#hualian mean SO MUCH to me oh my god

[hualian]

Hualian confession scene mini moodboard (losing my mind rereading this scene they're SO 😭🦋)

[habizuh-studios]

Hi....if you don't mind me asking, who are your top 7 favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon) and your top 10 favorite characters ever from any media? Why do you love them all? Thanks if you want to answer my questions....

OHH my god thank you so much for this ask!!! hmm let me think about this- here they are in no specific order! spoilers for svsss, tgcf, zhen hun/guardian, and omori!

bingqiu (SVSSS, canon) -> mainly i love this one because first of all it's canon and second of all i adore the dynamic- not between teacher and student ofc, but like the fact that shen yuan literally died on accident and still made it his lifes purpose to go against what is basically a god to make binghe's life better and the fact that binghe adores shen yuan for it even without knowing it just bc he showed him kindness!! it's so amazing and that's the tl;dr

cumplane (SVSSS, not canon) -> okay i mainly like this one because shang qinghua and shen yuan are the only two transmigrators which strengthens their bond and their avid shitty novel reader/writer dynamic is so interesting to me. i also think they can work together really well, especially considering that you could stretch it so that shang qinghua is kinda like binghe in the sense that they both kinda. are pathetic and will cry so they can get what they want but can be secretly manipulative (obv binghe has the more "favorable" traits and is more exaggerated since he's the protagonist) and shen yuan and mobei jun are kinda like the. icy cold kundere/tsundere ahh beauty thingies. ehhh

hualian (TGCF, canon) -> sorta similar with bingqiu with the whole god and kindness thing but!! i adore the fact that they literally saw each other's whole (not whole but most of their) lives and lived through part of it together and saw all of their faults and still loved each other. it's like you fall in love with the one who saved you and they fall in love back hundreds of years later and then they find out that their lives are literally intertwined. and their dynamic is so fun too hehe

lang qianqiu/xiao mengyou (TGCF, not canon) -> ngl i really like the way their personalities and roles work together. lang qianqiu is brash and prideful but still really kind and noble and he's a prince,,,, xiao mengyou is more mellow and keeps lang qianqiu's impulsivity in ccheck and he's the servant,,, and they seem to trust each other more than anything as lang qianqiu involved xiao mengyou in where he buried the guoshi after defeating him which is really personal to him but he still chose to do it and augh!! it's all really sweet- not to mention that they probably grew up together <3

guo changcheng/chu shuzhi (ZHENHUN, not canon) -> okay i mainly ship this one because i love love love love LOVE guo changcheng and he's closest to chu shuzhi BUT their dynamic is also really cute!! pathetic loserboy who literally does things out of the kindness of his heart and nothing else despite having all of his good karma go somwehere else x cold-ish mean-ish zombie who doesn't really understand but softens with him........ tbh it's honestly similar to hualian if you stretch it. and obviously you need to understand their characters and shit. BUT OH!! theyre so cute!!

zhao yunlan/shen wei (ZHENHUN, canon) -> reincarnation. okay this is kind of similar to hualian in the sense of living live(s) together but this is different because reincarnation. basically shen wei watches zhao yunlan throughout his lives and even gets with him a few times despite his vow not to get close after zhao yunlans first life as a god(ish, i dont remember but i think that was it) saves him and makes him divine/immortal :> they dooo have a little issues with communicating (shen wei hides a lot from zhao yunlan, but since it's from his perspective, it makes a lot of twists and shit) but in the epilogue they promise to talk it all out, so that's sweet <3

sunflower (OMORI, not canon) -> okay this is sunny x basil and the main reason i ship them is because i think that from a young age their friendship was super super close and i ADORE friends to lovers- another thing is the trauma bonding. the experience they went through together is something that cannot be replicated with literally anyone else and it's really special between them, and it also showed that basil would do almost anything for sunny to be safe and that's beautiful and allat :> also they look good together and in the true/good ending, when they tell the truth (their traumatic experience) it's like. another thing. they will always be together type shi......

OKAY NOW ON TO FAVORITE CHARACTERS!!! also in no specific order!!

shen yuan -> okay i really want to study him under a microscope. like this man- he's hilarious and reads the prn for plot. literally the only man who has done so, LMAO- not to mention he's just so!! like he downplays his achievments but in actuality he does a lot for the story, for others, and just for everyone in general but he downplays it all because??? BECAUSE WHY??? idk i just like that!! he's humble and we love that!! we also love his denial!! like- idk man he's just a sweet guy who could insult you back into the stardust that you came from if he wanted to!!!! and he's funny!!! personality and his humanity (like he makes mistakes and doesn't communicate and is like, kinda flawed but that's what makes the story the story) >>> and he's cute what who said that

luo binghe -> ngl i have a teenie weensie thing for the mc's of media i ✨consume✨ so he probably caught on. he's also so so sweet and nice but he could and would defeat you in a heartbeat because of his stallion protagonist core. he's just a sweet little kid with so, so much trauma and i love that for him. his personality is really chefs kiss to me <3 he was changed by kindness and i think that means a lot. ik i talk about humanity and kindness a lot in this post but augh it means so much to me. plus he would do anything for his shizun and tbh i would too. i would also do anything for his shizun. shen yuan save me shen yuan- also +1 for orphan

lang qianqiu -> bro lang qianqiu is literally the most underrated character ever, he literally has almost 0 FANDOM i'm not even joking. try to find one lang qianqiu centric fic i fucking dare you. anyway he's really sweet too and he's a prince and noble and he has a bit of pride and a tiger and he's just so nice and he has trauma and he's great. i made a post basically rambling about him here if your curious! +1 for orphan

guo changcheng -> pathetic loserboy. pathetic kind loserboy who really does good for the sake of doing good and no other reason other than the fact that doing bad is bad and he can't idle away doing nothing. he's one of the side/main characters of zhen hun and his pov is always so fun to read. he's so so human and in the whole SID you have all these different characters representing different things and he's the only human but he also acts like it? like he makes mistakes and he embarasses himself and allat but he still does good and that's so. mmmm!!! he's also orphan core!!! +1 for orphan

sunny -> his trauma >>> probably one of the realest characters ever lmao, this is half a joke but my point still stands. none of this supernatural trauma is happening. it's all in his head. and his humanity is also so nice! i also rlly like his kinda quiet personality, i think it really suits him and it provides for so much good and juicy angst. also inherent kindness is a plus. him living in his own head is so nice to me and idk why, he just wouldnt be him without it lol. no idea where his dad is but his mom is technically still around even if his sister isn't.

xie lian -> ohh boy. his trauma is so thick it can fit two books. also his love. inherent humanity shit i already mentioned but this is basically the moral of tgcf. your kindness mattered. it did not change your life for the better (immediately), but it mattered. you trying mattered. and he's also a scrap collector!! he's not a doormat but he's polite and he does things for the sake of getting them done. his inner voice is so snarky at the most random times and it makes you laugh. he is truly one of a kind and i think reading the book makes your insight on him so much better because oh my gaush. trauma and humanity galore. +1 for orphan

feng xin -> he's so sun core but not in the normal sunny way. sun core in the way that he burns himself out to give light to others and everyone else takes it for granted. he is also just so warm and kind and he tries really hard!! he is an archer and i love that for him, archers need more love and i like the fact that he's the archer and not his rival even though one would think it makes more sense, lmao. feng xin is also such a good foil to hua cheng and a beautiful childhood friend for xie lian, and his loyalty is almost UNMATCHED. we have no idea how his upbringing was either, all we know is that he was friends with xie lian, trained a lot, and probably lived in the palace. i don't headcanon him to be an orphan, but you never know...

kel -> hoooo kel is so amazing. he's the sun- not only is he warm and bright and infectiously joyous and funny and tries to bring everyone together, but also in the way that feng xin is- burning himself up and hiding everything other than happiness so that everyone around him can be happy, even if it's just for a little bit. he's not the favorite child and he has so much going on but he hides it and tries dealing with it even when not everyone realizes it and that's so good.

zhao yunlan -> also got infected my main character disease. not to mention he's sarcastic and funny and literally THE rizzler. he's also really genuine and a smart worker, he's kind even if he doesn't show it in his usual way and does NOT run his department corruptly despite being a part of the government!! i knowww it sounds bad,,, but he's still so cool! not to mention his time as kunlun,,, that opened a whole other can of worms that i dont really feel like yapping about rn. he's not an orphan but his dad is sometimes posessed

kaveh -> where the fuck do i even begin. bro is an architect and an ARTIST, thats the main thing, but he's still smart and empathetic. his trauma is so amazing like genuinely it's so well done, i think he's super real especially for all the creators out there- his empathy and drive and guilt is what drives him to destroy himself in the end even when he needs saving and he's trying so so so so so fucking hard. he's so babygirl he's just a little guy. tf you mean he's 25+ not to mention his personality! i feel like in genshin (i dont actually play so idk) everyone's personality varies by what dub/sub your listening to. i know they translated some of his lines so he sounded more rude/snappy in english? which was a weird decision imo, but he's still so lovable so artistic so smart and so <3333 +1 for orphan

ALSO all of the character designs are amazing!! i love looking at them they are all so well done :D thank you so much for the ask!!! i cannot thank you enough for enabling me to YAP!!!

[swagvo1d]

hi! i'm kinda shy to ask atm but i saw one of your hualian works and was so greatly moved that i think i want to get it tattooed someday. do you have any terms and conditions about your work/s getting tattooed? hoping for your response 🫶🏻 love your work!

oh my god. i don’t have any conditions, just go for it!! you have no idea how much that means to me, i’ll be more than honoured to have my work tattooed on someone ∩^ω^∩

[lil0-0blume]

I want to learn how to make edits because I have a list of Lana del Rey songs for every couple that I ship on the mxtx universe (and also for characters alone) but I don’t even know how to start… 🫠🫠

(I already edited before but only some silly things 😭😭)

List of the couples here if anyone is interested:

- HuaLian: Young and Beautiful (Classic, romantic, them)

-Wangxian: Summetime sadness (pls don’t kill me)

-Bingqiu: ArtDeco (like… the vibe?? Just-)

-Moshang: Playing Dangerous (For me, Sqh flirting is something like this -when he’s not afraid ofc)

-Beefleaf: Freak (trust meeee)

-YinZhen: Sad Girl (I’m not afraid to speak the word!!)

-XueXiao: Dark Paradise (Literally died for then, my Roman Empire)

-YueJiu: Cinnamon Girl (the definition of deserved better)

-FengQing: Diet Mountain Dew (THEM. JUST THEM.)

-Bingjiu: Ultraviolence (Got the hots for them but they also deserved better, to god -mxtx- they weren’t her favorite at all lol)

-JunMei: Fishtail (“this is an work of art” seriously, the “You’ll braid my hair” is literally how I envision them in the future, healing, together)

-Niecest: Lust for life (Like you heard that??? The “but my boyfriend’s back… and he’s cooler than ever…” - You cannot convince me otherwise it isn’t them!!!!)

List for the characters:

Binghe: Jealous girl (he was the easiest one for me and I don’t have to explain myself… BE AGGRESSIVE BE- )

Hua Cheng: Cherry (It just reminds me of him!! He really does fall to pieces many times on the story, literally, psychologically and emotionally, in good and bad ways…)

Lan Wangji: Serial killer/Happiness is a butterfly (Suprised for the first one?? Well, for me it’s about the intensity in his love, the type of doing anything and everything for the one he loves… I swear he’s just so dramatic and its just captures his teen phase of ‘first love and I don’t know what to do about it so I’ll just fantasy’ About the second… His time with his love in the first live was short and not completely well lived with so much problems and yet, and yet… he found happiness, also the “if he’s a serial killer than what’s the worst” just fits with the fact that he did in fact tried to save Wwx even against all the things others talked about him, regardless of the truth, he does what he needs to for who he needs… “Looking into his eyes I think he’s already hurt” IM SO SORRY I CANT LIE)

Shen Jiu: Born to die (like I’m not even trying to hurt anyone here but I know it hurts…)

Shen Qingqiu: Doin Time (Why?? Like, “the living is ease” vibe and the sudden “I’ve come to tell you that she’s evil” just reminds me to much of the fact that he’s the “villain”!! And I just imagined the “Louie” in the song as Sqh so much anyway)

Xie Lian: Brooklyn Baby (I don’t think I have to explain this one also right… the fans go “Yeah my boyfriend’s pretty cool… but he’s not as cool as me…” and also, “Baby I’m a gangsta too and takes two the tango” gets me thinking of two different sceneries, a dance with Hua Cheng as his flower and a dance with words representing his martial god nature)

Wei Wuxian: Salvatore (Salvatore is just him, really, the vibe of, like, even if you’re being murdered, you’re smiling and you’re smiling cause you know that, some way, you’ve just fucking won, of being on a serious situation and taking it lightly because is just his way to do things but at same time not as a mockery or a joke to all the suffering, the pain, but rather, an acceptance with a smile… oh gosh what a ride)

Mobei Jun: Black Beauty (like referring to a cold, untouchable beauty like himself, because honestly, life is beautiful but it took a while for him to see the colors but he managed to find his light, or, his “sparrow blue”…)

Shan Qinghua: Meet me at the pale moonlight (I swear, even if doesn’t make sense, for me, his “pale moonlight” is Mobei Jun… but seriously?? The “I’m the sweetest girl in town so why are you so mean?” part FR FR WTH that’s his life you’re singing about Lana)

Xue Yang: Blue Jeans (“Love’s mean… and love hurts” to “I’ll love till the end of times… I’ll wait a million years” is honestly just what he did and also that slightly possessive part “promise you’ll remember that you’re mine” inspired by his insecurities and regrets, only because he was afraid to lose him… couldn’t get any sadder)

Xiao Xingchen: Margaret (In another word yes, yes it could get sadder… He’s just so good… “It kind makes me laugh”, Ah I just keep reminding that scene where he’s with XY, laughing because he’s the easy laugh type of person… And also the “the soul that you bring to the table” I just like to interpret that in a way that he made a family out a villain and homeless distrusting girl and that the “soul” spoken off on the song it’s theirs, how they find “soul” in there, in themselves, in each other…)

Anyway

…Any tips on video edition…? 👀👀

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF S1 Ep 12

Ok then, last Episode of Season 1 let’s make this though reaction compilation count!

-We are back in Puqi village folks

-Ooooh pure domestic moments!!!!

-I freaking love how Xie Lian says ‘The Crimson Rain Sought Flower’ Howard Wang’s voice could act as my new sleeping aid

-No he hasn’t called him ‘his highness’ throughout this whole

-Oh yeah San Lang does treasure you dude

-Heck Yeah he was your groom, and I even officiated that ceremony in my first reaction! (I’ll type that iconic quote near the end of this Episode peeps!)

-It’s totally the first possibility ‘nuff said

-Never change San Lang, never change

-It was the lack of the heartbeat in Ep 9

-Hua Cheng didn’t strike fear into my heart as well

-Oh Pot!Yue unintentionally cockblocked em!  Pot + Ban Yue = Pot!Yue

-She’s rolling own her own and he opened the door for her!

-She got herself upright in the pot!

-Ban Yue’s in their custody my heart. (MXTX you probably won’t see this but Hua Cheng and Xie Lian have been through so much in that 8 book series, please let them be parents!!!  That’s just my prayer that probably won’t get answered)

-She still calls him ‘General Hua’

-I don’t think Pei Xiu’s a bad person either

-Ban Yue deserves all the head pats!!!!

-Don’t worry he does forgive you after what you’ve done

-Oh Xie Lian gets flustered at his past dream being brought up in front of San Lang

-Aw San Lang still likes his past goal!

-The way Ban Yue moves in the pot it’s so cute!!!!

-She was so young and innocent AAAAAHHHH!!!

-Honey I don’t even think you were being dramatic for a minute when you were a soldier

-And now she made the pot hop!

-Ban Yue my beloved!

-I love how I’m good at remembering stuff like Ban Yue

-I don’t think it’s nonsense at all honey, I think you’re amazing in whatever personality you display right now the good ones and the bad ones - prolly me and Hua Cheng’s opinions on Xie Lian, for HC it’s romantic, but for me it’s platonic

-Facepalm

-Awwww Baby Ban Yue

-At least it put an end to the war

-What have I been doing all this time either???  Aww man…

-Ban Yue, I think you should keep living despite all the mistakes you’ve made… other than that I also don’t know the answer like Xie Lian

-And Ban Yue’s now watching the moon and stars outside

-Aww San Lang got concerned!

-San Lang is dropping facts people

-San Lang is touch starved again!!! It’s official!!!  I am a Touch starved!San Lang truther TGCF fandom!!!

-Oh yeah it does look nice Xie Lian

-Oh you’ll see the real him, soon enough dude

-Oh no the Vegetable stir fry got overcooked!  I am not even gonna touch it when it’s all purple and blanched!

-Later that night

-And there was only one bed!  Oh my gods there was only one bed!!!!!!

-Ghosts are more freer than Heaven is

-Best boss ever!!!  San Lang obviously

-Hua Cheng really did make a name for himself among the other Ghost Kings

-Oooh he’s giving Qi Rong a bad name and defeated him good!

-More about Black Water later folks

-Aw man the way James Cheek says bologna, Wait a minute how do the Chinese know about bologna sausage, Ah right the Silk Road (I just like to imagine TGCF takes place around the time of the Silk Road capiche?)

-That’s cause they’ve got a ton of officials up there

-Oh yeah San Lang, valid stick it to all those gods

-They really do have the vibes of two concerned fathers (see what’d I tell ya, Hualian is just pure paternal material)

-Aww he liked his goal about saving the world!!!! AAAHH

-Aww and Xie Lian got all embarassed at his compliment

-Oh that was a really good opinion from San Lang!   He doesn’t think his goal is foolish at all!!!

-“What was life?”   My whole ass answer:…42?  (You guys’ll get the reference in the comments)

-Ohohoho now Xie Lian moved in closer!

-Honestly Xie Lian’s quote about him becoming someone’s new meaning in life does speak a lot about us as a society when looking up to famous living people like celebrities and what not

-I think he might be sitting next to you Xie Lian

-Well said, San Lang

-Their interactions added at least 8 years to my lifespan

-Oooohhhh!  Xie Lian talked about setting up boundaries

-Aww Xie Lian will love him no matter if he’s hideous or a monster he really does have the best standards from Ep 9!

-See boundaries!

-“I don’t buy it!  Good night!”  Awwww Xie Lian’s hot when he’s mad

-Oh he withdrew his hand when Xie Lian moved away

-Another Reason why Hualian works so well is that San Lang also Respects!  Xie Lian’s!  Boundaries (Yep still not getting involved with the Helluva Boss drama folks)

-Hua Cheng my beloved

-Oooh it was raining!

-Oh No San Lang’s gone

-Ban Yue’s back inside

-Ooooohhh what’s around Xie Lian’s neck

-It’s official!  That looks like an engagement ring people!

-Dude pass me the Aux cord!  Ya better not be playing mainstream garbage *Puts on Hong Jue at full blast and vibes like no tomorrow!*

-That confirms it he has seen Hua Cheng’s true form

-This line’s from my very first reaction post at the start of this season:  I now pronounce you both husband AND husband you may now kiss the gro-  I mean, bride!  (I should officiate more weddings as a living!)

-Aiaigasa! As a flashback one last time!

-Oh he’s running back to see if he returned inside!

-Get used to it people, this is just how he says ‘Gege’ in English, and honestly it’s kind of grown on me so no judging please!

-I wasn’t kidding when I said the kid Xie Lian saved would be important later on, called it~!

-It’s like they’re running towards each other AAAAAHHH!!!

-He really did paint him in his glory days

-Welp, see you guys later for Season 2!

-Ah the freaking rescue parallels

-*Casually continues to keep playing Hong Jue while wrapping up this whole reaction

-Man this was a long one!

Well that was Season 1.  I’m going to take a long break from doing these reaction posts, because I have an upcoming final project to complete in art, and I’ve got Christmas gifts to make.  So I’ll update the Thoughts I had on TGCF series once Season 2 finishes airing in Chinese and English See ya next time!

[hua-liansimp]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

tagged by @jesse-is-spiralling thank you it was lots of fun!

How many works do you have on ao3?

20

What's your total ao3 word count?

105,809

What fandoms do you write for?

Tgcf, genshin impact, kny and no home are the fandoms I have more than 1 published works in, but I have wips for witch hat atelier, svsss, mdzs, harry potter, hsr, jjba and bg3

Top five fics by kudos:

Aniki is Getting Married?! (ayaitto)

I See The Crystal Raindrops Fall (inotan)

The Night Breeze Carries Something Sweet (inotan)

Raccoon Dianxia Finds Treasure! (hualian)

Confession (Eunyung/Haejoon)

Do you respond to comments?

Mostly yes!:) I'm not always sure what to say, but comments mean a lot to me, and I respond whenever I can:)

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't really write sad endings, but maybe To Darken Fading Summer Skies. It's pretty short, though, and I actually have a sequel outlined (will it see the light of the day?) with a happy ending, so none, hehe.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm not sure! 95% that are finished are happy:)

Do you get hate on fics?

People have always been very sweet:)

Do you write smut?

I've written smut before, but I wouldn't consider it my main genre at all. I love reading smut though, and I have great respect for those who write it well! It's hard! It's a skill! Tell me your secret!

Craziest crossover:

I have never written a crazy crossover (I dream of the day I will be able to write a fic like how many old gods does it take to end a war (marvel x tgcf) by unfortunategay. I'm still obsessed).

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, I don't think so.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, twice, it's the greatest honor!:) I have one fic translated into Italian and one into Russian.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No. It sounds a little scary, but I'm sure it's probably lots of fun! One day, I'd love to try!

All time favourite ship?

Hualian, all the way. They're everything I like in a ship; opposites who are more similar than how they first appear, outcasts who find a meaning and a home in the other, people who suffered too much but still get to have a happy ending. They're tragic but happy, they're obsessive but healthy, and the best thing is that they can't even be separated by death.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's a wolfstar canon-divergence fic I really want to write where an accident happens during The Prank and it changes everything, even the war. Writing long stories scares me though, but I still hope I'll push through one day. Oh, and there's also a very smutty omegaverse-like durgetash fic I want to write with the original Dark Urge, but well, smut isn't my strength hehe.

What are your writing strengths?

Semi-good ideas, maybe? Also, somehow I feel like I write animals well. It's probably because of Gerald Durrell books.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing. I'm so bad at finishing stuff. I struggle to get the descriptions to flow well, I overanalyze everything, and as someone whose first language isn't english, I'm always very scared that my sentences end up very awkward and strange without me having the faintest idea, but I suppose these are all things that should get better with practice. Still, it's a struggle.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I haven't been in a spot yet where I had to write dialogue in another language like that. I love when other authors do it, especially when it's latin or french or a language I have no idea about (google translate go brr).

First fandom you wrote in?

Miraculous Ladybug, and I wrote smut(!) in my mother language when I was like 13-14? Thankfully it is lost to time (or is probably in my old friend's dms, but I won't go digging). Those superheroes had a chokehold on me and so many of my classmates.

Favourite fic you've written?

Right now it's probably Next time, bring a napkin; I think it turned out funny.

Consider yourself tagged and invited to do this challenge if it appears on your dash and you're in any way interested!:)

[curiosity-killed]

Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by @veliseraptor right when I turned work notifications off for 2 hours which feels auspicious

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

148 😅

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,201,484! For a couple years there, I was kind of cranking but now I basically haven't written fic for two years so uh. chilling at 1.2 million

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

This is always mildly upsetting to me because my favorites are rarely the winners lol

a bow for the bad decisions (3536)

willow branches and flowers (2785)

upon this altar (2745)

heart + bone (2090)

whipstitch (2024)

...well at least I like 2 of these lol

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I used to respond to every comment and then got overwhelmed and fell completely behind and THEN decided to clean house and answer all of the remaining ones...and the next day posted heart + bone and now have uh... 688 AO3 emails sitting in my inbox :') I periodically try to go in and answer at least a handful but honestly it's gotten very sporadic

5. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Off hesperus! I don't think I write a lot of true angst or tragedies tbh. But that one was meant to be 100% genuine, no happy endings angst. And admittedly it's not AS bad as it could have been but. it is probably as bad as I am likely to write (unfortunately (?), I left my "kill all your fave characters, make everyone suffer, burn it down!!!" writing vibes back in middle school mostly).

6. What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I have so much fluff how am I supposed to pick. ...most of my tgcf fics? heart + bone and sunlight, sunlight, sunlight are pretty absurdly fluffy by the end.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not really. Back in the olden days (high school/college), I did more—see: whisper something holy, the OG loki fic... I think there were some others?—but it's pretty rare now.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

ehhh not really hate, just some folks who got lost and wound up mad in the comments that *checks notes* local complexity lover let characters be complex. I just turned off anonymous comments for a while and it was fine

9. Do you write smut?

Sometimes! I tend to write (& draw) smut when I'm stuck in a rut (pun sadly not intended), stressed, and struggling to make things which is. something to know about myself. but also means that it often serves as sort of an on ramp to making art that I care about more and so it's often left unfinished.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? I have no idea how I'd know but honestly, I think my writing is enough directed toward my interests/wants that it's not a prime candidate for stealing lol

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! it's so cool!! and if she leads was translated into mandarin which!! is bonkers to me that's so much work

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I don't think I've ever actually done it. Isaac (@/lemeute) and I have co-developed a few ideas before but I think they went the way of the raccoon poll and sort of died in discord (though the yanqing AU did contribute to me drawing art!)

13. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Ah I really struggle with this. Really high up there, and probably chief in staying power, is Altair/Malik(/& Maria) and then in terms of ones that have sort of rewritten my brain chemistry it's like Stucky, Cartinelli, Cap2 Crew, Ranwan, Hualian, Destiel...uh I'm definitely missing some there but that's a sampler!

14. What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

;A; oh god. I mean. a short list:

wulian au

yunmeng jiang everyone dies

bodyswap (mdzs)

light dancer (atla)

I have many more wips but they're in more varying stages of either "I don't actually care that much if I finish these" (all unfinished MCU fics) or "I will actually finish this" (sixteen stitches).

15. What are your writing strengths?

uhhhhhhhhhh i hate this question bc my brain is immediately like "here is a laundry list of everything ur bad at and ALSO ur wrong. abt the things ur good at." bc well. mental wellness. ANYWAY i think I'm like ?? pretty good at creating intensity in writing??? I've talked about it before as viscerality and it is that but also like emotional intensity. and I do think I can craft a pretty turn of phrase here and there

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

well. plot, for one thing. having one? executing one? keeping it consistent without giant holes for everything to fall apart through? nahh. Similarly, continuity overall is! not a strength. Do you know how many notes there are in TCP asking myself to just sketch out a blueprint of the palace where 90% of the first book takes place. can u imagine

there are. more. but i will pause there

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think it's something that needs to be done with intent and like. care. like, okay. actually I feel extremely subjective about this. Like on the one hand, I think there are times when I think using another language provides important connotative information that is lost when translating to English* (e.g., Wei Wuxian calling Lan Wangji er-gege or Jiang Yanli shijie which don't have very direct counterparts in English, but also if I were to write about my teacher calling me "chica" rather than "girl"). On the other hand, I think it's very important to be cautious (particularly as a white anglophone) about...like. Seasoning Ur Dialogue with Spicy Bits of Other Languages (I am struck by flashbacks of fanon Lance from VLD. bls.). ON THE THIRD HAND, depending on the POV of the work, writing dialogue in a different language can serve different functions in the text (e.g., if the reader knows what it means but the character doesn't, we can have some nice dramatic irony! when it's done well; if the character knows what it means but the reader doesn't, it can build suspense; if both know what it means, it can give insights into different character dynamics/backgrounds/etc.), but again, it should be done with care and intent.

uh i don't know that this actually answered the question or anything. i have feelings???? and minimally coherent thoughts?

*I am being so brave rn in trying not to go down a rabbithole about translation and meaning ;A;

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Marvel :')

19. What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

hh hold on i need to go holler at lise and huaqing possibilities

anYWAY yanqing, xianle quartet (variably romantic), erha*, huaqing*, the king's affection**

*technically i've written once for these but like. not fr fr

**I still haven't finished this bc I am inexplicably stressed abt my blorbos suffering but STILL

20. What's your favorite fic you've written?

oh gosh I feel like a broken record bc my fave fics have pretty much been the same for a long time but yeah, of swords and wings is still pretty much my fave largely because, even as it has aged (and I have become more critical of the actual writing), it was so finely tailored to my specific preferences, headcanons, and wants that it still remains quite loved

tagging anyone who wants to do this! (sorry, laziness wins)

[strathbox]

A Hualian short story (writing practice)

His Cheng takes his time to think about his dear dianxia, before before meeting again (before book 1)

(it's from Hua Cheng pov + I added a drawing of my own at the end of the fic(?))

My beloved crown prince...

I see my own face everyday, but what about yours?

Thin, pale, tired and dead, with thick long strays of black hair, just one eye left, dressed all in red, he faces me again, everyday the same as always, how I long to see your precious face...

I greet you, your Highness, it's been a while, quite a while... I just feel like it's been so much time without thinking of you...

This isn't as dramatic as i put it, I just I tend to pour my heart out very easily...

When it comes to you.

Everything is my decision after all. Right?

I wish with all my being to have known you more, as I always do. My heart is still hoping the moment our paths will cross again.

But until then...

I had a glimpse of you today

I find it quite interesting, that you look different, I mean.

But to think about it, it's obvious you can't stay as you were last time I saw you,

Your Highness...

And to think... how obsessive I must sound...

How human must I sound too, how sincere I'm being.

As I write this, I go, look back and picture you.

You, the one engraved deep in my memory

I think about you... you thinking of me could that be possible?

As I see your face I wonder what you do, and if you're happy.

If you're still in the dark, about the purpose of this... About anything...

Let me enlighten you,

Dianxia I care about you, deeply, so deeply that my already dead heart beats.

Once you did too, I trust it was like that, back in the day...

Do you remember?... What you said?...

It made my heart shine, And I wanted to believe with all my might

That day, I felt my mesmerized soul tearing the tight walls of my being apart, Just to find you.

Oh, to have a light soul! If I wanted it so bad I would've tried... right? But I'm frightened.

Since you are just some words away from me.

Yet I can't find strength to write a single one of those words

"You're so special to me"

Youthful, but full of feeling, I would have written in an old folded sheet and left it next to your statue in that abandoned temple of yours.

My happiness lies there, where you are...

If this one wasn't so objectively bad with ink and paper, this one would have also written Dianxia since those days.

But it is fine, because words are not, and won't ever be, enough to praise Dianxia's existence...

If one is creative enough, one can find better ways of expressing.

Would you ever see me? Would you notice me?

It's written in red ink, all over my forehead.

Won't you read it?

Is the ink already running?

Is my message not clear enough?

I would streak with red my whole body if that meant you could know.

Everything related to you is endless.

Transparent as your look, so tired of what the world has given you, yet so compassionate,

Full of life...

You don't know how ethereal you are.

As perfect as anyone would like to be.

I'm sure I'd melt in your gaze, so put me in a pot and take me back where I belong,

With you.

Is your paradise still standing?

will it turn to sand?

I'm willing to build it from scratch, I'll blow away the sand and turn it into something new.

Oh, Your Highness! My flower crowned god!

You leave me speechless, you know?

How grateful I am. After all, I met you and that's such a wonder as it is.

Yet I can't help but wish for more

Excuse this one who can't get enough of you!

Astonishing that's how you are

And I bleed for your kind heart; for yours to not bleed again.

But since my lips feel like glued together,

I bleed.

Unable to express it.

Silenced

Staring

Hurt

With a sword permanently buried in my back, one that I would take millions of times so you won't.

Not again.

I beg you to not ever dare to turn into smoke and ash.

In fantasia

I am a dreamer too. Faithfully, religiously into you. You are my greatest inspiration.

I've been trying something recently, painting, I try to put myself in the shoes of each soul I paint.

But you know something else?

I can't get it right, because at the end of it, all it's for you and no one else.

Seems like I'm living different lives, but they all have something in common

And it's you.

Pull the strings of my heart, Do it as you please.

I wish you were sitting on a throne, like the God you are. immaculate.

And I'm afraid I could've never treated you like a real god, could I? You're all that matters... All that's good.

There is so much for you, I've always wanted to give you so much, beware, cause I will. Just promise me something your Highness,

That you'll wait for me...

My miserable ashes shiver with the thought of you.

My beloved, you've got my whole mind,

What else would I want, than you having me as a whole...

But right know, I'm just that, am I? Mind and thoughts for you... So far from tangible...

Your Highness, who am I to make you wait? My perfect everlasting god, I have always thought I deserved exile this land, maybe even from the related to you, but as you're so kind, I know you wouldn't appreciate that though so much... I'll compensate it to you.

Because my only true dream, the one that won't let me rest while I'm here, existing, is you.

My God

Condemn this one to wander.

To walk, aimlessly, for as long as your time's running... But so merciful, how you are, you won't let me, won't you?

You'll let me stay by your side even knowing the truth of my soul.

I plead.

Don't ever let me die while you're standing. Let my last wish live, let me dream of you. Let me by by your side...

If I told you, how much I wish you

Merciful one, would you stay? You're such a saint, if I told you, you would... Even if it was me.

That's how good you are.

Pleas don't hate me...

I am full of disagreement.

I say that you should exile me, I supposedly want to flee, I say I want to be a runaway, a wanderer.

But you, my god, you know it's fake.

I still want to dream of you and only you,

And deep down, I want your hands on my face, your eyes watching me, your soothing lips on mine, your everything.

I see you have blessed me;

Because I see you when I close my eyes.

But I spill tears when I open them.

Your greatness overwhelms me, as simple as that, I burst into tears at the single mention of your name.

If that is, just with a name, then picture...

What could your love do to a man?

Dianxia...

What happened to the quality of my drawing????😡

Also it is not very related to the short story but who cares,

A writing practice? What?

Hi! It's been a while!!! I'll be posting more often since I'm outta school for winter break now...

This is supposed to be random thoughts of His Cheng about his Dianxia...

I know writing is probably not my thing... But I just felt inspired!! Ugh I love hualian so much and I had forgotten

I do think Hua Cheng thinks so lowly of himself, but fortunately we all now how it's gonna get better for our boys...

As Hua Cheng I also live to worship Dianxia ☺️

Feel free to tell me how can I get better!! I really want to be better at writing!!! It's such a fun way to express myself apart from drawing

[starsundertheceiling]

Byler really gets me giggling like a schoolgirl every time I read about them be in love huh

[crowning-art]

TGCF SPOILERS

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

WHAT?

WHAAT?

LOL is this in even possible?? Can someone roll their eyes out of anger???

Fu Yao was going to roll his eyes from anger. “THEN WHY DON’T YOU LET ME GO SO I CAN TRY, HUH??”

Lol It looks like Xie Lian unknowingly brought down the three tumors (I mean if it counts that Pei Su brought Pei Ming down), unless Pei Ming has smt else?? That's kinda funny lol

no wait

it's not T-T (Wind master my beloved, I think of you every day)

Wait nooooo, wdym???//

Fu Yao puffed a laugh from exasperation and cut him off. “That’s enough! It’s not like no one knows of the personal grudges between you two. Help him investigate? Would he even have the chance to flip this around then? If you want to use this chance to drag him down and laugh at him, just say so instead of acting all fake.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN? THIS IS SO SAD, WHY WOULD U HAVE A GRUDGE T-T I thought Mu Qing stood by him when Xianle fell qflkfnekfj Im so sad WHY DID HE LEAVE

Lmao, I love this, like just imagine a nicely dressed toddler going off at a heavenly official and the official is LOSING lol

Fu Yao glanced at him and taunted, “‘Kid’?”

Hua Cheng returned his respects and mocked back, “‘Junior Official’?”

Fu Yao’s face dropped slightly.

Lmao This was golden

Someone like Mu Qing, even though he’s narrow-minded, petty, sensitive and skeptical, has a bad personality, constantly guessing, doesn’t say nice things, likes to nag, always offending people and has a lot of people who dislike him, has no friends, can remember small, unimportant details for a long period of time…”

“...”

Xie Lian went on in one breath with a straight face, but in the end he concluded with, “...But I’ve known him since we were kids, after all, he’s still got principles.”

“...”

Xie Lian continued, “He might spit in the cup of someone he doesn’t like, but he would never poison the water to harm others.”

“...”

Hua Cheng commented flatly, “Really? That’s still gross though.”

Fu Yao was popping veins. “NO! He would never spit either!”

“Laxatives then,” Xie Lian said.

ok, at this point, if any big reveal happens, it means someone we already know (AND MAY LOVE) will be brought down. In this case..

WHAT THE FU

WHAT THE FUUUU

FIRST OF ALL, FENG XIN WAS MARRIED?? OR ATLEAST IN A RELATIONSHIP???? WHAT IS THIS????

ok in retrospect I should have seen this coming since he had such an aversion to women which means there's obvi some backstory

AND THEN

AND THEN

THE FREAKING FETUS CHILD IS HIS SON???? HE IS THE DAD? WHAT IN GOD'S NAME???? IM REEELING ILFBWILBFILWBF I DIDNT SEE THIS COMING FROM A MILE AWAY???

WRONG??/

WRONG???

I WASNT EVEN CLOSE

OH GOD I WAS SO IGNORANT, SUCH A FOOL BACK THEN GOD THIS IS SUCH A DISASTER, A TRAIN WRECK, AND I DONT EVEN KNOW FOR WHO

what happens to my fengqing ship now :(

Jun Wu, why u being so creepy? Lmao Hualian having a moment and he's just sitting in the corner lol. Plz knock

Ouch...

Xie Lian had long understood that leading people and leading armies wasn’t something he was good at.

Lol why can't Hua Cheng just end the slaughtering himself? Like the final ghost from the 'kiln'. I mean he will be in control once the slaughtering starts, right? and it won't benefit him to have another supreme anyway.

I mean if he does still go out of control, then nvm lol

HE'S SO CUTE

Xie Lian was amazed watching this. He leapt up lightly, hopping out of the window. As he stood among the field full of little earth mounds, it gave him the illusion of being a giant looking down below.

Wow, ok things are gonna go down so fast now, if Jun Wu does end up going to finish the final ghost and Xie Lian is put in charge. I mean how much more messier can it get?

wait no.

Nvm.

It can get worse -_-

NEW INFO

So white-clothed calamity was the worst of the four???? so much so that Jun Wu had to kill him himself???? BRO WHAT DID HE EVEN DO?? AND HOW BAD DID IT GET THAT JU WU HAD TO GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED???

Curious to see what Hua Cheng is gonna recommend as an alternative (and interesting that he's suggesting it, I guess it might be cuz he doesn't want Xie Lian involved with such a messy place as the upper court. Like it was pretty messed before many people were brought down, so who knows how much worse it is)

Also, at this rate, I'm gonna run out of shocked face gifs to add cuz of how many times I need to use them lol

[abigail-nicole]

tgcf liveread 9

being the live-read of that time i read tgcf for the first time, truly a magical experience i would recommend to all, if you like gay stories, fantasy stories, or perfectly-written stories, then perhaps buy official english translations of Heaven Official's Blessing

originally tweeted 4/1/2020:

I also can’t want to see this animated, in five years when the donghua gets to it

gays pointing out misogyny

Another little mxtx horror gem featuring bai wuxiang

this Thing Obviously Impersonating Hua Cheng (But Doing A Bad Job) is adding so much extra horror to a scene which is already filled with creepy, fleeting glimpses of Bai Wuxiang. Horror level 10

nicely done confirmation that Fu Yao and Nan Feng were just Mu Qing and Feng Xin for a long time. That was pretty obvious from the dynamics

hahahahshahshsjs omg this dynamic

I literally burst out laughing so loudly at this fourth wall call out by Mu Qing & Feng Xin

the Cave Full Of Statues Of Himself thing is INCREDIBLY creepy !!!!!

i screamed in my empty apartment

.... i need to do some online shopping & process this a second while I think about buying an eighth bathrobe

so this is kinda like Hua Cheng’s stalker cave huh, while he was hoping to play it cool

I say that with LOVE i still adore crimson rain sought flower and hualian

He’s all like I HAD THE RED STRING, I GAVE HIM THE RING, WHY THE ASSHOLE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS GOTTA COME ALONG AND EXPOSE MY STALKER CAVE

Rip feng xin & mu qing who are about to get murdered by hua cheng

who IS the white-clothed man who is CLEARLY the favorite to win Mt Tong’lu’s Next Top Ghost King??? I’m scared of him & Hua Cheng better step up

it’s....Him, isn’t it....!!!!!!!!

HE BOYFRIENDS LOVE EACH OTHER THEIR LOVE CAN WITHSTAND THE STALKER CAVE.

ok I was wrong nothing was impersonating hua cheng But he Was acting suspicious. Like, What If He Finds Out How Long I’ve Liked Him, What If He Realizes I Was A Nerd In School And Filled My Locker With Art Of Us suspicious

ahhhhhhh Clean Water, Pure Air,,,,,, Hualian Happy Together

Xie Lian: oh no

Hua Cheng: what? I won’t let Bai Wuxiang get near you!

Xie Lian: Oh no.....it’s so hot when you’re mad.....

Xie Lian’s reaction to seeing the cave that Hua Cheng filled with statues and art of him: so he DOES like-like me!!!!

When I found out where his ashes were & spoiled it for myself I was so mad & now these cryptic comments are even MORE ROMANTIC

A WISP OF HUA CHENG BACKSTORY? I’M SO STARVED FOR IT

“It’s not like it’s anything hard” UNLIKE XIE LIAN’S DICK AFTER THIS SCENE OH MY GOD I NEED TO LIE DOWN

Hua Cheng is about to Ghost King Level Up!!!!!!!!!!! Watch Out!!!! Oh my god

Every time I turn a page I expect AND SCENE! END OF BOOK THREE!!! is it gonna be KISS? is it gonna be HANDS HOLD JUMP INTO KILN? its gonna be somewhere Maximum Suspense is reached

THE SUSPENSE HERE IS KILLING ME AHHHH it just KEEPS BUILDING

the suspense is so bad that....I better stop reading & tweet every other paragraph so I can scream more about how AHHHHHHHHHH i am about this

I clearly remember every book I read that made me start wanting to eat the pages halfway thru because I was so into it & this is one

REMEMBER WHEN I TALKED ABOUT GHOST KING MAGICAL GIRL FLOWER CROWN MARTIAL PRINCE XIE LIAN WELL

Hahaha and THERE is the end of book 3 okay oh boy someone get me a beta blocker for my heart rate oh god

Predixns: Book-4-flashback.mov then I suspect our dianxia will just turn up in a forest somewhere, having gently jumped ahead several months, been missing, collecting trash, and there will be Some Backstory & we’ll never get the details of how he came out of the Kiln

Predixns the sequel: while dianxia is trapped in the Burial Moun—I mean the Kiln, the world will go to shit & hua cheng will be Big Mad & Take It Out On Everyone

I read this on april fool’s because I am The Fool

More proof xie lian is god of millennials: centuries of eating trash and being free while ignoring the news

Book Four! Starting next time on tgcf liveread part ten!!!!

[elencelebrindal]

If I'm not mistaken you've now read/watched the three mxtx works and WoH. How would you rank them following personal preference? Which main couple did you like the most? Favorite plot twists in all four?

Yep, I did. I still have to read Faraway Wanderers though. Can't wait to.

This came out to be quite a long post, so I'll put it under the read more thingy.

Now, how would I rank them?

I'll have Tian Guan Ci Fu at the top, no doubts. It's my absolute favorite among all these four, and will probably remain my favorite even after I finally get to read the huge thing that's 2ha. It's the perfect balance of a story with no characters left unexplained (except for the minor ones and RIP Hua Cheng's backstory, why did mxtx rob us so much), of characters being unique all in different ways, and of a romance that, while being absolutely the main focus of the novel, is not overwhelming. For me, an aro/ace person, the romance written in TGCF is so good that it made even me stupidly happy. I don't get such big smiles on my face while reading my own romantic content.

This is the ONLY novel I've ever read that doesn't have a single character I hate in it. Only one, maybe two at most, that I dislike. That's it. Everyone's good. Everyone.

Then I'll definitely have Word of Honor. Just like TGCF, it's a really good balance between an interesting story (I was literally squirming in my seat while impatiently waiting for things to be revealed, enjoying every second of it) and a subtle romance that was still obvious enough to make me wonder what the hell happened with censorship in this drama. Not that I'm complaining though.

Almost all the characters are incredibly good. They have depth to them, all the main ones have either a satisfying backstory or a beautifully crafted development.

And this is it for the ranking. I wrote way more than I should have, but oh well.

After that, it's a tie between Mo Dao Zu Shi and Scum Villain. I don't want to favor one over the other, because I genuinely like them the same. Scum Villain is really underrated, and while I understand it somewhat, it's really unfair.

MDZS (and The Untamed) has a story that draws you to it, especially if you (like me) have an obsession with all things dark and spooky and terrifying like the demonic cultivation in this, like the whole mystery they have to solve with body parts leading them to the solution. The drama, as good as it was, really didn't do justice to the spook factor of using dismembered parts of a corpse to move around.

SVSSS is straight up weird, literally an isekai but make it Chinese. I think the best part of it is Shen Yuan panicking and cussing everyone out every time something happens around him, though... I really loved the story and the way it played out. I especially liked how the novel kept mentioning Proud Immortal Demon Way and compared the events of that book to the events that were happening in that book's world.

But why do I prefer Word of Honor to them? Well, it's simple. There's some aspects of the romance that don't resonate well with me.

WangXian is a beautiful couple, and they deserve all the happiness in the world (they have a canonic son!!!!!!!!), but Wei WuXian's initial obliviousness made me really uncomfortable at times. Not because he didn't know Lan WangJi was in love with him (the fool! thank goodness for Guanyin Temple), but because he kept teasing Lan WangJi about it while the latter was drunk. I mean, I get it. If you don't know, you don't realize what you're doing. But as a person that easily suffers from people making fun of me behind my back... it kinds struck a nerve. I still love them to pieces, though, they're so good together.

BingQiu, well... this is a rollercoaster of a couple. Again, I absolutely love them together, but some parts come off almost as scenes where consent is thrown to the wind. As a reader you know Shen QingQiu is willing and in love (gods, they married each other, I'd be a fool to say the opposite), but there should be a limit to how many times a willing person should say "No" in such a novel. This is mostly me being my aro/ace self, though. I don't really understand what goes on in the world of intimacy between people because I (literally) don't give a fuck, so I'm probably reading too much where there's too little. Don't take this as me not liking BingQiu, I'm in love with them and I desperately need more content.

Favorite plot twists, eh? Okay, big SPOILER ALERT from here onwards. And I mean it. BIG. SPOILER. ALERT.

Now, which main couple did I like the most?

Hualian. I don't even need to think about it. Bonus point because they're both out of their minds and the extras show it.

I said it before, and I'll say it again. I never have smiles so big and goofy in front of anything else, not even my own stuff. Hualian genuinely makes me happy.

Stop reading if you haven't finished all four of these, please.

...

Okay, here I go.

WoH:

Wen KeXing faking his death and telling basically everyone but Zhou ZiShu.

The villain being Zhao Jing; I was actually fooled and thought the main bastard of the series was Gao Chong.

Episode 35, and I'm not saying anything else. Although, as soon as that son of a bitch put his hands on Cao Weining's face like that, I genuinely knew what was going to happen.

The hairpin being the key for the armory. That was so stunning I had to pause the episode for a second and take a walk around the house.

MDZS:

Jin GuangYao being the villain. And being an amazing villain, on top of that.

Nie Huaisang. Fuck's sake, that man fooled the entire fandom just like that. I don't think many people realized he was the one behind everything.

The golden core transplant reveal. I'm sure that more experienced readers and viewers (aka people that had read/watched a ton more cultivation world stuff) had hints of it, but when I watched The Untamed I never read/watched anything remotely close to this genre. It hit me like a brick and I sat in front of the screen in shock.

SVSSS:

Shang QingHua being Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky. It's such a silly thing, but it made me pause for a good five minutes. I wasn't expecting it in the slightest.

The whole thing with the Old Palace Master. The man belongs to the dumpster he never got thrown into.

Tianlang-Jun not actually being the villain. Poor demon, he just wanted to continue with the questionable hobby of reading porn and daydreaming about Shen QingQiu's relationships.

I think I had another one, but it's late and I'm probably forgetting it.

TGCF:

Oh boy, where do I belong? Ah yes, the entirety of book 4. Took me out on the spot.

Jun Wu being Bai WuXiang completely blew me away. That was probably the biggest plot twist in the history of plot twists.

Also, Ling Wen knowing, and her being the creator of the Brocade Immortal.

Fu Yao and Nan Feng being Feng Xin and Mu Qing. For some reason, even if it's kinda obvious when you take a good look at them, it never clicked before being revealed.

On the same note, Ming Yi being He Xuan, and the Earth Master being actually dead. What a ride that arc has been for me.

One of the most important details, however... I got it myself. The ring Hua Cheng gives to Xie Lian. I see so many people saying that they didn't expect the ring to be his ashes, but I did something I generally can't stop myself from doing. I guessed something tremendously important by accident, something I do with many many books so I can ruin the experience for myself. I was literally sitting down, taking a break from reading (I devoured TGCF in 3 days, I needed that break lol), and all of a sudden this goddamn revelation descend upon me like the holy spirit, completely out of the blue. I just sat up, looked at the screen, and went "the ring is is fucking ashes, isn't it?", and completely ruined the surprise for myself.

And this is it.

If there's more I forgot (probably) I don't know. For now, this is my answer. Way too long, as always.

[myfriendsarerealidiots]

Since the TGCF donghua came out a week or so ago and the SVSSS one is almost ending, I’m still very much hungover with MXTX so time for a decently long ramble.

Let’s. Talk. About. MXTX. And. Flashbacks.

Now, do I enjoy flashbacks? Absolutely..not.

Do I think it’s a cheat way to tell stories in the past? You bet your ass I do.

But. Do I understand why they’re being used? Yep.

I previously mentioned here, that my first exposure to any of MXTX’s work was through ‘The Untamed.’ Which was basically a flashback for three-forths of it’s duration. I hated it so much because it introduced me to the current situation of Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng and the newly reincarnated Wei Ying and then completely forgets about that for the next 30 or so episodes.

Now, I’m not your typical viewer per se, I think that I look at things a little too much and was able to infer most of what happened in Wei Ying’s past from just the first few episodes of flashback. Therefore, I was extremely boreded out of my wits as I treaded through the remainder with my only encouragement being reaching the end of the flashback. Which sucked because upon reading the novel for MDZS, it was way less flashback that the webdrama and I enjoyed it even more then.

Ok, moving onto the next novel in the line~ actually wait let’s not just yet because after I finished MDZS, I read TGCF in little under 2 weeks. As much as I absolutely love the story of TGCF, I also think it is the worst offender of the flashback issue I have with MXTX minus ‘The Untamed’ which can just be its own category.

Instead, lemme chat for a bit about SVSSS or Scum Villain—the first, shortest, and funniest novel written by MXTX.

I just want to say outright—Scum Villain doesn’t have any flashbacks. All of BingHe’s childhood? That wasn’t a flashback because we had current-day BingHe interacting with it. QingQiu? His story was explained by..the transmigrated QingQiu.

Shen QingQiu is the narrator of Scum Villain. Everything is from his perspective which 1. Makes everything hilarious af and 2. Is very straightforward. He is a straightforward thinker and therefore, besides his occasional internal panic attacks and anything that has to do with Post-Abyss BingHe, everything he thinks about is surface level. No complex depressions like in TGCF which I’ll touch on later. No weird intertwining relationships between characters either. And that all makes the story very forward in a sense. The only direction it goes in is forward, it doesn’t go backwards to look at the past.

Ah, time for my favorite out of the 3, TGCF or Tian Guang Ci Fu. Did anyone tell you that it has 2 entire books devoted to flashbacks? Cause no one told me. Anyways, TGCF. The story of a Ghost King who stal—I mean loves a God over 800 years.

Firstly, I want to say that book 2 was completely pointless. Everything described in that book was already mentioned in past conversations or implied through dialogue. I guess it’s important if you take it as context for book 4 which is where all the angsty stuff happens but for the most part, you can probably skip book 2 and still understand most of the lore of this story.

While reading book 2, if I’m not mistaken, the only thing I had in my mind was ‘This kid is probably Hua Cheng, what did Xie Lian do to switch their luck?’ And that was it.

When I got to book 4, however, was when all the tears started coming out.

Before I continue, I want to say that I had no knowledge of any plot elements of TGCF past Hua Cheng and Xie Lian getting together in the end.

Now then, when Xie Lian freed that little ghost fire, I started crying in realization especially after the words they shared. When it stayed with him as he got himself drunk in despair, when it cried for him as he got stabbed at the mercy of the ones he wanted to protect and when it disappeared, each time it made me cry because it hurt so much. And it got worse as Xie Lian became the White-Clothed Calamity and he donned the smiley-face mask. Layer by layer, it built up my emotions and eventually I was just left with a soggy pillow.

^^excuse my ramble there but I think that despite the flashback element to it, book 4 is one of the saddest moments in all of her(?) work.

At the end of all this, I still kinda hate flashbacks if it’s like book 2 of TGCF or ‘The Untamed’ but some are kinda worth reading.

Anyways, thanks for reading my ramble. I hope I didn’t take up too much of your feed.

Oh! Right. If you guys have any HuaLian wallpapers without them...kissing can you send them to me? I’m trying to find one for my ipad that won’t get me disowned for being a fujoshi. P.S I wrote this quite a while ago and forgot to post it lol. The tgcf and svsss donghuas have already finished and s3 of the mdzs one has a trailer released as of me posting this.

[spockandawe]

Hualian Time

HUALIAN!!!!!!!

Downsides: 

None. Absolutely none. They are perfect in every way.

Upsides: 

Or, to be more accurate, everything that I could complain about with this ship also just enhances their later relationship, and just makes everything so emotionally rich and intense. Xie Lian treated Wuming unkindly and it makes me sad? Well it also draws a line under how compassionate and understanding Hua Cheng is for everything Xie Lian has been through, when being treated so coldly by his favorite person ever, the person he lasted past death for, didn’t even put a dent in his devotion. 

This relationship just has everything. It has the longstanding, unwavering dedication from Hua Cheng, where it didn’t matter if Xie Lian didn’t know who he was, where it didn’t matter if Xie Lian never realized what an impact he’d had on Hua Cheng’s life, where it didn’t matter that Hua Cheng was fully conscious that Xie Lian had barely been aware of him before now. 

But it also has the plain, simple liking. They both like each other so, so much, just on a personal level, right from the very start. I’m sure it wasn’t exactly... difficult for Hua Cheng to like Xie Lian at that point, haha. But virtually everyone else in Xie Lian’s life is trying to warn him that Hua Cheng is dangerous and not to be trusted, and it doesn’t stop him at all. Even when Hua Cheng was still playing San Lang, and the shitty teens were like ‘oh my god, he’s so suspicious, please get away from him’, Xie Lian is just like ‘oh, yeah, he’s super suspicious, but also I like him a lot, so I’ll stick around :)’

And there’s a lot to be said (more than I can say here lmao) about the way they fill the holes in each other’s hearts. I’m going to emphasize Xie Lian more, because we get his pov and not Hua Cheng’s, but this absolutely goes for both of them. Because Xie Lian was a proud, pampered prince, who had the world, lost everything, and lived through eight centuries of hardship and loneliness. His luck makes it almost impossible for him to keep a home, and he... wanders. Even when he tries to do something good with his life, he gets a Lang Qianqiu or a General Hua situation. He’s the laughingstock of he heavens and is completely forgotten on earth. We see him laugh at his own misfortune multiple times, with varying degrees of sadness (seriously, the General Hua thing breaks my heart).

But Hua Cheng takes him so seriously, and from the beginning, is two hundred percent willing to throw down on his behalf. He’s willing to laugh with Xie Lian, as long as it’s not at Xie Lian. He reacts with anger when other people mock Xie Lian, and it hurts him deeply when Xie Lian jokes about all the suffering he’s been through. He’s the first person in a very long time to tell Xie Lian that he deserves happiness, and is willing to do whatever it takes to give it to Xie Lian. If it means giving him an entire room of priceless weapons, then yes, absolutely, they’re all yours. If it means fixing up a broken-down temple, then yes, please let me sleep on your floor and help you. Even little things, like Xie Lian’s cooking. Hua Cheng could feed him expensive delicacies for every meal, but Xie Lian wants to cook for people (and is unrelentingly terrible at it), and Hua Cheng eats his terrible food. Hua Cheng doesn’t just eat it, and doesn’t even just say it was good, he says it was good and gives Xie Lian constructive criticism when he asks for it. I’m just! I have no words.

Maybe at the beginning of the story, he’s more devoted to Xie Lian as an abstract ideal, but once they start spending time together, once he starts really getting to know Xie Lian, he both sees him and respects him in a way that Xie Lian has been starved of for eight centuries. He puts Xie Lian above everything else, but not in a disempowering, un-personing way, in a way where he genuinely seeks to understand and support Xie Lian’s desires and priorities.

And... god, another downside to the ship that does make the book more compelling is that we never get Hua Cheng’s pov :P We get little bits and pieces of his internal world through the murals, or through things like his prayer as a child in the temple, but it’s never enough. But it is very clear that Hua Cheng didn’t have a good childhood, and saw himself as a shameful, unwanted thing. Xie Lian helps start shaking that loose, very casually and accidentally, without realizing what an impact he’s making. And eight hundred years later, Hua Cheng might be a ghost king with virtually unlimited strength and power, but I am doubt.png that he feels at all secure or confident when it comes to Xie Lian.

But! Xie Lian just offers him unrelenting understanding and acceptance! Xie Lian isn’t a sheltered seventeen-year-old casually, thoughtlessly saving a child from danger, he’s an adult who’s been through centuries of hardship, who very politely but firmly disagrees with the heavens when they tell him not to trust Hua Cheng, and keeps being delighted when he gets to spend time with Hua Cheng. Even after, say, the black water arc, where Hua Cheng is miserable because he was caught in a position where he had to keep information from Xie Lian, Xie Lian isn’t interested at all in blaming him or getting angry with him, he’s just like ‘I see why you ended up in that position, I completely understand.’ Xie Lian is the one person Hua Cheng has worshipped for eight centuries, and he’s willing to tell Hua Cheng that he’s enough, and that he’s wanted.

Also, I just have to give a shout-out to how completely unwilling both of them are to blame the other one for anything ever. Or to like... control the other one. Xie Lian is like ‘I want to go back to staying in my broken-down temple now’ and Hua Cheng is like ‘I support you in these ambitions.’ Or Hua Cheng is openly hostile to virtually any god who isn’t Xie Lian, and Xie Lian doesn’t tell him to back down and play nice, he trusts Hua Cheng to make his own judgment calls and is like ‘I like him tho.’

I think I need to cut myself off now, because I could legitimately go forever, but there is absolutely everything good about this ship, and no downsides to shipping it, and I don’t think anything at all can shift my stance on the matter, haha

[sunmaylight]

TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt.2 - Ghost City pt. 2 & another Puqi Shrine Short

Wow, reading through my notes made me realize how much I have marked for book 3. Whether it’s romantic Hualian moments, shocking reveals, or speculations of what is to come. There is a lot in here and there is almost 100 chapters of content cause book 3 is almost 100 chapters apparently.

((Holy shit, book 3 is almost 100 chapters and I didn’t realize it until now *hehe* I’m in trouble cause how much is in the last two books?))

Well, going to try and divide this as much as I can. Might just continue splitting things off based on their sections cause of my impatience.

Ghost City Pt. 2 - The Electric Bongo

Ch 96: A mysterious masked man arrives who is the same guy with the cursed shakle

- Me: Who is this guy? Another banished god like Xie Lian?

Hua Cheng laughing brightens up Xie Lian any day

Residents of Ghost City’s attitude to Xie Lian change once they see him walking with Hua Cheng on a date  because they all know that whoever walks with Hua Chengzu is Important.

Exploring Ghost City and having the residents flock towards Xie Lian while excitingly showing off their wares

- MF Shoujo manga vibes where the MC learns about the fun side to the ML’s demonic lair that very few *cough MC cough* ever experience

Ghost City call Hua Cheng grand-daddy and have collectively decided dub Xie Lian “Grand-Uncle”

- Does this mean Xie Lian is now Ghost City’s Grunkle?

Ghost City tries to feed Xie Lian Ghost City’s ‘delicacies’. 

- Me: Oh god, I love the enthusiasm.

Ch 97: To Compose in Nuit Blanche; Fragrance Added by Red Sleeves

- Me: Okay Nuit Blanche either means a sleepless night or an art museum.

- Also Me: I’m going to be this chapter is going to be about an art museum

Introducing Qiandeng Temple and describing it as an obvious land mark of the city

- Me: How did Xie Lian miss that? 

Hua Cheng causally mentions he built the temple and released the 3000 lanterns before the Mid Autumn Festival for Xie Lian

- Me: WHIPPED!

The design of the temple is like Xie Lian’s temples from long ago, but better. 

Xie Lian discovers Hua Cheng’s handwriting quality

- Me: Hua Cheng writes Chicken Scratch!

“Xie Lian thought, “How come every time I come, Paradise Manor get set on fire?” (Ch 98)

- Me: Good question. That is also my question

Paradise Manor has an anti-theft protection on it, which means anyone can enter, but if they steal, they can’t leave.

- Me: So does this mean the vents/air passages have gremlins living in there?

Xie Lian has a new case to bring to the Heavenly Realm that involves a Fetus Spirit

- Me: Dang, what if this actually traces back to Pei Ming? Then Heaven would think Xie Lian has some beef against the palace of Pei

Fetus Spirit case is closed. It turns out that Xie Lian’s body did disappear and that it’s the same body traveling around.

Back at Puqi Shrine with Hua Cheng visiting

Ch 101

- Me: I have learned that E-Ming is like an excitable dog or cat. E-Ming and Ruoye are the excitable children while Fangxin is the tired uncle. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are talking in the background like a married couple while the kids play.

- Me: Realizing some ways into the story that there are like ten mysteries/story events that haven’t been resolved/are still on going.

Xie Lian gives his disastrous dishes cute names like that would help. Qi Rong b*tches about the taste

---

Next time: The Wind Master’s prep & The Wind & Water Masters Arc

[beneaththebrim]

TGCF Ep 3-4 reactions/rants

Am I doing these in twos? :) Or was I too unremittingly :) anxious :) last week about [redacted] to make a post?

whatever let’s go spoilers spoilers

Episode 3

SO many things that I didn’t notice while reading that become apparent via the visual medium--like how Feng Xin repeats “So she was a bitter and vindictive bride” to Xie Lian--the FORESHADOWING,, ah, good stuff good stuff

the horror elements are great just wanna say

RUOYE GOOD

Ling Wen knows it all DAMN RIGHT SHE DOES

Love the sound design for Xuan Ji and how her resentment manifests physically in the animation, don’t love her character--unfortunately these first two arcs of tgcf really do lean back on these sexist (ghost bridegroom arc) and racist/Islamophobic (Banyue arc) caricatures--hope it doesn’t stifle the international popularity of tgcf as a whole, given that the first season of the donghua will probably only get to just the end of the Banyue arc, but I’d definitely understand if it turned ppl off (I get the feeling that these issues that are more subtle in written form are more apparent in audiovisual media--granted, I haven’t actually seen much discourse on twitter outside my own circle about the Banyue arc even though the manhua is near the end of it, soooo...)

(somehow bc tumblr feels so much more like a ghost town lately I’m more open to posting wank and unadulterated opinions here :P which I’d be more careful about on twitter)

BUT YEAH MAN I MEAN THE STRONGEST ARCS IN TGCF DON’T START UNTIL LIKE BOOK 2 WHEN I THINK BACK ON IT

Book 1 seems to mainly exist to quickly introduce everyone and ship tease ship tease ship tease to suck ppl in

Little Ying :’(

oh there he is, the imperialist symbol, with his imperial background music

I’m sorry I don’t like Pei Su at all

mmmm do love the narrative parallels of Ping Ming reacting to a woman about to slit her own throat

LMAO THE SEXY CANDLE SILHOUETTE SCENE

WHY AM I REMINDED OF THE ROOM

hey can hualian have one of those bilibili just how much can you imply eh

like what about when Hua Cheng goes ghost!feral in book 3 and Xie Lian has to suppress him by blowing kissing him could we also have sexy candle silhouette scene for that

OH MY GOD THAT MONTAGE IS THE CHEESIEST. HETEROSEXUALS ARE YOU OKAY

it is good that in the end Xie Lian’s like ‘can’t judge as an outsider’ w the implication that we are really only getting two unreliable narrator sides of the story (even tho the story ends up implying that pei ming was for the most part in the right)

Pei Ming is an interesting character imo, bc he has a very consistent moral code, which puts him on various different sides throughout the story. I don’t really blame him so much for his sleaziness as I do for his corruption (sorry I don’t like Shi Wudu either) and how he pressured Pei Su to military glory (leading to a genocide of the Banyuese). do agree with leila (don’t think she has a tumblr?) that he should have suffered more in his character arc of slowly learning to respect women tho (whereas Pei Su suffered but didn’t really have a character arc, unless ‘dating Ban Yue against Pei Ming’s wishes’ counts as a character arc)

okay here’s the thing

here’s the thing

you can go on and on about not liking a character and you can dig up tons of receipts of them doing bad things to justify your dislike

but what you’ll find after a while is that the people who do like that character aren’t wrong either, bc they can also pull up tons of ways they did admirable things or had interesting motivations

after a while you just realize it comes down to vibes

like Pei Ming’s awful, but later on I just find myself positively enjoying that chauvinistic pig. And Shi Wudu has good motivations/his actions are p typical ‘just vindictive god things uwu✨ ‘ but to me, his vibes are positively rancid and I just cannot like that bourgeois pig

this is why it’s important to take Taixi Dianxia’s advice 😌

(or be like Mu Qing and just judge absolutely everyone)

(most of all himself :’) )

OH HERE WE GO AGAIN DISRESPECTING MU QING

HE IS RIGHT

if he didn’t get reinforcements they would have to clean up the bodies on their own GOD no one considers logistics

it’s just Ling Wen and Mu Qing running heaven for real

😂  oh my god I love fengqing

YASSSS BAI WUXIANGGGGG

OOF ngl that’s some good-ass cutting between Xie Lian being reminded about the fall of Xian Le and the clip of Ruoye’s origin in the EC (WHY DONGHUA TEAM WHY)

Episode 4

One thing I was never fully clear on was whether Bai Wuxiang placed the piece of his soul onto Lang Ying like, right after his death? or if Jun Wu put it on him when Xie Lian takes him up to heaven later

actually I never read the edited version of tgcf maybe mxtx made that point more clear

MU QING STOP BEING TRANSPHOBIC CHALLENGE

OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK THE PILES OF SCROLLS

Ling Wen of all the corrupt evil ass bitches in heaven you are the one I will never blame for being corrupt and evil

lmao everyone being like “bruh” when Xie Lian’s like “ah, Hua Cheng, what a nice name for the helpful youngster” 😂

LMAOOOOOO LOVE THAT QI RONG IS THE KIND OF ATTRACTIVE THAT ONLY QI RONG STANS WILL FIND ATTRACTIVE

mallgoth ass bitch

FISH

FISH

FISH MAN YES

(He Xuan is sexy in exactly the kind of way that He Xuan stans find sexy which is Actually the objective standard of sexiness I’m sorry I don’t make the rules)

I mean he’s being voiced by Wu Lei who no doubt is gonna give it the full Yan Wushi, again, I don’t make the rules

interesting how Jun Wu is facing camera but tilting the mask so you can only see the crying side--to ppl who don’t know who he is it looks like he’s turned to the side and his head is kinda incorporeal, whereas to ppl in the know you can see him towering over you

I like that you can kinda see through Xie Lian’s expression & tone that his gears are turning, how there must have been something significant about the 35 officials Hua Cheng challenged, and he even already suspected Mu Qing & Feng Xin were the two who didn’t accept

LMAO PEI SU THINKING HUA CHENG AND QI RONG ARE WORKING TOGETHER this is like centrist Democrats who are like, “well I think that it’s the socialists who ultimately helped [redacted] win in 2016″

NO QI RONG IS NOT BERNIE SANDERS IN THAT ANALOGY

I’M SORRY QI RONG STANS BUT QI RONG IS NOT THE SOCIALIST ICON YOU THINK HE IS

ALTHOUGH I ADMIT THE OTHER FIGURE IN MY COMPARISON WAS KINDA HARSH QI RONG ISN’T ACTUALLY THAT BAD

pfffft all of Ling Wen’s miserable employees

awwwwww fengqing helped their f-f-friend out owo

Ling Wen’s like “Wait! You were supposed to ask His Majesty for help and become completely dependent on him! No, Your Highness, he’s gonna take it out on me now!” 🤧

YES MY FAVORITE LINE STAYED

“Collecting scraps is better than ascending” :)

AAAAND THERE HE IS. THE BOY.

I like how Hua Cheng has a kind of know-it-all, nerdy arrogant voice, it does fit San Lang and I think it will be a nice contrast when we finally see him as Hua Cheng

WELL THAT’S IT HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH GHOSTFUCKERS