qzgs appreciation squad

50% dedicated screaming about The King's Avatar/全职高手, 50% other random shit

[unrivaled-super-hottie]

The King’s Avatar No-Romance Rec List

 So you just finished The King’s Avatar and are looking for fic to fill the void in your heart…don’t worry, I am here to help! I’ve prepared a list of recommendations tailored towards people who want more the king’s avatar but aren’t into all the shipping that fandom is typically known for.

All of the fic in this rec list are gen (no romantic pairings) and (in my opinion) have great characterization with a setting that is fairly close to canon (no crossovers/largely different alternative universes). Most of these are also complete, with a few incomplete ones I thought were still worth reading. They are put in some very very loose and subjective categories

Canon Expansion - more exploration into canon events, or fics set realistically within the canon timeline, including some post-canon stuff (near the end of the list)

Fleeting Fireworks by rsky

Translation of 烟花易冷 by 盛夏星尘.

In the first server, Eat My Sword met Eternal Autumn.

A story of friendship between two unlikely teens – lasting across accounts, arena PKs and a promise.

My Comments: ~15k words. An imagining of Huang Shaotian and Su Muqiu meeting pre-canon in-game and all the shenanigans that resulted

Fang Rui’s Fantastic Adventures in the Challenger League by Dayadhvam

“We’ll be called, This is a Respectable Team!”

Fang Rui: I knew this wasn’t a respectable team the moment I saw its name.

[Translation of 方锐的挑战赛奇妙冒险 by 七月没梨.]

My Comments: ~5k words, pre-canon imagining of Fang Rui’s challenger league run in season 3 that later gets him noticed and recruited into Blue Rain’s training camp. Really great humor 

see, a sea change by Dayadhvam

We Requite Evil: so what does Blue Rain see in you?

White Clouds Hide Dogs: Hand speed plus my handsome looks, of course! What’s not to like?

Snake Spear: wow does fang shijing need glasses

Every pro player has to start somewhere; Fang Rui’s no exception, thanks to Fang Shijing.

My Comments: <2k words, on a similar vein to the above fic, a story of Fang Rui’s time in Blue Rain’s training camp after he gets recruited (please note it is not a continuation of the above fic)

Furongwang and I, These Past Ten Years—An Essay Concerning the Effects of Inflation and Economic Development on Smokers by Dayadhvam

Abstract: “Furongwang” is a famous cigarette brand, produced in China’s Province Y, City K factories and sold across the country. In the past ten years, the Chinese economy has grown rapidly and influenced all aspects of people’s lives in society. The author uses price changes in Furongwang over the last decade as their starting point, without any data collection or sample surveys. It is worthless as a reference and fundamentally unfit to serve as a pretext for any reports concerning the effects of societal development on people’s lives.

Keywords: Ye Xiu, cigarettes, Furongwang, inflation, why haven’t wages gone up, all the money spent on cigarettes is enough to buy a flat in City B

[Translation of 我和芙蓉王这十年——试论通货膨胀与经济发展对烟民的影响 by 有求不一定应办公室.]

My Comments: ~4k words, Ye Xiu interactions over the years from the perspectives of young Su Mucheng, a random tyranny fan who met him on the bus, Team Happy, and Chang Xian (the reporter who first covered Happy). 

Maymay by Dayadhvam

The street vendors say the flowers are all shipped from Kunming, where the blooming season lasts longest. Tall tales, laundry, and egg yolks gone missing—Blossoms and Blood, as the seasons pass.

[Translation of Maymay by 撞羽.]

My Comments: ~4k words, honestly one of my favorite pieces on Zhang Jiale and Hundred Blossoms. It skips around in timeline, note the number in front of each section to tell what season the section is about

Hymns to the Young Phoenix by madmaenad

When Ye Xiu retired, he left behind three successors:

First, Sun Xiang, who inherited his account. Second, Tang Rou, who inherited his play style. And the youngest, Qiu Fei, who inherited his dream: Excellent Era, and the spirit it was meant to embody.

It is the lowest point in Excellent Era’s eight season history. Relegated to the Challenger League, the three-time champion team has fallen from the Alliance. This is Excellent Era’s lost year, and this is Qiu Fei’s tempering. This is Excellent Era’s end - and the seed of its rebirth.

Excellent Era will not fall.

My Comments: ~43k words, an expansion on Qiu Fei’s story including his trials at Excellent Era’s second challenger league attempt in season 10

just within reach by Autumn_Rain

For the first time since she realized Ye Xiu’s true identity, she begins to see Ye Xiu for who he is than who she expects him to be.

My Comments: ~8k words, an expansion on the new years scene where Ye Qiu visited Chen Guo and Ye Xiu for the holidays

Mistakes Were Made by TheDefenestrator

If you’re going to stream your exploits, you have to be prepared for things to go wrong. Things will always, inevitably, eventually go wrong.

My Comments: ~1k words, short, funny streaming shenangans

Honestly by TheDefenestrator

Everyone knows Wu Xuefeng isn’t a liar.

My Comments: ~2k words, another short funny piece featuring Excellent Era’s first vice captain and some of the shenanigans it took to keep “Ye Qiu” hidden

It Starts with a Dream by Autumn_Rain

In a collaboration with Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Glory Professional Alliance hosts an event in Shanghai so that the children could meet their idols and heroes. It was a normal publicity stunt and charity event until it stopped being one. Trust Ye Xiu to always derail the Alliance’s plans, but this time no one could blame him, or Han Wenqing, for that matter.

Who would expect them to be so good with kids?

My Comments: ~6k words, really sweet for when you want some cavities

Tactical Advance by TheDefenestrator

They’re called the four Master Tacticians, but everyone knows one of them came first.

My Comments: ~2k words, did you read the prequel with the younger master tacticians first meeting and want more of the master tacticians meeting up to talk? Well this is is the perfect fic to scratch that itch

[post canon elements]

Is Lu Hanwen 1.8 Meters Tall Yet? by ryukoishida, Syncogon

“I won’t become anyone’s shadow. I will become their pride.” In which the youngest player of the Glory Professional Alliance grows up.

A translation of 卢瀚文今天长到一米八了吗 by 除了超龄一无所有.

My Comments: ~7k words, Blue Rain through the perspective of Lu Hanwen that covers some of novel events and beyond

fondly roast and toast your dreams by halcyonine

Wei Chen holds a dinner to celebrate his championship win only six months after it actually happens. As it turns out, there’s more trash-talk than celebrating.

My Comments: ~1k words of just fun ribbing, includes prequel characters (Lin Jie + Wu Xuefeng)

northwest, the autumn by halcyonine

Level 100, remembrance, and the importance of sunscreen

My Comments: ~6k words, probably one of my favorite post-canon fics, set ~9 years post canon when Glory raises its level cap to level 100

Su Mucheng and Her Food by Dayadhvam

Young foodie Mucheng.

[Translation of 苏沐橙和她的食物 by pacific_nrm.]

My Comments: ~2k words, My favorite Su Mucheng headcanon! With some hints of how Su Mucheng would have been like as Happy’s captain

The Fountain of Youth by Dayadhvam

Ye Xiu retired. This was the fourth turning point in his life, and the first that would have nothing to do with Glory.

His return home this time seemed more of a reconciliation, tacitly understood between father and son. What followed close after was something that hadn’t troubled him for many years—confusion.

[Translation of 不老泉 by faurschou.]

My Comments: ~21k words, Ye Xiu character study set post-canon but pre-world invitationals arc

—

Canon Divergence (small event changes)

MOST SHOCKING TRANSFER IN GLORY HISTORY!!!! [LINK] by madmaenad

You have to read it to believe it! Glory fans, Season 8 is going to be WILD!

My Comments: Short (<2k words), fun piece to start off the list. What-if Ye Xiu transferred to Conquering Clouds in exchange for Sun Xiang instead of retired

In the Eye of the Camera by TheDefenestrator

Ye Qiu won’t appear for a match, but he’ll appear for press conferences. Due to his family, there’s a lot of difference.

My Comments: ~6k words, what if “Ye Qiu” made public appearances…with a twist

Awaiting Your Reply by Autumn_Rain

From the start, Ye Xiu has never cared for reputation or fan opinions. But even if Ye Xiu disappears from the public eye, ‘Ye Qiu’ still continues to exist in the eyes of the fans, and no amount of evasion can change how powerful and damaging a public image can be.

When Su Mucheng realizes just how much tension lies simmering beneath Excellent Era’s surface, she decides to fight a war before the first shot is even fired and sets out as Ye Xiu’s unofficial PR manager to make him the nation’s darling.

The end results are quite unexpected.

My Comments: ~25k words, INCOMPLETE, but still very much fun. What if Su Mucheng managed Ye Xiu’s Weibo account

===

Bigger Canon Divergence/Alternate Universe-level changes (but still somewhat within the realms of canon)

Chen Guo is Not a Crazy Cat Lady by madmaenad

Chen Guo used to run a perfectly normal internet cafe. Then the cats started showing up.

Chen Guo is Very Distressed.

Or: the story of how Happy Internet Cafe became Happy Cat Cafe.

My Comments: ~2k words, short fun piece in an alternative universe where Ye Xiu is a stray cat harassing Chen Guo’s internet cafe

Imperfect but Yours by Autumn_Rain 

Neither Su Muqiu nor Ye Xiu expect the basket at their door when they wake up in the morning. The tiny baby stares back at them with a happy, toothless smile.

“I thought you said you were an orphan.”

“…I thought I was, too.”

My Comments: ~13k words, INCOMPLETE, a universe where instead of being 3 years younger, Su Mucheng has a 15 year age gap. Really cute and funny 

World Champions by TheDefenestrator

At the end of season 4 of the Glory Pro Alliance, the government finally receives the information it has been waiting for: The other players have caught up.

Or,

In which Glory has been a government recruitment ploy for remote-piloted mecha operators all along.

My Comments: ~70k words, the closest thing to a worlds arc we’ll ever get, but set at the end of season 4 and with ALIENS (yes, aliens)

And I’ll Return from the West, with Victory at my Back by madmaenad

Ye Xiu dies at thirty-four, choking on the cancer in his blackened lungs, and wakes up to find himself a decade younger in a world where Su Muqiu leads the Alliance’s gods and he died before ever touching Glory. Now a homeless, penniless stranger, Ye Xiu works toward reaching the pro stage again. But an unproven twenty-four year old rookie is a risk only Royal Style, an ex-powerhouse team watching themselves slip into obscurity, is desperate enough to take. While protecting his secrets, Ye Xiu chases victory beside his new teammates, and finds a place in the lives of those who once knew him.

My Comments: ~38k words, Ye Xiu dies and time travels back to season 8 and joins Royal Style. 

Kaleidoscope by madmaenad [INCOMPLETE]

When you stop looking, sometimes the answer to your problems finds you.

My Comments: ~18k, what-if happy was already an established team under Chen Guo before Ye Xiu retired and Ye Xiu transferred to the underdog team Happy instead of making it from scratch

---

List last updated: January 11th, 2021

Before anyone asks: no, there is no gen fic I would recommend that acts as a sequel covering the world championships. Maybe you can be the one to write it ;)

Also as an end note i cannnot ethically recommend myself on my own rec list but if you do want to check out [my ao3] this is a small self-plug.

[mxtxfurbyzine]

🎉Presenting: Mod Spotlights!🎉

Introducing Gumi (@unrivaled-super-hottie), our talented head mod! She's in charge of organization, finance, and shipping.

"I'm never HEAD modding a zine again" -- Gumi, putting on her clown wig

[baqki]

OK to make a font out of your own writing

go here

http://www.myscriptfont.com/

instead of printing it off just use this blank thing that way you dont have to scan it or anything

so fill that out by pasting it in any art program and whatnot

then save it and upload it to that site

and itll give you an option to download it

so do that and then install it BAM

[dustandhalos]

[kittenmogu]

[pickle-inspect0r]

[ilikedaisiesinthespringtime]

I JUST GOT THIS ON MY TABLET IT’S SO COOL OH MY GOD

[nakadoo]

[jupiter24jay]

[movedtosaucymcfuzzy]

[zeekist]

for some reason it refused to recognize the third page of my letters but they were all pretty unnecessary mathematic things anyway so I’m not too worried. still something to keep in mind though, I hope it doesn’t happen for you!

[januarycomicsmonth]

paintfont.com would be a good place to go to quickly make a custom font for your comic!

[weavingmemories]

[timon-the-tomato-deactivated201]

ehh

It looks just as horrible in real life..even worse with the letter attached…

[frickmyrick-deactivated20170811]

[trveroman]

I’ll try this later.

[roachpatrol]

you can also use alternative alphabets

[authorloremipsum]

[cobalt-draws]

Welp. Guess I know what font I’m gonna be using for comics from now on. B)

[io-ooc]

Welp. Looks like I have to do this now. So I can use this for Tengri’s asks.

[keelime-art]

For some reason there is no apostrophe in my set, but it still looks cool.

[changephase]

NEAT THING ALERT

[kingloptr]

[mahouwl]

The site is now called https://www.calligraphr.com/en/ but it’s basically the same!

[marsupials-of-mars]

I’ve been wanting to make one of these out of my dad’s handwriting, he does last year and he used to write everything down about his life

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

calligraphr is a godsend for webcomic artists

[vixibombae]

best moments in gaming journalism

journalist gets real yakuza members to play yakuza 3 and asks for their opinions on its authenticity

that’s it

[vixibombae]

highlights:

“What’s with all the fucking gaijin in this area?” “Dude, don’t say that, use gaikokujin, it’s nicer.” “Oh, shit, right. What’s with all the fucking gaikokujin in this area?”

“The breaded pork cutlet bento box is like mega power. More than ramen. That’s accurate.”

all of them start dragging kiryu for his shitty cheap shirt for five minutes

“Shooting people sends a message.” “So does shooting anything.”

(after being told that massage parlors, mahjong, and hostess clubs were cut from the US version) “I feel sorry for the people who bought the American version. SEGA USA sucks.”

[tramampoline]

S: I don’t know any ex-yakuza running orphanages. K: There was one a few years ago. A good guy. M: You sure it wasn’t just a tax shelter? K: Sure it was a tax shelter but he ran it like a legitimate thing. You know.

[enemy-stand]

“Author’s note: A heated discussion takes place as to whether the game is stereotyping the yakuza, which is resolved when Midoriyama, a now-retired former mid-level faction boss, points out that the stereotypes about the yakuza are more or less correct, with the exception of their alleged prowess in martial arts.“

[smoqueen-deactivated20251108]

i’ve seen these quotes a hundred times but never the full article — 200k notes and i’ve never seen someone mention the guy saying “they should let kiryu smoke meth”

[grimeclown]

 “hi welcome to mcdonalds what can i get for you?”

“yeah can i get a deluxe quarter pounder with cheese?”

“absolutely, do you want the meal or just the sandwich?’

“uuuuuh hold on”

*fishes something out of my pocket*

“mikey what do i do?”

“get the fries. youll need the energy in the coming days”

*stuffs it back in my pocket*

“uhh yes please  the meal would be great”

[wingdingle]

this post legitimately changed the way i think about and consider getting meal deals

[ookamikuro]

Isn’t this the post that got the cease and desist from Michael Jackson’s estate?

[gay-jewish-bucky]

I looked it up

yeah it is, ifdsdhgk

[chilewithcarnage]

world heritage post

[totallynotagentphilcoulson]

[thelatestkate]

You can change if you want to, but you're already pretty lovely.

Shop , Patreon , Books and Cards , Mailing List

[tkafanzine]

We have one last giveaway thanks to a generous donor at the beginning of this project. This is for a full bundle of physical zine + merch with shipping included! 

To enter, please fill out this [feedback form]! (please also feel free to fill out the feedback form if you have already bought a copy and would like to just leave feedback!)

[allekha]

Today, let’s talk about Rudy Galindo.

His victory at the US Championships in 1996 is an underdog story if figure skating ever had one. It’s an iconic performance that could easily be the climax of a movie without changing a thing.

In 1996, Galindo arrived at Nationals without having won it since his days as a novice, or even having stood on the podium since he was a junior. (In singles, that is - he and Kristi Yamaguchi also skated pairs and were double national champions together.) He’d had some success as a junior - bronze, then silver, then gold at junior Worlds, the last the year before he and Yamaguchi also took the title in pairs - but once he and Yamaguchi split for good, he spent years without any big international assignments, with a best of fifth place at Nationals. By this competition, he was 26, old enough for people to start remarking on his age.

That wasn’t the only disadvantage he had working against him, though. First, after years of feeling like the judges were biased against him for being too camp and because of his Mexican heritage, he had come out as gay in a book published just days before. It was a bold move in a judged sport rife with homophobia and with very few active competitors who were out at the time.

Second, while skating demands large amounts of money, Galindo was lacking it. In the run-up to 1996, he was given zero funding or encouragement from USFS. He biked to the rink because he couldn’t afford a car; his sister started coaching him for free and helped to cover some of his expenses.

And lastly, he’d been through enough personal tragedy for a lifetime in only a few years. In 1989, his and Yamaguchi’s coach died of AIDS complications. In 1993, his father passed from a heart attack; in 1994, his brother, who he helped nurse, also died of AIDS; and in 1995, yet another coach of his died from AIDS as well. No wonder he needed to take an eight-month break from training after 1995 Nationals.

But the 1996 championships were in his hometown. And Galindo decided that he wanted to give everyone a performance they wouldn’t forget, not one they would cheer for just because he was the local competitor.

Spectators at practice sessions noted a composed confidence in Galindo, and he carried that through his short program. He was not the fastest skater on the ice, but his performance was enough to land him in third place (apparently to boos from the crowd, who thought he should be higher).

For his free skate, he wore a costume that not even the most conservative judge could object to, and skated to one of the most standard pieces of music in all of figure skating: Swan Lake. Galindo’s Swan Lake was unique, though, in that rather than a swan or a prince, he characterized himself instead as the evil wizard Rothbart.

Though he was last to skate, he betrayed no hint of nerves as he started his program, striking a few dramatic poses before landing a smooth 3A3T that made the commentators exclaim aloud. The bombastic opening section merged into a calmer one, where he showed off his flexibility:

And man, remember dramatically held spread eagles in big circles?

The music went light and playful, and Galindo became light with it, completing each jump and then continuing through his choreography with ease and grace:

In the last minute of the program, you can see him begin to smile to himself as his movements become celebratory.

He even took a moment to wave to someone in the audience :)

He finished his program with the traditional spin, showing off his nice layback position while the audience started to cheer and then didn’t really stop. Those who were there say that people were on their feet for him before he was done skating.

As he came off the ice, he hugged his sister, before he turned his head and shouted upward to convey his love to some of those he had lost. When the technical marks were announced, the crowd didn’t just scream their heads off - they started to chant their opinion for the artistic ones: SIX. SIX. SIX. SIX. SIX.

Two of the judges agreed, and the rest placed him high enough to win over the favorite, Todd Eldredge. And Rudy Galindo, the twenty-six-year-old who had never stood on the senior podium at Nationals or been sent to any major competition as a singles skater, who was bearded and Hispanic and gay, was now the US men’s champion.

(He’s often cited as ‘the oldest in 70 years’; however, this number seems to be closer to 60, going back to Roger Turner, and he was only a few months older than Tickner was in 1980. Still an impressive accomplishment!)

His exhibition was a tribute to those he and so many others had lost to the AIDS crisis, the theme made loud and clear by his simple costume consisting only a black suit with a large red AIDS awareness ribbon around his neck.

At his first and only senior Worlds in men’s singles, he won the bronze medal. Following this successful season, he considered making a run for the Olympics, but instead retired to the pro and show circuit, always receiving a very warm welcome from the audience. I highly recommend his pro program to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which yeah, is pretty gay and always makes me tear up at this moment:

Despite his struggles with depression and addiction, and an HIV diagnosis in 2000, nowadays he seems to be doing well. He works as a choreographer and has become a coach, and he often posts proud videos of his students.

[prismatic-bell]

I feel like it’s doing Galindo a disservice, when mentioning his Over The Rainbow program, to not mention that in the 1990s and 2000s this was a song commonly sung or played at queer funerals and candlelight vigils, especially those who died of AIDS. The history of the song being claimed by queer men goes all the way back to the debut of Oz in the 1930s, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to find out Gilbert Baker’s idea for the Pride flag came from the history of the “friends of Dorothy.”

This isn’t just Galindo taking a song about rainbows and skating to it. It is a song fraught with queer history and emotional weight.

[alexseanchai]

I found them on YouTube:

[knightofleo]

Kestrel-dad not sure how to dad but he’s trying his best.

[knightofleo]

[mortalatte]

oihina watching copa américa final together

(argentina won)

[asterartalley]

[Your fate has been realized.]

[humantested-turingapproved]

In case anyone is curious, you can put 27 toddler socks on a lazy cat and she won’t move.

[mostlycatsmostly]

23 ski caps and didn’t budge. 😺

[no-lives-matter-that-much-deact]

Four remotes a box of floss and a battery.

[the-addiction-of-you]

Another cat

[sadrien-depreste]

many oranges

[pumpkster-deactivated20250205]

ayo i found 2 pages with head angles of humans and animals, could be useful to anyone reading this

hoomans

animals

[netheritenugget]

Holy FUCK, this is an amazing tool.

[scrabbleknight]

Reblogging for my artist fellows.

[i-imade-a-thing]

Reblog this!

[syncogon]

[QZGS Reference] how characters address each other (CN)

https://cangcangcang.lofter.com/post/1bd280_1432d48

This is just copy pasted from this post; I’m just nervous about Lofter posts getting taken down for whatever reason. Untranslated (my apologies).

Keep reading

[queermaddscientist]

Get yourself a fabric store that will light your fabric on fire for you

No but legit I asked what the fiber content of something was and the guy didn’t know so he cut a chunk off and lit it on fire and felt the ashes and was like. Yeah this is mostly cotton with a lil bit of silk. And that was the moment I knew. This is it. This is the fabric store for me. Also that guy is marriage material. Not for me but damn some person is gonna be so happy with him.

[rawringthroughthetwenties]

Ok but this is actually one of the easiest ways to tell what something is made of! I did a textiles degree and one day as part of a class we all went outside with a pile of scrap fabric and set fire to the little pieces and recorded how they burned. We were given a chart that looked something like this to tell what each fabric was (it gets a little tricky is it's a mix of fabrics though). Why did we do this? There is very little regulation in the textiles industry so a lot of materials are mislabelled as something they aren't and sold for more than they should be, also sometimes people buy fabric second hand or discounted which doesn't have any label at all. If you have a fabric you are having doubts about, cut a tiny piece off and do the burn test and you should know pretty fast what you are dealing with. Anyways your fabric store should be lighting things on fire because this means that they are actually checking what the fabrics are and aren't trying to pass cheap stuff off as more expensive than it is.

[queermaddscientist]

Ooh! I knew it was a standard test but I hadn’t seen a chart as detailed as this thank you!

[lostsometime]

so if you’re looking for something flame-resistant, does that mean linen is the best?  since it takes time to ignite and is easily extinguished?

[white-throated-packrat]

No. Linen burns like paper once it catches. Wool, otoh, was used to make firefighters’ coats before flame-retardant synthetics were developed. If you need something actually flame-retardant, you’re looking at specialty fabrics.

[lierdumoa]

@lostsometime genuine leather. It’s way more flame retardant than silk or any plant fiber and way more readily available than specially engineered flame-proof materials. When I took a welding class we were required to wear genuine leather safety jackets and gloves.

We were encouraged to wear clothes made of natural plant fibers under the protective gear. If cotton jeans were to catch fire you could use your leather gloves/jacket to quickly slap out/smother the flame before it ate through the fabric to your skin.

On the other hand if you wore polyester pants, that’s essentially wearing plastic and it will melt right into your skin as soon as it catches fire, giving you way worse burns than you’d get otherwise.

[unrivaled-super-hottie]

We have gathered enough interest to produce the enamel pins! Pre-orders are now open!

Pre-Order through [THIS FORM]!

[chirmartir]

Ch💓

[br-nz]

Take the time to watch this, it’s MAGIC