#( && xiao qing interacts )

[lavendaers]

@tragcdysewn “sometimes i wonder which one will be your last lie.” (a-qing and xue yang)

xue yang's shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, "probably whichever one is my last lie." he joked, a chuckle escaping his lips. "though i don't really have a reason to lie lately. i can't even remember my last lie."

[tragcdysewn]

closed starter for iorveth!! ( @mischiefxmuses )

"i didn't take anything!" a-qing works to keep the panic in her voice, despite the fact that they definitely had taken the coins from the larger man. "i can't even see, how would i have stolen from you? i'm just trying to get home, why are you attacking the blind girl?"

[friedwizardwhispers]

So do I want to talk about A-Qing and how she is genuinely my second favorite character of the books and how both the donghua and the drama minimized her role (and I will forever be grumpy about it) or do I want to move on ?

She is my favorite part of Yi city and they just can't seem to get her right (for me personally).

She is the point of view character in Yi city,it's literally the story of her death, her tragedy and her heroism even dead.

I just want more A-Qing. She is the best and she is so smart. Up there with Wei Wuxian smart. I love her.

[miindfuck]

starter for @tragcdysewn (a-qing)

"So," Alice started, the word coming out a bit breathy in excitement. She had been itching for a fight, practice or not, for a while now. Even when she was in the secret service, the action had always been brief and rare for her. She raised her eyebrows. "Swords? Or no swords?"

[irresistiibles]

@tragcdysewn asked: ❛ we’re gonna survive this, right? ❜ toph and a-qing

"of course we are. what are you even talking about?" toph asked, giving a-qing a light nudge that was meant to be comforting. she could do comfort if necessary, but it wasn't toph's default by any means. "if someone weird tries to sneak up on me, i'll know way before they even get close, and you can just stick by me. no one's beaten me in a fight before." beyond aang that one time, but that didn't count. toph had been prepared for an earth bender, of course the air bending had thrown them off. "and they aren't going to now."

[wvsteria]

continued from here

taissa turner & xiao qing ;; @tragcdysewn

"exactly. i mean people aren't going to like something about you might as well be your true self saying what you really feel, right?" tai was just relieved someone else felt the same way.

[nightwhispcrs]

      closed starter for @tragcdysewn​ ( matt evans & xiao qing )  /  “i have a surprise .”  matt’s expression was happier than usual .  ever since he’d arrived in washington , and long before , the smile that normally donned his features growing up had been absent and erased .  today though was different .  he led his friend to the end of the street , practically bouncing on his heels as he stopped and waited for her to understand what he was talking about .  finally , he gestured to the slightly-beat-up red vehicle at his side .  “i bought it !  it’s mine .”

[tragcdysewn]

"you don't understand, daozhang." they mutter, trying not to let her frustrations show. they're frustrated with most everything except him, but they know he won't take it that way. "it's dangerous here, and you don't even know how dangerous."

"That won't happen." Xingchen's not sure what's going on, but he's sure he'd never leave them. "I won't allow it. You are stuck with me. I'll always be around." Even if they have to separate, Xingchen will always be here for them.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Most iconic Xie Lian moments according to me

Contains spoilers!!!

"Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry"

Keeping every memento of his worst time ever as a reminder of why being kind and forgiving is worth it

When he runs off after he gives Hua Cheng CPR that one time pretending he's looking for his hat

When he keeps roasting Xiao Ying's looks even as she's dying

When he was a prince and he was told his future looked dark and he said that can't be cause he only wears white

Eating food off the ground

Building his own temple, we love a girl boss

When he pet E'Ming like a little puppy after being explicitly told not to ever touch it under any circumstances

Putting Banyue in a pickle jar

When Wuming said he would follow Xie Lian to the death and Xie Lian went "youre already dead"

Breaking rocks on his chest for money

Being trampled to death as general Hua, doormat core

The whole Fangxin Guoshi arc, whew 🥵

Carrying around a big ass bag of scraps everywhere

When he became jealous of Hua Cheng's special someone not realizing the very obvious fact that he was Hua Cheng's special someone actually

Slapping tf out of Qi Rong for making fun of Hua Cheng being blind in one eye

Pretending he had no idea who Nan Feng and Fu Yao were

When Mu Qing and Feng Xin were freaking about how creepy the Ten Thousands Gods Cave was whilst he found it incredibly romantic

Being a bit too into pretending to be Hua Cheng's puppet on Mount Tonglu

Feeding into E'Ming's praise kink

When he disguised himself as a pregnant lady to be possessed by the evil fetus spirit and it worked

When he disguised himself as a woman so badly he looked hideous and needed help to not look like that

When he spent the entirety of the Xuan Ji capturing business in his wedding dress disguise, including meeting Pei Xiu like that

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts-

When his response to the sex pollen was to kill himself

"I do not worship god, i am god!"

Every single sweet and tender interaction with Hua Cheng's butterflies that everyone else is terrified of

When everyone ignored him in the communication array because he was cringe

Getting drunk on a tombstone with little ghost fire Hua Cueng after his life fell apart

Controversial but i think his calamity era was also iconic and very sexy

When Heaven's Eye said his lips are exuding evil energy and he turned bright red

And then later when Heaven's Eye said the evil energy is inside him and he immediately changed the subject

Recognizing literally everyone despite their disguises but keeping quiet about it not to embarrass them.

Calling Yin Yu boring and forgettable looking to his face

Defending Hua Cheng, evil ghost king, in front of the whole entire Heavenly Emperor

When he was working in the rice field with Hua Cheng and he kept staring

Being poor

Having ridiculously bad luck

Ascending three times

Big daddy issues even with his dad still alive

When his life had just fallen apart and he didnt know how much a lantern could cost because he had been ridiculously rich all his life

Holding up a massive temple from falling apart???

Kissing Hua Cheng for spiritual energy in front of literally everyone more than once

When he could hear rats talking???

Adopting children

Not iconic Xie Lian behaviors

His abhorrent cooking

Trying to kill himself???

[lavendaers]

@masqce xiao mei for mu qing

she looked at her new phone with a look of confusion, turning over the rectangle. "this world's technology is so strange." xiao mei whispered as she put the thing down. she was sure that she'd only use it if she absolutely had to. if she wanted to contact her son, for example. "mu qing? is that you?" she asked after she'd turned her head and seen him at a table near her own.

[tragcdysewn]

@coreofgold asked: “Why are you looking at me like that..?” (Jingyi and Xiao Qing)

"i'm not looking at you. i can't look at you. or anything else." she comments, gesturing at her eyes with a smirk in the direction the voice is coming from. "your voice sounds familiar though... have we met?"

[xueyuverse]

I would just like some clarification if you can help! I see you post excerpts from the web novel and say uncensored on them. Does the web novel follow the books with extra info or are they the same? What is the difference between the two?

There is a lot of new content in practically 80% of the novel revised version, right? In the uncensored version there are only the scenes that were actually censored. Some new content in the revised version:

Characters like Lang Ying (the ghost child) and Prince An Le were cut.

Xiao Ying recognizes Xie Lian and calls him "prince" before she dies, so I have a theory that she replaced Lang Ying's role (I haven't finished reading it yet).

Xie Lian chose Lang Qianqiu as a disciple to protect him from Qi Rong, who chased and haunted him when he was a child. As for the Gilded Banquet massacre, Xie Lian knew that it was Qi Rong's work, and at the time, he suppressed him.

Xie Lian cannot enter the Xianle Imperial Mausoleum because the place's enchantment recognizes Xie Lian as the prince who destroyed Xianle.

Xie Lian's feelings towards Hua Cheng are also much more intense, in the Ganbler's Den arc, for example, their interaction is hotter than in the original, with lines like Xie Lian asking Hua Cheng to spend a night with him and Hua Cheng replying that "it would be my first time".

In the Qi Rong arc, Hua Cheng doesn't take Xie Lian straight to his lair, but rather takes him to wander around different cities for days under the pretext that he needed Xie Lian's help with something. It's in this new content that we have Hua Cheng competing for a golden flower and, upon winning, he gives the flower to Xie Lian.

Mu Qing appears to be much more concerned about Xie Lian as well, he's always teaming up with Feng Xin to help and protect him. When Hua Cheng "kidnaps" Xie Lian, for example, in the original the only one who appears together with Shi Qingxuan is Feng Xin, in this version he, together with Mu Qing, ask for Shi Qingxuan's help disguised as Nan Feng and Fu Yao to find he.

Jun Wu's influence is also sharper. For example, his influence on Ling Wen is more apparent than in the original, with her always saying that he's good and fair and that he is "someone who forgives easily", always trying to convince Xie Lian that everything will work out for him cause the final decisions are in Jun Wu's hands.

The censored version cuts kissing scenes and other hot scenes, while the uncensored version has more freedom, although it's still a little censored. In the Mount Tonglu arc, for example, in the uncensored version, Hua Cheng is practically touching Xie Lian's entire body, while Xie Lian cries during the kiss.

The audio drama even adapts this revised version, so if you've seen any scene from the ad, or are following the updates, know that it's the same.

For now this is all I have :)

[morethanwonderful]

Round 2 is Here! The Which MXTX Character Was/Would Be Most Insufferable Online Tournament Bracket

For an explanation of what this poll's deal is or links to completed matches, look here. Otherwise, let’s have some fun facts about round 1:

The closest match from round 1 was Lan Xichen vs Xiao Xingchen, in which Xiao Xingchen won by just 2.8%. Xichen was winning this one for a good while at the beginning, but the Xingchen campaigners really put in an effort to turn it around.

The biggest win margin in round 1 was Jian Lan vs Qi Rong, in which Qi Rong won a whopping 95.3% of the vote. Absolutely nobody wants to interact with that guy.

The most total votes in round 1 went to Luo Binghe vs Wang Lingjiao, with 785 votes between them. As Shen Yuan would say, everybody has a hot take on the protagonist!

The fewest total votes in round 1 went to Lang Ying (Present) vs Lan Sizhui, with 257 votes between them. One of my mutuals compared this match to a fight between two dust motes, so I suppose I can't blame y'all for finding it un-compelling.

Now on to round 2! You can find the full list of links both on the original announcement post (linked above) or right here under the readmore. Happy voting :D!

Wen Chao vs Quan Yizhen

Mu Qingfang vs Jin Zixun

Xie Lian vs Lang Qianqiu

Xue Yang vs Xiao Xingchen

Tianlang-jun vs Wei Wuxian

Nie Huaisang vs Shang Qinghua

Qi Rong vs Lan Wangji

Nie Mingjue vs Lan Qiren

Jin Guangyao vs Sha Hualing

Lang Ying (Present) vs Shen (Jiu) Qingqiu

Jiang Cheng vs Jin Ling

Mu Qing vs Yu Ziyuan

Xuan Ji vs a-Qing

Zhuzhi-lang vs Luo Binghe

Wen Qing vs Su She

Shi Wudu vs Lan Jingyi

[irresistiibles]

@tragcdysewn / continued from here as part of my reluctant beta switch

"people are stupid, and we should be glad that they are! you can get pretty far taking advantage of people's assumptions. i'm sure there are people who underestimate you too." toph said with a grin. these days it was rare for her to hide who she was and her strength, but for a long time toph had taken advantage of the way people saw her to get by. "oh yeah, plus it would make you like a real business owner sort of, not just taking people's bets. you'll be a real hotshot."

[tragcdysewn]

they nodded with a smile, turning to lead the other to the restaurant she knew, the navigation on her phone chirping directions as she walked. "come on, we can go right now."

at the suggested she was quick to nod; instantly wanting to know what human food tasted all after this time. "-lunch? -please, can we?" she asked; not quite sure how else to say she was so okay with going. "-whichevers your favorite, I want to try that one."

[haitang-blossoms]

Bingqiu and Qijiu as Foils in Their Approaches to Atonement and Forgiveness (haitang-blossoms' Scum Villain Self-Saving System meta)

So first of all, both begin as relationships with a clear "caretaker" role: Qi-ge (Yue Qingyuan) for Xiao Jiu (Shen Jiu) and Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan) as Luo Binghe's shizun. In such a dynamic, there's a certain expectation of the older, more experienced one to look out for the younger, less experienced one.

However, both relationships, while initially close, suffer after a "breach" of this code of conduct is committed: wherein, the "caretaker" fails to properly protect and nurture the other.

What's interesting is this: Qi-ge and Shen Qingqiu do this in completely opposite ways. Qi-ge (inadvertently) sabotages his relationship with Xiao Jiu by INACTION (not going back for him) while the issues between Bingqiu begin by a clear (forced) ACTION (Shen Qingqiu pushing Luo Binghe into the Abyss). Neither wanted to do/not do these things but were compelled by circumstances outside of their control.

It's also notable that both Shen Jiu and Luo Binghe undergo a dramatic rise in power before properly reuniting with the other (Shen Jiu becomes an immortal Peak Lord and Luo Binghe gains influence in the Demon Realm and Huan Hua Palace).

This is not only a parallel but can also symbolise how the relationships have become more "equalised" over time. That is not to say that seniority has disappeared, however (Yue Qingyuan is still Sect Leader and Shen Qingqiu is still Luo Binghe's shizun).

Both Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu feel immense guilt over the part they played in souring their relationships with Shen Jiu and Luo Binghe. However, it is difficult for them to discuss these feelings openly, and so we reach our next theme: sacrifice.

Yue Qingyuan: In the original Proud Immortal Demon Way, he allows Shen Jiu to abuse Orignal!Luo Binghe, willingly allows himself to be trapped and killed by Original!Luo Binghe, and basically turns a blind eye to whatever mistakes Shen Yuan!Shen Qingqiu makes/is accused of in the new timeline due to a misplaced desire to atone for breaking his promise.

Shen Qingqiu: Shen Yuan famously self-destructs to "pay back" Luo Binghe for the wrongs he has done to him in the past, and readers see him protecting Luo Binghe throughout the story for a similar reason despite Luo Binghe's "protagonist halo" supposedly rendering this pointless (the Holy Mausoleum arc comes to mind).

How Shen Jiu and Luo Binghe react is completely different however, and this is key in why Qijiu and Bingqiu's arcs conclude in such contrasting ways.

Shen Jiu: First of all, it is important to note that while Qi-ge was important to Shen Jiu, he largely wasn't there for a long part of Shen Jiu's youth. Stuck at the Qiu residence, he was constantly abused and mistreated, and even though Qiu Haitang was nice to him, trauma like that cannot be easily overwritten. By the time Shen Jiu became Peak Lord, it had gotten to the point where his life had been so devoid of basic affection that his bitterness about Yue Qingyuan's broken promise was able to be magnified to such an extent.

This is not easily helped by the fact that Yue Qingyuan's form of sacrifice is mainly again, through INACTION or is INVISIBLE/SUBTLE to Shen Jiu. There is no defining moment where he directly addresses their past except at the end of the story to Shen Yuan!Shen Qingqiu which doesn't help Shen Jiu at all.

Luo Binghe: By contrast, Luo Binghe had lots of positive interactions with Shen Qingqiu in the many years leading up to the Abyss. While this may have made the betrayal sting more at the time, it also set up Luo Binghe to be able to not outright hate Shen Qingqiu after the fact (a more nuanced emotional reaction).

The self-destruction is such a definitive ACTION (and it helps that Shen Qingqiu spelt out that he was "repaying" Luo Binghe for past wrongs by doing so) that Luo Binghe is able to reconcile the situation and his feeling towards Shen Qingqiu where Shen Jiu was not able to towards Yue Qingyuan.

The next theme of "love" also plays off this difference as well. Due to a combination of trauma and his own personality, Shen Jiu was shown to struggle to love whether it be others or even himself. Any potential he had was overshadowed by the bitterness and envy that later come to define his character in Proud Immortal Demon Way. Yue Qingyuan's passive approach to Shen Jiu only served to enable these feelings and the resulting disastrous actions.

Luo Binghe was abandoned throughout his life (whether by choice or not is inconsequential), and this defines a lot of his character later on.

As White Lotus Luo Binghe, he's eager to please, and it's clear how starved for affection he is based on how much stock he puts in every kind act that Shen Qingqiu shows him. But a key aspect of Luo Binghe is that he believes he must continuously EARN this affection through reciprocity which is part of why it's so natural for him to serve Shen Qingqiu with his cooking and basically running Qing Jing Peak. 

This plays into another difference between Shen Jiu and Luo Binghe: that while both suffer from lack of (perceived at least) affection, Shen Jiu retaliates by pushing everyone away while Luo Binghe instead seeks it out and returns any love given to him tenfold (even in Proud Immortal Demon Way, he spares and married Ning Yingying when he destroys Qing Jing Peak because she was nice to him in the past). And the fact that Shen Qingqiu is visibly remorseful of the past only reinforces this instinct.

Even when Luo Binghe almost goes mad from the influence of the Xin Mo sword, it is Shen Qingqiu taking direct and unmistakable ACTION (in this case, papapa to save the world) that saves them and their relationship. Bingqiu were able to reconcile because both parties were willing to actively WORK to rebuild it, which takes conscious and purposeful effort.

Qijiu ended up missing each other by seconds, so to speak, because they were too PASSIVE in regard to their relationship with each other. Shen Jiu never directly confronts Yue Qingyuan about his actions (or lack thereof) and instead stews in bitterness alone, while Yue Qingyuan is so busy walking on eggshells around Shen Jiu that he misses the one thing that could mend their relationship.

Both relationships contain heartache and misunderstandings, but their contrasting approaches to reconciliation, atonement, and forgiveness is ultimately the factor that determines how their stories conclude.