Freakinfiction - Just A Casual Fan

Hero: Fight me, bitch.

Villain: Tempting, but where?

Hero: Wh—

Villain: Wellll there's the battlefield, of course, but then there's also the bedroom-

Hero: w h a—

Villain: Either way, we both know I would win.

Hero: *surprised pikachu face*

Also Hero: *iNTENSE BLUSHING*

This is my second upload bc tumblr is a bitch

The hero stared down at the villain, who was surrounded in a pool of their own blood. There were cheers coming from their fellow allies, but their heart twinged with regret.

They crouched down, gently picking them up.

 “Hey, it’s over.” They said, voice quivering with fear. “Y-you can wake up now.”

They gazed into the villain’s dull eyes, and felt for a pulse. “Wake up.” They repeated, growing more desperate.

The happiness of the villain’s defeat died down, as the hero’s allies saw them holding them close.

“Wake up, dammit!” Tears started to slide down their face. “How am I supposed to save the world if you’re not there to stop me?!”

when a mutuals struggling but you know you can't say anything to help so you just like their post and hope they know they're not alone

And the award for the best villain goes to ... Ye Bingchang. Let me explain!

You might say "Random person on Tumblr, the Devil God is so hot and Ye Bingchang is so annoying, how can she be the best villain on Till the End of the Moon?" Well I'm glad you asked ...

TTEOTM has many great villains. There are the ones we love, like the Devil God and his henchmen (and woman) Siying and Jingmie. Then there are the ones that were easy to hate, like Dimian, Tantai Minglang, and the King and 5th Prince of Sheng. And then there is Ye Bingchang (and Tian Huan), who I hated so much that I wanted to see her suffer in every incarnation - but who is also one of the most complex villains I have seen in cdramas.

A Heroine in a different story

Our heroine is born the daughter of a concubine. She is kind and sweet. Her low status leads her to be bullied and neglected by her family, who openly favour her abusive younger sister. An accident gives her special powers ("love threads") that allow her to escape her unfortunate situation. She falls in love with a prince who returns her feelings and stands up for her. Meanwhile, she is harassed by a social outcast (Tantai Jin) who repeatedly makes her uncomfortable, but she is too kind (and limited in her status as a woman) to set clear boundaries. She is finally able to marry her prince, only to be degraded to his consort. Her psychotic sister finds her perfect match in the equally psychotic hostage prince, who ruins her wedding by maiming her guests. She finally escapes her family situation, only for her younger brother to betray their country, making her the scapegoat for the people's anger. Her beloved husband has to go to war, leaving her behind.

Ye Bingchang's story revolves around escaping her unfortunate situation - it's in many ways the beginning of the classic hero's journey. However, at the critical point of understanding that she is her own woman and more than an instrument of powerful men, she learns the wrong lesson. Her need to survive is overtaken by her resentment, which now drives her actions.

TTEOTM challenges the viewer to keep up with many perspectives. From Ye Bingchang's point of view, her actions make sense, while Ye Xiwu and Tantai Jin are the villains of her story.

What makes a good villain?

For me, a great villain fits the story. In many ways they resemble the hero, while in others they are the opposite - the antithesis. Even though she's Ye Xiwu's sister, it's Tantai Jin she mirrors.

Tantai Jin and Ye Bingchang start out as polar opposites in some ways, but are quite similar in many others. Both struggle with their low status and being ostracised. Both don't openly fight their situation, but rather surrender to it. However, while Tantai Jin's story teaches him to love and care for the people around him, as well as an entire nation (or two), Ye Bingchang grows bitter and resentful.

Many of her actions are - to a certain extent - understandable from her point of view. The line is crossed when she murders her grandmother. Although the old woman did not treat her as well as her siblings, she always cared for her eldest granddaughter. Moreover, it's the mention and praise of Ye Xiwu that seems to flick a switch in Ye Bingchang during her grandmother's visit. (Link: The symbolism of food in TTEOTM)

Ye Bingchang is not evil suis generis. She is not misguided or misjudged. She is not driven to the brink of sanity by fate. She is not controlled by an evil force. She is a product of her social circumstances and her personal decisions.

Gender inequality

Tantai Jin has privileges that she is deprived of: His royal birthright and his gender - and then there is the whole devil fetus thing. Ye Bingchang's options in life are limited by her gender. As a woman, her destiny is to be married, thus shifting her dependency from her family to her husband. Li Susu is in some ways an exception to this rule, because even in the body of Ye Xiwu, she is socialised as a high-ranking immortal who follows different rules when it comes to gender roles.

Ye Bingchang's encounter with Tian Huan (and the Devil God's subsequent intervention) seems to be the turning point. While she has been shown to sacrifice others for her own survival, in the later arc she does so out of hatred, jealousy and vengeance.

After the dream, she sees her own role in the world differently. She has seen how Tian Huan - despite having all the power of a Goodess - fell because of her feelings and her dependence on a man. This is the moment when she decides never to make the same mistake again and to look out for herself. I find it interesting that this doesn't stop her from using the men around her in her pursuit of safety - following Tantai Jin to Jing, or later pitting him and Xiao Lin against each other. The difference now is that she doesn't really depend on these men emotionally. She is ready to discard them as soon as they are no longer useful.

And the winner is love

What makes her a good villain is not her egomaniacal approach to survival, it's the tragedy that it's born out of the belief that she's never experienced real love from the people around her. Not from her family, not from her husband, who she believes is influenced by the love threads. She is similar to Tantai Jin, who never experienced love and kindness in his previous life. However, they diverge in this regard, as Tantai Jin later realises that there were indeed people around him who loved him in their own way, while Ye Bingchang, even when confronted with acts of kindness and care, is unable to believe them.

It's only in her final moments that she realises that Xiao Lin's love for her was real. This realisation drives her to take her own life - and end her suffering as Mo Nv.

An incompletely redemption

There is nothing more satisfying for an audience than seeing the villain get the punishment he deserves. We got several such resolutions - even though Ye Bingchang proved resilient and kept coming back.

The late editing of the final arc of TTEOTM has led to numerous problems. Among them is the jumbled redemption arc of Mo Nv. Reborn and reunited with her beloved younger sister, she still lingers in her mortal life. She sets up a silk shop (because threads and stuff) and is fatefully reunited with her husband in his next life. In the end, it's hinted that she'll save him and possibly stay by his side.

As a demon, Mo Nv isn't evil. She still interferes in Tantai Jin's affairs because she doesn't trust him. Her repeated warnings about his scheming nature illustrate once again how much he was the villain of her story.

Some remaining thoughts

Mo Nv was the least annoying incarnation, and I would have liked to see her last arc to be more nuanced. Chen Duling did a good job portraying her - she made it so easy for the audience to hate Ye Bingchang. This makes me appreciate the eldest daughter of the Ye family as one of the best villains in TTEOTM. Since we already had the unimaginably evil Devil God, the show needed a human evil to mirror Tantai Jin's hero's journey. In a way, they also share the prophecy of a dream, a tear (which brought back Xiao Lin) and a thread (the love thread) that would change their fates. Tantai Jin's and Ye Bingchang's stories share the same motive: The desire to determine one's own fate.

And isn't it ironic, that even the Devil God was trying to free himself from his own fate, by ending the fate of all?

Language Resources Masterpost

Today I am sharing with you guys all my collection of language textbook pdfs :D They are mostly for Russian and Mandarin, but I have a few Korean resources too. Please note that I have not personally used all of these books, so I cannot vouch for their quality. If any of the links are broken, please let me know! All links are to dropbox files.

Mandarin

A Kaleidoscope of China (advanced)

A New China (intermediate)

All Things Considered (advanced)

Anything Goes (advanced)

Basic Chinese (workbook)

Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar (grammar)

Chinese: An Essential Grammar (grammar)

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar (grammar)

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar (workbook)

Reading to Write: An Advanced Textbook of Chinese (advanced)

Schaum’s Outlines: Chinese Grammar (grammar)

The Routledge Advanced Chinese Multimedia Course (advanced)

The Routledge Course in Chinese Media Literacy (advanced)

Russian

Ultimate Russian (advanced)

Using Russian: A Guide to Contemporary Usage

A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (grammar)

A Russian Grammar Workbook (workbook)

Colloquial Russian 2 (intermediate)

Russian Verbal Prefixes (grammar)

Glossika Guide to Russian Pronunciation and Grammar

Intermediate Russian: A Grammar and Workbook (intermediate)

An Advanced Russian Tabloid Reader (advanced)

A Living Russian Grammar (grammar)

Basic Russian: A Grammar and Workbook (beginner）

Russian in Exercises (beginner)

Russian Verbs of Motion

Using Russian Vocabulary (vocab)

The Big Silver Book of Russian Verbs (vocab)

Live From Russia Stage 1 Volume 1 (beginner)

Live From Russia Stage 1 Volume 2 (beginner)

Korean

Basic Korean: A Grammar and Workbook (beginner)

Intermediate Korean: A Grammar and Workbook (intermediate)

Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar (grammar)

Korean Grammar in Use (beginner)

Jujutsu Kaisen Audiodrama

Just collecting links to audio drama because I love them

Jujusanpo

Jujusanpo #1 - 1st year's meetup Jujusanpo #2 - Chinese restaurant (TL) Jujusanpo #3 - Karaoke shop in Tokyo (TL) Jujusanpo #4 - The 1st JUPPON Grand Prix (TL) Jujusanpo #5 - Tachikawa (TL) Jujusanpo #6 - Odaiba (TL) Jujusanpo #7 - The 2nd JUPPON Grandprix (TL) Jujusanpo #8 - Business trip to Sendai (TL)

DVD Bonus

Holiday Wandering - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 (LN chapter TL) Resurrection Doll - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 (LN chapter TL) Night Gourmet (TL)

Livestage

1st years go to Kawaguchi 2nd years go to Kawaguchi Juju travel quiz

how to explain to mutuals that while yes you can have my discord, and i wanna hang out! my response time is anywhere between 3-7 business days

A king who doesn't really want to and isn't able to run the kingdom properly catches wind of a noble woman who wants to kill him to take over and he realizes she is extremely competent so he decides to propose to her to save everyone the hassle and they have a surprisingly healthy relationship.

Writing Notes: The Research Process

Research is an essential process to keep yourself informed on any topic with reliable sources of information.

Research - the process by which you gather reliable information on a specific topic, typically to answer a particular question, form an opinion, or make a decision.

Academics often separate research into 2 distinct types:

primary research (in which the researcher acquires firsthand experience with the topic) and

secondary research (in which the researcher looks at research others have done on the topic).

There are many different research methods, including:

internet research (using search engines, webpages, and other online resources),

scientific research (using the scientific method to test hypotheses),

local and university library research (using books, encyclopedias, newspaper articles, peer-reviewed journal articles, catalogs, and academic databases and directories), and

interviews (using questionnaires and discussions with subjects).

How to Research

The research process can apply to everything from a scientific research paper to a personal question; each type of research has different expectations and processes. In general, here’s a step-by-step tutorial:

Start with a question. The first step of the research process is to have a question. In the case of academic research, your research question might be on a broad conversation in your field. For example, in humanities, a research question might be: “How did feminism affect American literature in the 1970s?” In the case of personal research, your question might be smaller and more specific: “How do I wake up feeling more rested?” If your research is for a high school or college paper, you might need to brainstorm to come up with a question or move on to the research phase to see what kinds of questions and broad topics interest you.

Search broadly. Your preliminary research on a topic is likely to be general—this search strategy enables you to gather as much general information surrounding the topic as possible. This helps you develop a clearer sense of the scope of your question. In the case of academic research, you might read widely (in topics like feminism, the 1970s, and American literature). In the case of personal research, you might conduct general internet searches for secondary sources that discuss related topics (like alarm clocks, pillows, and meditation techniques).

Narrow your focus. As you conduct research, pay attention to the moments that pique your interest—use them to determine where to conduct more in-depth research. Perhaps a specific novelist seems especially interesting, or you find yourself more drawn to alarm clocks than memory-foam pillows. It is at this stage you should also take time to evaluate the information sources you’ve found to make sure they’re reliable and unbiased.

Conduct specific research. Once your question begins to narrow, you might need to do additional research to hone in on your particular topic. Look around to see if other researchers have had similar questions and published or posted their findings. Alternatively, you might do some primary research and begin testing particular hypotheses. For an academic research paper, it is at this stage you likely have enough information to begin crafting your thesis statement or central claim.

Complete the project. The final stage of the research process is to complete your research project—this might mean writing a final paper, forming a particular opinion, or purchasing a specific solution for your problem. For research that involves writing and publishing a paper, the researcher must also abide by rules of plagiarism, citation information and formats—such as the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago, and so forth. Even though this is the final step of the research process, it doesn’t mean the project is closed forever—you might find later you need or want to do follow-up research as the topic or your interests change.

Research is a vital process that increases your knowledge and understanding around a topic, rather than forcing you to rely on simply your own background information. Good research allows you to become more informed before you answer a question, to consider all angles before you form an opinion, and to use the experience of others before you make a decision.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs