#qiutong

[blazingsun-481-insta]

Sunjing x qiutong

[t-taxiansgf]

New cover reveal! ✨ THE HUSKY AND HIS WHITE CAT SHIZUN: ERHA HE TA DE BAI MAO SHIZUN (NOVEL) Vol. 5, out in English print/digital in April!

[thegreymoon]

Mo Ran is so gay it isn't even funny.

Now, this is just my opinion and I realise other people have their own interpretations, but this whole episode is super telling to me of just how unreliable his narration is about having tons and tons of sex with people of both genders in his previous lifetime. He's just so... oblivious. None of this reads as a man with a lot of previous experience with many different people. He did not pick up on her flirting with him at all. Sure, he did have a lot of insane sex in his past life, but as the book unfolds, it becomes very clear that most of that sex was with Chu Wanning. At best, there were only a handful of other people he was involved with, and one was a prostitute he was paying, while the other was his wife whose relationship with him was also transactional.

I know people argue that he is bisexual because he married Song Qiutong, but when we actually get her POV on their marriage, it turns out that they had unenjoyable sex only a handful of times, at least one of which was him taking her from behind and very much imagining that it was Chu Wanning in her place. There are plenty of gay men who end up married to straight women (and vice versa) for whatever reasons and none of this makes them any less gay. He also identifies as a 'cut-sleeve' himself at one point, so he doesn't seem at all confused about his sexual attraction to men. Later on, when we finally get his unaltered POV on his life in the brothel, it comes out that he considered the girls there as sisters at best, never as sexual partners. The only other named sexual partner is Rong Jiu, who is male, and I can buy that there were possibly other people who looked like Shi Mei that he was with under the influence of the cursed love spell, but there was never any real attraction there, which is why some argue that he is attracted only to Chu Wanning and would still be attracted to him regardless of gender.

But I think that this is also not true. He definitely was obsessed with Chu Wanning from an early age, which makes it hard to see what his preferences would have been if Chu Wanning wasn't in the picture, but that chapter when he finally realises his feelings also reveals that he does have a type, which he never dared to think about before because he thought he was unworthy of having a choice. However, Chu Wanning fits this type to a tee, so it's easy to run away with the idea that he is shizunsexual and that Mo Ran's attraction begins and ends with him.

With that said, we do get confirmation later on that he does find other men attractive, in particular, Jiang Xi. It's just that he never has the space or the inclination to do anything about it because of his preoccupation with Chu Wanning. In the extras, when Mo Ran misunderstands Xue Men's relationship with Jiang Xi and thinks they are having a love affair, in his unfiltered Taxian-jun state, he is full of approval because he personally finds these powerful, beautiful, prickly, emotionally unavailable older men to be the height of attractiveness. If Chu Wanning hadn't been in the picture, Mo Ran would have definitely been attracted to Jiang Xi or someone similar. Even Ye Wangxi, whom he also fixates on, fits this type (except for the older man bit because I understood her to be only a few years older than Mo Ran). The fact that she turns out to be a woman also cannot be used as an argument for Mo Ran's bisexuality because she very much presents as a man throughout the book (but whether or not she actually identifies as one is debatable).

In short, Mo Ran does have a type of man he is attracted to and it is definitely men that he likes, regardless of his few dubious and very unsatisfying dalliances with women. While Chu Wanning definitely fits this type of ideal man, there are other men out there whom Mo Ran finds attractive too, it's just that he is too unhinged about Chu Wanning to actually do anything about it. Also, I very much doubt that Mo Ran was nearly as promiscuous as he makes himself out to be because he reads as very oblivious when it comes to sexual relationships in general. Even with Chu Wanning, who was right there and about to pass away from sheer horniness that he couldn't even begin to disguise, Mo Ran was still going, "Shizun is so pure and virtuous!" 🙄

(I'm not going to get into the whole Shi Mei situation and how badly he misread him every step of the way too, but that is because his brain was so badly mangled by him that he really stood no chance on that front until it was entirely too late.)

[cw9sq]

Drafts for today

[makedonsgriva]

Finished Erha volume 2

Thoughts so far:

1. Mo Ran has finally started to grow on me. He still does annoy me sometimes but he showed some character growth in the latter half of the book. I enjoyed his mellow interactions with Chu Wanning, now that he is not completely blinded by hatred and has something else going on in his brain. Still not my favorite tho

2. I will DIE for Chu Wanning. I’m not even kidding. I will kill myself on the spot if it takes away his suffering and pain because he DESERVES it. He is so precious to me. He is such a sweet and kind person under his cold exterior like I genuinely adore him so much he is so so important to me my baby😭❤️

3. I wish I got more Xue Meng he is so adorable. Also I love his dad sm he is so awesome. Shi Mei still sucks ass btw idk why his kindness does not feel genuine. His entire personality seems fabricated to me and I just can’t get myself to like him.

4. Love some of the new characters introduced in this book. I really like Ye Wangxi and I am excited to see how Song Qiutong’s story will progress in this world because she seems like a very interesting character to me

5. I really liked the Peach Blossom Springs Arc and Mo Ran’s growth in it and particularly his relationship with Xia Sini. It also tore my heart to pieces with Chu Xun’s story and made me sob for a good twenty minutes.

6. Bugui’s name made me feel a lot of things.

7. Chu Wanning’s last words to Mo Ran in his previous life made me want to crush my head against a wall and bleed to death right then and there

Moving on to third book now! I’ve started enjoying Erha quite a bit by now and I’m excited to see where it’ll go from here !

[web-novel-polls]

WN Women Bonus Polls #5: Other Danmei

[Propaganda below] - Major Spoilers Warning!

Baili Qingmiao from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission: Her character arc is so good and im so proud of her 🥹 

Additional Propaganda: Baili Qingmiao's story is about breaking out of cycles that trap us in toxic situations. She is the last primordial goddess going through her tribulation, but some asshole thought he'd interfere making him her tribulation. She just wants to help people, but she can't escape her attachment until a bunch of demonic cultivators form a community around her and help her conquer the part of her is sabotaging her and the rest of the world.

DVAWTK Carrd Link 

Bai Rong from Thousand Autumns

Submission: She's funny, pretty, and goes through a great character arc. 

Chu Yue from Global Examination / GUEE / QQGK

Submission: She is the best friend anyone could ever have, and she is compassionate and kind despite the horrible things she's had to endure. She's a vital part in taking down The System (TM). 

Hua Xiangyi from Qiang Jin Jiu

Submission: Surprisingly skillful player in a complicated political arena. Her love interest is her stepdaughter (same age as her). 

Murong Mengze from Yuwu / Remnants of Filth

Submission: 

Okay, this is a tricky one. Major spoilers ahead. Murong Mengze was born biologically male but raised as a woman for her protection by her mother, who used medicine to make Mengze appear female. For most of the novel, Murong Mengze has a female identity and is referred to with female pronouns. At the end of the novel, it seems she is set to reveal herself as a man after taking control of Chonghua, and the narration refers to her with male pronouns at the very end. We don't actually see her unveil herself as a man, though. I'd say that she counts as a transgender woman, but it's okay to disqualify her. Anyway, the real propaganda is that she is an excellent puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the scenes without anyone realizing for a very long time. She controls the kingdom of Chonghua at the end of the novel. 

Wiki Link

Qiu Congxue from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission 1: I haven't finished reading this book yet but Qiu Congxue is just the funniest character to me. her immediate suggestion to any problem is horrific, traumatizing violence and is confused by how this might be inappropriate or undesirable for some people. ultimate problem causer without realizing she might be causing problems. a genius to herself and no one else. she let her body be eaten by hungry ghosts for her cultivation. head intact, body skeletal and she likes it that way. when asked what she should do to interfere with the enemy while undercover in their territory, her sect leader and our protagonist Wenren E replied that her mere presence is enough interference in itself. my stupid queen <3

Submission 2: Skeleton lady full of ghosts (literally). 

DVAWTK Carrd Link

Qi Zhuyin from Qiang Jin Jiu

Submission: Female general in love with her stepmother. Known as the Wind Guiding the Scorching Plains.

Wiki Link

Shu Yanyan from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission: Aroallo queen <3 

DVAWTK Carrd 

Song Qiutong from The Husky and His White Cat Shizun / 2ha

Submission: I just think it would be funny to have her here.

Ye Wangxi from The Husky and His White Cat Shizun / 2ha

“Among the 72 glorious cities of Rufeng Sect, there is not even one man.” - Ye Wangxi, The Husky and His White Cat Shizun, Chapter 215 (Wiki)

Submission: Righteous, dignified, loyal, brave, etc.

Mod Propaganda: The “last gentleman” in Rufeng Sect, according to Taxian-jun, who she fought to the end in the first timeline when the Rufeng Sect leaders had already bailed 

[yeyayeya]

I am so obsessed with Ye Wangxi it is not even funny

I was waiting for the side character to obsess over once I started reading 2HA, and once Ye Wangxi appeared it was all over

Please tell me I get to see Ye Wangxi again in the future (this is to those people that have read 2HA). I want to so badly search up and reblog fanart but I don’t want to get spoiled ugh

[angieloveshua]

These are the illustrations of the second English volume of 2ha!

[ihavedonenothingright]

If I had a nickel for every character in a book I've read who:

speaks bluntly

is exiled from home

wards off sexual advances with violence

becomes an enemy of the state

believes they're unworthy of love

is kind of a daoist

has at least one somewhat problematic romantic relationship

keeps trying to help this dude who hates them

occasionally wants to stab said dude (violent)

occasionally wants to stab said dude (sexual)

is constantly surrounded by eerie and symbolic foreshadowing

blames themselves for everything

would like to pretend they don't experience emotions

dies in a tragic and (implied to be) suicidal way

and:

would be diagnosed with autism under different circumstances

... I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but is enough to make me examine my preferences in fiction.

[gaywarcriminals]

My litmus test for 2HA fans is how they feel about Song Qiutong

[nacrelysis]

devilsoupe's characterization of shi mei in to love without consuming is absolutely fabulous because i didn't realize how funny shi mei could be when he's not masking.

but it's also devastating because at that means that this is how shi mei would have been able to live had he just had someone he could confide in. shi mei didn't have to live in disgust and fear, feeling increasingly cornered with the only tools his mother left him before dying in the same grotesque, tragic way that every butterfly boned beauty had. and will. and will. unless he does something.

there are a lot of circumstances affecting this. i still don't quite like hua bin'an. but thinking about it, the one difference that stands out the most to me in that canon divergence is this:

chu wanning knew.

xue zhengyong knew.

sisheng peak knew.

and of these people who did know, they chose to reach out. they chose to defy tianyin pavilion's "will of heaven" because heaven has got to be bullshit if it really does excuse the genocide and rape and trafficking of an entire fucking species.

they chose to help shi mei. and the thing is, the thing is, in canon, they probably would have too.

we can't blame shi mei for never telling them, not when we know how afraid he must have been.

but at the same time - oh. shi mei did not have to be alone in this world. shi mei did not have to slowly and increasingly chip away at his own morality, despite being a doctor, despite wanting to help people, because he could have had a choice.

he could have had a choice.

it didn't have to turn out the way it did.

but everyone in erha is a product of their circumstances and the abuse they have gone through, and isn't that the message? things could have been different - but the world has hurt itself for so long that these people have forgotten they could have been different at all.

[shen-daozhang]

ooh i saw your tags in the post about ppl hating female characters for the same things they love about male characters, and i thought about sqt vs jgy, so i wonder what you think about both of them! (if you feel like answering! it's not like a 1:1 comparison)

*vibrating* Yea I like those characters a normal amount why do you ask!! (Also I had a super busy week at work and I kept thinking about this ask and monologuing about it in my head, so thank you for the enrichment in my enclosure)

(very messy thoughts incoming!)

Ngl, I never considered how they are similar until this ask, and there are a lot of ways that they are! A background that includes abuse, being seen as less-than for the circumstances of their birth (SQT as a Butterfly Boned Beauty Feast, JGY as an illegitimate son of a sex worker), both gravitate towards powerful men to protect themselves, both are navigating the confines of society trying to move upwards, again, in order to protect themselves. Also both use torture (or at least the 0.5 timeline SQT does)! So that's a fun little similarity.

Now, a big difference is there is the element of revenge in JGY's actions on top of the base need to survive (and a desire to thrive in a world that looks down on you), and I think considering his intelligence he would have gotten away with his plans if not for the completely buckwild re-introduction of WWX back into the plot after his death. I personally think SQT is just focused on survival, and even when she is cruel to Chu Wanning in the 0.5 timeline, I believe she does so because considering TXJ's own treatment of CWN she thinks that is want he wants, and doing so will improve her standing with him (which, sidebar, I am always floored by people who hate on SQT for hurting CWN while they woobify TXJ). Her accusation of Ye Wangxi is only done in an attempt to survive, and I think should be viewed in the lens of the danger that Mo Ran's planted evidence places her in - she's a known Beauty Feast and you know in the world of Erha the second she is out from the protection of Nangong Si her life is likely literally over.

SQT is also just not as smart as JGY, which isn't a slight towards her, JGY is obviously brilliant on many fronts. But I think there is an element of SQT batting above her level, and that leads to her downfall in both timelines. Another glaring similarity is the fandom reaction to them and their actions being a smidge... shall I kick the hornets nest and say hypocritical especially when compared to the actions of the main character? Or other characters in the story who get woobified? (I will also throw Ye Bingchang from Till the End of the Moon into this category). At the end of the day, they are people who are just trying to survive in a deeply messed up world in the only way they know how. Now! Are they both innocent of any wrong-doing because of this? Of course not! That's what makes them interesting and why I gravitate towards these types of characters. The TL;DR: of this is essentially, "people doing fucked up stuff to survive in a world where you have to do fucked up things to survive? It's more likely than you think!"

I will say the fandom's feelings towards JGY has chilled a bit lately, but people were nasty towards him back in the day. Unfortunately, people still are towards SQT and I don't see that changing. I actually ended up including her in my 0.5 fic because I was tired of seeing fics that she either didn't appear at all OR was killed off in a way that was obviously done with malice on behalf of the author. Now she uh doesn't meet a happy end in either of my fics where she features but she's actually a character I really enjoyed writing, and I hope I did it with some sense of sympathy.

There was more I wanted to say but this is already long so I shall post this before it withers further in my drafts! <3

Also gonna link my own fics in case anyone is curious since I mentioned them. SQT appears as a character in this one here - my take on "hanahaki but worse" which has a sad ending - and her death is an inciting incident in this one, an AU where Chu Wanning is the one who got the flower and has become a zealot trying to cleanse the cultivation world (a WIP but I will finish it!).

[tsundere-therapist]

oh my god oh my god song qiutong.. my baby my baby… the way that she lives in this world out to get her where people either want to cannibalize or rape her or don’t see her as a person, and so few people want to help her.. I interpreted her as someone who’s pretty much always scared and in survival mode that’s why she’s always moving on to a bigger fish even after ye wangxi saved her cause she knows without protection she really will die and she wants the most possible protection and status even if the men she gets it from are horrible and treat her badly because almost everyone really is out to get her and she knows it and I feel like the things she does in fear are moralized and judged by the narrative and she always always dies… she always does so horribly…. oh my scared prey eyes rabbit baby girl… boiled in oil burned alive… my baby my baby……

[thegreymoon]

Oof, I am now reading that first confrontation between Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si at the inn 😑😑 Nangong Si never grew on me and I'm now remembering why. Ye Wangxi deserved better than him. Hell, even Song Qiutong deserved better than him, what with him calling her "it" and a "thing" and sniffing her like an animal. I can't do het ships with toxic, condescending men being shitty to their love interests and Nangong Si is a prime example of one. Unpopular opinion on his death, but at the time, I mostly felt relief that his dog had survived. Naobaijin is the best boy 🐺 His master... not so much.

[makedonsgriva]

Erha volume 4 finished.

Thoughts so far:

1. In love with Mo Ran’s character development. He went from being the biggest asshole I was itching to punch to a man who is trying everyday to be better and do better. He went from being a selfish, self absorbed piece of trash to someone who cares so much about others. In some ways, he now reminds me of Damen from Captive Prince and considering how much I love Damen… yeah. I really loved how Mo Ran grew over the course of volume 3 and 4.

2. Chu Wanning is still my favorite, precious most pathetic meow meow. Loved how after waking up after five years and coming back to life the only thing that has been on his mind is dick. He came back sluttier and I’m living for it.

3. Xue Meng just keeps me making fall in love with him over and over. Those dolls?? That was the most adorable thing he could have ever done. Also now that Mo Ran is not blinded by his obsession, Shi Mei is finally growing on me. Like I’m finally seeing a more real and authentic side of him ? I like this version of him way more than what I was seeing through Mo Ran’s rose coloured glasses.

4. I’m super curious about Nangong Si and Ye Wangxi’s past. Is YWX in love with NGS? Is he in love with Song Qiutong? Should they all date each other? Stay tuned to find out.

5. Plot wise, this volume did not have any major arcs and it was mostly very soft and sweet showing great development in the characters and perhaps that is why it has become my favorite. I simply can’t have enough of a reformed Mo Ran treating Chu Wanning with utmost respect and love.

6. I would once more like to highlight this paragraph because I keep reading it over and over and it never fails to make my heart melt and drive me to tears:

“Time marched on. And I, due to remorse, or perhaps something else—

I couldn’t see you, but always I thought what you would do if you were here; what would make you smile, what would make you mad. I thought about you before doing anything, tried to make you proud with everything that I did. I thought, “If you were here, and I did this, would you nod? Would you be willing to praise me a little, say I did okay?”

Day after day I thought about this, until it had permeated my very bones, become second nature. That’s why, as time went on, I never even realized—

That as the days had passed, I’d grown into the you I held in my heart.”

I swear this volume had some of the most romantic lines I’ve ever read. There are so many paragraphs I’ve marked. One more that I can’t stop thinking about is this:

“I, full of sin and returned from the dead, with these blood-covered hands from my past life, lift up this bowl of warm, rich soup in this one. I would kneel in repentance for the rest of my life, I would go willingly to hell thereafter, if only you would deign to share a taste of it with me.”

Like I just love how Mo Ran calls himself a crude and uneducated person all the time and can’t put his feelings into words very eloquently but then he thinks of shit like this and it just gags me and leaves me gasping for air. Beautiful.

[theinkgirl]

i’m soooo interested in whatever is going on the rufeng sect main family. prince ‘i have to run away from home because i cannot bear to live with my (gender redacted) one-sided rival whose fighting style seamlessly complements mine because my father thinks they’re too cool’ and (gender redacted) ex-spy whose fighting style seamlessly complements your boss’s kid and with whom your boss wants you to be close and you’d sacrifice your home and your whole deal to get this guy who doesn’t like you back to his home, AND the former slave you rescued from death and degradation who dropped you to pull the prince away from the home and path you’re giving up your whole deal to put him back on (who—if I had my druthers—may be a time-traveler playing a long game to rid the world of her evil ex-husband and the prince may be her stepping stone to do that)