#what can i say i’m a xie lian worshipper

[karlyboyyy]

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....

Okay first of all - thank you so much for sending me this ask! I haven't received an ask since like 2018, and I really like answering questions! (are any of y'all old enough to remember Formspring? I loved that shit lmao)

Second of all - this took me forever to think of! I suddenly forgot all pieces of media that I've ever consumed. Plus I wanted to make sure I had a mix of stuff lol

Anyway, here's what I've come up with, in no particular order :)

David Rose | Schitt’s Creek

David Rose is honestly so important to me. When I first started watching Schitt’s Creek, I was just like “oh haha sassy queer man, so funny!” But then as the show progressed, I found myself identifying so much with the character. And then I decided to rewatch the show… four more times over the next few months. Like I just kept going back to it. And eventually I thought “ya know… why do I identify so much with a queer man? I’ve never thought of myself as queer and I’m not a man… so why?” Which led me down the rabbit hole of watching other queer-centric shows and doing a bunch of internet searching of sexuality and gender identity. And I honestly learned so much. Like it’s crazy how much I just assumed about a lot of stuff without ever thinking too deeply about it. And wouldn’t you fuckin know it, I realized I was bisexual. And then the more and more I thought about how I see myself and how I wanted others to see me, I decided that yep, I’m not a man… but I’m also not really too attached to being a woman either. So here we are today, just a big ol’ bisexual nonbinary androgynous blob. All thanks to David Rose!

2. Karasuno VBC | Haikyuu!!

Is this answer cheating? I feel like it’s cheating. But I’ve tried - I’ve reeeally tried - to pick a favorite character from Haikyuu, and I just cannot. So I’ve chosen the entire ‘12-‘13 Karasuno High School Volleyball Club (coaches and managers included!). I just love them each so much for different reasons. Like, Hinata is such a sweetheart and I’m so proud of him by the end of the series! Kageyama is my baby, my sweet grumpy dumb-dumb baby. Sugawara is probably the one I relate to the most, coming off as shy and calm but in reality he’s a little insane. And Asahi! My sweet sensitive Asahi, I love him so much. I could ramble on for days, but I won’t. Just know that I would fight to the death for these fictional characters. 

3. Power | Chainsaw Man

Since I’ve decided that I’d only do one cheat answer, I can’t list the whole Hayakawa family as one character. That said, I’d have to say Power is my favorite of the trio. She’s loud and obnoxious and egotistical and powerful and silly and gross and honestly everything I wish I could be. 

4. Xie Lian | Heaven Official’s Blessing

Xie Lian is so awkward, but he’s low-key hilarious. There’s a moment in chapter 6 of the first novel, where he was worried because he didn’t have any shrines or worshippers dedicated to him in the mortal realm. But then, there’s this excerpt: “And one day, on a whim, he suddenly thought: If no one worships me, I’ll worship myself! None of the heavenly officials knew how to respond to that. Who had ever fucking heard of a god worshipping himself?! To reach such tragic heights, what was the point?! However, Xie Lian was used to receiving nothing but awkward silence the moment he spoke and thought amusing himself could be fun.” Like… that whole ‘fuck it, I’m just gonna do whatever the hell I want’ attitude gives me life. On top of all that, he’s a cheapskate scrap collector, a terrible cook, and has the worst luck. But he’s a total sweetheart, he tries his best at everything he does, he’s always trying to help people, and HELLO he’s got Hua Cheng wrapped around his finger. 

5. Uramichi Omota | Life Lessons With Uramichi-oniisan

My favorite depressy boi. Life Lessons is so freakin funny and way too goddamn relatable. I think I have four different magnets at my desk at work with images / quotes of Uramichi from the show and manga. There's not much else I can say other than he speaks to my soul.

6. Kageyama “Mob” Shigeo | Mob Psycho 100

The goodest boy!! A friend actually recommended Mob Psycho to me, and at first I was a little skeptical. But by the third episode I was hooked. And by season 3, I found myself literally sobbing. Just seeing Mob’s growth throughout the show, and how his kindness impacted so many people around him… it just fills my heart. But also the moment where he almost loses himself to the ???%… just wow. The whole message of that show is so so good and I will literally recommend it to anyone and everyone. 

7. Sasaki Shuumei | Sasaki and Miyano

The sweetest cinnamon roll!! The way he truly loves Miyano is so refreshing. Sure, he has the whole “but he’s a guy…” thought at first. But he gets over that fairly quickly. He just knows that Miyano is cute and he genuinely wants to get to know him. He actively engages with Miyano to try and learn about his interests and hobbies. He reads all the BL Miyano lends him. He gives his honest feedback about each story! He stands up for Miyano’s interests. He confesses to Miyano pretty early on, but recognizes that Miyano may not reciprocate those feelings right away. He continually reassures Miyano that his feelings are strong, but he’s not pushy about it. It’s more like he wants to make sure Miyano doesn’t see his feelings as a passing whim. And when they finally get together, he’s not shy about their relationship. He talks about it to his friends and family. When the two of them start to get more physical, Miyano voices his concern about who’s going to be the “bottom”. And Sasaki’s immediate thought was that he didn’t really care which way they went, he just knew that he wanted it to be with Miyano. And my GOD I loved seeing that. I feel like discussing your sexual preferences with your partner and figuring out what you’re comfortable with doing is SO important, but that aspect of starting a new relationship isn’t portrayed nearly enough in BL stories. It’s usually just one guy being a little nervous about being bottom and the other guy automatically assuming they’re the top, with zero communication. Anyway, I digress. Back to Sasaki. My cinnamon roll. I just love him. 

8. April Ludgate | Parks and Recreation 

Parks and Rec will always be one of my comfort shows. And I first watched it when I was about the same age as April - young enough to not really know what I wanted to do in life and also not really caring about that stuff just yet. I loved her dry sense of humor and her sarcasm. And watching her grow into someone with more confidence in her career and relationships was amazing. Also fun fact, when I interviewed for my first role at my current workplace - which happens to be an Indiana government entity - I was asked why I was interested in government work. And I straight up said that Parks & Rec made it seem interesting lmao. They must have liked that answer, because I’m still there almost 4 years later and have promoted up since then! 

9. Dorothy Zbornak | Golden Girls

I first watched Golden Girls when I was in college, when my roommate was like “I promise you’ll like it, it’s so funny” and I was like bitch… it’s an old show about old ladies. But she was RIGHT. It’s hilarious. And honestly so wholesome. And ICONIC (I mean come on. This show talked about women's sex lives, old women's sex lives at that. And LGBT+ issues. And workplace harassment. And invisible illnesses / disabilities and the struggles of getting your doctor to actually listen to you. All of this in the '80s, no less!) And I feel like most people liked Rose because, duh it’s Betty White. But Dorothy was my jam. She was sarcastic and always annoyed by something (same). But she genuinely cared about her friends. And look. I ain’t gonna lie. That deep, almost raspy voice of hers? Hot. 

10. Jake Peralta | Brooklyn 99

He’s honestly so annoying, but I love him. He gives off this “I’m gonna do the bare minimum and be silly the whole time and STILL get the fuckin’ job done” vibe, and ya know what? He does just that. He’s actually a great detective and problem solver. He just also knows how to have fun. And his relationship with Amy is one of the few straight(-passing) relationships that I honestly love so much. They’re so cute and pure and goofy and relatable. And don’t even get me started on his friendship with Rosa. I mean, he went with her when she wanted to come out as bi to her parents!! Aahhhh!! Lastly, his flannel / hoodie / leather jacket combo? Pure bisexual fashion and I am here for it.

[staryuee]

Lotus Rib Soup — Domestic Genshin Hcs ⸝⸝

— [warnings]. as always , not proofread and also written by sleep deprived me at 7am

— synopsis . . . some simple fluffy domestic headcanons

— characters . . . ayato , ayaka , zhongli , ningguang , xiao

— notes . . . these are just general domestic things i can imagine them doing :) not necessarily after marriage (but u can ofc interpret that they r!)

K. AYATO

— now if you thought he was clingy and overbearing before, be prepared for that to TRIPLE once you start living together

— you tell him constantly to ‘not go overboard’, but this is the head of the yashiro commission we’re talking about so of course he won’t listen

— he S P O I L S YOU , you simply gazed at some pretty jewellery on your walk today ? it’ll be sitting on your vanity desk the next morning, said you were craving some food ? he’s having it prepared right away

— now this man is a classic and dare i say traditional romantic, so you will get the sappy ‘breakfast in bed with a kiss on the forehead’ treatment every morning before he heads off to his duties

— every single day no matter how busy he is, he will give you a bouquet of flowers accompanied with some kisses, because hey who doesn’t enjoy some flowers (me, i have hayfever)

— before you he just let thoma clean up around the place, but now with you it feels rather intimate to him to complete some chores together , it just makes him happy

— overall 20/10 , wife husband material !!!

K. AYAKA

-- another one that completely spoils you rotten, but in a much more subtle way (at least she hopes because if she comes off as clingy she’ll probably hide herself from you until the next century)

— one thing she will absolutely never get tired of is hand holding , to the majority something like handholding is just a normal custom to any sort of relationship

— BUT !! to ayaka , it’s something that she finds to be a form of comfort, it makes her feel so much more comfortable and safe knowing that you won’t be leaving her any time soon

— what she loves even more than that is kisses, the passionate and chaste ones are always lovely and welcome however the ones she really prefers are the ones where you’re both laughing over something stupid - it makes everything seem so much more real to her

— she literally loves the random moments where you just twirl her around, it could be simply to give her a greeting or even a hug , but for some reason it makes her heart flutter

— your anniversaries would be so nicely organised and beautifully done , she’d probably plan months in advance because she just wants you to know that she loves you much more than she can show

— ayaka is very prone to loneliness, and having someone with her who she’s able to cherish and be so close with makes every hardship she faces worth it, every day when she’s done with her duties or even while she’s still performing them, she’s dreaming of being there with you

ZHONGLI

— this old ass man istg (affectionate)

— he will pester you SO much about your physical and mental well-being , always telling you, “ai ren, you’ll strain your eyes if you keep looking at those papers in the dark, come to bed,” OR ,”darling, i’m not sure venting your frustrations on some hilichurls will solve your problems, but im always free to listen.”

— now that he’s trying to live out his ‘mortal life’, he’ll definitely start appreciating and noticing minor details about you; whether that be your mannerisms, your tonal shifts, to your laugh or even your posture

— since he’s still technically an archon he just sorta ditched his job because he couldn’t be asked, he doesn’t necessarily need sleep BUT he absolutely adores the nightly routine you two have (once he finally coaxes you into going to bed that is)

— cooking is most certainly one of his favourite activities to do with you, not only is it enjoyable he gets to see you dance around the kitchen trying to find utensils and ingredients - honestly just looking at you doing anything makes him have the most love stricken expression on his face.

NINGGUANG

— now if you thought the kamisato siblings spoiled you, the tianqian takes that to the extreme

— if your gaze even lingers on an object for a second ningguang will have it in your possession in the next minute or so , ‘anything my dearest wants they’ll get’ that’s basically her motto

— she literally creates a room just for you in the jade chamber that she allowed you to decorate however you wished (most of the jade chamber has your touches added to it anyway)

— early mornings with ningguang don’t last long but they’ll always leave an impact on you both for the rest of the day , you’ll wake up with limbs tangled together and with your bodies pressed closed together, ningguang will give you special morning kisses to help boost your energy for the day but it honestly makes you just yearn for her more and distracts you

— she’s a rich and powerful chinese auntie ok, and she absolutely adores little kids she wants nothing more but for them to be happy and healthy - so when she sees you with kids her heart just simply explodes (crystallises? lol)

— “how can just a singular person be so precious and adorable … rex lapis thank you.”

— will ask about your thoughts on starting and raising a family, nothing too major of course maybe just one or two kids. anything you’re up for, she’s more than willing !

XIAO

— he’s been through way too much (especially after that new quest..) and being able to come to you and safely say “i’m home” genuinely makes him feel so loved and happy for once

— one thing he really enjoys while staying at home with you, is being cared for. you always reassure him that it’s just what he deserves, and your not doing any of this out of pity but out of love, and he absolutely knows that and cherishes that fact.

— wether it be back massages to relieve stress, cute little at home dates, intriguing conversations at three am as neither of you can fall asleep - xiao holds it all dear in his heart

— xiao doesn’t really have much of a morning ? i mean he doesn’t sleep and if you try to coerce him you’ll get turned down with the “i’m not mortal, i’ll be fine.” - but as soon as he says that line you respond back with the “but i’ll be so lonely without you” and he is dragging you to bed with you

— when you finally wake up together it’s the prettiest sight anyone could bear the witness of seeing, both of your bodies entangled together with xiao’s arms strongly hugging your waist in attempt to close the non existent gap between you

— he insists that this is all “useless” and that he’s waiting precious hours of the day, but with the loving way his eyes gaze at you ever morning and the way he tucks locks of your hair away from your face to look at you - it’s impossible to believe him

— your nighttimes are usually just spent with you coddling him and perhaps singing or humming a sweet melody to him

— kids are out of the question with him btw , buuutttt maybe if you begged enough times-

©IHEARTGANYU do not copy, steal or repost <3

[absolutebl]

Favorite couples with a D/s dynamic? And I mean specifically D/s, not switchy or anything else. Just one sided permanent power exchange.

10 Favorite BL Couples with a Strong D/s Dynamic

ooo, you with the challenges. Okay, let's do this thing! In no particular order and in defiance of how good the actual BL itself was, in the end. 

1. Lian & Kuea (Cutie Pie) 

Of course they top the list. As I type this their show isn’t done, but it’s safe to say it at least ends happily so... yeah. 

Kink style? Indulgent Daddy/naughty boy 

2. Yi & KD (Cutie Pie side dishes) 

Their dynamic isn’t my personal favorite but I think MaxNat give great D/s and always have done since they first appeared in Why R U? 

Kink style? Stern Daddy/pleaser 

3. Yuan Zong & Xia Yao (Advance Bravely) 

Once upon a time China was kinky too. Sigh. Anygay, these two had such potential. Bummer it never went anywhere. 

Kink style? Overprotective Daddy/spoiled prince (censored) 

4. Xie Yan & Shu Nian (Irresistible Love 1 & 2) 

Speaking of China, this is a perfectly executed whipping boy trope but you gotta be a least a little kinky to like that one at all, I think, since it’s hella warped to start with. Be warned there are two endings out there and only one of them is at all happy. 

Kink style? Spoiled Dom/whipping boy (unhealthy, triggers) 

5. Hira & Kiyoi (Utsukushii Kare) 

While we are on the subject of whipping boy, let’s get My Beautiful Man out the way, shall we? This one makes absolutely no bones about anything but being messed up and kinky af and we love Japan for it. 

Kink style? Worshipful Dom/spoiled prince 

6. Gii & Takumi (the Takumi-Kun series) 

What to stay about the start of it all? In stark contrast to above, Japan had no idea what it was doing with these characters (but to be fair, neither did the source material). It’s a seriously not good example of D/s (in a genre that specializes in such) but it is certainly D/s. 

Kink style? Stern Dom/broken sub (unhealthy, triggers) 

7. TaeSung & HaeBom (Cherry Blossoms After Winter) 

Perhaps not the kinkiest on this list but I wanted to include something from Korea. Also, it’s unfinished as I write this, so not sure how they’ll end up. They’re very soft for true D/s but it’s such a strong seme/uke that I think we can call this one for kinkdom. 

Kink style? Caring Dom/service sub 

8. Jin Teng & Yi Chen (HIStory Obsessed)

Such a traditional dynamic with such a nice twist. Jin Teng is nothing but dominant, but he is thrown for a loop when the submissive he instinctively knows is meant to be HIS keeps resisting him. I like it when a Dom has to work against type.  

Kink Style? Spoiled Dom/worshipper sub 

9. Jack & Zhao (HIStory 3 Trapped side dishes) 

Another gentler one, but so cute because of the personalities, and a kind of couple only Taiwan can give us (since it requires the uke to be sexually actualized). 

Kink style? Indulgent Daddy/needy boy 

10. LeoFiat (Don’t Say No) 

Perhaps one of the first to be openly self conscious about its kink dynamic, unfortunately that means I’m less forgiving about them getting stuff wrong. But hey at least it was open about it? 

Kink style? Reluctant Dom/brat 

You’ll notice there’s not a ton from Thailand, that’s because while they do strong Seme/uke all the time they don’t really seem to focus on the D/s side of the equation. They do have it all the time, but soft, since this is you, queen, I assumed you wanted the harder more explicit stuff. 

(source)

This post dated April 2022, not responsible for fabulous hot D/s dynamics that have popped up after this date. (I’m looking at YOU KinnPorsche.) 

[egelantier]

Tian Guan Ci Fu

where is it and what is it

it’s a chinese webnovel by mxtx, the same author who did untamed; it exists as a webnovel, finished and kindly translated here, the manhwa, the donghua (animated adaptation) happening right now, and there’s a live action adaptation in plans, directed by the same guy who did untamed. the donghua is gorgeous, the adaptation i’m unsure about but prepared to be hopeful, the manhwa seems to be very pretty. but all the adaptations only cover the very beginning of the novel for now, so i went ahead and read the novel, and i have no regrets. it helps that the translation is very good - not without awkward translatorese, but it has consistent and engaging flow and style, and it’s also pretty good at conveying mxtx’s humor without awkwardness. it reads pretty well.

what’s it about?

the world is split into two parts: mortals and various ghosts and demons and entities share the land, while ‘heaven officials’, aka gods, live in the heavenly kingdom in the sky. pretty much anybody can become a god if they do something really heroic or memorable and/or cultivate (meditation, training, virtuous behavior) really hard. when above, the gods rule their domains and fulfill their believers’ wishes; they work sort of like pratchettian gods, dependent on their followers’ beliefs and getting influenced by them. heavens are strictly hierarchical, with their own economy and pecking order, and the gods aren’t particularly sinless or benevolent; mostly it’s a question of scale.

our hero, xie lian, is a prince of a prosperous kingdom who’s been on a fast track to ascension for most of his very short life; he’s talented, he’s virtuous, he’s kind, he’s strong, and his only peculiar flaw is (somehow naive, but well-meaning) obsession with equality and value of human lives and so on. he becomes a god, unexpectedly, at seventeen, after slaying one especially dangerous god, and rises in heaven at the peak of his faith, influence and happiness.

…and then he finds out about drought and incipient trouble in his own kingdom, and, being a young and righteous god too close to his mortality, eschews heavens and returns to save everybody. it, to put it lightly, does not go well. at all. in fact, it goes catastrophically wrong, and, having lost everything, xie lian ascends again, only to get into a fight with the heavenly emperor, and get banished again, this time for good. he roams the mortal lands for next eight hundred of very lonely, luckless and hard years, technically immortal but not invincible, with his powers and his luck stripped away, and leans to make do, eking out a living as a scrap collector. his temples are desecrated, his name is forgotten, his kingdom is long gone, and - well. so it goes.

so it goes! until one day, to everybody’s great surprise, he ascends once again: a humble, gentle, immune to embarrassment, unflappable man, an embarrassment to heavens, a 'laughingstock of three realms’ who just wants to be left well enough alone. he’s Tired.

instead of rest, he gets sent to investigate a dangerous ghost stealing brides who pass through its mountain, and there, during the course of the interrogation, has his first (he thinks) meeting with a terrifying, old-powerful and vengeful ghost king named hua cheng, who likes to terrorize heavens from time to time. but said ghost king seems to be very benevolent and very interested in helping xie lian, and xie lian is pretty instantly smitten… with knowing what’s the cause of such interest.

…and meanwhile, in the beginning, there'was an unlucky boy, born under the worst stars, whom xie lian saved from falling once, while still mortal, and promptly lost track of. a lot of things happened to this boy, who wanted to be the most devoted worshipper to xie lian the god of the sword and the flower. as one does, you know.

that’s the beginning! from there on: investigations, heavenly secrets, old friends and enemies and acquaintances, thematic parallels, old tragedies, more pining than you can shake a stick at, grand acts of love.

is it good?

it’s very, very good. it’s the first fantasy cnovel i read (aside from the hilarious one about a guy traveling back in his own timeline and becoming a sugar baby to a mafia boss, which was in a very different league), so i don’t know which things are baseline and which things are unique, but it had a very solid foundation: ambitious multilevel, multi-timeline plot coming together in the end both events- and emotions-wise, beautifully iddy main relationship, maybe multifaceted characters who change and grow and clash together in fun ways, a clear and heartfelt understanding of its own core themes.

it’s also, unexpectedly, very funny, in this visual, slapsticky, begs-to-be-adapted way - i found myself laughing out loud over it a lot of times, and it possesses this gift of swerve between understated but earnest emotions and all-out jokes that i associate with… a bit of prattchett and a bit of gintama, honestly. take it as you will.

(oh my god the mecha. i will laugh over this one until i die.)

it also made me cry several times; granted, it’s not like it’s this time, but those were very heartfelt tears.

and the main duo?

first let me say that xie lian was lifted out, wholesale, out of my deepest character preferences. he fell really, really far, and did some bad things, and some very horrible things were done to him, and by the time we meet him he went through everything and achieved this effortless kind of traumatized, humble, accepting, wryly self-deprecating, utterly competent chill that makes a character incredibly appealing to me. he’s kind, and he’s sweet, and he’s gotten any possible embarrassment at least a couple of centuries ago, and he kinda made peace with himself and kinda didn’t. i love him.

and, thankfully for me, hua cheng, the ghost king, loves him a whole damn lot, a ridiculous amount, an epic, over-the-lifetimes, life-shattering amount, and he’s a terrifying presence to everybody else and a shy, protective, sweet dork to xie lian, and every time they’re together on page my entire heart is just. it’s AMAZING. he’s a great combination of playing the obsessive protective yandere stalker-lover trope straight and putting it on its head, by making hua cheng not just revere but respect xie lian, in all his good and bad decisions.

they are just so - good for each other, holy shit. they get each other so well. they’re the best ever power team. i love them.

(the rest of canon is various character reenacting “really? in front of my salad?” meme at them. it’s hysterical, and it’s the best. everybody teams up to tell xie lian that his boyfriend is Problematic way, way before xie lian clues into the fact that he does have a boyfriend, and he’s having none of it. i love it.)

and the themes?

okay, so. roughly half of this novel is ridiculous iddy pining, and a fourth of it is various tropes (off the top of my head: soulbond, sex pollen, body switch, de-age, various shades of identity porn… crossdressing…) played very shamelessly. but it also really benefits from having an overarching set of ethical questions, and while it deals with them a bit shounen-style, it still deals with them, and it makes the whole text fresh, and sweet, and bold.

is it possible to save everybody? should you try to save everybody? if you lack the powers to back your convictions, does it make you complicit? when is it possible to stop the cycle of suffering, what can you do if you want to but can’t? if you tried and people you failed turned on you, whose fault it is, where does the blame stop?

Detailed spoilers begin from here, and i would REALLY advise to stay unspoiled, because the domino reveals are very fun

i loved the various ways the novel sets all those pieces up and then overturns them and then returns to them. xie lian wanted to save everybody and it was arrogant naivete of an untried, untested, privileged young man who never had a real challenge before; his presence made things escalate quicker, and yet everybody around him pretended it was his attempt to make things better that ruined everything, and not a combination of factors outside of his control. and yet he accepts the blame, because it dovetails with his shame at not having enough powers to back his intent up; and yet his triumph over bai wuxian is that he doesn’t, after all, renege on his initial drive to help people.

my most favorite part of this novel is that its turning point, the lynchpin of the whole novel, the moment that keeps xie lian’s soul and safety intact, is not his personal purity and drive; it’s not even hua cheng’s devotion and sacrificial love. it’s just a moment of little, grudging, human kindness from a little, petty, rude man whom the history will sweep away soon. the bamboo hat in the rain. the rest of the plot keeps twisting and turning and coming back to itself, but this? this was unquestionably, beautifully clear, and i loved it. it’s never about the gods, it’s all down to - fallen human is human, ascended human is human, and human is not some state, virtuous or sinful, you get stuck with - it’s a multitude of choices, and there’s never a final one.

and incoherent spoilery screaming for people who read it already

oh my god i had SO MUCH FUN. i’ve been flailing on meme for days, because somebody just finished reading there too, and i’m still bursting with ALL THE FEELS. ruoye origins oh my god! that hat! jin wu’s backstory and ultimate end! e-ming’s praise kink! pei ming’s little shippery 'hoho’! hua cheng’s horribly handwritten stick and poke tattoo of xie lian’s name! the lanteeeeeeeeeeeeerns. feng xin and mu qing on the bridge, making up with each other and with xie lian! hua cheng trying to explain to xie lian that his habit of using himself as bait and pincushion at any given moment is deeply emotionally upsetting to him, and succeeding! banyue’s learning from xie lian to be a truly horrible cook! the entire deal with shi qingxuan and he xuan and the wind fan in the end. THE CAVE. THE GIANT MECHA. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and aaaaaaaaaaaaa and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and i am beset, beset by feelings. come scream with me.

[undomielregina]

Random thought about Heaven Official’s Blessing

I read the entire novel in about three days, and Hua Cheng was exactly my type, surprising no one who follows me who is familiar with him, I’m sure. But I’ve put together a couple of hints in the novel that I think might add up to make the worldbuilding even tighter. Spoilers for books 4 and 5 follow.

There are three bits of the world building that seem like they’re going to be important to the climax but that ultimately have no payoff: that Supremes/Devastations can raise their power by entering the Kiln, that gods do the same by enduring further Heavenly Calamities, and that Supremes/Devastations are naturally occurring and not solely a product of the Kiln. However, none of these things come into play explicitly by the end and are instead left as spare bits of information that have no real bearing on the story.

However, I suspect that they’re key to understanding how HC is able to possess the power to break Xie Lian’s shackles without destroying himself in the process, and how XL himself is capable of storing so much spiritual power.

Beginning with the second point, XL at no point falls/becomes mortal/surrenders his divine essence. His divinity is suppressed rather than removed and he is never truly human at any point subsequent to his first ascension. Successfully ascending a second time is said to be prohibitively difficult, to say nothing of a third, in much the same way that Shi Wudu needs to prepare himself thoroughly to survive his third Calamity. I suspect that beneath the shackle, XL’s power has grown with each ascension, exactly as it would have had he been unfettered at the time. Supporting that, XL’s third ascension is suggested to have been unusually violent, in keeping with far greater power than a true new god could yet have.

In a similar way, I suspect that HC entered the Kiln already a Supreme/Devastation, having missed his ascension to that rank due to the confusion of the circumstances surrounding it. The description of his ascension to Savage and the emotional anguish that causes it bears a distinct resemblance to the story of the creation of E’ming, and the emotional and physical trauma of that scene are classic pathways for producing stronger ghosts.

Here’s the scene from book 4: 

“He couldn’t see anything, the world was pitch black, other than the ball of fire that was burning furiously from nearby. It grew brighter and stronger. Yet, within the palm of White No-Face, it wasn’t able to escape.

He couldn’t hear his own heartbreaking scream, but instead, he heard the sound of another heart-wrenching wail, and it seemed as if it came from that ring of flames. Although it didn’t come from him, the pain that he could hear was the same as his, as if he was the one that had made that sound.

In the end, he wasn’t able to hang on to his sanity any longer. There was mumbling in his throat, and his consciousness completely shattered. At the same time, an explosion blew from within the Crown Prince temple and a wave of raging flames gushed out.

“AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

There was a mixture of high- and low-pitched screams. The scorching fire roared, lighting everything in flames, making it impossible for anyone to escape. The ghost fire flickered vividly. In an instant, the hundred living bodies that resided inside the Crown Prince temple were burned to hundred sets of charcoal-black bones!

When the flame gradually subsided and regathered, that original small ball of ghost fire had already vanished. In its place stood a vaguely-shaped silhouette of a young man.

The youth dropped down to his knees in front of the scorched black surface of the altar. He bent over deeply, clutching his head with both of his hands, and bellowed in immense and devastating pain.

He didn’t dare to look at what had become of the person lying on the altar, because what laid there didn’t look human anymore.

Bones and skulls alike scattered across the interior of the Crown Prince temple. White No-Face cackled uncontrollably as he turned around and exited the temple. The rage of fire didn’t only stop at just this Crown Prince temple, even the frenzied disfigured creatures outside had turned to piles of dried corpses and waste. As if blind to it, White No-Face walked past these charcoal, ash-like remains.

This entire forest, no, this entire mountain trembled and mourned in agony!

Countless black shadows flew up to the sky. They were the souls that were scared witless of this now-lifeless land and were scrambling to escape. A strong gust of wind scattered them in all different directions. Above the Crown Prince temple, a gigantic layer of black clouds was rumbling in restlessness. Slowly rotating, it resembled a colossal demonic eye.

This was the birth of a malicious creature, the signs of a Savage ghost taking form!

And then here’s the creation of E’ming:

Guoshi continued, “That vicious ghost almost made a move against those humans, but for some reason, in the end, it didn’t. It instead used one of its own eyes as the price to forge a blood weapon. That vicious ghost was already forcibly hanging on with its last breath; after digging out its eye it should’ve broken apart completely. Yet somehow something had shocked it, and it instead woke to its senses completely. Who knows what kind of wicked device it forged that actually carried it through that battle.

It’s a much sparer retelling, of course, but the tremendous anguish and the waking fully to consciousness and form sound familiar to HC’s awakening as a Savage. And any environmental reaction would have been mixed up with the Heavenly Calamity and so not evident.

So that together explains why we have this information: Xie Lian has survived three Calamities without losing his divinity, and Hua Cheng didn’t become a Supreme in the Kiln but instead further refined the power he had already gained as one. That’s why HC is so overpowered compared to most of the gods even before he starts gaining worshippers and why he’s able to fight Jun Wu as an equal in his aspect as White No-Face, even in the heart of Jun Wu’s seat of power where, we are told when on Black Water’s island, his own power should be much diminished. And that’s why Xie Lian is capable of holding enough spiritual power to break his shackles and to fight Jun Wu as an equal.

[f-f-friend]

Maybe you could try FengQing with ... "Be somebody" by Thousand Foot Krutch? I don't know if you've ever heard it, but I feel like it could work well with them

A/N: I listened to this song for the first time after reading your ask, and it’s good! I saw it more from Mu Qing’s perspective, so that’s what I’ll write from :) I hope this meets your expectations! 

SEND ME A SHIP + A WORD OR A SONG 

title: three facts / who i really am 

“I’m embarrassed that our deputies saw us fight.” 

General Xuan Zhen is not a person who speaks his mind. 

Possibly, it is the effect of growing up the way he had: His father was too busy being a criminal to pay any attention to his son. His mother was too busy working to listen to her little boy’s ramblings, no matter how much she had loved him. And once, when he had fallen down and bruised his knee, his mother had worried and stressed so much, and he hated to see her sad, so he stopped telling her. Or otherwise, it could be the effect of having been a nameless, unimportant servant, someone who people didn’t want to see, let alone hear. It could be the effect of befriending a Prince who was so self-absorbed he did not realise that everyone else was drowning in his glory. 

He finds that it’s better this way – opening his mouth usually led to more trouble than if he’d just kept his thoughts to himself. 

Anyway, there is only ever one person that has a problem with his quiet nature. And he’s a dick, so Mu Qing doesn’t care what he thinks. Besides, for any one problem that Feng Xin (or the very un-aptly named General Ju Yang) has with Mu Qing, he has ten with Feng Xin. 

Problems like these: Too loud, too bad-tempered, swears too much, laughs too rowdily, too violent, too friendly, too same-height-as-him, too close to his territory, eyes too bright, lips too soft – 

But the biggest problem of all, and one that has Mu Qing finding any excuse to fight him? 

Feng Xin makes him loud. 

Case in point: Just now. 

"Stay out of my fucking way!” Mu Qing yelled in Feng Xin’s face. 

“You’re the one that ordered my deputies around! YOU FUCK OFF INSTEAD! SCRAM!” Feng Xin yelled back. 

Mu Qing’s fist went flying before he can stop himself, and he socked Feng Xin right in the jaw.

General Xuan Zhen is not a violent person. 

Being born and raised in such a lowly position, fighting with others would only bring him more trouble, one he wouldn’t get out of just by using his fists. So even though he could fight, and fight well, he never did. Only when he began to serve Xie Lian, he met, for the first time in his life, a peer – in the form of Xie Lian’s annoying bodyguard, Feng Xin. And because they were peers, he could fight this one as much as he wanted. Oh and he wanted it. A lot. 

So they had developed a routine, Mu Qing thought of it as their little dance: fist-fighting in dark corridors out of the Crown Prince’s sight, bickering over meals, training idioms as punishment, mocking each other till one of them lost by being the first to flush and splutter in indignation. 

“I’m sure it’s more embarrassing for you than it is for me,” Feng Xin tells him with a laugh. Mu Qing nearly purrs at the feeling of Feng Xin’s fingers running through his hair. “They’re pretty used to seeing me swearing and arguing. But the beautiful, dignified Xuan Zhen?” 

Mu Qing fights back a smile and pretends not to like Feng Xin calling him “beautiful”. 

“We’re both heavenly officials, so it’s embarrassing for both of us. You’re still a god, Feng Xin.” 

“Is that what you think?” Feng Xin says, a smile in his voice. 

Mu Qing leans his head back, right onto one of Feng Xin’s thighs. From this angle, looking up at Feng Xin, having him look gently back at him, he can see all his double chins. It’s hilarious, and he nearly wants to project this image to all the worshippers praying at Nan Yang temples right now. Surely that would get all of them running to his temples instead. 

But then Feng Xin leans down and presses a kiss to his forehead, and what was he thinking about just now? 

“That’s disgusting,” Mu Qing scolds, no poison in his voice. Feng Xin smiles. Mu Qing just about melts. 

General Xuan Zhen is not a loving person. 

Really, putting aside himself, the only person he had ever loved was his mother. It was only natural; All children have some love for their parents, and she was so good to him, so how could he not love her?

General Xuan Zhen is not a person who speaks his mind. General Xuan Zhen is not a violent person. General Xuan Zhen is not a loving person. 

Those are three facts that everyone knows about Mu Qing. The only person who doesn’t share that knowledge is sitting right here, looking down at Mu Qing, getting ready to kiss him (on the nose this time). 

Mu Qing is okay with that, he supposes. He allows his colleague lover friend fellow heavenly official to plant a kiss onto his nose. They can always start fighting again tomorrow. Or in an hour. Or more likely, in a minute, or a second. 

[mousehole5000]

more tgcf chapters 143-173 lets goooooo

PEI MING BOO HISS except actually okay he’s mostly funny i think but still boo hiss

“hey who’s this guy who’s really pissed at you?” “oh thats my sword. i broke it.” alright then!

i think i need to go back and reread the banyue pass arc bc im still confused as to whats going on with banyue and pei su

“Banyue dropped from the sky with two pots raised. Without a word, she plummeted with the mouths of the pots facing down, trapping and detaining the shocked Ming’guang and the roaring Ke Mo within.” - THATS MY GIRL

“It must be known that, to heavenly officials, it certainly was more than natural for kingdoms of the mortal realm to fight and annihilate one another; the acts of these plays progressing on endlessly. But when it came their own turn, it was often hard to let things go. If one must stand in the same court as the one who annihilated their own kingdom, and that man cavorted in the heavens, exceedingly flashy, then it must be vexing.” - hmmmm!!

“I’ve spoken too many words in this lifetime. What are you referring to?” - okay to be fair thats a mood

okay its nice to get some pei ming backstory and its funny that he and xie lian are bonding but also still whenever pei ming interacts with a female character my hackles rise like a cat lol

“Xie Lian watched as Banyue thought really hard before cheerfully pulling out a few long, wine-red scorpion-snakes, and putting them into the bubbling pot.” - THATS MY GIRL

“Although “smell” was something colourless and formless, the instant Banyue removed the pot cover, it was as if some mysterious physical object had twisted all the air around the mouth of that pot. The group stared at the sight within the pot for a long time. Their pupils reflected an endless, bottomless darkness; like it could pull them into the abyss. No words could describe the sentiment expressed within their eyes. A moment later, Xie Lian patted Banyue’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.” - like father-figure like daughter-figure. amazing.

“However, what if one day mortals discovered something completely new that ran faster than horses? Then, when this new invention overtook horses, worshippers of this heavenly official who controlled horses would inevitably decrease. Such heavenly officials, flashing by like shooting stars, made up the majority of the heavens.” - obsessed with this, genuinely. life and change. worship and its purpose. my religious studies diploma on my wall is screaming at me rn. ALSO i am once again thinking about celebrities

“...” It was only then that Pei Ming seemed to notice, and started to contemplate this question. A moment later, he answered, “A habit. In a dark, creepy place like this, isn’t it normal to hold women in your arms, to comfort them and calm their fears?” “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t scared,” Banyue said.” - BANYUE I LOVE YOU. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH. god this takes me back to every college party i ever went to

LING WEN BACKSTORY????? shoeseller chosen for godhood bc she wrote a political essay and got arrested...... and now she’s face to face with the official who appointed her..... do go on.....

“Ling Wen laughed out loud, seeming to be enraged, and her voice dropped. “Very well! You said I couldn’t reach that high. Then, might I ask you: had the prominence of the Palace of Jing Wen at its peak ever reached even the knees of my Palace of Ling Wen??” - GET HIM!!!! BOO HISS JING WEN

“Compared to you, I’m not that bad,” Ling Wen said. “You’d personally order me to stay in the Palace of Jing Wen until midnight, then turn around and say I shamelessly hang around ‘til late to harass you. Words murder without form; I was much nicer responding with blatant violence.” - ling wen im love you..... also this bit... feels Real

BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN!! FLOWER PETALS TRANSFORMATION!!! see hua cheng? look as how cool it can be when you leave the story for a little while!! bc then you get to return and make an entrance!!

“Not only can you bring forth bloody rain, you can also make flowers shower. I didn’t know that. How fun!” - cute!! and in that moment we were all xie lian

“Everyone was stunned by his deed, and Ling Wen arduously gave him a thumbs-up. ”Ol’ Pei, what a man!” Pei Ming gritted his teeth. “WELCOME!” - aww three two tumors buddies!!

okay yin yu is here and xie lian did the equivalent of asking someone when the baby is due only to find out theyre not pregnant at all. then rong guang taunts yin yu and no one says anything. i do love the amount of awkward moments in this book tbh sometimes there are no words.

“All around was sand and mud crushing at him, exceedingly suffocating. The sand and mud was also moving endlessly; the feeling was like he was swallowed into the stomach of a giant monster, and that monster had also eaten a bunch of other things besides him, tumbling everything in its stomach, trying to digest” - ooooh creepy!!! the red string thing... is cute.... also xie lian being able to see hua cheng’s butterfly vision by looking directly into his eye is kinda cool. and obviously homoerotic.

“Are lower-ranked heavenly officials below other people?” Quan Yizhen asked. “No,” Yin Yu replied. Were they not? It was obvious that he himself didn’t believe in his own words, and Quan Yizhen also noticed. A good while later, he said bluntly, “I don’t like it here.” Yin Yu said nothing.” - im having emotions. and then yin yu also saying he doesnt like it there either.... also idk how this scene is going to play out but as much as im enjoying quan yizhen being an icon i can also possibly see how yin yu could eventually get to the point of “i am tired of being nice. i do just want to go apeshit” even if he really cares about qyz. it happens </3

“Indeed,” Hua Cheng said. “Half a year later when Quan Yizhen actually ascends, he won’t find it so funny anymore.” “Can we watch that part too?” Xie Lian asked. “We can. Hold on,” Hua Cheng replied.” - quan yizhen king of taking things literally. also why did this turn into hualian having a movie night

jian yu seems like the kind of asshole who would purposely give someone regular soda when they specifically asked for diet soda. god yin yu is really having a bad day i really feel for him in the whole situation with the brocade immortal

awww okay at least jian yu tried to take responsibility. im still mad at him tho that was objectively a terrible idea. god this whole situation sucked :(

“Rocks and earth crushed at them from all around, forcing their bodies to press tightly against one another, their faces brushing, their ears warm. Although it wasn’t the right time, a thought flashed through Xie Lian’s mind: “‘To die buried together’ doesn’t feel so bad.” - okay... im kind of emotional.... gay people....

okay obviously these murals and the prince of wuyong have some connection (im guessing pretty direct) to xie lian and are important but everytime they start analyzing one i feel like im back in art history class fhadskfhskjdhf not that thats a bad thing!! i liked art history a lot tbh

“Don’t worry, they’re not human,” Hua Cheng said. “It’s precisely because they’re not human that we have to worry, alright….” Xie Lian thought.” - goth ghost bf problems

xie lian: well, there is one person i trust more than anyone else, someone who’s first in my mind hua cheng, oblivious: oh :/ xie lian, also oblivious: what? hua cheng: you shouldnt trust so easily its dangerous xie lian: oh. haha. yeah. well. wanna,,, know who it is? hua cheng: its :) fine :) it :) doesnt :) matter :) but of course you can tell me if you want to gege xie lian, internally: well now ive made it weird hua cheng, 5 minutes later: actually i need you to tell me. right now. its totally for your security me: gay people smh

“As they suspected, he had been captured by Qi Rong. Although no one was bound by ropes, there were balls of greasily green ghost fires hovering over every one of their heads.” - completely off track but anybody else remember the great green globs of greasy grimy gopher guts song

“Could there actually come a day when Qi Rong was embarrassed that someone might see the manner in which he ate? Before Xuan Ji entered, she put Guzi down. Guzi, ta-ta-ta, ran in, rushing straight to Qi Rong’s side. But when he saw him, he pointed his finger. He cried, “Dad is eating bad things in secret again!” “I’m not!” Qi Rong retaliated.” SCREAM IS QI RONG LEARNING THE POWER OF LOVE NOOOO also god that poor man whose body he has im starting to doubt if he’ll ever be free jimmy novak flashbacks

everytime we get another ghost king power somewhere someone should be writing hua cheng the cyborg bf in a high tech futuristic au i think thats the only other potential setting that could truly capture this wild ride

“In truth, throughout history, there was no man in the world who didn’t love bragging. A breeze could blow the handkerchief of a brothel girl into a man’s hand, and he would turn around and say the most beautiful of renowned escorts had fallen in love with him; holding shoes and wiping benches for the emperor’s mistress’s uncle’s grandson’s cousin’s mistress would for sure become him being an important administrator at the residence of royal relatives, raising his status. Thus, men who didn’t brag were a rare species.” - SCREAM this is going in my favorite tgcf quotes folder god... mxtx come here let me shake your hand

read the story of rain master yushi huang’s ascension. why am i crying. also this bit im crying again me with my stuffed animals “Thus, while Yushi Huang was cultivating at the Temple of Yulong, every time when she went to seek water and passed that door, she would rub the head of that ox. The door knocker soaked in her essence of life, and when the Rain Master ascended, the ox ascended with her.”

okay thats enough for now i have 7 more chapters to book 4!!! woo!!!

[hamliet]

The Faces Under Bai WuXiang’s Mask

Or, dissecting Bai WuXiang. I’m not going to get into whose face is actually under BWX’s mask (there aren’t spoilers in this meta), or into Lang Ying, but I instead want to talk about Bai WuXiang’s foiling with primarily Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, but also a bit of He Xuan and Qi Rong (fitting as BWX and the latter three are the Four Great Calamities). 

Anyways. Mount TongLu. 

The funny thing about Mu Qing and Feng Xin’s horror over Hua Cheng’s love for Xie Lian is that they think he’s a demon stalking Xie Lian with the intent of harming him. 

Feng Xin was practically getting chills looking through those murals, “My fucking god… who the hell is he? He’s been watching you since eight hundred years ago?! And he is still, even now? What the fuck! This is terrifying! Is he bewitched? What the hell does he want? Normal worshippers won’t even do this much, just what the hell does he want??”

And Hua Cheng has loved Xie Lian and lived for him for 800 years. Yet, while there is a demon stalking Xie Lian for 800 years, it is not Hua Cheng but Bai WuXiang.

Bai WuXiang’s obsession with Xie Lian seems to be that he wants Xie Lian to become exactly like him, as a sort of forced empathy (I’m sensing a pattern among MXTX villains: see here for He Xuan and here for MDZS’s Xue Yang). I’m curious to see where this develops. Bai WuXiang seems to recognize Xie Lian’s terror and understand it, even, and he wants to see it drive Xie Lian into the same kind of crying/laughing despair that governs him. 

White No-Face lifted his face to look at his eyes, and he said warmly, “Your highness, I think, you might have misunderstood. There certainly will be a Supreme who will emerge from this kiln, but, it won’t be me. It would be you.” ...

“Do you remember this cry-smiling mask?” White No-Face asked, “It suits you.” ...

Then, without giving him a chance to protest, that tragically pale cry-smiling mask melted with the infinite darkness as it was heavily pressed onto Xie Lian’s face.

This is, of course, a crucial difference when compared with how Hua Cheng sees Xie Lian. He never forces Xie Lian to do anything, and accompanies him even when he doesn’t want Xie Lian to make a particular choice. In other words, Hua Cheng gets real empathy and what it’s like, that it doesn’t mean becoming exactly like someone or agreeing all the time, but walking with them. 

Xie Lian softly sighed a breath of relief and forced a smile, “Nothing, it’s just, in these past years, how I passed my earlier days wasn’t the prettiest sight, it was all muddled and very much a failure. I just thought if you had witnessed it it wouldn’t be good.”

Hua Cheng laughed, “How could that be?”

Xie Lian however, didn’t laugh at all, “It’s not a joke, it really was quite the failure.”

Hearing this, Hua Cheng withdrew his smile and turned solemn, “That’s okay too. Didn’t your highness already say it yourself?”

“Me?” Xie Lian was confused, “What did I say?”

Hua Cheng recited languidly, “To me, the one standing in infinite glory is you, the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.”

Bai WuXiang doesn’t understand this perspective at all. He tells Xie Lian, regarding Hua Cheng:

“it’s probably for the best that he doesn’t come in. Otherwise, even if he doesn’t think so now, later when he sees the state of you, who knows if he’ll still want to be with you.”

He’s preying on Xie Lian’s worst insecurities, the ones he mentioned earlier: that he’s a failure, that he’s trash. I’m pretty sure this is actually what Bai WuXiang thinks of himself: that he’s a failure, and no one wants to be with him (well, I mean, look at you BWX...) 

We see these fears of being inherently bad in Hua Cheng as a little boy. Everyone seems to believe this about him, especially when the priest tells his fortune:

The Head Priest wiped his sweat and suddenly backed a mile away, “Your highness, you really picked up something you shouldn’t have up the mountain! That small child is toxic! His sign is borne of the most ominous star, the Star of Solitude*, destined to bring misfortune and destruction, the kind that evil loves the most. Whoever touches him will have misfortune befall upon them, whoever gets close will lose their lives!”

... Seeing that everyone was avoiding him like he was a poisonous snake, that child was shocked and started thrashing even harder, biting and screaming, “I’m not! I’M NOT!! I’M NOT!!!!”

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped him around the 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.”

That young child pressed his lips closed tightly, grabbing on to that pair of snow-white sleeves around his waist with a death grip, forced himself to hold back for a long time but in the end he still couldn’t. A stream of tears suddenly rolled down from that round, black eye, and he burst out crying.

Xie Lian embraced him from behind and reiterated firmly, “It not you. It’s not your fault.”

This scene was also paralleled recently in the confession scene in 177, where Xie Lian hugs Hua Cheng from behind to confirm he loves him. But what Hua Cheng fears is being alone because he brings misfortune to the people he loves. He doesn’t want to be alone. Connection, as we’ll see, is vitally important to staying alive and to staying connected to humanity--whether mortal, god, or demon--in TGCF. He even asks Xie Lian in the confession scene not to tell him, because he’s so afraid of being rejected, yet Xie Lian embraces him instead. 

i’m not in pain at all

When Hua Cheng is wondering what to live for, thinking he has nothing, Xie Lian tells him to live for him until he finds another reason to live for himself. This scene again emphasizes the importance of connection and the importance of empathy in connection as well, that a god would speak to a lone, desperate mortal worshipper. Live for their connection. The problem is that Hua Cheng needs to extend some of that love to himself too (like, he’s still drawing himself as exceedingly ugly in his art), but I think that comes through allowing himself to be loved by Xie Lian. So he’s on that path. 

There’s another aspect to the BWX and Hua Cheng foiling that makes me slightly uncomfortable to discuss, but it’s there so let’s discuss it. Hua Cheng’s murals that so panicked Mu Qing and Feng Xin were pretty obviously, er, erotic (the ultimate self-insert real person fanartist; Hua Cheng and Dante could get along). Bai WuXiang is definitely giving off some... creeper vibes. 

The next second, his hair was grabbed, forcibly yanked back then bashed into the ground!

His ears were ringing, his nose and mouth were filled with the astringence of blood, and his head concussed.

It was a while later before Xie Lian felt a hand pull his head out from the shattered ground, and a voice came from above, “So sad, so pitiful.”

Xie Lian choked out a mouthful of blood. White No-Face said, “Every time I meet your highness, you always look like this. Makes one ache. Makes one excited.”

It could just be the translation, but given BWX’s foiling with Hua Cheng, the scene two chapters earlier where Mu Qing and Fen Xin clearly think Hua Cheng is going to harm Xie Lian sexually and Hua Cheng assures him he has no such intentions (not that Xie Lian thought he would), plus what we know of Xie Lian’s utter commitment to abstinence does make me think that Bai WuXiang knows what he’s doing and is doing it to distress Xie Lian. I don’t think MXTX will take it very far (ie I don’t think anything will actually happen in a literal sense), thankfully, but I do think something metaphorically along those lines (ie something humiliating that denies Xie Lian humanity in a sense other than that one, BUT metaphorical is not the same thing) might have happened in the past.

There’s also the fact that Bai WuXiang slamming Xie Lian’s face into the ground and demanding he be like him at the ending of book 3, right before we dive into the past, is a reversal of the scene at the ending of book 1 right before we dive into the past, where Xie Lian slams Qi Rong’s face into the ground because he can’t get him to stop possessing an innocent father. Additionally, in this scene Qi Rong tells Xie Lian something similar to what BWX tells Xie Lian, except Xie Lian is the one in power then:

Xie Lian’s breathing was becoming more laboured, his head dizzy, his body shaking, his hands itching to crush Qi Rong’s skull, but he couldn’t do it. Qi Rong spread his hands, “Hahahaha cousin crown prince, what a failure, what an absolute failure!”

Xie Lian picked him off the ground, raised his fists and rained punch after punch on Qi Rong’s face, yelling with each punch, “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

Yet, the more enraged he got, the happier Qi Rong became. To be able to drag the both of them to the same hell, Qi Rong was filled with rapture, his eyes shone brightly, “See! There’s your true face! Cousin crown prince, who knows you better than me in this world? You might look like a pathetic, drowned dog that anyone can trample now, but I know. You’re still proud on the inside; you couldn’t stand anyone calling you a failure! You must hate me for calling you a failure! Have I stabbed your heart enough to bleed? Hurry! Come! Or are you gonna tell me loudly that this body is innocent, so you won’t kill me in order to spare him? Come! Show me what you’ll do!”

It’s the same sort of temptation, except BWX has the spiritual power on his side whereas Qi Rong didn’t. Kill me, and become like me. If Xie Lian doesn’t give up, if he stands by his morals even though they’re being challenged because honestly his morals are kind of all he has at certain moments, then they themselves will be condemned, as they already know they are. But they want someone to empathize with them, to understand them. Qi Rong spent his childhood looking up to Xie Lian, wanting to be like him, and now he wants Xie Lian to be like him. He’s still a child, despite being an 800-year-old demon. I have hope Qi Rong will be able to grow a bit through being a parental figure for GuZi, I don’t really for BWX because I find him a terrifying baddie whom I love and despise at the same time. 

What sets Xie Lian apart though, the whole reason Qi Rong loved him so much in the first place, the reason Hua Cheng fell in love with him, the reason He Xuan grew close with Shi Qing Xuan, is because Xie Lian can empathize. He has a sense of wonder about the world, and he doesn’t see himself as better than anyone. He’s naive and yes, proud in some ways, but when his priests tried to kick out a child because the child had a bad fortune, he protected that child. He dove off the ceremonial cart to save a falling child. He knows he failed epically to save Xian Le from falling, to save innocents from dying, but not for lack of trying. 

He Xuan also tried to force Shi Qing Xuan and Shi Wu Du to understand his pain in losing all his loved ones. It backfired, and now He Xuan has lost the one person he still had. (I don’t think SQX is dead, but I doubt he is in a good state.) The meta I referenced earlier is entirely about this, and as @beneaththebrim wrote here, the whole Black Water arc “is a tragic mirror of the main plot.”

The faces under Bai WuXiang’s mask could easily be any of these characters, but they aren’t because they’re able to connect currently. Qi Rong has a genuine connection to Xie Lian, as twisted and torn as it is, and is developing one with GuZi. He Xuan is likely finding out that revenge on Shi Wu Du didn’t bring him the peace he wants, didn’t bring his loved ones back, and irreparably hurt the one person who loved him (Shi Qing Xuan). Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, of course, love each other, and through each others’ love, are hopefully starting, ever so slowly, to learn to love and value themselves too (Hua Cheng you don’t value yourself enough). 

Bai WuXiang is likely terrified of facing the reality that he is alone (and if he doesn’t have the human face disease or some remnant thereof since he’s the mastermind behind it and it’s symbolic of society corrupting & also of loneliness, I’ll be shocked). So no matter how many faces he has in actuality, it’s really only his face under that mask, and that’s what he’s terrified of. 

[theircrazyfandoms]

This week I’m fairly sure I read a lot more fic. While school and work have both kept me incredibly busy when I get free time (early in the morning or really late at night) I would relax by reading fic. As a multi-fandom person I usually read fics from multiple fandoms but this past week I went kinda crazy. 

However, Sunday I finally decided I would dive into the Sherlock fandom. Specifically johnlock. I think over a year ago I might have read a brief fic about these two but never really dived too deep into the fandom. Even though I kinda peaked at shipped them when watching the BBC show. I feel like next week I am going to have a lot more Sherlock fics. 

STAR TREK (TOS/AOS)

🔹️ 𝘾𝘼𝙎𝙏 𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙍 [AO3] by 𝙨0𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙧0𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: James ‘Jim’ Kirk x Spock 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | Mature | 7 Chapters | 42.3K Words | PTSD

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: Kirk saves Vulcan from Nero at high cost to himself. It falls to Spock to pick up the pieces.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: I haven’t read a spirk fic like this where Kirk ended up saving Vulcan. We get to see him deal with the PTSD from being tortured and how Spock begins to see the real Kirk. Definitely a must read!

🔹️ 𝙒𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙏𝙊𝙐𝘾𝙃𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙎 [AO3] by 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: James ‘Jim’ Kirk x Spock 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 7K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: Sometimes they’ll also ask him why he hasn’t gone out and chased hi soulbond yet.

Jim will point to the sky and say, “The moon’s always there, babe. Don’t need to go chasin’ after her.” 

It is January, year 2063. Humanity has quietly achieved interstellar travel, and Jim Kirk’s soulbond stretches into the stars.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: I love soulmate au’s and the au that spirk are the first to make contact. An amazing twist! Though, we need more first contact spirk fics.

🔹️ 𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙒𝘼𝙍 [AO3] by 𝙏-𝙝𝙖𝙞-𝙡𝙖 (𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡) [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: James ‘Jim’ Kirk x Spock 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 12.7K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: As Vulcans settled bases on Earth, as the war began, what was a timid relationship became volatile almost in a single moment. 

Not one day passed that Spock did not think of the blue-eyes boy and the love and companionship they shared. Bonded for life to a Terran, he welcomed himself to isolation from others emotionally. As he grew, he refused to allow himself to hold out any hope that Jim was still alive, not when the Terran body count continued to rise.

ONCE UPON A TIME

🔹️ 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙑𝙀 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀𝙎 [AO3] by 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙨 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Peter Pan x Wendy Darling 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 4.3K Words | Unhealthy Relationship

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: The five times she wanted to leave and the one time she didn’t. 

(The five times he didn’t let her go and the one time he did.) 

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: I’ve always been fascinating by dark!Peter and through this fic we get to see how possessive and obsessed he is with Wendy. Taking a turn on the Poriginal Peter pan. It’s definetely not a healthy relationship (even though I put them as a pairing) but we get to see how Peter deals with those he loves (if thats what you can call it).

HEAVEN OFFICIAL’S BLESSING (TIAN GUAN CI FU)

🔹️ 𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝘽𝙔 𝙏𝙍𝙄𝘼𝙇 [AO3] by 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Hua Cheng/San Lang x Xie Lian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 8.5K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: Hua Cheng has wanted Dianxia for so long he doesn’t know how to survive knowing that Dianxia is his at long last. Worse still, Dianxia doesn’t seem to have any interest in consummating their relationship, leaving Hua Cheng in the  mdist of his greatest trial yet; keeping his lust from consuming them whole. 

But a gem cannot be polished without friction nor a man perfected without trials - and after everything, Hua Chen will not let this trial be the one that defeats him.

🔹️ 𝙎𝙐𝘼𝙉𝙅𝙄𝘼𝙉𝙂 [AO3] by 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Hua Cheng/San Lang x Xie Lian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 11K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: When Xie Lian wakes up to Hua Cheng’s female form, he doesn’t know what to do. When he finally gives into his desire to touch her, he doesn’t know what to do. When he decides that the only solution is to seek a female form of his own...

They figure out what to do together.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: An amazing fic where we get to not only discover San Lang’s female form but Xie Lian’s as well! Never really thought much about their female forms before this but I would enjoy reading more now!

🔹️ 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝘼 𝙆𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙄𝘿𝙊𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙋𝙀 [AO3] by 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙚 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Hua Cheng/San Lang x Xie Lian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 10.9K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: Hua Cheng has always given everything he is to Xie Lian. For once, Xie Lian wants him to be selfish so Xie Lian can give something back.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: A beautiful fic where San Lang learns to be selfish with Xie Lian (aka the type of fic that I’ve been dying to read and was not disappointed in).

🔹️ 𝘼 𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙇𝙀 𝘽𝙄𝙏 𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙏 (𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐) [AO3] by 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙚 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Hua Cheng/San Lang x Xie Lian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 4.3K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: When Xie Lian is hurt, Hua Cheng keeps his hands to himself in penance. Xie Lian, however, insists on finding a resolution. After all - only a God should punish their most beloved worshipper. 

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: A fic I needed to read! I can definitely see this as canon because San Lang would definetely punish himself is his Dianxia got injured. Of course, we all know Xie Lian wouldn’t agree. 

GRANDMASTER OF DEMONIC CULTIVATION (MO DAO ZU SHI)

🔹️ 𝘽𝙇𝙐𝙀 𝘽𝙐𝙍𝙉𝙎 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘾𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙇𝙀 [AO3] by 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙚 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Lan Zhan/Lan Wangji x Wei Ying/Wei Wuxian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 4.3K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: Wei Ying has been dwelling too much on the past so Lan Zhan roots him to the present.

🔹️ 𝘼𝙎 𝙒𝙀 𝘼𝙍𝙀 [AO3] by 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙚 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Lan Zhan/Lan Wangji x Wei Ying/Wei Wuxian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 3.2K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: At Lotus Pier, Lan Zhan is coaxed by Wei Ying into hunting pheasants, but discovers a new silver of Wei Ying’s past instead.

🔹️ 𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙔𝙄𝙉𝙂 [AO3] by 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Lan Zhan/Lan Wangji x Wei Ying/Wei Wuxian 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 6 Chapters | 24.5K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: Before he broke the Stygian Tiger Seal in two, he took one last look at his wrist. Everlasting, it said. Even after everything, his other half still considered their love everlasting.

Wi WuXian murmured a quiet apology to the soulmate he hd never met and then he unleashed an unholy nightmare.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: I’m back at it again with the soulmate aus and this is one of the best soulmate mark aus I have read. Plus, we get to see Wei Ying deal with a little bit of PTSD from his former life. (Also, I have no clue how the author managed to pick the soulmarks so well. They could not have done a better job!) 

Also, THIS is another fic I read this week which is apart continuation of this story. Wei Ying finds out about Lan Zhan’s scars.

BBC’s SHERLOCK

🔹️ 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙏 𝙄𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙉 [AO3] by 𝙘𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙨 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Sherlock Holmes x John Watson 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 1 Chapter | 1.9K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: John is Sherlock’s internet boyfriend - from CANADA.

No one thinks he’s real.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: So... I kind of dived into the Sherlock fandom and loved this oneshot about johnlock meeting online. It’s especially funny because no one believes Sherlock can get a boyfriend.

🔹️ 𝙇𝙀𝙁𝙏 [AO3] by 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙨 [AO3]

𝘗𝘈��𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎: Sherlock Holmes x John Watson 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘚: Complete | 9 Chapters | 45.2K Words

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: John Watson is left-handed.

He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible.

𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚: Wow! Was not expecting this when I first clicked because of the interesting summary. It’s a knack au where everyone has some kind of knack or ability and it blends so well into the original storyline (with the added bonus of johnlock)! It quickly became an all-time fav!

[lansizhuis]

Short fic prompt: fx figures out mq has feelings for him (pretty much destroyed all his brain cells figuring it out and then realizing how much sense it makes)

***cross posted at my fengqing agenda in ao3!

-

“So?” drawled Hua Cheng as he made a show to check his nails, “Are you going to start talking anytime soon?”

“Shut up, you bastard! I’m still thinking!” shouted an aggravated Feng Xin who was pacing across the couple.

“Oh, you can think?” came the fake surprised response of the ghost king.

“You -”

“Alright, settle down.” Xie Lian gently patted Hua Cheng’s arm and gave an encouraging smile to the one who slammed Puji Shrine’s doors opened before the sun could rise with a harried look on his face, “What is it Feng Xin? Is there anything wrong in the Heavens?”

Ignoring Hua Cheng’s ‘Everything is wrong in the heavens’ comment, Feng Xin exhaled loudly.

“Mu Qing.”

Xie Lian gasped, “What’s wrong with Mu Qing? Did he get injured? Was he captured? Does he need our assistance? How could I help?

“I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him,” confided Feng Xin to an enraptured Xie Lian, “But he’s been acting...odd. And I suspect he’s either possessed or someone’s controlling him.”

The Crown Prince of Xian Le immediately went into detective mode. “What are these oddities you speak of? And when did it start?”

“I’m not sure when it started per se but a month or so ago, he ga-” Feng Xin paused and looked like he was struggling with the next words, “he gave me a new bow.”

Xie Lian blinked.

And as if being able to tell that opened the floodgates, Feng Xin continued listing on as he returned to his pacing with wild hand gestures. “Then, the next day, he invited me out to eat with him. And he paid! For the both of us!”

“Wow. Sucks to be you,” commented Hua Cheng drily.

“After that, he started doing things with me every so often like checking on my worshippers, cleaning out some demon’s lair, and answering some prayers! Without saying any insult!”

Hua Cheng yawned.

“And - and remember how it was the banquet a week ago? So this time I won against him by one lantern that was floated up late. He congratulated me with a sincere tone!” squeaked Feng Xin, “And later, I found out that the last lantern came from him!”

“Tragic,” Hua Cheng sarcastically shook his head.

“Your Highness, please help me,” implored a stressed out Feng Xin

Xie Lian gave out an unsure chuckle. “Uh, Feng Xin...I don’t seem to see the problem? Doesn’t this mean your relationship has improved now? Isn’t that for the best?”

Feng Xin vehemently shook his head, “No! No, you don’t understand, Your Highness. He always did those things for me for the past eight hundred years and counting but he’s being too uh what’s the word he’s hmm he’s being nice.”

“Hold on,” Xie Lian tilted his head in consideration, “You mean to tell me that he’s been giving you new bows, inviting you to eat, and helping you out for the past years?”

“Yes! But as I said, he’s being nice now when he does it!” Feng Xin looked like he was about to cry.

“I need you to listen carefully,” started Xie Lian. When the other martial god nodded seriously, he continued, “Have you ever considered that maybe just maybe it’s because Mu Qing actually likes you and he just didn’t know how to show it properly before?”

Feng Xin scoffed. “Hah. That guy? Like me?! Please.”

“Well, have you?”

“I mean sure we made out like once or twice in the past but -”

“Base on my spirit butterflies, it’s actually more than once or twice I assure you,” interrupted Hua Cheng uncaringly.

Xie Lian coughed.

“Yeah, fine so maybe more. But who cares about the number?” he waved a hand carelessly, “What’s important is -”

“What’s important is,” and this time it was Xie Lian who interrupted, “Mu Qing’s technically been courting you for hundreds of years already.”

“And I thought my own pining was pathetic. Then I hear something even more pathetic,” smirked Hua Cheng uncaringly as the two gods discussed.

“No!” was the strong denial.

“Feng Xin, have you seen Mu Qing give gifts to anyone else?” asked Xie Lian.

“No but -”

“Have you seen him make out with anyone else?”

“No -”

“Have you seen him act like how he does with you with anyone else?”

“Sure! He’s always bitching to -”

“Feng Xin, you know what I mean.”

“...no.”

Xie Lian smiled. “And the conclusion here is that Mu Qing likes you.”

Feng Xin’s brain short circuited as his memories with the pretty martial god started flashing through his mind.

“And you like him too,” chimed in an wickedly grinning Hua Cheng.

Feng Xin choked on his spit.

[pengiesama]

The Care and Keeping of Your Sentient Saber (Fic, TGCF, HC/XL)

Title: The Care and Keeping of Your Sentient Saber Series: Heavenly Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Pairing: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

Summary:

E-ming is a very tender and sensitive sword, and needs lots of love and attention that only one person is qualified to give.

Hua Cheng is a very tender and sensitive demon, and needs lots of love and attention that only one person is qualified to give.

Xie Lian is very qualified, and a very, very busy man.

Link: AO3

Check out my commission info here.

Read on Tumblr!

“So. I really am curious. What was it, precisely, that made you think it was a good idea to disrespect me? In my very own city, no less. It was quite the bold gambit, and as I’m sure you’ve realized, it didn’t pay off.”

The horned demon lolled around uselessly on the floor, howling pathetically, and making quite a mess -- really, Hua Cheng had only torn one arm off, and the floor was already slippery with blood. His heeled boots kept the bottom of his robes from dragging in the stuff as he casually strolled about the room, still speaking quite conversationally to his guest even as said guest continued to scream.

“I could have just left you upstairs, and let my employees take care of you,” Hua Cheng continued. “Dealing with rude guests is generally beneath me. But you’ve caught me at a bad time, I’m afraid. So here you are, and here I am. And I’m just dying to know a little more about you.”

“I ain’t mean any disrespect to the lord Chengzhu!” the demon desperately bellowed. “That waitress, she was askin’ for it, and if she’d just have come along quietly I wouldn’ta disturbed the lord’s game--”

“I work so hard to build a prosperous city, only to have scum like this slither in.” Hua Cheng sighed and clasped his fists together to murmur a brief prayer of repentance.

“Really? Even the lord Chengzhu is a dog of the heavens? Ain’t this the city of a thousand vices!?” the demon spat. “Where’s a demon gotta go to stop bein’ moralized at!?”

Hua Cheng was a very, very devout man, and did not like having his prayers interrupted. He let a slow, cruel smile twist his mouth as he turned to fully face his prisoner. He unsheathed his sword to end this tiresome interaction and -- and --

...

Let us try that again. He unsheathed his sword --

NO, E-ming’s voice snapped at him in his mind.

Hua Cheng grit his teeth. He unsheathed the obnoxious, whiny, clingy, useless, worthless piece of scrap metal that had the gall to call itself a sword --

NO. WILL NOT.

He did not like looking foolish in front of his captives. To ensure that word of this did not spread, Hua Cheng eschewed use of E-ming in favor of roundhouse kicking the demon’s head off. He snapped his fingers, and the black shadows disengaged from the walls; becoming a creeping, writhing wave of black caterpillars. They closed in to gorge themselves on the corpse’s flesh, and gnaw holes in the bones. Chrysalis season was fast approaching, and they did need their calcium, after all.

WANT GEGE., E-ming insisted.

Hua Cheng just about lost it then and there. To think that his sword had the unmitigated nerve to make demands on His Highness’ time!

“Oh, do you now?” Hua Cheng hissed. “And what makes you think gege wants to see you!? He has better things to do than to spend his time with a rusty, warped kitchen knife.”

HAVE NOT SEEN GEGE IN SO LONG. E-ming gave a long, drawn-out shiver, as if heaving a sigh born from a bottomless yearning. SO LONG!

Xie Lian had been in and out of Puji Shrine nearly every day lately; going back and forth to the nearby town to answer prayers, going back and forth to the heavens to gather holy herbs, blessed water, powdered qilin droppings -- or whatever other odd nonsense the humans were asking of him.

It was only right and proper that His Highness had worshippers again. And of course, with worshippers came prayers, and with prayers came requests, and with requests came a certain lack of availability. The quiet days spent at the shrine, just the two of them, were no more. And if all went as it should, they would be nevermore, never again. Xie Lian would be lifted up, beloved by all. This was as it should be. It was all as it should be.

MISS GEGE SO. MISS GEGE’S MOST BEAUTIFUL FACE. MISS GEGE’S SOFT SOFT HANDS. STRONG STRONG SOFT SOFT HANDS. MOST WONDERFUL. SEE GEGE NOW!

Hua Cheng grasped E-ming by the hilt and hoisted him up so they could hash this out face-to-face. He scowled, narrowing his eye at him. E-ming narrowed his eye right back.

“You’re not in a position to make demands,” Hua Cheng said, low.

IS. IS IN POSITION, E-ming replied. His eye curved upward, and he looked infuriatingly smug. IS IN POSITION AND WILL NOT EVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN COME OUT.

Hua Cheng yanked on him with all his strength; one hand on the sheath, one hand on the hilt. E-ming, true to his word, would not budge.

Hua Cheng knew that he only had himself to blame for how stubborn the little shit was. He knew that, if E-ming said he wouldn’t be unsheathed until he saw Xie Lian again, he was sure as hell not going back on that promise.

Cursing, Hua Cheng paced back and forth, his heels clicking against the stone floor. The caterpillars had finished cleaning up; the room was spotless as they wriggled their fat bodies back into the shadows. How was he supposed to keep his city under control like this!? Yes, he had an entire armory of weapons at his disposal, and yes, he had an army of carnivorous butterflies and to-be-butterflies. And yes, he could level mountains and split the earth in twain with but a snap of his fingers. But, much as he hated to admit it, E-ming was very much his thing. A cursed scimitar that drinks blood and can reopen any wound that it’s ever inflicted -- that was burned into the collective unconscious as the Crimson Rain Brand(™). If he could no longer wield him, then he was that much less powerful. He was that much more useless at protecting Xie Lian.

He, unfortunately, had precious few options left.

--

Xie Lian didn’t often get visitors at his palace in Heaven -- well, not like he was often there anyway -- so the knock on his door took him by surprise. He sighed and trudged wearily to answer. He’d been so exhausted lately, and was lonelier that he’d ever admit aloud...he’d spent centuries alone, so what was a few weeks without Hua Cheng coming to call? What was it? Well, he’d tell you. It was, in a word, unbearable --

He opened the door. Hua Cheng was standing there, and wordlessly presented him with E-ming in his two outstretched hands.

“Please touch it,” Hua Cheng said.

--

“Oh, you poor thing.” Xie Lian made comforting noises as he cradled E-ming on his lap, patting his hilt and sheath with long, indulgent strokes. “Was San Lang being mean to you again? Poor thing...”

GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE, E-ming replied, shaking so hard that the movement registered as a blur to the naked eye. GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE.

E-ming was Hua Cheng’s thing, in that he was literally born from Hua Cheng. But Hua Cheng could confidently say that he would not react so shamelessly if he was in E-ming’s position right now. Lounging on Xie Lian’s lap. Being stroked and fussed over. And furthermore, he did not sound like that when saying “gege.”

“You don’t need to waste any more of your time on him, your highness,” Hua Cheng said. He reached out; not quite brave enough to venture close enough to Xie Lian’s lap to grab E-ming directly. “We’ve already imposed on your hospitality enough.”

Xie Lian shook his head, and lifted E-ming up just enough to press his cheek to his hilt. E-ming’s eye rolled wildly, and his shaking was beginning to make his sheath slide off. Hua Cheng fumed. Here they were, rudely demanding that Xie Lian entertain them as guests, and now E-ming was stripping down like a common brothel whore.

GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE GEGE. SILKY SOFT CHEEK. PILLOWY SOFT LAP. PET ME PET ME PET ME PET ME, said E-ming, like the wanton skank that he was.

“You’re not imposing. And we’re not done catching up,” Xie Lian said. “I haven’t seen the two of you in so long, after all. Have you been taking care of yourself?”

Hua Cheng forced a smile. “Of course. Gege doesn’t need to trouble his mind about this San Lang’s health.”

Xie Lian’s smile took on an air of sadness, and Hua Cheng felt the familiar string of self-loathing pierce his heart.

“I know. I know that San Lang is strong, and can take care of himself. But…if it’s not too much trouble, perhaps you could...”

“I could,” Hua Cheng assured him. I could, I would. I’ll do anything for you, just name it.

Xie Lian smiled at his little joke (haha, a little joke, yes), and settled E-ming back onto his lap -- E-ming, now completely sheathless, his blade flashing in the waning sunlight.

“Perhaps you could come see me, from time to time, just so I know you’re well.”

Ah. Now that the request had a name to it, Hua Cheng could hardly refuse.

“Of course, gege.”

Xie Lian dipped his head, hiding his red cheeks behind the fall of his hair. Hua Cheng’s fingers twitched at the thought of reaching out, of tucking it behind his ear to see the color on his beautiful face.

He saw Xie Lian’s wide eyes staring at him, felt the warmth of his skin and the softness of his hair on his cold hands.

Ah. Hua Cheng wasn’t as in control of himself as he thought. He’d made that thought into action. Perhaps E-ming’s poor behavior was contagious.

“...t-there’s a smudge!” Xie Lian suddenly announced, leaning in close to E-ming to inspect him, pulling away from Hua Cheng’s hand. “P-poor thing, you poor thing, E-ming, San Lang hasn’t been polishing you! Let me help--”

Xie Lian hiked up his robes on one arm, flashing the skin of his jade-white arm up to his elbow, and bunched it up in his hand. He breathed onto E-ming’s blade, a huff-puff of warm air, and polished out the smudge that he had spotted with his keen eye. E-ming’s eye went huge; the dark pupil dilating. He stopped shaking entirely, and lay completely still, as if dead.

“...E-ming?” Xie Lian waved his hand in front of his eye. “Are you alright?”

“He’ll be fine,” Hua Cheng assured.

Hua Cheng, for his part, was utterly out of his mind with jealousy. He would be hearing about this for months from E-ming. About how white and lovely gege’s arms were, about how gege’s sweet breath felt on his steel, about how gege polished him so skillfully. Hua Cheng wanted to march outside and dropkick the first heavenly official he saw. He glanced out the nearby window, and saw Mu Qing and Feng Xin choking each other out in the middle of the street. A two-for-one deal! Oh my, how convenient. Truly he was the luckiest man alive.

Before he could put this thought into action, he saw Xie Lian, inching close. In his hand he was wielding a handkerchief. He tapped it to his tongue to wet it (his cute pink tongue), and reached out to tap, tap it to Hua Cheng’s cheek.

“...just, ah, cleaning a smudge on you, too,” Xie Lian explained. “You and E-ming need to look out for each other. Keep each other smudge-free. You know?”

“...I don’t know if I can promise an entirely smudge-free existence,” Hua Cheng said. His cheek was tingling and still damp.

“Well…” Xie Lian gave him his hankie. “For now, you can keep that to help. I have a spare, but...bring it back to me the next time you visit, maybe?”

“Of course,” Hua Cheng said. “Of course.”

[the-good-reader]

C3: Scrap-Collecting Immortal’s Third Ascension to Godhood

Xie Lian [XL] had been reduced to a laughingstock of the 3 realms, with no incense, offerings, temples or believers.

The 2 retainers under him, Feng Xin [FX] and Mu Qing [MQ] had surpassed him.

If you were to ask XL to choose whether FX or MQ made him feel more awkward, he would say, “They’re all okay ah!”

However, if you asked bystanders who they wanted to see Xl fight, then everyone would make different choices- it was hard to pick which is the more interesting option.

Because of this, when there was no response from FX's side because he immediately hid and stopped talking, people were naturally disappointed.

Meanwhile, XL put himself down as he said: “I also didn’t anticipate making a commotion like this. It wasn’t deliberate, I’ve inconvenienced everyone.” MQ responded coolly, ...Oh, then that was indeed quite coincidental.

XL too thought it was coincidental.

How could the clock fall right onto MQ, while his ascension also happened to destroy FX’s palace?

This would look deliberate to bystanders.

However, XL was the type that managed to pick the sole poisoned cup among a thousand cups of wine.

He could only say, “I will try my best to compensate for everyone’s golden palaces and other losses. I also hope you may give me some time.”

XL was still genuinely pondering over where he was supposed to get those 8,880,000 merits when Ling Wen [LW] invited him to go to her Ling Wen Palace.

Ling Wen was the Heavenly Official in charge of managing Heaven’s personnel.

When mortals wished to get a step ahead in their careers, they would worship her.

Her palace was filled to the brim with official documents and scrolls, an utterly shocking scene.

When the two of them finally entered the Palace Hall, LW turned around and got straight to the point., ...Your Highness, there is a matter in which the Emperor would like to request your help. Are you willing to assist him and lend a helping hand?

In Heaven, there were many people who had the titles ZhenJun or YuanJun.

However, only one person could be called the Emperor.

XL was confused as this person would never have the need to call other people for help.

XL asks, "What matter?" ...“Recently, the North has a large number of zealous worshippers repeatedly praying for blessings. It can be assumed that they aren’t passing their days peacefully.”

These so-called zealous worshippers generally referred to three types of people:

Rich people who pay money in order to burn incense and build temples for gods.

Missionaries who would preach to bystanders.

People whose body and mind are thoroughly doused in faith and belief.

Most of these worshippers belonged to the first category, as in this world, rich people were like carps passing through rivers.

The third category had the least people; if one was truly able to get to that level of faith, they wouldn’t be far from ascending themselves.

The people LW mentioned were clearly from the first category, ...At present, the Emperor cannot attend to the North. If you are willing to take his place and make the trip, when the time comes, regardless of how much offerings these zealous worshippers make, everything will be allocated to your altar. What do you think? XL received the scroll with both hands as he said, “Many thanks.”

Emperor Jun Wu [JW] was clearly helping XL, but he had flipped it around and made it sound like he was asking XL for help.

XL realized this, but couldn't think of anything other to say than the 2 words he had said already.

LW replied, ...I’m only responsible for handling these affairs. If you want to thank someone, you should wait for the Emperor to return before personally thanking him instead. —Oh right, do you need my help borrowing any magical artefacts? XL answered, "There’s no need. Even if you give me a magical artefact, once I go down I won’t have any spiritual power, and so I won’t be able to use it.

XL has been beaten down twice, so he had lost his power.

In the Heavens, spiritual power was abundant, so he couls casually grab some to use.

If XL wanted to fight with magic in the mortal realm, he could only make do by finding someone he could borrow spiritual energy from, something extremely inconvenient.

LW pondered before saying, ...Then it would be best to borrow a few martial gods to assist you and lend a helping hand.

The current martial gods either didn’t recognize him, or they didn’t like him. Xie Lian understood that thoroughly, and so he responded, “There’s also no need for that. You won’t be able to borrow anyone.” LW seemed to have thought it seriously and only said, ...I’ll give it a try.

XL didn't oppose her words, and allowed her to try.

As a result,LW entered the spirit communication array before announcing in a bright tone, ...Everyone, the Emperor has an important task to be handled in the North and urgently need people. Which martial god Highness can lend out two martial officials from their Palace Halls to help? MQ’s floaty voice emerged, ...I’ve heard that the Emperor isn’t in the North right now, so I’m afraid you’re borrowing people for His Highness the Crown Prince, right? XL mentally thought, “Are you keeping guard at the spirit communication array all day long…?”

LW was in the same wavelength as him.

Although she was angry, she spoke with a smile, ...Xuan Zhen, why am I always seeing you in the array these two days? It seems like you’ve been stealing time to slack off and now you’re quite idle. Congratulations, congratulations. MQ replied in a light tone, ...My hand is injured, so I’m recuperating.

Every Heavenly Official there mentally thought, ...In the past, it would be nothing difficult for that hand of yours to split a mountain in half. So, what would hacking a foolish clock into pieces do to you?

LW had originally wanted to decieve 2 people, but now she was certain she wouldn't find anyone.

XL also didn’t believe anyone would come forward, and thus told her, “You see, I said you wouldn’t be able to borrow anyone.” ...If Xuan Zhen didn’t say anything, I would have indeed been able to. XL smiled, “Those words of yours had been as if you were carrying a pipa, but concealing half its face, beautifully blurring the scene to some degree. People would have thought they were going to help the Emperor with some work, so of course they would come. But when they come and realize they were going to have to work with me, I’m afraid there would be trouble. How could we work together like that? In any case, I’m used to being alone, and I’m not missing an arm or a leg, so let’s just go with this ah. Thank you for your trouble, I’ll leave now.” LW was also powerless, she cupped her hands in a salute before saying, ...Alright. I wish Your Highness’ journey goes smoothly, and may the blessings of Heaven’s Officials be upon you. “All taboos are off!”

Waving his hand, he left in a confident and carefree manner. ---

Three days later, mortal realm, the North.

By the side of a major road, there was a small teahouse.

The shopkeepers were simple folks, but goods were expensive because the scenery was good.

There were mountains and bodies of water, there were people and a city. They had everything, not much of everything—not much, but just right.

The teahouse’s tea sommelier was exceedingly idle, since he currently didn’t have any customers.

He was happily looking when, from afar, he saw a Taoist clad in white walking over.

The Taoist was covered in dust, looking as if he had been walking for a very long time. When he came closer, he walked past the small teahouse, before suddenly stopping in his tracks and slowly retracing his steps.

The Taoist tilted up his bamboo hat with his hand before raising his head. He only took one glance at the store before he started speaking with a smile.

“‘Chance Encounter’ little store, the name is interesting.”

Although this person had a tired appearance, he also had a face full of smiles, “Excuse me, may I ask if Mount Yu Jun is nearby?” The tea sommelier pointed in a direction for him, “It is in this region.”

That person breathed out, and for once he didn’t spit out his soul with that breath. In his mind, he thought, “I’ve finally arrived.”

This person was precisely Xie Lian.

He left the Immortal City that day.

XL had wanted to fall near Mount Yu Jun, but his sleeve got caught on a carefree cloud.

He tumbled around at a lofty, high altitude, and by the time he rolled down, he had no idea where he was.

After three days on foot, he finally reached his originally planned arrival location. Thus, for a short while, he felt extremely moved.

Entering the teahouse, Xie Lian picked a table beside the window before asking for some tea and snacks.

He had just got seated when he suddenly heard endless wailing and the sound of beating drums from outside the room.

He saw a group of people from all ages escorting a crimson-red bridal sedan as they walked past the teahouse.

If one looked closely, they would notice how the faces of these people all had solemn expressions—expressions of grief, anger, dread, yet the only emotion that wasn’t present was joy.

Whatever the case, it didn’t have the appearance of a wedding.

However, contrary to that thought, everyone was wearing red flowers as they played wind instruments and beat their drums.

This situation was really too strange.

That tea sommelier carried a copper teapot in his hand and raised it up high to pour some tea.

He he didn't seem to be shocked by this.

XL was just about to take out the scroll Ling Wen had given him to look over one more time, when he suddenly felt something dazzling flit by.

The moment XL raised his head, a silver butterfly flew past his eyes.

That silver butterfly was sparkly and translucent, looking pure and limpid. As it flew around in the air, it left behind bright traces.

XL couldn’t help but reach out a hand toward it.

This butterfly was extremely intelligent. Not only was it not frightened, it even temporarily stopped on his fingertips, both wings glittering and beautiful to the utmost degree.

Under the sunshine, it looked as if it was a fragment of an illusion.

After a moment, however, it flew away.

XL waved at it, something that could be considered as his goodbye.

But when he turned back, his table had two more people sitting there.

Both were teenage boys who looked around eighteen or nineteen years old.

The one on the left was taller, with facial expressions that looked quite defined and brightly handsome. Within his gaze was an arrogant and obstinate light.

The right side had very light skin. He looked delicate and pretty, yet also refined. However, his expression looked somewhat overly cold and apathetic, an appearance that made it seem as if he wasn’t too happy. In fact, the colour of the faces of both people didn’t look that great.

XL blinked his eyes before asking, “You two are?” The one on the left replied, ...Nan Feng [NF] The person on the right responded, ...Fu Yao [FY]

Xie Lian mentally thought: “It’s not like I’m asking for your names…”

At that moment, LW suddenly transmitted her voice over, ...Your Highness, there are two small martial gods from Middle Heaven who are willing to help. They’ve already gone down to look for you, so they should have arrived by now ah.

The so-called Middle Heaven was naturally relative to Upper Heaven.

The Heavenly Officials of Heaven could be simply and roughly divided into two categories: the ones that ascended, and the ones that didn’t.

The Heavenly Officials of Upper Heaven had all ascended by relying on themselves.

Being only about a hundred of them, they were each extremely precious.

But within Middle Heaven, the deities there were the ones who were brought up by “appointing them as deputy”.

Strictly speaking, their full names ought to be called “Fellow Heavenly Officials”.

However, when people called them, more often than not they would leave out that “fellow” word.

Since there was an Upper Heaven and a Middle Heaven, was there a Lower Heaven?

There wasn’t.

Actually, when XL ascended for the first time, Heaven was still divided as Upper Heaven and Lower Heaven.

But later, everyone found a problem when they introduced themselves to say, “I am from Lower Heaven’s so-and-so”, it sounded truly unpleasant.

With the ‘lower’ word existing, it made them feel especially inferior.

The only difference between them and real Heavenly Officials was merely how they lacked experiencing a Heavenly Tribulation, but who knew when that day would come.

Therefore, some people proposed to change a single word—turning introductions into ‘I am from Middle Heaven’s so-and-so’. This was much more pleasurable to hear than before.

After the change, XL hadn’t gotten used to it even after quite a while.

Xie Lian looked at these two small martial gods and thought it was unlikely they were “willing to come forward and help”.

Thus, he couldn’t help but ask, “Ling Wen ah, I think they don’t look like they came down to help me, and instead it looks more like they want to retrieve my dog head. Did you deceive them to get them to come?”

Unfortunately, it seemed that this question of his wasn’t transmitted out.

XL was incapable of doing anything else, so he first gave a smile to both the small martial gods before saying, “Was it Nan Feng and Fu Yao? To be willing to come and help me, let me thank you in advance.”

They both nodded, and appeared to have a somewhat lofty attitude.

Xie Lian had the tea sommelier bring two more cups of tea, “Which Highness’ Palace are you under?”

NF replied, ...Nan Yang Palace Hall. FY said, ...Xuan Zhen Palace Hall.” “….”

This truly made one feel frightened.

“Your Palaces’ Generals allowed you to come?” Both responded, ...My Palace’s General didn’t know I came. “Then, do you know who I am?” NF replied, ...You are His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. FY said, ...You are the correct path for the human world, you are the heart of the universe.

Xie Lian choked once, before he asked NF in an uncertain manner, “Just now, did he roll his eyes?” ...He did, let him scram.

Nan Yang’s relationship with Xuan Zhen wasn’t good, so when XL heard of that matter, he didn’t really feel surprised.

This was because, even back then, FX's and MQ’s relationship hadn’t been all that great.

Thus, even the worshippers from the Southeast and Southwest didn’t look upon each other in a positive light, while the Nan Yang Palace Hall and the Xuan Zhen Palace Hall had even more mutual hatred for each other.

FY smiled sarcastically as he stated, ...Ling Wen ZhenJun said that if you were willing, you could come. So, for what reason would I scram and leave?

The word ‘voluntary’, saying it with his expression didn’t look convincing.

XL said, “Let me confirm once. Are you two really voluntarily doing this? If you’re not, by all means, don’t force yourself ah.” Both said, ...I willingly volunteered.

Looking at those two deeply sad faces, XL mentally thought: "The words the two of you actually wanted to say were ‘I want to commit suicide’, right? “In short—” XL began, “Let’s first discuss the real work. You guys already know why we came to the North this time, so I won’t start explaining from the beginning…” Both of them interrupted him, ...I don’t know why.

XL could only take out his scroll before saying, “Then it would be best if I explain everything from the start.” ---

It was said that many years ago in Mount Yu Jun, there was a bride and a groom who loved each other very much and were about to be wed.

The bridegroom waited for the procession that delivered the bride, but even after waiting for a long time, he didn’t see the bride arrive.

He began to feel anxious, and thus began to look for the bride’s family, who informed him that his bride had long set off.

The two households reported this to the officials before they began looking in all directions.

Going from beginning to end of the procession's route, they never found her.

But even if she had been eaten by a fierce beast in the mountains, there should have been remains of an arm or a leg or what not.

How could she disappear in thin air?

Inevitablly, people harbored suspicions that the bride herself didn’t wish to marry, resulting in her colluding with the procession before escaping.

But who would have known that after a few years, another new couple married and the nightmare repeated itself - The bride disappeared again.

However, this time she didn’t leave without a trace.

On a small road, people found a foot that something hadn’t quite finished eating.