#huayin week

[owlmaya]

Huayin Week day 1 – indirect/mask kiss!!

i love huayin shippers, you guys deserve the best, so this is for all (5) of you

[forestmonturiol]

Just finished the first day of #Huayinweek c:

With the prompt : indirect kiss/mask kiss (not sure if it’s valid but i thought its a cute idea ig-)

I missed drawing the both of them the all month god damn XD

[i-like-danmei-ig]

all stuff for huayin week!

[baxiabells]

yin yu's wearing some of hua chengs clothes here, since hua cheng is much more prepared for shapechanging to be juuust a bit smaller.

[happypeachsludgeflower]

Why aren’t there more huayin bromance au’s floating around?? All the ones I’ve read give them a boss/secretary vibe, but I crave the sweet sweet shenanigans of best friends that are pretending and epically failing to have professionalism.

[tinysobek]

been thinking, lately, about Hua Cheng and Yin Yu's first encounter. like, did Hua Cheng chance upon a miserable, lonely figure lying in some desolate place one night with a ghost fire hovering nearby and for a desperate instant he thinks, 'Could this be him?'

he's reminded so suddenly of that sad night in the graveyard and he rushes over, only to find it's some stranger, some nobody. does he feel cheated, does he blame this banished god for getting his hopes up like that, does he resent the coincidence of his cursed shackle?

does he decide to leave him to whatever fate the resentful spirit has in mind for him? maybe he turns away, but he hears Jian Yu's ghost say something that catches his attention, something about a little brat from the streets or something mockingly tender that puts him in mind of White No Face. maybe he finds himself asking what His Highness would do.

whatever the case, he turns back and helps this stranger who could have been, *should* have been, the god he was looking for. how long does he hold that against Yin Yu? *does* he hold it against him, once he learns his history?

[pockettgcf]

Yin Yu Appreciation Week 2024 Day Two - Shipping - "Stay"

(i wasn't able to do day one, but i'm trying to do a few days of yin yu appreciation week with some ficlets! enjoy a slightly angst-themed week to go along with the prompts hehe) a continuation of this post by @mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess. thank you again for taking my brain worms!!

“Stay.”

It had started as a simple command there in Qiandeng Temple one late night. Yin Yu obeyed, as he always did.

“I will always be here for you,” Yin Yu had assured. “Have faith in me,” he had begged.

Yin Yu had never known a love like Crimson Rain Sought Flower’s. For decades, he assumed that Hua Cheng’s obsession was unfounded, or based on childish obsession, but he quickly learned that this was not the case. Hua Cheng had so much love inside him that it was overflowing, and Yin Yu thirsted for a precious few drops of that excess.

It had taken months for either of them to mention what happened that night, when the smell of alcohol tinged Hua Cheng’s breath and his arms held Yin Yu tight before that statue of the Crown Prince of Xianle. When it did come up, the ghost king was once more in distress. Hua Cheng had been out for several weeks, chasing down a lead that he was sure was connected to Xie Lian. He had returned to Paradise Manor empty-handed. Yin Yu knew better than to ask about his efforts, so he attended to the manor and Ghost City as if nothing had happened. He gave his reports to Hua Cheng to catch him up on goings-on, and he bowed low to take his leave. 

“Wait,” Hua Cheng said.

“Chengzhu?” Yin Yu responded.

“...stay.”

Yin Yu’s mind was drawn back to that night. His stomach burned with that bittersweet fire that been kindled. Surely he was mistaken. Surely Hua Cheng didn’t mean-

“Stay.”

For centuries, the ghost king had persevered in his search for his beloved alone. Yin Yu presumed he would remain this way for the rest of eternity, searching every boundary of every realm with utmost certainty that his gracious, noble Someone was out there. On one hand, Yin Yu thought him foolish to believe such a love could ever be returned. On the other, Yin Yu craved its burning light to shine upon him once more. Slowly, cautiously, he came closer to Hua Cheng. Cold silver vambraces wrapped around his back, and a face was pressed into his chest. There was no alcohol this time. No trembling. Only dense, sorrowful silence.

The second time was no easier to process than the first. Nor was the fifth, tenth, twentieth. Stay became something much more. From a messy, tearful hug in the temple, it evolved into something… something Yin Yu couldn’t quite describe. More than once, Yin Yu found himself on Hua Cheng’s lap. More than once, he found himself in Hua Cheng’s bed. Yin Yu’s desires were different from Hua Cheng’s, he quickly realized. Laying on crimson silk sheets, fully clothed, they would curl up together in silence. Hua Cheng’s hands would grip Yin Yu’s robes, but he never attempted to strip them off. His lips came close to Yin Yu’s neck when he hid his face there, but they never made contact.

Yin Yu knew why. Of course he did. It only made the fire inside him burn hot as the desert sun, and he was a man desperate for a drink of that loyalty and devotion. So he held tighter, willing his desires to be made clear without acting on them.

Stay, Hua Cheng would send through the communication array when they were on opposite sides of the city. Yin Yu knew it was a summons, and he obeyed. No other words were exchanged. Yin Yu had already said too much that first night, and he feared with Hua Cheng in his right mind, anything more might scare him away. He was terrified that the moments they shared would suddenly cease. Yin Yu couldn’t take the thought of it.

Stay.

It became the first prayer he’d received in years. To feel like a god, he realized, he had to continue to obey.

[lacrymosemoon]

Moon Quartet Week account is up!

Please don’t be shy to suggest prompts if you have any trope ideas! There will even be cosplay prompts for those who’d like to participate with cosplay!

The dates are still being determined, but will be announced soon!

Stay tuned! 🌙

[kazimo]

Promised myself I'd try to finish at least one thing for huayin week and here it is :') (For day 7: free day)

[bored-knight]

Yin Yu Appreciation Week - Day 2: Shipping

My top two main ships for Yin Yu, Quanyin and Huayin. Sometimes in my mind both ships exist simultaneously trying to vy for Yin Yu's attention.

Also I loved that after huayin week, Yin Yu Appreciation Week started. Sad I didn't do anything for huayin week so this is lowkey my contribution.

[devotedbutterfly]

Huayin week day 3: Mermaid !

Hua Cheng accidentally catches a pretty mermaid 😌🫶🫶

[adventure-waffles]

"Moments Before Disaster"

Managed to get something scribbled for huayin week, day three "pirate/mermaid"

[ev-writes-things]

hugs for the moon

more yin yu appreciation week stuff!!!! for this one, i gave yin yu a lot of love C: ft. the three yin yu ships i like the most!

the sun and the moon - quanyin

the moon and the sea - yinxuan

butterfly moon - huayin

pls enjoy!!! :D (also happy birthday hua cheng lol)

[forestmonturiol]

I keep thinking about HuaYin (since HuaYin week is soon and I can't wait)

But my brain caught on this idea/prompt/idk- and felt the need to share it, so yea uu

---

I feel like, if HuaYin got close to the type of "physical relationship but not really in love or denying their feelings" before Xie Lian's third ascension.

Hua cheng, after getting closer to his officer, would watch Yin Yu's body as if he needed to remember. Especially Yin yu's moles all over his body. Counting them when his dear officer is asleep next to him in bed. Knowing that he have in total 43 moles and knowing exactly where they are.

So after, when Yin Yu dies and get his new physical form, he only remember the little mole under his left eye, forgetting about the rest, not remembering where they were. And it's frustrating for him to know that the body he was born with, grew up with, ascended with, is no more.

So one day, some years after he get back to work as the wanning moon officer, Hua Cheng and Yin Yu are working in his office, on different boring papers, but Hua Cheng mind deviates, looking strangely on Yin yu's wrist, before taking it in his hand.

"Where's your mole?"

Yin yu is more than confused, his mind still on the ghost city project.

"This one is confused. What do you mean, Chengzu?"

Hua Cheng is not satisfied by the answer, pointing at one certain place, very specifically.

"You had a mole here, and right below your jaw on the right, close to your scalp as well. Did you forget to make them? Is your ghost form still troubling you?"

Yin Yu get surprised, especially at how much his boss/lover is currently speaking right now. But he also takes his time to answer.

"You... remember where my moles were?"

Hua Cheng finally let go on Yin Yu's wrist and nod, as if it was the most natural thing to remember. But even so, the thought makes Yin Yu happy, and he shows it more than he would like since he's not wearing his mask.

His Boss do not says much, but he keep a strange look on Yin yu.

"You did not remember where they were?"

"This one apologies. When living with those my entire life, it didn't come to my mind that one day I would have to remember their placement"

Hua Cheng nods again. After all, it does make sense, but he's still quite mad not to see the moles he loves so much on his partner body. He then push the sleeves of Yin Yu higher, and kiss every places that had little moles before, making sure that Yin Yu is looking at him while he does, and waiting for him to modify his appearance.

To be sure, his lover' moles are always there to be seen.

---

I haven't shared what i've written since 2012- so I have no idea how to end this, but yea, if you read this far, I hope you have a nice day ! c:

[mrcformoso]

(SUPER OPTIMISTIC) Fanfic schedule for June (pray for me) TBD fics I've started but I don't know if I can post it on June. Kinda trying to be realistic here.

Working hard for our favorite gays in honor of pride. My brain is going to die. I will do my best.

Yin Yu Appreciation Week Fic (Day 1: Work, HuaYin friendship, Minor HuaLian and QuanYu)- June 9 And the Show Goes On (HuaLian idol!AU modern horror mystery thriller) Chapter 4 - Week of June 10 Mind in Madness, Heart in Peace (HuaLian reverse!AU) Chapter 4 - Week of June 10 Mind in Madness, Heart in Peace Chapter 5 - Week of June 17 Mind in Madness, Heart in Peace Chapter 6 - Week of June 24 A Matter of Spirit (WangXian please read warnings) (Part 7 of A Matter of Time) - TBD Who Am I (LXC POV character analysis) (Part 5 of New Perspective) - TBD

[craftercat]

Northern Wei Part 12: Tuoba Si's Rise To Power

In the last article, Tuoba Gui met his end at the hands of his son Tuoba Shao. But only two weeks later [1], Tuoba Shao would also meet his end at the hands of his brother Tuoba Si, who returned from hiding to become the second emperor of Northern Wei. But how did this happen?

THE AFTERMATH OF TUOBA GUI'S DEATH

While he may have been made the heir, Tuoba Shao still needed to consolidate support from the major players at court and confirm Tuoba Gui's death before he could become emperor himself. At midday, he called all of the officials together to gather support (WS016).

When they arrived, Tuoba Shao started out by declaring: "I have a father (or uncle) [2], and I also have a brother. Who will you support?" (WS016). The officials didn't yet know that Tuoba Gui was dead, and they perhaps believed that Tuoba Si had secretly returned to Pingcheng to launch a coup. So Tuoba Shao was asking the officials to choose between Tuoba Gui, Tuoba Si and him. The officials perhaps believed that Tuoba Shao already had the situation under his control, so Baba Song declared his support for him.

The officials soon realised that Tuoba Gui was, in fact, dead, but they did not know that Tuoba Shao had killed him. Only Tuoba Lie expressed objection, as he cried and left (WS016). Tuoba Shao's meeting at the gate may not have been suspicious; the old method of succession often relied on the Xianbei tribes choosing a leader, and as a representative of conservative interests, Tuoba Shao may have wanted to be elected into power that way.

TUOBA SI'S RISE TO POWER

However, Tuoba Shao's triumph did not last long. Tuoba Si, hearing of the chaos in Pingcheng, returned to the capital (WS016). Wang Luo'er (one of Tuoba Si's attendants from Article 10) worked tirelessly to get Tuoba Si support from the ministers, which led to many ministers defecting to his side (WS034).

The minister An Tong was in communication with Tuoba Si, and Tuoba Si had ordered him to gather together a support base from within Pingcheng (WS030). An Tong gathered together the skilled workers of Pingcheng, and the common people went to support Tuoba Si (WS030, WS034). This suggests that the power struggle between Tuoba Si and Tuoba Shao was not limited to the ruling class.

A group of officials led by Tuoba Mohun, Yizhan Jun and Baba Han plotted against Tuoba Shao. Tuoba Mohun and Yizhan Jun claimed to know Tuoba Si's whereabouts, so Tuoba Shao ordered them to escort two assassins to kill him (WS014). On the way, Tuoba Mohun and Yizhan Jun arrested the assassins, went to Tuoba Si, and killed them (WS014). Tuoba Si had been saved. Tuoba Si's sister Princess Huayin also had merits in protecting him during the succession crisis, but it's unclear exactly what she did to help him (WS108).

According to the old Dai succession, Tuoba Lie should have succession rights himself, as Tuoba Yi's younger brother and having a strong and intelligent character. However, Tuoba Lie chose not to exercise his own succession rights, but rather to play within the framework of father-son succession rights that Tuoba Gui had pushed for. Tuoba Lie pretended to submit to Tuoba Shao, and he asked to be sent out to arrest Tuoba Si, who had returned after hearing of Tuoba Gui's death (WS015). Tuoba Lie set out, but when he arrived, instead of arresting Tuoba Si, he received him and declared him as his emperor (WS015).

Meanwhile, Tuoba Shao tried to win over support by gifting people cloth and silk (WS016), which appeared unsuccessful at giving him a loyal support base. The Han minister Cui Hong refused the gifts, showing his indirect approval of Tuoba Si (WS024). Due to this, Cui Hong became even more trusted by Tuoba Si, and his son, Cui Hao, would also be able to gain the emperor's trust, and it was from Tuoba Si's reign that Cui Hao played a major role in Northern Wei politics (WS035), but that's for another article.

Helan Ni [3], a member of the Helan tribe, lit a beacon fire at Anyang city to gather together the Helan tribe and the other old tribes, presumably to support Tuoba Shao [4] (WS016). This, along with Baba Song leading the officials in showing support for Tuoba Shao, shows that Tuoba Shao's supporters lied mostly in the conservative Xianbei aristocrats.

Eventually, the imperial guard launched a coup, and they arrested Tuoba Shao (WS016). This was triggered by Tuoba Si moving to the west of Pingcheng, probably to gather further support for his claim to power. Their motives for acting are unclear; I find it unlikely that they acted alone. The military were perhaps influenced by the civilian and ministerial support for Tuoba Si, and so also switched to support Tuoba Si, leading to the imperial guards ousting Tuoba Shao.

Due to the way that the events are laid out in the WS, it's hard to establish a clear timeline for Tuoba Si's rise to power. The main summary is that Tuoba Si returned to the capital after hearing of Tuoba Gui's death, and he communicated with An Tong and sent Wang Luo'er to rally other ministers. This triggered a wave of defections, which culminated when Tuoba Si moved to gather more support, leading to the loss of military support for Tuoba Shao.

EVALUATION

But then this leads to a question: why did so many people switch sides? Tuoba Shao was made heir, and he had tried to avoid connecting himself to Tuoba Gui's death, which gave him initial support from the ministers. So why was it that when Tuoba Si arrived, there was a wave of defections?

I think that at some point, it became widely known that Tuoba Shao killed his father. Either the ministers started to suspect it or a defector outright stated that Tuoba Shao killed Tuoba Gui. This then led to a lot of people losing faith in Tuoba Shao due to his crime and the fact that he then lied about the circumstances of his father's death, which led them to distrust him and defect.

The second reason is that I think there was Helan tribe involvement in Tuoba Shao's coup. Consort Helan's execution suggests that she was a major player in the coup, and it was Helan Ni who led the old tribes to assemble. The Helan tribe had been rebellious against the Tuobas, which would have meant that many would have distrusted them. Nobody would want a Helan-backed patricide as emperor, so they defected to Tuoba Si rather than letting that happen.

So why did Tuoba Si win? I think it's because he played the political game right, and Tuoba Shao didn't. Tuoba Shao underestimated the support that would be shown for Tuoba Si, believed he could buy support with gifts, trusted the wrong people, and concentrated himself to the Helan tribe and other conservative factions. Meanwhile, Tuoba Si appealed to a broad support base, secured the support of key figures such as An Tong and Tuoba Lie, remained hidden and trusted the right people.

But I also think that the end result was also because Tuoba Shao and his reactionary faction were on the wrong side. The trend at the time was towards Sinicisation, and they were trying to resist. This already put them at a disadvantage, and coupled with Tuoba Shao's lack of political acumen, it was easy for the pro-Sinicisation parts of the court and population to switch sides.

AFTERMATH

Two weeks after Tuoba Gui's death, Tuoba Si ascended to the throne, starting a new era for Northern Wei. Rather than following the Chinese custom of waiting for the New Year to change the era name, Tuoba Si immediately changed the era name (WS003). This may be because the Tuobas were slow to pick up on that particular custom, or Tuoba Si wanted to put the chaos behind him and start fresh.

Tuoba Si had Tuoba Shao, Consort Helan and a dozen of their associates in the palace executed, but he spared everyone else (WS016). Baba Song was trusted by Tuoba Si (WS025), while Helan Ni disbanded the beacon fire and submitted to Tuoba Si (WS083). This showed that Tuoba Si was not overly harsh but also not too soft when he came into power.

Tuoba Si's pardon of Baba Song and the other conservatives was likely due to political reasons. He had only just ascended the throne, and his ascension was irregular. He knew that if he acted against the conservatives, then he could risk the conservatives launching a coup against him as well. He didn't have the power to completely ignore the conservative parts of the court who previously supported Tuoba Shao, so he had to appease them.

To quell the direct political chaos, Tuoba Si ordered that everyone who had previously been demoted would be reinstated to their positions (WS003). This appeased a large number of factions, including the meritorious officials suppressed by Tuoba Gui, conservatives who lost their positions during reform, and perhaps some reformists who may have lost their positions under Tuoba Shao's two-week control. This secured Tuoba Si with enough support to keep the throne and restored order to the political scene.

Tuoba Gui's attempt to assert Han ideas of father-son succession had failed. Not only was Tuoba Lie, a clan elder and possibly Tuoba Gui's brother, a key figure in deciding the ruler, but Tuoba Si's ascension had been decided by consensus between the military, officials and citizens rather than legitimacy as the eldest son. Northern Wei were unable to make the transition yet. And I think this was probably because Tuoba Gui was too aggressive and utilised overly harsh methods to try and push it through, which led to resistance.

Tuoba Si was young, aged 17, and while he was intelligent, determined, and respectful with a harsh streak, he lacked the same martial talent and commanding quality that his father had. This, coupled with his poor health and irregular ascension to the throne, meant that he was less powerful than his father Tuoba Gui or son Tuoba Tao was. This lack of power forced him to compromise with conservative elements of his court such as Baba Song, even though he was originally representative of reformist interests.

While immediate political stability had been restored, Tuoba Si's ascension couldn't solve everything. There was still uncertainty within court and in Northern Wei, and Northern Wei needed years to stabilise. So how would Tuoba Si deal with the chaotic hand that had been given to him? That's for the next article.

ENDNOTES

Unfortunately, the events surrounding Tuoba Si's rise to power are rather vague in WS descriptions, which means that we don't have much to go on. Therefore, this article is more speculative than most of the articles of this series simply because there are gaps in the WS account that have to be filled in. The account presented in this article therefore involves an amount of speculation, and so it only represents one version of what could have happened. I have used historical evidence to construct a version of how I think that Tuoba Si's rise to power might have happened, but due to lack of evidence, I cannot say that my speculation is correct. Speculative statements are in italics.

Tuoba Si's reign somewhat suffers from a lack of records throughout, not just in his rise to power. Tuoba Si's original WS annal has been lost for unclear reasons, and our current biography of him is a supplementation of the original. Therefore, there are likely parts of his original WS biography that are still missing, though the BS does supplant some of them. But his biography is full enough to give a decent picture of his reign.

1 The WS records Tuoba Si as ascending to the throne four days after his father's death, but the BS records this as being 14 days after. I follow the BS records, as four days seems like too strained a timeline for Tuoba Si to come back from his hiding place, gather supporters and declare himself emperor.

2. The ZZTJ states that Tuoba Shao said he had an "uncle" rather than a "father", and there is further academic speculation that this uncle refers to Tuoba Lie. There is an explanation for the WS quote, that Tuoba Shao was hiding his father's death to try and make it look as if he had quelled chaos from within the palace, is from another study, and it also works (though to incriminate Tuoba Si, it would have to be implied the officials believed him to have returned from hiding, or Tuoba Shao was trying to emphasise Tuoba Si's traitorous status).

3. Helan Ni is also referred to as Helan Hu in Tuoba Shao and An Tong's biographies, which is likely a mistransliteration of a Xianbei name. I follow the name given to him in his own biography.

4. Helan Ni's allegiance in the succession crisis is debated. Some believe that he was supporting Tuoba Shao, others that he was supporting Tuoba Si, and others that he was just trying to protect himself. Given the link between Tuoba Shao and the Helan tribe, I speculate that Helan Ni initially gathered the old tribes to support Tuoba Shao, but when Tuoba Si came to power, he led the Xianbei aristocrats to surrender to him, which is why Tuoba Si continued to trust him.