TinsRandomStuff

Writer. Both fandom and original stuff. This is the place where I gather ideas, prompts, memes, research and things relevant to whatever I am writing atm, and perhaps share updates if I remember to do so. Happy to answer questions about my stories! Will not be sharing anything not relevant to writing folks, this is the ⭐✨writing✨⭐ sideblog lvl30+

[tinsrandomstuff]

Some of my current WIPs, fanfics will be posted on ao3 once they are finished, updating approximate word count here while they still are WIP's. This is a looong post 😂

One part of my brain is sitting back, legs crossed, sipping tea, while there is chaos everywhere. "This....might be my circus." Ideas are bouncing around like in a bingo-machine, something is on fire, alarms are blaring, there a strobe-lights from somewhere, jakety sax is playing. "Those might also be my monkeys." Points at the hundreds of ideas having an all-out battle.

This is me trying to somewhat organize them...

Mainly writes for svsss, mdzs, and a small handful of genshin stuff, in addition to my original works

SVSSS:

Will add "Based on SVSSS Canon | Not CQSJ Canon Compliant*-tags to all my svsss fics to ensure people know which canon to expect!

- Peak Lord Therapy. 130k

The System Self-Saving option sent sy back to the time he transmigrated, instead of saving his life where he was at (Maigu Ridge.). The System powers off, for reasons, and SY!SQQ suddenly recovers his memories of his lives, plural, as SJ!SQQ. He does his best to deter all the problems of the last lives he did this, as well as finding a therapist that he can trust in this damn Xianxia-setting. Sorta a fix-it. Will be a polycule with LQG, YQY, MQF plus some metamours. Eventually. The fic is at well over a 100k and there is barely a single kiss, so this one will take for-fucking-ever before I post, I fear. Likely needs a lot of re-writing too.

Is going to be rewritten. Sigh. That is a lot of words to go through XD

-Qing Jing goes AWOL 2 - electric bogaloo. 10k

Set 11 years after the time they made their escape. Not certain whether it will stay no-romance or not, it could go either way. Gotta wait and see what the muses say

Miiiight turn quite a bit darker than AWOL 1, oops.

Oops 2: I now have two different sequels I am working on...

-SQQ runs away! 5k

Head Disciple SJ has to admit to his shizun that all his training in strategy can only lead him to one conclusion: his presence here will tear the Qing generation apart. It already does. So he thanks his shizun for the opportunity, hands back his uniforms, and leaves to roam as a rogue cultivator for a while. Might settle in a place after a while. I have some vague ideas there, and about this persistent lil girl that demands SJ be her teacher or something. We'll see what becomes of this, this one is mostly just vibes so far.

-Rewind, replay. 45k

SJ dies, then wakes up. Back as a slave, back before the Qiu's. Says "fuck this shit", murders the slavers and runs off, getting his slave-sisters as tag-a-longs and accidentally revives an old sect along the way.

-Shen Jiu Wan Jian disciple, 10k

What if he ended up on the third Peak instead of the second - and possibly worst place for his mental and emotional wellbeing? What if he had a shizun that saw the trauma he carried - and did something about it? What if he healed, while learning to keep track of all his sword-brained martial siblings, and also learning to forge weapons along the way?

-LiuJiu marriage shenanigans 100k

What was supposed to be something lighthearted and funny and smutty, "haha lets put lqg in situations"-story, but is turning into a far more serious plotbunny taking over my brain. LQG was cursed to marry the one that saves his life with no other intentions than to ensure he lives - and the Well Mission happens.

Cue shenanigans as LQG tries to find out why that damn curse is kicking in...and why he feels it ease off around that scummy, backstabbing shixiong of Qing Jing?

Well, it started as sweet and funny, and then the Plot and the Angst happened. Someone save me from my own evil brain plz

-Liujiu World hoppers 10K

SQQ and LQG meets another world's versions of themselves. Versions that has traveled between worlds for a long, long time. Something that might just be what brings this world's versions together.

Ties in with:

Reverse transmigration SJ story 50k

When SY takes over SQQs body. life, and everything, so too, does SJ take over SY's former life.

Will connect with World-hoppers after a while, and become a multi-verse thing.

Switcharoo - 10 k

SJ finds himself in the sick, dying body of the blood-brother he did not know he had. The brother he was sold for, so the family could afford treatment for the twin. And then, said twin decides to use their blood connection to switch their souls between their bodies. Shen Jiu is not taking that lying down.

Time-loop project, 15 k

SJ wakes with the memories of two lives filling his head. One, where he ended up in a demon tyrant's torture dungeon. Another where he was trapped inside his own body, as some stupid, spoiled young master from another world piloted it around, using everything SJ had worked for as if it was owed him, and disparaging SJ with every other breath. Now he comes to, beaten and bloody, with a all too familiar boy on the other side of a locked door separationg them, about to promise to come back for SJ.

No. Not this time. This time, SJ will not wait. This time, he will stay far, far from Cang Qiong and any other sect. This time, he will live for himself.

SJ courtesan-marriage fix-it 15k

What if, in almost all worlds, the madam of the Warm Red Pavilion suggested SJ and his friend, pregnant courtesan Ning, get married for convenience? He for better sleep, she to give her child a better life away from the brothel?

What if SJ's shizun and guardian said no, in all worlds? All but this one, that is, where he only sighed, and asked "who else did you sleep with?" And that is how SJ ends up with three beautiful friends for sleepovers every night wives, better sleep, better mood and patience, better reputation and relationships all over? What if the Qian Cao midwife becomes a friend, a gently bullies SJ into treatment for his old injuries, heart demons and twisted meridians?

The System is making trouble, lots of sub-plots happening, LQG is rubbing two braincells together, things are discovered...

(Brain made this one up over several days while resting with my eyes closed due to awful health. This thing, this idea...it is frikking massive. Whee this one's gonna take a hot minute to write out...I can already see the unhinged wordcount needed to finish it (prooobably several hundred thousand words)...but everything can be done, when fueled by spite and the brainrot!)

LQG joins the "harem" family too, everyone is shocked this is turning into another LiuJiu fic, right? Lol.

There will be more kids too, as nyy's mother wants little siblings for her daughter...halp, this is madness, brain! Brain please.... SJ and kidfic? Seriously? Brain...Brain we need to talk...

JiuYian divorce 10k

I have no idea what this is. It was an idea that refused to let me sleep until I wrote it, screaming in my head and singing the idea-version of baby shark on repeat until I gave up.

SY ended up Wu Yanzi's apprentice along with SJ. They became reluctant allies, then comrades in arms, then allied against stupid Qi-ge and the other snobs in the sect, then true friends then lovers... Nice! But we don't see that, no, that's just the backstory. The story is....hallmaster SY cheating on peak lord SJ with, dun dun dun, lbh... The two are of course exiled from the sect. Sy for having a physical relationship with a disciple, and sj certainly won't have the beast on hos peak anymore (he likes lbh no more than in canon, he saw the way the disciple looked at his husband but sy was, as per usual, oblivious until the seduction happened...)

Uh...brain? Braaaaiiin? Why? What is this? We starting this whole mess with a divorce? Like, wtf even is this? I have no idea what is happening, I am just writing...well, that is modus operandi for me, but I often have at least some vibes or vague scenes or dialogue guiding the way... Not so, here

And oh, LQG is there too, having secretly crushed on both the Shen's for years, but the two were married married, and sorta terrifying when judging everyone from behind their fans, and also sorta oblivious to LQG's quiet yearning...

Will it be LiuJiu endgame? I have no idea whatsoever. SJ will need to heal from another betrayal, at least? Sigh. All the shit my brain puts my faves through...

MDZS:

- Angry Purple Grape. 15k

Snapshots of life from right after the Sunshot Campaign and until after the Guanyin temple. Endgame Xicheng. Sorta dystopian vibes, if that makes any sense to anyone but myself.

- Break up get back together. 65k

Xicheng secretly became lovers just before the war ended. A year or so after that, an exhausted Xichen manages to say something that makes Wanyin believe he was just broken up with, and then the universe conspire to keep Xichen from realising this for far too long. Shenanigans in finding their way back together ensues. May contain corrupt Lan Elders and power-hungry Jins. Nie Mingjue lives!

....may even turn into mingxicheng at this point, who knows. Not me, that's for sure (aka the famous "the characters grabbed the wheel and drive into an electrical fence" happened, and I have no idea where this is going but I am having fun writing it)

- Modern. 40k

(Why am I writing Xicheng breakup and get togethers, plural? Oh, the yummy angst and feels, that's right.) Modern era, the great sects are sorta mob-families running a city. Shit goes down and Jiang Cheng has to leave his home that he shared with his lover/bf Lan Huan. Runs away and finds that cultivaton is real somewhere along the way. They will get back together, it's just going to take some time. Alternative title; accidental farmhand JC .

- Yu Wanyin. 40k

Yu Ziyuan saw where the wind was blowing and took her son with her to be raised as a proper Yu. Aka assassin Jiang Cheng vibes does a number on certain asshole-riddled sects. Also time travel shenanigans happening because why not. Turning into Xicheng too, because of course it did XD

- Sect Leader Yanli.

What if Jiang Wanyin died during the torture after he was caught leading that Wen-patrol away from his brother? What if the Yu decides to back her claim to the Lotus throne? What if Jiang Wanyin is not quite as gone as one would think? Might end up with a Calamity JC, who knows

ChengSu 10k

Uh, I have no control over the plot bunnies, I am sorry. (I read something and now it will not leave my brain) But what if ChengSu? What if Jin Rusong was Jiang Cheng's child? Cue the drama

-Modern MingXiCheng. 35k.

Yet another story that started as a fun little story that quickly grabbed all the other plotbunnies in the area and devoured them to grown into a damn monster. Porny, was supposed to be funny but is now rather angsty at times. Follows JC from teens to (currently 40s) along with the two other guys.

- Accidental dad JC 30k

Golden core shenanigans where JC is unconsciously rejecting his core, and ended up qi deviating during a night hunt. Yao poison shenanigans happens, the wandering cultivator that, ahem, helped out, dumps twin girls on him, and he has to scramble to turn everything on its head to accommodate them.

Oh, and Lan Xichen is there too. Oops (Yes it will be XiCheng lol)

Crossovers my brain cooked up while drowsing due to shitty health issues:

Dragons Shen Jiu and Jiang Cheng 10k

Shen Jiu wakes up (around time of transmigration fever in svsss) with memories of two past lives (pidw and svsss), and flat out refuses to do this again. It is clear SQQ is welcomed and loved, as long as he is not Shen Jiu. Well, let him solve that problem for his martial siblings! Following some obscure tales and trails from the Library, he finds the Border between worlds, and tries to cross it, willing to pay the price, after all, such a passage does not come for free. Ends up transformed into a dragon - as a Guardian of the Border. Free to roam as he please unless someone is trying to cross, he finds his new existence... tolerable. Almost pleasant (aka he becomes tea-buddies with YZY).

Dragons have human forms at will, this is important to know.

Canon mdzs shit happens while SJ is occupied elsewhere, JC gets himself caught by the Wen patrol to drag them away from WWX... Dies during torture... Is thrown into the river which awakens his Jiang ancestral blessing, and, dun dun dun, transforms him into a Jiaolong. Cue shenanigans trying to hide the transformation, Sunshot still happens, but differently, SJ shows up and is raging due to his friend being dead, Wen Ruohan and perhaps some others gets squashed... Fun times, fun times.

No romance, just two dragons trying to fit into a world where dragons are only myths, and also sorta becoming friends along the way.

Immortals (LiuJiuCheng) 25k

Inspired by another fic I read, where these three ends up as sworn brothers.

Disciple LiuJiu is sent on mission to, if not fix their awful relationship, at least learn to cooperate despite it. Cue LQG not listening to SQQ, triggering some ancient array SQQ was only partly done decoding, sending them into the world of mdzs. Meets the Jiangs (SQQ 19, LQG 17, JC 15 when they first arrive), somehow sorts some of their shit out while travelling and scouring libraries for traces of where and when they are. Sometimes teaches in payment for the access and room and board, becomes those feared teachers that terrifies the students with a single look but also gets results. does good deeds along the way, meets Baoshan Sanren who is glad to finally meet someone else who is (near) immortal in a world where even cultivators does not live all that long, SQQ forms his core far earlier than pidw/svsss due to slow healing happening along the way. Sees the writing on the wall regarding the Wen, but is too far away to reach Lotus Pier in time to help prevent the massacre. Goes on a rampage to find JC who the Wen are about to search for (after WN got him out after torture and core-melting). Finds them as WQ is about to perform highly unethical, experimental non-con surgery on distressed teenagers that just lost everything, drags JC to the real Baoshan Sanren to heal, accidentally helps JC become an immortal too since that's the way they know how to cultivate, makes the Sunshot Campaign happen differently, reveals the "immortal" bomb about LiuJiu to the cultivation world, helps rebuild and also search for the way home, becomes sworn brothers with JC (wangxian will happen in the background probably, shrugs), time passes, the immortal trio falls in love over time, and when they finally find a path home, LiuJiu might not take it...

Yes I adore the feral hissy cat side-characters, why do you ask?

Original works:

-The trouble with teachers. 90k

A bunch if tired teachers gets portaled into a magical world in place of the "chosen ones", aka a group of teenagers from their school. The teachers soon realises that the truth of being "chosen" is far from as glamorous as one could think.

- Another one?

A reclusive necromancer keeps getting unwanted children and the scapegoats of the nearby villages dumped on her dark, dreary castle's doorstep.

- Gods of the universe. 50k

Ye average spoonie in her 30s wakes up in a foreign world, in a foreign body, beside the lover of said body, and has to figure out what the heck just happened, while trying to not make things harder for the grieving lover than she has to. Unsure if this will be finished, needs a major rewrite as it got really bogged down.

[thelotuscloud]

WE'RE BACK! Tell your friends, tell your sect leaders - sign-ups for the Xicheng Bang 2026 are officially open! We hope to see you there!

Find the sign-up form here!

Writers, you have until June 21st to sign up. Artists & Betas, you have a little longer with sign ups staying open for you until June 28th.

Schedule, event rules and mod contact info can be found on the event carrd!

[luna-azzurra]

The funniest part of being a writer is that the thing that makes you good at it is also the thing that makes you impossible to be around sometimes. you notice everything. every hesitation, every word choice, every thing someone almost said and didn't. you clock the silence after a joke that didn't land. you remember the exact tone of a conversation from three years ago. people think you're quiet. you're not quiet. you're collecting. you're always collecting. it's a wonderful terrible way to be alive.

[liujiu-week]

早知如此绊人心，何如当初莫相识。 Had I known love would so entangle the heart, I would rather never have met you at all. — Li Bai

1 week until LiuJiu Week! Find the prompts here.

[luna-azzurra]

Thriller Dialogue Prompts!!

✮⋆˙ "I don't make threats. I make schedules."

✮⋆˙ "You should've stayed out of it. Now it's too late for that."

✮⋆˙ "The thing about secrets is they always find a way out. Always."

✮⋆˙ "I've been in this room before. The last person who sat in that chair didn't leave."

✮⋆˙ "You're looking for a monster. Stop looking so far away."

✮⋆˙ "I didn't plan for you to find out. But now that you have, we have a problem."

✮⋆˙ "Trust no one in this building. Including me. Especially me."

✮⋆˙ "Something is wrong. Everything looks normal and that's exactly why something is wrong."

✮⋆˙ "I've kept this secret for fifteen years. One more day won't kill me. Probably."

✮⋆˙ "You're not afraid of me yet. Give it a minute."

✮⋆˙ "I counted the exits before I sat down. Old habit."

✮⋆˙ "They found the letter. Everything we planned is falling apart."

✮⋆˙ "I'm not the villain here. I'm just the one willing to do what nobody else will."

✮⋆˙ "You should've run when you had the chance. Now we're past that."

✮⋆˙ "The last person who betrayed me is still missing. Think carefully."

[aceinthetrap]

Dynasty Flowchart (Extended) – Nüwa Hanfu

An ultra extended flowchart for identifying dynasties! Even identifying sub-periods of each dynasty. As always, this is a general guide ther

does the makeup look sad or happy? >>> goth & sad >>> middle tang dynasty [lmao]

[tinsrandomstuff]

Pookie I need to show you one of the college level art projects that are keeping Ming Fang trapped in the ugly sketch phase.

I am dead serious.

The carousel actually spins lol

Oh hey, sorry for replying late, I did not realize I had a new ask, I am so sorry!

Oh wow, that is such a fun project! I am impressed it spins! Well done! (When I last tried to make something in this vein it did not go as planned so I am genuinely impressed!)

[azzurina]

Villain Dialogue Prompts #2

♱ "You call that a plan? I've seen better improvisation from amateurs."

♱ "I didn't climb this far to be stopped by you."

♱ "You're not brave. You're just too naive to know fear."

♱ "Every hero I've faced said the same things. None of them are here anymore."

♱ "I don't break people. I simply reveal what was already broken."

♱ "You think righteousness is armor. It's a blindfold."

♱ "I gave you a chance to walk away. That was my one act of mercy."

♱ "You're fighting for people who would turn on you in a heartbeat."

♱ "Hope is just disappointment that hasn't arrived yet."

♱ "I didn't become a monster. I became honest."

♱ "You remind me of who I used to be. That's not a compliment."

♱ "The world doesn't want saving. It wants someone strong enough to rule it."

♱ "You're a candle calling itself a wildfire."

♱ "I've already taken everything from you. You just don't know it yet."

♱ "Loyalty is a leash. I cut mine the moment I saw clearly."

♱ "You bleed for people who sleep soundly while you suffer."

♱ "I don't need followers. I need the world on its knees."

♱ "Your courage is wasted on a losing side."

♱ "I was like you once... full of fire and empty of wisdom."

♱ "You want to save everyone? You can't even save yourself."

♱ "The difference between a villain and a visionary is who writes the history."

♱ "I don't destroy for pleasure. I destroy for purpose."

♱ "You're the last echo of a dying ideal."

♱ "When I'm done, they'll build statues of me and forget you ever existed."

♱ "I don't fear death. I've already killed everything inside me worth mourning."

[fastcodesign]

A Guide To Talking Dirty Throughout History

Ever wondered what they called anal sex in the 16th century, or cunnilingus during World War II?

Ever wonder what sex was called in the 1600s, how you might ask for a blowjob during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, or how your great-grandfather might have asked for anal sex?

Following up on his research which gave us 2,600 words for genitalia throughout the ages, slang lexicographer Jonathon Green has given us three amazing new resources, describing what sexual intercourse, oral and anal, and sexual secretions and contraceptives have been called at various points over the last 700 years.

Read More>

[kedgeree11]

I’m going to be more careful about announcing I need to go clean up the kitchen.

[fitchersvogel]

.

[lindentreeisle]

YES, YES I HAVE.

[airlocksandaviariesarchive]

2 genres of fanfiction:

1) put that guy into situations

2) take that guy OUT of situations for the love of GOD let them REST 

[ckret2]

#you put the sad guy in #you take the sad guy out #you put the sad guy in and you shake him all about

[ofools]

not gonna say it again!!!!

a BOG is a wetland that is acidic

a FEN is a wetland that is alkaline

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

FINALLY someone said it!!!!!!!

[quasi-normalcy]

a SWAMP is a wetland whose vegetation consists of trees or other woody plants

a MARSH is a wetland with other forms of vegetation

[lesbianshepard]

#A LITTLE LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK

[villainessbian]

a MANGAL is a swamp whose soil concentrates high amounts of salt and very low amounts of oxygen, supporting little else than mangrove trees

a PEATLAND is a wetland whose soil concentrates decaying organic matter, becoming peat

[big-smiling-monkey]

Oh yeah baby, keep coming at me with watery environmental states

[tiralatele]

[finofilipino]

Wait for the master.

[thebroccoligoblin]

The amount of confidence oozing from this dude

[jumpingjacktrash]

i re-watched it several times, looking for what he does differently. finally i spotted it. look at the line of motion in his strike. it’s not especially fast, he doesn’t wind up more than the others, and it’s not a matter of strength – the guy who knocked over the stand probably put more muscle into it. but there’s a unity of movement he has that the others lack. his body and sword are all one curve. everything moves at once along the same line.

from a physics perspective, that means all the force he’s applying is concentrated at the point of contact between his sword’s edge and the target, and it moves at just the speed that breakage propogates through the material. too slow and it wouldn’t have enough force; too fast and he’d get ahead of the break, shoving the target over instead of cutting it.

from a writing perspective, that means that i should focus on describing a master swordsman’s smoothness more than their strength or speed, and can also have witnesses be confused at the effectiveness of strikes that don’t actually seem all that fast.

[giuliaciulia89]

Martial arts are all about physics, my karate sensei is has a mechanic/physics diploma and he loves to explain the biomechanics of human body and how this was turned into fight via martial arts. It’s a very good way to teach. The sword master has a larger stance of the feet, much more than the others, allowing his barycenter to lower and thus giving more stability. This, united with the movement of the sword that follows the angle of his body increases the power of the blow without actually using too much muscle strength. Pretty sure he’s also just tending (not contracting) the muscles under the armpits, near the rib cage, the serratus anterior. That makes a huge difference.

[patentlyabsurdrpgideas]

Above: The science of moving like a master of martial arts.

[meret118]

What was most interesting to me is size has no correlation to success for any of the people.

[fellshish]

@ fic authors what do you personally consider a successful fic? What’s the bar?

[sherl-grey]

actually writing the fic down

[theseventhcrow55]

i get so emotional every time i think about fanfic culture. it's just so beautiful that people are writing and anonymously posting these thousand-word stories about characters we all love and not even getting any money or public fame from it. it's literally just for the love of the game.

shout out to everyone who participates in fanfic culture, be it reading or writing fanfics. you are contributing to such a lovely thing <3

[ao3commentoftheday]

(Probably a stupid question, but I am nervous) Is there a standart lenght of time one should let pass before leaving a "re-read this and still loving it" kind of comment? I normally try to wait a year to do so, but there is a fic I have been re-reading kind of non stop for 5 months and I kind of want to tell the author but I am afraid that would be annoying.

First of all, no question is stupid if you want to know the answer. Second of all, asking when you're worried about looking stupid is a very brave thing to do. Third of all, you won't be alone in wondering this, and I'll thank you on behalf of the other folks who wanted to know the same thing but didn't know who or how to ask 💗

From my perspective, there is no time limit on joy. There are no chronological bounds on love or appreciation. If you feel it and want to share it, that option is always open to you. The odds are very much in favour of you making that author's day no matter what.

I've had this type of comment on the very same day I published a chapter. I've had this type of comment years after posting. I've had this type of comment multiple times on the same fic from the same person over the span of years as they come back to reread it again and again.

Every. Single. Time. I'm awed and honoured and overjoyed and amazed and grateful. I'm simultaneously built up and humbled. When I talk about that feeling of connection and community that can come when people reach out to each other sincerely, this is an example of the type of thing I mean.

There are a vast number of types of people in the world, anon, so I can't guarantee you 100% that every author who posts fanfic will agree with me. But I'm willing to be real, legal currency that an overwhelming majority do.

[groovyfran-png]

"Do you insert yourself as the top/bottom of your favorite ship?" No, I'm the cameraman

[stiltonbasket]

curious anon-do you have any go-to language/terminology references for your fics?

Yes, definitely. Here's a mostly complete list: if I remember a few more, I'll add them in later. If you find this post through a reblog chain, please keep in mind that the version on my blog will be updated from time to time, so click back for additional references if the reblogged post contains broken links or doesn’t have what you’re looking for.

Masterpost of references for the MDZS/CQL fandom (re: terminology, look here for naming guides and a list of familial terms. You'll also find information on wedding and funeral customs, cultivation lore, MDZS maps and sect history, and novel/audio drama summaries.)

Click here to find the "40 Q&A's" interview with MXTX.

Detailed glossary/explanations of concepts in wuxia, xuanhuan, and xianxia novels. Look here for a guide to weapons, martial arts, more cultivation lore, and a few units of measurement.

Guide to the martial family. You can also find a separate guide through the masterpost.

Guide to modern/historical titles. This is a Wikipedia page and most likely incomplete, but came in handy after the guide in the MDZS masterpost was removed. 

Guide to Chinese nobility. Look here for basic information about the peer ranks of various dynasties.

For a guide specific to the Qing dynasty (aka, the one I used for Flowers in the Palace) click here.

For a guide to marriage, concubinage, and social mores and customs for women, try Marriage and Inequality in Chinese Society.

Guide to Chinese clothing, by @ziseviolet. Click here for information on historical fashions, hairstyles, accessories, and so on. Try this link for clothing/textile references for other countries/cultures.

List of mythological creatures. This is a Wikipedia list of individual pages and is most likely incomplete.

List of Chinese fairy tales and folklore (not comprehensive).

Brief overview of Chinese musical notation and guqin musical notation. Not detailed, but provides a fair explanation of how written music was recorded.

Color terms you're not likely to find with google translate, by @linghxr. These include translations for colors like cyan, indigo, luminous white, etc.

More about colors and their symbolism here.

Timekeeping. Wiki article about the dual hour, fifteen daylight hours, etc.

Traditional calendar. I bookmarked this page for the phenological month names used in TMAAF, but there’s a lot more information here. Look here for a list of traditional Chinese holidays.

For food: someone on Twitter made a detailed guide to the dishes that the characters in MDZS would have eaten, but I’ll have to go looking for it. In the meantime, try these links.

Hubei cuisine (Yunmeng): 1, 2

Hebei cuisine (Qinghe)

Shaanxi cuisine (Qishan)

Shandong cuisine (Lanling)

Jiangsu cuisine (Gusu)

(Note: most of the recipes in the Twelve Moons and a Fortnight verse are from The Woks of Life and Made with Lau.)

For individual words and characters: try hantrainerpro or its full dictionary index. Given a word/character, you can find its definitions, synonyms, other words that contain the character, and a list of different words pronounced the same way. I also use Written Chinese to look up the individual radicals within a character, but there are several better dictionaries out there.

For a mobile Chinese dictionary, try Pleco.

For help choosing Chinese names, click here.

You can find a chengyu dictionary with English translations here.

Rhyming in Chinese:

Mandarin rhyme finder by chinese-word.com. To use, replace the “ang” in the URL with the word ending you want: e.g., iao for words that rhyme with xiao, ing for words that rhyme with ying, and so on. If this generates a 403 error, wait for a while and try again.

Wikipedia article about yùnshū (rhyming dictionaries)

Mandarin rhyming dictionary tool by daddehs1