#this is somewhat how I see XL viewing HC

[shadowgale96]

Xie Lian about Hua Cheng probably

[revel-inbluehues]

Okay, too much to say, too little words.

Firstly, characters. Qi Rong's character design caught me very off guard, but it fit him perfectly. His robes are so different from everyone else; the brightly coloured stripes along the lining of his coat, the fur, the skull motifs, and the purple crystals are all setting him apart from most of the characters that tended to stick to geometric shapes, blocks of colour and a solid colour pallette (I know he's primarily green-coded but he has so many different colours overall). It's all VERY flamboyant, especially the bright cyan mask, which is fair for a guy who thinks himself above most and wants to stand out among and atop others. Also, the lavender lipstick killed me. I could go on about Qi Rong's character for a while, so I won't. The design fits, and I love it.

Also, XL looks fantastic in the new outfit, no, I will not be taking objections.

HC, of course, is the other main player in this episode; in the beginning, he was clearly enjoying the time he was having with XL, but with the full awareness of needing to deal with QR. By the end, he is enjoying the beating he's beginning to give, a sadistic glee in punishment, a complete contrast to the fairly tame way he's been presented so far, and it's made more effective by the fact that he was in the form of San Lang. Once again, I'm praising the donghua animators for the expressions. The use of shadows to obscure and/or highlight his face was great. We all know HC is ready to beat everyone there.

The other thing is the music. QR clearly has something of a leitmotif here. When entering the cave in the beginning and QR's appearance, it's a very similar rhythm that's playing. It's goofy at some parts while being somewhat ominous in others, again a good reflection QR. But the big point is the music that played in between these events, where we see XL being called a plague god, and it dwarfs QR's theme in terms of levels of ominous and worry. It's a good contrast between XL and QR; while QR's theme is more personal, XL's moment had a more grander feel, a buildup to something, intermingled with screams. It definitely makes the ominous parts of QR's theme feel much less threatening and significant, which is a good show of how QR is viewed in general.

The episode is buildup for the next serious episode, but the funny scenes definitely landed. I burst out laughing when the ghost got beat by Pei Su, just the quiet 'hm?' followed by murder. QR's minions definitely lightened the mood, QR was ridiculous during most of the time, and HC looked like a deer caught in headlights when XL touched him.

Honestly, I love this episode, and I can barely wait for the next one.

[canayams-art]

when i tell you i can't even put into words how excited i am about the rest of the season and more lqq scenes, i mean it! i personally cannot wait to see him boiling qr alive, even if the censorship laws makes me think they might remove it :// still im excited to see how it gets handled! LITTLE LQQ WAS ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE AS WELL SKEKEKKEK I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION IT BUT OMG I WANNA WRAP HIM IN A BLANKET AND TUCK HIM SOMEWHERE SAFE

honestly i do believe there was a lot of missed potential for a lot of dynamics in tgcf, but we can always make up for it by being completely delusional about it! personally as much as i enjoyed them, i would have loved seeing mq interactions with literally any character beside the xl and fx and hc, and i think his character could only benefit from not being constantly and only put into scenes with three people who he has a complicated past with. his relationships with characters beside them, even if superficial, would have been great imo especially when it comes to the very polarizing view fandom has of him. and for lqq as well, seeing him also interact with people who are not apart of his arc/closely tied to his past would have been so good, but i guess there was sqx to fill in that in some way lol. i am somewhat disappointed that we didn't get to see much how heavenly realm works and that we didn't get much side characters interactions with other side characters. im always sooo interested in behind the scenes works and im not more often than not left hanging and needing to fill in the void myself :"))

i think tgcf, heavenly and ghost realms especially, explored through the politics among gods and ghosts as well as their relationships outside of it, is always cool, and i love it when i stumble upon it in fics.

lqq and mq being complimentary to each other and in a weird way, being what the other needs in their life to some extent, is soo true. i think they have the great potential of eventually getting closer even post-canon in the novel, lqq needing someone who can both help with guzi and is more cynical about the world around him, mq recognizing lqq's struggles navigating his relationship to xl after everything is out in the open because of his own complicated relationship with xl. i think there is a part why qianqing is so appealing to me is because it's somewhat similar dynamics to mulian, especially lqq and xl's parallel storylines, while also not possessing the issues mulian have throughout their entire relationship. (not that i don't find mulian issues appealing, quite the opposite but the mood has to be there lol)

there's also the fact that now that lqq apparently has haters as well (i honestly was so surprised when i saw, because it makes little sense to me), it just makes sense to have him and mq stick together 😭✊

mhmm, i totally agree. there's just some special charm about side characters/rarepairs that is hard to come across canon pairings. the "what ifs" and "could have beens" that makes even the best of us absolutely deranged about it.

snjsjeejej i cannot wait for it! i personally know i would love to see donghua lqq in your artstyle, he will be soo pretty!!! 🥰🥰🥰

ps. perhaps we just need to sit him on someone's lap while he holds hands with other two!! cuddle pile is always the option when you don't have enough hands for your boyfriends 🤭

[Disclaimer cos I’m still an ep behind on s2 so I have yet to see how the donghua team has handled Qi Rong lol]

Every lqq flashback restores another 5 years of my life. I really love the care that’s gone into making him such an interesting, compelling, and likable character in the donghua. We already knew he was all of these things, but I think seeing him in motion beyond the mind’s eye has been so good in terms of being able to really perceive his character. I love seeing the way he’s charmed so many people hehe

And yes! One of the reasons I love exploring rarepairs and thinking about hypothetical scenarios between characters who don’t typically interact in canon is because it forces me to consider how their behaviors and impressions of these new acquaintances may shift. I don’t like to assume that mq, lqq, or any other character is confined to one rigid type of interaction just based on the limited interactions we see them share with just 1 or 2 arc-relevant characters.

The more I think about qianqing the more I WISH they were closer in proximity LOL. If only lqq had been the martial god of the west, or mq the martial god of the southeast— seeing them as amiable neighbors in a way. I think mq would have a much easier time working with lqq than he would with qyz (although if you or anyone else wanna debate it I’d love to hear more about qyz and mq cos THAT has always been a funny combo in my head). In some respect though I could see qianqing being sooo bittersweet with respect to the mulian parallels— lqq’s stubborn determination to never lose his sense for justice and heroics would likely throw mq into a dizzying sense of deja vu. Every now and again I can envision him mistaking lqq for young xl— at least when a nostalgic “Your Highness” escapes him it’s technically the correct address,,,,, even if where lqq is standing, mq saw young xl for just a moment.

(I can’t even get into why I don’t understand lqq hate so I will simply be and let be 🥲👍)

Qianqingxuan cuddle pile is just two affectionate sweeties and their reluctant but tolerant cat (mq) who is trying so hard to seem like he’s not actually content to be there LMAO

[llycaons]

3, 7, 8 cql or tgcf! your choice :)

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr

cw: domestic abuse mentions

haven't seen a lot of tgcf bad takes tbh so I'll go for cql. this one is really hard since I don't venture outside my circle very often anymore and most of the bad takes I see are on ao3 now but umm many months ago there was this drama with a user who wrote this whole long post about how madam lan and her her husband must have been SO in love because lwj and lxc were so good and how difficult and painful everything must have been for them and people had to be like 'what the fuck are you talking about? just because lwj and lxc are skilled cultivators/good people that doesn't mean their parents' relationship was healthy or they they were in love, there's no correlation there' and someone had to step in to explain the concept of prohibiting a parent's access to her children (AND LOCKING HER UP) as a form of domestic abuse, it was MESSY. I've seen a fair amount of bad opinions over the years here (mostly about jc) but I don't want to go near people who genuinely defend madam lan and qhj's relationship. at least I somewhat understand most of the bad opinions on here but for this...how much of an abuse apologist and misogynist do you have to BE

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

this has actually never happened to me! I genuinely feel like fanon may influence my perception of a character to a point, but I'll always judge them based on canon because I feel like fanon has no bearing on their inherent qualities. that's external.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

for cql this one is hard because it's so broad and I've seen at least one person with my exact view about almost everything, and I follow people who agree with me about most things...I think a pet peeve I see in fics is when they have a whole rigamarole about getting together post-cliffside reunion. I've written many posts about that. they're literally already there. everything has been put in place. they're getting together if not in the next five minutes, at MOST in the next few hours. but people want to drag it out and put a slowburn on top of a story that is ALREADY a slowburn that WAS RESOLVED. it's so frustrating!!!

for tgcf, this is a low-hanging fruit but hc's attachment to xl comes from a place that makes it impossible for him to be normal about xl so like. his single-minded fixation from a young age is honestly kind of unhealthy and before they got together they maybe should have talked about that ¯_(ツ)_/¯

thanks 😄

choose violence ask game

[coffeeandritalin]

Just some HuaLian thoughts as I'm going through book 4... **Spoiler Warning**

In book 4, XL goes through a period that deeply roots the fear of abandonment inside him. He also believes that being a burden on someone is what will drive them away from him.

XL plays the abandonment issue off somewhat lightheartedly at the beginning of the novel - basically saying that he's used to being on his own after 800 years. Over time, people have become like the ocean tides to him, coming and going as time passes. I think there is an unconscious mentality of 'someone leaving can't hurt if he's expecting them to leave all along.' He doesn't actively push people away from him and does welcome people into his life, but I think he intentionally holds no expectation for them to stay.

Then SL comes into his life. He's immediately intrigued by and attracted to this person. Upon reaching PuQi and hearing SL has nowhere to stay, XL offers to let him stay at the shrine, but he also immediately gives SL an out, stating that the shrine is dilapidated and SL might not be able to stand it. SL, however, happily accepts the invitation. Arriving at the shrine, XL again draws attention to how decrepit the shrine is, probably expecting SL to change his mind to seek shelter elsewhere. However, SL is accepting of the place, and this brings a sense of relief to XL.

He coughed lightly and said, "See? This is it, and why I said you might not be used to this." San Lang replied, "This is quite alright." Previously, it had always been Xie Lian telling other people 'It's alright, it's okay'. Today was the first time he heard those words spoken back to him, leaving him with an indescribable feeling. (ch. 16.)

The shrine feels like a metaphor for how XL views himself. That light cough as he presents the shrine to SL gives off a feeling of nervous embarrassment. It's as though he's putting himself forward and saying, "I'm a beaten up and slightly falling apart at the edges scrap collector - absolutely nothing special, but this is who I am. What do you think?" XL has all but accepted his lifestyle and the person he has become. Over the past 800 years, he must have had to convince himself over and over again that 'it's alright, it's okay' to be able to reach this level of acceptance. However, this is his acceptance of himself. He is still uncertain of how others will receive him. SL's unhesitating acceptance of the shrine as it is becomes an unhesitating acceptance of XL as he is.

I think XL is greatly comforted by the fact that there's this young man he enjoys hanging out with who not only seems to accept him as he is and doesn't shy away from him (a behavior XL has come to expect and is used to accepting from others) but also insists on tagging along with him. This comfort quickly develops into a sense of safety as SL/HC continues to stand next to him trial after trial.

XL is also no longer used to relying on others because he doesn't want to be a burden to others. He doesn't want to cause them trouble. He repeatedly reminds HC that HC doesn't have to help him. He's afraid that HC will come to see him as a burden, and once he becomes a burden, HC will leave. However, HC repeatedly assures XL that he helps because he wants to and proves himself by consistently showing up to aid XL. And XL genuinely comes to believe that HC will stay beside him and begins to lean on HC more often and more heavily. XL develops so much trust in HC that he unwaveringly believes in HC's intention to help him despite all the Heaven Officials' warnings. He even brushes off Jun Wu's warning, someone he is frequently mentioned to trust deeply.

In chapter 167, XL and SL discuss the possibility of someone transplanting memories and emotions into XL and the requirements that need to be fulfilled for the transplant to take place.

"Two requirements: first, you must trust this person absolutely without any guard, and should there be a need, the willingness to be led by this person." ... "Second, you are powerless to retaliate against this person, they have the power to oppress you completely, and you hold deep fear towards them."

XL initially came up with three possibilities that fulfill these two conditions. For the third possibility, Bai WuXiang, XL specifically indicates that this person fulfills the second requirement but not the first. This indicates that the first two possibilities, Xian Le's Head Priest and Jun Wu, fulfill both requirements. He trusts these two absolutely, but there is a fear that exists within that trust - especially in the case of Jun Wu, who does have the power to oppress XL and who XL believes he is powerless to retaliate against.

After a while, XL notes there is a fourth possibility - HC. XL mentions that this fourth possibility has nothing to do with the memory transplant thing but thinking about who he trusts absolutely has brought this person to mind.

"in any case... he might be the one I trust the most, even more so than my master and Jun Wu." ... "Because... If I were to commit a grave mistake or get in big trouble, the first one I think of is surely him... And this trust is not quite the same as what I have for my master and the Emperor..." (Ch. 167)

His answer actually parallels the order that the requirements are presented - trust and then fear. However, it's that he has a complete lack of fear toward HC (something that is shown over and over again throughout the novel). This is so meaningful in understanding why, despite knowing Head Priest and JW (as far as he knows at this point) longer, he trusts HC more. (Note: For this bit, I am only focusing on JW because Head Priest is not relevant at the present moment.) If he commits a mistake or gets in trouble, there's fear of condemnation or punishment from JW. He believes Jun Wu would be acting out of necessity due to the responsibilities of his position, but he has no doubt that JW would pass judgment and punish him. In contrast, the reason he immediately thinks of HC when he commits a mistake or gets in trouble is that he knows HC will immediately come to stand by his side and help him without question or judgment. In a time of need, he can't necessarily count on JW, but he can definitely count on HC.

XL goes from expecting to do things on his own to worrying about being a burden to HC to expecting HC's help. He goes from believing no one will stay by his side to trusting that HC will always be there.

I'm just so happy that XL is able to have this beautiful journey and gets to learn how to put his heart and trust into someone else's hands again.