#I have VERY mixed feelings on qi rong

[yeyayeya]

WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT TO BE HOT????!!??

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 3, Match 16: Satoru Gojo vs. Xie Lian

Submitted kids:

Saruto Gojo: Tsumiki Fushiguro, Megumi Fushiguro, Yuuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, Yuuta Okkotsu, the other second year students to some extent

Xie Lian: Ban Yue, Pei Xiu, Lang Ying, Lian Quianqiu, Gu Zi, Lang Ying

Propaganda under the cut!

Satoru Gojo:

“became a single father of 2 at the age of 19. Helped Yuuji fake his death and hid him in his basement for months”

Xie Lian:

1. “a several centuries old disgraced god who keeps somehow getting mixed up in things that have nothing to do with him and taking in random kids in the process. Got dragged into being a soldier in a war between kingdoms he's not even from? suddenly single dad to these two random kids caught up in between. dealing with a malicious ghost who has been killing brides? boom, now he has a ghost son whose previous guardian was killed by the malicious ghost. psychotic ghost cousin posses the body of a man with a young son and continues being a piece of shit? well i guess your taking care of that kid too now (i know guzi is technically qi rong's kid since he's the one possessing his actual dad but if it weren't for xie lian intervening when he did the kid would be dead so he kinda counts too)”

2. “Xie Lian saves a young LQQ from being kidnapped, returns him home and end up becoming the/his grand tutor(which was NOT his original plan at all). He literally teaches the boy everything for years, raising him to become the best ruler he could ever be. The XL ends up accused for killing his family (because of a lot of different things) what is important is that he was not the perpetrator but he did kill LQQ’s father in an act to save the boy from making a horrible decision/outcome and also dealt with the actual perpetrators but kept it a secret cause he knew it would break LQQ’s heart to learn his dear friend planned to kill him and his entire family. LQQ took this betrayal by XL so hard he buried him after staking him through the heart when he was still alive. 300 years later when XL returns/is revealed LQQ is still not over it to the point he wants a FAIR duel to settle the score. FAIR with the man he still thinks killed his entire family!

Banyue and Pei Su are connected. XL took BY under his wing while he was a soldier in the army. He did his best to protect her and get her fed as she had pretty much no one. He also talked with her about his younger selfs dreams for the future which was so inspiring to her that not only did she remember it over a century later when they meet again in very different circumstances but she also apologized for essentially not being able to live up to the ideals he had accidentally passed on to her. While he didn’t have as much direct contact with Pei Su, the boy was BY’s only friend and so while XL was around he did also interact with the boy. However this all came to an end when in an attempt to save BY (which succeeded) he through himself in between two armies and was trampled when they began to fight. When they meet again (as I previously mentioned) XL takes BY under his safety until he is not safe and then sends her off to a safe place where she reunites with PS, who for all XL doesn’t give the same amount of attention to, XL does actually approve of some of him (not all his actions) and seems to find it cute that PS is courting BY.

XL meets Lang Ying first when he helps the boy burry his proxy sister, LY ends up running off after XL reacted with shock to LY’s uncovered face, but XL keeps a constant search for him. XL next saves him from getting beat up by ghosts and ends up taking him to live with him in the shrine he lives in. He does his best to take care of both LY and Gu Zi at the shrine and keeps his good treatment up even knowing LY’s a ghost it only ends when (spoilers for non book people, feel free to look up if you want to know).

XL takes in GZ mostly as his ghost cousin (whom he arrested) has taken over the body of the boy’s father. While I’m not sure how much this one counts, especially since by the end his cousin ends up caring for GZ, but he still does the best he can to feed and care for the boy as his entire life changes.”

[fortune-maiden]

Stuck in traffic and bored so resurrected TGCF AU of the Day…

I’m not sure I ever detailed this one outside of some tags but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately especially now that my friend read the QuanYin backstory

So. Quan Yizhen. Martial God of the West who does not have any deputies appointed and beats up his followers sometimes but is still popular enough to be in the Top 10 and the West is probably doing fine

I’d like to think at least some of that is also Ling Wen delegating other gods on occasion, specifically Pei Xiu, who just feels like the designated grunt of the three tumors

Pei Ming allows it. Pei Xiu does his job and this allows him to some kind of foothold in the West. Not enough to dethrone QYZ and they’re not gunning for it, but if PX can get some credit for the work he’s doing, PM certainly isn’t complaining

Cue Qi Rong with the rumors.

No ones paying attention to him and no one know exactly how the whispers start. But suddenly it’s an open secret that PM wants to dethrone QYZ and set up PX in his place and the other juniors at Ming Guang Palace are pretty gung ho about it. People who don’t like QYZ are also pretty interested in watching this situation develop. People who don’t like PM are tutting but can’t really say much against him.

PM, PX, and QYZ are ignoring this as much as possible. It’s unknown if QYZ even heard the rumors.

But what starts as rumors eventually escalates and leads to several Ming Guang Temples getting trashed. The Palace of Ming Guang is furious - they believe QYZ instigated or trashed the temples himself and they’re not about to let this go.

Pity they choose a very nice garden party to confront him land start a brawl before PX is able to do anything about it.

Enter SQX, who is about to do something about it.

SQX drags all the culprits, PX and QYZ before the emperor. He has been watching this unfold and tutting and now things have reached a point where someone needs to do something - preferably PM gets censured but PX maintains that Ming Guang Palace is innocent.

The Emperor agrees - and puts SQX in charge of investigating

No one is happy about this situation. Not PM who is tearing his juniors a new one. Not SWD who does not want SQX getting mixed up in these things.

And definitely not PX and QYZ who are being dragged along with SQX to make up and help find the real culprits.

Or in which, SQX investigates the rumors QR started with a reluctant PX and QYZ in tow

Other plans in this AU:

- SQX meets a cheerful stranger who seems very interested in this incident. PX meanwhile senses a murderous intent from someone and finds himself constantly under attack. (This is Rong Guang watching the situation unfold and deciding what to do about it, aside from kill PX to make PM suffer)

- Yin Yu is also in the area looking into it for Hua Cheng. He is doing everything in his power to avoid QYZ and the rest… he is also probably the most competent detective here and is really torn about helping his former colleagues (or at least SQX) out

- Absolutely no one has faith in SQX as the investigator. PM pulls PX aside and effectively tells him to play babysitter/bodyguard and let SQX do whatever while he investigates separately

- the Three Tumors are making their own plans in the background. SWD is worried about his brother and Ling Wen feels partially responsible for all the odd jobs she dumped on Pei Xiu in the past. Pei Ming just wants the kids to come home in one piece.

- Everyone keeps underestimating QYZ who is actually paying very close attention to things and not saying anything because he’s annoyed and just wants to skip to the part where he can’t beat up the bad guys and go home

[heartfils]

transferring some old but still important qi rong thoughts from his old blog to here:

˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍:

HE REALLY, REALLY LOVED HIM!!!! pretty sure he still has affection lingering but at this point it’s so mixed with years of hatred and resentment it’s impossible to break it apart... honestly xie lian was always like a savior to him, so he held him up in the highest pedestal and thus the fall was painful for them both... like, he grew up with his dad abusing him and his mom, then with the shame of knowing he ruined his mother’s life simply by existing, therefore inciting the mockery and contempt of the people around him —before he officially became royalty or not—, so obviously he wasn’t in a good mental state. being taken in by his aunt was a type of salvation, but being acknowledged by xie lian (someone whom he admires so much, the one person qi rong didn’t believe weak, someone who would never be pushed down and ridiculed — hah!), becoming like xie lian, that, too, was salvation to him but................ his anger and his pain got the better of him and he went waaaaaayyy off into the wrong path. to me it seemed like his family just kinda gave up disciplining him, and i understand his aunt’s position: he’s her late sister’s child, not her own, she didn’t want to disrespect her memory by disciplining her son too strictly, so all she could do was give him a metaphorical slap on the wrist while he got away with worse and worse each time. xie lian was also very young himself, it wasn’t his job to control him, but it also made me really :’( to see how qi rong was always so excited to be with him and xie lian kinda brushed him off (sometimes with good reason, others...) taking a child’s toy away is just gonna make them throw a tantrum and get more aggressive; this happens every time qi rong gets reprimanded and “punished”. he got worse because no one really taught him any better, and if they did, they dubbed him a lost cause, but it really comes down to "a lot of things could’ve been avoided if his family had known how to treat him more appropriately" because back then he was just a child who dealt with his trauma in all the wrong ways until there was no turning back, and now he's just like this. me thinking abt how xie lian wanted to save everyone but qi rong wanted him to save him too and he Didn't: guess i'll die!

�� ˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆/𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍:

personally i really like the sound of night drifting as opposed to night touring [green lantern] beccause drifting implies a lack of direction, gives a sense of wandering without real purpose, not knowing where you’re going but still walking, maybe because you’re being carried or pushed by an outer force, usually unseen. all of these really resonate with how qi rong refuses to see himself but are ultimately the way he is — he’s constantly drifting between who he is, who he thinks he is, and who he wants to be, which causes him to be all of those and yet none at all at the same time.  he has a very skewed view of himself, he gives off the vibe that he doesn’t even know who he is, so he imitates other people and to us spectators it makes him feel like he has a very fragile identity. who is he without the help or influence of others, directly or indirectly? who is he aside from his blood relation to xie lian, who is he without the tactless imitations of hua cheng and hei shui?  touring has somewhat different connotations than drifting, but touring does give off an air of not belonging to the places you’re visiting, which also fit qi rong really well!! he doesn’t belong with any of his family, not with the common people, not with the ghosts, obviously not the heavens either. no matter where he goes, he just does not belong anywhere.

˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐘:

him imitating the other calamities is the same shitty behaviour he used to have as a kid imitating xie lian because back then, to him, his cousin was the paragon of strength. he thought if he were to be more like xie lian he’d never be pushed down and mocked again, thus he desperately wanted to be like him (with all the wrong methods). qi rong hates feeling weak, it throws him back to the times he was a defenseless child who was beaten or ridiculed by everyone, so xie lian, who was strong and respected, was literally a god to him. of course, coupled with qi rong’s temper and lack of empathy and morals, that was just a recipe for disaster, and it carried over to him seeking strength via imitation of those whom he deems the strongest, because he never really learned how to do it himself.

˚ʚ ⁀➷ㅤ𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐔 𝐙𝐈:

he doesn't fully realize it himself, but he's definitely attached to that kid. i joke about him loving his new son, but it IS the closest thing he's felt to loving someone and being loved back since he was a human child... and it is the first time he has family who loves him unconditionally. family who actually cares about him. i can't help but think that part of qi rong sees his old self in gu zi, because they both came from nothing and had abusive fathers. hell, gu zi's dad was so terrible that compared to him, gu zi thinks qi rong is kind. this definitely rattles qi rong in a way he's not used to, so while he's still an awful influence on the poor kid, he does canonically watch his behavior around him as to not cross the line and upset him. really does goes to show that all qi rong needed was a family who could both love him and be firm with him.

[crowning-art]

TGCF SPOILERS!

------------------------------------------

He really was just a poor little dude

“His Highness said to himself, ‘It’s okay, I had expected it, no one would stay after I’ve become like this. I can go on on my own. I understand now, I’ve always been alone!!! I DON’T NEED ANYONE!!!’

He's my poor little scrunkly boi, my little meow meow 🥺

I couldn't stop laughing at this, lmaooo just the image in my head is so funnyyy

But I didn’t immediately die, and when he started to act up, my three friends all started screaming from his face. As if they’d done something to him, he started yelling from an agonizing headache, and I was also screaming. The five of us were all screaming wildly, yelling in madness, like we had all gone crazy.

AWWWWW THEY ALL WERE GOUSHIS FOR XIE LIAN! MY HEART!!

Guoshi replied, “It’s them. So, I suppose you are also the disciple of my three friends.

There was something so terrifying about this passage:

“Finding ways to communicate with the friends who had become mountain spirits took me a long time, but after I succeeded, I learned many things. Turns out, the previous dynasty of heavenly officials didn’t fade away naturally. Instead, they were killed slowly, one by one, by him.

He…slaughtered the entire Heavenly Court, leaving no one behind!

As for the corpses and ashes of the heavenly officials of the previous dynasty, they’re all mixed into the foundation of this Heavenly Capital, trampled and stepped on by him each and every day. Right now, perhaps there’s also someone beneath your feet.

Especially when u compare it to the image of pristine white, gold, jade and the grand majesty of the whole realm and suddenly....it's not marble or jade you're staring at but rather the bones of the murdered and the blood seeping out of every crevice....how macabre...

I know it's just a translation thing, but the way the goushi's response was translated just feels so accurate, like yes, this is probably EXACTLY what he said lol I love it

Xie Lian suddenly recalled the strange attitude Guoshi had when he saw Shi Qingxuan. “Master!Lord Wind Master…the skilled fortune-telling master who told Shi Qingxuan’s fortune back then, the one who told his family not to host feasts, was that you?”

“Duh,” Guoshi said.

THE WAY HUA CHENG WAS JUST SMILING AND WATCHING XIE LIAN THE WHOLE TIME GOUSHI WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW SIMILAR JUN WU AND XIE LIAN WERE BUT HOW THEY WERENT BECAUSE HE ALWAYS CHOSE THE PATH OF GOODNESS AND HUA CHENG WAS JUST SO PROUD 😭😭

OK NVM I TAKE IT BACK I HATE JUN WU!! HOW DARE HE MESS WITH THE SHI BROTHERS!! HOW DARE HE??? UNFORGIVABLE!

Ummm....yaaa...about that....😅

“Since the existence of Wuyong could no longer be hidden, anyone who saw the Crown Prince of Xianle and the Crown Prince of Wuyong would think the two were very alike, so it was the perfect solution in leading it all back to you.

I...uhhhh...(thinking back to my theory that Xie Lian was an incarnation of Wuyong prince...)

I HAD THIS EXACT HEADCANON OF GOUSHI REPRIMANDING XIE LIAN FOR LIKING HUA CHENG WAAAY BACK AND I CANT BELIEVE ITS TRUE!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!

Guoshi was doubtful. “Then…could it be…a trait from birth? Well…I never noticed. Hm…alright, this part of you certainly isn’t like him…”

And this part too!!

Guoshi leaned over to argue. "You cunning young man, don't think I can't tell. Aren't you exactly using the fact that His Highness isn't too learned in this aspect? Why don't you tell me right now, to my face, how spiritual power is lent? How many ways can it be lent, and how do you lend it?

What did you tell His Highness?

GUZIII!!!! AWWW I MISSED HIM!!!! lmaooo Qi Rong was such a mood, writing 'I was here' on all the walls and proceeding to get scolded by everyone and then having to clean everything up in a sulky manner lol

Oh my God, all the Goushi confronting Xie Lian about Hua Cheng were GOLDEN LMAOO

Guoshi was puzzled. "Your Highness, how can you say something like that? Your calligraphy was taught by world-class masters, how can you not tell the difference between beautiful and hideous? That writing is totally the worst of the three realms, not even the best teachers could salvage it. What exactly do you like about it? Did your taste fall apart?"

Xie Lian said, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAMASTER, PLEASE DON'T SAY ANY MORE!!!

Gosh this part is so interesting to me

Suddenly, he remembered a long time ago, he asked Hua Cheng what Jun Wu was like. At the time, Hua Cheng's response was, Jun Wu must really hate him.

Like even back in the beginning, Jun Wu did treat him well and with kindness, but I guess it kinda makes sense cuz u wouldn't do what Jun Wu ever did to someone you love...

The absolute chaos in Pei Ming's palace was so funny thoooo, everyone just attacking everyone and Pei Ming is just FED UP lol literal party in his house

Xie Lian felt endless sympathy. In some sense, this was probably considered the misfortune of over-popularity.

Oh shoot....with Pei Ming going down to break the array...I think things are gonna start going down hill now officially

[danhoemei]

[ID: Anonymous asked: Just wanted to know who your favorite “villains” (or antagonists) are in all of MXTX novels. Whether it’s a big bad/final boss like *censored* or more of a side character like Xue Yang. Whether you wanna do a ranking or just throw some names out in no particular order. /end ID]

Sorry anon for the screenshot, I wanted to avoid a major spoiler for one of the novels 😘 Even though this blog is not spoiler free I try to avoid at least the major or too direct ones.

That being said,

VERY MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT

for mdzs, tgcf and svsss.

Really don’t read if you don’t want to spoil yourself the whole novels.

Nie Huaisang

Goddaaaaaamn I was IMPRESSED by his level as the mastermind. He fooled me for over half a book, I started being suspicious just a few (10-odd?) chapters before the big reveal. I think cql has more obvious foreshadowing, from what I saw on some screenshots, but in the novel he was impeccable. Such a meticulously woven plan, executed perfectly and fooling everyone to the very end, even the most perceptive characters like wwx. Absolute fav from the antagonists (honestly weird to call him that but he pretty much is).

Meng Yao

I gave some thoughts on this character here. He deserved better ;-;

He Xuan

I liked him as ming yi, his grumpiness and done attitude, and very enjoyable dynamic with sqx (beefleaf 💚). Then the venerable of empty words arc absolutely destroyed me. It’s one of my fav arcs in tgcf actually. I experienced literal catharsis in the culmination scene with shi brothers, I was freaking gaping at the screen, then mumbling and tearing up, then key smashing to my friend who read the novel earlier. This whole arc was a wild ride, fascinating and with a lot of unexpected turns, constantly keeping me at my wits end and hungry for knowledge, while I gradually learnt about he xuan’s devastating story, shi wudu’s ruthless selfishness and sqx’s obliviousness. This whole story was really extreme and even though it was absolutely heart-wrenching, I was elated by the amount of emotions it dragged me through. I am regretful AF that he xuan couldn’t end it in a different way and am sad for beefleaf 💔 But still, I like him as a character and can’t really hold his choices against him. I dwell on wholesome AUs though xd

Shen Jiu

Also pretty much this (the same ask as linked for Meng Yao).

Jun Wu

Ngl, he was very annoying for me and I wished many times for him to leave xie lian tf alone xd But he grew on me at the end during his exchange with xie lian and mei nianqing, but especially as we learnt his background. So I ended up pretty much with mixed feelings towards him, annoyance for his present sorry self and softness for his past. I also like dwelling on what ifs and AUs here xd Not too much because, on an everyday basis, I don’t think about him at all, but whenever I see a fanart of junmei, I melt a bit xd

From the ‘smaller fries’:

Mobei Jun

Cold, emotionally stunted demon learning what care and love is thanks to his hamster’s influence 💙

Qi Rong

He was quite annoying and just a comic relief, but I grew to enjoy those comedic scenes with him, and especially his progressing father-son relationship with gu zi. There was development in this character, who was quite human and relatable in how he starved for recognition and attention, but still failed miserably and was always second (or worse). I agree with this post by @thisworldgodonlyknows​.

Sha Hualing

Wild, cheerful, chaotic lady ❤ I respect her and enjoyed her appearances (rather later in the book, first appearance was as an annoying, overconfident brat, but later we get to know her better and I love the friendship and banters between her, lbh, and mbj).

Tianlang Jun

Such a non-stereotypical demon for PIDW world, just wanted to indulge himself and experience the world, fell in love and wanted a happy life. Which got harshly destroyed ;-; I regret their tragic backstory, his and su xiyan, and wish they could have been happy together ;-; He was also very fun (a bit like pei ming), with his constantly shipping mind xD

[ninereadytoanswer]

A different ‘disabled d/s au dom xie lian gets given sub hua cheng’ idea:

Xie Lian, who has always lived at home prior to this, heads off to university/cultivation school. Assures his parents that everything will be totally fine! Unfortunately in fact he has approximately -5 self care skills, and the kind of internalized ableism where he feels like he shouldn’t have all these ‘extra needs’ that other people don’t have, and he shouldn’t bring them up to people and ‘drag things down’, so how about he just - goes on as though he doesn’t. (...Also actually he might have the kind of internalized ableism mixed with class guilt where his family has always had servants etc, and he’s dealing with stuff around that, but - well, a lot of stuff talking about class etc issues isn’t good at acknowledging disability, so he has an issue where he ends up feeling like a bunch of his needs are ‘luxuries’.)

(Xie Lian: well, I used up all my energy/spoons/resources trying to keep up with everyone without showing that I was having any problems, so now I don’t have any left to make food or go to the dining hall or anything. Guess I’m just going to eat these potato chips for dinner, this is totally fine!)

When he goes home after a semester Xie Lian continues to proclaim that everything is going totally fine but his parents aren’t buying it and decide to contact the university and demand he be assigned someone (which, again in universe is just a thing). 

So the university does that. In this case a sub who’s been designated from being a ward of the state to the university. This being Hua Cheng. (I think Hua Cheng is being a sufficiently decent university worker, partially because he’s very interested in things, and partially (in a version with the prior encounters with Xie Lian) because I think Xie Lian’s parents helped fund the university and stuff and got things named after Xie Lian (...that gives Xie Lian more issues doesn’t it) which makes Hua Cheng ! to be there. (An alternate idea is that he got brought to the university after the local version of the Qi Rong thing, but since the thing with spirits etc couldn’t happen here he just stayed there. (And the university does wards or something). This would raise the question of Xie Lian not seeing him again but that’s probably not hard to make work, especially since Xie Lian isn’t literally a prince here.)

Cue: Xie Lian being mad about domism Hua Cheng is experiencing and trying to do things about it, Xie Lian trying to do something about Hua Cheng also having -5 self care skills and Hua Cheng promptly reflecting that back at him, Xie Lian having both Internalized Issues and genuine recognition that he’s privileged in a terrible system and also liking Hua Cheng, Hua Cheng being 😍about Xie Lian and trying not to let him know this, people casually assuming Xie Lian is fucking Hua Cheng (which again in this world would be considered completely fine and regular), Xie Lian having issues because he wants to, Hua Cheng having issues because he also wants to, and Hualian needing to sort so many things out but definitely being so much happier for it (and handling some assholes too).

---

(Note here: to be clear, this society is in fact very bad. The domism is bad, having some people you treat as basically handy objects is very bad and not ok at all. (Also economic inequality and class inequality are bad - which, also doesn’t in any way make disabled people’s needs into luxuries.) Relationships across real world power dynamics have a lot of potential for bad stuff happening even if everyone has good intentions and good awareness of what all the issues can be, and much more if the second isn’t true even if the first is. (Which also doesn’t mean people can’t ever have and affirm them). Also in real life you should generally not sleep with either your hired or appointed care aids or with someone you are a hired or appointed care aid for.

The point here is hualian navigating a bunch of issues and finding things that work anyway, not that everything happening is totally great or something.)

[touchmycoat]

A friend says QiRong gives her mixed feeling, something about a not so very well done redemption in her opinion? so I’m curious to see what’s the whole deal with him haha he defo annoyed me, but I think it makes him interesting. When I read he looked like XL I was like is this a clone thing? A long lost twin? But no, he’s just the annoying cousin lmfao lolol

I think I’m just dumb cause I was like wait pei jr did what? For what? When I watched the song his, So when I read I think I understood his thoughts behind it better

My friends are afraid I won’t like MuQing so I’m like *sweats profusely* what does he do I’m scared. He is either hated or loved there’s no in between, or so I’ve been told

As for spoilers well I know who Nan Feng and Fu Yao are, that beefleaf have a tragic ending (but not why or what happened, and also something about MingYi... I think? Like that’s it there something about him but, again, idk the what) , Xie Lian is... someone but I’m blanking on the name so thanks for that brain! There was something else I got spoiled but I can’t remember and ah! Well I know MuQing has a mother and that may or may not be very important, like I know she exists but not for what purpose

And idk I don’t think xl having a cream pie kink is a spoiler LMAO but I know that too

omg you're making me think that qi rong is kind of the opposite of xue yang for me? XY has the genius and charisma and tragic backstory, but in execution, he squicks me out. QR on the other hand is an annoying fuck, an annoying fuck, and an annoying fuck, but in execution, he's, ,, hilariously charming??? like don't get me wrong he's a fucking bastard in every way but i don't mind his presence at all lmao. as for his redemption arc, i'm not too mad 'cause i don't think he was meant to be redeemed in a way that matters, so whether or not it succeeded can totally be up to the reader.

also omg, long lost twin. that's thematically prescient, i love it :eyes:

NO I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND LMFAO re: xiao pei. To make it worse i read the book first and totally was like, ", huh? what's going on?"

Mu Qing, Jiang Cheng, and Shen Jiu are the ultimate Hate-Them-or-Love-Them trio when it comes to fandom, it seems. And that's so fucking fierce of them. I don't think MQ does anything unforgivable, and I love a poor bitch with Issues™ lololol. Obviously, I don't think he's beyond critique, and i'm a little obsessed with the direction MXTX took with him. I would love to know what you think, post-Book 2 and post-Book 4!!!

CAN I TELL YOU. I LITERALLY DIDN'T CLOCK NAN FENG AND FU YAO UNTIL BOOK 4 KLJSADNFLKJASNDLFKAJNSDLFKJANLDS I'M SUCH A BLIND BITCH I WAS JUST LIKE "oh hahaha that's great" and didn't, , connect the dots,,

ah, beefleaf <3 <3 to this day I still don't really understand why majority of fandom seems to portray them as fluffy lesbians—not that it's bad. I just...didn't have that urge, post-canon? Mingyi is also my Favorite Character of tgcf muah <3 <3 i'll say this—while i do love beefleaf, i am also perfectly content with them not being together

DIANXIA'S CREAMPIE KINK NFJNDJFNDJFNJDNFDNFDKNFKJNN like. good for hua cheng, honestly. okay but can ghosts nut

[sunmaylight]

TGCF Book 2 Reaction pt. 4

Okay. Let’s finish this for book 2, then I can post stuff about book 3 after this

I have decided to split instead of my OG plan because like I said last post, my reading app decided to cram Ch 82-88 into one reading count, so I got a counter that said that Ch 82 has like 100 some pages and I firmly decided that I will read that later.

I said and did what I promised and became a wreak after the end of book 2 cause of all of the drama and development that happened. Book two is literally about Xie Lian growing up and I got so emotional from the environment that forced him to.

Ch 82: The effects of the aphrodisiac-like drug were paused somehow.

- Me: Hm, was it cause Xie Lian cut himself and drained some of the blood away? Or was it cause some of his blood mixed with Hong Hong-Er’s blood was inserted into his bloodstream. Wait, if that is true. Xie Lian is lucky with his divinity he doesn’t get blood poisoning. 

The affects of the curse-drug are affecting Xie Lian and the novel is slowly climbing to the R-18 levels based on sounds.

- Me: Oh, Hong Hong-Er. I wish you luck and that you NEVER find out what those sounds mean until you are older.

Xie Lian ties a piece of his hair to Hong Hong-Er’s finger on one hand.

- Me: Wait, if Hong Hong-Er becomes Hua Cheng in the future, then...oh! This is where the red string ring on his hand comes from?

* Learns about Ch 83 *

- Me: Wait. -checks table of contents- *sob* oh thank god. There are like four more chapters to go instead of one really long chapter

Ch 83: Xie Lian pulled a Nagito Komaeda.

- Me: *Sob* Xie Lian, no! I understand why, but nooooo!

Feng Xin and Mu Qing find Xie Lian on the ground with the sword and freaks out. Then once Xie Lian is out, they explain that Yong’An has hidden backers secretly supplying them supplies for war.

- Me: Fu-dge. It’s getting bigger than expected.

Xie Lian comments to his retainers that the Young Solider has the potential to wield the Sabre, like Mu Qing. Mu Qing: *Unreadable expression*

- Me: Oh, is Mu Qing jealous? I think Mu Qing is jealous of a teenager

Back at Xian Le: Xie Lian runs into Hong Hong-Er again. Hong Hong-Er says he got kicked out of the army because...

- Me: ...Did baby Hong get kicked out the army because the army found out about his cursed existence? *Gasp* What if Mu Qing did something out of spite/jealousy. 

Ch 84: First victim found to possess the Human-Face disease is found in Xian Le. Everyone starts to freak out because of the large commotion it made. The ‘Face’ is revealed to be functional somehow.

- Me: *Reading the description* Oh gods. I think I’m going to be sick.

Hong Hong-Er tries his best to help Xie Lian do damage control

- Me: Awe, Hong Hong-Er. How adorable. You are trying to seek attention

Hey, remember the child of Lang Ying that was buried near the temple? Yeah, it became a curse/demon after being buried for over a decade without proper rites.

- Me: *Sigh* Why am I not surprised. Actually, I am very surprised. This was near a sacred place and NO ONE noticed this slowly growing into something dangerous an alarming rate.

Human-Face disease is growing and people are desperate. They turn to Xie Lian thinking he could do something instead of trying to find an alternative solution.

- Me: Man, I am so glad for modern medicine and the ability to have multiple paths taken to try and find the solution to this problem.

Learning about Human Face disease

- Me: Will make another post for theorization of how the disease come to be, but for now.

- Me: Wait, if the cursed child grew from almost over a decade ago, then that means Hong Hong-Er is like around 15 now...Holy shit.

Ch 85: Xie Lian created an idioms punishment if Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s arguing went out of control

- Me: Aww, how cute. This will also be good practice to familiarize one self with literature and language. 

Guoshi asking Xie Lian the hard, but necessary hard questions. Scolding Xie Lian for his naive ways of thinking and he should have listened to Guoshi from the beginning. Says that this matter with the kingdom of Xian Le is going out of control cause of Xie Lian

- Me: I know that the Guoshi is trying to drill the important stuff into Xie Lian’s head. But he is also at fault for omitting/withholding important information that Xie Lian should have learned

- Me: Flipping balancing act, that is ugh.

Yong’An troops is now classified as an army. The battles become bigger. Lang Ying is shown in a one-on-one battle with Xie Lian that he has a Deus Ex Machina effect attached to him

- Me: Oh no. That is not good. That is a sign of the shift in power and Xian Le will, the inevitable is coming. 

Human-Face Disease: Becomes sentient and eats and screams

- Me: O-oh *Blegh* Not good.

Ch 86: Xie Lian took a nap and woke up to a quilt on him

- Me: Who placed that on him? Hong Hong-Er? Did you do it?

The rapidly declining situation is now affecting Xie Lian to the point that he snaps. He punches a tree. Scared of the enemy and is getting desperate?

- Me: “To rise is human. To fall is also human” Shit, that is coming true now.

Xie Lian trying to call out for the White-Clothed Ghost. Said Ghost appears & tells how the Human-Face Disease came to be to Xie Lian

- Me: I already made a post about this. No need for repeat

- Me: The Human-Face disease. I am actually curious how it came to be.

Ch 87: Reveals the origin of the Human-Face disease in his bedroom to his retainers. Knows how to cast, but no cure

- Me: Oh god. It is a curse with no counter spell. Oh no.

Xie Lian and Mu Qing are fighting. Feng Xin, stays quiet until he can’t take it anymore and snaps.

- Me: Ah, a fallout? No, an argument. This is the start of the splintering between these three. Mu Qing always says the blunt truth with no consideration of how this will affect people later.

Earthquake? Happens later. Qi Rong jumps out from under the bed

- Me: Oh no. Fu-dge, it’s bratty Qi Rong. He is going to blabble, I can feel it

Ch 88: Xie Lian calls upon a giant golden statue of himself to hold up the Celestial Pagoda from falling

- Me: Wow! Gundam. Xie Lian can control an ancient Chinese Mecha. Wait, *inhales* o-oh. Atlas. Xie Lian is now representing Atlas.

Xie Lian’s strength is failing him. All he can do is hold up the pagoda.

- Me: Xie Lian is losing belief. No, not that. Also is anyone going to do anything to evacuate precious items form the Pagoda before it will eventually fall?

Qi Rong blabbles about the Human-Face disease. It makes everything more stressful for Xie Lian

- Me: Goddamnit, Qi Rong. I called it.

The outbreak of the Human-Face disease in the capital + Yong’An finally invaded the capital, people going to Xie Lian asking him to fix them even though he can’t. All of it builds up and then Xie Lian falls and breaks his leg. After, changes as something indescribable is lost.

= Me: ...oh Xie Lian. 

- Me: Depression...?

Xie Lian thinks he is a god of misfortune. Watches his temples burn with no emotion. Empty.

- Me: ...Xie Lian. I can’t understand how you are feeling, but the void and empty feeling? I can relate.

There is one temple of Xie Lian that was going to burn, but stopped. It is revealed a young teen has been protecting this temple. A painting of Xie Lian is revealed.

- Me: ..Hong Hong-Er is that you?

Xie Lian decides to let this teen see him on whim for a second. His retainers and the teen are surprised. Xie Lian tells the teen to forget him,

The teen: “IN MY HEART, YOU ARE GOD!”  “I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!”

- Wow. I can hear the theme music play in an uplifting tune.

MXTX Author’s note read

- Me: Wow. All of this story so far for this one image. Amazing.

Okay. Book two got me emotional like I said before that I read straight to book three next. Once I have a good place in book three, I will do a post then

[asianhappinesss]

Which Is Your Favorite Character In Ashes Of Love?

It is not often in a drama whereby it is hard for the viewers to hate the villain, what more to actually root for him or her. This situation can be found In Ashes Of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜). In fact, even the secondary characters are a pleasure to watch and I really don’t mind them having more screen time. While I think the drama itself is a bit too draggy (you can read my Ashes Of Love review), the characters are interesting and the stars portray their roles well. The varied characters give life to the story and it will be great to delve a bit further into them.

N.B.: The following contain spoilers! For detailed episode summary, you can go to my Ashes Of Love Drama Recap.

Jin Mi

The main character Jin Mi is played by Yang Zi. She is supposed to be someone who is innocent about love and romance because she had been fed a pill that made her detached from love when she was born. So, Jin Mi is very naive and treats everyone as a friend. She is clueless that her behavior could invite misunderstandings especially when she is friendly, warm, and bubbly by nature. While it is part of the plot that her character is innocent and clueless, I can also understand why some viewers might find her irritating. There is a limit of how much ignorance one can take from a character before it feels overdone.

The good thing is her character becomes more matured as the drama progresses. Jin Mi is smarter and more rational in the Mortal Realm which helps to save the drama for me. Once back in the Heavenly Realm though, we are back to being treated to a Jin Mi who slept with Xu Feng while being engaged to Run Yu. But at the same time, she is a little afraid to break off her engagement. Then, she is again detached from love due to Run Yu’s manipulations.

Overall, Jin Mi is a neutral character to me. I don’t hate her but neither can I totally love either. There is a window of opportunity for her to firmly reject Run Yu but she didn’t do so. Towards the end, I get the feeling that her love for Xu Feng is also mixed up with heavy guilt and hence, a strong urge to atone for her mistakes. It is a bit different from Bai Feng Jiu’s straightforward love for Dong Hua Di Jun in Eternal Love Of Dream.

Xu Feng

Allen Deng Lun portrayed Xu Feng. I have watched a few of his dramas including Blossom In Heart. His most recent appearance that I have come across is a guest role in Skate Into Love. Xu Feng’s character is supposed to be smart but non-ambitious. His privileged background automatically garners him a lot of respect. His mother also paves the way for him by doing all the dirty jobs behind the scenes. It is easy to like Xu Feng because what you see is what you get. He doesn’t have sinister motives or put up any pretenses.

However, my complaint of Xu Feng is his selfishness towards Run Yu when it comes to Jin Mi. He asks his brother to give up Jin Mi when he knows his brother also loves her. Moreover, Jin Mi is engaged to Run Yu. In return, Xu Feng will not fight with him for the throne. It sounds like a barter trade to me. While I understand that Jin Mi doesn’t love Run Yu, I just find Xu Feng’s actions lack respect and empathy for him. But the saving grace is he is upfront about what he wants.

Xu Feng’s character also changes a little while he is in the Demon Realm. For a smart immortal, it is certainly uncharacteristic of him to trust Sui He. He is even planning to marry her! Then, his hatred for Jin Mi is suddenly gone after he hears of her sacrifices to resurrect him during the wedding ceremony. The change is very abrupt and the screenwriters fail to develop their relationship further before the drama rushes on to the war.

I guess I can sum up Xu Feng in one sentence – he is a prince who wants nothing else in life but the girl.

Run Yu

Leo Luo Yun Xi played the character Run Yu in Ashes Of Love. I have watched him in Princess Silver and he shone in that drama as well. Run Yu is a tragic character just like Rong Qi. He suffered immensely as a child. He has to constantly stay out of the limelight to avoid antagonizing the Empress who is Xu Feng’s mother. The interesting aspect about Run Yu is that his character changes in a negative way but viewers could totally understand his plight. You might even sympathize with him! So, Run Yu is a villain that I can’t hate. It is a good thing that he didn’t die in a tragic way in the end.

No doubt Run Yu is manipulative and hideous. I can also add he is obsessed with Jin Mi until he changes to become like the people he hates. I guess he craves for love so badly because his world has always been cold and lonely. If only he can open up his heart for Kuang Lu, he might find the warmth he seeks.

What I like about Run Yu is he remains responsible in the end. He didn’t run away after creating all the mess. Perhaps Xu Feng’s conversation with him enlightens him when he is about to give up. But I like it that he reverts to his old self and knows what he has done wrong. It is a pity that he still feels empty in the end since he can’t have Jin Mi’s love.

Liu Ying

Liu Ying is portrayed by Chen Yu Qi. The last time I watched her is in Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2019 in which she played Zhao Min. In Ashes Of Love, Liu Ying is a princess in the Demon Realm. But her character is upright and cheerful. She speaks her mind and is not afraid of challenges. Liu Ying is very consistent in her principles and demeanor throughout the whole drama. She is one very lovable demon princess.

What I like about her is her courage to love and remain loyal to the people who matters in her life. Her love with Mu Ci is a sad one but she comes out of it with much positivity. There is nothing to dislike about her but then again, Liu Ying is not the central attention of the drama. There is not much opportunity for Liu Ying’s character development unlike the 3 main roles above.

Pu Chi

Liao Jing Feng played the role of Pu Chi or Yan You. I don’t know why but he looks a bit like Yalkun Merxat who starred in Legend Of Yun Xi. Pu Chi is such a cheerful and witty character that it is very easy to fall in love with him. Although he has a personal agenda in the beginning, Pu Chi never crosses the line. He knows his limits and what he shouldn’t do. Despite his joking and carefree ways, he cares about the people he loves deep in his heart. If you want a loyal friend, Pu Chi would make a great one. He is always supportive of Jin Mi and respects her decision.

Another reason why I like Pu Chi is his wisdom to walk away from being corrupted by evil doings around him. He chooses to disassociate himself from Run Yu when he sees that Run Yu is going down the wrong path. He warns Run Yu but when the latter refuses to listen, he simply leaves. Pu Chi saw how his foster mother suffered because of her obsession for revenge. He learned it is better to let go and he follows it through. Pu Chi is a fun and interesting character but hides a lot of wisdom beneath the playful exterior.

Dan Zhu

Dan Zhu is portrayed by Xia Zhi Yuan. He is also known as the Moon Immortal who is in charge of love and marriage of the mortals. I find him unique because they have purposely made him look youthful although he is an uncle to Xu Feng and Run Yu. With his youthful looks, his funny behavior automatically fits in with his character. Dan Zhu is always trying to matchmake his nephews and provides the drama with some comedic element together with his antics with Pu Chi.

Despite his non-serious character, Dan Zhu also knows when to chip in when the situation calls for it such as the trip up Snake Mountain. He is not featured in the last episode, so Dan Zhu just seems to fade away as the drama ends. It is a pity as his comical relationship with Immortal Yuan Ji could have been explored a bit further just like Si Ming and Shi San in Love And Destiny.

Kuang Lu

Bella Du Yu Chen plays the character Kuang Lu. This is a loyal subordinate type of character but with one-sided love thrown in. Kuang Lu stands by Run Yu through thick and thin. She is adamant on being by his side and quietly support him although she knows he is someone she will never have. She loves Run Yu. But Run Yu only has Jin Mi in his heart.

Kuang Lu will always feel conflicted. On one hand, she wants Run Yu to be happy and win over Jin Mi. But on the other, that happiness will cause her to be miserable too. While I admire her loyalty, she is also throwing away her future by staying close to someone who would never love her in the way she hoped for. Her plight a bit sad to me because she does have a good heart and deserves better. But I guess she should be contented in the end as she becomes Run Yu’s only confidante.

My Favorite Character

If I were to choose, I would say I like Run Yu the best out of all the characters in Ashes Of Love. There is a lot of depth to the character. I like him when he was kind and gentle. I can also understand when he turns bad. The background of Run Yu is very well explained which is why he is a villain I can be sympathetic towards. It is very different from the other villain in the drama which is Sui He who is very one-dimensional and predictable. The fact that Run Yu eventually ends up repentant and responsible but lonely as the Emperor also melts the heart.

It is not often that one could love the villain. Do you feel the same? If not, which is your favorite Ashes Of Love character then? 🥰

[allbluesanji]

🌻 aksksksn I know people in the fandom are divided on qi rong. I can't stand him when he was still alive like the flashback chapters but demon qi rong hmm...a bit tolerable. Idk why but they way he speak in ALL CAPS I can't help but laugh. He's like problematic comic relief lol. I love mu qing and feng xin more tho!

I too will be watching the drama but I'm not going to have a high expectation, don't want to be disappointed later on. That's what I did with the untamed and I find myself enjoying it! They did some part better in the untamed.

Natsume is like my top anime. It's really comforting to watch 🥰🥰 and bittersweet and nostalgic sometimes. This show could go on forever and I'll watch it. It feel like home 🥺💖 Do you have any anime that you can always go back to rewatch and feel good?

Oh! I love taylor swift! She's my #1 top artist on spotify wrapped haha. I also listen to little mix and carly rae jepsen. What's your spotify wrapped top 5 artist and songs? 👀 I mostly listen to kpop/krnb and jpop/rock and bit of jmetal. Also, a few songs from my native language.

i kind of can't stand him period but he is hilarious sometimes!!! problematic comic relief sounds about right lmao. he certainly has a way of breaking up the tension. mu qing and feng xin are delightful but i am so glad they had the character growth they did! very, very necessary, that.

ah, the all caps... i wasn't much a fan of that particular decision. there's that one scene in book 2 where mu qing and feng xin scream at each other in all caps for like three straight pages and frankly it is Too Much. i hope the official versions will have ironed out that particular quirk.

speaking of, are you planning to buy/request as a gift the officially translated novels for mdzs and tgcf??? i love that first there were the web novels and then the various adaptations and now here we are! published books! i'm thrilled for mxtx; she deserves it(*´▽`*)

pretty much no screen adaptation ever measures up lol so yeah, baseline expectations for me too~ the untamed was excellent, but it definitely had its high and low points too. zhan xiao as wwx for example??? he was PERFECT.

awwwww i'll try to watch natsume over break!!! i've heard so many good things☺️ comfort anime hmm... around when it first came out i think i watched yoi 4(?) times in a very short time period but i would say that was more obsession than comfort, perhaps. i haven't watched it since. haikyuu is comforting for sure! i could watch gsnk on an endless loop and love it always, i think. i've even considered making a fanblog for it to attempt to boost it but the tags are so very dead that'd end up being a depressing prospect in the end🙈 and then run with the wind and ouran are lovely too🥰

taylor is my #1 as well lmaoooo. she has been ever since she approved her songs for spotify streaming a few years ago. it's odd bc i wouldn't call myself a massive die-hard fan or anything— bc i know ppl who are— but i've liked her for so long that her songs are very reassuring, idk.

top 5 artists: taylor swift, yuki hayashi, hiroyuki sawano, florence + the machine, and panic! at the disco

top 5 songs: 0 (zero) by LMYK, grand escape by RADWIMPS, stay with me by seven billion dots, you say run by yuki hayashi, and daddy lessons by beyonce.

2021 is the first year i’ve really tried to find anime songs on spotify and it shows rip

ohhhh those sound cool!!! native language, hm??? if it’d be too revealing obvs don’t tell me, but what would that be?🤔

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 25: Xie Lian vs. Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane

Submitted kids:

Xie Lian: Ban Yue, Pei Xiu, Lang Ying, Lian Quianqiu, Gu Zi, Lang Ying

Shiro: Pidge, Hunk, Keith, Lance

Propaganda under the cut!

Xie Lian:

1. “a several centuries old disgraced god who keeps somehow getting mixed up in things that have nothing to do with him and taking in random kids in the process. Got dragged into being a soldier in a war between kingdoms he's not even from? suddenly single dad to these two random kids caught up in between. dealing with a malicious ghost who has been killing brides? boom, now he has a ghost son whose previous guardian was killed by the malicious ghost. psychotic ghost cousin posses the body of a man with a young son and continues being a piece of shit? well i guess your taking care of that kid too now (i know guzi is technically qi rong's kid since he's the one possessing his actual dad but if it weren't for xie lian intervening when he did the kid would be dead so he kinda counts too)”

2. "Xie Lian saves a young LQQ from being kidnapped, returns him home and end up becoming the/his grand tutor(which was NOT his original plan at all). He literally teaches the boy everything for years, raising him to become the best ruler he could ever be. The XL ends up accused for killing his family (because of a lot of different things) what is important is that he was not the perpetrator but he did kill LQQ’s father in an act to save the boy from making a horrible decision/outcome and also dealt with the actual perpetrators but kept it a secret cause he knew it would break LQQ’s heart to learn his dear friend planned to kill him and his entire family. LQQ took this betrayal by XL so hard he buried him after staking him through the heart when he was still alive. 300 years later when XL returns/is revealed LQQ is still not over it to the point he wants a FAIR duel to settle the score. FAIR with the man he still thinks killed his entire family!

Banyue and Pei Su are connected. XL took BY under his wing while he was a soldier in the army. He did his best to protect her and get her fed as she had pretty much no one. He also talked with her about his younger selfs dreams for the future which was so inspiring to her that not only did she remember it over a century later when they meet again in very different circumstances but she also apologized for essentially not being able to live up to the ideals he had accidentally passed on to her. While he didn’t have as much direct contact with Pei Su, the boy was BY’s only friend and so while XL was around he did also interact with the boy. However this all came to an end when in an attempt to save BY (which succeeded) he through himself in between two armies and was trampled when they began to fight. When they meet again (as I previously mentioned) XL takes BY under his safety until he is not safe and then sends her off to a safe place where she reunites with PS, who for all XL doesn’t give the same amount of attention to, XL does actually approve of some of him (not all his actions) and seems to find it cute that PS is courting BY.

XL meets Lang Ying first when he helps the boy burry his proxy sister, LY ends up running off after XL reacted with shock to LY’s uncovered face, but XL keeps a constant search for him. XL next saves him from getting beat up by ghosts and ends up taking him to live with him in the shrine he lives in. He does his best to take care of both LY and Gu Zi at the shrine and keeps his good treatment up even knowing LY’s a ghost it only ends when (spoilers for non book people, feel free to look up if you want to know).

XL takes in GZ mostly as his ghost cousin (whom he arrested) has taken over the body of the boy’s father. While I’m not sure how much this one counts, especially since by the end his cousin ends up caring for GZ, but he still does the best he can to feed and care for the boy as his entire life changes."

No propaganda has been submitted for Shiro

[kazdumps]

It’d been days since then; Qi Rong had made a shelter and from then on didn’t see anyone. That was fine with him, meeting people either turned into a fight, or the someone was already dead. He had enough things to deal with. He wasn’t used to actually finding himself food to sustain but now that he was mortal (or somewhat like mortal) he needed to eat.

Eat, sleep, drink, and shit. Over and over again. Sometimes add more sticks to shelter, but his routine didn’t deviate much. If it was not for the cold, sleep wouldn’t be much of an issue, but because of it, it became a struggle. Even then, he didn’t expect anything to come from it.

That was until he heard footsteps from outside. He held his breath, hoping that whomever was out was passing by, and maybe wouldn’t even see this wooden structure. It wasn’t very big, and surrounded by shrubbery, it was easy to miss.

For a minute there was silence, and he actually thought that he wouldn’t be bothered. That was, until his eyes flicked upward.

A hulking figure stood at the entrance between the branches. While his view was slightly obstructed he could see part of them. Their hair hung loose, but no tangles infiltrated the hair odd in their desperate situation. Eyes abyss-like landed on Qi Rong and didn’t move.

He didn’t get up, not yet, but his hand hovered anticipatingly at his belt. A simple machete but would be easy to throw and run when things turned sour. The man didn’t introduce himself, but one of his status didn’t need to. Just from his eyes alone, still an unwavering gaze, the green ghost knew it was He Xuan Black Water Submerging Boats. Now the title, just like Night Touring Green Lantern, was useless. A remnant of the past but the title, even left unsaid, still rang with an air of intimidation.

“No need for that,” He jabbed a finger and the weapon that he was desperately trying to conceal. His words held no emotion to betray his intentions, but he could see the axe strapped to his back.

Even in this meeting between calamities, the wind would not cease. Qi Rong was not sure which fate was better; whether he’d prefer to face the blade in He Xuan’s possession or Mother Nature’s unyielding wrath. All that he pondered, he knew it wasn’t his end decision. At the same time, he would not sit still.

“Do you think I’ll just lay here as you attack? Just because you are above and I’m below? That I’d give my life so easy because you found me first? You’re a fucking idiot, even more so then my cousin!”

“I’m not here to fight,” He still stood at the entrance but either due to his eyes adjusting to the dark or the other adjusting his position. His expression was downward, eyes slightly droopy, and there was a slight but noticeable shake to his body. “ I want a truce. During the night.”

For a moment more they stared at each other. Their hatred might not be as much as the one Qi Rong held for Hua Cheng and vice versa. However, that didn’t stop He Xuan to purposely find reasons to fight (after being egged on by the green ghost several times). And now, especially during this death game with only one to come on top, truces seemed only sustainable in fantasy or idiocy.

“Why during the night only? There’s only a few of us left… do you think I’m stupid enough to fall in a trap? HAHA! What do you take this ancestor for, dogfucker?” He growled, the more he talked the more his mouth reverted to old habits. Even so, his talk was filler giving him time thinking of the best defense. If he jumped up to his feet too fast then the unstable structure could fall easily; but that kind of incident could incite some brief confusion in which he could get an advantage.

“I…” he sighed mumbling something short under his breath “At this rate, with this weather, we will both freeze to death. If we sleep in the same… quarters, using a combination of any tools that are beneficial and our body heat, then our life span will extend. If you’d really rather drag us both down, so be it, but it will benefit us. Understand, you’re the last person I’d come asking for a favor. And I would not ever consider sleeping even in the same vicinity as you unless drugged. Unfortunately, you really are one of the last people around.”

He was about to tell him off; this ancestor had been through worse than a little cold and he had no care for the pathetic life before him. But then his mind flashed to Gu Zi. The small child huddled in a ball, desperate to cling to another day. His eyes had been half open when he was found, the last sign of his struggle between life, death, and sleep.

It would’ve been a slow death. He wonders what the little boy did before fully succumbing. Did he call out for his father? Was it from a small hope that his dad could do anything or a delusion of hypothermia? Did he even have a voice left or was everything just echoing in his head? Maybe, no noise at all reached him and he drowned in the silence he couldn’t break.

The cold was unpredictable. The first night he’d made a fire but in the nights following even the air snuffed even a bit of embers. And now, the weather is its worst yet. He needed to live. Shivering here was as unpredictable as a rolling dice and he couldn’t take that chance any more. His son couldn’t be disappointed, even if he was gone he knew the little boy would cry at the thought of his dad in pain. Being a ghost was so much easier, but now the deep unnerving feeling of not being able to come back filled him. Mortality plagued every fiber and he needed the security of keeping a heartbeat.

“First rule, you keep your weapon outside the shelter- Hell I’d take it myself but I know you’d whine about it. Second, once the sun rises and the warmth comes back, you leave immediately. Third, to make it clear, I have no intention of helping your shitty life. This is for me, myself and I,” Silently he added his son, but the other didn’t need to know of anyone else.

Silence ensued and he saw He Xuan back away. A mix of pride of intimidating him, confusion of intimidating , and fear that he’d die surged through him until he heard a loud clunk. Following the noise the tall man shuffled into the shelter. He came in shoulder first before ducking so he didn’t hit his head nor topple the thing over.

“What’s in your bag?” While the hatchet was gone a brown satchel hung at his side.

“Food, medicine kit, and various plants. Unless you're actively dying in the night from frostbite, you won’t get any.”

“How do I know you're not hiding anything you could attack me with? You’re a deceptive fuck like that,” He would spit if his mouth wasn’t dry holding onto the little water he’d found in the morning.

“ I don’t care if you look. I don’t even care if you touch. But I’m watching your every move. Just because we have a truce doesn’t mean you're taking what is mine and I’m only sharing anything that could benefit this shelter,” He tossed the bag, his eyes didn’t have any light to reflect so two pools of black followed his hands.

It wasn’t long to look through the bag, and after finding no shovels, knives, needles, miniature spears, or the like that could be efficiently utilized against him, he threw it back.

“Fine, you're clean,” A hidden portion of him was glad the water ghost had no hidden weapons in his bag. It almost gave him complete relief that he’d find himself bleeding when he awoke.

It didn’t take long after for He Xuan to settle himself next to Qi Rong.

“Couldn’t start a fire, either?”

“Well clearly you fucking couldn’t,” What was the others plan? The water ghost had never been the talking type, even when he’d hidden himself as a Heavenly Official, instead he locked himself away from the world plotting an unsatisfactory revenge.

“That’s what I implied with the word ‘either’… it’s because the ground is too wet in this area”.

“Why are you trying to be ‘goody goody’? I won’t lower my guard around you, even if you knelt and begged me to,” He liked the idea of such a thing happening, and wondered if the cold was getting to him to make him only remember such an idea now.

“… I’m being polite, otherwise this shitty situation gets ten times worse. Can’t you pretend to be pleasant tonight?”

“This ancestor is a joy to be around. I just despise you.”

“And you despised Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, Lang Qian Qiu, and any other person you meet. You constantly flaunt yourself around only showing off you're the worst. And while you're gross and unpleasant to be around, you still aren’t even close to being the most powerful. You remind me of a spoiled little kid who while seeking attention from his parents found kicking is easier than being gentle. Now, you think playing scary ghost will get you some fame.”

“…” He silently debated stabbing him “Fuck you, piece of shit. No brains.”

“And then the childish insults; you’ve never really grown since being ten, huh?”

“I thought you said you were being polite or something!? And now-“

“Shhh,” He put a finger to his own lips, which only made his blood turn from boiling to melting.

“And now!! Silencing me! You fucking-“ He Xuan clasped a hand over Qi Rong’s mouth and leaned close to his ear.

“Noise. Outside.” Those two words landed on his neck, and even with their intentions the warmth of his breath reaching his cold skin soothed like an ointment on a burn. He could barely even hold onto his surge of anger, it dissipating as quickly as it was built.

Usually if a hand was brought over the green ghost’s lips he wouldn’t hesitate to bite down and sink his teeth into the flesh. But a sense of rare self preservation and the fleeting warmth that had almost drug-like effects coursed through his body and he stayed still and silent.

Straining his own ears, he heard faint rustling. Whether animal or person it wouldn’t be ideal to be caught. Minutes passed by, and though the noise faded into the night, his mouth was still held. Still, he couldn’t even stir himself to fight it. Whatever it’d been, it was a wake up call. If they fought with raised voices, and lost control of their surroundings, they’d wind up as if they’d never even made the truce in the first place.

“I’ll remove my hand,” It wasn’t even loud enough to be a whisper, only his mouth moving the air in between the only audible thing “And then we’ll lay down parallel facing each other. We’ll be the warmest. If you have a complaint, actions are better than words”.

It was a rare moment that even the direct commands didn’t ignite anything in him. Every fiber of his being wanted to retaliate, whether with words or kicks, but the cold air kept his brain in check. All his focus was on warmth and survival. And after feeling such a warmth, he decided that despite the bad blood between them, he’d work with the other calamity.

However, it didn’t make it any less awkward to have to stare at him while sleeping. Even closing his eyes, his inner mind told him he was being stared at, and he’d peek out only to see it was true. And despite every precaution the sense of danger wasn’t completely alleviated. He Xuan must’ve felt the same way, because he didn’t appear to be sleeping either. Even though they both were alive again, his eyes had a glassy glaze to it. Maybe he’d always been that way since birth. Or maybe his life had drilled it into him.

“Hey,” His voice was once again soft. It’d been hours since the first noise so they might’ve been close to being clear now.

“Was originally your idea, but fine. I’ll flip over-“

“Come closer.”

“What,” He tried to only mouth it all, but the t came out crisp.

“ It’ll be warmer. If I’m freezing I can only guess you are too.”

It was true. Though he didn’t feel the air like when he was alone, he also remembered the brief moment in which they’d been close enough a hand was over his mouth and his breath was on his neck. Obviously the position wasn’t ideal, but being closer may bring more comfort and lead to a better sleep,

“You better not snore in your sleep.” He scooted closer, until their noses almost touched.

It really did make a difference, like a comfortable hearth. He could almost feel the life between the two of them, and it made him dizzy. Wanting to stop the feeling of the world twirling around he buried his head into whatever was near. It was an unconscious decision but soon he heard a “Hmpf” that echoed through him. His motions hadn’t caught up with his mind and only then realized his head was buried into the other's chest. A rush short circuited him, and he just prepared to shove against him when two arms wrapped around his back.

He went rigid but felt nothing sharp poking into him. The arms remained.

“Warmest” His pulse pounded against his skull. It was mind boggling that the other calamity wasn’t bothered. He was known for being relentless when he had a goal, so he could only assume this mutual seek for heat had led him to be alright with the sudden action. Through the thick clouds of his brain whirring warning sirens, he remembered being told actions were better than words.

Soon his heart (he could barely get used to this thing) stopped racing and his breathing sank up with the one he was buried into. The embrace was finally something he could get used to.

Oh, it was actually comfortable in someone else’s arms. It’d become a fuzzy memory for someone to… hold him so gently.