#or the chinese studio lan

[unfortunate--moth]

UNMOTH THERE WAS A ORV ANIME ANNOUNCED BY CRUNCHYROLL HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT IT

- Milgranon who is currently trying to not explode rn because oh my god

YES YES I DID HEAR!!!!!!! im so scared though i wonder what studio will animate it. hoping and praying its not mappa or bones /hj

no matter what though im so excited for it!! hope they do it justice. id like to see it in the webtoon's style, but itd also look good in other art styles too,,,

[qadzikin]

Qiao Ling, about Lu Guang: He’s covered in blood again. What is it that you two do for him to  always be covered in blood? Cheng Xiaoshi: Well, it looks like it's his own blood this time.

[pumpkinpaix]

Chapter Spotlight 8:

"'Censorship Made It Better': Anti-Fans and Purity Culture in English-Language Chen Qing Ling Fandom" by Abby Springman

Describe your topic/chapter in one sentence/one meme/140 characters.

Rejoice! MDZS has been cancelled!

What drew you to this topic?

When I got into CQL fandom and started lurking on its outskirts on Twitter, I started getting this weird sense of déjà vu. There was this bizarre similarity between the arguments I was seeing about the aspects of CQL/MDZS and their fandoms being "problematic" from a progressive, social justice point of view and the demands for censorship in American libraries that conservative groups were (and still are) making at an alarmingly increasing rate. In an attempt to make sense of this, I fell down what ended up being a really long rabbit hole, and, well, here we are.

Was there anything you were surprised to discover while researching?

I was surprised by the wide variety of fannish backgrounds found amongst members of English-language CQL fandom! I'm not used to seeing so many different "areas" of fandom intersect over a single piece of media like this. Some folks are primarily into the live action movies and TV shows side of things, some are mostly in bandom, some (like me) are traditionally a part of the anime, manga, and gaming contingent, etc. I think that's fascinating, honestly.

Did researching/writing your chapter change how you saw the text, the fandom, or the media? How so?

I didn't use the block button on Tumblr or Twitter for anyone in the fandom while I was working on my chapter. It definitely changed how I saw fandom on those platforms—literally. It really highlighted how much power social media algorithms have over what kind of content is presented to us front and center.

If there’s one thing you hope the fandom takes away from your article, what would it be?

I'll be thrilled if it makes people think about "problematic" content in less black-and-white terms. They don't have to necessarily agree with my conclusions! But if my words make even one person stop and think more about context before posting a reactionary comment, then that would be great.

If you were isekai-ed into MDZS/CQL, what sect affiliation would you choose and why?

The Lan. My existing skills are most likely to be applicable there (see: the library), it seems easy to find some peace and quiet when you need it, there are bunnies, and Hanguang-jun is there.

Chaotic one-sentence pitch to get your friends into MDZS/CQL?

My elevator pitch for CQL has historically been, "It's the adaptation of a book about a gay necromancer, except they can't actually show the gay romance or the zombies on screen."

What is one (1) book/media you would recommend to a MDZS/CQL fan? Tell us about it.

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. It's probably the most accessible collection of Chinese stories of the supernatural available in English. If MDZS/CQL was your first exposure to traditional Chinese cultural beliefs about ghosts, exorcisms, and the like, this is a great introduction to the less xianxia-specific aspects. If that isn't the case for you, I still highly recommend it on its own merits!

Character you keep getting in those "which MDZS/CQL character are you" quizzes?

Wen Ning

Anything to say to potential readers of the collection?

Thank you, and I'm sorry—no, that's a joke. More seriously, I really am thankful for anyone interested in the collection. It's the product of years of hard work by many people, and I'm sure there's an interesting chapter in there for everyone.

(FAQ) (all posts on Catching Chen Qing Ling)

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

👆 My leather works : 2 pieces of leather seat cushions for Japanese-style room floors. :))) We're so excited to see them quiet to stay there, but to be let different butts to kiss them. ( Jesus what's a stinking ah!!!) 🤣😜

Part 3

Last week Amy and Lan went to another town of city in the countryside a light traveling in one day for what she wanted to do.

This coffee shop of the boss (A CEO of a cultural and arts group in Taiwan, headquartered in Taipei - veryyyyy intellgent lady); I am lucky that She’s my client (Collectors of the art works) and she bought my 4 pieces of leather works few years ago.

and

👇 我們參觀了台灣外銷日本的美濃鎮上有名的紙傘工作室之一和他們古蹟悠久歷史的客家莊的三合院/中式閩南傳統建築的房子

(We visited one of the famous paper umbrella studios in Meinong Town, a town in Taiwan exported to Japan, and their historic Sanheyuan/Chinese-style southern Fujian traditional architecture house in the historic Hakka village. ) 🙂 Lan~*

[guzhufuren]

Main 4 characters of chinese BL Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

Qi Lu (played by Guo Jiale) is an 18 year old artist and "a painting prodigy" from a wealthy family who was forced to learn painting from young age by his abusive father

Qin Xiao (played by Zhang Xuanyu) is a 20 year old village boy living in the city and a talented painter, who grew up impoverished and is burdened by family responsibilities, also the online artist under pseudonym "Lan" whom Qi Lu has been searching for

Liu Mingyang or Liu laoshi (played by Yao Xinghao) owns an art teaching studio, where Qi Lu and Qin Xiao study, has a dead brother who Tan Yin reminds him of, is 27 years old

Tan Yin (played by Xiao Zizhuo) became a part of Qin Xiao's family after Qin Xiao saved him, now he lives with them, looks after Qin Xiao's grandfather and helps him with their shop, he is hearing impaired, works part time at a bar and is 18

[miyamiwu]

Studio Lan knew what they were doing here. They definitely did. Not to mention that they have never been subtle with all the tender looks they had Lu Guang throw Cheng Xiaoshi’s way this season. In almost every fucking episode, mind you. And so much emphasis on them holding hands, too. If it weren’t for Chinese censorship, I bet this show would be tagged as BL already.

Lu Guang being tender each episode under the cut

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

Episode 4:

Episode 5:

Episode 6:

And now, Episode 7:

No tender looks in Episode 1 because Lu Guang was assumed dead, but hey, maybe this should count:

He even has CXS’s head in his hand

[temps-lc]

what was the old photo studio named? been after cxs’s parents?

Hi Anon! It was called Hero Photo Studio (英雄照相馆) :) I think we only see the name in s1e10 when QL is talking about CXS's childhood.

The name shows up in the artbook as well

It's a curious name for sure. Did CXS's parents also have powers? Then again, I think I may have seen somewhere it was just a reference to another of Director Li's and Studio LAN's works (To Be Hero).

I could see it going either way: on one hand, Hero is a common word, especially in cartoons as a genre. On the other, Donghua loves making references to other Donghua (there are at least 2 donghua that make explicit Link Click references and the chibi shorts for Link Click reference a lot of Chinese pop-culture elements. Heck, CXS even mentions in s1e4 that he learned slam dunking from "videos on bilibili", which is the streaming platform Link Click airs on.)

[saffronapplemanga]

Recent Read Manga Recommendation Round Up (plus anime!) - Part 3

Manga/anime I’ve been enjoying recently! Links to part 1 and part 2.

Twitter link to this post here.

~Links to my other manga posts~ My personal favs/ones I super enjoyed will have a ✨ on them :)

PLEASE LOOK UP ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS!

CRIME, ACTION, DRAMA

✨GANGSTA. by Kohske

(8 volumes + chapters released past vol.8, hiatus)

Available in English

Please check out my dedicated post I linked for this series. I worked super hard on it!

If you take one recommendation from this list, let it be GANGSTA. I’m begging… This series is going in my all-time favs. I have a whole “Why You Should Check GANGSTA. Out” section in my dedicated post, so definitely take a look at that! But in short: Do you enjoy great character writing? A diverse, adult cast featuring different races and disability rep (deaf MC)? A gritty setting? A FOUND FAMILY OF DORKS?

I'm obsessed and I'm making it my mission to take as many of you down with me as possible...

TIME TRAVEL, SUPERNATURAL

Link Click directed by Li Haoling

(24 Episodes - Season 2 Coming Soon)

Link Click is a donghua from Studio LAN and streamed on Bilibili — the Chinese streaming service that I do some subs for, if you're unfamiliar with them — as well as Funimation. I enjoyed the art, animation, and atmosphere. The premise is that two guys working at a print shop time travel through photos to help their clients. And who doesn't love a trio of kids with a big-hearted jokester, the quiet, mature one, and a feisty girl who reins them in? I think this is my first donghua and I enjoyed it!

Plus, the opening and ending themes are pretty slick ->

Season 1 Opening Theme - Adding it to the playlist.

MECH, POLITICAL, SCHOOL

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury by Yatate Hajime

(12 Episodes + Prologue - Season 2 currently airing)

Let me tell you about me and Gundam.

I used to work at a translation company in Tokyo where I translated some Gundam figure commercials/interviews (which are currently privated on Youtube, unfortunately) amongst other things. I'm telling you guys, every time I walked into the office and saw an email from Bandai/TAMASHII NATIONS with a new Gundam translation request in my inbox, I would cry a lot little inside. I had never watched anything Gundam and didn't know what the heck was going on in the stuff I had to translate. There was this one interview with a figure designer where I was like, "Oh, you have to be a Gundam fan to understand what the heck he's talking about..." I remember me, another translator, and our editor staring at our screens exasperated. We managed, though. Big shoutout to the Gundam Wiki — not that I understood anything from it LOL.

If you told me back then that I would enjoy a Gundam thing, I would've laughed — but here I am, enjoying a Gundam thing. I'm not into mechs, even though I think robots/robot-adjacent stuff + space are cool. Still, I could never get into mechs for some reason. So if you're like me, try The Witch from Mercury. Our MCs are these two girls who end up engaged to each other in a rather hilarious way imo, with a colorful cast of supporting characters. The political themes I hear Gundam is known for really hooked me, and I LOVE how the kids handle a situation they end up in. I won't say more so as not to spoil it, but I think this is a great entry point for Gundam newbies!

Season 1 Opening Theme - Am I turning into a Gundam fan? Wild. Who would've thought the day would come? What if I start getting into Gunpla? A slippery slope, really.

SLICE OF LIFE, SCHOOL

✨Skip and Loafer by Takamatsu Misaki

(10 volumes, ongoing) + Season 1 Anime

Available in English

I remember seeing volume one of this series at the bookstore I frequented in Ikebukuro Station when it had just come out. Sooooo many times, I almost picked it up over the years. But I always passed because I was swamped with work, school, and current reads.

Now, I have a little more time on my hands, and the new anime adaptation has so much love put into it! A great coming-of-age story following young Mitsumi as she moves to the big city for school. This series is so wholesome, it's cavity-inducing.

This opening is the most delightful thing~

SLICE OF LIFE

Hotel Metsäpeuraan e Youkoso by Fukuta Seira

(5 volumes, ongoing)

JP only

In the mountains of Finland is a hotel run by two men. One day they see a young man outside in a snowstorm, and bring him inside. The men can tell that teenager Jun seems to have a heavy past and offer him a job and place to stay at the hotel.

Super cute, wholesome, and has great found family vibes!

SLICE OF LIFE, FOOD

Samenai Machi no Kisaten by Hasha

(2 volumes, complete)

JP only

A chill read with a touch of melancholy. At the end of each chapter is a recipe! The art is very cute and pleasing.

DYSTOPIAN, SCI-FI

✨Fool Night by Yasuda Kasumi

(8 volumes, ongoing)

JP only

In the future, the sky is blacked out, not allowing any sun through. To survive, technology has been developed to turn people into plants. The real horror is late stage capitalism though. I'm in love with the art and atmosphere of this series. I can't wait to read more!

ROMANCE

Gakusou by Tsurimaki Nodoka

(oneshot)

JP only

This is a super short one-chapter oneshot. Cute little read with lovely art! By the same author as 聖血の海獣/Seiketsu no Kemono, a 3-volume manga I've been meaning to read.

LGBTQ, DRAMA, COMEDY

To Strip The Flesh by Tooda Oto

(oneshot/anthology)

Available in English

An anthology that has some funny stories, and some that made me feel too seen...

DYSTOPIAN, SCI-FI, CRIME, ACTION, POLITICAL

✨PSYCHO-PASS by Urobuchi Gen

Check anilist for all content because the seasons, movies, manga, light novels, and watch order are a little all over the place.

The Psycho-Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami manga is available in English from publisher Dark Horse.

Set in the future, Japan has implemented a surveillance state that measures people's psyche and flags anyone with the potential to do crime, even if they have not done anything or will never have done anything.

I watched season one back when it first came out in 2012. Since then, I would see ads for new content at the train stations in Japan and thought I’d catch up. There’s a new movie, PSYCHO-PASS PROVIDENCE, releasing May 12, 2023.

I've been having a lot of dumb, edgy fun with this series and its on-the-nose political themes. It's kinda camp-y? I do wish it spent more time on character moments, though.

I love me a trio (which seems to be a theme in this round-up lol) and this series has a good trio! Akane is such a great character, and Shinya and MY BOY GINOZA NOBUCHIKA!!! have been thoroughly entertaining me.

I love him. I wanna bully him and stuff him into a locker...

[rainbowsky]

YIBO-OFFICIAL Story Exchange Responses

As we saw in the recent 12/12 post from YIBO-OFFICIAL, they responded to 3 of the story exchange cards from readers. Here are those responses.

Thanks to @potteresque-ire for translating! 💖.

As you may remember, YIBO-OFFICIAL invited everyone to exchange stories using the card provided. They got a lot of responses.

My name is

Recently

I feel

After winter passes, I prepare to

DD's responses:

Recently: My movie "Nameless" has been scheduled for the first day of the Lunar New Year.

I feel: A little excited.

After winter passes, I prepare to: I haven't made up my mind yet. Step by step.

We did a mini version of this on Tumblr as well. You can see my responses here.

YIBO-OFFICIAL chose three responses to reply to.

Response 1

Recently: An elderly in the family passed away. Hustled daily by livelihood onto the highways (i.e. travelling a lot to make ends meet). Listening to Like the Sunshine.

I feel: Very warm and very healing. (Pie note: the fan make use of Y-O's prompt to say she feels the song is very warm and very healing).

After winter passes, I prepare to: Take the whole family to see Hidden Blade on the Lunar New Year.

It was accompanied by this post:

The studio response:

Time passes by, and those who come with it are all but passing travellers.

To have met and become family, to have left warm recollections in each other’s lives, is already a happy memory of this life.

(I) hope your life moving forward will be filled with the breaths of sunlight. Hold tight the hands of your family, embrace the skies that are bluer than yesterday’s, and make bloom in your life even more resplendent flowers.

The person who sent in the original card posted a follow-up response when they saw the studio's reply:

I really didn’t expect that I would be replied by @YIBO-OFFICIAL.

I’m a “mom fan” born in 1978, my son is 17 years old and is having his college entrance exam this year. My son knows that I’m fanning Wang Yibo, and has always supported me!

In 2019, because of repeated recommendations from friends, I was going to Changsha to participate in Happy Camp and with the 5-hour voyage, I downloaded Chen Qing Ling!

I couldn’t get into it at first, but eventually I got more and more fascinated by it. The next day, I saw the photo of my son (translation note: referring to Dd here, since she’s “mom fan”, i.e., she sees Dd as a son) at the Hunan Broadcasting Station and I thought he looked familiar, but didn’t know he was the actor who played Lan Wangji!

Attracted by Lan Wangji, I started to do some digging. I first watched Gank Your Heart, then One More Try. The more I dug, I discovered that behind the sunny smile of my son was the hard work in foreign countries since childhood, was the sacrifice of his teenage years, was his stumbles along his way. From the bottom of my heart, I ached for this child and I started guarding him, becoming a “mom fan”! At least for 1231 days already!

Wang Yibo, thank you for making my ordinary Chinese life colorful, thank you for letting me have the companionship of a lot of like-minded people. Thank you for warming my fourth winter!

Grow with you and work hard with you!

Response 2

Recently: Family and I have all been ill. Haven't recovered yet.

I feel: Somewhat tired.

After winter passes, I prepare to: Be disciplined in maintaining a daily schedule of work and rest and in diet, and stay healthy

It was accompanied by this post:

The studio response:

The miseries of life and illnesses seem to never inform anyone, their sudden “honorary visit” catching people off guard. As such, I hope, at this intersection between the end and the start of the years, that you’ll find the fulcrum of balance in life, overcome life’s miseries and bodily ailments, be good about eating, drinking water, sleeping, living life and getting along with family, become each other’s harbour and you can, too, be a child who makes your dad and mom proud!

In the new year, embrace yourself, embrace your family, embrace love and the visit of happiness ~

Response 3

Recently: Work keeps requiring overtime and is so, so busy, but (I) have loved myself well.

I feel: Very lost. (I) don't like my current job, (I) will try my best to adjust my mentality.

After winter passes, I prepare to: Switch to a work environment I like. Love life like sunshine, live warmly and happily!

Many people lose the small blessings of life amidst their busy work, but (I'm) so glad that in your busy work, you haven't forgotten to love yourself.

Life has its ups and downs like that. Like the skies above our heads are sometimes sunny and sometimes raining, but (I) believe every kind and sincere child will be gifted by life, and good luck will find you in a chance encounter.

Winter will leave. Spring will bring the leaves of hope. Rainbow will bring you luck. Hope you'll find a work environment you like, and live warmly and happily.

Thanks again, Pie, for making this all accessible to us. You are such a massive help!! ❤️❤️❤️

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hi makenzie! i’m currently looking for some good fantasy, do you have any specific favorites from your recent reads? 🤔

oh BOY do I!

Jade City (Fonda Lee) - the first of a ROLICKING fantasy novel unlike anything I've ever read before. the setting is stunning: the post-war island of Kekon, where technology (radio and telephones, cars and airplanes, etc) lives side by side with a magical jade that the native population has harnessed for generations to enhance their natural abilities to become fearsome combatants. the series begins with three adult siblings - Lan, Hilo, and Shae - struggling to find their places within their famed grandfather's legacy, and follows them for years as international conflict blooms and the family grows. Lee is BRUTAL writer who will kick you in the gut out of absolutely nowhere with some of her twists, but goddamn you will never be bored. I haven't read the final book yet but my hopes are HIGH.

City of Brass (S.A. Chakraborty) - also the first in a trilogy, this time centering around a secret city of djinn in 19th century Egypt. it starts as a fun romp as Nari, an adult orphan with inexplicable healing abilities that I'm sure won't be relevant to the plot at all, no sir, becomes entangled with an ancient warrior (bastard) and a naive prince (best boy, never done anything wrong in his life) and elevates into an absolutely epic political fantasy that I was heartbroken to finish. this isn't strictly "recent" but I really cannot recommend the trilogy enough!

Kaikeyi (Vaishnavi Patel) - a standalone retelling of the story of Kaikeyi, the wicked stepmother figure of the Sanskrit epic the Ramayana. this book is some of the most fun I had with a doorstopper novel all year; Patel strikes a really good balance between political maneuverings, interpersonal developments, and sprinkling in reimagined Hindu myths and legends. Kaikeyi's a blast, give it a chance!

Siren Queen (Nghi Vo) - I'm a Nghi Vo fan first and a person second, so there's no way I wasn't going to mention her most recent release. Siren Queen presents a fantastical alternate history where the rise of Hollywood film studios was presided over by sinister fey creatures, with each studio paying homage to eerie eldritch creatures in order to thrive. actors and actresses are bought and sold, changeling children roam the lots, and anyone who doesn't play along can be replaced with an uncanny replica. among all of this danger our heroine sets out to become a star, set on avoiding the stereotypical roles thrust at other Chinese-Americans. she finds success as the monstrous Siren Queen, but you KNOW she's not going to get a straightforward happily ever after in an industry that literally eats people alive.

The Jasmine Throne (Tasha Suri) - also the first in a series, the Jasmine Throne sees Totally Ordinary No Dramatic Backstory Here maid Priya ordered to look after Malini, an exiled princess banished to a haunted tower far from her tyrannical brother's court. Malini quickly reveals herself to be a much sharper political schemer than her sickly demeanor would suggest, and she enlists Priya in her plans to facilitate her own escape and overthrow her brother. this one is ripe with BODY HORROR PLANT MAGIC!

The City We Became (N.K. Jemisin) - we're once again stretching the bounds of a "recent" read, but the sequel just came out so now is the perfect time! this is a contemporary urban fantasy that asks the pressing question: what if cities that become old and powerful enough come to life, embodied in a single person who must represent and protect that city? and what if New York just had a big messy magical birth, just as its in danger from an otherworldly threat? great news - the five boroughs have also found avatars, and they're teeming up to save New York the person and New York the city.

[theuntamedaus]

Music Band AU

So, whilst I wait for my writer's block to go away, I am delving properly into this AU.

@felinesomnambulist might appreciate this one in particular, but I hope y'all do <3

Under cur because it's longer than anticipated :')

So, let's start from the Lan clan.

The Lans are classically trained and their Gusu Lan music conservatory is famous for being the best one and also expensive af. You must have the money or, in alternative, several high level recommendations and talent.

The teachers, LQR, LXC and LWJ, are also the best ones and trained in both chinese traditional instruments like the xiao, the qin, the erhu etc, and western instruments like the piano, the strings, the clarinet etc.

The Lans also have a generations long friendship with the Nie family, whose last heirs, NMJ and NHS, inherited the music production studio from their father, dead in mysterious circumstances, probably linked to the boss of the underground Nightless City Wen Ruohan.

I will come back in a bit to Nightless city, hold onto this for a moment.

The friendship between the Nie and the Lan surprises everyone until you understand that the Nie production studio is for Power/Epic/Symphonic metal, a kind of metal that uses a LOT of classical instruments.

On top of this NMJ is also the founder of a metal band thus composed:

Vocals: Meng Yao

Guitars: Nie Zonghui

Bass: Nie Huaisang

Drums: Nie Mingjue

Spoken/poems: Nie Huaisang

Classical instruments: Lan Xichen

The Nie music studio is in a constant struggle not to be annexed by the famous Jin Studio, promoter of the AU equivalent of stuff like X-factor, The Voice and so and churning out pop talents out of capitalistic greed masked as "caring for the music".

Their most famous pop sensations are sweet cute and lively pop idol Jiang Yanli and alternative rap pop rage Wei Wuxian. They tried doing the same with Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng really doesn't have the cheerful tones of a pop singer, in spite of having the best voice outof the three.

I did mention that JFM and YZY are one of those who are like “yeah, my child is so gifted and talented, let’s ruin their life forever by forcing them in the music industry” and the Jin studio just did help them achieve that exactly.

Spoiler: this will come back to bite their asses somehow. In fact, the original plan was to have only JYL and JC, but JFM HAD TO let in WWX, son of the legend of music Cangse Sanren, ho had been already the daughter of the myth, Baoshan Sanren.

And LWJ is an avid listener of WWX's music, he is propery enamoured, but neither shufu nor xiongzhang kno because god forbid the Lans listen toanything BUT classical music. This is another thing I will come back later on.

YZY is legitimately furious at the fact that her children's thunder has been stolen that way, but neither JFM nor YZY see that regardless the three do love each other dearly.

And then JGS decides to renew the contracts for JYL and WWX because they are his golden egg geese, but NOT JC's, because his pop album did not make as much money, as in, not being allowed to do anything but pop music, his voice suffered a bit and being the family disappointment did not really help.

Anyway, JFM and YZY fight, he decides to leave in the middle of lunch (a further sin in such a family), JYL and WWX try to convince him not to go without any success at all.

And so he roams the city, trying to find some motivation to go on.

In the meantime JGS has successfully poached out Meng Yao from the Nie, and the band is in need of a vocalist, but who would like to be the vocalist of a symphonic metal band tiedtoa studio barely making it at the end of the month?

NMJ is out of wits. And the amplificators just broke down so he has to finally admit that he needs new ones and so he goes to the Yao&Ouyang music shop to buy some new ones.

In the meantime JC has also reached the same music shop and Mr. Yao has convinced him to try a mic and when JC is asked what he would like to sing he's like "yeah I am angry enough for a cover of 'we're all to blame' by Sum41" and NMJ is casually there too and he listens to JC sing and he feels the doors of heavenly music open right in front of him, has 16 epiphanies and by the end of it he's like:

Anyway. NMJ approaches JC after the performance and he is like:

"nice one, my name is Mingjue, I loved your vibes. What do you say about joining my band?"

He hands out the business card, proves that he is not, in fact, just a creep but an actual person who actually enjoyed JC's voice and is actually trying to convince him to join a metal band.

JC is kind of taken aback, as in "someone just PRAISED me? ME? A RAT? for my VOICE? The same voice everyone I know thinks it's actual CRAP?"

JC my beloved, how about we work together on our self esteem issues?

*coffcoff* Anyway, NMJ makes sure to point out that there is no pressure, he is welcome to try out a session and then if it doesn't work out nothing happens, no one is going to hound him etc. Somehow JC feels better, like the choices he has been given make him feel free to decide for himself for the first time.

And he says yes, I want to come and do this music session with your band, it does sound great if the people there are all like you.

And NMJ is left wondering what kind of hellish situation this one has been living in.

Anyway JC comes back all happy and content, BUT makes the mistake of telling JYL and WWX what happened. They in turn let JFM and YZY know and they basically laugh in JC's face.

JFM: well, at least that lousy studio will finally get annexed to JGS's and disappear.

YZY: you are going to ruin everything,you don't understand anything! You'd better stay here, at least all you'll ruin is us.

*uuuhhhh just a sec, this hit home for me, the author, let me cry in a corner for 5 mins*

*coffcoff* JC, full of dismay and with an ego completely crushed once again, calls NMJ to tell him he is not coming, but NMJ KNOWS that tone. Has NMJ just sensed a shitty family and all of the parental disappointment? Has he just heard JC trying to hold a faint sob from behind the phone? This does NOT happen, not on NMJ's watch! And he is like, look, I am sending my brother, the least menacing person on earth so no one is scared to see me, a 6ft tall buff man with enough piercings and tattoos to scare even the strong of heart. You are going to go with him, let him buyyou a coffee and then decide.

And so it happens. Providence has made it so that the house is empty because JFM and YZY had to take JYL and WWX to the studio to register their new albums, so JC is alone.

And NHS arrives, JC lets him in, NHS assesses the situation, asks a few questions that hit right where it hurts and then he is like: JC, my newly acquired friend, I am not saying you should pack everything you own and come with me, but I am saying exactly that. You do NOT have an independent bank account, you do NOT have a space unless someone grants it from the gracefulness of their heart and you MUST sing crap just to be granted a sliver of sympathy from those who claim to love you. My brother has offered you an space in the band, but really, even if you do not join you are welcome to stay as much as you wish until you know what you want to do in life.

JC: are you offering me this out of pity?

NHS: not pity, I don't have enough of that. It's out of friendship.

And so JC is convinced once again. Maybe staying away from his family will make him assess things better.

NHS calls the whole family and they help JC pack everything. They help him set up his own bank account. He will withdraw some cash at the nearest ATM so that he can then put the funds in the newly opened bank account.

JC leaves a message as in "do NOT look for me atm, I am reassessing my priorities".

And with all of that done JC goes with the Nie and starts living under their roof. He does the first music session as a vocalist and - surprise - he actually has fun, he smiles,he finally can let his voice out freely and everyone now understands why NMJ wanted him as a vocalist.

And as a surprise for everyone NMJ manages to get a contract to be the opening band of a major symphonic metal band - spoiler: it is a success, NMJ's band and studio are launched into the stratosphere, everyone loves the band and especially the new vocalist JC.

But how are the Jiangs faring now? Well, JC's message has prompted the divorce between YZY and JFM, so not great in that sense. JGS has used that to force JYL into an arranged marriage with his son JZX - it's not that the two don't like each other, it's the opposite actually, but they would have loved to come together in different circumstances. In any case, they both do not want what their respective parents had so they work together to make the best out of the shitty situation. They will eventually get married, but on their own terms.

And where is WWX? Well. In his quest to find JC, because the message "do NOT look for me" for him was apparently just a guideline, he stumbles into Nightless City and its many wonders and horrors.

As mentioned, Nightless city is an underground city where crime reigns above everything. He lets himself get lost in the City, he gets tattoos, piercings and a penchant for alcoholism and hedonism.

In any case WWX disappears from the scene, the tabloids will talk about it like a meteor bound to fall. JC wants to look for him, JYL too, but no matter what WWX cannot be found.

This until LWJ, who is still the no. 1 fan of WWX, finds him loitering by a shop. And WWX has changed a lot. His eyes are swollen, he looks like he's not been eating properly and has a hand secured around a bottle of an unspecified alcoholic beverage.

It turns out he has been captured by Wen Chao who - surprise - was a great fan and then forced to sing for him. Which at the time catered to his willingness to have free everything, but then it turned out to be another cage and now that he was spent he had been thrown away like trash.

And now WWX finds himself with a whopping case of trauma and alcohol addiction.

In any case, LWJ cannot stand the fact that the person he has been enamoured with for the past few is now at that point. And so he offers him a meal, he offers him to stay at his house, asks xiongzhang if he could help him speak to shufu.

And shufu is not truly convinced until NMJ and band drops by, JC included, and JC launches himself towards WWX. "Where were you bro, a-jie and I were so worried!"

"I wanted to find you bro"

"I was fine, I wrote to mum and dad that I was fine a few days later, did they not let you know?"

"No?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

NMJ interjects: "That shows you ho shitty your parents are,my love"

Yes, in the meantime NMJ and JC got together, NMJ properly courted JC and are now very close to an official engagement.

Anyway, JC lets Yanli know and his prompts her decision to detach herself from JGS's brand. JZX has started his own with some help from MY, now called JGY, ho has in the meantime realized how much of a scumbag JGS actually is.

MY has in fact been exploited for his talent in composing songs and lyrics, he has even been called JGY in a vain promise of being finally recognized as a legitimate son, which has never happened and will never happen, but guess WHO has been treating him like proper family? JZX and JYL, hence his loyalties are all for them.

And so,to recap:

JC is now about to be engaged to NMJ and they both are in a famous studio and an equally famous band andeveryone loves them.

JYL and JZX are marrying and having a child, JZX has hsi own studio which is totally unaffiliated with his father's and everybody loves them for basically being the healthiest and most loving relationship in the whole industry.

LWJ is working with LXC to convince LQR to give WWX some support and maybe having him direct a singing/voice coaching workshop so he has something to lean onwhilst he recovers and decides what to do next

JFM and YZY are permanently divorced and not in speaking terms anymore. I am kind of leaning into YZY finding comfort in WZL's arms, hich will involve more drama when she finds out ho WZL actually is.

I wonder what could go wrong. JGS is not happy, he might even think to go to WRH and get involved in shad stuff to ruin everyone's life, but at this point my brain is failing and IDK, I kind oflike this open ending, but I feel something is missing.

Suggestions are more than welcome here.

For the moment I will peace out.

[supergoodfilmanalysis]

Laughing Through Color: Alice Wu's Saving Face (2004)

Saving Face is a vastly underrated 2004 lesbian rom-com about Wilhelmina (AKA Wil), a young closeted Chinese-American surgeon whose mother Hwei-Lan, played by the inimitable Joan Chen of Twin Peaks fame, continues to try to set her up with Chinese men at community events, one of which leads her to the magnetic Vivian Shing, a dancer whose father happens to be Wil's boss. An unmarried 48-year-old widow, Hwei-Lan unexpectedly gets pregnant, is subsequently shunned by her community, and moves in with Wil all while refusing to divulge the identity of her child's father to anyone, including Wil. She hides herself from Wil, who hides herself in return as Vivian forces her to grapple with queerness in public vs. private. The mother and daughter both struggle with the ways their sexualities are on display, for Wil on the axis of queerness and for Hwei-Lan as a pregnant unmarried person and are afraid of how the cultural norms they transgress infiltrate their relationship with each other and the world around them, a fact that ultimately helps them relate to each other more.

It was the feature debut for Alice Wu, a Taiwanese-American lesbian director, and one of the most interesting things about it for me is how it explores Wil's queerness as a parallel to her mother's journey and the ways the two work against gendered and cultured expectations alongside each other. This movie is smart, sexy, funny, and thoughtful and demonstrates a possibility for the rom-com genre to traverse nuanced depths of love and relationships and how culture imbues them with questions that prove so difficult to answer. It doesn't rush to answer these questions or present them as simple dilemmas constructed as mechanisms to thicken the plot but positions them as part of the architecture of love. Saving Face is invested in how many things can be true at once. What if queerness could be relatable beyond its variable boundaries and could help articulate the disillusion of being marginalized by your own community? Hwei-Lan's journey with her daughter's sexuality prods at this, wades around in its fullness--she is at once in and out of her culture, held by its comforts and shunned by its rigidity, but when confronted with this complication in Wil she sees so much familiarity reflected back at her.

Wil's relationship with her mother starts to affect her budding romance with Vivian who, unlike Wil, is openly gay. Vivian is pursuing contemporary dance against the wishes of her father, who wants for her to continue in traditional ballet--at the nexus of this story is the conflict between individual desire and tradition, and the added layer of queerness implicates this conflict and creates in the characters differently complicated relationships with authenticity. Vivian transcends her ethnic origins in her espousal of American values, especially concerning individual freedoms, and Wil's reluctance to detach from these origins (and subsequently alienate her mother) starts to impact their relationship. Wil is afraid to kiss Vivian in public but loves her freely in private; Saving Face understands the ability to move through public spaces as yourself as a culturally specific phenomenon and presents the stories of people who never had to think about it so much as they do at this moment, who try to make it matter less but when it comes crashing down on them, discover how badly it is they wish to be seen.

Alice Wu sought specifically to make a movie by and for Asian-American queer people, repeatedly rejecting studio's pleas to cast a major white actress in one or both of the leading roles and the film having an entirely Asian-American cast is an significant diversion from the typical trajectory of Hollywood rom-coms--Kaklamanidou's “Romantic Comedy and the ‘Other’: Race, Ethnicity, and the Transcendental Star" points out that many people of color in the rom-com genre, Will Smith in Hitch being one achieve stardom and success through the ways they shore up comfortable, easily digestible and markedly neutral characters who happen to be people of color without isolating white audiences, wherein box office success is entrusted. Saving Face, however, demonstrates a lack of interest in mainstream success and is interestingly also somewhat lacking from the queer canon; it occupies a noticeably niche space in the realm of queer movies insofar that its mainstream success was limited but, unlike other "before-its-time" movies ascribed with queer cult status such as Jennifer's Body, didn't necessarily circle back around to audiences today. The lack of whiteness in this film is no doubt a salient causal factor in this lack of rebirth--while being funny, it also demonstrates a commitment to telling arguably a serious story, and the film doesn't necessitate a "campy" read as much as other retroactively added to the queer canon.

@theuncannyprofessoro

[qadzikin]

Cheng Xiaoshi: Hey, Lu Guang you're smart, tell me what would happen if I chugged 3 gallons of chloroform. Lu Guang: Have you ever been to a mortuary? Cheng Xiaoshi: Yeah, my grandma lives there. Qiao Ling: That is the worst response to that question, ever

[yellowelectroslime]

🌻⋆.ೃ࿔*:･Fandom list⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🌻

My current fav characters (in no particular order)

-Argenti (Honkai Star Rail)

-Sampo (Honkai Star Rail)

-Welt Yang (Honkai Star Rail)

-Dan Heng (Honkai star rail)

-Sunday (Honkai Star Rail)

-Thoma (Genshin Impact)

-Yoimiya (Genshin Impact)

-Capitano (Genshin Impact)

-Nicole Demera (Zenless Zone Zero)

-Von Lycaon (Zenless Zone zero)

-Alexandrina Sebastiane (Zenless Zone Zero)

-Billy Kid (Zenless Zone Zero)

-Alexis Ness (Blue Lock)

-Michael Kaiser (Blue Lock)

-Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)

-Nobara Kugisaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)

-Maki Zenin (Jujutsu Kaisen)

-Yuta Okkotsu (Jujutsu Kaisen)

-Natsuki Seba (Sakamoto days)

-Soshiro Hoshina (Kaiju No. 8)

-Hayato Suo (Wind breaker)

🌻Anime/Manga

Bleach

Blue lock

Chainsaw man

Demon slayer

Dungeon Meshi

Gokurakugai

Haikyuu!!

Jujutsu Kaisen

Kengan Ashura/Omega

Sakamoto days

Sk8

Toilet bound hanako-kun

Tokyo Revengers

Windbreaker

Wonder egg priority

🌻Video games:

Danganronpa V3

Genshin Impact

Honkai Star Rail

Valorant (maybe)

Zenless Zone Zero

🌻Manhua/Donghua (basically just chinese manga/anime):

Ao Bing Zhuan

Fog Hill of Five Elements

Lan Xi Zhen

Luo Xiao Hei

Ne Zha 2019

🌻Studio Ghibli movies:

Howl’s Moving Castle

My neighbor Totoro

Kiki’s delivery service

Spirited away

Ponyo

Princess Mononoke

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

有兩件事你永遠不必去追逐：真正的朋友和真愛。

Two things you have never to chase : True friends and True love.

-Mandy Hale-

I have something to say . . . (我有話想說 . . .)

我們都知道在這世上喜歡一個人又不犯法，即使你已有家室：老婆、先生和孩子。重點是在道德和良心允許的範籌內，行使正當友誼的權利。並且你得知道如何挑選正直且成熟的對象，既不會干擾你的婚姻生活，而能給予彼此成長和助力。不過，我相信能遇到這樣條件之人，少之又少。lol (如果你深入接觸的人比你堆的沙子還多，那可不是開玩笑。XD)

We all know that it is not illegal to like someone in this world, even if you already have a family: wife, husband and children. The focus is on exercising the right to legitimate friendship within the limits permitted by morality and conscience. And you have to know how to choose an "upright and mature friends" who will not interfere with your married life, but can give each other growth and help. However, I believe that there are very few people who can meet such conditions. lol (It's no joke if you have deep contact with more people than you have piled sand. XD)

And, in addition (並且，此外)

Recently, there have been a few good friends who have interacted with me on Tumblr for more than a year, or even longer. I am not entirely aware of your other sideblogs, especially young guys asking to see my photos, and of course they're not asking for photos of me wearing clothes… ha! Absolutely impossible. 🙄😅 In fact, my personal social experienced has made me a very tolerant old woman. It's not saying this myself. You have to actually get along with me to know that because they are similar in age to my son and daughter, so I cherish their friendship even more, especially the beautiful life still longer for them. The Chinese call it: "忘年之交" (the mean similar that : get on like a house on fire "see eye to eye with someone", when your friendship between different generations. also much older than my age friends as same meanings. )

Again, I don't set to make many friends on Tumblr here, and there're very few people I interact with. The number of people we sent private messages to was probably less than the number of times I go to a bar to drink in a month. lol The posts I share here are almost like writing a diary every day and records of my recent study of various majors. It is not for popularity, nor does it want to attract attention. Of course, except for the posts showing my leather art creations, the craftsmanship is my Most of the motivation to stay alive and rest of life.

Usually I don't have ideas about personal photos gonna send to you via private message for "friendship", it with "lover" very different to me. Just like now, when you randomly see a post by me and can put a smiling on your face, this is a beautiful friendship. If you happen to see it, it's fine when you don't like it. You don't need to use too much emotions. if that way Oftenly one party will be hurt, and time will tell everything about the feelings you hold in your heart, whether you believe it or not.

Sincerely, above.

I wish you a happy family, a loving couple, a prosperous career, good health and peace!

Your another mom & an old Sis Lan~*

《最近有幾個好朋友在Tumblr上和我互動了一年多，甚至更長。我不太了解你其他的次要博客，尤其是年輕人要求看我的照片，當然他們不是要我穿衣服的照片……哈！絕對不可能。🙄😅 其實，我的個人社會經歷它造就我成為一個包容性很強的老女人，這話不是我自己說的，你得實際和我相處過就知道；正因你們的年紀和我的兒子和女兒相仿，所以我更珍惜你們的友誼，中國人稱之為:『忘年之交』。(當兩者年紀差距甚大，但心靈和思想可以相契者。)

再說一次，我並不想在 Tumblr 上交很多朋友，彼此有互動者很少，曾經私訊者應當比一個月去酒吧喝酒次數還要少。 lol 我在這裡的貼文分享幾乎像每天寫日記和近日研讀各類專業科目的記錄，不是為了人氣，也沒要吸引人注意，當然若是展示我的皮革藝術創作的作品貼文除外，工藝是我活下去的大部分的動力和生活的全部。

我沒有照片可以私訊傳給你們，就像現在若是你隨機性看到，能夠博君一笑，這便是美好的友情；你若剛巧看到不喜歡也很好，你不需要動用太多的情感。那樣往往有一方會受傷；放在心上的感情，時間會說明一切，無論你信不信。此致，以上。

祝福你們的家庭美滿、夫婦相親相愛和事業精進、健康平安! 》

well said 👇 Truth. I agree. 5 5 5 🙌 xoxo

"Friendship often ends in love. But love in friendship; never. "

-C. C. Colton-

PS. It was then dating with my friend at coffee shop across street of my studio in Chinese new year 2010. 😱 OMG! 14 years ago lol I dyed my hair color was popular in Asian at the time. and later I never dye hair color. Because it is meaningless, whether for fashion or to comfort yourself, hair colored does not prove your ability, but your brain do. 🤓

If I dye my hair again, it might be for fun, or perhaps I get to remarry/get carried away by impulse and he's dying hairs also, both do same for funs. I guess so. hahaha 🤸🤸‍♀️🤸‍♂️

[lanternwillow]

Link Click - A wish for a Sequel/Prequel

What'll happen after Season 2 is over? I'm hoping for Season 3 (and more), even if we may have to wait for quite long for the production to be completed.

But at the same time, I can't get THIS title animation out of my head:

So, I know that a lot of people have complaints regarding the direction that S2 took from S1 ( The episodic narrative in S1 vs the action-thriller narrative in S2);

And this got me wondering,

What if studio LAN decided to continue with the donghua (possible S3 and more seasons?)

At the same time, they create a SEPARATE series (Still canon, like the chibi shorts) but, with 3d animation ? Like we have seen above. Like, a prequel of sorts, but Episodic, just like in the beginning of season one - each episode with a story.

Also, it felt like they were testing the waters with that title animation (Could be wrong, just my interpretation 😅). Like, how would the fans react to 3d rendering of our favourite characters ? It was a bit bizzare at first, but I got pleasantly used to it.

I don't know if anyone got my line of thinking, but most Chinese 3d animation/ donghua, or CGI is REALLY good, not to mention that they could go on for 50+ episodes as well. It won't even be as time consuming as 2d animation.

So, what do you guys think ?