#or quoting ci poems

[shrimpchipsss]

this luo binghe only listens to tortured classical music

[oggirlboss]

[metamorphesque]

Sorrow of Separation, The Complete Ci-poems of Li Qingzhao: A New English Translation by Jiaosheng Wang

[ronanlynchbf]

diversity loss! those ppl correctly gendering u assumed you're straight..

[weirdope]

I think soulmates aren't a different piece of soul that comes in your life and completes you just like that,they slowly seep into your heart, into your mind, in your life and become an inseparable part of it, and maybe soulmate is the one who will leave a big big infinite hollow blackhole-ish void in you, if they ever leave you because they're half of your life, they have your heart the way you can't say it's yours anymore, if my heart was made of glass and I would somehow break it my heart, shattered into pieces, I bet you'd make up a very big part of it.Big enough that nothing else would probably make up for it's absense.

[liberty-or-death]

"The numerous gods of the Mount Jiuyi have arrived, they arrive as plentiful as the clouds as they greet Lady Xiang. " "SHL Episode 9 - Qu Yuan's Cu Ci Nine Song九歌 Series Lady Xiang 湘夫人"

I deliberated for a long time as to whether I’d translate this poem.  But this likely where Gu Xiang got her name from so I just had to do it.  I thought this would be a simple poem but it took me more than a month to do it lol. XD

When native cn speakers come across a lady with the name Xiang 湘, it immediately brings to mind the two Xiang River Goddesses.  They were said to be the concubine of the legendary Emperor Shun.  “Lady Xiang 湘夫人” is a Pre Qin poem that’s written as part of Qu Yuan's Chu Ci Jiu Ge/Nine Song series, and it’s also known as the sister poem to “Xiang Jun 湘君”.

There are many interpretations as to who the focus of the story is.  But for the sake of this translation, I’ll be working on the assumption that the poem is about Lady Xiang missing her husband (Emperor Shun).  The poem’s really long and only the last part’s quoted in SHL, so feel free to skip to the end of the translation.  

This poem's known its vibrant descriptions and there's a bunch of reference to specific plants which I've linked. If you ever intend to write a fic in the Chu dynasty, or a fic centered around the 700-200BC, you could use this as a visual reference. (yas my nerdy friends, historical accuracy is sexy)

帝子降兮北渚，目眇眇兮愁予。

Lady Xiang has arrived at the Northern Island, my gaze is filled with sadness and worry. 

北渚: This was likely referring to  君山岛 Junshan Island. There's a lot of historical sites if you ever want to go there!

袅袅兮秋风，洞庭波兮木叶下。

The autumn wind blows gently endlessly; the Dongting lake ripples, the leaves fall.

登白薠兮骋望，与佳期兮夕张。

Standing amidst the reeds as I gaze into the distance, anticipating the date with the lover tonight.  

鸟何萃兮蘋中，罾何为兮木上？

Why do the birds gather amongst the reeds? Why are the fishnets on the tops of the trees?

This line implies that the birds should be in the trees, and the fishnets among the aquatic reeds.  But yet the situation’s the reverse.  (Ie. what should have happened has t happened.). It describes the author’s uneasy feelings.  

T/N: Just in case anyone’s as nerdy as me, this is likely a mirror of the line “采薜荔兮水中，搴芙蓉兮木末 I want to pick the scallops in the water, and to pluck the lotus from the trees” in sister poem in the same series, 湘君 Xiang Jun.

And look, more pictures of plants! (yes it's a different reed xD)

沅有芷兮澧有兰，思公子兮未敢言。

Th flower from the ginseng plant in the River Yuan, and orchids in the Lishui River.  I can’t describe how much I miss you, Young Master (Gongzi). 

T/N: Interestingly, 公子 Gongzi (aka Young Master) could be used on both male and female in the past.  This is a very interesting point because there’s actually a huge debate as to who’s the poem is referring to.  Baidu has interpreted this to mean Miss Xiang (ie. the goddess), but on the contrary, one physical book (yes I take this seriously lmao) I’ve bought thinks this is referring to Xiang Jun (the subject in her sister poem, and possibly her husband), and another physical book refrains from nailing the subject down.  So who knows LOL.

And just how gorgeous is the ginseng flower!

荒忽兮远望，观流水兮潺湲。

My emotions are unsettled, I gaze towards the distance with uncertainty.  However, the River Yuan and Lishui flows slowly.

麋何食兮庭中？蛟何为兮水裔？

Why does the deer seek food in the courtyard?  Why do the dragon (jiaolong) trapped on the river bank?

T/N: 麋: This term actually refers to the deer, but it has been described as “antlers like a deer, tail of a donkey, hooves of a cow, face of a horse” in ancient times, so it’s sometimes regarded as the mythological creature 四不像 (Si Buxiang/Four not alike).  It has made an appearance in some anime, and in one particular danmei fandom’s discourse. LOL

The mythological version is supposed to look like this. XD

蛟: Jialong refers to the “scaled dragon” in chinese mythology. If you’ve been watching Till the End of the Moon, Mingye was a jialong whom cultivated and became an immortal.

朝驰余马兮江皋���夕济兮西澨。

When morning comes, I ride my horse and race down the river bank.  I cross over to the western bank at night. 

闻佳人兮召予，将腾驾兮偕逝。

I hear my lover summons me.   So I speed towards hastily and we head off together. 

筑室兮水中，葺之兮荷盖。

We build our house in the water, and cover our roof with lotus leaves.

荪壁兮紫坛，播芳椒兮成堂。

The walls are decorated with moss, and purple shells pave the floor.   The fragrant pepper and dirt we mould form the family’s prayer hall.

T/N: 芳椒 - This was a specific type of fragrant pepper.  This was mixed with mud and painted on the walls, as the ancient people enjoyed its aroma. The moss refers to this specifically!

桂栋兮兰橑，辛夷楣兮药房。

The wood of the Gui tree form the beams, the Magnolia forms the rafters.  The crossbeams of the door are made from wood of the Xinyi tree, the white ginseng flowers decorates the medicinal room.

T/N: 辛夷 - The Xinyi tree is also part of the magnolia family. There's clearly a theme going on!

The Gui tree's so pretty! And the white magnolias!

And the Xinyi tree

罔薜荔兮为帷，擗蕙櫋兮既张。

The climbing fig is woven into a curtains, and the partitions made of flowers have been drawn.

T/N: 薜荔: Baidu says it’s the climbing fig, but my physical book thinks it’s the another magnolia plant. And the 蕙 flower was known for its fragrance.

Baidu's interpretation!

And my book's interpretation XD

And look, the pretty 蕙 flower!

白玉兮为镇，疏石兰兮为芳。

The weights  are made of snowy white jade, the fragrance of orchards permeates the air.

T/N: The 镇 Weights were similar to paper weights, and were used to keep mats/clothes in their place. It originated from the Qin and Han Dynasty, whereby people used to keep the mat in place (to prevent it from moving around when they got up). Sometimes, it'll be in the shape of an animal, like a lion for example.

芳: Another interesting point; Baidu interprets this as fragrance, but the physical book thinks it means to block off the wind from the head of the bed. 芳 is sometimes interpreted as 防 (to block in some ancient text)

芷葺兮荷屋，缭之兮杜衡。

The lotus form the house, and the ginseng flowers form the roof.   It’s scent intermingles with that of the wild ginger

And this is how wild ginger looks like!

合百草兮实庭，建芳馨兮庑门。

We gather various kinds of flowers and plants to fill the courtyard, and we’ve build a fragrant porch.

九嶷缤兮并迎，灵之来兮如云。 (The line that's in SHL)

The numerous gods of the Mount Jiuyi have arrived, they arrive as plentiful as the clouds as they greet Lady Xiang. 

T/N: 九嶷: Jiuyi mountain was the legendary burial place of the legendary Emperor Shun.  It’s a mountain range in Hunan Province, located at the south of the river Xiang 湘水南.

捐余袂兮江中，遗余褋兮澧浦。

I throw my outer garment into the river.  And I throw my inner undergarment into the Lishui.

搴汀洲兮杜若，将以遗兮远者。

Arriving at the island’s river bank, I pluck the flowers as I eagerly await for my lover.

时不可兮骤得，聊逍遥兮容与。

Good times won’t return once it has passed.  I’ll travel leisurely as I wander freely.

[aphantpoet]

Queer rep is not a vacuum

There is so much debate over what is and is not queer rep and it seems to change with each new show. For this I’m going to explore four series that I’m personally a fan of and break down their rep individually ;LOK, SPOP, TOH and Arcane. I will do it this way because Queer rep is not a vacuum.

It is first important to understand the perspective I’m coming at from this: so Yaama, if you don’t know me I’m a queer [Enby and Demi sexual lesbian]and indigenous [Australian] writer; I mainly write about queer people for queer people. I also want to say that I am not bashing any of these series, I love them all.

1. Korrasami

Korra and Asami have a slightly rocky relationship when they first meet but they become fast friends. Both characters are confirmed Bisexual and their relationship is far more obvious from a  queer perspective. They are far less explicit than other shows on this list but that is due to studio censorship.

The ship itself is really sweet. Both women are close and support each other with Korra writing to only Asami at one of the roughest times of her life.

This ship, being the first queer rep in Avatar, followed by Kya being confirmed as a lesbian, gets a lot of flack for being too subtle and not built up enough. As much as I do not like Some writers on the Avatar team, I do genuinely believe they were trying their best here.

The ship itself isn’t problematic and came at a time when there was little rep in mainstream media, let alone kids media. While it has it’s issues, it is some of the first rep kids in my generation saw. Sue me, I’ve got nostalgia.

2.SPOP

This is a contentious one but it cannot be denied that SPOP was full of Queer rep. Spinetossa, catradora, None of the princesses were straight and Double Trouble.

SPOP is unashamed of it’s queer rep and as world where no one is straight, no one is homophobic. This provides escapism that we as queer people sometimes need.

While Catradora has it’s criticisms, it’s a beautiful ship that underpins the narrative  and drives the plot. to call it “toxic” or “abusive” ignores the nuance of the story.

Spinetossa is a solid relationship that provides fluff and comedic relief in the darker episodes. they’re background characters but the nature of their relationship is clear from the start. they’re always together, they wear chokers with each other's colours . From the get go, before we even hear the cute nicknames we know they are a unit. 

Double Trouble , while  stemming from a problematic trope, is a solid character with complexities and comedy gold to spare. While the trope of making nonbinary characters non human is dodgy at best in a show where cis characters are also not human they don’t stand out too much so they can have a pass.

3. TOH

TOH is also unashamedly queer, Eda, Raine, Willow’s dads, Lumity, Edric.I’ve also seen commendations on the Neurodivergent rep  but that’s not my place.

Disney was obviously trying to censor things earlier on but around late season two A Dana stopped giving a shit and good for her. We got Edric having a partner, to quote his sister Emira “ After he accidentally sent  a love poem to THEIR mum”. Love that for him. The first Lumity kiss and them getting together and everything after it.

Willows dads’, minor and cliched as they may be do not come of a tokenistic, a nice change from other shows there the Mc’s best friend’s queer parents is often some of the only rep.

And Raine, a nonbinary person, who while not quite human isn’t an alien/robot/demon/spirit. They’re also a prominent character and their relationship with Eda is just a delight.

Cool Aunt Lilith, AroAce queen and all the flags in season three and it’s only the first episode.

there are some issues with Luz dating her friends ex bully but they address it and smooth it over.

4.Arcane

The biggest thing to come out of Arcane was CatVi/Violyn. I’ve seen some people ship Caitlyn and Jayce but that’s a small group.

Both character’s are confirmed as lesbians.While I love Luz I do find that lesbians do often get left behind in representation or claimed as Bi when they aren’t.

there’s not much else in terms of queer rep for Arcane but it’s very clearly a world where homophobia isn’t an issue.

The CatVi relationship is also important to the story and builds up over the first season. the show isn’t concerned with it but it’s nice to see.

All this to say, Queer rep isn’t a vacum, just because one series shows wholesome queer people and another shows messy,complicated queer love does not make either superior to the other. To put wholesome queer relationships over messy ones perpetuates respectability politics. Both can be good queer rep, both can be bad queer rep.

[wildshadowtamer]

Almond Cookie Headcanons

(aka me projecting onto yet another tired professional middle aged dad with a sweet daughter)

-41ish, probably an october kid

-Ex-husband to Chocolate Bon Bon, she often takes the kids when he has to work overnight. Married her in a panic when they were young bc she was expecting, actually went well for like, 20 years

-Kids are Mont Blanc, Croissant, Walnut, and Chestnut in descending order of age

-Had an enemies to lovers arc with Roguefort, was not aware he was pan before that. realised he was in love when Rogue was taking care of him bc he was injured.

-Pansexual, unfortunately cis, cares not for pronouns

-Is the babysitter for like, everyone in the kingdom. He also seems to know everyone in the kingdom. His favourites to babysit are Cream Puff, Cotton, The Chess Twins, and Onion. his least favourite is Cherry (bc loud). Talks to kids like their adults, is a bit softer with Onion.

-Autistic, often hyperfocuses on work, his hyperfixation is crime & mystery

-Sensitive to loud noise and bad textures, buys several of the same shirt for texture reasons. Hates anything that exposes his arms.

-Wouldn’t call himself romantic but he totally is, incorrectly quotes romantic poems to Roguefort sometimes

-Isn’t one for emotions, bad at comforting, smiling is hard (this is projection)

-Only child, never wanted one as a kid but now everyone he knows has a sibling and hes grumpy about it

-Doesn’t drink, still goes to Sparkling’s bar to hang out. Definitely not because he has a dad instinct about most of the patrons bc their in their 20s and not too smart

-Honestly thought Croissant had come out to him sometime before she actually did, so he was slightly confused when she did actually come out. She hasnt let him live it down.

-Has taken Adventurer under his wing, he reminds him of himself when he started out. Mentally refers to Onion as his granddaughter. Their actually a pretty good detective duo.

-Very Proud Dad and will not shut up about it. not exactly gushy but he will bring his kids up in every non-work conversation he can, intentionally or not. 

-Can see ghosts. no particular reason i just think its funny.

-His favourite season is his birth season; Autumn. however he hates both the cold and the heat equally.

-afraid of mice, which is why he wanted a cat

-thought turtles and tortillas were the same thing until he was like, 13

-hates maths entirely, i dont know how much maths is involved in detective work but he still doesnt like it.

-has an old scar from his very first detective case that aches and makes him limp sometimes. doesn’t like to talk about it.

[thelennondiaries]

                                           playlist  ✧ pinterest ✧ song

full name :  olivia  rania  carroll nickname(s) :  liv, livi age : twenty - three birth date : december 13th birth place : manhattan ,  ny siblings :  n/a gender :  cis  female  ( she / her )
 orientation : bisexual  biromantic occupation :  college student face claim : h.ailee s.teinfeld

        to put it nicely, olivia was a surprise. a mistake would be too heavy of a word and frankly lennon had made too many mistakes in his life. if he was being honest with himself his daughter was the one thing he got right in life. call it friendship solidarity, but some how some way ( with lots of alcohol involved ) lennon managed to have a wild night with tahani’s cousin. that wild night led to olivia. in no way was lennon ready to be a father. he could barely take care of himself let alone another human but somewhere in his mind he thought this was his fresh start, his big chance to do something right. he tried to be a good dad. he went to all the doctor visits, got clean, help paint a nursery and all that shit you’re supposed to do when attempting to be a good dad. it was working for sometime. lennon felt he could be part of this world and part of his daughter world but when olivia turned two he relapsed and lennon knew this pipe dream he had would never come to fruition. so he left.

olivia didn’t grow up without. her mother was well off which meant by proxy olivia was well off. she had everything she ever wanted at her fingertips. the only thing that she did want that she couldn’t have was a relationship with her father. lennon would come around here and there and always write her sappy poems on her birthday but it was never enough to build and actual relationship, not like she wanted, but olivia made so with the scraps she was given. her childhood was a rather lonely one. olivia wasn’t good at making friends. she was awkward and honestly a little weird at times. she was known not to have a filter. she was a hyper child so to keep her preoccupied olivia was enrolled into many things to be a well rounded adult. her interests were more into sportier endeavors. ballet didn’t last long but the lessons came in handy for other interest. she had a knack for gymnastics, archery and fencing. it got her many trophies and medals along the way. the accolades were nice but they didn’t fill the void she felt.

unfortunately, olivia was her father’s daughter. she had managed to keep up appearances long enough. it wasn’t easy living up to everyone’s expectations. in some ways she understood why her father didn’t because it seemed easier just to be a disappointment. at least people knew not to expect anything from you yet so much was riding on olivia’s shoulders at all times. it was only a matter of time before she stumbled.

that stumbling came in the form of a dare. she was never one to back down from a challenge. she was known for running into things head first without a plan. normally, money could be the solution. to put her skills to the test she was dared to ring the bell on the ravenwood campus with her bow and arrow. her first attempt she hit the bell with ease, however it didn’t ring, to prove a point she tried again this time aiming for the rope. it worked. olivia felt triumphant for a moment until ... the bell tower collapsed. 

eventually the carroll was going to kick in, olivia just hoped it wouldn’t have been such an expensive and embarrassing moment when it did. of course her mother was not happy about it. she said olivia was rich and young, which was a deadly combination because she thought she was invincible which olivia got the reality check that she wasn’t. so as punishment, all her credit cards were cancelled. to make matters worse for olivia, her father was trying to actually rekindle a relationship after all these years and be a quote ‘good father’ to her now. honestly the notion is more stressful than sentimental in her eyes. it was easier when he was just a birthday card to her.

random  facts

terrible at math like please don’t ask her anything related to it

loves dogs been waiting for the day she can adopt one

the one sport she doesn’t do is basketball if only to spite her dad a little

despite the shortcomings with her dad, olivia is very family oriented. she cares a lot about people around her. although it hard at times she tries to be a source of light, she wants to do good, see people smile and help even though most times she feels she does the exact opposite 

likes going to galas and fancy party for the fancy finger food. she can fuck up some cucumber sandwiches

likes to be super humble about being rich and often lies about it so people will actually like her for her and not what she can get them

[edgarwayne]

“IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY IT DOESN’T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE TO OTHERS…”

Have you seen EDGAR WAYNE around Faerune? They’re a VAMPIRE who REJECTS the Unseelie Queen’s reign. People have heard they’re AGREEABLE, CLEVER & EARNEST but can also be ANXIOUS, CAUTIOUS & DELICATE. We’ll see where they fall when the revolution arrives, but until then they can be found working as an ENGLISH PROFESSOR.

EDGAR AT A GLANCE

NAME: Edgar Lawton-Beckwith Wayne ALIASES: Edgar, Professor/Doctor Wayne, Bubba by Kirby, Eddie by Rory AGE: 221, but he died at 43. [Born June 2nd] AFFILIATIONS: Last known surviving member of the Victorian Wayne aristocracy; tennis coach for the men’s team and staff advisor to the Creative Writing Club at the university OCCUPATION: English and Literature Professor at Faerune University GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis Male, He/Him SEXUALITY: Gay as all hell QUIRKS: Has two pet rats named Allen and Poe, Allen being white and Poe being black.  His instagram mainly consists of pictures of his rats, coffee vibes, and book quotes.  Because rats have very short life spans, every few years after mourning his pets Edgar gets a new pair and names them after various classic authors.  Has one long scar along his arm; he broke it when he was a child, wandering the woods near his home trying to find any signs of his father. Will easily go into full ramble mode on literature, history, and how they intersect, if given a chance.  Terrified of horses; a fact he pointedly ignored when his first crush and kiss was his grandparents’ stable boy. Edgar thrives on organized chaos.  He normally refuses any TAs because more often than not they try to clean up his office and it creates more stress than it’s worth.  His work and home office are an absolute mess, but Edgar wouldn’t want it any other way.  Has three PhDs from Oxford in Classical Languages & Literature, English, and Literature & the Arts.  [honestly there’s so many more quirks but this list is already too long] MARKEKTABLE/TRADE SKILLS: Edgar’s creative streak has come in handy for the bartering system in Faerune.  He knits scarves and hats (which he also makes for his rats), creates small paintings and short poems for trade.  Rory has been teaching Edgar how to do woodcarvings, so once he gets better he will also make figurines to give out.

BIOGRAPHY

At the very beginning Edgar had a wonderful life.  Two loving parents; a home never knowing of need or desperation; a small, peaceful English village in the 19th century.  It all changed when he was six years old.  Father never came home.  Mother waited anxiously in the foyer for days on end, insisting it wasn’t like her husband to disappear without a word.  

The absence of his father was certainly not lost on Edgar as he grew up.  In his childhood he adored his father; he had been a good father and had fostered the boy’s love for reading.  That passion fueled Edgar to pursue an education in literature, finding a career as an English professor.  

That isn’t to say he wasn’t also very close to his mother.  When it became just the two of them, they were inseparable.  So many of Edgar’s hobbies and favorite pass times came from her.  They would spend hours gardening, sewing, playing cards.  Edgar loved his mother dearly.  And so, when she passed away a few years after her husband’s disappearance, it broke little Edgar’s heart.  He was taken into the guardianship of his paternal grandparents, and life was hard for the boy from that point onward.

As he became more established as an adult, it was time to follow his next passion:  to find the truth about his father.  Edgar was willing to accept the death of his loved one, as long as his family had closure.  As long as he could find a body to bring home to join Mother beside her grave.

After years of research, questioning, and persistence, Edgar could tell he was getting closer to the truth.  He could feel it in his soul.  It was how he had met Felicia Connelly.  A witch who supported him in his search and quickly became his best friend.  For so long Edgar had felt alone in the world, but Felicia made life seem so much more worthwhile.

So, it was rather ironic that only a few years after meeting the witch Edgar died. He couldn’t remember much of the incident itself, or the events that led up to it, but he knew it was related to his father’s disappearance.  He had stuck his nose in something big, and it cost him his humanity.  Now Edgar had a choice:  embrace this new life of his, to continue his search for answers, or refuse to drink blood and die as a human.  It was a hard decision, certainly, but he had a duty to fill.  For himself and for his parents.

Edgar hates drinking blood, the thought of it would make him sick to his stomach if his mouth wasn’t watering in anticipation.  For a while he tried to abstain, to avoid hurting anyone, but he quickly learned that was not an option.  And so, he came up with a plan.  The newly formed vampire did not want to hurt innocents, so criminals would have to do.  It still left a knot of guilt in his stomach, but it was the only compromise he could think of.  

Using his abilities for persuasion, Edgar would slip into prisons and jail cells and ask his potential meals what crimes they committed.  He only chose the violent criminals, the ones that had little to no regret for their actions.  Even while from a family of influence, he couldn’t find it in himself to blame the thieves, the whores.  They were simply trying to live their life as best they could.

Decades continued on, and Edgar never got any closer to finding the truth.  He watched in horror as his only remaining family dwindled away, until he was the last of the Wayne inheritance.  He moved from town to town, staying for as long as he could as a teacher, until too many years had passed for him to “look well for his age” without drawing suspicion.  

Occasionally Edgar would come back to his hometown, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, he would find a new lead.  A bone to gnaw on as he struggled to find a reason for continuing his lonely existence.  Getting close to others was out of the question.  They all would eventually die, and that was more painful than keeping to himself.

When rumors of a city full of non-human creatures reached Edgar, he decided it was as good of a chance as any to find any information on his father’s disappearance.  If there were others just as old as him, or even older, there was a slim possibility someone could know something.  All Edgar had left was his hope, and he was not going to squander it.

AND WHAT HAS BECOME OF YOU?

After over a century Edgar and Felicia have been reunited and he’d be damned if he lets her slip from his fingers once more.  He has convinced her to follow her dreams and take medical classes, while she has been teaching him how to fight and defend himself.

Edgar has also become bit of a mentor to Atlas, trying to help him control his feeding urges.  In return Atlas has been teaching Edgar how to play guitar.  Between that and Rory teaching him how to play drums, Edgar will soon be ready to start a one-man band (jk).

Kirby now lives with him and Edgar is doing his best to help them come out of their shell and be more themself without fear of repercussion.  

Over the last year he and Ram have become good friends and often go out for drinks, be it to the bar or to a nice little cafe where they can chat and decompress.  The same is true for him and Rory, who often have coffee and movie nights, as well as hangout time between them and Fee.

He hates that so many are trapped in Faerune (himself included), that their freedom has been cast away by these unseelie.  While the aid that has been given to the city is appreciated, Edgar is fully aware of the silent threat hanging over them.

[1mpulsec0ntrol]

ZAKIR SETHUPATHI

nickname; baagee ( rebel in Hindi ) // age; 27 years old - january 8th 1972 // gender/pronouns; cis-man, he/him // occupation; rapper/associate // protected by sawayama // from new delhi, india

quick summary;

Zakir was born in New Delhi, India to a Muslim father and a Hindu mother. The preasure was always on, growing up. To get the highest marks at school, to be the perfect son. Zakir excelled in very little aside from languages. And as a darker skinned brown kid, he was at the mercy of his peers constantly. His uncle, a delhi businessman, travelled often to the USA, and brought back cassettes filled with hip-hop music for his nephews; Zakir and his three younger brothers. Unlike his brothers, Zakir grew obsessed with it. He'd written poetry all his life, and here was something that put poetry to music. Only a month before he turned eighteen, Zakir immigrated to New York City, to the city where hip-hop was born. He'd always thought that these kids were similar to him, facing the same struggles because of the colour of their skin. Reality hit him only a few months into trying to make a name for himself. He continued his attempt at doing exactly what everyone around him was doing, until he realised he was lacking in two things; originality and money. He started working for the Sawayama organisation as an interpreter and translator, able to switch quickly between languages. And this too he began using in his music.

personality;

Zakir has sculpted a personality for himself that he uses when in public, going by his stage name Baagee, meaning rebel in Hindi, he is all suave and charming. He's loose and easy to talk to, will spark up conversations with anyone, and isn't afraid to talk about his passion and his talents. He comes off as loving expensive things, beautiful women, and fast cars, while switching between languages at the drop of a head to impress people.

In the company of friends however, Zakir is much more anxious and reserved. He tends to say fewer words and gives more meaning to gestures and non-verbal communication. He's a romantic at heart, always looking for genuine love from others, and always worried about distorting this image of the suave rapper. He's especially worried of the outside world learning of his bisexuality, after all, a rapper is supposed to be seen with a woman at his side, not another man.

head canons;

Zakir is a polyglot, he was quick to pick up new languages in his youth and has mastered several, while always picking up new ones. At current he's fluent in Hindi, English, Russian, Urdu, and Arabic. While being able to understand and convey a general message in Spanish, Gujarati, and Japanese. And learning Mandarin and Portuguese.

He always wears glasses, most often sunglasses.

Can often be seen scribbling down new ideas in his notebook; sentences he hears that would work good in a song, concepts that would make for good songs, little poems, and quotes from people around him.

He addresses anyone his age with either habibi ( 'my dear' or 'my love' in Arabic ) or bhai ( 'brother' in Hindi / Indic language ), and anyone older than him as auntie or uncle. Does this consistently and with respect.

Despite his mastery of languages, Zakir still has a distinct accent when speaking in Russian, English or Spanish.

connections;

wanted;

friends

enemies

people he can learn languages from

fellow artists (any type of creative)

fans of his music

established;

Anchali Malee Shinawatra - pen pall / unrequited love

Katherine Boyd - friend / mutual banter

[sawthatmountainburn]

that julia serano quote i reblogged a few posts ago reminded me of this dumbfuck tеrf poem I don't fully remember anymore, but do distinctly recall having a line about "acting demure in your long skirts" or some shit and also a line like "have you ever felt trapped in your uncle's lap" or some shit like that and it's just. so fucking blatant tеrfs actively refuse to show an ounce of empathy or understanding for transfems, like they go out of their way to shut their whole fucking brain down just to make themselves angry and paint transfems as bad guys. like you have to be deliberately ignorant to assume transfems don't get sexually abused as children and you have to be actively trying to paint them as villains if you think then acting ~demure~ is somehow an affront to cis womankind and not just the same shit you have to deal with. i've been mad about this for close to a decade and i will continue to be mad about it until i die.

[etraudvenus]

Initially, I was trying to pursue the topic of transhumanism. From the recommendations Paul gave me, he put an important emphasis on Derek Jarman. Upon researching his work I found the genre he fits into New Queer Cinema. I was overwhelmed by choice and didn’t know where to start, so I asked a friend, and she told me about Cheryl Dunye and her most famous work ‘The Watermelon Woman’ (1996). While watching this movie I started to make a lot of connections with some  personal research I was doing into love, specifically ‘All About Love’ (2000) by Bell Hooks, and it inspired me to change my topic to Love.

Cheryl Dunye

Cheryl Dunye is an American filmmaker who began her career during the rise of New Queer Cinema, a movement characterized by independent film-making centered around the realism of raw queer stories and intersectionalism that differed from the commonly sanitized characters of the mainstream featuring white cis gay men. Dunye’s first work ‘Wild Thing’ (1989) was a montage with footage of the poet Sapphire reciting her own poem by the same name. In her second tape ‘Janine’ (1990), she made a montage with her own likeness this time, sitting down and filming herself talking about her crush named Janine, and how the implications of their queer and racial identities affected them. With this approach, she wishes to empower her own experiences, and by using the personal as theoretical, making the audience question their own intricacies in their identities, even if they're not the same as hers. Dunye later gained her popularity with her movie ‘The Watermelon Woman’, it premiered at Berlinale in 1996, granting her the Teddy Award for Best Feature, an important landmark for queer history, as it was the first feature film where both the creator and the main character was a black lesbian woman, and, deservedly so, the movie has been acclaimed as a queer classic ever since. Her storytelling never shies away from queer and racial experiences of the working class or forcibly tries to make it palatable for a straight white audience. Dunye’s style often combines different types of video production, like when we see the character Cheryl film herself, the footage is intentionally in lower definition, grainy and shaky. Deliberately choosing to play a character as herself, speaking directly to the camera and recognizing the production at play speaks to her distinct approach of combining different mediums, like personal artwork, documentary and fiction. 

In the movie ‘The Watermelon Woman’, the main character Cheryl is an aspiring filmmaker who gets sucked into the mystery of the real identity behind an actress in the 1920s who always played the role of the mammy, and is only ever credited as the Watermelon Woman. Throughout the film, she finds out her name, Fae Richards, she was also a lesbian and had an off-screen romance with a queer white woman who was the director of the movies she was in, Martha Page. During the incessant search for more information on Fae’s history, Cheryl also falls in love with a white woman, Diana, and they share genuinely beautiful romantic scenes. Yet, when all the puzzle pieces come together at the end of the movie, the thought of both those relationships leaves a sour taste in your mouth that is hard to explain if you haven’t felt it yourself. Like Cheryl’s best friend Tamara points out, Diana was lost in her life and seemed to be using Cheryl's purpose and other people’s struggles to find her own happiness, as seen by her actions; she had dated several black people before Cheryl, she didn’t need to have a job so she moved to a black neighbourhood to “find herself” and volunteered helping poor black children. 

In the essay ‘Clarity: Give Love Words’ in ‘All About Love’, Hooks points to a quote by psychiatrist Scott Peck where, in his book ‘The Road Less Travelled’ (1978), he defines love as the following: 

“Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth… Love is as love does. Love is an act of will — namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love.” (p.4)

As Bell Hooks also puts it, love is not just a feeling, it is an action and a verb: “The word "love" is most often defined as a noun, [...] we would all love better if we used it as a verb”. We can find ourselves confused after a break-up trying to figure out when the feeling changed, but more often than not the answer was always there in plain sight, hidden behind misconceptions, a lover’s actions will tell more about their love than their words.

Perhaps Tamara’s view was a bit cynical, or Diane’s actions of love towards others, indulging in the relationship with Cheryl and even helping her with her film project, were more so coming out of her own self-interest. However, besides everything, Cheryl finds peace with her heartbreak and even her passion project which does go at all the way that she intended it. In the ending monologue, she shares the realization that the struggle of both their lives does not take away from all the victories and ‘precious moments’, that Fae’s story might’ve been far from a fairy tale, but she followed her heart and her passions despite the push back from the world, and that gave her hope, courage and confidence to do the same. No matter what, she showed herself she is able to be a young black lesbian filmmaker, and this movie, all the love and recognition it received in the queer community, is proof of that.

Hooks, B. (2000) All About Love. New York: HarperCollins. 

[rosabuchanan]

Summary of Concept

6/3/23

Focusing on the “manic pixie dream girl” (MPDG) trope and how it dictates perceptions of women and femininity, specifically in cis relationships. I aim to take scenes from movies that fit the MPDG trope including Paper Towns, 500 Days Of Summer, Ruby Sparks, and intertwine them with filmed footage of realistic depictions of women and women in relationships.

I will also be using the audio of the “Cool Girl” monologue by Gillian Flynn to play in the background as it verbalises the idea that women are forced to be smaller and choreographed in their actions due to the expectations society has set. 

As the video progresses I intend on slowly distorting the audio and showcasing filmed scenes and found footage that visualises mania (referring to the “manic” in manic pixie dream girl). I aim for the work to become very erratic to symbolise that the film in its entirety describes a woman continually trying to achieve this trope/be the “cool girl” and ultimately being pushed to her limit where the aspects of the MPDG go too far and are no longer seen as attractive.

My primary inspiration for this film is Laura Mulvey as she discusses the male gaze and its role in cinema. The quote by Mulvey from her book Visual and Other Pleasures, “-In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.” encompasses the idea I intend on portraying in my work as it articulates the expectations of women in society which the MPDG trope visualises in film. 

The implementation of movie scenes, the MPDG trope and the cool girl poem will be what aligns my work with the Copy brief.

[lantai-kampoeng]

Mencintai seseorang adalah seni yg paling sederhana tuk menderita. Dan ujung-ujungnya jadi orang yg cuma reply story Good luck and stay positive bro !! _ Semoga bermanfaat, Salam, @lantai_kampoeng ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 👉 Harga: ▪️ Satuan = Rp. 100 ribu/pcs ▪️ 1 lusin (12 kaos) = Rp. 90 ribu/pcs 👉 Kalimat quotes dan warna desain dapat dirubah sesuai permintaan. 👍 Bahan: Cotton combed 20's dan 30's (Adem, menyerap keringat, dan nyaman dipakai) 👍 Jenis Sablon: ➡️ DTG Soft Printing (hemat & awet) ➡️ DTG Sharp printing (warna tajam & tak terbatas) 👍 Tersedia: 🔹 Size M, L , XL dan 4XL (+Rp. 5.000) 🔹 Lengan panjang (+Rp. 5.000) 🔹 Raglan kombinasi warna (lengan 3/4) 🔹 Banyak pilihan warna 👍 informasi & pemesanan: ▶️ @lantai_kampoeng ✍️ lantaikampoeng@gmail.com ✔️ Clenoro 0895-2541-1915 (Wa) ▶️ Lokasi: Rawamangun, Jakarta ▶️ Pengiriman menggunakan J&T dan JNE ⠀ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 🌷 Follow @lantai_kampoeng 🌷 🌷 Follow @lantai_kampoeng 🌷 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ #murnisetya #poempm #poem #poetry #penulisindonesia #bicaraasa #catatanstory #bicara_rasa #sastrajeda #ayosemangat #lantai_kampoeng #rintisanindonesia #marimembaca #sajakcinta #puisiku #motivasionline #literasi #pemudahijrah #quotes #gagalmoveon #semangat #bisayokbisa #janganlemah #perempuankuat #jagahati #stayhome #indah #lakilakihebat https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci-Y_23rtoY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[liberty-or-death]

An Introduction to Cu Ci 楚辞 (A combined meta between 2HA, Blood of Youth, SHL, MDZS/CQL and Thousand Autumns)

If you’re familiar with Chinese historical media, you might have been familiar with the following terms. 

九歌 (Jiu Ge/Nine Songs -  Chu Wanning’s qin (2HA), Luo Qingyang’s Blade (Blood of Youth), 

天问 (Tian Wen/Heavenly Questions) - Chu Wanning’s Whip, SHL’s opening song

怀沙 (Huai Sha/Embracing Sand) - Chu Wanning’s third weapon

招魂 (Zhao Hun/Summoning Spirits) - MDZS audio drama insert song, spell used in 2HA, mentioned in the opening of CQL episode 1.

国殇  (Guo Shang/National Matyr) - Luo Qingyang’s sword skill

礼魂 (Li Hun/Cermonial Spirit) - Luo Qingyan’s spirit.

东君 (Dong Jun/Eastern Gentleman) - a character in Blood of Youth 

渔夫 (Fisherman) - Wen Kexing quotes a line from this.

离骚 （Encountering Sorrow/Li Sao) - Briefly quoted in Thousand Autumns 

But did you guys know that it all these come from the same source? 😂😂

These are various works by the Qu Yuan 屈原, who was a poet and statesman of Chu 楚 during the Warring States period.  And yes, this is the same Chu 楚, as that of Chu Waning’s surname.  I’m guessing it was a shout out to the poet. 

 Qu Yuan was known for his patriotism and various contributions to Chinese classical poetry.  The above are part of the Cu Ci 楚辞 (Songs of Chu), a collection of poems 

I’ll talk about these various parts in detail but could you imagine how excited I was to learn that the inspiration behind Chu Wanning and Luo Qingyang came from the same source? 😍😍