ruico

 Oo, I adore this challenge! 




This one was super fun! I'm happy to see that I'm still hopeful for my future in fandom, and it's nice remembering that despite feeling like it, it's not like I didn't do anything last year. I love questionnaire-style things like this, 

Hello again! I took a break bc no inspiration, but back on my bullshit. :3


This one was hard, because at first I thought I no longer really used any fandom resources, but I thought further about it, and then I got a bit embarrassed, bc the resources I use aren't very directed at transformative fandom, but rather just the game aspect. Yes, I'm still talking about Genshin Impact.

I don't really feel the need to link any specific things, because there's no actual site I consistently go to before checking google. For character builds, I search for "*character name* build" and usually check the top 3 links, mainly game8.co, gamewith.net, and genshin.gg. I also like watching youtube vids that explain a bit more about how to use the characters, combos and teams, etc. -- having done a lot of the hard work for me already.

I enjoy honeyimpact for checking out either stuff from the beta (yes I don't mind leaks lol) or voicelines/lore, but I also like the genshin wikia for specific character info or lore on the NPCs, places, etc. that I don't remember. I guess this is quite useful for fic writing and such!

In general I've already complained a lot about the twitter fandom, and tiktok + instagram are both much worse. I really enjoy youtube, though, because you can find videos for pretty much anything you are into. I really like lore vids and, yeah, builds + tests and such. I absolutely love that the game has so many different aspects that I can enjoy in so many different ways. 

I also have my own spreadsheet, so I guess I am sort of my own resource as well, lol. I wish I could share a good community, but I have yet to find one. Sorry, this one was very fandom specific! I guess as a general one, it's easy enough to say dw, and snowflake challenge. I am really enjoying getting to know so many different people with even more differing interests!

Hello again! Going strong with the snowflake challenge, not so much with everything else in my life, lol! Short side note, todays goals are: going to bed before 2am, shower right after posting this, preparing lunch for tomorrow ahead!


I have so many of these that I am going to have a hard time choosing. In fact, I might just go ahead and pick 3 instead.

1. I had this fic idea last summer, about Beijing opera, focusing on a Genshin Impact character that wasn't out yet, mainly just mentioned by others in passing. I wanted to focus on the friendship between two chars I don't really care much for together outside of this fic idea, despite their relationship being one of the most popular ones in the fandom, lol. Sadly, the character is out now and it feels 'too late'.

2. I had a painting idea, where I wanted to do a fannish version of the kiss by Gustav Klimt with a pairing I like. One of the characters also has a golden theme with lovely geometrical patterns that would suit it so well. Sadly, I am not good at oil painting, lol.

3. Just one last "ah, I wish I did this when I had it planned, but now it's too late" general statement. I have so many ideas that I am excited about, but then stuff happens in canon or fanon that technically makes it even better, but my brain is idiotic about doing things before, I think I still have a tiny "I liked it before it's big" kid living inside me, lol! I sadly have way too many situations like this from last year, where I figured out something would happen in the game (Genshin Impact) and wanted to write a story about it, but then others started talking about it, and I was like welp... too late. It's never too late, self! You are just a little coward! But I guess working on being more chill about invisible and inexistent deadlines is also something I can work on this year. And learning oil painting, lol.

Fun fact: even with stuff like snowflake, I also tend to get super anal about doing things 'the right way', not that I care about how others do it, it's just rules for myself. But like, having to do all challenges, having to do them in the right order, etc. Even though it's mentioned countless times that it's a chill challenge, but my brain does not listen, haha! ٩(๑`ȏ´๑)۶

Hi! I actually saw the challenge for day 3 right as it came and originally wanted to post something real quick, then decided against it. I'm still not really sure how I'll do this, so take this as a warning for a somewhat confused and very much unorganised ramble ahead. 


I recently started thinking about an AU of Genshin Impact, in which the characters involved are pro gamers, playing a made up competitive version of the game itself. While do not have a strong opinion on pro gamer AUs (well -- not my fav, to be exact), I think the interesting aspect is how the AU itself is shaped by canon. Since I decided to base the game off of the real thing (spiral abyss, but more competitive and multiplayer, with everyone only playing one character, more PvP focused, etc), I had a lot to take inspiration from, which I both find fun and interesting as the author, but I'd also enjoy it as reader, the fact that you can recognise things from the original piece of media, even if its changed completely so that it fits into the new, different alternative universe. The story itself actually sprang from an idea I had after thinking about the relationship between two characters, and how I would try to write it in a more normal setting (one character being created by the other, for the other).

I think the point was that the AU itself can be great or horrible, or just boring and unfitting, depending on the canon and how you choose to adapt it into the setting. 

The only specific AU I could come up with is Pacific Rim, and I'm happy its becoming a classic in fanfics. It works incredibly well with exploring relationships, both romantic and platonic, and it features two of the objectively best things ever: mecha and kaiju.

Another fun kind of AU is also the unexpected ones, where you feel the author's passion for the subject shine through. For example, if it's a special interest of theirs, something they know from where they grew up, their object of study, or their profession. I think the author's own thoughts and how they worked on the AU can really make or break it.

I have one specific example I often think about! One thing that bothers me in a lot of stories is how many writers, especially westerns (and particularly US-americans), tend to forget about culture differences and assume that we all work and think the same way around the world. This often happens in university and high school AUs, and I remember once reading a fic (for the kpop-group Seventeen) about the experience of being an exchange student in the US. Because it wasn't just "these characters, but if American and set in the US", but something where the author really showed deep thought behind their choices, it was a lovely read. It was also a very personal story, showing their own experiences growing up in an Asian household in west coast USA. I would normally avoid the hell out of stories with the tags it had, but I gave it a chance anyway, and was positively surprised and enjoyed it a lot.

That's a lot of words about nothing! I think my key takeaway from thinking about it is that I do enjoy AUs! But my favourite part isn't as much what kind they are, but how they're done, and how people make it match with what they've decided to bring from canon.

I'm still trying to figure out whether I want this post locked or not, I might delete it since it doesn't really serve much of a purpose. I wrote and deleted quite a bit, and I'm still not quite feeling it. Anyway, I really wanted to try anyway, and I'm gonna curiously but carefully check out other people's entries for the challenge at some point!

 Happy new year!

I originally wanted to start out the new year with a list of goals or things i wanted to do in 2022 (and onwards) but remembered the snowflake challenge. Since I'm not ready to do the final list, I figured I could start with this. Of course, the challenge proved to be a lot harder than initially expected.



Hello! The main reason why I didn't already make a sticky or an introduction post is that I really suck at stuff like this, it's kind of like when people ask you to put on a song and you're like "music? I've never heard a song in my life" and you instantly forget everything you've ever jammed out to.
An identity? Hobbies? Interests? Not sure that's something I have. Anyway, for the basics, I am Rui, I'm fine with any pronouns, I'm in my mid twenties, and I work as a legal consultant. I've been in fandom spaces for a little over a decade, but mainly started out in local fandoms -- also, I am not a native English speaker, so apologies if my English ever bothers or confuses you, haha. 

I've been in animanga fandoms since 2015, and I've always been a huge fan of video games, which is currently what I'm mainly into fandom wise as well. I, like many others, started playing Genshin Impact in 2021, and it's got a tight hold of me since then. I enjoy all things Genshin, pretty much -- farming, exploring, creating fancontent, theorizing and lore, etc. One thing I'm not so good at is engaging with the fandom. I find it absolutely terrifying, so I'm not actually sure this will ever be happening apart from just talking to a handful of people about it.

Apart from that, I also am very into webnovels, manhwa/manhua/manga, and am trying to get back into watching anime again as well. I'm a big fan of isekai, action, fantasy, and romance. I think I already made a few recommendations ages ago, but I'd like to get a lot better at using this journal, also for going back to see my own thoughts on what I've read and enjoyed.

I don't just want to get back into anime and tv shows, I also am trying to read more again (not counting webnovels and webtoons), and I have a long list of to read books that I want to get through. And I'd love more recommendations any time!

I don't think I currently have any 'main fandoms outside of Genshin Impact, but I'd like to get more into just writing for things I enjoy, such as: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, The King's Avatar, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Honkai Impact 3rd, webnovels, etc.



Recent years, I find myself quite terrified with all the new big fandoms popping up, not that I don't enjoy the contents (see: Genshin Impact), and I remember back in 2015 when I first returned to being active-active in fandoms, where it all started with a mobile-game micofandom. I quite enjoy microfandoms and just creating for my own passion and the handful of other people who are as obsessed with the thing as I am, so I'd like to get back into just enjoying what I want and making fancontent for what I want, such as webnovels or manhwa that barely has any transformative fandoms.

I'm not really sure what this year will hold for me fandom wise, but I'm trying to make it a goal to start reading, playing, and watching more new things again. And to get better at just enjoying stuff at my own pace, because last year I got really stressed with fandom on twitter.

This journal will mainly just be about things I like or find interesting atm -- probably very often fandom stuff, writing related things, etc. You are welcome to join me, comment, or start a conversation any time. :)

This might not be the best fandom information update, but maybe one day I'll actually make a pinned post or write a proper profile -- this was a good exercise for me, though. I'm obviously still trying to figure out where I'm going from here, though.

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts.

See, the "afraid to ask for" part gets me, because I am by nature very, very afraid, and I don't know how to turn that fear off or make it go away, not even for this challenge. ლ(´﹏`ლ) I'm really, really bad at asking things of people, not in the cutesy way but a way that holds me back in a lot of situations AND annoys a lot of people I talk to, since its not rare that it's clear I want something but have trouble articulating what it is.
Still! It's 2019, some people are going to dislike me no matter what I do, so I'll try my best!

A collaboration
This is a small dream of mine because despite my usual dislike of school group work I do like working and collaborating with others! I once had someone offer to write a fic with me when we were younger, but it was mostly (only) her ideas and nothing really came out of it in the end. I don't even have any specific needs for a collab, I just like the idea of doing a project with someone, whether that's just discussing the idea closely with a friend/beta-kind-of-person, or it's a fanartist, another writer, I'm not really sure. I think different mediums is really cool as well.

Cross-fandom fans of my works
Since it's not long ago that I started writing in English and my only posted works are for a microfandom and an animanga fandom (only one ship too), this has not happened and probably will not happen anytime soon, if ever. Still, I like the idea of someone reading my works for another fandom even though they aren't a fan of that thing just because it's me, or someone reading something and recognising my writing from something they've read (by me) in another fandom. (´꒳`)

For ao3 to include main and secondary pairings
I'm sorry, I know this is probably cheating, haha, but this one I've wanted for so long (along with many others). I do like the ao3 tagging system, but I really want this to be added as well. Also, for people using ao3 to know the difference between & and / when tagging pairings and follow it, hehe.

I saw others mention a transformative works statement and I really like that idea! I'll definitely make sure to post one before I post any fanworks myself on here in the future. ^^'
I had more ideas for things but those were more general than specific for me. But tomorrow is exam time, so no time o write down any more. Don't ask me why I decided on writing this instead of studying for the exam in the first place, because there is no good answer.

Day 2:
Rec at least three fanworks that you didn’t create.

I originally wanted to mix a few fandoms, but in the end I actually decided to go for Haikyuu!! since that's the fandom I've been most involved with in the last few years. Instead, I decided to recommend 3 different forms of fanworks, rather than just fanfic as I had planned originally.

Crowchildren -- a haikyuu!! au fanfic
WARNING FOR MCD - This fic will forever be one of my faves despite not even being focused on my favourite chars (and even sort of having notps in it). I remember reading it until 7am and crying for half an hour after that but in a nice, cathartic way? I've never read a fic with such a satisfying ending, and I remember literally googling things in the fic because I thought it was real mythology I didn't know about and not something the author made up (so yeah, I enjoy the worldbuilding too!). I will forever recommend this fic and it was the only one I knew I needed on this list.

Dream catchers -- A haikyuu!! au webcomic (still unfinished)
Fascinating worldbuilding and amazing art. This comic is mostly centered on Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi, but features a lot of other characters, and I fell for the unique and interesting artstyle on top of the super cool concept behind.

Hoshimirukorowosugitemo (Past the stargazing season) -- A haikyuu!! fanvid