#san guo yan yi

[its-not-a-pen]

-Biblically accurate Early-Third-Century Warlord (Cao Cao), with Loser Liege Lord (Liu Bei) for scale-

So Cao Cao’s tomb has (allegedly) been found, and apparently he was this tiny little guy (1.55 m), for reference, the average height was about 1.7m. I was so delighted by the news I immediately went and drew this. The stories of xu chu picking him up under one arm are so much more plausible now!  I think his victories are even more impressive in hindsight, given that he could’ve been carried off by a hawk at any time.

I decided to show the two of them displaying their greatest strengths:

lui bei was the populist, who was beloved by the poor and downtrodden, despite having very little to show for it for the first 3/4s of his life. Historically, he was both a coarse, hot-tempered con-man who seem to be primarily motivated by fame and frivolity, and a tremendously kindhearted and brave defender of the common people. I’ve drawn him holding out a peach (and allusion to the fictional peach garden oath). he’s wearing straw sandals he made himself, a nod to his humble beginnings, and an incongruously fine robe with the sleeves rolled up, like he’s been working in a field… or preparing for a fight. One fist is tightly clenched and held stiffly by his side, even as he smiles warmly. Just like his namesake, he is both prepared 备and has hidden depths 玄. (I’ve seen the robe tucked into the belt in multiple places, I assume it’s just for ease of motion, but it’s also occurred to me it would be a good “pocket”.)

cao cao is well known for being a brutal and brilliant man, the phrase ‘ speak of cao cao and he shall appear’ is synonymous with the English phase, ‘speak of the devil.” What is less well known is that he was actually a very reasonable and respected leader, who often brought talented men into his fold, regardless of background or previous allegiance. This meritocratic system was one of the reasons for his success. I drew cao cao wearing fine, but understated clothes, with a full set of armour, as he was well known for personally leading his forces on campaigns. With one hand, he points to the ground before him, commanding you to kneel down and swear your allegiance to him. His sword is sheathed, but displayed prominently. He can be very merciful, but only once.

#san guo yan yi #romance of the three kingdoms #liu bei #cao cao

[grand-theft-carbohydrates]

first day as a early-third-century general and my lame loser of a liege lord has just suffered an overwhelming defeat at the hands of his rival warlord because he refused to abandon the refugees who were slowing him down.

this is our darkest hour. the coalition has been utterly crushed, my sworn-brother is presumed dead and our best general was last seen defecting to the enemy. it's up to me to cover our retreat. i scrape together twenty men and prepare to take a final stand. i am going to save the man i love--this stupid, loyal, big-hearted loser--or die trying.

i hide my men in the nearby woods and order them to tie branches to their horses tails to stir up dust to make it look like there's a lot of us, and then I ride out alone to face the Rival Warlord's army, screaming and raving like a lunatic.

my deranged, suicidal improvisation ends up being an OVERWHELMING SUCESS because the Rival Warlord is a neurotic over-thinker and he believes there's a huge force in the woods, waiting to ambush him. Rival Warlord calls for a retreat and i use this moment to change my pants.

suddenly, a man comes riding towards us with a baby strapped to his back. IT'S OUR BEST GENERAL!!! He hadn't betrayed us after all! he was behind enemy lines, rescuing the Loser Leige Lord's son and wife! we hug, kiss and shed manly tears. the wife gets a fist-bump. don't ask what happens to the baby later, it's not important.

my actions today have single-handedly changed the course of history. we have earned the undying love and support of the people and my Loser Liege Lord will live to fight another day. by the time Rival Warlord has figured out the ruse and orders a second attack, my sworn-brother has arrived with reinforcements and this time we ambush him for real.

as we make sail for the southern lands, i can't help but feel hopeful in spite of the lingering pain in my heart. although we have suffered unimaginable losses, i still have my sworn-brothers by my side. as long as the three of us are togather, there is nothing in the world i cannot endure. if anyone cares to remember my story after i am dead and gone, let it be known that i am but a coarse, common man with more flaws than strengths. if i have become a hero, then it was in spite of myself and all for the people that i loved.

#history meme #pour one out for my problematic fav zhang fei the guy who started the whole thing #in case u guys thought 2nd century warlord was wacky...no. chinese history is just Like That #romance of the three kingdoms #san guo yan yi #zhang fei #guan yu #cao cao #lui bei #zhao yun #battle of changban #second century warlord #i deadass cried a little writing this. zhang fei is like an f- historical figure but at a+ character. the events are book-inspired with so #some #real history sprinkled in #my writing

[grammarpedant]

gut punched on the way home today by the realization that the angry-looking god with the big guandao whose statue I've seen in so many chinese restaurants is Guan Yu. like, that's him, my blorbo from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms,

#verso talks #romance of the three kingdoms #san guo yan yi #san guo #semi shitpost but also entirely sincere #queue

[tchaikovskyed]

how has someone not yet done the chinese 2nd century warlord meme except with zhuge liang playing the gu qin in an abandoned town and the whole strategy is predicated on him playing as normally as possible because the other guy can sense his mood through his playing

#someone gotta do it because idk enough about chinese history to make it funny and accurate #romance of the three kingdoms #san guo yan yi

[ao3-anonymous]

Fastest Growing Fandoms on AO3 This Week (12/04/2023)

Every week I pull data on how many fics are in each fandom and compare to the previous week, then calculate the percentage increase to determine fastest growing fandoms.  Since this naturally skews towards smaller fandoms, I have included the same data filtered to Over 1k, 5k, & 10k fics.

Overall:

Over 1,000 Fics:

Over 5,000 Fics:

Over 10,000 Fics:

Source: AO3 Fandom Dashboard

#ao3 #ao3 stats #The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins #The Empyrean - Rebecca Yarros #RIIZE #The Marvels #Alan Wake #The Coffin of Andy and Leyley #Five Nights at Freddy's #Scott Pilgrim #San Guo Yan Yi Romance of the Three Kingdoms #Fate/Samurai Remnant #The Amazing Digital Circus #Baldur's Gate #PHIGHTING! #Trolls #Red White & Royal Blue #Joker Out #Forgotten Realms #One Piece

[hellkeepers-if]

Modern assassin reincarnates into ancient asian war era IF when

#hellkeepers if #hellkeepers #I once wrote a san guo yan yi fic

[shookethdev]

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

NAKU 🫵

#anon #asks

[trisshawkeye]

After the Battle of Changban, an exhausted Zhao Yun can finally rest, but his heart remains troubled.

Zhao Yun & Lady Gan

#hey luo guanzhong I just want a word #zhao yun #lady gan #romance of the three kingdoms #rot3k #my fic #yeah i dunno this just kinda happened

[unforth]

Fandom: San Guo Yan Yi | Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Liu Bei | Liu Xuande/Guan Yu | Guan Yunchang/Zhang Fei | Zhang Yide Characters: Liu Bei | Liu Xuande, Guan Yu | Guan Yunchang, Zhang Fei | Zhang Yide Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Meet-Cute, Musician Liu Bei, Musician Guan Yu, Musician Zhang Fei Word count: 1,974 Summary:

Liu Bei goes to the music store's jam sessions with low expectations... yet nonetheless, he's disappointed by the caliber of players there.

...until a skilled drummer and excellent bassist start playing expertly along with his song...

(written for May Trope Mayhem Day 12: celebrity/fan)

@duckprintspress

I said in March that I wanted to write Liu Bei/Guan Yu/Zhang Fei OT3 fic, and now I’ve finally actually done so. :D Get it, boys...

#unforth writes #may trope mayhem #romance of the three kingdoms #liu bei/guan yu/zhang fei #this was shockingly fun to right #write even #i feel like i don't quite have their voices and personalities down #it's hard to get a sense with how the duchinese version is written #but i tried!

[eyenaku]

Ji ji fu ji ji

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

#‼️mutual #get tone-d

[its-not-a-pen]

1460th day as the prime minister of han and you are the enemy general at my mercy. since your absolute loser of a liege lord is MIA you agree to work for me until he returns and in exchange i agree not to raze your city to the ground and put every rebel to the sword. i hope this magnanimous gesture will convince you of my good intentions. 

1461st day as the prime minister of han in order to knock you down a few pegs i try to sabotage your integrity by making you share a room with your loser liege lord's two wives but you just stand outside the door all night with a candle and aren't tempted at all. (i am honestly baffled, as far as i'm concerned other people's wives are utterly irresistible.)

1462nd day as the prime minister of han, my advisor tells me it's easier to catch flies with honey so i begin plying you gifts and pretty serving girls but you keep sending them to your loser liege lord's wives. instead of passing the evening with me engaged in gentlemanly conversation, you spend long hours drying their tears and reassuring them their loser husband is safe. i can't say i'm not annoyed by the snub but your filial piety is commendable

1463rd day as the prime minister of han and even with my considerable intellect, i cannot understand why a man of your skills would chose to serve such an unworthy master. that sanctimonious sandal-weaver has lost nearly every battle he's fought (most of them against me), yet heroes still flock to his cause and peasants aid him at every turn. how does he inspire such loyalty?

1464th day as the prime minister of han, i definitely will not be throwing you an extravagant banquet every day because that's just desperate! i'm only throwing them every fifth day and small ones every third day. do you not like the silk-and-gold robes i've been sending you? you can speak plainly, general, i wont be offended. do they not fit? i must see for myself, please disrobe--

1465th day as the prime minister of han and you finally join me for a drink. i've forgotten how nice this is, in between fighting bandits, quashing rebellions and running 1/3 of a country i've not had much time to myself. the wine loosens your tongue and you talk about brotherhood, sacrifise and sacred oaths in a peach garden, things i've heard about but never seen, like the qilin and other such fantastical beasts but you're so sincere i can't even bring myself to scoff at you. i've lived my entire life looking over my shoulder; better to betray than be betrayed, that's my motto. i've never known anything else.

1466th day as the prime minister of han and i give you a silk bag to protect your long, handsome beard after you made an offhand comment about the whiskers getting brittle in winter. the emperor himself remarked upon it and even though you were humble and self-effacing as always, i preened. it pleases me that you look so well under my patronage, yet your eyes are so troubled. i must not be doing enough, time to consult my advisor again...

1467th day as the prime minister of han i noticed your green battle-coat was threadbare so I fashioned a replacement made of the rarest brocade but you only ever wear it under the old coat loser liege lord gave you because having a piece of him around eases your heart. i don't even have a clever quip for that. although in hindsight i should have expected this turn of events given your utter indifference to that loser's wives and my pretty serving girls. 

1468th day as the prime minister of han, i give you the fastest horse in the world and to my surprise you're elated, bowing and thanking me profusely. then you go and ruin the moment by telling me how grateful you are because it means you will be able to travel quickly to your loser liege lord when you discover his location and now i wish i'd turned that damn beast into glue. this is the first time i've ever seen you smile.

1469th day as the prime minister of han, a verse came to me during our walk through the woods; "the magpie flies south and circles the tree three times. where shall he rest?" i want you to stay. i want you to be mine. lead my armies and help me bring order to the realm, i'll raise you monuments and immortalise your name. alas, the bitter irony is not lost on me, i want you for your loyalty but your loyalty is the reason you cannot stay. if you could have been persuaded i would have lost my respect for you.

1470th day as the prime minister of han and news arrives that your loser liege lord is alive. my advisor tells me that you won't leave until you've repaid my kindness. i guess i better keep you away from the action and hope the next few months are boring and uneventful. in the meantime why don't you try on this new robe! no, i don't mind you undressing here--

1471th day as the prime minister of han and my city is under attack. you single-handedly break the siege and bring me the enemy leader's head. hospitality repaid, you ride off without a backwards glance and i watched the horizon long after you have disappeared.

4391th day as the prime minister of han. I trust you've been well, general, since we last met. I often dreamed that you would return to me, we'd sit under the trees and drink a toast for old times sake. As far as reunions go, the middle of an ambush is not very auspicious. Our roles are reversed, I am the bleeding hart and you are the faithful hound. by rights you should have delivered me straight to your master but instead you let me limp away. why did you do it my beautiful, foolish, loyal general? you know i will only cause you grief. this war will not end as long as i draw breath. this country cannot have three kingdoms any more than a single mountain can have three tigers. 

-epilogue-

last year as the king of wei and i trust you've been well, general, since we last met...

notes under the cut:

It's a truth universally acknowledged that any funny joke on tumblr.com will be run into the ground.

this is a spoof of the 2nd Century Warlord by @romanceyourdemons

1/ Events are based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, supplemented by historical events.

2/ In 196 AD, Warlord Cao Cao moves the capital of China to his territory of Xu City with the Emperor as his puppet. His offical title is the General-in-Chief (大將軍) although I've gone with the more recognisable "Prime Minister". In 200 AD, Cao Cao captured General Guan Yu, who was serving under Liu Bei.

3/Book!Cao Cao is portrayed as a villain and his name is literally synonymous with the devil in Chinese culture. IRL Cao Cao was considered to be a wise and capable ruler. I've decided to bridge the gap a little.

4/ Cao Cao (and sons) were very influential poets, the line "the magpie flies south" is a passage from the Unnamed Magpie Poem, after consolidating power, Cao Cao encourages all the best and brightest in his kingdom to flock to his court.

5/ "I dreamt of you, general" monologue taken verbatim from the 2010 tv show. People in the han dynasty were battling demons and that demon is bisexuality.

6/ Book!Cao Cao does not actually think Liu Bei is a loser, he considers him to be "one of the only two heroes in the world". but my god, you can pry that alliteration out of my cold, dead hands.

#chinese history #ancient china #romance of the three kingdoms #san guo yan yi #history meme #cao cao #liu bei #guan yu #second century warlord adjacent i guess #i realise it's an incredibly bold move to spoof a popular post when the op is literally ur mutual #do you like stories that are 7/10 history and 3/10 conjecture and 10/10 batshit crazy? read romance of the three kingdoms! #the moss translation none of the other ones

[grand-theft-carbohydrates]

-WIP: In which Lu Bu goes down absolutely SWINGING-

A captured Lu Bu offers his services to Cao Cao, but Lui Bei points out that he's betrayed everyone he's ever worked with, which convinces Cao Cao to kill him.

Lu Bu looks up, sudden clarity in his eyes, and catches a glimpse of the real Liu Bei behind the virtuous artifice. Like recognises like. The look on his face is equal parts rage, hatred and understanding. This genuinely shakes Liu Bei--a man who believes his own mythology--to be so confronted.

I'm obsessed with Lu Bu's execution. it's a rare moment of introspection for a reckless, hot-head character and it comes right before his death.

I've taken a lot of liberties with the translation by writing it in a way I think captures the feeling of the text. A more accurate translation would be: "Big Ears is the most untrustworthy of all!"

"Meaning vs Intent" is a minefield even among professional translators, and i'm only an amateur. if you go too far, you end up putting words in the author's mouth. Do it too literally, and it fails to resonate due to cultural differences. I had two scrapped alternative takes: 1. "Fuck you, you two-faced, big-eared bastard!" - Too emotional. Han dynasty put a lot of stock in dying honourably. a seasoned general like Lu Bu would rather die (haha) than display such undignified behaviour. 2. "Big ears, you're the most treacherous of them all!" - Accurate, but is too short and lacks the bite one would expect from your last words to the enemy. I decided to go with "two-faced" because it has a nice symmetry with "big ears." The phrase doesn't exist in chinese so I was hesitant to include it, but the face is associated with honesty and pride e.g. "losing face" so I think it passes. "Bastard" was added to "Big Ears" to emphasise this comment is highly insulting. To an Anglophone reader "big ears" sounds incredibly juvenile and doesn't hit the same way. respect was a HUGE deal back then (and still is). It was taboo to even call a non-family member by their real name (courtesy names were used instead), the correct forms of address and formality were essential and to break form was quite literally a slap in the face. san guo fans wdyt?

#romance of the three kingdoms #amongst men: lu bu #amongst disses: also lu bu #lui bei #cao cao #san guo yan yi #idk how to spell trea cher rous and now all of china knows my shame #if u don't roast a guy so hard it lasts 2k years what are u even doing?

[rivvyelf]

Finally decided to finally post this on AO3. It’s a poem based off of that song during Dian Wei’s death at the Battle of Wan Castle in the 1994 Romance of the Three Kingdoms tv series.

Summary: In the year 196 AD, General Zhang Ji was slain by a stray arrow. His widow, Lady Zou, reflects through a poem on her life before, during, and after their fates crossed.

Here is my poem in its entirety:

The Passing of a Youth of Little Repute

I wandered long in solitude playing idyllic tunes with a lute. Time passed like a breeze through the grass; my youth was of little repute.

Then our lives crossed paths and entwined. Your eyes sparkled and so did mine. We walked in the day and lay in the night. Those years with you were truly sublime.

Sun, oh Sun. Light shines bright. Days pass by. Night ends quick.

I sat there in front of you playing cheerful tunes with a lute. Time passed like a breeze through the grass; our lives worthy of song.

The seasons drifted onwards. Your eyes grew duller. Each night less warmth. We both sigh together as your duty called you forward.

Flames and blood, screams and pain, yells echoing long through the eve. Ambitions spread through the four seas, Is all you lost worth what you gained?

Moon, oh Moon. Pale dim light. Nights are long. Days pass by.

Thus I wait here in solitude playing wistful tunes with a lute. When suddenly a knock on the door and my lute falls to the floor.

Sun, oh Sun. Light shines bright. Tears fall 'til face turns white.

So I stay here standing where you lay, as my years go by recalling my youth of little repute.

#romance of the three kingdoms #three kingdoms #zou shi #Zhang Ji #Battle of Wan Castle #Sanguoyanyi #poetry #poem

[tactical-sniper]

也许世界就这样 我也还在路上 没有人能诉说 Ye xu shi jie jiu zhe yang wo ye hai zai lu shang mei you ren neng su shuo 也许我只能沉默 眼泪湿润眼眶 可又不甘懦弱 Ye xu wo zhi neng chen mo yan lei shi run yan kuang ke you bu gan nuo ruo 低着头期待白昼 接受所有的嘲讽 Di zhe tou qi dai bai zhou jie shou suo you de chao feng 向着风拥抱彩虹 勇敢的向前走 Xiang zhe feng yong bao cai hong yong gan de xiang qian zou

** 黎明的那道光 会越过黑暗 Li ming de na dao guang hui yue guo hei an 打破一切恐惧我能 找到答案 Da po yi qie kong ju wo neng zhao dao da an 哪怕要逆着光 就驱散黑暗 Na pa yao ni zhe guang jiu qu san hei an 丢弃所有的负担 不再孤单 不再孤单 Diu qi suo you de fu dan bu zai gu dan bu zai gu dan

Repeat *

Repeat **

黎明的那道光 会越过黑暗 Li ming de na dao guang hui yue guo hei an 打破一切恐惧我能 找到答案 Da po yi qie kong ju wo neng zhao dao da an 哪怕要逆着光 就驱散黑暗 Na pa yao ni zhe guang jiu qu san hei an 有一万种的力量 淹没孤单 You yi wan zhong de li liang yan mo gu dan 不再孤单 Bu zai gu dan

#阿冗 - 你的答案 #Youtube

[mike-like-t-scream]

Cao Cao: Deep down we are the same

Liu Bei: >:0

#incorrect quotes #romance of the three kingdoms #dynasty warriors #san guo yan yi

[lycheekim]

A book cover illustration done in acrylic ink for the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms from one of my classes this semester. Here I depicted the Battle of Red Cliffs as Cao Cao’s ships burn with Zhuge Liang emerging above the smoke. I took a lot of inspiration from the 2010 drama, and I really recommend it!

#book illustration #ink illustration #romance of the three kingdoms #zhuge liang #zhuge kongming #battle of red cliffs #san guo yan yi #tam quốc diễn nghĩa #three kingdoms 2010 #book cover #acrylic ink illustration #acrylic ink painting #illustration #painting #traditional art #kim arts