#Self-Refinement

[ronnansink-blog]

Isato Kubo stands out in the martial arts, for his expertise in disciplines like Taikiken and Iken. Isato Kubo stands out in the martial arts world as a formidable fighter, embodying both technical expertise and the indomitable spirit central to disciplines such as Taikiken and Iken. Trained under the lineage that traces back to the roots of Yiquan, Isato Kubo merges the traditional ethos with a modern understanding of combat efficiency. This approach results in a style that is simultaneously fluid, powerful, and steeped in centuries of refined wisdom. At the heart of Isato Kubo’s practice lies Taikiken. Developed by Kenichi Sawai, Taikiken emphasizes natural movement, internal power (often referred to as “Yi” or intent), and a spontaneous response to changing circumstances. The practice demands intense focus, internal awareness, and the cultivation of explosive strength hidden beneath relaxed postures. Isato Kubo’s mastery of Taikiken speaks to his unwavering dedication to both its physical techniques and the philosophical underpinnings of calm adaptability. Additionally, his immersion in the practice of Iken – a derivative of Yiquan that focuses on simplicity, directness, and continuous evolution – has refined Isato Kubo’s strategic approach. The hallmark of Iken is the cultivation of internal force through standing meditation and subtle body alignment, which fosters unparalleled speed and resilience. Isato Kubo’s ability to merge these principles, translating them seamlessly into practical combat scenarios, marks him as an exceptional representative of Iken’s potential. Beyond technique, Isato Kubo’s training ethic and fighting mindset are testaments to the profound transformation that dedicated martial practice can induce. His journey resonates with martial artists worldwide, showcasing that, with the proper balance of discipline, patience, and an unyielding pursuit of progress, even the most complex internal arts can become formidable tools for personal and combative mastery. Isato Kubo’s story underscores the living tradition of Taikiken and Iken, highlighting how these arts serve as both physical disciplines and life philosophies, encouraging continuous self-refinement and profound self-discovery.

[whos-the-seme]

Shen Qingqiu was doomed.

He stood still, fluttering his fan nervously and trying to avoid catching his counterpart's, the real Shen Qingqiu, glaring eyes from across the room. Instead, he idly observed the other Cang Qiong Mountain Peak Lords, trying to spot the differences between the ones he knew and their alternates.

Liu Qingge had brought back a strange artifact from one of his hunts to the monthly Peak Lord meeting. It was a mirror, rimmed an ugly tarnished gold, topped with a decoration that was shaped into an unidentifiable creature with ruby red eyes.

[Important Artifact Detected: Red-Eyed Sphinx's Mirror! Quest starting...]

Shen Qingqiu had been trying to remember where it might have appeared in PIDW when the surface of the mirror suddenly began to glow a dull yellow. It quickly brightened until it obscured everyone's vision.

And then, there stood another set of peak lords across the room, facing them down.

System, what on earth is going on???

[Quest started: Lost Long Spirit in My Reflection! Other characters have been transported to this universe. Host must find a way to send them back without revealing his identity as a transmigrator.]

WTF? I didn't agree to this!

[Good luck!]

System??? Get back here!

While the two Yue Qingyuans and Xu Qinglis conversed together to try to understand what had happened, the other peak lords had begun to mingle with each other, curious about their counterparts.

Shen Qingqiu tried to suppress his panic, sticking close to Shang Qinghua. His Yue Qingyuan occasionally flicked his softened gaze towards the alternate Shen Qingqiu, likely noticing that the other still acted as he used to before his qi deviation. In fact, several of the peak lords he had gotten to know over the years were sending some looks at the other Shen Qingqiu.

With the original goods right there, how long would it be before something exposed him as a fraud?? What if he was confronted about why he acted so differently?

[Host must avoid having his identity exposed. Being revealed as a transmigrator will result in Host being immediately sent back to his old body.]

Yeah, yeah, same shit as always!

Looking to his side, Shang Qinghua seemed to be experiencing the same threats, desperately looking away from the more dead-eyed Shang Qinghua across the room who, luckily, was barely paying him any attention.

Fuck, what do we do?

---

Shen Qingqiu continued to glare at the Other Shen Qingqiu in the room. The other Shen Qingqiu was so obviously a fraud, he could tell within minutes of being here. While his alternate seemed somewhat familiar, he didn't act like him at all, his mannerisms were all off, and despite the attempt at keeping a poker face, Shen Qingqiu could tell that he was nervous. Probably at being caught out.

His alternate self had likely been replaced with a bodysnatcher or some sort of spirt, if they truly were supposed to be the same person. Was everyone else stupid, or had they had their brains sucked out by a Heart Mouthed Lobster-Squid?

Or maybe they simply like the bodysnatcher better and didn't bother to investigate.

Shen Qingqiu's face became stormier, turning his glare to the Other Yue Qingyuan, wondering if he had felt happier once his precious Xiao-Jiu had vanished. The other Yue Qingyuan's face grew even more pathetic. Tch. Typical.

"That stupid System--" Shen Qingqiu nearly snapped his neck in looking at the bodysnatcher upon hearing his murmur. The fraud, upon noticing his sudden attention, clammed back up and looked away. But Shen Qingqiu knew what he heard.

Xi Tong.

He hadn't heard those words in years, not since--

He stepped forward, scanning the other once more. Upon a second, more thorough look, Shen Qingqiu realized that he grew more familiar. He wore his hair in the way that Shen Qingqiu wore it, but looser and less severe. His eyes were clearer and lighter, with hints of a smile, despite his nerves. He occasionally quickly glanced up and to his left, as if seeing something there, before bringing his attention back to the room at large.

No. It couldn't be. He was long dead, despite Shen Qingqiu's best efforts. Even if the fake had some similar things about him, that doesn't mean--

Shen Jiu had once had a brother, besides Qi-ge. Slightly smaller than him, despite the fact that Shen Jiu passed him along as much food as he could when on the streets. He smiled so much despite their circumstances, and was so kind despite Shen Jiu constantly telling him that he was making himself a target. But he looked so, so similar to Shen Jiu himself. They could have switched their clothes and looked exactly the same, if one didn't notice the difference in their demeanors.

His brother has also always been a little odd, talking to himself and arguing with an imaginary friend that only he could see named Xi Tong. One of the reasons that they survived as long as they did on the streets was due to the inexplicable knowledge that his brother seemed to have. Somehow, his brother knew about the various plants or small animals that they could hunt and sell for a pretty coin in the markets. Shen Jiu never asked, not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

But his brother was dead. He had died years ago, in the time during when they were in Qiu's manor. During a punishment for Shen Jiu's attempt to get them both to join Wu Yanzi; he had switched their clothes and taken Shen Jiu's place and died for it. That had been the final catalyst that made him set the manor ablaze and escape, mourning his brother's death as his fault for daring to be free. Cursing Qi-ge for not coming back for them.

Dazed and his vision dim, Shen Jiu took another step forward, and another. Hope, something he thought he had killed off long ago, slowly rose in his chest.

Had his brother survived in this world? Had he managed to escape alongside Shen Jiu? Or had Shen Jiu died in his place? Dimly, he can't help but think that the world would be far kinder if that were the case. If his brother had made it to Cang Qiong Mountain and became a peak lord all on his own and still managed to keep his smile. If he didn't have Shen Jiu dragging him down with him.

The other Shen Qingqiu, not having noticed his approach, laughed at something the other Shang Qinghua said ("Wonder if Shang Qinghua is a traitor here, too," Shen Jiu thought dimly). His laugh was the same. He rose his fan to hide his face, but Shen Jiu noticed how his nose crinkled, and his eyes nearly closed in delight, exactly like--

"A-Yuan?"

[vendimeyers]

Trying to put my finger on the concept of how like the only real interaction between Kaladin and Jasnah in the series is like that one like… not quite argument in like book two where they both present their somewhat opposing moral philosophies and Jasnah talks circles around Kaladin and he walks away kinda bitter and neither of them change their ways over it but three and a half books later his approach to morality leads him to find peace and become a cornerstone influence for good in the world while her philosophy leads her to losing a kingdom and spiraling into self loathing and something something “it was unfair that convincing someone depended not on the strength of ideas but the strength of the arguer.” But he was RIGHT and she was WRONG and I don’t know where I’m going with this but DO YOU GET WHAT IM SAYING

[honeytonedhottie]

cultivating a high maintenance lifestyle⋆.ೃ࿔*:･👛🐩

INVEST IN YOURSELF ;

the definition of investment is an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result. some ways that u can invest in urself include ->

♡ making sure that u sleep on time -> and wake up early

♡ investing time into ur education and taking advantage of resources

♡ paying for courses or classes on things that you're passionate about in order to gain more knowledge

BE MORE SELECTIVE ;

take a look at the people that u surround urself with. are they making efforts to better themselves and their futures? are they good people? make sure that u surround urself with people that u can learn from and people that u wanna be like.

if no one has told you this, you are allowed to be picky and selective with who u choose to invite into your life and your circle. its YOUR life so use ur good judgement to make decisions about who you want to be present for your life, and who u want to have access to ur energy and ur time and you in general.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY ;

invest in quality clothes because quality is better than quantity. that way u can build a wardrobe thats timeless and that u can continuously wear, as opposed to having a lot of clothes that are cheap and fall apart when u put them to wash. things to take note of when shopping for quality clothes are ->

♡ the material/texture

♡ the brand

ask yourself before u buy something, how many ways can i wear this piece? you should be able to style the piece in multiple different ways unless it's a statement piece. and even then. actually visualize urself wearing it and how you would wear it before u commit to it and actually purchase it…💬🎀

DO THINGS BY YOURSELF ;

take yourself out on dates! coffee shop dates, take yourself shopping, book appointments at the spa/salon, read good books, learn to cook your favorite dishes. ROMANTICIZE ur life and learn to appreciate spending time with yourself. literally become ur own favorite person. treat urself to nice things on a daily basis. it doesn't even have to break the bank. some nice things that u can do for urself on a daily basis include ->

♡ making your favorite breakfast food and treating urself to breakfast in bed

♡ buy yourself your favorite bouquet of flowers

♡ buy yourself some nice lingerie

♡ book weekends at a nice spa

ITS ALL IN THE DETAILS ;

♡ groomed, manicured nails (FRENCH TIPS)

♡ silk and satin robes

♡ fresh flowers and bouquets weekly

♡ form fitting dresses

CULTIVATE YOUR TASTE ;

go to restaurants and cultivate ur tastebuds. try new foods. go to art gallery's and try to educate urself on various forms of art to just enrich yourself. read LOTS of books. literally anything u can do to make urself more refined DO IT.

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

Shen Qingqiu's eyes skimmed over the assembled Peak Lords. Almost everyone was in attendance, though they'd left their disciples behind. Wei Qingwei, who looked like he was already wishing to be back on his peak. The ascetic Gao Qinggao of Ku Xing Peak, who despite appearances was actually enjoying that glass of water. Brewing master Ruan Qingruan, whose laughing monk appearance belied a very sharp analytical mind. Qi Qingqi, the oldest of the peak masters, both in years and experience outside the sect. She'd been a junior disciple sister of the previous peak master, and traveled widely before returning to teach. Rumors about her personal history ranged from pirate queen to empress-consort. Shen Qingqiu had 200 spirit stones on "both." Duan Qingze, diffident around humans but fearlessly confident with even the fiercest spirit animals. Feng shui master Lin Qingshui--blind, but that didn't seem to slow him down any. Liu Qingge, as neutral as a stone wall. And of course Shang Qinghua, for whom Shen Qingqiu had plans.

The only one missing was the artifact-refining Peak Lord, who was in closed cultivation. It was unusual for so many peak masters to make the meeting, but the agenda was perfectly ordinary.

Fanart for Shen Qingqiu: Qi Refining Chapter 7: Peak Masters Meeting by 00janeblonde. You can also find them on Tumblr as @blondejaneblonde

<- Chapter 006 - Chapter 008 ->

Chapter 001

Masterpost

[sassysnowperson]

The world is exploding and you want me to take care of myself?

I live in the U.S.A. As you might have heard, things are PRETTY BAD right now. It's been bad before, sure. I mostly coped with 2016-2020 by ignoring the news and writing a TON of fanfiction.

But between then and now I went and got a job as a therapist, and it turns out I can't just stick my head when my whole job is to help other people with the stuff that's stressing THEM out. So I've had to find a better way to deal with it. I thought some of y'all might appreciate a distillation of the conversations I've been having, with myself, and with the people I'm working with, as we try to figure this out together.

Yeah, It's Bad.

So yeah, we know that depression and anxiety are lying liars that lie. But. Your anxiety or depression isn't lying to you about this one. Things are bad. That said, maybe it's helpful to check if they are lying to you about your ability to survive this, to handle this, to find spaces where you can act. We are not doomed to paralysis and misery.

The Paralysis is the Point.

The current administration is using a playbook that involves trying to make their opponents feel overwhelmed, helpless, miserable. Any action we take against that is action against tyranny.

Action is the Antidote.

We live in an age where we can take in endless misery, about things that are either so big or so distant or so both that we are not able, by ourselves, to fix them. And that sucks. We need to find a way to turn that fear energy into action.

More Things are Action than You Think.

Self-care is an act of resistance. Authoritarianism does not do well with a hopeful, resilient, connected populace. Taking care of yourself is action, taking care of those you love is action, building hope and resilience is action. Talking to your neighbors, taking care of them, paying attention to their needs and seeking local solutions to address them - all actions. Any step you take towards building resilience in yourself and your community fights the crap you see on the news.

Speaking of the News.

Lets talk about digital self-care. This is not an all-or-nothing situation. If you need to detach completely, go ahead. But your options are not only ignore or open yourself up to an endless stream of misery. This is going to look different for different people, but we have got to refine our information boundaries. That might be blocking or unfollowing people (even people we agree with, who are saying things in a way that triggers our own despair). It might be losing certain platforms, it might be seeking out news from specific trusted journalists or a weekly roundup. Pay attention to how you feel during and after your news and social media use. Is it helping you live the life you want to live? Is it meeting a need? Is there a better way to get that need met?

Some Things are Still Good.

Let's make a Still Good list. All the crap in the world, but you know what, my cats purr is still good. The smell of vanilla and old books is still good, the look of a new-green shoot sticking out of the dirt is still good. No, we're not doing this to ignore the bad and pretend life is wonderful. But our brains are designed to prioritize threats, and with so many threats, it will wear itself out trying to protect you. Find the things that are still good, focus on them. Let yourself rest in the good, at least for awhile.

You are not alone.

It's so easy to feel alone. Feel like we misjudged the world, what was important to people. How can people think so differently than ourselves? The world is so big, things are so bad, and it feels like we're fighting by ourselves, so why not give up?

You are not alone. There are people that believe in the same things you do. You are not the only one fighting. Anything that you find full of despair and hopelessness, I promise, there are smart people with good ideas working on it. Take comfort from their presence. If you have space to do more, try to find them for the thing that's close to your heart.

I want better for us. And I know I am not alone. Neither are you. I promise. Neither are you.

[tass3l]

♡ DAY 14 - Valentines Day ♡

WHEW.. and we're done. kinda surprised i stuck with this but i had fun!

[randomalistic]

Disclaimer: always keep in mind that I am a little stupid

[venuslove-28]

emotionally constipated kings

check out my kofi !!

[automatonknight]

i've been back into madcom for like a year and a half at this point so here are my favorite drawings of my guys

[dead-dove-orchid]

Having such a bad day I don’t care I don’t care I don’t care I’m posting this even tho it’s not “done” I DONT CARE. One of my first hollow drawings with that stupid ship meme, made this before I started the whole round 2 story, started it may 7th? Last significant progress was may 28th I think. I hate how weirdy’s eyes look so I covered it idc. Now I don’t even ship kainessa anymore (thank u lesbian Vanessa hc) BUT if anyone does I do like it as a QPR or just platonic besties

Here’s individuals + color on the kainessa

[verflares]

new guy just dropped

[padfootastic]

harry’s ‘saving people thing’ comes from james potter and if you disagree, u can bite me because that is the TRUTH

[fromtheseventhhell]

Okay but? Arya's training is going to make it so fascinating to see how she comes across in other POVs. She knows how to rule her face so she doesn't give away her emotions, how to tell and detect lies, and now has the added experience of her apprenticeship with mummers. Everything about her interactions with others will be incredibly intentional on her part and I need to see what that looks like to other characters.

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

"...Shidi? Shidi, can you hear me?"

Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes and blinked up at the white canopy. It was pretty, but he'd found out later that it was for practical purposes--the gauzy canopy and curtains kept flying insects away.

Yue Qingyuan was in a chair on his left. Shen Qingqiu had a brief, intense memory of the last time he’d seen him, on Maigu Ridge, barely a whisper of qi left. He reflexively reached for the fan on his pillow, opening it and hiding his face in one smooth, practiced motion.

"Shidi?" Yue Qingyuan's voice was worried, now.

Shen Qingqiu peered at him over the top of his fan. "...Sect Leader."

Fanart for Shen Qingqiu: Qi Refining Chapter 2: Awake by 00janeblonde. You can also find them on Tumblr as @blondejaneblonde

<- Chapter 001 - Chapter 003 ->

Masterpost

[starry-bi-sky]

realizing i have. a lot of untapped trauma potential for clone^2 danny because i just Fully Processed Four Months Late the fact that his parents were capturing and torturing ghosts in the basement before he became Phantom. and the fact that he was on house rest for 2 weeks. during that time period. and he wasn't really leaving the house. he could hear their screaming through the floorboards

*points at clone danny* i can give you suuuuuuch a bad time babe ahaha. i've got two untouched years before you meet damian what fucks you up before then