love and longing and sacrifice in this that I am tearing up a bit just thinking of it. If you donât love Mo Xi and Gu Mang, separately and together, by the end of it, you have no soul.
1. The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha/erha) - if youâve been following my tumblr for more than a hot second, you know my obsession with this novel. Honestly, even if I were to make a list of my top 10 novels of any kind, not just webnovels, this would be on the list. It has everything I want - a complicated, intricate plot with an insane amount of plot twists, all of which are both unexpected and make total sense, a rich and large cast of characters, a truly epic OTP that makes me bawl, emotional intensity that sometimes maxes even me out and so much character nuance and growth. Also, Moran is my favorite web novel character ever, hands down.
Anyway, the plot (or at least the way it first appears) is that the evil emperor of the cultivation world, Taxian Jun, kills himself at 32 and wakes up in the body of his 16 year old self, birth name Moran. Excited to get a redo, Moran wants to save his supposed true love Shimei, whose death the last go-around pushed him towards evil. He also wants to avoid entanglement with Chu Wanning, his shizun and sworn enemy in past life. And thatâs all you are best off knowing, trust me. The only hint I am going to give is oooh boy the mother of all unreliable narrators has arrived!
The novel starts light and funny on boil the frog principle - if someone told me I would be full bawling multiple times with this novel, Iâd have thought they were insane, but i swear my eyes hurt by the end of it. I started out being amused and/or disliking the mains and by the end I would die for either of them.
#cnovel#2ha#yuwu#to rule in a turbulent world#lsww#sha po lang#golden stage#return of the swallow#transmigrator meets reincarnator#lord seventh#grandmaster of demonic cultivation#heaven official's blessing#the dumb husky and his white cat shizun
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[images: 1) Preview sample of Genjimonogatari series cards with symbols that look like red stamped seals. 2) Screenshot of file folder with art files of the packaging, card back, card front files. 3) Screenshot of Affinity Publisher with page layouts of the accompanying booklet]
I've been working on something different: a card deck for the Genjimonogatari illustration series! It can be used as an art deck or as the base for a selection of simple Tale of Genji-themed games. I'm also putting together a companion booklet (PDF download only) to go with the cards. The booklet will provide context/background, starter game ideas and instructions, and summaries of all the characters featured in the illustrations!
Below the cut is my progress, originally posted on my Pillowfort.
Iâve really wanted to turn the Genjimonogatari illustration series into a card deck ever since the overall direction became apparent to me. My ambitions for this are quite low; the main reason Iâm doing this is because I would like a card deck to play with and create different combinations and pairings in a way that isnât feasible with a static artbook or prints intended for display. Something that can be used for portable aesthetic appreciation/inspiration as well as very simple little Tale of Genji-themed games.
When the lovely @delphina2kâ told me a while back about Game Crafter, a POD (print-on-demand) service for game designers, I got super excited. Surfing through their catalogue, I discovered they have a mint tin card deck option that fits exactly 55 cards. I was smitten by how small and cute it is. Look at it!!
In addition to the card deck, Iâm also putting together an accompanying booklet - a PDF-only download to keep costs down and things simple. It'll provide a bit of background and context for the Tale of Genji, and explain how to come up with simple games using the cards with a few starter ideas and instructions. The games can become more complex/interesting with more knowledge of the story and characters. There will also be a summary of each illustration, listing the characters featured and a significantly condensed/cleaned-up version of some of my commentary from each illustration post. I am very grateful to past me for writing so many walls of text when I originally posted every picture, as itâll be easier to cull down some of those thoughts than to reread the entire Tale of Genji and write them anew⊠itâs pretty funny rereading some of my random or sarcastic comments about the characters and the story, haha.
What actually took the most time with getting this card deck together was deciding on symbols and who gets what. The idea is that some cards will have these marks that can be used in different games for special rules or scoring or whatnot. There are three basic symbols:
âDestinyâ (star/sparkles) - people associated with prophecies or special destinies in the story
âImperialâ (a chrysanthemum, inspired by the imperial crest of Japan) - royal people who thus have super special significant social status - emperors, empresses, princes, princesses etc.
âKeyâ (a simple key shape) - main characters and select prime plot movers
Hereâs an example of how it looks on the Niou and Kaoru cards, and on the super powerful OTP of the gods card (the only one that will have all three symbols).Â
[image:Â same image as the first one in this post. Left to right: His Highness of War with Imperial and Key symbols; Fragrance with Destiny and Key symbols; Present Day with Destiny, Imperial and Key symbols.]
At first I thought the imperial designation was going to be the hardest to figure out due to complicated Heian era court society rules and my lack of expertise, but then the deeper I got into it the more I was contorting myself over trying to decide which characters count as âkeyâ without basically slapping it on nearly every card. Since the Tale of Genji doesn't exactly follow the structure or characterization techniques of a typical Western novel, and is so long with so many characters, things get blurry... I debated with myself for a long time, constantly changing my mind over days and weeks, before finally settling (I think) on a list and now I donât want to think about it anymore. Iâm putting a lot of disclaimers in the booklet that this is only one limited interpretation. Hooray for disclaimersâŠ
Currently the symbols affect approximately 32/55 cards. To test my ideas out, I cut some scrap paper into teeny tiny cards and ran a few test games with them to make sure things made sense and were workable. While playing I actually found some interesting patterns and relationships with the characters I wouldnât have thought about otherwise!
[image: Photo of small handmade paper card mockups in a pile next to a pencil for scale. The paper cards have the info of each card written messily in pencil.]
Itâs my first time trying something like this, and I hope it works out! After months of hemming and hawing and fiddling with card back designs, I finally sent off my files today and am looking forward to seeing how they turn out in a month or so! (Production and shipping challenges continue to abound through the industryâŠ) In the meantime, I'll keep working on finishing the booklet. Fingers crossed on all fronts!
#tale of genji#genji monogatari#ink#watercolor#watercolour#card decks#indie card games#cards#art deck#art by maiji/mary huang#genjimonogatari series
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