The Dragon Girl★

Spica here! She/they. Multifandom I reblog whatever I fancy. I also post art in another acc! What I'm into rn: Zhan Zhao Adventures, Tales of Dark River, Transformers, The Land of Miracles, Professor Layton, DC/Batfamily, Merlin, The Witcher and a lot more. Art blog: @itsmespicaa

[spica-starson]

here’s a quick guide to Shenlan Qiyu Wushuang Zhu (or the Land of Miracles) by yours truly :-D

I love my silly boys a lot ok

now go watch the donghua, and then read the novel too if you want to :3

‼️IMPORTANT UPDATE (since 2024):

1. Full series is now available for free on Youtube on the official iQIYI channel: You can watch it here!

2. There is an unofficial EN translation of the novel done by Shunshunrika and World Gate, and the latter is still ongoing! 

You can read Ch 1 - 88 by shunshunrika here and Ch 88+ onwards by World Gate here :D (Do thank them while you’re at it! 🙏)

3. For more links and info about the series, you can check out the carrd page I made for it :) 

Happy watching and/or reading!! 🫶

[chimaerakitten]

So we all talk about being in fandoms for things that are charmingly bad, and being able to acknowledge that they’re charmingly bad. But of course some people are in fandoms for things that are Actually Amazing. There are people out there who write fanfiction for The Best Science Fiction Novel Of The Twentieth Century. Or who draw fanart exclusively of The Best Movie of All Time. And there are even more people who are in fandoms for things that are Actually Pretty Good, which is not quite amazing but is closer to it than to Charmingly Bad.

And sometimes, you have a string of fandoms that are Actually Pretty Good. And the danger of this—the very great danger—is that when you have a string of Actually Pretty Good and even Actually Amazing obsessions, you start to believe that maybe you have taste. Perhaps you are now immune to the indignities of losing it over something mostly bad.

And then it is shattering to discover that no, bad things can still stick a fork in your brain. 😔

[chimaerakitten]

So I understand why the “transformative fandom gathers around things that are not good because there being a problem makes people desire to fix it” model is popular. I even agree that it’s accurate in many if not most cases. However it is not what this post is about. Plenty of people do transformative and creative fandom activities for things that are very, very good. Simplified models do not encompass everything.

And frankly, it’s starting to really get on my nerves when people read “I think this thing is good. I wouldn’t change a thing about it and frankly I don’t even think there should be more canon added to it, but I am still going to write thousands of words of fic, make a cosplay, and draw fanart” and then completely misunderstand and respond with “yes I agree—I like things that are good too. But I never feel the transformative/creative fandom instinct for them because they are too good.”

Some people do not feel it. Other people do. Stop misreading me to avoid having to adjust your mental model of how fandom works.

[blessphemy]

one of the ways a Canon work can be fandom bait is by missing something that fans want to fix, i.e. "it's bad", but i think this is only one way out of multiple that something can be fandom bait.

compelling worldbuilding (invites interaction with the setting)

interesting gimmick (see: daemons, drift compatibility. subcategory of compelling worldbuilding)

shipping bait (duh)

original character bait (in-universe categories/factions and design elements that make it fun for people to create their own characters)

compelling narrative (invites interaction and tweaks to the storyline: AUs and fixits and so on)

basically anything that invites interaction and recombination. but fandom also has a sort of multiplying effect: the larger the interactive audience of fandom is, the more likely it is to generate ideas and works that draw in more participants. so:

network effect (the larger the established fandom, the more likely it has subfandoms and infrastructure that appeals to niche audiences)

[chimaerakitten]

Yes this exactly, thank you bless.

Things that have space to play in are fandom bait, but space to play in does not equal holes.

[guzhuangheaven]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 雨霖铃 | Zhan Zhao Adventures (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Ming Zhu'er & Zhan Zhao Characters: Zhan Zhao, Wang Zhao, Mǎ Hàn, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, Gongsun Ce Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Child Death, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant Summary:

The worst thing, Zhan Zhao realised, was returning to Dongjing, where he would have to tell everyone.

–

Basically I’m in denial and trying to cope. 

[sugarmage]

[bellringermal]

[thyrell]

[fendalan]

Way too funny not to share

[ms-demeanor]

[optimisticrunawaygalaxy]

[thekaumidyking]

Trust Gru

[lonelylonelyghost]

which makes total sense, because when you refuse to use violence to solve conflicts, you kinda have to learn to be a diplomat

[fortycumber]

zhan zhao adventures (2026)

[lonelylonelyghost]

oh uh

I'M DEAD ALSKASLKFJASLKFJADLKFJDSLKF

ZHAN ZHAO'S FACE LOOKS SO GENUINELY HAUNTED!!!!!

I'M IN TEARS

What did he see in this book? Was the brother into some hardcore stuff? I'm morbidly curious

lmaooooo

[rose-tinted-vision]

also re: Linglong's ending... I'm not entirely satisfied with it

like while I get that this was the best possible ending for her and her family (I was so worried that either her brother or xiao tang was going to die) I also wish that she didn't have to take on the mantle of sect leader and could continue being a free-spirited wanderer...

like she ran away from home to escape the chains of her arranged marriage, and now she's back in that cage (admittedly, she's the one making the rules now, but a cage is still a cage)

and also,, she has all these sect politics to deal with now that both her father and brother are arrested,,, and also restoring their reputation, etc.

like!!! she looked so happy when Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang came to visit 😭

but these are just my interpretations and my opinions,,, feel free to share your own 👀

[hyog-blog]

Despite Zhan Zhao's stoic and upright character, I do believe his ponytail is a very decent contender for the 'slutty ponytail list' :D

[guzhuangheaven]

lol this in the tag (spoilers)

[duncan-rohanne]

i can't believe i fell into another gay ship that is-

guy a: murder is bad

guy b: but whyyyy? i only kill bad people therefore murder = good.

guy a: no.

guy b: yes. i'm doing it to protect you, my sunshine

guy a: still murder, still bad. you stop that right now.

[spica-starson]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 雨霖铃 | Zhan Zhao Adventures (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Zhan Zhao & Huo Linglong & Bai Yutang Characters: Huo Linglong, Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang Additional Tags: Found Family, Fluff, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hugs, Grief/Mourning, They are emotionally married to each other your honor, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant Summary:

“Headmaster,” called out a disciple. “There are two people asking for your audience.”

Linglong felt her smile slowly slip off her lips. Xiao Zhao had told her she didn‘t need to plead to the Emperor directly, not while he was there, and for that she was grateful. But what if he and the letter weren’t enough after all?

“Who are they?”

“One of them calls himself Ding Zhaohui—”

She froze.

“—and the man with the bamboo hat calls himself Zhan Rifei.”

(Or: the post-canon reunion we never got 😭🫶)

[rekas-bitches]

I love, love, LOVE it when I can tell a fic author has integrated their specialized knowledge in a fic. I was reading a fic that at some point included the character going to visit an art therapist, and it's so clear that the author is an art therapist themself, and the details included are just immaculate and I love it. I've previously read about a character doing fencing for no other reason than the author clearly wanting to write a sport they understood. A character being given a hyperfixation on bugs just so the author can infodump themselves.

I eat it up every time, it brings such a smile to my face

[cheaphalloweencostume]

jesus christ i have to actually draw in order for me to be drawing again

[uss-edsall]

Does anyone have this picture

But it’s a parody of Master and Commander’s opening title

I swear I have seen this before and I cannot for the life of me find it

[kesslersymbolic]

This image?

[uss-edsall]

YES

[eddardsharpe]

[bacony-cakes]

PNG'D! (i didn't know the font so this is taken directly from the image)

+ bonus italian navy vessel

[catgirl-kaiju]

[2-beadyeyes-deactivated20251104]

um. cut him in half

[gorbling]

hot dog or hamburger style, boss

[ibelieveinme1]

Best anime ever....