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the-wintry-mizzenmast · 7 months

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When a dao isn't just a dao 笛飞声的刀不只是刀

A quick and dirty analysis of Di Feisheng's dao

Following up from my previous post speculating about Di Feisheng's dao 刀, I think the configuration of Di Feisheng's dao is quite clever and consistent with his character, despite looking like nonsense at first glance. I know more taiji and kung-fu 刀 dao forms than I do 劍 jian forms, and this is what I choose to do with my knowledge and time, I guess.

Before I launch into his dao in particular, I think it's important that you understand what a dao is, and how you are supposed to attack and defend with one.

When you say 刀 dao (in English, it's also been called a Chinese saber or broadsword), this is what it's supposed to look like (I've annotated the image below from the Wikipedia entry on dao). They are by definition single-edged, and the majority are slightly curved (though there are some variants such as the Nandao 南刀 which are straight). A dao should have a point, a sharp edge (in red), and a blunt edge (in blue). The blunt edge (short edge, or inner edge, since the thing is curved) is usually quite thick.

One of the main ways that a dao does damage is through slashing/chopping motions, either down, sideways, or upwards (which my sifu always called uppercuts). All upwards slashes with the dao require that you turn your wrist so that the sharp edge, which usually faces down, faces upward instead.

The other way that a dao does damage is via forward thrusts, where the point of the dao is supposed to pierce enemy flesh. The basic attacks I've mentioned above are in the beginning of this clip, and I've added text to the original video below to highlight what's what and what they're supposed to look like.

(n.b. I was just randomly searching for videos to show what I'm trying to describe, no endorsement intended).

One of the things you'll notice from the above video as well is that the master is putting his hand on the blunt edge. This helps stabilize and give more power to the dao through its various motions, and is a basic part of how dao forms are supposed to work.

The blunt edge is also important because it helps in defense. One of the cardinal rules of a dao is that when you are defending, the dao should be kept close to your body, with the blunt edge facing your body. This is what a basic block looks like:

Should you get hit, you can brace the blunt edge of the blade using a shoulder or upper arm. In certain positions you can also use your hand as a brace on the blunt edge to stop (or execute) a particularly strong attack.

These are the dao basics. Now you have enough background to know what makes Di Feisheng's dao so unusual: it is double-edged, and it has a blunt tip.

These two things must follow if you have a dao that has two edges and is blunt at the tip:

You are limited to slash and chop attacks as your main blade damage. Thrust attacks won't penetrate flesh unless you have a serious amount of qi behind it.

Your defense is limited, because you can't use your dao to defend in the usual way.

But wait, does Di Feisheng's dao really have two full edges?

If you're a details guy like me, and completely obsessed over Di Feisheng (guilty as charged), you'll notice that one the edges of his dao doesn't actually extend the full length of the blade:

From the way that light reflects off the edges of his dao, you can see a bit on the short (inner) edge of the dao where the blade seems to transition from sharp to blunt:

And this shot, it's confirmed that there is a short blunt area on the inner edge of his dao:

In this memorable scene, Di Feisheng uses his hand against the very short blunt part of his dao to press his attack into Li Xiangyi's cheek:

One of the upsides of his unusual dao is also that he can use the inner edge for attacking as well. Upward sweeps using the inner edge aren't possible with usual daos (because they are blunt), but are possible with Di Feisheng's dao. I think we see an example of that here in the way you see his arm sweeping upward. (He has also added a substantial amount of qi to this sweeping strike, most of us plebs don't have enough qi to do anything like this.)

You can see how he gains some flexibility to his attacking capabilities, when he flips his blade mid-block into an attack:

While a double-edge gives him more adaptability in terms of attack on along the slashing and chopping edges of his dao, what he is losing out on because of the blunt end is thrust. You almost never see Di Feisheng thrust his dao forward because his sword just doesn't work like that.

In this final scene in the episode one fight when they are charging at each other, Li Xiangyi thrusts the Shaoshi Jian forward, but Di Feisheng, due to the design of the dao, has to slash:

However, most of the power of a dao is in its slashing and chopping motions. This is where the weight of the blade and its curved design (plus gravity and force) result in the most damage. Unlike the jian, the dao's thrusts do less damage. My conclusion about this is that it's a purposeful trade-off that Di Feisheng has made. He would rather maximize his offensive capabilities where they are strongest.

In terms of blocking, the design of Di Feisheng's dao means he's at a defensive disadvantage, since there's no blunt area to brace his body against for blocking (he can use his hand on the bit that is blunt, but because he has an edge along the rest of it, he can't use a shoulder or upper arm). This is a key feature of the standard dao that Di Feisheng's dao is missing.

In this move in the Battle of the Eastern Sea in episode 1, we see Di Feisheng execute a block, but he's got both of his hands along the hilt instead:

At this point, it should be noted that the standard dao is typically a one-handed weapon. The hilt is slightly curved, so you can get a good downwards chop with your wrist. There are other daos that have straight hilts and can be two-handed like the Miaodao 苗刀 (which is more similar to the Japanese katana 刀 than most Chinese folks like to admit). Di Feisheng's dao being straight-hilted and two-handed isn't that unusual because it's a feature that can be present on certain types of dao (it's way less unusual than the two edges!), but I thought it was worth pointing out in case any eagle-eyed readers noticed the difference between the Wikipedia image and what Di Feisheng has.

I could wax on about Di Feisheng's dao and his fighting style forever, but I think this thread has gone on for long enough.

I believe that the design of Di Feisheng's dao is very clever. At first glance, it seems utterly silly (what kind of dao has two edges?), but on deeper inspection of his style and how he uses it, it is consistent with his character.

He is always playing on Hard Mode because he is trading defense for more flexibility in his offense. And he is maximizing his offense where it is strongest (slashes and chops), and choosing to forego the offensive capabilities where it is weaker (thrusts).

...And that really is Di Feisheng's martial arts style in a nutshell, isn't it?

#mysterious lotus casebook #di feisheng #笛飞声 #meta #莲花楼 #Di Feisheng's dao #which is just named 刀 #刀就是刀要什麼名字 #i know more 刀 forms than 劍 forms and this is what i do with the knowledge #笛飛聲 #蓮花樓 #cdrama #cdrama meta #I'm sorry the GIFs are terrible quality I can't be bothered #also at some point I really want to an analysis of the choreo in the final fight #there was awesome shit being pulled by the choreographers that I've never seen in a wuxia

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bestanimatedmovie · 1 year

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Choose your favorite!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

Kung Fu Panda:

Honestly iconic. The progression of story, the message, the acting.

The way this movie balances tone is nothing less than astonishing to me. It's funny and lighthearted but also intense and dramatic and neither ever take away from the other. Every joke and emotional beat lands excellently. Not to mention. The fight scenes SLAP. And so does the score!!

It's just GOOD. I love how all of them were insanely genuine. Po genuinely wanted to be a Kung Fu master. The Furious Five genuinely wanted to be the very best like no one ever was. And Tai Lung genuinely wanted to kick the shit out of anyone that even looked at that dragon scroll. But seriously one of the best movies.

Treasure Planet:

The setting and focal relationship!

WHALES IN SPACE. Second best treasure island adaptation (#1 is muppets). The song The Song!!

Where do I begin with this movie? It blends CG and hand drawn animation beautifully. All of the backgrounds are gorgeous. There are so many cool alien designs. The score is absolutely perfect. The amount of detail put into the design and worldbuilding shines through. All of the characters are so much fun to watch, especially Long John Silver and Captain Amelia. This movie takes at least partial responsibility for my love of space/sky pirates. Also it was actively sabotaged by Disney so I need to vouch for it at every chance.

Space pirates in a classic novel. It's gorgeously animated with a blend of 2d and 3d. Also, LONG JOHN SILVER HAS A 3D HAND thats hecking impressive for a main character to be a blend of the two in 2002. Did I mention the twink protagonist and malewife for the rich halfwit son? The aliens are beautifully unique, and a mantis guy floats off into space. from a pirate ship. because they aren't just space pirates, they're aliens and cyborgs on pirate ships going through space. Which fucking rocks.

It's a genuinely creative adaptation of Treasure Island that has so much heart and incredible animation. It helped pioneer 3D animationa nd it was the first feature animated film to utilize both 2 and 3 D animation

The animation is so good, and the way that the antogonist isn't black and white, he genuinely cares for the protagonist <3

Pirate ships in space!

Watched this on loop as a kid, gave me solace for not growing up with a dad

It fucks

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How this movie looks is absolutely amazing. A space-steampunk pirate story with fantastic visuals and (mostly) great characters. The vibes this movie has are off the charts. Jim is the bad-boy-good-heart kid, the doctor is a silly-goofy-but-oddly-competent support and Silver is a complex father-figure-who's-made-mistakes. Also MORT the cute little jelly that won me over in 0.5 seconds flat. I am also a slut for a good soundtrack and this one SLAPS. I will stand by my opinion that the Russian version of the song I'm Still Here did a better job of fitting the montage and the mood. That's a hill I will die on.

#Kung Fu Panda #Treasure Planet #best animated movie #round 2 #tournament poll #tumblr's favorite

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ciphykiss · 1 year

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< incubus (ii) >

blade x f!reader; implied nsfw (only un-explicit part), mdni (implied) somnophilia

a/n: second part of incubus, but stave off the thirst for now XD

“Declined.”

You blink, once, twice, dazed—you count every checkered tile in your peripheral vision, wondering if you’d misheard. Bewildered, you straighten from your previously bowed stance, head tilted to the side. Jingyuan pays you no mind, bent over a fortune scroll stamped with Master Diviner Fuxuan’s insignia. Behind him, Yanqing can only stare, wide-eyed.

“Excuse me?”

Those infuriating, once captivating (but now more serpentine than anything else) golden eyes peer up at you, unperturbed. “Upon careful evaluation, it has been deemed that [Name] of Cloudford’s maximum security detention center is to remain deployed at her post indefinitely—until the case of the stellaron hunter is sealed and closed.”

“By whom?” You demand, fists clenching the fabric of your dress. “‘Indefinitely’? Exactly how long is that? This is ridiculous, and against the very rights printed on Section 35 of the Luofonian Codex—”

“By me.” Jingyuan rests his scroll atop his checkerboard. “And I’m sure you’re aware by now, but the Codex also states every Arbiter General is free to exempt and circumvent said articles when deemed necessary.”

“You can’t be serious,” you hiss, slamming your hands over the table; you see Yanqing bristle, hands cleaving for his sword, and Jingyuan has to raise a hand to temper his retinue that had, no doubt, risen to their feet and aimed rifles at your head. You pay them no mind; the vampire-bruises from last night sting as a reminder of your paranormal plight, caked under layers of foundation and color corrector. There’s an odd sting that shoots up your left leg, making it slightly difficult to stand upright. “You’re making me a prisoner of the flagship?”

Jingyuan sighs, resting his chin on a hand; ah, it’s that attitude again, all unbridled kindness and fleeting exasperation, like waves atop a morning sea. Over time, it spells more patronizing than it does calming, and urges you to reenact the more violent (and less whorish) parts of your lucid dreams. Your fingers twitch at the sight of his unmarred cheek.

“Why must you always assume the worst of me, my dear assistant?”

A droll stare. “You uprooted a fresh graduate from her position as amicassador, took advantage of her naivete to weasel in mutable terms in her contract, had her work an eight to ten schedule with unpaid overtime, and encouraged said amicassador graduate with no background in combat to cross-examine one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy.”

“First of all, what you are not paid in overtime is delivered to you in the forms of generous bonuses and an exceptional annual raise,” Jingyuan argues, scandalized by your declarations. Even Yanqing looks to him accusingly now. “And as for your meeting with… our newest problem, well, that’s a result of your own belligerence, isn’t it?” He taps his table with his knuckle, the first signs of irritation stretching over his usually composed visage. “You were instructed to meet with me as soon as you arrived on scene. If you had, I would’ve taken the time to inform you of what you were getting yourself into, and the risks associated.”

You throw your hands up in the air. “Well, fuck me for not considering my employer would throw little old me into a foray of top ten most wanted killers! I don’t know what you want me to say, Jingyuan, especially considering how little regard you’ve shown me for my entire career at your stupid post.” Your lips curl. “And you wonder why your turnover rate looks like it crawled out of Tingyun’s first year exam scores. Unbelievable.”

“Mind your tongue; there are children present,” Jingyuan snaps, but neither you nor his blond heir really give a damn. In fact, Yanqing looks like he’s fighting a smile. At least someone found the situation funny. “Regardless—this is a decision that has been agreed upon by both Diviner Fu and I. Thus, your resignation request has been… well, rescinded.”

His lips twitch into an almost-smile, and despite sounding like he meant official business, you can tell the bastard is enjoying this. You gaze mutely at the hastily-scrawled resignation essays you’d filled out at 6 AM over coffee stains and ink splatters, untouched beside a gold, ornate vase on the Jingyuan’s table; the general raises a brow at your lack of ire, likely expecting glares or creative (but politely-framed, as to not earn a bullet to the back of your head) death threats by now.

Instead, you smile. Jingyuan immediately grows wary.

“Article 6, subsection 23,” you purr, “Any defamation or destruction of property belonging to the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Luofu will result in the permanent termination of said civil servant’s contract; punishments include, but may not be limited to, a six-month leave of absence from all organized labor.”

You grin. Jingyuan’s eyes widen.

“...whatever it is you’re planning, do no—”

“I think I’m long overdue for a vacation, don’t you, general?” You sing, and the general and his compatriots can only watch in slack-jawed horror as you raise the vase (an armistice gift from the Marshall Hua) and send it shattering onto the tile.

Deathly silence fills the halls of Jingyuan’s palace. Jingyuan doesn’t look up at you when he speaks, low and gritted, as damningly close to murderous as you’d ever heard him.

“Take her away. Solitary confinement. Two hours—then ensure she returns to her duties. This time, I want completion.”

Your smile drops.

“You—!”

And then you’re thrashing, the ends of your heels digging uselessly into the ground. The stupidly beefy arms of his personal guards yank you backwards to your makeshift cell (the infirmary), preventing you from falling backwards on your face.

“You can’t do this to me!” Your shrieks go unacknowledged; Jingyuan is too busy mourning over his dumb vase. “Jingyuan, you bastard! This is a violation of my rights! Terminate me! Throw me in jail! Anything but back there!”

Yanqing glances over the broken shards glinting over filtered sunlight. “General… is it really okay to let her go like that?”

The silver-haired man sighs, weary and a thousand years older than his already-dreaded age; he picks up a shard and examines it for any signs of salvageability (there are none). “Despite her… grievances, Diviner Fu has already determined her ‘likely favorable but not quite necessary’ for this case. I’m afraid she would’ve had to stay regardless. Though I do wish my dear assistant was even a smidgen more… agreeable.”

“—I knew I should’ve let Tingyun leak your 18+ sauna album! Just you watch, Jingyuan, after I’m through—”

“She has what.”

ꨄ︎

“—so please, for the love of all Aeons, I don’t care if it’s your stripper alias or Foxian Beauty & Haircare handle, just please, give me something to work with,” you groan, finding yourself at the mercy of the selectively mute space murderer with both your clothes and hair disheveled from fighting off (clawing at) Jingyuan’s men. Your throat aches from two hours of screeching obscenities, begging for mercy, and finally, prayer (unfortunately, you’d never been pious, and Lan had likely forsaken you by now). You’d thrashed, flipped the nursing cot upside down, shattered glass vials against the walls, and fallen to a half-dead heap on the floor by the time you were dragged in to resume bio-data collection.

If he registers your incessant whining, the space-criminal doesn’t show it; he says nothing for a long while until the void fills with the sound of incessant pen-tapping against your digital clipboard.

His mouth bends into a frown. “Stop that.”

“So he speaks,” you drawl, sarcastic. “Tell you what—why don’t you share your introductions with the class—me—and I’ll stop yammering. Easy as that.”

“Is it necessary?” He inquires cryptically. “Why don’t you just ask that general of yours—I’m sure Jingyuan would be able to sate your curiosity.”

Your rhythmic tapping ceases. “You know Jingyuan?”

That, he doesn’t answer; you observe him as he lapses back into silence, as dark and brooding as ever before, and feel the welts on your neck itch, an obtrusive reminder of your night terror (your dubbing isn’t quite accurate, but the label makes you feel better about yourself). Then, you resume clacking your pen in tribute to the morning show you’d catch glimpses of on the way to hell (work), and observe the tick working on the man’s jaw.

“...Blade,” he says at last, the word cutting like the edge of a serrated knife; you blink. Blade. The name suits him, somehow—all edge and red, like the backdrop of a battlefield. “...but here, Ren.”

You’re tearing through the bio-data form like a storm; two lines is enough. You’ll make it enough. Blade/Ren. Affiliation: likely Xianzhounian. Fabric points to a prime of at least five-hundred years prior; further trace collection is needed. Picture comparison of clothing necessary for evaluation. Suspected relation with Luofu General—unsure if this is an attempt to derail from questioning/true identity. Unlikely, but possible. Discouraged communication style. Psychiatric evaluation necessary; put-off by rhythmic tapping. Likely suffers from heightened senses; could be a result of battle-trauma or mixed genetics (both?). Likely a Xianzhou Native; probable Homo celestinae, blood testing required for confirmation.

“Blade,” you murmur, and the name rests oddly comfortably in your mouth; a strange moniker, but it sounds almost sweet when you say it, as if meant to be spoken. The man—Blade—shifts, not out of discomfort or regulation, but as the first non-forced physical acknowledgment you’d managed to wrench out from him.

His lips curve into a sneer when you continue scritching.

“All figured out, from just a name,” he mocks. You raise a brow.

“Does that offend you?” You tap your pen in thought, conjuring up the next bullet point. Easily offended by assumptions. Possible insecurity?

To your surprise, he grazes a smile—but not your regular, run-of-the-mill grin. It’s malefic, a touch depraved, like staring into a hollow skull. “No. Fantasize all you want. So as long I ruin you in every end.”

You nearly drop your clipboard.

“I could ruin you,” his voice echoes. “I could make it burn. You would dream of me in the waking world, cry for me in the dreaming. A slave to passion, day and night; hardly sleeping, hardly eating, merely breathing…”

No. Impossible. There’s no way—it can’t be—

Gingerly, you finger the skin over your pulse point. The bruised kiss hisses upon contact; you feel the hummingbird-flutter of your own heartbeat.

“Do you dream?”

You don’t know why you blurt that particular phrase; you suppose it’s more acceptable than “did we almost-fuck in my (our?) dream last night”. Still, you observe the intergalactic space criminal with heightened scrutiny, wishing (now more than ever) he didn’t have that cursed blindfold on.

You never realized just how much is missed from the eyes alone.

If there’s any reaction, he doesn’t show it; his next words are mere remnants of what they should be, like bones atop carcass.

“I do not recall the last I dreamt.”

You swallow, the first needles of paranoia sinking into your spine. That should be answer enough. But you wonder why it feels like a dance between confirmation and indifference; anything but denial. Suddenly, you think you hate him; his archaic, cryptic remarks, his riddles and his ambiguity.

“Not worthy enough for recording?” he cuts through the silence, the cruelty of a half-smile gallivanting across your vision. You realize you’d been spaced out, pen hanging between downturned fingers, and curse.

“...think nothing of it,” you mutter. You deem the passage worthy enough for Jingyuan’s approval (it isn’t) and chuck the pen backwards. It dematerializes into the confines of your clipboard. “I should offer you my services once more, but I’m sure neither of us truly wishes for that. A word of advice—behave yourself, and the general might allow you to roam the cell unshackled for certain hours. I’m sure there’s nothing you want more than a hairbrush by now,” you snort. Blade doesn’t reply.

“Danyin,” you murmur, catching the man by his cuff when you exit the hall; he looks frazzled, as if half-expecting you to return with a missing limb (likely a touch disappointed when you don’t; you don’t consider yourself particularly lenient when forced into this scummy duty). “Do me a favor. I want you to place a recording device outside his cell; one of those high-tech thermal ones that can navigate through the dark.”

Danyin pales. “D-digital recordings—any recording—outside what is sanctioned by the general himself is strictly prohibited! I don’t even have cle—”

You unclasp your wristwatch and replace it with Danyin’s own; the man can only babble out a half-hearted protest when you do, mourning his defeat already.

“I’d do it myself, but I’m not exactly out of general douche-canoe’s radar,” you sigh, tightening the clasp. Danyin mumbles something about hiring an underwriter for his will, to which you offer a sunny grin and a pat on the back. “I’m counting on you, friend!”

He mutters something about you being as shitty as Jingyuan. You pretend not to hear it.

ꨄ︎

“A dream demon?” Tingyun snorts, pushing the newly-gifted sunglasses she’d received from a Yaoqing merchant that served as General Feixiao’s retinue down her nose. “You can’t be serious. Please tell me you didn’t make me cancel my hair appointment to play therapist for your psychotic break. How many times did I tell you to just quit and work with me in—”

You yank down the collar of your dress, having wiped off the excess makeup in the restaurant bathroom prior. “Look.”

“For the love of—oh. Oh.” She tilts her frames downwards, viridescent hues assessing the damage. “You got yourself a suckerfish? Careful with those—one starskiff romp shimmied into your lunchbreak and they think they own you.”

“Actually, my very preventable trauma from waking up next to Dai—Daiqiu? Daiqing? Has rendered me unable to pursue any bedmates since,” you sniff. Tingyun rolls her eyes.

“You sure you didn’t wobble into Inferno after your shift and had a couple shots too many? We all know it’s all south after your third martini. And your impairment the following morning.”

“You and I both know I don’t get off until midnight, and you were there when we both got banned from Inferno!”

“Maybe if you hadn’t laughed at the owner’s son and called him fossilized when he asked for a three—”

“He was at least as old as my grandfather, Ting! Without the Jingyuan-tier looks to make up for it!”

“Jingyuan isn’t that old—wait, do you still have a crush on him? What happened to—”

“That’s beside the point!” You swat her hand off the straw of her mid-afternoon cocktail, knocking her jade bracelet against the glass. The heat of it fogs the hexagons scattering rainbows onto the counter, and you are acutely reminded of the matching anklet that dangles on your left, forever warm and secured to your person. “I know you barely passed history—”

“Hey.”

“—but Foxian history can be traced as far back as the Long’s Scions, can it not? Surely there has to be something you picked up over the years. Maybe some old stories, some superstition…”

“[Name],” Tingyun sighs, “are you seriously asking me if I remember any bedtime stories?”

“So there is? Something, I mean?”

“You’re honestly better off taking that to a Vidyadhara historian or a senior Xianzhou Native,” Tingyun admits, to which your face cripples, because Aeons knows your social life had been reduced to zilch after your recruitment (and there was no way you’d press the matter to Jingyuan; you had no doubt he and Diviner Fu could grapple onto the dirtiest details of your midnight escapades). She swishes her drink with her straw in thought. “Foxian lifespans are but fleeting compared to the stories of our other long-lived peers; what are four hundred years, after all, to rebirth and a thousand?”

It’s said with a twinge of envy; you know Tingyun is not like Xianzhou commonfolk who dread their existence and eventual descent to madness. Life is—will never be—enough for her, never enough wine to drink, men to seduce; never enough jewelry and lost merchandise for Whistling Flames.

“We do, however, have our love stories—love and lust and betrayal and wroth, they’re quite similar, don’t you think? And the tales of the Foxians pale in comparison to none.”

“This isn’t about love,” is your immediate response. Tingyun arches a fine brow.

“Isn’t it, though?” With that, she reaches out to redo the buttons on your collar. Heat creeps up your ears. “Passion… this is something Foxians are accustomed with. We love our wine and jade, men and women all the same; I’m sure you know this,” she laughs, and you feel the fox-carving against your anklet simmer. “You know of the Xianzhou belief of soul partners, do you not?”

“Of course.” You reach down, absently, to tickle the jade that had been gifted (shackled) to you on your graduation day. “There’s the, erm, chosen ones, right? Bosom friends, sworn brothers—”

“That’s right; and they’re referred to as chosen for a reason.” She points the end of her olive stick at you. “It is the highest form of love, for some; philia, at the end of the day, is a choice,” she ignores your grumble of “where was mine”, “though, arguably, many believe these soul partners were predestined to be in your life. We gift our jade to these soul partners, and the Vidyadhara share a similar custom, but with bracers; warmth indicates the wearer’s partner is alive and well, and there is a belief that these gifts will eventually bring one back to the other, in life, death, dreams, or otherwise.” She narrows her eyes. “Though there’s no reason, seeing as I’d rather be caught dead than star in your rogue fantasies.”

“Wasn’t ever an option,” you mutter.

“There is another, more outdated; I’ve only ever heard stories about it, and some say the encounter died since the plague of abundance ravaged the long-lived. It’s less of a choice, more a force of nature; or so I’ve been told. A bunch of rubbish, honestly, but there does exist stories of another kind of soul partner—one that embodies a more… debauched role. I suppose soulmate is a loose term; these stories have long since been discarded, scoffed at as crude; these are the stories of scorned lovers, of passion, bedroom woes and death and betrayal; truly, nothing worth writing home about. I’m sure we’ve progressed enough as a society to leave behind such primal relics.”

Your head spins at the sudden onslaught of information; you inhale through your nose, pinching the bridge between two fingers. Tingyun finishes the contents of her drink, suckling the heart-shaped straw dry. “And what… what does that have to do with…”

“With your suckerfish?” Tingyun grins, dodging a kick under the table. “I’m getting to that. There’s a story—just one that I can remember, at least. My Lady wasn’t fond of me rummaging through those particular texts.”

“No wonder you turned out to be so godless—ow!”

“...like I was saying. There exists a…largely banned text. A bit blasphemous, but more so an overreaction, on the elders’ part; I’ll spare you the details, but the story can be loosely translated as The Foxian’s Obsession. Not the most creative of titles, I’ll admit, though it is fitting; it weaves the tale of a long-lived Foxian’s adoration of a short-lived fisherman. The woes of past society would not permit her to seek out a man of such fragility, and eventually, the fisherman married; the Foxian, hurt, enraged, and heartbroken, would curse the fisherman to an eternal sleep.”

“Sounds like one of those ex nightmare stories on Foxian Lipstick Alley,” you chortle.

“Imagine being so obsessed,” Tingyun snorts. “Anyways, the wife and family of the comatose fisherman start seeing ‘love marks’ on him, find him dead one day, bleeding from the mouth; the wife is put on trial until they discover news of said Foxian having passed in her sleep, coincidentally, with the same comorbidity.”

“What the fuck.”

“Creepy, isn’t it? Now, if that were the case with you…”

“Tingyun!” You screech. The Foxian snickers at your distress. “This isn’t funny! What if this dude’s some creepy old Foxy spirit disguising himself as some space criminal hunk to get into my pants and commit murder-sui!”

“Your drawers are in need of a seasonal refresh…”

“Tingyun, you bi—”

“Aeons, relax,” the amicassador slaps your arm in poor reassurance. “These are mere whispers of the past. The first starskiff hadn’t even taken flight when it was published. Besides, does your dream demon present with ears and a tail? You know that’s our one indisputable giveaway…”

“...no, he doesn’t,” you begrudge, a sigh of relief escaping you. Tingyun rolls her eyes.

“Then there you have it. I’m sure this is just a consequence of your ridiculous work hours—how many times must I tell you stress is bad for beauty? You’re even losing pockets of memory…”

“...you’re right. That must be it.”

“So? what happened to your resignation letter?”

“Don’t get me started—”

You vent the happenings of this morning to Tingyun, who, for the first time, appears rather irked; it’s not a common look for the Foxian, as leisurely and unbothered as a nepo-child of Lady Yukong can be, though you suppose even she has her limits on witnessing you falling victim to workplace abuse.

Throughout the conversation, you concoct the margins of your plan; the cameras should be set up by now, if Danyin is at least half-competent. You touch your now-fading love bites and make a mental note to pick up another bottle of fantasia.

If working with Jingyuan blessed you with any positives, it’s your seasoned thirst for vengeance—and the earlier you act, the swifter (and sweeter) your prize.

Perhaps it was a fluke. Perhaps it was a once-in-a-lifetime, paranormal encounter—but on the off chance it isn’t, well, now you’d be prepared.

Because if he can ruin you, who’s to say you can’t return the favor?

#blade x reader #honkai star rail x you #hsr x reader #hsr x you #blade hsr #honkai star rail smut #blade smut

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ohmtoff · 2 months

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we need more nsfw nerdy nick headcanons🫢

AAAAAA actually so happy you asked for more bc im kinda in love with nerdy nick now lmao (nsfw)

part 1 here

nerdy nick who decided to adopt a dog with you, naming it denji if it’s a boy or makima if it’s a girl.

nerdy nick who’s a part of a dungeons and dragons party that is about to start on a campaign. you better believe he has a pink dice‼️‼️‼️ he already made a long detailed background of his character (a tiefling sorceress) and he already sent it to his dungeon master. for this campaign, though, you decided to try to join and learn the game.

“Okay, so what’s your character idea?”

“Uhhh what about a warlock with a huge ass?”

on session 0 you were lost and tired an hour into the game, while on session 7 you were already in your character cosplay with nick and lasting 6 hours.

nerdy nick who was soooo scared of meeting your friends bc he was worried of being too much and too random and just too nerdy for your friends. he’d act like how he normally would when he first meet new people, making mundane small talk about your relationship and about himself, but you can see that after an hour in that he was exhausted by how he went so quiet.

noticing this you interrupted the convo to talk about the upcoming HoTD season, and you can see his face lighting up. one of your friends who watches the show would chime in and nick would excitedly start talking about it too, yapping about the targaryen lore, surprising but charming everyone of this new confident side of his. your friends also think he’s adorableee when passionate. you would do anything to not make him insecure of his interests anymore.

nerdy nick who got so horny seeing you cosplay as his favorite character for halloween that he made you keep the costume on when having sex. you had him exposed on his back that night, legs spread and high against your shoulders. “Fu—uck, oh fuck me harder, please,” he pathetically whined, and you loudly moaned, pounding harder into his hole, punching out loud but tiny ‘uh-huh!’s out of him with each thrust as drool slides down his chin. He absolutely looked well-fucked. his warm walls clenched as he came and shouted “Choso!” while he spurted across his stomach. The squeeze was enough for you to groan inside him, pumping him full of your warm cum.

“Did you actually just call me choso when you came?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

nerdy nick whose insecurities run deep bc not only did he grow up heavier than his brothers, he was also more invisible. he did have friends, but his tendency to ramble and lack of fashion sense made him less popular and desired. you can see it in how he always uses a top; be it in the beach, or sleeping, and sometimes even during sex. so when he met you he didn’t know what to do with all your compliments. he would just blush so hard and he’ll pretend to get mad at you like “shut uuuup! stop lying” and you’d unrelentingly smother him with kisses while calling him your “pretty boy” “handsome man” and all other praises that he deserves.

you make sure to make him know that he’s beautiful by worshiping the fuck out of his body. you’d pepper kisses from his thigh up to his tummy where he’s still covered by his shirt. it was one of those times when he’d not want to take off his shirt during sex because he felt more insecure than usual. you’d whisper mantras of praises along with the wet kisses, making him giggle and shudder bc your breath along the inside of his thigh tickled. “so, so pretty. how could you ever find it in yourself to not love this?” you emphasized the word with a bite of his thigh a strand away from his cock. you’d dedicate that night to just pleasing him, letting him fuck hard into your mouth, his hips ragged and desperately thrusting into your throat while you try to not gag on his big cock, your spit falling out of your mouth making his groin wet. you hands crawl up, up, up, driving his shirt upward to flick his nipples. at one point it gets too hot for him so he takes his shirt off and you smirked—success. his body curls and his words came out as broken sobs, wanting more. you pulled your mouth away which made him grip your hair in protest. you looked at the way his body glistened, his face flushed, his legs tremble, and you felt hungry. “Beautiful,” you panted. “So fucking beautiful. Drive me crazy with how beautiful you are. Can’t fucking believe you’re mine. Say you’re mine,” as you furiously fisted his angry red cock with hands soiled with his precum and spit. “i’m yours, i’m yours, i’m yo—AHH!”

he never uses a shirt at the beach again.

a/n: woahhh wtf who wrote that

#this was longer than i expected #nick sturniolo #nick sturniolo imagine #nick sturniolo smut #nick sturniolo x reader #nick sturniolo x male reader #headcanon #nick sturniolo fanfic #nick sturniolo fanfiction

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stellarstarwarsimagines · 2 months

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One Thing Right Pairing - Anakin Skywalker x female!Reader Summary - It's all over. After months of trying to complete your mission, Anakin and Palpatine have got you in their grasp. Word Count - 1k Warnings/Notes - Language. Some references to sexual content. This is in the same universe as The Separatist and the Jedi, so if you haven't read that you might want to so it makes a little more sense. :)

This was not where you thought everything was going to end.

To be honest, you hadn’t spent much time thinking about it. All you had been concerned with for so long was making sure that you did everything that your Master had asked of you. It was the least you could do for the man that had pulled you out of obscurity and given you a purpose.

A purpose that seemed like it was going to end here, with the creepy ass Emperor smiling in the background and Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber against your throat. The tables had turned, that much was for sure. Neither you or your Master had anticipated the Sith Lord to act so quickly, and now you were about to die because of it.

You weren’t going to go down blubbering like a pathetic idiot though. “You know we’ve been in this position before.” You reminded him, biting on your bottom lip. “It was much more fun that time.” You said, casting a glance up and down that body you knew so well.

“How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet before you actually do it?” He hissed, bringing his lightsaber even closer to your skin.

“Just reminiscing, Skywalker.” You replied, trying to ignore the rising panic inside of you as you felt the burn against your neck. “If you’re about to kill me, I should be thinking about the good times, right? Like when you were fu -”

“Enough!” Came the Emperor’s demanding voice, but Anakin’s eyes didn’t leave your face.

His gaze was piercing into yours so harshly you wanted to pull away, but you refused to back down and look away. “You lied to me.” Anakin said, and although he tried to hide it, you saw it. The glimpse of hurt.

It egged you on. “Cheated too.” When his eyes flashed with even more pain, as he took your words the wrong way, you ate it up. “I never really won that game of Sabacc. I had cards up my sleeves.” You told him with a teasing grin.

He didn’t return it. Instead he leaned even closer. “That night. Was that a lie too?”

Abruptly the humor left you. There was no question what night he was talking about. The night he had found you sobbing in the destruction of a fight between the Jedi and Separatists, cradling a little girl’s body in your arms who had reminded you so much of . . . “No,” You replied, not a trace of anything but sincerity in your tone this time. “That was real.”

The tension in the room as Anakin studied your face was so thick you could feel it in every breath that you took. It seemed like minutes had passed before you couldn’t take it anymore.

“If you’re going to kill me, just go ahead and do it already.” You hissed at him, leaning so close to him you felt the slightest burn on your neck from his lightsaber. “If you don’t, your Master will do it anyway.”

His jaw tensed, and his nostrils flared in the same way they always did when you pissed him off, and in the next moment you were lying on the ground, eyes wide and startled as Anakin’s lightsaber deactivated and he turned back to face the Emperor. “She’s useful. It’d be a waste to kill her.”

“She tried to kill me. There’s no room for negotiations here.” the Emperor replied, his voice like nails on a chalkboard to your ears.

“And if I kill her, her Master will simply follow, perhaps at a moment when I’m not here to protect you. If instead I let her take me back to her master, I can cut off -”

“I’ll never give him up -!”

There was no time for you to prepare yourself for the onslaught of lightning that came from his hands, attacking your body in a painful way that had your back arching off the floor and clenching your fists. But your Master had made sure you were prepared for something like this, and you didn’t make a sound, even as sweat poured down your face and your insides felt as if they had been lit with fire.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the pain left, and you couldn’t fight the urge to gasp in relief, your hand clutching your chest.

“Can you convince her?” The Emperor asked as if he hadn’t just almost killed you.

“I can be very persuasive.” Anakin said, and even though you couldn’t see his face, you could hear the cockiness in his voice.

You would never do it. You would never betray your Master, even for Anakin. But this time you knew better than to open your mouth and say something about it.

There was silence as the Emperor seemed to think about Anakin’s offer, which was insane to you. Either he grossly overestimated Anakin, or underestimated your Master. Either one would lead to a mistake. “You have one week, and then you’re to meet me on Mustafar.”

“Yes, Master.” Before you could even comprehend what had just happened, Anakin pulled you to your feet and started pulling you out the door, keeping a tight grip on your hands.

“Anakin.” The Emperor’s raspy voice made him freeze in his tracks. “Do not fail me.” He threatened.

He paused for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes, Master,” he repeated, and then began dragging you out the door once more.

Furious at how that situation had transpired, you couldn’t help but goad the man who was now your captor. “I thought you hated being an apprentice? Never appreciated for your talents? Funny how you leave one Master to go to another one who still treats you as if you’re beneath him.” You hissed.

His grip tightened on your wrists to a painful level, but you refused to show any sign of it.

“I’m never going to tell you where my Master is.” You continued, “I would rather die than betray him, so you might as well kill me now and go crawling back on your knees to your wrinkly old Master to beg for -”

You couldn’t help it this time. You let out a gasp as he turned sharply down an empty hall and shoved you roughly against the wall, pressing every inch of his body against yours in such a way it was almost suffocating. “I’m not going to be begging for anything anymore.” He said harshly, his hot breath fanning your cheeks.

A slight smirk fell on your lips as you forced your eyes away from his ice cold ones to travel as far down as he allowed. “Anything? Even my lips around your -”

He moved so fast you didn’t have time to prepare yourself. In seconds he had gripped your hair in his fist and yanked down on it hard, forcing your eyes back up to his. “Drop the mask.” Anakin said, his nose brushing against your own.

His words were so out of nowhere it felt like your brain short circuited. “I - What?” You said, more out of breath than you wanted to be at this moment.

“I know you.” His words had turned steady, sure. “You made a mistake. I’ve seen who you really are beneath everything you try to hide behind.”

You wanted to deny it, and you shook your head, but before you could say anything, you felt the softest pressure of his lips against your own. You eyes closed involuntarily, and you held your breath, waiting for the kiss . . .

But it never came.

“And you will take me to where your Master is,” he whispered against your lips. “Because I know he wants me on his side just as much as the Emperor wants me on his.”

Your eyes flashed open in shock that you were unable to hide from his piercing blue ones. “You don’t know that.” You said quickly.

But Anakin was smirking. “Why else would he have asked you to come after me?”

Even though your heart was still playing catch up, your training was several steps ahead of you, a small smile forming on your lips without even thinking about it. “You sure do think highly of yourself, don’t you golden boy?”

Anakin’s smirk dropped. “Are you going to take me to him or not?”

You glanced up at the ceiling as if deep in thought, and you could practically feel the tension in his body rising as you didn’t speak. Finally, after several seconds, you decided to put him out of his misery. “Fine. As long as I get to drive, and let him know we’re coming.” You said, bringing your gaze to meet his again. “Got to let him know my mission to bring you to him was successful.”

His eyes were like icicles, stabbing directly into your chest. At this moment, there was no doubt in your mind that Anakin Skywalker hated you. In fact, hate probably wasn’t a strong enough word. He loathed you. If the ground opened up right now and swallowed you whole, he wouldn’t lament your death for one moment.

It was good. Better for him to think that your plan was to seduce him the whole time than to know that you’d fallen in love with him.

#anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker x you #anakin skywalker imagine #star wars imagine

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fortuna-et-cataclysmos · 1 year

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Ms. Sans-Culotte and the obvious French Revolution symbolism

This episode is a field day for me, so I'll need to analyse it bit by bit. Let's first start with the obvious and less obvious French Revolution references in this episode. This will be especially obvious for French viewers, but I thought that it may be interesting for others.

Sans-culotte

I know that the term sounds funny to most, but sans-culottes are a key figure in the French history. Those were the commoners who revolted to the King and aristocracy, and undertook the French Revolution of 1789. As Mademoiselle Bustier explains in the beginning of the episode, the sans-culottes were called so because:

Contrary to rich aristocrats, they would wear simple pants.

So when Mlle. Bustier is akumatised, we see the following character design:

THE PANTS. Very obviously the pants. But there are more obvious symbols in this character design.

Marianne

Marianne is the national personification of the French Republic. She is very much synonymous with the free and republican spirit of France. Yes, that's also the name of Master Fu's girlfriend, and for good reason (she was a Résistance fighter during the German occupation of France!).

By the way this exact painting is in the background in the few seconds after Mlle. Bustier is akumatised:

Marianne is usually depicted with the following symbols:

the Phrygian cap

Greco-Roman clothes

Partial nudity

We see these signs in Mlle. Sans Culotte's character design.

Mlle. Sans Culotte's helmet has the unique shape of the Phrygian cap.

2. Mlle. Sans Culotte is dressed in a Greco-Roman armour. The usual depiction of Marianne is in flowy Greco-Roman clothes, but the helmet and armour really add to that fighter spirit of Mlle. Sans Culotte. Also, even though rarer, there are some depictions of Marianne with a Greco-Roman armour.

3. Partial nudity. Obviously they couldn't actually show that on a kids show. However, I think that the character design does hint to a type of nudity. The fact that the white of the French flag covers all of Mlle. Bustier's face and body make it seem like it is not actually her clothes but her skin. And other than the golden armour she wears, she has no other clothes on her.

The Guillotine

Mlle. Sans Culotte's weapon of choice is a freaking guillotine knife. This was a device used by the French revolutionaries to behead their opponents. To this day, it is associated with the violence of the French revolution.

Now to more implicit references:

Ça ira

When Mlle. Sans Culotte hits people, they turn into balloons that chant:

Ça ira, ça ira, ça ira!

Which is a song sang by the sans-culottes during the French Revolution (thanks to @2manyfandoms2count for helping out with this one!)

Other quotes and remarks

There are various quotes throughout the episode with a revolutionary lexicon.

Monarch: The power of Jubilation will help you show the people their dream of freedom, and as such gain partisans/supporters to your cause.

Monarch: To arms, citizens! Form batallions!

This one is especially striking for me, because it is very explicit call to violence (frequently used in French revolutionary history too).

Mlle. Sans Culotte: No one stops the revolution. Long live the revolution!

She quite literally says Vive la révolution. Seriously, it doesn't get any more obvious than that.

She literally runs head-first into a group of policemen, paralleling the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. And literally afterwards Chat Noir mentions this same event:

Chat Noir: It is not the 14th of July, my Lady. Do you think that this akuma victim wants to celebrate the Bastille Day early?

And later on:

Mlle. Sans Culotte: Ladybug, Chat Noir! Help the sans-culottes (plural!) to liberate Paris from its aristocratic Mayor!

Ladybug: Terror is not the solution!

Chat Noir: To get your voice heard there are the elections!

Ok, the word "terror" here is important. I had previously mentioned in my post on Felix's anarchist revolution that the French Revolution was followed by a period of violence where all those against the revolution were murdered. The name of the period is literally the Reign of Terror. We see that Ladybug's words is a reference to that.

Ladybug: (after receiving her lucky charm) Revolution, sans-culotte, and the Mayor of Paris who acts like the King?

The parallel is there. They're not even trying to be subtle. This is the retelling of the French Revolution.

Except that it doesn't turn out like the French Revolution. In the end, Mr. Bourgeois willingly steps down, Mlle. Sans Culotte rejects Monarch's powers (as in, she drops her weapons), so there is no revolution and no bloody reign of terror.

But still, the power dynamics end up shifting tremendously in the Miraculous Paris. How and why? I'll make a post specifically analysing this. Stay tuned for part two!

(Also, I have likely forgotten or omitted some other symbols, feel free to add them to the comments - if there are enough, I can make an addition to the post :))

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml season 5 #ml collusion #from fortuna #ml analysis

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ben-the-hyena · 2 months

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What are your thoughts on Kung-Fu Panda 4?

Kind of like Wish (still liked it better tho, Wish was just "okay")

In itself, a good movie I liked, I was surprised to love Zheng (is that how it's spelled ?) when I was sure I'd hate how she was shoehorned in the franchise but no she was touching and fun, the humor held up, even if she were not deep I liked the Chameleon (I guess a franchise does need at least one villain who hss no trauma and is jist evil because, she was still likable and charismatic and not exagerated), Mr Ping and Li Shan were amazing and hilarious together (you can't tell me they are not married at this point), I thought I would hate how the Furious Five were not there but they were given a satisfying explanation why that truly made it feel like Po's own journey this time and it felt like all was forgiven when they appear at the very end, Tai Lung was there and even if I was disappointed we were actually clickbaited and lied to (HE DOESN'T BECOME GOOD OR APPEAR MUCH !?!?! FUCK YOU !!!!!), he still finally found solace and a form of redemption or at least a path closer to it by finally being at peace with Po and accepting him as the dragon warrior and grow respect for him which was enough for my 10 years old soul to have found inner peace and feel feels about him. My baby, he finally healed...

But as the way it was advertised... a fucking joke. We were lied to for Tai Lung, Shifu was useless to the plot and made into a joke, Po's new status was super simplified as a magical power, I don't like the different style for the new characters they don't feel like belonging to the KFP universe, the Dragon Warrior is supposed to be known all across China but now only the Valley knows about him, not enough serious moments for too much comedy (it was good sure, but really not the balance the first 2 movies had), speaking of which SO many retcons (LORD SHEN NEVER WAS A KUNG FU MASTER !?! NOR WENT TO THE SPIRITS REALM, HE LITERALLY FUCKING DIED !?!?! ANF KAI WASN'T A MASTER EITHER ?!?!) and oversimplification (magic used to be subtle in the mortal world in the franchise. Now suddenly a DBZ/final boss type of fight really ?), and ALL THE FUCKING WASTED POTENTIAL WHEN YOU READ ALL THAT WAS GIVEN UP ON BY THE SHITTY DIRECTOR WHO DARED CALLING THE ONE OF THE FIRST MOVIES A NOBODY (Then I am told *I* disrespect her for shipping a ship she sees as friends !?!) AND IN FACT PLANNED WORSE (LIVE ACTION !? HUMANS ?! NO FURIOUS FIVE AT ALL ?! NO BACKGROUND STORIES FOR THE CHAMELEON AND ZHENG AT ALL SO THEY HAD TO CRAM THEM LAST MINUTE ?! *HE* IS A NOBODY) AND WE WILL NEVER HAVE HER AMAZING IDEAS I'D HABE FUCKING KILLED AS A 10 YEARS TO EVER SEE BUT NEVER EVER WILL BECAUSE OF HIM AND THE MOVIE IS DONE !?!? (Tai Lung truly being part of the plot and redeeming and having closure with Shifu, I fucking would have loved and cried)

ALL WASTED FOREVER BECAUSE IN ANIMATION THERE NEVER IS ANY SNYDER CUT BECAUSE IT'S SEEN AS A SUBART FOR CHILDREN BY EXECS ?!?

*pants*

*inhales*

So I'll say I liked it, as much as the 3rd in fact, but knowing how much better it could have been if it were not given to an egocentric manchild who understood nothing about the heart and soul of tge first trilogy and how much better the concepts are 10 years old me had been wishing for and would have finally found closure in but I will never, *ever* have this closure about Tai Lung and I wilm never ever see them animated and voiced because his return was wasted because of HIM, it makes me mad and sad...

#sad #angry #WHY #movie #kung fu panda #reaction gif #ask #spoilers #weirdgirl92 #moi #i will never have the Tai Lung redemption I was waiting for for 16 years and was sure the franchise would give us one day...#tho at least him canonically finally accepting he is not the dragon warrior and bowing to po can give hopes for headcanons #wish #concepts #DREAMWORKS I'M MAD AT YOU

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i-like-anything-water · 7 months

Text

here, have sum crack:

The next time she'll see Rose and Juleka, she'll gift then a basket of treats. Some of said treats will also have some beef cubes rather than bean paste as a form of payback. Because, good God, she shouldn't have listened to them the moment they said:

"It's a story about a reincarnated girl and her bully but it's really nice!"

Marinette blinked at the duo, who were holding up a set of novels. They've decided to have a spontaneous anime marathon after school and because of different reasons, Alya, Mylene and Ivan couldn't join them.

She read the title of the novels, 'I favor the Villainess' in pink lettering.

The two girlfriends insisted on watching the anime which was apparently complete and there hadn't been an akuma attack yet so she let herself get dragged into it. The story was interesting, very very interesting.

And Claire seemed very very familiar.

Perhaps she should have stopped Juleka and Rose when it was already past 10 pm and it was a school night. Maybe she could have gotten some bit of sleep before an akuma decided to annoy everyone in Paris by rampaging across the city at bloody 2 AM. Ladybug was irritated, moreso when Chat almost slammed into a building out of sleepiness. Thankfully, the Akuma wasn't much of a nuisance.

The lack of sleep, however, made up for it.

Maybe she should ask Master Fu if there's any way to recruit more Miraculous holders incase of Akumas in ungodly hours. They were still students after all, plus she doubts Hawkmoth doesn't work as well. Maybe she could ask Hawkmoth instead to create a schedule for all the Akumas. Negotiate and stuff.

Anyways, going to school sleep deprived, irritated and having an anime marathon the night before was brewing for disaster. Maybe her Ladybug luck can spare her for today.

"Well if it isn't my favorite person, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Nope. Tough luck.

Marinette groaned, her irritation rising as Chloé's haughty voice reached her ears. Truthfully, the blonde wasn't that annoying anymore ever since she decided to get the help she needed. She's actually been doing pretty well, if her small progress at being a better version of herself was to go by.

However, Marinette was sleep deprived, hangry, and also very much a bisexual disaster.

Chloé Bourgeois, former bully turned hesitant all- wait, bully? Bully, bully, bull- oh. Aha, bingo. Didn't Rae almost made Claire back off because she kept flirting with her?

"What's with that creepy smile on your face, Dupain-Cheng?!"

Marinette smiled, her remaining braincells evaporating as she looked up at the startled blonde, "You're so pretty."

"W-what?!"

Marinette shrugged, completely unaware of everything happening around her, "I mean, if you're going to call me by my full name you can have it. Chloé Dupain-Cheng, it suits you."

Everything was dead silent. Dead ass? A voice eerily similar to Rae Taylor in her head, asked.

Dead ass, Marinette replied.

She doesn't remember much after what happened but she does remember Chloé going red in the face, sputtering something that was too fast that could give Hawkmoth's receding hairline a run for its money and Alya asking her after Chloé practically ran from the conversation if she's finally lost it.

Okay, Alya, rude.

After some explanation from Alya, a two hour breakdown and panic attack, and a three hour talk with Tikki, she was already down in their bakery on a school night to prepare Chloé's favorite treats.

Was she purposely making herself sleep deprived again to actually give the treats? Maybe. Would they talk about it? Hopefully.

Is she excited? Well.

Raise Y/our hands was playing in the background and Rae Taylor seemed to be lifting her spirits. And maybe her chances of being a masochist as well.

#chloe bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #chloenette #rae taylor #claire francois #i'm in love with the villainess #i favor the villainess #crack #short fic #i wrote this in under ten minutes #mention of juleka and rose #pre relationship?#i guess #have sum crack

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barbwritesstuff · 6 months

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Speaking of Marcel's chess game, it got me thinking about how he thinks, especially in relation to things like duels or what have you. Marcel is skilled at chess and fencing, which are both incredibly strategic activities but also ones that have, for lack of better words, "tried and trued methods". Kind of similar to how video games have "metas" or basically, "a generally agreed upon strategy by the community", which can also be seen by the community as "what is currently THE general best way to play and win".

I played with a Doctor background and chose to train under Marcel to unlock Path of the Shadow, so I don't know if this affects anything regarding blocking mind reading since I assume any mental powers would be in the Path of the Masters.

Regardless! I went into the chess game with this hypothesis about Marcel's character and how he approaches situations like chess matches or even fencing matches (I'm an ex-fencer, so I did consider the connection): as mentioned above, there are "generally agreed on strategies". With that in mind, the thing is, sometimes complete newbies can best masters at their given skill because they have no understanding of which moves are exactly the best. For example, choosing a "non-standard", or more accurately "nonoptimal" starting move at chess to force chess masters to adjust in real-time rather than go by a memorized opening theory. This then may frazzle someone because now their opponent is no longer going "by the book" and they are under pressure to adapt quickly.

It's basically a complete noob beating a master because the noob isn't employing Finklerunger's Gambit even though EVERYONE uses Finklerunger's Gambit! And the master has no prepared counterstrategies against people who don't use Finklerunger's Gambit!

This idea of "noob-fu" can be applied to fencing, and even video games like competitive Pokemon! Because the idea here is that masters at these games are so used to (and sometimes outright wedded to) what is the tried and trued strategies or the meta to the point that they can be blindsided by unpredictability or people who don't play the game by the rules they and other masters like them know. They are confined by the strategies they and other masters typically employ to the point that they hadn't even considered the very possibility of someone doing something that ISN'T The Very Best Possible Move, even if that possibility was always right under their noses.

Where was I going with this? Right. I just thought it was an interesting thought regarding Marcel and his strategic thought process. Since we're still pretty early in the game, I don't think that it's a case of Marcel being unable to think creatively or outside of the box at all, so much as I think he likely tends to put more trust in what he knows. He sees an opportunity and he takes it. He creates situations to put pressure on one of your most important assets and expects you to scramble.

At the same time though, I think the chess match comes down to knowing your opponent. Again, very, VERY applicable to fencing matches (or really any sort of one-on-one martial art) and competitive video games: a big part of the game is knowing your opponent and how they will behave, predicting what they will do, and playing around them.

Skip this paragraph for light spoilers about the Ch5 chess match: For example, you know that Marcel is too good of a player to make simple mistakes like leaving certain pieces vulnerable, so you don't take the bait, which opens up the avenue to win (or at least it did in my file).

It also kind of got me thinking. Again, I may not be 100% right about this read of Marcel's character because it is still fairly early in the game, but it did manage to lead me to victory in this situation. It made me think about the ways in which the MC and Marcel have gotten to know each other and what they may not know about the other yet, if ever. I dunno. I just like him very much lololol

Anyways I am sorry for this gigantic word vomit! (シ_ _ )シ It was just an interesting thought I got while playing against Marcel and I wanted to share it. As someone who has never played chess ever, I was proud of myself for beating him on my first attempt (or I guess technically my character's fourth attempt lololol) I didn't expect to fall this deep for Thicker Than and its characters, especially considering that I haven't played Blood Moon yet! (it's now on my next to play list o(^∀^*)o)

from: @binteractive

💙💙💙

You're right... about pretty much everything. He's been playing this game (be it chess, fencing, or being a vampire) for a long time and is very good at it. The way to beat him (and to seduce him funnily enough) is to be a bit unpredictable.

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accio-victuuri · 11 months

Text

【Exclusive Interview】 Xiao Zhan: The hard road is the uphill road.

The interview with Xiao Zhan was late at night. On this day, he was busy with the training camp for the new movie during the day, and participated in the promotional program of the new drama at night, and it was nearly 12 o'clock after recording. In the lounge that was temporarily converted into an interview room, there were two sets of clothes he was wearing today hanging, two pairs of white sneakers on the floor, a machine rack, and the lights were turned on, so there was almost no room to move around.

After recording the show, Xiao Zhan changed his clothes and tidied his hair as quickly as possible, and walked into the lounge as quickly as possible. When he came to the door, he paused and walked in slowly. Say hello calmly and sit down quietly. Surrounded by the busy figures of the staff, adjusting the lights and confirming the radio, he held the interview outline and watched carefully, as if a chasing light was cast on his head, separating him from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, leaving only immersion and thinking.

Holding paper things in his hand seems to be Xiao Zhan's habit. Yang Xu, the performance director who has cooperated with him many times, once described him as "always holding the script at any time". On the one hand, this comes from his anxiety about the role, and on the other hand, it also comes from his awe of the role. As an actor with a non-professional background, Xiao Zhan has always held a cautious attitude towards acting.

This kind of posture is still running deep, and it has helped him realize some changes from quantity to quality. In the past 3 years, Xiao Zhan has participated in the drama "Dream Like a Dream" continuously, with tens of thousands of words in each scene; every year, he has a stable output of film and television dramas, from ancient costumes to modern times, from fantasy to realism; in June, the TV series "Where Dreams Begin” was broadcast, the audience saw a more mature actor Xiao Zhan.

In this drama, he wears a military overcoat, speaks Beijing dialect, rides a 28th pole, starts from the small Shichahai, and interprets a life of struggle spanning 30 years, outlining the endless life of that generation. Fighting youth. Xiao Zhan uses the word "nostalgia" to describe his "dream" - for Xiao Chunsheng, who he plays, this dream is born and raised in the city of Beijing, and it is also the original intention and persistence that has never been compromised.

Becoming Xiao Chunsheng is also a dream. In the dream, Xiao Zhan saw the characters and the times; he also saw himself and the present.

If you think it's right, you stick to it

Xiao Zhan first got the script of "Where Dreams Begin", and was attracted by Xiao Chunsheng's full growth line. "He has been through a lot in life, there are many twists and challenges, but he always chooses to rise to the challenge."

As a TV series about the struggle and growth of Beijing youth in the 70s of the last century, "Where Dreams Begin" has the idealism and romance unique to that era, and the chief planner Ye Jing and director Fu Ning are also masters of telling Beijing stories. The story begins on the eve of the resumption of the college entrance examination, when 6 young people meet at the Shichahai Ice Rink: the intelligent and unruly Xiao Chunsheng, the gentle and quiet Tong Xiaomei, the generous and righteous Ye Guohua, the proud and bright He Hongling, the sober and rational Ye Fang, and the studious Chen Hongjun. They each have their own ideals and constraints in life. Starting from this ice rink, they embarked on very different and intertwined life trajectories.

In the following 30 years, Xiao Chunsheng and his partners experienced the ups and downs of life, and also struggled and grew in the clarion call of reform and opening up. Family affection, friendship, love, challenges, opportunities, successes and failures, these keywords build the portrayal of ordinary people in extraordinary times.

Xiao Chunsheng, played by Xiao Zhan, is one of the most "axis": in the early stage, he was the eldest brother in the group, with ideas, courage, ideas, and the chivalrous courage of a young man; In the middle of the year, he aspired to make a career in the army, returned home lonely after being injured, and rose again with the support of tenacious faith; In the end, he walked out of Shichahai and experienced ups and downs in the business sea, but still cherished his original intention and realized another life value.

"I think the most similar thing between myself and Xiao Chunsheng is that I can always stick to what I think is right. In the play, Xiao Chunsheng has made many choices with social changes, but what he really insists on in his heart has not changed, including his friends, his family, and the career he cares about, and he is a person who is more mortal. Xiao Zhan told reporters.

The role is simple and carries a lot of energy throughout; But the role is also complex, and rollercoaster-like situations require actors to show a very different mental outlook.

The scene that impressed Xiao Zhan the most was the clip of Xiao Chunsheng returning to Beijing after being injured, "That scene requires the actor to immerse himself in sad emotions, and at the same time to make some different levels in this emotion, the difficulty is to show this change and progression." ”

With his legs injured, his father dead, and his lover leaving, Xiao Chunsheng got on a train to Beijing with a triple blow. In Xiao Zhan's view, Xiao Chunsheng was very uneasy at that time, "He was so proud and stubborn, he was actually in a wheelchair and was pushed into the car, so I would think, if it were me, I would do something." Xiao Zhan saw a pole next to the train door, so he helped the pole and got on the train. "I think this is what Xiao Chunsheng will do, because the stubbornness in his bones is: others can trouble me, I can stick a knife in the ribs for my brother and the people I care about, but if I am allowed to trouble others, it will cost my life." Xiao Zhan said.

After getting off the train, Xiao Chunsheng saw his sister, and the siblings hugged each other with tearful eyes, and this scene touched many audiences. In fact, this scene simply walked one bit, and when the filming officially started, the emotions were already in place, and the two actors naturally released all their grievances, distress, and unwillingness - real emotions cannot be rehearsed.

To complete this sense of scene, one requires the actor to be 100% familiar with the script, and the other requires the actor to fully enter the role. "Where Dreams Begin" is a jump shoot, and the before and after scenes may not always be smooth, so you must take the time and effort to sort out the order and performance of each scene, and do your homework on the script.

In Xiao Zhan's view, this is a challenge, but also a necessary way to become an actor.

Actors speak with their works

Xiao Zhan is a "post-90s" actor, and "Where Dreams Begin" tells the story of his fathers. Referring to the influence of his parents on himself, Xiao Zhan told reporters: "I inherited their strength." Most people in Chongqing have a very strong and tenacious energy. ”

This energy runs through his acting path so far. Two and a half years ago, he was filming the TV series "Ace Troops", entered the group in advance to participate in military training life, went out to exercise at 5:30 every morning, and practiced running under the scorching sun. The director of the play, Liu Yan, has 3 words to describe him simply and accurately: "Can endure hardship." ”

Liu Yan's other evaluation of Xiao Zhan is also 3 words, "can think". For each role, Xiao Zhan always has to do his best to explore to find a support point in performance. When discussing his performance experience with reporters, Xiao Zhan said: "I prefer to do some preparation work outside the script, such as this character, what the environment he grew up in, what people and things have the greatest impact on him, these things are all outside the script and need to be excavated by themselves." ”

Each character already has a short biography of his or her own before filming begins. "Writing him out through your own understanding will help the interpretation of this character." This is Xiao Zhan's experience.

"Do you hope that when others mention Xiao Zhan in the future, they will say what kind of person he is?" The reporter asked him.

"He's had a good drama recently." He replied with a smile.

This is his ambition to be an actor who stands on a foothold in drama. In recent years, Xiao Zhan has increasingly felt the bond between performance and actors. often return to the hotel after filming, thinking back to the shooting of this day, there is an inexplicable sense of satisfaction, "will be very happy, will feel oh, in fact, this scene is really okay, all the hard work is worth it"; There will also be reflections, "or feel that the state of this scene is not very good, it would be better if it were done again."

"As a non-professional actor, with so much attention, the audience will inevitably look at you and evaluate you with a more rigorous eye, what do you think of these comments?"

"Just treat it normally, just like a line in "Where Dreams Begin", 'The hard road is the uphill road'. That's right, then I'll absorb it myself, and then correct it next time. For me, an actor speaks with a work, so everything serves the work. ”

Three years ago, at an event commemorating the 110th anniversary of Mr. Cao Yu's birth, Xiao Zhan had a conversation with Wan Fang, Cao Yu's daughter. Xiao Zhan asked Wan Fang a question: "Is sincerity the most important thing in creation?" ”

Wan Fang replied with a line from her work "Winter Journey": "There is no road to sincerity, sincerity itself is the road." ”

This sentence was deeply remembered by Xiao Zhan. He knows that the attitude towards performance should also be this way - there are no shortcuts to good performance, only sincerity and perseverance can be accomplished.

Don't be humble and focus on the moment

Before entering the entertainment industry, Xiao Zhan was a college student studying design, a diligent "Party B" in the company, and because of his work experience before the age of 25, he always had a professional consciousness, such as when talking about the drama "Dream Like a Dream", he described himself as a screw in the team.

Xiao Zhan told reporters that almost every year he is asked about future plans and goals, but in fact, he is not a person who likes to list plans. "It's about doing things well in the moment and living in the moment."

Now that it is the graduation season, Xiao Zhan recalls his career along the way and is very emotional. "After graduating from college, I first worked in my own major, and then jumped into the industry, and I was able to empathize with the anxiety that some graduates may have now. After coming out of the campus, the social environment has changed, the work content has also changed, everyone will encounter different difficulties and challenges, and after one difficulty, there will be the next. He said, "But you still have to adjust your mentality, don't be humble and unassuming, don't worry and worry too much, do what you have at hand, and the trouble will be solved." ”

At the beginning of 2020, Xiao Zhan attended an award ceremony, and on the podium, he wrote a "JIE". That was his small expectation for himself: "Don't be arrogant or impatient, stay up late, break the boundary and cross the world to break into the world." ”

From a designer to a singer, this is a beautiful and unexpected turning point in Xiao Zhan's life; from a singer to an actor, he has continuously broadened his career boundaries and gradually gained his own starlight; Accumulated with many works, consolidated ability, and moved forward steadily. At the end of the interview, Xiao Zhan said that he would not set a life plan too high and high, and that all the future comes from this momentary self.

About life, time will give the best answer.

source. ( people’s network )

#xiao zhan #what a good interview!!!!#accio victuuri translation

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