#chinese inspired

[clatterbane]

Clatterbane's Half-Assed Noodle Bar is gearing up for business yet again tonight, on request after Mr. C picked up those noodles.

The plan is another batch of wide rice noodles in this basic seasoning style:

Made with what we've got on hand. Which in this case involves wide rice noodles (now soaking), a little leftover taco meat that needed used up (which should hopefully work fine with vaguely Sichuan flavors), a couple of eggs to bulk out the protein content, some more frozen "wok mix" with the green beans sorted out to the side, a handful of extra frozen green beans, and the ass end of a head of cabbage that also needed out of the fridge. Just micro-steamed the cabbage and beans a few minutes to streamline the noodle frying a tad.

That is a frozen-together lump of chopped garlic in the little takeout sauce cup with the ginger. It'll thaw out before I get to it.

Hopefully this will turn out not too bad, taco meat and all. The impromptu noodles usually do.

[amaiguri]

Saegenfolk Reworks -- How I'm thinking about my pastel-goth Chinese-Viking fusion culture

Okay, so, as some of you may know, I am working on updating my Saegen culture to have more elements of my birth culture -- cuz, I legit don't know enough about it so this is a great way to learn and then like... mind-palace it into my worldbuilding (yes, I just verbed "mind-palace"). And guess what? I just finished my first sketches of a rework of the whole culture!!! <3 <3 <3 I'm REALLY pleased, it's really reasonating with me now in a way Saegen culture NEVER was <3

So, let's go over what some of the different stuff is -- Top to bottom, left to right... And I AM open to feedback and thoughts and, in fact, I encourage it <3 I consent to advice!

First thing to notice is the Saegen now have a color scheme that isn't jewel-toned red and gold… because the SVANHIK people are red and gold. I experimented with Green and Teal for the Northern lights -- but Green felt really weird. It made them too elfy. And Teal is already Telethens' color. Nouveau Thuille is purple/navy blue/black… So instead of making the red more jewel-toned, I took it towards Cyberpunk Neon/Barbie pink. Why? This is Asarlai's color in their culture now. Asarlai is the father of humanity and god of magic (up North) So wearing pink is super fatherly, magical, and clever. We still have black because black plants just work good in these near-underground settings -- absorbing waaay more light. So now the Saegen aesthetic is now like… pastel-goth Chinese-Vikings.

Next, we have the FASHION! The fashion is very very specifically stolen from the silhouette of Hanfu, just with more fur and different materials. I imagine it being Rumateur wool, but also leather and dyed animal skins and maybe bamboo silks and so forth. We still have elaborate braids and wavy hair, but in my mind, their eyes are all like the Sakha people or something. They still use their hands to paint their faces -- typically for sunscreening/snow-glare/sea-glare reduction reasons as well as receiving Asarlai's blessing. And while Thuilleans prefer silver metals, they prefer gold. This is just a contrast thing.

Next next: Houses! They mostly build out of these silvery bamboo stalks that grow under the Upper Continent. I really like these tent-like silhouettes to their houses -- with littler tents stacked atop each other. They also have igloo-like, bulb-shaped homes for temp shelters! Their ships are like dragons with their wings and blade-armored fronts (mostly for ice, but also fighting). And some even ride small whale-landsharks with sealskin saddles ❤️

Weapons and tools wise: They're really well known for their Ysse lanterns (I mean, EVERYONE IS but for different reasons). Theirs are all a really pretty pink -- the "purest form of Ysse light" (Not really.) -- and have the teardrop bulb shape. But they look like these warm, nutrient restoring fungi that naturally grow (or probably a god put them there) in Saegenheim. They also have guns (which have magic bulbs that, when struck, blast out fire. So really, they're flamethrowers but I don't like the way that sounds lol). They also use these Tang-dynasty-inspired swords and poleaxes pretty commonly.

Animal and creature wise: Their rumateurs are much bigger and bulkier -- more cattle-like thanks to the flatter plains around Saegenheim -- than the more lithe, leapy rumateurs of the Nouveau Thuillean valley. They also keep artic bunnies (even though the're considered mild pests in Nouveau Thuille) as easy food and sometimes even hunt seals. However, they have to be super careful not to murder their selkie brethren -- it is generally wiser not-to hunt seals because they might be a selkie -- and instead just ask seals for their molted skins (which they molt in one, thick slough once a year) or milk to make cheese or kumis. Not-shown: They also heavily rely on Butterflies of the Heart for Honey, Wax, and Mead --because despite their name, they're actually bees.

Above the Saegenheim cave are these enclosed plains of black bamboo forests. A currently unnamed but critically important fungus grows in tandem with the bamboo and is part of the bamboo's natural life cycle. I'm not entirely sure, but maybe something like the bamboo grows up and starts putting out leaves to photosynthesize, to pump back into the ground. The fungus feeds on the bamboo but then helps it spread further and also, gives the bamboo nutrients back in the winter. And eventually, the fungus eats the dead stalks WHILE fixing the soil for the new growth?

Regardless, the Saegen people eat this fungus as one of their staple foods.

They also eat a ground-fungus that the rumateurs and bunnies eat up here that grows small and under the frost but VERY PERSISTENTLY, much to everyone's surprise (it's the 5" one). It also works with the bamboo and tree fungus to make this really weirdly balanced flow of nutrients in and out of the soil with the seasons.

The ground fungus is usually dried, ground up, and then used for soups or baked goods (like flat breads or meat loafs.) Meanwhile, the tree fungus is usually eaten without grining but still boiled/fried/baked OR dried and ground up and brewed to make coffee. ((This is where the Northerners get their coffee -- the coffee is a lie, they are perpetually drinking an American Civil War Confederate coffee substitute XDDDDD But at least their coffee usually has good protein, micronutrients, and caffeine-like substances, unlike real Civil War coffee substitute LOL))

So Saegenheim is now in the Womb of the World, (the environment sketch) taller and this tree-like fungus grows that is also edible and can act as a meat-substitute nutrient-wise BUT it grows much slower, so it is carefully monitored by the Sages so they don't fuck it up.

Speaking of the Womb of the World -- this warm, damp refuge in the otherwise hostile, VERY NORTHERN part of the tundra is a cave warmed by the specific way the permanent Ysse Springs interact with the stones here -- warming the cave to very liveable temperatures year round. The Sages of Saegenheim have built their home here to honor the Gods who brought forth all of humanity. However, most Saegenfolk do not live here year round -- they are semi-nomadic, in that they go to the same few places and settle for the season. Different royal families will lead their people to different places, but those who can afford it will return to winter in the safe, reliable Saegenheim to catch up on news and celebrate Godsweek. They hang new pink lanterns in the streets at the beginning of every new year.

And lastly, when they aren't in Saegenheim, the Saegenfolk are often sailing. And this means they are hunting whale-landsharks, sea serpents, shrimp, and artic carp (articarp, if you will XD).

Now this closeness of location and similarity of lifestyle and respect of the Sages and Gods may lead you to believe that the Saegens are cooperative, extended-family-oriented folks.

No.

Due to the harshness of the environment, a great deal of emphasis is placed on survivability and military. And when everyone is seeking to be better, then you cannot rest for even a moment or you will fall behind. If you are not young enough to be trying to get stronger/cleverer/better/more useful, then you better be teaching others to get there or you're useless. And useless things are to be cast off…

Every family has its own sort of military hazing rituals that involve ridiculously long, cruel, and unnecessary training hours. Admittedly, it's a well-rounded education but there are all these weirdly specific judgements about you, depending on what kind of instruments, weapons, poetry, and cooking recipes you know. And even though your extended family will provide you food and teach you and find your more private tutors as you grow up… you will be constantly compared to your cousins. If you are worse than even one, you are pressed like you are worthless. If you are better than all your cousins and siblings by 200%… why is it not 250%? 300%? You cannot ever be Enough in Saegen culture.

Unless you're a Sage. Sages are judged by entirely different standard. But the number of people who try to become Sages and fail is also… quite large.

Anyway, this might've been poorly organized AND I'm still thinking about all this so if you have thoughts or feedback, let me know ❤️

[petite-cosette]

𝑀𝒶𝓂𝒾𝒶𝓃𝓆𝓊𝓃 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔'𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓈

[madam-rabbit]

FREE AESTHETIC BACKGROUND USAGE

Created by : @skateboarding-pizza

Obligated: If used, please give credit @skateboarding-pizza

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[prettyboyskeletor]

Heavily inspired by a game I’ve been playing for about three days now… Fate of the Empress ✨

[ilromagnollo84]

"Parasol"

Shalom Harlow photographed by Nick Knight for Christian Dior (1997)

[lotusmoonbunni]

some fox taiyo from homebrew setting. The pink one is my partner’s oc (designed this for them) and the bottom is one of the partners to him. They are the parents of Ichigo

[thetroxa]

Let's post some old art to give my Tumblr something, my ocs Feng (blue) and Huang (red) XD

[kalliforniaa]

Enclosed - Traditional Living Room Inspiration for a large, traditional, enclosed living room remodel with white walls, a wood fireplace surround, and no television.

[4nuttyaddict]

Robe inspiration Chinoise en satin noir et tissu ajouré violet. Boucles perles acrylique et chaînes en métal. Lien facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4-nutty-addict-850962241666113

[clatterbane]

The half-assed noodle bar is back in business tonight!

We had that bag of refrigerated stir fry vegetable mix which needed to be used up ASAP, after somebody at ICA concluded that it would make a great substitute for out-of-stock frozen broccoli. (?) Also, about a quarter of a head of cabbage that I sliced up with some onion and stashed in a bag earlier.

We also had a big open jar of the Lao Gan Ma black bean chili oil, so yum why not?

Mr. C forgot to buy some fresh ground pork earlier, so I said fuck it and quickly fried/cut up some frozen burger patties. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Put around 200g/half a pound of rice vermicelli on to soak for a little while, and I should be able to throw together something edible.

Vague plan: more or less a mashup between these two dishes, using similar Sichuan-inspired seasoning but with an evaporation rice noodle cooking method. I've followed that basic approach multiple times before, and it's always turned out pretty good.

Some additional seasoning stuff over to the side in Mr. C's the counter clutter. Yay, frozen chopped garlic and ginger! 😎

There's a tablespoon of GF oyster sauce too, in the Pyrex cup with a couple tablespoons of soy sauce and some water. The dry powder seasoning cup has some beefy bouillon powder, black pepper, and just a touch of sugar.

Cooking underway! With the kettle of hot water on standby once the soaked noodles go in very shortly. I just eyeball the liquid by now.

Finally ready! With some of the sriracha and sesame oil added toward the end to taste, along with the meat. Now it will be better if it sits for about 10 minutes with the lid on, to soak up the little bit of surface moisture left.

Also, some of the ever-popular around here crispy fried onions to sprinkle on the bowl. Partly because we were out of green onions. It's all good.

Not exactly the prettiest, but hey. It did turn out pretty satisfying. With actual fresh vegetables and everything. 😁 A lot of which did visually blend in with the spicy noodles, of course.

[garfield-milk]

he’s such a fangirl. he definitely has a few scrolls of adventures (and fanfiction) of the Blue Spirit and reads them every night while giggling and kicking his feet in the air.

[ziseviolet]

Since there's quite a lot of interest in Chinese-inspired cyberpunk and adjacent aesthetics, just wanted to share these neat "Chinese style meets the Matrix"-esque looks from popular brand 大青龙肆/Da Qing Long Si. There's also an English website here.

[zzzzzestforlife]

increasingly "useless" reasons why i like learning languages

@studentbyday said i should re-define "useless" in my mind. instructions unclear. made a shitpost instead 💩

💌: inside-my-phone format is back!🍃 do you agree/disagree with my MTL rankings? what motivates you? 👀

i can be a more empathetic, understanding, and supportive person who makes sure to only cuss people out in languages they don't understand so that their feelings aren't hurt ❤️

i can talk to more people who will probably think i'm an idiot because of how badly i speak their language 👄

i can nurture my self-confidence/-esteem as long as i don't think too hard about how much i don't know 🥰

i can read more books, articles, people arguing on the internet, etc. 📚

i can travel to foreign countries more easily until someone asks me to translate something important and i mess up and land us both in prison or something ✈️

i can unlock new work opportunities until someone asks me to translate something important and i mess up and land us both in prison or something 💼

i can multitask better even though i shouldn't even be doing it in the first place 🤹‍♀️

i can watch my favorite shows/listen to my favorite songs without subtitles/translations so that my brain rot can continue in peace 📺

i can, on the other hand, stop losing brain cells?? 🧠

i can eavesdrop on more people, probably at the grocery store 🙉

i can show off at work and other places where it is appropriate to show off irrelevant skills ✨

sex appeal?? 🥵

[artist-ellen]

Fooduary Day 10: Dragon's Beard Candy

Happy Lunar New Year!!! This one probably doesn’t seem very obvious but a white-candy version would be terribly unlucky!! (And I need all the luck I can get). So I tried to make the lantern slightly reminiscent of the treat while the character is styled in Han Dynasty fashion. According to the legend-history of dragon’s beard candy it was invented in the Han Dynasty (202 BCE 220 CE) which makes it our oldest dessert yet! And yeah, I went off script for this one. Day 10 was supposed to be Cinnamon rolls but I’m moving some stuff around because I so rarely get the chance to post something to celebrate.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

https://linktr.ee/ellen.artistic

[hanfugallery]

hanfu fashion matched with miao fashion by chinese designers