#Hua Cheng is a fashion icon

[raevnq]

Will never forget when Hua Cheng put on a fashion show during black water arc and Xie Lian could not focus and kept complimenting him on the outfits

Not the scene I just love how Hua Cheng would never hit Xie Lian so he hit He Xuan instead.

[lazycranberrydoodles]

i am waiting for you / even if it takes a lifetime

all of the stills for the curious and hua cheng obsessed:

[biboomerangboi]

Hua Cheng is just so iconic to us because he is in fact a tumblr girlie. Notebook filled to the brim with sketches of his blorbo. Info dumps galore. Maximalist fashion to the nines. Outfits based on accessories. Has all of the genders under one big shapeshifting trench coat. Hates the ruling class. Excuses every problematic thing his blorbo does and stands by them in the group chats. Insane reaction to people who dislike his blorbo and says mean things about them, burning temples is the doxxing of his time. He belongs on here with us.

[popqorn]

Feel free to add your own propaganda if you disagree with mine!

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF S2 Ep 4

This’ll be another quick reaction ‘cause I have a desk to clean!

-Oooh!  Starting with the opening!

Previously on TGCF…

-Dim Sum night @ Paradise Manor!

-Man they didn’t even get a sip in

-He reassured Lang Ying

-Dude it was in a really small glass, so maybe it could’ve been to his liking if it wasn’t alcoholic

-Man that expression and tone made it seem like Hua Cheng made a really grave error

That noise when Qingxuan tilted their head

-Qingxuan is the wingman/woman

-For those of you who think he said, “Some sex allow indulgences” in the dub,  it’s actually “Some sects allow indulgences” which references the sects that practice cultivation, and I manage to catch that detail

-Licentious means related to promiscuous and sexual activity.

-A flashback to Ep 2

-That’s the advice on staying balance is basically what every patron ignores in Vegas

-He’s tricking him into getting the information for the dice portal

-“Enough San Lang!  Please stop teasing me.”  *In a sing-song voice*  No he will not~!  And XL said it so gently!!!!

-Man he fell for that favor all too quickly

-Just like transferring spiritual energy

-It’s a 12!

-It’s the music from EP 6 when they were both caught in the sandstorm!!!!

-He offered his dice!!!

-Man, hook line and sinker for XL

-“A few more rounds?” We all know what he was referring to~! ;3

-NYOOOM

-“San Lang, will you ever stop spoiling me?” *In a sing-song voice again*  No he will not~!

-Aww he doesn’t want to take advantage of his Ghost King

-Hi Qingxuan

-This is like removing your belt and getting into comfier clothes after going to town at a fancy restaurant with your folks

-No thoughts just Buff!Qingxuan, and he’s got great fashion sense

-Details~!  That’s literally all of us watching this!

-Yep told ya he’s got great fashion sense and imagine the montage Windmaster did just to sneak in

-This has the energy of seeing your roommate just pass out in your room of the flat

-Salacious means arousing to appeal to sexual imagination

-“I mean he called you his honored guest in front of everyone” “Jealous~?” - Jake the Dog, Burning Low, Adventure Time

-He didn’t forget at all

-They were talking about luck~

-Man that transition with the dice toss

-A really temporary gift

-Another 12

-That’s a lot of stairs

-Firebending

-No need to be savage Qingxuan

-Just like The dragon of the west, the Martial god of the west somehow has that energy and more foreshadowing for the series

-It looks like a Mayan mural

-No earthbending allowed

-The dice and tunnel are confusing them

-He rolled a 7!  Somebody go get Miguel and Tulio!

-It’s the iconic floor trap pitfall

-They made two craters like Wile E. Coyote!

-Oooh right on the skull!

-It’s a narrow tunnel!

-Cave in!

-LEECH WORMS!  

-Another animal hybrid the people in ATLA will get scared sh*tless over

-More firebending!

-Fire beats bug!

-Well those dice tiles were convenient

-Another 7!

-Another trap door!

-It’s a 4!

-The downside of partnering with Xie Lian everyone

-And he just effortlessly helps up Buff!Qingxuan

-I like how he doesn’t badmouth Hua Cheng’s trickery

I’m gonna to skip this next part of the EP because it’s offensive!  (You know the part I’m talking ‘bout)

-That’s gonna be another visit to the exfoliating facial masks

-Welcome to XL’s pain dude

-Dude, you didn’t bring him bad luck at all, he didn’t realize and it’s out of both of your control

-One man can’t sway the Windmaster’s luck, that gonna be another iconic quote

-Get yourself a friend like Qingxuan

-Yay another conveniently placed dice tile!

-Another 12

-Man the whiplash Qingxuan has going from saying ‘San Lang’ to ‘Hua Cheng’ when he got exasperated

-This took place in a time before the Step counter was invented

-*hears Ming Yi speak*  OH NO HE’S HOT!!!

-He melted the metal shackles

-This has the energy of the cheerleader being close with the goth girl but masculine

-From EP 11

-Yep it’s exactly like the popular girl trying to befriend the goth

-And he already knows they’re close!

-And Ming Yi just sleeps to not talk to anyone, valid

-What was the number he just rolled

-Another floor trap

-He didn’t land in his lap like in the novel and man Hua Cheng

-Boo Chinese Censorship! BOO!!! (Rotten tomatoes)

*Hua Cheng gasps in demi* *wink wink*

That’s all for the reaction post, I gotta get back to cleaning me and my sister’s room

[thunderpot]

I'm sure there must be something like this somewhere, but here I am throwing this idea on the wind anyway (ya'll are free to use it if you ever wish to!)

AU where absolutely everything is the same, except the characters are all real and TGCF is an elaborate 2010th year marriage gift HC prepared for XL (by sending bits and pieces of their story to MXTX in a dream) that got out of hand and now they even get new prayers every now and then.

They still have their Paradise Manor and Qiandeng Temple in the Ghost Realm, but since XL never took residence in the Heavenly Realm, his current human residence is a modern penthouse HC got him a good while ago, high enough to be private and befit his divine status while still overseeing the buzzling city and all it's ant-like little humans.

The series is full of misinterpretations and wrong bits ofc, but they both enjoy it regardless. XL only cries once, by the end, during the scene that describes him [SPOILER] finding out HC has been by his side all along[SPOILER].

He also cries for the second time while listening to the donghua  theme songs of both him and HC.

HC is incredibly happy at how pretty the renditions of XL look everywhere, and just how he is pretty much the handsomest character in the entire series no matter who draws it. XL goes beet red every time he sees a rendition of himself anywhere, which is pretty often, with how popular the series got.

HC has a folder just for XL fanarts on his cellphone and, while shy about it, XL also has a secret folder full of HC fanarts he likes to scroll through when he thinks HC isn't looking (HC finds it super cute!). None of the arts measure up to the real thing, ofc, but both get all warm thinking about their significant other getting the praise they deserve.

HC loves dragging XL out on conventions just to see everyone almost fainting at the sight of him, while casually ignoring all the people who come for himself. They get some level of anonymous fame as the most smitten cosplayers and how "positively real" they look -Pics of HCs lovingly gaze and XLs shy smile take the internet by storm, specially since no one can seem to find online footprints of them anywhere, which only further increases the mystery veil around both 'cosplayers'.

XL secretly buys the miaowuxiaopu outfits and swears by his life he has nothing to do with it when the box comes a week later and HC is the one to receive it (but gets absolutely elated when HC dresses up and how good he looks with the outfit)

Both like to scroll down the "Hualian" tag everywhere and have fun seeing the new creations. HC loves going after the fic websites and finding "interesting, more creative fiction than the ones in the past. We should absolutely try some things..."

A couple of HCs new favorite pastimes include trying out new skins based on art XL shows particular interest in and having XL roleplay fanfic scenarios they both like.

FX and MQ got themselves apts as well, just so they could be closer to XL while mingling with humans a bit more now that they're more free. Their relationship is much better now, but neither will ever admit it.

MQ's floor to ceiling bedroom windows facing FXs "was nothing more than a bad coincidence! I hate it!"

They see no need to tell anyone about leaving their curtains open at night.

Both suffer greatly having to see HCs hideous, giant smiles plastered all over the city and on the subway walls and curse every time they are forced to listen to any of their theme songs again. MQ swears he will retch if he needs to listen to one more comment on how romantic “hualian” is.

FX is absolutely horrified that he now started to occasionally get new prayers regarding the marital bed god[TM] status he worked so hard to be forgotten - and even more so that some of them involves both him and MQ. About those, his lips stay completely sealed.

[strifetxt]

idk what beefleaf is but the art and characters are so pretty where can i see more

BOY OH BOY okay. beefleaf is a ship in heaven official's blessing (tian guan ci fu in chinese), a novel by mo xiang tong xiu, mxtx for short (it's the same author as mdzs/cql/the untamed, if you've seen those floating around, that one's definitely her most popular work!)

if you want a basic rundown of What Is TGCF, basically it follows the story of xie lian, a former crown prince who ascended to godhood, but has since been banished from the heavens not just once, but twice, and is now considered the laughingstock of the heavenly realm. however, at the beginning of the book, xie lian has somehow ascended to godhood a third time! over the course of the book, you follow xie lian as he investigates various mysteries that lead him to learn more about the heavens, as well as about his own past. and along the way, he catches the attention of the mysterious ghost king hua cheng, a relationship which develops throughout the story (not-spoiler alert: they're in love, like canonically, tgcf is a love story and hualian is beautiful)

in terms of beefleaf itself! beefleaf is the ship name between two side characters, shi qingxuan and ming yi! shi qingxuan is a god known as the wind master, and he is a canonically genderfluid icon who drags her surly best friend, the earth master ming yi, into also having genders with her, so that's a fun time! the more in-depth exploration of their relationship is the crux of one of the major story arcs in the novel, and it is A Lot. that said, if you have any interest in consuming tgcf in any fashion, i would highly encourage you not to google them or look up art and the like, because it is EXTREMELY difficult to talk about them without major plot spoilers!

as for Where To Read: the thing about tgcf is that it is Extremely Long. like, longer than the word count of the literal bible long. the chapters aren't super long, but there are 244 of them, not including the post-canon extras. the most easily accessible way to start the story would probably be the donghua/anime, which is available on netflix! just search up heaven official's blessing! the donghua covers the first 30ish chapters of the book, and it's a solid adaptation! i will say that some of the translation choices in the subtitles don't quite capture the right nuance, but that's just nitpicking from me haha. i would recommend, if you do start with the donghua, to go back and skim the chapters that it covers, if only to check for different terminology and translator's notes, and also because the donghua really does not capture the comedy of the first chapter wherein xie lian basically logging onto the heavenly discord server to see a new channel called FUCK XIE LIAN wherein everyone is taking bets on how long before he gets banned again.

ANYWAY, SORRY THIS POST IS GETTING SO LONG. in terms of actually reading the book! seven seas danmei is officially localizing heaven official's blessing, and the first two volumes are available for purchase on their site and at major bookstores! there are, it seems, eight total volumes planned, scheduled for release over the course of this year and next. so it'll be A While before we have the entirety of the story out officially.

since the localization got announced, the person who did the fan translation (who is now one of the official translators!) has taken down the free versions she had online of the whole book. i'm? wary of linking to a pdf publicly, since i def want to respect the translator's wishes! but if you dm me or ask off anon, i'd be willing to share it privately if you want it! tgcf is one of my favorite stories, and beefleaf in particular is one of my favorite ships, so i'm very happy to share them with anyone who wants! :D

[sokkalore]

obligatory tgcf

going to answer like based on the novel rather than the show i think?

My rating (1-10):

9.5/10

My favourite character:

literally xie lian i love him soooo much. also feng xin and hua cheng.

My least favourite character:

bai wuxiang…🙂

The character I think I'd be friends with:

xie lian, shi qingxuan, feng xin, and tbh pei ming. 😭 i love annoying people.

The character I think I won't hit off with:

mu qing … i love him so much but if i knew him irl i would strangle him. and qi rong.

My favourite episode/scene:

chapter 235 the heaven crossing bridge; three idiots return to olden times. also, chapter 199 when xie lian breaks out of the kiln and hua cheng is all stressed and worried and they look up at the statue and andbfbsjdnsjswj >_<. and the “only after having met you did i rediscover it’s such a simple thing to be happy”

Whose clothing style I like best:

hua cheng fashionable cunt king icon legend i love him so much……

Times I watched it (and if I would again):

as we all know i’m on my second full reread right now, but i’ve read book 5 a few times at this point and some chapters Many times.. and i think i’ve watched the donghua like 6-7 times at this point.

[bee-regent]

tgcf youtuber au :)

Xie Lian: longtime cooking channel with major bob ross energy. gives wholesome replies to every comment. will fondly recall the numerous times he has been stabbed with no context before excitedly telling his viewers how his cabbages are growing. chops onions with a sword.

Hua Cheng: does all the tech stuff for xl and yells encouragement offscreen. cryptid.

He Xuan: forty minute videos of an elaborate saltwater aquarium, filmed on a tripod in dead silence. comments disabled. wildly popular in the asmr community.

Shi Qingxuan: viral fashion vlogger, nonbinary icon. extremely peppy. has gotten a few creepy stalkers, all who vanished under mysterious circumstances. terrifying brother. terrifying best friend.

Ling Wen: semiprofessional documentaries. excessive amounts of information. got popular after pretending to be male online.

Pei Ming: bizarrely sexual martial arts demos. might actually fuck to survive.

Qi Rong: doxxes people.

[moonwaif]

For the character thing, maybe Xie Lian or Hua Cheng?

Hi anon! Thanks for asking. Let’s start with Dianxia!

Xie Lian:

How I feel about this character: He is one of my favorite MXTX characters! I love his character development from spoiled yet well-intentioned prince, angry fallen god, to the kind and peaceful trash collecting grandpa. Xie Lian is an example of how you don’t have to be cruel to be strong. At the same time, I like that he’s made mistakes, that he’s capable of petty emotions and hatred. I just think he’s neat.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Just Hua Cheng, actually! But I don’t mind the idea that Mu Qing may have had an unrequited crush on him.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: This one is harder. I really like his dynamic with Feng Xin and Mu Qing. At the same time, I feel like the relationship they have at the end of the novel is different from what it was once in the past. That can also be said for Xie Lian’s relationship with Ban Yue. People moving in and out of each other’s lives, you know?

My unpopular opinion about this character: I think he’s extremely buff. An absolute tank.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I want a typical romcom scenario where Xie Lian gets jealous over Hua Cheng. I just think it’d be cute (but also a little sad).

Hua Cheng:

How I feel about this character: He’s so cool. A true fashion icon. I think he has the tendency to hyperfixate or obsess over things, but he uses that trait to his own advantage. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Just Xie Lian!

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I don’t really have one. Because the novel is from Xie Lian’s perspective and Hua Cheng is so mysterious, we don’t really get to see his dynamic when he’s alone with other characters, y’know? I would like to know more about his dynamic with Black Water and Yin Yu. I guess I could go with E’ming--does that count?

My unpopular opinion about this character: I have committed the fandom sin of deciding that Hua Cheng is not a virgin. I think he wanted to ensure that he could serve Dianxia and please him in all aspects. So he applied himself studiously to becoming a sex god, with clinical detachment and discipline.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Just more opportunities to learn about Hua Cheng’s past, or his relationships with other characters! I’d also like for him to be nice to E’ming. TT

GIVE ME A CHARACTER and I’ll break their ass down

[pengiesama]

God of Love Descends, with Blessings of Cabbage (Fic, TGCF, HC/XL)

Title: God of Love Descends, with Blessings of Cabbage Series: Heavenly Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Pairing: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

Summary:

Pei Ming gives Xie Lian advice on how to:

a) Get knocked up b) Get Hua Cheng knocked up c) Avoid getting his head eaten during sex with a grasshopper demon d) Grow cabbages

Xie Lian then takes some of this advice, but not all of it.

Link: AO3

Read on Tumblr!

“So…” Pei Ming said. “I heard you and your Crimson Rain were in need of some advice.”

On that last word, he winked.

“You heard incorrectly,” Xie Lian said. “Please leave, I have cleaning to do.”

With that, he tried shutting the door. Undaunted, undeterred, Pei Ming wedged his body into the crack; preventing Xie Lian from ending this intrusion peacefully.

“Then it was intuition! Being as I am a respected god of love, along with the whole martial thing, I just know these things. I perceive and understand when someone is in need of advice—” Again, with the winking. “—and a god cannot shirk his duty. You get it, your highness?”

“I don’t,” Xie Lian said. “Please do not damage my door with your body.”

Pei Ming finally squirmed his way in, despite Xie Lian’s best efforts – alas, he had been too concerned with the state of that door his San Lang had made for him, and in the process had welcomed disaster. Well, perhaps that was a strong word. “Annoyance”, “trouble”, “someone who was only here because he was desperate for attention”. Xie Lian could’ve almost felt sorry for him, against his better judgement.

“Anyway. This esteemed martial god of the north, this god of love, this – do you have anywhere for me to strike a pose for this speech? Like a big ol’ lotus or a fluffy cloud or something?”

Xie Lian leaned on his broom and stared at him, flatly. After a long moment, he walked to his scrap pile, picked up an empty wooden box, and carried it over. Pei Ming accepted it and set it on the floor before he clambered atop it.

“This god of love comes with great excitement to express his joy at your and Crimson Rain’s desires for offspring, and to provide his advice—”

“General Ming Guang, do you have an eye infection?” Xie Lian asked.

“No!” Pei Ming said. “I’m infected with the disease known as Baby Fever!”

“I wish you a swift and full recovery,” Xie Lian said. “Please leave so you can coalesce at a safe distance.”

Pei Ming sighed and scratched at his head, stepping down from the box. “Y’know, your highness, I really did come to help. A certain little birdie told me that you and Crimson Rain were thinking about bringing a bundle of joy or two into your household, and you won’t find a god in heaven that’s got more experience in that topic, I can tell you that much.”

Xie Lian’s cheeks colored, and he looked away. He had an idea of who that “little birdie” was, and as for the topic of that birdie’s chatter, well – it wasn’t wrong, necessarily, but just. Maybe getting a little ahead.

“I…I thank you for your sincere concern,” Xie Lian slowly said. “But San Lang and I, well, we’re, maybe, well, not, almost, well, maybe, a bit…”

“Listen,” Pei Ming said encouragingly, clapping his hand to Xie Lian’s shoulder, and not looking overly offended when Ruoye immediately smacked him away. “If you’re worried about the process, you and Crimson Rain have plenty of options! I heard he’s quite devastating in female form, for one; surely his highness would stand up tall to the challenge of bedding and planting seed in such a wicked beauty…”

Xie Lian’s ears were burning red. “I would advise General Ming Guang to not get any ideas.”

Pei Ming raised his hands. “No ideas in this head of mine, just full faith in his highness’ abilities. For that matter, surely Crimson Rain, if his highness wished to experience the joys of childbirth personally, would—”

“Pray General Ming Guang stop speaking.”

Pei Ming looked hurt. “I’m not judging his highness at all! I’ve gotten knocked up myself a few times, and I can confirm that the nine months are a valuable period of mediation and cultivation…”

“…” said Xie Lian.

Pei Ming smiled knowingly and slung his arm around Xie Lian’s shoulders; heedless of the Ruoye furiously smacking him on the head.

“I know what his highness is thinking. You see, when a man and a beautiful woman who is also a bee demon are very attracted to each other, sometimes, that woman asks the man if she can lay her eggs in him and then immediately drop dead afterwards. As a red-blooded icon of masculinity, could I possibly deny her final request? But! You have to be careful of beautiful women who are also grasshoppers, because sometimes they get feisty in bed. I of course would never be one to deny an expecting mother of much-needed protein, but you have to set expectations – you tell them, ‘my darling, my sweet, of course you can eat my head while we fuck, but it can only be a clone of me, because I’m not looking for that kind of commitment.’”

Pei Ming blinked, and he visibly was deep in thought for a moment.

“Do butterflies do that kind of thing too? Is your Crimson Rain human down there, mostly? Does he have a, whatchacallit, a proboscis? Just trying to figure out what we’re working with.”

It was common knowledge that Pei Ming’s many, many, many, many, many descendants were spread far and wide across the world. About seventy percent of Middle Heaven officials were Pei Ming’s illegitimate scions; some of whom were not fully human in form. Perhaps this revelation was new news to Xie Lian, but it was hardly surprising news. Surely such a prodigious array of progeny could only be achieved if one expanded one’s tastes.

“Listen listen listen!” Pei Ming squawked as Ruoye hauled him up by the armpits, his legs kicking in the air. “If you’re not into the idea of lugging something around for nine months, you can do it the old-fashioned way!”

How is that not the old-fashioned way…?, Xie Lian wondered.

“So those child-bearing pills you got,” Pei Ming began, thus proving that Shi Qingxuan was completely incapable of keeping a secret. “You build yourself a nice little garden, you get some holy water, and you grow yourself a little cabbage that you’ll pluck when they’re ready to make their debut.”

“Those are seeds? Seeds that you’re supposed to plant in the ground?” Xie Lian blurted before he could stop himself.

Pei Ming blinked. “…yeah? What, did you think that you were supposed to take them like medicine?”

Well, that at least explained why that hadn’t been working. Xie Lian made a note that he would have to beg the pardon of Rain Master and request her guidance in…cabbage farming.

“So basically,” Pei Ming summed up. “If your Crimson Rain’s proboscis can’t lay eggs in you, and neither of you are willing to grow a womb for the duration, pills. Pills in the ground.”

“Thank you for your input, General Ming Guang,” Xie Lian said firmly.

“And if either of you need protein, use a clone!” Pei Ming called back as Ruoye whirled around before flinging him into the distance. “General Ming Guang says practice safe sex!”

 --

 “Pray gege forgive this San Lang for not knowing the proper application method of the pills. He hadn’t dared presume gege would wish to use them, and this cowardice resulted in a shameful gap in knowledge.”

“Mmm,” Xie Lian replied, leaning back against his husband. He gazed at the little patch of fresh dirt in front of them. Puqi Village was a good spot to start a garden. It was quiet, peaceful; away from the hustle and bustle of Ghost City. The cabbage could be introduced to its second home soon enough. “Pray San Lang forgive this husband for being too stubborn to even consider that an alternate method was perhaps better suited.”

Hua Cheng nosed the back of Xie Lian’s neck; he could feel his smirk against his nape. “Ah, but gege’s stubbornness brought so many delightful nights…”

Hua Cheng’s breath and lips travelled lower, from his nape, trailing down his spine. Xie Lian sighed aloud and loosened his belt and ties to allow his robe to slip lower, off his shoulders and catching on his elbows. Hua Cheng could take a hint, and Xie Lian couldn’t help but laugh aloud in delight as he was pressed into the grass by his husband’s weight.

It had been a long and anxious day of gardening, and Xie Lian thought he could use some proboscis.