I threw a rat at a god

Cnetizens: Our ancestors were much more unhinged than us. They used seals the way we use reaction memes.

(OP stumbled upon a seal catalogue from the late‑Ming and early‑Qing dynasties. It was collected by Zhou Lianggong周亮工(1612‑1672), a poet and a seal enthusiast who also loved carving seals himself. He was deeply passionate about collecting seals and compiled an album of seal impressions called 赖古堂印谱Lai‑Gu‑Tang Seal Album, gathering seals carved by himself and other artists. Most of the seals shown below come from this book. Seals are impressed on both sides of every page, with transcribed texts attached. The seals within the volume are arranged from largest to smallest according to their shape. Many of the carved inscriptions are very down‑to‑earth, filled with witty little rants.)

OP: Let’s see just how delightfully laid‑back everyone’s leisure seals are. (cr衡庐篆刻)

Chinese netizens shared their leisure seals(闲章xianzhang). Leisure seals are carvings made purely for personal interest, not the official stamps used for documents. Many people in China enjoy collecting and carving them. One category is book‑ownership seals(藏书章cangzhuzhang, literally seals hiding in books), which people stamp in books while reading. They function much like reading notes, pre‑reading thoughts, or simply mark that one has finished the book.

These are other seals preserved in Lai‑Gu‑Tang Seal Album from hundreds of years ago, leaning toward a more literary aesthetic.

Many museums nowadays also offer souvenir stamps for visitors to leave mementos, and most of them are free of charge. If the stamp runs out of ink, simply ask a staff member to refill it. They can usually get it done very quickly. When you visit calligraphy‑famous scenic spots such as the Forest of Stone Steles(碑林belin), you can get a small portable jade seal carved with your own name as a keepsake.

- you are not The Character

- how you feel about a situation does not correlate to how the character feels or should feel.

- your sense of morality and ethics is not the character’s.

- they will have views and perspectives and do things you disagree with. that does not mean they’re ’badly written’

Chapter 26