#im looking at u hua cheng | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rose-tinted-kalopsia · 4 months ago

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xavier x mc hualiand coded u say......can you explain why im so curious

omg. omg anonie. are you familiar with tian guan ci fu (heaven official's blessing)..... hualian refers to the main couple of the book (hua cheng x xie lian) !!! in case anyone out there is trying to avoid spoilers for it i'll answer this under the cut 🥰 but they have a very very very beautiful love story, one that's been Ingrained in my head since the first time i read it. it's so whole and deeply rooted, and sincerely xavier and mc give off similar vibes. like SO. MUCH. probably more than any of the other LI's!

so this's going to talk about things like: the "fallen from grace" trope, the mirroring between xavier and mc, how xavier's love for mc transcends time, how all he thinks about is... her.

(i'm also going to talk a lot about xavier's myths (both lightseeker and lumiere) and maybe a lil bit of the no restraint card! so this'll be long...)

but so on the tgcf side: ESSENTIALLY the very basic explanation of hualian's love story is that hua cheng has loved and admired xie lian for more than 800 years. and it's a love that's very very deeply rooted. a love where xie lian becomes his everything.

THE OFFICIAL SUMMARY OF TGCF READS—"Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xianle. He was loved by his citizens and was considered the darling of the world. He ascended to the Heavens at a young age; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, was quickly banished back to the mortal realm. Years later, he ascends again – only to be banished again a few minutes after his ascension. Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the Heavens for the third time as the laughing stock among all three realms. On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious demon who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this demon king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time."

now, two things to understand are—(1) hua cheng was born an unwanted child, and (2) xie lian, the crown prince, has always had a kind heart. these are important to the story. because eventually it goes that hua cheng, who was unwanted and discarded and overall regarded as a disgrace, disgusting to look at, bad luck, etcetc., found solace in xie lian's kindness—his warmth. his light.

chronologically, as the story goes, xie lian, as a very esteemed crown prince of his nation, ascends to the heavens and becomes a 'martial god' (this gives him things like immortality and the ability to use magic). but his nation falls into chaos, and the long story short is that he absolutely fails to save it. instead, he ends up turning his own people against him. he falls from the heavens as quite literally a fallen god. ridiculed, no longer worshipped, despite how much love and praise he always used to get. and for several, several years, he has to deal with coming to terms with his past. there's a lot of quite graphic trauma here.

and now, hua cheng... he's been there through all of that. he's stayed by xie lian for as much as he could stay with him. he fought as a soldier for xie lian, died in battle for xie lian—and the thing about his death was that,, he didn't want to rest in peace afterwards. and when that happens—if you have a strong enough reason to remain, you take on the form of a ghost, starting out as a little ball of light (a "ghostfire") to eventually getting a ghost form.

so he stayed.

even as a baby ghostfire, until he got his own ghost form... he stayed. he's seen him get beat up, and hurt, he's seen him make the wrong decisions, he's seen him manipulated, and trampled on—he's seen him at his worst. but he stayed, because he wanted to. that might have been all he did sometimes, and xie lian might not have particularly noticed him then, but he stayed.

of course; it wasn't enough for him to just stay, not when it was all he could do, so naturally—he'd get stronger, right? they separate at some point, and hua cheng loses contact with xie lian for several, several several years.... but he keeps looking. he literally becomes the most feared ghost (a "demon king"), while xie lian essentially has been banished from the heavens to redeem himself.

and, what's interesting to note is that xie lian—always kindhearted, always meaning to do the good thing—is a lot morally different in comparison to hua cheng. it's not that hua cheng is a bad person, but just that he's willing to do more extreme things for xie lian's sake, especially now that he's plenty powerful. he only thinks of xie lian, while xie lian, as a crown prince, tended to be selfless and think more of the betterment of the general people. it's like a balance, or sorts? xie lian is able to act as his moral compass, in a way, because simultaneously hua cheng's ultimate goal is to make xie lian happy, and he wouldn't do things that won't make him happy.

regardless, they only meet again after 800 years, in the first arc of the book. during this time, like the summary says, xie lian had ascended once more, but still not very well-liked in the heavenly realm, and hua cheng meets him as he's sent to investigate a case. it's at this point that they grow naturally closer through various book events (because right now, xie lian doesn't yet know that this is the same little ghost, that one soldier, from the past).

the point is, though—xie lian had really become hua cheng's everything. he's been looking for him for that long. he's remained a ghost still on this earth for that long. because xie lian showed him a kindness that no one else would when he was ridiculed... and now, hua cheng is returning the favor.

from the start, being by xie lian's side, hua cheng has always been promising "forever". and he's been keeping that promise. xie lian believes it.

at its core, tgcf has always been a story about a fallen god and his last believer.

and the following quotes really bring out how deeply rooted their relationship is! the book is very beautifully written, and hualian's relationship flourishes under this kind of writing. they're quotes that will stick with you a lot.

“If you don’t know the meaning of your life, then make me that meaning, and use me as your reason to live.” (xie lian, in the past, to the hua cheng who wanted to give up)

“To die in this battle for you is my greatest honor.” (in the past, soldier hua cheng to xie lian)

"i pray to never rest in peace.” (hua cheng to xie lian, when xie lian finds out he is a ghost)

“I have a beloved who is still in this world, I want to protect them.” (in the past, ghostfire hua cheng to xie lian)

”To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled on and ridiculed, yet be unable to do anything. That’s the worst suffering in the world.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“If I could, I would have you use me as your stepping stone, the bridge you take apart after crossing, the corpse bones you need to trample to climb up, the sinner who deserved the butchering of a million knives. But, I know you wouldn’t allow it.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s such a simple thing to be happy.” (xie lian to hua cheng)

“There’s no banquet in this world that doesn’t come to an end, but I will never leave you.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“I will be back. Your Highness, believe me.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“‘Forever’ exists. There’s one person who can truly achieve it. I believe.” (xie lian about hua cheng)

“He believed that this man would die for him again and again, and would be reborn for him over and over. Even if he fell into the depth of hell, he would break through the abyss for his ‘belief’.” (xie lian about hua cheng)

“Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.” (about hualian)

“I am forever your most devoted believer.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

so how does this relate to xavier/mc?

WELL I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! 🥰

(1) in relation to xavier's lightseeker myth.

i talk a lot about this in more detail here! but a lot about xavier is very deeply rooted into his past, as the prince of philos.

in this sense we can compare him to xie lian—princely duties, tasked to care for a nation, a lot of responsibility on his shoulders... but unlike xie lian, these are duties that he doesn't want. he doesn't accept them. he'd rather not, thank you very much.

however—what exactly did his experiences as the crown prince give him? xavier, like i've talked about many times before, was forced into a role he didn't want to be in, essentially having his identity chosen for him. it's identity foreclosure. and this leads to: (a) difficulties with commitment, (b) weaker sense of self, (c) lack of confidence, (d) weaker mental fortitude, (e) self doubt and low self esteem issues. this is where he's comparable to hua cheng; both of them had identities forced onto them that lead to an onset of insecurities. it's where you have no choice but to ask yourself questions such as: who am i, really? who do i want to be? am i doing enough? am i enough?

because you never feel enough.

and combining both factors with xavier—the pressure to do his best and be the best, all that burden of responsibility that he never wanted... with all the insecurities that manifest as a result of that?

just like hua cheng found solace in xie lian's kindness towards him, xavier finds solace in the freedom that mc grants him.

(2) ”To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled on and ridiculed, yet be unable to do anything. That’s the worst suffering in the world.”

this is hua cheng's quote!

but doesn't it remind you of how upset he was over philos mc being labeled as the sacrifice? so much that it tore his relationship with his father more than it had already been torn? so much that it would be the breaking point for him to step back from the throne entirely?

xavier, in that moment, had to make a choice. he felt the need to do something; he couldn't just sit back and watch his beloved be treated that way. he was aware they weren't seeing mc as a person anymore, and he didn't like that—that's his beloved.

(3) "No matter how many times it takes, and no matter where you are, I'll find you."

pretty self-explanatory, right?

we're all familiar with this. that anecdote broke our hearts. we know that xavier is willing to wait for mc, to look for mc, to love her in ever universe and in every timeline—

he'd wait for mc for 800 years, too, if he had to. just like hua cheng.

it's a promise for forever—that his love for mc transcends the bounds of time and space, that... his forever belongs with her. he wants it to belong with her. and he hopes that she wants that, too.

(4) Fallen from grace.

similarly to xie lian's situation, in a way!

I feel that this is not necessarily a topic talked about a lot regarding xavier, and i may or may not make a separate post about it in the future... but his storyline is definitely some variation of this trope.

maybe it's not outright obvious; xavier isn't a god, after all. but... he is a prince.

he was a prince.

he was the crown prince of philos, set to inherit the throne, set to lead his people.

he's not anymore.

and maybe that was a title that meant little to him, and one that he definitely intended, wholeheartedly, to relinquish, but—at this point, he doesn't have the favor of his people, whether it be the general philosians, or even the (majority, it seems?) team of backtrackers that he's lead to earth. and with losing that title, like i have talked about before, again—means losing his identity. an identity so strongly associated with being a prince, with being a leader... it's gone, now, because that isn't who he is. it might not have been who he wanted to be, he might have been so averse to it, but it's always been part of him. losing the title means losing a piece of himself he can't really go back to, only that it sits there with him now at an awkward angle.

unfortunately for him, this was always the xavier that he's known mc to love—all of him, all of his identity that he's shaped around being the prince of philos, that's the xavier he knows mc loves. he's not quite sure if this mc will love the xavier he's changed into. so "fallen from grace" to him refers more to the fact that—will mc love me like this?

(5) MC is his everything.

and this point goes across virtually all possible cards of xavier's, and all possible events, and all possible moments—any interaction that he's had with mc.

mc is his everything. just like to hua cheng, xie lian is his everything.

he doesn't think about anything else. he doesn't care about anything else.

even our previous point—about the fallen from grace trope—is centered more on mc herself, than the rest of the people he's dealt with.

we can legitimately go through all of his cards and pinpoint how this is.

precious bonfire. he joined the camping trip for mc. he notices mc prioritizing the rest of the team more than herself. he plays the game because she's playing it. he'd drag mc away to rest with him instead of joining the bonfire event. he's only thinking of her. fluffy trap. we know how this unfolds—he legitimately let her do whatever she wanted. he saw what kind of booth she intended to drag him into; the setup, the costumes she wanted... and he let her. for her. to make her happy. fragment of time. less obvious, maybe, but it's still there—he had her on his mind when he wanted to complete those 100 steps, too.

heartstring symphony, unique aftertaste... prime examples of how he'd virtually let mc do whatever she wants, whether it be to reprimand him for getting injured again, or drag him around fo a little holiday. he's basically freely indulging her in her whimsies? and heartstring symphony quite touches a lot on his promises to her to take care, and how he misses her when he's away... etc. it's still... all about her.

romantic afternoon. he generally helps her with her sleeping problems—again, centered around her. faint sensation. he's trying to get her heartbeat to rise because of him—again, still centered around her. even tender nights. he's attentive to her needs, notices her heels aren't comfortable. that conversation they have by the bay proves meaningful; he wants to share that special moment with her, and he wants to reassure her somehow that he does—that he's thinking about her. that he always does.

then some more obvious ones, like 21 days (which i also kind of talk (yell) about here), and no restraint (which i talk about here).

and we get to the myths—the lightseeker myth. how he's willing to go to the ends of the earth just to find a way to ensure she won't be sacrificed. how he's willing to completely abandon his post... for her. not for the people, but for her. the lumiere myth, and the whole essence of lumiere being lumiere. how it's lumiere who saves mc not once, but twice. how in this myth, xavier pushes his limits to the point of exhaustion multiple times, all for mc.

and that's just the five-star cards. but in every single one of them... he's always thinking about her. centered around her. that if he's the stars, the moon, the planet—she's his sun. and he would gladly orbit around her. she's all he needs.

“If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.”

xavier might as well have been saying that to mc herself.

he doesn't care about anything else.

(the event is proof of that too!)

(6) Mirroring.

I mention this first here!!

and there is so, so, SO much of it throughout all of his cards and interactions with mc too, because it's founded on his love for her... and the love she returns back to him.

xavier who is willing to do anything for her. xavier who would prioritize her, think of her, love her—at the cost of himself. he would love her in every universe. he would love her no matter who or what she becomes.

he doesn't know how to receive the same in return.

yet, we know that mc does exactly that.

she does return it.

in regards to the lumiere myth, i talk about it a lot, too: "i think what's most beautiful about the lumiere event is like? she's not even trying to belittle his feelings of jealousy? she'd tease, yeah, but i think the gist of this event, and the myth, was mc still trying to convey that—she'll love him no matter what, even if it's lumiere, even if it's the him that he isn't fond of, himself."

and you realize that the entire theme of their storyline is "i will love you no matter who or what you become"—they say it to each other. they convince themselves of it.... that they love each other just that much. that they're willing to do whatever it takes.... for each other.

that they mirror it.

“To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.”

doesn't it sound like a line they would repeat to each other?

(7) Moral compass

this goes back to, again, how MC is his everything—and, conversely, how “If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.”

for a prince, xavier isn't one who necessarily prioritizes others—he's not a hero, he's not the chosen one, he's not.... someone who would sacrifice the world for his people. he's not like that.

i think that there's a lot of selfishness that's embedded into him because he precisely does not want to be a prince, and he's always been extremely averse to this role—that kind of aversion sticks with you. it's hard to take things seriously when the hatred is all you can think about.

but like hua cheng, it doesn't make him a bad person.

it just means he has other priorities, which—happen to be mc. because everything he's ever done, again, is for mc. everything. always. and sometimes they're selfish, sometimes they're a little extreme or hard to understand... but the fact is that, well—everything is about her.

it goes without saying, then, that xavier isn't the most morally-aligned person out there.

because mc, as we know, is founded on justice. on protecting the people she loges, protecting thevpeoole around them—she became a hunter for that purpose. she took on the throne for that purpose. she helped the backtrackers for that purpose.

“If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.”

it's starkly different for them.

mc would act on the behalf of others, xavier would act on her behalf. all he's ever looked at was her.

yet at the same time, it means that—like hua cheng and xie lian—xavier's ultimate goal is to make mc happy. he won't do anything not to make her happy. he doesn't want to upset her.

so he'll go along with her wishes, enough so to genuinely think positively of his actions too—because it's what mc wants.

and i think that's it—it is all i can think of—but xavier and mc's relationship perfectly capture the essence of hualian that i've always associated them with each other, and perhaps that's why mc and xavier also mean so incredibly much to me ... because hualian does, too.

and granted all of the LI's have aspects that reference hualian as well—not to mention, sylus being incredibly hua cheng coded—but imo xavier/mc truly comes closest

and maybe it has to do with the sheer devotion that comes with xavier and mc

that it feels really... close

BUT ANYWAY THIS WAS LONG 🥰 AND UH 🥰 YEAH 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

#i got this ask yesterday and had this whole thing drafted LMAKFNSNFB #anonie i hope you enjoy...........😭😭😭😭😭#xavier/mc never beating the hualian allegations 😭😭😭😭#*ੈ♡. rose jar #*ੈ♡. rose talks #ʚɞ*.ﾟ. lnds #☄︎*.ﾟ. lndthonk #ʚɞ*.ﾟ. tgcf #xavier #lnds xavier #lads xavier #l&ds xavier #love and deepspace #love and deepspace xavier #love & deepsoace xavier

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hualian-fic-recs · 10 months ago

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I'm alive/Fanfic Asks

Hey sorry I've been silent for so long. To be completely honest, Hualian and tgcf aren't the only types of fanfic I read, so I go down rabbit holes with other pairings for a while.

Anyway, I've been sitting on some asks for a while hoping I could answer them one day, but alas. I am turning them over to the public to see if others can help!

@nostalgiatyrant asks:

Hi again 👋 Im looking for another fic, but this time, the description comes from a friend. They said that “after the altar scene wu ming takes care of xie lian as he heals. Xie lian is like traumatized and dazed mostly so wu ming is doing his best commanding weaker ghosts and etc” It was a tweet, in case you haven’t seen it, and tbh, I love this idea so much— if you find any fics like it at all Id love to read them

Maybe: For you, I'll become invincible by HanaSheralHaminail. 177k, M, WIP. all the spoilers

Maybe: no light, no light by NeithOfTheVeil. 11k, T, spoilers

Maybe: A Long and Slow Recovery by ardenrabbit. WIP

@sineofu asks:

Hello , can you recommend m some fics where the heavenly official realise that hua Cheng have returned or a fic timed after his return. Thank you

anonymous asks:

Is there any fanfics where like the puqi villagers think that they are single and something happens?

anonymous asks:

Can u tell me if there is any hualian Spiderman au fics?? I saw a few fanarts and fell in love with them.

@uwuchengsbab asks:

Do you know any fics where Hua Cheng prays to Xie Lian before his 3rd ascension (during those 800 years) and Xie Lian hears him? Something angsty with a happy ending? I’ve already read what faith provides by parsnipit and it kinda sounds like falling in love by FlowerCitti but was wondering if you knew more?

Maybe: Dearly Departed by IlluminatingSceadugenga. WIP

@bri-bri1222 asks:

I was wondering if there are any fice where HC and XL are in a DDLB relationship and just filled with cuteness and fluff.

anonymous asks:

There's this Hualian fanfic I've never been able to find no matter what. I don't know if the tags are obscure or what. But the premise is that Xie Lian is cursed or to relive his worst injury over and over again at random moments and therefore the Hundred Swords wounds opens on his body unexpectedly and suddenly. The story is very hurt/comfort between Hualian and Hua Chrng looks after him and heals him. A plot point is that it happens in front of Mu Qing/Feng Xin at a temple and they discover the truth about what happened and take Xie Lian to Hua Cheng. I beleve it's multi-chapter. Ling Wen and Jun Wu also make appearances.

Maybe: Old Wounds and Old Friends by HoundsofCerberus. 4k, T, all the spoilers

Similar: A Splinter in the Heart by theearlymorningmist. 14k, T, spoilers

@theladypeartree asks:

Hello!! This might be a tricky one as I'm not sure it exists! Have you or any of your followers found any fics that have A-Yuan and Guzi friendship? I've found many crossovers, but not with the kiddos! Thank you for your hard work! ❤

anonymous asks:

Big spoilers for the later novels in this one: Hey there, I was wondering if there was any fics in which Xie Lian goes through with calling down the human face plague on Yong'an. I can't recall finding any and I'm not sure how to start looking. Thanks!

he who walks in sorrow by atomic muffin. 7k, M, read warnings!

Ok these are some I have been searching around for and haven't found much yet. If anyone has recs I would be grateful!

#heaven official's blessing #hualian #tgcf #hua cheng #xie lian #hualianficrec #tian guan ci fu #fanfic asks

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strathbox · 7 months ago

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Just my beefleaf girls💞🥩🍃

About the dresses:

Omggg this was favorite thing to drawwww, I’m not that good with glossy textures like HeXuan’s dress but I tried, I wanted both of them to have a very bold, very night club, very euphoria type of dress I also tried for them to be very much opposites in styles, now, SQX I loved drawing her dress, pretty angelic if you ask me, with feathers and a soft mint color

About the rest! Just some sketches of them, I would looove to read a fanfiction of them going to a party together, and like picture, they go as friends right? Maybe a reunion with xie lian and hua cheng andddd maybe Shi QingXuan s a bit drunk and just friendly dancing with everyone, and u have poor He Xuan eating while watching all of that untiiil, Qing Xuan notices this and tries to dance with her and she just continues to say how great that dress (she chose) makes He Xuan look, and maybe they kiss omggg now I’ll have to do more drawings for this

(IM BACKKKKK)

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sunnyfoxsstuff · 4 months ago

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Hey sorry couldnt write Yesterday but im writing today the very first chapter! I thought about it way too much lol

Enjoy ;3

Chapter 1:New beginning

After the event at the black water manor and being stripped from his divinity the former wind master has tried his best to get around and survive, xie lian had offered him to stay at puqi shrine 'til he gets back on his feets he had agreed but he only stayed for a day or two he was more fearing hua cheng than living outside, however xie lian adviced him to try and go see at the royal capital knowing there is some beggar's living there he thought that he'll find refuge over there

The former windmaster of course took the advice and went over to the royal capital however he took atleast two good days to get there because of his injuries he was limping and slow

After getting to the capital he found some beggar's just as xie lian had told him they got along pretty well shi qingxuan had always a talent to get along with anyone he'd meet, a day After he started feeling nauseous he tried to ignore it but soon his body made him know that he was gettin too weak to even move, often he would just lay down Somewhere and sleep it was all he could do after all, the beggar's had a kind heart and couldnt bear leaving him on his own so they tried their best at helping them.

It was a morning when shi qingxuan woke up in the halley way he had fallen asleep at he looked around still weak and Saw his beggar friend's still asleep

he looked at the Sky above his head and closed his eyes shut again opening them soon after he somehow felt more..light felt better like as if he wasnt ill anymore

Looking down where his hands are supposed to be he couldnt see them but he could see his beggar friend's waking up,

He ran up to them excited and happy "guy's look! Look! I Can walk! I Can move im feeling better!!" However they walked passed him to where he was sleeping, confused he followed them, soon enough one of them started to cry another pray for some god's and the other one just went on his way to try and find their breakfast,

when the former windmaster took a look at what was going on he gasped almost all of his air out of his lung's and felt nauseous seeing his own body laying there lifeless and gettin more pale.

The now soul of shi qingxuan stood there watching his own body for what felt like minute's but had been atleast 3 hour's

until he'd look at his right side where there was a ominous shadow with what seemed like two golden eyes looking at his body quickly After leaving, it was he xuan.He xuan had came to check on him? But why? Shi qingxuan was more confused by he xuan coming over than his own situation

After some more minute's of standing there he decided that he wanted to make it up to he xuan for what shi wudu had done to him "atleast try" he said to himself determinated,

for the next couple hour's he'd try to manifest his New form but if anybody could see him all they'd see is a little bouncing spirit

"ugh! Why cant i just get my form to manifest already?!" He said pouting 'bout it, even so he still went on his plan and started to move away from where he had died and stayed for the past day's

He decided to make his way to puqi shrine first often stopping to still try and get his New form or to just stare at everything living in the forest the Sun soon started to set down, shi qingxuan isnt used to not sleep at night or even the no breath needed so he setted himself Somewhere and looked at the night Sky with the glowing star's smiling enjoying the cold air and little glowing bugs standing besides him on the grass.

Hey sorry imma stop there for the first chapter i feel like its long enough however i already know what im gonna write in the seccond chapter so do not fear it shouldnt take too long until i post it ;p i rlly Hope u enjoyed it atleast im tryin my best to think this through

#tgcf #he xuan #shi qingxuan #xie lian #hua cheng #fanfic #mxtx tgcf

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kanonavi · 10 months ago

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hello tumblr user kanonavi who is 1/3rd of the reason i started rereading tgcf. i have come to collect my personal apology for the emotional damages inflicted upon me for the past 5 days. and i have also come with THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS (mostly feelings)

- icb i put off this reread so long hualian are so romance. theyre jsut Romance......... absolutely floored by every throwaway bit of dialogue they had....... in shambles forever....,

- sqx arc was not as painful as the first few times i read it bc i now stand with my cancelled wife (he xuan) I STILL LOVE SQX AND THEY DESERVE EVERYTHING GOOD. BUT HX WAS REAL FOR ALL OF THAT. i love revenge

- i wanna know your thoughts on ling wen bc u mentioned having mixed feelings on her but i loved her so bad all the way to the end so im curious ljdkdjf

- i am not immune to backstory arc pt2. read it last last (?) night at like 3am and cried myself to sleep its just so gutting every timeeeeeee.... the hc plot that builds in that arc is ofc one of my favorites in the entire novel though :')

- the chapter w the cave of statues took me like 2+ hours to get through because i was feeling so insane abt it

i feel bad dropping this block of text in ur askbox sorry. will leave it there for now LOL

Omg hiiiii tumblr user stardust-make-a-wish welcome back from the yaoi cocaine pit :3 I know you're here to collect emotional damages, but I must make it known that I'm not even remotely sorry <3

Also you should feel bad for yourself instead of for me because I can only respond to huge blocks of text with even bigger blocks of text, so (TGCF Spoilers Ahead) and also I am so sorry lmaooooo

UGH you're so right that hualian is the most romance forever they are just so *clenches fists and sobs*....... They're always there for each other and they're so in love and they've been through so much and I just want them to be able to rest because it's what they deserve.

I will never once say that Hu Xuan wasn't justified in everything he did cuz like. Shi Wudu had it coming what a piece of shit. But at the same time Qingxuan is my wife and I will not tolerate my wife being harmed. So like revenge slay yes but also I am still cancelling He Xuan and spraying him with the water bottle (even though he is already very very damp).

Yesyesyes Ling Wen. So my thought about Ling Wen is that she kinda girlbossed a little too close to the sun, but at the same time you look at her circumstances both past and present and have to understand why she did all of that. It already would have been hard enough for her to gain any kind of recognition as a woman, much less in the Heavenly Court, so her ruthlessness is completely understandable. But at the same time, I don't really think the Brocade Immortal deserved what she did to him nor was taking Bai Wuxiang's side in the final conflict a real cool thing of her to do. I can't fully be a hater though because her own thoughts about everything are clearly so nuanced (See: The final convo she had with Xie Lian about the Brocade Immortal, which I am still thinking so incredibly hard about to this day).

I think that Ling Wen is interesting in the same way that I find other characters like Mu Qing, He Xuan, and Yin Yu interesting. It's in the sense that even if I don't really agree with all of the actions that they took, it's very easy to look at them and come to an understanding of why they did what they did. And I have varying degrees of like for all of the characters I just listed, but that doesn't change the fact that they're all Compelling. So it's almost like a begrudging respect that I feel for Ling Wen, if I were to boil it down into simple terms.

aaaaaaaaaa The Horrors(tm) :sob: Even though I could talk about Xie Lian's arc through that part of his backstory for a million years, you're so right that Hua Cheng's arc through it is also so interesting to watch. It really goes to prove that Hua Cheng is different from everyone else in Xie Lian's life up until this point, because yes there's the very obvious throughline of Hua Cheng wanting to protect Xie Lian (rather than expecting his protection), but even more importantly that feeling never changes even when Xie Lian has his mini corruption arc.

Like, Hua Cheng fell in love with the pure and virtuous Crown Prince of Xianle but not for that quality. Instead of being ashamed and looking at Xie Lian with scorn when he was like "What if I kill everyone actually" Hua Cheng is like "Then let me be your sword". There's the element of not wanting Xie Lian to dirty himself that Hua Cheng carries for the entire story but the point is in that he is not a voice who would tell Xie Lian to stop having those thoughts if it's truly what he wants (Unlike what his parents or Feng Xin and Mu Qing would probably say).

I'm going to write an essay about their character dynamic one day istg I am chewing through the drywall

The cave statues chapter......... *passes away*. Like on one hand that chapter is so funny because yes Hua Cheng is just an absolute certified freak (POV my roommate telling me earlier on in my reading that HC is a porn addict and me being like "pssht noooo" but then getting to this chapter several months later and being like "O h.") but on the other hand THE CONFESSION??????? Like. All I can do is gesture wildly at the storyboard animatic that someone made of that scene on YouTube while absolutely fucking sobbing. There is a reason why the cover of volume 6 felt somehow more intimate than the cover of volume 4 where they're literally making out.

Anyway I'm patting Hua Cheng on the head like It's okay buddy Xie Lian loves you because you're a certified freak, he's seen too much of this world to be weirded out even a little bit. Which is why those two are perfect for each other <3

I'm glad you had so much fun on your reread, have fun with the brainworms :3

#navi answers #stardust-make-a-wish #Once again I am so sorry for my ability to Talk lmao

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iliketodecompose · 6 months ago

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challenge: make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone's favourite

HAI B @cankersoregirl :3 uhh I don't know if I share many interests w most of my mutuals..... but i shall valiantly venture forth into the unknown.

humiliating that they come from the same 3 pieces of fiction. look at the autistic freak obsessed w the enduring and healing nature of true unconditional love. im a little jester aren't I.

(xie lian would b on here if it wasn't 5 specifically. trust i love him)

@fierrochase-falafel @sleepless-crows @starburstfloat hello!!! i extend the invitation if u would like :) heehee

#mine

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llycaons · 7 months ago

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🔥 tgcf! im intrigued to know what u might have abt this

well vero I am home and I am so glad you asked because *pulls up a chair* hua cheng is a bad person and the failure of the story to genuinely reckon with that dramatically weakens it. he is a very good love interest - full of chemistry, exciting and mysterious, sexy and competent, with just a dash of insecurity that brings out people's protectiveness. he IS underdeveloped, and that's not controversial - I couldn't hope to improve upon the paragraphs upon paragraphs of speculation and complaints my lovely mutuals and others have committed to this very space. but that's not my argument here, as underdeveloped mxtx characters such as jyl are among some of my most cherished

MY argument is that hc is a shitty and unlikeable PERSON. and this isn't an objective fact, but it is my opinion and I don't think it's a very popular one. hc is constantly laser-focused on xl to the exclusion of other people, even other people in xl's life who love him and who he genuinely trusts. his grudge against mq (who had a MOTHER to care for! and the rice!) and fx (who xl TOLD to leave) comes off as petty and despicably immature. his virtues such as 'being a good mayor' are conveyed by word of mouth by the text and implied by the inhabitants of the city, but when he actually interacts with ghost people he treats them like shit- I distinctly remember jl bowing her head in gratitude and I don't think he even LOOKED at her. like. what an asshole!

and you can argue that's the point, he's supposed to seem like a bad boy and people are supposed to distrust him, and at least he DID give her shelter, but this isn't about him torturing qr (I respect it), or about him offering shelter to abused and murdered ghosts (his sole redeeming quality and even then arguably for profit) it's about him treating the people around him (including these ghost citizens he's apparently such a great leader for) like they don't matter, holding grudges against genuinely innocent people or people whose situation he didn't understand for eight HUNDRED years, summoning dancers just to treat them like set dressing and pointedly ignore them when xl shows up, and allowing fathers to trade their daughters' actual lives away, with the argument that 'they know what they're risking' NO THEY DO NOT!!!!THE FATHERS ARE TREATING THEIR DAUGHTERS LIKE TRADING GOODS!! the actual women whose lives will be lost have no place at this table! how the FUCK was this never followed up on? how was xl, legendary compassionate figure, so quick to overlook it? and for profit! for power! the story can put in all the little asides it wants about hc charmingly ruffling guzi's hair or that one time he sacrificed an eye to save a bunch of mortals (oh sure, big DEAL. 🙄) but his actual day-to-day actions tell the story of a man singularly obsessed with one person to the exclusion of literally everything else, who sacrifices and mocks and ignores and trades away and profits from every single other person in his life, given the right incentive.

I do enjoy him in a lot of scenes. I don't like most of the officials he insults, and I don't thnk mq or fx really need defending. the romance scenes are usually very good when he's an ADULT, he's very charming and funny and clever in a scandalous way that makes you giggle, I think he's hilarious and justified when he's taking revenge on the assholes in heaven. but look at how he treats everyone else! truly! fuck hua cheng, fuck his sad little story about losing an eye, fuck his insecurity complex, fuck his willingness to be a literal gangster of the ghost city in the absolute worst sense, and honestly? fuck the other characters for seeing all this and just thinking it's cool or sexy or whatever. this bitch is one of the WORST characters we're supposed to find fun and perfect I have ever read

#wutheringheightsfilm #wow it's so sad you lost and eye now you have an incredible amount of power #you want to talk to the women who's lives you allowedto be gambled away without their input. hm. who knows how many #im so mad!!! misogynistic piece of SHIT!!!#this was so cathartic ty vero :)#asks

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sofyflora98 · 5 months ago

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You dont have to answer if you dont want. But i stumbled upon an old post about Mu Qing up holding classism and that its Hua Cheng should be the face for it and i just felt conflicted? I tried to be open minded. And the big example they used is him kicking out of the army which imo kinda odd… to say.. But its combined with the fact Mu Qing called Hua Cheng a liar and he obviously didnt want Hua Cheng tagging along and he let Feng Xin with a broken arm carrying Hua Cheng . tbh, im fine with open intrepretation of that.

We all know Mu Qing doesnt have soft personality and hes prickly. I definitely do think in that liar scene, i saw it more as Mu Qing just being truthful than empathatic as he analyze the situation which i guess fine, MQ theres obviously time and place for that as hes scared and dirty. But even if his family condition was bad, based on how someone fixed up his clothes he could have thought he might at least have another person who does care which was why he even mentioned it in the first place. Anything is possible after all. Although, i did get confused whether did he know the info background on him because XL did overhear the mean things the kids yell at him about him being kicked our. Anyways, it wasnt as he was like no this kid cant stay. Unless theres a line that i missed. And he did try to carry Hong Er but hong er wouldnt let him which he did show hesitation to do it or not afterwards.

And how i view the army situation is even though it is indeed that youth dying rate is higher in war and Hua Cheng did die lol. But its also mixed with Mu Qing’s need to not want to be replaced. This man’s mind never rest lol. Which i get it. Hes very interesting for that. After all, his core character is all about being a survivor. But to say that he upholds classism is fucking deranged. Like Guoshi is right there for ruining his mortal life lol. Funny enough, they certainly dont mention about Feng xin (though hes in rage as Mq was frustrated and being rude with xl but still that was uncalled for) who reminded him to know his place. I brought FX up because in one of the comments of that post they were saying at least FX acted with good will. Lol okay. We definitely can see you not being genuine about the topic. At least be consistent.

And Hua Cheng beats classism by creating another system of his own? ive seen people say its different in ghost City as its really based on mutual beneficial agreement and all especially with Yin Yu. But my guy…. ..you mean him as the King? Bruh its not as simple as that 😭 The heaven is indeed full of classist Gods which is why they look down on LW and MQ and QYZ. But the system to get there isnt, as long as you have the abilities, hard work and luck. Idk like feel free to talk about Hua Cheng overcoming society classism and rise to the top and all. But i find that answer to be so simplisitic and not well thought out?

Also he isnt mentioned alot with that Topic because his narrative isnt strongly focused on that??? Its very clear hes about devotion to his God and the strength he does to be the best so he can take care of Xie Lian. And hes the main character too at that 😭 take it up with MXTX for making Mu Qing a side character, story to strongly ties around it. His insecurity is because of that too.

And the funniest part imo is to Hua Cheng, his insecurity is his appearance - i mean u can still make an argument that is rooted in him being born under a bad star and the classism that he faces over it. But still. Similar at its core but different hurt.

Anywyas, idk i feel the argument is just so???? I just need to rant lol

But how do you feel about the revision on him kicking out Hong’er because of guoshi words thaf hes a misfortune that will bring bad luck to XL? That i would like to know.

I think I know what post you're talking about, and I agree with you. The argument that Hua Cheng is the one who "fought" classism and that Mu Qing is upholding in it doesn't stand, in my opinion. First of all, because Hua Cheng's supposed victory over classism doesn't even take place in the world of the living, and Ghost City is everything but an egalitarian place. Which isn't his fault, of course, because a single person cannot change the world. Then, again, his plot in the novel doesn't mainly revolve around classism the same way Mu Qing's does. I'd say that his plot is more about marginalisation and abuse, even if social class was obviously a fundamental part of his condition.

Regarding Mu Qing, literally, unless he somehow became a revolutionary leader, what could he even do? He had one chance to get away from misery and he took it. Gods are not allowed to interfere with the mortal world more than what concerns their duties toward their worshippers. The heavens are a classist world, because they reflect the human world, since all gods used to be human, but I see no instance where Mu Qing even remotely upheld classism. A good part of his lines are specifically to complain about how others are classist, so it really doesn't make any sense. I think that the issue of Hong'er being kicked out of the army has an ambiguity, and the desire to keep a child (who by the way didn't have the age to be in the army) far from war, and his fear of being replaced and possible jealousy, coexist. Human emotions aren't a mono-dimensional thing.

I don't really have an opinion about the revised version, but having read the first version years ago, I'm more attached to it.

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crowning-art · 2 years ago

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TGCF SPOILERS FINALE!

Me and 10 cuties who have been keeping up with my crazy TGCF journey after i finally finished it 2 years later lmaoo

*Note that clown in the center is me and everyone knows why after seeing my wonderful, beautiful, RIDICULOUS AND OUTLANDISH theories throughout the read lmaoo

Without further ado...the finale!!

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

Goushi really swooped in during the LAST TWO SECONDS of this huge novel and really just stole everyone's heart, huh? I love this dude

In the last second, a hand caught Feng Xin’s boot, and Feng Xin caught Mu Qing’s boot. When he looked up, he cried, “WHAT THE FUCK!!! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!! GUOSHI OLD SIR, PLEASE DON’T EVER LET GO, ALRIGHT!!!”

YOOO FENG XIN ACCEPTED HIS CHILD OH MY GODDD DJJDJDJDJF T-T THE CHARACTER GROWTH

THE WAY THE TABLES HAVE TURNED AHHHHH its now Xie Lian who has Jun Wu pinned and nailed down to the ground with a sword djdjdjjdjjd low key, Xie Lian really needed to do that....yknow....therapeutically lol

I love this so much cuz ya, at the end of the day, it's tiring, it's exhausting keeping up a facade and forcing yourself to be someone who u know really isn't you and I feel Jun Wu despite all he's done was very heavily a product of his situation.

“I just genuinely really miss Your Highness,” Guoshi said. “I miss the once-Kingdom of Wuyong,

I miss our people, and I miss the days before we ascended. That’s all.”

“…”

Guoshi then added, “It’s been so many years, Your Highness. Just watching you makes me tired. Very tired. How about you? Are you not exhausted?”

And yes, I get that there was still a bit of inherit evil within him which got amplified thanks to the wuyong problems but like at the end of the day, he's just a sad little meow meow

AND THEN

“…Have I been defeated?” Jun Wu sounded a little lost.

After a moment of silence, Xie Lian took off the bamboo hat carried on his back, took it in his hand, and covered it over Jun Wu’s face.

DJDIFNIFJFJFJFJ DO I EVEN HAVE TO SAY IT AGAIN??? HJDHDHFHFHF U KNOW WHAT IM GONNA SAY AND UGH ITS ALWAYS BACK TO THE ✨️THEMES OF KINDNESS AND LOVE✨️ BRB gonna cry some more AGAIN

Ahh I remember pointing this out a while back but Hua Cheng was always the ONLY one who really helped ground Xie Lian when he was lost and confused. Like the split emotions he kept feeling of not knowing whether to laugh or cry, all gone even when he's told the craziest news yet, aka Wu Ming identity

All of a sudden, thousands of emotions, millions of words swarmed into his head. There was gratefulness, there was shame, there was heartache, there was wild joy, but above all else, there was incurable love.

Lol u guys don't even get it, there were so many parts that were my fave here and I was trying my best to not post the whole chapter here cuz i loved EVERY part, the way Xie Lian leaped into Hua Chengs arm at the end, the cute Xianle trio bickering, just everything T-T

WTF U MEAN LIL BREAK I DO NOT NEED THIS RN PLZ DONT OH MY GODOHMYGODOHMYGOS HUA CHENG DONT U DARE DIE OH MYGOD

All of this:

Hua Cheng’s long and slender fingers gently combed through Xie Lian’s mussed hair. “Then, Your Highness, do you know why I refuse to leave this world?”

Xie Lian couldn’t understand why Hua Cheng could still be so calm at a time like this, as he was panicking so hard he was trembling. But, while feeling lost, he still simple-mindedly asked,

“Why?”

Hua Cheng replied quietly, “Because I have a beloved who is still in this world.”

Hua Cheng said quietly, “Your Highness, I understand your everything.

“Your courage, your despair; your kindness, your pain; your resentment, your hate; your intelligence, your foolishness.

They really did invent love, I can't think of anything else to say to this 😭

HIS EXPRESSION MY HEART CRACKED INTO A MILLION PIECES AT THIS WHOLE SCENE BUT ESPECIALLY AT THIS LINE

Hua Cheng’s gaze was gentle and blazing, that remaining eye filled with love, and it gazed at him silently.

He's gonna be back for sure. The red string and the ashes are still there....but it's still soooo saaad

LMAOOO the heavenly officials became homeless fr I'm dying lmaoooo

ROUYE IS BACK YESSSS!!! AND UGHH XIANLE TRIO!! IM SO HAPPY THEY R TOGETHER AGAIN!! I MISSED THIER SHENANIGENS SO MUCH

Xie Lian rummaged around his sleeve and fumbled out a white silk band that was torn in half, and said joyously, “Yeah, finally, the material to fix Ruoye is found! I’ll go patch it up right now!”

However, Feng Xin stopped him. “Patch it up? You?! Forget it, what can you patch? Ask someone else to help you.” Then he turned his head and shouted, “MU QING! COME GET TO WORK!”

Pei Su and Banyue were really an underrated duo this whole book, especially with the way they guarded Ke Mo and the other ghosts lol

Pei Su and Banyue were sitting at the entrance, both of their expressions blank.

Feng Xin divorce arc lmaooo Finally it came to an end...and in a really nice and mature way. I really appreciated the way MXTX wrote Jian Lan's whole character, like she also grew as a person and is def underappreciated

However, Jian Lan withdrew her smile. “What you’ve said are all things of the past. What was love once doesn’t mean it’ll last. I’m not interested in being a charity case and a nuisance.”

And Xuan Ji! Everyone really grew up huh? (*sobbing incontrollably*)

Still don't like Pei Ming smh overgrown man child fr U go Yushi Huang for showing him whose boss!!

GUZIIII MY HEART NOOOOO I really respect LQQ for doing this

so I could only…gather a bit of the soul particles of the Green Ghost and keep them in a lamp. Now he shows up in front of me every day hugging that lamp, asking when the soul within the lamp will grow bigger! I really…”

And Guzi! Fret not! Qi Rong will be back cuz his ashes aren't destroyed!!

THE PEARLS ARE BASICALLY A GIFT FROM THE INLAWS THAT HUA CHENG HAS NOW DJJDJDJDJDJDJFJDJD

A moment later, Xie Lian nodded slowly. “It’s mine. It’s a pair of pearls my father and mother gave me when I was young.”

Lol Ling Wen's punishment thooo and the subtle hint that Ling Wen may have acc cared for the dude despite everything kinda warms my heart

Ling Wen gave a small laugh. “Your Highness, don’t say it like I would do anything for him. After all, I’m cold-blooded and recognize no loved ones, so why would I do anything like that?”

“Is that right?”

“Let it be.

I love love love the way the passage of time was described here God I don't know how to explain it but I love it

People came like the tide, then left like the tide. Mount Taicang regained its deserted lonesomeness.

Atop Mount Taicang, there used to be an enormous field of maple trees. They were all burnt down by that massive fire, but reborn after a thousand years. They were no longer the same ones Xie Lian leapt through to train once upon a time, but the landscape was the same.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASAASASSMXKXKXJXNCJXNX AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

With three thousand Blessings Lanterns rising along with the night behind him, that man turned back and gazed at him. Robes redder than maple, skin as white as snow; between the brows of a face so handsome it couldn’t be stared at, there was still that wildness and a feral aura, a proudness that couldn’t be cut down.

There were no words. Both started walking towards the other.

A step, another step, each step faster than the next, then finally, they started running.

He ran forward whilst tears fell and stayed behind him. Xie Lian voiced this in his heart: he believed.

He believed that this man would die for him again and again, and would be reborn for him over and over. Even if he fell into the depths of hell, he would break through the abyss for his “belief”.

Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other.

This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.

DID I CRY HERE? U BET YOUR FUNKY LIL BEAN I DID And u don't get get AGUHH it took 1000 pages for them to get to where they were AND ONLY ONE PAGE TO MEET AGAIN THE ABSOLUTE POETIC METAPHOR HAS ME LOSING MY MIND u have to read through 244 chaps to see them trying to get to each other and when they finally do..it takes less than a page for them to reunite again I AM CRYING RN

The grand final banquet in Puqi shrine, with windmaster and the fellow beggars, he xuan secretly eating with them, fengqing arguing and bantering (flirting basically -_-), heaven's eye, hualian, the heavenly officials dropping by, just everyone finally living a happy life

What a story! Like what a story! Unbelievable!

This is how it started and this is how it ended

However, if people worship the divine statues of this one god and one ghost together, then there will be a miracle

Cuz their whole story is a miracle but that's the point! U can't give up! Xie Lian's story IS inspirational despite being fictional! Believing in your principles and doing the right thing, showing kindness no matter the circumstance, and growing from adversities, honestly I had so much to say but I read the post script and lmao MXTX said EVERYTHING I wanted to say!

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

I'm always the kind to finish books within a day or two but I really didn't want this one to end (hence two years to read it) but God the whole experience was so incredible and tbh, I started documenting my thoughts for myself just so I can reread them later and laugh lmao but then a bunch of you guys kept up with it and it genuinely became such an exciting thing to look forward to after reading as well!!

Special shout out to @silvia-moon and @maause who were there from the beginning!! I loved every comment of yours and had a blast reading them every time 🥰

Ahhhh IM GETTING SO EMOTIONAL LIKE THIS LONG WINDING JOURNEY HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END 😭 (borderline tearing up while writing this post) but alas! Every banquet must come to an end (haha see what I did there? Hahaha....😭😭😭)

And of course there are the extras! But those shall be read some other day! In the meantime, I'm so so excited to get to drawing all my fave scenes!! I can't wait to get to that!

Until then,

Farewell 😊

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