#truly the 弟弟

[tuturuue]

E.SO and Danko not wanting to abandon Jeff despite the other teams trying their hardest to recruit them. And Jeff didn't talk or give his input during this entire debacle either bc he knew how talented and popular they were 😭

E.SO in his interview: it's not possible [to separate from Jeff]. If Danko and I left for another team, then Jeff would be alone. Then how would he proceed from there? We didn't know either. So Danko and I were worried. We couldn't abandon him. I pulled Danko to the side and said, "no this won't do. Can we not choose and just be the three of us with Jeff [...]

I'm so glad they're taking care of him 🥺

#jeff satur #call me by fire #i hate mgtv #truly the 弟弟 #even tho victor is the youngest lmao #tuturuue translates now #THIS IS HARD #really testing my mando rn

[presumenothing]

novel bit of the day: shan gudao's sole mention, for reference (rip literally)

肖紫衿和李相夷相识在十二年前，那时候李相夷十六岁，他二十二。彼时笛飞声尚未组成金鸾盟，江湖安逸，他和李相夷、以及后来成为四顾门二门主的单孤刀三人结拜兄弟，时常游山玩水，饮酒比武，有过一段年少轻狂的岁月。而后笛飞声祸害江湖，李相夷非但武功了得，而且才智过人，在江湖中影响日大，他和单孤刀渐渐成了小兄弟的副手。几年后单孤刀在松林一战中战死，李相夷坠海失踪，风光一度的四顾门风流云散，其中无尽寂寥，个中滋味，除了他之外，又有谁知道？

#莲花楼 #mysterious lotus casebook #tldr he zijin and xiangyi were just sworn brothers(? is that the eng term?? 结拜兄弟 anyhow) #then sigumen 2nd menzhu then proceeds to die in some pine forest battle that is never mentioned again. truly rip #which is why i was thrown for such a loop when i first saw the drama posts lmao

[dia-souls]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Imajin Tokuten Drama CD “Big brothers' debate, history of the demons?!”

Original title: 兄弟間の話し合い, 悪魔の歴史?!

Source: Fanmade Tokuten Drama CD

Story by: Admin Irsa

Seiyuu: Suegara rie, Toriumi Kousuke, Takahiro Sakurai, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Tomoaki Maeno

Admin's note: Hey! I am back with a new Drama CD. These days I was confused whether I should upload a one shot or a Drama CD, after debate I went for CD as they are easier to write. Tbh this one is rushed as I didn't properly sat and think about scenes. I just wrote what came in my mind as Carla, Ruki and Shu are my favourite ships with Yui. I wanted to make a CD with any topic about them and finally I did. This cd is focused on Shu roasting as his roasting isn't appreciated enough I focused on that, Carla and Ruki are getting roasted. I have zero idea about demon things origin it's all made up and not canon. Again reviews are welcomed 😭 please review as it's the thing that gets me motivated.

Ruki: Oi! What's the meaning of this?

_Ruki entered the music room along with Carla.

Carla: That's should be my line. Woman, why did you call me with this guy?

Yui: Ruki-kun and Carla-san, thanks for coming!

_Yui walked up to them.

Ruki: State your reason here. I thought you finally stepped up your game by calling me alone in this music room, tsk.

Carla: You are truly a dense women with no sense of moral. Calling two men here in this music room, what do you hope to achieve.

_Yui's face flushed.

Yui: No-o.... You both have a misunderstanding... I-I--

Shu: Pwah.... Could you both stop ganging up on her. This shows your mentality instead of her. You are the one delusional for expecting something from a woman like her.

Ruki: Ohh... Sakamaki Shu. How about you remain quiet as you always have been.

_Ruki looked at him with cold eyes.

Shu: Hah! Why? Are you upset that I called you out?

_Shu looked at Ruki with cold eyes too.

Yui: Uhm... Shu-san wasn't cooperating to go anywhere, I had no choice but to call you both here in the music room.

Shu: Exactly! It was for my comfort don't get any ideas you perverts...

Carla: You inferior being dare to talk to a King of First blood like that!

_Carla stepped closer to Shu only for him to be blocked by Yui.

Yui: Carla-san calm down please!

Ruki: Hah! To think you need a woman to protect yourself, you truly are a failure as a man.

Shu: Is it me or are you both ganging up on me... What a pain.

Yui: Uhmm... I called you three here for an assignment.

Ruki: Assignment?? If you needed help you could have approached me privat--

Shu: Well she didn't for a reason and I think I can see why she didn't.

_Ruki glared at Shu.

Yui: Well this assignment is related to "Demons and Their history " I thought you three will be the best to talk about this topic since, I will get to know about history of vampires and founders. You three are the best options so please cooperate with me.

Carla: Hmm... So you want to know about History of founders. This will be a good idea. In this way you will know about your people.

Ruki: "Your people" what do you mean by that Tsukinami Carla.

_Carla looked at Ruki with serious eyes.

Carla: She will be the Queen of founders and as my wife she need to know about her people.

_Shu chuckled.

Shu: People? What people? Aren't founders extinct? Your history is already over.

Ruki: ...............

Yui: ................

Carla: You! How dare you vampire insult my royal bloodline! You scum!

Shu: This scum here at least has its race and isn't extinct like you.

Yui: Carla-san please-e stop I beg you don't!

_She immediately got between them stopping Carla.

Ruki: Livestock don't get in between. You aren't his Knight! Get over here!

_Shu looked at Ruki.

Shu: You need a knight actually considering your powers you half vampire.

_Ruki glared at Shu.

Ruki: You really got some guts for insulting me like that!

Yui: Ruki-kun please not you too!

_Yui left Carla to grab Ruki to stop him from getting to Shu.

Yui: Please! Please stop it!

Ruki: Hmph!

_Yui looked at them.

Yui: Umm.. For starters I have always wondered what's demons origin like how do they came into being.

Shu: In the same way you human exist we all exist that's it.

Yui: Huh? This means God made you all.

Carla: No...No God made us! We are first blood the superior--

Ruki: Hah! So you are claiming you existed from start?

Carla: My ancestors yes! Me? No.

Shu: Obviously you are after product.

Carla: Are you insulting me?!

Shu: Who knows?

Yui: Ohh? I see so that's how it is.... what about vampires? Do you all think Karlheinz-sama is the first vampire to exist.

Ruki: Good question! That man is a God with thoes incredible powers and--

Shu: Here comes his inner fanboy.

_Shu mumbled.

Ruki: Did you say something?

Shu: No...

Ruki: I see as I said. But I believe this isn't the case cuz you see he has a brother--

Shu: It's obvious he didn't crawl up directly from the hell. He was putted in this world by some miserable people. He must have some nasty parents.

Ruki: Don't insult him--

Carla: There was a time when all species were under us founder. We all were on top the most feared. No one dared to disrespect us during my father's time-

Shu: "Was" so this mean you agree to the fact you aren't feared anymore....

Carla: You! Are you picking a fight here?!? I would love to show you what fear is!

Yui: Calm down Carla-san! Shu-san is joking!

Ruki: I would rather say you humbled yourself. It must be because of her. One of us is bound to awaken as Adam.

Shu: "Us" aren't you excluded because you are half blood.

Ruki: ...........

Yui: Shu-san, why are you doing that?! Please stop it! My assignment needs to be completed.

Shu: Pwah... I am so tired could you hurry up and get over with this all.

Yui: Shu-san if you keep saying such things which angers them how am I supposed to hurry up??

Shu: Then you shouldn't have invited these short tempered people.

Carla: Now I get why that guy hates you. You clearly are a disappointment.

Shu: Ouch.. that hurted....

_Shu calmly said closing his eyes.

Ruki: This man infuriates me with his attitude!!

Yui: Please calm down you three-

Shu: Its not "three" it's "two" or" both" will be more suitable......

Ruki: You talk as if you are perfect you are nothing but a disappointment both as son and older brother.

Carla: To think you will be the one leading the vampire clan, I am sure vampire clan will be bound to ruin if the future king is a sloth.

Ruki: Hah! To think you are Karlheinz's son is a big insult.

_Yui looked at both of them angrily.

Yui: You both, it's too much stop it! You are being mean to Shu-san, he --

Ruki: To think you need to relay on others to do your work... hmph a disappointment.

_Shu smiled and looked at them.

Shu: I might be this and that but you both are still not better than me in anything. I still have everything without trying. You both could never. You both sound jealous and envious.

_Shu laughed.

Shu: I will still become king because I am better than my brothers and that old man's sons unlike someone over here I will have actual commerades actual people to lead too......

_Yui's eyes widened

Yui: Look you all, we are diverting from topic this isnt---

Carla: Huh! You really think you will get away by talking like that about me? If I want I could wipe you and your whole clan from this world!!

Ruki: You think crown will be passed to you like that you are wrong Sakamaki sShu. The crown goes to someone who has Eve and you clearly don't have her!!

Shu: So do you have her? You talk as if you have--

Carla: That's my clan will be restored by this woman so put your nasty gaze off from my woman!

Ruki: "My women"?? You are being very bold considering she doesn't even bat her lashes to you!

Yui: You-u.. gu..ys...please listen--

Carla: Your half breed aren't even in race your blood is too impure to be contaminated with someone as precious as her!

Shu: She doesn't deserve to live with a guy who is as twisted as you in first place!

Ruki: Haha! So she deserve a sloth like you a man who sleeps all day and doesn't have a will too live you!

Yui: You... Guys... stop it's enou--kyaaa

_Yui disappeared without them noticing.

Shu: She doesn't deserve someone disgusting like you with such twisted fantasies.

Ruki: She doesn't deserve someone who is a faliure as a man. A man who runs from duties and responsibilities isn't suitable for her!

Kino: You all are right! She doesn't deserve you three!

_They all turned to look at kino.

Kino: She deserve a prince as she is a princess and that Prince is me!

Carla: You! Where do you come from?!

Kino: Listen up buddies from all of your conversation I realized I am the best option for her. So it's better if you wed her to me!

Ruki: You--where is livestock?!

Kino: She is safe and sound with me don't worry I will invite you three to our wedding! Ohh! Your families are also invited!

Shu: Hahh I knew something like this will happen...

Carla: I will destroy you! Give my woman back to me!

Kino: Hehe! Never and We will see that! Sayonara!!!!

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #yui komori #komori yui #ruki mukami #mukami ruki #shu sakamaki #sakamaki shu #carla tsukinami #tsukinami carla #kino sakamaki #sakamaki kino #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[inkichan]

YouTube Channels for Kids by JLPT Levels

(⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧ resources

こんにちは, Japanese learners! Learning a language is an exciting adventure, isn't it? To add a spark of joy to your Japanese learning journey, here's a collection of YouTube channels tailored for kids. Organized by JLPT levels, these channels offer a blend of education and entertainment for learners at different stages. Keep in mind, though, that JLPT levels aren't an exact science like math – language learning can be subjective in terms of difficulty. However, these resources provide a fantastic starting point and a fun way to explore the world of Japanese language and culture. Let's hop into this delightful world of animated learning and playful discoveries!

Friendly reminder to adjust your way of learning in order to make the most of what you're studying to reach the goal you truly want! read my post about it (ᵔ◡ᵔ)

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴N 5 ╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

— Curious George (N5 level)

— Japanese folk tales/anime series (Japanese audio/Japanese subtitles) from BomBom Academy (N5 level)

— Peppa Pig (N5-4 level)

— Anpanman (N5-4 level)

— NHK education (N5-4 level)

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴N4 ╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

— Cinnamon Roll, Sanrio (N4 level)

— [Anime] Atashin'chi (N4-3 level)

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴N3 ╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

— Sesame Street Japan (N3 level)

— Chibi Maruko Chan (N3-2 level)

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴N2 ╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

— Precure (N2 level)

またね～@inkichan

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴﹕꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱﹕╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

#japanese #nihongo #studyblr #learn Japanese #learning Japanese #japanese langblr #langblog #japanese studyblr #日本語 #study japanese #japanese resources #free resources #resources #japanese free resources #youtube #JLPT #JLPT N5

[melverie]

"The one who reduced me to what I am now is you"

So @impish-ivy asked me to look at the English and Japanese versions of Solomon's and Nightbringer's conversation in 10-A, and there are two things in particular that I'd like to highlight a little (if you want to compare the two versions yourself, I've included the Japanese version, my translation of it and the English version of their entire conversation below the cut)

The first one is about this:

The Japanese version actually more closely translates to "The one who reduced me to what I am now is you" (aka the title). It's a small difference, but it adds a lot more malice to Solomon's words + it also slightly reframes that agreement of theirs that Solomon was talking about to imo

I still wish NB would focus more on its namesake so we could figure out what the relationship between Sol and NB is and what exactly happened between them but oh well.. We still have 6 lessons to go for this season, so maybe we'll get lucky and they at least drop a few hints for us

Anyway as for the second one:

"If you had chosen this, it would have been easy". The "this" is what I want to focus on real quick

Given that right before their conversation, Solomon was asked to choose between demons and angels (tho he ultimalety ended up chosing humanity), so it would make sense to assume that that's what Nightbringer is referring to. But since the meaning of "this" was never specified, it could also mean that the actual purpose of the test might have been to see if Solomon would be willing to abandon humanity instead

Considering that Solomon has now repeadetely asked MC to side with humanity, and how there's also been some emphasize on how demons and angels do not see humans as equals, it's definitely possible, at least

Anyway, translations below the cut for anyone that wants to read through them!

This is how I've structured it:

[speaker]

日本語バージョン (Japanese version) [my translation (I tried to stick as close to the original meaning as possible)] English version

⸺

???

......困った人だ [...you're a difficult person] ...You always have to be difficult.

???

いや、面倒な人だ、あなたは [No, a troublesome person is what you are] Or perhaps difficult isn't the right word. Troublesome is what you are.

???

もしくは、その両方ですね [Or both] Actually, I suppose both are true.

???

こちらを選んでしまえば、楽なのに [If you had chosen this, it would have been easy] If you'd only chosen our side, it would've made things so much easier.

Solomon

あはは。ご期待に添えなくて悪いね [Ahaha. I'm sorry for not meeting your expectations] Ahaha. Sorry to disappoint you!

Solomon

俺がそうしないことは、君も知ってるだろう？ [You knew I wouldn't do that, no?] But you must know I wouldn't do that, right?

Solomon

どうして今さら俺を試すようなことをするんだ？ [Why are you testing me now?] So why are you testing me? Shouldn't we be past that point?

Solomon

俺の信念が揺らいでるようにでも見えた？ [Did it seem like my believes were wavering?] Did you think I might be questioning my convictions?

???

揺らいでいる、とは思っていません [I don't think it's wavering] Not at the moment, no.

???

ですがー [But...] However...

???

あの方......。 可愛い弟子のあの方が巻き込まれても [That person... Even if that cute apprentice should get involved...] What if your adorable apprentice were to get caught up in all of this?

???

あなたが揺らぐことはないのでしょうか [...would you never waver?] Perhaps then you might reconsider your convictions?

Solomon

それは脅しかい？ 悪魔みたいなことを言うんだな [Is that a threat? You sound like a demon...] Is that a threat? You know, you sound just like a demon...

Solomon

でも大丈夫。MCも俺と同じ気持ちだからね [But it's alright. MC feels the same way as me, after all] Still, it doesn't change anything. Because MC feels the same way I do.

???

あの方の本当に望むことを、自分なら 理解していると？過信しすぎでは？ [Do you think you can understand what that person really wants? Are you overconfident?] You think you know what it is your apprentice truly wants? That you can see inside the heart of another? That doesn't strike you as overconfident?

Solomon

そうでもないよ [Not really] Not at all.

???

その傲慢なほどの自信は いったいどこから満ちてくるのか...... [Where on earth is that arrogant self-confidence coming from...] You have confidence to the point of arrogance. Where exactly does it come from, I wonder...

???

あなたこそ、悪魔のような振る舞いを しているのでは？ [Aren't you the one acting like a demon?] Have you considered that you're behaving quite a bit like a demon yourself?

Solomon

悪魔のような振る舞いかあ。 でも考えてみたら、仕方ないことじゃないか？ [I'm acting like a demon? But if you try thinking about it, isn't it inevitable?] You think I'm behaving like a demon... Well, if you think about it, that's to be expected, right?

Solomon

だってさ [Because] I mean...

Solomon

今の俺を減らしたのは、君なんだから [The one who reduced me to what I am now is you] You're the one who made me who I am today, after all.

Solomon

そうだろう？　「ナイトブリンガー」 [Right? "Nightbringer"] Isn't that right, Nightbringer...?

#will any of this ever be relevant to the story? who knows! i hope it will tho #i hope we kinda speed through lucifer's arc so that we can return to figuring out who nightbringer is and what he wants #obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me solomon #;mel translates

[journeytothewestresearch]

Is Six Ears an Aspect of Sun Wukong?

I've seen some people claim that Six Ears is not an aspect of Sun Wukong's mind. They either ignore the references to "one mind" and "two Minds" (and the Buddhist philosophy behind them), or they just say it's allegory and nothing more. Well, there are actually internal story details from chapter 58 that support the close connection between the Monkey King and his doppelganger.

1) The Bodhisattva Guanyin and her “eyes of wisdom” (huiyan, 慧眼) can’t tell them apart:

The various deities and the Bodhisattva stared at the two for a long time, but none could tell them apart (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 106). 眾諸天與菩薩都看良久，莫想能認。 [And later:] Pressing his palms together, our Buddha said, “Guanyin, the Honored One, can you tell which is the true Pilgrim and which is the false one?” “They came to your disciple’s humble region the other day,” replied the Bodhisattva, “but I truly could not distinguish between them …” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 114). 我佛合掌道：「觀音尊者，你看那兩個行者，誰是真假？」菩薩道：「前日在弟子荒境，委不能辨 …

2) The tight-fillet spell works on both Monkeys:

Asking Moksa and Goodly Wealth [a.k.a. Red Boy] to approach her, the Bodhisattva whispered to them this instruction: “Each of you take hold of one of them firmly, and let me start reciting in secret the Tight-Fillet Spell. The one whose head hurts is the real monkey; the one who has no pain is specious.” Indeed, the two disciples took hold of the two Pilgrims as the Bodhisattva recited in silence the magic words. At once the two of them gripped their heads and rolled on the ground, both screaming, “Don’t recite! Don’t recite!” The Bodhisattva stopped her recital … (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 106). 菩薩喚木叉與善財上前，悄悄吩咐：「你一個幫住一個，等我暗念緊箍兒咒，看那個害疼的便是真，不疼的便是假。」他二人果各幫一個。菩薩暗念真言，兩個一齊喊疼，都抱著頭，地下打滾，只叫：「莫念，莫念。」菩薩不念 …

(If someone disagrees with this one, they need to show where it says Six Ears is faking the pain.)

3) Both the Jade Emperor and the imp-reflecting mirror can’t tell them apart:

Issuing a decree at once to summon Devariija Li, the Pagoda-Bearer, the Jade Emperor commanded: “Let us look at those two fellows through the imp-reflecting mirror, so that the false may perish and the true endure.” The devaraja took out the mirror immediately and asked the Jade Emperor to watch with the various celestial deities. What appeared in the mirror were two reflections of Sun Wukong: there was not the slightest difference between their golden fillets, their clothing, and even their hair. Since the Jade Emperor found it impossible to distinguish them, he ordered them chased out of the hall (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, pp. 107-108). 玉帝即傳旨宣托塔李天王，教：「把照妖鏡來照這廝誰真誰假，教他假滅真存。」天王即取鏡照住，請玉帝同眾神觀看。鏡中乃是兩個孫悟空的影子，金箍、衣服，毫髮不差。玉帝亦辨不出，趕出殿外。

4) Only omniscient beings like Investigative Hearing (Ksitigargbha's mount) and the Buddha can tell the two apart:

[T]he Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha said, “Wait a moment! Wait a moment! Let me ask Investigative Hearing to listen for you.” That Investigative Hearing, you see, happens to be a beast that usually lies beneath the desk of Ksitigarbha. When he crouches on the ground, he can in an instant perceive the true and the false, the virtuous and the wicked among all short-haired creatures, scaly creatures, hairy creatures, winged creatures, and crawling creatures, and among all the celestial immortals, the earthly immortals, the divine immortals, the human immortals, and the spirit immortals resident in all the cave Heavens and blessed lands in the various shrines, rivers, and mountains of the Four Great Continents. In obedience, therefore, to the command of Ksitigarbha, the beast prostrated himself in the courtyard of the Hall of Darkness, and in a little while, he raised his head to say to his master, “I have the name of the fiend …” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 112) …地藏王菩薩道：「且住，且住。等我著諦聽與你聽個真假。」原來那諦聽是地藏菩薩經案下伏的一個獸名。他若伏在地下，一霎時，將四大部洲山川社稷，洞天福地之間，蠃蟲、鱗蟲、毛蟲、羽蟲、昆蟲、天仙、地仙、神仙、人仙、鬼仙，可以照鑒善惡，察聽賢愚。那獸奉地藏鈞旨，就於森羅庭院之中，俯伏在地。須臾，擡起頭來，對地藏道：「怪名雖有…」。 [...] Smiling, Tathagata said, “Though all of you [Guanyin] possess vast dharma power and are able to observe the events of the whole universe, you cannot know all the things therein, nor do you have the knowledge of all the species” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 114). 如來笑道：「汝等法力廣大，只能普閱周天之事，不能遍識周天之物，亦不能廣會周天之種類也。」 […] [After the Buddha explains the ten categories of life and the four types of celestial primates (see the introduction here), he says:] As I see the matter, that specious Wukong must be a six-eared macaque … (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 115). 我觀假悟空乃六耳獼猴也 …

In short, the twin monkeys are so hard to tell apart simply because they are representations of the true and illusionary minds (refer back to the article) within the same person.

So what does this say about Shadowpeach? I know LMK is a separate entity from the novel, but applying canon to this ship would make it more self-love, right? I'm sure those with creatively perverted minds know what I'm taking about.

#Sun Wukong #Monkey King #Six Ears #Six-Eared Macaque #Journey to the West #JTTW #Guanyin #Buddha #Jade Emperor #Ksitigharbha #Heavenly King Li Jing #Devaraja Li Jing #Imp-Reflecting Mirror #Lego Monkie Kid #LMK #MK #Buddhism #two minds #shadowpeach

[ladysisyphus]

Okay! Now that we have finished it, I would like to take this moment to recommend the Chinese drama The Disguiser.

It is a must-watch if you liked Nirvana in Fire, because of course it's the same director and a significant chunk of that same cast, except all playing significantly different roles with different dynamics.

For normal people, you should give it a go if you like:

spies

suits

spies in suits

the amazing east-meets-west aesthetic of late 1930s Shanghai

international incidents

acknowledgements that non-marriage-trajectory relationships can still be important and intimate

minimal unfounded valorization of heterosexuality (like, I can't really explain this one without spoilers, but trust me)

but when the heterosexuality happens, it's cute? so you can't really begrudge it for happening

pretty men getting tortured horrifically

some amazing female villains, like seriously, most of the main bad guys are ladies and they're powerhouses

transparently hilarious try-hard patriotic shit

the inherent eroticism of having someone who loves you shoot you with a sniper rifle

did I mention the suits? because damn

an ending that is satisfying and not relentlessly, senselessly tragic

For perverts, let me sell the show to you like this:

大姐. Elegant and terrifying. Will make you kneel and hit you with a flogger, but only because she loves you. Mommy? Sorry. (Not sorry.)

大哥. Executive homosexual. Will bend you over a bench and paddle you in the foyer, but only because da jie told him to.

弟弟. Should not, from what I understand of the book (and the musical???), be the main character, except he's Hu Ge, so of course he's the main character. Spoiled little gremlin. Everybody's baby. Has a real weird daddy thing going with a very bad man, if you're into that. Bisexual slut powers activated, but only patriotically.

弟弟 #2. Adopted when he was ten. Just like a member of the family except when he's not. Faithful right hand and subordinate of da ge, whom he tops so hard. (But seriously, they're in love.) (No, really. They're basically married.) (I sense the source material has him a little saltier about his station in life, but in the show, he never shows an inkling of being anything but perfectly content doing what he does.) Sultry baritone. Will hold you down so da ge can spank you.

And I'm going to say that pervert shit runs strong throughout what little fandom there is, at least as AO3 would have it:

Which is what happens if you include everything tagged for the Disguiser. If you filter it by English-language works only...

And some of those that say they're in English aren't even in English! They're just pretending to be in English! What I'm saying is, if you feel like making kinky things for a bitty little fandom, this is the place.

Now! If I've sold you on it, here is how to watch it:

Option 1: KissAsian. Upside: Subtitled by the same Viki team that did the Nirvana in Fire subtitles, so they're absolutely readable and like 98% comprehensible. Downside: Slightly sketchy site.

Option 2: YouTube. Upside: It's YouTube; different translation that's also perfectly okay; hardcoded Chinese subs. Downside: Whoever formatted the hardcoded English subs did not put anything behind the plain white text, so any time the English text appears over a bright background (which is curiously often), the words disappear.

Also there's a musical??? that came out in 2021????? If I find a link to a full production of that, I'll come back here and update. The clips I've seen of it look great, though.

Look, this is not a show for everyone. It's got some gore and torture and onscreen injury that's pretty disturbing. It portrays the truly awful realities of Japanese occupation of China during this period. The rah-rah communism! bits are at best hokey and at worst distasteful. It can be slow at times and way too condensed at others. If you're not familiar with this period of history, it's tough to keep track of all the various resistance factions. Because of the spycraft and double-agent business, it can be legitimately tricky to remember who's lying to whom about what at any given moment.

Nonetheless, pervert shit aside, it's a solid story about a complicated quartet of siblings who love and also injure one another, and all the people who love/hate them. There are plenty of genuinely tense moments. The hairstyling and costuming are perfectly on point. The actors turn in some stellar performances. As I alluded to in my bullet points, it has an ending that includes some tragic elements, but not so many that it'll sink all your ships and ruin your day. And I tell you what, this show is legitimately horny for everyone in this car:

So if you watch it, let me know what you think!

#the disguiser #伪装者 #c drama #nirvana in fire

[xiakeponz]

for modern AU fics - what chinese media did diaspora consume?

making this post because some of us in the diaspora server were having a chat about what Chinese media "Diaspora Chinese" watched in the 90's - 2000's (and even sooner than that) while not having access to satellite chinese media or streaming services - this is in the context of writing modern AU fics based off Chinese media/novels (so your main character's grandpa or uncle is not, in fact, watching an episode of Friends or Shortland Street or something as flavour text because sorry what the hell-)

We generally watched a lot of stuff on VCDs, including bootlegged and non-bootlegged movies, shows, anime/donghua. My household had a whole VCD album of this, and a lot of VCDs (even if they were pirated editions) would have a fancy hardcover box with a magnetic clasp and some artwork representing the show on it.

All of this is Mandarin - so not TVB stuff, because I'm from Northern China and I don't know any cantonese - but Canto friends, please feel free to add to the list! This is mostly stuff my parents liked to watch, or I liked to watch with them, with the exception of a few which I mainly watched with friends/cousins when I was maybe (in most cases) eleven/twelve years old onwards. This is a pretty personal list, meant to give people general idea of a possible "ballpark" of sorts, and by no means exhaustive.

Now, for the list of shows which I can confirm I had or someone I know had on VCD or some kind of offline media format lol (I'll try add release year stamps and links to the EN wikipedia where possible):

Period dramas (mostly Qing Dynasty stuff):

Huan Zhu Gege 还珠格格 (1998, April-) This is a classic, so many memes come from this show; hugely popular series, basically cemented Zhang Tie Lin's face as the face of the Qing Emperor for about a decade. Tie Chi Tong Ya Ji Xiao Lan 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚 (2002-2010) - I loved this show as a kid and watched all four seasons on repeat with family... The "trio" in this show are well known and loved.

Amazing Detective Di Ren Jie / 神探狄仁杰 (2004) A very popular and addictive show. Ok now the Big Four:

Romance of 3 kingdoms 1994 / 三国演义 (1994) - a classic that has had many remakes, my older cousin would play this on repeat...

Hong Lou Meng/红楼梦 （1987） - another classic with many remakes, but I think the most recognised by the public one is the 1987 one.

Journey to the West / 西游记 live action (1986) - I think the 1986 version of the live action is the most recognised one. *Shui Hu Zhuan / 水浒传 (1998) - I am not too familliar with the live action of this one in my household tbh bc my mum doesn't like it lol (she keeps saying it's too depressing) but I'm sure it's up there with the rest of the big four, if anyone has an opinion on this one please let me know!

Modern setting shows:

My dad loved all the Sun Honglei (孙红雷 - actor name) stuff, iirc it was a lot of MinGuo period espionage stuff, your shanghai 1920's sxc aesthetic. This actor has been around since 1999? Qian Fu （潜伏）was very famous, and Ren Jian Zheng Dao Shi Cang Sang （人间正道是沧桑）。 These were around '08 and '09.

Chuang Guan Dong - 闯关东 (2008) (Baidu link, sorry - couldn't get an EN wikipedia one). This show was huge when it was airing, everyone was watching it. I was pretty young but even I watched it and got invested ... and I thought it was such an "old person" show at the time lmao. Xiao Bing Zhang Ga / 小兵张嘎 （2004） (sorry, again Baidu link) - yo, anti-japanese war movies set between 1937-1945 were crazy popular - this is one of them and was very popular):

Donghua/Anime (all the stuff kid me watched and some which I didn't but were popular):

喜羊羊与灰太狼 (2005-) Calabash Brothers / 葫芦兄弟 （1986-1987） Black Cat Detective / Hei Mao Jing Zhang 黑猫警长 （1984-2010） Lan Mao Tao Qi 3000 Wen 蓝蓝猫淘气3000问 AKA 蓝猫 (blue cat) (October 1999 - Present) Legend of Ne Zha 哪吒传奇 (2003) Journey to the West/Xi You Ji 西游记 This was truly the Donghua I grew up on from when I was a bb, the OP song and ED song are classic bangers all kids know. Slam Dunk/ 灌篮高手 - People truly watched a lot of anime that may or may not have been terribly dubbed into mando (possibly canto too). Late 80s and 90s kids were all over this, and Dragon Ball, Crayon Shinchan (labixiaoxin).

Taiwanese Dramas:

This is mid-late 2000's, I would be remiss to not talk about the Taiwanese dramas of this era. Mike He, Rainie Yang, Wu Zun (amongst many, many others) were huge. Stuff like Dou Niu Yao Bu Yao, it started with a kiss, Hua Yang Shao Nv (Taiwanese version of Hana Kimi) were all pretty popular. Not sure if these shows all hold up in 2023, but boy were they popular at the time.

Note about CNY:

For CNY, people would try to tune into 春节联欢晚会 (the CCTV official CNY show) at that One Friend Who Had China Satellite TV's house. Zhao Ben Shan / 赵本山 was a comedy staple, and the show would often feature people from the music industry to perform. Eventually these people became more and more relevant to my gen and Jay Chou etc started appearing.

Last but not least Xian Jiaaaan 仙剑:

In 2005 I was all over 仙剑奇侠传 (Chinese Paladin), based off the video game. This show was crazy popular and probably sent me and a whole lot of other kids into Xianxia / Wuxia hell (and Hu Ge hell, and later I came back to love Liu Yifei). Thank you. The OST is a true banger.

#cnovel #mdzs #cdrama #chinese diaspora #danmei #not a lot of jinyong wuxia shows here so people who have opinions please chime in! #whew that was more than i thought #music could do with another post #but i dont know too much about my dads music i was just a 2000s cpop nerd #also this doesnt cover movies either #please no lan qiren watching friends #this breaks me out of my immersion immediately unless there was a specific reason why shufu is watching friends #not even sure how to tag this #late 2000s you could pretty much stream and download stuff i think i did that for bbjx when it came out #even tho my parents hated The Internet i managed #feel free to add more to this in a post or tags or whatever

[jzlily333]

🌺03/16活出美好LiveWell🌺

Speak of abundance, speak of healing, bless you abundantly, praise often. Everything you say will come true!                              

Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed from here and cast into the sea.” If he does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done to him (Mark 11: twenty three).

03/16 Bible verses

An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. (PROVERBS 29:22)

An angry person stirs up strife, and a furious person commits many sins (Proverbs 29:22).

03/16Good words

1. Doubt sees only obstacles; faith sees the way to overcome them. ​​​

A double-minded person is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).

2. Before criticizing others, let me put myself in their shoes.                        

Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but don't think about the log in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3)

Hymn: I want to thank you with all my heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G48vYeVo1Pk

🌺03/16活出美好🌺

說出豐盛，說出醫治，多多祝褔，常常讚美。凡你所說的都必成就！           

我實在告訴你們，無論何人對這座山說：「你挪開此地投在海裡。」他若心裡不疑惑，只信他所說的必成，就必給他成了(馬可褔音11: 23)。

03/16圣经金句

An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. (PROVERBS 29:22) 

好氣的人，挑啟爭端；暴怒的人，多多犯罪 (箴言29: 22)。

03/16金玉良言

1. 懷疑只看到障礙；而信心則會看到跨越障礙的方法。      

心懷二意的人，在他一切所行的路上都沒有定見(雅各書1: 8)。

2. 在批評別人之前，讓我先��他人設身處地想一下。         

為甚麼看見你弟兄眼中有刺，卻不想自己眼中有梁木呢？(馬太福音7: 3)

詩歌：我要一心稱謝祢 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G48vYeVo1Pk

#photography #aesthetic #spirituality #positivity #illustration #nature #quotes #music #travel #architecture #garden #flowers #art #bible study #scenery

[ruiconteur]

the fic i’m reading rn is one in which shaoshi 自动认主 (goes to its master of its own volition?) and therefore exposes li lianhua’s identity in front of everyone during the ep 9 ceremony and. well.

li lianhua: ah this lowly one is called li lianhua, a mere doctor of the jianghu; i cannot claim any connection to li xiangyi

yun biqiu: li………. lianhua?

di feisheng, appearing out of nowhere: indeed, he even has an older brother called li lianpeng (莲蓬 / lotus pod)

fang duobing, immediately 接话-ing: i say, li lianhua, do you have an older sister called li lianzi then? (莲子 / lotus seed)

li lianhua, rolling his eyes: that’s right, i also have a young sister called lianhua-teng (莲花藤 / lotus flower vine)

不愧是我们破案三兄弟呢哈哈哈哈哈 they truly are liansanjiao lol

#mysterious lotus casebook #lhl #rui rambles #fic yelling #li lianhua #di feisheng #fang duobing

[rongzhi]

Hi! Sorry if you dont answer this kinda question and feel free to delete if you dont wanna answer but how would one go about learning Chinese? Are there any tips or sources you could direct to? I want to surprise my dad one day by learning Chinese since I grew up without learning it (been Americanized 😔) but I have no idea where to start at all. I would greatly appreciate the help if you provide any.

Nonetheless I hope you are well! Love your douyin translations! Thanks! ♡♡♡

I'm not reaaally a good person to ask since I'm not truly actively pursuing language studies. You'd be better off searching up language resources/communities or looking for Chinese langblrs tbh. I think they'll probably have a lot more actual learning resources that you can check out. If you're real serious, I'd look up getting into HSK levels (standardised testing levels basically)

However, my general advice is to probably just immerse yourself more if you're already a little bit familiar with Chinese. It sounds like your parents or at least your dad is Chinese, so you must know a little bit already. I've said as much in previous asks before, but my current Chinese language skills are basically all from just getting more into watching dramas/movies/web videos (like douyins) over the last ~2 years. Personally, my listening skills are still better than speaking/reading, but I used to be practically illiterate and now I can indulge more in my love of reading comment sections and forum drama lol.

There's tons of drama/movie recs out there including from me (check my FAQ/answered asks) so I won't bother with that here.

Everything I link below is just going to be based on my own experience/some resources I use/have used. Idk how helpful it will be to what you're trying to achieve.

If your goal is only to get better at speaking Chinese, I'd say learning songs might help? Or just when you're watching any language videos, repeating things out loud helps. I also just mutter out loud to myself anytime I find myself thinking in Chinese these days, since I don't really talk to anybody but I still want to improve my speaking skills.

Video channels:

The Mandarin Corner - a language youtube channel has varying levels language videos on various topics as well as vocab.

每日中文课Free To Learn is also a nice language youtube channel, though it may be a little bit more intermediate learning. 唐真探【唐唐說-每週更新】- True crime channel in Chinese. If you have interest in true crime, I think watching ones in Chinese are interesting because they offer more diverse case coverage, including cases from China and other Asian countries that you typically just don't find in western true crime channels. Subtitles are in Traditional so if you're like me, you'll probably rely mostly on listening. I think these channels also help me learn some modern vocab. 英大吉來了 - another true crime channel in Chinese. Subtitles are in Traditional. 脑弟说电影 - movie/drama recap channel in Chinese. Subtitles are in Simplified.

Some apps that might be helpful (based on my experience only):

Mobile:

Pleco - a Chinese-English dictionary). I would install a Chinese pinyin keyboard and handwriting keyboard on your phone in order to look up words or phrases. A similiar app I've heard people talk about before is called Anki, I think?

HelloChinese - This can take you up to HSK 4 or something like that for free. It's better than DuoLingo, I hear. I haven't actually used DuoLingo before but I'm told their Chinese program is a little bullshit. I used to use HelloChinese reading/writing practice on and off but since I'm not interested in paying for stuff, I don't really use it anymore. However, I think the practices that are available are pretty good and the example sentences and whatnot actually make sense.

Desktop:

Zhongwen pop-up dictionary - browser extension. This is pretty useful extension that lets you look up words by hovering over them (unless it does that thing where it just tells you to look up a different entry 🙄). When I encounter words I don't know while reading, I'll turn this on.

Yellowbridge - an online Chinese-English dictionary. I honestly just use this to double check brush stroke orders sometimes but it's a good dictionary for desktop.

Again, probably not that helpful but that's all I really have personally!

#text #answered ask #long post #language ask

[rolotouto]

Hokenshitsu to omukae

Finally, here's the translation of the 3-minute long track "Hokenshitsu to Omukae" (something like "The Infirmary and Picking Up [Someone]”, that “someone” being Rolo) from the 1st volume of the Student Council WAVE drama CDs! However, I share only the text and not the audio file at this time. The CD was recently released, and I feel it’s not right for me to upload any part of its contents online... at least until the CD becomes impossible to acquire through legal means. This track exclusively features the voices of Lelouch and Rolo, although there is an inaudible nurse present with them (which you'll notice they occasionally address during their conversation): Lelouch: Nurse, I heard Rolo has been taken to the infirmary!! Is Rolo okay?! What is his condition?! Have you contacted emergency services?!?! ... No, you might tell me to calm down, but my precious little brother is in the infirmary!! How could I not panic?! More importantly, where is Rolo?! Rolo: I’m here, brother. Lelouch: Rolo! ... Thank goodness. Just what happened? Rolo: It’s nothing major. I just tripped during P.E.. But everyone in class made a big deal out of it, so I was brought to the infirmary. Lelouch: I see... I was so sure something was wrong with your health. The other day you were clutching your chest too, remember...? Rolo: Ah... that was... I told you that was nothing, right...? Haha. You are such a worrywart, Brother... Lelouch: That’s not how it is! You are my only little brother, you know? Of course I worry! So, did you receive treatment? Rolo: Yeah, the nurse treated me a while ago, so I'm fine. Look! Lelouch: That’s good then. Nurse, I apologize for losing my composure earlier. When it comes to my little brother, I tend to get anxious... You say I’m "caring towards my little brother"? (TN: 弟想い) It’s not like that. It’s just that we live far away from our parents, who are in our home country, and I feel that I must take care of him. ... Oh. So that is what you mean by "caring towards my little brother". Well, it comes naturally to me, though. Rolo: Brother, you are too overprotective... Lelouch: I do not think of myself as “overprotective”. I mean, you used to have fever and stay in bed so often. Rolo: Those are stories from when I was little, right? Lelouch: What are you saying? Just the other day you caught a cold and had a fever. Rolo: T-That’s... well... Lelouch: Eh? You ask what happened? Ahaha. The truth is, the other day we washed the bedsheets together. As we were doing so, we splashed water on each other for fun, but since this guy got too cocky and stayed wet, he ended up catching a cold. Rolo: That’s mean, Brother! You didn’t need to tell the nurse! Lelouch: Haha! Sorry, sorry. But it's the truth, isn’t it? Rolo: Well... it is. Lelouch: Eh? What about me, you say? I did change my clothes, so... Ah, you are not talking about that, but about my health? I’m alright. Do I look that unhealthy? It’s fine. I eat enough, really. Rolo: He’s lying. He leaves the dormitory food uneaten too, you know. Lelouch: Hey, Rolo! Is this payback for what I said before? No, I truly am fine, seriously! I eat properly. You don't have to go as far as handling nutrition management and doing the work of a public health doctor. *Bell sound* Ah, time to leave school? Nurse, that’s the bell signaling the end of school hours. We have to return to the clubhouse now. Rolo: Oh. He ran away. Lelouch: I didn’t! More importantly, is your injured leg okay, Rolo? Do you think you can walk? Rolo: Yeah, no problem! I’m fine. Lelouch: Well then, nurse. Thank you for taking care of Rolo. ... Regarding the nutrition management matter? I will consider it. Well then, see you. --- Rolo clutching his chest... 😭 but I'm glad that Lelouch's anxiety was triggered by noticing something unique to Rolo, rather than projecting Nunnally's characteristics onto him. And when he mentioned the bedsheets, I thought for a moment Lelouch was going to reveal the mystery behind Pink Sheets™, but he talks about water, so I assume the memory mentioned here refers to a different day. Still, how clumsy is a trained assassin with ±10 years of killing experience that he allows himself to get a fever from consciously not taking care of himself?! Well, it’s good to see that he has relaxed that much! Speaking of which, I’m doing a lot of assuming here, but I assume Rolo picked up the phrase “You are so overprotective~” from hearing Milly say it (she calls Lelouch that on this CD as well), since I can’t imagine he had the chance to learn how playful teasing works at the Order. There’s more. The CD came with a booklet which includes the "Health Room Usage Record," detailing Rolo’s health:

Very interesting points here: ・“Fell during physical education class and scraped knee“. Nonetheless, the reason he was taken to the infirmary wasn’t just because of that injury, but because he presented “mild palpitations and dizziness”! ・The file states that “regarding palpitations and dizziness, they are related to a preexisting medical condition of his,” which Rolo himself, Lelouch (referred to as “his guardian”) and his homeroom teacher were already aware of, and which “does not affect his everyday life”. Meaning!! That when Rolo told Lelouch about his weakness during Turn 5, only the “so I can’t use my Geass for long” part was news to Lelouch. He already knew about Rolo’s heart being fragile, and Rolo knew that he knew (I wonder if, in those moments when Rolo clutched his chest after Lelouch's real memories returned, Lelouch instinctively remembered the anxiety he used to feel when Rolo did the same in the past...). ・ Rolo has no allergies.

Vol. 2 of WAVE was also released a few days ago, but I haven't come across any information regarding the extent of Rolo's presence in it. (EDIT: Asked over at the Lost Stories guild and was told “Rolo didn’t appear much this time”). Unfortunately, I think it will be hard for me to buy the rest of the Volumes, though... unless the Rolo content is so important that I’m compeled to, like in the case of Vol. 1, haha.

By the way, Rolo is also depicted in the illustrations of Volume 5, looking exasperated as Sayoko flirts with none other than MaiHani:

To end this post, I just want to mention that you can watch the Lost Stories 1st anniversary special program here. During the ending sequence, from 2:08:04 to 2:08:07, the focus is on Lelouch’s memories with Rolo, including Lelouch placing Rolo’s locket on his hand when he dies. Less than half a minute later, Vincent is shown together with the other most important KMFs, therefore so far I’m confident that Lost Stories will treat Rolo as a prominent character and not make him casually shoot Lelouch and be okay with it afterwards.

#rolo lamperouge #lelouch lamperouge #student council radio station wave #translation #lamperouge brothers #miya i. hillmick #rolo's health #overprotective lelouch #official #cd drama #code geass #code geass R2 #lelouch getting even more reasons to hate on p.e. #lost stories #official art

[cozyaliensuperstar7]

The Brothers Sun 🤗

thejohnnykou:

So I’ve been wondering… How would Big Sun make his way out?

How would Mama Sun and the kids continue building the new Jade Dragons without me? Or would they be able to get rid of me? (Don’t think so 🤭)

What was the story behind Baba & Mama Sun?

Would the Sun ever be working together?How dark can Big Sun go?

And the questions could just go on and on…I guess lots of you have heard the news. The Sun Family has a great debut but we are keeping it short and sweet as of now. It’s such a privilege and an incredible opportunity to get to work with all these amazing casts and crew. I hope you enjoy the show as much as we do, and thanks for all the kind words and support along the way, truly. Till next time! Love from 大孫, Baba Sun👨🏻

#孫家兄弟 後會有期

#TheBrothersSun @netflix @netflixgolden @netflixtw Thank you @bosslogic for such incredible art!! Hope to resume the business soon.

#johnny kou #justin chien #the brothers sun

[markiafc]

notes on mlc

some personal thoughts about buddhism and mlc :D in some ways, its a further elaboration of the ideas mentioned in this post. @ananeiah @seventh-fantasy

1.

amongst the 3 main chinese philosophies, buddhism is the closest to my heart and personal life. confucianism comes second as i was exposed to it only in accompaniment to buddhism (studied 弟子规 standards for being a good student and child pretty intensely and its had a lot of presence throughout my life + a more modest focus on 三字经 three character classic). and lastly, i'm the furthest away from daoism. i know little about its texts and theories though most of my relatives are daoist; buddhism is on the scanter side in my family. there's a lot more to chinese philosophy than just these 3 schools, but a lot can still be gleaned from this limited scope.

2.

namely: there is a cultural obsession with organizing society. it extends to other parts of asia as well, but chineseness does have a fixation with inventing structure, with dictating every facet of human life, with creating meticulous and intricate systems that resemble million-cog machines; all the little parts (living, breathing people) must perform what they were designed for, and the whole can then function perfectly. a lot of this lies in confucianism. it devises specific social roles and rituals, it calls for conformity and uniformity, it teaches you exactly how to live. confucianist texts (and chinese governing bodies) tell you what your childhood must entail, what your teenage years must be like, what qualifies as adulthood. what marriage is. what a family is and how to conduct yourself within it. here are the exactly defined spheres that make up your entire life like building blocks. there are details, situations that may arise and the correct way to respond, and there are steps. for every person, regardless of age, gender, race, class, etc. there is a guide to follow and stages to accomplish. this is a system for our benefit. we must abide. don't we all want to be good people and live a good life?

3.

it stands to reason that there is an old and enduring conflict within chinese thought. buddhism, daoism, and other chinese ideologies exist to combat this rigidity, this extensive manual to living human life. they assert that surely there is something beyond. surely there is something more meaningful to our time on earth than propriety, tradition, discipline, etc. does this really establish goodness and generate fulfillment? what are the ingredients to human happiness, really? this interplay lies at the center of these 3 major chinese philosophies. (among a multitude of other things, of course, a highly diverse and ancient culture can't be boiled down.)

4.

sometimes chinese stories explore that unyielding and severe, at times cruel, social order. it is the entire world as far as the eye can see. and these stories draw from buddhism (or other beliefs like daoism, mohism, etc.) to portray a way out. to find freedom from that choking machine. how do we escape institution and systems? from a mahayana buddhist perspective, that question is the same as: how do we be happy? and these are the chinese stories that truly, viscerally gut me to the core because i feel it deeply. it feels true and real and earnest. mlc is one of those stories to me.

5.

briefly, this is on a basic level what chinese buddhism is in spirit:

everything in our mortal world is because of 因缘 cause/effect. every event, every emotion, every phenomenon is a result of something else. and this newly-produced result will then go on to become a cause of its own, inciting other effects. it is a chain reaction.

significantly, it is also a cycle. in the chinese eye, in the buddhist eye, all is conceptualized as a process. everything is broken down into step after step, and understood as such. animals have a reproductive cycle, the chicken and the egg. rain exists via the water cycle. and the human being is the most complex creature of all. we are a result of many, many cycles working in tandem all at once. inside our bodies and our minds, the chain reaction is at play, renewal and cessation and renewal and cessation.

this means that everything is always changing, on a level we can perceive and also in imperceptible ways. everything is subject to change, especially ourselves. this, too, indicates everything is a byproduct of something else. everything has a recipe behind it, everything is a batch of different components, baked together to create the cohesive final product. we look at it and see sponge cake, with frosting and edible decorations. we dub it "cake", and forgo the reality that it is egg, flour, sugar, and so on. we place emphasis on the labelled idea of a "cake". so long as we think inside this framework, an instinct that comes naturally to all human beings, nothing is as it appears.

such impermanence & the human urge to depend on such methods of conceptualization creates suffering.

therefore, never be tricked by form and appearance. always look past the veneer, the whole it seems to be. a cloud is labelled a cloud but it is merely a step in the water cycle, water changing forms. matter is a combination of atoms. and our anger, sadness, discomfort is always more than the simple emotion. look closer. buddhism urges you to dissect it. analyze, question, break down. everything in this world is an effect, it is a construct. it comes from something, somewhere. and then remember, everything is subject to change. even society, especially society.

buddhism repeats over and over again. many things feel true but they are not. it feels true that women are inferior to men, but this reality does not stand up to close inspection. why do we think this? reflect on ourselves, what exactly did we intake that resulted in this final conclusion? what ingredients created and perpetuate this form we label misogyny? analyze, and then change it.

buddhism is a cultivation of the self, an endeavour to re-train the mind to think in new, better ways. it teaches how to recognize falsehoods that pass as unshakeable, irrefutable beliefs. how to remove ourselves from it. and how to master our minds towards better mental processes. this is enlightenment. in buddhism, it can mean so many different things. but the concept is most popularly synonymous with 智慧 intelligence, exactly because buddhism prizes the refined mind. one that is no longer stuck believing in falsehoods and illusions.

how do we be happy? we cultivate a different way of thinking from the mainstream, from traditional society. become unstuck from your old self who is entrenched in our world, along with the fraught beliefs it instills into every single person. nirvana is a state of mind. and happiness is freedom, which necessitates departure.

6.

llh re-evaluates his identity and his life, that is his arc. he pinpoints the beliefs he used to hold, that he was so sure mattered. the idea of heteronormativity and the patriarchy seemed so important to him at the time, it was all there was. but then he comes to realize he was wrong, it was all false. he interrogated himself and those ideals deeply, and spent years cultivating a new way of thinking. he also removed himself physically and emotionally from the world lxy inhabited. by becoming llh, he becomes undefinable. everyone else struggles to comprehend him, they are not equipped with the tools to digest the concept of llh.

(the fact is "lxy" was always there. he was just invisible to others because they simply could not properly process what they were encountering. this happens over and over with fdb and the baichuan folks. it is not his physical appearance, in fact he still looks about the same. he is rendered unrecognizable by the gulf between beliefs. by an inability to perceive what they are actually seeing.)

llh escapes but it is not far enough. society catches up to him again, llh becomes parseable to the world all over again. he is once again defined, and defining himself, through the mainstream concepts. uncle, master, guardian. a friend, an enemy. an ex-lover turned friend, a love rival, etc. his identity is contingent on existing in society. and as a participant in society, he attempts to construct his identity through a combination of labels. he allows himself to be perceived, for it to matter how others view and understand him. to let the way they think inform how he thinks too. the way he lives and goes about his life is wrapped up in new versions of old institutions. labels and concepts all over again.

the different combination of ingredients creates the illusion of a different final product, a different person. and to some, that may be the wisdom and change they need to be happy. not everyone needs buddhism to be happy. but llh makes an effort, experiments, looks closer and closer at himself. and he decides it is not enough for llh, so he transforms. he takes all his time and experience, and devotes it towards a new outlook on the world.

the cycle repeats, and every buddhist can only hope that this time the new round would end differently. its impossible to know but it is always worth trying. because this is the road to happiness; this complete and utter egress. the buddhist ideal of becoming a mystery. to become untouchable by that restrictive society and its standards. invisible once again. impossible to fathom because you are not beholden to definite labels. form and a consolidated, concrete, and organized identity is how the others process the world. but you are not what you seem. you are more than what you appear. your form does not reflect what or who you are.

so how do we be happy? it's simple, we say goodbye.

#莲花楼 #me is mark #post that is for like (2) or (3) people #hear me friends as i self-indulgently muse about mlc aloud #pretend i didn't say this was going to be a fanghua post #i got caught up in the preamble and ended up talking about buddhism & mlc again #:3c #i'll maybe add on to this in the future #i still want to talk about fanghuaaa #their r/s is so dear to me #but for now just some personal thoughts/feelings #i mean this post to be a newsletter of sorts #i can't emphasize it enough #that lxy/llh's arc is word for word the buddhist teaching of 无我 non self

[tsukiyadori]

There is a new side story out for The Case Files of Jeweler Richard called 真砂なす. (Part 1 came today, the next one is scheduled for September 1st.)

The title had me entirely just ?? and still has somewhat after reading this part 1. 真砂 means fine sand, but is also a name. なす could maybe be a name again, or a verb and then have a plethora of possibilities which one. Or there's also aubergine, but 'Sand Aubergine'? I think it's a safe guess 真砂 is about sand tho with all the Arabian Nights mentions. And "to birth" for なす might be the most poetic sounding pick...?

Other than that, it definitely takes place after v10's epilogue. The location setting is a mineral show in Munich. Seigi's mentions it's his third time there, while 5 years ago he was there first with Richard, 3 years ago the second time alone, and now he's there with Richard again. Seigi also mentions his "singing and dancing strategy" which makes it take place fairly closely prior to volume 12.

Which makes me think this might just be the mineral show they visited the week before Henry's impressionist new home in Clair de Lune. Seigi does indicate there that he's gone older than the first half of his twenties, and he's 27 something in v12.

(There is so much extra material already, doesn't this warrant another compilation book??)

Also, it made me gulp and choke twice.

「インテリアとして飾っても、大変趣おもむきがありそうですね」 「飾る場所を選ばないと、大きいから部屋のが難しそうだけどな 「掃除のことを考えるのが、いかにもあなたらしい」

"It would seem like a very graceful interior decoration." "However, if you don't choose its placement location, it would seem to be hard to clean the room, since it's so big." "It's truly very like you to think about cleaning aspects."

I had that same brain cell as Seigi's. (They are talking about a chess boardgame made of marble.)

「師匠、傲ごう岸がん不ふ遜そんも度を超えると無む知ち蒙もう昧まいの親戚になり得ます」 「四字熟語を使えば日本語堪たん能のうに思われると思っているなら、それこそ大きな勘違いでしょう、わが弟子」

"Saul, overstepping arrogance will render it the kin of unenlightened ignorance." "If you think using fancy words will show off your Japanese skills, you are under a very wrong impression, ye pupil of mine."

Specifically, the fancy words are about idiomatic 4 compound words. And knowing a lot of them and knowing when to drop them is kinda really a prevalent idea of showing language proficiency in both Chinese and Japanese to my knowledge. But ahaaa ahem, fancy words show-offs. Hum.

#light novel #translation #english translation #the case files of jeweler richard #housekishou richard shi no nazo kantei

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Ayato Maniac [07]

Monologue

While staying at Eden,

I find it hard to get a grasp on time. 

However,

I do believe that a few days have passed since. 

Ayato-kun has been his same old self.

While he will no longer,

go on tantrums like he used to,

to me at the very least,

it seemed as if he had given up hope,

in these dire times. 

In the following days,

we did not receive any more messages from Ruki-kun. 

I gazed out of the window,

while quietly looking at Eden breaking down.

ー The scene starts in the guest room

Yui: ( What is the right path to take? We can’t just do nothing... )

Hey, Ayato-kun...Can’t we just...Go back to the human world and check in with everyone? 

Ayato: And what then? 

Yui: I mean...

Ayato: At this point, we’d just be wasting our time.

Yui: That’s not...!

Ayato: I mean, I had some pretty bad fuck-ups like when I blew up the manor. 

I honestly can’t blame them for no longer havin’ faith in me...

Yui: ...

Ayato: But you know, that doesn’t mean I’m throwin’ in the towel. 

I’m the one who was given these powers, and I’ve got a few people on my side too.

If they want to underestimate me, then I just gotta remind them of who’s boss. 

*Knock knock*

Yui: ...Yes? 

Azusa: Um...Food is ready to be served so...Would you like to join us? 

You, Eve...and Ayato-san as well...

Yui: ( Azusa-kun... )

Selection

→ Ask Ayato-kun (❦)

Yui: Hey, Ayato-kun. Let’s go together? 

( They were so nice as to invite us, and it might actually help Ayato-kun get his mind off things for a bit... )

Ayato: ...

Yui: I mean, it’s not like you have anything better to do here. So, please?

Ayato: ...Haah, fine.

Yui: ( Thank god... )

→ Respond to Azusa-kun

Yui: Thank you, Azusa-kun. I’ll be right there. Ayato-kun will be joining me as well...

Ayato: ...Why are you decidin’ that for me...?

Yui: Come on, why not? They’re being so nice as to invite us...

( It might help him get his mind off things for a bit. )

Ayato: Che...Guess I’ve got no other choice...

Yui: Well then, off we go? 

Ayato: ...Yeah.

ー The scene shifts to the big hall in Eden

*Cling*

Kou: Time to dig in~! Nnー Delicious!

Azusa: Ruki...I wonder when he’ll return...?

Ayato: ...

Kou: Anyway, Ruki-kun can be so cold. 

He could at least have given Ayato-kun the chance to defend himself before deciding all of this.

Azusa: I also...feel that way...

Ayato: There’s not really anythin’ I’ve got to say to that bastard. 

Nor to Reiji or my other siblings. 

Yui: ( Ayato-kun... )

Yuma: Oi, we don’t have to talk ‘bout them right now, do we?

Kou: Right, right. It’ll ruin the delicious meal. But I’m really starting to crave a nice plate of Vongole Bianco.

Yuma: Ah? Got a problem with the food I make? 

ー Yuma flicks his forehead

Kou: Ow~! I never said that, did I~!? I even praised it for tasting good!

Yui: Ahaha...

( Seems like they’re all trying to be considerate towards Ayato-kun... )

*Thud* 

Azusa: I’m sorry but...I don’t think we can stay quiet forever...

Yui: ( Azusa-kun...? ) 

Azusa: I mean, Ruki is family to us so...We have to say that we disagree with his decision...

Yuma: ...Azusa...

Kou: ...Azusa-kun is right. I do believe that it’d be best if we try to talk to Ruki-kun. 

Yuma: Haah...That’s easy to say, but the dude’s not comin’ home, remember...?

Azusa: Ruki-kun is right most of the time but...I don’t think that means he can never make any mistake...

Yuma: Well, duh. That’s why there’s four of us. 

Ayato: ...

Kou: Then we should probably try to get in touch with him sooner rather than later, right? 

Why don’t we write him a letter this time? 

Yuma: Guess so...

Azusa: Speaking of letters...

What will you do, Ayato-san? You know...About the thing with the Vibora clan...

Ayato: Oh, that...

Yui: ( I believe the deadline written in the letter was... )

Monologue

While listening to the Mukami brothers’ conversation,

I only again thought to myself. 

They save you when you’re in a pinch. 

They correct you when you’re wrong. 

That is what siblings (兄弟) are for. 

Right now, what Ayato-kun truly needs,

is his own brothers. 

If they were here with him,

they could have decided what to do with the Vibora after talking it over.

However, right now he cannot do that either. 

The deadline to answer, is already right around the corner (目前). 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #ayato sakamaki #lost eden #diabolik lovers translation #leayatomaniac7