#I’m not sure how Chinese culture is when it comes to this stuff

[myname-isnia]

Naming OCs actually sucks so much sometimes, especially when the creators of the source material have no fucking idea which culture they’re drawing from

[babyleostuff]

HEYYA! I AM SO MUCH IN LOVE WITH YOUR WRITING

could you write an ot13 acting all cute and all soft with their significant others <3 🥺🤍

seventeen being soft for their s/o | ot13

CHOI SEUNGCHEOL 

𓆩♡𓆪 no shocker, but Seungcheol would always be touching you in some way - whether it be a hand on your waist, his head resting on your shoulder, or him playing with your fingers 

𓆩♡𓆪 and he’d be especially soft and cuddly after a long day of work

𓆩♡𓆪 so, after he finally gets home, the first thing he does is to find you, and attach himself to you for the rest of the day/night 

𓆩♡𓆪 his voice would be no louder than a whisper, his eyes fluttering shut from exhaustion 

𓆩♡𓆪 Cheol would look up at you, from where he was lying between your legs, his head on your chest, and ask you to play with his hair 

𓆩♡𓆪 he would nuzzle his face further up your neck, and place gentle kisses there

𓆩♡𓆪 and a quiet “I love you” would be the last thing he’d say before drifting off to sleep

YOON JEONGHAN 

𓆩♡𓆪 I’m a 100% sure Jeonghan is able to stand up for himself, like, that man can destroy people with words 

𓆩♡𓆪 but for some reason I can see him get totally soft over his significant other who tries to defend him, in whatever situation they may be in 

𓆩♡𓆪 like, sometimes he doesn’t even see a point in fighting someone - he just doesn’t care, but if his precious partner would stand up for him, he would melt

𓆩♡𓆪 he’d grab you by the arm, and link your fingers together, silently trying to calm you down and tell you that he’s okay 

𓆩♡𓆪 and he’d look at you with a lovestruck expression, giggling at your angry face, not quite believing in how protective you were of him 

𓆩♡𓆪 he’d also peck your lips as a silent “thank you”

HONG JOSHUA 

𓆩♡𓆪 Shua is a very loving person, and as one of the older members, he usually takes care of the other boys, sometimes forgetting about taking care of himself 

𓆩♡𓆪 “baby, have you eaten yet?” “you really should go to sleep, it’s so late” “text me when you land, have a safe flight! love you lots.”

𓆩♡𓆪 he would internally cry whenever you’d do anything remotely caring towards him, which makes you always so confused, because ??? you’re his significant other, of course you’re going to take care of him 

𓆩♡𓆪 for some reason he never expects people to take care of him in return, but it always makes him feel so soft and appreciated, so he cannot help himself but to pull you into a gentle hug, swaying you from side to side 

WEN JUNHUI 

𓆩♡𓆪 Jun is obviously very proud of his heritage and where he comes from, but he would never try to force his culture onto you, or expect you to learn Chinese for him 

𓆩♡𓆪 so imagine his surprise when one day after coming home, you asked about his day in Chinese

𓆩♡𓆪 he wondered if he was just hearing things due to his tiredness, so he asked you to repeat yourself, and you, more shyly this time, asked the question in Chinese again

𓆩♡𓆪 even though your accent was rather bad, and it wouldn't be really understandable to any other person, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing 

𓆩♡𓆪 with a wide grin on his face, he’d grip your shoulders, and more so bump your bodies together than anything else, caging you in a hug

𓆩♡𓆪 at first you wouldn’t be able to tell what made his act so, but he would quickly explain that it was all because of your question 

𓆩♡𓆪 he would make you repeat it for the rest of the day, following you like lost puppy, kissing you every time you did so

KWON SOONYOUNG 

𓆩♡𓆪 Soonyoung obviously has his random outbursts of energy, and when he gets into that headspace, no one can stop him 

𓆩♡𓆪 there are people that can’t keep up with him (the iron deficiency line), and even though he doesn’t mind it at all, he cannot help but melt whenever his significant other matches the level of his energy and craziness 

𓆩♡𓆪 when he notices you joining him in his antics, and acting as crazy as he does, doing random stuff out of nowhere, it makes him fall in love with you even more 

𓆩♡𓆪 he’d stop whatever he was doing, and look at you like you were the only thing in the world 

𓆩♡𓆪 and when you’d ask what he was looking at, Soonyoung would shake his head and grab your face in his hands, kissing you all over your face 

𓆩♡𓆪 “you’re a crazy person, you know that?” “yes, but I’m your crazy person.” 

LEE JIHOON 

𓆩♡𓆪 work is one of the most important things in life for him, not only because it’s his, well work, but it’s his hobby and life passion as well 

𓆩♡𓆪 and you being something he cares for dearly, makes him feel so full of love and melts his heart, whenever you ask about his work and the songs his working on, with a genuine interest 

𓆩♡𓆪 like, you actually care about what he’s working on - you’re not asking because you feel obligated to, but you really want to know 

𓆩♡𓆪 and he would explain everything with a gentle and patient voice, a shy smile on his face, fighting the urge to smother you in kisses 

𓆩♡𓆪 that’s how you’d spend the night - Jihoon, explaining and showing you his work, and you watching him

𓆩♡𓆪 slowly, as it got colder through the night, you’d scoot closer to each other, cuddling and ending falling asleep under one blanket 

JEON WONWOO

𓆩♡𓆪 although he’s usually very competitive when gaming, he would lose a game on purpose just to see you smile 

𓆩♡𓆪 I’m not a gamer, so maybe I’m not the best person to talk about video games, but I feel like you have to be quite good to beat him, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if you’d lose one game after another

𓆩♡𓆪 even though you wouldn’t verbally state your frustration over losing that many times, Wonwoo would quickly notice your change in behaviour, and the lack of a smile on your face 

𓆩♡𓆪 and he could not imagine a worse thing than his baby being sad over a stupid game 

𓆩♡𓆪 so, the next round he’d try to go easy on you, still winning, but giving you a bigger chance of beating him (if he lost immediately, you’d probably know that he did it on purpose) 

𓆩♡𓆪 but with each game, he’d do worse and worse, and thus letting you win one round 

𓆩♡𓆪 and no game can equal with the happiness that surges through him when he hears you cheer in victory, and how you hug him (probably as a thank you, because you still knew that he lost on purpose)

XU MINGHAO 

𓆩♡𓆪 our fashion icon Xu Minghao would go completely soft over you in his clothes

𓆩♡𓆪 it wouldn’t even have to be anything extravagant or expensive, you could be wearing one of his shirts and a pair of boxers and he’d swear you’re the most beautiful being in this world 

𓆩♡𓆪 insert *heart eyes* whenever you’d incorporate something from his wardrobe into your outfit 

𓆩♡𓆪 especially if you were going out together, he’d love the fact that even a little statement piece would show that you were his and his only (not in a possessive way, he’d find it more cute than hot)

𓆩♡𓆪 Hao would try to tease you sometimes, but the second you mention “okay, I won’t borrow your clothes anymore then” he’s clinging to you and saying how it all was only a joke

𓆩♡𓆪 plus, seeing you in his hoodies during autumn and winter makes him go nuts

KIM MINGYU 

𓆩♡𓆪 cooking dates are a must in your relationship, whether you’re good at cooking or not 

𓆩♡𓆪 Gyu loves spending this time with you, not only because he get to cook which he loves, but he’d finally get the opportunity to spend some quality time with you 

𓆩♡𓆪 but because he’s such an affectionate person, and he loves hugs and cuddles, most of the time, he’d wrap his strong arms around you, caging you in a warm back hug 

𓆩♡𓆪 and that’s how he’d follow you around, you’d waddle around the kitchen together 

𓆩♡𓆪 Mingyu would talk to you in a soft voice,  telling you how much he loves and appreciates you, kissing your neck or cheek

𓆩♡𓆪 other times, he’d place you on the kitchen counter doing all of the cooking himself, making you laugh because of his sillines (he’d act like a dummy just to hear your laugh, he loves seeing you happy)

LEE SEOKMIN 

𓆩♡𓆪 you wouldn’t even have to do anything in particular, and he’d coo at how cute you were 

𓆩♡𓆪 your presence makes him all soft and fluffy from all of the love that he’s feeling, like, sometimes he can’t fathom that you’re really his

𓆩♡𓆪 and that he gets to hold your hand, and kiss you, and cuddle you???

𓆩♡𓆪 you’d have to be blind to not see the way he was looking at you, his gaze always warm and full of love

𓆩♡𓆪 Seokmin would love to squish your cheeks, and give you forehead kisses, but not before telling you how much he loves you 

𓆩♡𓆪 and sometimes when he wouldn’t be able to contain all of those emotions, he’d simply tackle you in a hug, squeezing the life out of you 

BOO SEUNGKWAN

𓆩♡𓆪 Seungkwan loves your voice, whether you like it yourself or not

𓆩♡𓆪 he could listen to you talk all day, without getting bored, and for some reason you had the ability to keep his attention on you 24/7

𓆩♡𓆪 one day when he came home, quietly taking off his shoes, he could hear one of their songs playing from the speaker in your kitchen, which wasn't something unusual, but he had to stop in his track when he heard you suddenly sing

𓆩♡𓆪 Seungkwan stopped around the corner, because he knew that you'd get shy if he walked in, and you would definitely stop singing

𓆩♡𓆪 he could feel his heart swell with love, and he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, as a warm feeling settled over his body

𓆩♡𓆪 he slowly approached you from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist and put his head on your shoulder

𓆩♡𓆪 after a while, he started singing along with you

CHWE VERNON

𓆩♡𓆪 as a non-cooking member, he’d always appreciate when people made food for him, especially if it was coming from his significant other 

𓆩♡𓆪 “hey babe, what are you doing?” “oh, just dinner for you. I’m making your favourite.”

𓆩♡𓆪 cue heart eyes and a melting heart 

𓆩♡𓆪 he would always try to keep  you company, and help you in case you needed it (although he’d rather stick to telling you funny stories from the rehearsals, and making you laugh)

𓆩♡𓆪 after eating he’d silently thank you with a sweet kiss to your lips and a shy “i love you”

𓆩♡𓆪 also, the next day he’d buy your favourite snacks and candy to make up for the fact that you had to cook for him (not that you minded), and you’d eat it together while cuddling on the sofa and watching a movie (probably shrek)

LEE CHAN 

𓆩♡𓆪 once, Chan caught you dancing to one of their choreographies, and he thought his soul would leave his body because of how cute and adorable you were 

𓆩♡𓆪 he could see how concentrated you were, trying to get all of the moves right, and if you did something wrong you’d huff under your breath, sending your boyfriend into a cardiac arrest 

𓆩♡𓆪 he’d sneak up behind you and place his hands on your hips, gently guiding your body and showing you how you were supposed to execute the moves 

𓆩♡𓆪 and there wouldn’t be anything sexual about it, he would seriously coo out loud, because to him there couldn’t be anything more precious than his partner trying to learn one of their choreographies 

𓆩♡𓆪 Chan would constantly be kissing your cheeks and lips, telling you how good of a job you were doing 

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[688199]

hello legend.

writing a wholesome mlb fanfic but trying to make it very meticulous in terms of details. do you think it’s appropriate that i ask for small things that i could include to highlight marinette’s connection to chinese culture.

things like certain clothes/phrases/names her parents would authentically call her/little things around her room /small habits/comfort foods/stories her mom told her growing up/thoughts on confucianism, taosim, buddhism/if she includes traditional chinese fashion in her designs/etc

i really hope this doesn’t come off as ignorant/offensive! i’ve been researching chinese culture but there’s a difference between reading about the “text-book” examples and actually being part of a culture where you just wouldn’t understand things unless you were surrounded by it and a part of it and grew up with it. and i don’t want to play into stereotyping, you know? i want these things to be specific to chinese culture AND to marinette & her moms side of the family.

any answer would be helpful because i read that you are chinese yourself and you are so well versed in the creation of marinette’s character that if you think she would do/say/keep/etc certain things i would love to hear your thoughts!

oh sure! note that i’m singaporean chinese, so there might be a little bit of difference in culture. but having been to china (and attended chinese culture heavy schools) before, i’ll do my best!

- nicknames: baobao/ bao bei, meaning “precious”. first one is babyish, second one usually used by couples but parents also use it to call their kids. also, easy and common nickname is just repeating their name. for example, if marinette’s mandarin name was “ma li” (though i don’t think any parent would want to name their child that), the nickname used by family, relatives and friends would be “lili”

- small things around her room: chinese literature books on shelves, maybe a blue-white porcelain vase to put flowers in? and maybe a maobi (calligraphy brush) sticking out of her pencil holder.

- small habits: switching to chinese when surprised/ stressed. oh and def using chopsticks eating (only use for asian dishes tho). make sure she doesn’t stick it upright into the food though, cause of some superstition, and general etiquette. she could get slightly stressed when she sees people use chopsticks incorrectly, i know i do lol.

- comfort foods: congee and you tiao (fried dough). she could eat it when she feels under the weather. also, an alternative to the classic dumplings is pan fried pork dumplings (sheng jian bao) which i personally love to death. oml. its also a cuisine pretty unique to shanghai iirc. here’s how it looks

- bonus: one nostalgic food could be tanghulu, or candied hawthorns. munching on a self made version using strawberries and other small fruits with hardened candy syrup while working. although it’s more of a northern snack rather than a southern snack… (shanghai is south)

- stories mom told: as in… children’s stories? or mom’s personal stories? for children stories, or common folk tales, chang e, the legend of nian, the cowherd and the weaver girl, the twelve zodiac animals, etc. personal mom stories not sure lol.

- thoughts on religious stuff: hmmm…. tough cause i’m personally not much of a religious person myself, though i’m familiar with taoism and buddhism. it’s not necessary to include those inside. oh yea just random thing i was reminded of, one small detail you can add is burning incense. for example, use of joss sticks to pray is common in taoist and buddhist religion. there’s also incense burning as an art form. personally my mom does that whenever i have major exams coming lmao.

- design: i think it’s cool if marinette learnt the art of embroidery, like shown below. it’s pretty commonly seen on qipaos, with different patterns but most commonly flowers. it’s a dying art form. having marinette use embroidery to make images on her outfits rather than have them printed on will be a neat detail.

hope this helps! good luck on the fic too, if there’s any more questions feel free to dm

(oh and though i find the movie mid, turning red has accurate representation so you can check it out)

[ramshackledtrickster]

What are some ideas you have for your version of AC Embers?

Oof ok so these thoughts are so far kinda half baked since 1. I need to do more research 2. I’m an amateur but I’m gonna try my best to communicate my thoughts. I’d really love for other Chinese/Hongkong/Taiwan fans for input as well and I envisioned it as a collaborative effort honestly since I’m just one guy.

More under the cut

1. First things first get actual Chinese consultants and actors. Especially for Shaojun. Her accent was really poorly done in the short and could be seen as distasteful, even if that’s not the original intention. I personally wasn’t comfortable with it, and neither was my mom when I asked her opinion (native Chinese) and a few of my other mandarin speaking peers. It’s just something I’d rather get out of the way.

2. Have more of an equal/even exchange between Ezio and Shaojun learning from each other. Most of embers was Ezio sharing his own wisdom, which is fair since Shaojun sought him out to learn from him. But I feel like it’d be more dynamic if he actually learned more from her as well, even if he hadn’t realized that until he reflected on it later. I like the idea of how the old dog could still learn new tricks, so with Shaojun sharing more of her own experiences and teachings under her own mentor would have been cool, and how philosophy from her own branch of assassins have informed her worldview. I’d also be down for Ezio asking Shaojun to teach her some of her own martial arts and weapons handling in order to better right off the invaders that come the next night. But I’m more interested in Shaojun telling him of her own internal philosophies since combat and fighting shouldn’t be the only thing worth learning about it glorifying when it comes to other cultures. More genuine interest on Ezio’s side would have made the message of “love of different cultures and people makes us stronger” line in this (I’m paraphrasing but still)

3. I can’t speak much for combat, but I was hoping to see a little bit more footwork to add interest (maybe that buildup would have made the reveal of shaojun’s foot blade cooler — even though it was already admittedly pretty cool). I just feel like there could have been more done to make the action more entertaining, like using the environment to your advantage (they did some in the inner balcony within the house, but again, there just could have been… more). Kungfu has different divisions of discipline and application, like personal defense and combat, vs performance and show (both are effective in what they seek to achieve, and kungfu has been a long-standing tradition in Beijing opera especially), so I wish they took more advantage of reference and inspiration available, especially considering assassins creed is a series that is more lenient with fantastical badass combat.

4. Flesh out Shaojun in embers a bit more !! She’s not just a student to me, and I wish they displayed a bit more of those dimensions. Express her curiosity with Florence some more, or how she dwells on her own lack of a childhood when she sees Flavia or other children. She has her own load of baggage, and I’m sure Ezio could sympathize and reflect on this, and how the life of an assassin can take so much away from you, and time you could never get back. We don’t have to know everything in embers, since this is more of an Ezio centric story, but I just wished she had a bit more character and expressiveness in her own way that hinted at her upbringing rather than just an all-at-once verbal exposition to Ezio.

Maybe this is all just me nitpicking, and to be fair the short is good in what it accomplished with Ezio, showing how he’s worn out from this life of assassins and his final speech and ultimately passing away. It’s powerful stuff.

Most of my fixes then would be put on Shaojun and her usage as a character and interactions with Ezio, since having a Chinese assassin really does mean a lot to me representation wise. I know she has chronicles, a manga, and a podcast drama (with a Chinese actress!!), but this still makes for a poor first impression in my eyes.

I haven’t gotten around to the rest of the Shaojun media, but I’m critical of embers out of love and interest in my first time seeing a Chinese assassin’s creed character (and being wary because I’m also unfortunately super used to very poor Chinese representation in some pieces of media I like)

I’m free to more ideas !!

[flecks-of-stardust]

this is still bothering me, so i’m going to talk a little bit about something that cropped up in Act 5 of Wandersong. if you saw my liveblog, you can probably guess what.

bit of a warning for, ah, discussion of war, particularly the World Wars, under the cut, as well as discussion of racism in fantasy.

it’s always tricky territory when you’re writing about war, because of how many factors that can go into a war. it’s not inherently bad to write about war, it just gets. complicated when you start drawing on real world aspects, especially when you do not have the specific context yourself.

i was not happy about the war between Rulle and Chaandesh to begin with, but frankly, as a whole the worldbuilding of Act 5 does not sit right with me. i’m going to keep this as brief as i can because i am not the Most knowledgeable on what i’m talking about here, but i did live this. i grew up with this history, and it’s disappointing, to say the least, to see them so carelessly handled in this game (that i otherwise adore).

one of the first things i noticed is that the major city in Rulle, which you spend a significant amount of time in, is called Xiatian. that’s pretty obviously ripped from mandarin; 夏天, xia4 tian1, means ‘summer’ in mandarin. it’s probably to keep with the theme of Rulle being more of the land of sun, and Chaandesh being the land of moon. what i don’t understand is why they chose to name the city that when seemingly nothing else in Rulle or Chaandesh has a similar theme. so there’s just one random city that happens to have a very obviously mandarin name.

it just makes me very wary in general to see stuff like this, because it often is a sort of... orientalism, so to speak? not sure if that’s the right term. specifically, what i’m referring to is the racist depiction of (usually east-) asia that amalgamates the different cultures in the area into one mess. in wandersong, there’s also people who have names that are also obviously mandarin based, like Ping, but aren’t real names people would have in mandarin. ‘Ping’ is nothing. that’s not a name. a nickname, maybe, but look at that man, do you think he walks around with a nickname? and there’s also the architecture style, which. oh my god, this is so common, but the architecture is japanese. even if not, because admittedly the two can be similar, it’s still basically the most stereotypical (east) asian thing you can find out there, and it speaks to lazy worldbuilding.

i don’t trust this sort of worldbuilding. most of the time it just feels like they wanted to build an area that felt ‘foreign’ or ‘exotic’, and then looked around for the quickest way to achieve this, which is so often based on non-white cultures. my culture isn’t ‘exotic’, white people just don’t bother to learn about other cultures. i don’t see why someone would choose to base aspects of a fantasy kingdom off of real countries but only take the bare bones and get everything else wrong, unless they were lazy and didn’t properly do research. frankly, i would have loved to see a fully chinese inspired area in wandersong, but Xiatian just isn’t that.

the reason i even bothered typing this up though is specifically because of the (possibly scant) japanese influence in Xiatian. if you’ve paid any attention to your history classes, you will know japan participated in the world wars, and they were fighting alongside germany in world war two. there is so, so much history of the violence japan enacted against so many countries in asia that just isn’t discussed, because people like to think of japan as the ideal technological utopia that can do no wrong. even today, japan refuses to take responsibility and adequately apologize for its war crimes.

[image description: a screenshot from Wandersong, taken from Skurry’s vod of the game. Kiwi and Miriam are crossing a red bridge, depicted in a markedly East Asian style. In the background is the sun, a dull red, with rays of orange coming out from it in stripes. end image description]

this specific screen... worries me. i’m aware that it’s almost certainly just the game’s art style, which is very shape based, with simple colors often used to provide contrast. but given the japanese influences, as well as the fact that Rulle and Chaandesh are at war, it made me think of this:

[image description: the Rising Sun flag. It has a red circle set slightly off center, with rays of red and white radiating out from it. end image description]

the Rising Sun flag has extensive war history, and it was the flag that was flown when japan participated in world war two. to this day, this flag is associated with japanese military violence and imperialism in china, korea, and other countries in asia. even now, it’s flown by the japanese navy. as much as japan may want to deny it, this flag has military ties.

which is why it’s alarming to me that an area with japanese influences that is at war has iconography that reminded me of this flag. i highly doubt this was intentional, but it truly speaks to the lack of care put into the worldbuilding in this act of the game. if they’d even put slightly more effort into refining the worldbuilding, maybe changed some aspects around, made the area feel less japanese, etc, i probably wouldn’t have noticed. they should have put more thought into building this area, and frankly, the choice to make the area east asia inspired adds literally nothing to the game. i’d rather they kept doing pure fantasy.

this is unfortunately not surprising to me, as i’ve seen so many other games do something similar, though i do have to admit that wandersong is the first game to stumble into something that so painfully represents military propaganda for some people. just the general lack of commitment to researching what you’re borrowing aspects from is very common in games that have some elements of fantasy. it’s exhausting. so much of what’s considered ‘exotic’ in media is really just watered down and blenderized aspects of non-white cultures, and people just don’t acknowledge it.

and, like. look. i still love wandersong. i think the message it conveys is really important. i know the devs really put their soul into making this game. but they could have spared some of that to make their story less racist. i’m tired of seeing white people do less than the bare minimum when engaging with non-white cultures, and even then sometimes, just stomp all over culture altogether. you can all do better.

[marquisguyun]

mdzs/cql ask meme: 1, 2, 6, 12, 25 :)))

1. which adaptations have you seen/watched? which one do you like best and why?

I’ve watched both the donghua and CQL (and read the book and some of the manhua). I’m not sure if I have a definitive answer to which visual adaptation is better? The donghua is gorgeous, especially all the demonic cultivation in the third season (plus it was my first mdzs adaptation, my first danmei of any kind actually). I do really enjoy CQL tho, and there are things I like and dislike about both adaptations. That answer is a total cop out but it’s also the truth 😂

2. top 5 favorite characters? what specifically do you like about each one?

Okay so I thought I had this, no problem, and then I counted again and realized I had six characters lmao... I’m not doing this in order bc that’s too many decisions to deal with

1. Wei Wuxian - What can I say, I love a tragic hero! I am intrigued by how smart he is (inventing demonic cultivation, lure flags, etc) but also how he makes mistakes and does some really fucked up stuff even tho he has good intentions. A great complex character!

2. Lan Wangji - I mean who doesn't like Hanguang-jun? He's a badass and a romantic, plus he's stubborn as shit. I really appreciate his relationships with the juniors. I also think his whole teenage angst about liking wwx is fantastic, and also him being super horny and dominant... I am a fan of novel dynamics for wangxian's sex life lol

3. Xue Yang & Xiao Xingchen - I am a slut for a good tragedy and for messed up characters! Plus I love identity porn. Yi City and XueXiao were basically tailored to my personal taste.

4. Lan Sizhui - He's just a good boy! And I like the added complexity of his identity.

5. Jiang Cheng - Honestly it took me a little while to latch onto him as hard, but he grew on me steadily. I originally mostly thought about him in relation to WWX, but damn he's been through a lot! Raising his nephew and running his sect on his own after he's lost everything? Really fucking sad and angry about it? That's good shit!

Also want to note that I like all of these characters in all adaptations, but their actors all did a fantastic job in cql and really added to my love for the characters, especially Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang and Wang Zuocheng as Jiang Cheng!

6. unpopular opinions?

1. I don’t hate Jiang Cheng or Lan Qiren? those can be pretty unpopular opinions

2. I’m a white American and my reading of danmei is definitely colored by my different experiences/worldview... I try to be aware of that as much as I can be and to read meta by Chinese disaspora (EDIT: I wrote this like a year ago and idk where I was going with this, but I think I was trying to say something about how I try to make sure my opinions aren't culturally insensitive? Bc some of the takes you see definitely are)

12. do you like any other of mxtx's works? is mdzs your first of hers or did you watch/read the others first?

It’s less obvious on tumblr bc there’s less content I come across compared to twt but your girl is a Scum Villain main lmao (EDIT: That was written a year ago when I started answering this ask. One of the advantages to twt's whole mess is that there's more scum villain content on tumblr now!!)

That said, I have read all three MXTX novels, watched all three donghuas, watched CQL, and read at least part of all three manhuas (rip sv manhua)

my order of watching/reading (with some overlap) was something like: watched mdzs donghua s1-2 >>> read mdzs novel >>> watched cql >>> started scumbag system >>> started heaven official’s blessing donghua >>> read scum villain >>> read what little there is of the sv manhua >>> waited several months?? and then read tgcf >>> dabbled with mdzs and tgcf manhuas >>> watched mdzs donghua s3

25. queer headcanons? 

- I definitely see Wei Wuxian as bi, altho I can understand reading him as a gay man who isn’t actually attracted at all to the women he flirts with - On the other hand, 90% of the time I see Lan Wangji as gay. The other 10% is me going “but what if Wei Ying was a girl tho”

I don’t think I have a lot of definitive non canon queer headcanons for mdzs honestly? There are definitely ones I enjoy and ones I don’t really see, but a lot of times I’m just happy to be taken along for the ride of other people’s headcanons for a fic or meta. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed:

- Asexual Jiang Cheng - Bisexual Jiang Fengmian (in love with Wei Changze) - Trans headcanons/AUs for various characters

[giants-club]

Why I don’t like SubscribeStar

If a platform promoted itself as supporting “free and intelligent conversation without fear of being bullied, de-platformed or prosecuted” and “free of political biases,” would you think, oh, that sounds like it’s for me? Or would you worry that sounds like a dog whistle, how free speech alternative sometimes means, you know, free speech, but in our current political moment too often means neo-Nazis welcome?

Well, those quotes are from SubscribeStar. Specifically, they’re from a late 2018 Financial Times article about PayPal cutting them off after it was “flooded with alt-right activists,” most notoriously Sargon of Akkad. While using PayPal as a moral arbiter is hardly without flaws, it is the sort of thing that makes one wonder.

Okay, you might say, SubscribeStar has a bit of “alt tech” vibe, but they’re more ultra-libertarian, right? Maybe. But let’s dig in a little. On June 2, 2022, these were the first few “Stars” on SubscribeStar’s “Explore Stars” page.

Naomi Wu, a/k/a “Sexy Cyborg,” a Chinese “internet personality” (in Wikipedia’s words). She’s here because she was kicked off Patreon after doxxing a reporter at Vice, after arguing that the profile of her the reporter wrote included details that put her at risk.

Dave Cullen, a “tech journalist.” Not the journalist who’s written about gun control activism and school shootings in Parkland: Birth of a Movement; this Dave Cullen is a pro-Brexit Irish ultra-nationalist who is against feminism, abortion, and gay marriage. He has a Gab account.

FreedomToons. A right-winger “creating educational and satirical cartoons about freedom and liberty.” Cool.

Daisy Cousens. “Together we can fight the culture wars, and with your support, I may come out unscathed. I also write for The Spectator…” Cool.

Military History Visualized. Seems to be what it says on the tin. While this stuff tends to be popular with the right wing, I can’t find anything that suggests the creator takes any political stances.

Dreamkeepers. Yes, this is the popular furry comic. The popular furry comic which (checks notes) bought ads on alt-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos’s show and created a fan art fursona for him. While they tried to distance themselves from that later, they were still, as a possibly too-kind former associate put it, “wrapped up in an ideological echo chamber” in 2021. The creator has a Gab account.

Tracy Beanz. “Independent journalist,” by which she means early QAnon proponent. She has a Gab account.

Mind and Magick. Digging deep into esoteric occult stuff, but probably not political.

Yaron Brook. “Brook travels extensively promoting Ayn Rand and her philosophy—Objectivism, Capitalism, Political & Economic Freedom.” Cool.

Should I Smoke This. A cigar review show.

So, numbers 2, 3, 4, and 7 are far-right activists, number 9 is a hardcore objectivist, number 6 is an alt-fur, and only numbers 5 and 10 are apolitical. Number 1, Ms. Wu, isn’t apolitical, but she’s hard to pin down. She has left-leaning techno-libertarian fans, to be sure, but also conservative fans drawn to her fights with ostensibly left-leaning organizations like Vice.

Is this ratio an outlier? Am I just cherry-picking by using the first ten? I don’t think so. A significant portion of their successful stars are far-right activists, conspiracy theorists, or full-bore white supremacists. So far, every single time I’ve found a reference to the politics of an ostensibly non-political creator, it’s conservative, from British historian David Starkey to science YouTuber Isaac Arthur. (Technically, I found Arthur’s wife’s politics—she’s an Ohio state representative who, in March of this year, argued that the history of the Holocaust should be taught from the perspective of the Nazis. Good times.) Even when I can’t find someone openly declaring their politics, there’s often a conservative vibe in the very concept, like “Family Friendly Gaming” and “The Urban Prepper.” I’m not saying “conservative vibe” is automatically bad—it’s just, again, a thing that makes you go hmmm when taken in context.

What I didn’t find is anyone who’s overtly leftist. I’m not saying there aren’t any, but I’m saying that not finding a single one in the first ten “explore” pages—200 creators—while finding dozens of overtly conservative, libertarian, or far-right creators probably means something.

I understand that there are people who were kicked off Patreon due to content violations, or people who are worried they would be and went to SubscribeStar preemptively. But, many—I suspect most—people kicked off Patreon get booted not because their drawings are just too darn fetishy, but because they’re engaging in hate speech or making threats. And a lot of those people are not only on SubscribeStar, they’re actively promoted by the platform, and in some cases, were actively recruited to it (per the Financial Times reporting mentioned above).

So, do I really recommend Patreon over SubscribeStar? Bluntly, unless you really know that what you do can’t be done on Patreon, yes. They’re supportive of adult content—and furry content. It is true that Patreon is more restrictive than SubscribeStar is, including over what they call “some fringe areas of adult content”. And, sure, Patreon is a for-profit site subject to the pressures of venture capital. Eventually, they’ll have to do ever more to court creators bringing in millions a year—a real risk for creators bringing in mere thousands. Maybe that’s enough to make some left-leaning creators, let alone ones creating largely apolitical work, turn a blind eye to the company they’re keeping on SubscribeStar. But I don’t think it would be for me.

I can’t help but think of the story that went around on Twitter about the punk bartender throwing out a polite Nazi dude because if you let them hang around, before you know it you’re running a Nazi bar. I’m not saying SubscribeStar is a Nazi bar. But I am saying it’s a bar that has a measurable number of Nazis in it. And the bartenders have put out the word that if you get kicked out of other bars for, you know, reasons, you’re always welcome at the good ol’ “SS.”

[balladwind]

↘ independent && private VENTI from GENSHIN IMPACT ↘ headcanon heavy ↘ multi - para, multi - ship, ship friendly ↘ mun is 21↑ runs on a GMT +8 timezone

GUIDELINES.

01. this is an independent, selective and private blog. i will only interact with mutuals and will be extremely selective with who i follow due to the chaotic nature of this fandom. i won't follow first since i made this blog to roleplay with friends only but if you catch me on a time where i am more free, i'll follow back.

Please softblock / hardblock if you do not wish to interact anymore. There’ll be no hard feelings, of course. You do what you have to do but please just soft / hardblock to make it clear. Thank you !

credit for icon border:venuscommissions  credit for theme base code: soldierholiic

THREADS

02. one-liners, multipara are all okay. i lean more towards the latter but i wouldn’t mind doing one-liners either for fun.

03. usually, i match length. but i can also write a lot. i write a hecking lot, especially when it comes to meme in askbox. i ramble a lot. but don’t feel stressed over matching lengths - just give me something to reply to.

04. if you wish to continue a thread from asks, feel free to create a new post and tag me in it.

05. i’m known as a bit of a muse bicycle so i can roleplay any side characters to spice things up on and complement the threads. 

06. i will drop threads if i don’t feel it anymore but i will try my best to let you know about it beforehand and maybe we can either discuss another plot or shake hands and walk away like mature adults if nothing else works. there’s no pressure to continue interacting with me if there isn’t chemistry between the mun either !

SHIPPING

07. multi-ship, and is generally alright with most ships. feel free to chat me up if you find that our muse has chemistry / has potential to develop good chemistry. naturally, i will not write romantic ships with muns or characters under the age of 18. i won't write xiaoven, cynonari or zhongchi. platonic is fine.

08. please note that i will require sufficient threads and ooc discussions to start a ship with anyone but that goes for everybody, yeah? 

NSFW

09. yes, i am over 20 but i most likely will not be writing sex stuff with just anyone off the bat. main reason being i am pretty bad with it and i wouldn’t want to accidentally give anyone’s character a derection or anything. i do like to write the foreplay though but anything that comes after is pretty hard to interest me unless it’s with a shipping partner. also, i make a lot of sex innuendos joke because unfortunately that’s my main comedy go to but it doesn’t mean that i want to write smut.

NO-NOs

10. please don’t come to my dms with passive aggressiveness and uppity in regards to how i write my character. i don’t care that much about sticking to canon to a tee. i love to bend the lore, twist the rules around and entertain to the best of my creative abilities. i only focus on making myself a very happy writer and hopefully someone a very happy writing partner.

11.  mun =/= muse, this goes without saying. but if my muses becomes a bit too much, just let me know nicely and i’ll try and dial them down. your comfort is important but don’t be a jerk about it.

12. i will block anyone who engage in senseless drama or discourse. i will also not follow anyone whose headcanons or takes i am uncomfortable with that sprung up due to sinophobia, have incited sinophobia or any misinterpreted romanticization of my culture at that sort in this fandom. we sure live in a wild time, huh.

13. i portray the chinese version of the game when it comes to characterization of the characters and lore.

14. no god-modding, obviously. and try not to have your muse know things that my muse wouldn’t tell anyone. 

15. I have massive social anxiety, coupled with a lot of other shit with my mental health so I will be selective with who I will continue to thread with. If something bothers me, I’ll let you know nicely and gently. If we still don’t click, I’ll have to drop threads or plotting ( though I will still be open with working things out ) but again, I’ll let you know nicely and gently. Please be open to that possibility!

i have discord and i’m all willing to share with mutuals. just hit me up!

[twst-discourse-bot]

I’m slowly descending, but this dorm school has so much potential that can be fix…not to mention…I seriously- I can’t. Cause speaking our language isn’t that hard!!! Just the pronunciation and stuff..for example..Chinese..Nihou is basically Ni-how. Simple. Just make sure to watch out on how to say each syllables correctly. Or in Vietnamese, Ba which means dad..is Ba ba black sheep. It’s not hard!!! Just use English words. There’s Chinese English to make it easier, just the little symbols that can help to pronounce it!!!! Unless it’s other Asian languages that I’m not familiar with…but I’m pretty sure you can say it. There’s an English version with the accents to help pronounce..like á which is a high A or saying aaAA. Cause this-> á on top of that a helps to show how to say it. Ba is ba but when added the accent on a to Bá is BaA. Bah! That’s it!!! WDYM?!? Also, I’m using what I know from my life. Disclaimer if any Asian ways of saying their language is different from mine.

Hello again! Thanks for your message.

This is precisely why I get so irritated when anons come to me saying I should be lenient towards Ray/Jordan for everything they've done, just because they're getting hate in their internet inbox. They are ignoring the decades of exhaustion Asian people feel towards their languages and cultures being disrespected and mangled to make them more palatable to Westerners.

And it's the fact that she's STILL GOING! She was called out so many times, and she continues to do the same kind of stuff. Zero apologies, zero acknowledgement, zero wish to be better. She's content being racist because she thinks that because black people also experience oppression that makes her untouchable.

Why do I say that? Well, after all the asks with people upset about her sad attempt at a TWST fan school, she reblogs this:

It's SO blatant that she's trying to use her race as a shield and people still doubt me.

But as much as I admire you being willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, don't bother. For your own sake. She's not interested in actual critique besides "put more detail into your OCs and story", which to her clearly translates into "you're on the right track! do this but MORE of it". She needs to STOP, because there is no doing better for her.

I'd much rather people give their attention to literally anyone else's attempt at making an all-girl's school. At least there's a chance that those users aren't racist.

[survey--s]

528.

Ever had a promise ring? No.

Who knows your biggest secret(s)? Probably the people who read these surveys lol.

Do you ever get messages/asks on Tumblr? I don’t think I ever have but I used to get quite a few comments etc. back in the days where we all posted on Xanga.

When was the last time you waxed anything on your body, if ever? Never.

Do you like shrimp? Yeah, they’re one of my favourite types of seafood.

Are you lactose intolerant? I actually am but I can tolerate a little bit before it impacts me.

Have you ever thought a man over 40 was attractive? Sure, I mean, I’m 34 so 40 is hardly ancient lol.

Have you ever been told your aspirations are unrealistic? I don’t think so.

Who was the last person you sat beside at a restaurant? Susie.

Who is popular in your country? (Singers, actors etc.) I don’t really pay attention to that kind of thing.

What did you watch today? I’ve been watching Come Dine With Me since I got in from work.

Peaches or plums? Plums. I’m not a fan of the fuzzy skin on peaches but they do taste good.

Do you understand art? I have to be honest, I just don’t really care much about art.

Do/did your parents buy you a lot for Christmas? They did when I was younger, yeah. As I got older I didn’t necessarily get lots of stuff, but I did generally get good quality stuff that I asked for. Nowadays I just get money or experiences.

Out of all the cultures in the world, what culture do you find the most interesting? Japanese, as it’s just SO different to ours.

Do you like ramen noodles? I LOVE ramen as long as it’s not too spicy.

Who/what was that last thing that you slept with? The dog lol. He comes back to bed every morning for a cuddle when Mike goes to work.

Do your parents do things that "embarrass" you? Not so much now as an adult, but my dad just doesn’t care what anyone thinks and has zero filter lol. My mum was fine though.

What IM service do you use the most? Messenger or WhatsApp.

Who was the last person to IM you? My mum - she was just confirming our plans for Friday.

When you eat take-out, do you just eat it out of the containers provided? Generally, yes, but one specific case where I never do is when getting fried rice from Chinese places; I pour it into a bowl.

Would you need to sleep with someone before considering marrying them? Yes.

Do you carry condoms? No.

How organized are the files on your computer? I barely have anything to organise on here lol. I just download the photos for my posts on here.

Did you have a childhood hero? Were they real or fictional? No.

Would you consider dating a psychiatrist or psychologist? Sure, if I found them attractive and they were a good person.

For each person you’ve kissed, describe your feelings in one word: I’d be here forever LOL.

How do you react when you trip or stumble? This is a daily occurrence for me ha. I just deal with it?

Are you good at the game Twister? Nope. I’m not even remotely flexible.

Do your friends trust you around their bfs/gfs? Why would they need to trust me? Surely if their partners are decent people, it doesn’t matter what other people do?

Would you rather make the first move, or your crush? Either is fine.

If you have a camera, when do you use flash? Whenever I need to.

What would you do if you found a gun in your best friend’s bedroom? I’d be really freaked out as guns are very much illegal here.

What do you call your grandparents? My grandparents have all passed away.

What would be a cool earring design? I like ones that kind of go behind the earlobe and then the design hangs underneath, if that makes sense?

Besides nightmares, what is the scariest thing about sleeping? Being totally unaware of what’s going on around you.

Do you look better with red lipstick or black lipstick? Red.

Ever had a terrible breakup? Of course.

Favorite bands/artists? The Beatles, Jack’s Mannequin, Plain White T’s, Dolly Parton, The Chicks, Ed Sheeran.

Favorite quote? “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

Wearing any bracelets? No, I hate bracelets lol.

Does your phone take pictures? Of course lol.

Who is your favorite neighbor? They’re all nice enough. The one I speak to most is called Chris and I look after her cat when she goes away lol.

Have you ever gotten a detention? No.

Does your door have a deadbolt on it? No.

Have you had any soda today? Yeah, a Canada Dry and a Pepsi Max.

What is your favorite scary movie? None of them really. I just don’t enjoy that kind of thing.

What’s the most historic thing that has happened in your lifetime? Covid, 9/11, the Iraq war, Obama being president, the war in Ukraine.

What happens in your country regularly that people in most countries would find strange or bizarre? I don’t know if there is anything, really? I can’t think of much that happens in the UK that’s particularly unusual lol.

What’s your funniest story involving a car? Nothing is coming to mind right now.

If you built a themed hotel, what would the theme be and what would the rooms look like? I have no idea, maybe seaside themed.

Do you think that humans will ever be able to live together in harmony? No.

What’s the most amazing true story you’ve heard? Nothing in particular is coming to mind at the moment.

What’s the grossest food that you just can’t get enough of? Haha, I have no idea.

What brand are you most loyal to? None really. I change my preferences all the time.

Where are you not welcome anymore? I don’t think there is anywhere.

What’s a common experience for many people that you’ve never experienced? Giving birth. Having children.

What fashion trend makes you cringe or laugh every time you see it? Crocs. They're just hideous to me. <---- same. I don’t care how comfortable they’re supposed to be, they’re just awful lol.

What are the initials of the last person you made out with? MF.

If you found out you were pregnant, who would be the first person to know? My husband, but that’s not gonna happen lol.

How old were you when you had your first kiss? Eleven.

Is it awkward when you run into your ex? It would be, but they all live at the opposite end of the country so, luckily, it’s not going to happen ha.

Were you intoxicated the last time you threw up? No. I had a horrendous bug.

Who is your most recent ex? His name is Chris.

Has the person you last kissed taken their shirt off in front of you? Yeah sure, we live together.

Have you ever broken anything because you were mad? Yeah.

Do you “blow kisses” often? At the animals yeah, lol.

Do you need to “break up” with a friend? Nope.

[uneconomy]

2022: I as a Chinese (mix) American and I couldn’t even think of an East Asian American thinker

I guess the word is thought leader but I couldn’t think of anyone who like thought about Asian Americans that transcended all platforms even as Chinese tech entrepreneurs all up in tech companies. Like how does that even happen.  

Are they all busy being doctors or starting these so called tech companies but like to be honest like and Asians should write down on whatever list they think they are on and reflect, could someone do it better. Yeah sure white supremacy is really bad but like and I don’t know why nobody ever talks about this but yeah even though I think of myself as American I like do I think about China and what’s at stake with them. Like they are, no matter how I feel about China, they want to grow their economic pie.  Honestly, I’ve never thought about it and unfortunately because of recent events that happened I don’t really feel like I have much connection to China. The weird thing is I do have a Chinese last name and it’s like I did grow up thinking I’m Chinese however it’s like not even remotely Chinese cultured, I like know some of the food. 

I do have two sisters and they don’t even seem like they care about Asian American situations. My older sister definitely fetishes herself she definitely feels proud when she says Jamaican to Chinese Jamaican. I can’t even tell if my sisters would participate in Asian American activities and we grew up in Flushing, Queens so we know where to find Chinese people so why didn’t we like ever hang out with Chinese people. Both my sisters have non-Asian partners. I feel like I can’t even bring up what do they think about being Chinese American. There are so much like cardboard cutouts.  I really don’t even know if they miss being part of a community, I really don’t even think they think about about. 

I do have to say like yes I know how weird it is to say community as a Chinese person because it sounds so Communist.  Communist in a way of like Chinese people really don’t have a culture or thoughtfulness when it comes to Americans and Americanness.  Saying I like so and so movies, song, and whatever entertainment isn’t really anything. Chinese people really don’t have a culture and the big production to buy stuff is not going to save them but the bigger pathway is as like for thousands of years yeah terrible things have happened and like do you as Haniq show out for each other. Like YouTube any East Asian and how they interact.  Like what is that. East Asians really bit their own hand.  I really don’t know what to say to East Asians who put themselves in a box with all those resources.  So weird. 

And I never know how to say this because doing a thing has to do so much with business but like having a high profile person you have to deal with so many things on top of being unique and profound but so many people do succeed.  Unfortunately again and again East Asians have failed and like it’s weird because I don’t even think they even deal with why it’s so they just say white supremacy which is a bit like deflecting. Ancient peoples and that’s the best they could come up with. 

Like do people really like K-pop.  At of all the things happening now is that what we want from East Asians.  

[automatismoateo]

We're a fucking cult via /r/atheism

We're a fucking cult

I am writing this at church during our sermon about Cancel Culture. I am 100% serious. Religious. Cancel Culture.

So, I'm not religious but my family do not know that. I'm 17 so while I'm at home, I still have to go to church.

I have been going to this church my whole life. I never thought my church was extreme until a while ago.

I remeber a couple of years ago in my Year 9 (I'm British) RE lesson we were making posters for some reason, and I was telling my friends about what my church is like, back when I still believed in religion.

My friends, who are also Christians, were baffled. My teacher overheard this, and started asking me questions like "Do you do chanting? " and "Do all the women wear really long robes?" I said no to both. Then I realised that my teacher thought I was in a cult.

I probably am too be honest. We are a small denomination (The Church of Christ) I never hear anyone talk about us. My church is very small, 30 people max.

So since that RE lesson I've always thought my church was weird. And I've been finding out more weird things recently.

Such as the church leader, a Chinese man, being a Trump Supporter.... Not sure how that works but OK.

So now I'm sitting through a sermon about how Christians are being persecuted by Cancel culture, and how the only person who can truly cancel you is Jesus. None of you are going to belive that this sermon actually happened, and I can't blame you. I'm half convinced that I'm going delusional right now.

The Church was never like this (as far as I can tell) until we started getting more American influence. We hold a yearly lectureship, where a bunch of speakers from America come over and tell us random shit (idk I don't pay attention, I have to go, I have no choice, though I may be sick for the next one).

Our next one is in like 3 months. Last year there was this new lady from texas/tennassee (can't remember which) who came. I didn't remember her from any former years, but she was one of the speakers wives.

The only kids there was me, my sister and my cousin. She came over to talk to us, and she asked if we were baptised. We said no, and she basically said "Well get baptised or else you will burn in hell with the gays".

I was baffled, because I had never heard anyone in my congregation talk like this before, I I just assumed she was a crazy American, and that my church wouldn't start thinking like this.

Naive little me. That's how we ended up with sermons about why Gays are bad, cancel culture and how Apage love means you get to be mean to be people about the stuff they do "wrong" because you are trying to help them. Oh yeah, and how bible slavery was different and not that bad.

At least by this time next year I'll be a couple months from university then I'm out. You won't catch me in this Cesspool again after that.

Submitted July 24, 2022 at 12:14PM by GoodVibing_ (From Reddit https://ift.tt/EH4wouG)

[absolutebl]

Hi !

I'm not really sure how to phrase this question, but you've talked a little bit abt kink and the difference between terms like seme/uke vs bottom/top and dom/sub and I just wanted to ask you what bls and what couples you feel seem to have more of a "dom/sub" or seem to be hinting at kink

Idk if I'm clear lol 😅

You are clear and it's a great question.

I’ll be referencing this post:

Defining Seme/Uke 

Reminder:

I like to consider seme/uke the following:

seme: the active pursuer of the relationship in the narrative

uke: the passive resistor to the relationship in the narrative

This means I think of them as archetypes (useful only when talking about fiction, not useful when talking about real life). It’s about who is in CONTROL of the relationship’s story arc. (Exceptions: Ukes Forced to Undertake Seme Roles)

top/bottom/verse: terms which come from the gay/queer community and pertain to sexual preference and (should) have nothing to do with narrative power dynamics or personality. To be crass top/bottom is about who gets penetrated. It’s referencing sexual position and physical acts, not characterization or narrative. The bottom is NOT the weak one or the girl. Fuck off. 

Dom/sub/switch: terms which come from the kink community and pertain to the power dynamics of a relationship, dominant vs submissive, (which may include physical sexual acts but do not have to).

I think BL, when it does acknowledge kink outright, is either doing so accidentally (because of the cross over feel of the dynamics) or it is doing it intentionally but poorly (glares at Mame). So take all of these with a LARGE grain of salt. Or a big pat of butter... if that's your preference.

BLs That Overtly Reverence D/s (or BDSM & Kink) 

(on purpose or not, as opposed to just seme/uke)

I'm leaving aside the dark ones, almost all of them have a kink component or push seme/uke into a D/s area in a bad way (I’m glaring at you Double Mints). 

Almost all Chinese BL that was high heat pre-censorship was also kinky. The two went together (if gay = taboo in the producing culture than more additional taboo tropes are likely to be included such as age gap, stepbrother, kidnapping, whipping boy, etc...). 

There is a long tradition of “punishment” particularly the seme threatening the uke with sexual acts as punishment (sigh) if uke misbehaves, acts out, or teases the seme too much. I have a post about that here, so I’m not gonna talk about it again. 

But yeah, that’s a very kinky notion, I guess. 

Examples of D/s in BL

LeoFiat in Don't Say No (Thailand - GaGa)  

Leo and Fiat have to be number one on the list, of course. Fiat is clearly a lifestyle submissive and during his first appearance in TharnType 2 he is spiralling because he lacks the firm hand of a Dom, and the one he has leaned on for so long is away and also will not take their relationship to the next level. I talk about this in terms of caregiver codependency and the salvation trope. 

In Don’t Say No they become the lead couple and the series openly talks about kink, sub needs, BDSM, and toys. In this regards it is groundbreaking. It doesn’t handle it very well, but it is there. 

Why not well? The character chemistry is is off, and while Fiat definitely reads as a submissive (not a uke) Leo does not read as a Dom. In fact, he barely registers as a seme. It’s an odd miss match that I was never able to get over, possibly because I was caught in this spiral of trying to figure out which archetypes the story and the actors were attempting to play. 

That said, I think we can consider DSN as opening the floodgates of kink in Thai BL. Prior to this show there were certainly Thai BLs that visually references D/s but this one was the first to openly talk about it. 

After it aired, others felt safe talking about bondage at the very least. And now we are seeing it pop up more and more in Thai BL, particularly the “edgier” stuff. 

TinCan in Love By Chance: A Chance at Love (Thailand - Viki)

Tin and Can develop a linguistic D/s dynamic that is basically Tin being a stern Daddy type over Can’s rude linguistic register and bad language. Then they even have a conversations about Tin being Can’s sugar daddy. It’s kind of a joke, but linguistically, kind of not. 

Much of Mame’s stuff has some D/s in it, but it is rarely well done. 

CirPhu in TharnType 2 (Thailand - Viki) = BEST BOYS

This couple is one of Mame’s better examples of healthy D/s, possibly because they have very little screen for her to mess with. But from what we see it is a CLEAR Daddy/boy dynamic. It almost goes so far as actual age play (in which case that would be Daddy/little). 

But from a lifestyle D/s perspective Cir is a VERY good Daddy and Phu is a very very good boy. They aren’t my favorite BL couple, but they are my favorite D/s couple in a BL. 

Hira & Kiyoi in My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare (Japan - GaGa) 

Effortlessly sexy and rough in the best way (where Don’t Say No is neither) this BL is unashamedly kinky. But then kink on screen is something Japan does well and tends to sneak into all their romances, in some form or another. (See the Pornographer series for some super kinky gas lighting action. Even Takumi-kun gets a little kinky, and all the dark BL is insanely kinky. And have you seen their het stuff? Yeah. Kinky is part of Japan’s romance brand.) 

Anyway, back to Utsukushii Kare. I talk about this being a whipping boy trope, and by it’s nature that’s a kinky dynamic based on a high control and/or bully/humiliation kink (this is both). The glorious loving harshness of Utsukushii Kare is all about the kinks matching up. Kiyoi wants to be the spoiled prince ordering Hira around and insulting him, Hira wants to worship and spoil him and also be used and insulted by him (but also kill anyone who doesn’t treat Kiyoi with respect). It’s unusual to find a Dom with a humiliation kink and even more rare to see that in the seme character (which is why so many watchers thought Hira was the uke or sub), but if you’re familiar with the Worshiper/spoiled prince narrative trope you’ll recognize Hira & Kiyoi as a twist on an indulgent Daddy/brat pairing in the kink scene. 

In fact, I would call their dynamic a LOT more D/s than it is seme/uke. 

Utsukushii Kare is kinda a kink masterpiece. The kind of pieces you go to your master for... little bitty bloody pieces. 

Akk & Theo in Enchante (Thailand - YouTube) 

Ep 5 - A recent drop so I have all the screen caps for it because I was thinking of sticking it into this post as I watched it:

I don’t know how intentional this one is about playing with the D/s dynamic but... having the seme tie up the uke, even as the uke asks for it, and then kneel in front of him and feed him while telling him his only purpose is to care for him? Yeah. As we say in my neck of the woods, HELLA KINKY. 

Bit switchy too, but then I get that with their dynamic. Theo is clearly kinda a spoiled prince, and they get demanding, even when tied up. However Akk doesn’t entirely read as a Dom. If he is one, he’s kinda a bratty caring Dom (rare personality type in the kink scene). 

So my feel with this show is this they are referencing D/s for fun, but it ties neither to the seme/uke nor to the actual nature of the characters dynamic (sexual or otherwise). In fact, I would go so far as to say this show will always give these too a very weak seme/uke feel. It seems GMMTV is leaning that way these days. 

SeanWhite and DanYok in Not Me (Thailand - YouTube) 

No so obliquely references bondage a few times. Plus there is the whole power dynamic and hand cuff thing between Yok and Dan. 

Bondage is kinda the entry level drug to the world of BDSM, we shouldn't be surpassed to see it mentioned and referenced as the most comfortable of the kinks for the general public to consume. 

There is a part of me that thinks GMMTV is pushing exploration in this area right now because they want to get away from sme/uke without actually abandoning the dynamic entirely and D/s is one way to do that. 

But it’s not coming across very well or clearly. It’s muddled. Possibly intentionally. I think the show is merely using these elements to emphasize it’s own gritty toughness, and that of the characters in general, not their sexual relationship or power play dynamics with each other. 

Fighter & Tutor in Why R U? (Thailand - Viki) 

Fighter and Tutor have a lot of dominance games and play back and forth. They are also explicitly verse. Which I like very much. But frankly, in the end, they just soft boyfriends who are really sexually into each other. 

They aren’t as kinky as they wanna be. If they were, though, these two would be prime example of switches. 

Ace & Sky in My Day (The Philippines) 

I wouldn’t call this couple even slightly D/s, in fact there’s no seme/uke either (that’s not unusual in Pinoy BL). 

But they do get kinky, there’s belt involved. It’s awesome. 

Kang Gook & Han Taejoo in Where Your Eyes Linger (Korea - Viki) 

Frankly anything with whipping boy meet spoiled prince is gonna get a little kinky, especially when that whipping boy is the seme attack dog variant. 

There’s a lot of D/s play with these two, the wrestling in the gym etc... I mention it because it’s one of the few modern KBLs that even edges into going there. 

Tang Yi & Shao Fei in HIStory 3: Trapped (Taiwan - Viki) 

The leads in this series get kinky quite a few times. In fact, that’s part of their dynamic, to the point were Tang Yi being too tame and soft causes Sao Fei to run away. But honestly, in the end, it’s just boyfriends fucking around. 

A lot of the Taiwanese stuff plays with kinky aspects in a not seme/uke way, rough sex and struggles for physical dominance in a sexual encounter are particularly popular. 

Cutie Pie - main & side couple

I tend to think of both couples in this show as having a pretty much lifestyle D/s dynamic. Since it references yaoi manga a lot, it’s not too hard. It helps me cope. 

Others to note

(Above from BounPrem’s Between Us snapshot teaser specials.) 

There are a few BLs where there is a kind of a nod to cross-dressing fetishes: My Bromance the movie (don’t watch it), Love Stage, My Lascivious Boss, and I Am Your King spring to mind. And Udagawachou de Matteteyo of course, which is entirely overt about it. 

But fetishization of an identity is dodgy territory and I’m not sure any of these handled that aspect particularly well (except maybe My Bromance). 

Bonus: Thee & Jet in Thai BL Love Stage!! These two have a mature and complex secret relationship so this bit just came into their one make-out scene, but it is a little kinky. 

2022 So Much More

KinnPorsche 

Specifically VegasPete of course. Probubly the best reps of true BDSM from Thailand. But very dark. Still a favorite couple of mine (despite the freaky fandom). 

Unforgotten Night

Billed as kinky, not very. I was rather harsh on it and retitled it Forgotten Plumbing. 

Check Out the series

High heat, got a bit kinky at times. Also not at all good, but can’t fault the chemistry. 

Love in The Air

Lots of Dom/sub play (including linguistics), ordering around, behavior correction (verbal discipline), and a spanking. 

Second couple is more abusive stalker than D/s, hot, but SUPER questionable. I did a trash watch on this one and I was ALL OVER the darn place with it. 

Big Dragon 

Way more D/s than one would expect and pretty good rep, actually. It’s an odd if VERY sexy little show with a strange non-ending. Weirdly, of all the BLs on this list, this one is my favorite from a kinkster perspective, it’s just that the romance and the emotional back and forth is maddening. The kinky bits are awesome, tho. 

Choco Milk Shake

Since the two leads are reincarnated pets who remember their original identities, you could argue there is puppy play in this one, at least. It’s not really sexualized so it’s more lifestyle, but that counts in my book. 

(source)

[writingwithcolor]

Blending Mythos Respectfully

@sapphicq submitted:

Hi all! I’m trying to write an urban fantasy that explores oppression in a world that is basically the same as ours, except with magic, while incorporating magical systems and mythologies of multiple cultures. I’ve done an okay amount of research on each one that I’d like to include (still need to do more for sure, especially considering how colonization has effected mythologies). However, I’m struggling a bit on how they should coexist, since in the world I’m writing about they’re present and tangible. One example of this is fox spirits in East Asian mythology. Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese mythologies each have a nine-tailed fox, and though my research says that the myth originates from Chinese mythology, it also says that each of the fox spirits carry different connotations of malevolence, benevolence, and how widespread they are, depending on which culture’s mythology is being referred to. 

The same sort of thing has been popping up quite a lot in a lot of my research. I started to wonder if I could explain these similarities within world as “different cultures have come up with different names and customs surrounding the ‘same’ thing,” considering mythology in the real world from an anthropological perspective. However I don’t want to overgeneralize, especially considering that these different mythological figures are meant to be present and tangible. If I went that route, I wouldn’t want to say something like ‘actually, benevolent fox spirits do exist, and Korean mythology about fox spirits is wrong since Kumiho are pretty strictly malevolent,’ which would obviously be an implication. All this to say: do you have any tips for multiple mythos coexisting in a way that respects the various cultures they come from?

Avoid Round Pegs in Square Holes

A mistake you sometimes see Western authors make when dealing with mythology in urban fantasy settings is to confine the universe’s worldbuilding to a particular mythology or force the rules of a single culture’s folklore onto other cultures. For instance, here at WWC, we get a lot of questions asking how to represent supernatural creatures from multiple cultures respectfully alongside fae from Western Europe, and it's fairly obvious that the author plans to treat all supernatural creatures as fae. Urban fantasy based on Greek mythology or Christian mythology often falls into the same trap. 

I think a writer can demonstrate greater creativity by embracing these differences. I think a potential way to deal with contradicting mythos between cultures is to come up with compelling reasons why differences exist. What world-building systems, philosophies and real-life phenomena allow for a framework that explains the simultaneous existence of commonalities and differences? As you know, in anthropology, there are theories that emphasize cultural diffusion as a way to explain similar customs within the same region, but there are also theories that hold that multiple cultures can develop the same traditions and principles independent of each other (See: existence of 0, lost-wax bronze casting, astronomical calendars and the use of wheels). The answers I’ve given are mostly technological. However myths and belief systems serve very real social functions as ways to keep people together and cultivate norms and mores. Lesya expands on the utility of intentional cultural diffusion below.

Similarly, within evolution, there are instances of species having common features because of a shared ancestor, but also instances where species without shared ancestors evolve to have similar features because they exist in the same environment. I believe flippers are examples of both types of evolution in marine animals.  Thus, I think you need to question your assumption that “different cultures have come up with different names and customs surrounding the ‘same’ thing.” As the world is daily proof, they sometimes do, but they also sometimes don’t. 

-Marika

First, props to you for sending us this ask. You have been thinking about this a lot and have done research into building an urban fantasy that doesn’t do the thing of putting all Asians under one umbrella. 

Second, I’m going to agree with Marika here. Rather than go for the generalization route, revel in everyone's differences. It's a way for you to acknowledge the variations in the mythology, that not all have the same origins though there may be some similarities. Instead, they may have reached the same conclusions. My advice for blending mythologies is to lean into it, and not create a homogeneous umbrella. You can make something amazing with that. 

-Jaya

Hybridity Through Diffusion

So a myth originated in China. This does not mean Chinese tellings have the monopoly on what a telling is. Marika and Jaya have gone into a possible solution, here, but what I’m going to examine here is a mental framework that a lot of people get stuck in that is actually ahistorical.

Cultural appropriation as we know it is shockingly recent when it comes to history. In the modern day, ownership boundaries of myths have become very strict because of primarily European colonialism picking and choosing everything it likes about a mythos, and, this is important: not letting up on the oppression of those peoples. There’s also a strong preference to kill those colonialism deems “wrong”, instead of creating a hybrid culture.

Historically, this got a lot more fluid.

What happened historically was primarily cultural diffusion, wherein open trade, intermarriage, and shared borders made it that myths, customs, and cultural practices were (mostly) freely exchanged without massive power imbalances happening, and then modified to fit local beliefs.

Key word: mostly. Because yes sometimes it happened that one place took over another place and imported all of its customs (see: China, Rome, the Mughals), but… often* the ruling power either backed off, was fought of, or otherwise left the region, leaving the common people to do whatever they wanted with the carcass of what had been imposed on them. Or sometimes, even, the imperial forces would actively create a hybridized culture in order to better rule others.

* in places where the ruling power has NOT backed off on oppression and assimilation, even if the colonialism is very old, then this is invalid and the power dynamics of appropriation are still at play.

Because, historically, there was a lot less incentive to simply genocide the peoples you took over (which is what made armies that did destroy all they took over so noteworthy). People were needed to keep providing food and materials, even if the new person got the resulting taxes. 

This meant there were a lot more common people to play with the stuff imported by the imperial culture. And there was a lot more incentive to hybridize your customs to the common people’s customs, leading to the sometimes-hilarious situations like “Rome assigns an equivalence in their pantheon for literally every mythology they encountered, which was a lot.” 

This also explains early Christianization, because it was a lot safer to simply adapt what you already had to make it better for your own ends than curbstomp everything that was “wrong” to your worldview. Ireland’s mythology survives in huge swaths, because it was either Christianized wholesale, or it was about “historical humans” and not fae. Norse mythology was similarly adapted for Christian worldviews, which means we unfortunately have no idea what the pre-Christian myths were.

So instead of thinking in terms of ownership, think instead in terms of diffusion. 

Myths get imported along with food, cloth, or anything else necessary for life. Myths were, historically, a way for people to explain the world around them, both in place of and alongside science. “Ghost marches” are really common, globally, because if you have wind howling in the forest, it’s going to sound like predators, and predators mean go inside and lock the door. Weaving goddesses are also common, because weaving was so necessary to survive the elements.

Sometimes trade relationships soured, and you get bad associations with the imported stuff. Sometimes the relationship stayed great for long enough it got completely adapted. This doesn’t mean any one myth is “right”, nor does it mean you have to erase historical trade links. It just means you look at the historical context, understand that cultural exchange often used to be a lot more two-way than it is in modern appropriation times, and figure out what that means for your worldbuilding.

~ Mod Lesya

[hurricaneonanesthesia]

Hi I was wondering if you could do a Neon x female reader where they both like each other but they haven't admitted to one another yet so their friendship consists of stuff like teasing, tickling each other and making each other laugh. Also how at ease would Neon feel around the reader and how excited she would be to teach the reader some Filipino phrases and carrying the reader to try a lot of Filipino foods while still having that crush.

Thank you 🫂.

If you can't it's ok. Have a good day/night luv😋✨.

Aaaaaa I’m such a sucker for mutual pining omgggggg

I’m not Filipino unfortunately, but I’ll try my best! Please correct me if I’ve made any mistakes, I’ll edit the fic because unfortunately in this case, Google Translate is my best friend in literally every language except Chinese and English LMFAO. Hope you enjoy!

~Admin Hurricane

Warnings: possible inaccuracies for Filipino culture(please lmk if there’s anything I need to fix)

Word Count: 350+

Genre: fluff, friends to more

Pairing(s): Neon x F!Reader

It’s almost painful to watch you interact with Neon, usually she’s very impatient and headstrong, rushing into things quickly without thinking about the possible consequences, but when it comes to you she’s very uh, slowww

She’s fairly blushy around you and finds it hard to formulate her words sometimes because she’s trying so damn hard to try and impress you when in reality she’s probably going to end up doing something stupid

“Y/N! Wanna see how fast I can really run?”

“Please no-”

more utc!

When she teases you, she’s hoping to get a reaction out of you, maybe like a laugh or like a smile, at least some acknowledgement that you can hear her trying because she’s so lovesick for you that she’ll do anything to try and get your attention, even if it’s just throwing a complement your way or asking you if you wanna train in the range together. Stuff like that :)

She tried teaching you some Filipino phrases and Tagalog, finding it adorable how your face scrunches up as you try not to butcher your words

“Wait did I say that right? I didn’t say it wrong?” you’re eager to try and impress her by picking up the Filipino phrases she gives you quickly.

She hopes to take you to the Philippines one day and to show you around and basically introduce you to Filipino culture and such

Neon tells you a lot about Filipino folklore, especially about monsters such as the Aswang, a creature that sucks out the innards from corpses or the Diwata, benevolent forest spirits that only turn vengeful to those that cross them, and even the Sigbin, a critter that looks similar to a small kangaroo with flapping ears and the ability to walk backwards

She’ll flirt with you in Tagalog but then immediately backtrack and panic once she gets her words out because she wants to do her best for you without embarrassing herself because literally midway through her sentences, she realizes what she’s saying after going in headfirst

Sage is totally like, on board with this whole thing because she finds it adorable and actually sets the two of you up lol, very doting of the two of you

Reminder that my requests are open! Be sure to send something my way if you’re interested! Requesting Rules are here!

Want more of my writing? Be sure to check out my masterlist. Wanna know what else I’ll write for? Here you go!

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

[volkswagonblues]

a lil guide to the Fire Nation for the ATLA fic writers out there

(aka. a no means exhaustive primer on east asia by an asian person)

This is a guide for fic writers want to write a canon-era story set in the Fire Nation, or featuring Fire Nation characters. A quick little primer on the tiny details of everyday life that you might not think about, but certainly stuff that would make me, an asian person, wince if I were to encounter it. BRUSHES, not quills. CHOPSTICKS, not forks. 

(note #1: this was partly inspired by a chat with @elilim​) 

(note: #2:  I originally intended it for zukka fic writers before realizing that other writers might find it useful. so apologies for a slight Zuko-bias for that reason)

(note #3: this is all stuff i was thinking about when writing firebender’s guide, in case anyone was wondering)

1. CLOTHING

Okay, I think the most straightforward way to describe what everyone’s wearing most of the time is “tunic”. They’re all just...tunics of different colours and varieties. Later when Zuko’s the Fire Lord he wears robes. The show provides a better visual guide than I could, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

a) Japanese people wear their collars LEFT crossed over RIGHT

I don’t think this would come up in writing as much as it would in art, but it’s considered bad luck to do it the wrong way because that’s only for dead people. Let my boy Zuko demonstrate:

b) There are no buttons

This is picky, but Wikipedia says “Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.[6] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.” I kinda believe it. If you look closely, characters’ clothes are always tied together or wrapped in some way with a belt. If there are fasteners, they’re braided frog closures that go into a little loop, like the qipao-style dresses women wear in Ba Sing Se, or Zuko’s casual prince’s clothes in the topmost image. Anyways, I don’t think Zuko or Azula or the Gaang would technically button or unbutton anything when they’re changing clothes. Clothing is designed to be tied, not buttoned.

[so much more under cut]

c) This isn’t a real rule, but there’s something called koromogae, or the seasonal changing of clothing in Japan.

This is something I learned when I was writing firebender’s guide, and I just liked the fun detail about there being a strict calendar for when to wear something. I liked the idea of someone like Zuko, who actually spent most of his formative years outside of the Fire Nation, coming home and just suffering mutely through the summer heat because upper class etiquette says no changing into cooler clothes until August 15. 

From My Asakusa: 

And this website:

Generally, people change from thick, heavy, dark-coloured clothes for winter to thin, lighter, bright-coloured clothes for spring and summer. In traditional Japanese culture, particularly in formal settings such as tea ceremony, it is important to acknowledge the changes of seasons—in such circumstances, not only the patterns and colours of the kimono that are worn but also the utensils and furniture that are used are required to change. By changing their clothing, people notice and appreciate the change of seasons. [Japan Foundation]

Here are some visual guides from the official creators for clothes: (notice how it’s pretty much always left over right)

2.FOOD AND EATING

a) Traditional cuisine

It seems like the most common foods in canon are Fire Flakes and meat, to the point where poor Aang had to eat lettuce out of the garbage at some point.

HOWEVER, the Fire Nation seems to basically a big subtropical archipelago, so I would guess that seafood and rice are common. If you want to write about characters eating, a. quick google for “traditional japanese cuisine” would help you come up with a menu really quickly.

Wikipedia says:

The traditional cuisine of Japan, washoku (和食), lit. "Japanese eating" (or kappō (ja:割烹)), is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi.

But before we get too serious, at one point the Gaang eats a “smoked sea slug” (Sokka’s Master) 

Oh ATLA, never stop being you.

b) Utensils

One thing to keep in mind is chopstick etiquette. Someone like Zuko or Toph, for instance, would have completely internalized all of these.

Another thing is that there are no glasses. Cups and bowls are made of ceramic or clay. Let the Gaang show you:

And another note: characters won’t eat “bread” in the European sense, ie. a baked lump of dough. Steamed buns, yes. Fried pancakes made from batter, yes. Flatbreads, okay I’ll give it a pass. Rice or noodles should be the most common carbs of choice.

3.ETIQUETTE

“In the homeland, we bow to our elders” - angry schoolmistress in The Headband.

Japan Guide has a list of etiquette rules for visiting Japan, which is interesting but not too necessary to read. In general, based on what The Headband tells us, Fire Nation characters would have been raised with a strong nationalist curriculum that values communal contribution over individualist expression. Even someone like Zuko, who openly rebels against that, probably couldn’t help but be affected by it. In general the Fire Nation seems to have an East Asian-ish set of values. It’s patriarchal, all the positions of authority are filled by men; there seems to be a strong emphasis on patriotism; there’s a sense of diffidence and respect towards one’s elders; and finally, there’s an emphasis on “knowing” one’s place in society and fitting into what’s expected of oneself.

I don’t really know how to describe it, but in China and Japan I sometimes feel like there’s rules for everything, and even people born and raised there acknowledge it could be stifling at times. You could go down a rabbit hole researching points of etiquette (for instance, rules on who has to sit where in group dinners...), but to me the most important thing is acknowledging that Fire Nation has a rigid system of etiquette, and also, they’re an imperialist power who’s pretty prejudiced against foreigners. Poor Aang/Kuzon gets called “mannerless colony slob” just for being slow on the bowing action (!!!)

(in firebender’s guide I had a lot of fun imagining the stupid microaggressions Ambassador Sokka has to face in the Fire Nation, so obviously I’m just biased)

4.WRITING AND DESKS

Characters would probably write on paper, with a calligraphy brush. Not quills or pens -- a brush. Technically, old Japanese and Chinese texts should be written top to bottom, right to left, but the show itself doesn’t do this, so I think you’re fine. 

One fun thing about traditional calligraphy is that you don’t use bottled ink. You have something called an ink stone, and then you grind your ink yourself by rubbing the ink stone in a special little dish with a bit of water. In my (very few) encounters with this stuff in the calligraphy lessons of my youth, the ink stones can be plain or have beautiful designs on the side. It looks something like this: 

ATLA is an East Asian-ish universe, so characters are likely to be kneeling at a table, not sitting. To demonstrate, here’s my boy Sokka doing his famous rainbow at Piandao’s:

and here’s the war chamber meeting when Zuko speaks out against a general’s plans to sacrifice some soldiers:

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: This is Zuko’s cute little setup when he’s writing his goodbye letter to Mai. In this case he’s writing in a chair and table. It’s possible that some furniture items, like a sitting desk and a bed in a bedframe (not a bedroll or futon) are special royal palace features. Normally in a private setting we see characters sitting on the ground or on a slightly elevated platform with a low table. Maybe Caldera is just different? Or rich people are just different: the Bei Fongs also have a sit-down dining table + chair setup.

(That little rectangular box is his ink dish!!)

5.A NOTE ON GENERAL CULTURE

It’s worth talking about a few general points of East Asian culture. I can’t claim to speak for ALL of Asia, and I don’t think I should. But I do think ATLA fic writers who want to set something in the Fire Nation should take a few moments to at least skim the wiki pages for filial piety and Nihonjinron (literally, "theories/discussions about the Japanese"). There’s a certain...vibe to...asianness... that I’m not sure I can explain without like, a doctorate degree in sociology. 

It’s a bit like gender, I guess. There’s no definitive checklist to what is a woman and what is a man, and we can argue that gender is performative, that it’s a construct, but at the end of the day gender is still (tragically) real in the sense that it still shapes people and affects how we walk and talk and dress and think. Nationality is the same. Obviously, the Fire Nation is a made up place in a made up show, but out of respect to the cultures that inspired it, I do think it’s worth familiarizing yourself with some of these cultures’ codes and values.

Also, ahem, if I can direct you to war crimes in the Japan’s colonial empire. Again, worth remembering that the Fire Nation was an imperalist colonizer too.

I might do a continuation of this post and talk through my more abstract takes about Fire Nation culture - Is Zuko an example of filial piety gone right or filial piety gone wrong? Why I think Zuko’s flashbacks are like, at least part teenage melodrama bullshit (the reason is son preference), how someone like Sokka might be treated once he’s openly Water Tribe in the Fire Nation (probably with racism...), specific aspects of asian homophobia and racism, etc. We’ll see.

This is not a definitive guide. Comments and critique welcome.

If you think there’s a factual mistake, PLEASE hop in my asks and let me know. I also think there’s a huge blind spot in ATLA for South and Southeast Asian representation, so I acknowledge that I can’t speak for all Asians, and there is no such thing as a “pan-asian” identity.

If there’s something else you’re curious about, I’m not a historian or anything, but I like research. Ask me and I’ll try to answer the best I can.

And oh, one last thing, this is how I do research when I wrote firebender’s guide, in case anyone’s interested in learning more (LINK)