#and now it's 8am

[twelve-forfend]

Well, I did say this was a multi-fandom blog... Alright, let's do this.

The Qing Jing Peak Lord's Bamboo House

(and the symbolism therein, as recorded in the donghua)

I was snooping through the establishing shots of the Qing Jing Peak Lord's Bamboo House, and had to laugh as I always do at all the gay symbolism that managed to sneak its way inside. But then I looked a little closer, and was floored by just how much passive storytelling was packed into background assets. I talked about it at length over discord, and at the urging of others decided to make a shareable post on social media as well.

First, the shots which first piqued my interest in this topic years ago:

Shen Yuan transmigrates into the stallion-genre webnovel entitled 狂傲仙魔途 (translated as Proud Immortal Demon Way). The author's and his own usernames are dick jokes.

Notice the chrysanthemum vase, the cock vase, and the stallion statuette.

The stallion and cock are obvious nods to these jokes on their own, but for the uninitiated, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of gay sex between men, as the asshole itself is often euphemistically referred to as a chrysanthemum. This should have been Shen Yuan's first clue that not all is as it seems here! These are the personal quarters of Shen Jiu — the original Shen Qingqiu!

But let's move to the main room you first walk into upon entering the bamboo house.

There it is: the writing on the wall.

As the Peak Lord of strategy and the scholarly arts, Shen Qingqiu would naturally have calligraphy and paintings hanging everywhere! So let's break it down.

On the top we have 道㳒自然 ("Dao Follows Nature"), which comes from a Dao teaching by Laozi (founder of Daoism) meaning that life, death, the entire universe, the heavens and earth and everything outside and inbetween, all follow a set of laws referred to as the nature of things. Although unrelated to the Buddhist couplet below, it's certainly relevant!

Originally hanging in right-to-left order, I've arranged them to read left to right here to make things easier to keep track of. The calligraphy reads 西方竹葉千年翠；南海蓮九品香 and is a couplet commonly found in Guanyin temples. My classical chinese is not as strong as I'd like, but this translates roughly to "The bamboo leaves in Paradise are green for a thousand years / The fragrance of lotus flowers in the South China Sea is as thick as 9 sticks of incense."

The character 西 for West is used to denote the destination of enlightenment/purity: the buddhist Paradise (think Journey to the West). The South China Sea is where Guanyin was born. Upon the Lotus flowers is where Guanyin is commonly depicted as sitting. The "9 sticks of incense" though literal can also refer to the 9 tiers/grades of reincarnation lotuses with the 9th tier being the lowest, meant for those who in life committed the most evil of crimes — the 4 parajikas — and who can only manage a sincere Amitabha recitation 10 times and no more than this.

To put this in context with Shen Jiu (the same jiu as in 9/九), the 4 parajikas committed by the 9th Tier Lotuses Reborn (officially entitled the Lowest of the Low) are:

Sexual Intercourse

Stealing

Murder

Claiming attainments of stages of pure mental concentration that have not been achieved (in other words, rushing or lying about your cultivation/enlightenment, or maybe even becoming a Peak Lord without having formed a golden core beforehand).

From what we know in the context of the novel, Shen Jiu is innocent of at least the first of this parajikas, but the overall view of Shen Jiu in the eyes of others in the story is that he is guilty of them all. This calligraphy can be seen as a condemnation or a reminder for the character Shen Jiu, who even as the Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu is widely thought of as a scum villain and the lowest of the low.

Phew! That's a lot to unpack.

But if you turn your gaze to the original screenshot, you'll see to the right that there's a vase painted with a blue bird. This vase appears in several rooms of the bamboo house, and seems to be the image of a qingniao (青鸟; lit: Qing bird, wherein 青 can mean blue/green/clear-but-brackish black).

These qing-coloured birds are messengers and foragers of the Goddess-Mother of Paradise (Xiwang-mu 西王母, the "west/paradise" character from before, lit West-King(unisex)-Mother). They're a highly intelligent species who are exceptional in song (a good representative for Qing Jing's scholarly arts and pursuit of qin!), and the older ones might learn to speak human tongue. As a subspecies of luanniao (鸾鸟 lit: luan bird), they're thought to be related to The Phoenix and indeed thought to be the lifetime/samsara just before being reborn as a Phoenix.

If given to a "master" they don't like, the qingniao may refuse to pass messages or sing until they're set free, but if they do get along with you then they're loyal to the end.

As a point of interest, the Qing generation of Peak Lords uses the character 清, which is 青 ("colour of nature; brackish black, blue, green; young) + the radical for "water," resulting in the meaning of clear (as in water or heart; see-through); distinct; quiet (as in still); just and honest; pure; to settle or clear up; to clean up, expunge, or purge.

And as a bit of trivia, Liu Qingge's sword Cheng Luan 乘鸾 means "to ride the luan, take flight on the back of a luan." (Relevant, because the qingniao is considered a subspecies of luanniao).

With the Lords of both Qing Jing and Bai Zhan referencing this bird, I really wonder about its significance! It's spawning plenty of theories and headcanons for me.

Heading back outside for a moment, you'll find that in the Quiet Pool (清静小池 qingjing xiaochi (yes, the same Qing Jing the peak is named for)), there are lotuses, and on land there are flower shrubs which are either wide-petaled chrysanthemums (gay bottom jokes ahoy), or a type of peony, the king of flowers demarcating wealth and prosperity. Either way, a blossom fitting of our Qing Jing Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu!

My one regret is that I cannot get a clear shot of the fan hanging on the wall to try and translate the calligraphy on it. If anyone can snag one, please tag me! I also couldn't translate the paintings with poems hanging in Shen Qingqiu's bedroom (it's just too small and blurry for my bad eyes to make out). If I make another post attempting these things, I'll append them to this initial post in an edit afterwards.

#svsss #shen qingqiu #liu qingge #i started writing this at 3am #and now it's 8am #what am i doing with my life #who have i become #qing jing peak

[the-adventures-of-dave]

Around tumblr lately I’ve seen people with the opinion that not only are free roaming cats bad (correct) but also supervised cats in catios or on leashes (????). I assume it must stem from that “ecology of fear” post from a few months ago, but to me the sudden appearance of these kinds of posts just strikes me as odd. I’ve seen multiple posts like the below one in just this week.

—

—

If your cat is contained to your yard/catio/the sidewalk, then it still allows for predator-free safe places in your neighbourhood for wildlife, and creates predictability for them too. That’s one of the reasons why hiking trails ask people to stay on the trail— so you (and your dog, horse, cat, etc) can safely enjoy nature while still giving it space. It is possible to exist outdoors in natural spaces like that while maintaining wildlife comfort. If it wasn’t possible to do that, dog-friendly or (even just hiking trails in general, since humans are predators too) simply wouldn’t exist.

The problem with free roaming cats is that they break boundaries between human area (ie. trail, back porch) and wildlife area (foliage, etc) and there is nowhere the wildlife can go to exist that is safe from predators.

Idk, this is just my opinion but I just think there can be more nuance to the outdoor/free roaming cat issue than “never let your cat step outside under any circumstance”.

#also it’s just dog double standards again #no one’s calling for people to stop walking their dogs 🙄 #arguably a dog barking at and chasing a rabbit is way more stressful than Kepler sitting in his backpack on the porch with me #it’s possible to coexist with wildlife you just have to be smart and respectful about it #anyways ignore my 8am rambling #I got woken up by the fire alarm at 5am and then immediately saw some bad takes on tumblr once that was sorted #so now I’m like :/ #outdoor cats

[heartorbit]

i wanna make a prsk major arcana...

#[knows i wont fucking do that so i post the 1 rough i have instead] all in a days work #project sekai #pjsk #prsk #mizuki akiyama #i posted alternate palettes for this on twitter and i like one of theme way better but im too lazy to get it rn. Lol #i would like to do skecthes for them all but im like .. #um. i dont know snything about tarot so people who DO will see my card assignments and go wtf are they feeding this guy #hermit is easy. pjsk gave that right to me. justice meiko too. #ive decided to pull a revstar and do the 25 card visconti with kagamines in one card. so now i have to reassign with hope charity and faith #boohoo. however the sun emu and the moon mafuyu are staying i know what im about. also kohane with death and an with the lovers #those make me feel like a genius. the rest ill stay shy about. if i say all my assignments ill never feel the urge to draw them #sorry for scheduling these to post at 8am #proseka tarot

[zu-is-here]

<– • –>

[ poll ]

#zu art #comic #post dark cream #cross!sans #dream!sans #ink!sans #aim!sans #undertale #undertale au #utmv #two years ago I was excited to traumatize my own baby boi but now that It's Happening my heart can't take it ;0; #omg it's 8am and I'm not even sleepy?? gotta zzz just in case— #have a nice day or night everyone! <3

[shimmershy]

I caved and doodled Hunter instead of sleeping.

#if i didn't have school I would be drawing him soooo much right now #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers #toh #the owl house #my art #sketches #doodles #hunter #hunter the owl house #hunter toh #toh hunter #the owl house hunter #thanks to them #i had a wild experience with color theory while coloring these because I was color picking directly from screenshots #and at first the color alone looked wrong but you add the other colors and suddenly it's like OH!!! #anyway its so cool but it still makes no sense to me lol #it's 2am and i have a class at 8am see ya on the other side folks ✌

[just-gay-thoughts]

Pro tip for any new or soon to be new college kids: don't fucking pull the fire alarm, easy way to make enemies

#gay thoughts #went off 4 times yesterday (only one planned as a fire drill) #and now at fucking 8am its going off

[mitchievousness]

be the change you want in the world (more yjh in a chinese dress)

#this has been done before but i havent seen it bc i dont go through the orv tags #also bc i havent finished orv yet lmao #anyways just take this #orv #omniscient reader's viewpoint #yoo joonghyuk #drew this at 8am bc my class for that timeslot was dissolved and no one told me so now im waiting for the school cafe to open to drown my s #orrows in mediocre coffee but atleast the vibes are chill #orv more like orz

[ranilla-bean]

The Iconoclast

Rating: E

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender

Pairing: Sokka/Suki/Zuko

Art: @chiptrillino

Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, Historical to the world of ATLA that is, Post-Civil War, Discussions of slavery, Enemies to Lovers, Hate Sex, Wuxia, Religion, Oral Sex, Double Penetration, Breeding Kink, dual wielding if you know what I mean, Zuko's CAVERNOUS bussy, the mortifying ordeal of wanting to fuck the same god-king as your rival

Words: 36,458

Chapters: 5/5

Summary:

@zukki-week 2023 Day 6: Political complications

“Ugh. You.” One fan came spinning out and lodged itself into the pillar beside his head. “Make it fast.” Sokka stepped out from the gloom. “What did you think you were doing with the Fire Lord yesterday?” “Sparring.” “After that? When you plastered yourself all over him?” “Oh,” said Suki delicately, “I didn’t realise you own him.”

After a protracted civil war, the victorious new Fire Lord sends a call for a new bodyguard across the four nations. A Southern Water Tribesman and a warrior from Kyoshi Island respond.

#zukki week 2023 #zukki #zukki dp wip #but now. zukki dp PUBLISHED CHAPTER!!!!! #my fic #sokka #zuko #suki #getting up on 8am sat to post this for youse smh #she's here and she's wild. bon appetit #the brain worms be loosed upon ye

[spicyicymeloncat]

Ballet Cole ✨

#5am and I had a vision #it is now 8am #damnit I fucked my sleep schedule I’ve gotta get up uber early in the coming weeks #actually will perish #hmmm #anyways cry about Cole’s mother again lol #love cole Ninjago and his immense grief #Ninjago #Lego Ninjago #art #digital art #fanart #Ninjago cole #Ninjago Lilly #Ninjago virtues of spinjitzu

[localaceken]

They should have 'killed' Jay in Seabound.

It would have been the perfect parallel to Nya dying at the end of Skybound.

Nya dying at the end of SKYbound.

Jay dying at the end of SEAbound.

The perfect Jaya parallel...

I still don't understand how they messed that up THEY HAD THE PERFECT SET UP AND THEY FUMBLED IT!!!!!

#Hi yes this has been in my drafts for like. 3 months now. #I think if I really think about this I can write an essay on it but I'm tired atm and I have a 8am class tomorrow so. #Maybe later idk #Give me all the Lightningbound! Jay stuff you have pls n thx :3 #Ok cool bye. #uggh now I gotta tag this #ninjago #ninjago dr #jay walker #nya smith #nya jiang #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #jay ninjago #nya ninjago #jaya #ninjago jaya

[fiendishwinx]

*sparkle sparkle* :)))

#winx fanart #winx redesign #winx club s1e3 #the amount of hw i have due today...appalling #it's 8am #i'm going to sleep now wish me luck

[once-a-shape]

Soon .

#just shapes and beats #jsab #main chatting #im gonna need to scounge the tag to see what the proper tag for each character is now hdfbjsbfs #TOMORROW THOUGH. its almost 8am and i havent gone to bed yet jesus christ

[crowlipso]

Dad bod seb 🫡

The best of the best 🫡

#I woke up to doodle this at 5am #but its 8am now dw #kghffddsdf #hphl oc #hphl mc #sebastain sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #agatha crowley

[gay-robot-boyfriends]

HELP! WHAT IS SLEEP?!

#I stayed up all night drawing awakened Zero #it's almost 8am i gotta go be a mom soon #omg it's gonna be a long day #WORTH IT #I felt like switching the style around a bit you know so he's extra spicy #ok i go now #mmx #megaman x #zero #awakened zero #my art #weeeee

[theonewhowails]

IM CHEWING ON THE FUCKING FURNITURE

I HAVE JUST BEEN WATCHING THE TRAILER OVER AND OVER LOOKING FOR SHIT TO FIND AND SPECULATE ABOUT!!!!!!!!

avert your gaze if you do not wish for sins of the flesh spoilers

LIKE LOOK AT THIS!!!!! i initially thought the nakey leaf was only gonna be a thing for the nudist ritual and would happen to everyone uniformly for the same amount of time. so it is fucking SENDING me that EVERYONE HERE IS WEARING CLOTHES EXCEPT NARI

individual outfits!!!!! do you think we will find them and gift them to followers the same way necklaces are? maid dress leshy. why is he serving looks (lol) tho. is that a hairless cat in the top right corner. IS THAT FUCKING SOZO IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT????? FOLLOWER SOZO??? ALIVE SOZO??????? I COULD CRY

a tiny sozo i found in the end image....cutie

also it looks like we'll be able to upgrade our cult and temple even further!!!!!!! or perhaps customization options? either way the stone floors and stained glass in the scene are sexy and im eating them. also theres a bones interior in some shots

also why does the guy in the middle gotta pitchfork. WHY ARE THEY ALL PULLING OUT PITCHFORKS. WILL FOLLOWERS BE ABLE TO FUCKING REVOLT???MOBS???? please that would be so funny

also fighting followers??? my initial thought was that this might be a progression from dissenting and now they can kill you(whimsical) but on closer look the eyes do not look like dissenter eyes. they look more like the eyes of eldritch opponents we fight

furthermore look at this ritual??

it looks much the same as the ritual the bishops perform before going eldritch, and we're clearly leading it, but the energy isnt going to US, its going to the follower in the center??

there is something to be said about how the lamb grows stronger by defeating and consuming their enemies...... it would be really interesting if we're going to get into organic free range home grown adversaries...... when you think about it, taking a loyal follower, corrupting them with eldritch power and then defeating them to absorb the power they gained would be sort of like a more refined form of sacrifice. and also way more fucked up!!! :D

also:

if sacrifice and cannibalism was too tame for you. get ready for letting your followers ritually EAT A BITCH ALIVE. its giving The Lottery vibes but maybe thats just me (nerd)

look at this shit which looks like a fucked up commandment stone. are they sacrificing health here???? for eldritch horrors???? ooooohhh

calamari getting into a slap fight is killing me but also i am going NUTS at the prospect of expanded follower relationships!! we had the seeds of it before with how followers can become friends, some give us quest for their crush, and reading their minds shows they can have conversations that go well or go poorly, and now theyre extrapolating to their logical ends: followers can get into physical fights, can fall in love, can have children!!!! GOD there could be.... actual generations of cultists......ToT

auspistice simulator lmao. but also theres two intersting things to consider here:

follower activities that take place at night, which could make nighttime in the cult more interesting and lively

if we might need at times to step in to break up a fight. would that suggest consequences for not doing so. Can The Followers Beat Each Other To Death Now.

also killing me that while this fight is happening maid leshy is just. drunkenly swaying and making creature noises. look at him. i love him

#sins of the flesh #spoilers? #IM GOING INSANE #thank god they gave us a concrete release date at last because every day since the new year i have woken up and checked for updates #with increasingly unhinged fervour because i need to see it as soon as it fucking lands #but now i know when its dropping so i can relax as much as one such as myself possibly can #which is to say i can foam at the mouth on tumblr dot com about every scrap of information i have been given #normal 8am activities

[leopardom]

genuinely struggling to feel any excitement about the jo gigs i’m attending thanks to the insane fans who choose to queue even since midnight at the day of the gig

#idek why i thought the ee tickets would kinda solve the situation #but it only pushed people with ga to queue even more #not to talk about some people with ee who show up at fuck o clock on the queue too like hello you bought that ticket to avoid queueing for #an insane amount of hours #i don’t talk about the people with ee who show up in the morning i mean everyone who may be arriving before 8am like huh? #and like i have ee for Milan but now i’m scared #it’s not even about getting barricade i’ve dealt with the idea i’ll never have barricade at a jo gig and i don’t care #but this is stressful af yk #sorry i’m just very frustrated and want to rant but i also feel like i have no right to rant or what and AAAAAAAAAAA #this is emma speaking