#hi sorry for writing a novel for a simple hello ask I've been just thinking abt this exact thing a lot recently and just idk

[haneys]

schizosystem!!! me too

Hi anon ily 🫂 im always sk happy to see other schizophrenic systems out there cuz it feels so alone and isolated, like noone Really understands, like even with other systems there are experienced they could not really understand because of the way schizophrenia and did affects each other and intertwines... for me personally it's hard to differenciate between the two, to be sure where schizophrenia ends and did begins. sorry to make this sappy but if you ever feel isolated, or like noone coukd ever understand than just know that recently I have meet (and started to live together with!!) another person who not only is schizophrenic but ALSO has did. It was a complete accident and we didn't even know at the beggining, but it has been such an incredible experience. A lot of our things manifest differently, but in a way I have never felt this seen or understood by someone - and also it has shown me that really having comorbid disorders, even the "rare" ones, isnt really as unusual as one may think and that there are people like us all around... we just have to run into them :)

[nyerus]

Hey I originally followed you for YOI stuff and since that seems to be on haitus, I have seen you and a lot of people rebloing stuff about a different anime or manga (i think) with different mlm relationships? I think they're two diff shows and I've heard about mdzs before. But lately youve been reblogging stuff from a manga tagged tgcf and it looks pretty cool--so i was wondering how I could get into it and what its about? Does it have actual gay charas?

Hello! I’m sorry for the late response! This morphed from a simple answer into a beginner guide of sorts, so I hope you don’t mind! I know there’s like 500000 guides out there, but I figured I’d give it a shot too! ❤

So the stuff you’ve been seeing everywhere is indeed MDZS or related to it–including on my own blog! (I promise when YOI comes back from war, I’ll be all over that again ;o;!!!)

So these works are all by the same author, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (MXTX) and they are separate danmei (i.e. Chinese BL) novels, though they share a lot of similarities between them:

MDZS (Mó Dào Zǔ Shī) – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

TGCF (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) – Heaven Official’s Blessing

SVSSS – Scum Villian’s Self-Saving System

All of them are complete and fan translated, and I’ll answer your last question first: yes, they have actual gay characters! In the novels, the main couples end up canonically married! \o/ In some of the adaptations, their romantic relationships are also maintained (e.g. the manhuas (Chinese graphic novel)), though censorship is present.

Links will be added below this post! Grab some popcorn, this is long!

･:*:･ﾟ’★🐇MDZS🐇★･ﾟ’･:*:･

MDZS《魔道祖师》is definitely the most popular work by MXTX, as it has the most adaptations. You’ve almost certainly been seeing gifs and photosets from its donghua (Chinese animation) or live action the most. However, it has a manhua and audio drama (in both Chinese and Japanese) as well!

Synopsis: Reviled as the infamous Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian harnessed the forbidden dark power of demonic cultivation. Once the cultivation world decided he was too dangerous to leave alone, he was hunted down, and a terrible battle ensued that cost Wei Wuxian his life—and the lives of many others. 13 years later, he is resurrected under mysterious circumstances into the body of the pariah Mo Xuanyu. Now with this second chance at life (and while hiding his real identity), Wei Wuxian has to uncover the truth about a powerful malevolent spirit. It may just be the key to revealing a series of heinous secrets hidden from the cultivation world for years. And while the world may still hate him for crimes he didn’t commit, there’s one person who’s on his side—the illustrious Hanguang-jun, Lan Wangji—and is willing to stand by him against all odds. The two have a long and complex history, and Wei Wuxian is unsure of Lan Wangji’s motivations for helping him. But it couldn’t be more simple: respect and love.

Scene from the donghua.

Still from the live action, called “Chén Qíng Lìng”/“CQL”/”The Untamed.”

Panel from the manhua.

Art from the Chinese audio drama.

The great thing about MDZS is that you can really pick your poison in terms of what adaptation you want to get started with. If you are absolutely brand-new to the danmei scene, then starting with the donghua or manhua may be your best bet (both are ongoing). The novel of course is the most beloved, being the source, but all the adaptations have their own charms! They’re all worth checking out, and will keep you busy for quite a while.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🌸TGCF🌸★･ﾟ’･:*:･

Now, for TGCF《天官赐福》—that’s where my photosets are coming from: the ongoing manhua that started in October. There’s a donghua planned for late this year, and a live action in talks (info about that is largely unknown, but is slated for production sometime after the donghua release). TGCF actually has the same deal structure as MDZS apparently, so we’ll be getting an audio drama as well if that’s true.

Synopsis: Talented and virtuous, Crown Prince Xie Lian first ascended to the heavens when he was only 17. Once the darling of the earth and heavens for his boundless skill and purity of heart, he ended up falling from grace—not once, but twice! Subsequently, he became the laughing stock of the three realms. Spending almost 800 years roaming the earth and collecting scraps, he becomes known as the pitiful “rubbish god” and “god of misfortune.” No one could have expected Xie Lian to ascend for a third time, but fate seems to have something in store for this disgraced yet compassionate immortal. Thankfully, he is not alone, as the widely-feared ghost king, Hua Cheng, seems to have a special interest in helping him. The two of them embark on a series of adventures that unravel the secrets of their world, and of themselves.

Panel from the manhua.

Scene from the Donghua PV.

The novel for TGCF is a great place to start, especially considering how the manhua is still in it’s early stages (just starting it’s 2nd arc as of writing this post). The novel is long, incredibly well-written, and well-translated. The manhua is absolutely stunning, and follows the novel very closely thus far.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🎋SVSSS🎋★･ﾟ’･:*:･

The underrated sibling of the three, SVSSS《人渣反派自救系統 》has only the novel to interact with for right now. A donghua is planned for this year. There was a manhua, but it was cancelled due to some problems with the publisher afaik. Word on the street is that they’re searching for a new team for it, so we’ll continue to pray!!!

Synopsis: Shen Yuan is an avid reader of the web novel Proud Immortal Demon Way. The novel revolves around the protagonist Luo Binghe, a kind child who is tormented endlessly by his Shizun (teacher/mentor) Shen Qingqiu, until he turns into a powerful demon lord and exacts his violent revenge. While initially a fan of the story, Shen Yuan hates the unsatisfactory ending. Upon dying suddenly, he finds himself transmigrated into the novel, at the behest of The System—a sci-fi interface which gives him missions and directives. Unfortunately, he ends up in the place of the cruel Shen Qingqiu out of all people! This new Shen Qingqiu now has to use his knowledge of the novel to navigate around the plot, within the restrictions that The System has implemented. He has to find a way to ensure a better ending, if he wants to keep this second chance at life. His plan for doing this is to be as kind and encouraging as possible to the innocent Luo Binghe, who quickly takes a shine to this new Shen Qingqiu. Even after forced to the dark side, and despite the tension between them after this, Luo Binghe won’t let anyone else touch his beloved Shizun.

Cover of the Thai release of the novel.

SVSSS only really has the novel to interact with as of right now. There’s currently an excellent re-translation in progress by tumblr user Faelicy! If you want to get started now, however, you can read what she’s done so far and then swap over to the old translation afterward.

･:*:･ﾟ’★NOTES★･ﾟ’･:*:･

• ALL three novels are intended for an R-18+ audience ONLY. Other adaptations are safe for minors over 16 years of age.

• Please be aware that the novels may contain potentially triggering content. Feel free to ask me for content warnings if you need them.

• All three of these are totally different from one another and only share common themes typical of the wuxia/xianxia genres.

• The original Chinese raws of MDZS and SVSSS are no longer available for purchase on JJWXC (publishing site). You can find print versions on Taobao. TGCF, however, is still available!

• If you’d like more info on anything, please reach out to me! I’m happy to help.

• LINKS WILL BE ADDED BELOW THIS POST.

[awed-frog]

Hello! I've been meaning to ask several things for quite some time, and seeing your introduction reminded me of it: 1 - you once talked about a Greek computer, is it the thing that could calculate the position of the stars? Also if I'm not mistaken you mentioned cinema, what did you mean by that? I'm so curious but I haven't found any info... Sorry if I misunderstood something

2 - ever since I read your Destiel Antiquity AU I’ve been craving it in fanfics but it’s so rare I almost want to write it myself. Do you have any advice on how to “romanise” or… “greekify” (?) characters that are from a totally different part of the globe in canon? Thank you so much for always taking the time to answer! ♥

Hi! I don’t actually remember talking about a Greek computer because I’m old and forgetful, but I’m sure I must have meant the Antikythera mechanism, which is defined as an analogue computer and yes, it was used to calculate the position of the stars. We found it pretty much by chance (on a ship entombed 45m below sea surface), it took us almost a century to figure out what it was, and even then, some people insisted it was too advanced for the times, and there must have been some kind of mistake (there wasn’t).

What I do remember mentioning are Greek robots, which were machines powered with steam and rare enough to draw crowds of tourists to the places displaying them. I think Pausanias talked about some temple which had a mechanical man, whose function seems to have been similar robots I saw in Hindu temples - by moving when coins are tossed at them, they encourage people to donate. Oh, and we also know about at least one vending machine which dispensed clean water in exchange for money.

(Meanwhile, China was apparently making mechanical dildos - #priorities?)

As for cinema, I think what I meant was cameras - the Greeks, like other ancient civilizations, experimented with camera obscura, and we know painters sometimes used them to make quick sketches as a preparation for a more elaborate painting. I’m not a science person so I don’t know exactly why this happens, but the mechanism is pretty simple: if you admit light through a very small hole into a dark space, whatever’s outside that hole will appear on the wall in reverse.

Here is an example of a modern artist, Abelardo Morell, creating breath-taking images with the help of a camera obscura:

[More photos of his work here.]

The obvious advantage of working with this instrument is that you don’t need to stay outside for hours to get your landscape right - and if you’re painting a portrait, your subject doesn’t have to keep coming back for weeks for you to get an accurate liking. Apparently, Alexander was a fan of this method, and painters with pinhole boxes were part of the vast caravan he dragged all the way to India.

Now - the pinhole box is also the beginning of photography. In a pinhole box, the image is simply displayed on the wood, and unless you trace it by hand, it will be gone as soon as the darkness is snuffed out. The big break was finding a way to make the image ‘trace itself’, thus making it permanent without the need of a human hand. And, again, I don’t understand exactly how this works, but apparently what started to do the trick were silver surfaces treated with chemicals (a technique invented by Louis Daguerre, a Frenchman, in 1833).

Personally, one thing I find fascinating about all this stuff is that, on the whole, the materials that were available to inventors in the 19th century weren’t that different from those already known in Greece. Inventing steam trains and photography in the ancient world wasn’t a scientific impossibility; it’s got more to do with the history and geography of the place, and how its people thought. I mean, we were already carrying out successful brain surgery in 5000 BC - if we could just stop fighting each other for one second and focus on scientific progress instead of amusing the rich (I just found out some priceless and rare metal was crushed into glitter to make some guy’s dining room floor sparkle, not that I’m bitter about that) or branding any new technology as sinful (*side-eyeing the entire Catholich church*), we’d probably be living in glass cities on Mars by now. Or something.

As for historical AUs - I’m not sure I have any good advice, because it’s something I struggle with myself. Two important points I have little idea of & probably not enough skill to implement IRL: 

get to know the relevant parts of the culture and history you’re choosing as background (I find children’s books are often more useful than more serious stuff, because they tend to go into detail about that stuff you actually need, like how people dressed and whether glasses, board games and toilet paper were a thing or not) and

remember to adapt your characters to their new identities by shifting their likes, dislikes and inner conflicts to something that’s era-consistent.

I find both things extremely difficult to do, but if you’re interested in history and historical novels, I think fanfiction is a good place to start experimenting with that - your readers are going to be more forgiving, and the world needs to see more people in togas (speaking of, where is my Marvel AU with lowly legionnaire Stephanus drinking a magic potion and turning into Centurion Roma? Come on, guys. Chop chop.).

[greeneyedsnake]

Hello! I've seen loads of asks here about Daphne Greengrass,apparently she and Harry até being shipped a lot. Well,I think you made a wonderful job, since she doesn't appear in the books. I wanted to ask you what are your thoughts on the Greengrass sisters? You're an amazing writer! Have a lovely day!

Thank you! I don’t think I can take any credit for the shipping, though, since that’s happening entirely of its own accord...but I’m glad people like her!

As to the Greengrass sisters, oh gosh do I have thoughts! 

Okay, I’m going to put them under a cut because while I don’t think any of this technically counts as spoiler-territory, better safe than sorry right?

So first of all, this is my favorite Greengrass family headcanon I’ve ever seen. Much of my own Greengrass sisters headcanon stems from there, more or less. I mean it goes off on branches...but that’s where the roots started.

(Note that these are general canon headcanons that I hold for the Greengrass girls, and as such may not apply to the Green-Eyed Snake series...but for the most part, they do. For the most part, I’m using my general canon headcanons as my default for writing this AU, and only deviate when I think someone will specifically work better for this story. All talk about future events, however, should definitely not be taken as relevant to the Green-Eyed Snake universe, because I honestly don’t even know who’s going to live to the end of this story yet, let alone who’s going to end up with whom!)

So...my thoughts about the Greengrasses:

I see Daphne as being someone who was embarrassed by her family’s comparatively meager social standing and wealth (relative to the elite of pure-blood society), and who tried to hide it and compensate for it when she got to Hogwarts, and clung to girls like Pansy Parkinson as a shield even when they insulted or mocked her. She was someone who wanted out, who wanted to get away from Knockturn Alley and the apothecary and the very idea of working for a living. She wanted the dream of easy wealth and comfort and big sprawling manors with vaults full of jewels.

I see Astoria as being someone who never paid much attention to the so-called social stigma of being “in trade,” and who enjoyed playing with the plants and the growing and who never liked gossiping with the customers very much, but more because she’d rather leave her nose in her book than talk to them than because she was ashamed of her family’s situation. She didn’t mind living in Knockturn Alley or wearing her sister’s outgrown robes to school, and in fact made a deal with her parents that if she took hand-me-down robes she could use the money they saved there on her books and school instruments instead and get her better quality things than they’d otherwise have afforded.

I see Daphne as loving her little sister and wanting to look out for her, but also being convinced that she knows what’s best for Astoria, and trying to mold and shove her into being the type of girl she thinks they both ought to be -- gossipy social-climbers who care about how fashionable their robes are more than they do their grades -- and Astoria quietly resisting her sisters efforts, which puts a brief wedge between the girls in their adolescence because they don’t understand one another and neither wants to compromise; Daphne resents that Astoria doesn’t seem embarrassed by second-hand robes and shabby books, that she doesn’t try to hide their circumstances, resents that Astoria isn’t grateful to her for all her efforts moving them up the social ladder and won’t do anything to help. Astoria resents being told she has to act differently, resents being told that she ought to be ashamed of things she doesn’t care about, resents her sister bossing her around “for her own good” instead of getting to know her as she is.

I see Astoria as being the sort of girl who does not put up with that for very long, because while she at first valued her sister’s advice when she began her transition, it soon began to feel more confining and constricting than it did constructive, and there’s no wrong way to be a witch, thanks anyway Daphne.

I see the Greengrass parents as having met over plants: she liked herbology, and his parents had an apothecary, and they talked plants more than anything else and still argue about conflicting schools of thought on what to grow and how and what each plant should best be used for, etc. Financial and social strain has added weight to their marriage, especially since their children were born, and they aren’t the cheerfully and constantly arguing couple they once were -- but they don’t hate each other. They just always worked better as colleagues than as a couple, but by the time they figured that out it was too late, and now Mr. Greengrass maybe drinks a little more firewhiskey than he should because he feels ashamed for not being able to better provide for his family and recoup the lost family fortune, and Mrs. Greengrass yells at all of them more than she’d like to because she resents the fact that their situation never improved the way she expected it to...but they don’t hate each other. They just argue more about money than plants these days, which is much less pleasant and much less constructive, and they spend a lot of time in different bedrooms, and are too busy with the business to give their children as much attention as they say they would like to. Neither of them have ever found a long term side-affair; maybe they would both be happier if they did.

The sisters have some Chinese ancestry on the maternal side of the family, and their mother retains enough of her grandparents’ knowledge of Chinese magicks and herbology that she can use it to supplement her and her husband’s standard Hogwarts education, which has been a boon to the apothecary -- but still not as much of a financial success as she had hoped it would be. The British wizarding world is prejudiced against foreign magicks, after all, and so for every patron impressed with the novel and unique things offered at their apothecary, there are two more who turn their noses up at anything that has a tinge of “foreigness” to it, regardless of actual superiority or inferiority.

I see Daphne as being a little bit chubby all her life, with a round pale gold face and long thick black curls and a wide round nose and little round chin. She wishes she was tall and sleek, and occasionally tries really foolish diets in an attempt to get herself to look more like the witch she thinks she ought to be. Pretty, adorable, charming, cute, dainty -- those are all words that can easily be applied to Daphne. She doesn’t want those words: she wants lovely, she wants stunning, she wants elegant. Daphne’s biggest problem is always wanting what she doesn’t have. It drives her, needles at her, bleeds her. As she fills-out, ages, and lightens-up, she grows into her curves and if she ever let herself really own them she’d be a vivacious beauty, but Daphne will never be 100% comfortable with who she is.

I see Astoria as sharing the same plump proportions when she’s little, being a little bit chubbier and shorter even, but slimming out a bit as she gets older -- never to the point of being a girl that would be described as scrawny, but one who might be called delicate -- and being perfectly happy with her body, although she wouldn’t object to being a little bit taller if someone gave her the option. (Especially once she has to start craning her neck to look up at her son, as well as her husband and in-laws.) She has thick black curls too but as she gets older she tends to pull them back in simple ponytails and buns instead of the cascades of ribbons and headbands and twisted braids that her sister spends so much time on. Her complexion is a darker gold than Daphne’s because she spends more time in the greenhouses and thus picks up some sun, despite Daphne’s constant chiding to wear a hat or cast a sun-shielding charm on herself beforehand. She keeps her nails short for digging in the dirt and cleans them meticulously rather than varnishing them like Daphne.

Both girls favor cute, flowery, ruffled clothing, although as they age Daphne’s style grows more sleek while Astoria’s becomes more simple, but they both retain a very traditionally feminine aesthetic. Daphne wears more jewelry than Astoria does, but -- after her marriage, at least -- Astoria’s is higher quality.

Eventually Daphne grows out of being so concerned with appearances, with being who she should be and instead focusing on who she is, and in the end she marries a much subdued, slightly sullen, slightly gentler (but never gentle) Pansy Parkinson, which makes for some awkward family gatherings with the Malfoys. They give their daughter Daphne’s last name, because they want her to be spared Pansy’s minor but lingering infamy, and keep to themselves and their small social circle rather than striving for the prestige and influence that Daphne (and Pansy) always dreamed of having when they were young, and they’re happy enough...although they both still long for those old unattainable dreams.

Astoria and Draco never had much to do with one another growing up and only really start conversing over potions and plants in his seventh year and her fifth, which is a good thing because by then Draco has become much less of an arse when speaking to people, and if she had known him better earlier she probably would never have fallen in love with him later. They live an even more sedate and reclusive life than the Greengrass-Parkinsons, and they both prefer it that way, because Astoria was never an extrovert and Draco...well, he learned to dislike being in the center of attention. So they keep to themselves and dote on their son and try to find a balance between spoiling him and spoiling him rotten. Astoria and Lucius get along well enough through their bond over the gardens, because that was always Lucius’s hobby and he likes having a daughter-in-law who shares the interest, but she and Narcissa never really warm up to each other -- although Narcissa would murder anything that hurt Astoria because she makes her precious son happy, and she dotes on Scorpius as much as anyone; she just doesn’t care much for Astoria, personally. She’s too open-minded. But the little family is happy enough in the secluded, reclusive peace of their manor, safe from the dangers that almost destroyed them, and that’s as happily an ever-after as any of them can claim a right to having.

And fuck Cursed Child and it’s appalling, sexist, “we’re going to fridge a female character off-screen to give the male characters pain trope.” Astoria does not have some weird bloodline curse that kills her early, thank you very much.

[therepublicofletters]

simple question with a broad answer I've yet to define for myself: whats someone to do when they admire someone from afar knowing they will never be with them? I feel a connection towards them that is anything but "modern" or "present" as though I was with them in a memory I've been refused to live again in this life. We've never spoken. I've read about your love for a certain Medeci and I'm wondering if you've any advice? —L

Hello, L- I’m going to make a few assumptions in answering this – please tell me if they’re wrong, or if you have anything else you’d like to add, because I have a very limited understanding of what exactly you’re talking about.

First, I’m going to presume that you are connecting my love to the Medici to your admiration from afar because the Medici are long dead and I will never truly be able to meet them.  Second, I’m going to assume that this person you are talking about is not, in fact , a real, living person who you see on a regular basis (that is, they are a historical figure, a celebrity, a fictional character, or something of that sort) – because, if not, I don’t have very good advice to give because I honestly don’t have the best interpersonal skills.  So please send me another ask when you see this so I can know whether or not I’ve answered your question, and, if not, I can try again to give you some advice.

People always ask me, “why do you like the Medici so much?” and I honestly don’t have a solid answer that comes to mind.  The more I think about it, though, the more I find that I have idealized them.  That is, if I were to go to Florence in 1475, I would likely be absolutely shocked at how dirty the city is, how smelly everything was, how impolite they all were – even though I now think that they are the most pristine, perfect people.  Part of coming to terms with the fact that you will never meet said person is that you accept that at some level – whether or not you acknowledge it regularly.  We all know that I have a horrible history crush on Giuliano de’ Medici - but I also know that there is only one decent portrait of him that was painted after he died and everyone praised him to no end after his murder so … who knows what he was really like?

Second - you always have the option to think about them.  I think about the Medici on a daily basis.  I think about Giuliano on an hourly basis – or less, honestly.  I have actually twisted my life so that it revolves around my love for him and the Medici.  I suppose you could say I “miss” him, even though I have never met him – it is a strange, ethereal longing that is almost indescribable.  I’m really not quite sure exactly how to place it - because it’s not “missing” because I have never truly met him, but it’s “love” just the same because of the deep passion that I feel.  And I think about him all the time because of that – and you could do that too, about whomever you’re thinking, because your mind is yours and you can think whatever you want in it.

People also tell me that I seem as though I did know him … as though I was there, and not mean to be here.  I feel that way, too – and I imagine it often.  That’s why I’m writing a novel about it!  When I write, I feel like I’m there with them.  When I think about him being murdered, I actually feel it in my chest.  If there’s something that connects you to this person like my writing connects me to the Medici, do it! (so long as it’s within the boundaries of the law and appropriateness, I mean)

I hope this is the sort of advice that you’re looking for – and I’m sorry if I went off on any tangents!  Please tell me if it helped (or not)!!!