#chinese splash art

[torifloop]

Year of the Water Rabbit Let this year be joyful and fun Let us be silly and happy Lets splash in puddles and play in the rain

Also on my merch store, stickers and shirts and stuff!

[chinese-fine-art-gallery]

Lotus by Badashanren 朱耷 （1626-1705）

Splash ink painting, free will and self constrain at the same time

[blueiskewl]

A Cizhou russet-splashed black-glazed 'partridge feather' bowl Northern Song dynasty

D. 15.4 cm.

[danganronpa-aftermath]

Reina Tatsugami; the ultimate scientist.

An intelligent young woman who has a strong passion for science. Despite her serious and caring personality, she also likes to prank others when she's bored.

VA: Feline-Dragoness

[piranhasbreath]

She is so pretty I cry.

[cupidseok]

things that evoke memories of riize

💒 — SHOTARO AS

the bittersweet tug of homesickness, the aromatic smell of freshly ground coffee beans that first hits you upon stepping into a cafe, unexpectedly meeting a high school friend you really missed on the streets, the solace found in being able to comfort you, the warmth of sunlight kissing your skin, ties with cute little patterns on them, the click of film cameras while taking photos of you, the lingering feeling after a hug, getting bungeoppang in the winter and chatting with the street vendor while waiting for his order, carrot cakes, a large collection of bucket hats, love countdown by nayeon, wonstein

🩰 — EUNSEOK AS

soft ballad music playing in the background, the gentle warmth of intertwined hands, early morning strolls, the adrenaline rush coursing through you while riding roller coasters, holding hands in haunted houses, long facetime calls spent in silence, brushing his lips over your forehead, trembling lips as he lets himself be vulnerable to you for the first time, exploring a place he has never been before, the feeling that you’re going to know each other for a long time, a handsome stranger you saw on an overseas trip once and never again, watching studio ghibli films together, carbonara pasta, breathe by lauv

💭 — SUNGCHAN AS

texts to check if you’ve eaten, greeting dogs that pass by, wandering aimlessly in an art museum, purposely stepping in a puddle of water just to splash someone, playfully fighting you for the tv remote but letting you win in the end, opening jars for you even though you can do it yourself, letting him play with your hair until it’s all tangled, the chime of school bells signalling the day’s end, taking photos with friends on the last day of school, the soft brush of elbows while writing side by side, keeping your hair tie on his wrist, eating vanilla ice cream on sunny days, 爱你 by kimberley chen

✨ — WONBIN AS

late night walks under the moonlit sky, someone’s hand slipping in yours, dark chocolate, dazzle of fireworks illuminating the night, reflecting on his eyes, learning how to play a new instrument, a faceless photo of you and him on his lockscreen, watching a drama together and rooting for different male leads, putting on a facade of toughness to impress you, gently reassuring him that perfection isn’t always necessary, clothes that fit you just right, love at first sight, matching earrings, only letting you touch his guitar, the reluctance to bite into cute chinese piggy steamed buns, wish you were sober by conan gray

💌 — SEUNGHAN AS

sweet goodnight texts, good luck charms handmade with endearing clumsiness, trying new food, finding something you thought you lost, autum leaves rustling in the wind, holding the door open for you, exchanging affectionate words endlessly, winning a soft toy at an amusement park on the first try, patiently teaching you how to play games, looking through his photoalbum when he misses you, doodling shinchan on the corners of your worksheet, taking a bite of your spicy bibimmyeon, then complaining that it was too spicy for him, die for you by the weeknd, ariana grande

👒 — SOHEE AS

shopping for caps together, a tranquil morning greeted by a gentle breeze, buying a new fuzzy blanket, curtains billowing in the wind, waiting for you to come home to him, the comfort of oversized plain white shirts and grey joggers, playing rock paper scissors to divide household chores, needing to pause and go outside for a breather every time he realises how down bad he is for you, trying to order a kids meal at a restaurant and getting embarrassed after the waiter doesn’t allow it, getting tteokbokki together after school, candy by baekhyun

🎧 — ANTON AS

wired earphones connected to an mp3 player, warm beach towels, trying to make an asmr video, eating cake off the floor so you wouldn’t feel bad for dropping it, constantly sending you tiktoks that remind him of you, water parks on hot summer days, classical music, old books with yellowed pages and worn covers, putting on sheet masks together, reading children’s storybooks for you to help you fall asleep, making eye contact across the room, the moment where you realise that he feels the exact same way that you feel at the same moment, snow on the beach by taylor swift, lana del rey

© cupidseok — do not copy / repost / translate my works

[mysaldate]

What was that about Chinese companies not being able to get anything through the censorship?

Aside from ditching their allies to be together, adopting kids together, getting imprisoned and tortured for it and still fighting to be together again, they have matching splash arts AND two hearts in their stained glass art.

The only way they could be any more obvious would be if they, idk, got called soulmates or sang about kissing each other or something... Oh wait.

[cometrose]

Op I read your old post about "the blind dragon who wants to see the sun" and I realized wait Zhongli is most symbolized by the sun

zhongli has soooo much sun symbolism here is a list

Gold everywhere!!! Lots of yellow and gold in his color palette. His eyes are described as golden or amber -the golden glow of his hands, the gold in his suits or archon outfits. Gold, the color of the sun is his signature color.

In his splash art his meteorite looks distinctly like the sun (plus his character demo is full of sun symbolism)

In depictions of Rex Lapis he always symbolizes the sun

Zhongli's namecard description: stars fall, light fades

His burst/ultimate is translated to "Planet Befall" in english but in chinese it is "Heavenly Star"

During one of the melusine quests in fontaine one them says "gold are the tears of the sun" if you gift them cor lapis. She also says cor lapis is warm to the touch "truly as gentle as the sun itself"

Deus Auri which translates to “god of gold” is one of Rex Lapis' titles

Mora (which is often referred synonymously with gold) is minted from Zhongli’s own flesh and blood

As you mentioned Azhdaha was a blind dragon who yearned to see the sun. As Morax was the one who granted him eyes -meaning he was the first person Azhdaha saw- Morax is in part the "sun" he yearned to see

In Zhongli's TCG card the story says "a hidden gemstone can illuminate the whole earth, bright and unrivaled as a star"

One of the distinct features of the adepti is the "illumination" that Rex Lapis granted them that gave them the ability to create subspaces and other powers (what does the sun do? illuminate)

In Azhdaha's story he recites a poem to Jiu (his eroded self) "A star appears within the wild a sun ascends as bright as jade”. Other than gold Zhongli's signature item is jade! Fun fact the weapons of the Primordial Jade series were created by him.

In the description of the Geo Hypostasis it states maybe the reason it creates pillar is not to combat enemies but to get closer to the sky

In one of Albedo's voicelines he says "without human manipulation you would need to harness the power of a sun eight times the size of our own in order to naturally create gold”

Interestingly the Solar Chariot crashed into Liyue forming The Chasm about 6000 years ago, coincidentally Rex Lapis descended upon the region at the same time.

Lastly, while Zhongli symbolizes the sun a lot of the people around him symbolize the moon. Guizhong has a dark blue and white color palette with stars in her sleeves. Azhdaha often depicted with the moon and night. Ganyu and Xiao both have moon symbolism. The 'yue' in Liyue means moon. All the other archons -Venti, Nahida, and Ei especially- have a lot of moon symbolism. So not only is he very "sun-like" but the people around him are very "moon-like"

[mademoiselle-red]

Some subtly romantic and erotic moments from “the moon is brighter tonight” scene in the novel:

(with screenshots + my summaries and rough translations)

Lianhua and Di Feisheng sneak into Jiao Liqiao’s bedroom, which contains a hot tub and bookshelves. Lianhua throws (yes, the verb used here is “throw/toss”) Di Feisheng into the hot tub and then jumps in with him. He washes himself off, and then goes over to the bookshelf to look through her documents.

Di Feisheng continues to relax in the hot tub and listens to the sound of Lianhua rummaging through the scrolls behind him. Although he can’t see him, Di Feisheng knows his every move from sound alone. The warmth of the hot tub suddenly triggers in him a distant memory: that of Xiangyi playing a game of chess with a top courtesan in a famous brothel in Yangzhou city. He vaguely remembers that the loser of every match had to compose one verse. Xiangyi lost 36 matches against the courtesan and thus used her lipstick as ink to compose a 36-verse poem called “a destined marriage tied in eternity” (note that the final scene in the novel ends with Di Feisheng losing his 136th game of chess to Lianhua 👀; also, why does the warmth of the hot tub and the sound of Lianhua rummaging through scrolls trigger Ah Fei’s memory of watching Xiangyi play a flirtatious game with a prostitute??? Isn’t he supposed to be disinterested in everything outside martial arts???)

In the present moment, Lianhua yawns and asks Di Feisheng if he is hungry. Di Feisheng ignores the question and asks him if he still holds a sword nowadays. Lianhua replies hazily (the word use here is 朦胧, which means hazy, but it has some romantic/suggestive connotations in Chinese that hazy does not fully convey): “don’t you know that when someone asks you if you are hungry, they are actually trying to say ‘I am hungry, do you want to eat together?’” He then takes out some dishes he stole from the kitchen and asks again, with a faint smile, “are you hungry?” (Note: Lianhua is a flirt! ❤️)

Di Feisheng does feel hungry.

He leaps out of the hot tub and sits cross-legged next to Lianhua, splashing water everywhere in the process. Lianhua hurriedly moves the dishes out of the way so they don’t get wet. He says to Di Feisheng: “you’re too clumsy and wild…”

The two of them sit facing each other, drinking wine. The light has dimmed outside, the moon has risen above the mountains, casting a snow white glow into the room.

“Today…”

“That year…”

The two of them spoke at the same time and stopped. Di Feisheng’s face softens and smiles: “What about today?”

Lianhua replies, “After today, what do you plan on doing?”

Di Feisheng continues to drink wine, smiles again, and says, “killing you.”

Lianhua smiles bitterly, unconsciously takes another sip of wine, and asks, “what about that year?”

“That year…” Di Feisheng paused a bit, “the moon was not as bright as today.”

Lianhua begins to laugh, raised his wine cup to the moon, and said, “that year…the moon that year was just as bright as today.”

And then Lianhua proceeds to ask Di Feisheng if he wants to marry a wife after this. Di Feisheng asks him why he’d want a wife and Lianhua replies that every man should have a wife. Di Feisheng then asks Lianhua , “what about you?” Lianhua says “my wife ran off with someone else”, and then starts to ramble about how happy he is that Wanmian got married and found happiness, and then Di Feisheng says, “it’s just a woman.”

Lianhua starts looking through Jiao Liqiao’s letters but seems to struggle. Di Feisheng asks him “what are you doing?”

Lianhua replies “I just want to read what’s in the letter.”

Di Feisheng looks at his eyes and asks: “you can’t see? What happened to your eyes?”

Lianhua explains how his sight is failing, and mutters, “sometimes I can’t see your face clearly either, it floats around, sometimes it is there sometimes it isn’t, so you don’t need to worry about…the fact that you are not wearing clothes….in front of me”

Di Feisheng cuts him off mid-sentence and starts reading the letters out loud for him. (Note: without Lianhua asking! 😍)

[unforth]

Hey Reddit Migration and New Twitugees, Love Danmei?

I heard there's a new Tumblr immigrant wave coming, so time to shout out the danmei art source blogs again!

Do you love danmei?

Do you love art - official art and fanart?

Do you want a dash covered in your favorite Chinese sword gays?

Well, have I got the blogs for you! I run six* side blogs dedicated solely to reblogging the amazing art that people make for these fandoms (with a splash of signal boosting fandom and multifandom events). If you want a dash full of shinies, you should absolutely check these out!

@mdzsartreblogs - for all your MDZS art love needs!

@tgcfartreblogs - ditto for TGCF (that's (tgcf)(art)(reblogs) not...what you're thinking, lmao)

@svsssartreblogs - SVSSS here to complete the MXTX trio!

@erhaartreblogs - deceptively named, as this Meatbun sideblog includes 2ha AND Yuwu!

@tykartreblogs - another deceptively named one, my only active priest-centric sideblog includes Tian Ya Ke, Qiye, and Shan He Ling/Word of Honor! Each conveniently tagged so you can focus on whichever one(s) you love best!

@cnovelartreblogs - the catch-all for everything else! cnovelartreblogs even includes baihe, m/f and gen titles (such as f/f by Please Don't Laugh and all works by priest!), and I also will sometimes reblog c-dramas that aren't novel adaptations (such as Couple of Mirrors). Titles by priest, Meng Xi Shi, Fei Tian Ye Xiang, Nanpai Sanshu, and Mu Su Li are especially well represented, but there's lots of stuff - basically anything I can find, as I have the time!

SO COME ON OVER AND GET YER ART! And don't forget to like, reblog, and comment to tell an artist today that you love them!

*it used to be 8 art sideblogs but my life has gotten crazy busy and I am no longer maintaining @zhenhunartreblogs and @dmbjartreblogs as separate blogs, and I am slowly, slowly reblogging the content once in those blogs to cnovelartreblogs. So, follow cnovelartreblogs for Guardian and DMBJ content!

Don't forget to reblog this to help spread the word!

[cerastes]

The love they poured into Jiang Hu and Dusk’s animation, good lord.

What Dusk wields is a Jian, a particularly oversized one, in fact, in the style of a Han Dynasty-era design.

The Sui saga pays a lot of homage to Wuxia films and stories. The Jian, among classic Chinese weaponry, is considered “The Gentleman of Weapons”, and is usually the weapon of choice among many weapon-wielding Wuxia protagonists as it allows for sharp cuts, efficient thrusts, strong deflections, and elegant motions. What makes this straight sword effective at deflections is the fact that China, with its big territory and borders, had access to good quality iron ore (mostly through import or acquisition, their own reserves were not high quality), and thus was able to forge weaponry that was sturdy and durable without sacrificing flexibility, an incredibly important and often overlooked aspect of weaponry. 

Another staple in Wuxia is calligraphy and swordsmanship being intimately tied, as precision, focus, and your ‘tool’ being an extension of your body was fundamental. A brush or a sword couldn’t be a tool, it had to be a part of you, before you could call yourself a true calligrapher or a swordsman. “Hero” (2002) and “Crouching Tiger,  Hidden Dragon” (2000) both have iconic calligraphy-into-swordsmanship scenes, and the calligraphers in both of these settings are also the best swordmasters. I am deliberately using these two examples as some of the better known Wuxia in the West, if you look into more Wuxia, you’ll find this is a very common trope. Another trope is the calligrapher being coy or deflective about his or her skill with the sword, a trait that Dusk also embodies:

If asked about it, Dusk essentially replies “Brush and sword, at the lowest level, open the world’s truths to the wielder, and at the highest level, allow the wielder shape the world and its truths. Am I kidding or am I being serious? Don’t worry about it”. Fitting, given Dusk’s powers that allow her to create pocket dimensions and imbue life into her art, without getting into being able to draw the innermost emotions from within others to create worlds, dreams, and nightmares with these, in the same vein calligraphy invites deep, reflective thought in those who can grasp its essence and beauty. It’s the deflection one would expect from a calligrapher and swordmaster that prefers to splash ink instead of spilling blood. The hermit calligrapher swordmaster is, indeed, a beloved trope in Wuxia.

But in Jiang Hu, it seems Nian has somehow convinced Dusk to do something she doesn’t even do in her capacity of an Operator: Go wild with her sword for a bit. And the animators knew what they had to do.

A Jian is meant to bend:

During Dusk’s demonstration with the sword, if we pay attention, we can see that her blade bends beautifully with some of her more forceful motions. Some of these are merely motions added to the sword for the sake of dynamism -- a technique to better show motion in animation -- but those are exclusive to edgewise bends, akin to smear frames. Note above how the blade bends flatwise. This is deliberate, to mimic how a Jian looks like in reality, a beautifully inspired touch! It happens on certain frames when Dusk can’t deflect and is forced to block:

And this is what the blade ought to do! This is how one animates a good Jian! It’s a flexible, strong sword! (of course, if you can help it, you don’t block with a sword, you deflect!)

The presence of mind, precision and focus of the calligrapher and swordmaster, as stated, is important in Wuxia, as the true master can tear and sever when they have no other choice, but likewise, the true master must have completely control, as to not give in to the thirst of the unsheathed blade. A beginner can cut with a blade, a master can not cut with a blade. A bit esoteric, if you’re not familiar with the philosophy, but allow Dusk to demonstrate this control:

Those swings are not wild, they are motions full of intent, deliberate and meaningful, and the Jian in the hands of a master is often compared to the wind, and the reason it is considered the Gentleman of Weapons: It must simultaneously be a strong gale that severs, and a gentle breeze that doesn’t harm the world around it, outside of the enemy, not even a simple leaf.

As for the sparring session with her ink clone, it reflects Dusk’s passive nature, as the clone is the attacker for the most part, with Dusk preferring to deflect, dodge, and only occasionally counterstrike. Funnily enough, much like Nian, it seems one of Dusk’s techniques when she actually has to fight seriously is to manifest multiple massive weapons to attack. Perhaps it is because it resembles Nian’s powers to some degree that Dusk prefers not to do this. Just her clone is able to launch multiple greatswords and spears like it’s nothing. Sometimes a nightmare real is not enough and you have to cut someone open, it seems. All in high heels, because you gotta flex a little, you know?

The attention to detail and motion that they put into these animations shows the deep love Hypergryph has already shown for good choreography and Wuxia before in Who Is Real? and Invitation To Wine, and they even tell us a bit more about Dusk, to boot. You can check this gorgeous animation here, starting at 10:52.

But it does make you wonder how the conversation between the sisters went in order to get Dusk to participate in Nian’s movie. 

“I want you to help me in my movie!”  “No way. Your movies as garbage.”  “But little Dusk’s sick sword skills are the Formula X that will make it work, no one else will do...” *very covertly blushing* “Well, I guess I can at least read your script.”

[monsterblogging]

Quotes from the Pacific Rim commentary re: Guillermo del Toro's aesthetic decisions

"You cannot do world creation without filling in with texture and detail."

...

"People think that world creation - movie, for example - is the big gestures. But it isn't. It's all this small details. Look at the markings. Look at the vehicles that open the doors. Look at the banners and the markings in the crawler that moves the robot. Everything is full of detail. We designed this."

....

"We going to what I call gothic tech, or goth tech. Which is to go right away into a world that is rusting, that is in decay, where you have the concrete is cheap, the paint is chipping off, the armors in the robots is dented, it's sort of pitted and they feel like knights, like these ancient knights, and we start accumulating, for example, atmosphere."

...

"I wanted the movie to be very romantic, but not romantic in the Harlequin novel sense or the romance novel sense of the word. I wanted it to be romantic in its epicness. You know, I wanted it to feel like an opera. I wanted it to feel dramatic. So instead of doing this in a well-lit street in New York I wanted this first fight to happen in an almost like, the middle of a romantic painting, like Caspar David Friedrich is a romantic painter I adore. And I wanted very much for it to happen in the rain in the middle of a tempest in an ocean where the waves are crashing into them. And the water throughout the movie becomes an incredibly complex expressive element."

...

"We're going to go from the biggest, the widest, to the little bug of a pilot crawling out of the helmet. Isolate Raleigh. You know, we isolate Raleigh. I'm telling the story: Look at the markings on his suit, the burn marks on his skin, those are going to become scars that he's going to carry for the rest of the movie. And I'm telling you this is when we started losing. This was the price for arrogance, this was the price for youth, and we're staining the white with red. I'm trying to build a character not just by the work of the actor, but by the storytelling with audiovisual elements."

...

"And look at this, Raleigh's all introduced in this one color, he'd golden, gold colors, and he's all coated in warm greens and earth tones and the light that is bathing him is always golden, and it's about that color coming together with Mako's dominant color, and Pentecost in this case, which is connected with Mako, which are blue."

...

"So this, we come to the scene where they meet for the first time. And I have color-coded this scene entirely in those two colors, in the blue and the ambers. You know, the bright ambers and the blue, the sort of cyan blue. And this is Mako meeting Raleigh, so the entire thing needs to be color-coded like that. And Mako's blue, because I'm making her origin to the kaiju, the kaiju blue, the blood of the kaiju - but also you will see in a few minutes a memory. A memory that is all color-coded in blue and splashes of red in her past as a child. And that blue has stained her hair. Even her hair has this strands of blue because she cannot get rid of that memory. She carries it in her."

...

"We color-coded, for example, the Chinese robot, we color-coded it red and gold and is patterned after medieval armor, and it needs to feel Chinese in essence, it needs to respond to martial arts movements; its musical theme is very strong."

...

"And here again we have now a robot, a Jaeger, that is designed, a mech that is designed to resemble a T-series Russian tank, color-coded like that, with like a cooling tower from a nuclear reactor on top."

...

"And we introduce Striker Eureka, the Australian Jaeger, which is designed a little bit like an all-terrain vehicle and color-coded with the outback camouflage colors and is the most masculine of the robots, of the Jaegers, of the mech, and is very much testosterone-driven."

...

"We talked about the color red; well, here it becomes very important. We have these characters fighting that is very very color-coded to be warm; we have a lot of reddish art direction here. We color-coded this arena in black and red. The stakes, the wood, the machines, the color of the light hitting the machines, the symbols on the wall, everything is permeated with red. Because again, I wanted red to symbolize sort of the heart. And Mako's going to find her heart and Raleigh's going to find his heart, or life, by connecting with Mako. We saw him bleeding - the last time we saw red with any importance other than the Chinese robot was when he was bleeding in the beach."

...

"And again, red coming in and linking these three characters; these three characters are the heart of the movie, you know. And blood for nobility and mortality is what makes us human. And Pentecost and Raleigh and Mako are the heart of the film."

...

"And now we start bringing, literally, bringing the crazy colors into the film. I wanted to color code this movie, bring it as close as possible to a living anime, or a living incarnation of a magazine that was very important for me growing up, which is Heavy Metal with Angus McKie, Richard Corben, Chris Foss, all these guys working with super primary colors, and I wanted to bring that saturation of colors to this, and for that I needed Hannibal Chau to meet Newt in Hong Kong."

...

"In shooting the film, we then came to the final moment and again, these three characters, Mako, Raleigh, and Pentecost, which have existed in a blue-amber world start to come to a red space, you know? This is the first time we used this red space properly in this film. Other than the Chinese robot, we were very careful with not coding anything in red. But now, at the end of the adventure, everybody's coming away. And at the end of the life, at the end of their life, that is Mako, Raleigh, everybody's gonna find this light is red. And now I can talk to you about the way I sort of organized the three fights for Raleigh. I wanted one fight with the kaiju to be the fight where he loses someone. He loses his brother in the beginning. That's where he bleeds red, you know? Then the second fight in Hong Kong is where he gains a partner. He loses a partner in the first fight, he gains a partner on the second fight. And in this final fight, he saves that partner. So, it's a full circle. I show him in the construction area in the beginning sitting in a sort of throne of concrete, if you remember, when he meets Pentecost; he made an incomplete circle. And here he completes that circle."

[mysticmonkiebusiness]

ISSUE 69 BLOCKS MAGAZINE PAGE 32 + 33

[ID 1: A magazine page, on the left is text and on the right is two pictures. The first is digitally painted concept art of the Demon Bull King, behind him are flames, flags, and silhouetted bull clones. Under it is a photo of designer, Chris Perron showing Simon Lucas a work-in-progress LEGO build of DBK. Below the text is a picture of six LEGO designers sitting at a table with several Monkie Kid s] 

[ID 2: A splash page of the set 80010 Demon Bull King. The Bull King is brick-built out of LEGO. He has two black cannons mounted on his shoulders, and a flame-thrower replaces his left arm. His chest is flaming and his legs are robotic. He wields a large axe. A minifigure of Princess Iron Fan sits atop his right shoulder, she wields a fan. ] 

Transcript:

Researching Monkie Kid

Simon and his core crew of LEGO designers flew to Shanghai, where the LEGO Group has an international hub office. 'I really relied on my colleagues in China to tell me everything they think of when they think of their home and their culture. That was a great brainstorm, because you realize how much culture there is; how much creativity. Also, the mix of old and new is fascinating - China's an amazing place that embraces newness like nowhere else."

The design team sat down with their China-based colleagues to get that feel for where they should go next, which led to a number of different potential sparks. 'At the beginning we explored multiple ideas - we had nine directions that we tested with children. We filtered that into three really strong themes,' Simon explains, but keeps the two ideas that didn't make it this time around under wraps. 'They actually tested really well, so there is huge potential there.

In August 2018, the testing was conducted with children and families across China, with the team visiting Chongqing, Xi-an, Beijing, Manjing and Nanjing as well as Shanghai. There was something special about how children responded to LEGO Monkie Kid. 'It blew me away, just how iconic and recognizable the characters from Journey to the West and the Monkey King were. I can only compare it to how when testing in America children recognize the Avengers, they know all the backstories. In China, when they saw this line-up of concept art that Xiaodong made of these characters we recreated, they were like, "That's Pigsy, that's Sandy, that's Sun Wukong.

'While it is a 500-year-old novel, Journey to the West has been brought to life in many different ways over those years and it is still so relevant. I learnt that everyone has their own connection to the story, whether their parents read it to them, or they studied it at school, or they watched a cartoon version of it that was made in 1968. But I realized that everyone I met had a universal love for the 1980s TV series that they made in China.

"CAN YOU MAKE A FANTASY PLAY THEME FOR CHINA THAT IS ROOTED IN CHINESE CULTURE? THAT WAS THE BRIEF - A WHITE PIECE OF PAPER"

Thanks to still being repeated on television during the summer holidays today, different generations all have a fondness for the show. To pay homage to that we have been allowed to use a couple of the sound effects in our animated TV series,' Simon explains. "You hear it, and I think you are only going to know it if you are familiar with that, but it sounds fantastic."

Testing with children; ensuring that Chinese designers worked on the theme; visiting the country to brainstorm - more consideration for local sensibilities has been taken than ever before. 'Authenticity has been our goal. We do take a risk here in reinterpreting a classic that is so dear and is part of the Chinese culture.'

[blueiskewl]

A GILT-SPLASHED BRONZE VASE QIANLONG CAST SIX-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A SQUARE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The vase is cast with a central band decorated with stylised taotie masks against a leiwen ground, between a frieze of raised bosses at the shoulder and plantain blades above the foot. The neck is adorned with upright plantain leaves and flanked to both sides by two archaistic dragon handles, all raised on a slightly splayed foot and embellished overall with gold dapples of varying sizes. 5 3/8 in. (14.8 cm.) high, box.

The decorative plantain blades on the neck and near the foot, echo features of ritual vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

[clothyume]

A Premature Burial Episode 9

A Premature Burial 

Episode 9

Season: Winter

Characters: Mika, Shu

(Lunchtime the next day, the Chinese restaurant nearby ES building)

Mika: *Chewing loudly*

Shu: Non! The way you eat is disgusting as ever, were you raised by animals?

Well, I suppose eating and sleeping properly is what lets one grow big and strong. You were in poor health last year because everything you did was suited to me.

Mika: Nnah~ But Oshisan.

Shu: Talk after you’ve swallowed.

Mika: Nnah~ … *chew chew* *gulp* 

Umm… What were ya sayin’ again?

Oh yeah. Ya said ya were gonna leave me in charge of the food while we’re back home, but was this Chinese restaurant really okay?

Oshisan is always livin’ abroad so don’t ya miss Japanese food?

Shu: You might generally think that.

I was a western-minded child, even when I lived at home I had a dislike of Japanese food, and got scolded for eating croissants in secret. 

Mika: Nnah~ I guess it’s true when ya say it like that. Ain’t that why ya always kept a furnace at home. 

Ahaha. This time I really feel like I’m gettin’ to know Oshian better, I’m real happy.  

Shu: What does that mean… Now’s not the time for this carefree idle chatter. 

My family are trying to respond seriously to my grandfather’s unreasonable behaviour. That troublesome old man gets angry if we cut corners.

Of course, none of my other family members are artists.

I’m a nonconformist, a freak. My grandfather is similarly so, and I was called his second coming.

Therefore, it seems my family members will likely hire renowned artists and funeral service professionals.

Mika: Usually, it’s best t’ rely on professional funeral directors fer a funeral.

Shu: Yes. If we want to defeat such a formidable enemy and win this “funeral contest”, we need to come up with a new idea.

Even if it's done the usual way, they’re not likely to win. Although we are artists who are regarded highly in society, we’re amateurs when it comes to funeral services.

Mika: Nnah~ I agree with ya, but what’re we really gonna do?

Ya said we’re schemin’ but… Ain’t it no good to have a funeral that eccentric?

Shu: Hmph. It’s because these old fashioned narratives have started to break down that we have fine art today.

Of course, I, too, have no plan to behave in such an indecent manner.

Properly mourning my beloved grandfather is my top priority, and the results of this “funeral contest” can be said to be secondary or even tertiary.

Mika: Yeah.

Shu: In that respect— We have an advantage over my other relatives, as I have a stronger bond with my grandfather than anyone else.

I know the deceased the best, therefore I believe we can capture his most desired funeral.

Mika: But, yer grandad ain’t “deceased” yet… Well, I get what ya wanna say.

This ain’t really the same as our usual performances aimed at the general public, it’s different from weavin’ up stuff specifically fer fans—

It’s more like something made-ta-order fer a specific person, fer yer grandad.  

Honestly, it makes sense to adapt it to the person’s preferences an’ stuff.

Shu: Fufu. I’m glad we can have a decent conversation like this. Back then, all you would do was listen to my endless explanations, confused and not understanding a word of it.

It was as if I was a mother bird feeding her chick.

But, now that you have grown like this, we can fly alongside one another.

The truth is, I’m happy… You’ve gotten big, Kagehira.

Mika: W-What’s goin’ on, yer talkin’ like an old man, Oshisan. 

Rafaello: “—I apologise for the inconvenience. I don’t mean to trouble you.”

“Do you mind if I barge in on this conversation too?”

Mika: Nnah? Where’s that strange voice comin’ from? Ain’t that the voice of that suspicious guy Rafaello who says he’s yer grandad’s illegitimate child?  

Shu: I don’t mind if you want to join, but shall we move to another place?

The grease from the food will splash here.

Because of that, I have your doll packed up neatly into my bag. 

Rafaello: “I think that’s a good idea.”

”I want to express my regret that even things that were originally daily necessities are kept in the back of museums and treated as nothing more than works of art.”

“Dolls are meant to be cherished. I cannot help but say that getting dirt or scratches on them is inexcusable.”

Shu: There are people who love dirt and scratches, isn’t that right, Kagehira?

Mika: Uh, uh, why’re ya shakin’ me?

Rafaello: “Fufu. You will have to travel quite some distance. My— No, your villa’s storage room should do.”

“I have something I must tell you two there.”

Shu: We have to return to that building again? It takes quite some time to get to.

Rafaello: “Of course, I’ll wait. No, I’ve always been waiting.”

“I don’t think of it as anything other than a little more useless waiting time.”

[mydreambatfam]

Batfamily Action Style: Girls with Guns

While the likes of Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman are great for female empowerment and the fun spectacle of Harley Quinn and Black Widow are fun I have found myself disappointed with how the action is lackluster compared to their male counterparts. Even the more street level heros like Colleen Wing and Elektra have rather average fight scenes even though they are part of the supporting cast of the best Martial Artists in the MCU. While their fights are good they can be better. With the Batfamily finally coming to live action what can be improved?

So what source of media can the female members of the Batfamily be inspired by?

An old genre from the golden age of Hong Kong Action Cinema is the key to really capture what they can do. The Girls with Guns subgenre. Yes Madam is a 1985 martial arts film starring Karate Champion Cynthia Rothrock and current mega star Michelle Yeoh. It is considered the first movie of this kind and kicked off this type of story. Female action stars kicking ass and taking names just as well as any of the well known male actors.

If you want to see what a Cassandra Cain/Stephanie Brown scene would look like in a fight watch this movie.

But these were not the only women defining this subgenre. Moon Lee, Cynthia Khan, Yukari Oshima and more were stars as well.

Sadly though by the 90s the subgenre died out along with the golden era of Hong Kong Cinema. A mixture of corruption due to the Triads being involved in the Hong Kong film industry, the rise of mainland Chinese movies, and the slow reunification of Hong Kong back into the Chinese government from British ownership were 3 major reasons this era died out. Combine this with the Hong Kong financial crisis due to the reunification, other competition from different Asian countries, and major American movies like Jurassic Park coming out led to the death Hong Kong 80s cinema. While luckily it recovered and made a resurgence through reimagining and artistic direction it was never the same again.

Essentially too many hands and factors controlling the industry.

The Girls with Guns subgenre sadly fell to obscurity in western audiences eyes. Never really making a splash in pop culture compared to other kung fu movies. However echos of their works can be felt since its fall in the mids 1990s. In Japan Anime was echoing the style of action. The best shows you may know is Black Lagoon and Ghost in the Shell .

While there is no correlation with the subgenre effecting other action movies in other Asia countries they have grown similar waves a female lead martial arts action. In 2008 ,Thailand had a short lived action star of Jeeja Yanin from her internationally acclaimed movie Chocolate. In 2013 in Indonesia the Raid 2 had amazing action scenes for their mute villian Hammer Girl played by Julie Estelle. Vietnam in 2019 gained similar fame for their movie Furie. It even got its own prequel directed by the first movie's main star Veronica Ngo. Finally in South Korea, while it was having its Renaissance in its film industry along came the film The Villianess. While more action oriented it was so good that John Wick 3 had to steal a scene from it.

With characters like Cassandra Cain, Lady Shiva , Black Canary and more street level heros possibly making an appearence in live action, Hollywood might as well pull out all the stops for these badass women. If they do,they might want to look outward for inspiration.