#unless I just did not tag the post

[carmillalove]

I don’t think these ones ever got posted either

[lovesickeros]

zhongli and neuvillette fighting over their reader 🤭🤭

scary dog privilege wherever you go, draconic courting gestures that would scare any regular person, they send each other deadly glares the moment you turn away,

stealing your clothes to just get a whiff of your scent, marking their territory all over your house - making it a battlefield basically, neuvillette (in my hc) is cooler and zhongli is warm so the cuddles are always so comfy ☺️😍,

they give you anything you want - you don't even have to lift a finger, they make you travel between the nations a lot though 😒 sooo clingyyy, extra gentle in their dragon forms as to not squish you, don't even get me started on the size difference 😍😍

just a little thought 🤭☺️

- 🐈‍⬛

Neuvi being colder is so real and canon. I see him as being colder + a lot more lithe, kinda lanky with smaller but sharper canines versus Zhongli who's warmer and a bit shorter then Neuvi + bulkier with bigger but not as sharp canines.

They've also got very different habits – Zhongli is very prideful not just of himself but his nation. He'll personally give your a tour and purposely drag it out as long as he can. Complimenting Liyue is basically complimenting him, checkmate Neuvi. Especially if he convinces you to try on some local Liyue fashion. Harmless and just a nice gift to anyone else but Neuvi sees it for what it is (since your wearing something from Liyue, technically wearing something of his. He loves his technicalities when it comes to staking a claim over you). Adds salt to the wound by touching you in totally innocent ways like to adjust you towards something he wants to show you or accidently brushing against you when he takes the bags of spoils he's practically drowning you in but really he's just making sure his scent sticks. He's just a sweet, nice gentleman with absolutely no ulterior motives trust.

Neuvillette does love Fontaine, but his habits are more about himself then the nation. He'll take you around if you ask or if the idea strikes him, but you'll probably stay around the making city area or the opera house specifically. He enjoys more personal time with just you and him then anything else. He values the immaterial to the material. Zhongli spoils you with gifts, but Neuvi tries to offer quality time irregardless of physical gifts (though he still gives them just not to the extent of Zhongli). He'll take you to see different operas if that's to your fancy, or leverage a bit of his authority to maybe see a few films since those seem to be hitting off in Fontaine recently. Bet that creaky old archon doesn't have those huh. He feels awkward if you want to watch a trial, but he'll reluctantly agree because. well. it's you. just don't wave or anything he's trying to work and he just Really wants to see you smile at him like that again and it makes him lose his train of thought. gets custom clothes designed by Chiori to replace your clothes from Liyue because they smell of Zhongli and it makes him sulky + he likes to match.

G-d forbid these two are in the same room as you because it's a war of attrition at that point. Constant accidental brush of the hand against your shoulder or elbow but it's just them trying to get rid of the others scent. they are side eyeing each other behind your back while being all smiles whenever your looking. If it's hot and you lean into Neuvi more he's practically GLOWING. not even smug he's just absolutely smitten and happy to be of service. immediately takes off his gloves and presses his hands to your face asking if your okay and if you want to go back with him. if it's cold out and you seek out Zhongli more hes smug as hell beneath the calm veneer. Offers you his coat and stay as physically close to you as he can under the pretense of being worried you'll catch a cold if he doesn't warm you up.

don't even get me started on your house either because you probably have tons of gifts from both of them accumulated everywhere. if Neuvi sees you use a tea set from Zhongli suddenly he had a fantastic gift idea he thought you'd like. he even got some tea included with it so why don't you let him make you some? Zhongli sees you using a goblet Neuvi gave you (totally a coincidence it's similar to his) and suddenly you have 27 square cups in your cabinets that you have no idea where they came from. if the goblet is mysteriously missing oh well. who knows :]

[kaeyachi]

One of the probable reasons as to why Kaeya didn't arrive on time for Crepus and Diluc when they were attacked was because he, and the knights with him, had no vision, and thus, cannot use a teleport waypoint.

Him receiving his cryo vision when he was supposed to get scorched by Diluc was genuinely the biggest slap to the face given to him by Celestia. It arrived just in time to save HIM.

Even now, the vision only heals and shields him alone as a manifestation of his desire to keep living from that fight... but he can't use it to help others.

[dukeofthomas]

I can't find it now but there's a post about suspension of disbelief and how it's broken when the story starts trying to excuse it. "character gets knocked unconscious for hours but there's no further issues from this" okay 👍 "and actually this makes perfect sense because of this and that" um no it doesn't why are you lying to me. like i am willing to ignore the holes and the discrepancies!! all you need to do is let me and not bring unnecessary attention to it!!!

and all that is my issue with the whole robin child soldier argument. like i am willing to ignore it i am willing to engage with the fantasy literally all you need to do is NOT try to convince me that Actually It's Fine Because They Want To Do It or whatever. like literally just shut up about it and i can engage with the fantasy!!

[storytellering]

Breakneck speed.

[luifaro]

uhhh ok so some loop and universe thoughts i've had... that i've been storing in my noggin... i just have a couple of things... (loop experts know you can legally kill me if i'm Wrong about them please don't hesitate)

so like. in my mind the universe is a genuinely caring entity yk? like it obviously is not without flaws that would be idk too idealistic and idk it weirds me out too much to do bc it would make me feel all weird and like i'm demonizing loop by making the universe some perfect angel when they hate it so much. it's not that deep but still i think it's just i don't like the trope of innocent well-intentioned person who hurt someone is portrayed as completely in the right and person who holds fairly justified grudge portrayed as actual monster because the person who hurt them didn't mean to :cccc... plus it's fun!!! i likeit bc it's fun to explore! it wants to help but it's also hurting them by helping! it really did try and it had a reason for putting loop through all of this. it wanted loop (and siffrin) to learn that their friends care about them at all costs because it's Very Important to them that they learn this.

but that's kind of offtopic from what i'm ACTUALLY here to ramble about, which is how i feel loop would react to the idea of like a genuinely kind universe. which is to say i think they would honestly greatly dislike it if not outright hate because. You Know How to be decent and yet. and yet you did this to me. you did this knowing you would ruin me, you had to know and yet you did it anyway even though you care about me. even though you love me you destroyed me and permanently Changed me and i didn't want this i never wanted this i never wanted this to happen to me why didn't you see that i never wanted this? do you even care about what i want? why can't you just leave me alone? why do you have to do this? why?

they'd hate the fact that they have to watch out, to think carefully to speak carefully. or else it will try to "help" them when they don't want this. they just want to left alone they just want to live. they're tired of it trying to help them they don't want help they just want it to leave them alone more than anything they can't stand that it loves them so much that if it physically could it would leave them alone. why them? why them??? why did it have to be them? why did they have to be the universe's favorite toy why why why why???? why???? why do they have to live this way when no one else does? why can't it understand that the only way it could make them happy is by never intervening again? by shutting up forever? by just stopping?

it cares too much and they can't stand that.

^ also secretly because i don't think they'd think feel like they deserve a loving god that cares about them too! this star can fit so much angst in them!!

[charlotte-family-apologist]

Suchin's Backstory In My AU

Warning: Non-Graphic Addiction and Suicide

Suchin was the only child of a civilian mother and a former criminal father. When she was eight, her mother died in a car accident, causing her father to fall into a depression and relapse into his gambling addiction, taking out several loans from his old employer in the Red Dragon to support it. He lost his job within the year and started drinking, leaving Suchin to take care of him more often than not. He also fell back into old paranoid habits and took to training Suchin in case they went after her first.

Struggling with money, Suchin got a job at a local restaurant at fourteen, where she flourished socially. She even got a boyfriend at seventeen. Due to her always being away from home, she failed to notice her father spiraling further until he raided her savings when she was eighteen. She started to take more hours to build them back up, neglecting her relationships to do so. Because of this, her boyfriend broke up with her.

At nineteen, she came home to find her dad committed suicide. Upon reading the note, she learned all the debts had come to a head, and the Red Dragon was pursuing payment. The trauma of it finally breaking the barrier in her mind to fully activate her “radar” (see notes for explanation) that had been on and off her entire childhood.

Inheriting her father’s debt, Suchin fled and became a traveling vigilante known as Blackbird on a personal mission to destroy the Red Dragon and return to civilian life. She quickly became a notorious figure in Asia’s underworld for her efficiency and only took paid jobs to support her survival.

She swore off personal relationships and dedicated her life to completing her goal, investigating any lead on the Red Dragon she found. One of these investigations led her to Japan, where she met Kenshi for the first time.

And nearly killed him.

Notes:

Suchin’s radar is a danger sense ability she feels, not sees or hears. Despite it being a form of precognition, she can’t tell what is and isn’t a danger and has to identify them herself. She can’t turn it off and it works best when she’s calm and collected. The only time it doesn’t work is when she’s panicking, as it becomes hard to read and quickly overloads her senses and rational thoughts. It can also blank out when she doesn’t know how to process something, often freezing her in place. Because of it, she lives in a constant state of flight or fight and suffers from severe anxiety and paranoia, which is only made worse by her lifestyle.

Suchin’s father wasn’t physically abusive, only laying hands on her during training, even helping her patch any injuries before his addictions fully tanked his psyche. The majority of the trauma Suchin has from her father is from neglect, parentification, and the fallout of his suicide.

The timeline of these events are: 1957: Suchin is born 1965: Suchin’s mother dies in a car accident and her father relapses, taking out loans from the Red Dragon 1976: Suchin’s Father commits suicide, transferring his debt to Suchin (19); Suchin flees from the Red Dragon and eventually becomes Blackbird 1987: Kenshi (28) and Suchin (30) meet

[starkittnd93]

…why is this unironically my best artwork posted on here so far-

[Textless version under the cut!]

[catocappuccino]

He got a sweater WITH A DOG ON IT?! So happy and joyous

[godisasimp]

New planet in HSR is a Hi3rd reference, ah shit you know what that means : MISS-TAGGING FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!!!!

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Can we talk about how fcked up Charles can be sometimes? Can we talk about how Charles can sometimes be actually scary as a person? Like he can legit be nefarious sometimes, but those moments are not as talked about as Erik's warcrimes (aside from the holocaust visions from TAS)

girlfriend i promise we're all very aware about how wack charles xavier can be and i assure you his nefarious moments are talked plenty from what i run into. like outside of this inbox most times you breathe charles' name to someone they'll be prepared to start swinging

[musicalmoritz]

There is not a single straight bone in Mitsuba’s body like I genuinely believe that man could never like a woman. Sousuke I know what you are

[mspoodle1]

[nero-neptune]

my opinion's probably a cold take. but i'm sure i'd be more upset about the siuan thing if 1) i'd already read the books (and was more attached to her character) and/or 2) there weren't other major black characters in the show. but i haven't read all the books (i'm still reading the first one), and there Are other major black characters in the show. so it's sad, but i'm not shaken up about it

[xiakeponz]

for modern AU fics - what chinese media did diaspora consume?

making this post because some of us in the diaspora server were having a chat about what Chinese media "Diaspora Chinese" watched in the 90's - 2000's (and even sooner than that) while not having access to satellite chinese media or streaming services - this is in the context of writing modern AU fics based off Chinese media/novels (so your main character's grandpa or uncle is not, in fact, watching an episode of Friends or Shortland Street or something as flavour text because sorry what the hell-)

We generally watched a lot of stuff on VCDs, including bootlegged and non-bootlegged movies, shows, anime/donghua. My household had a whole VCD album of this, and a lot of VCDs (even if they were pirated editions) would have a fancy hardcover box with a magnetic clasp and some artwork representing the show on it.

All of this is Mandarin - so not TVB stuff, because I'm from Northern China and I don't know any cantonese - but Canto friends, please feel free to add to the list! This is mostly stuff my parents liked to watch, or I liked to watch with them, with the exception of a few which I mainly watched with friends/cousins when I was maybe (in most cases) eleven/twelve years old onwards. This is a pretty personal list, meant to give people general idea of a possible "ballpark" of sorts, and by no means exhaustive.

Now, for the list of shows which I can confirm I had or someone I know had on VCD or some kind of offline media format lol (I'll try add release year stamps and links to the EN wikipedia where possible):

Period dramas (mostly Qing Dynasty stuff):

Huan Zhu Gege 还珠格格 (1998, April-) This is a classic, so many memes come from this show; hugely popular series, basically cemented Zhang Tie Lin's face as the face of the Qing Emperor for about a decade. Tie Chi Tong Ya Ji Xiao Lan 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚 (2002-2010) - I loved this show as a kid and watched all four seasons on repeat with family... The "trio" in this show are well known and loved.

Amazing Detective Di Ren Jie / 神探狄仁杰 (2004) A very popular and addictive show. Ok now the Big Four:

Romance of 3 kingdoms 1994 / 三国演义 (1994) - a classic that has had many remakes, my older cousin would play this on repeat...

Hong Lou Meng/红楼梦 （1987） - another classic with many remakes, but I think the most recognised by the public one is the 1987 one.

Journey to the West / 西游记 live action (1986) - I think the 1986 version of the live action is the most recognised one. *Shui Hu Zhuan / 水浒传 (1998) - I am not too familliar with the live action of this one in my household tbh bc my mum doesn't like it lol (she keeps saying it's too depressing) but I'm sure it's up there with the rest of the big four, if anyone has an opinion on this one please let me know!

Modern setting shows:

My dad loved all the Sun Honglei (孙红雷 - actor name) stuff, iirc it was a lot of MinGuo period espionage stuff, your shanghai 1920's sxc aesthetic. This actor has been around since 1999? Qian Fu （潜伏）was very famous, and Ren Jian Zheng Dao Shi Cang Sang （人间正道是沧桑）。 These were around '08 and '09.

Chuang Guan Dong - 闯关东 (2008) (Baidu link, sorry - couldn't get an EN wikipedia one). This show was huge when it was airing, everyone was watching it. I was pretty young but even I watched it and got invested ... and I thought it was such an "old person" show at the time lmao. Xiao Bing Zhang Ga / 小兵张嘎 （2004） (sorry, again Baidu link) - yo, anti-japanese war movies set between 1937-1945 were crazy popular - this is one of them and was very popular):

Donghua/Anime (all the stuff kid me watched and some which I didn't but were popular):

喜羊羊与灰太狼 (2005-) Calabash Brothers / 葫芦兄弟 （1986-1987） Black Cat Detective / Hei Mao Jing Zhang 黑猫警长 （1984-2010） Lan Mao Tao Qi 3000 Wen 蓝蓝猫淘气3000问 AKA 蓝猫 (blue cat) (October 1999 - Present) Legend of Ne Zha 哪吒传奇 (2003) Journey to the West/Xi You Ji 西游记 This was truly the Donghua I grew up on from when I was a bb, the OP song and ED song are classic bangers all kids know. Slam Dunk/ 灌篮高手 - People truly watched a lot of anime that may or may not have been terribly dubbed into mando (possibly canto too). Late 80s and 90s kids were all over this, and Dragon Ball, Crayon Shinchan (labixiaoxin).

Taiwanese Dramas:

This is mid-late 2000's, I would be remiss to not talk about the Taiwanese dramas of this era. Mike He, Rainie Yang, Wu Zun (amongst many, many others) were huge. Stuff like Dou Niu Yao Bu Yao, it started with a kiss, Hua Yang Shao Nv (Taiwanese version of Hana Kimi) were all pretty popular. Not sure if these shows all hold up in 2023, but boy were they popular at the time.

Note about CNY:

For CNY, people would try to tune into 春节联欢晚会 (the CCTV official CNY show) at that One Friend Who Had China Satellite TV's house. Zhao Ben Shan / 赵本山 was a comedy staple, and the show would often feature people from the music industry to perform. Eventually these people became more and more relevant to my gen and Jay Chou etc started appearing.

Last but not least Xian Jiaaaan 仙剑:

In 2005 I was all over 仙剑奇侠传 (Chinese Paladin), based off the video game. This show was crazy popular and probably sent me and a whole lot of other kids into Xianxia / Wuxia hell (and Hu Ge hell, and later I came back to love Liu Yifei). Thank you. The OST is a true banger.

[sunsetzer]

The Elliott% speedrun has ended on Winter 3 of year 1 at 27:49 real time. My spite is not satisfied, I think I can do it even faster. I'm pretty sure what killed it was that instead of squids, I bought a cheap lobster from the traveling merchant and raised them in my fish pond. I picked the beach farm, managed to get my fish pond in the second week of spring, leveled up fishing and picked the trapper achievement that makes crab pots cheaper for more access to lobsters, but the Lobster Route really didn't pan out due to bad RNG and the fish pond taking way too long to level up to a point where I could fish them out, but if I'd reset the morning of the traveling merchant until she had a squid I could have probably sped it up.

If I wanted to, because I'm doing it on Switch and it hasn't gotten a patch yet, I could just gift him a bunch of random items and rack up the relationship points rapidly, but exploiting a bug to do it feels a little disingenuous (it might be funny though).

This meme basically sums up why I'm doing this speedrun btw