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uncleasriel · 3 months ago

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YOU GET IT!

This is a xianxia melodrama. It's Gen Urobuchi doing his Use The Characters As Talking Exemplars Of Worldviews thing and then leaning into the pulpy and 'straightforward' xianxia setting to explore it.

It's a world heavily dosed with Narrativium guided by Boochi's hand, all so we as an audience can see the drama play out over Whose Worldview Is Best. This is not a world based on grounded realism or hard science - it's qi-based energy and skilled martial cultivation and esoteric traditional medicine taxonomies and people refining gonzo martial techniques to banish demons into the void between stars.

Accurate calculation of power levels isn't really the point. It's about taking Weird Guys with specific worldviews and throwing them into an arena to see what happens. In some ways, it's exactly how I'd describe Fate/Zero (or the Holy Grail War in general) but free from the constraints of Kinoku Nasu's "hard magic until the MC proves they're a Super Special Snowflake" syndrome.

In some ways, I wonder if this is Urobuchi trying to tease out if it's possible for characters with an Iconic Ethos in certain kinds of narratives really can break free of those narrative expectations. In most forms of genre fiction, there are some sort of structural expectations which shape how the story turns out. This includes characters fulfilling archetypal roles (or, in badly handled cases, being forced into archetypal roles) to ensure events proceed in-genre. When I see Xie Ying Luo's arc (and what seems to be happening with Lang Wu Yao) really get into this.

From what I saw in Season 2, Xie Ying Luo's arc is all about realizing that the role she embodies is something she really ill-suited for the kind of story she finds herself in. As The Princess Of Cruelty, she's adept at deception, underhandedness, poisons and control of insects - unglamorous, indirect & morally contemptible forms of gaining power in Thunderbolt Fantasy's world. She knows she's vastly outclassed in an ordinary fight, but still strives to complete her mission.

To borrow from Robin Laws' framework, Thunderbolt Fantasy is a show about iconic characters. They embody a specific worldview, ethos, or way of doing things, and they stick to it come hell or high water. Characters in these kinds of stories can still experience a wide gamut of human emotions, but at the end of the day, these stories exist to show off these characters Doing Their Thing. These characters are defined by a philosophy or method or outlook that shapes the kind of stories they tell. In the Taiwanese Puppet Theatre tradition that Thunderbolt Fantasy draws from , Main Characters are literally definied by poems - poems that are traditionally read when the characters first appear in a drama, so the audience can tell exactly what they are about.

Just look at Xie's character poem and tellme that's now what she's apepars to be about!

So,leaning into her ethos, she pulls a dirty trick and steals the Sorcerous Sword Index, thinking one of the weapons contained therein could give her an edge up on the competition! But, that's thinking like someone who's not defined by underhandedness, cunning and cheap tricks - and so, by power of narrative, she gaining access to the powerful Seven Blasphemous Deaths sword - the sapient Abusive Relationship Sword herself!

Guess what? Xie in an abusive relationship with the demon weapon instead! Seven Blasphemous Deaths mocks her for not being bold enough, for not committing to her villainous bit - and Xie realizes she wants nothing to do with this kind of world anymore. Throughout the season she rejects her sentient sword, and waffles on what she wants to be, When she finally challenged Shang, and faces him on his own terms, she makes the Dramatic decision to change who she is as a person, and fight him in a contest of strength, rather than dirty guile.

This is not how the characters of Thunderbolt Fantasy work! Characters are who they appear to be, once you know the genre tropes. The believe in their ideals with their whole heart, and put it on the line! But she resists thi, denying her nature as the Poison and Subterfuge gal - and so she's defeated.

Shang, being Shang, lets her live -and he endorses his anti-Fatalist (dare I say challenge to the genre conventions) that people can change and not be defined by who the plot says they have to be. This is so fascinating to me, because Xie at this point could have turned her life around - run away from the Divine Swarm, rethink about who she wants to be, and become someone different! It's why her death at the hands of Lou Zhen Jie hits so hard - it cuts off a fascinating potential to show that, in a world like this, even vile villains can change if they want to.

(I have a whole AU headcanon where she survives the attack by Lou, uses her knowledge of poisons & pharmaceuticals to help treat the worst effects of her injuries, and becomes a wandering medicine peddlar who leverages poisons and cures, leaning into the Xianxia Folk Doctor archetype. She knows she's weak in a straight-up fight, realizes she can be fucking ruthless with an underhanded application of poison, but is trying to be better and so doesn't just want to take the easy way out when fighting guys! But it's a major digression)

I think that's why what's happening with Lang in Season 3 is so interesting, but potentially disappointing - he's a demon by heritage, and literally follows his Demon Daddy Abelzipher into the hell realm at the end of the season, to learn what his heritage is all about. But, his definitive poem is about being a musician who finds evil discordant and against what he stands for. it seems obvious in a moral universe like this one, he'll be faced with what being a demon means, and reject it - because That's What Good Guys Do. Abelzipher won't praise him for his own sake - he seems highly focused in milking his son's despair. Does Xie Ying Luo's death prove the rule - you're stuck in your role in Puppet Melodrama Land, and nothing can save you?

I'm left wondering - is there a fatalism in these xianxia narratives, which will prove Shang Bu Shen wrong - free will doesn't count for much in a world like this, and destiny and fate will inexorably define you as the story progresses. I want Shang to be proven right, because I think there's some real juicy story fun to be had (just look at my weird little headcanon AU for Princess of Cruelty there!). But I think genres are ultimately sets of conventions, and they by definition limit what can happen within them.

The most powerful force in Thunderbolt Fantasy isn't a warrior, or a sword - it's audience expectations, and how well the author can deliver on them.

Some Thoughts on Power Levels in Thunderbolt Fantasy

@jafndaegur got me thinking about this, so strap in because this is a long one!

tl;dr: Narrative casuality is linear for characters and the audience, and non-linear for writers and analysts; power levels in Thunderbolt Fantasy are a perfect illustration of this, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Fight scenes are a major component of Thunderbolt Fantasy, but who wins and who loses is determined less by the absolute power levels of the respective parties, but by the needs of the narrative. There's a tendency to think of it as the other way around because that's how it initially appears to us as viewers--we see the outcome and think one caused the other. However, this is an illusion caused by the way we experience media. From a structural and compositional standpoint, the reverse is true--the story dictates the outcome, not the other way around.

For an example, let's look at Lian Qi's ill-fated fight against Sha Wu Sheng in Season 1. On the surface, it looks like Wu Sheng is considerably stronger, since he was able to kill Lian Qi in one blow. However, consider that Lian Qi's death is required for the story to work--if he survived and Wu Sheng didn't, it would be a different story entirely! This isn't what is usually meant by the phrase "doomed by the narrative," but in this case, it's an accurate description of the situation--there is no power level Lian Qi could possibly possess that would save him from Wu Sheng, since Wu Sheng's presence is required for the story as it stands to work.

Lian Qi's narrative role is to serve as a sacrificial lamb for Wu Sheng--that's his one (1) job and he's very good at it. We know that Wu Sheng is powerful, because he was able to effortlessly destroy a man of considerable skill and power whom Lin Xue Ya had just spoken highly of in the preceding scene. Saying that this means that Wu Sheng is thus a stronger fighter may be true, but it's not particularly interesting as an isolated factoid; what matters is what the fight reveals about the characters (that Wu Sheng is ruthless and determined) and how it advances and serves the story (gets him the Soul Echo Flute and a chance to reunite with Lin Xue Ya).

In other words, strength/power is correlated with victory, but correlation is not causation, even though we tend to interpret it as such because we experience narratives linearly, where cause comes before effect.

The other important thing to consider is that characters in Thunderbolt Fantasy are not simply discrete individuals--they also represent specific moral or philosophical positions. When they clash, the "strength" of the character has as much to do with the strength of this position as it does their physical prowess. This is true for most if not all of Gen Urobuchi's works, but it's more explicitly textual in Thunderbolt Fantasy, because in-universe, the character's "sword" is viewed as an extension of the self; it is primarily through conflict that this self becomes fully revealed.

Perhaps the best example of this is Lin Xue Ya's fight with Mie Tian Hai, in which the latter is fighting to preserve his philosophy that strength through the sword can only be attained a certain way. His physical defeat and the shattering of that worldview occur simultaneously; furthermore, his identity is so wrapped up in this particular point that he immediately kills himself in response.

[As an aside: Mie Tian Hai's suicide out of spite is foreshadowed by Can Xiong doing the same thing in the first episode when Shang Bu Huan defeats him. Can Xiong is not merely a loyal subordinate; he is enacting the teachings embodied by his master. Say whatever else you will about Mie Tian Hai, at least he isn't a hypocrite--he practices exactly what he preaches. There's a reason I refer to the Xuan Gui Zong as a "death cult"!!]

Taken together, these two factors--narrative purpose and philosophical position--provide a useful framework to make sense of conflict, and thus power levels, in Thunderbolt Fantasy. Here are a few examples:

-Shang Bu Huan vs. Lang Wu Yao in Bewitching Melody of the West -- Shang is older and more experienced than Lang in many respects, so it makes sense that he would win out here. However, what settles his victory isn't his physical skill, it's his moral clarity and sense of purpose; he knows who he is and that his cause is righteous.

Meanwhile, Lang is powerful, with martial arts from his unique upbringing combined with the magic of his innate heritage, but he is also confused and morally compromised through his allegiance to the corrupt Xi You imperial court, which ultimately gives Shang the upper hand. Note that this fight ends when Shang directly calls out Lang's ideas of good and evil, and Lang loses the will to continue; his doubts and uncertainty make it impossible for him to win. The climax of the movie is Lang coming to an emotional realization and gaining a corresponding power-up/magical boy transformation to go with it. Changing his philosophy increased his strength, not the other way around!

As Season 2 demonstrates, Lang's narrow-minded focus on good and evil have not changed by the end of Bewitching Melody, he's just altered the definitions so that Shang is now one of the good guys, and taken agency over his decisions instead of being a mindless tool for anyone else. This rigidness will continue to hold him back until he adopts a broader and more mature philosophy. This is especially important, because the Huo Shi Ming Huang fight in S3 demonstrates vividly that Lang's powers are fueled by his emotions; when unchanneled, he is capable of incredible destruction. (There's so much about that scene that is wonderful from an analytical standpoint, but my favorite part is Ling Ya muttering, "Oh, buddy, no" [paraphrase] right before all hell breaks loose; Ling Ya, as Lang's self-appointed mouthpiece, knows what's up.)

-Speaking of Huo Shi Ming Huang, the flashback in S3x06 is one of the few times we've ever seen Shang on the back foot. Not coincidentally, this fight is also characterized by Shang's hesitation and doubts as to the best course of action, which create a cascade of consequences leading to a Bad Ending of Mu Tian Ming's blindness and Shang's subsequent departure from Xi You. I've written elsewhere about how this outcome is also narratively determined in advance by the events of Season 1, which were written first even though they occur later in-universe, to the point where there's an entire mini-arc devoted to showing just how necessary this particular loss was; for better or worse, the entire story of Thunderbolt Fantasy rests on it.

-Xie Ying Luo vs. Shang Bu Huan in S2x09, "The Path of the Strong" - Up to this point, Xie Ying Luo's fighting style has been the opposite of the standard wuxia code of honor--she uses illusions and poisons and takes hostages rather than fight one-on-one. As Lin Xue Ya wryly points out in 2x04, this is the best way of dealing with a powerhouse like Shang Bu Huan (he even says it would be how he'd take Shang down!!!) but it's strongly implied that Xie Ying Luo relies on these methods because she doubts her own strength. [How much of this is due to misogyny is unclear, but there's no question it's a factor; Ba Wang Yu's character in S4 suggests she has taken the opposite approach to the same systemic forces with her emphasis on physical strength.] Xie's arc is characterized by her uncertainty and doubts, which send her on an increasing downward spiral (exposure to Di Kong's nihilism does not help!); even wielding Seven Blasphemous Deaths isn't enough to overcome it. However, after freeing herself from the demonic sword's thrall, Xie Ying Luo makes the unexpected decision to fight Shang one on one with her sword, something she has spent the entire show up to this point avoiding.

This makes no goddamn sense from a tactical perspective, but it's not about tactics or even victory. On a practical level, Xie Ying Luo is saving face--she knows she can't win, but if Shang defeats her and takes Seven Blasphemous Deaths, she can at least say that she didn't completely abandon her duties. She may have lost the fight, but she retains her honor, even if it means she can never return to Huo Shi Ming Huang's service.

Shang recognizes this, which is why he is so gracious to her after her defeat--he respects the courage it took to show up in the first place, and encourages her to redefine what it means to be strong in the first place. Again, we return to the idea that true strength isn't physical prowess, but moral clarity and certainty, which Shang possesses in abundance--and is also willing to pass along to others. Season 2 goes to a lot of effort to demonstrate Shang's mercy and compassion are strengths, not weaknesses, and this scene is further evidence of this.

Shang also believes that fate is not fixed and that people are capable of growing and changing if they choose to do so, which again gives him power over those like Sha Wu Sheng and Lou Zhen Jie, who believe themselves to be instruments of inevitability. (This is also what makes Shang Bu Huan endlessly surprising and therefore interesting and entertaining to Lin Xue Ya, but that's a whole 'nother story.) Unfortunately, Xie Ying Luo is tragically murdered by the very weapon she gave up (and by a man she trusted!!) and never gets to fully realize this, but she tries, damn it, even if it wasn't enough to save her in the end. This is one reason why Lang Wu Yao buries her even though they were enemies, because on some level he recognizes and honors that attempt, despite the fact he wasn't there to witness exactly what transpired.

I should also point out that while moral strength is a source of power, it's not the be-all, end-all--one reason why Lou Zhen Jie is so terrifying is because he no longer doubts. His logic and reasoning might be unsound, but he is so single-mindedly focused on his goal that he can plow through any obstacle single-handedly (pun intended). This is also what makes him such a great foil to Shang Bu Huan on multiple levels; Lou Zhen Jie is what would happen if Shang were evil/misguided/less ethical than he actually was. This is why Shang fighting alone can match Lou Zhen Jie but cannot win without something else to tip the scales.

Here's a fight that's interesting precisely because it didn't happen: Lin Xue Ya vs. Sha Wu Sheng. One reason why Lin Xue Ya refuses to fight Sha Wu Sheng at any point in Season 1 is that it would require Lin to reveal himself openly and intimately in a way he has no desire to do. Furthermore, it would also clash with the needs of the story, i.e., the big reveal of Lin's abilities in the final episode. Lin is so confident in his own abilities that he has no need to "prove" himself by fighting; just as his narrative foil Shang has no need to "prove" his own strength by picking stupid fights and does everything he can to avoid them. The primary difference between the two is that Lin spares his enemies so he can savor their suffering, while Shang spares his enemies so they can do better in the future.

This is why Shang repeatedly and emphatically insists that he and Lin have nothing in common--he sees the commonalities but the differences repel him even more because of it. Note that Shang indirectly critiques Lin's approach when he tells Xie Ying Luo that a truly strong person can spare someone's life and not have them come after him in revenge.... in essence, arguing that Lin's whole approach is fundamentally misguided. (This is also the second time he's done this in conversation with Xie Ying Luo; the first time was in 2x01 when he unfavorably compared her technique to Lin's. For someone who claims to want nothing to do with this guy, he sure thinks about him a lot!) Shang also has no intention of killing Lou Zhen Jie in the climax of S2; all he wants is to take Seven Blasphemous Deaths away from him.

[This leads to fascinating questions like "How will Shang deal with Huo Shi Ming Huang?" and "Can the guy who believes in the supremacy of fate and seeks to become Fate itself ever break free of it?" which I think we'll see in the final movie, so TBD.]

I'll also note that there is a tendency in modern storytelling to have power as the limiting factor for characters, whereas myths and epics give their characters free reign to do whatever they want, and as a story about archetypal characters with superhuman abilities, I think Thunderbolt Fantasy leans more towards the latter in many respects. Characters have exactly enough power to do what narratively needs to get done, no more and no less, so in that sense, it's a very efficient system.

I'll stop here because this is very long and rambling and I think I've demonstrated my point: for something so seemingly obvious and matter of fact, "strength" and "power" in Thunderbolt Fantasy, let alone comparing that of one character to another, is far more challenging than it appears on the surface, and contingent upon both the character's moral stance and the larger narrative of which they are a part. It's both deeper and far more interesting than "Character X is stronger than Character Y" (even if character X is stronger than character Y!).

#thunderbolt fantasy #wuxia fantasy puppet epic #tbf meta #thunderbolt fantasy meta #YES #YOU GET IT #This is a xianxia melodrama #thunderbolt fantasy spoilers #thunderbolt fantasy season 2 spoilers #thunderbolt fantasy season 3 spoilers

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harocat · 1 month ago

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Hello Cdrama fans! The signups for the Yuletide fic exchange close in a little over forty-eight hours, and there are a ton of Cdrama fandoms nominated. I'd LOVE to see some more Cdrama fans on board (and not just because almost all my nominations are that).

Yuletide is an annual fic exchange for rare and obscure fandoms run through the Archive of Our Own. Participants sign up to write a story of at least 1,000 words in a fandom someone else has requested, using the selected characters from that fandom. In return, they receive a story of at least 1,000 words in a fandom they have requested, featuring requested characters.

Please read this FAQ and the Rules before deciding whether to participate.

I had so much fun doing this last year (and I got some great Cdrama fic), so I wanted to share it here in hopes of bringing in some more participants from these fandoms.

The following Chinese/Taiwanese/Hong Kong Dramas are nominated:

HIStory3 - 圈套

S.C.I.谜案集 | S.C.I. Mystery

Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀

一念关山 | A Journey to Love

��良執念清除師 | Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

与凤行 | The Legend of Shen Li

且试天下 | Who Rules The World

九州缥缈录 | Novoland: Eagle Flag

云之羽 | My Journey to You

以家人之名 | Go Ahead

伪装者 | The Disguiser

你安全吗 | Are You Safe

你微笑时很美 | Falling Into Your Smile

你是我的荣耀 | You Are My Glory

侠探简不知 | Ancient Detective

全职高手 | The King's Avatar

冰雪谣 | Snowfall (TV 2024)

卿卿日常 | New Life Begins

南风知我意 | South Wind Knows My Mood

双夭记 | The Silent Criminal

原生之罪 | Original Sin

双镜 | Couple of Mirrors

后宫甄嬛传 | The Legend of Zhen Huan | Empresses in the Palace

君子盟 | A League of Nobleman

唐朝诡事录 | Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty

四方馆 | Go East

四海重明 | Love's Rebellion

回响 | Echo (TV 2023)

墨雨云间 | The Double

夜色倾心 | Night of Love with You

大唐女法医 | Miss Truth

天盛长歌 | The Rise of Phoenixes

女世子 | The Heiress

如懿传 | Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

宁安如梦 | Story of Kunning Palace

将军在上 | Oh My General

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

少年白马醉春风 | Dashing Youth (Live Action TV)

庆余年 | Joy of Life

延禧攻略 | Story of Yanxi Palace

很想很想你 | Love Me Love My Voice

御赐小仵作 | The Imperial Coroner

心宅猎人 | Psych-Hunter

恨君不似江楼月 | Killer and Healer

惜花芷 | Blossoms in Adversity

成化十四年 | The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty

扫黑风暴 | Crime Crackdown

无眠之境 | Desire Catcher

星汉灿烂 | Love Like the Galaxy

有翡 | Legend of Fei

某某 | The On1y One

棋魂 | Hikaru no Go (Live Action TV)

沉香如屑 | Immortal Samsara

沙海 | Tomb of the Sea

法医秦��之幸存者 | Medical Examiner Dr. Qin: The Survivor

浮華夢 | Fu Hua Meng

涂山小红娘月红篇 | Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact

消失的痕迹 | The Evidence Tells

漂亮书生 | In A Class Of Her Own

猎狐 | Hunting

猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin

玉骨遥 | Yù Gǔ Yáo

琉璃 | Love and Redemption

盗墓笔记2之怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 | The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note

相逢时节 | Challenges at Midlife

种地吧 | Become A Farmer

绅探 | Detective L

美人为馅 | Memory Lost

老九门 | Old Nine Gates

老洞 | The Old Miao Myth (TV 1983)

致命游戏 | The Spirealm

花开有时颓靡无声 | Meet You at the Blossom

花轿喜事 | Wrong Carriage Right Groom (2023)

苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil

莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook

HIStory3 - 圈套

S.C.I.谜案集 | S.C.I. Mystery

Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀

一念关山 | A Journey to Love

不良執念清除師 | Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

与凤行 | The Legend of Shen Li

且试天下 | Who Rules The World

九州缥缈录 | Novoland: Eagle Flag

云之羽 | My Journey to You

以家人之名 | Go Ahead

伪装者 | The Disguiser

你安全吗 | Are You Safe

你微笑时很美 | Falling Into Your Smile

你是我的荣耀 | You Are My Glory

侠探简不知 | Ancient Detective

全职高手 | The King's Avatar

冰雪谣 | Snowfall (TV 2024)

卿卿日常 | New Life Begins

南风知我意 | South Wind Knows My Mood

双夭记 | The Silent Criminal

原生之罪 | Original Sin

双镜 | Couple of Mirrors

后宫甄嬛传 | The Legend of Zhen Huan | Empresses in the Palace

君子盟 | A League of Nobleman

唐朝诡事录 | Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty

四方馆 | Go East

四海重明 | Love's Rebellion

回响 | Echo (TV 2023)

墨雨云间 | The Double

夜色倾心 | Night of Love with You

大唐女法医 | Miss Truth

天盛长歌 | The Rise of Phoenixes

女世子 | The Heiress

如懿传 | Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

宁安如梦 | Story of Kunning Palace

将军在上 | Oh My General

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

少年白马醉春风 | Dashing Youth (Live Action TV)

庆余年 | Joy of Life

延禧攻略 | Story of Yanxi Palace

很想很想你 | Love Me Love My Voice

御赐小仵作 | The Imperial Coroner

心宅猎人 | Psych-Hunter

恨君不似江楼月 | Killer and Healer

惜花芷 | Blossoms in Adversity

成化十四年 | The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty

扫黑风暴 | Crime Crackdown

无眠之境 | Desire Catcher

星汉灿烂 | Love Like the Galaxy

有翡 | Legend of Fei

某某 | The On1y One

棋魂 | Hikaru no Go (Live Action TV)

沉香如屑 | Immortal Samsara

沙海 | Tomb of the Sea

法医秦明之幸存者 | Medical Examiner Dr. Qin: The Survivor

浮華夢 | Fu Hua Meng

涂山小红娘月红篇 | Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact

消失的痕迹 | The Evidence Tells

漂亮书生 | In A Class Of Her Own

猎狐 | Hunting

猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin

玉骨遥 | Yù Gǔ Yáo

琉璃 | Love and Redemption

盗墓笔记2之怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 | The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note

相逢时节 | Challenges at Midlife

种地吧 | Become A Farmer

绅探 | Detective L

美人为馅 | Memory Lost

老九门 | Old Nine Gates

老洞 | The Old Miao Myth (TV 1983)

致命游戏 | The Spirealm

花轿喜事 | Wrong Carriage Right Groom (2023)

苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil

莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook

藏海花 | Adventure behind the Bronze Door

西出玉门 | Parallel World | West Out of Yumen

许你浮生若梦 | Xǔ Nǐ Fú Shēng Ruò Mèng | Granting You a Dreamlike Life

说英雄谁是英雄 | Heroes (2022)

还珠格格 | Huán Zhū Gé Gé | Princess Returning Pearl

追风者 | War of Faith

重启之极海听雷 | Reunion: The Sound of the Providence

长月烬明 | Till the End of the Moon

长歌行 | The Long Ballad

长相思 | Lost You Forever

长风渡 | Destined

關於未知的我們 | Unknown

问心 | The Heart

陪你到世界之巔 | Gank Your Heart

霹靂布袋戲 | Pili Glove Puppetry

风起洛阳 | Fēng Qǐ Luò Yáng

飞狐外传 | Side Story of Fox Volant

骄阳伴我 | Sunshine by My Side

鬓边不是海棠红 | Winter Begonia

鹿鼎記 | The Duke of Mount Deer (Hong Kong 1984)

I apologized if I missed any. I went fast so I could actually get this posted. For DONGHUA and MANHUA look under 'cartoons & comics & graphic novels'. For Chinese language movies look under 'movies'. For Cnovels (danmei and other), look under 'books and literature.' There are lots of nominations there as well. Here's the tag set!

By the way, according to Yuletide staff, the most frequently nominated fandom was Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

#cdramasource #cdrama #love between fairy and devil #mysterious lotus casebook #till the end of the moon #blood of youth #uhhh idk #lost you forever #meet you at the blossom #the double #just tagging some popular ones

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sambuckylibrary · 7 months ago

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All TFATWS Anniversary Event 2024 Fills

Thank you to all who participated in this event! here are all the fills you created!

Week 5: No Powers AU by @funsized-loser | SamBucky Fic Rec List | Rated: N/A-E | 13 Fics + 7 Fic Writers Generally Recced |

[podfic] I Could Never Hold Your Heart In My Hand (my darling you already do) by @funsized-loser with original fic by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: T | Length: 1.5-2 Hrs | Snow White Fusion, Fantasy AU, Curse Breaking | AO3 |

Week 5: Ghost/Zombie AU by @funsized-loser | SamBucky Fic Rec List | Rated: T-E | 7 Fics + 1 Fanart |

Week 6: Didn't Know They Were Dating/Friends With Benefits | SamBucky Fic Rec List | Rated: G-E | 10 Fics + 1 Podfic |

Untitled by @onesmolangel | Art | Hurt/Comfort, TFATWS Episode 6 "One World, One People", Hug |

You’re Just Gonna Set Me Up Like That, Huh? by @funsized-loser | Rated: T | WC: 986 | “You’re Just Gonnaa Set Me Up Like That, Huh?”, TW: Blood/Injury, Cute |

Untitled by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: N/A | WC: 511 | “Let Me Just Walk You Through a Hypothetical”, Fluff, Established Relationship |

“Fixing the Boat” by @thatmexisaurusrex | Art | Meanwhile… On the Boat, Gif, Domestic Fluff |

“Sam Finds the Note” and “Bucky Has Regrets” by @thatmexisaurusrex | Art | Divorce Arc, Angst, Thunderbolts Era |

Untitled by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: N/A | WC: 2.9K | “You’re Just Gonna Set Me Up Like That, Huh?”, POV Annalise (Darlene’s Friend), Tooth-Rotting Fluff |

Soul Stone Fic Recs by @funsized-loser | Rated: T-M | SamBucky Fic Reclist | Five Fics |

Victory Party by @funsized-loser | Rated: T | WC: 1.3K | Victory Party, Bittersweet, Let Sam Grieve His Lost Friend |

Never Hit Send, Never Called Again by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: N/A | WC: 3.2K | 6 Months of Ghosting, Post-Endgame, Texting |

Sam Gets Ghosted for Six Months / Bucky Loses His Nerve for Six Months by @thatmexisaurusrex | SamBucky Fanart | 6 Months of Ghosting, Bittersweet, Gifs |

“I don’t think he’s the kind you save.” by @thatmexisaurusrex | art | SamBucky Edit, “I don’t think he’s the kind you save”, enemies to lovers.

Sam Searches for Bucky by @funsized-loser | Rated: M | WC: 1.1K | Sleeping Together, Sam Searches For Bucky, Fluff But a Little Bittersweet |

The Kind You Save by @abarbaricyalp | Rated: N/A | WC: 1.2K | “I don’t think he’s the kind you save”, this one’s angsty y'all, “You’re the one who gets saved.” hits you like a ton of bricks |

Post-WS/Sam-Finds-Bucky fics by @abarbaricyalp | SamBucky Fic Reclist | Rated: G-E | Seven Fics |

#tfatwsanniversary2024 #sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sambucky fanfiction #sambucky edit #sambucky art #sambucky fic rec list #sambucky podfic #mod: thatmexisaurusrex

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sylvestris123 · 1 year ago

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How Aziraphale and Crowley deal with stress

[Sorry, no gifs, this is my first Tumblr post and I don't know how to drive it yet]

There are big differences in the ways that Crowley and Aziraphale deal with unwanted feelings and stressful situations. They have both witnessed and sometimes had to participate in a number of horrible and traumatic situations over the millennia, and they’ve both had to develop coping mechanisms so as not to end up suffering the occult/ethereal equivalent of PTSD.

(N.B. these are not necessarily healthy coping mechanisms, though).

Crowley (to me) is a bottler. He experiences big emotions and then shuts them away deep inside.

(It’s the equivalent of when you find that you have visitors imminent and you haven’t tidied up the house. Sweep everything into a cupboard and shut the door on it. All clear, nothing to see here).

We see this most heartbreakingly in the final 15 of S2E6 when, having poured out his heart to Aziraphale and not got through, he puts his sunglasses back on and speaks in a totally different, flat calm tone.

This method of managing big feelings doesn’t always work. Sometimes the cupboard door gives way and spills everything out. Then you get shouting or thunderbolts and lightning in the street. Aziraphale gets to see it quite a lot (probably because he’s frequently the cause or catalyst), and then he gets slammed against a wall or a Crowley right up in his face. Judging by his reaction when this happens in both S1 and S2, the times we see it are not the only ones, as he’s singularly not bothered by it.

Aziraphale is an avoider. His coping mechanisms are more akin to tiptoeing across a minefield. There are warning signs (“Danger”; “Here be dragons”; Keep out”) and we just Don’t Go There.

(In the house metaphor this would be like there being whole areas of the house that are off limits).

What this means for Aziraphale is that there are great swathes of subjects that he can’t think properly about, and he ends up circling around in smaller and smaller regions of his own head.

When this goes wrong I think that he suffers quite an existential crisis (going back to the increasingly overworked house metaphor, it would be akin to going in to a room and thinking “What is this place? Where am I? I don’t recognise any of this…”). We see this in S2E2 (A companion to Owls) when he believes that he must now be a demon having lied to the other angels.

In the whole of Season 2 they are both pretty stressed (from even before the Jim situation). But we only see it indirectly, with Crowley being on a very short fuse and Aziraphale retreating more and more into a fantasy world.

#aziraphale #crowley #good omens #good omens analysis #neil gaiman #crowley x aziraphale #aziraphale x crowley #good omens 2 #They are both stressed

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inimoose · 1 year ago

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what's the pili(?) stuff you keep reblogging?

as far as i see, it's a stop motion doll story, set in china(?)

and it kinda looks like the modao zushi my sister reads

霹雳 or Pili is a Taiwanese glove puppet drama that’s been airing since the 1980s and currently there are over a thousand episodes. The plot varies across its many seasons but it’s basically about martial arts, sword fighting and lots of drama between the many many characters of the show. (It's not stop-motion btw, it's filmed live with the puppets)

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There’s always some bad guys or groups stirring up trouble. But bad or good the characters always look damn good I mean...

Beautiful :')

Anyway its been a special interest of mine since I was about 16 Cartoon Network aired a horribly edited dubbed version of it before quickly pulling the plug on it (Wulin Warriors�� only look it up if you want to cringe)

As much as I love the series it's rather hard for people to get into if you don't know Chinese. BUT if you are interested you have some options!

Thunderbolt Fantasy:

youtube

It's not Pili but a new series, a collab between Pili, Nitroplus, and Good Smile. If you like anime you'll love this! There are 3 seasons, 2 movies, and season 4 is in production I believe. You can find it on crunchyroll or any site that uploads anime.

Pili Fantasy: War of Dragons:

youtube

A remake of an early Pili series made to appeal to a global audience. It was on netflix, which was a dream come true for me.

Literally.

But since all my dreams are meant to die, netflix removed after a couple years. There's no legal way to watch the subbed version, but there are other ways if you know what I mean 🏴‍☠️

There's another 2 seasons of Pili Fantasy but they are sadly not subbed.

Lastly Studio886 on youtube is currently posting subbed episodes of older Pili series. I will post them in chronological order

Pili Totem:

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Pili Anomalous: The Dragon Domination:

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Pili Sealed Spirits Island:

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Pili Military Conflagration:

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Even though these are older series they're still very good! I'm working my way through The Dragon Domination currently.

I know this is probably way more than you wanted to know but if even one person watches Pili because of it I will be happy. Thank you for the question!

#pili #thunderbolt fantasy

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aptericia · 5 months ago

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I commissioned @sazuka57 for these WONDERFUL pixel sprites of Shang Bu-Huan and Lin Xue-Ya from Thunderbolt Fantasy in the style of the Octopath Traveler series!

A while back, I had created information for them as if they were NPCs in OT2 (season 3 of tbf introduces interdimensional travel, after all!), and I was considering posting them when I decided I really wanted some visuals too. Sazuka did a spectacular job with them (their poses?? all the details on their incredibly complicated outfits?? aaaaah) and was super friendly and easy to work with!

Info below the cut:

Traveling Swordsman (Shang Bu-Huan)

Strength: 10

Skills: Formless Rogue Sword (1-3 highly powerful sword attacks on all foes), Qi Punch (strong physical attack, chance to lower opponent’s physical defense), Qi Healing (restore a small amount of HP to a single ally and remove their status ailments), Attack (Sword)

Information:

Age: 46 Details: After making one too many enemies in his home country, he fled with the intent to rid himself of his burdens. Unfortunately for him, he has so far only managed to acquire even more burdens, such as the enigmatic young man who followed him to Solista. Information Gleaned: None

Items:

Formless Sword (Sword; Phys. Atk +1, Speed +45, Evasion +45) Umbrella (fetches a modest price if sold)

Summon (x4):

Business Partners: Lucky Break (Have a 1% chance to receive purchases for free) Dance Session: Gentle Rhythm (Restore a small amount of HP to the target)

Battle:

Weaknesses: Dagger, Bow, Ice, Wind Shields: 7 Item Drop: Fool's Leaf Learned Skills: Formless Rogue Sword (consume all your SP, then unleash a sword attack on all foes proportional to the amount of SP consumed)

Path actions:

Inquire: Lv. 40 Guide: Lv. 65 Challenge: Lv. 30 Befriend: Stone-Roasted Rice x15 Soothe: Herb of Serenity x1 Ambush: Lv. 60 Hire: $65,000 Coerce: 5 shields Bribe: $5,000

Mysterious Man (Lin Xue-Ya)

Strength: 10

Skills: Misty Veil (cause a single foe’s next 2 physical attacks to miss), Smoke Pipe (Confuse a single foe for 5-7 turns), Empoison, Panacea

Information:

Age: unknown Details: Pretends to be a humble traveler, or whatever other role suits the occasion, but in reality is a master thief known as the “Enigmatic Gale”. Switching from villain to hero at the drop of a hat, his true intentions are impossible to know. He came from a faraway land in pursuit of a certain swordsman he has taken an interest in. Information Gleaned: None

Items:

Bottle of Befuddling Dust Herb Elixir Revitalizing Jam Herb of Serenity

Summon (x3):

Business Partners: Silver Tongue (Receive 20% off purchases) Dance Session: Bewildering Ballad (Cause a curious effect to occur 1 time)

Battle:

Weaknesses: Staff, Dark Shields: 5 Item Drop: Refreshing Jam Learned Skills: Misty Veil (cause a single foe's next 1/2/3/4 physical attacks to miss) (20 SP)

Path actions:

Inquire: Lv. 20 Guide: Lv. 30 Challenge: Lv. 40 Befriend: Octopath Bowl x3 Soothe: Herb of Serenity x3 Ambush: Lv. 60 Hire: $30,000 Coerce: 6 shields Bribe: $3,000

#thunderbolt fantasy #tbf #crossover #octopath traveler 2 #8path2 #shang bu huan #lin xue ya #thank you again sazuka!!! you do not comprehend how much joy these little guys bring me

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glorioblog · 2 months ago

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The GLORIO Chat Episode 171: Fall 2024 Anime Preview

We get nostalgic in both good and bad ways as we preview some of the big name anime airing in Fall 2024. Continue reading The GLORIO Chat Episode 171: Fall 2024 Anime Preview

#365 days to the wedding #bananya #dan da dan #dragon ball daima #gundam requiem for vengeance #magilumiere #negative positive angler #palworld #ranma 1/2 #tag #the glorio chat #thunderbolt fantasy #trillion game #uzumaki

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dobadgerseatsnakes · 9 months ago

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Thunderbolt Fantasy season 2 end credit-- LIn Xue Ya

#thunderbolt fantasy #lin xue ya #everyone's favorite pipe bastard #my gifs

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plonkfolio · 10 months ago

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Tried a fun art trade with fellow moot @tkwmatsu and in exchange for a lovely Xu Sheng fan art, I drew them Shang Bu Huan from Thunderbolt Fantasy! <3 He was fun to draw and it reminded me to catch up on Season 2 and 3 LOL Thank you again for the art trade <3

#thunderbolt fantasy #shang bu huan #殤不患 #art trade

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guybitesatgames · 30 days ago

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Thunderbolt Fantasy themed Charm Modes for Exalted Essence

It was inevitable that once I got a hold of Personal Modes, I'd start translating Thunderbolt Fantasy scenes into charms. As an ongoing project, I'm going to try to come up with at least one per major character, with the goal that they're specific enough to be recognized, but broad enough to be usable without context. If I end up making more of them, they'll be collected here.

Below the cut we have a basic charm for Shō Fu Kan, and personal mode upgrades for Rin Setsu A and Screaming Phoenix Killer. Beware spoilers through the end of Season 1.

Shō Fu Kan Edgeless Blade Approach Prerequisite: Physique 4 or Close Combat 4 By choosing only to carry ineffectual weapons, the Exalt ensures her sword is never drawn frivolously.

Commit 2 motes for the scene. The Exalt may choose for these motes not to raise her anima. Weapons with the Improvised tag lose their accuracy penalty and gain the Artifact tag and her choice of either the Piercing, Pulling or Thrown tags (chosen when she activates the charm) while she wields them.

Trivial characters perceive affected weapons as the genuine article (a stick painted silver passes for a sword or a length of ivy passes for a whip); non-trivial characters may make a difficulty 3 Awareness-based roll when interacting with the weapon or the wounds left by it to notice the deception.

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Rin Setsu A Crow Offers His Head Prerequisite: Embassy 3, The Perfect Price For a sufficiently canny Sidereal, the customer is always right, even when what he wants is her death.

This charm upgrades its prerequisite. If the Sidereal offers to attain the object in question on the target's behalf, and doing so could reasonably be expected to be dangerous, the Sidereal may purchase one instance of Persuade without paying its success cost.

Further, if the offer meets the above criteria and the target has a negative intimacy that applies to the Sidereal, that intimacy is treated as one degree weaker. If the target has multiple intimacies that would apply, instead, he may only use the weakest. (A character with a Major tie of hatred to the Sidereal and a Minor tie of annoyance to the Gold Faction would only get to leverage his Minor tie)

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Setsu Mu Shō, the Screaming Phoenix Killer Following The Wind To The Grave Prerequisite: Awareness 3, Corpse Questioning Technique The Abyssal's quarry shall only know peace in solitude. Every witness to him is a future corpse waiting to divulge his location.

Commit 1 mote and choose a target the Abyssal has a negative intimacy towards to become her quarry. For as long as this charm is active, when meeting a character, the Abyssal can automatically detect whether he has interacted with her quarry within the past month. If the Abyssal kills someone who has interacted with her quarry, she may waive the cost of Corpse Questioning Technique as long as the questions she asks would aid her in finding or defeating her quarry.

At Essence 3, the time since the other character has interacted with her quarry increases to one year. Even if he does not have up-to-date knowledge related to her quarry, a clue on his body points the Abyssal toward someone who would. Additionally, as long as the charm is committed, the Abyssal waives the cost of read intentions actions to reveal a character's tie to her quarry.

#thunderbolt fantasy #exalted essence #exalted rpg #exaltedposting

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scrunglepaws · 1 month ago

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Yellow! I use this account to post my (Sonic) art and writing! I try to keep my queue full so I have at least one doodle to post a day. Any writing I get done is a bonus. :D (My Ao3 is also scrunglepaws!) I love all of the Sonic characters, but mostly focus on my favorites + my aus. Once in a while I post fanart of other peoples' fanstuff if I get the gumption! owo

My absolute favorite lil guys: Kit, Tails, Mangey, Nine, Metal Sonic, Tails Doll, Eclipse, Silver

Other guys I really like: Mighty, Ray, Chaos Sonic, Tangle, Surge, Dr. Starline, Mimic, Barry, Omega, Shard, Mecha Tails (the silver one), Rusty Rose, Sails, Froggy (No Place), Dive, Tilly, Thunderbolt

Favorite Character Matchups (x=romo, +=platonic): Nine+Mangey, KitxTails, Kit+Tails, Tails+Metal, Shadow+Metal, Tails+Shadow, Nine+Sonic

Likes/Follows will come from my main, scrungleCLAWS, just a heads up. I use that account to reblog cool art and things with my silly commentary (read: gushing usually) in the tags. I also post music I like and occasional mumblings. You should follow it to see other peoples' pretty art! If you want! 'w'

🌽WARNING: CORN ALERT!!! :D🌽

I am all about spreading joy, creativity, and positivity. I care a lot about the things I make and I hope that my passion shines through to make others happy, or even inspire. I'm also horrendously corny (you were warned!), but that's okay. At worse I'll give off second-hand embarrassment (I’m so sorry! 8C), but at best I'll attract people that aren't afraid to be earnest and cool and fun around me. That is to say: leave that super long comment, send that ask, draw/write that thing, formally request friendship (!?)! And if you're ever feeling shy, embarrassed, or like you're "just too much"… Think of this paragraph some person named SCRUNGLEPAWS wrote on the internet. You cannot possibly be more corny than me. It might even be illegal. Anyway, check out my sick aus:

🌈 Kaleidoscope // #kaleidoscope au Fics: [Act 1] [Act 2] [Act 3] [Mangey Remembers (prequel)]

A scifi/survival/mystery starring Tails, Nine, and Mangey with a heavy focus on introspection and platonic love between friends. There's a huge layer of angst, hurt/comfort, and trauma above all the funky worldbuilding that's slowly revealed as the story progresses. And somehow, a bunch of silliness inbetween. // Sort of accidentally became a slowburn friendship between Mangey+Nine xD

🌊 Someplace // #someplace au Fics: [Aquarius] [A Drop in the Ocean (prequel)] [planned sequel 'w']

A dysfunctional and slightly homicidal, but ultimately heartfelt and sweet KitxSails story. They're both adults struggling with trauma that is buried so deep that SURELY it won't pop up and affect the cute shit going on in the fic… Surely… // This tag also encompasses Kit and Sails' backstories, including the fun worldbuilding expansion I did for No Place. Hence the au's name.

💜 CaveTails* // #cavetails au Fics: [wip!]

Kittails + 50's-ish setting + Journey to the Center of the Earth/Lost World vibes + werefox Tails = fic that I can’t think of a name for, so it’s still called "CaveTails." Closeted gay research assistant Kit falls into the arms of a MOOOONSTER on a perilous expedition. Can the rest of the research expedition (Surge+the hooligans) save him in time? // Sort of a MangeyxKit fic- Tails is kind of an amalgamation of Tails, Mangey, and a werefox, so? (Just need a Nine/Kit fic and I'll have a complete set xD)

🌿 The Kelpie // #folklore au Fics: [The Kelpie]

Fantasy setting where fae creatures and normal mobians are at odds with each other. Tails tries to use his magical prowess to craft something that will surely take care of the local kelpie problem. Well, either that or he'll be met with a grisly underwater death. // Gasp, another kittails fic, who woulda thunk?? This time Kit gets to be the monster, though. And it's not really all that romantic.

☣️ No Heroes Zone // #nhz au Fics: [Broken Bond] [Takeout]

Au where the dynamics between the characters have shifted to make everyone more towards that middling grey area. Eggman isn't as villainous, Sonic isn't as heroic. No one really has a good time. It's… Really hard to summarize this au? xD; It's a collection of episodic stories with no real overarching plot. Mostly focuses on Tails and Metal. Lots and lots of angst from everyone, with fun bits sprinkled in. Like: Maria's still alive and shares an apartment with Shadow. That's nice. :3

Other Stories/Ideas I Might Expand Upon: - The Last Fox (x): Knuckles/Tails swap au - Nine's Shadow (x): The Grim did have variants, they’re just dead / Zombie Tails - Rascals (x): Shadow has to take care of the main cast who have all mysteriously turned into babies - BFF AU (x): Tails Doll makes a Kit Doll for a friend - Alien* (x): Silver is an alien that crash lands on Mobius

That’s all for now! Have a fruitful/cornful day! :D

#pinned intro #been wanting one for a while so this will do for now!#I can make it pretty later #corny on main!!!! look out!! 80

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