#sword tai chi

[bechloesupercorp]

beatrice is a tai chi grandma.

when ava wakes up and bea isn't in her arms, she toddles her way to the kitchen and fills their travel mugs with tea.

sixty years (seven months, and twenty-four days, not that bea's counting) is a long time to be together, excluding the whole arc situation. neither of them regret it one bit.

warm sun shines on her face as she skips down to the park by their flat. she might move slower now, but life's never been better.

there. it's just like the first time she saw her, focused and stoic, going smoothly though tai chi forms. ava knows exactly when bea sees her -- the way her gaze focuses and a hint of a smile.

settling into the chair that magically appeared after the second time ava appeared in the middle of a session, she waves to camila, who's frantically knitting. lilith is there too, wings shining in the sunlight. her hair is grey now, natural and flowing -- none of that dollar store wig-ess stuff from when she first transformed.

birds chirp and soft winds blow. a familiar figure arrives, same old cane in hand.

for a revived paraplegic and former nuns doomed to die young, ava thinks they've done pretty damn well for themselves.

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Michelle Yeoh retired for acting in the late 80s and then came back five years later and did like seven movies in the space of a year.

What a legend.

[fuforthought]

Wu Jing in the 1998 tv series, The Tai Chi Master.

[kultofathena]

The Hanwei Practical Tai Chi Sword comes in 3 lengths. All models feature steel guards and pommels, plated to harmonize the color scheme of the sword. The moderately sharp blades are fully tempered high-carbon steel with a flattened-diamond blade section. The grips and matching scabbards are made of fiberglass for maximum durability.

28 Blade Weight: 1 lb 5.6 oz POB: 4 5/8"

30 Blade Weight: 1 lb 6 oz POB: 5 1/2"

32 Blade Weight: 1 lb 7.2 oz POB: 6 1/8"

[lokh]

man watching those is making me like. what if i went back to tai chi or kung fu 😭😭😭😭

[chobistudio]

【Wushu】2008 Men's Optional Routine Taijijian (2/2)

[amongdragons]

Taoist Elements In Sword Forms: A Couple Of Examples

My friend asked to give an example of Taoist element in the form. Well… For instance, the fragment involving a series of horizontal chou (抽) (or xi, 洗 as variant) with steps to both sides and dian (點) at the end (I’m using the names from Essentials Of the Wudang Sword Art (武當劍法大要)by Huang Yuanxiu, I was taught according to the manual of Li Jinglin). Continue reading Untitled

[lillysilvermoon]

Qualities of your SP

Hi everyone! Hope yall are doing great, as I promised the Tarot Reading who won was Qualities of your SP, but don't worry, tomorrow I'll post What June will bring to you? (College starts Monday so I'll do my very best to make 2 readings tomorrow and post What are your psychics abilities? In the middle of the week). NOW let's get into the reading!

Pile 1

The reading is about qualities but I feel someone need to kind know something about what its going on with them??? (This is totally NOT planned but it's what I'm feeling). See, this is for a VERY specific person, below y'all gonna see the characteristics but this message has to be given to someone about their SP so, if you don't feel it's for you just continue the reading to see their characteristics!!

Hum, okay. Right now they going through a very thought situation, there is something ending in their lives but they aren't accepting and this is just making everything awful - with ends comes new begins and opportunities, but since they aren't accepting they are stuck. The cards literally complete each other, 10 of swords talks about endings and the importance of them for new things, but they are so strongly holding on that they are turning down opportunities, and the sad is: they are regretting doing this.

They are a very gentle soul, with and because of the others cards, I fell like they are imbalanced with their feminine and masculine side.

(END OF THE MESSAGE)

They are kind, like arts in all forms, very creative too, they like to use all their senses. They like to enjoy the pleasures life has to offer.

4ofC is astrologically aassociated with the moon in cancer, this card carries a passive receptive energy (and since you got the Empress too they definitely have more of feminine energy).

They have very "Je ne sais quoi" that many envy, they mastered the art of looking effortless. They don't follow trends and honestly don't care about them, very laid back and chill and youthful energy. They eat what they want when they want and workout when they feel like it, they believe life is to short. Hmm okay wait, they have too a big masculine energy, but because of things they have gone through they can look careless is selfish, but they are actually very kind and gentle, you will feel safe with them.

This is a general reading so: for some of you this person can be extremely toxic, with victim mentality, prone to overreactions and drama. What I'm picking up is: they are is a bad place right now, but this isn't who they are. They are NOT bad, narcissistic is anything, but they have gone through a lot and aren't their best right now (I feel you SP has been very judged by others because I feel so protective over them it's crazy like, has this urgency to say how they aren't evil or bad they are just so... omg they don't even know they just feel miserable but they have a good, kind, gentle side and it's their true self).

(Sorry pile 1 but I feel this is what you were needing to see right now😞)

Signs: scorpio, pisces, libra, house number 2, Jupiter and venus placements.

Pile 2

Hi pile 2, let's get into your reading!

They have "the whole package". They are smart, funny, and physically attractive (whatever it is for you), very masculine energy (saturn) and this is a VERY major part of their identity because it's from a major Arcana (The World) - wow pile 2 you guys are so lucky 😍 -

They are definitely into self care and they take very good care not just of their body but of their souls too, they may be into meditation or yoga, tai chi chuan.

They can be in a career who have to travel a lot, very into teamwork and social friendly, practical and effective in communication, they like to share and talk about the things they do/products they use and recommend to theirs friends, they like team sports.

Definitely someone very kind and compassionate, great with children, can be a people pleaser sometimes (but since this is minor arcana I feel this isn't too much a part of their personality, but can happen!)

They doesn't have a big ego, it's the kind of person who make you feel like you are in this together, when romantically involved would make everything to make the relationship works.

This isn't for everyone but, for some here they can also be someone that makes you feel like they are hiding something or keeping a secret from you - for some this means that they are someone who likes to make surprises to you;

They can be someone obsessed over some part of they physical appearance and go to extremes to preserve it, like work out a lot, have a extreme diet or be obsessed with eat only healthy foods, very regimented skincare routine etc, may have trust issues, struggle with repressive emotions, be closed off, would benefit from therapy but probably aren't open to the idea

(At this point feel like this group is divided into a healthy person and someone who needs to do shadow work, talk to a professional and probably receive a HUGE hug)

Signs: moon, mercury, Mars (saints! definitely masculine energy), aries, aquarius and Taurus.

Pile 3

I got to say: you are my favorite pile, Gods your SP is just SO CUTE and wonderful. Honestly the healthiest one here (what's going on with people now day huh???). But let's get into your reading, shall we?

Omg I am SO EXCITED I'm sorry I just can, this SP is romantic and sensible and has a LOT of pieces energy; takes great care of the appearance and makes their health a priority, dress casually but you can tell they made some effort to look sharp, empathetic and compassionate, you probably won't see them judging others, emotionally balanced, unafraid of their masculine sides, they are daring and take risks - 100% would call you on a date without fear of a "no" - also they support their feminine side by embracing their emotions, will make you believe chivalry is still here, they make you feel charmed but not manipulated.

They are a very happy, zen and calmest person you will ever meet, they are very grateful and never takes anything for granted, their spirituality have a HUGE impact on their life, "big picture" thinkers, probably likes philosophy or have profound conversations and they may not reveal this in the beginning of the relationship, they may come off as very sophisticated or they can appear modest when in fact they are super wealthy, they tend to consume a very well-moderated diet, the like to enjoy the finer things in life but they don't tend to abuse substances or overuse. They are emotionally intelligent and know how to deal with their emotions in a very rational way, rarely loses their temper but definitely have healthy boundaries, have gratitude practices, they put a great deal of value in the amount of energy someone invests in their relationships and they are always nurturing quality relationships with others. May works in something family related, anything related to family including pet services. They are someone who makes you feel serenely content, you might make the happiest, most peaceful memories in your life with this person. Excellent parent and 100% spouse material.

Signs: cancer, scorpio, sagittarius, aries, moon, Neptune (pisces energy, Leo.

I am honestly very happy with this reading, took me more time but I loved - I study more about the tarot related to personality, was really fun and I loved put the theory in practice.

Hope y'all liked, see you in the next reading.

- Lia

Share so more people can see♡

[betterbooktitles]

“Do you do self-deprecating humor?” He asked.

“Sure,” I said, waiting for him to list three comics he loves who also make fun of themselves. I grimaced.

“Self-deprecation…” he said, swiping a flat hand through the air in front of him slowly as if doing Tai Chi “should be wielded like a sword. It’s a weapon to put other people at ease.”

“OK.” I said.

“You don’t do that, though. You tell jokes about your body and what you eat and let people in on how you feel about yourself.”

I stared at him while he waited for me to say something.

“Stop doing that. You can crack a joke at your own expense to make people relax, but opening yourself up, letting your guard down so you can tell everyone ‘Hey, look what a piece of shit I am!’ is bad. If you keep saying that and making other people see you as that, you will eventually believe it. So only use those jokes as a weapon. Not an excuse for public self-flagellation.”

I nervously laughed. It was like I had reached the top of a mountain to find a monk who would only answer one question, and he had already answered mine without me opening my mouth. One of the most important questions of all: where do I find self-worth and what do I do to protect it?

Read the rest of my thoughts about joke writing, food, books, and depression here.

It’s also available now as a newsletter if you’re interested in that!

[biboomerangboi]

This is absolutely nothing to do with the Netflix show I haven’t even watched that thing but I’m once again thinking about Sokka and Sokkas Master again and going insane.

Especially with how Sokka was never supposed to be a warrior. Like fundamentally he’s just not built for that kind of life. He was born into war and has been basically been told and trained to believe that one day he is going to die for his tribe and especially for his sister and that’s his destiny and he’s like okay that’s my job that’s what I do and everyone in the tribe knows this and sees this as my role as I am the only man left. (I sincerely doubt a bunch of woman and old people were actually looking at this kid as the last warrior seriously until he went to fight the fire nation BY HIMSELF but that’s not the point, the point is he was doing it)

But but the thing about Sokka is he’s not a fighter, he’s a scholar to his core. He doesn’t win hand to hand against Zuko but he does get a hit in with his boomerang that takes an insane amount of math to do perfectly and even though he loses the fight we realise already that Sokka is coming at this war from a different angle that anyone else is.

Like Sokka knows when he joins Aang he doesn’t have as much to bring to the team, he basically assigns himself the role of provider and bodyguard and is now willing to die for both of them because they are two of the most important people in the world and he could have been cynical the entire time. He was prepared to be cynical. Until he goes to Kyoshi gets his shit rocked by a girl and is like oh damn there’s different ways to go about fighting and war and I actually don’t know a lot of it can you super pretty warrior lady teach me your ways and from that moment on Sokka becomes a student.

He gets the mark of the wise with Bato, he figures out how to get Katara on that prison ship and that the fortune teller is a hoax and gets the water bending scroll all through thinking things through not fighting them head on. He invents the fricken war ballon and it’s so clear that all his thinking is now coming at things from an angle no one expects which is so perfect for this war in particular considering it’s been basically a slow tug of war between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation for decades. He’s looking at these things and he’s like hey I’m not a bender but I do know how benders think and how a lot of people think because I’m trying to figure out how the world works. Like by the time he gets to North he isn’t as great with the weapons because again HES NOT A FIGHTER AT HEART but he is a thinker and he points out all the holes in the Norths strategy with full confidence.

Like in book 2 all his thoughts are about winning and out thinking the enemy. He learns about the library and gets so genuine excited about it but he can’t be a true nerd cause of his responsibilities but he basically plans a way to win the war, learns haikus, try’s art, gets into wrestling and learns so much about other cultures and skills he’s always thinking and winning and no longer doing things on impulse.

But of course he still feels insecure about that and doesn’t see his brain as his true weapon because he was supposed to be the warrior. That’s his role.

So he goes to Piandao who sees all of that and sees how Sokka is so so smart and eager to learn and think in ways that no one expects and he nurtures that. He teaches him art and calligraphy and gives him a Jian! He gives Sokka a Jian "The Gentleman of Weapons" not Dao even though Dao are made for soilders and Jian are for scholars, nobels and people who have time for proper sword craft. (Not to mention the fact they are primarily used for Tai Chi which is also the base for water bending which is just a detail I love). Like the Jian is a sword for scholars it’s for scholars!!!

Sokkas a thinker not a fighter and that’s so amazing to me.

Like he starts as the boy that took on a fire nation ship by himself then ends the series as the guy who’s strategies won the war, a trusted advisor for basically anyone of importance because they know he’s smart and are willing to listen to his ideas and with such a happy future for him to grow without the weight of having to be a fighter weighing him down cause that’s not who he’s supposed to be.

[purplealmonds]

🧭⚔️☔️Observations about the earth-aligned "Kun" exorcism sword

Discussions of potential spoilers beneath the cut.

It appears to take various forms both segmented and whole in the latest trailer, but seems to have a solidity to it that's unlike the Li exorcism sword's organic fire-like form.

And the blade itself seems to be...nonexistent upon first unsheathing the exorcism sword?

It does not emerge until Shingi summons this concentric sigil, which matches the markings on his body.

As a side note: this sigil fascinates me. To fully understand why, please refer to my analysis video about the Asian Philsophy of the Universe.

I include a visual from that post for convenience:

If I were to hazard a guess, outer circle has eight prongs to represent the 8 trigrams, and the next one in with 4 prongs represent the older and younger variants of Yin and Yang? I'm willing to bet that the innermost circles represent Ryo-Gi (Yin & Yang) and Tai Chi (existence) respectively.

It also somewhat resembles the Luo Pan - a concentric compass used for Feng Shui practices. Look - I even found the character for "Kun" engraved onto it!

I wrote a little bit about it in this post. In summary, the latest lore video says that the Shuuga operates much like a magnetic field.

So what I'm getting at is, I believe sigil represents some kind of magnetic forcefield and the actual blade (and maybe even the ofuda derived from it) may be formed by some kind of ferromagnetic material which can be moulded to various shapes. Ferrofluid, or magnetic powder, perhaps?

There are plenty of stones that are magnetic - meteorites, lodestones, various igneous rocks seem to be the most thematically appropriate. And it kind of aligns with my theory that Shingi has shifted from an earth aligned to metal aligned being.

[kungfuwushuworld]

Tai Chi Sword Girl

[talentpiper11]

Okay so: what follows is a little ficlet drabble I wrote to respond to/ expand on @mapleapplepiee’s lovely Pie and Prince AU. It was made and posted with her permission, but is not necessarily canon to that au, just an idea taking place in the same space of thoughts. It’s seriously necessary to read her stuff to understand what I’ve got going here, but it’s great stuff and also not super long, so just go do it!

Also, please be aware that this isn’t beta’d— it isn’t even properly proofread, since it was just a fun little exercise for me rather than a full planned fic.

That said, I hope you enjoy!

Pie and Prince Continuation

The fact that Bitty has mistaken Jack for a guard actually comes in handy, for now. Once Jack pulls his foot out of his mouth— possibly he insinuated that baked goods have no place in the diet of anyone seeking to be any kind of athlete, and when Jack compliments his muffin-pan-bludgeoning, Bitty forces him to agree that the muffins themselves didn’t exactly slow him down, now did they, hun?

Jack relents, and at the price of being expected to try one baked good for every time he makes Bitty do this, he’s able to convince Bitty to join him at the castle’s sparring grounds under the promise that he won’t come to any harm.

Being the prince, he’s able to arrange for private training time, but lies and says it’s just the time the guards usually eat lunch— which it technically is, it’s just that he’s not a guard and wouldn’t usually be expected to eat with them, or at this time. The fact that he’s apparently skipping lunch, though, makes Bitty even more determined to get a little bit of pastry into him each time; he even starts mixing in things like quiches to count as both a baked good and a sensible guard’s meal.

When they meet for the first time, Jack decides to show Bitty a sort of sparring pattern that the guards (and he, because he was trained by the best of the guards), use to practice all the relevant moves for a sword fight in one flowing pattern. They start out flowing through the motions of it side by side, like a sword-based tai chi, but as Bitty gets faster and better, Jack convinces him to do it in a proper sparring session.

Now Bitty had some sort of training growing up which means he’s skilled at this sort of thing in general (jousting or fencing or something? The kind of thing that you would see on display at a gathering, not used on a battlefield) so he’s picked up the motions without much trouble, but actually facing Jack while his (wooden, practice) sword swings at him? It’s terrible. And Jack’s moving at an almost ridiculously slow clip, not the kind of speed he’d displayed in the bakery, eons behind the actual pace of battle. But Bitty only sees his trauma, and collapses into the dust before Jack can even get close.

They work through it— slow and halting— over weeks, fitting in time between Bitty’s bakery work and Jack's real princely obligations. As they do, they start to open up to each other, just a bit, just enough to see the light peeking through each other’s facade.

They’re eventually able to work up to crossing blades, and then from there they slowly increase the speed until they’re spinning around the fenced-in practice arena, complex footwork keeping time with the rhythmic hammering of their blades. It’s truly something like a dance— Jack swings his sword with enough speed, now, that it’d certainly hurt if it made contact, but Bitty’s (wooden) blade is already there to meet and redirect it.

They dodge and parry and weave and spin through the whole perimeter of the yard, their feet throwing up puffs of dust, breathing hard but focused entirely on the pattern of each other’s movements. When they come to the end of the movements, they’re standing chest to chest, crossed swords trapped and immovable between them as they heave from exertion.

That’s when cheering erupts from the edge of the practice ring. It’s the assembled members of the SMH! (The Samwell Majesty’s Honorguard, obv). They, and their frogs, ahem, sorry, their squires, have been watching from the lunch hall for months now, and finally made themselves known after that impressive and not at all sexually charged display. They applaud their well-toned asses off, then introduce themselves. Bitty is intimidated for a bit before he recognizes some of them as bakery customers, and then he’s in Work Mode.

He leaves that day with a collection of orders for baked goods, and a sinking feeling that he’s started to fall for this guard— who is almost certainly straight, and would definitely stop training with him if he let it get out that he’s got a crush. So he smothers that crush as hard as he possibly can.

Just in time for the annual dignitaries ball! Or, well, the several-month lead-up to the ball. Bitty is slammed with food orders as the delegations from various countries come into the city, and Jack is slammed with actual Prince work, so neither of them notices at first that they’ve gone longer and longer between practices— then they both notice at once, and assume instantly that the other has detected their budding romantic feelings and is trying to let them down easy.

In a moment of bravery, though, Jack arranges for an invitation to be sent to Bitty that he might attend the culminating event of the visitations, the masquerade ball itself. Bitty— caught off guard— agrees to attend, and the squire who’d come around to announce his invitation leaves before he can change his mind, just after depositing a beautifully inscribed ticket in his hands.

Bitty’s friends leap at the chance to dress him up for the ball, helping him out as much as possible to be presentable, and in the end, he looks ravishing— and very different from his usual garb. He feels a bit gaudy and strange, but his friends swear up and down that he looks perfect, so off he goes.

At the ball, everyone dances with everyone else. The aim, in theory, is to create a sense of equality— the masks mean that anyone could be anyone else, and so you must always treat your partner with respect, because they could be the king or a visiting dignitary as easily as they could be a random lady in waiting or, say, a baker. (In practice, the delegations almost exclusively wear the colors of their nation’s livery, so you can make an educated guess based on your partner’s age, colors, and dancing skill— but a baker wouldn’t be trained to make those calculations.)

When he gets onto the dance floor, Bitty gets passed from person to person, as is the tradition of the ball. He dances with a woman old enough to be his grandmother, a boy who couldn’t be older than him, a middle-aged man, a lovely lady just his height, the list goes on and on and on. Finally, he’s passed into the arms of a man in a stunning dark blue getup, with gold accents at the buttons, the shoulders, and around his mask. They make a dapper pair, with Bitty in scarlet.

Neither recognize the other at first. Jack isn’t sure what country this small blond belongs to, and the guy is certainly not a good enough dancer to be properly-trained royalty, anyway. Bitty is so focused on not tripping over his own feet that he’s not even trying to parse each new partner— though the quick glance he spares for this one tells him he’s definitely his type.

They speak in quiet voices, and Bitty makes a joke at his own expense that pulls a laugh out of Jack, and suddenly they’re both a bit more relaxed in the moment. Then Bitty puts his foot into a puddle of someone’s spilled drink, and he slips to the side. He recovers quickly, his hand in Jack’s firm one giving him plenty of purchase to pull upright, but suddenly they’ve slipped out of the rhythm of the circling dancers.

Bitty, frantic and unsure and embarrassed, falls back on what he’s been practicing for months, and takes the first measured step-step-turn of the sword dance. To his shock, his partner mirrors the movement, stepping in time and sliding backward as he turns so that they’re kept in sync.

After that, they just fall into the dance together. It’s a little different, doing the footwork without the swords, but they hold tight to each other and glide across the dance floor adroitly.

Everyone who’s anyone in the room, save Bitty, has already figured out that the dashing gentleman in blue is the nation’s prince, and nobody who’s anyone has any idea who this shorter man in red is, but they all move to leave room for the pair to spin across the floor in tandem. At the close of the song, the pair are brought chest to chest with each other— and then just as quickly, they’re separated. It’s time to switch partners, after all.

Bitty’s next partner can’t believe their luck, to get the first chance at the gossip scoop, and immediately starts asking Bitty where he’s from, where that dance is from, how does the prince know that dance?

The prince?

Bitty extricates himself from the dance floor after that dance. He’s tired, and he certainly must’ve heard wrong. The prince? No, surely not.

He looks towards the man, still at the center of the whirling maelstrom of dancing, standing out in both grace and color— those are, of course, the colors of the country that they’re in, and so… huh. The prince.

Bitty, having gotten entirely too close to two handsome and ridiculously unattainable gentlemen with blue eyes and dark hair, runs. He leaves the party entirely, making his way into the dark garden outside the ballroom. Of course, some partygoers have filtered out here, but really the only inhabitants of the space are the guards, posted two-by-two at each entrance. He finds himself on a bench, as far away from the glittering colors of the ballroom as he can get without leaving the grounds entirely.

He’s wasting an irreplaceable opportunity to network for his bakery, he tells himself. He should go back in. He’ll never get to be on the inside of a party like this again, either. He really, really should go back in. Come on, Bitty. Get up. Go.

He doesn’t move.

Some interminable time later, he feels someone sit down next to him, and pulls his face from his hands.

It’s Shitty, from the bakery event. From *Jack*. Like Bitty didn’t already feel miserable enough, here’s a guard from Jacks own team, closer to Jack than he’ll ever get to be, to rub his face in it.

But of course, Shitty doesn’t do that. He sits there, not touching Bitty, not even saying anything, but aiming an understanding and open expression at him. An invitation.

“I…” Bitty starts. His voice breaks a little, so he takes another go at it. “Have you ever…” He trails off again.

Okay, deep breath. He pulls off his mask, turning it over in his hands to look at the glittering garnet-red decorations as they catch the light. When he speaks, he’s talking towards the mask more than Shitty.

“There’s… something that I want,” he begins, deciding to keep it vague. “Something that would make me so happy, but I know I can’t actually have it. And I’m worried that if I keep wanting it, it’s going to ruin things that are already good where they are, you know?”

Shitty fixes him with a searching gaze, and Bitty flushes, feeling exposed, almost wishing he kept the mask on so that Shitty’s eyes couldn’t pierce all the way to the core of him.

“Bitty, you wonderful angel sent from above to bless this kingdom with pastry, thank you for telling me all that.”

Bitty didn’t think he’d told all that much, but he got the sense that now was not the time to interrupt, so he smothered his protest.

Sure enough, Shitty continued, “If you want the advice of this guard, all I can say is: if things are really that good, I don’t think you can ruin them so easily. You just gotta ask for what you want, and if the answer’s no, that doesn’t mean that every other nice thing in life has to go that way, too, yeah? And hey. I think there’s always a chance it’s a yes, you know?”

Bitty flushed further, and busied his hands fixing his mask back over his face, tugging the ribbons back into place to hold it on. After a long moment (and once he was safely hidden behind gaudy scarlet sparkles) he looked up at Shitty.

“Thanks,” he said, voice small in the expansive courtyard. “You know, you’re really good at this?”

Shitty laughed. “So I’ve been told. If guarding ever doesn’t pan out, I suppose I have a back-up profession being a supportive bench friend, huh?”

Bitty laughed at that, and the tension that had blanketed the area moved along like leaves in an autumn breeze.

Shitty stood and brushed invisible dust from his breastplate— clearly more of a habitual gesture than a necessary one.

“Look, man, I should get back to work now, but are you good?”

“I’m good, Shitty. Thanks.”

“Anytime, you incredible pie wizard, any time.”

Bitty took a few more moments on the bench to collect himself, but talking about his predicament with Shitty seemed to have shaken something loose in him, and now he was restless. If Shitty was here, surely the rest of his guard squad was as well— surely Bitty could find Jack, and maybe by then he’d know what to say.

He abandoned the bench and started walking back towards the balcony that looked over the garden, where the doors had been thrown open to allow the sounds of music and revelry to spill into the night.

When he came within sight of the balcony, though, he came to such an abrupt stop that he almost faceplanted on the flagstones. There, standing at the railing and looking out into the garden, was the prince. It was hard to tell with the mask, but Bitty was almost certain that he was looking right at him. Oh lord.

Before his brain could catch up with the situation, his legs had carried him behind the nearest hedge. The garden wasn’t quite a maze, but the paths that wound through it had clearly been designed to obscure the perspective of those walking along them— each one curved and planted such that you felt alone even when you knew, intellectually, that you couldn’t be far from the nearest couple taking quiet advantage of the evening’s shadows amidst the foliage.

Bitty wasted little time contemplating the garden’s clever architecture, though, instead devoting his attention to weaving deeper into the twisting paths— further from that balcony, and the prince’s stare. Two turns into his escape, he glanced behind him and was surprised to see the prince was following; when he saw Bitty had spotted him, he called out, “Wait!”

Was that a royal command? Was running away from this situation now technically a little treasonous? Bitty wasn’t sure, but he also wasn’t sticking around to find out. He increased his pace, grateful for the well-tended pathways under his feet as he took each turn faster than was strictly advisable. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he couldn’t lie to himself that it was from exertion— his workouts with Jack had done many things for him, but among them was certainly an increase in fitness. Even in his ballroom attire, Bitty’s breaths came smooth and even.

The footsteps behind him faded to silence, and Bitty heaved a sigh of relief even as he slowed his gait to a trot, then a walk. He took a moment to get himself in order: physically, to straighten his disheveled jacket, and mentally, to rearrange his thoughts. He still had to find Jack, and then—

Bitty turned the next corner and found himself facing the prince.

Of course the man who lived in the palace would know these gardens better than a random visitor. Of course. And now he was cornered— even if he turned back now, he’d still be in the prince’s territory. But just because there was no chance of escape didn’t mean he wasn’t tensing his leg muscles to give it an honest try.

Just before he spun off back into the darkness, though, the prince spoke up. Or, well, it was hardly speaking up, the man’s voice was hardly louder than a whisper, but it was enough to carry clearly across the narrow distance that separated them.

“…Bitty?”

Bitty froze. What? How did the prince know— why was he— why had he— what? Bitty’s thoughts tumbled over each other in a roiling mess. At a loss for what else to do, he cautiously replied, “… yes?”

A beat passed, and then he hastily tacked on a “Your highness.”

The prince, bizarrely, seemed taken aback by the formal address. Bitty watched as he schooled his expression— the parts of it visible beneath the mask, at least— into something neutral, though almost… sad?

“Are you angry with me, Bitty?”

I’m sorry, what? “I’m sorry, what? Your highness.”

There, again, the prince flinched. “No, no, it is I who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to mislead you, I just… I’m sorry, I’m doing all of this wrong.”

And then, before Bitty could muster any sort of response to that, the prince reached up and untied his deep sapphire mask, the ribbons trailing away as he pulled the elegant thing from his face.

Bitty came face to face with Jack, and nothing in the world made sense. He felt, distantly, that he ought to reply to this revelation in some way, but he couldn’t seem to find where he’d misplaced every word he’d ever learned. Instead, he stayed frozen to the spot, mouth agape like some kind of unfortunate fish, staring at the utterly un-processable sight before him.

Jack clearly took his silence (and probably his expression) as a negative sign, and he started to talk again. Bitty struggled valiantly to focus on the words as they spilled from Jack’s— the prince’s— Prince Jack’s mouth.

“Look, I know I should have told you before, and I’m sorry. It’s just— nobody ever looks at me and just sees ‘Jack’, you know? So when you didn’t treat me like I was something special… it was just nice to be a person for once, not a title. But I know I shouldn’t have lied, and I understand if you’re angry with me now. I’d get it if you didn’t want to see me again, and… and I promise to respect that, if that’s what you want. Just, please, Bitty, talk to me.”

Bitty held his hand up, cutting him off, heedless of the fact that he was being distinctly rude to the prince of his kingdom. He just needed a minute to process, okay? A minute, and perhaps a seat. Yes, this would be much easier to think through sitting, wouldn’t it? Bitty glanced around, and then, for lack of better options, sat squarely on the stone path. Jack reached for him as he did (trying to catch him?) and ended up on his knees before Bitty. With both of them on the ground, they were almost at eye level with each other. Bitty pulled his mask aside, much as Jack had, and contemplated him.

Jack sat there, eyes downcast, as Bitty’s gaze skated across his face, his elegant costume, his sapphire-studded mask. When he looked back to Jack’s face, he was surprised to see him restraining a cringe; it looked like he expected to be hit, and was preparing to take it with dignity. Dignity befitting a prince, which Jack apparently was. All at once, Bitty realized that it had been far too long since he had spoken, and that Jack— prince or not, this was still Bitty’s Jack— was bracing for the worst.

“I’m not angry,” he started, finally finding words in the revelation that Jack needed to hear them. “I’m just a little confused, okay? I just… this whole time?”

Jack mutely nodded. Duh.

“And Shitty was…”

“Sworn to secrecy. I made him promise not to tell you before I was ready. He didn’t have a choice.”

Bitty waved his hand dismissively though the air— he wasn’t mad at Shitty, either, and didn’t need the excuses right now. “And the training? The sword dance?”

“Taught to me by the head of the guards— that much was always true. I just thought it would help you, so I booked time at the training ground to show it to you, and then it became something l looked forward to, more and more each time. It was how I was certain it was you, in there.” He jerked his head towards the distant echoey music from the party.

Bitty chewed on that for a moment, turning the words over in his head, and found that he believed him. Jack had kept one thing from him— one enormous thing, to be sure, but he understood the reasoning— but had been unfailingly straightforward with him otherwise.

“Okay,” Bitty breathed.

Jack looked up at that. “Okay?”

“Okay, help me up.” Bitty offered his hand, not with the decorum of a ballroom dancer, but with the camaraderie of two men who had trained on the same field. Jack grasped it and pulled Bitty to his feet even as he stood himself, reasserting their height difference and pulling them in close.

Bitty didn’t release his hand, and Jack didn’t try to extricate it.

“Jack?” Bitty turned his face upward, meeting Jack’s eyes, their piercing blue softened by the low golden light of the garden’s lanterns. “I have one more question.”

“Yeah?” The word sent a puff of breath dancing through Bitty’s carefully coiffed hair, and he shivered despite the warm weather.

Bitty tipped his head even further back, raising himself up just a little on the balls of his feet, trying to ask his question with his body as much as his voice, as he felt the latter might abandon him at any moment.

“Would you like to—“ and then the rest of his words were lost, not to fear, but to Jack. They kissed, gentle and deep as the warm night around them, and the world made sense again.

[writing-nothing-but-spilled-ink]

An au if batman characters including the bat family were in the avatar universe

Jason would be like jet most likelubsteal from the rich give to the poor and would fight against the fire nation would also probably be a mercenary and a nonbender, would have knowledge of how to chi block and would be unofficially a dual sword master and great with hand to hand combat as well as have deadly precision with throwing stars/blades like mai

Dick would be the male version of tai Lee he'd be a master chi blocker light on his feet wouldn't kill definitely would make life for fire nation soldiers difficult if he sees them harassing people of weaker means he'll do something about it with a smile he'd also be your worst nightmare trying to take him in hand to hand combat even if your a bender

Damians weapon of choice would be a katana he'd be quick and deadly you'd think you have him then surprise you don't when he attacks it would feel like it came from the shadows you wouldn't have time to think he'd have deadly precision and hed be light on his feet hed be able to go toe to toe with benders like its nothing and would know how to use there strengths against them hed also have short blades to throw and an array of poisons on hand jusy in case hed have a shit ton of contingency plans

okay Bruce obviously nonbender he'd probably know a bunch of techniques he'd be similar to iroh in terms of knowledge minus the spiritual aspects and the kindness portion as well he'd be similar to asamis dad hirashi sato he'd have all the advanced technology even during aangs time only he wouldn't rely only on thr technology and inventions hed also be a sword master, know how to chi block and how to counter most bending techniques remember how iroh swung those boulders with his chains with just shear strength and howw zuko smashed them with his foot yeah that would be bruce minus the fire bending, he'd also have bombs similar to sokkas stink bombs only they'd knock u out...

Swamp thing would definitely be a water bender like the swamp water benders but way more powerful and he'd love in the same swamp the gang visits and finds out they need to seek out toph I also feel like he'd be an incredibly powerful blood bender

Poison ivy would also be a water bender I actually feel like she'd be similar to swamp thing but also very different she wouldn't live in the swamp but off the grid she'd travel all over the world of Avatar just studying medicine and poisons she wouldnt really feel a need to truly interfere with the war unless someone outright makes it her problem or goes after her personally or her home

Harley would be a non bender similar to Dick but like way worse because she's incredibly unpredictable she'd also use blasting jelly at any given moment and God help you if u underestimate her because she's not a bender I feel like she'd have knowledge of a bunch of different weapons as well as an intimate knowledge of explosives she would be a bit of an anti hero in the avatar universe she wouldn't necessarily support ozai but I don't think she'd feel any need to truly go out and attack fire nation soldiers unless she sees them attacking kids or women or forcing themselves onto someone shss huge on consent

Joker are u insane I'm not giving him bending absolutely not no thank you lmaoo y'all really thought I'd give an actual thought for the joker nope but feel free to comment if u like

The flash would be an air bender not monk gyatso level air bending but still powerful

Wonder woman I can see her as being a bender but also a kyoshi warrior and definitely against the fire nation and would oppose them at every turn I feel like she'd be a metal bender and the way she'd metal bend would be similar to how Lynn does in legend of Korra but more powerful then lynn

[chobistudio]

【Wushu】7th World Wushu Championships (2003) Women's Taijijian 1802 LI FAI (Hong Kong, China) / 2405  AKAZAWA EMI (Japan)

LI FAI: Women’s Taijijian 4th place

AKAZAWA EMI: Women’s Taijijian Silver Medalist

[amongdragons]

The Ill-fated Tai Chi Sword Fingers: Just No Need

A few words about this scourge of internal styles, “sword fingers”, also known as “sword mudra” and “sword hex” (劍訣 or 劍指). Having found them in the manual, the human mind expects to discover a rational justification for them as well. If the sword fingers are in the form, then they are needed somehow. After all, the wise ancient Chinese could not just say nonsense … Continue reading Untitled