#on names and naming

[bbcphile]

Anyone else having feelings about Li Xiangyi's naming himself "Lianhua" (lotus flower) after reading the inscription about lotus flowers blooming everywhere on monk Wuliao's wall? (Episode 3, timestamp 13:30).

The subtitles translate the panel on the right (一念心清淨) as "The heart attains peace with a single thought" and the one on the left (蓮花處處開) as "lotus flowers bloom all around." And after reading it out loud and praising it, he leaves, saying that Li Xiangyi is dead, and only Li Lianhua is left; his first time using this new name.

So, if we think of his new name as declaring his new life manifesto--living simply, calmly, enjoying the beauty of the world, and choosing one single thought to focus on (aka. finding and burying Shan Gudao's body) instead of the fame, leadership, justice, and accolades he used to pursue--it is beautifully, heartbreakingly ironic. Because finding and burying Shan Gudao's body doesn't bring him peace or calm; it eventually makes him aware of a conspiracy that teaches him that everything he thought he knew was a lie.

It's also so fascinatingly creepy and perfect that he thinks he found Shan Gudao in the manor where "lotus flowers bloom all around" and was able to bury him as a result. Except, the lotuses are blooming from corpses and were the site of four murders, and there's nothing calm or peaceful about it, and he eventually learns it's not Shan Gudao's body after all. It's like some sort of grotesque parody of the peaceful promise to himself inherent in his name.

If Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng do in fact find him at the end of that incredibly open-ended extra episode, then I wouldn't be surprised at all if he decides that he desperately needs a new fake name, not just because the Lianhua alias is blown, but because he needs a new philosophy after the previous one was wrecked as badly as the boat he and Di Feisheng battled on ten years earlier.

[jvhdb]

[yuttikkele]

hey gamers I’ve started watching star trek does anyone else see the romantic tension between captain kirk and mr. spock

[busket]

I feel lucky that my pet became a meme that was not adopted and used by nazis. everyone that has told me they adore this meme is a cool person and not a scumbag loser. if she became the face of a crypto scam or the name of an illegal government entity id have a crisis

[hussyknee]

If I tell you this is a horror dance number it still won't prepare you. That last move was so terrifying even the judge was like "Let go! Let go!" If you told me they're actually possessed I'd believe you.

The music is a remix of the song Mere Dholna from the Bollywood movie Bhool Bhulaiyya, a remake of the classic Malayalam horror-comedy Manichitrathazhu. It's about a young bride that seemingly becomes possessed of Manjulika, a dancer of the ancient royal court whose tragic death has turned her into a vengeful spirit, one who evokes the wrath of the goddess Durga Kali. In the iconic scene that is repeated across remakes, the groom and his family discover his bride dancing in the dead of night in a manic, disassociative fugue, wearing a moth-eaten dancer's costume and a face smeared in kohl, ash and vermilion. She's hallucinating that she's Manjulika dancing carefree for the court with her lover. The upbeat music is deliberately incongruous with the pathos and creepiness of the scene in reality, especially as it crescendos in the bride's head to the moment when the king decapitates Manjulika's beloved in a fit of jealous rage.

This specific number is by the all-male troupe B Unique, performed for the Indian reality talent contest Hunabaarz. It's a modern fusion based on Bharatnatyam that turns up the creep factor by 200% and is basically a showcase of contortionism and synchronicity. One of the most perfectly choreographed and executed dances I have ever seen. Truly incredible!

The group is still taking their work across the world's talent shows. And yes, that guy is hypermobile enough to do that with his neck. XD

[victusinveritas]

Thank you Derek, menswear guide, for reminding me why paying more to be free advertising for brands is dumb.

[teaboot]

We gotta stop aiming for unique and interesting baby names we gotta start naming every single infant straight-shot middle-of-the-road ass popular common unisex names like Alex and Sam. By the end of 2031 I wanna see 100% of kindergarten children named either Alex or Sam and you know what, let’s make ‘em all Smiths and Johnsons, too. In an age of digital tracking give your baby the gift of total functional anonymity within the panopticon

[macbethz]

Well I like it but it’s not very well written. Also it’s a visual mess. The plot doesnt make any sense and the creators suck and its politics oscillate from mildly problematic to frankly baffling. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. However. the character

[pookapufferfish]

[atanerrum]

(hypnotizes you into liking my oc) (she has no lore)

[beastwars-transformers]

———

[yeepof]

I understand that tall men are our POV characters, but surely being like a foot taller than everyone around them would have some occasional consequences

[fangirlinginleatherboots]

Being 30 is fun. I was discussing anime with a teen at work and asked her how much of bnha she had watched. She had trouble answering and wasn't sure how to approach it. I said "better question was who was your husbando" and she turned bright red before mumbling an answer. They never expect me to know how deep their love of anime boys runs....

[inkskinned]

i love you vaccines i love you research i love you reading the book instead of having chatgpt summarize it i love you critically thinking rather than reacting to a headline i love you investigating the source material i love you science i love you math even though you are personally my enemy (math/yn slowburn) i love you writing even though you try to stab me a lot i love you Experts in Your Field i love you Using The Brain

[jesskasb]