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bleulone · 11 months ago

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Roi's captivating journey in Berlín: on defying authority, seeking approval and exploring his desire…

Or a long meta nobody asked for in which I delve into why he’s the best character in this spinoff and why his "romance" with Cameron unfortunately didn’t really make sense.

Foreword : I'm a sucker for nerdy male fictional characters with a hidden hint of confidence, a dark/tragic backstory, who wear the slutty glasses™ and look like they never felt the touch of a woman—of course when Roi was firstly introduced, I knew from the start that he's going to live in my mind rent free for the upcoming months.

˚ · • . ° . ׂׂૢ་༘࿐˚ · • . ° .

From the very first episode, it becomes clear that Berlín unravels as a tale centered around love. Nevertheless, it extends beyond romantic love, notwithstanding the musings of our chaotic, narcissistic dandy of a professional thief who philosophizes about the tantalizingly addictive energy of courtship, chase, and a lust he fervently desires. Although romantic love is prominently depicted as the main thread in the series, it is the comprehensive concept of Love that undergoes demystification, discussion, challenge, embrace, repulsion, and yearning.

The prevailing narrative of the entire season seemed to orbit a distinctive framework: romantic/carnal love, familial love, and self-love, stretching from birth to zenith and eventual demise. What particularly resonated with me was how the creators delved into the exploration of how these love forms can serve as both sources of freedom and imprisonment for the characters. It adds a poetic and meta layer when considering that this entire discussion unfolds against the backdrop of the Parisian landscape.

Within the fragrance that permeated this spinoff, Roi's storyline unquestionably stood out as the most intriguing among the banda. Despite its imperfections, particularly in the romantic aspect (which we'll talk about later), his evolution throughout the season seemed the most logical. To arrive at this conclusion, I believe it's essential to revisit storytelling basics and comprehend why, in my perspective, his arc made the most sense.

For a hero's journey to unfold successfully, it typically follows eight steps, and Roi's arc approximately adheres to these stages, employing a significant amount of telling and a bit of showing:

1. The Call: Running away from home at 13 and engaging in petty crimes. 2. The Threshold: Encountering Berlin at 17 and finally getting out of juvie. 3. + 4. The Challenges and The Abyss: Following the Boss's orders—retrieving the calice, "babysitting" Cameron, and maintaining a distance from her. 5. The Transformation: Failing to comply with orders and defying lover!Berlin. 6. The Revelation: Disclosing the truth to Berlin about the lost necklace during the night at the race, leading to approval and apology. 7. The Atonement: Evading the police, and Roi expressing gratitude for Berlin's guidance and lessons in self-control. 8. The Return (with a Gift): Successfully reaching Madrid, leaving the narrative with a seemingly happy ending, though the final details remain unknown.

Having observed a portion of his journey, Roi's character possesses a distinctive charm, largely stemming from the preconceived notions we harbor about him—"the youngster," "the naive and charming boy who simply follows instructions." I am inclined to think that the most notable feature of his arc this season is its "coming-of-age" essence that resonates with many. He strives to liberate himself from the constraints of unquestioning obedience to Berlin, opting instead to be guided by instinct, explore desire, embrace his identity, and assert his free will.

I truly enjoyed the universal elements in his relationship with Berlin: the admiration, care, the vulnerability and pride. I couldn't get enough of their scenes and wished for more. I was particularly intrigued to know a bit more about Berlin's perspective on education and how he imparted his principles to Roi. Surprisingly, it's refreshing to witness how the young man, contrary to expectations, isn't a Berlin Jr., but rather a wiser, more innocent, and stern version of himself.

Roi's evolution from a runaway orphan misfit to a disciplined young man was truly captivating, primarily because it allowed us to connect with him emotionally. He became the only character who shared such a precious and intimate piece of himself, giving us insight into why Berlin holds such significance for him. This added layer of vulnerability only serves to enhance his endearing personality.

On that note, I admire the way his naivety, which parallels Rio in La Casa de Papel, contrasts with his playfulness and extroversion. Roi's serious demeanor is understandable, considering his challenging upbringing both at home and in juvenile detention; he had to be self-reliant and fight his way through life. His skill in unlocking doors provided a glimpse of his delicacy and patience, making him genuinely distinctive. Indeed, the calmness, uncertainty, and darkness were further echoed in his casual attire and color palette—comprising blue, grey, and black.

I could extensively discuss Roi's incredible personality and his son/father relationship he has with Andres, but unfortunately, I just have to talk about the bad. Yes, Roi's story arc has some limitations that left me a bit disappointed, considering the amazing potential within his character. While he ended up demonstrating maturity and professionalism throughout the series, there was a certain immaturity when it came to matters of "love".

I guess that now is a good time to address the elephant in the room: his (quite underwhelming) "romantic" relationship with Cameron. I find myself somewhat blaming the trailer, as it led me to believe I was in for a compelling love story with a unique approach to the "bad girl/good boy trope" (which I adore). I was particularly displeased with how misleading the "lock picking" and the "No me mires" tattoo scenes in the pilot were, as they seemed to be included solely to inject a bit of sexiness into the show.

Listen, I'm a big fan of romance, and one thing that most romance enthusiast tend to do is approaching love stories in two distinct parts: 1) understanding the characters before the relationship, how they function individually, and 2) how the relationship will shape their individual growth and their growth together.

This is often observed through well-known romantic tropes that typically bring characters together and facilitate both physical and emotional connections. So, let's examine which tropes influenced their interactions: work colleagues, forced proximity, tending wounds (and the somewhat cliché "insta love"). This description may seem fitting at first glance, innit? But did these tropes truly work for them?

One crucial factor to consider is time: I strongly believe that a majority of love stories are slow burns that unfold over different spans. And sorry, chief, but timing wasn't on their side.

Apologies to all the Cameroi shippers out there, but I found it difficult to believe in their relationship, and it felt underwhelming for both characters. After finishing Season 1, opting for a platonic relationship might have been the better choice for them. Let me elaborate on why.

If Pina and Martínez Lobato truly intended to highlight romance (which was a bit overwhelming because literally, everyone had a romantic arc—like babe, it’s too much), especially a romance that made sense for the characters, they should have incorporated more angst and a slow burn. Why? Because, in this season, neither of Roi and Cameron are in the right place to fall in love.

On one hand, Roi's (scarce) romantic history reveals his naivety and idealized perception of love. To be frank, I would even go so far as to say his experience is practically nonexistent. His feelings seemed more like infatuation than genuine love, which requires a deeper connection that they didn't really have time to develop.

A part of me thinks Berlin's "strict" teachings about women played a role. The scene in 1.01 in the bathroom somewhat confirmed that Berlin might have admonished Roi in the past, likely instructing him on managing his hormones. Additionally, when our sweet summer child assured Berlin that he didn't initiate or encourage such behavior with Cameron, it became evident that being prudish was a lesson he had clearly absorbed.

Being a reserved young gentleman who wouldn't dare to meet the eyes of a woman he fancies, in contrast to the charismatic lover Berlin, I'm inclined to think he still has his V card—I can't interfere; it's a canon event.

If Roi seriously lacks experience with women, despite his first and only teenage romantic involvement during juvenile detention, it's only natural that he would stumble. This is evident in his interactions with Cameron. His steps are endearing and pure, but also somewhat messy and oddly quick. For someone who hates being seen as an obedient puppy, he swiftly follows Cameron's suggestion about the glasses, removing them instantly. I found this moment quite intriguing. It would have made more sense in 1.04, right after the quarrel at Polignac house. Removing them on that same night would have heightened the scene's impact and symbolically marked the transition from the old to the new Roi. Then again, taking time is crucial. It could have mirrored the fear of crossing boundaries and played with the symbolic idea that desire mirrors fear.

(**internal screaming** The creators missed an opportunity to delve deeper into the use of mirror imagery and internal conflict.)

That's why his “love” confession to Cameron in 1.07 appeared laughable, rushed and childish. Indeed, as she aptly said, he has "no idea if they'd still be together if Jimmy wasn't part of the equation." How dare he? I feel like this scene was pivotal, opening the door for Roi to reflect on his advances and avoid rushing into things, making him more cautious about the "lines you cannot cross in love" that dad!Berlin warned him about.

Yes, in the lights of his "romantic" arc, Roi had an illusion of love. Were there emotions involved? Certainly, especially since she helped him discuss his past. Lust? Absolutely.

As for Cameron, she's still grappling with trauma from her last relationship (to be honest, given all the suspense, her backstory was quite disappointing). It would have been in line with her character to step back from love and take some time to focus on herself before engaging in anything new. If the creators really wanted to push the romance, they could have only focused on subtle gestures like handholding and meaningful gazes to build the romantic tension, and not just sexual tension.

I didn't appreciate how they were quickly and overly physical with each other. The emphasis on physical touch didn't enhance the pseudo-emotional intimacy. In fact, I don't believe Cameron fell in love or became very infatuated with Roi. I would have preferred her to embody the femme fatale vibe Esther and Alex gave her and maintain a more casual relationship. Yielding to Roi's advances in the end seemed out of character because she should have been triggered, wary of falling deeply in love again and hurting our sweet baby boy Roi.

This is why their kiss felt unnecessarily desperate and passionate. A simple hug would have sufficed. I understand the fear of not seeing each other for three days, but the purpose of Cameron's words in between kisses, like "promise me" and "I can't myself," left me confused and mainly with unanswered questions. It's even more frustrating when we overlook her role in the heist and the unique talent that makes her authentic in the crew.

To wrap up, I believe both of these characters should have been individually explored. Consider the Octopus and the No me mires tattoos, for instance. Why introduce his through Cameron? Why didn't Roi ask about the meaning behind hers? Exploring this could have provided intriguing clues about her past. We could have witnessed a compelling scene of Roi changing, letting the audience notice the tattoos and prompting questions about their significance. Am I surprised that an entire episode is named after his tattoo, yet its origin remains undisclosed? Not at this point. Consequently, I found it difficult to connect with their bonding over the tattoos.

Despite being 23, their story really felt like a teenage love affair. I suppose I'll let fanfiction fill the void left (or do it myself with missing scenes and an eventual ofc, considering Roi is such fanfiction material).

All in all, Roi was undoubtedly the most captivating character. Performed by a wonderful Julio Peña, he skillfully broke the rules and awkwardly embraced his desires, ultimately earning the approval of his second father figure. I'm uncertain about what to expect in a potential Season 2, but one thing I absolutely need more than ever is flashbacks and explanations, especially given it's fucking Berlin's golden age.

What about you? What's your take on Roi? Did you enjoy his character arc and his "romance"? If you made it to the end, thank you ! Thank you very much for taking the time to read all this ramble of mine. I'm genuinely curious to hear your thoughts within the niche fandom here on Tumblr :)

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ruki-mukami-dl · 2 years ago

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Ruki Mukami

FLAWS.

Wanted to add something else: stingy

STRENGTHS.

SKILLS & HOBBIES.

bold: always apply, bold crossed out: in certain situations or due to certain triggers, cursive: hidden but existing

Tagged by: @yuriko-tsukino-rp

Tagging: @psychoxis @calystegiabit @dialovers-lover-xoxo @strawberry--bride @misslittlefounder

Copy and make a new post, don't reblog. No pressure, of course.

#tag game #characteristics #ruki mukami's characteristics #ruki's characteristics #headcanons #ruki character headcanons #ruki mukami #mukami ruki #ask-ruki-mukami

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jssicamandy · 3 years ago

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This week I’ve been loving and listening to this song a lot. I really love the story within the lyrics. In a very 10cm’s way it is another break up song, but he feels fine even after being dumped by the girl and so started to acknowledge (in his own defense) that maybe he was not that into her or didn’t like her as much as he thought it was lol.

#autumn song #autumn mood #infp love song #infp mood #infp vibe #10cm #k-indie #not that into you #petty lover but charming storyteller #kwong jungyeol #2022 #2022 music #2022 song #2022 playlist

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violeteyedkiller · 3 years ago

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Characteristics

tagged by: @unbreakable-ribbons

tagging: you

{ ｂｏｌｄｗｈａｔａｐｐｌｉｅｓ }

╳ FLAWS.

♔ STRENGTHS.

🎨 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

#about #q

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pussinbccts-archived · 2 years ago

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𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚i𝐭𝐬 .

FULL NAME : Puss in Boots

TITLES : Protector of San Lorenzo, Hero of San Ricardo

NICKNAME : Frisky Two Times, The Furry Lover, Chupa Cabra, El Macho Gato, The Leche Whisperer, Stabby Tabby

╳ FLAWS.

♔ STRENGTHS.

🖌 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

#our minds are becoming one 😺 headcanon

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pellelavellan-a · 3 years ago

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CHARACTER OUTLINE

FULL NAME: Pelle Sibil Lavellan

TITLE(S): Keeper of Clan Lavellan, Inquisitor

NICKNAME(S): Sunshine (ex lover), Peaches (Varric)

╳ FLAWS.

♔ STRENGTHS.

🖌 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

TAGGED BY: stole from @musamulta

TAGGING: @anchoredhero @wclfdreamt @theuthenara @ravusnightblossom @call-2-arms @valorcorrupt @maharielle

#dash games

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nadiaportia · 4 years ago

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Prompt 2 - Parents: “De Rubalcaba y Saavedra”

For @arcana-echoes

Summary: Ximena reminisces over two important people in her life she usually doesn’t think about.

Word count: ~2000

I had the most annoying case of writer’s block for this one when I didn’t know which way of storytelling I wanted, changed what I originally had (the first draft featured a lot more Rubalcaba sisters and took place in Calpacia) and got the idea for this while cooking with a friend. Apologies for the delay and for any grammatical errors or typos but I had to get it out of my system. Enjoy!

“Y’know, it was my mother’s birthday yesterday.”

The words slipped out of Ximena’s mouth before she realized she had actually voiced them out loud and it wasn’t just a stray thought when she saw Asra looking at her with wide eyes.

“Oh.”

He stopped tying together the bundles of sage and reached out to gently touch her hand.

“Ah, it’s fine. I guess I was just too preoccupied with everything going on to remember it. And it’s not like I would have received an invitation to her birthday party anyway.”

Her attempt at a dry laugh was somehow deflated by the sad look Asra gave her, and she immediately felt bad for making light of it.

“Don’t feel bad about it. I almost forgot about my father’s birthday once, it happens to the best of us.”

Ximena sighed but nodded. The thing was that the relationship between Asra and his parents had been vastly different than the one between hers.

“What did you usually do on her birthdays?” Asra had leaned with his back against the kitchen counter. Oh, so this was officially a break from work and story time. Ximena thought about whether to indulge him or not; despite knowing each other for quite some time, she had barely talked about her, or her father for that matter. Her sisters, her cousin and her aunt were frequently featured but for some reason she herself didn’t even know both Marisol and Valentín appeared rather rarely in her stories.

“There usually was a dinner with her favorite foods from all over Calpacia, and each year we gifted her something different - one time Cibela composed a piece for her, Heloisa wrote a play for her with us as the actors and I drew her as the mother of ancient gods once.” Ximena remembered how proud she had been that day when she saw the awe and happiness on her mother’s face. “The dinners were always attended by the nobles closest to her and occasionally also the Zaan, for her 50th they threw her a rightfully huge celebration on the palace grounds, with an orchestra, a huge buffet and everything her heart desired.”

“Something tells me that this was even more over the top than Count Lucio’s birthday parties.”

Ximena shrugged. She avoided the Palace, and with it the masquerades thrown in honor for Vesuvia’s sovereign, so she couldn’t make a comparison.

“She definitely gave her love for pompous celebrations to Heloisa. They were the only ones who loved those parties and took it way too serious. Agustín, Esmé and I were fine with them, we just retreated into some corner and had conversations but Cibela hated them.”

“What about your father?”

“Well, he wasn’t exactly the social butterfly of the two, but he enjoyed himself. I think part of it is because they met at such a party.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, it was actually Tía Esmé’s birthday party which my mother helped organize. Mamá would occasionally tell us about the first time she saw him --” Ximena shifted her posture, adopted a dreamy look on her face and clasped her hands in front of her chest.

“‘There he stood by the window -- wearing that dashing costume made of golden silk, the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes upon.” She dropped her hands to her sides as Asra watched her with fascination.

“Wait, she invited him to the party despite not knowing him?”

Ximena shrugged. “She invited some members of the Merchant fleet, despite not all of them being nobles but since they were basically aristocracy-adjacent, no one really batted an eye. Now, as for marrying a non-aristocrat, that’s an entirely different thing.”

Asra scoffed. She had told him about the strict division of class back in Calpacia, and had called it horrendously intolerant. Part of this system had been what saw the peasants and ordinary people as disposable tools for the aristocracy to use according to their will, including to fight their petty wars.

“They married regardless?”

“Well, back in those days, Esmé was the heiress to Marquesa Constanza, and she vouched for my parents. It wasn’t a scandal despite having potential to be one but given that my father was just a few steps away from aristocracy and had an aunt who happened to be a noble, it really helped their case.”

“Good for them.”

“Yeah. The wedding was really grand. Esmé told us all about it when I was younger, it always sounded to me like something out of a fairytale.” She sighed. “But I think if I were to marry, it’d do with as few people as possible. Hell, Segismundo can be the only witness when my spouse and I exchange vows for all I care for, I don’t care much for grand gestures.”

Asra nodded. It was then when Ximena realized just how awkward it was to discuss a potential marriage with her… well, ex-lover. They were too many things at once, roommates, co-workers, close friends, amicable exes, and most conversations didn’t really get weird; except this one.

For a moment, she wondered what marrying Asra would be like. She doubted much would change between them; not a lot had changed while they were together, except that they became more romantically affectionate and the sex might’ve been gotten more frequent --

She stopped herself at once. Knock it off. Thinking about the sex with the ex with whom you still live and work with while you’re talking about your parents is weird.

Ximena cleared her throat. “Either way… that’s how my parents got married and when Cibela was born, Tía Esmé abdicated the title of marquesa so my mother really won at the lottery that day. Yay for us, I guess.”

“She abdicated? You never told me that… but wasn’t your aunt a whole general?” Asra furrowed his brows.

“Yeah, and choosing to not become a courtier was what made her fall out of favor in my grandmother’s eyes. She wanted a pawn at the court, not a grand marshal who acted independently. My mother fulfilled that role just fine by the time Cibela was born so Esmé gave her title and made a name for herself -- well, a bigger one than she already had. That turned my father into a marqués but it’d never be enough of a status elevation to override the Rubalcaba name so that’s why my sisters and me are ‘Rubalcaba y Saavedra and not ‘Saavedra y Rubalcaba.” Ximena gave a sardonic laugh. “Then again, technically speaking, I’m neither these days.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” Asra said. Something in his voice said clearly that he wanted to know more though, as did his body language.

This was Asra she was talking to, who shared basically everything with her. The most she could do was give him a little back.

“No, don’t worry, I’m fine.” She paused for a moment and an awkward silence hung in the air between them.

“Sooo, what were your parents like?” Asra asked quickly. “I mean, what kind of people were they? I feel like your mum was the life of the party while your dad was more like… you.”

Ximena scoffed with amusement. “Yeah, I suppose that is kind of fitting. The quiet type, it rubbed off more on Cibela than me though. She was their favorite, which makes sense since she’s the firstborn, he even took her on one of his journeys when she turned fifteen. I don’t think he and Heloisa ever found a lot of common ground but then again, she always was sort of the troublemaker. I think he saw more of himself in me, and he loved the way I painted, how I closed myself off from the world when I was working to the point where I think he wanted me to pursue that career and not at the Guild. He was sweet, very gentle and whenever he sang, Mother would cry because it sounded so beautiful. She was a firecracker, turned heads wherever she went. She could always make me laugh even when I was sad as a small child, and loved seeing me do magic. I always wanted to be her as a kid, have the same way with words, to be instantly liked, hell, even be a courtier. I thought being an apprentice was awfully boring at first, which is hilarious because Heloisa thought being a courtier was boring as hell and all she wished for was to be a warrior like Cibela or a magician like me. But Tía Esmé said that I had gotten my father’s ‘tranquil mystique’ that drew people in, as well as his ability to read people.”

“I mean, you do have a ‘tranquil mystique’ which can be extremely charming.” Asra’s lips curved into a smile.

“Thank you, Asra, really.” Ximena replied. The smile on her face didn’t fade when she spoke next, and it had been something that had been bubbling underneath the surface ever since the conversation had turned towards this topic.

“And yet… in hindsight, they kind of sucked as parents. I mean, sure, they were nice, but… good grief, they were so absent in our lives from some point onwards -- even with Cibela, who they favoured to all hell and back! I really felt more like Esmé was my mother more than my actual mother at times!” She laughed. It wasn’t a particularly nice sound, much too bitter and dry but somehow she just felt the need to air her grievances.

“And then because Father was marqués he became more busy, went on more journeys, spent less time at the residence, and then didn’t come back from his trip to Fuck-knows-where alive and it changed Mother so much -- she was irritated more often than not, angry with Tía Esmé and by the time she became ill, she had all but locked herself up in the Summer Palace on our island in the Gulf of Cartagenth. And you know what’s the weird thing about all of this? I didn’t care about it at all. And that’s why I’m surprised in the first place about even remembering this birthday at all, because I’m so used to not caring that suddenly doing so just feels… idiotic.”

Ximena took a deep breath. Asra reached out as she sighed and rubbed her arm, obviously a bit surprised at her small outburst.

“I’m sorry. I wish… you had spent more time with them, and that they would have there for you when you needed them.”

Part of Ximena welcomed Asra’s sympathy, the other wanted to push it away and wrote it off as pity. She said nothing, merely nodded and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Do you still want to make something for your mum’s birthday?” Asra asked slowly. “It could feel nice, and maybe then you won’t think of it as ‘idiotic’ anymore.”

Ximena bit her lip. Maybe he was right… hell, Asra was by some miracle almost always right and taking his advice usually proved to be a step in the right direction. Perhaps swallowing her pride would be nice for a change, considering how admittedly damn hard it tended to be.

“We could make a cake, and if you want it to not just be the two of us, Sayelle can join us.”

“Well, she doesn’t even know who I really am.”

Asra sighed. “You wouldn’t need to tell her, of course -- unless you want to do that as well. I know it took you some time to tell me, so I don’t wanna push you. But she’s a good person and a dear friend, I trust her to keep your secret.”

Ximena raised an eyebrow and eyed Asra. Truth be told, from the amount of time she had spent with the Bizateni magician who owned a shop for magical supplies as well as antiquities, she liked her but this… it was quite the thing to tell someone else.

“I’ll think about it. The birthday is over anyway, so one or two days later won’t have my mother spinning in her grave more than she already might be.”

#my writing #the arcana #arcana eotp #ximena rubalcaba

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growup-gloup · 5 years ago

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🇫🇷 oui oui le cinéma français 🥐

Like most British students, I was forced to study French at secondary school. Obviously the best lessons were the ones where the teachers clearly just gave up and put on a French film for us to watch (avec sous-titres en anglais naturellement, ou on n’aurait rien compris!), and films are a great way to hear the language spoken and pick up some funky-fresh phrases. Here are some particular favourites of mine, for French students and film-lovers alike:

Les Choristes (2004), dir. Christophe Barratier – A beautiful and touching film about a disenchanted music teacher who moves to a boarding school for troubled boys. The choral soundtrack is gorgeous, and Jean-Baptiste Maunier certainly left an *impression* when I first watched this when I was thirteen or so.

Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (2008), dir. Dany Boon – This film follows a postal worker who is forced to move from the sunny south of France to the north, which he (and everyone he knows) imagines to be barbaric. Hilarity ensues. This one’s a classroom classic.

Rien à declarer (2010), dir. Dany Boon – Oh good lord, this one’s brilliant. A Belgium customs officer – a hilariously petty, trigger-happy Francophobe – is forced to work with a French customs officer, whom he especially despises. Unfortunately for said French customs officer, the woman he is in love with happens to be the Belgium customs officer’s sister. Definitely watch this one if you can!

Hiroshima mon amour (1959), dir. Alain Resnais – This one is a bit different, I think it’s one of the first films of La Nouvelle Vague (so if you like straightforward storytelling or lots of action, it might not be for you). It’s serious, poignant and sensual, set in Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima, and narrated in the form of a series of conversations between a French woman and a Japanese man, who are having an affair. They cover (amoung other things) the limits of human memory and powers of recollection, the nature of suffering and the effects of the atom bomb and the French woman’s inability to properly comprehend it.

Manon des Sources (1986), dir. Claude Berri –Emmanuelle Béart is ridiculously, ridiculously gorgeous in this, and the backdrop of Provence is beautiful. What’s not to love? Seriously though, it’s a great film about the scheming and intrigue of a small village in the south of France, and the messy, tangled web of human connections there. And the score is pretty fantastic. (Also, the prequel to this is very good: Jean de Florette (1986).)

Amélie (2001), dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet – Whimsical, charming and one of my all-time favourite films. It’s visually gorgeous (reminded me a little of The Shape of Water actually) and makes Paris seem like a magical wonderland. The story is sweet; Amélie, a shy girl with a vivid imagination, decides to try to make others happy, and falls in love in the process.

La Haine (1995), dir. Mathieu Kassovitz – If Amélie presents a saccharine, perfect version of Paris, this film is the antithesis. It portrays 24 hours in the lives of three youths from Paris’ impoverished banlieues, both there and in the city centre, each from a marginalised community: Vinz is Jewish, Saïd North-African and Hubert is black. The film is incredibly powerful, showing the challenges that the trio face: the struggle of forming an identity as a second-generation immigrant kid, racism and police brutality, classism, the cycle of poverty and the fruitless anger that they feel at this. However, it also shows their camaraderie and banter with each other (Saïd is particularly hilarious), which makes the mounting feeling of dread that pervades the film even more unsettling.

Unfortunately, the social issues that the film presented 25 years ago are still relevant (if not more so, with the rise of the far-right) today, so I will link some articles that talk about this.

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/642-la-haine-and-after-arts-politics-and-the-banlieue

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/03/la-haine-film-sequel-20-years-on-france

À plus,

🍰

#languages #education #french

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avwalya · 5 years ago

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LONG Character Survey: Avwalya Windsong

BASICS:

FULL NAME: Avwalya Windsong

NICKNAME: Avwalya, Avy, Av, Miss Windsong

AGE: 32

BIRTHDAY: 4th Sun of the 6th Astral Moon

ETHNIC GROUP: Keeper of the Moon Miqo’te

NATIONALITY: Eorzean

LANGUAGE/S: Common, Hunter Speak, Hand signs, some Doman.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Bisexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : I just love everyone that I’ve grown close too.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Dating

HOME TOWN / AREA: Twelveswood

CURRENT HOME: Apartment in the Lavender Beds, Gridania. Large House in Shirogane, Kugane.

PROFESSION: Beast Hunter, Bounty Hunter, Body Guard

PHYSICAL:

HAIR: Dark red hair, usually long and put up in a ponytail.

EYES: Dark Green

FACE: Covered in Tattoos

LIPS: Small, Full.

COMPLEXION: Fair skinned

BLEMISHES: Scars from previous encounters.

SCARS: Appearing stomach, sides, and arms.

TATTOOS: Curling on her cheeks, back and sides.

HEIGHT: Tall

WEIGHT: Average

BUILD: Athletic, Curvy

FEATURES: Furry miqo’te ears & tail.

ALLERGIES: None so far I think!

USUAL HAIR STYLE: Ponytail

USUAL FACE LOOK : Thoughtful, Happy, Smiling, Watchful

USUAL CLOTHING: Light or Medium Armor that is usually dalamud red in color while working or protecting her charge. Comfortable casual wear that is modest and perfect for the weather at hand when not in armor.

PSYCHOLOGY:

FEAR/S: Confined spaces, failure, loss of control, powerlessness, drowning, suffocation, public speaking, dying, rejection, not being good enough, routine, loss of family, being forgotten.

ASPIRATION/S: Avy really doesn’t have any big aspirations at the moment but she does want to see Yuki’s & Kiki’s story threw, and make sure her own sister is safe too.

TEMPERAMENT: Phlegmatic

SOUL TYPE/S: Dragoon

ANIMALS: Hawk

FAITH: The Twelve

GHOSTS?: Yes.

AFTERLIFE?: Yes.

REINCARNATION?: No

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: N/A

EDUCATION LEVEL: Schooled by her Twin Adder officer. Average intelligence.

FAMILY.

FATHER : N/A

MOTHER : N/A

SIBLINGS : Avirya Windsong

EXTENDED FAMILY: N/A

NAME MEANING/S: N/A

HISTORICAL CONNECTION: Fought with the Adder at Cartenau, was more of a scout unit but did see some direct fighting.

FAVORITES:

BOOK: Nonfiction

DEITY: Byregot

HOLIDAY: All Saints Wake

MONTH: November

SEASON: Autumn

PLACE: the Twelveswood

WEATHER: Snow storms

SOUND / S: Classical Music.

SCENT / S: Liliac

TASTE / S: Forest Miq’abob

FEEL / S: The touch of a lover

ANIMAL / S: Fox, Hawk, Coeurl

NUMBER: 7

COLORS: Dalamud Red, Soot Black, and Snow White.

EXTRA:

TALENTS: Art, archery, camping, cooking, swordplay, fishing martial arts , meditation,people watching, swimming, storytelling, traveling.

BAD AT: Playing Instruments, Asking for Help

TURN ONS: N/A

TURN OFFS: Complainers. People who need to be coddled. A person being rude, stand-offish, not treating people with respect.

HOBBIES: Sketching, Baking, Fishing, Adventuring, wandering in the wilds

TROPES: Strong Silent Type, Kind Warrior, Adventurer

QUOTES : "Stay strong my friend!” “We’ll get threw this!”

MUN QUESTIONS:

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?

A1 : It would be interesting to put Avy in a Film Noir like movie though she isn’t normally a detective it would be fun to see her in such a roll, “Amon Stole Zel’s Sweetroll.”( she is a baker after all) totally a working title for a possible odd heist movie, it’s definatly not serious.

Q2 : What would their soundtrack/score sound like?

A2 : Probably anything stringed instrumental that would fit the mood of a wanderer.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?

A3 : I’d blame having gone to Mateus at all with my Avwalya alt, visiting @seeker-of-sights wedding, and going to @yuki-yukichan ‘s house warming kicked off my RP writing in ffxiv, and it has just kept on rolling from there.

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?

A4 : I made her as she is because that was what my previous firran Avwalya character from Arche Age was like. Only difference is my previous character was a Paladin, albeit with a short spear and shield.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : She usually internalizes her grievances but doesnt really give them an outlet per say, even with everything she doesn’t usually share these, except with those she is very close with.

Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse?

A6 : I`d say we share some personality traits though she differs in some ways.

Q7 : How does your muse feel about you?

A7 : She would probably wonder why do I take so many pictures of her.

Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?

A8 : She definatly has interesting interactions with other adventurers and bards, she tends to act as a guide to others, or likes to gather information from various peoples she meets.

Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?

A9 : She’s a good influence to those around her, trying to keep them positive and in the moment while she herself thinks ahead to keep her companions safe and entertained, basically i love that she brings a form of happiness to others.

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ?

A10 : Too Long probably an hour or two.

Tagged By: @amandafullmetal , @the-gunsmith-cat , @yuki-yukichan

Tagging: @lizard-grandma @lizard-grandma @enkidu-egi @lumei-xiv @spotofmummery @mairah-ariana @amurr-reha @amahrigold @amememightywarrior @wooddancer-ffxiv @zephypearl @shinnoni @louderthanthedj @eorzeasfrozenknight

#character sheet #long survey #character survey #character info #avwalya windsong

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tlbodine · 5 years ago

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1960s: Alfred Hitchcock Appreciation Week

We kicked off the 1960s with a pair of Hitchcock’s best-known and finest films: Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963).

Alfred Hitchcock’s career began with silent films in the 1920s, directing more than 50 feature films in his lifetime. He won 6 Oscars and was nominated for 46. His name is basically synonymous with a certain type of horror-thriller storytelling, and he’s one of my creative influences and part of the reason I fell in love with horror -- I watched Alfred Hitchcock Presents every night as a kid, bundled up in the dark when everyone was asleep. We could do a whole film series on him alone some day, and hell, maybe we will.

But first...

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Psycho is considered by some to be the first modern horror movie and the parent to the slasher genre. It pushed the envelope of propriety in several ways, from its sexual content to its violence (tame by modern standards, but risque for its time). One of the reasons the film was shot in black-and-white was to get past the censors, who definitely would not have approved the amount of on-screen blood released in the famous shower scene.

The story opens on Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh, who is Jamie Lee Curtis’s mother, for the trivia buffs out there), a secretary embroiled in a secretive affair with a freshly divorced lover. They have financial woes that keep them from running off together...which is probably why, when she has the opportunity to steal $40,000 in cash from her employer, she does so. (in 1960, $40k is the equivalent of like $360k modern dollars, because inflation is terrible)

Paranoid and on the run, Crane bumbles her way through her freshly criminal lifestyle before stopping off at a little family-owned motel off a rarely-raveled stretch of highway. There she meets Norman Bates, the owner, who is a truly enigmatic character: Socially awkward, boyish (and vaguely effeminate), alternately charming and off-putting, and with a decidedly unhealthy relationship with his mother.

If you know anything about horror cinema, you know what happens next. If you’ve somehow never seen it or heard of it, I won’t ruin it for you. I can’t imagine what it must have been like watching that movie in 1960, without knowing what would happen.

What truly elevates Psycho and makes it well worth watching even today is Anthony Perkins’ truly spectacular performance as Norman Bates. He sells the role perfectly, delivering a perfect quiet menace (accompanied by a signature dead-eyed stare and vacant, sinister smile).

Here’s a great article about the influence and legacy of Psycho, which I will link to you here instead of rambling on because I could talk about this movie all day: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8593508.stm

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The Birds is one of those movies that has absolutely no right to be as terrifying as it is. “Small coastal town plagued by a swarm of birds” is a patently ridiculous concept, which goes to show what a creative genius Hitchcock is.

The story kicks off when a wealthy socialite with a tabloid reputation (played by Tippi Hedren) has a meet-cute of sorts with an attorney and becomes intrigued enough to look him up for a social call. The story slowly unspools with all the trappings of what could be a screwball romantic comedy, complete with some flirtatious stalking and some (probably unintentional) homoeroticism between two women who are both attracted to the same guy. There’s this whole convoluted personal drama unfolding...that then goes insanely, horribly sideways when birds start attacking.

It’s absolute genius, honestly, and a true signature of Hitchcock’s filmmaking. He spends so much time crafting these characters and this storyline and then crash lands into it with the horror elements. Here are normal people just living their lives -- dramatic in petty ways, as all of our lives are -- and then out of nowhere, here is a horrible thing that happens to them! That’s how horror occurs in real life, and it’s honestly a technique that isn’t used enough in storytelling.

The scene where the crows gather on playground equipment -- first one, then three, then hundreds -- is deeply unsettling. And if you’ve ever lived somewhere where birds swarm and flock, you’ll never look at them the same after watching this film.

Unfortunately, for all his creative genius, Hitchcock was also a sleazy asshole. He psychologically tortured Tippi Hedren during filming and essentially destroyed her career when she turned down his sexual advances, and that wasn’t even an isolated incident. Sadly, that’s a bit of a recurring trend in filmmaking; many of our faves are problematic. That doesn’t take away from his creative legacy, though, or the influence his stories would have, and for that reason he still deserves a spot in the essential canon.

#horror movies #alfred hitchcock #the birds #psycho #I love hitchcock films #I just bought an essential box set #I'm very excited for it #horror by the decade #horror through the decades

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thefallenapprentice · 5 years ago

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╳ FLAWS.

♔ STRENGTHS.

🖌 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

Tagged by: Several people by now lol

Tagging: All you monster fuckers lovers

#::Side Missions :: (Dash Games)::#fdjska a lot of the flaws are like; really situational

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ll-underestimated-ll · 3 years ago

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Characteristics

tagged by: stolen from @violeteyedkiller

tagging: whomever

{ ｂｏｌｄｗｈａｔａｐｐｌｉｅｓ }

╳ FLAWS.

♔ STRENGTHS.

🎨 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

#about #I log on - I do dash games for Leo - I make no useful posts - I bugger off #italics cos 'he can come off that way but... sorta depends on the day'#or 'could be argued for'#like... Leo is massively paranoid internally yet constantly engages in risky behaviour for a kindred #he avoids some things to the point of coming across as a coward yet considering everything the fact he leaves the house is incredibly brave #god there is a lot that really depends on how he's trying to come across #for strengths it's kinda... things he's meant to be good at yet I can't fucking write him as being cos I'm not those things #for skills/hobbies bolded is 'he can do it but isn't going to be some expert at it'

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ghxstfrxquxncies · 3 years ago

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Characteristics

tagged by: @violeteyedkiller

tagging: you

{ ｂｏｌｄｗｈａｔａｐｐｌｉｅｓ }

╳ FLAWS.

♔ STRENGTHS.

🎨 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

#[ Whiplash Highwire ]-Character Aesthetics #[ Indepth Research ] - Memes + Meme Responses

0 notes

chineselanguageblog · 7 years ago

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Traditional Chinese Art

China, a nation of long history with profound culture, inherited and developed a great variety of traditional art forms which suit both refined and popular tastes. From the melodious and pleasant folk music to the elaborate and touching local dramas, from the simple but elegant inkwash painting to the flexible and powerful calligraphy, one can always discern the light of sparkling wisdom. Traditional Chinese arts have tremendously impressed the world.

Folk Music

Chinese folk music, with strong nationalistic features, is a treasure of Chinese culture.

As early as in the primitive times, Chinese people began to use musical instruments, which evolved today into four main types categorized by the way they are played. The first type is wind instrument, as shown in xiao (a vertical bamboo flute), flute, suo-na horn, etc. The second type is string instrument, represented by urheen, jinghu (a two-string musical instrument similar to urheen), banhu fiddle, etc. The third type is also string instrument, but played unconventionally by striking the strings with fingers, represented by guzheng (a Chinese zither with 25 strings), guqin, pipa (a plucked string musical instrument), etc. The fourth type is percussion instrument, as seen usually in gong, drum, etc. For centuries,Chinese musicians have created numerous excellent songs and lyrics, but, unfortunately, many were lost. The extant melodies include “The Ambush on All Sides”, “Spring Snow”, “Hundred Birds Worshipping the Phoenix”, “Guangling Verse”, “Three Variations on Plum Blossom”, “Spring River Moon Night”, “The Moon Reflected on the Erquan Spring”, “Rain Pattering at Plantain Leaves”, “Higher Step by Step”, “A Thunder in the Dry Season”, etc. Those well-known melodies are often performed at home and abroad, and some have won international awards. “Hundred Birds Worshipping the Phoenix”, for example, won the second prize in the folk music contest, at the Fourth World Youth Festival.

Chinese people love folk music for its unique charm. In China, almost every region has its own folk music troupes, some of which are self-organized by folk music fans. Chinese folk music troupes are often invited to perform internationally. In recent years, they have been invited to visit Vienna-the world music capital, and perform in the famous Golden Hall during the Chinese Spring Festival. The pleasant melodies not only impress the local audiences, but also win international popularity.

Beijing Opera

Beijing Opera is the most popular and influential opera in China with a history of almost 200 years. In the course of its formation, it assimilated the best form many other local operas and was affected by Beijing local dialect and customs. Though Beijing Opera exclusive to Beijing only. Beijing opera troupes can be found in most regions of China.

Beijing Opera combines singing, recital, acting and acrobatic fighting. Singing refers to the singing according to certain tunes. Recital refers to monologues by performers and dialogues between performers. Acting refers to body movements and facial expressions. Acrobatic fighting refers to choreographed martial art. In the long term of development, Beijing Opera has formed a number of fictitious props. For instance, a pedal means a boat, a whip in the hand means riding on a horse. Without any physical props involved, an actor may perform going upstairs or downstairs, opening or closing a door by mere gestures. Though rather exaggerated, those actions would, with their graceful movements, give audience a deep impression.

There are four main roles in Beijing Opera: sheng, dan, jing and chou. Sheng are the leading male actors, and are divided into laosheng who wear beards and represent old men, xiaosheng who represent young men, and wusheng who are acrobats playing military men and fighters. These roles usually wear no facial paintings. Famous actors playing this type of role include Ma Lianliang, Zhou Xinfang, Ye Shenglan, Gai Jiaotian and Li Shaochun. Dan are female roles. Formerly, the term meant female impersonators. It is further divided into several categories. The most important category, qingyi, usually play respectable and decent ladies in elegant costumes. Huadan represent lively and clever young girls, usually play military or non-military women capable of martial arts. Laodan are teh old ladies. Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun and Xun Huisheng were the celebrated Four Major Dan Roles in the 1920s. Jing, mostly male, are the face-painted roles who represent warriors, heroes, statesmen, adventures and demons. Famous actors playing this role include Qiu Shengrong and Yuan Shihai. Chou, most of time, play roles of wit, alert and humor. It is these roles who keep the audience laughing and improvise quips at the right moments to ease tension in some serious plays. Renowned actors playing this role included Xiao Changhua and Ma Fulu.

Facial makeup in Beijing Opera has its own pattern. A sheng or a dan has to have his or her eyebrows painted in a way that they look slanted with the outer ends of eyebrows going upward, and their eyes circled with black color. As for a jing and chou, the pattern is in accordance with the disposition of the characters according to the rule of facial makeup in Beijing Opera. For example, a red face usually depicts the role’s loyalty and bravery; while a white face symbolizes a sinister role’s treachery and guile.

It is said that the complete Beijing Opera repertoire includes more than 3800 plays. What are staged today are primarily three types, newly composed historical ones and modern ones.

Beijing Opera, as the national opera, enjoys a high reputation both inside and outside China. Many foreigners have come to China to learn Beijing Opera, while many Beijing Opera troupes and famous opera actors and actresses have frequently been invited to perform abroad and have been highly appreciated by foreign audiences.

Local Opera

China is a country with vast land and various nationalities. People in different regions speak different dialects. As a result, many local opera forms have appeared alongside Beijing Opera.

Statistics show that there are more than 360 types of local operas, of which the best-known are Pingju Opera, Yue or Shaoxing Opera, Yu or Henan Opera, Huan mei Opera, Guangdong Opera, and Sichuan Opera; etc.

Pingju Opera originated in Tangshan city, Hebei Province and is popular in Beijing, Tianjin, North and Northeast of China. Pingju Opera is lively, free in style and close to life. It is a perfect form to reflect the modern life. The best-known performers include Xiao Bai Yushuang and Xin Fengxia. The representative plays are Qin Xianglian, Small Son-in-Law and Liu Qiao er, etc.

Yue or Shaoxing Opera originated in SHaoxing of Zhejiang Province and is popular in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui provinces and Shanghai. At first, all of the performers ere male. But since the 1930s, all the roles were played by female performers. The tunes of this opera are mild and roundabout, and the acting is meticulous. It became the second largest opera form next to Beijing Opera. Renowned performers include Yuan Xuefen, Wang Wenjuan and Xu Yulan. The representative plays are Butterfly Lovers (or Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai), A Dream of Red Mansions, etc.

Yu or Henan Opera is the local opera of Henan Province and prevalent in Henan and neighboring areas. Yu Opera is played with a bright, loud sound, alternating with sorrowful tone. There are about 650 traditional plays, of which Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying Takes Command, A Petty Official, etc. are the most famous. Well-known performers include Chang Xiangyu, Ma Jinfeng and Niu Decao.

Huangmei Opera is the local opera of Anhui Province and is popular in Anhui and Jianxi provinces, and part to Hubei Province. This opera is characterized by dancing while singing. Its tunes are mild and pleasant, and its movements and natural and graceful. It is also very close to real life. Renowned performers include Yan Fengying and Ma Lan. The representative plays are Marrying a Fairy, Emperor’s Female Son-in-Law, The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver, etc. Guangdong Opera is the local opera form of Guangdong Province and is also popular in Guangxi Province and southern Fujian Province. Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, America, Europe and Oceania, and the people of Hong Kong and Mcao SARs are also very fond of this type of local opera. Guangdong Opera is sung with the Cantonese dialect and is rather unique in its singing style. The best-known performers include Hong Xiannü and Ma Shizeng. The representative plays are Searching the Study,Guan Hanqing, etc.

Quyi (Folk Art)

Quyi is a general term for all kinds of talking and singing arts. It derived from oral literature, the talking and singing performances of ancient people. It refers primarily to storytelling accentuated by body movements to tell stories, express feelings and reflect the social conditions.

There are still about 300 types of quyi beijig performed in China, including comic dialogue, dagu, kuaiban, errenzhuan, tanci, shuang-huang. Of these, the most popular is comic dialogue.

Comic dialogue is a kind of folk art with the “comic” dialogue as the main form of ancient folk jokes. Comic dialogue of today originated in Beijing and Tianjin over a century ago.

Comic dialogue realizes its artistic presentation by means of talking, imitating, teasing and singing. The jokes are skillfully hidden in the baofu, or “package”, a jargon used by the comic dialogue performers. When the right time comes. they are suddenly spilled out, just like the funny stuffs being tossed out of a carefully wrapped package, so unexpectedly, but logically with a second thought, causing the audiences to laugh.

Most of the comic dialogue stories come from daily life. Others are based on folk jokes,historic legends, events, and word games. The stage props is quite simple, a table, a fan , or a handkerchief will be adequate. It could be performed either by one person or two, or even by a group. However, normally, a comic dialogue is performed by two people. The usual pattern is that one is a straight man that asks questions and the other gives funny answers.

The best-known comic dialogue performers are Ma Sanli, Hou Baoli, Ma Ji, Jiang Kun, etc.

With the concerted effort of performers generation after generation, comic dialogue has become a national entertainment loved by highbrows and lowbrows alike.

The Game of Go

The game of go, originated in China, is the earliest form of chess in the world. The board of go consists of a grid 19 by 19 resulting in, 361 intersections. The pieces are placed on the intersections in such a way as to gradually command more territory by surrounding and eliminating the opposition. Each of the two sides, one with black pieces and the other with white pieces, possesses 180 of them. It is an exciting and intense competition and the situation on the board keeps changing and unpredictable. Players have to resort to all sorts of tactics in order to defeat the opponent. As the tactics used in the go are so variable and profound, the ancient Chinese said in an only deities can invent such a game. Playing go exercises the brain and enhances one’s sense of logic. At the same time, it can also cultivate temperament, build up character of perseverance and calmness. Therefore, go has become more and more popular with young people.

Go was introduced into Japan during the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties and into Europe in the 19th century. Today, it has spread to more than 40 countries and regions. Players from China, Japan and The Republic of Korea are of the highest skill in the world, and Chinese competitors like Nie Weiping and Ma Xiaochun enjoy international fame. Go has been developed into a very important international contest.

The Chinese Chess

The Chinese chess, originated from the Warring States Period, is a game created on teh basis of two confronting military formations of that period. By the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it had already become very popular, with its style of play basically fixed by the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

The chessboard is square in shape, with a border called the Chuhe River in the middle that separates the two sides. On either side, vertical and horizontal lines are drawn forming 90 intersections, where pieces are placed. There are altogether 32 pieces, which are divided into two groups. Characters engraved in chessmen are painted red or black respectively to represent the two sides. Each side has a Marshal (King), two Elephants, two Horses, two Chariots, two Cannons and five Soldiers, each with its designated move. At the start of play, all the chessmen must be placed in fixed positions. The red side moves first, then the players take alternate turns. Different pieces have different rules to move, for example, the Horse moves one point orthogonally followed by one point outward-diagonally, the Elephant moves exactly two points diagonally, the Chariot moves any number of points either horizontally or vertically but not diagonally, etc. When the Marshal is checked and there is no way to save him, that side is lost, but sometimes there can be a stalemate.

Since 1949, Chinese chess has been listed as an event in the national sport games. In the 1970s, Chinese chess players began to promote the game abroad, Today, more than 40 countries and regions have established their own Chinese chess clubs.

Chinese Characters

The Chinese characters constitute one of mankind’s oldest systems of writing, and have the most users in the world. There are numerous Chinese characters, totaling about 60000, with about 6000 basic ones. Chinese characters have a long history. It derived from the pictorial recording of events, known as hieroglyph. The earliest Chinese characters discovered up to now are jiaguwen (ancient Chinese characters inscribed on tortoise shells or animal bones), dating back 3400 years, which were already mature characters.

Chinese characters have undergone tremendous changes over the ages. From the earliest form of hieroglyph to the more advanced symbol character compised of strokes, it has experienced a process of jiaguwen, jinwen (ancient language used in inscriptions on ancient bronze objects), lishu (official script), and kaishu (regular script).

There are mainly four ways of creating a word as follows:

Hieroglyph refers to the method by drawing the profile of the involved subject, such as 月 which looks like a curve moon.

Self-explanatory characters are made up by adding self-explan-atory symbols on pictographs, or totally made up of symbols,such as 刃 (blade), which is made up by adding a point on the cutting edge of a knife, pointing out the position of the blade.

Associative compounds are combination of two or more symbols to represent a new character with a new meaning. For instance, the character 明(bright) is composed by 日(sun) and 月(moon). Definitely, it will be bright when the sun and the moon appear in the same place.

Pictophonetic method is a word-formation method combining one element of a character indicating meaning and the other, pronunciation, into a new word. Form element indicates the word’s meaning and characteristic. Phonetic element indicates the pronunciation of the word. For example, 湖(lake) is composed of three dots indicating water, and 胡 indicating the pronunciation.

For thousands of years, Chinese people had been writing in Complex Chinese Characters (Traditional Chinese). However, the Complex Chinese Characters are difficult to identify, memorize and write due to their complicated strokes. From 1949, for the sake of the popularization of education, the Chinese government simplified the Chinese Characters on a large scale. There were more than 2000 Complex Chinese Characters that were simplified to today’s appearance. Nowadays the Simplified Chinese Character is one of the official characters used by the UN.

In history, Chinese characters were borrowed by Korea, Japan and Vietnam for a long time. It has been borne out that Chinese characters are of vigorous vitality.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the traditional art of writing Chinese characters. After centuries of creation and evolution, calligraphy has become a unique from of art.

Chinese scripts are generally divided into five categories: the seal script (zhuang), the official script (li), the regular script (kai), the cursive hand (cao) and the running hand (xing). The seal script was the representative script of the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). The official script was popularly used in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). The regular script was the result of development of the official script. The cursive hand is a fast way of writing the regular and official scripts. The running hand is the script between the regular and cursive. Neither as neat as the former nor as difficult to recognize as the latter, it is the most commonly used, and is the easiest way of handwriting.

There have been many famous calligraphers, such as Wang Xizhi, Quyuan Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan and Zhao Mengfu, to name but a few. Each, after years of hard practice, has formed a unique calligraphic style, elevating the Chinese calligraphy into a higher level.

Chinese brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone are the necessary tools and materials for writing and painting and have always been named collectively as the “Four Treasures of the Study”. To learn calligraphy, one first has to learn how to use a Chinese brush. Beginners should should start by copying the regular script.

Wang Xizhi (303-361 or 321-379) was a famous calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and enjoyed the reputation of “the saint of calligraphy”.

Ouyang Xun (557-641), with personal name as Xinben, was a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, called “the regular script top one of the Tang Dynasty”.

Yan Zhenqing (709-785), with the personal name as Qingchen, was a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. He totally got rid of the early Tang Dynasty writing style and created a new Calligraphy style.

Liu Gongquan (778-865), with the personal name of Chengxuan, was a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. He was famous for his unique script equally with Yan Zhenqing and they were called “Yan & Liu”.

Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), with the personal name of Songxue or Oubo, was a famous calligrapher and painter of the Yuan Dynasty.

Seal Cutting

Seal cutting refers to the art of carving on a block of certain material following a diagram of calligraphy or painting already drawn on it. A unique form of traditional art in China, it is of both practical and appreciative functions. A block thus carved is called a seal. Characters can be carved in relief or deep into the carving material. The latter is called intaglio.

At the very beginning, a seal was only used as a token of pledge or a symbol of power. It was not until the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that the seal was gradually transformed form a practical item into a piece of art. Seal cutting, as a new form of art, started in the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1206-1368) dynasties and flourished in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). During this period, many carving artists and schools appeared. The renowned carving artists included Wen Peng, He Zhen, Ding Jing, Deng Shiru and Qi Baishi.

In seal cutting, seal style cutting is commonly used. Besides that, regular, official, running styles can also be seen. The seal itself can be made of crustal, jade, metal, animal horn, ivory, bamboo, wood, stone, etc. Stone is most extensively used, among which, Qingtian, Shousahn, Changhua and Balin seal stones are the most favorable.

In China, seal cutting is recognized by all circles and is popular today among young people.

Traditional Chinese Painting

Traditional Chinese painting is the art of painting on a piece of Xuan paper or silk with a Chinese brush that was soaked with black ink or colored pigments. It is regarded as one of the “three quintessence of Chinese culture”, the other two being traditional Chinese medicine and Beijing Opera.

By subject, traditional Chinese painting can be classified into three types, figure painting, landscape painting, and flowers and birds painting. Figure painting came into maturity as early as the Warring States Period (475-221) and reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Famous figure painting artists include Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi.

Landscape painting, as the name indicates, delineates the outside scenery. It first appeared in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC) and became an independent genre during the Sui (581-618) and Tang dynasties. By the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it had reached a very high level. Representative artists of landscape painting include Li Sixun, Fan Kuan and Tang Yin.

Flowers and birds painting concentrates on the drawing of flowers, birds, animals, fishes, and insects, etc. in their natural state. It came into being in the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589) and became a mature art during the Song Dynasty. Celebrated artists include Zhu Da, who excelled in execution of flowers and birds, zheng Xie, who was good at bamboo, and Qi Baishi, who excelled in fish and shrimp.

By styles of brushwork,traditional Chinese painting can be categorized into “gongbi” (realistic painting characterized by fine brushwork and close attention to details) and “xieyi” (freehand brushwork aimed at catching the spirit of the object and expressing the author’s impression or mood). Unlike Western sketches which focus on truthful regeneration of subject, traditional Chinese panting pays more attention to verve and artistic conception, canonizing the idea that painting should contain more meaning than what it depicts. For instance, when Xu Beihong began to draw horses, he would firstly have shape features in his mind, and then draw a painting of horses that were more beautiful and real than horses in real life in the simple brushwork. To take “xieyi” painter Qi Baishi as another example, in one of his paintings there were two chickens scrabbling for an earthworm. However, he named the painting “Say ‘Hello’ Afterwards”, meaning that although the bubs were not so sensitive that both of them scrabble for the same food, they would have deep friendly feelings and say “Hello” to each other afterwards. The whole personification of little chickens reflected Qi’s comprehension of the whole life. In general, the style of traditional Chinese paintings is grandiose, containing ruggedness as well as detail and magnificence. In addition, its contents are rich with colorful forms.

In a finished works of traditional Chinese painting, inscriptions, poems, and stamos often come side by side. Therefore, traditional Chinese painting is an art form combining poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal carving, Its artistic achievement and national features have won recognition of the people all over the world. Thus, traditional Chinese painting brings decorous sentiment and artistic enjoyment for people.

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