I'm Reading This Just Now. I Can't Come Back To That Place. I'm Over It. I Was Over It. Like...I'll Never

there's something to be said of flint's anger in the scene he beats singleton to death.

but.

i think we should recognize that part of it stems from strategy as well.

the conversation with billy at guthrie's house-

"but now it seems they feel i'm..." "too weak." "i was gonna say unlucky. so that's the thinking. we've been attacking ships with lighter loads because i'm too weak to do otherwise."

up until this moment flint didn't know that's how he was perceived. but now he does, and that he needs to prove to the crew that that's not true. and what better way to prove your strength than beating a man to death with your bare fists?

of course the anger played a huge role in it, i'm not going to deny it. but it didn't have to.

the puzzle pieces fit neatly together to set the scene. flint came into that fight with the full intent of unleashing that rage, not merely because he needed an outlet, but also because he knew it would help his image.

this, plus going after a ship like the urca...

afterwards, the crew could think what they wanted about flit's mental faculties. they could think what they wanted about his arrogance, his pride, his lies and schemes.

but not one of them would think him weak again.

I've always said that, he is immortal. 🙌🏻

(And I refuse to believe that someone like Silver could have been his end, sorry.)

“I have survived starvation, a tempest, pirate hunters, jealous captains, mutinous crews, angry lords, a queen, a king, and the goddamn British navy.” - Captain J Flint, Black Sails (Toby Stephens)

"She loved the sea for its storms alone, and the green only when it grew scattered among ruins."

G. Flaubert

Miranda Barlow's aesthetic.

I love so much this character and her story and I think she would have liked very much Madame Bovary if she had the chance to read it.

(We all know what was written in that burning letter, don't we? I think it was important to include that too about her)

He’s a liar. He’s a thief. He’s reluctantly a pirate. He’s no one from nowhere belonging to nothing. And now? He’s a doll<3

It’s titled “Once Upon A Time.” And it’s the story of us.

Black Sails x Oceans Brawl by Cœur de Pirate

Part 2/3 (follows part 3)

Black Sails x Oceans Brawl by Cœur de Pirate

Part 1 (follows part 2)

He is here! I can't😭😭😭😍😍😍

I'm SO excited about this, why am I not hearing people screaming everywhere for it?

Meet the Vampire Lestat ft. Sam Reid | Interview with the Vampire x

MXTX interview

This is a partial translation of an interview given by the author in March 2018, it can be found on her Weibo. There are actually 40 questions in the full interview about all three of her books, her upcoming fourth book and also about herself and her writing in general. I’ve only kept the parts pertaining to Mo Dao Zu Shi for the sake of clarity and because I doubt many people have finished reading all three books. Some parts were a bit confusing, hopefully I got it right…

Mild spoilers for the main story.

Original interview: https://www.weibo.com/6049110380/G7RfoEcj9

Where did Wangxian perform their third marriage bow? How did Lan Wangji call his rabbits?

The names of Lan Wangji’s little rabbits is a secret that only he knows, even I don’t know. 

Anyway, Wangxian’s third bow was done before their second time together.

Luo Binghe likes using Immortal-Binding Cable, Lan Wangji likes using his forehead ribbon, what about Hua Cheng? Can the skills of the three be scored? [1]

The most skilled of the three is without a doubt Hua Cheng. He is talented with his words and even more with his actions as well as extremely appealing. Even though Xie Lian is easily embarrassed, he will obediently do anything he is asked.

Lan Er is the hard-working and straightforward type, but that’s all right, Wei Wuxian can tell him himself how to play.

It goes without saying for Luo Binghe. Shen Laoshi, please be a little more patient with him.

What is Wei Wuxian like when he is drunk? Does he act any different than his normal self?

Not really, there’s no big difference between him drunk or sober. It’s not everyone that has a change of personality when drunk, it’s just really over-the-top in the case of the Gusu Lan Sect.

What did Wei Wuxian go through during the three months he spent in Burial Mound? Was there really a mysterious book artefact left there by a master? [2] When Lan Wangji healed Wei Wuxian after the massacre at Nightless City, what did he say to him? How did Wei Wuxian pass the time during the thirteen years he was dead?

Some things that were said were not to be taken seriously, there is no mysterious book from a master. I don’t really like the kind of plot where predecessors do the hard work and plant the trees and their successors can just cool off in the trees’ shade.

Please do your own research. 

He was in a confused and chaotic state [3], not quite conscious but not completely unable to feel anything either. It’s like being stuck in an unending nightmare.

When Wen Ning went berserk at Qiongqi Path and Koi Tower, was that an accident for both times? After changing into a fierce corpse, how long can he live?

When Wen Ning attacked at Qiongqi Path, it was Wei Wuxian losing control.

What happened at Koi Tower wasn’t an accident. 

It depends on the maintenance.

Is Jin Ling’s courtesy name the one chosen by Wei Wuxian, Rulan [4]?

That’s right. But he never ever uses it. Jin Ling dislikes it because it sounds sissy.

What was the relationship between Cangse Sanren and Lan Qiren and why did she cut off his goatee? Does Lan Qiren have prospects for elderly marriage? What are the criteria Lan Qiren looks for when choosing a spouse?

It was because Lan Qiren was not as understanding and sensible during his youth as compared to now. At some point it resulted in Jiang Fengmian and his servant Wei Changze running into trouble while night hunting and they almost lost their lives. But Lan Qiren deemed that he was only following the rules and that the fault was not his so he refused to apologise, angering everyone. Then Cangse cut off his beard to play a trick on him. To tell the truth, beardless Lan Qiren is still very handsome, there’s no one bad-looking in the Gusu Lan Sect! 

It’s unlikely to happen so there is no criterion.

PS. Why are there people asking for Lan Qiren’s spouse criteria…

What is the age difference between Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang and how is their relationship? Was the part of Nie Huaisang’s partner [5] that was mentioned before deleted from the book or was the design simply scrapped?

Five or six years. Although they are half-siblings with different mothers, they get on pretty well. 

Scrapped as I found out afterwards that the story remained consistent without adding this character. Adding the character would instead make things difficult and the final result might not have been satisfactory.

Translator’s Notes

[1] Skills in bed.

[2] That’s how Wei Wuxian explains his demonic powers to Jiang Cheng when he returns from Burial Mound.

[3] 混沌 (Hùndùn) means literally ‘muddled confusion’ and also refers to the primal chaos that existed prior to the formation of the world and in which nothing could be distinguished or perceived according to Chinese classic texts.

[4] Rulan (如兰) means literally 'like an orchid’.

[5] It’s mentioned in an older interview that the author had planned Nie Huaisang to have a subordinate helping him behind the scenes so the meaning was a partner in crime.

“his relationship with thomas hamilton– the initial friendship– and them then becoming lovers is sorta’ like– it was the realization of himself. i think he became himself with thomas hamilton. he finally could be who he– his potential was kind of unleashed with hamilton.” - Toby Stephens (x)

This was meant to be a quick warm up, but it turned into a comic that I’ve wanted to draw for a while. This is something that is extremely important to me, and I appreciate it if you read it.

A while ago, I heard a story that broke my heart. A family went a cat shelter to adopt. The daughter fell in love with a 3-legged cat. The father straight up said “absolutely not”. Because he was missing a leg. That cat was that close to having a family that loved him, but the missing leg held him back. Why?!

Many people have the initial instinct of “nope” when they see an imperfect animal. I get it, but less-adoptable does NOT mean less loveable. 9 out of 10 people will choose a kitten over an adult cat. And those 10% that would get an adult cat often overlook “different” animals.

All I want people to do is be open to the idea of having a “different” pet in their lives. Choose the pet that you fall in love with, but at least give all of them a fair shot at winning your heart.

Don’t dismiss them, they deserve a loving home just as much as any other cat. They still purr, they still love a warm lap, they still play, they still love you. Trust me, next time you are in the market for a new kitty, just go over to that one cat that’s missing an eye and see what he’s all about!