#language study Hong Kong

[polyglot-thought]

[Cantonese→English] @stand.for.hk Instagram Account Bio — Color Coded Translation

Link to account

—

撐香港人 · 撐普世價值

caang1 hoeng1 gong2 jan4 · caang1 pou2 sai3 gaa3 zik6

Supporting Hong Kongers • Supporting universal values

—

同行兒女

tung4 hong4 ji4 neoi5

Sons and daughters of the same trade

—

我哋真係好撚鍾意香港

ngo5 dei6 zan1 hai6 hou2 nan2 zung1 ji3 hoeng1 gong2

We really fucking love Hong Kong a lot

—

分享：影像 文字 梗圖 繪作

fan1 hoeng2: jing2 zoeng6 man4 zi6 gang2 tou4 kui2 zok3

Sharing: Pictures Writings Memes Drawings

—

和你：調侃 · 迷因 · 時事 · 感悟 · 分享

wo4 nei5: tiu4 hon2 · mai4 jan1 · si4 si6 · gam2 ng6 · fan1 hoeng2

With You: Mockery • Memes • Current Affairs • Appreciation • Sharing

—

Please correct me if I made a mistake

Translated September 2023

[libraryofgage]

The Prince and the Metalhead (2)

Part of: Steve Deserves Good Parents, Actually

Debbie and Fester Addams One | Two | Three | Four Rick and Evelyn O'Connell One | Two | Three Harley Quinn One 10th Doctor and Rose One | Two (on the way!) Scooby Gang (there are plans for this one lmao, so plz be patient with me orz) Jedidiah and Octavius (from Night at the Museum) One Queen Clarisse Renaldi One | Two (you're here!)

I know I just posted part one but I've got Thoughts for this AU that include: Steve's first birthday in Genovia and then his 16th, his conversation with his grandmother about attending public school in America for his senior year, and then we get into him attending Hawkins High and meeting Eddie!

So, yeah, plans lmao

Anyway, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

------

"You'll have a rotating course schedule. Mondays and Wednesdays will focus on math and social studies. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be science and literature. Friday will be Royalty lessons and the history of Genovia. We can also include an elective, if you'd like."

Steve blinks, staring at Sue for a moment before glancing at Jonathan and Robin. Jonathan is looking through a book of photography and Robin is idly scratching behind Dart’s ears. "Will we all have the same elective?" Steve asks.

"Not unless Jonathan and Robin want to join you," Sue says, looking at Steve expectantly. She's got a pen at the ready to write down what he says, and it suddenly feels like a lot of pressure.

Is there a wrong answer here? Is there an answer that gets him sent back to his parents? He looks down, biting the inside of his cheek so hard he tastes blood. Before he can lose himself in his thoughts, a cold and wet nose presses against his hand. Steve blinks, smiling at Dart and picking her up to hold close. "What kind of electives are there?" he asks.

Sue hums softly, flipping to another page on her clipboard. "Possible electives include art, music, theatrical performance, physical education, equestrian studies, botany, and foreign languages, to name a few."

"I'll be taking photography lessons," Jonathan says, looking up at Steve and gesturing to his book.

Robin nods and leans back on her palms. "I'll be doing the physical stuff. Like learning how to fight and practicing ballet to improve my balance," she says, leveling a look at Steve that dares him to say anything about the ballet.

Steve wouldn't, though. He doesn't want to make Robin angry enough to ditch him. He looks down at Dart, thinking for a moment before asking, "Can I take more than one?"

"Of course, but you're limited to three for now," Sue says.

What would be the most helpful? Foreign languages, probably, since he'll definitely have to speak with ambassadors from other countries at some point. He should also learn something that can be shown off, a skill that he could pull out at functions to make his grandmother proud or distract guests.

"What language should I learn?" he asks.

Sue thinks for a moment, tapping her pen against her chin. "Mandarin. It's a business language, and we have close relations with a few representatives from China and Hong Kong. If you'd like to learn a Romantic language first, though, Spanish is good."

"I'll learn Mandarin," Steve decides, nodding once to himself. "And music. I want to learn to play...hmm...the piano."

With a nod, Sue writes his electives down. "Let me know if you'd like to add an elective later, Your Highness. In my opinion, though, your current courses will keep you properly challenged for now."

------------------------

Sue wasn't kidding about his academics being challenging. Steve struggles in math, muddles his way through science, drags himself through literature, and is ready to drop when he hits social studies. He'd ask the tutors to spend more time on topics, but Robin and Jonathan seem to have no problem keeping up, and Steve can't bring himself to disrupt their pace.

His Mandarin lessons are going just slightly better if only because the tutor seems to recognize that slower is better for him. After almost a month, he's starting to understand intonation and vocal variation better, and he can recognize a few characters on sight.

Piano lessons are also going well. His tutor there doesn't burden him with theory; she introduces the keys, shows him how to read sheet music, and then lets him choose songs to learn. Steve feels the most at ease when he's squinting at sheet music and slowly pressing piano keys into something recognizable.

The lessons he really looks forward to, however, are the ones for his Royalty Education. He gets to see his grandmother then, and she spends the whole day with him. Even better, something about this stuff just clicks. He's good at fixing his posture and memorizing silverware placement. He bows just right on his first try and his grandmother compliments his wave.

By the end of the lesson, she'll be smiling, her pride obvious, and take him for a walk in the gardens or to eat cookies in the kitchen.

"Royalty requires maintenance," Clarisse says, standing in front of Steve with relaxed shoulders. "You maintain your demeanor, your image, your knowledge of foreign dignitaries, your understanding of the people’s needs, and your humility. But you must also maintain your pride and your boundaries."

"That sounds like a lot," Steve says, idly tugging at the hem of his shirt.

"It can be overwhelming, but it becomes second nature in time," Clarisse explains, smiling reassuringly. "When you're royalty, you are constantly watched. Many eyes are kind or curious, but others are malicious, and you want to do everything you can to disappoint the malicious ones."

"How?"

"By acting like the Crown Prince you are."

"What kind of prince am I?" Steve asks, finally voicing the question that's been lingering since these lessons started. What kind of prince does his grandmother want? What kind of prince would best serve the people? What kind of prince will be so loved by all that nobody could even think of thinking about getting rid of him?

Clarisse hums, thinking for a moment. "I suppose a good one," she says, her slight smile telling Steve that she's only lightly teasing. "My hope is that you'll be kind and competent. You will make Genovia prosperous without compromising tradition. You won't allow politics to stand in the way of doing what's right by the people of Genovia. But this is a tiring job, so I hope you'll learn how to balance your duties with relaxation."

It's a lot, but Steve can do it. He can be that kind of prince, especially for the country and grandmother that's offered everything he's ever wanted and more. He nods once. "Okay," he says, "What do I need to learn, then?"

Clarisse smiles fondly at him. "Let's start by reviewing Genovian history. Only by knowing the past can you face the future."

With that, she places a book on Steve's desk and doesn't wait for him to open it before telling him about Genovia's founding.

------------------------

Steve has weekends off from classes, which leaves him with more free time than he knows what to do with when he doesn't have to clean a house or make his own meals. So, he's bored, and telling Robin that he was bored was a huge mistake after she suggested riding bikes around the garden only to learn Steve didn't know how.

She'd insisted that he should learn, insisted that Clarisse be the one who teaches him, and insisted on hearing no objections.

And now he's here, standing in front of Clarisse's desk and staring down at his feet as she finishes writing something on the paper in front of her. Joe is standing just to her right, hands behind his back.

"Okay," Clarisse says, gently placing her pen on the desk before looking at Steve with an encouraging smile. "What did you want to ask me, Steve?"

Steve bites the inside of his cheek, takes a deep breath, and looks up. "Well, um, Robin wants to ride bikes, but I don't know how," he says.

"Well, that's easily fixed," Clarisse says, reaching for a phone at the corner of her desk. "I'm sure a member of staff is free to teach you."

Before she can pick up the phone, Steve finds himself blurting out, "Well, I...I was hoping...you could teach me."

Clarisse freezes, blinking twice with confusion before looking at Steve. "You want me to teach you?" she asks. When Steve nods once, she sighs softly. "A queen does not ride bikes. Besides, I have too much work to complete. Perhaps I could accompany you for a walk this evening to make up for it."

Despite himself, despite bracing for rejection, it still hurts. In the three months he's been in Genovia, Clarisse has agreed to just about every request he's made. Every held breath as he waits for cruel words has been released with unprecedented relief when none came. Even when he broke something---a priceless vase, according to Jonathan---his grandmother had simply surveyed the damage, thanked him for being honest, and asked him to avoid kicking soccer balls in the presence of priceless vases in the future.

Perhaps Steve has gotten too comfortable. He shouldn't be pushing like this. If he wants his grandmother's affection, he should know when to hold himself back.

So, despite the unfamiliar urge to ask again in case Clarisse might change her mind, Steve nods once. "I look forward to walking with you, Grandmother," he says, his voice quiet. He glances up, waiting long enough to see Clarisse's smile before turning on his heel and leaving the office as quickly as he can.

Clarisse watches him go, her head slightly tilted as the door closes silently behind Steve. She nods once, glad that Steve is sensible enough to understand things like work and propriety, and picks up her pen once more.

"If I may speak freely, Your Majesty?" Joe asks.

"At this point, Joe, you may as well assume the answer is yes."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, and please pardon my French, my experience has been that assuming makes an ass out of you and me."

It takes a moment for Clarisse to understand the joke. When she does, she can't help her amused smile. "Fair enough," she says, "Go ahead, Joe."

"Do you remember what I said about being Steve's grandmother?"

"Yes, of course."

"Perhaps now is one of those moments where being a grandmother is more important than being a queen. His Highness does not ask for much, and he is not the kind to ask more than once, even if he really wants something. I imagine it took a significant amount of courage to ask you to teach him in the first place."

"Are you suggesting that I...I risk making a fool of myself for all to see?" Clarisse asks.

"I am suggesting you spend time with your grandson, who asks very little of you because he does not believe he can ask for anything."

Clarisse is silent a moment, letting Joe's words process and settle in her brain. Finally, she sighs and gestures to the papers on her desk. "I have work to complete," she says.

"Your Majesty, editing these proposals was on your schedule two weeks from now. You are ahead of your work. A break would not be unreasonable or unwarranted."

Well, when he puts it like that.

Clarisse sighs, leans back in her chair, and looks up at Joe. He's still staring at the door, giving no indication that he feels her eyes on him, but she knows he does. "Have a groundskeeper retrieve bikes and safety gear and meet us in the garden," she says, standing from her chair and bracing herself to look like an utter fool.

Her apprehension fades away fifteen minutes later. It can't hold last when she sees Steve's surprised and delighted expression at her presence. As she helps him put on knee and elbow pads, shows him how to pull the helmet's strap tight, and holds the bike steady as he sits on it, Clarisse decides a little foolishness is perfectly fine (necessary, even) if it will keep the smile on Steve's face.

------------

Tag List (let me know if you'd like to be added to future parts!)

@y4r3luv, @potato-of-the-lord,

[ukrfeminism]

A UK academic who has completed a project creating a Wikipedia page for a woman in every country in the world is calling for more women to contribute to the world’s largest encyclopedia.

Lucy Moore, an archaeologist and curator who also works as an unpaid carer, began the mammoth project in 2021 from her sofa in Leeds, completing it last week – “unsurprisingly, perhaps, I got really stuck on Vatican City”.

She has now written biographies of 532 women since 2019, when she first became a Wikipedia editor, including scientists, monarchs, activists, writers and women whose faces are well known but their stories are not, such as Sharbat Gula, the refugee with striking green eyes pictured in the famous Afghan Girl portrait from 1984.

Less than 20% of the biographies on English language Wikipedia are about women, although this is an improvement on 16% in 2014, when “a range of different editors started to get together and say, ‘Actually, we really need to change this’,” said Moore.

She began by making a table of UN member states and partially recognised UN states, such as Kosovo and Taiwan, and worked through the list based on who caught her eye.

She has now also written dozens of entries for women in autonomous regions such as Hong Kong, Zanzibar and Tibet, and those in overseas territories.

There were many women she had expected to find already had pages, such as Julia Chinn, an enslaved woman who was the common-law wife of the ninth vice-president of the United States, Richard Mentor Johnson.

“She’s really interesting and I was really surprised no one had written about her before,” she said.

She tended to focus on women who share her interests, she said, such as poets, activists and coin specialists, known as numismatists, which is her own field.

“I find it really calming,” she said. “I can go and bury myself in something that is totally, totally different from my day to day.”

But it has not been easy. She said one of the issues was that Wikipedia required three reliable sources for each biography and, while there may have been a lot written on social media about some of the women, they may not have appeared in newspapers, especially in countries where women’s achievements are not taken seriously.

The reaction to her project has been positive, she said. “No one’s said anything nasty on Twitter, though I expect that will come.”

Moore points to the work of her fellow editor Jess Wade, who wrote a number of Wikipedia pages about female scientists, “and then another editor came along and nominated them all for deletion. It was really nasty.”

For more Guardian journalism follow this channel

Follow the Guardian

She said there was some general criticism on social media that Wikipedia editors were “making (the gender balance) more of an issue than it actually is”.

“And I find that attitude really annoying, to be honest, because it’s men who say that primarily.”

She pointed to research from 2022 that found there were more Wikipedia entries about football and footballers than there were about women.

However, Moore added: “Some of the most prolific people who work to redress the gender balance on Wikipedia are men and I’m not sure they would all describe it as being a feminist, but that’s what they’re doing.”

Run as a non-profit, open-source encyclopedia that is free to use, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone but only a fifth of its 124,000 regularly active editors are women.

“We do need to get more women to edit, but it’s not just as simple as saying, ‘Hey, women, come and edit’, because we have so much more pressure on our time. There’s all these different studies that show that women have less time to devote to things of interest. And that’s before you even get on to being able to access sources, being able to access particular academic journal articles, which are paywalled.”

Class was also a factor in who contributes and appears on Wikipedia, as was access to education, especially in countries where women are not routinely educated.

“It just gets more and more systemic, the more you look at it,” she said.

Some of the women recognised by Moore

Julia Chinn (c. 1790 – July 1833) was an American plantation manager and enslaved woman of mixed race, who was the common-law wife of the ninth vice-president of the United States, Richard Mentor Johnson. She had two children with the plantation owner and congressman Johnson, who inherited her when his father died, though she would fulfil what at the time was considered the role of the wife of a politician. She was never freed.

Sharbat Gula (born c. 1972) is an Afghan woman who became internationally recognised as the 12-year-old subject in Afghan Girl, a 1984 portrait taken by American photojournalist Steve McCurry that was later published on the cover of National Geographic. The portrait was shot at Nasir Bagh, Pakistan, where Gula was living as a refugee after fleeing the Soviet–Afghan war. Having raised a family in Pakistan for 35 years, Gula was deported to Afghanistan in 2017, later being granted asylum in Italy.

Jeanne Gapiya-Niyonzima (born 12 July 1963, in Bujumbura) is a human rights activist from Burundi. She is the chair and founder of the National Association for Support for HIV-Positive People with Aids (ANSS) and was the first person from the country to publicly admit they had HIV. Gapiya-Niyonzima won the World Food Program prize in 2003, in 2011 addressed the United Nations committee for HIV/Aids in New York and was selected as the Burundian Woman of Courage of the Year in 2012.

Ólafía Einarsdóttir (28 July 1924 – 19 December 2017) was an Icelandic archaeologist and historian, becoming the first Icelander to complete a degree in archaeology. She taught at the University of Copenhagen and published many works about Icelandic sagas and Viking history. Ólafía was awarded an honorary doctorate by the faculty of history and philosophy at the University of Iceland in 2009. The journal Ólafía, published by the Icelandic Association of Archaeologists since 2013, is named after her.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Could we have an analysis of A Chinese Odyssey part one and two? Although I feel that the third part breaks the message of the first two a little? but I don't know, I'm very ignorant about the matter, so I'll apologize if it's more complicated.

Lucky for us there is someone who has done an Analysis of a Chinese Odyssey from the perspective of its cultural impact on other media in Transforming Monkey Adaptation and Representation of a Chinese Epic By Hongmei Sun. If anyone has the time I would highly recommend reading her book or just skipping to the chapters she talked about it in Chapter 4 From Fighter to Lover The Postsocialist Hero in the PRC and Hong Kong.

I shall try to SUMMERIZE a whole chapter below that I think really helps frame how the Chinese Odessery was interpreted though so open at your own cost. Please note this is me just REPEATING what the article says if you really don't want to read the book (BUT YOU SHOULD).

And yes you are right Anon MANY people did not enjoy the third movie as it went against everything the first two movies were about with lost love, rather feeling more like a cash grab made to milk people's nostalgia and adoration of the films. Some people might like it but PLEASE know that it was never intended for the first two films and often feels way too disconnected.

The Postsocialist Hero in the PRC and Hong Kong

Sun Wukong up to this point (the 1990s) has been framed in media as a revolutionary hero (best-known example in the Havoc of Heaven 19060s movie). Chinese Odyssey 1995 coproduced by Hong Kong and mainland China, starring Stephen Chow as the Sun Wukong was one of the first movies that challenged this image of him and redefined the character at the turn of the century. The film subverted the heroic image of Sun Wukong and replaced it with a comedic character who is also a romantic interest. This was his transformation from a "fighter" to a "lover" and while it didn't do well in Hong Kong, it was horribly popular in Mainland China due to the messaging of the movie changing dramatically. The creative "misreading" of the original film has led to its success due to the audience connection during a time of social transformation and widespread anxiety about changing sexual mores. This led to a postsocialist hero for the large population of young people who became its fans.

THE DAHUA PHENOMENON

When first released in Hong Kong and mainland China in 1995, A Chinese Odyssey was a box-office failure. The film’s slapstick humor was initially unappreciated and it was highly criticized for straying too far from the original source material. But two years later, when the film was shown on TV film channels, it caught the attention of college students and grew a large fan base on college campuses in the mainland. For a while, A Chinese Odyssey was vigorously traded in the bootleg disc market. Fans of A Chinese Odyssey, known as Dahua fans, instead of criticizing the movie for deviating from the original, or changing and subverting the images of the characters, Dahua fans found a new aspect of Sun Wukong's story that spoke to them. Audiences saw themselves represented in this Sun Wukong themselves and the story as reflecting the problems they faced in their lives. Even Academics paid attention to the popularity of the film itself but also to the special phenomenon created by its influence over popular culture, which is called “Dahua Culture.” These articles focus on a wide range of aspects, including postmodern culture, adaptation, intertextuality, cultural studies, Internet culture, performance, language, time and space, and also include creative writing, leading to A Chinese Odyssey’s appeal to both fans and academics is steady.

Many fans of the movie express the “postmodern” factors in Stephen Chow’s “nonsensical” style, and the subversive pleasure that audiences derive from the film’s excessive play with the grotesque and the violation of social norms. Stephen Chow transformed the story of pilgrimage into a slapstick comedy where gods, pilgrims, and demons were usually treated with awe and were now a humorous outlet in a political environment where authorities are supposed to always be respected.

The following example demonstrates the kind of analysis that circulates among fans:

If you double over with laughter when watching this movie, it means you have a sense of humor. But if you’re still laughing when the movie is over, you actually understand nothing of the film. When the film is over, if you find your face is covered with tears, you have come to understand the first layer of its meaning. If after all your laughter and tears you are stunned, not knowing whether to cry or to laugh, you understand the second layer of its meaning. If you sit there speechless, dejected and despondent, not knowing where you should go, you understand the third layer of its meaning. A Chinese Odyssey is an allegory. Hidden within the shell of an ancient myth, it appears to be a very funny and sad, bawdy but pure love story, but actually it is about the problems caused by the uncertainty of time and the hesitation of the individual.

Joker’s transformation into Sun Wukong represents the spiritual journey that a man experiences growing up, and Tripitaka and the Bull Demon King each represent different social powers around him. Many fans speak about their experience watching the film repeatedly, and how their understanding deepens after each viewing. Another fan writes about her understanding of love, which changes through the years in which she watched the film repeatedly:

From the 1990s, when she was in elementary school, until when she graduated from college, the film in her eyes has evolved from a horror film to a love story, from an avant-garde film to a love story that is all based on a lie.

A review about the author’s deepened understanding of the film after college:

I suddenly understood the beginning of the movie: A young guy who is talented but does not respect rules (Sun Wukong) loathes the big and important cause that he is assigned (the pilgrimage to India). He especially cannot bear the nagging preaching of his teacher (Tripitaka), but the rules and regulations in the world (Guanyin) won’t let him go. In order to transform him into a devoted pilgrim, Tripitaka - and Guanyin have reached an agreement: let him get reborn and start anew five hundred years later. Such a foreordained beginning.

The review goes on to state that Sun Wukong’s “Havoc in Heaven” takes place during the golden era of four years in college. After he leaves the campus and finds a job he realizes that all his talents and personality do not matter underneath the mountain of Buddha’s palm. In short, while A Chinese Odyssey subverted Journey to the West’s status as a revered classic, it managed to establish itself as a classic. The parody did not just ridicule the gods and teachers in the original story, but it also drew new images for the main characters, establishing new meanings related to the audience. It influenced later adaptations of Journey to the West and deeply changed the normal depiction of characters such as Sun Wukong and Tripitaka.

ABSTINENCE FROM SEXUALITY IN JOURNEY TO THE WEST

In the novel Journey to the West, themes of the body and sexuality are sublimated due to the nature of the story as a religious allegory. Sex is a formidable sin from which all of the pilgrims must abstain and Bajie is the only one who shows weakness toward the temptation of sex. For that, he is repeatedly tested, warned, and punished. In contrast, Tripitaka has sustained his virgin body for ten reincarnations, and it is believed that eating one piece of it is sufficient to grant the consumer longevity. Many demons want to eat him, and sometimes female demons want to have sex with him. If Tripitaka has to constantly work against the idea of sexuality and make an effort to abstain from it, for Wukong sex has never been an issue.

In his own words, he was born without xing. When Patriarch Puti asked him about his xing (surname), he took it as a question about his xing (temperament/nature) and responded that he did not have any temper (xing), and had never lost his temper (yisheng wu xing). This statement also holds true if we take the liberty of relating the pun of xing to sexuality. When it was clarified that the question was about the surname that he would have received from his parents, Wukong responded that he did not have any parents, since he was born from a piece of stone. Puti was delighted upon hearing this, saying that the monkey was born of heaven and earth. Although the narrative of Journey to the West never explains the ways in which Wukong’s birth from stone functions as an asset, it is clear that his parentless birth (a birth that is not as a result of sexual activity) distinguishes him as a model for religious practice. Quite relatively, throughout the journey, sex simply never constitutes a temptation for him, as if his mind cannot fathom the idea of sexuality.

The correspondence of the five members of the pilgrimage group with the Five Phases of Chinese philosophy with Wukong related to Metal (Jin) and Heart/Mind (Xin). Metaphorically Wukong functions as the mind/heart of the group, which is focused on defeating demons and directing the group toward the religious holy land. This is perhaps why the narrative of Journey to the West consistently refers to Sun Wukong as the “heart/mind monkey” (xinyuan). If the heart/mind of the pilgrims should be directed toward attaining Buddhist sutras for the world or attaining Buddhahood for themselves, the body that is attached to worldly pleasures constitutes obstacles for the heart. For Zhu Bajie, the obstacle of the body is significantly greater than it is for Tripitaka. But for Sun Wukong, his body does not stand in the way— born from stone and smelt in Laozi’s elixir furnace, his body is built for battles and transformational magic, not for the sin of desire.

Sun Wukong’s body actually contains many details —from his birth from the stone to his transformation training, to the numerous bodily tricks he plays when encountering demons during the journey— but the writing about the body is paradoxically for the purpose of eventually transcending it, and his physical capacity greatly facilitates that process. The 1960s adaptation emphasized the heroic aspects of Sun Wukong and reconstructed him as a brave warrior who fights against the oppression of the feudalist heaven controlled by the Jade Emperor, and a true pilgrim who can see through the disguises of forms and catch the White Bone Demon despite her transformations. What is unchanged from the religious “heart monkey” to the communist revolutionary monkey is the agreement in his “heart” and his body, originating from his miraculous birth and well suited to the purposes of pilgrimage and revolutionary cause alike.

BODY VERSUS HEART: HUMANIZATION OF THE MONKEY KING

In contrast, in A Chinese Odyssey, the Sun Wukong’s story becomes one of the body working against the heart. With the entire story focusing on Joker’s romantic adventures, love and sexuality become central themes of the film, and the meaning of “heart” in “ heart monkey” changes to refer to love. A Chinese Odyssey gives Wukong (reborn as Joker) a mortal human body, and Joker’s adventure involves various sorts of mistreatment of this body and a focal point of the camera. Joker appears near the beginning suffering from a severe injury where even his his legs soon give out, and he can only walk upside down with his arms. His body continues to be treated cruelly as he is seen falling into a pit of feces; trapped by a spider net; breaking his own teeth; being beaten, burnt, and repeatedly trampled on by his gang members. His private parts particularly become the target of trampling quite a few times.

When Joker and Jingjing fall in love, in the short moment when they were together, sex was never consummated. Paradoxically, the narrative of this film about love seems to focus unmistakably on castration. Whereas part 1, Pandora’s Box, tells the adventures of Joker’s body, part 2, Cinderella, becomes the story of his heart. But just like the mistreatment of the body in the earlier part, something always goes wrong with his heart in part 2. Joker spends this part of the journey in denial: of both his love for Zixia and his identity as the Monkey King. It is only by means of the literal separation of his heart from his body that he is eventually able to find and recognize his heart—he is killed by Ma’am Thirty, who cuts open his chest and takes his heart out, so he sees it with his “eyes of the heart/soul” (xinyan). At this moment, after his heart leaves his body, he becomes the Monkey King, who has to put the golden ring on his head to control his worldly desire.

Later, when the new Sun Wukong is faced with a hard choice between saving his true love Zixia and saving his master Tripitaka, the golden fillet tightens to make sure he makes the right choice. With its depictions of the body and the search for love, A Chinese Odyssey seemingly delivers a message that is diametrically opposed to that of Journey to the West until the ending, when it hits on a conclusion that is much in agreement with Journey to the West: abstaining from worldly pleasure. The last scene of the movie sees the group of pilgrims set off once again on their journey to the West, when they come across a couple, the exact replica of Joker and Zixia, repeating the scene that Joker once experienced when he refused to kiss “Zixia” and profess his love for her. Possessing the body of the replica Joker, Sun Wukong embraces “Zixia,” gives her the requested kiss, and tells her that he will never leave her. Having done this, Sun Wukong leaves the body of “Joker” and sets off on his journey, leaving the embracing couple behind. Although this ending provides Sun Wukong the chance to make up for his regret by means of the body of the substitute, it also concludes the separation of the body and the heart, permanently.

By the same token, although the film is replete with sexually charged language and images, sex is never directly represented. Sexual expectations are subverted and rebuffed. The story of the conflicting body and heart of Joker ends with a symbolical self-castrating action, when we see Sun Wukong eating a banana, on two occasions near the end of the movie, with peels dangling at his mouth and the banana bitten off. These scenes, echoing the trampling scene described earlier, epitomize the conflicting relationship between body and heart. Although they no doubt create a humorous effect, part of the “nonsensical” style for which Stephen Chow is known, the Monkey King image created by such effect forms a stark contrast to that of the successful and capable fighter in earlier adaptations.

Now that he knows love, his body is working against his heart. Thus, the new Sun Wukong must bear the vexing challenges of life, just like a normal human being. It is this contradiction between body and heart that has become the source of inspiration for many Dabua fans who see the story as reflecting their own: the dreams of the young heart and its obstructions in reality.

BETWEEN DEMON AND DEITY

Sun Wukong has lost the godly control and coordination of body and heart that he enjoyed in Journey to the West. But the film still resists a simple dichotomy between deity and demon as blurring the line between the demon and the god is a major endeavor of the narrative. Not only does the film question the categorical nature of the Monkey King, but it also ridicules the differentiation between deity and demon. Wukong is reincarnated as Joker as a punishment for his demonic behavior, but he repeatedly refuses opportunities to be transformed back into the deity Monkey King. When he realizes that he has finally become the Monkey King reincarnate, seeing the image of a monkey in the “Mirror of Demon Revelation,” he immediately throws the mirror to the ground, tramples on the mirror (and his predestined identity), and runs away. Thus the final transformation into Sun Wukong at the end concludes the human Joker’s resistance with his eventual submission to his predestination (or the pressure of the social environment, in one Dahua fan’s interpretation).

The question of “deity or demon?” as a major theme is represented by what Zixia asks Joker when she first meets him:

“Deity? Demon? Thanks.”

Indicating her immediate need to categorize Joker as a deity or a demon, the question reflects her interest in detecting disguises. In her short earlier encounter with Erlang Shen and the Four Heavenly Kings, the gods transformed into humans to deceive her. Gods such as Erlang Shen and his team are represented as quite ungodly, their conversations indicating that they all have ordinary humanlike faults and concerns. Demons identified by the mirror turn out to be as lovable as their human disguises: Jingjing is devoted to love, and Ma’am Thirty sacrifices herself to save her partner and baby. The triangle formed between Joker, Jingjing, and Zixia involves a human, a deity, and a demon, and the fact that they fall into different categories never constitutes a problem for them as the narrative presents the human side of all beings, including their frustrations, their desires, their dreams, and their fears.

The line between deity and demon is also blurred in Journey to the West itself. In the sixteenth-century text, Sun Wukong himself goes through the identity transformation from a demon (a king of monkeys who occupy a mountain and claim it as their territory without recognition from authorities), to a deity recognized by the Taoist authority (first as the imperial horse keeper, then as the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven), and finally a Buddhist pilgrim who eventually attains Buddhahood. This upward transformation from an outlaw to a recognized deity was deliberately overlooked by the socialist adaptations, which downplayed the importance of social recognition either from the Taoist or the Buddhist order but only emphasized the idea of rebel and the metaphor of the journey. Hence the Monkey King was simply represented as a heroic rebel of oppression or a devoted follower of the path for socialist construction. In contrast, Joker’s transformation in A Chinese Odyssey moves in the opposite direction from Sun Wukong in Journey to the West. Refusing to return to the monkey-deity identity, Joker prefers to remain as an outlaw.

In this film, for the first time, he is given the right to ask questions about who he is and what he is doing. His heroic halo taken away, the Monkey King once again becomes the down-to-earth nobody, a humanized antihero who speaks to the sympathetic audience.

REINCARNATION, REWRITING, AND THE STORY OF HONG KONG

The story of the Monkey King’s reincarnation can be read as one of rewriting. Guanyin and Jade Emperor were official rewriters of Sun Wukong’s story: they dislike the version in which Sun Wukong rebels against Guanyin, and give him another chance by reincarnating him as Joker. Joker, however, after being reminded of his identity in his previous life, which he has completely forgotten, chooses to run away: he does not want to become Sun Wukong, the protagonist of the “Journey to the West” story already written. Instead, he makes as many revisions as he can and tries to lead the story in a direction of his own choosing. From this point of view, the entire movie is about the tension and conflicts of the two rewriting plans operating in opposite directions. Although Joker battles to be the writer of his own life, in the end he has to give in to the dominance of Guanyin’s rewrite. Despite his resistance, in the end his memory and identity as the Monkey King is regained, or, more accurately, reconstructed. Joker’s own effort to rewrite his story can be seen from his repeated time travels.

When he finds out that the Moonlight Box can take people to other times, he tries to go back in time to change what happens to Jingjing and hence change his own love story. But his timetravel plan never works out and he travels back five hundred years by mistake and thus begins the unintended love story with Zixia. Joker’s plan eventually has to yield to divine intervention. Before his story reaches a happy ending, his life is taken by the spider demon, and his spirit faces Guanyin’s master plan: the Monkey King’s golden headband and golden rod are waiting for him. Although taking on the mantle of the Monkey King is presented as a matter of choice, there really is no alternative, and the film portrays this transformation as the saddest moment. Solemnly and ceremonially, Joker raises up and puts on the fillet, repeating the lines he once insincerely spoke to Zixia:

“Once there was a genuine love devoted to me, but I took it lightly. When I have lost it, I know it is too late to regret.”

It is as if he uses the last moment as Joker to redeem the lines that he performed badly before, but this time with complete sincerity. This sincerity in his last words about love proves the tragic nature of the unwilling transformation into Sun Wukong. Among all the Journey to the West adaptations, A Chinese Odyssey is probably the one that most emphasizes the tragedy of being the Monkey King.

The film’s demonstrated anxiety over transformation in general, and Joker’s frustrated effort to work against the divine plan in particular, builds a significant link to the story of Hong Kong. The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China in 1997 had been a great concern in Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s. Whereas in mainland China the transfer was expected eagerly as Hong Kong’s “return,” in other parts of the world it is referred to as the “Handover.” Anxiety and doubt about the Handover are expressed directly or indirectly in popular culture. The reference to Hong Kong in the film A Chinese Odyssey is unnoticed when it travels north, despite its popularity and the abundance of discussion about the meaning of the story. The transformation of the “Journey to the West” narrative into a love story took Dabua fans by surprise and has been a major focus of their discussions.

Fans rather relate to the story to their own social reality and seem to have neglected the abundant references to the social transformations in Hong Kong either in the major theme or through specific scenes. For instance, the film has a scene of the entire group of pilgrims stranded in a town on an isolated piece of land that has been blown up by the Bull Demon King with his magic fan and is floating slowly toward the sun. Wukong tries to push the island back with his golden rod but his individual effort cannot overpower the gusts created by the magic fan. For a few seconds the film freeze-frames on a distant shot of the bloodred sun (communist China), occupying almost the entire screen, with the small island (Hong Kong) floating irreversibly toward it, and the single Monkey King trying desperately to stop its motion. The scene poses an urgent question to the audience: Will the pilgrims be able to escape?

The answer is yes, when the magic works: all pilgrims narrowly escape using the Moonlight Box, which transports them to a different time-space right before the island explodes. As comparatist Ackbar Abbas has noted about films from Hong Kong, “almost every film made since the mid-eighties, regardless of quality or seriousness of intention, seems constrained to make some mandatory reference to 1997.” Even though A Chinese Odyssey is a spoof of a mythical story, the reference is quite clear. Joker’s situation corresponds quite closely to the “floating” identity and the problematics of the “deja disparu,” as Abbas discusses; with the slipperiness and ambivalence of his true identity and the rapid changes of status, he is unable to see what is right in front of him, and when he does see it, it is “always already gone.” The desperate scene of the floating island moving toward the sun creates a pressing sense of crisis. Despite all of Sun Wukong’s effort, the city disappears after all, indicating a quite pessimistic view of the future of the “floating city.” The image of the “floating city” (fucheng) is used frequently in popular culture as a reference to Hong Kong.

CREATIVE MISREADING, POSTSOCIALIST HERO

Many Dahua fans are college students, the film resonates with those who struggle to find their own identities in an authoritative regime. Frequently discussed themes include impossible love, the struggle of the individual against society, and eventual submission to social pressure. The Joker with whom Dahua fans identify is the rebel who is doomed to fail but who nonetheless remains the rebel— that is, until he eventually has to give in to an indomitable external force. A common analogy discussed by fans is the comparison of Joker’s resubmission to authority once he dons the golden crown of the Monkey King to the increased censorship of the Internet after 1997.

The creative misreading of A Chinese Odyssey has created a new image of the Monkey King for the mainland with Joker establishing himself as a “postsocialist” hero. This new hero replaces the images of Sun Wukong as a “revolutionary” hero that were created and popularized in the 1960s in works such as Havoc in Heaven. The term “postsocialism” develops the idea of postsocialism in response to Deng Xiaoping’s “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” indicating that the Chinese socialism in practice is not exactly socialism (nor is it capitalism), scholars in Chinese studies adopt and adapt the concept for different purposes. The postsocialist nature of the image of Sun Wukong is evident from the relationship between the people and the system. If a socialist system means people have faith in the socialist discourse, it becomes postsocialist when this faith is lost, even though ideological control from the leadership is still strong and is currently getting stronger. There exists a discord and discrepancy between the expectations from above and grassroots-level practice.

Instead of the kind of collective identification with common ideals established in the socialist period, the postsocialist hero is interested in his individual agenda, which often includes focusing on his personal struggle to challenge the authorities that want to control him. A Chinese Odyssey indicates the postsocialist turn of Journey to the West: from here on, major adaptations of Journey to the West almost always present the Monkey King as a postsocialist hero (with one exception that will be discussed below).

A Chinese Odyssey makes Sun Wukong a rebel again: he had already experienced the five hundred years of imprisonment and become a pilgrim following Tripitaka, but now he no longer wants to follow the prescribed narrative. And not only is he no longer willing to obey the command from above, but he also loudly lets the world know of his intention. This Wukong expresses a challenge to the ideological authority of the contemporary regime. Even though in the end his resubmission is unavoidable, his ridicule and rejection of authority is already enough for the audience to consider him a hero. Soon after, the rise in A Chinese Odyssey’s popularity presents an opportunity to rewrite the story of Wukong as well as other main characters in Journey to the West.

The “post” of postsocialism is reflected in the spirit of rebellion, the lack of belief in authoritarian control, and the challenge to authority; on the other hand, the “socialist” ideology and the government that represents it still maintain a strong presence. In contrast to the socialist revolutionary Monkey King produced during the 1950s and 1960s, who celebrate his victory in the end, both of the postsocialist Monkeys are doomed to lose. Joker has to fight hard for his right to disagree, and eventually, he gives in. The audeince can relate the story of Wukong to the forms of compliance they have to endure in real life. The popularity of A Chinese Odyssey lies in the sympathy that the readers share with Wukong. They grieve over these sad stories just as they grieve over their own problems.

These adaptations are all engaged with the major contradiction of Journey to the West: why would Monkey, once a brilliant rebel, become a model Buddhist pilgrim? It is the ways in which the readers approach this contradiction that determines to a large extent their understanding of Journey to the West. One common theme shared by these three texts is the central issue of thus, looking for his identity is a major struggle for Wukong, and it is a lonely one. He is no longer presented as a member of the pilgrim team—only he himself can solve the problems he experiences, and only from within. Joker refuses to become the hero Sun Wukong, and in this action he remains the rebel. It is because of his own journey/pilgrimage that he is able to accomplish his recovery. Does the ending suggest that the time for Wukong to become a rebel and troublemaker has come again? New adaptations follow the same track in which variants of Wukong, though they may be presented with varying degrees of humor or seriousness, are always marked by a shared sense of loneliness. His struggle has turned inward: finding his identity and his inner strength.

Adaptation of Journey to the West continues, and those receiving public praise have a common theme: rethinking the transition of Sun Wukong from a rebel to a pilgrim, and depicting Sun Wukong rising up as a rebel again. Wukong’s failure and dejection at the beginning and his ultimate transformation into a rebellious hero earns the audience’s sympathy, and their identification with him ensures interest in the project of such revision.

Three other noteworthy examples of postsocialist-oriented adaptation are: The Monkey King (2014), Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015), and “ Wukong,” as sung by Dai Quan on Sing My Song (2.015).

The Monkey King (2014), was a box-office success but a critical failure. Expectations for the film were high, but the top reviews on this site point to a central issue: Monkey is not presented as a rebel but rather as a naive demon who is manipulated by Bull Demon King; he willingly admits his “mistake” and wants to help rebuild the palace for the Jade Emperor. One reviewer calls the writer of the story “a Wu Cheng’en who works for the Propaganda Department,” and The Monkey King is seen as an educational film promoting the mainstream theme of cooperating with deities.

Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015) was a success both at the box office and in critics’ reviews. The film focuses on the moment when Monkey has just been released from the mountain after five hundred years of imprisonment. A dejected Monkey who cannot find his power all through the film, he is irritated, instigated, and finally inspired by a little boy named Jiang Liu (Tripitaka’s boyhood name), who believes in the greatness of the Great Sage he knows from legend. At the very last moment, Monkey rediscovers his magic power and defeats the demon Hundun. The short moment of Monkey regaining his magic in the end, lasting for only two minutes, wins the audience’s heart. Many popular reviews note Wukong repeatedly yelling throughout the film, “ I can’t do it, I can’t do it,” a frustration that aligns his character with normal human beings, in contrast to the radiant hero he finally becomes. The most popular review on douban.com states: “Every Chinese will fall in love with Sun Wukong. Each generation has its own Sun Wukong. I think this film can serve as a good first Monkey King film for children of the new century.”

Why does the audience respond to the Wukong in this 2015 film so positively while regarding the 2014 film as a failure? The different attitudes toward these two films point at the significance of the rebellious quality of a postsocialist hero. 2014 accepts what is offered him from both deities and demons, including evil plans that masquerade as friendly help and that eventually result in the havoc in heaven. 2015, however, does not just accept. He searches, he questions, and he fights against his limits, echoing the examples of A Chinese Odyssey.

The third example is the song “Wukong,” written by Dai Quan. The lyrics describe Wukong’s internal journey and struggle from a firstperson point of view. Explaining the reasons he wrote this song, Dai ays his identification with Sun Wukong is due to what he believes is the “spirit of Wukong” (Wukong jingshen): rebelliousness, variability, optimism, and persistence, which has encouraged him in his life as an artist. The bitterness and loneliness that Dai Quan’s Wukong experiences in his individual struggle, and the freedom this Wukong seeks, are particular traits of the postsocialist Wukons. "Wukong” sings at the refrain,

“What is the use of my Iron Rod and my transformations? There is no cure to the anxiety and frustration. Golden band on my head, unspeakable pain.”

But when it repeats at the end, the message turns positive, a victorious Wukong singing the last line:

“Watch my rod—it reduces all problems into ashes.”

The conflict between the golden fillet and the rod is notable in this short song. Engaging with this major conflict, Sun Wukong tries to use his rod to break free from the limitations of the fillet. This is a clear contrast to the socialist Wukong: the revolutionary who is invincible, and the loyal party supporter who does not complain about the golden fillet. After all his failures and frustrations, the postsocialist Wukong in the end manages to find something to celebrate, a sense of accomplishment for himself, as Dai Quan indicated in his statement:

“In the end, every monkey can become Sun Wukong.”

The monkey becomes Sun Wukong when he finds his lost ability to use his rod again. New adaptations of Journey to the West in recent years thus share several common features. The first is a clear individualist bent, as Wukong invariably goes through a personal struggle, the solution for which lies in himself, not in any external agency. Second, Wukong is no longer the filial protector of Tripitaka or true follower of Guanyin’s teaching. The once-suppressed rebellious spirit is back. And third, although Wukong still has to submit to heavenly authority, he is allowed to think, to search, and even to challenge. His signature Fillet, which is transformed into a bracelet in both Hero Is Back and “Wukong,” reflects this change

[passerinog]

The False Study of Yan Limeng

In just eight months, Yan went from being a postdoctoral felow in virology and immunology at the Center for Infectious Disease Research at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health to being hailed as a hero by Trump's top advisers and conservative pundits.

As early as mid-January 2019, Yan Limeng, researcher in Hong Kong, had heard rumors that a dangerous new virus had emerged in mainland China and that the government was playing it down. Ms. Yan feeds Wang Dinggang, the host of her favorite Chinese-language YouTube show.

[wlwcatalogue]

Screening Announcement! (Dec 10th & 17th, 2023)

Update as of 6 Dec 2023: There are still decent seats left for the 6pm & 9pm showings on Dec 10th, and for all four screenings on Dec 17th!

If anyone here will be in Hong Kong this December 10th or 17th (both Sundays), and has even a passing interest in Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin (see my post on them here), queerness in East Asia and/or the 1950’s, or Chinese opera, I strongly urge you to go to one of the eight screenings of the restored version of Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom (蝶影紅梨記)!

Not only is it a great romantic comedy (yes, really), it’s also a very rare opportunity to see a classic Cantonese opera movie – or indeed any black and white Hong Kong movie – with English subtitles and in 4K resolution. For a taster, check out this excellent dance scene (not 4K) and this video from the Hong Kong Film Archive about their restoration efforts!

On top of that, it’ll be showing in the cinema of the storied Sunbeam Theatre (新光戲院), which opened in 1972 and is Hong Kong’s last commercial Cantonese opera theatre. (It must be added that being able to go there will soon become an even rarer opportunity; the venue will sadly be closing in 2025 as heritage is apparently a joke in Hong Kong.)

Here's a quick outline of the story for those who need a bit more convincing:

Penned by the Shakespeare of Cantonese opera, Tong Tik Sang (唐滌生), this retelling of Yuan-dynasty opera Tale of Red Pear Flower (謝金蓮詩酒紅梨花) starts off fairly sober - courtesan So-chau (Pak Suet Sin) and scholar Chiu Yu-chau (Yam Kim Fai) are long-distance lovers, but before they are able to meet in person for the first time, So-chau is forced to fake her death to avoid being sent off to a barbarian warlord. But then it morphs into an unexpected romantic comedy: in her escape, So-chau ends up at a relative’s house… only to find that Chiu will be moving in as a guest there that very night. Unfortunately for her, she’s been forbidden by her uncle from disclosing her identity for fear of disrupting Chiu’s studies, and Chiu is extraordinarily – albeit adorably – dumb. Apart from the two leads being played by women, it’s really easy to read queer themes into how So-chau is desperate with longing and yet unable to directly articulate her desires and identity, permitted only to hint and nudge. (As is the movie as a whole in some ways, since Hong Kong movies of that era were very prudish; even heterosexual kisses weren’t allowed onscreen.) Chiu, kind-hearted but oblivious, echoes the familiar figure of the queer crush. Also, Pak plays So-chau with the thirstiness of a marathon runner who hasn’t had a drop of water since the start of the race, so there’s that to enjoy too :)

Tickets are available on the Cityline website for HK$70 each (linked here – change the language to English by clicking “Eng” in the menu); note that you’ll need to make an account to make a purchase. Dec 10th and Dec 17th will both have four screenings each (12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm), but seating is very limited so you should definitely buy your ticket sooner rather than later!

[dropintomanga]

Kowloon Generic Romance - A Perspective from a Cantonese-Speaking Person

After reading Mangasplaining’s great interview with Jun Mayuzuki and hearing a lot about the series, I jumped into the 1st 3 volumes of Kowloon Generic Romance. As someone who’s been to Hong Kong and whose mother lived there for a short while, the series’ grand theme about the persistence of nostalgia does make me think about Hong Kong culture.

The series focuses on a potential romance between two real estate agents who work together in Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong. Reiko Kujirai and Hajime Kudou both live their daily lives working, eating, and contemplating the status of the dystopian metropolis they live in. What starts off as an interesting romance drama suddenly becomes an ongoing mystery regarding identity and what it means to live as someone who feels strangely out of place, but deserves love as much as anyone.

I won’t go into too much detail about the plot, but I will talk about the area that the manga covers - Hong Kong. I’ve been to Hong Kong twice and I find it to be one of the most interesting places in the planet. I went to Mong Kok Shopping Center for anime goods, walked around Kowloon (the Walled City is not there anymore), saw the Avenue of Stars at Victoria Harbor, ate at Causeway Bay and much more. Before moving to the U.S., my mom lived in Hong Kong for a period of time all while getting help from a friend. Although Mayuzuki hasn’t been to Hong Kong, her recreation of it in Kowloon Generic Romance does make it feel like I’m there - or maybe an old part of Hong Kong that’s trying to fight constant change.

An East Asian island filled with so many people living in tight quarters, all balancing the need to move forward versus taking the time to stop and connect with family and friends. For those who are unaware, Hong Kong was ruled by Great Britain from 1841-1997. From around post-WWII until the 1980s’, Hong Kong found itself and become a thriving country. It has a very interesting mix of East and West aesthetics. While one can argue Japan mixes East and West very well today, Hong Kong was the king of showing the beauty of both sides of the world. The Society for East Asian Anthropology has a wonderful essay about “Old Hong Kong” and the nostalgia for it.

What’s funny is that there’s characters in Kowloon Generic Romance that mention how people in Kowloon have nostalgia for it a la Old Hong Kong vibes. Like it’s the same as love. A while back before reading the manga, I watched a video of a woman who left Hong Kong and she talked about how much it’s changed. One thing from the video that stood out to me was the mention of the Cantonese Chinese dialect (which is widely spoken in Hong Kong) possibly becoming an afterthought compared to Mandarin Chinese (the most popular Chinese dialect and one of the top languages in the world). She said she’s committed to keeping the Cantonese dialect alive in the U.S, where she currently lives, for the Chinese communities there.

There’s a scene in Volume 3 of the manga where an antagonist character laments on how the citizens of Kowloon seem stubborn in promoting their traditions in the face of urban development. They think nostalgia as an emotion that’s annoying. I figure that this character would find the woman I just talked about who’s trying to save Cantonese out of a sense of nostalgia to be annoying. It’s funny because some people might argue “Why study Cantonese? Mandarin is spoken everywhere where Chinese is spoken.” I speak Cantonese conversationally, but I find it to be fun. I have fond memories of interacting with fellow speakers of the dialect. Once upon a time, I made some friends due to learning Cantonese from anime. Speaking Cantonese helped me get closer with my parents as well. Lately, the dialect has helped me come to terms with being a person of Chinese descent.

I think about my fellow Cantonese speakers all over the world. I wonder how they would feel if no one spoke it anymore. Would they fight to keep the dialect alive? Would they just don’t care due to the demands of modernity?

I’ve also thought about what Hong Kong residents felt during the 1980s’ and early 1990s’. I was exposed to so much Hong Kong cinema as a child, which was really popular around that time. Although I didn’t understand the themes beneath the surface due to my age, I got to see how filmmakers expressed their thoughts and views on life in Hong Kong before the big handover to China and shortly after.

Kowloon Generic Romance has taken me back to those films and an appreciation of Hong Kong culture in some way. The manga does remind me of the 1994 Wong Kar-Wai film, Chungking Express. Both are love stories based in Hong Kong featuring individuals struggling with loneliness, finding themselves and learning to cultivate love in a fast-paced world.

I’m nostalgic about many things - especially things from the 1990s’. But when it comes to anime and manga nostalgia, I remembered that I got into anime due to Hong Kong culture. I watched Cantonese dubbed episodes of Dragon Ball Z.  That’s how it all began for me. Chinatown was my source of video games in the late ‘90s as a teen and everyone selling them spoke Cantonese. It was also a source for Chinese-translated manga when English-translated manga was about to hit its boom. Reading Kowloon Generic Romance made me think about those days of discovering fandom in the Cantonese Chinese community. 

It also makes me wonder about my place in the Chinese hierarchy in the future. I already struggle with thoughts about belonging and now with so many Chinese speaking Mandarin as their main dialect, I feel like I’m being phased out. Maybe I’m Reiko Kujirai herself. 

I do know that a lot of propaganda use nostalgia for nefarious purposes due to its emotional nature. But I don’t think nostalgia has left me in despair. Some traditions definitely need to pass on to newer generations. Yet I never found myself trying to chase the past to a huge extent. Maybe that’s it. Let nostalgia come naturally. Be like the citizens of Kowloon/Hong Kong and don’t let an entire outside institution define nostalgia for you.

It’s important to have treasured memories that YOU own, good and bad, because they help to cultivate the person you want to be. I appreciate what I have now because of certain nostalgic memories that I personally chose to experience. They unlock our vulnerable selves and tell us that our experiences with our loved ones make life worth living.

That way, nostalgia can help you go forward, whether you want a generic yet satisfying life or a romantic one.

[lifmera]

Hi! I think your request is open? I hope it's ok to ask for a match-up for Tokyo revengers :D

My name is Coraline. I'm an Infp and a libra.

I am from Hong Kong and can speak cantonese, mandarin and English and a little bit of Japanese.

My hobbies include drawing, reading, writing and occasionally karate. I used to play karate professionally but quit playing professionally when I was 12.

I'm studying English literature and I love trying out new recipes and baking cookies with my friends once a while!

- for some reason this request was being weird? But i’ll answer it!!

I’ve decided to pair you with …. MITSYUA TAKASHI!

I think Mitsuya would LOVE to hear more about the other languages you speak- he is a SWEETHEART.

Although you quit karate, mitsuya would be super impressed! Most people don’t even bother to try.

He’d love if you could help draw some designs with him! Or write scripts for the fashion shows?

If you study english literature, he’ll definitely ask for help on having to write speeches at fashion shows!

He honestly definitely loves to bake. This man LOVES!!! FOOD!!

~~

To the requester, i am SO SORRY its being weird??? Im trying! I hope you enjoy.

[tengu-feathers]

welcome to my language studyblr :)

about me:

teng, 23, she/her

i'm from: toronto, canada 🇨🇦 | hong kong 🇭🇰

i'm fluent in english, can speak cantonese and mandarin/putonghua (badly...), learning french (conversational level), beginner in japanese

language learning motivation:

🇫🇷: official languages of canada are eng and français so i feel obliged to learn + it's a career advantage (lame ik)

🇭🇰: literally my mother tongue but i don't consume enough cantonese media so i have a definite accent :(

🇨🇳: i'm chinese so i like. i feel obliged to be able to speak/read/write it at native level

🇯🇵: i would like to travel to japan + there is so much amazing japanese media + learning it is a good break from french and chinese + i already know kanji so that's 1/3 of the work done (kind of lol)

language goals:

🇫🇷: Test de connaissance du français (TCF) - C1

🇭🇰: 漢語水平考試 (HSK/Chinese Proficiency Test) - Level 7-9

🇨🇳: 普通話水平測試 (Putonghua Proficiency Test) - 1B

🇯🇵: 日本語能力試験 (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) - N2

blog content:

progress entries about my learning

posts about french/japanese/chinese media i'm reading/watching

study tips

Let me know if you're also studying french/chinese/japanese! I'm looking for fellow language learning mutuals :)

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

Get to know me!

✨Find me!✨

Youtube

Tumblr

Kofi

✨About me✨

I'm Maria

I'm 21

A business & language student

Fluent in English, Russian, German, with passable Ukrainian

Learning Chinese

✨Likes✨

Travelling, being out in nature, exploring places

Movies especially 50s-90s Chinese and Hong Kong martial arts movies, True Crime podcasts

Coffee & Tea

Literature, especially English, French and Japanese.

Reading, studying, playing Chess

Cats

✨ About this blog ✨

I don't stick strictly to just one theme, so here are some topics that I'll be posting about.

Literature: Book recommendations, reviews, fave and least fave works, quotes that I like

Aesthetics

Studyblr: Study guides, advice, maximizing productivity and efficiency

Chinese: My learning progress, study guides, advice & tips etc.

Recommendations: reading lists, top songs & movies of the month

There's definitely more that I'll be posting about, so stay tuned!

[mollyonpluto]

as someone who studied in an international boarding school i can confirm it is full of hot rich asians and yes you will fail every class regardless of how smart u thought u were before and yes you always have that one teacher that’s basically like a sibling to u. that’s just how we roll. also sharing a bathroom literally sucks and roommates are extremely hit or miss but mine was the best :3 (natalie ily)

ur roommate doesn’t speak english? fuck it. communicate by pointing at shit and extremely over-exaggerated facial expressions. if u study a foreign language, make friends w the kids from that country and they’ll do ur assignments for u while you do their english assignments. whatever you do do NOT fall for the ‘perfect boy from hong kong who’s captain of the basketball team’ because chances are he’s not the one for u girl. trust me.

[farmersliga]

i have less than one more hour of 2023 left, so i want to look back a bit. this year, i…

learned to be a little more independent

discovered how much i enjoyed casual walking, even though it’s always crazy hot here

had my student driver’s license expire because i didn’t finish my required hours of practical training and i was too scared to take the test anyway

got super close to some family members i didn’t talk to so much before

had a very public breakdown for the first time in a long time. also had problems with being overwhelmed more than usual

started seriously considering teaching as a career path because, in what was the kindest move ever by a teacher to me, my native german prof pulled me aside to say he thought i had a gift for it

went on a trip abroad with just my cousins and had a blast. then went on a trip abroad for uni and had even more of a blast

met up with four online friends. shoutout to irena, jade, clara, and cher for being the bestest most lovely people ever <3

discovered new hobbies like listening to cassette tapes and crocheting, the latter of which i was able to use to make tiny little plushies for all of the online friends i met this year

flew abroad four times, which is the most i’ve ever done in one year. i got to visit hong kong, taiwan, the usa, and germany!

speaking of germany, got to go there for the first time ever. it was amazing to be able to experience the place i’d only ever seen in textbooks. i have fond memories of being able to talk to shopkeepers in german now too. but i also came to the realization that there’s still so much more for me to learn. because i went there with only 1.5 years of studying the language, and i was half floundering

stayed with a host couple for a few days in germany and conversed with them almost solely in german. they ended up getting married later in the year and i’m so happy for them

had multiple direct experiences with racism while abroad, including being accused of theft?? which was sad but also funny in a depressing way

started studying italian from scratch and loved it. also accidentally started studying french from scratch and hated it

affirmed a lot of my personal values, mostly with regard to social situations

started seeing a psychologist on top of my psychiatrist sessions

got incredibly emotional hearing my national anthem played during a football world cup for the first time ever, then got even more emotional watching us win a match. when i first watched these girls, they’d almost gotten kicked out of the qualis for the asian cup that got them into the wwc in the first place. and now they’re stars. it’s beautiful to see

finally helped to start fixing a really bad family problem that i’d known about for a few years now that nobody was doing anything about

saw both taylor swift and fall out boy live in concert. these were my first concerts ever, too. and both these artists were my favorites from high school so it was super special to me

watched my first full tennis season and cemented my love for the sport along with it. also got significantly more involved with the tennis side of tumblr and met the loveliest people there

took my baby nieces to their first trip abroad just this christmas <3

and probably much more that i’m forgetting now. but it’s really been a good year, definitely the best i’ve had since the pandemic happened. i dealt with a lot of mental health issues as usual, but i also learned to cope with them in healthier ways. and being able to go out more this year (not just abroad, but outside in general) and talk to more people was a big plus

so i just want to say thank you to everyone who helped make this year a much happier one for me, and i hope you all stay in my life even in 2024!

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Seven Snippets, Seven People Tag

Thanks for tagging me, @autumnalwalker! :D

Here are seven excerpts from The Case-Files of Seo Yo-han:

1.

His plan to spend at least an hour out on the decks received a sudden check when he turned a corner and found the hallway blocked. Four people were gathered outside a cabin door: a middle-aged woman, a young woman, a man who could be anything from thirty to fifty, and a steward. In his own words Yo-han was interested in learning about other people. In his half-brothers' words — not to mention the words of all the criminals he'd caught over the last twenty years — he was a busybody fundamentally incapable of keeping his nose out of other people's business. Either way, he stopped at once to see what was happening. The middle-aged woman was the main actor in the unfolding drama. A casual passer-by would have assumed she was a British noblewoman — a countess at the very least, to judge by her behaviour. Yo-han had always had a gift for languages and had trained himself to have a decent grasp of accents in foreign languages. He also had studied enough people of all races and from all walks of life to pick up on subtleties of body language and expression. He knew at once that this was no noblewoman. She was as common as common could be, and she knew it. She was afraid everyone else knew it too. That was why she wore five pearl necklaces. That was why her clothes were the very latest fashion, even though they didn't suit her at all. That was why she acted like she owned the ship. That was why she put on an upper-class accent. Yo-han had never seen this woman before, but he had seen a thousand copies of her. His eyes moved to the young woman. The first word that came to mind was "sharp". Everything about her was sharp: her jaw, her nose, the shape of her face, the look in her eyes. She didn't say a word. Her face was very pale and there was a wild, hunted sort of look in her eyes. Her expression was blank. Her hair was bound up in a severe bun better suited to a much older woman. Yo-han looked at her thoughtfully. He'd seen people very like this woman before. People who had been pushed to the very limits of their endurance. What would happen if she snapped? The man looked about as happy as a dental patient undergoing a root canal. His clothes were respectable but certainly not new. Yo-han spotted the ink stains on his fingers and immediately knew he was a secretary. He spared a moment to pity anyone who had to work for the middle-aged woman. Finally there was the hapless steward, who had been unable to get a word in edgewise yet. The poor man looked like he was contemplating running on deck and leaping overboard.

2.

As soon as Ophelia was gone, Rachael opened the drawer of her bedside table. She took out the letter and read it over again. It had arrived at the hotel in Hong Kong, addressed to Király and with a postmark showing it had come from London. Rachael had seen it sitting at the desk and had no compunction about taking it with her own letters. Why should her staff care if she read their letters? If they objected it was only proof they had something to hide. She had opened the letter when she was alone. At once she recognised the handwriting. Octavia had written this. Octavia, her useless, ungrateful niece who had run away to become some sort of actress like her disreputable mother. Octavia, who had come to Langdale Manor just before Rachael left and had the audacity to inform her that she — Octavia — was thinking of getting married. In the ensuing row it had been revealed that Octavia was in fact already married and was trying to break the news gently. Rachael had not been mollified by this concern for her feelings. Especially when Octavia had refused to say which of her useless, talentless actor friends she'd married. There was no name at the top or signature at the bottom. Nor was there a date or a return address. The message was short. I must see you as soon as you get home. VERY IMPORTANT. Don't phone or write. I had a blazing row with the old hag before I left. Remember J! Heather Glenn. Rachael had held onto this letter for the last week. She was sure Király didn't know it existed, and she hadn't let Ophelia see it either. She simply didn't know what to do about it. The most likely explanation was that Octavia had come to sponge money off Rachael. When that hadn't worked she realised it was useless going to Ophelia, who had no money of her own, and instead appealed to Király. The reference to herself as "the old hag" incensed her. As soon as she got home she'd see her lawyer and have Octavia completely disinherited. But who or what was J? Rachael had tried various conjectures. A mutual friend of Octavia and Király, a place, a stage play, a license plate, even the initial of a rival company. None of them were convincing. Finally she hit on the idea of blackmail. J referenced some event or person Király wanted to remain unknown, Octavia had found out somehow, and she was using it to demand money. As for Heather Glenn — or possibly that was really Heather Glem, or even Heather Glew; Octavia's handwriting was a mess — she must be one of Octavia's actress friends. Why she was mentioned in the letter was yet another mystery.

3.

A steward arrived a minute later with the detective in tow. Mr. Seo looked at the body and drew his breath in sharply. He let it out again with a sort of low whistle. "Well, doctor? What conclusions have you drawn?" he asked. Dr. Latimer pointed to the bullet wound. "She was shot at fairly close range with a gun. I don't know enough about guns to say what sort, but judging by the damage it was a powerful one. The bullet travelled right through her head and out the other side, taking a considerable chunk out of her skull. Death was instantaneous. Her body is still warm and only beginning to go stiff, so she was killed no more than three hours ago." Seo nodded. "What was the angle of the bullet?" "Odd. That's the only way I can describe it. The killer must have crouched down and fired upwards." Seo looked around the room. He looked at something on the wall opposite the body. His expression hardened. "I don't believe cabins usually have holes cut in their walls." "Of course not," Adler said, insulted at the very suggestion. "Why, that would encourage voyeurs and—" He broke off in astonishment as Seo moved a suitcase out of the way. A small square had clearly been sawn out of the wall. Seo peered through it. "Right through the wall. Who has the cabin next door?" Dr. Latimer frowned. "It was originally my cabin. The victim made a tremendous fuss and got her niece moved into it on the first day." "Her niece, who earlier today shouted that she wished her aunt was dead." Seo frowned at the hole. He ran his finger along the bottom edge. "This was sawn from the other side. Recently, too. No earlier than this morning." He turned his head abruptly. "Only one thing doesn't fit here. The watch. How did it end up on the floor?" Neither Latimer nor Adler could answer that. "She knocked it down in her death throes?" the steward suggested. "Except the doctor has just declared she died instantly. Do you think she could have thrown her arms up, knocked the watch off the bedside table, then set her arms down on the bed again in a split second?" "No, that's impossible. The murderer must have knocked it down," Latimer said. "The murderer wasn't in this room at all. They fired the gun through that hole. See the scorch mark on the wood?" It was all very well for him to think about minor details like watches and scorch marks. Adler had a much more important problem. "Should I arrest the niece?" Seo didn't answer for a while. He continued to stare at the watch as if it held all the secrets of the universe. "Yes, I suppose you have no choice. The circumstantial evidence against her is certainly… very strong."

4.

"That was a horrible experience," Phil said. Behind them the house loomed like some fairy-tale monster. The curtains were drawn so the only light was from the streetlamps below. "Indeed," Mr. Seo said. "Have you solved the mystery?" "Not entirely. I'm still unsure if Mrs. Lennox is poisoning her husband. But whatever the answer, my advice will be the same: they should get a divorce." That was the most sensible thing Phil had heard all night. "I think she is poisoning him. You didn't hear how she talked. She was very insulting about you, and she implied something nasty about her husband. I don't know what she meant." "I believe I do." Phil looked at him curiously. He didn't seem inclined to enlighten her. As they reached the gates they came across a most unexpected scene. A man was pacing in circles under a streetlamp, muttering to himself. He was clearly drunk. Phil could smell the stuff from here. He had to keep one hand on the lamppost to stay upright, which was why he was walking in circles. Mr. Seo's hand went to his pocket. Phil looked back towards the house, then along the street to her own. It wasn't far, but they would have to pass the drunkard. He spotted them. He straightened up with a belligerent air. "Now you listen here," he began, slurring his words together. "Go home," Mr. Seo interrupted. "You're drunk and making a spectacle of yourself." The man said a few extremely rude things. "Your fine lady thinks she can fire my daughter and get away with it, well, she can't!" It struck Phil that there might be some useful information here. "Do you mean Lady Kilskeery fired your daughter?" The man's language got even worse. Mr. Seo took his hand out of his pocket. Something was concealed in his hand. When the swear words were removed from the man's speech, his story was, "Gave her the worst reference so she can't get another job, and what did my poor girl ever do to her? Told her what she thought, that's what! Well, I won't stand for it! If my Jenny doesn't get her job back I'll wring that woman's neck!" He raised his hands to demonstrate, but overbalanced and fell flat on the ground. "That's quite enough from you, my good man," Mr. Seo said coldly. "I have a gun aimed at you right now. I advise you to leave." At the mention of a gun the man sobered up. He leapt to his feet and scurried away at an astonishing rate for someone so drunk, still swearing under his breath. "Do you really have a gun?" Phil asked incredulously. Mr. Seo opened his hand, revealing the key to her front door. "No, but he doesn't know that. I doubt he'll be back in a hurry."

5.

Yo-han stared up at the ceiling. He turned onto his side and stared at the curtains. When he still couldn't fall asleep, he turned to the other side and stared at the indistinct shape that was his alarm clock. His brain refused to let him sleep. Those five letters explained everything. If he could only recognise them… Disjointed thoughts and images filled his mind. Leopold Colman aiming a gun through a window. Yo-han's arrival in Tbilisi weeks later. Colman long gone… Why was he thinking of Tbilisi? Colman had slipped through his fingers that time. Sentences from a guidebook: The Georgian alphabet's origin is unknown. It may have been inspired by ancient Greek. But those letters weren't Georgian. It is similar to but unrelated to— Yo-han sat bolt upright. 1909. Of course it had looked like Qnwuw; he'd tried to read it as if it was the Latin alphabet. It should be Ադանա. How could he have forgotten? It had been spoken of constantly when it happened… …And the world had forgotten within months. He wasn't tired at all now. He turned on the lamp, opened his notebook, and began to write. When he was finished he knew everything.

6.

Yo-han continued, "The solution is obvious." His voice was oddly light. Nothing at all like how he had sounded when he laid out the evidence against Leo. There was something going on here that Phil wasn't in on. "Mr. Lennox conspired with either the maid herself or with her father. They knew Mrs. Lennox would meet Çelik Bey in that place at that time. They killed both of them, then cut Çelik Bey's body to make it look like he was the target." Stunned silence followed this announcement. Vi stared open-mouthed at Yo-han. Phil kept her eyes on Lennox. He was still tense. He looked… He looked like someone who was expecting an unpleasant surprise. Not like a murderer who had just been revealed. Beside him Eames had his hands balled into fists. Light dawned on Phil, right as Yo-han said, "Officer, arrest this man." Máté obediently stepped forward. He'd rehearsed his line several times earlier. The only difference was that now he used the accused's name. "Alexander Lennox, I am arresting you for—" Eames leapt up with a shriek. "Stop! You bloody idiot!" He was practically snarling as he looked at Yo-han. "Alec had nothing to do with it! I killed them!" Phil, Vi and Máté looked at Yo-han in unison. Yo-han met Eames' gaze steadily. He was half-smiling. Phil looked back at Eames. She saw the exact moment he realised he'd been led into a trap. His shoulders slumped. He sank down onto the arm of Lennox's chair. He buried his face in his hands. Lennox stared at him. His eyes were very wide and he was trembling faintly, but he didn't look as shocked as Phil would have expected. "David," he said softly. He reached out and put his hand on Eames' shoulder. "David, why?" Eames made a noise somewhere between laughter and choking. "You ask me that?" He lowered his hands and straightened up. He and Lennox stared each other in the eye. Eames took Lennox's hand in both of his. He looked over at Yo-han. "How did you know?" "From your behaviour before and after the murder. From your relationship with Mr. Lennox. From the murder weapon and how you were one of the few people who could have taken it. From the photos in your room. From the cross you draw in your notebooks. But most importantly," Yo-han added, "from something Miss Patton said." Phil's mouth dropped open. "Me? But I don't know anything about this!" "You mentioned an incident a month ago. Mr. Eames punched someone for insulting a woman's appearance. You assumed he was her sweetheart. When I discovered Mr. Eames' preferences, that assumption no longer made sense. So who was the woman? You said she was foreign, and so is Mr. Eames. Who else could she be but a relative?"

7.

They discussed the situation after breakfast. "So," Yo-han said. "I take it you want me to prove your innocence and catch the real culprit." Colman nodded. "When you catch them, don't bother handing them over to the police. I can deal with them myself." Yo-han looked at him. He raised an eyebrow. Colman looked back. One of his eyebrows was naturally higher than the other, giving the impression he was copying Yo-han. What was the point of trying to lecture an assassin on the morality of killing people? Yo-han gave up and moved on. "An alibi will be helpful." "Not for me," Colman said with a too-bright smile. "At the time of the murders I was in Italy, killing my father." Stunned silence fell. Yo-han's instinctive reaction was to recoil in horror. His stronger reaction, born from years of dealing with the most deranged family dramas imaginable, was to sigh wearily. "Why," he said flatly, not even bothering to turn it into a question. Colman shrugged. Beneath his flippant attitude and forced smile there was a mask of defiance. Beneath it was something Yo-han recognised only too well: grief mixed with the knowledge that something had been done too late. That some things could never be fixed. "He killed my mother. I don't mean he literally shot her or stabbed her or threw her in a well, but he killed her just the same." Yo-han suddenly understood Colman's motives perfectly. Hate could drive people to do terrible things, but grief could drive them even further.

Tagging @ahordeofwasps, @eccaiia, @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables, @sarandipitywrites, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D

Adding the taglists: @akindofmagictoo, @lightgriffinsect, @original-writing​, @zeenimf, @essiesreadingcorner​, @oh-no-another-idea​, @verba-writing, @kittensartswriting, @writingpotato07, @sarahlizziewrites, @acertainmoshke, @author-a-holmes, @sam-glade, @late-to-the-fandom (Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglists!)

[morbidology]

17-year-old Kenneth McBride and 18-year-old Nicola Myers were a young couple studying at Island School in Hong Kong. They were both popular and well-known, with Kenneth being the captain of the rowing team, a member of the debate team, and even the president of the debate team. Nicola had a keen interest in foreign languages, hoping one day to become an interpreter.

On 20 April, 1985, the promising couple decided they would take a romantic stroll in the countryside of Braemar Hill. They stopped at a bench and began to study for their upcoming A-Levels. At some point, they were approached by a gang consisting of 24-year-old Pang Shun-yee, 20-year-old Tam Sze-foon, 25-year-old Chiu Wai-man, 17-year-old  Cheung Yau-hang and 16-year-old Won Sam-lung. The gang later confessed that they had believed the couple to be wealthy, due to the fact that they were white. Having only one dollar, the couple defended themselves against the attack, which soon turned brutal.

Kenneth was tied up and savagely beaten as Nicola was raped. The sadistic group then mutilated Nicola's genitalia with a stick and broken bottle. When their bodies were discovered some time later, Kenneth had over 100 injuries while Nicola had over 500. Both were bound and Kenneth was strangled with his own arm sling while both were repeatedly beaten with sticks. The beating was so severe that Nicola's eyeball was hanging from it’s socket when they were found. 

All four killers were found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Monkey Goes West (1966) 西遊記

Director: He Menghua Screenwriter: Cheng Gang Starring: Yue Hua / He Fan / Peng Peng / Zhang Zhongwen Genre: Drama / Action / Fantasy / Costume Country/Region of Production: Hong Kong, China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 1966-01-18 Duration: 112 minutes IMDb: tt0121568 Type: Retelling

Summary:

The story takes place in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. In order to save the souls in the East, a generation of eminent monk Tang Monk (played by Fan He) received the support of the Tang Dynasty king. Under the escort of a large army of soldiers and horses, he went to the Buddhist land in the West to obtain the Tripitaka Sutra. Needless to say, the journey was rough and arduous, and there were also monsters and spirits in the caves and mountains who were ready to eat Tang Seng. The sky was clear just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye there was flying sand and rocks. It turned out that the monster Demon King Black Wind cast a spell, causing Tang Monk and his followers to be separated, and the monsters fought for Tang Monk even more. Tang Seng fled all the way and was exhausted. Finally, he met the Monkey King (played by Yue Hua), Sun Wukong, who had been suppressed here for five hundred years in the Five Elements Mountains. Wukong received the guidance of Bodhisattva Guanyin and promised to protect Monk Tang from studying in the West. With the help of his highly skilled martial arts apprentice, Tang Seng finally calmed down for the time being.

During the next journey, they encountered Zhu Bajie (played by Peng Peng), Monk Sha (played by Tian Chen) from Gaolaozhuang, and the Little White Dragon from Bailongtan. The magnificent story of Journey to the West was officially staged...

Source: https://chinesemov.com/1966/Monkey-Goes-West

Link: N/A

[limi-pie]

Like a butterfly part 2

A/N: Chapter 2 of my Yuta🦋 fanfiction is here! I’m starting to like how things are slowly building up between the characters and Y/N.

Thank you so much for all the love and support on part 1! :D

🦋< Previous part – Next part >

Pairing: Nakamoto Yuta x Female! Reader

Contains: Non-idol! AU, Tattoo artist! Yuta, Librarian! Reader, Comedy, Drama, Friends to lovers, Romance, Y/N dealing with a bit low self-esteem :( Descriptions of: getting tattoos and piercings,

Warnings: Alcohol, bad language, cigarettes, cursing, drinking, smoking, jealousy.

Wordcount: 5,026

Disclaimer: The reader I’ve created in this fanfiction is a woman of East Asian descent and she has certain features and looks a certain way. The reason for this is that I wanted some more East Asian representation in Kpop fanfics! Some of these relationships between said persons are only meant to be considered fictional, in no way do I ship them in real life. They’re just there to add dynamic to the plot. (Also, because my multi fan ass just wants to have fun.) Please keep in mind that the way I’ve described the idols in this story is in no way real or representative of how they behave in real life, this is just based on my imagination.

Also in this fanfiction, some said persons are involved in an abusive, unhealthy and manipulative relationship. Please keep in mind that this is all fanmade and fiction. I don’t encourage this kind of terrible relationship and if you are in one, please seek help. Never put yourself second to anyone; remember that you’re important and loved. 💚

“Unnie, didn’t your mom call yesterday?” Chaeyoung asked, adding some tofu to the red soup. “Yeah, she did. My mother actually wanted to say hi to Bryce if he was nearby, but I lied to her and said that he was studying with his classmates…” You mumbled, feeling guilt in your heart as Chaeyoung patted your shoulder.

“You know Unnie, you should break up with Bryce. He’s always broke and never cares about you. I don’t want you to be with a horrible lowlife loser like him!” Chaeyoung said as she filled the two bowls with the Kimchi Jjigae we made.

She’s right… but you can’t break up with him… You didn’t want to be left alone and lonely again… You felt so fragile and weak on your own…

“If I break up with Bryce, then I’ll be alone and so lonely… Chaeng, I’m not as strong and outgoing as you are…” You confessed sheepishly as she sighed. “You’ll never be alone, Unnie… You have me,” she said comforting you. “Besides, there are other guys that are sweeter than him, you know,” Chaeyoung added as you chuckled, the two of you ate dinner.

“Jungkook’s going to have a lip and eyebrow piercing done once he has saved enough money,” Chaeyoung giggled as you smiled, “wow, isn’t getting one piercing painful enough?” You asked as she shrugged, “well, after getting tattoos you kinda get numb to the pain I suppose,” she explained as you continued watching ‘NeverTheLess’. “Park Jaeon’s so cute, it’s just too bad he’s a player,” you sighed as she chuckled. “You seem to like bad boys, Y/N-Unnie~” Chaeyoung giggled.

“No, I don’t.” You denied it, knowing there was some truth to her statement. “Ah, my aunt and niece will visit Seoul soon,” you added as she smiled. “Oh that’s nice, Ayaka must be a big girl by now,” Chaeyoung folded her arms and looked at you with a smile.

“I might have to babysit her one of these days,” you said. “That’s fine, we can go on a boba tea date,” Chaeyoung said, sketching some pokémons.

“Long time no see,” Ten said, greeting his tall friend, “how was Hong Kong, Yukhei?” Mark asked, doing the handshake. “It was nice, I really missed my mom’s food, how has it been here?” Yukhei responded.

“It’s been alright, quite busy these days with butterfly tattoos,” Johnny said, looking over at Yuta drawing one from the book.

“I’m actually here to get a tattoo myself, a lion one,” Yukhei chuckled, lifting his shirt, “right here, please,” Yuta and Ten nodded, “got a sketch or a picture for reference?” He nodded, showing a picture of a lion. “Alright, let’s get started then, follow me, Yukhei,” Ten said, walking over to his room.

A few hours had passed…

“Hello, ah aunt Asami, how are you?” You facetimed with her as she smiled and waved. “I’m fine, we just arrived at the hotel in Seoul. How are you sweet Y/N?” Asami asked. “I’m doing just okay, it’s good to see you had a safe trip. Where’s Ayaka-chan?” You looked at her. “She’s sleeping, hehe,” Asami replied as you nodded, “It must be exhausting to travel, huh?” You added while chuckling a little. “I’ll see you tomorrow at 3:00 PM, would that be okay with you?” She asked as you checked your calendar, “sure that’ll be perfect, I get off around 3:00 PM,” you smiled and waved, “goodnight, aunt Asami.” You looked at the time and it showed 9:45 PM, someone knocked on the door as you went to check it.

“Ah good evening, Y/N-Noona,” Jungkook smiled and bowed as you did the same, “hey Jungkook, how are you?” You said, opening the door to let him in. “Thanks, Noona, he took his shoes off as he was holding a bouquet. “Chaeng’s showering, did you guys have plans tonight?” You folded your arms, smiling and leaning against the wall.

How sweet, Jungkook got Chaeng’s favorite flowers…

“No, I just wanted to see her,” Jungkook smiled, his dimples appearing. “I thought that you were in Busan.”

You said as he sat on the couch, “I was, but I heard that Chae was stressed with her upcoming art project so I thought I’d go and see her.” He held the bouquet with white roses. “Would you like something to drink?” You walked over to the refrigerator as he nodded, “thanks Y/N-Noona,” he took a sip. “How’s Bryce?” You had your hands between your legs as you let out a sigh.

“Ah Babe, you’re here,” Chaeyoung said, walking out with a towel on her shoulders. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. Jungkook got up and kissed her, “what are these for?” She looked at the bouquet and blushed, “they’re for you, I thought you’d love them,” he chuckled as she giggled. “You’re so sweet, you came all the way just to see how I was doing.” She voiced as he nodded, “anything for my Chaeng,” he kissed her.

“Aww you two lovebirds are so cute,” you teased as Chaeyoung giggled, “are you staying here tonight, Babe?” she asked, fluttering her eyes. “I’d love to, but I have an early shift with my partner tomorrow, so I gotta go but I’ll see you tomorrow, Chaeng-girl,” Jungkook said before kissing her goodbye. “Have a good night, see you Y/N,” he waved and left.

“Right, we should probably also head to bed,” you yawned, turning off the TV as Chaeyoung stretched her arms, “mmh-mmh, you’re right, goodnight Unnie,” she said, waddling to her room. You walked over to the bathroom to do your skincare routine and brush your teeth.

The next morning you woke up and walked over to the kitchen when you noticed a piece of paper written next to the plate. It was Thursday the 9th of September 2021.

Mornin’ Unnie I’ve made you some waffles with fruit, hope you’ll have a lovely day. See you later. - Love, Chaeng

“How sweet of Chaeng to wake up early and make Belgian waffles for me…” You mumbled with a smile as you began to eat it, you also ate some strawberries and slices of kiwi.

“Irene-Unnie, do we have any Japanese releases of my favorite manga?” You asked, stacking a pile of returned books in the cart. “Hmm, I’ve ordered a few, they’ll arrive today,” she said, checking the computer as you smiled.

That’s great, Ayaka’s going to be so happy. And you also get to practice your Japanese.

“Any particular ones in mind? I’ll reserve them for you if you’d like that Ms. Miyoshi,” Irene said with a smile as you nodded, “well, if you happen to find volumes 1 and 2 of Tokyo Mew Mew, I’d really appreciate it, my niece Ayaka really loves that series.” You started returning the books to their original place on the shelves. “Sure, I’ll make sure to look out for them.” She said, cleaning the tables.

After a few hours had passed, you went to the nearby 7-11 to grab lunch. You walked around the aisle for a bit, searching for chicken katsu onigiris. You smiled and placed them in your basket, you also got a cup with ice cubes, kimchi rice bulgogi beef onigiris, and a pouch of lychee juice. Lastly, you placed three fruit sandos and you were ready to pay.

You walked back to the library inside the staff’s room as you began to eat your lunch. “Enjoy, your food, Miyoshi,” Irene said, giggling as you bowed, “thank you, Irene-Unnie,” you checked your phone as a facetime call with aunt Asami popped on your screen.

“Ah hello, you two!” You waved as Ayaka giggled happily, “Y/N-Onee-chan! How are you?” She asked, “All good, just eating my lunch, how are you two?” you asked, waving your onigiri as she smiled. “We’re fine, just shopping in the Lotte Department Store. The weather seems to be a lot better here in Korea after all,” Asami said as Ayaka leaned in, “Isn’t Chaeyoung-Onee-san with you?” You shook your head, “she’s in school right now and I’m at work, sweetie,” you rested your head in your hand, “but you’ll see her later when we go to drink some boba tea, he he~” you smiled happily.

“Yay! I’d love to, I can’t wait to see you later, Y/N-Nee!” Ayaka giggled as you ate your bulgogi onigiri and waved goodbye.

Man, I was starving. I guess I’m nearing my period…

You walked around, collecting books. Afterward, you began scheduling events and author signings. “Ah, there’s going to be a tea ceremony next week?” You asked Irene as she nodded, “yes, I’ve heard there’ll be a lot of people,” she smiled, “would you like to join? I’ve heard there is going to be Japanese matcha tea too.”

You smiled and nodded, “I’d love to, Irene-Unnie.”

A few hours had passed as you were finally off, “I’m off, see you,” you waved as she bowed. Suddenly stood Mr. Nakamoto in front of you, “hello Ms. Miyoshi, are you off?” You nodded, “yes. Are you here to borrow another book?”

He rubbed the back of his head, “Actually, I came to see you,” he looked into your eyes. “Me? You came here to see me?” Nakamoto nodded and stepped forward, “do you have any plans right now?” You nodded, “I’ve got to go and see my niece, Ayaka,” you mumbled, rubbing your arm.

“Y/N-Onee-chan!” Ayaka ran and hugged you, “hello Ayaka-chan,” you giggled. “Who’s this guy?” She looked over at Nakamoto as you held her. “Is he your boyfriend?” Ayaka chuckled as he smirked. “Ayaka… He’s not my boyfriend, this is Nakamoto-san,” you said feeling super flustered.

“こんにちは、アヤカさん.” (Hello, Ayaka-san.)

“ええ? 中本さん日本語ははなせますか?” (Ehh? Nakamoto-san can speak Japanese?”)

“もちろん!” (Of course!)

Ayaka giggled happily, she was super happy to meet another Japanese person like her. “Are you ready to go Ayaka-chan?” You asked as she nodded, “where’s aunt Asami?” you looked around, “she’s waiting outside.”

“Shall we get going then?” You asked, placing Ayaka down as she bowed before talking to Nakamoto, “またね!” (See you!)

She ran outside to her mother as you bowed to Mr. Nakamoto, “see you around, Nakamoto-san,” you waved and walked past him.

“Hello aunt Asami,” you bowed to Asami as she smiled and hugged you. “You’ve really grown into such a beautiful lady since I last saw you, Y/N-chan,” you blushed at her compliment, “ありがとう.” (Thank you.)

“Right, it’s going to be so much fun at that party, Somi,” Chaeyoung said, locking her arm with her, “so is Y/N also coming along, Unnie?” Somi asked as she nodded, “hopefully some cute guys will ask her out, I just want her to break up with that asshole Bryce already.” Chaeyoung voiced, walking to her locker as she grabbed her books. “Wow Unnie, you seem to hate him, is he that much of a bad guy?” Somi folded her arms, looking at her as she chuckled.

“Yup, he’s a cheap, lying, and ugly fuckboy,” Chaeyoung said, annoyed as she walked out. “Ahaha, maybe introduce her to one of your guy friends?” Somi suggested, following her as they walked out of campus. “I would but I think they’re too extroverted for her,” Chaeyoung pouted her lips as she walked down the street, “well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Chae. I’ll have my notes ready so we can speak to Ms. Min-young,” Somi waved as she waited at the bus stop, “bye Somi, see you tomorrow.” She said, heading to the subway station.

Asami, Ayaka, and you went home and you made some tea, “how was Jeju Island and uncle?” you took a sip of your tea as Ayaka was playing with her teddy bear. “Your uncle, Seung-heon is doing alright, he seemed to have grown fond of living on Jeju Island. He’s busy planting his vegetables,” Asami laughed and looked around, “it’s a lovely apartment you and Chaeyoung have gotten.”

The door opened as Chaeyoung entered, her tote bag on the shoulder as Ayaka ran and hugged her tightly, “Chaeyoung-Onee-chan!” She chucked and held her, “こんにちは、アヤちゃん.” (Hello, Aya-chan.)

“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Chaeyoung you have also grown so much!” Asami said and smiled, “thank you, aunt Asami you look great.” Chaeyoung smiled and looked over at Ayaka as she drew, “Aya-chan sure has grown a lot bigger.”

“Here you go,” Asami handed a fancy basket with soy sauce rice crackers and a packet of strawberry Pocky. “For me? Oh, aunt Asami, you didn’t have to,” Chaeyoung said, smiling happily. “Please, I know how much you love those rice crackers and Pocky,” she laughed as she walked over to me. “And here, of course, I couldn’t forget about Y/N-chan,” You looked and bowed, “thanks, aunty. Oh my goodness, you got me Royal milk tea and those Meiji chocolate almonds that I adore, thank you so much!”

“Let’s go out and get some Boba tea!” You said, patting Ayaka’s shoulder as she nodded in excitement, “yay!” You walked inside Gong Cha and ordered for everyone. “Say, what grade are you in right now, Aya-chan?” Chaeyoung asked, smiling at her. “I’m in 3rd grade, Chaeyoung-Onee-chan!” Ayaka giggled and smiled cutely. “You sure have grown into a pretty girl, eh hehe~” she laughed as you walked over with the drinks.

“Alright, here you go Ayaka, Chocolate Cookie and Cream Smoothie with strawberry bubbles. Matcha Tea Latte with Azuki beans for aunty, and Strawberry Cookie Smoothie with tapioca pearls for Chaeng.” You said, handing their respective drinks as they all smiled. “Thanks, Y/N,” Asami said, smiling, “yeah, thank you Y/N-Onee-chan!” Chaeyoung and Ayaka said in sync as we laughed.

“So what do you three want to eat for dinner?” Asami asked, looking at us. “Ehh, aunt Asami, you don’t have to pay for us,” Chaeyoung said politely, “yeah, aunty it’s okay. Say, Ayaka-chan what would you like to eat?” The two of you looked at her.

“I want to eat Japchae!” Ayaka said, finishing her beverage rather quickly as she was full of energy. “Okay, that’s a deal,” Asami nodded and got up, with the drink in her hand. “We’ll go back to the hotel and change into something more casual, then I’ll find the restaurant and make a reservation for us.” She said and winked.

“See you later, Aya-chan!” Chaeyoung waved as we headed home.

45 minutes later…

“Man, aunty’s always super generous…” You sighed, walking out of the bathroom, and drying your light brown hair with a mini towel. “Your family is always so sweet and kind,” Chaeyoung said, giggling as she rubbed her face with some lotion. “I bet your aunt’s going to be shocked to see the tattoo behind my ear,” she giggled as you used the hair dryer. “Aunt Asami has always been artistic, but I bet she’ll love seeing that tattoo of yours.” You smiled, brushing your hair.

You wore an orange sweater and a pair of loose beige pants, you tied your hair in a low ponytail. Chaeyoung wore some stockings and some denim shorts and a tank top, “let’s go, we shouldn’t keep aunt Asami waiting,” she giggled and put on her coat as we went downstairs, “come get in ladies,” Asami said as waving from a car she had rented.

“Woah~ it’s been a while since I had this great Japchae!” Chaeyoung exclaimed as she was eating happily, “mmm-mmm, it’s so yummy, Onee-chan!” Ayaka added as you and Asami chuckled. “Say, Chaeyoung. Did you get a tattoo?” Asami cupped her head as she nodded, “how did you know?” Chaeyoung’s eyes widened, “I noticed you tugged your hair behind your ear, it’s a cute tattoo you’ve gotten,” she giggled.

“Did it hurt to get it, Onee-chan?” Ayaka tilted her head as she chewed her food. “A bit but I’m a strong girl, eh he he~” Chaeyoung stuck her tongue out, “I’m planning on getting a few more!” She placed her sketchbook on the table as there were four sketches of tattoo ideas.

“Wow they’re so pretty, did you come with the designs yourself?” Asami asked as Chaeyoung nodded proudly. “This time Y/N’s going to tag along with me!” You smiled, “it’s going to be interesting, to say the least,” you giggled, finishing your food.

Today was the day you had to accompany your roommate to the tattoo studio, this was your first time tagging along with her. Usually, it’s Chaeng’s boyfriend that attends with her but he was busy with work in Busan. You walked inside the small and cool-looking tattoo studio and looked around. When Ten and Johnny greeted you. “Welcome, Ms. Miyoshi, to our tattoo studio.” Ten said as you smiled. “Thank you, Ten.” You bowed, “this place is really nice. It looks so clean and well-organized,” You added, looking around. “Thanks, Miyoshi. Well, the three of us actually worked hard for the design.” Ten said as Johnny walked us to the private room, “ladies first.”

“Thanks, Suh,” Chaeyoung said, walking in as she took off her black leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack. “Heyo, Osaka Prince. Long time no see~” She said, patting his shoulder when the swivel chair turned around. You were somewhat surprised to see who was sitting there. It was none other than Nakamoto Yuta, himself. “Hello, Miyoshi-san.”

“Hi… Nakamoto-san…” You said, flusteredly, and rubbed your arm. “What… Do you two know each other?” Chaeyoung asked, looking at us.

“We met at the library several days ago,” Yuta said, smirking at you as you turned away. “No way! Y/N, so the handsome guy that you met turned out to be Osaka Prince himself?” Chaeyoung said out loud as you exclaimed, “Chaeng! That’s not it! You got it wrong!”

Why? Out of all places, why do you have to meet him here?

“Should we get started on your tattoo, Chae?” Yuta asked, gathering some blank pieces of paper. These are the designs I want. The cherry tomatoes, the stars, the lips, and the four carrots.” She drew on the paper as he looked at them closely.

“Alright, that’s quite a lot. Are you sure that you will be able to handle it? I mean just as a warning you may faint, but as a tattoo artist I have to keep on going with the ink.” Yuta stated, looking at Chaeyoung seriously. “Fainting… Wait, what? Chaeng, doesn’t that sound a bit dangerous?” You said, hugging her arm as she smiled. “Nah don’t worry, Unnie. It’s normal to faint because there’s a lot of ink digging into my skin, after all.” She said, comfortably seating herself on the tattoo chair as you sat on a regular chair next to her

“Please, be careful, Nakamoto-san…” You mumbled, holding Chaeyoung’s hand as he looked into my eyes. “I will, Y/N-san. Don’t worry.” She smiled at you as he began tattooing the orange carrots. Once he started on the lips tattoo, Chaeyoung fainted. “Chaeng!” You shouted, caressing her hand.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Yuta asked when he stopped and looked at you. “Yeah, please just focus on her tattoos.” You mumbled, placing the blanket from your lap to her lap. “Chaeng is so silly, she always forgets to bring a blanket with her whenever she’s wearing short skirts like that.” You said, patting her legs when you pulled your skirt a bit down. He looked down at your legs which you kept rubbing together to keep some warmth.

“Aren’t you freezing?” Yuta asked, glancing at you. “I’m fine…” You lied, hugging yourself as he finished tattooing the lips and mini stars on her.

“Here, take this.” He said, taking off his white jacket as he was left with his visible mesh shirt. “But what about you, Yuta-san…” You mumbled, putting his jacket on your thighs, “I’m used to the cold from the air conditioner. So, don’t worry.”

Yuta is so kind and thoughtful. It’s no wonder that he’s a good friend of Chaeng.

“Thank you, Yuta-san.” You said, watching him add the finishing touches of her cherry tomatoes. “They’re so pretty. You’re so incredibly talented, Yuta.”

“Come with me, I want to show you something.” He said, holding your wrist as you walked over to the corner of the room as he opened the door. It was a small room with a couch, cabinet, and table. We sat on the couch as he showed me the book he had borrowed from our library. “This is the book… that you got the other day,” You said when he flipped through several pages. “This is the butterfly inspiration.”

“Thank you for helping me find this book, it has been so useful for both me and our clients,” Yuta said as he slowly lifted his shirt as you caught a glimpse of that pretty butterfly.

“Did it hurt to get your butterfly tattoo?” You asked, glancing and studying the details. “A little, but it was tough to get the details on its wings.”

“Can I touch it?” You asked, reaching your hand out.

“Sure,” Yuta said, sliding his t-shirt off as you looked away shyly. “It’s so beautiful, did Ten or Johnny tattoo it for you?” You pointed at his other tattoo of flying birds.

“None of them.” He chuckled as you traced your fingertips on the wings of his butterfly tattoo when you looked up.

“It was actually me. I did it on myself.” You looked up shyly, “how did you do it?” You asked, noticing his belly button piercing.

“I used that large mirror over there and began carefully working on its shape. While looking at images of butterflies.”

“That must’ve taken a lot of time. But you’re amazing, Nakamoto-san.” You expressed as our eyes met when Yuta lowered himself and placed a small kiss on your head.

“Thank you, Y/N.” You looked up, pursing your lips together.

Does Yuta have a crush on you? Why did he just do that?

“There you two are!” Chaeyoung said while walking in as Ten walked, “oh are we interrupting something?” He chuckled, looking at Yuta being shirtless.

“Chaeng, are you alright?” You said, walking up to her as she nodded while smiling.

“Mmm, thanks for coming with me today.” Chaeyoung expressed and bowed slightly, “anyways how much do I owe you, Osaka Prince?” She asked, opening her wallet as she pulled out her credit card. “Forget about it, and just get Y/N to take me on a date,” Yuta said while smirking as he stretched. “Ehh?” You exclaimed surprisedly and stared at him.

“Deal.” She giggled as you looked at her, “hey Chaeng! That’s not fair!” Chaeyoung filled in her address, ID, and number.

“Just kidding. It’s 80,000₩, but I’ll make it half-price because you brought this cutie pie along with you.” Yuta said, looking at you as he entered the payment on the cash register. “But really, thanks a lot Yuta. They came out just as I had expected them.” Chaeyoung said, using her credit card before looking at her arm. “You’re welcome. Be sure to avoid direct sunlight on them, and here take this too.” Yuta said, handing her a moisturizer as she accepted it.

“Hey Babe, I just finished getting my tats done,” Chaeyoung answered her phone, speaking to Jungkook. “Wanna go and get boba, Y/N?” Yuta asked, looking at you. “Umm, sure thing. But only if the others join us too…” You stated, folding your arms as you walked out of the room.

“Yo what’s up,” a blonde-haired guy said, walking inside as he greeted Ten. “Nothing much just finished making Chae’s tattoos, how is it going, Yukhei?”

“Ah Yukhei, what’s up?” Johnny said, smiling as he did a small handshake. “Oh that’s nice, well, I was just nearby and thought I’d say hi.” He chuckled, his smile was warm and bright.

“Who’s this lady?” Yukhei looked over at me as you bowed, “hello, my name is Miyoshi Y/N. I’m Chaeyoung’s friend and roommate.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yukhei.” He bowed and smiled when you suddenly felt an arm around you. “Don’t flirt with Miyoshi. She’s mine, Yukhei.” Yuta said, pulling you closer as you could hear his heartbeat. “Ehh, Yuta? What are you saying?” You mumbled looking at him in confusion as Yuta stuck his tongue out.

“Ooh, so Yuta got a girlfriend now? Congrats.” Yukhei said, raising an eyebrow as he clapped. “What? N-no, you got it all wrong me and Yuta aren’t dating!” You yelled out flustered.

“What’s going on here?” Chaeyoung walked out as her eyes widened, “omg, Yukhei! Welcome back!” She ran and hugged him, “thanks, Chae. It’s nice to see you and your new tats too.” He chuckled as she showed off her arms.

You looked up at Yuta and naturally made eye contact with him, his arm was still around you.

Yuta’s warmth was so comforting and safe…

“Put a shirt on already, you pervert!” You said flusteredly, looking away as he chuckled. “Right, let’s go and get some Boba everyone,” Yuta said, putting on his shirt. “I’ll watch the store, you guys better not forget my order!” Ten said in a joking manner as Johnny nodded and laughed, “don’t worry, we won’t forget this time,” Chaeyoung put on her leather jacket.

So it was finally Saturday evening, this party had been on your mind the whole week. Although you were hesitant to attend it at first, you were happy that Chaeyoung convinced you to tag along.

“Hey, Chaeng… Don’t you think my outfit’s a bit too revealing?” You asked. “What? No, come on Unnie, you look so stunning!” You were wearing that black leather miniskirt, a hot pink top, black stockings, and a mesh-sleeve blouse underneath. “Besides, we’re kinda matching! I’m wearing a silver top with black leather pants,” she said, turning around with her arms in the air. “Anyways, Somi’s there, I’ll just go and look for Jungkook,” Chaeyoung said, walking away as she waved to her.

“Wow, Y/N-Unnie, you look so incredibly sexy!” Somi exclaimed as you blushed a little, “thank you Somi, you also look super pretty in that yellow dress.” She giggled as she waved to the guys approaching us, “ah, if it isn’t Y/N?” Johnny said, holding a glass of beer as you bowed, “hi Johnny,” you rubbed your arm awkwardly, “it’s good to see you.” He shook your hand as he introduced you to his friend, “hi, the name’s Mark, nice to meet you, Y/N. You look pretty” You waved and shook Mark’s hand, “thanks, nice to meet you too, Mark.” Somi suddenly grabbed a hold of Mark’s hand, “come on, Mark. Let’s dance, woo!” She giggled as she threw her hands in the air.

God… This is getting kind of overwhelming… Maybe, I should get a drink. You walked over to get a virgin Pina Colada. You watched Chaeyoung dance with Jungkook, it seemed like the others had a lot of fun too, and then you noticed him.

Nakamoto Yuta’s also here?

He looked at you and smiled. You looked away shyly, you looked around everywhere hoping to see Bryce but it seemed he was nowhere to be found. You drank your drink and let out a deep sigh as Chaeyoung surprised you from behind, “Chaeng! You scared me!” Somi and she giggled, “come on, what are you doing here sulking all alone, let’s dance!” They pulled you as they danced with you, Yuta looked over at you and chuckled as he danced smoothly.

You looked over when you noticed Bryce walk inside, you smiled happily and ran towards him, “oh looks who decided to come,” Chaeyoung said in her annoyed voice, “ah it’s Bryce,” Jungkook said, they all looked at the two of you.

You hugged Bryce and kissed him when he looked at you up and down, “Bryce, you’re here, I was waiting so long but you finally came!” You smiled, holding onto his shoulders. Yuta watched the two of you talking as he clenched his hands in jealousy. “Tch, what a show-off.”

“Why are you dressed like that?” Bryce stared at you, almost as if he was disgusted by your outfit. “What… Don’t you like the way I look tonight?” You asked, looking into his eyes as he looked away. “You look so slutty, this type of outfit isn’t your taste,” Bryce walked away from you as he went outside to smoke.

You clenched your hand in frustration as you closed your eyes.

Maybe you should head home and change, Bryce’s right. This outfit isn’t you after all…

You walked away fast, wiping the small tears that had formed, “I think that bastard made her cry,” Yuta voiced angrily, “that asshole…” Chaeyoung sneered as Jungkook held her back, he tried to follow you, “I’ll go comfort her.” You went inside the women’s bathroom and looked at yourself in the mirror. Why…? Why would Bryce say such a horrible thing?

You wiped your tears away and splashed some water into your eyes. Everyone else said you looked stunning. You took one final look at yourself and shrugged your shoulders. You felt beautiful in that outfit, a bit revealing but it was a nice chance for once.

There’s nothing wrong with trying something new after all…

You walked out as Yuta approached you, “hey, are you okay?” You looked at him and nodded, “thanks… I’m fine, did Chaeng send you over?” He shook his head, “no, you looked upset so I ran after you, did he say something mean to you?” You wanted to tell him the truth but you ended up shaking your head and not looking into his eyes.

“Y/N, you look incredibly beautiful tonight in that outfit,” Yuta complimented you when your cheeks blushed red. For once, you felt relieved at this party. Yuta’s words comforted you and made you feel confident. “Thank you, Yuta-san,” you smiled, looking at him.

“These two look much more like a better couple,” Somi said, watching you, “I know right?” Chaeyoung agreed, holding Jungkook’s hand. “I think Yuta might be crushing on Y/N,” Johnny said bluntly. “What? No way, Yuta-Hyung and Y/N? Doesn’t she already have a boyfriend?” Mark wondered, “Yuta seems to always fall for women that are already taken,” Jungkook said.

🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢

A/N: I apologize for any incoming grammar errors, it’s literally almost 3:00 AM as I post this 💀 I’ll fix it tomorrow hopefully, so enjoy! I think I’ll make a masterlist once I’ve posted chapter 4, I wanna see if you guys like this fanfiction so far.

< Previous part – Next part >

🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢🦋✨🐢