#playable feng

[makedvioletplayable]

My top 3 people I want next in skullgirls

1. D.Violet duh

2. Venus I always thought she was cooler than æon honestly and her concept moves are awesome, also she treads the line between sexy and horror like double does so that's cool.

3.Feng idk she seems interesting but you can replace her with pretty much anyone else 🤣 like Molly because she's a gay. 😳

[miothle]

the high cloud quintet⚔️

[leaf-bitmap]

Dan Feng based on Jiaoqiu ult....

[artexmachina]

Saw Barbie recently and had a very silly idea

[onlyasgoodasmygod]

More palettes!

Huge thanks to the people from SkullHeart and Skullgirls Mobile forums for the color maps and applications. Couldn't do that otherwise.

Let's start!

Peacock as the main character from "Untitled Goose Game". Because "Skullgirls" really needs some goose representation.

Talking about animals, here's a thing for the frog lovers. It looks like Adam, walks like Adam and suffers like Adam. I'm sure that he is the person inside the frog costume from Umbrella's stage.

Up next, cartoon time.

I really miss "The 7D". So I decided to recreate Queen Delightful and Grumpy (when he was accidentally turned into a giant).

Then there's Parasoul as Commander Peepers from "Wander Over Yonder", another masterpiece that we lost too soon.

And finally, an early draft of Feng as Kulderzipken (I know it's not a cartoon). I believe that his acrobatics are pretty similar to her proposed playstyle.

[bun-bunmomo]

NSFW Feng-

[hydrachea]

For the HSR ask game:

Favorite 4* Character

Character who doesn't have a quest yet, but should

Favorite non-playable NPC

Plot thread you're most looking forward to seeing in the future

Bonus question: any other (generally positive) thought, theory, or headcanon that you've been dying to talk about, but haven't had the excuse to mention before

HSR asks

Favorite 4*

Okay, this is cheating a little because he also has a 5* alt, but Dan Heng. He's had the most development out of most of the 4*s, main character privilege, but listen. I love my boy. He sucks ass DPS wise and he's been holed up in the archives for 3 patches but I love my boy so very much. Nevermind that I robbed him of his LC and half his relics to give to Dr Ratio... They can share I promise!

Character who doesn't have a quest yet, but should

Xueyi and Hanya, both of them. By a long shot. They're very recently released, I know, but I can't believe they don't have a quest, even just one between the two of them. Xueyi featured in the Luofu main quest a little and both of them were present as more important characters in A Foxian Tale of the Haunted, but the quest still wasn't focused on them - and they really could use one focused on them! Have you seen their lore? Come on!

Favorite NPC

Nanook. Just kidding (except not really), my serious answer would be Yingxing but his NPC status would get debated. He qualifies though, and I'll die on that hill. So know the actual answer is Yingxing, but for the sake of a proper NPC answer it's Dan Shu. She was a great character who gave a different perspective on both Lan and the Xianzhou's immortality, and I really enjoyed her quest. And her voice, she had a very nice voice.

Plot thread you're most looking forward to seeing in the future

I'm so, so interested in the Trailblazer's relationship with Kafka. Their ongoing plotline is deeply intertwined with hers, she even said as much herself, and I'm interested in their forgotten shared history too. I wonder if we'll ever know more about the time they spent with her and the Stellaron Hunters before she wiped their memory... And I'm looking forward to discovering more about that so-called destiny of theirs and how it intersect with hers.

Any other (generally positive) thought, theory, or headcanon that you've been dying to talk about, but haven't had the excuse to mention before

There it is, the question that has a 100% chance of wiping my memory as soon as it's asked. But! Here's a headcanon for you. March I think was the one who mentioned every got their own room on the Express, but so far there isn't one for the Trailblazer. So until a new update drops one, it'll be my firm belief that they sleep in everyone else's rooms. Particularly Dan Heng and March's, and occasionally all three of them in March's bed since she has the biggest one. All lined up in a cuddle pile like the dango trio they are 🍡

[impactedfates]

Hi hi I'm feeling so cruel right now >:]

So uuuh HCs for DH[IL], Jingyuan, Blade and Welt reacts how does their child [reader] dies... Like imagine how reader dies is like how the Genshin Playable characters die [they dusted away]

Please feed me a n gst

—🫶🏻 Anon

★ A/N: The way the reader dies reminds me of how one of my ocs species dies lmao. Hopefully this is up your ally :))

☆ Genre/Trope: Platonic + Familial + Angst

★ Format: Bullet Pointed HeadCannons (It kinda turned into a mini story I think-)

☆ Warnings: Mentions of Death (Readers)

★ Extra: Adopted reader in all // Reader is under 12 for Dan Fengs, and in their teens for the rest // Giving Jing Yuan more of a sad life/hj // Wrote this in WellBeing class lmao // Characters may be OOC

Dan Feng as a High Elder doesn’t always have the time to really see you. Sure when he first adopted you he did spend a good chunk of his time with you but eventually his duties caught up.

He appointed someone to look after you. Someone that you knew and that he knew. Someone trustworthy.

So when he came back to his home early one day, the house dead silent. He grew worried. He called out to the person, to you. But there was no response.

He walked to your room, perhaps the both of you fell asleep. Wouldn’t be the first time.

But all he could witness was dust covering your room. And the man no where to be seen.

He knew instantly where that dust came from, he was quick to search for him. Found him hiding thinking he could get away, unaware that Dan Feng would be home early, unaware Dan Feng would catch him.

The man he had trusted to protect you, was the same man who ended the life you should’ve continued to have.

Dan Feng was quick to throw the man in the Shackling Prison, praying to whatever Aeon that can hear him that he gets what he deserves.

He collected as much of the dust that was still in his house, the last thing that he had of you. And carefully placed them in a jar.

Many question the High Elder why he holds a jar of dust so dearly to him, and all those times he refuses to answer. Not wanting to break down in front of the other Vidyadharas.

It was only a mission, a mission he sent you and Yanqing on. He had thought there were only a few Mara struck soldiers that had to be defeated.

He had wondered why Yanqing slowly entered the Seat of Divine Foresight without you. He had wondered why Yanqing was breathing rapidly and on the verge of tears.

Jing Yuan comforted Yanqing before asking about your whereabouts. Perhaps you were getting snacks after a successful mission? Yanqing could only try to explain in a shaky voice, clearly startled and upset.

But why would he be upset? You were his adopted sibling and was usually so kind to him. You wouldn’t have done anything to hurt him?

Yanqing tried his best to explain, stuttering over his words and needing to take a few deep breaths, the General listened carefully.

…Ambush? Well…Jing Yuan supposed he made an error in that. He only thought there were a few. Wow, if you and Yanqing didn’t know about that then you could’ve been caught off guard and…

Oh!

Oh…

Jing Yuan quickly connected the dots, he slowly held Yanqing closer, witnessing his own sibling fall to the hands of the Mara struck then be faced with dealing with the remaining enemies…he couldn’t imagine the stress.

A ceremony was held in your honour. Your dust already gone away like the wind so your memories will follow as he sends multiple starsciff at with gifts.

But he’ll always remember, he’ll remember the regret he felt that he couldn’t do anything nor could he have seen that an ambush would occur.

He wished he could’ve done something.

Are you dumb or something??

Blade could’ve taken that hit. Why’d you have to take it!?

He would’ve been fine. He wouldn’t been okay, a relief would’ve washed over him even though he knew he’d survive.

So then why did you have to take the hit that was meant for him, and leave him in a state of rage?

He quickly disposed of the pests that caused your demise, before trying to check on you. But all he could do was watch as your body dusts away.

He tried his best to grab any dust he could but most went with the wind. All he could do was stand there questioning why you would do that.

He said he’d protect you. Everyone else in the Stellaron Hunters were busy so he had to take you with him when he did his part. Yet it ended with you gone.

There was a small ceremony for your disappearance from the earth. Elio as much as he may not want too, he continued sending people on missions however allowed Blade to opt out of them he could properly mourn.

Blade still wonders why you decided to save him when he would’ve been fine, he wonders if he’d be able to save you if he noticed the enemy creepy behind him.

It was just a small argument. Welt felt bad but allowed you to storm off. You’d return eventually anyways. You’d return once dinner was ready back at the express, you knew what time that was.

But you never did return did you? Welt had thought long and hard and was ready to apologise for his words yet you weren’t back yet? Did you get dinner then go to your room?

He went to check, your room was the exact same you left it.

Did…anyone see you come back? He questioned the members of the express. None have seen you.

Finally he grabbed his coat and cane and went to look for you. Went in the direction you went and searched. As he walked his foot stepped in something. Looking down confused, his eyes widened.

Golden Dust. Dust that he knew belonged to you. Dust that told him you were gone.

And he wasn’t able to tell you he was sorry.

Welt is silent as he walks back, he let the wind take your dust elsewhere. A place he hopes you’d be happy in.

He was quiet but able to tell the express what happened. Each of them holding a small funeral for you. They kept your room intact, filled with things you loved before locking it. That room will no longer be filled with warmth but will soon grow cold.

Welt drew a picture of you, keeping it safe with him. And despite how it may seem that eventually he was over your death. He could never be.

Not until he was able to apologise for the argument.

But that won’t happen anytime soon now will it?

This was actually rlly fun to write!! Especially in well-being haha. This was meant to be posted yesterday but something came up so here it is now haha.

Might've missed some warnings, so as always. Please inform me if I did.

[genshin-hsr-rambles]

do you think the gems they’re named after can spoil stuff about the stone hearts?

I wouldn’t say spoil per se, but it certainly gives some insight into their character due to it being the whole basis of their concept. Allow me to elaborate.

Topaz is generally associated with wealth, a perfect concept to introduce the audience to the IPC through. It is believed to heal and promote strength/vitality, tying into Topaz’s lore regarding her planet’s deterioration with the IPC restoring its ‘health’ and the strength of the people in turn. Also tying into her planet’s lore is the fact that in its natural state, common topaz is traditionally colourless. It is the heat or radiation treatment that gives it its colour, reflecting how the IPC’s grooming of Topaz and her entire planet’s citizens into IPC employees largely shaped who she is today. In Feng Shui, topaz is viewed as a stone of nobility, love, passion and purpose. These aspects reflect in Topaz’s personality, with her love of animals and passionate drive for work and customer satisfaction.

Aventurine primarily symbolises good fortune, again tying in with the core concept of the IPC. Green aventurine in particular is said to be a stone of opportunity and good luck, linking with Aventurine’s infallible luck and subsequent (self-destructive) gambling tendencies. More blatantly, it is known as the ‘gambler’s stone’ since it is believed to bring fortune in games of chance. Interestingly enough, aventurine is associated with the planet Mercury, named after the Roman god of wealth, good fortune, commerce, fertility, and thievery. These aspects tie into Aventurine’s ethnicity as an Avgin, the poor reputation of his people and their mother goddess’ blessing. Cruelly ironic, some believe it to represent self-love, and it is cheaper than most gemstones.

Jade holds symbolism of purity, harmony and protection, referencing Jade’s false guise of sincerity to seal her deals. It is a very valuable and sought-after gem, translating into Jade’s status. East Asia covet jade for its cultural and spiritual affiliations, serving as a metaphor for virtue, wisdom, truth, and Heaven and Earth. This is most likely where Jade Lilith/Eve dual symbolism was derived from. Jade is actually an umbrella term for two silicate minerals, nephrite and jadeite. Again, this seems to be inspiration for her two-faced nature. As of the time of this post, we do not know much about her past and as such it cannot be determined how interlinked it is with her stone.

From the three playable Stonehearts (as of the time of this post), we can clearly see that their lore is deeply interwoven with the symbolism of their gems. They are, in a sense, the embodiment of their Stoneheart namesake. So can it spoil the next Stonehearts? Without context, probably not. But we can still speculate, right?

Obsidian is heavily associated with blocking, absorbing and/or transforming negative energy. It isn’t actually a mineral, rather volcanic glass, typically classified as igneous rock or a mineraloid. For a long time, obsidian was primarily used in the creation of weapons, not jewellery. Referred to as the stone of clarity, it is beloved to release spiritual blockages and draw out stress and tension. Obsidian is naturally quite sharp, and as such some consider it to be capable of piercing into darkness to reveal the truth itself. Like her namesake, Obsidian could be one to cut through false pleasantries in favour of the raw truth, no matter how violent or unpleasant. She certainly seemed quite eager for a bloodbath in the Stoneheart trailer, perhaps due to having an affinity for the true nature of people being revealed and to tie into the primary purpose of obsidian being weaponry. The transformation and absorption of negative energy aspect could potentially relate to the vampire symbolism she seems to has.

Agate generally symbolises strength, protection and courage. It is believed to protect people from negative energy and enhance communication. Ironic, considering Agate is the only Stoneheart who doesn’t communicate at all in the Stoneheart trailer. In Greek mythology, it is linked to the earth mother, Gaia, and symbolises strength and stability. Interestingly, agate is formed within lava and is primarily found in areas with high volcanic activity. Its colour is dependent on the presence of other surrounding minerals. This is interesting because it seems that Agate and Obsidian share some common ground in terms of creation. Perhaps the characters will share similar views or characteristics too, explaining why Obsidian was allowed to vote on Agate’s behalf. The mineral agate being dependent on other minerals seems to further strengthen the idea of Agate possessing some form connections with another Stoneheart (seemingly Obsidian from the little information we have, but could be anyone).

Pearl signifies innocence and faith. It is believed to enhance personal integrity, inhibits immodest behaviour and bring truth forward. Pearl is often used in bridal jewellery as it can symbolise beauty and new beginnings. The gem is of organic origin but is not organic material, perhaps inspiring her existence as an Intellitron, alive but not technically living. We do seem to have enough information on Pearl to link her to her gemstone, another aspect being she seems to hold justice as a primary value. This seems to lie in the pearl’s symbolism of truth and integrity. Perhaps Pearl still believes in an inherent good in the world too, tying into the gemstone representing purity and innocence.

Sapphire is considered to be a stone of wisdom, royalty, prophecy and divine favour. It is a symbol of power and strength, often connected to religious symbolism. From what we’ve seen of Sapphire, this seems to check out. They value oaths above all else and exude an air of righteousness. Much like Pearl, they seem to have a strong set of morals. It is worth noting that sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral, second only to diamonds. So Sapphire has the potential to be one of the strongest Stonehearts in terms of raw power.

Amber is rather obviously associated with natural warmth, but also cleansing and renewal. As far as I have researched, its symbolism seems to revolve around protection and positivity. Consisting of fossilised tree resin, amber is classified as an organic gemstone and isn’t technically a gemstone at all (potentially similar to yet opposite of Pearl?). It was historically believed to bring good luck to warriors in battle and could be used to assist in creating balanced decision-making. The latest aspect may possibly have influenced Amber’s seeming neutrality in the Stonehearts trailer. Bringing good luck to warriors in battle could translate to avoiding conflict altogether, so all parties involved will not lose any prospects. Judging by the gem’s symbolism, Amber seems to be a bit of an outlier amongst the Stonehearts and perhaps that’s why she has yet to show her face.

Sugilite is a stone that drains unwanted connections and evil thoughts. Thought to be a nurturing gemstone, it promotes positive emotions and installs a deep satisfaction of freedom. In great contrast, Feng Shui depicts sugilite as possessing high Yang energy. It is full of emotion, passion and action. This could potentially reflect Sugilite’s personality, driven by passionate desires behind a mask of apathy. Regarding the satisfaction aspect, perhaps Sugilite lives in chase of fulfilment, hence the feast imagery in the Stonehearts trailer.

Opal is considered to be a symbol of hope, purity and truth. Since opal possesses most colours of other gems, the Romans believed it was the most precious and powerful of all gemstones. Indigenous Australians believed it to symbolise a bridge between the earthly and the divine. This seems to align with what we know of Opal so far. I’d wager he’s a little full of himself, tying in with the Roman view of his namesake. Opal also appears to be something akin to the right hand of Diamond, essentially the bridge between the emanator and the other Stonehearts.

Diamond symbolises strength, love and health. They are often worn by leaders and people in power to represent invincibility. The diamond is also considered a symbol of light and brilliance; unconquerable; treasures, riches and intellectual knowledge. We know very little about Diamond, but this all does seem to align with the idea of the leader of the IPC’s Strategic Investment Department. A powerful, untouchable figure, seemingly benevolent and caring but really only in it for the money.

Of course, I’m no expert on gemstones and so this information should be taken with a grain of salt. But that is my take on what I believe we can learn about the non-playable Stonehearts (as of the time of this post, have faith guys) from their gems.

TL;DR: No, information about the Stonehearts can’t be spoiled by their namesake gems. It can be speculated though.

[brickcentral]

Sharing my review for the LEGO 80113 Family Reunion Celebration. My husband gave me a gift card for the Holidays and waited patiently for this set’s release on Jan. 1st 2024. The reviews are based on my own opinion. I omitted the minifigures just because I wanted to focus on the build itself.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with this beautiful set! The Family Reunion Celebration set is a traditional restaurant with beautiful details and wall art. This set has 1823 pieces and has 2 detachable floors for play. It comes with 13 Lego Minifigures but I would like to talk more about the intricate design and art of this set and how eye-catching it is for me.

The build details

I admire the “Nice Part Usage” of the frogs for a more Asian architectural approach. The gold ingot in Earth Green is the perfect Green for the roof tiles.

The corner stalls

These beautiful, printed stickers add a sense of Asian culture to the build.

The entrance

Again the characters are neatly printed and are very inviting.

The aquarium

This is my favorite part of the build! The aquarium is a way of attracting good luck and fortune. The placement of it in Feng Shui is perfect!

The kitchen

The Kitchen is very playable too with pots and pans and that duck!

The paintings

The paintings on the 2nd floor are so beautiful! On the round table, you can gaze at this beautiful bird painting while the light is shining through the window. When you go to use the bathroom on the same floor, you will see a beautiful castle painting that reminds you of where the Ancient Chinese Gods live.

Summary

This set costs $129.99/€129.99/£89.99 and comes with a sticker sheet. Some wouldn’t like the stickers but for me, it added to the play as if I’m holding a piece of delicate art and framing it. This set comes with a lot of really good pieces like the gutters and fence and as a builder, I know I can create tons of beautiful MOC’s with this set.

[makuta-kotok]

Nine Sols AU idea: NINE YIS

I had this idea while I was walking my grandma’s dog: Nine Sols, but you play as The Sols after Yi dropped kicked them off that one cliff like Eigong did to him and then split his mind between 9 clones of himself that each represent inversions of the virtues that each of the Sols were supposed to embody.

Each of The Sols are less dickish this time (Jiequan isn’t a sadomasochitic warlord, Goumang is more like she was in the Shanhai9000 than in the game, The Fengs aren’t… you know etc.) and are each individual playable characters who have to fight Yi’s clone squad.

[dangerxox]

yingxing playable when. dan feng playable when.

[friendlifyre]

The quest for Dan Heng's age - the Essay tm

we know the sedition happened roughly 700 years ago (721 to be exact if i remember right ??). alas we are also told that vidyadhara egg cooking (while it varies from individual to individual) can take up to 700 years as well, leaving us no historical hints as to how long ago imbabytor lunae re-hatched (not that it would have helped, due to this aforementioned fact, but we also dont know exactly how long dan feng was kept imprisoned before molting). as such we must turn to other hints.

we know vidyadhara live up to 700 years old, and that they age proportionally to that lifespan (unlike xianzhou natives who age as quickly as regular humans but physically plateau at their prime and stay there until the mara sets in at around 1,000yo). if we consider that (regular) humans can live up to 100 years old (to make it a nice round number), we can deduce that 1 human year = 7 vidyadhara years.

(dan feng for example, who i personally estimate was between 30 and 40 in 'human' years, was therefore somewhere between 210 and 280 years old.)

this is only pertinent because i will be using 'human' years to estimate dan heng's age.

we know dan heng was an adult when he was released - primarily due to his light cone showing that he didnt look noticeably younger than he does now (whereas light cones for other playable characters do sometimes); it also makes sense narratively that he was only released once hed come off age so that he could effectively take responsibility for the conditions of said release. as such, we can deduce he was released whilst the equivalent of 18-21 years old.

we know dan heng is still considered to be very young by vidyadhara standards, as alluded to in (iirc) his and/or Blade's stories. perhaps reinforcing this argument is the fact that dan feng who is, by all accounts, genetically identical to him, was taller than him (theres an official concept art with a height chart going around that shows df being 1-2 inches taller). this implies dan heng may not have reached his full physical maturity, which typically concludes for humans between 25 and 30yo. as such, we can deduce that he is no older than the equivalent of 25 years old.

we have no way to estimate exactly how much time has passed between his release and the present day, but we know Blade has joined the Stellaron Hunters since. maybe there's further hints to a proper timeline in the SHs stories that i havent seen, but i certainly get the feeling that Blade has been running with that crew for at least a few years, hands down. as such, we can infer that dan heng is (probably) between the equivalent of 22 and 25 years old.

convert that to vidyadhara years, and dan heng is between 154 and 175 years old.

he has spent 126 to 147 of those years imprisoned;

he has (personal but calculated hc) been on the express for roughly 3 years as of writing this;

therefore, he has worked for the IPC for something between 4 and 46 years.

thank u for coming to my ted talk

[argentisama]

’implied’ sexualities !!!!!

yeah i did just kinda reblog a post about this but i wanna rant about it too esp after getting into an argument on tiktok about this ⁉️

i firmly believe some hsr / gi characters ARE genuinely implied to be gay. obviously due to censorship/legal troubles, they really can’t explicitly state ‘oh, this character is homosexual!’ — i’ve heard they even got into some trouble with hi3, but i don’t know how legitimate that was. [reasoning and whatnot under the cut]

however, they can still cover it up with ‘extremely close best friends who honestly know eachother more than they know themselves’, along with other implications (alrhough i will say that most of the ones off of the top of my head are mlm (and mayhaps i have a bit of a bias being a gay man myself)). we’ve only been blessed with one canon (again, mlm) ship, and that was dan feng & yingxing — two characters who, while their reincarnation may be, aren’t even playable. yes, characters can be best friends. but that doesn’t mean they all are, you cannot erase what has already been covered up. PLEASE

there are relationships, and characters individually, while truthfully rarer. enter: aventurine. i know he’s the one most often mentioned in this kind of thing. that’s for a reason.

first of all, likely the most obvious thing, is the peacock imagery plastered all over him. they often symbolize homosexuality; and yes, i know they can also represent wealth. he doesn’t need to be confined to just one of them. both meanings fit, and with the latter mentioned evidence, i think both are valid interpretations.

secondly, there’s an oscar wilde reference in some of his dialogue — ‘the happy prince’, described as man made of/adorned with gold and jewels (from what i remember; this is all being written in one sitting, without much evidence on the side, but i’ve yapped about this enough to remember at least a semblance of it) is referenced, not directly, but with an extremely similar description as aforementioned. i’m pretty sure there’s also some sort of foreign/faraway traveler mentioned somewhere too, which further solidifies this as evidence. (for anyone who doesn’t know, oscar wilde is a gay man. gay gay homosexual gay.)

thirdly, and a bit of a reach, is looking at his general interactions with each gender. if you compare what he says and how he acts around male and female chars, you can see his attitude around male characters is much more suggestive. an obvious example is his reference to sunday as “the most handsome man in penacony,” although i do think that can be interpreted in multiple ways. in his conversation with sparkle, she also calls him a gay pr0stitute. she doesn’t talk about him sleeping around in general. specifically with a man.

i think aventurine is simply one of the best examples for this kind of ordeal. another decent one is wriothesley — i won’t go very deep into it, but there’s the fact that henry wriothesley is heavily speculated to be a gay man, if not bisexual, but still homosexual nonetheless.

people have probably explained this kind of thing a million times before but i’ll say it again. not every character has to be gay, no. but some are most definitely implied. i’m sick of people saying “do you even know what implied means???” do YOU? do you know what it means? i’m pretty sure implied means that there’s a shit ton of evidence pointing towards it, but it isn’t explicitly stated. i’m pretty sure everything above is an example of something implied. implied does not mean canon, and vice versa. characters being straight are just as much of a headcanon of them being gay. stop trying to erase what little we have. i’m so done with it — same with the people who say that [insert female character] gets in the way of [insert mlm ship] which is why everyone hates her. it’s likely not everyone hates her. it’s also quite likely that she doesn’t even really get in the way of it, and you just want to have your straight ship more popular than a gay one with much more evidence towards it. obviously, rarepairs existc with their whole thing with popularity and all, and i adore them, but that isn’t what i’m talking about; i mean the ships with canon chemistry, where they’re barely ever apart and are so obviously meant to be more than friends. those gay ships. she doesn’t get in the way, most of the time, i promise you.

thank you for listening to my ted talk.

[crystallinestars]

Yeah English isn't my mother tongue so thank you for the compliment 🥰 Honestly I saw the way you write (it's scrumptious) and the Argenti header and thought "damn I need to be on my best behaviour!" haha

Also never apologize for going off on a rant, I truly love your input!

Oh I do agree that it must be a mix of multiple things and that virtue signalling is definitely part of it! And the point you make about people creating a safe bubble for themselves and others really does make a lot of sense! I'd even be so bold as to say that this initial sentiment has unfortunately spiralled into having kneejerk reactions against any kind of perceived threat (for their identity, etc.). While I understand the need to be careful about who you let into your circle, it's a shame that instead of meaningful conversations (I'd imagine something like "I enjoy X thing in this story", "oh that's great, I have a different hc / interpretation but I'd love to hear your reasoning!") we're having a lot of passive aggressiveness or even full on pissing contests within the communities.

And if I had to sum up why I dislike, let's say between 60% to 90% of 'fandom culture' depending on whether or not it's a good day, I'd say that it's because of how often I have to see the utter glee and contempt this subsection of the fandom radiates whenever they feel like they've won their one-sided arguments / they can lord a win over someone's head for the dumbest things. It just boggles my mind. What happened to basic courtesy? I feel like people have grown so accustomed to living their 'bad bitch' fantasies on the internet without having to shoulder any responsibility for it (because of anonymity) that they've started to become waaay too comfortable coming into your space and being rude at best.

This is a bit of a digression, but for the sources, an example that comes to mind is a post I saw a while ago about the maple leaves associated with Dan Heng and (no shade to the person, it was an interesting read). However, they presented their argument in such a way that you just KNEW it wasn't just about Dan Hend, but about Blade too. They gave a list of symbolism for maple leaves, and the last point (the one highlighted by the structure) was "they also symbolise lovers!". It's in cases like this one I'd love for the OP to provide a source for their analysis, because the uni student in me just cannot accept claims on specific fields without credible evidence. Like is your analysis based on a discussion you had with a native? A paragrapgh you found on a blog named "sakurasdreamygarden.com"? A book you've read? Please, I'm not here to troll, I want to educate myself 😭 In this case it was also worth noting that someone in the comment added that 'maple leaves' is the literal meaning of Dan Feng's name (丹枫), in which case (this is just me adding my two cents) you could also argue that the maple leaves, specifically on Dan Heng's splash art, could symbolise the shadow of a past he cannot completely get rid of.

I was feeling like sticking my head in a lion's mouth when I wrote the 4th point 😂 And since I still do, I will just say that Mihoyo's pandering extends to hetero relationships too. Remember how I said these games remind me of Kpop? What I meant by that is that what they do is basically "All for the glitter and the aesthetic with zero commitment to the bit". So far in Genshin and HSR, they seem to focus especially on giving players shiny little toys to play with (attractive playable characters). And I say that their pandering extends to hetero relationships because as of now the only playable character with a semi-canon relationship is Welt, who's a Honkai Impact character (at least that's what I've heard, I don't know anything about Honkai Impact). I'm thinking especially about Yukong when I say this, because when she became playable in 1.1 I think, they wasted no time to clarify in 1.2 that actually Qingni is her ADOPTED daughter, which is basically like telling players "don't worry, Yukong hasn't been tainted by any man and is just as much of a shiny little toy freshly out of the box as the others!" Like, what am I supposed to believe with that? That for HSR the censorship this part of the fandom loves to bring up was magically extended to the heteros?

Also, I know nothing about Hi3 but since I love semantics, identify as a relationship fiend and still feel like getting shot by the fandom today, I'd also like to ask people to please explain to me how a kiss (yes, even on the lips) is objectively an undeniable act of romance. I'd argue that it's a sign of intimacy because it involves letting someone else get super close to you in a vulnerable moment, but that does not make it inherently romantic. Truthfully I'm just being facetious here but my sentiment is genuine: I would be eternally grateful if we stopped taking certain things for granted "because it's obvious" or whatever, and if we truly started to take the argument that many things in relationships are social constructs seriously. (PS: I mean "intimacy" here as "the state of having a close personal relationship with somebody", based on the first definition given by the online version of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Oh yes, Childe. I had heard of him before I started playing Genshin and when I arrived in Liyue I was like: "really? Is this the little guy you've decided to call daddy??" Childe's case hurts me less than Aventurine's solely because I decided recently that I would get Arlecchino and then uninstall the game for a while but I also really feel you! For HSR I'm here mostly for the lore and the Aeons and it really doesn't help that while I don't particularly mind shipping, it's something I indulge in sporadically, when a pairing scratches my brain just right. So I'm sitting here on the outskirts of the fandom watching people get mad at fictional corpos (the IPC, especially Topaz) but then jumping through so many hoops and getting up in arms to protect Mihoyo, or acting like the social justice police 😐

Oh and the fanarts you're talking about. I've been lucky enough not to see anything like that but like. Out of all the characters they could rough up they chose Aventurine?? Now it's reminding me of that one slave owner fanfic and I just have to wonder what it is about characters like him that always attracts the most unhinged fans.

They complain about Paimon hogging the spotlight in Genshin but then are taken by surprise whenever they fail to pick up hints, it's lowkey disheartening to see.

Honestly for Kaveh I feel like people had massacred Alhaitham's character even before Kaveh was introduced, to make it fit into any sexual fantasy trope. I just remembered this but whenever I hear about haikaveh or any shoe-horned ship for that matter, I start hearing this post:

https://www.tumblr.com/what-even-is-thiss/739539118572371969/sometimes-someone-just-isnt-into-you?source=share

The answers trying to make the character played by OP admit they've got hidden feelings is really how people with shipping lenses glued to their heads behave 😭

I'm also glad to see people focusing on characters individually and picking up interesting things about them! And I'm going to be honest: I mean this as disrespectfully as I can but if someone is surprised by reveals like that in a story like that, I'm just assuming they've never read anything else in their lives. Like, if your first reaction to anything in a story is to neatly categorize it as a trope (especially a romance trope) I genuinely need for this person to start educating themselves and engage with other media because there's just no way 💀 I can understand making assumptions / theories and then be proven wrong but this just on another level.

I hope I was coherent enough with all of this, and that you have a great day, evening or night too!

🪻

I’m so happy you like my writing 😭💚 I believe you can write amazing things as well. You’re really good at expressing your thoughts. The Argenti header is there because I like him and think there’s not enough of him in fandom haha.

The gleeful attitude some people have when their bullying succeeds is honestly repulsive. I only saw a bit of it, but it’s nasty how they act as if they accomplished a good deed. I daresay they even purposely go after people with differing opinions just to bully them into submission and feel good about it. As you pointed out, basic courtesy went out the window a long time ago due to anonymity of the internet.

Haha the Dan Heng maple leaf bit is proving my point! While people do try to be informative about symbolism and whatnot in character design, it’s also a means of validating their headcanons/ship. If Dan Feng’s name means maple leaves, then it makes perfect sense why maple leaves are a big part of Dan Heng’s design. Not everything about characters is linked to a ship, and I would love for more neutral discussions regarding the symbolism and culture behind their designs 😔

About Welt. I actually played Honkai Impact 3rd and read some of their comics (I was on the hunt for Su and Sumeru lore in preparation for Sumeru’s release). HI3 has a lot of canonical NL and GL pairings. Welt’s love is Frederica Nikola Tesla. There are more moments between them in the comic than the game, but it’s very obvious they’re in love with each other.

But of course, when he was introduced as a playable character in HSR, that part of him was buried. You can see Tesla in his splashart, but that’s about it. Same with Yukong. I was surprised they made her a mother since that’s a very bold move for a gacha game, so I knew there had to be a catch. And sure enough, she’s just an adoptive mother.

Gacha games are notorious for marking their characters single. If playable characters have a confirmed relationship, a lot of players would get very angry and jealous, and the company would lose profit. For example, I heard that back in 1.1 or so, Mihoyo wanted to release a lore book about Zhongli and Guizhong. I haven’t read it, so I can’t say if there was any romantic implication between them in the book, but Zhongli fans threw a fit, so Mihoyo scrapped it. Similarly, before Inazuma released, a leaker falsely said that Thoma was Ayaka’s fiancé, and again, the community got angry and cursed Thoma to hell. Ironically, it seems like players are far more accepting of same-sex relationship between characters than of opposite-sex ones 😅

I think kissing is strongly associated with romance because we have been conditioned to perceive it as such. Movies and other media make kissing a big deal between characters, there’s a lot of emphasis put on it as a turning point in their relationship. It also doesn’t help that practically every aspect of physical intimacy gets relegated to romantic relationships (hand-holding, cuddling, etc).

In our modern era, a lot of people feel isolated. Physical intimacy between an individual and their friends and family is rarer, so they think that if they get a significant other, they’ll receive the physical intimacy (and not only physical) that they crave. It’s a social construct for sure, but it’s very wide-spread and hard to break out of. At any rate, this is all just my conjecture.

Aventurine is a tragic case. I’m glad the amount of abusive fanarts of him has died down, though Childe doesn’t have that luxury 😔 I suppose the fuckboy type makes people think the character is up on a high horse, so they want to knock him down a peg. Some also perceive the trope to be inherently masochistic for whatever reason. I doubt we’ll ever know.

Lmao that post you linked! So true! That’s exactly how they behave! Gaslighting everyone, even the author, to convince them there’s romantic feelings between the characters when there are none. Characters used to be interpreted as friends, enemies, family, etc, but nowadays every character relationship gets seen as romantic. I miss the days when characters could be just friends or found family.

And I agree, Alhaitham was already butchered since the Sumeru Archon quest. People see a hot, muscular guy and focus only on how sexy he looks, and how hot it would be if he was dominant or aggressive, despite it not being his character at all. I get that people are free to imagine whatever they want for the sake of fun, but with how widespread some of those interpretations become, the character gets quickly reduced to tropes, and people forget what they’re actually like in canon.

To this day, there are still people surprised that Alhaitham is actually very nice and kind, even to children. He took in a broke man he didn’t particularly get along with and hasn’t seen in years, so if that isn’t a big fat hint that he’s a nice person, then I don’t know what is. As we have both agreed, a lot of people don’t pick up on the nuance of character writing 😔

Thank you for stopping by 🪻anon! I also hope you have a great day, and take care 💚

[myfairhudzen]

After so many years of Roxie not having a speaking line, we get these news. Wow.

I wonder who is voicing her.

There were a lot of theories about the third character, but most of them never went with this choice (or any surprise choice, for that matter).

I know how Feng fans feel, but I believe her day will come. Feng for playable!

I can feel Adam's chances to become playable getting thinner and thinner...

Also, look at Minette making a reference to "Jaws" (something tells me we would get Stanley, either)! Look at Brain Drain harassing our boy Beowulf (that's actually kind of cruel)!

This Guest Star thingy is filling me with hope (not for my favourites, though).