#he xuan has friends

[fanqueen48]

Does anyone else wish we had more content of He Xuan in the original novel? He's literally one of the two ghost kings to ever emerge from mount Tonglu, and he did it in 12 years. He's definitely super strong, but we don't really get to see him fight any one on page. I also want to see how him and Hua Cheng met. It was probably so funny. I WANT HUA CHENG HU XUAN FRIENDSHIP. I also want to know how he met Shi Qingxuan. How did Wind Master decide they would be best friends. I NEED MORE BEEFLEAF BACKSTORY!

[benevolenterrancy]

When Xie Lian and his bad luck stumbled in and broke that vase Hua Cheng thought his every prayer had been answered -- he now has an iron-clad excuse to keep Dianxia close, dress him in nice clothes, feed him nice food… ideal! He did not stop to calculate the fact that it would mean watching Xie Lian flirt with Literally Everyone. Except. Him. Yin Yu did caluclate this but no one listens to him.

additional Ouran AU thoughts...

yin yu gets more requests than you'd expect, specifically around exam season. he's just a pleasant, solid sort of person who handles people having exam stress breakdowns very well

he xuan is also here due to a debt he refuses to elaborate on. he could have paid it back already but he quickly realized the best food on campus is here and eats enough to dig himself deeper and deeper in debt

50/50 shot if you'll find shi qingxuan as male or female, it's a real lottery for guests that have a preference

feng xin and mu qing are both here. they are not prepared to meet xie lian again after all these years, especially not in this context. he is REALLY not prepared to meet them like this either. he'd prefer no dress, thanks.

what on god's green earth is feng xin doing in a host club when he can't handle women At All? everyone would like to know this. the only reason hua cheng hasn't kicked him out is because he finds his discomfort HILARIOUS

pei ming is a VERY enthusiastic guest to the general dismay of every host. lately though he's been having a good time eating snacks and watching hua cheng and xie lian circle around each other in a very pathetic and no-at-all-subtle way. ho ho.

[backpackingspace]

Listen yin yu and Ling wen have the exact same jobs. Yin yus just yah know. Paid

And yin yu could have time off if he wanted but he has strict plans to overwork himself to death so that the thoughts cant plague him and hua cheng is an enabler

[myurucrie]

i wanna be an alkaid girlie so bad but everything about Cael is fucking me up especially this lines from his wedding ssr

[eruhamster]

bro im gonna lose it i got someone on twitter arguin that he xuan only "probably like 10 years ago" found out abt the fate switch no one in this fandom has any reading comprehension in the slightest

[llycaons]

saw a fic like 'xie lian is watching hua cheng tie up he xuan...as an art piece just for him'. and I was like dying laughing. why the hell is he xuan in the middle of hl's sex antics. does he owe hc THAT much money? I was just imagining him like hanging there completely dead-eyed listening to them being completely insufferable and zoning out 😭 god I hope they didn't keep him too long

[fragmentedblade]

Not to be a jingfu on main, but it's so cute that Jing Yuan thought of Fu Xuan with those jelly beans

[wolfriver777]

Soooooo, I binged tgcf book 4 today so here are a few words along with some crappy photos of the words sgshhssh

gonna put it under a read more since it got long, exoect typos and autocorrect being evil

Okay first off screaming and crying about all the stuff that happened with shi qingxuan and what I suppose is the infamous black water arc I've heard a lot about. Now as a vulnerable young chap on the internet my ass has been almost getting spoiled for tgcf everywhere so I had a inkling someone was gonna die, probably shi qingxuan or shi wudu but omfg like actually reading it? The shock, the horror? I was breathless, I was stunned! Avert your eyes if you haven't read already cause omg!!!

Just omg!!! The way that he xuan has been the earth master for years and shi qingxuan would've formed this connection and just omg the trust, the betrayal, the death?!?! Screaming and throwing up!!!

I feel we also gotta back track a lol, shout out to hua cheng for telling pei ming to kill himself, what an absolute legend, but also pei ming building 4 coffins but for all of that effort to be wasted??? Lmaooooo!!! Omfg speaking of coffins lmaooo shsjsjsjsj the whole fucking squished together in a coffin and xie lian getting a hard on like come oooooon brooooooo please, mxtx why bitches getting dicks hard in coffins I'm crying!!

Okay also since we circled back around a bit, ofc we gotta talk about the fucking hualian smooching for spiritual power like taking it back and shjt omg and qi rong's reaction, speaking of that little bitch I know I didn't really make any posts about book 2, but omg hate that lil bitch but he's also a lil funny now,

But damn you know that hulian smooching is apart of his villain arc.

Okay we also gotta talk about the whole scene that was on the front cover and how they fucking smooched all night long but when hua vheng asks about it when his mind clears, xie lian just says they fought. LIKE BRO PLEASS! yall smooched all night long I'm crying I've here ToT! Ugh and the whole ish set up for a new ghost king (ref to qi rong villain arc being amped by hulian make out sessions, but also kinda doubt he can actually be a ghost king) that's gonna be fucking fun!

OKAY BUT THE STUFF WITH LING WEN OMG, it mightve been cause I was just reading that but omg ughhh hddhshhssb I can't believe, and the fact she was doing busy work in the communication array while xie lian was busy doing hot girl shit, speaking of hot girl shit, this fucking line

Like I know he says it to distract the cultivators but omg I still went feral and insane, so good. Ughhhhh gonna try slow myself down (unlikely) will probably start book 5 tomorrow before work. God knows my coworkers will notice my insanity.

[hunnieknight]

Kitty Kitty Cat!

You are their treasured kitty!

[JingNyan, Blade, Kafcat, Luocat]

Extra

SPAY /NEUTERED YOUR PET, reader is not spayed yet because plot, Modern AU?, reader is a female cat, no proofread, BAD GRAMMAR

Context added to each 'chapter'.

@jymwahuwu wants cat, i give cat.

----

Jing Nyan

Yukong feels so lonely after her daughter left the house for college, she wants a company and someone to take care of.

She is happy to feed you, a stray one, and you officially become hers when she managed to put on a collar on you.

However, she is ill-informed about taking a stray as a pet and never crossed her mind to spay you.

Resulting her kitty to be missing for days, only to come back with filled belly.

On the other side of the neighborhood, Fu Xuan has this healthy fat cat, she foolishly thought her cat is so lazy as long as he is inside, it will be okay.

Oh how wrong she is that Jing Nyan is determined enough to meet up with the stray cat walking outside their house.

Imagine the surprise on Fu Xuan's face when she sees the status from her neighbor about the oh-so-familiar looking kittens.

The meeting started with both women apologizing for not spaying their cats, and ended up with Fu Xuan roasting the hell out her own cat.

----

Stellaron Stray

In a small studio house, the Express Family got an indoor cat, you, a very curious yet timid kitty.

The neighborhood got many stray cats but one of the most famous one are the so called Stellaron strays.

Two of the old cats taking a liking on Express's beloved cat. They don't worry much since every single windows and door are clo-

Oh my god how did the cat get pregnant?

March was quite upset, she has a male cat in mind to mate with her purebred cat. Only for you to just have kittens with the neighborhood gang cats. And how the hell you got a female cat to impregnate you

However, the Express didn't expect the strays to keep visiting, and even leaving animals that they hunt for you!

The Express decided to keep your babies too instead of giving them away.

Now Himeko is followed by kittens who always beg food to her.

And Dan Heng being haunted by the kittens who just....stare at him for some reason.

The Express also realizing these kittens are escaping artist, no matter how tight the door and windows are locked, the cats always find a way to get everywhere.

----

LuoCat

Your dad, Welt, doesn't approve your cat boy friend.

[sunderwight]

SV fic where Shen Yuan transmigrates into the former sect leader, Yue Qingyuan's shizun, right before Yue Qi shows up at the selection trials.

Shen Yuan is not sure why he's in one of his all-time hate-reads, let alone why he's gone so far back before the story actually begins (his system appears to be malfunctioning? something about an error and emergency backup...?), but he's making the most of it. This despite the fact that being a sect leader is a much more prestigious and political role than he likes.

But Shen Yuan is, at heart, actually a pretty good teacher, and he's spent enough time witnessing administrative work secondhand that he can competently tackle most of his duties. Whatever he can't handle, luckily there are other masters on Qiong Ding who always seem eager to curry favor by volunteering at the least hint that they should. Apparently his predecessor was known for being kind of cold-blooded and ruthless. (Shen Yuan gets checked for possession and it's concluded behind his back that he most have lost some of his memories, again, but also everyone kinda prefers this version anyway, again.)

But, so, he picks Yue Qi at the trials without even realizing at first who he's selecting, but just because that kid seems really determined to get in and clearly has been through it. Reminds him of Luo Binghe. Even when he puts it all together, all he feels mostly is kind of bad about it? He never thought Yue Qingyuan was sufficiently villainous to merit his end, even though he didn't blame Binghe for it either. He was always a mystery, an apparently kind person who nevertheless had some inexplicable fondness for the scum villain, turned a blind eye towards his abuses, and got dragged down with him. Shen Yuan feels even worse when he actually gets to know his solemn, smiling, secretive little disciple.

Yue Qi is very determined to advance, and as quickly as possible. Shen Yuan admonishes him. Obviously this kid has a protagonist-like aura and a similar drive to get places quickly, but you can't speedrun your disciple era, Mr. Future Sect Leader! There's no montage mode! Most of his attempts at intervening meet a brick wall that is Yue Qi's impenetrable smile and polite deference if he even hints at displeasure (this kid's gonna make a great politician one day), but Shen Yuan changes tactics and starts manufacturing excuses for breaks, taking Yue Qi on him with trips off the mountain and finding reasons to stop at local festivals and hot springs and etc. He can tell something's off with the quality of frustration that his disciple sometimes expresses, with how there's fear to it, but he's at a loss for the cause and it's difficult to get Yue Qi to talk. Despite appearances, he's actually very distrustful of adults.

When Yue Qi asks to claim his sword early, Shen Yuan says no. He remember how reputedly powerful Xuan Su was, and his disciple definitely needs a stronger base if he's going to pull a sword of that caliber. But he suspects this won't go over well, and when he catches Yue Qi sneaking off to Wan Jian Peak on his own, his disciple finally breaks down and admits that he needs to get strong in order to save his most important person.

Shen Yuan is moved. The way Yue Qi speaks, he's certain this person is a young maiden whom his student has fallen in love with. Truly, the sect leader was so very similar to Luo Binghe at heart! He must have failed in the original story, and that contributed to his difficulties and sorrows later on. Of course Shen Yuan will help him rescue his sweetheart!

Even if his sweetheart is... surprisingly butch? And is a slave owned by the Qiu family, and, wait a second, that name is kind of familiar... oh.

Oh dear.

Shen Yuan is internally screaming even as he helps buy Xiao Jiu out of bondage, even as he gives Yue Qi money to get his newly rescued friend all cleaned up and suitably dressed for the trip back to Cang Qiong, even as he buys the boys tanghulu for a treat, even as the System cheerfully informs him that his new quest is to get Xiao Jiu accepted onto Qing Jing Peak, even as Yue Qi tears up for the first time when he thanks him for helping.

He can only get to sleep that night by consoling himself with the knowledge that his generation is going to retire well before Luo Binghe and The Plot actually show up.

The System: (〜￣▽￣)〜

5 Years Later:

Huan Hua Palace Master: Sect Leader, we need your help! A terrible Heavenly Demon has come to threaten the whole of human society!

Shen Yuan: That's not possible. He isn't even born yet.

HHP Master: What?

Shen Yuan: What?

[yourcrumblingsaikiisnotmyproblem]

here's a few reminders for the mxtx fandom

1. Wei Wuxian had 2 older sister figures in his life and they both died trying to save him and in the end failed since he died anyway. (RIP Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli)

2. Mu Qing only ever had his mom other than XL and FX and she died a mortal death. We don't know anything about FX's mortal family.

3. Wen Ning was experimented on for 13 years in captivity after seeing his sister's ashes and blames himself still for wwx's downfall

4. He Xuan cannot leave the world even after his revenge to Shi Wudu and is purposeless for all of his immortal life.

5. Jin Ling will never taste his mom's handmade favourite soup.

6. Canon Feng Xin and Mu Qing do not know what happened at the temple to Xie Lian.

7. Jiang Cheng will probably never be good enough in his own eyes (until he has like grand-nephews or something)

8. Shi Qingxuan will (probably) die a mortal death.

9. Some of Nie Huaisang's last words to Nie Mingjue were that he never wanted to be a clan leader.

10. XL and WWX both tried to protect a certain demographic that got wiped out anyway and made them public enemies and reason for their eventual downfall making it essentially ineffective.

11. All the calamities are actually gods who could or did ascend heaven.

12. Xiao Xingchen killed himself after finding out he wiped out villages full of innocent people and his own best friend who he gave up his eyes for. And realising his pursuit of helping the world was worthless.

[eruhamster]

Thinking about this again and I think it just means so much more that this is the case over Xie Lian just 'nullifying' it by saving him, because it really emphasizes the overall theme in the story where what people think of and say about you can be prophetic, and if you're in a bad situation, sometimes all you need is one single person to believe in you, and that gives you the strength to do what you have to do, purely by your own strength. Xie Lian didn't nullify anything. But since they met, they had an ongoing back and forth of just giving a little bit of hope and luck to each other, whether they were aware of doing it or not, for 800 years.

It emphasizes that people are wrong about saying they're codependent. They really aren't. They're just good at bringing each other up.

And that's why Mu Qing and Feng Xin couldn't accomplish what Hua Cheng did. Xie Lian spared them kindness and one took it for granted and moved on and couldn't spare that kindness back, and one of them had a limit to his belief in Xie Lian purely because he had a honeyed idea of him in his head, so when things went really bad, Xie Lian didn't have anyone to fall back on who'd really understand and believe him. Then they spend centuries filled with regrets and anger and bitterness, instead of offering up some kindness and building on top of that.

Xie Lian spared Hua Cheng kindness when he had none, and in turn Hua Cheng believed in him like no one else would, and that kindness naturally came back to Hua Cheng in the form of that luck. Then, when the time was right, he was able to take everything he built up for himself, purely by himself by just devoting himself thoroughly to a god he truly believed in, and give it back to the person that spared him that kindness in the first place.

Hua Cheng did everything himself, with no true change to who he was. He was just given the right environment to do it. And he made that environment so Xie Lian could accomplish the same by his own merit, too. Just like that villager that gave Xie Lian that hat. He fucked up that villager's day in his sorrow, but that villager still came back and gave him a little bit of kindness, even when it meant that that villager would get rained on all the way home, and that kindness overall saved an untold amount of people. It doesn't mean that everything that Xie Lian accomplished after that was because of that villager. Just that sometimes you need someone to be a little nice to you to be able to be the best version of yourself. And sometimes it's worth causing yourself some pain if it means helping someone else.

No, you're not wrong, Hua Cheng did get Xie Lian's luck from that ankle shackle.

I made some ramble yesterday but figured I'd make a proper post about it. Every time I look up Hua Cheng for an art reference, one of the top google results is someone insisting that Hua Cheng became lucky not because of Xie Lian's luck, but because Xie Lian saving him 'nullified' the Solitary Star/Star of Solitude.

That's just incorrect, and every time I see it I get annoyed.

So I'm going to go over the facts of the story, I'm going to go over explaining what those facts mean in terms of how it clearly points to Hua Cheng taking Xie Lian's luck, as well as the facts of Bai Zi and the actual Solitary Star in that astrological fortune telling, then I'm going to go over the subtext of what it means, and finally I'll explain why the nullification theory is just patently false.

In the story, Hua Cheng himself isn't really unlucky; it's more that misfortune follows him like a cloud, dragging everyone around him into unluckiness, especially his parents. This is his actual fortune:

'He is destined to bring destruction to all save for himself' - He isn't unlucky, rather, he makes everyone else unlucky. When Xie Lian asks about how to prevent it, this scene plays out, talking about a cup:

Directly after discussing Hua Cheng's fate and how to reverse it, Xie Lian has a discussion with the State Preceptor where he insists he would certainly give someone his own cup/fortune if they needed it.

Much later on, when everything is said and done, and the ghost Wuming is assumed dead, Xie Lian shackles his luck with the intention of making true on that statement. He wants his luck and fortune to spill over into others:

It is from that point on that Wuming's life takes a turn. Rather than be annihilated, he somehow survives. He not only survives, he against all odds creates a powerful spiritual weapon from his own eye and shortly after becomes a god. He is so lucky that even when jumping from the heavens, he is not shackled by Jun Wu. He sees immense wealth and incredible luck to the point where winning a gamble against him is impossible and he seems to control luck itself. He has so much luck to the point it seems to rub off on others just like Xie Lian's unluckiness does - he can even make Xie Lian not have such terrible luck for a short period of time.

And this is all despite his fate itself not changing, as observed by the State Preceptor:

But even with this fate, we only see him rolling sixes until one single point that catches even Hua Cheng off guard:

But he dismisses it, saying he's able to make his own luck and decide whether something is a bad situation or not.

But what happens shortly after this dice roll?

Xie Lian's shackles are broken, and Hua Cheng nearly annihilates for something as simple as giving too much spiritual energy, even when he seemed fine moments before, as observed by Feng Xin and Mu Qing:

It takes Hua Cheng over a year to return. But he does. And that's how the story ends.

So what does this mean?

Hua Cheng was born with a very terrible fate. The exact breakdown of his fate isn't stated beyond being born under the Star of Solitude, or Solitary Star. This is not a TGCF invention. This is a star from Ba Zi, Chinese astrological divination.

The solitary star is exactly as the name suggests. It implies solitude, either by choice or by outside forces. It is one of the unluckiest stars, and can case misfortune for your family - especially parents. Think of Hua Cheng's mother, who died when he was very young. Hua Cheng is an introverted person by nature; even those that like him he pushes away. He only likes Xie Lian. And he kept his distance from Xie Lian for a long time, and when he no longer wished to keep his distance, he was forced apart by outside circumstances until 800 years had passed - and 8 is a very lucky number in Chinese, and 800 years is also spoken into being by those Land of Tender fruits in the cave scene when they insisted he wouldn't get a taste of Xie Lian "even if he dreamt about it for 800 years."

Hua Cheng lives out this life of solitude even past Xie Lian meeting him. In fact, rather than Hua Cheng's luck getting any better, Xie Lian's luck takes a turn for the worse. It is when they meet and their fates become connected, when Xie Lian is certain to be his spouse one day and thus a family member, that everything goes wrong for the kingdom of Xianle.

It is true that this misfortune is because of Jun Wu; Hua Cheng is stated to be so unlucky because the Kiln disperses misfortune across the land, and Hua Cheng by the State Preceptor's thoughts is likely to have received that upon his already inauspicious birth hour. But this misfortune rubbing off on Xie Lian upon their meeting and subsequent tying of fates is what caused Jun Wu to notice Xie Lian in the first place, as it wasn't until after this that Xie Lian fought a ghost of Jun Wu's making, caught his eye for essentially recreating the Xianle myth of the God-Pleasing Martial Warrior, and became known as the God-Pleasing Crown Prince.

This misfortune continues. Just as what was predicted by the State Preceptor, he died before reaching the age of 19.

This misfortune for Hua Cheng only stops when Xie Lian shackles his luck. It is at that point where he becomes the pinnacle of luck itself.

Xie Lian shackles his luck, and it flows into the most misfortunate cup of the person closest to him, the one who was always following in his footsteps, always so close but just too far away. It goes to Hua Cheng. But because he was never actually unlucky himself, this doesn't result in him just having Xie Lian's level of relative luckiness; his cup overflows. He is so brimming with luck from having both his own and Xie Lian's that he becomes exceedingly wealthy and successful and powerful.

This comes to a halt once that luck is no longer being redirected. It is upon redirection that Hua Cheng nearly dies, very similarly to how he was barely hanging onto life as Wuming; it is described that when Wuming appeared on Mt Tonglu, nearly dispersed, that he was essentially transparent. He becomes transparent again upon the shackle breaking.

But he doesn't disperse, not fully. Why doesn't he?

Because according to Taoist belief, your luck is only one part the circumstances of your birth. The three cosmic factors of your luck are your Heaven luck, your Earth luck, and your Human luck.

Heaven luck is the luck you are born with. But with those other two lucks, you can overcome the circumstances of your birth. Earth luck is about the environment you are in. This is where the concept of Feng Shui comes from; it's setting up your environment to bring prosperity and luck. Human luck is the luck you make for yourself; the decisions you make to cultivate a better future.

Hua Cheng by the point of the shackle breaking has been cultivating for 800 years by devoting himself to his one true god, Xie Lian. He has built a solid foundation for himself, amassed great wealth, and set himself into such confidence he can comfortably look danger in the face and decide that he makes his own fate, he decides if something is dangerous or not, he decides whether he will come or go, even as he's at the point where he should die:

After 800 years of that overflowing fortune, he was able to build up that Earth luck and Human luck to a point where he could negate the Heaven luck by himself, so when it came to bite him in the ass, he still came back after a little over a year and married his newly-no-longer-misfortunate beloved.

Though it is worth noting, it is somewhat implied by the extras that this Star of Solitude still continues to screw with Xie Lian's life. When he wants to give Hua Cheng a birthday present, it ends up with a terrible day of misfortune and heartache that ends in the present needing to be crushed to ash. When he visits the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods, an embarrassing event happens where his near-naked statue is running around the heavens and he has to basically strangle Mu Qing away from his rock garden to ensure he doesn't witness his statue getting dicked down in there. And when Hua Cheng goes too far in bed, Xie Lian runs off without his spiritual energy being refilled, and in his weakened state ends up getting bit by a monster that eats his memories and causes him a few days of misfortune. But these are overcome by Hua Cheng being there to help him, and by Xie Lian loving him too deeply to care.

Now subtextually, what does this all mean? What's the relevance of it?

Number one, there is the obvious relevance that Xie Lian takes the opposite path to which Hua Cheng was born. Hua Cheng was born against his will with a fate that makes people around him incredibly unlucky, including Xie Lian himself. Xie Lian, in an act of atonement and possibly because he feels he hasn't done enough cultivation work to be worth ascending to godhood, shackles his luck so that everyone around him becomes luckier. An unwilling circumstance of birth versus a confident and willful choice. It ties them together in that way, and their fates effect each other. And at the end of it, Xie Lian's act of selflessness is exactly what comes back to bring him happiness. It is purely because of that act of shackling that Hua Cheng became who he did and was able to embrace Xie Lian as an equal. They have walked in each other's shoes and felt each other's hardships and seen each other's rock bottoms and came out the other end as equals who understand each other as completely as only a lovingly married couple could.

Number two, the use of the cup metaphor - it's another example of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng being so clearly laid out as fated spouses that it's barely even subtext. In Chinese, 'hejin,' or to 'drink from the same cup,' means to be married. This comes from a wedding tradition of the same name, also called jiaobeijiu, where the bride and groom drink from the same cup to symbolize that their lives have become one.

Xie Lian takes in Hua Cheng's luck and gives Hua Cheng his own luck in return, which Hua Cheng gives right back. In essence, if their lucks are symbolized by cups, they're doing the same thing as the wedding tradition.

And finally, why does the 'nullified' theory just not make sense?

Because Hua Cheng continues to be unlucky specifically until that shackle is placed on Xie Lian's ankle.

He is beaten to shit almost every time he is seen alive in Xie Lian's backstory, even the times he goes unnamed. When he is not beaten to shit, he's not living any sort of particularly lucky life. He always appears to be alone. He is often fighting other people. He dies before the age of 19, is captured and shoved into a lantern as a confused newborn ghost spirit, follows Xie Lian aimlessly to see tragedy befall him again and again, and then nearly annihilates - and only does not dissipate because of that shackle that spread Xie Lian's fortune to him.

As shown before with the State Preceptor's outburst, even as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, he still shows all the signs of being born under the Star of Solitude. As I pointed out before, even after their marriage, Xie Lian seems to run into misfortune quite often, though not the same basic unluckiness he used to before his shackle was broken.

All of this suggests pretty clearly that no true nullification happened, and what nullification did occur was from the Three Cosmic Factors of Luck; Hua Cheng's own cultivation practices and work that was only made possible by Xie Lian filling his cup to overflow with luck.

This also puts a new meaning onto that poem that Hua Cheng loves so deeply:

It's not just about separation and love. Just like the Taoist poet that wrote it said half his fate is in the devotion to Taoism and half his fate is his wife, half of Hua Cheng's life was Xie Lian, the other was the cultivation, the devotion, the work he put in to become who he did; the cultivation he did to nullify that Star of Solitude himself, to no longer be that abused little boy he hated so deeply.

[jonathankai]

and they were BFFs through Hell and back

text under cut

SQX: You killed my brother..

SQX: But if I was in your place, I'd kill him too.

SQX: I don't know, if I should hate you. I don't know, if I should empathize with you. I don't know how to process my feelings. I don't know WHAT I'm feeling.

SQX: So for now I just made this PowerPoint presentation, contianing all thoughts that have been occupying me lately! It has 2984 slides.

(Text on slide: MY BEST FRIEND KILLED MY BROTHER, BUT HE JUST PRETENDED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND, BUT MY BROTHER KIND OF DESERVED IT? made by: Wind Mast Shi Qingxuan)

SQX: Let's go.

(Text next to He Xuan:

*Would kill Shi Wudu again with great pleasure*

*Doesn't feel happy about Shi Qingxuan's suffering*

*Doesn't know how to process his feelings*

*Doesn't know WHAT he's feeling*

*So for now he just decided to sit through all of 2984 slides*)

[maxzinn]

FOUND FAMILY TROPE

⇀ tags ; fem!reader, developing relationships, found family, reader is yanqing's mom, jing yuan being a bit emo, slight angst, fluff, happy endings!

⇀ note: here's part 2, sorry it took a while sdjhfjh

part 1

jing yuan never liked the quiet, but he doesn't hate it as well.

sometimes, to him, it's peaceful. the gentle rays of sunlight slowly making its home in his abode, the gentle rustle of the wind, curtains fluttering from the gentle breeze, and the chirping of those tiny little finches that seemingly found comfort in his windows.

but sometimes, it's unsettling. his abode is far too huge for his liking. far too big that despite his huge stature... it makes him feel so small. the quiet seems to haunt him, its silence deafening. The halls are way too quiet, every nook and cranny - every room he barely used...

he was never used to the quiet, never ever got used to it. to jingyuan, the silence was a hard pill to swallow - one that haunted him, one that enables the lonely thoughts and regrets he has in his head. to him, it's a terrifying gamble. one that he doesn't risk, and a risk he doesn't want to take.

yet, he doesn't like the noise either. not when the screams and cries of his people fills the air, not when his friends mourn for their lost friend, not when the final verdict was placed, and not when their hatred and vengeance spoke louder that it drowned the voices of their joyful laughter.

not when chingzu scolds him for the nth time for setting his duties aside, not when fu xuan complains about his sleepiness, and not when another trouble arises in the luofu.

but then suddenly... the noise doesn't seem to be as unbearable as before. when he met you, as cheesy as it sounds.

"yanqing! don't run too fast!" you scolded as yanqing continued to run away from you, laughing and giggling as he played in the general's garden. you sighed in defeat and placed your hands on your waist.

the general chuckled, "it's fine y/n, let the little man play to his heart's content. I don't mind at all"

"you spoil him a bit too much, general. i'm afraid he'll get more and more demanding" you let out a small laugh.

the quiet was slowly filled with noise, ones that came from you and your son... ones that echoed through his oh so empty halls, ones that vibrated through his walls, ones that filled his abode with the color of your tone, ones that replaced the seemingly monochromatic energy of his own home... and ones that he always looked forward to hear in the mornings, afternoons, and nights.

the way you and yanqing would greet him with a sweet "good morning, general!" was something that brought warmth and comfort to his lonely heart. something that gives him peace as you began to serve breakfast on the table with yanqing helping you set up the table...

the way you would sing your lullabies to lull your son to sleep, the way you would hum as you cook in the kitchen, the way you would read yanqing bed time stories, and the way you keep him entertained with your company by telling random stories and tales about yourself...

these are the moments and memories he forever wants to keep - ones that he never intends to sacrifice. one that he will forever engrave and etch on his heart and mind, body and soul.

but then suddenly, the silence doesn't seem to be as unbearable as before. as he watches you and yanqing sleep.

the corner of his lips twitched upwards and turned into a warm smile as he observes the mother and son duo sleeping about in the garden without a single care in the world. your forms are relaxed, the children's book in your hand slipping out of your grasp, your arms wrapped around yanqing as he sleeps on your chest, and the soft snores you both let out wasn't something he was able to miss.

and suddenly, jing yuan hated to not hear the quiet.

"general, you've done enough for me and yanqing throughout my whole recovery. i'm truly grateful for your kindness and care, which is why I think it would be best not to further burden you anymore with our situation as I have recovered” you said with an almost disappointed and apologetic smile, and jing yuan froze in place.

“I already told you, I don’t mind at all as long as you have fully recovered. that would be the only favor I ask of you in return” he said, trying to convince you while trying to mask his desperation

“you’re too kind general, truly. I can’t thank you enough for letting us stay just because of my son’s insistence and tantrums…”

jing yuan could have left you both to the care of the healers of the alchemy commission after he had rescued you and yanqing… but the little man’s cries of fear and worry over his mother made it hard for him to leave. so he held him close, and chose to look after him until you wake up because yanqing who found comfort in the general’s presence - doesn’t want to part with him.

jing yuan could have agreed without any hesitation to your offer, he could have allowed for you to leave his home… but he got so used of your presence that it made it hard for him to agree. those moments where he feels himself truly relax in his abode, the fact that he have someone to come home to… for him to keep on bearing the burden and weight on his shoulders, for everything to be much more bearable than before…

he couldn’t bear coming home to an empty house anymore, where only silence and noise greets him in mockery.

and suddenly, jing yuan hated to silence the noise

as you filled the empty rooms and spaces in his abode, leaving your mark on every corner of his home… driving away the silence that haunts him as he hears your skittering and humming in the kitchen while making dinner, as you read your bedtime stories to your son, as you sing while taking your sweet time in the shower…

for once, jing yuan felt fear.

for once, he lets himself be selfish.

“…I plan to take yanqing as my apprentice” your jaw drops.

“g-general? what are you- that’s too much to ask of you!” you exclaimed.

“the little man wants to become a cloud knight does he not? I don’t see the problem with that” he said with his familiar smug and relaxed demeanor.

“but yanqing has not made any feats worthy of him being your apprentice! general, I ask you to please reconsider”

“I disagree, I see great potential in him and I have no doubts he will reach great heights and perform great feats… I only wish to nurture his talent at a young age” he stepped towards you.

“there are plenty of spare rooms for us to make use of… and I don’t mind you using them. so fret not.”

maybe, this is his way of asking you both to stay. as you look in his eyes, he looks at you with such gentleness… desperation… and longing. for once, the general looked truly lonely, but he couldn’t be anymore sincere of his feelings.

and maybe, just maybe… you might give in to his wishes too.

sksjdh finally complete, sorry it took so long 😭 I don’t know if I did well in writing part 2 but this is the best that my brain could think of 🥹

should I do a part 3 as well??

[quietly-sleeping]

@artsarasp i've been trying to work on this for two weeks now lmao. I'm calling it done.

Sitting across from the being occupying the body of his oldest friend was a daunting experience, the memories of the “Scenario Pusher” haunted him. He could still feel it, the shattering of Xuan Su, the shattering of his soul. 

However, it wasn’t nearly as painful as the brief flash of what caused him to draw his sword, the large box with a short note. All it said was a name, but that was enough. Qi crackled through his meridians as his mind lingered on the vision of the box. The being was staring at him, it wasn’t smiling anymore. 

[Yue Qingyuan should not take any more Small Scenario Pushers.] The being was as close to frowning as Yue Qingyuan had seen it. It almost looked worried. “You have said that if we take these missions, you will restore Shen-shidi.” Yue Qingyuan nearly didn’t recognize his voice. It was flat, cold, broken.

[This system cannot allow Yue Qingyuan to continue.] The being was unnaturally still, even before Shen Qingqiu’s last major qi deviation, he was always moving, waving his fan, running his fingers along the edges of his robes. The Shen Qingqiu after the qi deviation was always moving as well, the being that wore his shidi’s face was still. 

“Why.” Yue Qingyuan just wanted this to stop, Mu Qingfang, Liu Qingge, and even Shang Qinghua had seen things because of this creature. Yue Qingyuan had never seen Mu Qingfang like that before, distraught and inconsolable, sobbing about a disaster and injuries he couldn’t heal. [This system has calculated that if Yue Qingyuan continues to take missions, he will continue to act OOC. This system cannot allow this.] 

Yue Qingyuan ignored the bite of his nails as they dug into the meat of his palms, “You’ve said this before, what does OOC mean?” Calm, he will remain calm, he will not lash out at the being holding his shidi’s body captive. [OOC is the act of a character acting outside of its setting.] The being’s face slowly returned to the unnatural smile it typically boasted. 

“Is that what we are to you? Characters in a story?” Yue Qingyuan couldn’t understand this being. [This system cannot answer that.] The being had its smile back, but the longer Yue Qingyuan stared, the more certain he was that he could see something in its face twitching. 

“Do you truly believe that we are static characters unable to change?” Yue Qingyuan barely held back the roiling fury in his body, the emotion was choking him, and his skin stung as his nails drew blood. [Characters are capable of change, however, large leaps of setting…can cause…] 

The being’s words stuttered to a stop, eyes blank as it stared at something over Yue Qingyuan’s shoulder. [Warning!] Yue Qingyuan flinched back as the being’s voice changed, so much louder and higher in pitch. [Unknown power is interfering with–] Yue Qingyuan jerked up, the being was choking on blood. 

“Call Mu Qingfang!” Yue Qingyuan yelled. Disciples were waiting outside the room and startled into action at the call of their Sect Leader, their feet thumping heavily on the ground as they rushed away. Blood was dripping from the being's mouth and eyes as it choked. Yue Qingyuan lunged around the table to reach for the being. 

But once his hand touched its robes, Yue Qingyuan’s vision stuttered. 

He wasn’t standing in the same room. Instead, he was standing in a butchered version of the bamboo house. He couldn’t recognize the materials or style the bamboo house had been combined with, it didn’t matter though, since he could see the man sitting on the bed. 

The man wore the greens and teals of Qing Jing, Yue Qingyuan lunged closer, desperate to touch and confirm it was Shen Jiu. However, as his hands landed on the man’s arms, all he could see were the differences between this man and the Shen Jiu he grew up with. His eyes, silently shedding tears as he stared down at something glowing in his lap, were brown, his lips, red and bitten, were fuller than Shen Jiu’s. 

Something jerked in Yue Qingyuan’s chest as he realized this man, the man inside Shen Jiu’s body, wasn’t the Shen Jiu Yue Qingyuan knew. This was a stranger. Yue Qingyuan’s hands flexed on his arms, fighting between the instinct to let go and the desire to shake him for information. Where was his Xiao Jiu, how long had this stranger been in his body? 

No, Yue Qingyuan knew how long, knew it with a certainty that rotted in the pits of his stomach. Yue Qingyuan’s hands tightened on the man’s arms, he didn’t know this man, this imposter wearing his shidi’s skin. However, as the man shuddered and curled over the glowing book in his lap, something in Yue Qingyuan reacted. 

It was an instinct ingrained in him since childhood since he could recognize the youth clinging to the faces covered in dirt, since he knew that the way they grew up wasn’t right. His hands curled around the man’s back, bringing this fake to lean against his chest. 

Yue Qingyuan very rarely felt revulsion when faced with people. Yet, with this man that he knew under the guise of his shidi, he couldn’t help the sickening jolt in his chest. Even as he smoothed a hand down the crying man’s back, he wished that instead of this man, it was Shen Jiu. He wished that the person they were struggling to free from the being was the man who truly owned the name Shen Qingqiu. 

“Why,” The man’s voice was rough, torn from silence the tears he’d shed. Yue Qingyuan grimaced, carefully rubbing the man’s back as hands came to lightly grip the front of his robes. “Why am I reading this endless tragedy? It makes no sense.” The man whispered. It didn’t seem like he expected Yue Qingyuan to respond, so he kept silent. 

Yue Qingyuan was staring at him, looking at the man’s vulnerable neck, it wouldn’t take much effort. Damaging the man while in his mind would deal a heavy blow. Would it be enough to allow Shen Jiu to take his body again? 

Was Shen Jiu even around? Had he left for good, like he thought Yue Qi had? Yue Qingyuan would deserve it, he’d deserve to be left behind because for months, years he had not known it wasn’t his shidi in his body. 

No. He did know, he knew this imposter took over Qing Jing Peak and his shidi’s body and said nothing. Because he was a coward, because he was selfish. He said nothing because he wanted the Shen Qingqiu who let him get close, who let him into his home without viciously digging his fingers into gaping wounds. The sect leader’s hand twitched from where it rested on the man’s back, the thought barely forming before the room around them shook.

He couldn't help the way his arms tightened around the man deliriously muttering to himself. It seems the qi deviation was getting worse, since blood was seeping through the walls, dripping steadily down them as the room shook again. Yue Qingyuan had pulled the man to his feet, keeping one arm around him as he eyed the effects of the qi deviation. 

Harming the man currently in the body of his shidi would only harm the body. Leaving the body’s cultivation unstable and potentially harming Shen Jiu’s chances of retaking his body. Hopefully, Mu-shidi has already reached them and is working to stabilize the qi deviation. Though, Yue Qingyuan thought with a grimace, he’d be thoroughly lectured on the dangers of touching a cultivator going through a qi deviation without knowing what kind it was or what caused it. 

Yue Qingyuan shuffled the man in his arms away from the bleeding walls as the room shuddered, glancing around he froze as he heard something other than the mumbles of the other man. Don’t you dare.

It hissed in his mind, the familiar tone freezing the blood in Yue Qingyuan’s veins. “Xiao Jiu?” He whispered, his eyes flicking around the room, desperate to catch a glance of the man’s silhouette. 

Don’t call me that. The voice snapped, it was him. Yue Qingyuan could feel everything in him relax for a moment. Even as the voice of his shidi hissed at him. It was fine, anything to prove Shen Jiu was still around. 

Now get out of here. Yue Qingyuan couldn’t see Shen Jiu, he could only see the blood dripping down the walls as they shuddered. “Shen-shidi,” He forced out, “Where are you?” Are you blind as well as stupid, Zhangmen-shixiong? The mocking voice slithered down his spine as he felt something grasp the back of his robes. It wasn’t the man in his arms, he was still clinging to the front of his robes with both hands. 

Yue Qingyuan went to turn, to see his shidi again after so long, but Shen Jiu’s voice stopped him dead. Don’t look. The hand tightened, and he could feel the tips of the fingers scratch against him. 

Listen to me. Shen Jiu said as if Yue Qingyuan wasn’t hanging onto every word, breathing them in almost greedily. You will leave here, and you will tell no one that it isn’t me you are trying to get back into control of this body. His voice was as close to calm as Yue Qingyuan had heard it in years. It lacked the usual undertone of mocking or derision, it made his eyes burn.

“Shen-shidi,” He wanted to complain, to beg his shidi, but the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth in front of Shen Jiu. You will listen. He hissed, something heavy coming to rest on the center of Yue Qingyuan’s back. He longed to press back into the feel of his shidi’s forehead, but the man in his arms kept him still. 

I may hate this, Shen Jiu began, However, I prefer this little idiot in control of our body to the machine keeping him hostage.  Shen Jiu’s words were nearly lost to the renewed shaking of the walls around them. Yue Qingyuan kept his eyes forward, but he ached to turn around. 

“Shen-shidi,” He began again, cut off by a sound of frustration from the man behind him. Shut up. If you don’t have to explain yourself, neither do I. The weight of his forehead vanished from Yue Qingyuan’s back and suddenly he was hanging on by a thread, only the weight of the hand twisted into the back of his robes holding him together. “I-” He couldn’t speak, nothing made it out of his tightened throat.

He tightened his grip on the man in his arms, at some point he had fallen silent, quietly resting for just a moment. Ask him his name. Was the last thing Yue Qingyuan heard before everything faded out.

It was just him, floating and lost in the darkness for the barest moments before he was falling into consciousness again. He snapped awake, sitting up quickly. It took only a moment to register where he was before he got up and left the private room on Qian Cao. He felt renewed and worn down. 

He couldn’t bring himself to be furious with the imposter in Shen Jiu’s body, not even the disgust and revulsion were there anymore. He was furious instead, with the being. The System. His shidi was in there, and he wanted Yue Qingyuan to bring him back. To give him back control over the body he was in. 

Yue Qingyuan could do it, he would do it. He would drag the being out of his shidi’s body and destroy it if he had to. And once the being was gone, he could begin to look for a way to separate souls. Two souls shouldn’t have to share a body, and Yue Qingyuan was willing to dig out Tianlang-jun if he must to build another body for the imposter. 

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

How do Jake and June get along?

its... complicated? <;D

They are friends, don't get me wrong, but their friendship is definitely one of the more bumpier ones amongst the group.

There are some aspects of their relationship that are heavily influenced by some plot points of this AU that I dont want to reveal rn, but I can explain some other reasons why its complicated in broader strokes for now (in a bit of yapping under cut) but the short answer is probably that they get along maybe just a little better than Jenny and Ben. xD

As you know, both of their shows are very similar in many aspects, but also different in others and those differences are actually what makes those two clash more often than not.

Despite both being of magical world, and both being chosen as respective guardians of it - their positions in it are different.

Jun, was chosen by Magical Elders, or basically be magic itself, as Te Xuan Zhe, while she was very young. And while she comes from magical line, its clearly that aside of that she is human. Also, her position is not something she can just abandon, not until a suitable replacement can be chosen at least, and that can take decades until she or her brothers (or maybe other relatives) have more descendants. So she more or less has no choice at being Te Xuan Zhe, and while she doesn't necessarily resent the position itself, she really doesn't like all the restrictions that come with it.

Jake, on the other hand, comes from a line of magical creatures. And yes, not everyone can manifest this hidden magical part of them, like his mother, but they are still considered as part of magical community, since they are still aware of it (unlike Jake's dad who is human). So, while Jake awakened his draconic abilities that are inherently part of him now, his position as protector of New York/USA - is not inherent. We saw him train for that position, we saw Hailey being considered for it, we saw him lose it too! And while, yes the Dragon Council apparently has the power to seal someone's dragon side away if they fire them from that position, but it still doesn't inherently change the fact that he is from dragon line.

The reason why I brought up this seemingly not big of a difference between their positions in the magical community - is the freedom of choice that Jake has and Jun lacks. If it comes to it, Jake can resign from his position as American Dragon, but it would not mean that he would stop being a dragon or being a part of the magical community (I mean just look at retired Lao Shi). While Jun on the other hand doesn't really have a choice at being Te Xuan Zhe. Sure, she can probably return the title to her poor aging Ama, Jasmine or even find a way to pass it to Ray Ray, since their whole entangled magic thing - but it doesn't change the fact that she was chosen by The Magical Elders - by the highest magical authority there probably is - to be Te Xuan Zhe. And if she hadn't, she probably would have not access to magic and knowledge about it - she would have essentially been like the rest of their family - their parents and Dennis (before he learned about magic). This freedom of choice is not necessarilly something Jake and Jun discussed directly and openly very often, but it's a thing that is an almost palpable tension current in their interactions.

So, the second point that kinda spirals from their positions is about the authority and power. Jun, is essentially a boss of herself. It might not seem like it, but its kinda true - because she works mostly under her own power, without the Magical Elders directly breathing down her neck. Sure, Ama, Monroe and others help in guiding her, but more often than not she is not working necessarily under any orders, but on her own decisions. (It's actually a lot like Danny operates, but, well, with a lot more assistance than poor Phantom lol) In comparison, Jake, like I said, is essentially hired/chosen into his guardian position by the Dragon Council, and he is mentored by his grandfather and trained in some aspects by the Council. And while, sure, largely he also operates under his own power and makes his own decisions in regards of doing his job, there is also this constant watching from the Council and the threat of beings 'sacked' and have his powers restricted or completely sealed, like I mentioned before. It seems like such a small difference, since essentially they operate the same, but its another thing that kinda comes up in their interactions.

When it comes to less magical aspects tho, their families play a role in how they interact too. We all know that Jake has a little sister - Hailey, who seems like a perfect youngest child and often is shown to trying to one-up her older brother in the eyes of their parents. And we all know that while Jake and Hailey love and care for each other, the both clearly have sibling issues (like rivalry and feeling of inadequacy) between them. Jun, on the other hand, is a middle child, with a bossy teenaged older brother Dennis, and a chaos gremlin of younger brother Ray Ray. Jun constantly sqwabbles with Dennis (a little less after he learned about magic) and as Ray Ray's older sister, she constantly have to keep him in check. With those close relationships its no wonder that sometimes interactions between Jun and Jake can descend into similar sqabbles - it really doesn't help that Jake and Dennis have a few similarities, and that Jake has just a tiny bit of similar chaos gremlin energy that Ray Ray has; and that Jun is fiercely independant and very self-sufficient, which would remind Jake about how Hailey can be.

And when it comes to their parents, well, there is one super obvious glaring difference. Jake's mother always knew about magical side of the world, presumably that while she did not awaken her own dragon abilities she still possessed some inherant magic - and she had always been a stauch supporter of Jake's position as American Dragon (does not mean she was necessarilly happy about Jake being in danger, but since he awakened as dragon, there probably was little she could do), while Jake's father finally learned about it in the finale and accepted it and his family. Jun's parents on the other hand... are still very much oblivious, and very much human. And while its clear that they both love their kids, its inevitable that there would be some sort of distance between them, especially after all three kids learned about magic. And I feel like for Jun, being a middle child is not easy in general, but while also being a magical protector and staying close to her parents is probably twice as hard. Though, I guess to balance it out, Jake and Hailey are not really that good at getting along, at least compared to Jun, Ray Ray and Dennis, who got a lot closer ever since Dennis learned about magic.

But in conclusion: not only Jake gets a freedom of choice and the open support from his family, while Jun is literally caught in her position, and still prohibited from revealing about magic to her parents.

And I know it sounds a bit bleak for Jun when I put it all like this. I know it seems as a very solid ground for a relationship where Jun resents Jake and etc. but BUT!!!!! Those plot points that I mentioned before come in play, and it changes that relationship dynamic a bit, and while SURE there are some resentment from Jun about Jake, its not as strong, due to those PLOT POINTS THAT I CANT REVEAL BECAUSEEE AAARRRHH SPOILERS

it would be much more fun to reveal in stories ;)

But, so yeah, their relationship is just kinda really complicated??? It's the best I could give you rn. TTwTT