#xl loving on his ghost king

[silver-cyn]

Happy husbands ❤️

reminder to give your ghost king lots and lots of smooches

[yourcrumblingsaikiisnotmyproblem]

do you think when Hua Cheng got his ghost form after dying (the physical one) he panicked and checked his body for Xie Lian's tattooed name on his arm?

[fauvester]

tgcf as a long rambling bedtime story shang qinghua tells xuejiao (because story time is one of the few times his little half-demon whelp will cuddle with him) intended to teach a spoiled ass ice prince the value of humility and goodness and dedication to the people. it backfires horrifically because XJ thinks that xie lian is extremely cringe and in true airplane fashion the epic bloodthirsty demon antagonist ends up being a supreme simp househusband. how does this keep happening to SQH

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

Jan 1st

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1. New year, new fics ahead, but before that - please rec me ONE fic you read last year ^^

i guess i'll have to change my plan by darjeelinh (E, 42k, WangXian, Modern, Meet-Cute, Falling In Love, Love at First Sight, First Kiss, First Time, Inspired by Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004), soft rom-com vibes, One Night Stands, but not really, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, they both have demi vibes in this fight me about it, Misunderstandings, Separations, Reunions, WangXian canon Elopement™️ shenanigans, now with art)

🔒 A Heart Undying by NonsensicalRambling (M, 114k, WangXian, Undead WWX, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical dead things the burial mounds, Fix-It of Sorts, Canon Divergence, Eventual WangXian, No Yīn Tiger Seal, Morally Gray WWX, Animals Eating People, WWX’s questionable choices, Morally conflicted LWJ, Oblivious WWX, WWX Creates a Sect | Yiling Wei, YLLZ WWX, Sect Leader WWX, LWJ & WQ have an Understanding)

Once Patience Bears Fruit by FinallyGotTheInvitation (E, 88k, WIP, WangXian, Immortal LWJ, Immortal LSZ, Mortal WWX, soon to be, Immortal WWX, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Oblivious WWX, Protective LWJ, Reincarnation, Sex Magic, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, novel canon, "Straight" WWX, Age Difference, switching POV, Drunken Kissing, Drunken Flirting, Power Dynamics, Light Bondage) For #1 & 13 It’s a wonderfully done spin on the Immortal LWJ x Modern Reincarnated WWX trope. And not only do we have the whole family bonding in the mountains we also have all of WWX’s past loved ones reincarnated as well this time all of them live and they’re all pretty tight knit, this WWX definitely has the support system #13 was asking for, but while it is an important plot point, it’s not the main point of the fic.

Turn Left by kianspo (M, 204k, WangXian, NieLan, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, eventually, references to child sexual abuse, not main characters, Neurodivergent LWJ, Slow Build, Lán Family Feels, specifically, Twin Jades of Lán Feels, lwj-centric, Twin Jades of Lán Dynamics, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Angst with Happy Ending)

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2. Hii I’m not sure if you guys take crossover requests? If not just ignore this! But for ITMF, I’m looking for fics that have WWX as a supreme ghost king (mdzs x tgcf). Thanks!!

Back From The Dead by Suibian_613 (T, 44k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, HuaLian, XuanXuan, XinQing, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Supreme Ghost King WWX, Canon-Typical Violence, JZX lives and so does JYL, HX is stupid and in love, SQX is the Wind Master, Badass WWX, Not so oblivious WWX, XY is a Brat, he doesn’t kill anyone important tho, WWX has a ghost city, Let the Yunmeng Bros be Bros, Suggestive Themes, obsessive XY, gender fluid SQX)

The Red Ribbon by sanmaci (M, 22k, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Ghost City, Immortality, Cultivation Partners, Juniors, XL and HC find a child who happens to be WWX, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluffy wangxian, WWX is a Supreme Ghost King, First Time)

and thus the crow flies by cloudyrobinwrites (jwyoomi) (M, 39k, WangXian, MXY & WWX, HuaLian, WIP, Ghost WWX, WWX is a Calamity, Sentient Burial Mounds, The Burial Mounds Wants More Kids, Canon Divergence, what happens when a ghost king gets thrown into a murder mystery, WWX picked up MXY and decided he'll be his student now, MXY managed to summon a calamity level ghost what a guy, WWX disguises himself as a rogue cultivator, WWX's crows have adopted MXy, WWX and MXY make a very good duo actually, WangXian are going on a roadtrip, WWX learns how to do ghost mitosis, local newborn supreme ghost wranglers HuaLian, LWJ is not saying much but trust hes coping as well as he can w all these curveballsm hes just happy that WWX is back)

~*~

3. do you guys know any post-(novel)canon fics that focus on the juniors' relationship with wwx?

bespoke by cafecliche (G, 3k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Fluff, LSZ is a very good boy, which is specifically a tag for the fic but also just true in general)

See Me, Feel Me (Listening to You) by Ghost_Honey (T, 29k, WangXian, POV WWX, WWX Needs a Hug, WWX’s Abyssmal Self-Esteem, Emotional Healing, Angst, The Juniors love their Senior Wei, Curses, WWX is an Unreliable Narrator, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling)

Trust by FlyingMachine1 (G, 8k, WWX & Junior Ensemble, WangXian, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Junior Ensemble Shenanigans, BAMF WWX, Humor, junior quartet is the wwx fan club)

The following also feature the relationship between Wei Ying & the Juniors but involve time travel

❤️ Tragedy is Not the End by Hobbsy3 (T, 358k, wangxian, Time Travel, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal, Canon Divergence from Qiongqi Pass, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Yunmeng sibling bonding, good dad wwx, good dad lwj, JZX Lives, JYL Lives, Junior Quartet Dynamics)

And They Lived Happily Ever After… by Morgana_avalon (G, 51k, WangXian, Zhuiling, Time Travel Fix-It, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Canon Universe, Canon Related, set before the ambush happens at Qiongqi Path, Canon Divergence, Bunnies, Good brother JC, Good JZX, CQL Verse)

🔒 Forget Myself in Memories by geethr75 (T, 10k, JC & WWX, JC & JL, JL & LJY & LSZ & OYZZ, WangXian, LXC & NMJ, JYL/JZX, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Time Travel Fix-It, Juniors travel to the past, Post-Canon, Canon Divergence, double trouble, Past WWX meets future WWX in MXY's body, Past JC meets future JC, Sect Leader JL, Sect Leader OYZZ, Sect Heir LJY, Fluff and Angst, Mostly Fluff, Happy Ending, JGY dies as Meng Yao, SS and JZn diesn JGS dies, WQ and WN lives, JYL and JZX Lives, no golden core transfer, No golden core melting, The Juniors save the day, WWX saves the day too, Alternate Timelines)

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4. itmf fics where someone kills jgs (and that's a focal point of the fic). thanks! 💙

He Had It Coming by The_Hourglass_Muse (M, 2k, JZX & JGY, JGY & XY, Have to hide a body, Minor Character Death, JGS is dead, Dark Comedy, Revenge, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Warning: XY, Body Horror, Corpse Desecration, Villainous Friends)

Blood is compulsory by april_rainer (tom_bedlam) (T, 3k, LXC & JGY, Major Character Death, JGS is the major character death, no other main characters are harmed, although a lot of background people die, JGY & LXC both have various levels of feelings about killing lots of people, TW:Suicidal Thoughts, (minor but there))

🔒 Ripples in a Pond by Spiraling (Stormwind13) (T, 5k, MS & JGY, MS & Madam Jin, Non-Linear Narrative, Slice of Life, Canon Divergence, Dead JGS)

Cover-Up by nirejseki (Not Rated, 1k, JYL/JZX, Murder, But Justified, JGS dies, does it count as a major character death if no one is upset about it?)

🔒 murder is easy, especially if you're murdering an asshole by ravenditefairylights (Not Rated, 5k, JC & WWX & JYL, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, Murder, Violence, Blood, Sibling Bonding, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Protective Siblings, Derogatory Language, really just jgs being himself)

🔒 The Straightest Path by meyari (T, 30k, WangXian, NieLan, MingLi, ChengSang, war and death, Grief/Mourning, Politics, plotting for neuroatypicals, Autistic LWJ, WWX Has ADHD, Non-Canon Relationship, No Yīn Iron, Sect Leader LWJ) it's not the focus of The Straightest Path but the story goes into details of JGS' death in chapters 9 & 10.

Wandering Eyes (That Nie Mingjue will gouge out if he notices, Father, STOP) by AstaraelWeeps (M, 12k, NHS & JGY, NHS & NMJ, 3Zun, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Murder, JGY has no idea, JGY POV, NHS is a scheming schemer who schemes, and we love him for it, Fix-It)

~*~

5. Helloo, good day to all of you mods!

For the next "In The Mood For", can I trouble you with Uncle WWX.

Like WWX raising Jin Ling instead of Jiang Cheng.

Thankss @lil-dusty-rose

~*~

6. I'm in the mood for- A Chengqing arranged marriage AU with a happy ending? Also, no archive warnings or explicit sex, please? Thanks! @greyjedijaneite

❤️ And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 138k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together, And Time is But a Paper Moon [PODFIC] by sami, Winterstar1412, [Podfic] Cold read of And Time Is But A Paper Moon by kisahawklin, multiple translations available) sort of fits this prompt? It ends up being an asexual relationship between Wen Qing/Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen, and it is not the focus of the fic. I don't know if the ChengQing relationship counts as "arranged" since they both agree to it ahead of time, but it certainly is initially just got political reasons. They do very much end up with a happily ever after together and with LXC though!

~*~

7. Helloo!! For the next ITMF, im looking for a fic which has a little slowburn and pining (wangxian ofc) and lots of jelly lz!! It would be great if there was some sexual tension too 🤭 BUT PLS NO BOTTOM LZ . The universe doesnt matter it can be modern au or post canon anything is alright. As always thank u in advance!! @for13years-i-play-inquiry-foryou

Wrong Turn, Right Place by diamondbruise (E, 71k, WangXian, Time Travel, kind of, it’s more reality travel but there’s modern wwx and cultivator lwj, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jealousy, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Misunderstandings, Cultural Differences)

a light hidden and singing by occultings (microcomets) (E, 48k, wangxian, arranged marriage, pining, getting together, slow burn, misunderstandings, miscommunication, blood & injury, happy ending, smut)

Odd Geometry by maziodyne (M, 116k, WangXian, JC/NHS, JYL/JZX, JYL/WQ, WIP, WWX does not grow up in Lotus Pier, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiangs, Elemental Magic, Healer WWX, Sunshot Campaign, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Slow Burn, letter writing romance, flirting at inopportune times, Crows, Familiars, Homoeroticism, epic divorce incoming, triple agent WQ, lockpicking, communication (but does it change anything?))

🔒 The Promises We Make by Mayarenerose (G, 34k, WangXIan, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, WN & LWJ, JC & LWJ, Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Fluff, Angst, Everybody Lives, Canon Divergence, Gratuitous Bed Sharing, LWJ: moves into the Burial Mounds, WWX ??? wtf??? are you??? doing??, Rabbits)

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8. any recs for get lost cave scene lwj pov and/or 33 lashes + what happened after he found out about wwx’s death

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9. Hi! For the next ITMF do you have any recs with intense yearning. Specifically where LWJ does the yearning. Longer fics would be great! Thanks!!!

💖 A Crying Shame by thunderwear (G, 16k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, A-yuan to the rescue, Getting Together, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Domestic Fluff, Love Confessions, First Kiss, LWJ joins WWX at burial mounds, LWJ is soft pass it on, literally all fluff, Marriage Proposal, Oblivious WWX)

It's Only Time by etymologyplayground (T, 8k, WangXian, LXC & LWJ, Epistolary, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, It's About The Yearning, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Humor)

Inquiry by incendir (G, 10k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ)

🔒 so take my hand (take my whole life too) by cicer (E, 92k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental Baby Acquisition, oh my god they were roommates, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, this fic is not about trauma, it’s about the yearning, slowburn)

爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie (E, 68k, WangXian, Case Fic, Blood and Injury, Demons, Body Horror, [Podfic] 爱不释手; never let me go by argentumlupine)

~*~

10. Hello!

Could you please for itmf:

Modern aus where both wwx and lwj are older than ~35

Mlm

Thank you!

🔒 thirty seven by everbrighter (M, 49k, WangXian, background mention of LWJ dating other people, Modern with Magic, Resurrection, Mutual Pining, Domestic Fluff, Getting Together, Fatherhood, Slice of Life, Recreational Drinking, Implied Sexual Content, they have a son, implied basketball content, Sharing a Bed)

🔒 hue. by Sanguis (M, 2k, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, Marriage Proposal, Marriage, Domestic)

🔒 light. by Sanguis (E, 8k, WangXian, Married Couple, Married Sex, Old Married Couple, Love Hotels, Anal Sex, Cock Warming, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Modern AU, Married Characters, Adopted Children, implied racism, Island life)

~*~

11. Okay I just finished reading Prenups and Pelicans byElpie (Horribibble)

And I want more of this is if there any other fic

That is kind of similar to this and has the reactions of all the guests because I want to read the reactions of the Jin and madam yu @constancebloodstone

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12. Do we have any " the help" fusion of wangxian where wwx is miss Celia and anyone else is minnie Jackson? Or something similar to it? Uk where the dynamics btwn wangxian is like the dynamics miss Celia amd her husband have? @jaywuji

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13. hi this is ITMF! im thinking a fic very much so wwx centric. preferably in that he has a strong support system and people who obviously care abt him. hurt/comfort or angst welcome. if there's a focus on wwx being attractive, in looks or in personality that's cool too! tysm for all the hard work and happy new year :)

In Exchange by FlautistsandPeonies (M, 8k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Implied WangXian Ending, The Power of Yiling Laozu Sexy, WWX Canon Memory Loss, WWX gets his original body back, Crack Treated Seriously, not for jc fans, Attractive WWX, WangXian Get a Happy Ending)

the stone-filled sea by yukla (T, 9k, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LWJ, WangXian, Post-Canon, senior wei defense squad, a study of the way prejudice and injustice and anger trickle down from generation to generation, [Podfic] the stone-filled sea by yukla by Beria1021, the stone-filled sea [Podfic] by BrickGrass)

🔒 Bright Voice Roughly Rendered Softly Silent by Preludian_Staves (T, 26k, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, No Golden Core Transfer, Muteness, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Not JC Friendly, Confessions, Angst, Choking, Red String of Fate, Appearances by Paperman!WWX, Inventor WWX, Good Uncle LQR, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, Feelings Realization, Caretaking, Supportive Lan Family, Genius WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Protective LWJ, Protective Lan Family, Character Death (not wwx or lwj))

Meet you at a different place by tawaen (M, 57k, WQ & WN, WN & MXY & WQ, WQ & WWX & WN, Eventual WangXian, Ghost General WN, Ghost WQ, Canon Divergence, WQ comes back to haunt the cultivation world, Bad idea to kill the one person who didn’t kill anyone, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Wen Remnants Deserve Better, Sīsī Deserves Better, MXY Deserves Better, POV WQ)

🔒 between the shadow and the soul by Reverie (cl410) (M, 22k, WangXian, JYL/WQ, JC/NHS, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family, Dark WWX, Feral WWX, Memory Loss, Magic, Magical Realism, Protective LWJ, Protective JC, Protective JYL, Grief, BAMF WWX, POV Alternating)

Once Patience Bears Fruit by FinallyGotTheInvitation (E, 88k, WIP, WangXian, Immortal LWJ, Immortal LSZ, Mortal WWX, soon to be, Immortal WWX, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Oblivious WWX, Protective LWJ, Reincarnation, Sex Magic, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, novel canon, "Straight" WWX, Age Difference, switching POV, Drunken Kissing, Drunken Flirting, Power Dynamics, Light Bondage) (link in #1) For #1 & 13 It’s a wonderfully done spin on the Immortal LWJ x Modern Reincarnated WWX trope. And not only do we have the whole family bonding in the mountains we also have all of WWX’s past loved ones reincarnated as well this time all of them live and they’re all pretty tight knit, this WWX definitely has the support system #13 was asking for, but while it is an important plot point, it’s not the main point of the fic.

The most dangerous thing is to love by KatAnni (E, 113k, WangXian, Golden Core Reveal, Fix-It, Everybody Lives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Hurt!WWX, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Torture, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, Panic Attacks, PTSD, Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Transfer Fix-it, Medical Procedures, Fainting, Major Character Injury, Blood and Injury, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Asexual JC, homophobia doesn’t exist here, Marriage Proposal, Marriage, Wedding Night, Whump) This fic is in the Sunshot campaign era, and as such WWX is obviously *going through it*, and he tried to do it with just as much secrecy as cannon. Too bad for him the author had something to say about that and he got found out basically instantly, which causes his support network to start actually supporting him… but the angry grape is still there so it’s done with a lot of caring anger.

~*~

14. Fics about Yiling Wei Sect!! Butttt!! It was already established long ago and wwx was not the one to establish it.

🔒💙 Song Unwritten by Kytrin, ShotsOfSunshine (E, 94k, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Universe, cql meets mdzs, Transmigration, Parallel Universes, YLLZ WWX, Yílíng Wèi Sect, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Depression)

~*~

15. Hello Happy new year Everyone I am currently in the mood for some Switch/Versatile SangYao fics. @thatperson0-0

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16. For the next ITMF, does anyone know of any fics where someone tries to assassinate WWX before he defects from the Jiang clan? (Either during the sunshot campaign or shortly after) thank you in advance ✨️

~*~

17. hi! any fics were lan zhan's rich and pays for anything wei ying needs, buys him lots of stuff, and just spends a lot of money on him? could be a sugar daddy au or just a relationship with this dynamic @ashxi-wx

The Misunderstanding by kisahawklin (T, 9k, WangXian, Modern AU, Misunderstandings, POV Outsider)

For Safekeeping Purposes by ChilianXianzi (M, 2k, WangXian, Modern AU, Gangsters, Crime Boss LWJ, Sugar Daddy LWJ, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, Domestic fluff but everyone’s in a crime syndicate, Found Family, Age Difference, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Canon-typical Abusive Jiangs)

🧡 All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 51k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators, cultivators can recognize important people from previous lives, vaguely, this started out as a cute sugar fantasy and got just incredibly horny very fast, blame LWJ)

🔒 Snow by kuro (M, 38k, WangXian, Modern, Snow, Sick Character, Caretaking, Fluff, Sugar Daddy, only they're like… bad at it, Angst, Rabbits, Food, Sexy Times, occasionally)

golden when the day met the night by glitteringmoonlight (Not Rated, 95k, WangXian, Slow-ish burn, Sugar Daddy LWJ, Light Angst, Fluff, Developing Relationship, WWX gets all the appreciation he deserves, even if he's a bit confused about it at first, warprize au with a twist, in that everyone thinks WWX is a warprize, but LWJ has only platonic and honourable intentions, at first 😏, Eventual Smut, WIP)

my rivers tilt towards you by perfectlyrose (T, 26k, WangXian, Canon, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Fairy Tale Elements, dragonji, mentions of, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, First Meetings, Romance, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort)

A Sure Thing by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 95k, WangXian, Modern, Sugar Daddy, Sex Work, Light Dom/sub, Aftercare, Semi-Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Bondage, use of sex toys, boundary setting, Relationship Negotiation, many baths, Barebacking)

how to be a heartbreaker by sweetlolixo (E, 105k, WangXian, Modern AU, Sugar Daddy LWJ, Sugar Baby WWX, Dark WWX, Dark LWJ, Pining LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Crossdressing WWX, Seductress WWX, Eventual Happy Ending, Dirty Talking LWJ, They Do Fall In Love and there’s Fluff, Dark!Wangxian, Power Couple, Off the Charts Sexual Tension, Size Kink, Daddy Kink, degradation kink)

Treat you right by airinshaw (E, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, Sex Work, Anal Sex, Getting Together, Pining while fucking, Consensual Non-Consent, Light Dom/sub, Sexual role play)

last shred of truth in the lost myth of true love by lazulink (E, 34k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, WWX is an escort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Denial of Feelings, very amateur sugar daddy LWJ, Sex WorkWWX & WQ Friendship, NHS & WWX Friendship, Rimming, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Dirty Talk, Tender Sex, Anal Sex, Brick Shithouse LWJ, Gender Non-Conforming WWX)

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[apenapaperandadoofus]

I love re reading the “first” Hualian meeting bc HC is probably 1. Fangirling so hard 2. Going over his very meticulous plan of what to do and say when he met XL. Like you know that one part in Spy x Fanily where fluffy head boy goes on a date and asks Loid for help and he makes him ENDLESS pages of what to say and responses? That’s what I’m sure HC (Yin Yu) did for this.

AND HES TRYING SO HARD ADHSHSHA

“Gege I didn’t know you had superpowers!” 😱🤩

He’s trying so hard to be a normal boy 😭

“Gege Im so scared! Pls protect me😖😖”

SIR YOU ARE A GHOST KING HELLO?!

And him saying XL scared the ghost away after he gave them A GLARE (keep in mind he’s very scared for real he’s just a silly little boy)

AND THE LAUGH. He looks smooth outside but inside he’s probably like “omg gege called me San Lang I can die again happy now holy crap he’s so pretty and he called me San Lang we’re going to get married in a beautiful garden and have 8 kids and-”

(No but really it’s so cute how he immediately laughs bc he is SO happy, like SO HAPPY that he’s finally with XL and he called him smth only wives call their husbands aaaa my BABY)

AND HOW HE SAYS HE WILL SLEEP IN THE STREETS 😭😭

“Yes I am just a sad little twink that ran away OH how I WISH a very handsome cultivator pls let me stay with him on this SCARY night im just a defenseless poor twink pls”

AND HE SAYS A CAVE THIS DRAMATIC ASS MAN I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AHDHDHSB

And the immediate:

HC: hmm where will we sleep?

XL: I have only one bed so if you don’t mind we-

HC: YES

Like I love how we all think he’s this smooth guy 24/7 but no. He’s pathetic. He’s a fan boy. He’s so in love his brain cells all die. He probably tried outfits for an hour and tried his best to come up with what to say before he met XL again. He made sure everything was PERFECT. He’s trying so hard not to scream and fanboy over XL rn. In fact hes trying his best not to get on one knee and propose.

HES SUCH A BABY GIRL I LOVE HIM 😭😭😭😭

[rhiangalaxy]

For my next round of ocs it's tgcf! Introducing my Goddess of Longevity (specifically around love and marriage), Zhao Yun and her junior officials Ying and Qian :D

[ID: A TGCF oc drawing. The first image depicts a woman with long wavy brown hair and gentle smile, holding a closed fan in both hands. Her hanfu is primarily pink with orange gradient, as well as some red ribbons. Her hair has ginkgo leave accessories as well as some of the leaves swirling by her. A caption next to her says "Zhao Yun." The second image depicts two people. On the left is a older teens appearing girl, with her arms folded behind her back. Her black hair is looped in the back and help with lotus accessories. The top of her hanfu is a light blue, whilst the skirts are pink. Around her waist a red ribbon is tied. A caption next to her says "Ying. -She/her -~219yrs" To the right is a older teens boy, his hands are clasped together in front of him with a nervous smile. His hair is a ruffled brown and pulled back into a ponytail. The top of his hanfu is blue with a ginkgo pattern, his skirt is grey and also has a red ribbon around his waist. A caption next to him says "Qian -he/they -~217yrs." End ID]

More info below the cut!!

Zhao Yun ascended a few centuries ago, so wasn't initially present during XL's first two ascensions. Her godly abilities allow her to sense when people have a strong love bond (so she clocked that XL had feelings for a certain ghost king so quick lmao, she do be fighting PM for status of biggest hualian shipper.) Due to her love about well, love, she kept her mouth shut when JW inquired about if his beloved Xianle had any potential love interests.

Ying is Zhao Yun's great great great something niece! She is very fond of her, and protects her as one of the last living remnants she has of her blood family. Ying is often playing messenger and helping ZY complete blessing rituals for weddings.

Qian is a descendant of ZY's childhood best friend :> He is selectively mute so finds himself mostly in the role of info-gathering (they know all the tea of the Heavens lmao) and helping out with the more physical aspects of prayers/blessings.

[hualianisms]

in the revised tgcf, mxtx made a change to the line where XL says that HC's beloved must have been very lucky.

in the original CN TGCF novel, XL says that HC's beloved must have the kind of good fortune earned through several lifetimes. i've explained the significance of this and what it means in my old post.

in the revised TGCF, "several lifetimes" is now changed to "a hundred lifetimes". it's now canon that XL believes that to be HC's beloved is 100 lifetimes' worth of good fortune. it's now canon that HC believes that simply meeting XL was 100 lifetimes' worth of good fortune.

hualian meeting each other and being able to be together is a hundred lifetimes' worth of blessings.

i really love the idea of hualian each believing that the other is the kind of person you only earn after (metaphorically) going through a hundred lifetimes of birth and rebirth.

bc both of them had to defy heaven, fate and death to meet each other and fall in love bc the heavens never meant for them to be together. XL defied the heavens to save HC, and HC defied fate & death itself. fate & heaven & the world wanted hc to die young, but he fought and clawed his way to be able to become a ghost king whose existence is devoted to his beloved. he actively fought to be able to meet xl again and stand at his side protecting him and loving him. hualian are soulmates by choice, not by something predestined.

[makedonsgriva]

anyway I had a thought today where crown prince xie lian is younger than everyone else.

He is probably 6-7 when he gets mu qing and feng xin (who are 16-17) and they coddle him a lot. Basically XL is their baby brother and baby prince wants to be as strong as his older brothers because they are both so cool!!!

baby lian meets hong-er on the streets one day and please gege can’t we keep him??? I don’t have friends!! You two don’t count cause you’re not my age. Please just please!!!!

So that’s how the trio becomes a quartet and feng xin and mu qing are not only the body guards of the prince but also baby sitters of two very unruly kids who are never up to any good

(They are not getting paid enough to deal with them) (it’s a damn good thing they love the fuck outta those kids)

anyways XL starts his training and ofc Honger tags along. they grow up training together, challenging each other, competing but falling in love at the same time and yeah celibacy is easy for XL except every time he sees HC his thoughts go haywire

When XL ascends, he has three generals by his side.

When he falls, he has two because honger died in the war

And XL truly thinks he is to blame. He went from being the darling of the heavens to someone who has now lost everything. he can’t bear the loss of his beloved

(And he never even got to confess)

Ofc HC keeps him company as a ghost fire because he’d never let his beloved be alone. (XL does not know who the ghost fire is because knowing the love of his life is not at peace would hurt him immeasurably) FX and MQ try their best to stick with him but circumstances deteriorate and they are forced out of his life once again

although this time, MQ does stand up for XL in front of the 33 gods (and gets subsequently banished from heavens). In the end, he still has to leave XL. FX gets forced out of his life after the entire sword ordeal and XL’s subsequent mental breakdown.

Unknown to XL tho they are still both watching over him from a distance because ain’t no way they are leaving their baby bro like this

When XL enters his calamity era, they both lose their minds and are trying their best to subtly stop XL from doing the worst things but THAT STUPID FUCKING GHOST ALWAYS FOLLOWING HIM AROUND WILL NOT STOP ENABLING EVERY BAD DECISION XL TAKES

fx and mq are losing their minds. when xl lies in the streets for three days, they try their best to disguise themselves and go help him but that NAMELESS GHOST!!! He does not let them!! “Your highness would be heartbroken when he realizes you two have seen him in such a state and he’d never forgive himself and you two suck at disguising yourselves anyways~”

wu ming does end up getting dispersed but not before XL realizes his true identity and absolutely loses his mind with grief because how did he manage to lose his loved one not once but TWICE and both the times it was HIS FAULT

He gets banished from heavens again because ofc

knowing xl won’t be able to cope fx and mq finally reveal themselves. xl can feel all ashamed of himself for his actions it’s fine they are not leaving him alone again and they will help him heal and move on

Except one night when the two aren’t paying attention, XL ends up running away. He can’t bear being around them, knowing they know what he did and how he caused honger’s death twice.

(fx and mq never blamed him at all. They were just heartbroken and guilt stricken for not being able to do enough for their darling brother)

Cue 800 years of searching.

This time when XL ascends, he is greeted by two powerful generals who have been reduced to a tearful mess because THEY FINALLY HAVE XL BACK WITH THEM!!! THEIR BABY BRO IS SAFE

they accompany him to mount Yu Jun as themselves and HC comes to XL’s aid

he does not reveal his identity but XL just knows this man is special

FX and MQ then tell him about Crimson Rain Sought Flower, the elusive ghost king who challenged 33 gods and crushed them all

(But he was super nice to both of them and it kinda freaked them out)

When XL meets San Lang. He knows. He just knows it’s Honger and feels like he can finally breathe again because in those 800 years he never once stopped loving him but he waits for him to reveal his identity to him because what is stopping him from telling him and fx and mq?

HC, meanwhile, is sort of embarrassed to meet them, not sure if they would be able to accept this new form of his. He missed them all dearly but he is just not able to move past his self doubts.

It is not until the cave of 10k gods that it revealed who HC really is and instead of FX and MQ freaking out, there is a tearful reunion

Um yeah. A thought was thunked. Bon Appetit

[wvyld]

tgcf; Hua Cheng finds Fangxin Guoshi!Xie Lian before the massacre happens AU

it's been two, three years since the kidnapping attempt? Xie Lian's position in court is, ah, stable? his reputation as a mysterious and wise immortal master cultivator guy has settled, at least — who would have thought hiring that one very random street preformer to be Guoshi would work out so well!

someone paints a picture of the sword Fangxin Guoshi carries. Hua Cheng sees it and thinks; oh

if dianxia wants to raise the Yong'an crown prince, then dianxia is going to raise the Yong'an crown prince, no interruptions

Hua Cheng joins the Yong'an court by the way of money, forms a spy network through similar means, and becomes the good friend of Fangxin Guoshi because he really, really wants to and Xie Lian is very, very lonely

they spar a lot! it's very impressive. Lang Qianqiu finds it very cool

the entire court gossips about them. Xie Lian pretends not to know

Xie Lian finds out Hua Cheng is a ghost from Xianle which serves as a temporary explanation for what, exactly, is a ghost king doing hanging out in Yong'an.

they have a date in Ghost City — it ends with a scene with Xie Lian taking off his Fangxin Guoshi mask & Hua Cheng showing him his true form

Hua Cheng is like. Lang Qianqiu's uncle. he warms up to the kid, like, eventually, a little — he's not saying he likes him —

they have a Qi Rong fieldtrip! fun is not the way to describe it

Lang Qianqiu ascends

VERSION 1.

Lang Qianqiu ascends alone and, later, has a very awkward conversation with his Guoshi about maybe choosing his master (and uncle Hua Cheng) as Middle Court officials...? Guoshi? uh. why not?

XL: yeah so im a banished god. twice banished. for reasons! don't worry about it

HC: it might be possibly more awkard if you make me a Middle Court official

VERSION 2.

the three of them ascend together — the event is very destructive! Heaven ah. breaks? a little! but there's three of them, so that's. that's an explanation. for that.

it's a such lovely story — the crown prince of Yong'an, has ascended together with his two mentors after defeating the Green Ghost Qi Rong!

Xie Lian does not take off the mask. he just. doesn't! he means to, he thinks about it, he intends to do it, but enough time passes that it becomes awkward — Feng Xin and Mu Qing have introduced themselves to him! it would be just weird at this point...

Hua Cheng supports this wholly. Feng Xin and Mu Qing have no idea why this one guy in red hates them — well, there is that one guy in red who hates them, but there's no way in hell he ascended to Heaven!

Jun Wu realizes who Xie Lian is imidateley. he and Xie Lian have a conversation in which he agrees to allow for Xie Lian's stay in Heaven to remain anonymous — though he is a little preoccupied with stopping Heaven from falling down to really have time for plotting

a great opportunity for fun logistics-of-how-was-heaven-made-actually worldbuilding!

Jun Wu does not know who Hua Cheng is. Xie Lian doesn't tell him. it's funnier this way

He Xuan does know who, exactly, has ascended (again) and struggles not to laugh. he is one of the very few people well-informed enough to know how fucking hilarous this is

there are now three Calamities is Heaven

Lang Qianqiu is just happy his two mentors have ascended with him, really! very happy. Heaven seems to have been a little. uh. damaged. he'd hate to need to deal with it on his own!

the golden palace of lies collapses in some hilarous way as our heroes try to stop Heaven from falling down due to structual damage. Jun Wu's reveal speedrun

VERSION 3.

the three of them ascend together, but but it's known who Xie Lian & Hua Cheng are

divergence happens during the Qi Rong thing — Lang Qianqiu finds out about the stuff because Qi Rong figures it out

there's a whole scene — Xie Lian takes of his mask, all; yeah I'm the crown prince of Xianle, don't listen to my idiot cousin he's just terrible, he's always been terrible, your life isn't a lie — there are just shitty people in the world, sometimes, and, look, we stopped the tragedy, didn't we? — because in this AU they did; Hua Cheng has spies, the plot is over before it even begins, the massacre doesn't happen, Xie Lian does not kill Lang Qianqiu's father...

Qi Rong points out there is a fucking Devastation right there isn't he plotting things also?

Hua Cheng magic girl transformation into ghost king regalia, says some things about Xianle/Yong'an relations, and being a soldier while he was alive that mostly boil down to listen to what your Guoshi teaches, he's a wonderful amazing person the best in the world, the smartest, the most beautiful —

Lang Qianqiu finds that reassuring because that's just how Hua Cheng normaly acts, see, he's clearly here because he has a crush on Guoshi! it's not about revange or Yong'an at all, the man is just in love

Lang Qianqiu has some sort of a hero speech, very serious vow to be a good king and a good person and follow Guoshi's teachings! Xie Lian is very proud

they defeat Qi Rong with the power of friendship — and then the three of them fucking ascend

Xie Lian, no mask — Hua Cheng in ghost king regalia — Lang Qianqiu also there being the objectivley least interesting person in the room

every god in Heaven freakes the fuck out

it's a disaster, it's hilarous. He Xuan contacts Hua Cheng asking what the fuck he is doing. Hua Cheng just laughs

Xie Lian wants to leave, so bad — it feels like this situation would become a whole lot simpler if he and Hua Cheng weren't there, but he can't just leave Lang Qianqiu to this mess....

if Xie Lian leaves, so will Lang Qianqiu, really, if Heaven is to good for such an honorabile and good and just person as his Guoshi then maybe there is something wrong with Heaven (Hua Cheng is so proud)

HC: this is my second ascenshion and Guoshi's third ascenshion, so don't you worry, kid, we're old hands at this business

LQQ: I am worried for this reason exactly

Xie Lian has a whole thing trying to convince Lang Qianqiu to stay in Heaven even if they two do get kicked out for structual damage all I know it sucks but you're a prince, it would be very rude to tell the Emperor to fuck off —

LQQ: okay, so, how about this; if you two leave I cannot stay because your combined power wrecked Heaven so bad it might fall off the sky and I am not shouldering that debt on my own

XL: oh fuck I forgot about that

plot happens: heaven might fall down so we should deal with that! dealing with that is mostly a logistics thing. also, a war between realms might be around the corner.

somewhere in this there is a scene of Feng Xin snd Mu Qing trying to rescue Xie Lian & Lang Qianqiu from evil Hua Cheng's cluthes

[meelkiewee]

Hello!

As a first post i wanted to share my favourite bubbies and since tumblr seems more text oriented than the other socials I have, I'd like to explain what was going on in my head while doing their character redesigns~ [BOOKS SPOILERS MENTIONED]

INTRODUCTION

These character designs were made back in winter 2022 for a sort of animation thesis. Many things didn't go according to plan in that school year so for lack of time and motivation I've never really finished the animatic but I will include a wip at the end of this post. The animatic was about my interpretation of their story, finding a person to call home while in a crude and terrible world.

XIE LIAN

Xie Lian is the first of the two I made, his character design was very clear in my mind since the start. It's not largely distant from your official usual XL but I thought it already fitted very well.

The three main colors for XL are white, black and golden yellow. The prevalence of black and white colors was inspired by two main factors:

I personally see XL as a heavily dichotomy based character, not only in the association to the White Clothed Calamity but also in the way he's described as pretty as a flower but skillful with the sword, following a chaste path but mingling with a ghost king, all kind smiles to others but struggling with his own hope, etcetera, etcetera. He is in a constant struggle to find a third option that is better than simply bad or good, mostly in his early God's days, and also later on with ‘not knowing whether to laugh or cry’. So in here, black and white represent the reality of human nature, where you have bad and good qualities alike, a concept I think XL struggled with a lot since he was brought up as the perfect and pure prince that can do no wrong.

According to my research of the meaning behind colors in the chinese culture I discovered black and white can symbolize many things, some of which I found quite fitting for where I wanted to go with my character design. Black can stand for sadness and bad luck. White represents brightness, purity and innocence. In some instances, however, white is also associated with death and is a color commonly worn at funerals. Moreover in my own culture black and white, along with deep blue, are very elegant colors to wear. Simple and elegant is what my XL wants to look like.

Another important part of my XL character design is his bamboo hat.

Following some good old christian imagery I used his hat as an halo. Most of the time I even ignored perspective to make sure his head is always framed in this golden saintly circle In my animatic storyline specifically it represents XL perfection. Soon the hat is lost in the mud and brought back later on by HC with a new meaning of finding yourself in a safe environment with safe people. 

For most of the other design choices I took decisions based on pure aesthetics such as giving him a very elegant mole under the eye, very long and lucious hair and a very very long hanfu with some very very long sleeves. Yes, I wanted him to be very very everything because I very very love him!

Here are some other very very outfits i drew him in for fun and didn’t need for the animatic:

_____________________________________

HUA CHENG

As a premise to my HC character design I want to say I am very amused at people’s different reactions to it. They are usually neatly split in two: either they hate it with a passion or just fall head over heels in love with it, no in between. I personally am in the ‘love it’ side (duh of course I am, I designed it lol) but I also understand if your first thought is “WHO TF IS THAT?”, so let me explain my thought process here.

Firstly, hot take: official HC character is made to be your perfect cool-hot-mysterious-boyfriend™ that has it more together than you do and we don’t like that in this household, at least not always. Yes he is XL’s most devoted believer, yes he is a very powerful supreme, yes he’s always there for his Gege but in the end he’s also a very traumatized person that has had a crush for a guy for 800+ years.

What I’m saying is I wanted him to be a little more relatable and goofy than what books show us so I integrated some of his personality hidden away in E’Ming. From here I got the puffy messy hair, the big round eye and the doubtful expression.

Next up let’s talk about the palette. He also has, like XL, three main colors:

Blue. Mostly of the time he spends around XL he does it in his true form, wich is the form of a dead person (even dead more than once;;). This is pretty self explanatory, when someone dies the hue of their skin goes to blue and also ghosts in general are frequently represented pale blue or white in color. As a little side note to this, I really enjoyed the blue demons HuaLian episode in donghua S2, it made me feel less alone in my smurf choice lol.

Red. This is canonically HC’s color and rightfully so! Red is widely recognized as China's color of good fortune, and in my culture, it is frequently used as a symbol of passion and the color of blood. There is really nothing better than red for Mr. Crimson Rain!

Lilac. Although I'm not sure about my research on this color in Chinese culture, I've read that it modernly represents love or romance. However, growing up in my hometown, purple (and all its shades) was always associated with ugliness and was thought to be a bad omen if worn. Whoever had the nerve to wear it was regarded as a distasteful and ominous weirdo. I think it fitted perfectly with how every other Heaven Official other than XL sees HC; someone who makes blood rain for fun and a potential and actual threat to the Heavenly Court.

As for XL, other choices I made serve a mostly aesthetic purpose. HC’s boxy build, pointy ears and the opened robe to see tiddies(🤩) are some of the notable ones.

HC would not be complete without E’Ming, obviously. After comparing some different blades and trying to integrate a butterfly in the design, I opted for keeping it simple and I ended up with this wobbly shaped hilt made to resemble HC’s bang. The fact that now E’Ming looks like it has a big nose is just an added charm honestly.

CONCLUSION

Thanks for reading until this point I hope you enjoyed my yap and make sure to have a nice day/night! <33

I'll leave the link to my animatic wip here, please note once again that it is not finished in the slightes and there are also some funky expressions that don't really fit the mood lol enjoyyy!

-Sole

[akuyaku-reijou]

Things I love about TGCF:

HC could never find XL without heavenly intervention

The reason HC found XL is because he had a spy in the heaven. If XL didn't ascend for the third time, and was given a mission, HC wouldn't find out where he was. (XL cursed shackle of dissipating luck preventing him to .. bring his absolutely devoted, immesurably powerful ghost king simp to help him). I love that HC unreal luck is NOTHING compared to XL devastating misfortune.

When people know, but not understand

The entire thing about XL past part I and part II was about ... understanding. While XL, the Crown prince KNEW that his people (from Yong'An) were starving and too weak to move from the Royal Capital, he didn't UNDERSTAND it before he, and his father, were put in the same situation. And all of us know, that Xie Lian handled it WORSE that the Yong'An survivors.

How the adults failed Xie Lian

Like, they told him that something was wrong without explain why. He was a kid, a teenager, full of ideals and naive, but ...

XL is not stupid. If someone would explain to him what his actions would bring about, and maybe how to remedy the situation.

The thing about the the "another cup" isn't about making something out of nothing, but about why isn't another cup possible (where is all the water, why isn't there enough for everyone, where is the leak, etc. ... and how to fix it).

The entire thing about Shi brothers

Heavenly Capital in TGCF is, when you pay attention, built on blood. Even without the final reveal, the martial gods are soaked in blood of their enemies before they ascend. We were show as early as Pei Xiu, that a heavenly calamity doesn't always follow the righteous (massacring babies an all ...). It follows he worthy.

Shi Wudu understood this and made a choice. He could either have his beloved younger brother suffer misfortune, or someone unrelated, a stranger. He did everything he could to change the fate and shift the fortune. No matter the price (material, mental, spiritual, etc.)

May the one without a sin cast the first stone ...

How absolutely gone was the entire court without Ling Weng

Absolutely delicious. Always underappreciated, but when gone, suddenly irreplaceable. How her punishment was simply doing her job in a rush (cause no one else could do it?). Fucking legendary.

The entire thing about Feng Xin

A God, well know for his huge DONG, being terrified of women's baths. Y'know, where women are all naked, and relaxed, and comfortable, praying to the God known for his huge DONG (and wishing that he would, maybe, relieve them from their 'suffering').

Oh my god there was only one bed

From the get go. ... like, nuff said. You think HC fell first (which is true), but XL, who has to abstain from worldly pleasures (such as alcohol and sex) being OK with the arrangement from the get-go is ...

Abstaining when you are not interested compared to

When you are. After 8 centuries. Demisexual legend. Literally.

How could anyone ever like this manwhore

Until I saw Pei Ming's facecard. I got it immediately.

[hualianmuse]

I love the new HC that Hua Cheng is actually very ghastly and terrifying, but XL is too infatuated to notice. It is really fun and interesting to see the different depictions and how funny the situation is. It's very much like XL to be delusional like that.

But I personally don't like the reasoning that is used in the original HC. His aura is not his appearance. His aura is scary, but that's because he's the literal ghost king, one of the four great calamities, and is really powerful and dangerous in his own right. Of course, that would be scary in an intimidating way.

That is not to say anyone should stop depicting hua cheng this way, it is very interesting and I enjoy it. I just want people who aren't aware (those who haven't read the original source material) to know that his actual appearance was described in the books. He's dead looking but handsome all the same.

[revel-inbluehues]

This is very much an essay. Consider this my praise for s2ep9. I'll fangirl in another post.

Xie Lian acknowledged that he's never seen Hua Cheng angry, but he approached him without any fear or worry. Even after he was unexpectedly paralysed, he still didn't doubt the fact that HC would never hurt. While he was confused and nervous, he still trusted HC with his life, despite having been out into a paralysis, and doesn't doubt HC's intentions for even a second.

Hua Cheng is angrier than we've ever seen him. He wasn't fazed at all by anything in season 1 except when XL mentioned being hurt or was hurt. He had, in the previous episodes, watched as the love of his existence discredit himself and hold back his tears. Even earlier, HC had accidently hurt him. Now, he gets to vent the anger at himself for his helplessness, anger at the Lang Qianqiu for his ignorance and anger at Qi Rong for his schemes. He is angry and one of the many people who hurt and mocked XL was in front of him. With every insult against XL, HC only gets angrier.

For the next part, I'd like to mention that LQQ in his daruma form is adorable and I laughed when he jumped out like a pokeball.

Onto the more serious look, LQQ is angry as well, but a lot more confused and the donghua team did a great job at expressing. He shifted between denial, confusion, reassurance and anger as he battles the words between XL and QR, and the donghua team did brilliantly to express this. The music was appropriately dramatic. It feels sharp, more like battle music, and paused and played at the right moments to increase the drama. He'd rather trust the man he thinks murdered his whole family rather than face the possibility that he condemned the wrong person and he lived a large portion of his life based on a lie, hating a person who might not have deserved and letting the men who did commit the murder get away with it (to some extent). Even Prince Anle was honoured as a friend of the king in death rather than a traitor to the nation.

Speaking of XL's words to LQQ, the fact that he yelled against QR's words the moment he could talk was a testament to his nerves and desperation and a shock to both LQQ and QR. It is an absolutely absurd situation from LQQ's view. He's watching a man argue that he was the guilty party behind the murders when normally, people would be trying to blame each other and prove themselves innocent. It's very obvious the XL is hiding something but LQQ chooses not to chase the answers and settles with XL's story because if it isn't true, then he would have to reevaluate the past few centuries and face the reality that his personal feelings blinded him to the facts, not that anyone can quite blame him for it. Meanwhile, Qi Rong is shocked because, from his view, a random man showed up and called him a liar, despite him very much telling the truth, or what he believes to be the truth.

When Xie Lian is talking about his second demotion, I love how they cut to HC, softer now that he was looking XL. HC knows exactly why his 'heart was uncertain' but he is also clearly hoping that part of it was because XL missed Wu Ming and he mourned him. The implications is something that novel readers can see and cry about; XL's second shackle was his own punishment for getting Wu Ming killed and it was sign that he did care for Wu Ming, the nameless ghost, his last believer. However, HC doesn't know that. He can only hope that he occupied a modicum of XL's heart but never think of asking because he's afraid of the answer. His love may be unconditional, but rejection would hurt and meaning nothing to XL would be a painful existence for him. In a single frame, I see the love, hope and adoration that HC has for XL.

There are a lot of good Hualian scenes in this episode. There is a lot more casual touches, where Xie Lian is trying to calm HC down and HC is too angry to be panicking about it. The irony is absolutely not lost when QR asks about who'd worship XL and make statues of him while HC, XL's most devoted follower who carved thousands of statues of him, was standing right there.

XL takes every one of QR's insults with a smile because he genuinely isn't offended. It's hard to be insulted by children's jabs after everything he went through. To him, it isn't a big deal, while HC was only getting progressively angrier at QR for insulting him. The moment QR insulted HC, however, was when XL instantly turned to violence, striking before he could fully finish. It wasn't that big of an insult, calling HC blind, but it was enough of a transgression that XL slapped him like a fly. To XL, HC quickly became someone he cared for, respected and wanted by his side, for what was probably the first time in forever. It only makes sense for XL to be viciously protective of the first person that he cared for on a personal level rather than 'the world should be protected' stance. Meanwhile, HC was genuinely surprised by XL's actions. While he would protect XL against everything, he was never expecting that protection returned but HC, in his insecurity and devotion, does not fully understand the fact that, while true devotion can be one-sided, true love can't be. XL does care deeply for HC, a fact that he hasn't comprehended yet.

Even when Hua Cheng blocks Feng Xin with E-Ming, he is extremely gentle. He knows that all of this is going to hurt XL but it needed to happen and Hua Cheng was there to catch. It was also fascinating to see Lang Qianqiu realise that he won't be able to stop Xie Lian from killing Qi Rong if it came down to it and there was a true worry that he might never find out the truth if Xie Lian got through him. On the other hand, Xie Lian was truly desperate; this was a secret he buried, and faced 100 years in a coffin to ensure that it stayed buried. Now, without much of a warning, all of it was coming out and Xie Lian is panicking.

One of my favourite parts in this episode is Qi Rong himself. His voice actor did a brilliant job at portraying the wild, manic and immature personality of Qi Rong. He is somewhat intelligent; you can't survive 800 years without some serious planning, and he did plot the gilded banquet along with other skirmishes everywhere else. However, he is childish and arrogant in a way that the other ghosts aren't. He's powerful enough to stand above other ghosts and too weak to stand as equals with the calamities, so despite his attempt to escape his mediocrity compared to certain others (e.g., Xie Lian and Hua Cheng) failed. His immaturity shines through in the animation. He is the most animated and restless character so far, moving constantly and expressing himself in his limbs a lot more than others. It makes him feel a lot less composed than the others, and his actions cement that. He crawls around, he holds his knees, and he gets red in the face when people don't respond to his riling. It gives a much more maniachal yet silly vision of him. While it doesn't make him a completely terrifying presence like White No-Face, he does make people weary with his antics. He is definitely one of the characters that I hate as people but love as character. I think Qi Rong was the part where the entire donghua team truly and absolutely outdid themselves, even though I do think they do an amazing job every day.

[coffeesleep-ooc]

pos canon bingqiu that die and lost most of their memories, except they transmigrate into the settings of Hua Cheng and Yin Yu

idk, i have many thoughts and little time, will def add to this

I donothave more time but i do brainrot. Im thinking, in this au, LQG or YQY could be QYZ

like, YQY would forgive everything and still keep looking for SQQ…but also mixed feelings anout it bc this SQQ is technically SY!SQQ!YY so…unless we apply the SY is SJ au here i feel guilty ;-;

i wa leaning more towards a LQG that arrived there when hr was looking for SQQ in his universe, and unlocked his memories when they ascended to godhood! But the tragedy of them is that, every time he tried to get close, YY|SQQ brushed him off, until everything exploded with the incident we all know about (when YY exploded at the worst possible time and ended ipcast away from heaven yes we know about that haha), LQG, just like QYZ, would be shocked but would know that those hurtful things he said and almost did are not his actual wishes or intentions, and that he is horrified of what he did. YY and SQQ both have the flight reaction to their own mistakes, and they pujish themselves for it.

also SQQ with a cursed shackle, living around with the weight of hurting his best friend and favorite shidi…meeting a kind ghost king that gives him work…and over time SQQ starts appreciating his new life, and starts ro admire this person that has worked so amazingly hard to build this city. And well, he is also devilishly handsome and open and affectionate with him and they end up entangled!

as for LBH|HC backstory? In this au he would pray to the defunct god of kindness Shen Qingqiu, who disappeared with his husband many years ago… he would be thankful to this au’s XL! Im thinking that it could be NYY reincarnated who has a soft spot for him bc she remembers bit can’t tell him(? God laws?? Idk), but anyways, he would find himself praying to SQQ over and over again and receiving barely a hint of a response, maybe a ‘????’ Or a ‘sleepy’ or something like that, like a broken phone connection. He survives to solve the puzzle of this, and creates this city in case his god is dead and a lost soul!

the problem is that LQG|QYZ, artives in ghost ciry and wants to take LBH’s moon officer back to heaven??? Hell no???? Either back off this cute obedient subordinate is mine, or stay here to make a trio, your choice martial god!

————-

Or alternatively!

LBH is Yin Yu. And SQQ is HC! ofc they don’t quite have a shizun-disciple relationship but also, SQQ being the kind of ghost king that just drifts through afterlife without even know why and repressing the hell out of his half-formed memories, only to find himself drawn to a pair of cute little mortal disciples that work very hard and are insufferable to each other! He really wants to mediate bc they are so! So!!! To each other!!!

Hc that BingLiu show all of their feelings fighting

SQQ is also there, smiling when they ascend. And LBH locks eyes with him in the crowd for a segond qnd then SQQ is gone, LBH tries to go back but never finds him.

And when HC!SQQ finds one of them lost and wandering the human realm after their ascension he takes the guy in, he is so depressed that SQQ cooks him and pats him and clothes him.

LBH falls in love. Even if the food is disgusting.

And again, QYZ!LQG regains his memories after godhood and searches for his wayward shixiong/shizhi (and isn’t that weird for him? Well, he doesn’t actually care) and finds SQQ in the process…

[hanako-kozume]

Cursed Luck - TGCF FANART

I'm working on a by now 35k+ word fanfic for TGCF on Ao3 and made fanarts for it here and there bit by bit. This is all the art I made so far:

Disclaimer: These are all very quickly done sketches not finished paintings or fully rendered. They are just meant to visualise some characters and concepts.

Background: The fanfic is a pre-third Ascension story of Xié Lián accidentally ending up in Ghost City a few years after his Banyue arc and ends up working at the gambler's den. He is however masked and due to a mixture of self-loathing on Huá Chéng's side, Xié Lián's astonishing luck, and pure stubbornness of the ghost King, Huá Chéng does not recognise him and manages to dig his grave deeper with each of their interactions.

In summary, it's identity porn and Xié Lián better be fast when Huá Chéng uncovers his real identity before the ghost can crush his ashes out of shame and guilt.

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This was the first Sketch I made (about a year old) and is based on the concepts of hosts at the gambler's den.

In essence, I expanded the world building for this fanfic and separated the workers at the den in three categories: Guards, Hosts, and Maids.

(Details in the fic)

Xié Lián was sorted in the role of host most of the time due to his stunning beauty.

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Tao is a wrath level ghost who gambled years of his existence away at the den and is now serving there as a host. He introduces Xié Lián to everything and over time they become friends.

His attitude is rather childish and youthful despite being over a century old. He has fun luring in patrons and taking them for all their worth at the gambling tables.

This was my third sketch for the story and is also already over half a year old.

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Zhèn Yuè was the most recent addition to the casts of OCs in the story. She is a vengeful ghost who poses several mysteries at this point in the story. Established is only that she won her first gamble against Huá Chéng for resources to enact her revenge on those who killed her but then came back and asked to be dispersed. Huá Chéng made her gamble for it and she lost.

Now she is the head of his security at Ghost City's core establishments.

She and the disguised Xié Lián spar often together, which XL is always very excited about since she has a very unique fighting style.

(I want to add a bonus fic in the future about her backstory and first encounter with Huá Chéng.)

The sketch is one of the most recent ones.

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Subsequently these are old sketches of Xié Lián sparring in his host outfit. I made these together with the sketches for Tao but didn't end up using them until the last chapter I posted 2 days ago.

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This shows the specific scene of Xié Lián's and Zhèn Yuè's first spar. Xié Lián having once been the strongest martial god defeats her ofc but during their spar he notices something very rare: she uses a fighting style he has never encountered before.

Being the — honestly — nerd he is when it comes to all things marital arts he gets really excited and asks to be taught the technique, forgetting the circumstances and that he was still pointing a sword at her.

He was denied. Making him very sad 😔

The most recent sketch.

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Lastly this is a sneak peak for the next chapter and will be part of the reveal. So I won't add too much here. One of the more recent sketches along with Zhèn Yuè's.

As I said these are all sketches. I just wanted to share my love for this fandom and ship! I'm so excited to get to writing the next chapter once I find the time!!!

Any feedback would be appreciated 🥰

I like to think that I improved over time.

Oh also here is the fic in case any of you are interested: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54425590

[tgcf-fic]

Hello, do you have any fic recs that features jealous/possessive Xie Lian? Like someone is hitting on Hua Cheng, and Xie Lian is just not having it.

Hi, here's a couple fic that might be for your liking ^^

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Stay away Goddess by That_withered_blossom (E, 10k, hualian, Multiple POV, OFC(s), HC and XL are in Love, Jealous XL, Possessive XL, Crushes, HC is a Heart-throb, Someone has a crush on HC, Top XL, Bottom HC, Possessive Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Violence)

“I’m Taken” by fullmetalpotterhead (T, 1k, hualian, Modern, Jealous XL, Established Relationship, XL being bold, and then immediately regretting it, HC’s living the dream though, Healthy Communication, a hefty dose of bullying each other lovingly, Praise Kink) also has a sequel

My Ghost King by That_withered_blossom (G, 1k, hualian, Ghost HC; Jealous XL, Creepy JW, Possesive XL)

I wanna be yours by chxngzhu (M, 4k, hualian, Modern, College/University, Canon Compliant, Romantic Fluff, Fluff, Soft HuaLian, Prom, Friends to Lovers, HC and XL are in Love, Original Character(s), POV HC, POV XL, Jealous XL, Jealous HC, Possessive XL, Sexual Tension, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sloppy Makeouts, Yearning, XL has had enough of others simping on his man, Getting Together, Makeout)

in this room by pcysbeauty (Not Rated, 4k, hualian, HC & XL, POV HC, Fluff, Kissing, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Drinking, Drinking Games, Truth or Dare, College/University, Valentine's Day, XL & HC are Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, Jealous XL, Only implied though, Jealous HC,)bro OVERTHINKS about it lol, Assertive XL, Flustered Hua Cheng)

You Give Me Butterflies by goctyudicbdkvhb175749674 (M, 8k, hualian, HC & XL Invented Love, HC & XL are in Love, Married HuaLian, Minor HX/SQX, Post-Canon, Jealous XL, oblivious HC, Marine Biologist HX, Snow cones, Walks On The Beach, Ballroom Dancing, chrysanthemums, Mild Smut)

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~A