#move aside hua cheng

[arytha]

its crazy how emotional i still get over xie lian when seeing art of him

[mtkay13]

My version of the wardrobe template! yay!! I had a LOT of fun doing this and feel like I could elaborate a bit more on each of those.

It's already linked up here, but here's once again a > link to the post.< Anyway! More about these designs below!

So first, for WKX's template! - Chapter 2: Grey robes I had already made my design of those for the full TYK lineup I made a while back. I really, really like those, and took inspiration from some of the robes SHL!WKX wears in the show for the shapes. - Chapter 69: dark robes with dark red belt I expected to like that style for him, but not that much! I had seen a tutorial on how asymetrical hanfus were worn by archers in the past and that inspired me, purely on a fashion level of course. I like how intimidating he looks with those and enjoy the touches of blue in the inner layer of the robes. - Chapter 75: dark red robes The GVM robes! which I also designed a while back when researching for the illustrations of the Mt Fengya battle scenes that I wanted to make. I reworked them just a little bit and got rid of some details that I didn't like anymore. I tremendously pleated skirts for WKX so I went at it once again. I also used shifts in hues to make it look like it could have been drenched in blood. - Extra 5: deep red robes For the reminder (since apparently some people are not aware of extra 5's existance), this extra is set 5 years post-canon. I wanted WKX to wear something that looked comfortable for traveling but also practical and fashionable. The teal jacket is of course another nod at SHL since the red and teal combo was an absolute banger. Let's say I didn't want WKX to just sport an all-red look. Furthermore, the teal really works to adorn the red hues. - My personal favourite I actually don't really know whether those are my actual personal favourites, but I've come to LOVE WKX dressed in red and white thanks to @kwehxing's designs. I think it really suits him and on top of that it avoids the question "is this Hua Cheng" LMAO--okay jokes aside, I combined most of the shapes that I really like for WKX (wider shoulders, wide sleeves, and long robes with pleated inner robes) and I find him very elegant like this. Now, for ZZS! - Chapter 1: sapphire blue scholar robes Those had already been designed before as well! They're my go to generic TC!ZZS robes, haha. I was a bit extra with the blue colour here, but oh well. I'm quite obsessed with the silver brocade cynching his waist, haha. - Chapter 2: stolen farmer robes A classic as well as far as I'm concerned--of course, inspired by his hobo fit in SHL because it was quite efficient. I'm forever fond of my scruffy hobo!Xu and his toes poking from his sandals. - Chapter 18: luxurious robes from the Gao family Those were a new design! Which I had a lot of fun coming up with. Putting ZZS in a different colour scheme was also really nice. For those who don't remember, ZZS feels quite ridiculous when he sees himself in a mirror wearing those fancy robes while being so emaciated and still sporting his hobo mask. I wanted to give this "out of place" feeling; and also work on a very "wuxia" style for the robes, since this is jianghu and they were provided by Gao Chong. - Extra 5: black robes I'm incredibly fond of this design. I worked quite a bit on it, since I wasn't sure of where I wanted to go. My main guidelines were: practical and cool. I really like ZZS having a lot of room to move so ideally not too much fabric in the way, and I think he also needs arm braces to be rid of annoying sleeves. Of course, him looking much healthier and having a dynamic ponytail really works to "complete the look", and I find that he looks really cool there haha. - My personal favourite This one has been refined over the months, but it's definitely, overall, my favourite look for him in terms of shapes and construction. I like that the robes are short, I like the more fashionable jacket. I'm especially into the "pants tucked into the boots" silhouette, as well as the little ribbons keeping them tight around the ankles. I'd say that this leg shape + short robes + a bun (or sometimes a ponytail) is THE ZZS design combo for me, haha. It looks practical and fun and adventurous, just how I like it.

To conclude the whole post, I had more fun doing this than I even expected, and needless to say that I'm very excited to see other versions of them following this template. It was a good opportunity to try and project what the characters look like throughout the book, and a fun design exercise as well. I actually don't really like doing character design usually, but for characters I'm obsessed with, it's of course a much nicer experience. Anyway, thank you for reading!

[one-flower-one-sword]

Hello I have a question everyone is going on about Hua Cheng hating Feng Xin despite being loyal to Xie Lian. What do you think of the reason Hua Cheng hatred towards Feng Xin?

Hey Anon! thank you for your question, I'll do my best to answer it :)

First of all, I think it's important to keep in mind that Hua Cheng has reasons to hate Feng Xin outside of his treatment of Xie Lian. Though out of the two, Mu Qing treated Hong Hong-er the worst - arguing that a visibly starved and abused child was lying about having no one caring for him and then later kicking him out of the army out of jealousy - Feng Xin really wasn't much better:

The young child shook his head, but Mu Qing said, “There must be. If he doesn't go back, his family will surely be worried sick looking for him.”

“No, no way! There's nobody!” that young child cried, sounding like he was afraid to be sent back, and he opened his arms reaching for Xie Lian. He was still covered with mud and blood, and Feng Xin couldn't stand it anymore.

“What're ya doin’, kid? Things were urgent earlier, so whatever, but shouldn't you know better by now? This is the crown prince. His Highness the Crown Prince. Do you understand?”

That young child's arms immediately shrank back, but he was still gazing at Xie Lian.

Vol 2, page 362

We see this treatment of Hua Cheng continue all the way to the reveal in Mount Tonglu's caves: because of what Hua Cheng is - a beggar child, a ghost king - he shouldn't be near Xie Lian - a crown prince, a god - and his adoration for Xie Lian and desire to be near him is openly treated by Feng Xin as inappropriate and disgusting, as something Xie Lian needs to be “protected” from at all cost - if Xie Lian wants to or not.

After walking for a while, Feng Xin spoke up. “No. I still don't think Your Highness should hold a strange child for everyone to see.”

“What's the problem?” Xie Lian asked.

“You're the crown prince!” Feng Xin exclaimed. While he spoke, he saw a worn-down handcart further up the alley and said, “Put the kid in the cart and pull it.”

Mu Qing immediately voiced, “Just so we're clear, I will not pull that thing up the mountain.”

”No one's asking you to,” Feng Xin said. He reached out and yanked the child from Xie Lian's arms, and the child started struggling again.

Vol 2, page 364

Because Xie Lian is nobility, in Feng Xin's eyes he shouldn't be seen carrying a child of the lowest class. Keep in mind that it was Xie Lian's own decision to carry Hong Hong-er himself and that the child had repeatedly made clear it didn't want to be carried by anyone else. But Feng Xin still takes Hong Hong-er away from Xie Lian, the only person that the child feels safe with and is being treated well by. Not to mention that he's yanking a child around that he knows has recently been brutally beaten, with no apparent care for its injuries.

Once Mei Nianqing divines Hong-er's fate, Feng Xin treats him like everyone else does except for Xie Lian - as if he's not a human being but some kind of dangerous monster that Xie Lian shouldn't even touch:

The Deputy State Preceptors blocked Hong Hong-er, and the State Preceptor backed away, yelling, “Make him leave the mountain, hurry! Don't touch him, I mean it! That fortune is too toxic; don't touch him!” The Deputy State Preceptors hurriedly moved aside, and Mu Qing and Feng Xin didn't know whether to act.

Seeing that everyone was avoiding him like he was poisonous vermin, the child was shaken and started thrashing even harder, biting and screaming with all his might. “I'm not! I'm not!! I'M NOT!!!”

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, encircling his small form. A voice came from above his head. “You're not. I know you're not. Don't cry, now. I know you're not.”

[...] A while later, the State Preceptor said, “I mean it. It's best if you let go.”

Feng Xin finally came to his senses and exclaimed, “Your Highness! Let go! Be careful of…”

Vol 2 page 380+ 382

So what we've established is that Feng Xin treated Hong Hong-er at best like a nuisance that Xie Lian shouldn't be seen caring for because of the class differences, and some kind of dangerous inhuman thing at worst. Now, since that was the way everyone but Xie Lian was treating him back then, I actually don't think it would stand out to Hua Cheng that much - but what would stand out to him was that Feng Xin, just like Mu Qing, repeatedly tried to separate him from Xie Lian, both through words and through actions, and that he went against Xie Lian's wishes in doing so.

Now we can tackle the other part of your question, Hua Cheng hating Feng Xin despite his being loyal to Xie Lian. And I think to answer it fully, we must first ask ourselves - was he loyal?

It's true that Feng Xin stayed with Xie Lian longer than Mu Qing did after the banishment, but his choices during that time tell their own story:

“Actually, it's… Your Highness, do you still have any money on you? Or something that can be pawned?”

Xie Lian was perplexed that he'd ask such a foolish question at a time like this. “Huh? Why do you ask?”

Feng Xin was sweating, but he replied boldly, “It's nothing… Just… If you happen to have some, can you… lend it to me?”

Xie Lian laughed bitterly. “Do you really think I have anything?”

Feng Xin sighed. “I didn't think so.”

After giving it some thought, Xie Lian asked, “Didn't I give you that golden belt?”

“That's not enough,” Feng Xin mumbled. “Far from it…”

Xie Lian was shocked. “Feng Xin? What exactly did you do? How could a golden belt not be enough to cover what you need? Did you beat someone up and need to pay them off? Tell me?”

Feng Xin came back to himself and quickly said, “Oh no! Don't take this to heart. I was only asking!”

Xie Lian pressed him over and over, but Feng Xin still swore everything was fine. Finally, Xie Lian said with worry, “Well, if there's anything, you must tell me. We can think of a solution together.”

“Don't worry about me,” Feng Xin said. “There's no way a solution will just fall from the sky. Your Highness, you just focus on solving your own problems.”

Vol 6, page 219

While superficially this might look like Feng Xin is trying not to burden Xie Lian with his problems, when we look at the actual context we realize that that's not why he is lying about what's going on. This is set during the time where they're barely managing to scrape enough food together not to starve, and are struggling to make enough money to buy medicine for Xie Lian's sick father. And Feng Xin knows this, knows that anything of value should go towards their continued survival - that's why he rejects Xie Lian's repeated offers of help and lies to him about there being no particular reason he's asking for money. Is that loyalty?

Soon after, he heard the Queen sigh. “If this keeps up, how will my son ever get better?”

Xie Lian could feel something amiss with those words, and Feng Xin replied in a quiet voice. “He's only like this because he's exhausted. Too much has happened lately. Will Your Majesties also keep a close eye on him? Please let me know as soon as possible if there's anything not right with His Highness, but don't tell him you did. Also avoid saying anything that might provoke him-”

Vol 6, page 220-221

Feng Xin told Xie Lian he believed him when he said that Bai WuXiang was back and was stalking him, but behind his back, it's a different story. Not only does he doubt Xie Lian’s grip on reality and his own mind, he urges Xie Lian's parents to also keep up the pretense and then report to Feng Xin behind Xie Lian's back. Is that loyalty?

And we need to keep in mind that this isn't a one time deal but a pattern of behavior that keeps repeating. Feng Xin keeps treating Xie Lian as too naive to be trusted to make his own choices, hence his trying to keep Xie Lian from caring for Hong Hong-er, trying to “manage” Xie Lian like an unruly child, and then all the way to conspiring with Mu Qing to kidnap Xie Lian away from Hua Cheng no matter what Xie Lian wants because they think they know better.

Xie Lian knelt by the stream and puked his guts out for over an hour, heaving until blood came up. After descending the mountain, he walked through the city for a long time, aimlessly wandering the main streets without a destination in mind. Suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder and yanked him into an alley. Xie Lian looked around and saw an incoming fist before he even glimpsed the other's face.

“Where did you run off to for so long?!” Behind the fist was Feng Xin's furious expression, but by the time Xie Lian saw, he'd already been knocked to the ground by the punch. Feng Xin hadn't expected to knock him down so easily. Confused, he looked at his own fist, then at Xie Lian on the ground. Before he could think to help him up, Xie Lian had already crawled back up by himself.

Feng Xin's face changed, but in the end, his temper was still flaring. “You've got such an attitude! Dropping only a word before running away and disappearing for two months! Do you know how worried Their Majesties have been?!”

Vol 6, page 263

This is after Xie Lian ran away when he found out Feng Xin didn't believe him and was then lured to the abandoned temple by Bai WuXiang and severely tortured and violated. He was obviously not alright when he left and just from the fact that he disappeared for that long it should be obvious that something is seriously wrong - yet Feng Xin doesn't care about finding out, he's so angry at the way Xie Lian is “failing” to be the perfect image he's made up in his head that the moment he sees him again, he punches him in the face. Is that loyalty?

“Why are you being like this? When did you become this way?” Feng Xin mumbled. “I… I really don't know… I'm… Why did I follow you all this time - ?”

“Then stop following,” Xie Lian said.

Feng Xin couldn't wrap his head around that. “What?”

“I said, don't follow me anymore,” Xie Lian repeated. Then he slammed the door.

Four hours later, there was finally some rustling outside the room and low voices speaking. It seemed Feng Xin was bidding farewell to Xie Lian's mother and father. Feng Xin's voice was extremely low, the queen's voice was choked with sobs, and the king didn't say much, but there was a lot of coughing. The door opened a moment later, then closed. Feng Xin's voice vanished, and the sound of his footsteps grew more and more distant. Feng Xin had left.

[...] Before Feng Xin had left, Xie Lian had been afraid. Now that Feng Xin was gone, he wasn't scared anymore. But even though he no longer felt fear, he felt a deeper agony. Xie Lian had initially held a one-in-a-million bit of hope at the bottom of his heart. He'd hoped that Feng Xin would still stay even if Xie Lian admitted he had done things he shouldn't have, even if he became the worst version of himself. After all, the two had never left each other's side since he turned fourteen and Feng Xin was selected to be his personal attendant. They were master and servant, but more than that, they were friends. And Feng Xin had no one to care for aside from the crown prince either - or, at most, him, and the king and queen. But Feng Xin had really left.

Vol 6, page 273-274

And finally, as Xie Lian begins to crack under the weight of his trauma, Feng Xin leaves. Is that loyalty? Or, more precisely, we have to ask ourselves - who was it that Feng Xin used to be loyal to? Because from what we've seen, it was less Xie Lian the person and more the perfect image of a crown prince and a god Feng Xin wanted and repeatedly tried to force Xie Lian to be - a crown prince who doesn't behave inappropriately by carrying beggar children, who doesn't go against the orders of his Shifu, a perfect god who never falters and doesn't show mental or physical strain no matter what he goes through.

Xie Lian stopped eating and said gently, “But I can sort of understand… your feelings.” After a pause, he continued, “There was a period in my own life that wasn't easy. Back then, I'd always think about how wonderful it would be if someone could still love me for who I was, even if they saw me rolling in the dirt and couldn't get up. Though I don't know if there's anyone out there like that. And I'm scared of showing that part of myself too. But if it's someone San Lang yearns for… I think that even if they saw you at your worst, they wouldn't say something like, ‘ah, you're not so great after all'”.

His face grew solemn. “To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, not the state of you. [...]”

Vol 4, page 182

This is why ‘what matters is you, not the state of you” is the foundation of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s love - they love each other for who the other is, not who they could be or should be by any given standard.

Now, someone might say this is all well and good but Hua Cheng wasn't present for the above scenes with Feng Xin and Xie Lian, so those can't be reasons for him to hate Feng Xin. To which I would say, 1. the above examination was about questioning whether Feng Xin really was as loyal to Xie Lian as that discourse seems to insist by looking at what the text actually tells us. And 2., Hua Cheng did encounter Xie Lian several times during his first banishment. And every single time, Xie Lian was alone, in increasingly bad mental and physical states, with no one helping or caring for him.

The first time they meet again, after Mu Qing has just left Xie Lian and Hua Cheng is a ghost fire:

“I won't forget. Your Highness, I am forever your most devoted believer.”

Xie Lian forced down a sob. “...I've already lost all my believers. Believing in me won't do you any good; it might even bring disaster. Did you know? Even my friend has left me.”

The nameless ghost declared as if swearing an oath, “I won't.”

“You will,” Xie Lian said.

The ghost was insistent. “Believe me, Your Highness.”

“I don't,” Xie Lian said. He no longer believed in anyone, especially himself.

Vol 6, page 136-137

After the failed robbery attempt, when Xie Lian gets drunk and falls into a grave:

“God fucking dammit!” He slapped the ground and yelled, “Is anyone there? Is there anyone who can help pull me out?!”

Of course there wasn't anyone. There was only a small ball of haunting ghost fire, blazing unceasingly as it flitted about. After Xie Lian fell into the pit, the ball of ghost fire rushed over, seeming to want to pull him up - but it would never be able to touch him.

Vol 6, page 175

When the group of heavenly officials and Mu Qing drive Xie Lian off the blessed land and Hua Cheng can't help him because he's still a ghost fire:

Xie Lian lay sprawled face-down on the ground in a state of disbelief, his eyes bulging. One of the heavenly officials had shoved him while he was standing there at a loss and made him take that hideous fall in front of so many eyes. It was too humiliating. There were voices all around Xie Lian, high and low, filling the air and invading Xie Lian's ears. He stared with eyes that couldn't be wider at the blackened ground in front of his nose, then he slowly raised his head.

Mu Qing was standing not too far away from him - standing among those heavenly officials, his head turned away, not looking at Xie Lian. Just like the rest of them, he had no intention of lending Xie Lian a hand to help him up. And thus, Xie Lian understood. No one would lend him a hand to help him up.

Vol 6, page 196

When Xie Lian is brutally tortured and violated by being stabbed over and over:

Unwilling to consider this any further, Xie Lian couldn't help but cry out. “Hel-”

Before the phrase “Help me” could leave his throat, the same icy black belt was thrust into his body once again. Xie Lian's eyes widened in horror. The razor-sharp sword was stabbed in, then pulled out. The next person followed without wasting a second, and the next stab was shoved into practically the same spot. The sound locked in Xie Lian's throat finally broke free, and a long, painful scream tore through his entire body.

Vol 6, page 255

And it doesn't stop there - Feng Xin and Mu Qing both ascend again while Xie Lian is lost in the mortal realm, and Hua Cheng is the only one looking for him. That Feng Xin spent so much time in the mortal realm because he was searching for Xie Lian appears to be entirely fanon, as I cannot recall a single instance where the text actually suggests this. And then when Xie Lian ascends for a third time, Feng Xin and Mu Qing are too cowardly to face him, and only seek him out in disguise. And again, they repeatedly try to separate Hua Cheng from Xie Lian:

After a moment, Feng Xin turned to Xie Lian. “If there's nothing else, you’d better hurry back to the Heavenly Court. Many of the heavenly officials have no idea what happened in that ruckus, and they're still waiting for news above. Jun Wu should have been informed by now. You need to report back and give them a proper account.”

Hua Cheng laughed out loud at his words.

“What're you laughing at?” Feng Xin demanded.

“And here I was marveling at how straightforward you are, but it turns out you like beating around the bush too,” Hua Cheng said. “You just don't want His Highness to associate with the likes of demons and ghosts like me, so why not say so openly? Think it's not your place?”

Xie Lian cleared his throat softly. “San Lang…”

“As long as you're aware that he shouldn't be associating with the likes of demons and ghosts,” Feng Xin said coldly.

Vol 2, page 261-262

So, to sum up, when we look at all this from Hua Cheng's perspective - why wouldn't he hate Feng Xin? He's had zero positive interactions with the man, repeatedly witnessed him going against Xie Lian's wishes, and had Feng Xin try and separate him from Xie Lian over and over again. From Hua Cheng's perspective, Feng Xin abandoned Xie Lian to his suffering and forgot about him, while Hua Cheng never wavered in his faith, and didn't give up on looking for Xie Lian even after hundreds of years.

Throughout the entire novel, Hua Cheng is the only one who consistently respects Xie Lian's autonomy - the only times he ever intervenes is when Xie Lian is about to do something that threatens his own physical and/or mental wellbeing. Many other characters, Feng Xin included, repeatedly ignore or even violate Xie Lian's autonomy and the novel makes quite clear how important and profound the distinction is between how Hua Cheng treats Xie Lian and how everyone else does:

Feng Xin glanced at him and couldn't help but say, “...I'm a little surprised.”

“What?” Hua Cheng replied, not turning or showing a single trace of curiosity.

Feng Xin scratched his head. “Since you're so biased against Mu Qing, I assumed you'd think he wasn't worth saving and wouldn't want His Highness rescuing him. I thought you'd prevent him from going.”

Only then did Hua Cheng spare him a glance. “Half-wrong, half-right.”

“Huh?”

“The first part isn't wrong - I certainly don't think he's worth saving,” Hua Cheng said. “I don't care if he lives or dies.”

“Isn't that a little too blunt?!” Seeing that apathetic expression made Feng Xin start to sweat; when he realized that this man definitely held the same attitude toward him, he sweat even harder!

Hua Cheng snorted, then after a pause, he added, “But only His Highness can decide what he wants to do. I will never oppose his decisions.”

“...” Feng Xin had never heard anyone say something like that before - not a man to a woman, and most definitely not one man to another. But he was quite sure that Xie Lian would only get all worked up and flustered again if he'd been here to hear it. “Ah… I see,” Feng Xin said, not knowing what face to make.

Vol 8, page 44-45

And just to make this clear - this is not me hating on Feng Xin. We also could probably all have lengthy but ultimately futile discussions on what loyalty personally means to each and every one of us, which is why when it comes to discourse like this I think we have to focus on what the text says. And I think through this examination it's become quite clear where the limits of Feng Xin's loyalty lay in relation to how it was tied less to Xie Lian the person and more to who he thought Xie Lian should be, and how even beyond Feng Xin's ultimate lack of loyalty Hua Cheng has many legitimate reasons to hate him in regards to how both he himself and Xie Lian were treated by Feng Xin.

Hope this answered your question!

[verycharismaticdragon]

Okay, I promised a writeup of Luo Binghe voter fraud meme, and as Luo Binghe is currently in the finals of the poll this happened on, I figure now's a good time.

So! It all started when Luo Binghe, our beloved half-demon child, was submitted to @/hybrid-battle tournament - or rather, as it was called at the time, @half-being-battle. He won his first poll easily enough, but round 2 was a close battle where he and his opponent, Shantae from eponymous game, took the lead from one another a few times.

In the last ~12 hours, Binghe was losing slightly after a popular blog rb'd the poll with a call to vote for Shantae. However, SVSSS fandom caught this in time and passed the poll around some more. The poll ended with Luo Binghe winning with 51% of votes - or, as simple calculation will reveal, 14 votes lead.

We breathed out a collective sigh of relief, but too soon - as half a day later, someone sent this ask:

(x)

Initially the pollrunner wasn't intending to do anything about it, but then someone suggested a teamup option, and the poll for the option was made (x). It was rb'd by some SVSSS fans with the general sentiment of 'free our boy he did nothing wrong', but didn't gain real traction until:

@gaywarcriminals reblogged it with a small rant in Binghe's defense

@piosplayhouse rb'd said rant with addition of the image from vol.3 cover, of Shen Qingqiu holding Luo Binghe's hand, edited to look like SQQ is the one saying the text above.

This version of the post was circulated in fandom overnight, leading to 'Luo Binghe moves on alone' option winning by a large margin - and, ofc, to the birth of "Luo Binghe voter fraud" meme.

Though aside from this particular post being funny, there was another factor contributing to the meme catching on: how damn in-character it all was. The following sentiments were all repeated more than once in the post's notes:

Luo Binghe getting accused of crimes he didn't commit? Omg just like in canon!

Shen Yuan would absolutely buy bots to get his most beloved blorbo to win an internet poll.

It's just Luo Binghe's protagonist halo!

All of which made the situation fucking hilarious.

Then, the next day, tumblr user verycharismaticdragon (whoever they might be 😉) made some fanart about it, which possibly aided the spread of the meme too.

Also, SVSSS fandom surprised the mod with our chillness 😅

(x)

Since then, Binghe has been going strong in that poll - and now, he's in the finals! So make sure to vote for him; as we all know now, the real voter fraud is the friends we made along the way. And I do recommend checking Luo Binghe's tag on the poll for some fun propaganda we've been making, including a family tree by Pio and some more art by yours truly <3

But wait! There was also another layer to the voter fraud iceberg. The tl;dr:

At about the same time Luo Binghe vs Shantae ended, Hua Cheng was losing in round 1 of @/the-ghost-bracket, with something like 39% of votes to his name. In a desperate move, I linked his poll under my bingqiu voter fraud art, which gave him a boost to get close to a tie, but didnt flip the poll. The next day, I was explaining the LBH voter fraud meme to my friends, and mentioned Hua Cheng's poll too - which was when inspiration struck me, resulting in...

this post. [ID: art of Xie Lian with a wooden board which reads "Puqi shrine accepting donations in the form of votes for Hua Cheng in the ghost bracket", captioned "please help dianxia, he doesn't have the money for voter fraud"] Which gave the poll enough visibility for Hua Cheng to win with over 62% of votes in the end. (The link in the post is currently changed to round 2 poll, which HC was also initially losing. Srsly besties we gotta follow the tourneys to get our babygirls to win!)

So: LBH voter fraud meme had even helped little bro Huahua out.

And thats about it! Since then, the scum villain fandom has been joking about voter fraud on all of our polls 😂

(Aaaand the last reminder to vote Bingbing in the finals. His opponent has been gaining lately and I think we shouldn't leave it to the protagonist halo this time.)

[ajmasch]

@here4hualian kissmas day 13: a kiss of comfort/healing

Hua Cheng wakes up to the sound of Xie Lian screaming. Another nightmare. They had been coming more frequently lately, and Xie Lian explained that was common around this time of year. Around the anniversary of his parents’ deaths.

The first time Hua Cheng had experienced one of Xie Lian’s nightmares he honestly hadn’t handled it too well. The sound of his beloved screaming as if he were in pain freaked Hua Cheng out, prompting a defensive response that had only startled Xie Lian more.

Now, he does his best to remain calm. He doesn’t touch Xie Lian yet, knowing that could make it worse, but he sends a few butterflies to light up the room and talks to his husband in a low, soothing voice.

“Gege, Gege, it’s alright, you’re alright. Focus on my voice, okay? I’m right here, your San Lang is here–”

Xie Lian blinks a few times, eyes clearing up as he takes in the room. “San Lang?”

Hua Cheng sighed in relief. He hated when Xie Lian got into those states, so lost in bad memories that he didn’t know where he was. He felt so helpless then, unable to do anything other than watch and call out to a beloved who could barely tell he was there.

The moment Xie Lian recognizes him he twitches his arm in his direction and Hua Cheng doesn’t hesitate to give him what he wants and wrap him in a hug.

“San Lang,” Xie Lian sighs, leaning into the touch.

“I’ve got you, Gege,” Hua Cheng murmurs.

“It hurts.”

“Show me where.”

Xie Lian takes a moment, then lifts his hand and brushes it against a spot on his stomach, pushing aside his sleeping robe slightly as he does. His skin is perfect, but Hua Cheng can imagine the scar that would be there. He shifts down and presses his lips against the indicated spot, feeling Xie Lian shudder below him as he does.

“Good, Gege,” Hua Cheng mutters into the skin. “Where else?”

Xie Lian moves his hand from his stomach to a spot on his chest, right over his heart. Hua Cheng trails after it, brushing his lips against whatever skin he can on the way up to draw little gasps from Xie Lian.

“I wish there was more I could do for you, Gege,” Hua Cheng had said to a shaking Xie Lian one night. “If I could you know I’d take the pain from you, replace it with joy and pleasure–”

“Do it.” Xie Lian commanded. “Touch me, San Lang, please, I don’t want to feel it anymore, I just want to feel you–!”

So when Xie Lian is overcome with past hurts, Hua Cheng is there to chase it away. He lavishes attention on his beloved’s chest, for now staying close to where he was directed, getting close to sensitive spots but never quite getting there.

“Anywhere else, Gege?” he asks into the skin, loving the way his husband twitches as the rumble from his voice tickles a little. Still, Xie Lian lifts his hand and slowly traces a line over his throat.

Hua Cheng knows exactly how his beloved was hurt there before, remembers all too well the horrible sounds of his screams cut off and replaced by choked gurgles. He is so delicate with this part of his husband, passing over the spot again and again with light brushes of his lips and tongue and listening to the beautiful chorus of moans the sensations pull from Xie Lian.

“Does it still hurt, Gege?” he asks once Xie Lian is squirming below him.

“No,” Xie Lian gasps. “Feels good!”

“Well then,” Hua Cheng places one more delicate kiss against Xie Lian’s throat and leans back. “I’m glad I could satisfy my Gege–”

His world spins and suddenly he is the one laying down on the bed with Xie Lian on top of him. “This Gege won’t be satisfied until his San Lang quits his teasing and fucks him until he can’t think. Understood?”

Fuck Hua Cheng loves it when Xie Lian gets demanding. “As my god commands.”

He surges up to kiss Xie Lian who bends down to meet him, and by the end of the night Hua Cheng makes sure his beloved is screaming for a much better reason.

[blooming-periwxnkle]

If there is something I would have loved to see in TGCF, it would have been a female Supreme.

The biggest reason behind this is obviously the fact that ghosts are associated with Yin energy. Which is said to be feminine in nature.

In Chinese philosophy, the feminine or negative principle (characterized by dark, wetness, cold, passivity, disintegration, etc.) of the two opposing cosmic forces into which creative energy divides and whose fusion in physical matter brings the phenomenal world into being.

But, aside from this. I think that the whole excitation (?) that the ghosts get before the opening of Mt Tonglu could also be read as a metaphor for periods.

This is how the book describes the excitation of ghosts:

Just then, waves of hellish howls and cries sounded from outside Thousand Lights Temple. Ghosts were doubling over on the street, bawling their eyes out as they clutched their heads and wailed. They sounded like their skulls were splitting open, like they were on the verge of death.

It kinda reminds me of how men tend to see menstruation as well or the way they describe female 'hysteria' to enforce their misogynistic ideas upon women. Like, a satire of sorts..

But, aside from this, the 'ghosts' are more earthly as compared to Gods, just like how females were considered to be more connected to earth.

The gods created heaven to reside in, drawing a clear boundary between themselves and mortals. They watched from above and ruled from beyond reach. The Ghost Realm, on the other hand, was not separated from the Mortal Realm. Monsters, demons, ghosts, and mortals all shared one earth. Some ghosts hid in the darkness, and some pretended to be humans as they walked among the people and roamed the Mortal Realm in disguise.

When humans ascend, they become Gods. When humans fall, they become ghosts.

Historically, since cis men did not experience it, they often labeled menstruation as something wicked and evil. It is also why they viewed menstruating women as impure and often imposed restrictions on them and did not allow them to visit sacred places.

Even though it is emphasized that both ghosts and gods are ultimately human, ghosts are the ones who 'fall'. The ones who are not able to move on and let go of their obsessions.

I am yapping too much now, so forgive me. Moving on, both the Supremes in the story were known with a title that was given to them by others. Hua Cheng got his after destroying Qi Rong's lair, while He Xuan got his after he started to sink the ships that entered his dominion. Their identity was bestowed upon them by others. They were the ones who defined those two.

Additionally, their identities are also made with respect to the two 'gods' . Both Hua Cheng and He Xuan's titles are also references to Xie Lian and Shi Wudu. Their relation with these two is taken as the defining point of their identity as Supremes, not their personalities and how they are as people.

Hua Cheng was not taken seriously by the gods he challenged. They thought he was some random ghost. Even after he defeated them, they did not uphold their end of the bargain until Hua Cheng burned their temples. Same with He Xuan- they knew he was lowkey, so they never paid attention to him until they came to know about his infiltration.

It kind of reminds me of how cis men don't tend to take women or even trans men seriously due to misogyny. They consider them to be inferior until they 'prove' something to them that could command their respect.

More about the Mt Tonglu thing. Menstruation is said to have evolved as a mechanism to protect placental mammals. To protect the mothers from unfavorable pregnancies. Every ghost enters the kiln in order to reach the level of Supreme. Those who manage to come out of the kiln reach the devastation level, and as a result, they are affected the most by its opening. And, in order to conserve their strength, they turn into a younger version of themselves or go into hibernation.

These are..well, the reasons I would have liked if there was a female Supreme, but since there isn't...we'll let our minds do the job.

My apologies for the incoherence. I was talking to a mutual about how the tgcf characters would react to period cramps, and neither of us could think much about Hua Cheng and He Xuan at all, and then my mind wandered off to this.

P.S. If I said smth wrong, please be nice and let me know, I'll correct it.

[fictionlag]

Part of "Halcyon Days" on AO3.

Hua Cheng's armor, a blend of enchanted pieces and exquisite craftsmanship, held an intimate story of protection and strength and it was made by him. With each piece that Xie Lian gently disentangled, his own heart raced in tandem with the rhythm of his actions. As Xie Lian worked, a profound awareness settled upon him—the realization that he was unveiling not just the physical form of the Winter Guardian, but whatever lay inside. 

The weight of the moment hung heavy, the room a sanctuary of hushed intimacy as the Guardian's armor was peeled away. Xie Lian's hands trembled ever so slightly as he unbuckled the breastplate, a pivotal piece that seemed to hold the essence of Hua Cheng's resilience. It was the piece that safeguarded his heart. 

Beneath layers of blood and mud, the breastplate revealed itself as a masterful creation—a work of art that cradled Hua Cheng's torso with exquisite precision. Detailed carvings adorned its surface. Amidst the engravings, enchanted jewels glimmered like stars embedded within the metal, casting a mesmerizing radiance that danced in the ambient light. Small chains, delicate yet purposeful, adorned the breastplate, their presence a nod to both aesthetics and function. 

Collecting his resolve, Xie Lian drew in a steadying breath and shifted his attention to Hua Cheng's imposing long boots. With gentle yet purposeful movements, he skillfully removed the polyen and the greave, carefully unveiling the sleek, leather-clad lower extremities that lay beneath.

As the last pieces of protective armor were set aside, a sense of quiet accomplishment settled over the room. 

With a focused determination, Xie Lian delicately untied the ribbons that held the leather securely against Hua Cheng's thighs and calves. As each knot gave way, Xie Lian's composure began to waver, his heart racing with an intensity that echoed the flutter of a thousand wings. A flush of warmth crept up his cheeks, and he attempted to avert his gaze, to find solace in the sanctuary of elsewhere. Yet, despite his best efforts, his eyes remained steadfast, drawn to the vulnerable skin before him.

The boots were now tenderly removed, revealing the expanse of Hua Cheng's legs. In this moment, as his heart quickened and his gaze remained unwavering, Xie Lian stood there for a moment, grappling with his own flustered emotions.

He continued by gently removing Hua Cheng's vest, the fabric yielding under his touch as it was set aside. His fingers traced the path, lingering for a moment over the carved lines of the Guardian's form.

As he moved towards the shirt, Xie Lian held Hua Cheng's hands in his own, their fingers interlaced. The unbuttoning of sleeves was slow. Then the delicate hands moved. One by one, the buttons of the shirt gave way, revealing the expanse of Hua Cheng's bare skin. Xie Lian's fingertips brushed against the revealed body with a touch faint and featherlike.

The layers continued to yield as Xie Lian removed the inner flannel, exposing the extent of the Guardian's wounds. The magnitude of the injuries was unveiled, a testament to the trials that had been endured. Xie Lian's heart clenched at the sight.

However, the act of removing the shirt and flannel was not without its consequences. The fabric, sticky with fresh wounds, clung to the guardian's injuries, a painful reminder of the battle that had been waged. As Xie Lian carefully peeled away the fabric, the wounds responded, and fresh blood began to flow—an echo of the cost of duty, a poignant reminder that the act of healing often came with its own trials and tribulations.

The healer within Xie Lian took charge. His hands moved swiftly yet deftly, a symphony of care and precision unfolding as he tended to the wounded Winter Guardian. Prior to any further action, he meticulously disinfected and cleansed the wounds, a process that spoke of both expertise and compassion.

Gentle pressure was applied with a pristine white cloth, a gesture that stemmed the flow of blood, a testament to his skill in managing even the most delicate of situations. 

With the wounds now cleansed and the blood flow staunched, Xie Lian administered a series of carefully selected ailments, each one a reflection of his extensive knowledge and the reverence with which he approached his craft. The patches were meticulously applied, with tender gestures.

Xie Lian's hands skillfully unbuckled Hua Cheng's belt, and he carefully removed the pants, his eyes tightly shut as a shield against the intimate vulnerability that lay before him. The momentary respite from looking, however, was fleeting—soon, the necessity of his duties would require him to confront the reality that demanded his attention.

The healer reached for a cloth dampened with warm rose water and infused with healing herbs. Starting from Hua Cheng's face, he embarked on a journey downward, cleansing the man's skin of the traces of battle—blood, sweat, and mud. 

In his earnestness, his cleansing journey took him to unexpected places, and a moment of awkward curiosity overcame him as he gently probed the man's belly button. An immediate flush of embarrassment colored his face, a self-conscious realization that momentarily eclipsed his focus.

Venturing further, Xie Lian cleansed the wounds that marred the Guardian's abdomen and legs. A subtle tension danced in the air and despite his skilled actions, an undeniable shyness cast its veil over Xie Lian's demeanor. His touch was careful, his movements respectful, as he worked to avoid unnecessary contact with certain areas. The healer's gaze was cast downward and a soft blush adorned his cheeks.

Once the healing rituals were complete, a sense of relief settled over the room—a quiet exhalation that spoke of progress made and trust earned. Xie Lian draped a soft blanket over Hua Cheng, a gesture that blended practicality with comfort, ensuring that the guardian was cocooned in warmth and care.

By the cover of night, as the world outside slumbered, the healer remained a steadfast sentinel by Hua Cheng's side. Xie Lian continued his focused attention on tending to Hua Cheng's wounds, when a growing realization settled upon him—a sobering truth that cast a new light on the Winter Guardian's condition. 

With a furrowed brow and a deepening sense of concern, he observed the subtle tremors that coursed through Hua Cheng's form, the pallor that marred his skin, and the way his breathing seemed shallower, as if struggling against an invisible weight. The healer recognized the telltale signs of hypothermia that had taken hold. And he knew what he had to do.

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF S2 Ep 7

One more half left to go!

Previously on TGCF…

-He’s squeezing his fist tight 

-Honey, the reason he’s not demanding requital cause he knows you never meant to cut him with E Ming

-What’s wrong is both man and sword are still upset for that mistake

-E Ming: No let him pet me!

Hua Cheng: Leave it!  It’s fine

E Ming: No I’m not! *sobs more*

-*Hua Cheng smacks E Ming*

E Ming: OWWWIIIEE!

-Hey that’s sentient mystical weapon abuse! I’m filing!

-Hua Cheng:Because it’s always crying!

E Ming: Because you don’t want to be vulnerable in front of him!

Hua Cheng: Useless

E Ming: NO I’M NOT!  

-See, there’s the sensory overload I was talking about to me that would be pain in your ears

-He still has the dice!

-That explains a lot

-“Hello Again” HAAAAAAAAAH

-“Oh come on Hua Cheng, teleport into Heaven.  *Tosses out soggy carrot* Sweep him off his feet, carry him off in style.” - Little John, Robin Hood (1973)

-And then the brain cell starts getting tossed around like a volleyball

-Well you know as they say, Heaven’s got a lotta stuff, a pair of dice ain’t one of them.  Also, pair of dice = Paradise, props.

-It’s the transmutation technique from the Fullmetal Alchemist series

-And then Feng Xin literally just went, ‘YOINK!’

-It’s a four!

-In they go

-There go the eardrums

-Could’ve told ‘em that earlier Qingxuan

-And four is the Chinese number for ‘Death’

-When you accidentally stumble into the opposite gender’s gym locker in junior to high during a tournament

-Not in the sauna!

-Try a badger mole’s tunnel

-Still could’ve told ‘em that earlier

-Now Mu Qing rolled a four

-That hair flip Mu Qing just did

-What are you doin in my swamp?!

-Gator boys!

-That lizard just blasted off

-Hadouken

-They’re just tossing swamp water at each other, that’s mature

-And even the gator people got scared

-Literally all the junior officials sneaking into the telepathic matrix:  FIGHT!  FIGHT!  FIGHT!  FIGHT

-Also:

NAN YANG!  NAN YANG!  NAN YANG!

XUAN ZHEN!  XUAN ZHEN!  XUAN ZHEN!

-And every other official just started another betting pool

-Qingxuan’s the only sane god in this pickle

-Just imagine the Gaang rolling the dice

-Yeah that’s pretty

-A water droplet

-Hey no interrupting!

-The same dark sword

-He does

-His huge ass goddang sword

-Round 2!

-A sword fight that could have the energy of Sokka vs. Piandao

-Hua Cheng gasped!

-The wind

-“Forget the forgotten” what Jun Wu told him in Ep 1

-His eyes glowed

-Ruoye just evilly grinned

-A.  Yeah I was wrong on the fight comparison with the sword duel in Atla book 3

B.  THAT’S IT!!!

-He spared your life be grateful 

-“All’s fair in love and war.”  Was that one of Sun Tzu’s teachings?

-Like the Crimson Rain Sought Flower

-“The perfect being you crafted in your mind is only just that.”  Well that’s a good lesson because in reality nobody’s actually perfect.

-“I never was that person.  Believing I was will only disappoint you.” That last sentence is also great advice for how we revere certain famous people.

-That old conflict and prejudice

-Scapegoats are never good

-Thank you Mengyou

-Another genocide prevented

-Mengyou wants to move forward instead of staying in the past

-It’s official, Mengyou is the MVP of Season 2

-Power is also knowledge aside from duty.

-He smiled as Fang Xin

-Thank you Fang Xin and Mengyou

-He was a good ruler

-He lied!

-Why did he kill the previous king and queen of Yong’An

-Literally any of my TGCF OCs witnessing Xie Lian laughing and then crying: Is he ok?

Also I heard about Xie Lian being indecisive on laughing or crying and another TGCF OC will be like: Laugh or Cry?  Just pick one!

-Hua Cheng knows he is not ok

-It’s like a Matryoshka doll and a punching dummy had a small ancient Chinese uptight baby

-That 3D dice toss and teleportation

-A cave

-He took his sword

-There’s no where to hide

-The orcs from Tolkien’s fantasy novels

-He doesn’t have the will to fight

-Smurfs

-Ghost disguise Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are instant sketching inspiration!

-They look awesome!

-Qi Rong mention

-In other words, Qi Rong sticks a blue candle on all his ghost goons and calls it a day

-Dumb as a sack of stones

-He’s got fangs!

-Who’s he gonna meet?

5 episodes left! 2 more acts left in chapter 1 of The Scrap Immortal and the Avatar

[jimingyue]

translated my favorite scene from the revised ver of book 1 :3 qi rong's lair arc!

--

“Don’t chase him, give him some time to calm down. At this moment, he won’t listen to any reason.” Hua Cheng said.

It wasn’t that Xie Lian didn’t understand this. He stood there for awhile before calmly saying, “Why did you have to do this?”

Xie Lian felt a sudden burst of anger surge up. He didn’t even know who the anger was directed towards.

Hua Cheng reached out, seemingly wanting to put his hand on Xie Lian’s shoulder, but Xie Lian brushed him off, saying, “Before, he only hated me! If he hates me then he hates me, do you know how many people despise me? He’s far from the only one！Now everything’s great, he knows that the person that he so worked hard for was cursing him! Must he now believe that everything I’ve taught him was all fake, all in vain, all lies?”

Hua Cheng didn’t say anything. Xie Lian suddenly felt like he couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand anything, couldn’t stand how he had senselessly lost control, couldn’t stand how Hua Cheng was just quietly watching him. He covered his face. “You should leave.”

Hua Cheng didn’t move. Xie Lian clutched his head. “You should leave! Think of it as me begging you to leave, alright?”

Only then did Hua Cheng speak. “Alright.”

He seemed to disappear without a sound.

Xie Lian finally felt more at ease, but he didn’t know if there was anything else he could do. He harshly swept his arm out, wanting to release the ugly knot of emotions that had built up in his chest. However, a small golden object ended up flying out of his sleeve.

Watching it fly out of the entrance of the Royal Tomb and down the cliff, Xie Lian was alarmed. Silently crying out, ‘Oh no!’, Xie Lian didn’t think twice before reaching out and jumping down. Who knew, while he was in mid-air, a hand abruptly pulled him back. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Xie Lian saw who had arrived and blurted out, “San Lang, I lost the flower!”

Hua Cheng’s arm circled his waist. “If it’s lost it’s lost, it’s not like it was anything valuable.”

That speck of gold had already disappeared, but the grip on his waist grew tighter. Xie Lian fretted, “I can’t lose it, it was…”

It was the flower that Hua Cheng had won at the temple fair for him.

Xie Lian was anxious enough that his whole body had broken out in cold sweat, and his soul was pulled back into his body. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he didn’t know when Hua Cheng had actually left and then come back. Thinking about the nasty way he had treated Hua Cheng before, Xie Lian said blankly, “San Lang, you…didn’t leave.”

Hua Cheng was silent. Xie Lian thought about the undue words he had said to him and felt even more guilty, unable to say any more.

After awhile, Hua Cheng sighed delicately. “Since gege doesn’t want me, why would he want a flower that I gifted?”

Xie Lian immediately rebuked. “It’s not that I don’t want you! It’s absolutely not.”

“But gege just told me to leave.”

“…”

“It was like this before too. No matter how many times I called for you, you cast me aside and ran away.”

When he phrased it like this, Xie Lian thought that Hua Cheng must feel extremely wronged by him, and that he himself had gone way too far. He whispered, “I’m sorry…”

“I didn’t wish for His Highness to apologize to me.”

Particularly because of that, Xie Lian felt even more regretful. He sighed.

Hua Cheng said, “It was my fault.”

Xie Lian was shocked. “How is it your fault?”

Hua Cheng said, “I originally wanted to stay with gege until his injury had healed, and let Lang QianQiu come and find the Green Ghost. That worthless trash Qi Rong is unable to keep his cool, with some pushing and pulling he would’ve ended up revealing everything. But I didn’t expect gege to have a tracking talisman that led to Lang Qianqiu’s position, and even send you here as well. And now it’s become like this.”

Xie Lian sighed again. “What did you have to do with it? It was me who messed things up.”

Hua Cheng said, “It wasn’t your fault. If you hadn’t taken the blame, past and present grudges would’ve pushed the country into perpetual turmoil. One life in exchange for generations of peace, what wrongs did you commit? If it was me, I would’ve been far more ruthless. Listen to me, it wasn’t your fault.“

Xie Lian sat on the ground. After a long while, he finally whispered, “I just think, it shouldn’t have been like this.”

Hua Cheng listened quietly. Xie Lian muttered, “I just think, if someone were to extend their hand in kindness, it shouldn’t end in this way. I’m afraid he won’t be able to handle it, I’m afraid he’ll change. I just…”

He himself had already suffered this enough, and didn’t want others to go through the same.

As the State Preceptor FangXin, he had no past and no name, and taking responsibility for the Gilded Banquet Massacre would lead Lang QianQiu to believe that he had been betrayed by only a single person. But if the culprit was in fact the resentful spirits that Lang QianQiu had worked so hard to cleanse, then it would’ve been the ultimate disillusionment.

So when Qi Rong gave him that suggestion, Xie Lian could only heed his threat and pick up the sword to fight Lang QianQiu and provoke his unfettered retaliation.

However, Hua Cheng said, “But you can’t pull the wool over his eyes forever. He would’ve eventually seen the true nature of this world.”

He sat down next to Xie Lian. “Besides, if you truly value him this much, then why can’t you trust him?

Xie Lian lifted his face from his arms. Hua Cheng continued indifferently, “If he’s really the one that you’ve chosen, then he won’t lose himself to resentment. Even if he wished to destroy the whole world before, in the end he’ll still do what he must do.”

Xie Lian looked at him, then suddenly said, “I think you should still go.”

“Why?”

Xie Lian spoke without any rhyme or reason. “Actually…I’m a pestilence god. If you get close to me you’ll experience misfortune, so I think that it would be better if we didn’t remain friends.”

Hua Cheng looked at him and sighed. “Gege, you’re being silly.”

Xie Lian insisted. “Have you not noticed? Since we’ve gotten to know each other, you’re always bringing me good fortune, but I’ve been inflicting nothing but misfortune on you.”

“No.”

“I’m being serious, if we keep going on like this, I’m afraid that one day…”

All of a sudden, Hua Cheng gripped his hand hard. He said, almost tenderly, “Your Highness, it’s not your fault.”

He continued, “You’ve already tried your hardest. No one else is able to surpass you, I know this.”

Whether or not he was right, Xie Lian didn’t know. But he knew for a fact that no one had ever comforted him in such a warm and resolute way.

[femalefemur]

hua cheng move aside, i'm releasing 3001 lanterns for xie lian

[spockandawe]

I'm going to have full cohesive pitches for these books as individual experiences sometime soon, i swear, but since I 1) just finished rereading thousand autumns (first time where it wasn't a third mtl), 2) am rereading peerless for the first time in years, and 3) am reading sleuth of the ming dynasty for the first time ever, I've been thinking a LOT about meng xi shi as an author and trying to scrape together my thoughts. Because I think she's really stunningly good! She's one of those authors whose skill just SHINES through, even when a translation is weak, and that's always something so fascinating to me.

But at the same time, i have a harder time raving about her books than most of my other faves. Trying to pitch thousand autumns to friends was something I really struggled with! The other two are easier, by nature of their central dynamics, while yan wushi cranks this one up to nightmare difficulty mode. But I think that it also provides an example of what I might be having to recalibrate for.

Like, I'm an easy binch. If Hua Cheng is leaving a necklace for Xie Lian early on, or Luo Binghe is noticing Shen Qingqiu's leaves right at the beginning of their books, I'm hootin and hollerin, I'm drumming my heels on the floor. And Meng Xi Shi is NOT about that instant gratification lifestyle. We're not having dessert before dinner, and there is some INTRICATE plot shit happening in all these books that is not getting muscled aside for indulgent ship time.

I'm absolutely certain it's a conscious choice, and one i respect the hell out of, especially since all of these books have the characters woven in with actual historical figures, which always manages yo take me by surprise. I assume details like keeping a wholeass imperial prince secret until he's five are fictional embellishment, but... nope! Actual history! The SCOPE of these plots and the politics they all muck around with means that there are limits to how much an author could spend time on ship bait without trivializing the central conflict. As much as i enjoyed golden stage, i never cared about the politics. And not caring about the politics in meng xi shi's work would be jettisoning SO much nutritional content.

And, that's not to say that there's NOTHING indulgent for me in the earlier parts! Yan Wushi starts delightedly letting people assume he's plowing Shen Qiao as soon as they start traveling together, Feng Xiao spends the second mystery of Peerless totally disguised as Cui Buqu's wife and fighting with him as "this wife", and Sui Zhou and Tang Fan start straight-up cohabiting POSTHASTE. And then. Meng xi shi makes you wait for it.

This isn't bad! The delayed gratification is very GOOD! The tension is delectable. The feeling of 'oh come on now you're just dragging this out on purpose' is mitigated by having characters drag things out in character. Shen Qiao's sense of responsibility pulls him towards Yan Wushi, and then away from Yan Wushi (and yan wushi is also Helping sfhfgdf). Feng Xiao doesn't move THAT fast, but Cui Buqu will Literally Die before he'll admit he has tender feelings. And Tang Fan is textually scared to lose what he has platonically with Sui Zhou by stepping into unknown territory. I'm still howling OH COME ON, but it transmutes into something directed at the characters, not the author.

And the plots we're making space for like this are hefty bois. All of them have heavy political themes, where in my usual diet, i would reluctantly accept a little politics on the side in my ancient chinese fantasy meal. And each of these books has baited me further into caring about mundane politics 😂 In Thousand Autumns, it's very much a balance between lavishly described fantasy martial arts extravaganza and big politics enhanced by the martial arts extravaganza. Peerless, we're down one martial artist in the lead characters, so there's more non-fighting politics happening (and both characters are secret police commanders), but at least one of my boys floats around playing magic music on his guqin. Fourteenth Year Of Chenghua? Goddamn, I'm reading this thing and I'm in the THROES over ancient chinese imperial office politics, like oh noooo oh my god HOW COULD THEY DEMOTE HIM AT A TIME LIKE THIS, fffff, who can possibly intercede with the emepror now-- And i have NO idea how i reached this point, this is so funny to me.

I do think it says a lot for all three of these that they won me over so hard despite not being as tailored to my personal tastes as something like mxtx! I do love all them to pieces. But it's something like... Digging in at the earlier, slower stages of these books was a hell of a struggle. One that paid off, but i worry about people bouncing off them! Something I've said about thousand autumns (and will say again) is that it's a book that asks for a lot of trust from readers. Some of that is PURELY down to yan wushi, but the structure and pace doesn't make that easy. I do think that the trust is repaid by the end, at least in terms of my reading experience, but it makes me worry! I do want people to read these!

Actually that brings me to the last big strong point I want to mention before i get back to reading: the character writing. Because GODDAMN, the character writing. It both contributes to the slow start in these books, I think, but also MASSIVELY enriches the emotional payout as they progress.

Yan Wushi is one of the funniest, most obnoxious characters of all time! He's also cruel, demanding, and overbearing, and a strong, vivid personality like that takes real time and effort to develop. The beginning of the book looks like it could slip into misery porn + stockholm syndrome healing cock = i guess this is a healthy relationship now. And it doesn't! But it's hard to tell how it WILL go, and that makes it hard to commit to a tome like this. Feng Xiao is comparably obnoxious and hilarious, but Cui Buqu is closed up tight as a clam, and both of them deal in secrets professionally, it is HARD to start accessing any hints of emotional sincerity in either of them. And Tang Fan and Sui Zhou are both junior government officials, early in their careers in a volatile work environment, and they present in a pretty reserved, professional way at first, and the subtler/goofier character notes take time and intimacy to properly manifest. wang zhi on the other hand--

I recommend these books! I really recommend them! I don't want to be underwhelming people with 'oh, you won't like it at first, but JUST YOU WAIT.' Because I did like them at first. They didnt elevete me to the same flailing emotional THROES as some novels, but the quiet rich flavor of the relationships in these are FABULOUS. And the sheer scope of the plots she pulls off, I mean, holy shit. I'm not underwhelmed by these books at all, I'm more likely to get overwhelmed, there's a reason I've been savoring the latest reading experience. I like them a lot! I like meng xi shi as a lot! In the sliver of cnovels that I've sampled, her books are doing some really cool things i haven't seen anyone else pull off, especially with such aplomb. I didn't start out LOOKING for books like that, but I'm still really, really glad i found them, and I do highly recommend them, just in general. I'll figure out how to pitch them individually soon.

*holds probably over 1.5M words of meng xi shi tomes* I Just Think She's Neat

[zombubble]

Work-In-Progress Wednesday Thursday

In Memory; In Truth Chapter 08

Whoops!!! So Destiny released a new expansion and my boy Crow is front and center, so I got a bit distracted yesterday!!!

Still, I promised myself one snippet a week minimum and so I shall nonetheless deliver. My apologies for the lateness!!!!

Crawling through the underbrush, Wei Wuxian is looking for a tunnel at the base of a rock face when he feels a gentle tapping on his back. Something hard. Metal. No voices, but… He stands, looking around and he sees a sword hovering in front of him, its ice-clear blade shimmering in the dappled sunlight through the trees. “Bichen,” he says softly. The sword dips in the air as if bowing, before turning its blade to point out a direction. “Ah, found something, then.” Walking through the shrubbery he’d been exploring, Wei Wuxian mends his clothing as it’s torn so that when he emerges into a clear area, he looks as he had when he’d arrived. Bichen moves in front of him, though, and lowers itself until it’s a handsbreadth above the ground. Wei Wuxian laughs. “How courteous,” he says, mounting the blade. “Well then, take me to Hanguang-jun, if you will.” As if in a hurry, it launches forward, weaves gently between the trees and Wei Wuxian takes a breath. Sighs happily. Oh, he misses Suibian. Carrying a sword. He’s been offered several from Hua Cheng’s armory, but none have felt right. Not for anything beyond a sparring match. Maybe he’ll find Suibian while he’s down here. Get it back somehow. It must miss him, too, if it’s not mad at him for setting it aside. Bichen drops him off in a dense group of trees, their thick canopy allowing little light in. It comes to a stop before Lan Wangji, letting Wei Wuxian jump off of it before re-sheathing itself. “Incredible service, Hanguang-jun,” he says. “What’d you find?” Turning, Lan Wangji leads him just a bit further into the trees before pointing across a slightly-emptier patch of land, at a person slumped over on the ground.

Intrigue!!! Door-to-door blade service! Bichen being supportive!!! Wei Wuxian's still disguised but I wonder if Bichen recognizes him........

[one-flower-one-sword]

so aside from 2x02, 2x05 is so far my favorite ep from season 2, simply for the fact that we get to see Hua Cheng fight. in previous posts, I've already analysed scenes from the novel in regards to Hua Cheng fighting while blind on one side and the logistics of his disability in general, so now I want to try it with the donghua as well. caveat and disclaimer that while I am disabled myself, I am not so in regards to my vision, so everything I know comes from research I've done rather than personal experience. if anyone reads my analysis and feels like it's wrong or offensive, please do let me know and I will correct it.

I mentioned in previous posts (like this one) that there are several instances where Hua Cheng seems to deliberatley turn his blind side towards people and that the reasons for this vary depending on context. in 2x05, Hua Cheng starts off facing Xie Lian and the others directly after he stood up from where he'd been pushed to the floor by Xie Lian:

while he's talking to them about "Ming Yi" though, he starts walking off to the side while having his blind side facing them completely. here, it comes off as a power move - a way to convey "I don't feel the need to keep you in my line of sight at all since I don't consider you serious threats worthy of my attention", without having to say any of that out loud at all:

while the action is the same, the reasoning behind it as well as the way it comes across seems very different to when he has his blind side facing Xie Lian while he's with him in Paradise Manor's main hall in the previous eps:

Xie Lian sat down first, and then Hua Cheng chose to sit with his blind side facing him. like I've argued in previous posts, Hua Cheng seems to do this when he wants to hide his expression and thereby his emotions from others. in this case, I assume it's for the same reason he withdrew from Xie Lian's touch in the ox cart - he's afraid of getting too excited and making Xie Lian uncomfortable with it. of course, he does turn his head and look at Xie Lian several times during their conversation here, but the point is that this positioning gives him the option of hiding when he feels it necessary - like when he offered the dice for Xie Lian to keep and got adorably shy about it. because while on the one hand this was a strategic move to make the whole rescue "Ming Yi" thing work, it was also a genuine gift he was offering to his god:

back to 2x05 now with a brief word from our sponsors, Hua Cheng's beautiful fingers carressing that sword hilt:

ahem. moving right along

Hua Cheng has drawn E'ming now and this is where I get less coherent because ooohh oh wow look at this. first of I love how casually threatening this comes off. most importantly though please look at the way he's holding E'ming and how it's mirroring and accentuating the angle he's standing at, the positioning of his arms, and the direction his gaze is pointed at. beautiful and deadly, no notes

then Xie Lian starts talking to him again about how he understands now that the fault lies with them but to please make an exception and show mercy, to which Hua Cheng replies in this regretful but resolute tone that there are some things one shouldn't get overly involved in. he's stopped pointing E'ming at them and switched it from his right to his left hand. but his stance has been made clear, underlined by the fact that he's now switched to facing them with his seeing side - he won't just let them leave. since Xie Lian is there, he seems wary about being the one to attack first though. this is speculation, but I assume He Xuan understands why Hua Cheng would rather be on the defensive than the offensive in this situation, hence why he twitches his hand here to remind Shi Qingxuan of his presence and his injured state and spur him into action:

now we've arrived at the parts that really got my heart racing. I'm sorry I'm just like Xie Lian in that regard - I love Hua Cheng and Iove swords and sword fighting. or in this case, fan fighting:

the way he effortlessly snatches that fan out of the air is so smooth and badass. also the way he's holding E'ming behind his back and the scimitar again mirroring the line of his body... *dreamy sigh*

his fighting here gives a nice glimpse into that "arrogant, rebellious confidence" that Xie Lian is going to feel so weak-kneed over in the future. it's also proof of Hua Cheng's skill - he had to make this look real and convincing while also making sure his attacks were of a nature that the others could defend against without too much trouble. while I assume that in the name of authenticity, it would have been okay if Shi Qingxuan and "Ming Yi" got hurt, the same does not go for Xie Lian - hence how broken up and angry at himself Hua Cheng is when that does happen in the end. I could also see him choosing that fan in particular because he knows Lang Qianqiu is on the way and knows his sword can neutralize that fan - and if he's facing off against Lang Qianqiu, that means Xie Lian will be out of the line of fire.

I've hit image limit on this post, so we'll continue in part 2!

[princessofxianle]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

well THANK YOU for asking, you are the first to!

tbh ive been meaning to do this on my main blog bc I take these wayyy too seriously lol but ANYWAY heres my top 10 faves (in no particular order) that I can think of (tbh theres prob more i forgot about, or i wanted to keep only 1 per fandom... except tgcf)

Huge Spoiler Warning: for ALL of tgcf, 2ha, aot, AND JJK MANGA!!!

1. Feng Xin (tgcf)

do i even need to explain this one? loyal to a fault, just a cute lil puppy, one hell of a sculpted archers back, and he's head over heels in love with Xie Lian (but tbh same) i have a lot of thoughts about him on a daily basis on this blog (and also theres the #fx backstory au tag)

2. Noé Archiviste (the Case Study of Vanitas)

MY BABY

the absolute bestest boy of EVER... with a LOAD of unprocessed trauma (yknow the typical stuff like seeing your childhood bff get decapitated in front of you) and a lot more to come once we find out how he kills his boyfriend best friend, Vanitas...

i ALSO think about him a lot but over on @noes-pillow

3. Sejanus Plinth (The Hunger Games: tbosas)

hated reading as a child... HATED it... picked up the og trilogy when i was 12 and i was a goner. The funny thing is i still hated reading for YEARS up until i picked up the prequel novel then in 2020, and now ive read all of tgcf, 2ha, and more fanfic than i could ever imagine... all because this stupid boy (i love him) chose to trust the WORST person as his friend, rip sejanus my baby

the movie is v good btw, if you havent seen it you should

4. Xie Lian (tgcf)

*Taizi Dianxia Fang Xin Guoshi General Hua Xie Lian*

how this man survived 800 years of being physically unable to die and never went insane is a mystery i will never be able to fully comprehend (aaand im in love with him... hmm i wonder why...)

5. Mihael "Mello" Keehl (Death Note)

the chocolate-addicted blonde boi that was my first anime crush... by proxy I must also add Mail "Matt" Jeevas because they are a package deal

these two are also the reason i started writing fanfic so they will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart

6. Xue Meng - (2ha)

*sigh* he's just everyone's fav peacock (yes technically the image is XM 0.5 but he had a cool ass bird so im using this photo bc its COOL anyway...) mengmeng is another one of my trauma bois who has lost next to everything and yet is STILL kicking ass and taking names #thatsmyfuckingsectleader so proud of you my son

also this might get me into hot water here but imma go ahead and say it...

this is what i wanted Jiang Cheng to be... (i LOVE my angy grape but...) through thick and thin, despite EVERYTHING, and even mo ran fucking abandoning him he will still call mo ran his "ge"...

fgjhdfhfdg THEYRE BROTHERS, OKAY???

7. Howl Pendragon (Howl's Moving Castle)

ok this one i just simply do not need to explain... if you think i do, go watch this whole movie and then there ya go thats your answer...

GENDER

8. River Song (Doctor Who)

aside from being the character that unlocked my unhealthy obsession with :) Main Character Death :) at the ripe ol' age of 8 YEARS (although Will Turner from POTC also helped on that front... Orlando Bloom my beloved) River's story was a stroke of absolute GENIUS from start to finish and i simply love how Alex Kingston played her...

"You don't expect a sunset to admire you back."

I just love the doomed ones, okay...

9. Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

look... theres *gojo girlies* uwu and then theres GOJO GIRLIES... i couldn't give 2 shits about how he's fan-serviced (tho im not complaining) but have you SEEN the amount of grief pumped into that man? he could explode in a fit of fucking insanity at literally any moment and take the whole goddamn world down with him bc what happened with suguru WASNT FAIR to him and satoru has more than enough power to go apeshit... but he DOESN'T... even after losing so many of his co-sorcerers... he still puts on a brave face to the end in order to protect the childhood of his students even tho his own youth was stolen from him during hidden inventory...

SEE? The DOOMED ones!

10. Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)

i read the manga during my last year of uni and when i tell you i SOBBED at the end... yes ofc for obvious reasons, but mostly bc my little Levi loses EVERYTHING. He is the SOLE survivor of the veteran scouts. He's missing multiple fingers, an eye, and the ability to walk. He was the strongest (yowaimo) but wasn't even granted the mercy to die at the end of his narrative! Broke my fucking heart.

BONUS: Morph (Treasure Planet)

he's a morph!!! nuff said <3

fin

[crowning-art]

TGCF SPOILERS

____________________________________________

I AM OBSESSED! I LOVE LOVE LOVE HUA CHENG AND GOUSHI'S DYNAMIC! lmao of all the relationships I expected to love, this random, borderline in-law duo has got to be my fave!

Thus, Hua Cheng went forward, and held onto Guoshi's arm as if he was assisting an elderly senior. "Guoshi, sir, please. Watch your step."

Guoshi turned his head and saw the one assisting him wasn't Xie Lian, and knitted his brows.

"Huh? Why is it you?"

Xie Lian guessed that Hua Cheng was worried it might not be convenient for Xie Lian to take another person along. Also, Hua Cheng wanted, for the sake of some particular goal, to show himself off a little in front of the elder, to demonstrate some attentive diligence, which was why he offered to take over.

Seeing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but puff a laugh, hiding it with a light cough. "San Lang said very sincerely that he wanted to assist you, so I…"

As for Hua Cheng, he said, with a smile covering his face, "Does it matter if it's me or gege?

Besides, I respect you very much, sir, so of course I don't mind assisting, this is nothing."

Guoshi was speechless for a moment, then said, "If you really do respect me, then put away that fake smile on your face. That fakeness really is too much…"

Hua Cheng immediately put that smile away. "Oh."

I am so worried. The one time the snake eyes show up on the dice is probably gonna be the first and last time...and also the worst time

I KNEW MU QING WAS SUS!! I KNEW IT!! I CALLED IT! HE IS FAKE FOR SURE!

Hmmmm Feng Xin....I dunno....it seems kinda ✨️interesting✨️ how you can tell the body of your "enemy" from just his shadow 🤔 😏

Feng Xin enunciated, “It was precisely because the Heavenly Capital was ablaze, and there was firelight all over the ground. It reflected the shadow of that person behind me. Even though I didn’t get the chance to look back, when I fell, I saw the shape of that shadow and the attack move. It was your shadow!”

SO CUTE!! Rouye is #1 hualian stan and cutest cutie in the world

He steadied himself, and speechlessly picked up Ruoye, muttering at it, “You little traitor…”

Ruoye was wisely playing dead, laying unmoving. Xie Lian didn’t want to say any more to it either and threw it aside.

Lmao the way Fengqing had to constantly remind Xie Lian to not 'lose his marbles' every time he sees Hua Cheng and Xie Lian proceeds to do EXACTLY that lmaoooo

MU QING HAS A CURSED SHACKLE??? DUDE I AM SO SHOCKED THOOO FOR WHAT???? Also ugh so utterly disgusted with Jun Wu like excuse me??? What did u ask Mu Qing to do to Xie Lian that was so vile???? I am gonna slaughter Jun Wu myself rn

Equally sus of Mu Qing to go out of his way to save his "enemy" mmmmmm smt is up

who is real? Damn...imagine if they are all real and I'm just thinking they were fake and confused.

I get it, and especially because to cope with the trauma, Xie Lian either avoids it or jokes about it and ya...Hua Cheng baby boi has every right to be mad :(

Hua Cheng’s expression was terrifyingly dark, and he squeezed harder. “How did you plan on defending yourself? Put your sword down!”

This was the first time Hua Cheng had ever spoken to Xie Lian with this kind of expression and tone, and Xie Lian was completely taken aback.

Another one for the non-existent bingo I have made for tgcf, this time it's everyone surfing??? On corpses???

The three rode the mutants and flowed down with the current. As if they were rafting, the further down the stream they went, the steeper the hills became, and the faster the speed.

THIS HIT HARD OH MY GOD

“…BELIEVE ME! YOUR HIGHNESS, YOU KNOW I WASN’T LYING, DON’T YOU? YOU KNOW I WOULDN’T HAVE REALLY HARMED ANY OF YOU, RIGHT??”

“…”

The way he was begging Xie Lian, so full of hope, like he was hanging on to the last thread of his life, suddenly made Xie Lian remember another scene from another time. That time, when dusk was falling, many, many years ago, when he too begged Mu Qing with the same desperate hope—

“You know I wasn’t lying, right?”

How had Mu Qing answered him back then?

RELATIONSHIP GOALS FOR REAL THOO T-T GET U A MAN LIKE HUA CHENG AND NOTHING LESS

“But, only His Highness can decide on whatever he chooses. I will never oppose his decisions.”

I. AM. LOSING. MY. MIND.

Mu Qing had thought Xie Lian’s silence was him hesitating on whether or not to save him, but turns out Xie Lian was instead trying to think of how to save him. And thank goodness that Xie Lian could still think with such a clear head in such a dire situation.

The beads of sweat on his forehead were rolling thicker.

The moment he looked up, Xie Lian had extended a hand to him, smiling. “In any case, although a little late, this hand isn’t extended too late, right?”

YO DONT EVEN GET IT!! THIS IS BASICALLY EXACTLY LIKE THE BAMBOO HAT SITUATION AND I AM CRYING IN THE CLUB RN!! HE NEEDED ONE PERSON AND MU QING NEEDED ONE PERSON AND ALL IT EVER TAKES IS ONE PERSON! I LITERALLY CANNOT RN

Hua Cheng JUMPED AGAIN??? DJDJFJJFJF OH BOI WHERE IS THIS GOING NOW

[intertexts-moving]

wenzhou aside, ive havent really looked at hua cheng and his "take my ashes 1 day into our aquiantances" move like this before. tbh, ive never really liked this trope, i think its overdone (its done sooo often in hetero media!!!!! why!!!!) and i was kind of prejudiced when it popped up in tgcf. after rereading that scene and understanding their dynamic a little better, it didnt seem as outrageous and exaggerated anymore, but i still... couldnt really understand it. but i like how youve explained it. hua cheng is entrusting xie lian with his heart, without expecting anything in return, without telling him what it means, without wanting to put pressure on him, because xie lian, to him, has always been the safest place in the world. i like how he does this after they have that important identity reveal conversation, its incredibly romantic and sweet

hhgbkggghh hualian.. idk idk idk something about the... god how do i put this. the trope of. the kind of huge vulnerability that's not even framed as such because of the inherent trust that it'll be safe with them? iykwim? that gets me every fucking time both here & w/ wenzhou... & also YEAH what u said abt. entrusting him with it without putting pressure on him. bad at words today but. its everything to me.. tgcf is full of that shit imo there's so many parts that just read as like. tacky and exaggerated as fuck until you reread them & figure out the context a little bit n go oh. OH. idk it IS a cheesy hetero trope but it works so so well in context here i think bc like. that's hua cheng's whole deal!! & it's not empty or overexaggerated b/c he's backed it up with eight hundred years of devotion.. all of the stupid big gestures in tgcf good because they're in keeping w/ the scale of the narrative itself. ok ok i'm getting entirely sidetracked oops. sorry. absolutely incoherent answer i'm melty brained today. anyway. yeah!!!!!!