sarshles-cheescake-li

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

MOD translations pt 3

Hey guess whose bus kept getting delayed? Guess who was an eight minute walk away from home and waited ten minutes for a bus that was supposed to come in two? Guess who?

Also, someone on twitter already beat me to translating all of these! Still gonna do it anyway to release my incredible rage, but I am sadly two days late.

Pt 1: Opening page

Pt 2: Protagonists’ character sheets

Pt 3: Antagonists’ character sheets (you’re here!)

His grace, Xierfeiwen

Weakness: After failing to “charm” an opponent, the effectiveness of the skill decreases dramatically; if he receives “mockery” by the opponent, then he briefly crashes out [1].

Ultimate move: Allurement of the stars Emit the spectacular light of stars, causing enemies within range to enter a “charmed” state, and listen to his every command.

The young successor to the emerald palace, with the words “splendor” written over every inch of his appearance. It’s said that, on the day of the prince’s birth, a wizard appeared at the palace, and used a spell to grant him unparalleled charisma; the dragon, on the other hand, left a mark on the palace walls, a secret contract with the royal family. As was intended [2] , Xierfeiwen grew up surrounded by adoration and bouquets of flowers, and those who desired to meet with the prince had to serve up the most precious treasures to do so. However, all gifts granted by destiny come with a price. Although his appearance is as eye-catchingly bright as sunlight, a sliver of a deep abyss [3] hides within his gaze. There once were people who heard this from the prince’s personal servants: when the night is silent, the prince often stands alone in the high towers of the castle, looking to the distant stars, as if he were searching for something.

[1] Technically, the translation is “his defences break briefly,”  but 破防 has a very specific meaning that I can best describe as “crashing out.”

[2] The word used here is “according to [someone’s] wishes, but it doesn’t specify whose wishes.

[3] I couldn’t find a way to translate this without implying something slightly off! The original text is best described as “there’s something hidden going on with him, and it’s probably nothing too good, but we’re not sure what it is.”

Xavier

Weakness: Cilantro. After coming in contact with cilantro, all his magic is deactivated for ten seconds, and he enters a “dazed” state.

Ultimate move: Eye of insight Stage one: Identify the enemy’s intent behind the skill they’re currently using Stage two: Apply “mind control” [1] to liars Stage three: Apply any potion effect to an enemy, with a guaranteed-hit.

He was once an 【honourary alumnus】 of the elite magic academy of the eastern continent. After he invented a transformation potion of 【turning princesses into unicorns】, a bounty was put out for him by the thirteen nations, and in the blink of an eye, the genius potion brewer became an evil wizard. The explanation provided by Xavier himself is “I’m just a student.” Throughout the century, he travelled the lands far and wide with the bounty over his head, and eventually arrived at another continent, settling down within his wizard tower to continue his strange research after reaching a secret agreement with the royal family. All sorts of people sought him out, whether it be adventurers seeking battle, tyrants with hidden intentions, or even the legendary dragon, so long as they followed the principle of 【equivalent exchange】, this elegant wizard was willing to fulfill all of his visitors’ requests. Only — do not try to lie your way into gaining more than you earn. His eyes can see through all deception, and to this day, the dungeons of the wizard tower echo with the woeful cries of countless critters.

[1] Technically "control of mental state" or something similar -- it doesn't have to be mind control, it could be like, he puts you in the torment nexus or something.

Vein [1] Dragon

Weakness: It [2] cannot tolerate its Mahjong skills being bested. If it loses during a match involving a gamble, it’ll enter an “enraged” state that causes its mana stat to lower.

Ultimate move: Roar of the dragon It breathes out dragon flame, and enemies that it hits will be “reconstituted,” transfiguring into a random form, however, its control over the skill weakens when it’s angry, possibly resulting in it turning itself into its own scales and blowing up into fireworks [3].

The evil dragon of legend. No one knows how many years this ancient creature has lived for. The Vein dragon always shows itself in the form of a handsome young man, expressing to the humans its emotions as blazing and vivid as dragon flame. It’s said that while it was travelling the world, it came to enjoy the feeling of teasing others after stealing good food from children and making them cry, in addition to developing a taste for “mahjong.” Adventurers, whom it catches and brings into the dragon’s den, tend to find out that it just wants to find people who’ll play mahjong with it in order to pass the time, but that its skill with the game is far inferior to its skill with breathing fire. If a challenger “unfortunately” bests it in a game, they end up being burned into mahjong pieces, and with a final plea for mercy, become part of the décor of the dragon’s den. It's said that the latest visitor to the dragon’s den is the wizard of the sighing swamp, and that the two of them appear to be plotting some sort of new plan…

[1] Fun fact, the 未影龙 of Vein’s fantasy name (the first two characters are the same as his Chinese name Xiao Weiying) looks really similar to 末影龙, as in ender Dragon (you can see the only difference is the length of the top most horizontal bar), like the one from Minecraft. I’m pretty sure this was on purpose.

[2] The 它 in Chinese is subtly different than the “it” of English — in this case, it’s likely that the video’s using 它 for 未影龙 because it’s meant to be a more animal/beast-like creature than like, Vein The Guy. Although I do think it’d be really funny if Vein The Guy also used 它, and no one ever noticed because all Chinese pronouns are just… pronounced the same.

[3] What in the six plains is this supposed to mean? I don’t know. The point is that it blows itself up.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

MOD translations, continued: Pt 1: The opening page Pt 2: The protagonists' character sheets (you're here!)

For the character sheets, all characters have a stats page, in order from top to bottom: attack, life/HP, magic/MP, defence, charisma, secret skills/abilities (might translate better to stealth/deception?)

Don't mind the horrendous image quality, these are screenshots I'm taking from youtube.

Jojo (she’s not JOJO [1]), the “punch [2]”-powerful priest who conquered her town

Talent: natural-born battle prowess All her healing skills come with a “reversal of damage” effect [3], and her close-quarters attacks during enemy encounters come with “burn of holy light.”

Ultimate move: Holy light’s beating [4] She first releases a wave of healing light, and, after recovering her allies’ HP for one second, the wave of light becomes “explosive holy light” which deals damage to the enemy equivalent to the amount which it healed by.

The daughter of the landlord of the mahjong shop [5]. She grew up with Charles since they were children, and despite her sweet and lovable appearance, beat all of the town’s rowdy children into submission, earning her the title of “the master of holy light fists.” As the town’s youngest priest, whether it be healing wounds or mediating conflicts, Jojo always uses both kindness and might to perfectly meet the townspeople’s needs. After she was chosen to engage in further training in the central church, she became a priest who wields all-encompassing holy light in her left hand, and brutal punches of pure F = ma [6] in her right hand. She always says the most vicious lines with the kindest smiles: “If you still won’t listen, then I’ll have to use my fists to “cure” you.” Thanks to her excellent capabilities and straight-forward personality, she is loved all throughout the church, and automatically became the heart of the “protect Jojo, the best of the whole world” alliance. Until, one day, after learning that Charles was about to go on a journey to slay the dragon by himself, she decided to go escort this half-*ssed adventurer who can’t be trusted to be by himself…

[1] The “not Jojo” thing is probably referencing Jojo’s bizarre adventure?

[2] Another Chinese pun playing on the “all” in “all-powerful” being pronounced the same as “fist,” as in the one you use for punching.

[3] As in she damages the enemy while healing allies.

[4] Could also be “Holy light: critical hit” or something similar, but I think beating is way funnier, and 暴击 is an ambiguous term, anyway.

[5] Not a “shop” as in where you buy Mahjong, 麻将馆 is literally just a place you go to to play Mahjong, though it also is technically a business. No, I have no idea what their business model is supposed to be. Apparently it translates better to “Mahjong school, ” but in my opinion, that makes even less sense than calling it a shop.

[6] A video game term which technically just translates to “physical damage/attack,” but 物理攻击 (literally “physics attack”) has a very particular connotation on the Chinese internet, and this is the best I could translate it.

Lucas, the genius sorcerer [1] who likes to sit in the sun

Talent: eternal memory After he learns a spell [2], his proficiency in it automatically rises until max proficiency; observe and gain insight on any normal enemy’s skills and patterns; automatically identify one weakness of any one enemy.

Ultimate move: ray of frost [3] Release a ring of frigid cold ice, freezing the enemy; after the enemy defrosts, it triggers the secondary stage of “frozen explosion” and deals damage. At the same time, he can use summoning magic according to the enemy’s weakness [4].

A genius sorcerer who demonstrated incredible magical talent from a young age, able to recite all spells recorded within the library, and who was seen as a once-in-a-century prodigy by the elite magical academy of the east. Lucas has a cold personality and is awkward with words, spending most of his time alone, studying ancient magical tomes, basking under the sun with the school’s stray cats to fill up on vitamin D, or sleeping — this is a day in the calm and ordinary life of the genius himself. One day, while Lucas was sitting in the corner of the library reading, a wrinkly flyer flew onto his face: The dragon-slaying plan! Saving the world! Bread and board provided! — Charles “The dragon slaying plan?” Usually, Lucas doesn’t have any interests for these childish adventures, but the strange energy signatures left on the flyer piqued his interest. He looked out of the window, and the sunlight shone on his face in just the right way, as if it were urging him to make a decision…

[1] Technically translates to "magician" but, like I said in the previous post, sorcerer sounds less like he's pulling Qiao Lings out of a hat.

[2] Technically “after he learns magic,” but I think spell makes more sense and is more likely to be what it’s supposed to mean? I don’t know man, I don’t hang in the Chinese TTRPG sphere.

[3] No, not that ray of frost — although I certainly thought it was, at first.

[4] I have no idea what this sentence is supposed to say. What is the 实战 (real battle) doing in there? Why is the 召唤 after 魔法? I’m so confused.

Charles, the chosen one who shines like the sun [1]

Talent: The chosen one’s luck While fighting, all attacks have a chance to trigger “lucky critical” (damage doubles, and applies a random buff)

Ultimate move: A toss by the god of dice A killing move [2] derived from “guaranteed win.” Gathering all the luck and courage of the blessed land [3], he creates an unstoppable blade of courageous adventurers.

Originally a boy running a mahjong shop in the easter continent, his parents went missing under mysterious circumstances when he was young, only leaving behind a 【sword of the lucky one [4]】 and a bunch of unpaid rent. Since his youth, he’s bore the incredible skill of 【guaranteed win】, referred to by others as 【a toss by the god of dice】. Although his life is difficult, he’s always had a smile on his face: “Life is like playing Mahjong, both winning and losing are only a matter of luck, what’s important is enjoying it!” One day, while Charles was cleaning 【sword of the lucky one】, he activated a switch in the storage room, and a diary fell out, containing the legend of the chosen one and the words his father entrusted to him: when you see this, it means that you’ve inherited the power of the lucky one. Go find the den of the evil dragon described in legend, the world needs you to save it… “Save the world? But I haven’t even finished doing the accounting for the mahjong shop!” Even though he was still an outsider to this conflict, considering the world’s waiting for him to save it, just like that, the adventurer Charles took up 【sword of the lucky one】 and began his adventures.

[Note for Cheng Xiaoshi’s section: I cannot emphasize enough how uproarious the 欧皇/lucky one thing is, in my opinion. It’s such a meme, good gods.

[1] Technically "Burns hot like the sun," as in passionate/driven, but I think "bright" works a bit better in terms of vibe.

[2] Not literally killing but like, the vibe of a killing move.

[3] Learned a new chengyu today, haha! 天灵地杰 is definitely a rarer one, and this was the best I could do. It isn’t referring to any one specific blessed or holy land, but more of just “the fortunes of the world” kind of vibe.

[4] I’ve seen this translated as “European emperor,” but 欧皇 is a Chinese slang term meaning someone who’s extremely lucky, especially in gacha games, or other games of a similar nature. If I did a 10-pull and got five top-level characters, for example, I would be an 欧皇.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

I’m seething with rage after missing both of my bus rides back from work, so I’m translating all the on-screen text of the Link Click Map of Dreams video. Keep in mind that I’m hot trash at interpreting semi-formal written Chinese, so read at your own discretion. Square brackets are translator’s notes. Any time you see just straight pinyin are when I’m guessing the text is meant to be a noise or a name that doesn’t have a translation.

Pt 1: The opening page, the paper with text (you're here!)

Pt 2: The protagonists' character sheets

This is another world where superpowered people come together.

The world is made up of different continents, the cultures, traditions, and personalities of the residents of each continent are all unique. The most mysterious, and dangerous, is none other than the Lundinien EDIT: Thank you to @epiphenomenal for informing me that Lundinien is, in fact, a transliteration of Londinium, the capital of Roman Britain! [1] continent, surrounded by the fog of mystery [2]. On this land, there is a tale of the three “Judges from the burning palace.”

The splendid palace of emerald sits on the northern end of the continent, his grace Xierfeiwen [3] is accepting the gift brought by the thirteenth envoy [of the day]. This is a successor whose cloak is embroidered with stars, who washes his mouth with sunrise dew every morning, whose pistol can compel visitors to bow to him and serve up their lifetime’s wealth — those who dare to deny him will be made into crystal statues [4], and become part of his grace the prince’s collection.

In the middle of the swamp of sighs, the potion steam rising in the wizard’s tower becomes eternal rainbow light on its glass windows. The wizard Xavier, who prefers not to go out, likes “equivalent exchange”: for adventures who come to him asking for medicine, exotic alchemy materials in hand, the wizard will gift them the “power” that they deserve — in the labyrinth at the tower’s bottom, rats spend day after day biting at their paws which can no longer pick up swords.

And in the mouth of the volcano, on the boiling mountains of Dragon Bone mountain [5], the Vein Dragon, who can consume all things, beats its wings, letting the blood-red blood vessels on its wings stir up elemental surges. The flame of law, attacking alongside its breath, can instantly shrink the traitor it hits into jade mahjong pieces inscribed with runes, becoming another shrieking piece of decoration in the dragon’s den. It’s said that only an adventurer who has been chosen by the dice of fate can stand against it, and save the world.

On the day that the paths of the stars and the moon of misfortune coincide, the chosen adventurer Charles and his “cute” friends [6] — the sorcerer [7] Lucas and priest Jojo — have finally come together! They will walk this road, full of adventure and mystery, and challenge these three “judges.”

What kind of ending will this battle between light and darkness conclude with? To become the messiah, or turn into a mahjong piece? How will the gears of fate turn…

[1] the name appears to be a Chinese localization, but I can’t figure out what it’s localizing — might just be Generic Fantasy Name That Kinda Sounds Like ‘London EDIT: Translator's note no longer valid

[2] I’m not sure if 迷雾 is a metaphoric “fog of mystery” or a literal fog that surrounds the continent.

[3] The first two characters of Xierfeiwen are the classic “yeah you’re just making noises” characters, but the fei is the fei in Xia Fei, and the wen is the bottom half of the fei character. Might be a play on Xia Fei’s nickname on the Chinese internet, 非文, which is a deconstruction of his 斐.

[4] Technically “sample” or “specimen” as in biology or whatever, but that sounds weird in English so I’m changing it.

[5] I genuinely have no idea what 龙骨山脉沸腾 means? The last four characters are a chengyu, so they definitely go together, but then the first two “dragon bone” is just… dragon bone, without a mountain to pair up with. I’m calling it a writing error, I don’t care.

[6] A Chinese pun on the first character of the word for allies “盟友” sounding the exact same as 萌, the character for “cute” or “moe.” I believe the Japanese kanji for moe is actually the same as this hanzi?

[7] I’ve seen someone translate 巫师 as wizard and 魔法师 as mage, with Lu Guang’s profession being more instinct-based and Liu Xiao’s being more knowledge-based, but I feel like it's actually more the opposite! 巫师 has a very ~mysterious~ vibe to it, with the 巫 in the name being the same one as in witch (巫女) and having a darker, more mystical connotation. On the other hand, 魔法师 translates directly to magician — in this case, literally one who wields magic. I decided to translate it as sorcerer because that makes Lu Guang sound less like he’s pulling Qiao Lings out of hats. You could say the difference between the two is that Lu Guang is a prim and proper, Officially Recognized user of magic, whereas Liu Xiao is more of a “yeah we don’t know what he’s doin up there” user of magic.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

MY BAD for not spoilering! tbhx episode 7 spoiler Yang Cheng character analysis

Here's an interpretation of Yang Cheng's hesitation to save Shang Chao.

What — really — was he jealous over?

Was it really Shang Chao's status as a "love rival"?

Have you ever been doomed by something you had no choice over (why don't you get a family, why don't you get love)? You're vividly aware of the way that the things you lack has made you different, made you less (you're awkward, fumbling, you can't accept love, even if you finally got it). 你已经输在起跑线上 — you've lost already at the starting line (you can't even get a good job with your background).

You meet someone who looks like he has everything you don't.

He has a supportive family. Friends, good grades, success. You don't want to think like this but you can't help but think he's so goddamn privileged. You have to fight your way into a competition that he's the judge of, and sure, he's there partly because he's good and capable, but he has so many things you don't. Resources, support, the privilege to fail and be caught by the people who love him. All he needs to do is ask, and he has money enough to rent (you, he rented it for you) a whole warehouse.

It would be easier if he was a bad person, but he isn't. No, you're the bad person. He has been raised kind and generous, surrounded by all the light of the world, while you have been fighting for scraps in the dark. If there's one person here who's ugly on the inside, it's you -- desperate and unstable, so insecure it twists right back into being self-centred. You grew up wrong. Wretched. It wasn't your fault, but you did. He grew up happy. He didn't do anything to earn it, but he was happy nonetheless.

Did you ever, really, feel romantically attracted to the girl you "like"? Or was it the allure of light, of having someone look kindly upon you and treat you as an equal? Did you ever feel really envious towards that other boy, or was it the whole world you felt envy for? The knowledge that, after all this fighting, after you've worked so hard, you haven't gotten any further than anyone else. All you've done was even the playing field. When memories flash, they aren't really memories of the girl you like treating him well, they're of him treating her well. Him offering her things you can't, him calling her name, him living a life you want to live. His face is scratched out.

He has everything already. Why can't he leave you anything? Why don't you get anything?

He needs you. He needs you to save him.

But- he has so much. For once, you want him to not have something, the way you've never had anything. This one time, you want him to be the one to lose something.

By the time you realize that that's a stupid thought and that you, too, need him, it is already too late.

You can care for someone so deeply, and yet also be so fiercely jealous of what they have that you don't. A lifetimes' worth of 委屈 — a term which translates to 'wronged', that repeating 'why me why me why me' that bounces in the back of your head — that simply burst at the wrong moment, targeted towards the wrong person. It's not about the confession, the concert tickets, any of that. It's about inequality. Seeing someone who has everything you don't, and not being able to help but want to see them lose.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Crossing over Link Click with a piece of media that... doesn't exist yet. Awesome.

Things that happen in the crossover:

Instead of being stuck in a time loop, Lu Guang puts other people in time loops

Cheng Xiaoshi's magic power is computer science

Qiao Ling fakes her death, fistfights serial killers, and does 1000000 pieces of paperwork per day

Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi are still doomed

Now that I think about it, all three of them would actually die at around the same time

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

I meant to update the cover art along with a crack-y second chapter of Live Cheng Xiaoshi's Ghost Reaction, but I don't wanna spam ao3 with my fics. So. Just the art, then.

[Emerges, cold and tired, shambling like a reanimated corpse]

So. I made a joke. A while ago. About Lu Guang murdering other superpowered people in previous loops for more powers. Then @dream-about-dancing said in the tags "can I get a serial killer Lu Guang fic"

I made one. Here it is. 5k words of Lu Guang losing his mind. I'll worry about editing, and maybe adding cover art, tomorrow.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63655540

^link if you don't make a habit of clicking embedded links on this website

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Dumb sketch of Wang Qing after episode 6

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

[Emerges, cold and tired, shambling like a reanimated corpse]

So. I made a joke. A while ago. About Lu Guang murdering other superpowered people in previous loops for more powers. Then @dream-about-dancing said in the tags "can I get a serial killer Lu Guang fic"

I made one. Here it is. 5k words of Lu Guang losing his mind. I'll worry about editing, and maybe adding cover art, tomorrow.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63655540

^link if you don't make a habit of clicking embedded links on this website

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Oh, 甲方 is just the term people use for the contractor/client. 乙方 is the term for the contractee/hired person, so Xia Fei. Who knows, maybe Liu Xiao labelled him as "性子急的乙方" (impatient employee) in his contacts.

Some fun translation facts about Yingdu...

-Xia Fei doesn't necessarily call Vein "warm-hearted." “热心肠" doesn't mean warm-hearted, as in compassionate. It's based on 热心, or passionate. You use it for someone who's helpful, whom you can expect to speak up for people, but not necessarily someone who's "warm." It's more a comment on someone's willingness to get involved in other people's business than their kindness.

-Laoban (老板) is a pretty common way for employees to refer to their bosses. Distinctive from surname-laoban (e.g. Li-laoban), since surnames are usually used if 1. you need to distinguish between several superiors, 2. you're trying to appeal to someone (aka basically talking them up), or 3. you're on somewhat-equal ground with the person, socially, and using it literally because they're the boss of a company. Other terms like -xiansheng (先生)/-nüshi (女士)depending on the person's gender) and -zong (总) may also be used, but laoban (without a surname) is the most "casual" without being informal. Informally, you might use surname-ge (哥)/jie (姐) (common between people of similar ages with an authority/respect gradient, sometimes used casually between friends for an older person), lao (老)-surname (more common the older you get, typically for seniority or generation gaps, but some older folks will use it universally for their friends who are around the same age), dage (大哥)/dajie (大姐) (implies a more familial relationship, but not as explicitly as gege (哥哥) or jiejie(姐姐)). In short: Xia Fei's "laoban," in terms of word choice, is pretty normal socially -- unlike in English where "boss" is kinda a weird term to call someone as their default name. What makes it silly is the fact that he uses it very informally.

-Cheng Xiaoshi calling people 帅哥 (hottie) isn't exactly correct. The shuaige/meinü (美女) (handsome man/beautiful woman) combo is just a pretty common compliment to give someone. It doesn't have to actually imply attraction, and it is often more of a "wow, this person's conventionally attractive" thing. Of course, I'm not saying that that is exactly how Cheng Xiaoshi meant it -- with that tone and context, it could go either way.

-Same logic applies to 美少年 (handsome young man), except it has far more of a teasing/ironic implication, especially when preceded by 美少女 (beautiful young woman). So far as I can tell, 美少年 kind of refers to the same kind of vibe and appearance as… a twink, just without the queer undertones. The bi-coding of that scene would actually require a second layer of linguistic irony that's kind of difficult to explain, although, rest assured, there is still a pretty bi way of reading it.

-Xia Fei's contact name for Liu Xiao means "client who doesn't mind his own business/is nosy/bothers me with a lot of things/is hard to please" or that general vibe. Basically, annoying, but very specifically the high-maintenance flavour of annoying.

-When Vein tells Xia Fei to "脾气收敛点" (or, well, Xia Fei promises to do so) as in to control his temper, the 脾气 he uses doesn't exactly mean temper, in the sense of anger. It's more of how thick your skin is, or how tolerant you are of bs (although it's also dependent on context). In the context of Xia Fei using it, it comes closer to "stop being so impulsive and reacting to people who don't need reacting to." So, more like "control yourself." Notably, 脾气 can also refer to when someone's whining. Like, if my roommate is acting all annoyed at me because I called potatoes ugly (they are extraordinarily ugly), I might say to her “发什么脾气呢" (what are you throwing a fuss about) as a joke.

Another fun fact: some nicknames for the Yingdu trio on Lofter are 鸟木哥, based on 枭, 非文哥, based on 斐 (both of these are deconstructions of their names), and 静脉哥, based the Mandarin term for Vein, as in the blood vessel.

English internet: I'm going to shorten this six-letter long name into two letters so it's easier to type.

Chinese internet: I'm going to lengthen this two-character name into three characters so it's funnier to type.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Some fun translation facts about Yingdu...

-Xia Fei doesn't necessarily call Vein "warm-hearted." “热心肠" doesn't mean warm-hearted, as in compassionate. It's based on 热心, or passionate. You use it for someone who's helpful, whom you can expect to speak up for people, but not necessarily someone who's "warm." It's more a comment on someone's willingness to get involved in other people's business than their kindness.

-Laoban (老板) is a pretty common way for employees to refer to their bosses. Distinctive from surname-laoban (e.g. Li-laoban), since surnames are usually used if 1. you need to distinguish between several superiors, 2. you're trying to appeal to someone (aka basically talking them up), or 3. you're on somewhat-equal ground with the person, socially, and using it literally because they're the boss of a company. Other terms like -xiansheng (先生)/-nüshi (女士)depending on the person's gender) and -zong (总) may also be used, but laoban (without a surname) is the most "casual" without being informal. Informally, you might use surname-ge (哥)/jie (姐) (common between people of similar ages with an authority/respect gradient, sometimes used casually between friends for an older person), lao (老)-surname (more common the older you get, typically for seniority or generation gaps, but some older folks will use it universally for their friends who are around the same age), dage (大哥)/dajie (大姐) (implies a more familial relationship, but not as explicitly as gege (哥哥) or jiejie(姐姐)). In short: Xia Fei's "laoban," in terms of word choice, is pretty normal socially -- unlike in English where "boss" is kinda a weird term to call someone as their default name. What makes it silly is the fact that he uses it very informally.

-Cheng Xiaoshi calling people 帅哥 (hottie) isn't exactly correct. The shuaige/meinü (美女) (handsome man/beautiful woman) combo is just a pretty common compliment to give someone. It doesn't have to actually imply attraction, and it is often more of a "wow, this person's conventionally attractive" thing. Of course, I'm not saying that that is exactly how Cheng Xiaoshi meant it -- with that tone and context, it could go either way.

-Same logic applies to 美少年 (handsome young man), except it has far more of a teasing/ironic implication, especially when preceded by 美少女 (beautiful young woman). So far as I can tell, 美少年 kind of refers to the same kind of vibe and appearance as… a twink, just without the queer undertones. The bi-coding of that scene would actually require a second layer of linguistic irony that's kind of difficult to explain, although, rest assured, there is still a pretty bi way of reading it.

-Xia Fei's contact name for Liu Xiao means "client who doesn't mind his own business/is nosy/bothers me with a lot of things/is hard to please" or that general vibe. Basically, annoying, but very specifically the high-maintenance flavour of annoying.

-When Vein tells Xia Fei to "脾气收敛点" (or, well, Xia Fei promises to do so) as in to control his temper, the 脾气 he uses doesn't exactly mean temper, in the sense of anger. It's more of how thick your skin is, or how tolerant you are of bs (although it's also dependent on context). In the context of Xia Fei using it, it comes closer to "stop being so impulsive and reacting to people who don't need reacting to." So, more like "control yourself." Notably, 脾气 can also refer to when someone's whining. Like, if my roommate is acting all annoyed at me because I called potatoes ugly (they are extraordinarily ugly), I might say to her “发什么脾气呢" (what are you throwing a fuss about) as a joke.

Another fun fact: some nicknames for the Yingdu trio on Lofter are 鸟木哥, based on 枭, 非文哥, based on 斐 (both of these are deconstructions of their names), and 静脉哥, based the Mandarin term for Vein, as in the blood vessel.

English internet: I'm going to shorten this six-letter long name into two letters so it's easier to type.

Chinese internet: I'm going to lengthen this two-character name into three characters so it's funnier to type.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Congratulations to this show for making me do something I've never done before: draw a self-insert

[To person reading this] you should draw yourself a lil self-insert as well. For enrichment.

Alternate colour (with some details missing) under the cut because I realized halfway that just because I like navy blue doesn't necessarily make it the correct choice in terms of graphic design.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Don't mind the comic being two months late, my bad

Note: Of all the familial terms used here, only gege and didi are explicitly familial. The others (-ge, -di, -xiaodi) are implicitly familial (it's the same vibe as calling someone a brother in arms, in a way) to different degrees/vibes. And the last 呵 is a sarcastic laugh.

Oh, and honourifics aren't usually capitalized (I mean, we usually write them as characters, so...), I've just capitalized them here to demonstrate that the characters are emphasizing them in speech.

It would probably be more in-character for Liu Xiao to feel indifferent towards Liu Min, but I would also like to think he harbours some unsavoury feelings towards him from them growing up together

So I imagine him bumping into Liu Min while he's out with Vein or Xia Fei in the streets of Bridon, and being like "look this is my new older brother, and he's much cooler than you" (or something along those lines but more suave) just to taunt him, regardless of his true feelings(towards Vein and Xia Fei)

*btw according to the artbook Liu Min was 27 in S1. And taller than cxs (185cm)

(edited to correct the age)

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

I doubt eng dub for yingdu arc is gonna come out but I keep trying to figure out how they'd ever deal with the cxs doesn't know much eng stuff and all my brain can supply me with is "what if during the english lines they pull out the shittiest british accent"

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Being a whump fan is so funny. This is my favourite fictional character. I want to disembowel them. I don't want to read about this fictional couple kissing with tongue I want one of them to watch the other one get tortured.

很爽，你懂吧。

In other news, does anyone want to see Link Click characters get maimed- [gets shot by Lu Guang holding a rifle]

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

My favourite analysis on Lu Guang's answer to the animal riddle is that he said detective, partly because he sees himself as guilty, by @curapicas (2025). (thanks muninnhuginn for finding the link!) However, I posit another answer: everyone.

You can set a forest aflame with a match, sure, but that doesn't cause devastation on the scale of lifeless charcoal. Where I live, our forest are born to be burned. Pockets of wildfire open up cracks in the canopy, letting sun shine on young trees; nutrients are released back into soil; the jack pine tree needs fire to reproduce (Natural Resources Canada, 2024). Wildfires have become an issue for us recently for one major reason: mismanagement.

Forest fires are bound to happen. Delay it endlessly, leave thousand of acres of standing, old wood, and that's when a forest fire becomes truly ravenous. Was it any one creature's fault? The fault of the elephant for dutifully putting out small sparks whenever they were seen? The fox for watching the forest grow thick and overcrowded without speaking up? The rabbits for planting the grasses that they adore as food? No one could have seen it coming, yet, everyone could. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was everyone's fault. It was a tragedy. It was an inevitability. Lu Guang would know: he's been fighting that inevitable fire for years.

A forest fire, and a death node. Never any one singular person to blame, one single factor that caused the fire: always a collision of dozens of entangled threads. Cheng Xiaoshi's death was never caused by one singular person, and the fire was never set by any one creature. The animals of the forest, in their attempts to make the forest a better home for themselves, set the stage for it to burn. The people who love and are loved by Cheng Xiaoshi, in their actions to protect him, attract the attention of executioners. 引火上身。*

Fundamentally, it's the same as Cheng Xiaoshi's answer -- that sometimes lightning strikes your life, and that's that. Only, Cheng Xiaoshi says 'it wasn't anyone's fault, no one did anything to start it'. Lu Guang, and maybe Vein, too, say 'they were all at fault, no one did anything to prevent it'. Lu Guang answers everyone, because he has come to see disasters as not the result of a singular person's actions, but rather a product of everyone's decisions. Even though Vein may not be a time traveler well-versed in the crowdfunded nature of tragedies, he still may well be cynical enough to write off the idea of innocent victims.

Lastly, consider that Lu Guang doesn't plot Vein's death because it would prevent him from killing Cheng Xiaoshi. He does it because it creates a new node; a new fire. Controlled burning**.

*Meaning "to attract fire onto one's own body." An idiom for when you cause your own problems, especially by attracting the attention or ire of others.

**An actual forest management technique where you set small, controlled fires, which clear out the dead wood and fulfill the same purposes as a big fire without it getting out of hand. Many Indigenous peoples have been doing it since forever. (BC Wildfire Service, 2022)

BC Wildfire Service. (2022, May 5). How cultural burning enhances landscapes and lives. Government of British Columbia. https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/how-cultural-burning-enhances-landscapes-and-lives/

Curapicas. (2025, February 5). Why I think Lu Guang's answer to the riddle was the detective:. Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/curapicas/774647863305256960/why-i-think-lu-guangs-answer-to-the-riddle-was

Natural Resources Canada. (2024, August 1). Why forests need fires, insects and diseases. Government of Canada. https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/insects-disturbances/why-forests-need-fires-insects-and-diseases/13081

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

It'd be really funny if Lu Guang has like four powers (seeing into photos, clapping into em, puppeteering from a distance, power word: heart failure) because he just... murdered several other superpowered people and those powers carried over dives. Imagine. A loop with a really early Cheng Xiaoshi death. Lu Guang going "yknow what, might as well" and just going around the world killing people and yoinking their powers.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

It would probably be more in-character for Liu Xiao to feel indifferent towards Liu Min, but I would also like to think he harbours some unsavoury feelings towards him from them growing up together

So I imagine him bumping into Liu Min while he's out with Vein or Xia Fei in the streets of Bridon, and being like "look this is my new older brother, and he's much cooler than you" (or something along those lines but more suave) just to taunt him, regardless of his true feelings(towards Vein and Xia Fei)

*btw according to the artbook Liu Min was 24 in S1. And taller than cxs (185cm)