#i don’t know how they do it lmao but i was in a fandom with a audio drama and let me tell you the behind the scene are very funny

[mysterialistic]

Review/Ramble on Yingdu and Overall Thoughts

Okay, first of all, I think the fandom needs to chill a bit, especially on Twitter/X, because some people are overdramatizing the criticism from others. Criticizing a piece of media doesn’t mean you hate it, nor does it mean it’s bad—it just means it didn’t fully meet your expectations, and you have a different opinion. It’s as simple as that. Of course, I believe criticism should always come from an objective standpoint, not just for the sake of complaining.

Having said, let’s start rambling!

Yingdu had an amazing start. Those first few minutes, transitioning from the basketball game straight into the scene of Cheng Xiaoshi’s death, were so well done. Overall, the first episode was fantastic—the perfect mix of drama and tension. It answered some of our lingering questions before bringing us back to the Season 1 format, where they tackled individual cases, only for it to all build up to the arc’s main conflict. I won’t go into every single episode since that would make this way too long, but I had to highlight episode 1 because it was my favorite.

There were several aspects of these episodes that I really enjoyed. Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang’s bond was portrayed so well—every little moment between them, every dialogue exchange—it perfectly showed why these two are so willing to risk their lives for each other. I looked forward to seeing their interactions every week, and I was never disappointed.

Xia Fei was also a great addition, and I’m glad they didn’t kill off his character like many people theorized, because he has so much potential. I really enjoyed his complexity—he’s a spy, but he has his own morals and values. He dislikes Liu Xiao, yet he has a close bond with Vein despite his odd personality. He’s clearly intelligent, and I think that will really shine in Season 3. He already seems to suspect something, and I have no doubt he’ll get to the bottom of it. Right now, he’s angry and confused about what happened to Vein, convinced that someone killed him. But how will he react if (or when) he finds out that Vein was the one who initially killed Cheng Xiaoshi—one of his other friends, and probably the only truly innocent one? And don’t even get me started on how he’ll react when he finds out that Lu Guang tried to kill Vein or that Vein is still alive. I’m excited to see where this goes.

That said, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see much of Vein and Liu Xiao. We mostly just saw what we already knew—two shady guys with their own agenda, pretending to be friendly. As an introduction, it was fine, but considering how much attention the promotional material gave them, I really thought we’d see more. Still, I don’t have a huge issue with it since they’ll obviously play a bigger role in Season 3. Liu Xiao, Vein, Li Tianchen, and possibly Xia Fei—a group of unstable individuals as antagonists… well, good luck, Lu Guang!

Now, something that does bother me about Yingdu is the inconsistencies between its plot and what we’ve seen in Seasons 1 and 2. For me, this was the laziest part of the writing, because no, Link Click isn’t flawless. In fact, no piece of media is. But in Link Click’s case, some of the flaws were painfully obvious. With every episode that aired, I kept thinking, “okay, this has to be an alternate timeline”, because so many little details just didn’t fit with the main storyline. The most obvious one is how Cheng Xiaoshi awakened his powers—he did it on his own, yet in Season 1, it was shown that he didn’t know he could do this. That makes absolutely no sense unless he has selective amnesia, which is definitely not the case lol. As for the inconsistencies with his parents, that could at least be explained by the promise he made to his mother to “not get involved any further.” He clearly remembers that promise and is likely just keeping everything he learned a secret.

Speaking of parents… Damn, Cheng Xiaoshi’s parents are awful lmao. I hated how his father acted like he was the victim, justifying his actions with, “yes, I abandoned my child, but now I take care of other children to make up for my mistakes.” That’s just… bad parenting. I actually made a whole analysis about it in another post. And then there’s Cheng Xiaoshi’s mother. The way she dismissed her son’s feelings and abandonment issues with a casual “oh yeah, it was wrong of me not to say goodbye, but who cares? That’s in the past” felt so off. The entire scene with her was weird—the humor felt misplaced. I was expecting something more emotional, more dramatic—anything but this. But based on what I’ve seen, almost no one liked her, so if the creators were hoping we’d find her eccentricity endearing, this introduction definitely wasn’t the best. Since Season 1, we’ve been repeatedly shown how deeply this abandonment affected Cheng Xiaoshi, and this is the reunion we got? It was… underwhelming.

Now, something I really, really loved was how they handled Lu Guang in this arc. From start to finish, it was just so good—his reaction when he first saw Cheng Xiaoshi again, his nightmares and PTSD, the way he carefully planned everything to manipulate events and create change. But my absolute favorite part? How morally gray he is. He planned and actually succeeded in killing Vein, eliminating the threat (though he’s definitely going to freak out when he finds out Vein is still alive). That cold smile? The scene where his hands moved like he was pulling the strings of a puppet? The way he said, “I hope we’ll never see each other again”? PERFECT. I’ve always said I wanted Lu Guang’s motivations and actions to not be entirely good. He comes across as someone selfish, willing to sacrifice others if it means protecting the people he loves—because he has the power and the knowledge to do it, and he wants his happy ending. Such a good character, I swear.

Of course, I wasn’t expecting every single question to be answered in Yingdu—that would be ridiculous lol. But I’m satisfied that the plot is finally moving forward. They gave us a piece of the puzzle—Cheng Xiaoshi’s parents, the origin of his powers, the antagonists’ apparent goal (some sort of notebook?), and hints at what we can expect in Season 3. That said, my biggest fear is that Link Click will lose its essence—the powerful message from Season 1 about how they shouldn’t intervene in the natural flow of time, no matter how painful it is, because the past and future should be left alone. Based on what Lu Guang said about the butterfly effect, we can argue that time itself is like another character—a force that, no matter how much they try to change things, always corrects itself somehow, some way. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what kind of ending I want for Link Click, but right now, I just hope it makes sense, that it isn’t forced, and that it unfolds naturally.

And… that’s all I have to say for now.

[dapper-lil-arts]

I know your Chrysalis x Cadance x Shining Armor art was probably just for the lols, but honestly…I could legit see this working as a ship?

Like, let’s be honest, if there was ANY character in this show who would be poly, it would absolutely be the Princess of Love (all that love for just one partner? Get real).

And it could be a legitimately interesting dynamic too! I could see Shining being onboard with Cadances partnership while also still being a bit hesitant because it’s, ya know…Chrysalis.

But then he ends up warming up to her in the end and the two become maybe-sort-of friends (with Cadance TOTALLY making some gentle nudges behind the scenes to set up some platonic bonding moments for them).

Like, idk, I just feel like it’s an idea with a lot of potential (both comedic AND genuine) and I’d like to see if the fandom took more of a crack at it.

Could also just be personal bias though, because as much as I am intrigued by Cadance x Chrysalis as a ship, I always kind of dislike how Shining Armor is left out as a result (he’s just a lil wife guy man, don’t do this to him🥺).

I def agree its a bit of a dick move to cut Shining out of the deal like that xD Both Cadance and Shining undertakin the challenge of fixing chrysalis lmao. Theres a lot of potential for intrigue there, and I did write a chapter of my multiverse fic with em togethere! Good times. Also I read this fuckin BANGER fic where Shining and Chrysalis are the same person and Cadance falls in love with both without knowing one is the other, it's fuckin fantastic. Here you go lol. Chrysalis cucks herself with herself and has Cadance in the pawn of her hands. Also I do love the trio as a polycule but I've recently been more partial to shipping chrysalsi and Celestia both due to suplemental material and just because of fanon shit thats funny lmao

[coolgrl111]

HELP SO i dont usually really send asks im sorry if this is awkward lmao i sorta just lurk in the challengers fandom usually 😔😔 but like if you could do some kind of either like blurb or general hcs with art x goth!reader i would love you forever 🫶🫶 i completely get it if you either cant or dont want to^^

- 🦇

okay sorry if this is literally soo bad or tacky but i tried 😭😭😭 i hope u like❤️❤️❤️

bf!art donaldson x goth!reader

- art literally has no idea how he ended up with you but he loves you endlessly. like he’ll just watch you do your thing, especially your makeup. whether that be your black lipstick or sharp thick eyeliner— he watches with so much focus like he’s studying for the most important exam of his life. “jesus baby, how do you get the edges so sharp?”

- he loves your rings. actually cannot stop playing with them. will grab your hand just to spin them around your fingers, fiddle with them. especially if you wear multiple at a time, he loves when you stack them. he once tried to steal one and got it stuck on his bigger fingers. had to google “how to remove a ring without amputation” in a panic. he didn’t try again after that….

- bro does not understand how you carry so much in your bag. “what do you even have in here?” and then you pull out a dark fantasy novel, a half-eaten granola bar, some more dark makeup and a vial of fake blood like it’s normal. he stops asking after that. he’s turned on, however.

- if you go to goth/emo parties, you obviously take him after he begs to accompany you. he walks in wearing his stanford hoodie and a backwards cap, visibly nervous. he just wants to fit in. he craves being accepted. he tries so hard to dance but looks like a malfunctioning sim. you love him for trying, and you make sure he feels comfortable and you introduce him to friends etc etc.

- he LOOVES how protective you get over him. if anyone so much as looks at him wrong, you immediately stepping in. “what the fuck are you looking at?” and he’s all giddy like that photo of zendaya when tom defended her from paparazzi BYEE😭😭

- also the same for you. if anyone’s giving you weird looks he is immediately all over that defending you like a knight. he knows you don’t need that, you’re not a damsel in distress but he can’t help his protective instincts.

- he’s secretly scared of horror movies but won’t admit it. will try to act all unfazed but will literally flinch at everything. and he gets defensive if you suggest to turn it off. “i wasn’t even scared, i just wasn’t expecting it. no don’t turn it off, babe, im not even scared.. it’s more fun to act scared anyway…” yeah ok sure.

- he tries to match your vibe… TRIES!!! once he tried by wearing all black but literally just looks like he’s going to a funeral. like all he had was a button up shirt. in fact he definitely had worn it to a funeral. but you tell him he looks great though because you love him.

- late at night when it’s just you two, he gets all soft and tells you he loves how you don’t care what people think. that he wishes he was like that. you pretend to roll your eyes but secretly you’re blushing so hard. he’s the light of your life. and although you two are an unlikely pair, you’d change nothing about each other and love each other unconditionally <3

[tennessoui]

it’s like baby gorl there’s no way I, the author who wrote the fic you’re commenting on and who is the intended audience for this comment, am gonna agree with you 😿🙏 some things can just stay on your chest 🙏

[marimbles]

i miss carpisuns sometimes </3

[totaleclipse573]

Weird color combos that make more weird color combos my beloved

[cranberrymoons]

.

[altschmerzes]

getting real tired of people who are shitting on “found family” more generally as a narrative concept and specifically named familial dynamics in fan interpretation of characters in particular because it all seems to be getting painted with a really wide and really homogenous brush. “we need to take found family away from people because they think it all has to be In Nuclear Family Terms and do you know friendship exists and you don’t have to call these characters siblings to legitimize their relationship while making it clear you Don’t Ship Them Ew Gross and THEN you sneer at people who Do ship them” cool cool that is a lot of really intense characterization and assigning of motive to other people en bloc!

like sure there’s some meaningful critique to be found in a broad trend to label every single relationship directly and specifically with terms that have very specific contexts and roles but im waiting to be told when anyone IS by the standards of people making and reblogging these very sweepingly generalized posts allowed to call a relationship parental or whatever. is that Ever allowed. who is handing out the permits. sometimes a specific term for a relationship isn’t actually about wanting an excuse to sneer about your ship (and frankly there’s a lot of projection going on there imo from people who are actively sneering about other people’s interpretation of a relationship!) and it’s because there are very specific contexts and details about a dynamic that makes exploring it from the lens of siblings or whatever very rich and compelling and interesting because words mean things and assuming everyone is just being reductive and demanding conformity to a nuclear family is, ironically, really reductive.

so like. cool it. stop being really fucking mean about people having an interpretation of a dynamic you personally don’t like or makes you feel a little weird or uncomfy because you ship them.

[nashdoesstuff]

ship discourse my beloathed

[no1ryomafan]

i was thinking about besides devo getting a anime the most controversial getter anime they could make is a remake of Armageddon cause despite the fact it could absolutely fix the issues the show has it be one of those things that wouldn’t be necessary and people would be sick of more arma content.

But then I thought about “okay but then they could make Kei actually trans if they had the fucking balls” and I know this would NEVER happen but that would make people seethe more then arms being remade and I found that so funny. (And yes this is very much related to my last post)

[nomsfaultau]

Absolutely in love with the lamb dark SBI au. It's so rare to find a Philza that actually actively fights back against the rest of the sbi so yours feels like a fresh breath of air.

Really looking forward to how Phil will have to navigate Tommy, Wilbur and Techno to find out what their weaknesses are without causing suspicion and to take back his actual children. Which I feel like might be long dead now tbh.

No matter the ending, I'm so excited for it. :D

I started The Lambs Wolves Wear after I realized I’d literally never seen a dark sbi where Philza is the vulnerable one…only to realize there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d take his kids being kidnapped lying down. Like hello??? Yeah he’s severely outclassed and one wrong move could get him ripped to shreds. But that’s PHILZA. MINECRAFT. He’s clever, and vindictive, and patient, and will obliterate those who hurt his children.

But also he’s a little too emphatic for his own good.

[valkyurii]

everyday i go online and get exposed to the worst takes imaginable and everyday i have to fight the urge not to kill

[evilvampire]

The way some of the fandom infantilizes Astarion is… uh, really something. I know I made a joke about him being an iPad baby with mirrors, and I stand by that, but LISTEN— “oh he was only 39 when he died, elves don’t mature until 100” CULTURALLY. Culturally. But not physically. That man has smile lines, you can’t tell me he’s meant to be read as anything other than a standard issue adult. And not mentally, either. You know how I know from context? He had a government job. Do you honestly think the Baldurian government would appoint someone to their legal system if they’re actually their species’ equivalent to a fifteen year old? Be serious. He’s absolutely cleared his schedule to commit tax fraud for fun. And even though he remembers almost nothing about his mortal life, he’s lived through the equivalent of at least two elf cultural maturities, so if anything he would be mentally older??? Hello???

[r0semultiverse]

It’s wild to me that some of you have entire discourse accounts dedicated to shipping hate & over analyzing shipping between the anime, manga, & light novels to the point of making harassment campaigns against the authors/writers of the side stories. Yet y’all don’t send the same hate towards Ikemoto & his highly suspect ass art style with the way he draws some of these kids.

[calamitydaze]

long tag ramble below u have been warned

[sapphicdib]

.