#and liane was her surname

[everythingwasnormalhere]

Tonight I dreamt another transphobic south park episode but it looked actually so real i thought itd actually happened- in it i also found out about Cartman's grandma through a girl (boy?) who seemingly was his cousin

It was weirdly canon tbh

[cyfffff]

someone get an asian person on the dc team bc the asians ppls names are making me laugh lmaooo like when i heard of roy harpers daughter, lian harper and that she was vietnamese i was think oh cool vietnam mentioned (i’m viet) and i thought she just had an english name because her dad is american, not a big deal since her mom also has an english name. and i was thinking “oh if she had a viet name it could be liên since it’s close that’s cool that’s my aunts name” come to find out lian is supposed to be her vietnamese name?? but vietnamese vowels don’t even do that ia thing so idk what’s up w that and apparently it means willow tree but liên (which i’m guessing that’s where they got it) doesn’t even mean willow tree, it means lotus like?? and i found out lian is a chinese surname that also means lotus so they’re wrong in two different countries 😭 liễu means willow tree though so sorta close ish idk where they got all that from but i guess just a teensy bit of slack can be cut since this was the 1940s*

idk what’s up with ghostmaker minhkhoa khan though bc i literally did not know where he was from until i googled it an hour ago bc i’ve only heard his name in passing but i was expecting like cambodian or smth central asian bc minhkhoa is painfully vietnamese (though it would be minh khôa) but khan was ambiguous to me i only knew it from genghis khan. found out he’s singaporean which i did not expect at all. random reddit thread abt singapore where someone asked abt minhkhoa khan basically said “viet first name mongolian last name” lmao and his first appearance was in 2020 so idk how dc did that like the internet is free 😭 minh khôa is such a specific vietnamese name too like they had to work hard to find that name if they weren’t just like. basing it off an existing minh khôa idk

this is just me rambling abt viet names cause i like knowing them and also these random asian generator ass names are kinda funny it’s giving cho chang

*edit: it actually was the 80s which is funnier bc that was pretty much the height of vietnamese boat people immigration to the us and other countries since it was following the end of the vietnam war so there were def viet ppl around at the time lmaooo (doesn’t guarantee that the writers would be acquainted w any but they were there)

[s2pdoktopus]

I found Lilai!! My baby <3

Since I have this, I'm gonna gush about her

Lilai is born between a Yu disciple who followed Jiang Cheng in the name of the Violet Spider and a rogue cultivator who followed him during the Sunshot campaign. Her parents' love story is quite famous (or infamous, depending on the person retelling it.) Its popularity rivals the stories about Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan.

Yu MeiSi is a stoic woman, borderline emotionless and her falling for a clumsy no name rogue cultivator was a hilarity nobody saw coming. (Jiang Cheng was busy wrangling a wayward Wei Wuxian to witness the events)

After the Sunshot campaign MeiSi basically approached Gui Peng and asked him what he thinks of her. (When she first saw him she thought he was hot. No one else saw what she saw in the guy but it's love at first sight for her.) Peng, not sure why one of their best generals was asking his opinion, said that he thought she was strong and that he's honored to have fought with her in the war. MeiSi was pleased (it didn't reflect on her face) and left. After that she kept coming back to him for tea time, joined him in his errands and kept insisting that she wanted to help in the area where he was rebuilding. Hanging out with her made Peng fall for her and he later complained to his friends that she's out of his league. The response of his peers at the time being, "I thought you're already seeing each other?" (MeiSi definitely thought they were dating) Peng got a realization and in a drunken fit of confidence, asked for her hand in marriage. MeiSi accepted gracefully (in her head she thought "FINALLY!! how long should the courtship be??") They gathered everything they could for the wedding in a ruined, rebuilding sect and surprised Jiang Cheng with the request to officiate the wedding.

Jiang Cheng was teased for officiating a wedding when he wasn't married himself. When he broke this news to Yanli she told him to collect her money from Hao Fei (there's a bet between the girls on whether Peng will realize or not. The guy is very oblivious.)

The wedding between MeiSi and Peng happens then the canon plot happens, Jin Ling is born and then almost a year later Yu Lilai is born. (Her dad chose to give her the surname Yu to show her connection to a clan)

Yu Lilai is the first child born to a Jiang disciple in the Jiang clan.

She is currently the best swordswoman in her age group, as if she was born with a sword in her hand. She is considered to be a genius at it. Although it does appear as if the gods took away her ability to understand social cues in exchange. She's strong, she knows she's strong and she isn't afraid of many things, her sect leader included. Whenever the disciples want to ask their leader something (like, for example: a torture dungeon) they ask her to do it.

Jiang Cheng is exasperated about her lack of tact. (He has learned from the many many interventions he had to do between the children that she has no ill intentions. And has small to zero emotional sensitivity. Or social awareness) Small mercies, she's well mannered, polite and obedient. She's learned that asking for his permission to speak first is important to avoid offending diplomatic guests. Jiang Cheng is happy when she's racking up points for Yunmeng Jiang in cultivation conference exhibitions though.

She is often with her XinXue Shijie and Lian Shixiong. XinXue enables her bad habits and Lian made it his responsibility to dodge possible diplomatic problems made by them.

She was also Jin Ling's friend as a young child. But since Jin Ling isn't spending all of his time in the Jiang Sect, and with the new kids her age joining the sect giving her more options, they kind of just fell off. She's too oblivious to notice that this affected him. She does remember that as kids she and Jin Ling promised to marry each other.

One day, in Jin Ling's attempt to reconnect with her, he asked her to join him and his new friends on a night hunt. She offhandedly mentioned the childhood promise, wondering if they'll fulfill it now because he needs a wife. This embarrasses Jin Ling (Lan Jingyi wouldn't let him live it down) and vehemently disagrees. Yu Lilai doesn't get why it's a big deal but promises Jin Ling that she'll wait for him anyway. (Jin Ling is embarrassed but also weirdly touched)

(Whether there's actually anything there, the adults only wish they would figure it out)

Every time she emotionally compromises someone important to her, she gains a little emotional maturity. Her dad feels kind of bad about it because she definitely got it from him. Her mom consoles her husband by saying that it was cute. They are one of the Jiang Sect's weirdest families, second only to Jiang Cheng's own.

[witch-ix]

Naming on Magix

I wanted the naming on Magix to be different to the way it's done on Earth, to make sure the magicians (people of Magix) have more of an otherworldly feel to them.

So, as it's more likely for girls to become Fairies or Witches, it's common practice to wait up to five years until naming one's daughter, to have the name fit with their magical power. For boy's however, it's more probable that they become a Wizard or a Paladin and their magic type isn't as obvious. But usually the meaning of their name allude to their home country, at least most of the time.

I imagine surnames are translated from the different languages of the realms of Magix, since that is how everyone understands another - through a translation spell. So, the surnames as i write them down are more of a literal translation of their meaning.

In Arcadia bloodlines have been tracked through the mothers' and when the country began to have a bigger number of residents they decided it was best to start using last names. Since they wanted to make sure one's mother is always thought of, they made sure surnames honored the mothers. The first Fairy and the Ancestral Witches were the first to officially be mentioned with their last names. Those were written as of and the mother's name - Belladonna of Athan, Thamara of Athan, Liliss of Athan, Arcadia of Athan, ...

This kind of naming however, changed a bit as people moved away from the first city to build new homes around other Magical Cores.

in Callisto has a big importance on the stars, as Callistians are closer to them, at least through the magic of their home's Magical Core. Mothers are seen as the stars which brought up their children - Darcilia of Griffin Aster, ... in Domino a mother gives up a piece of her fire, to let a new one grow. In that believe her child is seen as her Flame - Daphne Flame of Marion, Mirta Flame of Brenda, ... In Ísheim its the mother's name with the suffix -is - Ísey Skadis In Jörd it was decided to think more of ones' father. For the  daughters, there is the suffix -s after their father's name, for sons, it's -z instead - Brandon Masonz Nobles have the crystal of their home town in their name, the royal family has the kingdom's name added - Diaspro Wyatts Eraklyon And the imperial family has the name of the whole realm added - Sky Erendorz Jörd In Linphea one is born from the mothers' family plant. So, it goes - Flora de Alyssa Rose In Melody the child is their mother's song - Musa Mai-Lin Song But the royal family strives for harmony in their realm, so the King, Queen and their direct descendants have Yijun added instead - Galatea Lian-Shi Yijun In Oceana a mothers' kids are getting addressed as her Waters - Aisha Waters of Niobe, Nabu Waters of Uma, ... In Serenia the children are their mothers' winds - Timothy Aella-Wind, Storm Donna-Wind, ... In Solaria the kid's are seen as ray of their mothers' light - Stella Luna-Ray, Nova Elaine-Ray, ... In Zenith every family has a unique family name, which in a marriage gets changed for both of them. But in the children's documents are their parent's names as gender-neutral variants listed, like a middle name - Tecna al' Magneth Electron Cryos

Should one parent come from a different realm, the naming style for the child will always fit to the one the parents decide to stay in, except for when they decide to stay in Magix City, in this case the child's surname conforms to the way of naming of Arcadia.

In the rare case in which a children's parents are unknown, they will be raised in Magix City and named of Arcadia, as a protective name - Riven of Arcadia

[nemainofthewater]

Best character surnamed: Shangguan

Come and vote for the best characters with the same surname!*

What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

*note, the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often there will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

Propaganda is very welcome! If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know in the notes.

This is part of a larger series of ‘best character with X surname’ polls’. The overview with ongoing polls, winners, and future polls can be found here

NB: Shangguan Jing is a contestant again as I hadn't realised her surnamed was 'Shangguan' and not 'Shang' in a previous poll

[shuuenka]

OC name rambles.

Just to preface this - I don't know Chinese, I'm just doing my best.

Wu Chun Tian

His name went through so many different phases, but landed on Chun Tian. At the beginning I wanted him to have dragon imagery (I love dragons ok.), but in the end his personality was never fitting a dragon, and instead in his head he grew as lil tiger. This is why one of his nicknames in universe, at the beginning - somewhat derogatory - is Little Tiger. He reclaims it during course of his life. Either way, nothing with Tiger in name sounded good to me, but then when I was thinking of the story and the overall motto of ‘spring after long winter in the empire’ I took a look at spring meanings in chinese, and found something fitting:

Chun Tian (name meaning:春天 (chūntiān) means spring; the word is composed of the character 春 (chūn; joyful, youthful) & 天 (tiān; day, sky), literally meaning joyful days) 

His mother would name him like that hoping for her child to have joyful days ahead. 

And I also like connotation of 天 (tiān;) for sky especially, and all implications with ‘sky’ in China. 

武 - (Wu) - carries meaning military; but I chose it because it is one of surnames I often heard and there are some notable figures like Wu Zetian carrying it.

Fei Bai Bing

Fei Bai Bing was never meant to have big role and I initially just made up character on a spot for somebody who would have information network. Several brainrots later…. 

At that time I was watching drama The Myth and lead actress name was Bai Bing, and I liked it. Fei was also chosen randomly in my head and sounded good as a whole.

白 (bái) meaning "white, pure, bright"; 冰 - (bing) - ice

I initially used Fei (費)as in the name of a county. Fei family in my head has a rank of Marquis, and overall I thought it was fitting. 

Later I while doing some reading on bird symbology in chinese art I found this interesting tibid about kingfishers - which really coincidentally fit color palette I chose for her: 

Kingfisher - 翡翠 fěi cuì.

翡 fěi is used for a type of green jade and probably from this it is a metaphor for the more showy forms of female beauty.(https://www.chinasage.info/symbols/birds.htm)

Kingfisher feathers were also used for ornaments. 

Accidental discovery, but I found this very fitting, so I’m using 翡 fěi as the character for the surname.

As we’re on Fei Family:

Fei Bai Ping - eldest miss, and Fei Bai Bing’s twin sister. Since they’re sisters from same generation they share 白 (bái) meaning "white, pure, bright".

Since they’re twins, I wanted the names to sounds somewhat similar, so this is where Ping comes from.

娉 (ping) meaning graceful

Fei Jing Rui

Again, syllables that simply sounded well in my head and I sourced them from different characters I liked reading novels. 

景  jǐng - bright; 锐 - Rui for sharp, tenacious, heroic. 

Name fitting for bright, charming, starry eyed youth that Fei Jing Rui is. I wanted something that sounds cheerful and has also similar meaning.

Lian bros:

联 (lian) - to unite; in meaning for the family that united the empire into what it is now. 

Additionally - interesting tibit I found that this character is also found in describing specific type of poetry which is duilian (https://chinaconnectu.com/wp-content/pdf/Duilian.pdf) - antithetical couplet, or two lines created in opposition to each other. Which I thought would be fitting when speaking about two stepbrothers that are in opposition to one another, but both ultimately want the imperial throne.

Lian Bai Ai

柏 - (bai) used in cypress tree; the tree itself symbolizing longevity and good fortune - sounded good for a syllable of the name. 

挨 - (ai) meaning to endure, to pull through (hard times) to delay and stall for time, which is something that Lian Bai Ai does since his childhood. He endured somewhat harsh reality of being a son of unfavoured concubine, having to survive in the palace games and schemes.

Lian Bai Wei

柏 - (bai) - same as above, used as common syllable due to them being in same generation

威 (wei) - meaning power, might and prestige. Self explanatory, as Lian Bai Wei does believe in his right to rule and was so taught since his childhood. 

[vievecorcityrp]

LIAN KOEMAN (RETIRED)

GENDER: Non-binary (they/them)

SPECIES: Witch | No Coven | Dream magic, Spirit magic, Illusion magic, Barrier Magic, Psychic Magic, Necromancy, Corruption Magic, and Probability Magic 

AGE: 205 years old (appears 40 years old)

SEXUALITY: Pansexual

OCCUPATION: Manager of Vicium

DISTRICT: Hedon

HEADCANONS:

Lian was born to human parents. They were part of a traveling circus when they were young. Lian’s father was the elephant tamer and their mother was an acrobat. Lian has long since had a love of elephants and also does various gymnastics as exercise. 

As a child, Lian didn’t know they were a witch given their parentage and they were often touring around the country. As they grew older, their behaviour started to grow erratic and restless, only growing worse and worse as time ticked on. No one knew that Lian was a witch and or that their magic was starting to build. Lian met a boy named Emmett when they were twelve who recognised what she was. They were human born but came from a family of witches and recognised there was magic in Lian, bursting to get out. 

Lian didn’t join the coven as their parents wouldn’t allow it but Lian was given magical guidance by Emmett’s family and their own family settled down so Lian could learn more about what magic entailed.

As teenagers, Lian and Emmett fell in love and planned on marrying after they finished school. They did marry at the age of eighteen. They spent the next twenty or so years together completely in love with each other. At the age of 45, Emmett fell sick. His family refused to help him, claiming that any type of healing like that would be considered dark magic. Lian went to the coven leader and asked them for their hope, thinking that his sister would help was Lian’s mistake. They sent Lian on a mission to find some plants for brewing but when they returned home, Emmett had passed. 

Lian has blamed the Remington Coven for the loss of their husband given their leader, and Emmett’s sister, sent Lian on a mission that made them miss his passing. Liam accused their leader of hating humans born to witches and was promptly kicked out of the coven.

With Lian’s grief, they went to the demon’s of the city, wanting to find some way to get their husband back. They could not offer them that but they offered her dark magic and ways to find a way back to their husband.

Lian has spent many years away from the city, learning and practicing new forms of magic. They have spent their years assisting humans. While they have a soft spot for ones born to witches, Lian will also take payment for magical assistance. If a particular case tugged at their heart strings, they would help without needing payment. 

The dark witch returned to Vievecor around five years ago with a different surname. While they haven’t aged much, most of the people who would remember them are long dead. They settled into a townhouse in the Hedon district and after finding it hard to get a job that would keep their cover, they accepted the position as Manager at the demon run club, Vicium. 

In more recent years, Lian has reconnected with their nephew in law, Eiji Remington, helping assist the young human with his desire to destroy the coven and system that has looked down upon him, the same system that allowed their husband to die so easily.

Lian likes to keep up appearances, volunteering for shelters in the city and donating sums of money towards research for diseases that supernaturals cannot fix. 

PERSONALITY: Vindictive, jealous, melancholic, resourceful and quick thinking. 

CHARACTER TYPE: Wanted Connection - Eiji's Dark Witch Conspirator

BLOG: @liankoeman

[myheartismadeofstars]

I posted 22,820 times in 2022

55 posts created (0%)

22,765 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bladeobrona

@ziseviolet

@faerieshearth

@whiteknightinblackarmor

@inthemoodformoodboards

I tagged 605 of my posts in 2022

#omori - 8 posts

#lmao - 6 posts

#pokemon - 6 posts

#omori sunny - 6 posts

#omori kel - 5 posts

#tgcf - 4 posts

#hualian - 4 posts

#xie lian - 4 posts

#svsss - 4 posts

#omori hero - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#(you know sam's girlfriend who called him a creep for working at a motel and fixing her drain and forced him to take a dog he had no abilit

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Headcanons for skills Nie Huaisang has that Da-ge actually approves of:

Math (while he tests very poorly, Huaisang is very good at practical math)

Astronomy (bless Fatal Journey for this)

Rites (Huaisang proves to be pretty good at remembering how ceremonies go, when he doesn’t adamantly refuse to participate, usually due to being too emptional to focus)

Archery (Huaisang is a Great archer! So long as the target isn’t moving... but he probably wouldn’t starve if he needed to hunt for himself)

Butchering (Huaisang butchered his first animal when he was seven, but he witnessed butchering since he was 3. He’s not actually afraid of blood or gore, he’s just very clean)

98 notes - Posted January 30, 2022

#4

I think people are sleeping on the idea of Damian taking Anya's surname when they get married. Damian eventually realizes how bad his family is, and Yor and Loid have always been kind and loving. So he associates Forger with a loving family, plus Anya is so attached to Forger. Also I just like the sound of "Damian Forger"

also something something "new blood old money"

207 notes - Posted July 14, 2022

#3

Okay I am still pretty knew to the hanfu community but I want to know: are Hanfu season specific like kimono are? Like would it look strange to wear hanfu with spring flowers on it in fall? I've looked for information on google but I don't find the right information. Obviously kimono is influenced by Hanfu but that seasonal thing could easily be something Japanese specific.

232 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

#2

Thinking about how Leon and Hop have at least 3 adults living in their house...but LEON (who has to be ~5-8 years older than Hop) raised Hop. Like??? That’s literally the biggest red flag for a neglectful family I’ve ever seen? I wonder if Hop was an accident and Leon was the only one who really was invested in his little brother (also Hop isn’t exactly a name I would normally see for a child...but if a little kid named them?). And Leon would have learned early that mistakes could mean Hop gets sick or hurt. No wonder he became so observant and while he gets lost most of the time...he can find Hop when he’s in danger (Slumbering Weald). This means that he became very guarded so people can’t find his weaknesses, and it did benefit his pokemon training. Then Hop started looking up to him, and he started getting praised for being “Unbeatable” so he parrots it. (Because if Leon was forced to care for Hop, he probably wasn’t getting his own needs met. At the very least not his mental/emotional needs, so he probably relies on praise for his self esteem). I think Leon being defeated by Eternatus was the first time he ever was forced to rely on someone else (and it was Hop!! And Victor/Gloria) and then being dethroned as champion...it made it possible for him to finally find something for himself. He doesn’t have to be the perfect champion. He doesn’t have to raise Hop anymore (but he still adores his little brother). He can LOSE! He can MAKE MISTAKES! And Galar and Hop won’t suffer for it! He doesn’t have to be perfect anymore!

246 notes - Posted March 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I think Loid should become a father figure to Damian. Damian sees how good Loid is with Anya and Damian starts wanting his attention too. Like Loid comes to pick up Anya after a test and Damian "casually" points out that he got full marks! And Loid smiles and tells him he's impressed and that his father should be proud. Damian would still be tsundere about it, but he'd look up to Loid. Crush on Anya, looks up to Loid, lots of reason to hang out with them. Loid is thrilled that Damian talks to him all the time. And he really starts to hate Donovan after realizing how unhappy Damian is.

I just think Damian should have a good relationship with his future father-in-law! (especially if Loid picks up on his crush on Anya)

901 notes - Posted July 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[secondgenerationnerd]

Is Luke jai and Lian son ?

Why isn’t his surname Harper-west like his sisters

Yes he is!

His last name is a bit of a personal Easter egg. So my last name is hyphenated with my mom’s maiden name and my dad’s surname. This is because my mom had my older sister before she met my dad. He adopted my sister and they hyphenated her name.

When it came to them having kids, they decided daughters would have the hyphenated version, and sons would just have my dad’s last name. They had me and my little sister before they divorced lol

So that’s my own Easter egg

[wishmcker]

Artemis doesn't decide to change her surname from Crock to Nguyen until she begins to complete her Masters. She hadn't worried much about her surname prior to this, for her it was just a name, and she would change it anyway if she were to get married one day.

But as soon as she received her diploma for her undergraduate degree from Stanford, that was when she decided to legally change it. It had been brought up to her before, by Jade, by others who knew her familial background, but she thought also having the different surname to her niece Lian would help remind people that she wasn't Lian's mother.

She chooses to do so after moving to Star City and into Will Harper's home.

Her legal name is now Artemis Lian Nguyen. Her Masters and PHD list her name as such, but her undergraduate currently doesn't. She is attempting to change the listing to have her new legal name on it.

She wants these accomplishments to be solely considered hers as none of this has anything to do with Lawrence Crock.

[falleri-salvatore]

FUCK YES!!!! FINALLY!!!! Someone who understands that Ren is the surname and what changes in female!Ren’s name is the first name, Lie. And I also love the fact that I’m not the only who thinks that Lian is the perfect name for a female Ren. I mean, for fuck’s sakes; it literally honors both her father (Li Ren) AND her mother (An Ren).

more maiden ren

Ozpin: So now you see the reason for keeping this a secret, yes?

Lian: *Nods*

Ozpin: however, to keep up appearances, you will be put through initiation. Please be sparing in your use of this.

Lian: Understood.

~~~~~

Ozpin: ...

Glynda: "Understood"

Ozpin: ... I don't have an excuse.

Lian: *Tearing through Grimm with various elements*

Glynda: You, I actually don't blame you in this case. I assume that Valkyries has rubbed off on her.

~~~~~

Lian: 'Keep it under wraps' They say. 'For your own safety' they say.

Lian: I'll be able to keep every other Village from falling to grimm like this!

[baiwu-jinji]

on the charcaters name can you do one on xie lians name and what the meaning of his name is based and related to his charcater? but also how hua chengs name is based on his character?

Hi! I never wrote metas on XL or HC's names because their names are very straightforward compared to that of many other characters', I don't really have much to add except this idea I can't get out of my head that Hualian's names are partially inspired by the first line of a famous classical poem in Dream of the Red Mansion (which is arguably the greatest Chinese novel ever written).

The line looks like this:

Translation: "flowers wither, flowers fly, filling the sky Their red color fades, their scent is gone, who will feel pity for them?"

The first word of the line is Hua Cheng's surname, the second word is Xie Lian's surname, and the last word of the line is Xie Lian's first name. So the first and last characters of the line together form "hualian". Besides, the first two characters "hua xie" is the alias that Xie Lian used when he was a general at Banyue Pass. Another character from the line I highlighted is "hong," which is the same "hong" in "Hong Hong-er".

Anyway it just feels like Hualian's names are somehow lifted from this poetic line. The poem is called "The Song of Burying Flowers," I'll put the translation below: Flowers wither, flowers fly, filling the sky Their red color fades, their scent is gone, who will feel pity for them? Spider webs float weaving and unweaving in the Spring PavilionFalling fluff gently covers the embroidered curtain

Charming (scenery) and bright (flowers) - how long can they last? One morning they all will be blown away, impossible to find When flowers bloom, it's easy to see them, when they fall, it's difficult to find them The person burying flowers stands in front of the steps, depressed by sorrowful thoughts Alone, holding a garden hoe, this person furtively sheds tears, Tears fall on empty branches, and it looks like bleeding scars If I could grow a pair of wings on my sides I would travel with the wind to the edge of the sky At the edge of the sky Where will this fragrant burial mound be?

Today you're all dead and I'm burying you It's impossible to predict when I myself will be gone Today I bury flowers, and others laugh at me and think it's a foolishness On that other day who will bury me? The view of the fading spring and little by little falling flowers Is the same as when the ruddy face of a girl grows old and then she dies One morning the spring will end and her ruddy face will grow old Flowers falling and people dying - it's all the same (translation source: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/z%C3%A0ng-hu%C4%81-y%C3%ADn-song-burying-flowers.html)

[isolatedbubble]

Romance in MXTX, Priest, and SHL

MXTX: Flower, Wine and Dreamworld

The romance in MXTX's works is like flower that grows in ice and snow; colorful, bright and hopelessly romantic, blossoms in misery and hardships.

It features a distinct "us against the world" mindset, depicting love as the only constant in the world. It's an eternal "dreamworld" detached from worldly matters, the perfect escapism as well as a source of strengths in the face of cruel reality.

Both MDZS and TGCF are a critique of mob mentality.

The contrast between CQL and MDZS is very interesting. While the former ends with LWJ taking charge, and therefore changing the world for the better, the novel ends with wangxian isolating themselves from grand politics and focusing more on helping individuals as recluse. It has an essentially pessimistic attitude towards the morality & intelligence of the collective. 

TGCF takes a slightly more optimistic approach, featuring the crowd being courageous under the right circumstances. However, both works share a similar undertone: putting one’s absolute faith in the collective is dangerous, whereas unconditional trust and devotion can be only found in one-to-one connection

MXTX herself compares MDZS and TGCF to 花间一壶酒 (A cup of wine among flowers), MDZS being the wine and TGCF being flower. She also compares MDZS to 风雪夜归人, the person returning home from snow and wind, and TGCF to 红泥小火炉, a small red furnace.

Priest: Breezing Wind and Burning Iron

The romance in priest's works is more complicated. It's the most gentle in its normal state, when it is rational and collected, in which case it's like the breezing wind, soothing, sweet and light-hearted. It gives the individuals more incentive to achieve their individual and/or societal vision, as well as more reason to value their own lives & well-being.

In Faraway Wanderers, the most distinct feature of WenZhou relationship is how in naturally sync they are, and how comfortable & smooth their dynamic is. They both have past burden, but it doesn’t matter, because they bring simple joy, understanding and happiness in each other’s lives.

In Sha Po Lang and The Guardian, the ML’s lingering love for the MC motivates them to become better version of themselves, to care about others, and to form a holistic vision about bettering society. 

In The Defective, Lin Jingheng(MC) explicitly said that Lu Bixing(ML) is the only meaning in his life. He had little incentive to care about his own life after his revenge plan fell apart. LBX helped him reconnect with his inner idealism, and gave him a reason value his life.

When the passion and fiery energy manifests itself, however, the romance is like burning iron, blood and fire. It isn’t actually toxic or unhealthy, but it's not pure and innocent either; in this case, it strives for something deeper and more intense, never content with the past or the present. The sheer intensity of relationship is like a double-edged sword, walking the fine line between unconditional devotion and dangerous obsession. 

SHL: Spring Water and Healing Open Wounds

The romance in SHL is like "spring water"; it's warm, gentle, nurturing. It breaks through the boundary between individuals to bring the couple closer to each other, taking them back to a utopia of their childhood dream, away from social pressure and responsibility. The theme central to their relationship is “salvation”: how love is able to bring people back to integrity.

Both drama wkx and drama zzs have lots of regret about their past sins and wrongdoings. Four Seasons Manor is essentially a metaphor for purity, acceptance and the safety of childhood home. How to make drama wkx open up and accept this safe harbor as his home is one of the most significant plot-lines of the show.

SHL couple is way more emotionally vulnerable and expressive. A significant part of SHL arc is healing the wounds in an open and honest way. They cuddle and confide in each other way more often, talk about their shameful past and even cry about their regrets in front of one another, which is very rare among MXTX/Priest works.

The heat of the relationship sometimes gets too hot and even burns; in other words, there are constant miscommunications, conflicts and misunderstandings in the relationship. However, they can never let each other go, because it's the only source of warmth left for them in their hopeless lives filled with regrets and guilt.

Similarities and Differences

*Note that this is not a SHL/TYK comparison. TYK is kind of an “unorthodox” priest novel; you will know what I mean if you have read 3+ of her works. 

Relationship Dynamic & Narrative:  

In MXTX’s works, the concept of “romance” itself is divined; and the characters are illustration of the ideal of “undying love”. People are made for one another, to complete one another. Her works use colorful symbolism (silver butterflies, the emperor’s smile, the 3 thousand lanterns, etc.) to depict this romanticized ideal of love. 

For MXTX, the romanticization of “destined love” is one of the most recurring themes of her novels. Therefore, the readers look at their relationship through rose-color glasses. Obsession is usually framed in a jolly & romantic light, and doesn’t feature much tension or stress, and has less negative or unhealthy undertone. 

In most of priest’s works and SHL, soulmates are not born but made, so they have to figure out how their relationship works step by step. Therefore the narrative is less of a “rosy picture”. 

Priest has a habit of using derogatory terms to describe relationships that are mostly healthy, but somewhat “bloody” and edgy, full of excessive passion and obsession. The most common phrase is “爱生忧怖”, a Buddhist term meaning “love results in worry and fear”. 

SHL obviously has to be more subtle in expressing love. That said, drama WenZhou are way more emotionally vulnerable and expressive than their novel counterparts, as well as most Priest & MXTX characters. They have a dramatic falling out once in a while, even towards the end. They barely fit the Chinese definition of Zhiji (to know me/to understand one another), but are “lovers” who are buried deep in their passion instead. 

Past, Future and Evolvement: 

In SHL, characters are encouraged to treasure past impressions that are thrown in figurative “wrappings”, whose luster is derived from age-old experiences (Psychological Types, Carl Jung). In other words, they are encouraged to root their love in a shared past, a Utopia of innocence. 

The contrast between The Defective and Word of Honor is very interesting to observe. Both involve long separation, and the suffering and personality changes hat comes from it.   SHL narrative frames their innocent childhood as something to cling to and return to. Drama WKX is encouraged to accept his identity as Four Seasons Manor disciple because it was part of his childhood past. This is a significant part of drama WenZhou relationship.

In The Defective, the narrative doesn't encourage the couple to dwell on the past that much. On the contrary, the all-knowing AI explicitly discouraged the MC from “comparing past to present”. They are advised to accept changes, however painful it might be, and build a better, more equal dynamic out of it, evolving from one-sided pandering to fighting side-by-side.  

In Priest’s novels, the characters rarely return to something in the past, but look into the future. Change is usually framed as inherently beneficial, albeit usually painful and rocky, the implication being that you need to constantly strive for something better.  

Sha Po Lang is a good example of this, with Gu Yun’s changing attitude towards Chang Geng after he as he matures, gradually showing his intelligence in politics. CG starts referring to GY as Zixi instead of YiFu is also a sign of this change---to see him as equal rather than a parental figure & protector.

The Defective is even more obvious in this regard, with both parties uncomfortable with the change initially, but gradually adjusting to the changes during their 16-year separation. The ML also stops calling MC by his surname “Lin”, as a sign of viewing him as equal. 

In MXTX’s works, change in personality or relationship dynamic is neither framed as painful or good. It just happens. It’s a natural flow that take place when it does. Their relationships are rarely challenged by change. They are objectively at a better place compared to their past, but it’s merely the result of a series of events rather than a deliberate choice or struggle.  

WangXian’s relationship naturally changes over time after WWX’s rebirth, but neither of them really struggles with the change. 

Xie Lian doesn’t even recognize Hua Cheng as the someone from his past, so they start out as friends getting to know each other. 

Salvation and Changing one another: 

Priest herself stated in an interview that she doesn’t believe in the concept of salvation, since people have the inner capacity to be their own savior. Therefore, priest characters usually don’t actively try to change their partner’s morals or personality. Some might be willingly influenced by their partner, but there’s rarely an element of moral condemnation. Even when there is a conflict between different values, the options are 1) to reconcile them by choosing the middle ground 2) to maintain their independence and tackle it with nuance 3) to break up.

On surface level, Mo Du/Silent Reading is about Luo Wenzhou being Fei Du’s salvation. However, as LWZ pointed out himself, Fei Du would’ve been a good person at heart with or without his influence. 

In The Defective, when Lu Bixing mistakenly thought Lin Jingheng stayed in the Eighth Galaxy against his own wishes because of their relationship, and that their priorities are irreconcilable, he even thought about breaking up. Of course he was not serious about it, but this showcased that he would never try to change LJH’s convictions. 

In SHL, however, the concept of salvation is central to the theme. Some find it strange that SHL make drama zzs the more “moral” one of the two, despite his action being more objectively questionable. In fact, the only reason he get framed as more “moral” is that he admitted his fault sooner, and therefore could guide drama wkx’s path back to salvation: to recognize the goodness in people, make peace with external world, to clear his name in Jianghu, and to follow due process with his revenge plan to avoid collateral damages. 

“I tried to change you, but you end up changing me”, said drama ZZS. This relationship dynamic is never present in any of priest’s works I’ve read. Priest characters don’t *try* to change one another. 

Does MXTX believe in salvation? Hard to tell. One could argue that Hua Cheng would have be way more amoral and even immoral if it hadn’t been for XL. This is complicated and is a topic for another time.

However, it is certain that MXTX MCs don’t condemn each other morally. “The orthodox one defending their unorthodox partner in front of the world” is a common wuxia trope, but the way MXTX novels approach it is very different from SHL. 

HuaLian never had a serious falling out about being on different sides. Even when they disagree, they respect each other and love each other exactly the way they are. Hua Cheng didn’t approve of Xie Lian saving Mu Qing, but he didn’t interfere with Xie Lian’s decision. Xie Lian feels responsible for helping Shi Qingxuan in Blackwater arc, but he is perfectly fine with HC helping He Xuan keep secrets. In several cases where they have different values, they are able to make it work with ease.

LWJ never *morally* condemned WWX for his action, and never once objected to WWX practicing demonic cultivation after his rebirth. In fact, LWJ never objected to WWX’s morals; in their previous life he was worried about his safety, and struggled with what to do about certain situations due to his family background, but difference in morality is not an issue for them. 

The “righteous” one does not feel the need to guide their unorthodox partner or to be their salvation with regards to integrity. 

*The similarity & differences part is a bit messy and some points are not fleshed-out. Sorry about that. 

**I don’t claim to have the right interpretation. The lens by which we see different styles of romance is ultimately subjective. 

[ulartys]

the season 1 team based on how much of a parent they are

kaldur: the Original Team Mom™️. mom friend through and through. he never adopted anyone though. 7/10

dick: he was to the season 2 team what kaldur was to the season 1 team. kind of. a little bit more of a hands off approach i think. half a point less for that, but half a point more for tim. 7/10

wally: brucely i guess. he might have adopted bart but you know. circumstances. not much of a parent otherwise. 3/10

will: literally a dad. 10/10

connor: bruce WISHES he was connor. my boy was eight weeks into existence and was already on an adopt-a-thon. oh is that an giant mechanic ball of unknown origin? its name is sphere now. it’s my son. this is a giant wolf i met on the middle of the jungle. his name is wolf. i would lay my life down for him. in season three he adopts brion and forager, they literally live in his home???? also is the bioship his kid too? does the bioship count? idk but it’s still a lot of kids. 10/10

m'gann: also a mom friend. adopted garfield. would adopt harper if she could. adopted brion and forager. became a school counselor??? a very good one???? if that doesn’t scream mom i don’t know what does. 10/10

artemis: omg. omg. she literally has a kid. is she lian’s legal guardian??? i think she might be???? i don’t know but is she violet’s legal guardian???? she almost gave them her SURNAME. violet was almost VIOLET CROCK and I Can’t Stop Thinking About It. violet literally said that artemis feeds them. I’M??????? and don’t even get me started on tara because i won’t stop. tara didn’t become a traitor because of artemis. artemis showed her so much love and compassion that no one had showed her before and don’t touch me i’m emotional. an extra bonus point because she’s artemis and i love her. 11/10

zatanna: not much of a parent. more of a cool wine aunt. 0/10

raquel: literally a mom. 10/10

[askwenjing]

Finding Acceptance in Designing OCs

I always wanted to be part of a fictional universe, which led me to design my OCs. I am Chinese, living in Malaysia, a South East Asian country. I should be proud of my heritage - but I wasn’t when I was designing my OCs in the past. Seeing that the story consists of predominately white characters, I found myself designing my OCs as white, even though they all represent a part of me - but never my heritage.

I was ashamed to design my OCs as Chinese because I imagined that the characters in the story would not accept them due to having a different culture. I imagined them judging my OCs for eating different food like rice, noodles and dumplings, for wearing different clothes, or for just having a different set of morals and beliefs. I felt that being Chinese was inferior and if I wanted my OCs to be treated equally they must be white.

It also made me feel that I must be white if I wanted to be treated equally.

By the time I was 15, I became fed up of the fact that my OCs have to be white. I wanted to design an OC based on myself - based on my own heritage. I wanted to be myself - I wanted to be accepted for who I am. I already got an idea of my OC when I got into the Slugterra fandom, but I was still struggling whether to introduce her into the fandom. I knew that Shanai was Japanese but she only made one major appearance in one episode and she was deceased by the end of the episode. There weren’t much Asian representation in the series and I was feeling unease about letting non-Asian fans to know about my OC.

When Junjie was introduced in “Slugterra: Return of the Elementals”, I was surprised - they finally had a character that represents me - a Chinese. He does not have a stereotypical Chinese accent (his voice actor is Vincent Tong), he is a Slug Fu Master (the Slugterra’s version of Kung Fu), he speaks Cantonese, and his name means “hero” in Mandarin. He quickly becomes the fans’ favourite character, and his popularity even rivals the main character Eli by the time we are introduced to the Eastern Caverns, Junjie’s home cavern which is underneath Asia. 

I like how the people behind Slugterra have done their research on Chinese culture, such as the concept of Chi and the Peach Blossom Spring story for how Yang discovered the Eastern Caverns. Although most of the characters in the Eastern Caverns are usually white (though there are Asians who are white), they do have characters with Asian names like Lian (meaning “lotus” in Mandarin, and the surname of my grandmother), Hoshi (meaning “star” in Japanese), Yang (active, positive and masculine force) and Hamengku (not sure what it is but could be Korean? Not sure.) Though, I wish they could have referenced more of the creatures from Asian mythology rather than creating a new one like the Pyritor but I guess it was okay since it was the underground world, so it could be different. However, my main criticism for the Eastern Caverns is that almost all of the problems in the Eastern Caverns are solved by the Shane Gang instead of Junjie (Eli defeating the Emperor first time and saving Slug Day/Slugmas - okay, Asians do celebrate Christmas; Kord helping Drucilla to trust Junjie again; Trixie defeating the Pyritor; Pronto in luring out the bandits for the Shane Gang). Junjie’s main contributions are believing that Swick can change to be a better person, and pushing the Emperor down to the Guardian Gate. The decisions give a perception that Asians are inferior and need a “white saviour” like Eli to save us. Nevertheless, the season was overall good, and Junjie became a beloved character in the series.

Because of Junjie, I finally became comfortable in sharing my OC. Her name is Wen Jing, which is my name and she is Chinese. She is the first Asian OC, but she is not the last. After I finished watching the Eastern Caverns season, I went off to design more Asian OCs, and now I have more than 100 OCs, predominately Asians to expand the Eastern Caverns story. My favourite ones are the OCs in Team Phoenix, and they are all Chinese. There are also other OCs that are Russians, Mongolians, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, Arabic, South East Asians, and many more.

Because of Junjie, I find acceptance. I find a place where I can be myself. I find a fandom that supports and accepts my heritage. I am no longer ashamed of my heritage. I am proud to be Chinese - proud to be Asian.

In the present day, I am in distraught, and deeply saddened to see an increase of hate crime towards Asians around the world. I was studying in the United Kingdom when the pandemic struck, and I heard white people mocked the Japanese and the Vietnamese students as “carriers of Covid-19″ (we had reported them to the university staff). I heard my Chinese friends getting weird stares from middle-aged white men because they were wearing masks. Although I never experienced it directly, I can feel their hurt. I can understand their fear of letting others know that they are Asians because they want to stay safe.

I am furious to see that racism towards Asians is still prevalent, and it is only getting worse. We only want to be accepted and be treated equally. And I hope that this will be a reality one day, and not just depicted in fictions.

#Stop Asian Hate

[nct-lian]

lian’s profile

STAGE NAME: lian

BIRTH NAME: lianna bae

KOREAN NAME: bae haneul (배하늘)

CHINESE NAME: huang xiuying (黄秀英)

NICKNAMES: lian, nana, lilipad, lili, cupcake, dumpling, xiuxiu, professional debuter, nation’s main dancer, marijuana

DATE OF BIRTH: december 19, 1999

AGE: 21

ZODIAC SIGN: sagittarius, rabbit

BIRTHPLACE: toronto, canada

HOMETOWN: toronto, canada

NATIONALITY: canadian

ETHNICITY: korean

LANGUAGES: english (native) korean (fluent) mandarin (fluent) spanish (semi-fluent) japanese (learning)

SEXUALITY: straight

GENDER: female

PRONOUNS: she / her

HEIGHT: 4’11” (152 cm)

WEIGHT: 90 lbs (41 kg)

BLOOD TYPE: a

MBTI: isfp

FACE CLAIM: kim chungha

VOCAL CLAIM: kim chungha

DANCE CLAIM: kim chungha

RAP CLAIM: kim chungha

OCCUPATION: dancer, singer, actress, choreographer, model, k-pop idol

COMPANY: sm entertainment

TRAINING PERIOD: 2012 — 2016

YEARS ACTIVE: 2016 — present

DEBUT DATE: july 1, 2016 (nct 127; fire truck era)

GROUP: nct (2016 — present) soloist (2017 — present)

POSITIONS: main dancer, main vocalist (since 2019), female visual, center

SUBUNIT (S): nct 127, nct dream (2016 — 2018, 2020 — present), nct u (yestoday, boss, coming home, volcano, faded in my last song, from home, déjà vu, music dance, work it, dream of you)

SPECIAL TALENTS / STRONG POINTS: gymnastics, waacking

INSTAGRAM: baelian, nct127, nct_dream, nct

TWITTER: nctsmtown_127, nctsmtown_dream

YOUTUBE: yours truly, lianna (coming soon) 채널 nct daily

VLIVE: nct

INDIVIDUAL ENDORSEMENTS: papa recipe (2017) shiseido (2018) nike (2019) sudden attack (2019) lg u + 5g (2019) bosslave (2019) sprite w/ jang kiyong (2019 — present) clinique (2019 — present) guljak teokpokki chicken (2019 — present) dolce & gabbana beauty (2020 — present)

DANCING: 10 / 10

VOCALS: 10 / 10

RAPPING: 6 / 10

ACTING: 10 / 10

STAGE PRESENCE: 10 / 10

SONGWRITING: 5 / 10

PRODUCING: 2 / 10

CHOREOGRAPHING: 10 / 10

MODELLING: 9.5 / 10

FATHER: bae seongmin

MOTHER: jung hyunjoo

OLDER BROTHER: liam bae (b. 1991)

DOG (DAUGHTER): bae kkuma (b. 2015)

LIKES: drawing, laughing, speaking english, recording songs, cooking, taking care of the younger members, buying clothes online so she doesn’t have to go anywhere, receiving + giving gifts, large plushies, interacting with czennies, doing vlives, waking up while it’s still dark, rainy days

DISLIKES: homophobia, xenophobia, racism, losing her patience, bullying, dispatch, clowns, roller coasters, days that are too hot, crowded airports

IDEAL TYPE: someone who has a good heart and a similar sense of humour as her (it’d be a plus if they knew how to cook yummy meals)

lian was originally scheduled to debut with red velvet in 2015 alongside yeri, but plans changed when sm decided that she was a better fit for nct’s concept and soon added her into their lineup instead. she grew close to the members of red velvet very quickly and because she was still shy and reserved, lian felt uncomfortable around the members of nct for a long time. she skipped out on promotions and would sit further away from them during award shows (the only members she considered as friends were the dreamies because they were friends before debut)

her right eye randomly twitches and it hurts sometimes as well, so she has a pair of prescription glasses that help stop it

she’s considered to be one of the most all rounded idols in the industry

the huang line (yukhei, hendery and renjun) all collectively agreed that her chinese surname should be huang, and so they got what they wanted

which means that the chinese line has finally come up with lian’s chinese name: huang xiuying :)

in resonance pt. 2, lian got the chance of having a solo song titled “dream of you” which is seen above in her career category !!

was a guest mc along with kevin moon from tbz on inkigayo for one month

she’s said that she doesn’t enjoy rapping all that much, but received rapping lines for kick it

though she didn’t enjoy it as much as if she were singing, she did super well and was proud of the outcome!

on relay cams, she got 6:00 am — 8:00 am in 2019 and 2:00 am — 3:00 am in 2021 (she traded places with haechan!)

lian has acted with fellow idol cha eunwoo in one of her dramas! visit her drama post for further detail :)

she loves cucumbers and will eat them all day if she was allowed

appeared on the k-pop daebak show with eric nam where they discussed their friendship, which surprisingly blossomed after both running into each other at a convenience store

amber liu + jackson wang are discussing current adoption agreements in order to make lian their daughter

has an infamous fanboy that used to pop up out of nowhere while she was at airports and would just praise her until she was hiding her entire body behind johnny while blushing

started a vlive series in 2019 called “lili’s lullabies” where she would cover different songs at nighttime so she could sing czennies to sleep

there was a hold in the series for a while and nobody knows why, but it made a comeback on january 29, 2021 and she covered dvwn’s “phobia”

it got SOOOOOOOO many views and everyone loved it :)

lian is known to be very brave, and she isn’t one to get afraid of things easily (unless it involves clowns or roller coasters, of course)

she won the flinch game nct 127 played on the james cordon show after her and doyoung went last

and she also walked through that entire haunted school in japan ABSOLUTELY FEARLESS with a terrified johnny and haechan walking behind her

was ranked 3rd on tc chandler’s “most beautiful faces of 2020,” being voted one level above twice’s tzuyu and one level below blackpink’s lisa!