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Cool Stuff I Saw - July 2020
I have a lot of links this month. Can you believe we're in the second half of 2020? That "summer" is like half over?
On a personal note, I finally got my professional designation yesterday so I'm in a happy mood :)
Current Events
- I read an article about foreign sanctions on the Chinese economy. It indicated an interesting thought about how China might not be receding from the global economy and trying to become more self-sufficient. By all means, China is being attacked from all sides and it would make sense for them to establish self-sufficiency. (Link0
- I read another article about immigration in Hong Kong. It seems that most people immigrate from Hong Kong not necessarily because of China's political stance, but rather because of the uncertainty. This makes sense, as I think I would identify with this mindset as well. If the political situation harshened, most people would learn to deal with it (not that I am advocating for China's strict security laws. But if I was not a wealthy person with no means to immigrate out of the city, I think I would learn to live around those roadblocks). In reality, it seems most people are probably more worried about the unrest and the constantly changing political situation, which makes it an unstable place to live, especially if you're responsible for a family. (Link)
- I read an article about some of the tools used by China to track and control Coronavirus that likely would be impossible in Western nations. (Link)
- I will have to do more research about this topic, but this twitter thread called into question the legitimacy of some of the news reports on Uyghur activists. Again, this is something I will have to educate myself about before drawing a conclusion. (Link)
Life
- I read an article stressing the importance of casual acquaintanceships and casual friendly interactions. (Link)
- I read about a place called Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan. (Link)
- A Twitter thread about adults living with parents. As an adult who lives with my parents, I hate the stigma that's really only become popular in 20th and 21st century North America. (Link)
Crafts
- I'm trying to get better at colouring and looked up how to figure out where to shade. (Link)
Internet
- I watched a video on how the Alt-Right "recruits" members online. Pretty scary stuff. Informative nonetheless. (Link)
Video Games
- I was reminiscing and going through the old stuff of an artist I used to follow a lot by the name of Doubleleaf. Apparently they hold a Guiness World Record. (Link)
- I was going through Doubleleaf's Deviantart account. It doesn't seem complete though (there are some favourite pieces that I remember but couldn't find in Doubleleaf's gallery). Anyway, here are a whole bunch of their art on their Deviantart that I like (mostly Assassin's Creed, but a few other miscellaneous fandoms). Starred links are pics that I really liked :) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10*) (11) (12) (13*) (14) (15*) (16) (17*) (18*) (19*) (20*) (21*) (22) (23) (24*) (25*) (26) (27*) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32*)
- A long time ago, I created a Fire Emblem: Fates marriage chart and posted it on Reddit. A commenter asked to post it in a Serenesforest thread, which I said okay to. I just remembered it again today and went to Serenesforest to find the post lol. (Link)
- I was looking up recommended builds for Shigure from Fire Emblem Fates. I'm still not really sure what the best build for him is. Most recommend capitalizing on his high skill and speed, but I worry about his low defense, and I like Shigure so I don't want him to be too squishy :/ This is a work in progress. (Link)
- I'm getting into Metal Gear Solid, and I'm interested with the code names lol. (Code name generator) (NPC code names) (Earned code names from MGSV)
- The only thing that stopped me from buying a Nintendo Switch Lite was the extremely small text size of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Here's a tweet with the comparisons between Awakening and Three Houses. (Link)
- Someone created this website with some FE3H information. (Link)
Comics
- I saw a Tweet about how a fan found comics fandom more enjoyable when it was less mainstream. I agree with that, because there is less argument over what is canon. Comics are notorious for having millions of different story lines. As a very casual comics fan, I usually just pick the plot line that makes the most sense to me as my preferred plot line, and just move on with my life. But with MCU, there is now a plot line that is presented as more legitimate just because of how popular it is compared to all of the story lines in the comics. (Link)
History
- A diver discovered evidence of ancient mining. Apparently the evidence was found in a cave, and because the cave was flooded, it slowed the oxidization, which was very cool. (Link)
- I read an article about two Jewish brothers who lived during the Holocaust. Their father was an upholsterer who was imprisoned. (Link
Chinese Culture
- I got curious about dyslexia in Chinese (since it isn't a language that involves spelling). I only managed to find out a little bit about it though. (Link)
- Here is a Twitter thread on Chinese names. Fortune telling and names is something that I'm super fascinated with, but there aren't many English-language resources on it. In addition, most of the Chinese resources are sort of a Sparknotes version. If you want the details on how to do the calculations, you'd likely have to pay someone to do it for you or enter into formal studies. (Link)
- I didn't realize that "Sho Po Lang" was a reference to Chinese astrology. (Link)
- Here is a Tweet that talks about the mistranslation of 知己 "zhiji" as "soulmate" in the Untamed. I tend to agree with this Tweet. As a Chinese person, I've always interpreted 知己 as a best bro, basically someone who knows you inside and out. It doesn't have romantic connotations at all, and now the English fandom has taken that line out of context and blown it up >.> (Link
- On a recent episode of Go Fridge (a Chinese variety show), Bai Jingting mentioned that he was named after Jingting Mountain. (Link)
- I read about a photojournalist during the Cultural Revolution called Li Zhensheng. (Link 1) Here is his website. (Link 2)
- I was doing research on old naming customs for sons in Ancient China. Specifically, I was trying to find out if there were any names beyond 伯仲叔季. (Link)
- This article explained the difference between the xing and shi family names in Ancient China. (Link)
Western Entertainment
- I finally got around to watching HBO's Chernobyl. Here's a link that has the script of the entire show. (Link
Chinese Literature
- I've been reading the Return of the Condor Heroes. When Yang Guo and Xiaolongnv are about to battle Gongsun Zhi, they pick a pair of swords called "Gentleman" and "Lady." I was reading an English translation (for speed purposes) and wanted to now the Chinese names, so I had to look for the actual text. By the way, the swords' real Chinese names are 君子 (which I had guessed) and 淑女 (which I could not guess). This is a link to the specific chapter that the swords were first introduced. (Link)
- I found two websites with lots of Chinese texts to read for free. (Link 1) (Link 2)
Chinese/Taiwanese Entertainment
- I was watching the Story of Minglan earlier this month, and a minor character looked familiar. I looked up the actor, called Wang Yongquan and it looks like he's been in a lot of stuff (including Nirvana in Fire as Xia Jiang). (Link)
- I saw some fanart for History2: Crossing the Line. Too bad there wasn't a better angle of the picture. (Link)
- Here's a photo of Jake Hsu, who was one of the mains in History3: Trapped, and Zach Lu, who was one of the mains in History2: Crossing the Line. (Link)
- I saw a Tweet that resonates with me, with regards to how Chinese and Chinese diasporic people feel about Chinese media *cough*MDZS*cough* getting popular with non-Chinese people. (Link)
- This is obviously a satire Tweet, but it's about how Western fans sometimes feel the need to "speak up" about social issues in Chinese culture and fandom but don't completely understand the context. (Link)
- Here is some miscellaneous Wei Daxun/Bai Jingting stuff I found. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7-1) (7-2) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13 - compilation videos) (14 - compilation videos)
- Some Wei Daxun/Bai Jingting pins. (Link 1 (Link 2)
- A Wei Daxun/Bai Jingting derivative fanvideo series. (Link)
- Some Who's the Murderer stuff. (Pins) (Harry Potter crossover fanart)
- My mind cannot process the idea of Qin Hao being on a variety show, but here he is with Wei Daxun lol. (Link)
- Wei Daxun, Bai Jingting, and Tan Songyun hanging out :) (Link)
- Miscellaneous shenaniganery on that episode of Go Fridge with Jing Boran and Bai Jingting (and Jackson is back). (Link 1) (Link 2)
- Technically belongs in the above section but I just wanted to draw attention to this fanart of Bai Jingting and Jing Boran from the Go Fridge episode because it looks great! Love that lil Jackson in the front seeking attention as usual lol. (Link)
- I didn't realize that Jing Boran was on an episode of Who's the Murderer and now I'm looking forward! I have season 4 and season 5 to catch up on. (Link)
- I saw some adorable Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng fanart on Twitter. I love how LXC was drawn as this big crybaby desperate for attention haha. (Link)
- Apparently Jing Boran, Bai Jingting, and Wei Daxun hang out :3 (Link)
- As I mentioned, Bai Jingting talked about his name in a recent Go Fridge episode. He talked about how his name used to be mistaken for a girl's name, and also what his grandfather had originally intended his name to be. Here are some spoof movie posters for movies that feature him and his "alter egos." (Link)
- Bai Jingting's Olay ad. It features Xiaobai in two of his most iconic looks, which is (1) glasses and (2) muscular. Also features some redraws of some of the scenes but personally I don't think the drawn versions really look like him. (Link)
- Some more Bai Jingting. (Link)
On a personal note, I finally got my professional designation yesterday so I'm in a happy mood :)
Current Events
- I read an article about foreign sanctions on the Chinese economy. It indicated an interesting thought about how China might not be receding from the global economy and trying to become more self-sufficient. By all means, China is being attacked from all sides and it would make sense for them to establish self-sufficiency. (Link0
- I read another article about immigration in Hong Kong. It seems that most people immigrate from Hong Kong not necessarily because of China's political stance, but rather because of the uncertainty. This makes sense, as I think I would identify with this mindset as well. If the political situation harshened, most people would learn to deal with it (not that I am advocating for China's strict security laws. But if I was not a wealthy person with no means to immigrate out of the city, I think I would learn to live around those roadblocks). In reality, it seems most people are probably more worried about the unrest and the constantly changing political situation, which makes it an unstable place to live, especially if you're responsible for a family. (Link)
- I read an article about some of the tools used by China to track and control Coronavirus that likely would be impossible in Western nations. (Link)
- I will have to do more research about this topic, but this twitter thread called into question the legitimacy of some of the news reports on Uyghur activists. Again, this is something I will have to educate myself about before drawing a conclusion. (Link)
Life
- I read an article stressing the importance of casual acquaintanceships and casual friendly interactions. (Link)
- I read about a place called Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan. (Link)
- A Twitter thread about adults living with parents. As an adult who lives with my parents, I hate the stigma that's really only become popular in 20th and 21st century North America. (Link)
Crafts
- I'm trying to get better at colouring and looked up how to figure out where to shade. (Link)
Internet
- I watched a video on how the Alt-Right "recruits" members online. Pretty scary stuff. Informative nonetheless. (Link)
Video Games
- I was reminiscing and going through the old stuff of an artist I used to follow a lot by the name of Doubleleaf. Apparently they hold a Guiness World Record. (Link)
- I was going through Doubleleaf's Deviantart account. It doesn't seem complete though (there are some favourite pieces that I remember but couldn't find in Doubleleaf's gallery). Anyway, here are a whole bunch of their art on their Deviantart that I like (mostly Assassin's Creed, but a few other miscellaneous fandoms). Starred links are pics that I really liked :) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10*) (11) (12) (13*) (14) (15*) (16) (17*) (18*) (19*) (20*) (21*) (22) (23) (24*) (25*) (26) (27*) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32*)
- A long time ago, I created a Fire Emblem: Fates marriage chart and posted it on Reddit. A commenter asked to post it in a Serenesforest thread, which I said okay to. I just remembered it again today and went to Serenesforest to find the post lol. (Link)
- I was looking up recommended builds for Shigure from Fire Emblem Fates. I'm still not really sure what the best build for him is. Most recommend capitalizing on his high skill and speed, but I worry about his low defense, and I like Shigure so I don't want him to be too squishy :/ This is a work in progress. (Link)
- I'm getting into Metal Gear Solid, and I'm interested with the code names lol. (Code name generator) (NPC code names) (Earned code names from MGSV)
- The only thing that stopped me from buying a Nintendo Switch Lite was the extremely small text size of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Here's a tweet with the comparisons between Awakening and Three Houses. (Link)
- Someone created this website with some FE3H information. (Link)
Comics
- I saw a Tweet about how a fan found comics fandom more enjoyable when it was less mainstream. I agree with that, because there is less argument over what is canon. Comics are notorious for having millions of different story lines. As a very casual comics fan, I usually just pick the plot line that makes the most sense to me as my preferred plot line, and just move on with my life. But with MCU, there is now a plot line that is presented as more legitimate just because of how popular it is compared to all of the story lines in the comics. (Link)
History
- A diver discovered evidence of ancient mining. Apparently the evidence was found in a cave, and because the cave was flooded, it slowed the oxidization, which was very cool. (Link)
- I read an article about two Jewish brothers who lived during the Holocaust. Their father was an upholsterer who was imprisoned. (Link
Chinese Culture
- I got curious about dyslexia in Chinese (since it isn't a language that involves spelling). I only managed to find out a little bit about it though. (Link)
- Here is a Twitter thread on Chinese names. Fortune telling and names is something that I'm super fascinated with, but there aren't many English-language resources on it. In addition, most of the Chinese resources are sort of a Sparknotes version. If you want the details on how to do the calculations, you'd likely have to pay someone to do it for you or enter into formal studies. (Link)
- I didn't realize that "Sho Po Lang" was a reference to Chinese astrology. (Link)
- Here is a Tweet that talks about the mistranslation of 知己 "zhiji" as "soulmate" in the Untamed. I tend to agree with this Tweet. As a Chinese person, I've always interpreted 知己 as a best bro, basically someone who knows you inside and out. It doesn't have romantic connotations at all, and now the English fandom has taken that line out of context and blown it up >.> (Link
- On a recent episode of Go Fridge (a Chinese variety show), Bai Jingting mentioned that he was named after Jingting Mountain. (Link)
- I read about a photojournalist during the Cultural Revolution called Li Zhensheng. (Link 1) Here is his website. (Link 2)
- I was doing research on old naming customs for sons in Ancient China. Specifically, I was trying to find out if there were any names beyond 伯仲叔季. (Link)
- This article explained the difference between the xing and shi family names in Ancient China. (Link)
Western Entertainment
- I finally got around to watching HBO's Chernobyl. Here's a link that has the script of the entire show. (Link
Chinese Literature
- I've been reading the Return of the Condor Heroes. When Yang Guo and Xiaolongnv are about to battle Gongsun Zhi, they pick a pair of swords called "Gentleman" and "Lady." I was reading an English translation (for speed purposes) and wanted to now the Chinese names, so I had to look for the actual text. By the way, the swords' real Chinese names are 君子 (which I had guessed) and 淑女 (which I could not guess). This is a link to the specific chapter that the swords were first introduced. (Link)
- I found two websites with lots of Chinese texts to read for free. (Link 1) (Link 2)
Chinese/Taiwanese Entertainment
- I was watching the Story of Minglan earlier this month, and a minor character looked familiar. I looked up the actor, called Wang Yongquan and it looks like he's been in a lot of stuff (including Nirvana in Fire as Xia Jiang). (Link)
- I saw some fanart for History2: Crossing the Line. Too bad there wasn't a better angle of the picture. (Link)
- Here's a photo of Jake Hsu, who was one of the mains in History3: Trapped, and Zach Lu, who was one of the mains in History2: Crossing the Line. (Link)
- I saw a Tweet that resonates with me, with regards to how Chinese and Chinese diasporic people feel about Chinese media *cough*MDZS*cough* getting popular with non-Chinese people. (Link)
- This is obviously a satire Tweet, but it's about how Western fans sometimes feel the need to "speak up" about social issues in Chinese culture and fandom but don't completely understand the context. (Link)
- Here is some miscellaneous Wei Daxun/Bai Jingting stuff I found. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7-1) (7-2) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13 - compilation videos) (14 - compilation videos)
- Some Wei Daxun/Bai Jingting pins. (Link 1 (Link 2)
- A Wei Daxun/Bai Jingting derivative fanvideo series. (Link)
- Some Who's the Murderer stuff. (Pins) (Harry Potter crossover fanart)
- My mind cannot process the idea of Qin Hao being on a variety show, but here he is with Wei Daxun lol. (Link)
- Wei Daxun, Bai Jingting, and Tan Songyun hanging out :) (Link)
- Miscellaneous shenaniganery on that episode of Go Fridge with Jing Boran and Bai Jingting (and Jackson is back). (Link 1) (Link 2)
- Technically belongs in the above section but I just wanted to draw attention to this fanart of Bai Jingting and Jing Boran from the Go Fridge episode because it looks great! Love that lil Jackson in the front seeking attention as usual lol. (Link)
- I didn't realize that Jing Boran was on an episode of Who's the Murderer and now I'm looking forward! I have season 4 and season 5 to catch up on. (Link)
- I saw some adorable Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng fanart on Twitter. I love how LXC was drawn as this big crybaby desperate for attention haha. (Link)
- Apparently Jing Boran, Bai Jingting, and Wei Daxun hang out :3 (Link)
- As I mentioned, Bai Jingting talked about his name in a recent Go Fridge episode. He talked about how his name used to be mistaken for a girl's name, and also what his grandfather had originally intended his name to be. Here are some spoof movie posters for movies that feature him and his "alter egos." (Link)
- Bai Jingting's Olay ad. It features Xiaobai in two of his most iconic looks, which is (1) glasses and (2) muscular. Also features some redraws of some of the scenes but personally I don't think the drawn versions really look like him. (Link)
- Some more Bai Jingting. (Link)