mybeautifulboy - Tumblr blog

[mybeautifulboy]

from 2022. dont know why

[mybeautifulboy]

•

[mybeautifulboy]

thriftbooks better world books half-price books wonder book pangobooks libgen archive.org ubuweb kanopy (library card required; free) tubi pluto tv

storygraph

abebooks, book depository, and goodreads are all owned my amazon.

[mybeautifulboy]

Happy Easter

[mybeautifulboy]

put in the tags a character that’s somehow always in the same place as the main character

[mybeautifulboy]

Genre of character: submissive like a guard dog is submissive

[mybeautifulboy]

I regret It all… I regret it all!

Hua Tuo and Cao Cao (Dir. Huang Zumo, 1983

[mybeautifulboy]

Happy Winter Solstice!

I've subtitled another Chinese historical film after the previous one, this time "Romance of a Calligrapher"（笔中情）from 1982!

Do you want a pretty and light-hearted romance set in an historically accurate 300s CE Jin Dynasty China, about poets, calligraphy & classical art vibes?

Then this is a film for you!

Download Links:

Nyaa: https://nyaa.si/view/1758831

MEGA: https://mega.nz/file/bL5i2KYZ#RytE0nZIPcmqFxvgrswsGqfXs5SF2ZPcFT9WVuxeMZo

Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/romance-of-a-calligrapher..-1982.-sarracenian-subs/

[mybeautifulboy]

[mybeautifulboy]

Agony in the Garden, 1898 by Frans Schwartz (Danish, 1850–1917)

[mybeautifulboy]

—Terracotta—

Ok so I visited xi'an during my trip back to china (3 months ago?), and this idea popped into my head during the 9h train ride back to shangdong. I am of course 100% projecting my own love of the terracotta army onto Qin Shi Huang, in reality he did not care for this pit of mud statues depicting lowly commoners. In fact, no one ever bothered to write about it and they were lost to history until 1974 when some farmers digging a well stumbled upon them. But it's exactly the reason I'm so fascinated by them. QSH's tomb has not been excavated, and although I have a running joke about cracking it open--mercury vapors be damned--none of the riches inside will ever enchant me as much as the chance to see the face of a person who lived during this time.

Notes under the cut:

#1

the title Qin Shi Huangdi means "First Emperor of Qin" and was given to QSH by later historians. He actually called himself the Shi Huangdi, "First Emperor", and that is the title I've gone with here.

in English the other kingdoms are translated as "states" (i guess to avoid confusion?) but in chinese they are very much kingdoms.

The terracotta warriors used thousands of craftsmen, many of whom were slaves from conquered kingdoms. From a storytelling perspective I thought it would be more streamlined if there were two main artisans who reported directly to QSH.

QSH's clothes are based on the overly complicated courtly regalia. which has 12 symbols that only the emperor is allowed to wear

Notice how this hat is ROUND at the front??? Well I CERTAINLY DIDN'T. HAD TO REDRAW IT!!!!!

the stripped shirt is based on this Chu woman figurine. Clothes were fairly unisex during this time and I thought it was a nice fit.

#2

Paperwork: writing was done on books made of bamboo slips. Anecdotally, QSH had an impressive work ethic and would read 100 bills every night.

Bronze Goose lamp: ok this is actually a Han dynasty lamp pls forgive me. I saw this bad boy at the xi'an history museum and it's bewitched me body and soul. The goose neck is hollow and connects to a reservoir of water in the belly, which minimizes smoke and cools the lamp.

QSH is remembered as a brutal tyrant and brilliant statesman, but I wanted to present a more human version of him here. Bored, tired and drowning in work he refuses to delegate. His new empire is balanced as precariously as everything else on his desk.

#3

The attendants standing behind him are holding little wood tablets called hu for taking notes. Their brushes are tucked into their hats/hair, inspired by Han dynasty custom. (You'll see me using Han stuff a lot. Their cultures were very similar to Qin, since it was only a few hundred years apart).

So I had a slight breakdown trying to find the correct hats for the eunuchs, and ended up redrawing everything the night I was due to publish. Closest thing I could come up with was a reference to a round-style Han Dynasty hat which evolved into this square Jin hat. Yes, this is a cry for help .

#4

the wheeled platform is 100% made up, I tried to come up with a plausible way of getting a bunch of figurines into the palace.

#5 & #6

Painted terracotta soldier

How were the terracotta warriors made

The General: Fun fact, I got to see this guy in person!

#7

The Epic Wide Shot was inspired by some Tang Dynasty terracotta figures I saw at the xi'an museum!

#8

THIS KNEELING ARCHER. ARGGGGG. He use to be my favourite guy. I even went into the pit and drew him IN PERSON. the archers inexplicably have their hair buns on the OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HEAD. So because of him, I DREW ALL THE HAIR BUNS WRONG!!!! REDRAW!!!! PAIN AND SUFFERING!!!!

#10

Qin was famous for it's very long, thin swords. They were more useful as status symbols than actual weapons, as QSH knows from personal experience…

#11

QSH'S Tomb hasn't been excavated yet, but high levels of mercury have been detected in the soil, making the historical accounts of quite plausible.

[mybeautifulboy]

“My story has so much gay rep in it!” Awesome. How are you treating your female characters btw

[mybeautifulboy]

You can never go back.

[mybeautifulboy]

All the compiled illustrations I drew for my horror comic «It all Ends with Me»

Only 3 DAYS LEFT to grab a digital copy at the ShortBox Comics Fair !!

[mybeautifulboy]

im reading a paper about eunuchs and their power + public perception in the eastern roman empire and im beginning to think the flamboyant evil court advisor with not so subtle homophobic coding due to a closeness to femininity has older roots than people think

[mybeautifulboy]

on being a dog, being eaten by dogs, needing like a dog, losing like a dog

i bet on losing dogs, melody chua / the odyssey, homer (trans. by emily wilson) / l’oublié! (forgotten), émile betsellère / you want it darker, leonard cohen / i’m your man, mitski / jezebel eaten by dogs, aurelia de sousa / 1 kings 21:19 / roadside attractions with the dogs of america, ada limón / i bet on losing dogs, mitski

[mybeautifulboy]