#classic mei

[the-evil-clergyman]

Nereid by Marcel Paul Meys (1882)

[everyfandomsprincess]

Day 14 of the Monkie Destiny Challenge: Fireworks/Stars

[leatherandmossprints]

‘Ghismonda with the heart of Guiscardo’ (detail) by Bernardino Mei, c. 1650-1659.

[speremint]

Fav side character from the tf2 comics?

Hmmm I suppose Ms Pauling isn’t really a side character for the comics is she?

Well, if not Ms Pauling, then I’m gonna be basic and say Zhanna cause she’s hot, as are all of Heavy’s sisters shdhdhrhs

Also this panel made me fucking guffaw even on a reread. I was pretty neutral towards Heavy as a character but after the comics I’m a lot more interested in him!

[fateandloveentwined]

poetry lines befitting MCS and XJY

These are mostly chinese tang shi and song ci poetry quotes, with a great biased amount from Su Shi because OP doesn't know better. Crude, 5-minute english translations below. There are lines I semi-made up or adapted from fandom/cpop songs (that is, most of Xiao Jingyan's lines), ngl OP is rather embarrassed of them because they aren't good at all looking back now but we'll just leave them here or else XJY would end up with zero quotes.

梅长苏 Mei Changsu

想那日束髪从军，想那日霜角辕门，想那日挟剑惊风，想那日横槊凌云。 ——夏完淳

Think to the day I tied back my hair and enlisted. Think to the day the horn rang at the frostbitten tents, think to the day I danced my sword making the sound that deafens the wind. Think to the day I took to the lance, and it pierced through the skies, rising higher than the clouds. — Xia Wanchun

将士百战身名裂。 向河梁、回头万里，故人长绝。 易水萧萧西风冷，满座衣冠似雪，正壮士、悲歌未彻。 ——辛弃疾

The warrior fights a hundred battles, yet what remains is his severed reputation. He looks to the bridge over the river, thousands of miles back, past acquaintances forever gone. In another life, over the howling of the west wind and the cold Yi rivers, the banquet sits, clothes adorned in snowlike white. The courageous man strides through the blizzard, the song of lament never ceasing. — Xin Qiji

零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故。 ——陆游

The plum blossoms wither and drift to the ground, crushed into earthly soil and dust. The prevailing fragrance is what remains. — Lu You

亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。 ——屈原

So long as this is what my heart longs for and treasures, though I die nine deaths, my heart does not regret. — Qu Yuan

君臣一梦，今古空名。 ——苏轼

Lords and lieges ebb into nothing but a dream; in the river of time transcending present and past vain titles remain, cast into the void. — Su Shi

无波真古井，有节是秋筠。 ——苏轼

The heart is at peace like the ancient well that does not ripple; the integrity is as the autumn bamboos, steadfast and unfaltering. — Su Shi

舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗。 ——苏轼

The warship moves a thousand miles, ensigns enshrouding the sky. He pours out wine by the riverside, holds out his lance, and writes verses as he speaks. — Su Shi

对一张琴，一壶酒，一溪云。 ——苏轼

Facing but a guqin, a jug of wine, a stream of cloud. — Su Shi

江山如画，是我心言。 ——风起时

The rivers and mountains of the kingdom outstretches before me, as moving as in art: this is my heart’s will. — from the song “Feng Qi Shi”, when the wind blows

战骨碎尽志不休，冰心未改血犹殷。 ——改自《赤血长殷》、王昌龄

Bones completely crushed from the battle, yet aspirations unwavering. The heart has not changed; the blood flows red still. — adapted from the song “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red, and poet Wang Changling

袖手妙计权倾变，敛眸笑谈意了然。 ——改自《赤血长殷》

With folded arms, he devises labyrinthine strategies. The sceptre of power sways and shifts. He shrouds his gaze modestly, and in conversations of small smiles, he discerns the intention of men. — adapted from the song “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red

萧㬌琰 Xiao Jingyan

潜龙一朝御风翔，长歌挽弓射天狼。 ——《长喑》

The submerged dragon rises one day to ride the winds. Singing high and long; the bow is drawn pointed at the invading Sirius. — from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here

挑灯殿阙思悄然，闻钤行宫寝无眠。 ——改自白居易

Awashed in the raised lamps of the imperial palace, thoughts whisper in grievance. The bell rings at the Jiu’an grounds, and he lies abed sleepless. — adapted from The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Bai Juyi

驰骋沙场繁华梦，谈笑鸿儒君臣纲。 ——改自《致陛下书》、刘禹锡

Dreams soar in the flurrying gallops of the battlefield, flourishing dreams of splendour and joy. In pleasant dialogue with scholars, civility obliges polite smiles into the etiquette of lords and lieges. — adapted from the song “Zhi Bi Xia Shu”, a letter to Your Majesty, and Liu Yuxi

铁马并辔封疆，几回魂梦游；更鼓落夜未央，笔下兴亡断。 ——取自《长喑》、《赤血长殷》

Armoured horses riding in parallel at the borderlands — how many times has the soul wandered to such dreams of the past. The hourly drums sound ceaseless across the long night; under the emperor's brush, the fate of prosperity and declination writes. — adapted from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here, and “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red

揽尽山河只手倾，昂冕袖手瞰苍生。 ——改自《长喑》

The future of his kingdom sweeps into a tilt of his hand. With crown upheld, he folds his arms in his sleeves awatching humanity. — adapted from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here

咫尺抚眉峰，万丈叠远峰；梦底枕笑纹，惊风掀水纹。 ——《致陛下书》

Up close, the furrowed brows are smoothed. Ten thousands of feet stretch before him, converging into mountains at a distance. In the deepest dreams, the markings of a smile lie; he stirs up the wind which marks and rips tides in the tumultuous waters. — adapted from the song “Zhi Bi Xia Shu”, a letter to Your Majesty

Two (three) things to note:

My dying obsession with Su Shi, sorry I can’t help it that perhaps over half of the all the poetry I know is from him;

To be really fair, my favourite description of Mei Changsu is 运筹帷幄之中，决胜千里之外, used in describing Zhang Liang in Si Maqian's Records of the Grand Historian. He orchestrates masterplans in the tent of the army; he determines the victory of the battle from afar, thousands of miles from the front.

As for my favourite depiction of Lin Shu, it is definitely Su Shi’s description of Cao Cao: 舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗。 The warship moves a thousand miles, ensigns enshrouding the sky. He pours out wine by the riverside, holds out his lance, and writes verses as he speaks. Xin Qiji’s verse above just fits the entire story of Mei Changsu so much, it deserves a mention.

I was assembling/making these lines up for something back then and so just listed whatever came to mind (for reasons I know not I kept on listing stuff for MCS, but maybe XJY was the typical good emperor kind of person so wasn't as inspiring coming up with quotes for him).

If there are lines of poetry you find really befitting the two characters, we're more than interested starting a thread here just for that purpose.

[juiche]

Scar & Mei and Leon the Professional crossover (only that Mei is actually too badass for this role) 🌱

[imminent-danger-came]

MK: "No way! I may not understand your irrational love of noodles, or working hard, or being angry all the time—but you are always there when I need you, so it's time for me to return the favor! Because Pigsy's Noodles, are noodles worth fighting for!"

(2x04 Sweet'n Sour)

-

Subodhi: "Zhu Bajie was a stubborn one too." Pigsy: "Oh! So you think we're the same just cause we're pigs huh, bet you think I'm just a disgusting little monster too." Subodhi: "Zhu Bajie had his vices, however, like all the companions he grew up. He struggled the most, but he worked hard, not unlike yourself. Although he didn't start out this way, in time he became a deeply caring and protective creature, and a powerful ally—one of the best in fact. The heart you have in abundance, the power? Why, you've barely scratched the surface of your potential! And that's saying something."

(4x09 Roast of the Monkie Kids)

-

Gettin' emotional over my favorite hard working Pig man.

[fluffypotatey]

With how much of mess wukong has made several of his personal relationships (not just mac), really glad he can't naturally see the strings.

Kind of off topic but also related, do you keep strings with the dead? Macaque is a special case cause he was revived, but would wukong have strings to the graves of his jttw companions? If yes, would they last until souls are reincarnated. If no, did the shadowpeach string just reformed out of nothing?

ooooooh good question!

i think it is assumed that the strings break off after death because human lives are so finite and with immortals there’s not much worry because most of their strings are tied to immortals. there’s not much research for it bc it falls under myth and legend category, and not a lot of people can even see the strings

however, if an immortal shared a string with mortals, then when the mortal die the ribbon fades. it’s still there but more translucent.

shadowpeach is a special case because their relationship was originally strong and (though none of them could see it) was bright, shining gold on the edges. then Wukong is sent under the 5 Phase Mt., and the two fight to the point that they don’t see each other until Wukong is on the pilgrimage with Tripitaka.

by jttw, the light of their string faded and became dull (symbolizing the distance that’s grown between then) and when they fight, the ribbon tears and frays because they are approaching a point of no return

Macky’s death should have snapped the string completely. it should have gone translucent and separated with neither attached ever again. but Macky gets revived and Wukong is immortal

thus: the ribbon stays with the biggest tear at the center, being held by a couple threads

[darkfalcon-z]

The Plum in the Golden Vase list of kinks some may be upsetting (incomplete):

f/m, m/m, unethical non-monogamy, infidelity (non-consensual and consensual), cuckolding (consensual, also non-consensual), sex work, sugar babies, vaginal sex, oral sex, anal sex, sex toys (cock rings, "Burman Fecundity Bell," some sort of penis supporting harness, other), aphrodisiacs (performance enhancing dugs, sensitivity enhancing drugs), voyeurism (accidental, consensual, non-consensual, exhibitionism, period sex, object insertion (fruit), bondage, sexual punishment, humiliation, dirty talk, cross-dressing, kink negotiation, under-negotiated kink, feminisation, slut shaming (surprisingly enough a lot of it is directed towards male dominant top by a female partner(s)), Lotus feet (foot binging), dubious consent, underage, older man/younger woman, older man/younger man, older woman/younger man, power imbalance, virginity, drink sharing, food sharing, handjobs, dirty talk, partner sharing, somnophilia, outdoor sex, cock slut, anal slut, clitoris stimulation, big cock (21 cun - that 67,2 cm 😭🙃🤣 over two feet long), master/servant (not role play), orgasm delay, marathon sex, multiple orgasms, painful sex, jealousy, brother in law/sister in law, first time anal, no lube, no prep, bleeding, consent play, impact play, mother-in-law/son-in-law, father-in-law/daughter(s)-in-law mentioned, impact play, cock worship, dacryphilia, edge play, fire play/branding (I mean it was incense stick), intercrural sex, vicarphilia, ecouteurism, non-human genitalia mentioned, sex toys under clothes, water sports/piss drinking, dream sex/ghost sex, male dom, bratty sub, mirror sex, lactation kink, wetting or squirting (possibly, I'm not sure which from the description), lingerie kink ("the lingerie" would be typical for the period when the author lived - a lot of attention is given to to female underwear during sex scenes), multiple sex positions, bathtub sex (kind of, they did it on a board over water),

what are those called:

reading porn just before/in-between or during sex?

throwing fruit (plums) at your partner exposed clitoris?

all the women want this one guy who is somehow superior in all things sex than other guys

does planning together your husbands murder count as kink?

what about dying from having too much sex and aphrodisiac (performance drug) overdose (this was prolonged death)

I haven't finished the book yet, I'll add to the list if something new comes around of If I recall something I've missed

[moving-to-dreamwinged]

guys i genuinely wonder ... what mutual am i To you... ... who am i how do u Perceive me i'm desperate to know💔💔💔

[tea-cat-arts]

For today’s 3:30 am Honkai rewrite pitch: the Honkai

It’s just an energy created by the friction between the imaginary tree and the sea of quanta

It’s not exactly sentient, but it collect memories from everyone who is infected by it and store them in the cocoon of finality

Because the people who are infected by the Honkai tend to be those who can’t avoid contaminated area (ex: poor areas like sundown alley, or any area where their was an unexpected eruption) or people who were intentionally experimented on, and the infection itself tends to make the victim pretty ill, a lot of the memories in the cocoon of finality are pretty awful

Any sentient being who’s infected by the Honkai gets their brain connected to the cocoon of finality as sort of a collective consciousness

It’s sorta alive but not (like the Promare)

Part of the reason Honkai infected tend to be violent is cuz their brains are hooked up to billions of other people’s traumatic memories, causing them to lash out in fear

Instead of having a complete brain override, Herrschers are more like the host’s original personality+ the collective consciousness, but there is some variation

Early Herrschers are less influenced by the cocoon given that their just aren’t any memories in it yet (hence why Elysia and Joyce more or less got to be their own people)

Later Herrschers can overcome the cocoons influence if they have some sort of strong attachment keeping them grounded

Herrschers that are isolated for too long may completely loose the hosts personality and become just an extra powerful Honkai beast

In the PE, the cocoon of finality existed inside a person (Kalpas) like any other Honkai core, but Mobius removed it and Dr. MEI sealed it inside Prometheus in hopes it would end the Herrscher cycle and stop finality from appearing spoiler: it didn’t work

Idk man, I’m just trying to recenter the power system so love genuinely is the answer to saving everyone

[papercutsmp3]

bro is inquisitive

[crystal-whispers]

lolita coord 🤍

[withbutterflywings]

i love this version of this song classic rock song

[quinnxxa]

jardines de luxemburgo

desayunarse el correo electrónico de la señora park no estaba en sus planes. parecía que todo indicaba cada vez más que nunca tendría que haber asistido al evento del crucero...ah, si tan solo no le hubiera hecho caso a su hermano. con la poca confianza que siempre tenia en si misma ahora estaba envuelta en una cita con una persona desconocida, y encima estaba tarde. ¡maldita sea el transporte de parís! llego corriendo, y una vez frente al palacio del jardín de luxemburgo tomo una bocanada de aire intentando recuperar el aliento. no quería quedar tan ridícula frente a su cita... // @xian-mei​

[flameaurasphere]

"Miserere mei, Deus” by Gregorio Allegri

Gregorio Allegri (c. 1582-1652) was a late Renaissance composer, best remembered for his ‘Miserere’ for two choirs. Allegri began singing in San Luigi dei Francesi before joining the Sistine Choir in 1629. Renaissance music was built upon plainchants, and is characterised by polyphony, imitation, motets, superimpositions, and overlapping cadences that convey flow, expressiveness, and devotion. ‘Miserere’ exemplifies Renaissance polyphony—one choir of five voices sings a fauxbourdon of a plainchant for the Tonus peregrinus, while the other choir of four voices supplies with elaborations and cadenzas, forming a 9-part polyphony.

Sistine Codex of 1661

‘Miserere’ is an acapella performed exclusively during Holy Week in the Sistine Chapel for ages. The church forbade it from being transcribed, so while the original 1661 codex might not reflect the true composition, it reveals the secret ornamentation practice of the olden Sistine Chapel Choir.

The Sistine Chapel Choir is a permanent choir in the chapel that never sings with instrument accompaniments. In this historical recording, a group of voices sings the plainchant, and then a second group of voices responds with elaboration. This repeats four times, as Allegri intended. The two choirs are distinct—even without video, one could picture that the second choir is singing far away at another end of a massive room. While I appreciated the contrast as it dynamised the plainchant, the upper voices in the second choir had drowned out the lower voices, resulting in an “airiness”. Nonetheless, the voices were well-blended and captured the essence of Renaissance music—the melodies flowed smoothly with no fixed tempo, and the music was expressive, whereby the soft tenor solos sounded pleading, but the choir in tutti sounded haunting. ‘Miserere’ means "Have mercy on me, O God" in Latin; fittingly, the acoustics of the chapel allowed their voices to echo, amplifying their devotion to God.

King’s College Choir 1963

The world-famous Choir of King’s College, Cambridge sings in the King’s College Chapel. This is one of the first modern recordings, conducted by David Willcocks and featured soloist Roy Goodman. It differs vastly from the original—during the 19th century, ‘Miserere’ was incorrectly transcribed, transposing the solo choir up a fourth.

Although sung in English, this version still preserved the smooth melodies and distribution of rubato in the original 1661 codex. However, it is more textured, dynamic, and exciting. The articulation of words is clearer; the tenors used a higher vocal placement to produce a more lightweight sound; the basses were audibly growing louder and softer, shaping a slow push-and-pull melody; the boy sopranos pierced through with their resonance and agility in the ornamented lines. Nevertheless, the pièce de resistance is boy treble Goodman’s breath-taking high notes during the second half of the four-voice falsobordone. Though his entry was a little shaky, the transition to the “top C” note was slick and precise, with a slight crescendo and close-to-none sliding. It is astonishing how Goodman sustained those notes—four times—without sounding strained; his pure and aethereal voice quality cannot be replicated by a female soprano. The high notes are my favourite part in contemporary ‘Miserere’, and I have yet to hear one as moving as Goodman

Ofra Harnoy

Ofra Harnoy is a widely celebrated classical cellist with over 40 solo albums. This recording is part of her ‘Back to Bach’ album, filled with Baroque favourites. Harnoy’s vision was to design a large cello ensemble by herself. To attain that effect, she harnessed the power of technology to overdub and produce multi-tracks.

I thought Harnoy’s work was innovative—the mixing and mastering were done so well that with eyes closed, her arrangement did seem like a grand cello ensemble. The tempo was a bit slower than the original 1661 codex and King’s College Choir 1963 recording, but that allowed the strings to ring longer, hence extending the crescendos and decrescendos. Additionally, the lower parts are more discernible than in the previous recordings. The rich bass and use of vibrato dramatised the music, creating a hauntingly beautiful and poignant experience. The high notes did not overpower, unlike in the King’s College Choir 1963 version, hence highlighting the polyphony.

One might think that Harnoy made her cello sing, but I felt that she transformed ‘Miserere’ into a cello piece. My only critique is that all the verses should have been recorded, to demonstrate how each verse differs in the embellishments—for example, the appoggiaturas sung by the higher sections.

Montechait

Montechait is a YouTuber who does piano cover videos and arrangements. He played on a Studiologic SL88 Studio keyboard, then produced and edited the audio using Pianoteq and Cubase software. 

The pitches were not the most precise in the original 1661 codex and King’s College 1963 recordings. Hence, the pitch-perfect keyboard demonstrated how the melodies could sit with one another to deliver chords that assert gloom. I enjoyed that the ending verse was in forte, emphasising the volume of a 9-part polyphony. But this performance lacked expressiveness, which is quintessential to Renaissance music. Despite Pianoteq being one of the greatest virtual instruments that simulate the playability of an acoustic instrument, the recording had a largely manufactured sound. Furthermore, the piano is limited in the expressive shaping of notes as it does not offer dynamic nuance or vibrato.

I learnt that every performer has a unique story to tell in ‘Miserere’—whether it is of worship by the Sistine Codex of 1661, of tradition by the King’s College Choir, of beauty by Ofra Harnoy’s soul-stirring cello, or melancholy by Montechait’s solemn keyboard. In my opinion, the key change from G minor to C minor—due to scribal error—echoes the famous saying: “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.” ~Bob Ross.