#illuwrites

[illuminatedferret]

Dearly Departed (36744 words) by IlluminatingSceadugenga Chapters: 6/? Fandom: 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú)/Wu Ming Characters: Hua Cheng (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Original Characters, Wu Ming, Ghost City Residents (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Lang Qianqiu, Láng Qiānqiū's Parents Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ghost Marriage, people went nuts over this on tumblr so have this, Implied/Referenced Character Death, i.e. Wuming, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Canon-Typical Violence, Contains brief mentions of, Suicidal Thoughts, Emetophobia, Angst, thoughts of, Self-Harm, Xie Lian as Fangxin Guoshi (Tian Guan Ci Fu), WE'VE HIT THE REUNION BABEY, Hua Cheng as Wu Ming (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Angst with a Happy Ending, im not out to hurt yall but hualian arent always having a good time for good reason Series: Part 1 of Dearly Departed Summary: Xie Lian had a problem. He was pretty sure he was haunted. - Believing himself haunted by the remnants of his last believer, Xie Lian enters a ghost marriage with his faithful Wuming.

#tgcf #hualian #tian guan ci fu #xie lian #hua cheng #illuwrites #heaven officials blessing #ghost marriage au #update! finally! finally...

[illustraice]

lead me out (on the moonlight floor) | chapter three

rating:  T word count: 19998 multiple chapters: 3/7

[ read on AO3 <3 ]

“Adrien is trending on Twitter.” Nino had said out loud that morning over breakfast.

Marinette is so far gone at her painting now situated in the kitchen island that her body refuses to process any initial panic at Agreste’s name.

“Pray, do tell.” she replies instead.

This is a lie. There exists no pleas for any form of gossip from Marinette and Nino knows this. She hadn’t known Miley and Liam called it quits for, like, a year. It took Party in The USA innocently playing in a 2009 Throwback Hits! Spotify playlist for Marinette to quietly mutter out loud if she was Miley Hemsworth now. Nino had dropped his fork mid-pasta, gasping...

[ read the rest on AO3 ]

#mlb #miraculous ladybug #adrinette #chlolya #adrien agreste #illuarts #illuwrites #hey!!!! this fic is still alive and so am i

[illuminatedferret]

One-Word Ficlet Prompt #1: Alcohol

Word count: 641

Starting off uploading my "I'm stuck in a room with testing students for four hours with nothing but a journal and pen" series with my favorite so far:

“San Lang, can you get drunk?” Xie Lian asked one day. They were seated at the table enjoying a suspiciously blue dinner when, apropos of nothing, the thought occurred to him.

Hua Cheng, whose mouth was full, let a raised eyebrow be his first response. Then, after he swallowed, he asked, “what brought this on?”

“Nothing in particular,” Xie Lian replied. “It just occurred to me. I know weaker ghosts can get drunk- or something like it- but you...?”

Hua Cheng considered the question, taking a sip of water.

“I could,” he eventually said. “But, unless it was spiritually powerful alcohol, it would only affect me if I let it.”

“So you’ve never been drunk before?”

“Why would I want to be?”

Well, Xie Lian couldn’t argue with that. The one time he’d been drunk had been a disaster, after all.

“And gege?” Hua Cheng, whose thoughts were surely walking a similar path, prompted.

“Ah, you’ve seen what I’m like,” Xie Lian laughed, light and sheepish, more from habit than humor. “I never wanted to repeat that experience. Besides, my cultivation banned alcohol.”

Hua Cheng nodded thoughtfully, and Xie Lian took that as a sign this thread of conversation was over, taking a few more bites of his food. And yet, after a short while, Hua Cheng suddenly said:

“But you don’t follow that path anymore.”

His tone was mild, but Xie Lian knew his husband well. If he brought it up now, there was more to it than that.

“Yes,” he agreed, watching Hua Cheng closely. “But alcohol has never tempted me much, anyway. Not like-” he coughed, cutting himself off, but the damage was done- Hua Cheng was smirking at him, a dog on a scent.

“Like what, gege?”

Don’t speak so innocently when you know what I mean! Xie Lian cried internally. Out loud, he hurriedly said, “nevermind, nevermind that. Why were you asking, San Lang?”

“I didn’t ask anything,” Hua Cheng pointed out, which was true. But he didn’t try to hide that there had been a question unspoken, for then he said, “I was just wondering if gege would ever want to change that.”

“Change... If I wanted to get drunk?” Xie Lian echoed, surprised.

“Mn.”

“Why... why would I?” 

“It could be nice,” Hua Cheng offered.

“But I... I mean, San Lang, you saw what I was like last time... I don’t even remember most of it, but Feng Xin told me I caused a lot of trouble...”

“I would take care of you,” Hua Cheng promised simply, and like the lock of a door, everything clicked into place.

Ah.

So that’s it.

“Gege?” Hua Cheng asked, and Xie Lian realized some of his thoughts must have shown on his face.

“...” San Lang wants to take care of me? Xie Lian wasn’t shameless enough to say it. He knew he was right, though- oh yes, by now it was quite clear to anyone who paid attention (and many who didn’t) just how much the ghost king Crimson Rain Sought Flower got out of taking care of his husband.

Which apparently also extended to getting his husband intentionally drunk as some sort of do-over for the last time.

...Is this a sex thing? He wondered. But, in the end it didn’t matter. Nothing would happen unless he wanted it.

Which meant...

Xie Lian glanced away, trying to affect disinterest even though Hua Cheng could surely read the embarrassment right off of his face. “I’ll think about it,” he said quietly.

Hua Cheng smiled innocently, having heard all he truly wanted to hear. Xie Lian took another bite of food, resisting the urge to rub his forehead.

I really do spoil you... he thought. Yet, he couldn’t say he regretted it. There were much worse things he would do for Hua Cheng than getting drunk on purpose.

#tgcf #hualian #hua cheng #xie lian #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #illuwrites #ill try to upload one or two of these a day depending on how much i write

[illuminatedferret]

One-Word Ficlet Prompt #6: Sick

Word Count: 593

Back to hualian... and writing ficlets that don't include their prompt

-

Xie Lian’s whole body ached as he woke up.

And not in a good way. His limbs were leaden and sore, aching not like a good day of exercise or a few rounds in the sheets, but rather like an old friend- unseen for years but once a bosom companion. Yes, this was...

He groaned. The pillow beneath him shifted, and reluctantly, he peeled his eyes open.

“Are you alright, gege?” Hua Cheng murmured. It was his chest Xie Lian rested his head upon, and he shifted one arm to draw his fingers through Xie Lian’s loose hair. The cool touch was soothing, but he resisted the temptation to fall back asleep.

“...San Lang, I...” he didn’t really want to say it. After years together, he knew that he should, but this was the first time it had happened since they came together. Thankfully, the years had only honed his husband’s eye for detail, because he quickly caught on to the issue himself.

“Gege, you don’t sound so good,” he said with kind concern. Gentle fingers brushed the scrap god’s cheek, prompting him to raise his aching head high enough that a cool hand could press upon his forehead. Hua Cheng made a soft sound, and cupped his cheek. “You’re warm, too. How are you feeling?”

“...Not great,” Xie Lian admitted, knowing he couldn’t hide it. It was a strange feeling- centuries alone had accustomed him to gritting his teeth silently and riding his illnesses out in isolation, but though the instinct reared its head now, years of love and support from this very man had softened him. The foundation of his perseverance had been dug up, broken apart until the urge to whine and complain reemerged.

He’d been spoiled.

Hua Cheng hummed, petting along his back slowly. Xie Lian couldn’t help but resent the current state of his body- his husband was laid out before him deliciously, hair tousled, face relaxed, and even his eyepatch missing, letting Xie Lian see the entirety of his beauty. But all his eyes wanted to do was close.

How unfair...

What was even more unfair was how Hua Cheng began to maneuver Xie Lian off of him, laying him upon the bed instead.

“San Lang,” he honest-to-god whined. He’d been so comfortable! Hua Cheng was so nice and cool...

“Oh, gege,” Hua Cheng said. As he laid his husband down, he wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and squeezed lightly. It was a welcome attack upon Xie Lian’s sore neck, and he groaned in appreciation. “I’ll be right back. Just let me get some things for you. Perhaps later we can go to Paradise Manor for a nice bath, hm?”

Oh, a bath in Paradise Manor’s bathing pool sounded incredible... reluctantly, Xie Lian hummed his assent. “Come back soon, San Lang,” he mumbled, already losing the fight to stay awake.

A cool pair of lips pressed to his temple.

“I will. I’m just getting some things gege needs.”

Xie Lian, now half-asleep, wasn’t truly present anymore. That’s why he said, “no.”

“No?”

“I don’t need it,” he slurred. “I just... need San Lang...”

His voice dropped, as did his consciousness. So he had no way of seeing the surprised, pleased look on his husband’s face, nor the tender smile he wore next. Neither did he feel the soft brush of cool fingers against his cheek, or a second kiss to his temple.

“Not this time, Your Highness,” the ghost king whispered to his slumbering god. “Rest. I’ll be back before you know it.”

#tgcf #xie lian #hua cheng #hualian #illuwrites #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing

[illuminatedferret]

Congratulations!

Ficlet please, prompt: Wager

Thanks! Uh... this prompt is... it's a little long. But I had an idea and I wanted to write it, so. RIP me. Enjoy!

With great disbelief and dread, the assorted collective of the Heavenly Court mutely watched the great wave of Blessings Lanterns rise across the sky. The mass swallowed up all of the paltry offerings their devoted believers had gathered upon this Shangyuan, one by one, before overtaking even the moon itself.

“It’s him!?”

“He’s still around!?”

“Wasn’t he done!?”

Like a dam bursting, all at once a cacophony of voices filled the air. An outsider would be able to distinguish no particular voice, but it was clear to anyone listening for even a moment that not a single person had a positive thing to say.

Crimson Fucking Rain was back!?

Already!?

They were dismayed for more than one reason. See, His Highness Xianle may be happy living sequestered away on Mount Taicang, but up in the heavens, there had been a great deal of speculation on both his relationship to the deadly red ghost king-

-and just how long the man would take to come back.

One might assume, all things considered, that the current, erm, non-liquid state of the economy in the heavens being what it was, the gods might think to curb their more excessive habits.

And sure, some of them, they did.

(Quite grudgingly.)

But one thing no Heavenly Official could resist was some good drama and bragging rights.

So of course, when someone suggested a bet on just when the Gambling Tyrant Hua Cheng would return, the idea was jumped on like binu upon General Xuan Zhen.

General Nan Yang didn’t participate, citing his honor, and neither did General Xuan Zhen, attributed to the great smackdown fight that started when General Nan Yang came across General Xuan Zhen in the process of placing a bet. But the sorts of numbers put down ran the full gamut. A thousand years was a popular one- if, some suspected, more wishful thinking than anything else. Some people bet he wouldn’t return at all, but they avoided saying as much around the Southern Generals- they seemed touchy about the prospects of their former prince’s love life.

Others said he’d take five hundred years. Eight hundred. Three hundred. One particularly clever (or so he thought) civil god said it would take four hundred and eighty-nine years.

But nobody-

Nobody expected this, right!?

A year!?

A single stinking year?? 

“At least no one won the bet,” one god eventually grumbled, and his words were picked up by a louder neighbor.

“Yeah, at least no one won the bet!” Truly, it was the only acceptable way to lose the bet- if everyone else did too.

“...Actually,” came a voice that every god in the heavens suddenly dreaded. Like clockwork, every head within the Court swiveled to gaze at the tired, reluctant, but also slightly entertained countenance of Ling Wen Zhen Jun. Even Generals Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen seemed surprised, in their respective corners of the room.

“Someone...?”

“Someone bet one year!?”

“Seriously!? Who!?”

Mutters and speculation rose up on all sides, only to fall mute again as Ling Wen turned to one of her tablemates.

“Congratulations, Your Highness,” she said. “You’ve won quite the pot. It seems you were right to place your confidence in Crimson Rain.”

“Of course he was gonna come back,” Quan Yizhen blinked. “He has to fix shixiong.”

#csilla nocturine #tgcf #quan yizhen #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #illuwrites #illuanswers #this is over 500 words......... i dont think this counts as a ficlet anymore

[illuminatedferret]

One-Word Ficlet Prompt: Binoculars

for @beekindish

Fun fact! Writing first on paper means I have no real way of tracking how long these ficlets get. I suppose there are some benefits to writing while test proctoring...

-

Xie Lian had an eye for beautiful things. He couldn’t do much more than eye them, but he still appreciated the beauty of the world. And this... this may have been the most beautiful of all.

“-you see, gege?”

Hua Cheng’s vibrant voice roused Xie Lian from his daze. Blinking, he refocused on that breathtakingly handsome, grinning face, and realized that the man had raised a hand between them, holding a freshly-emerged butterfly up for Xie Lian to see.

“Ah!” Xie Lian said, examining the fascinating meld of beauty and fragility, the shriveled yet eye-catching wings of a being still reintroducing itself to the world. “It’s beautiful, San Lang.”

He was being genuine, but Hua Cheng had clearly noticed his distraction, for with a soft smile, he said, “it’s alright if gege is bored. I told you this wasn’t so exciting.”

‘This’ being a special visit to the butterfly house that Hua Cheng sponsored- a philanthropic investment from younger days, when Hua Cheng sought the good PR that came with ‘solidarity amongst beings who cast off old bodies in anticipation of new ones.’ A full-day excursion to a massive network of rooms, equipped with anything a butterfly-watcher might need: water, sturdy boots, fruit slices, binoculars, you name it. Hua Cheng had restored endangered species with his resources, and now he was watching Xie Lian with understanding that hurt his heart to see. He’d been thrilled Hua Cheng wanted to share this experience with him- he couldn’t bear the thought of him thinking anything else.

“No!” Xie Lian hurriedly said. “No, no, San Lang, it’s interesting, I promise! It’s fascinating! I just...” He bit his lip for a moment. “...I’ve never seen you so excited before,” he admitted, a little shyly. “I’m really happy you’re sharing this with me.”

He was. There were many beautiful things in this world. But the smile on Hua Cheng’s face as he shared one of his passions with him was Xie Lian’s favorite.

Hua Cheng, unprepared for such sentiment, blinked. Then, he coughed.

“Well, of course I’m happy,” he said, turning to gently prompt the butterfly on his hand to crawl onto a nearby leaf. “I’m with gege, after all. Shall we keep going?”

Xie Lian smiled and nodded. But when Hua Cheng stood to direct them further in, his eyes dropped to the large, strong hand that had just held a nascent butterfly so carefully.

Despite himself, Xie Lian’s fingers twitched. But by the time Hua Cheng had turned to look back at him, he’d already clasped his hands together, a cheap substitute of what he really wanted.

#tgcf #hualian #xie lian #hua cheng #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #illuwrites #hua cheng is trans in this one he told me himself

[illuminatedferret]

Chapters: 1/4 Fandom: 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) Characters: Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Hua Cheng (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Additional Tags: Pre-Xiè Lián's Third Ascension (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff and Humor, really at some times this fic is quite silly, Mount Tonglu Opening (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) Series: Part 2 of Hualian Events' "You, and Not the State of You" 2024 Summary:

Amidst a horde of supernaturally-angered ghosts, Xie Lian stumbles upon a 'young', 'defenseless' 'child' named 'San Lang'. With no one in the picture, he'll put his all towards caring for the boy!

-

Hua Cheng doesn't really know what just happened, but it's fine! He can recover his power any minute now, just... give him five more minutes in His Highness's arms...

#illuspeaks #illuwrites #tgcf #xie lian #hua cheng #hualian #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing

[illuminatedferret]

for the one word prompt ficlets; I thought long and hard before realizing the answer was so simple

shrimp

not me writing domestic shrimp

Xie Lian was in the process of tilling over a particularly grimy-looking pile of pebbles when the currents around him shifted, foretelling a large body approaching.

Even a few months ago, his first instinct would have been to grow tense and alert. Though he never let himself think the worst, he had become long conditioned to canvassing the area around him for the best hiding spots. But now, he had someone to look forward to seeing. Someone so dear to him that the very currents their body made were carved into his mind like diamond, impossible to mistake.

So rather than worry, a warmth bloomed within Xie Lian’s thorax as he waited to be approached.

“Gege,” came the brush of a firm carapace along his side, ruffling his feathery setae. Embarrassingly, he could feel his exoskeleton flush, but if he pretended it wasn’t happening, it was even odds that the large scampi settling at his side would ignore it too.

“San Lang!” he said cheerfully, letting himself pause in picking clean his pebbles. Now that Hua Cheng was close, he could taste the blood stuck in the crannies of the scampi’s carapace. “How are you? Are you hurt?”

“Ah, I’m fine, gege. I was just taking care of some trash. But afterwards, I was so dirty, I thought perhaps gege might be willing to help me clean up a bit.”

“Of course!” Xie Lian agreed. This was the usual way things went. Back when they’d first met, Xie Lian had thought Hua Cheng might be dead, for the gruesome injuries that covered his form. Any other marbled shrimp would have left him there, but Xie Lian was never good at leaving well enough alone, and diligently kept the scampi clean of parasites and bacteria until he had the chance to heal. Ever since, they had circled each other like a school of two, sometimes parting but always reuniting.

“Thank you, gege.” Hua Cheng let himself settle upon the seafloor, tucking his legs beneath him. Xie Lian was large for his kind, but he was still many times smaller than Hua Cheng, and he was always taken aback by how majestic the scampi looked when he let himself settle down like this. “But enough about me. How has gege been?”

“Well,” Xie Lian said as he started to clean the blood off the scampi’s shell, “the water’s been unusually warm lately, so yesterday I...”

#tgcf #hua cheng #xie lian #hualian #juicedpeachy #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #xie lian is a marbled shrimp(3in) and hua cheng is a scampi(12in)(yes. like the dish.) #enjoy domestic shrimp #illuanswers #illuwrites

[illuminatedferret]

So I decided to send in one too :D

Drops

(any drops ofc...up to your interpretation!)

Take your time no rush at all <3

(Again I love your writing sm 😭I truly wish I can write like you someday!)

eogghfrtbbbbgg i'm glad you like my writing!! and i know you said to take my time, but i'm sorry this took so long ;-; i also twisted your word a little bit- you'll see what i mean. On the plus side, please consider this to be an informal sequel to Flower.

Hua Cheng fixed his subordinate with a steely eye.

“I don’t need help taking care of gege.”

Yin Yu averted his gaze and swallowed, nodding carefully. It didn’t matter what he thought, either way- either Hua Cheng would keep every soul living or dead far from His Highness until he had recovered, or he would be dropping orders left right and center to keep His Highness happy and healthy.

“I understand, Hua Cheng...zhu...”

“What?” he said gruffly. He glanced at Yin Yu when he didn’t follow up, and then tracked his gaze to what he was looking at- the noodly little white ferret sitting happily on a table a short distance away.

The ferret that was... chewing...?

“Your Highness, what’s in your mouth?” Hua Cheng asked suspiciously.

Ferret Lian, nonplussed, continued chewing.

Hua Cheng took a step forward. The ferret took off.

“Your Highness, spit it out!” Hua Cheng shouted as he chased him down the hall. For such a tiny thing, he really could move quickly. “Gege! Gege, drop it!”

Yin Yu sighed. Once again, he’d been forgotten. Well, he had his duties. He might as well-

“Yin Yu!”

-clear his schedule for the day.

He sighed.

Couldn’t Hua Cheng have just become a butterfly bush again?

#there's one prompt left but i hate what i wrote for it so im trying to come up w something else #illuanswers #illuwrites #tgcf #hua cheng #yin yu #gxlexii #im surprised by how many of these wind up as humor

[illuminatedferret]

One-Word Ficlet Prompt #4: Introduce

Word Count: 786

Yin Yu today!

-

Hua Chengzhu didn’t look up when he walked in. He continued reading through the scroll on his desk, hand propping up his chin, looking decidedly bored.

If it were anyone else, Yin Yu would have wondered if he just hadn’t been noticed. But Chengzhu was Chengzhu. And he had already demonstrated a fantastic talent for finding him. So Yin Yu simply stood at attention, waiting.

After a few minutes, his patience was rewarded. Hua Chengzhu sighed and tossed aside his scroll, fixing his gaze upon the banished god before him.

He didn’t look any more invested in Yin Yu than he had the scroll. But Yin Yu didn’t let himself care about that.

“You’re ready, then?” Chengzhu asked.

“Yes, sir,” Yin Yu replied. He had everything he’d been tasked with collecting: a professional, if functional, set of robes (dark, because he didn’t want to stand out), and a mask from Chengzhu’s own collection (a demonic, woeful smile, because, well- it seemed appropriate).

Chengzhu stood.

“With me,” he bid shortly. So of course Yin Yu followed, when he strode out the door into Paradise Manor proper. Yin Yu didn’t know what to expect, but he quickly realized they were headed towards the main entrance to the manor.

Chengzhu paused, briefly, when they reached the front doors to the courtyard.

“I don’t want to do this more than once,” he said firmly, still facing the doors. Immediately, Yin Yu was at attention, ready to memorize whatever was about to happen or -most likely- die trying.

Or just be horrifically humiliated. But, his preference was...

It didn’t matter. After delivering his warning, Chengzhu was in motion again, pulling the doors open in one smooth move before exiting into the entry courtyard of his residence. When Yin Yu followed, only years spent navigating the crushing politics of the heavens kept him from stopping in his tracks.

Butterflies.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, hung shimmering in the air. The sight was so eye-catching that it took a few moments for Yin Yu to realize that wasn’t all there was. While the air of the courtyard was filled with the ethereal bodies of deadly spiritual butterflies, the ground was packed with the messy, unique, teeming bodies of Ghost City’s undead.

And every single one of them was looking at him.

Well. At Hua Chengzhu, perhaps. But the longer they looked, the more they caught notice of him- this unfamiliar masked figure, standing at Chengzhu’s side. And that was...

“...!”

Yin Yu swallowed. But he didn’t try to run.

“Citizens of Ghost City!” Chengzhu said. With the crowd already silenced by the presence of his butterflies, his voice rang loud and clear throughout the courtyard. “I have one thing to say to you, and one thing only.”

Standing behind him, Yin Yu couldn’t see his face, but he could imagine it- a detached yet arrogant look, demanding obedience and attention while making clear just how little he cared to return the favor. Every inch the centuries-old ruler of Ghost City.

And then Yin Yu realized he could see his face. He was looking right at him.

The slightest twitch of Chengzhu’s head towards the crowd had Yin Yu walking forwards until he stood abreast with the Red supreme. His heart began to pound, and his stomach flipped, as every eye in Ghost City truly settled upon him.

“This is your Waning Moon Officer!” Hua Chengzhu pronounced, and Yin Yu’s heart stopped. Their what? “He operates in my service, and you will treat him as an extension of my will! Am I clear?”

The assembled ghosts and demons were quick to shout their affirmations, a cacophonous crescendo just as frenetic as the beating of Yin Yu’s heart. It was only by virtue of his mask that none before him could see how his eyes, wide with shock and disbelief, moved to stare at the man he stood beside. Chengzhu wasn’t looking, himself- he was staring out across the sea of bodies, a vague look of satisfaction upon his face.

Waning Moon Officer...

He’d only been in Chengzhu’s employ for a few short months. Was he really worthy of such a position? To represent Hua Chengzhu, could he truly live up to such a responsibility? 

Finally, Chengzhu looked away from his ghostly citizens, meeting his gaze with a firm look. There was no doubt in his eyes, but neither was there any challenge- simply expectation.

Swallowing thickly, Yin Yu gave his lord a slight nod.

This wasn’t the path he’d planned to walk. But he was here now, being given a second chance after everything he’d already ruined. He would serve as Waning Moon Officer to the best of his capabilities. Or, well-

Most likely, he’d die trying.

#tgcf #hua cheng #tian guan ci fu #yin yu #heaven officials blessing #illuwrites

[illuminatedferret]

If it's a final call to ask for more... can I hear about project number 8? (Or if that one has been asked, number 1?) I love getting sneak-peeks and behind the scenes info on ideas and thoughts of what's going on and why!

ALRIGHT sorry for the delay! On the upside you've asked about a WIP I can actually give a snippet for, haha.

I definitely like writing fic where the plot is something I haven't seen someone else tackle yet. However, I also like using fic as an opportunity to mess around with tropes that are more common and smash them together to see what happens. (Coincidentally, WIP #1 is also this sort of fic) The Coffin Prayer WIP combines coffin fics and 'xie lian can hear prayers' fics to tackle the idea that while in the coffin, Xie Lian starts to be able to hear Hua Cheng's prayers to him. That's kind of a loaded premise as it is, so I'll give you a little bit of Jun Wu monologuing to explain the premise of the fic.

#annaisu #tgcf #illuwrites #illuanswers #this one has a pretty rough start unsurprisingly #xie lian's been in the coffin for who knows how long..... oof #xie lian #hua cheng #coffin prayer au

[illuminatedferret]

Congrats on the 150 (160!) followers. A one word prompt for you: stone. Thank you for all your writing and posts :D

Thank you for the prompt! Happy to have you here :)

All things considered, it feels right to become a supreme. It’s an agony not one in a million could survive, but he feels reborn once he leaves the Kiln. Fire and flame all around him, rocks and ash falling like snow.

And why wouldn’t it? What comes out of a volcano but things like him? Hard. Brittle. Inflexible, but so malleable simply given the right tools. A useless chunk of stone able to become a masterpiece under the right hands. Like a caterpillar dreaming to become a butterfly, in that chrysalis he turned from a useless, ugly thing into something worthy of attention.

Something that demanded it.

In the aftermath, Hua Cheng stands in the middle of his lair, surrounded by the same face from all sides, and feels, for once, in like company. A cave full of statues- hundreds of his god, one of him. But is this enough? What he’s become, will it please his god?

Only time will tell. Only time separated them now. No power but fate itself could keep them apart anymore. And Hua Cheng wasn’t one inclined towards humoring such things.

Your Highness, he thinks, as he begins to spin his spiritual power out into the cave, lets it collect upon all the murals and statues he’d poured blood, sweat, and tears into creating. The energy solidifies into silk and draped across everything, hiding it from any prying eyes. He wouldn’t take risks with this place. I’m coming.

I’ll find you. When I do, I pray you find me worthy of your regard.

#tgcf #hua cheng #tian guan ci fu #ivydragon #heaven officials blessing #illuwrites #illuanswers

[illuminatedferret]

I'd like to hear something of WIP number 2, if you'd be willing to share! Congrats once again on the bunches of new followers 😄

We talked about this by DM, but since #2 is the WIP you asked for during the last giveaway as well(and because it's Dearly Departed, and I'd like to give you something new), I've chosen to go with the other option you offered, WIP #3:

This is a WIP I haven't touched in several months- actually, this might have been the first TGCF WIP I ever started, I don't remember. As the premise suggests, this is a fic where Xie Lian figures out after Book 4 that he was the beloved Wuming had spoken of. It's a 2 part WIP: the first half is Xie Lian putting the pieces together after Book 4, the second half is a remix of the conversation Xie Lian and Hua Cheng have by the campfire on Black Water Island. I never finished it because I started writing Xie Lian putting together that Wuming was the ghost fire who witnessed all his suffering, who became a wrath from watching what was done to him in the temple-!

Only to realize Bai Wuxiang tells Xie Lian all of this in canon.

I genuinely wonder if Xie Lian never realized he was Wuming's beloved, or if he was just exercising Extremely Selective Thinking to ignore the possibility.

Also, the second half of the fic just kind of stalled. So here's a nice long snippet from the Black Water Island conversation in this AU. I'd edit this, but it's fine as-is.

#tgcf #xie lian #hua cheng #hualian #annaisu #illuanswers #illuwrites

[illuminatedferret]

One-Word Ficlet Prompt #5: Smoke

Word Count: 422

Lang Qianqiu, speedrunning foot-in-mouth.

-

The smell of smoke still hung heavy around Lang Qianqiu’s mysterious teacher, even hours after the event. It filled Lang Qianqiu with a great deal of wonder and curiosity, and he demonstrated -he felt- an impressive amount of restraint by not immediately leaping to quiz his teacher.

Instead, he patiently bided his time, waiting until a natural pause occurred in their lesson. Calligraphy had wrapped up, and Fangxin-guoshi was about to bid him leave to change in preparation for a swordplay lesson when Lang Qianqiu finally couldn’t hold it anymore, and said, “so what was it?!”

Fangxin-guoshi paused.

“What was what, exactly?”

He might have worn a mask, but Lang Qianqiu knew his teacher well, and could hear the raised eyebrow in his voice. Chagrinned, Lang Qianqiu flushed, aware he’d failed to ask a true question.

“I had heard about your palace,” Lang Qianqiu explained. Fangxin-guoshi’s palace had nearly burned down the night prior, and had taken over an hour to save from destruction. No one knew precisely what had caused it, except that there had been a loud ‘bang’ just beforehand.

Fangxin-guoshi stiffened slightly- in understanding, surely.

“My parents said you were casting a spell to protect the kingdom. What happened, master? Were ghosts attacking? Demons? Assassins?”

Lang Qianqiu bounced in place, growing more and more excited the more ideas he spitballed. As he spoke, Fangxin-guoshi grew stiller and stiller- a warning sign he was too excited to heed.

“His Highness has so much energy,” Fangxin-guoshi commented, which was his second warning.

“I want to be like you, master, and protect the kingdom!” Lang Qianqiu earnestly swore.

Fangxin-guoshi was silent, which was Lang Qianqiu’s third warning- and the only one he caught. After all, shouldn’t his master be flattered that he wanted to be like him? So why wasn’t he saying anything?

“Your Highness should stick to more realistic goals,” Fangxin-guoshi finally said. “Be yourself, Your Highness. There’s no need for you to become anyone else.”

“But won’t you teach me whatever spell you did? I could see the smoke from the other side of the grounds, it was incredible!”

“...I cannot.”

“Why?” Lang Qianqiu complained. It had looked so cool...

“Because there are other things more important for you to know. Now go get changed- it seems you have much energy today. I can work with that.”

A chill ran down Lang Qianqiu’s spine. Every time Fangxin-guoshi said that, he’d be lucky to end the day on his feet. But why was he being punished?? He hadn’t done anything wrong!!

#tgcf #lang qianqiu #xie lian #tian guan ci fu #illuwrites #heaven officials blessing

[illuminatedferret]

Hey Em! Congrats on all the amazing writing! Now I'm gonna nicely ask you to do more with this prompt: River <3

alright you successfully tricked me with suggesting I sprint this prompt so it got a solid hundred words or so longer than I usually let them. Curse you!!! /joking

Have hualian on a boat!

-

The rocking of the boat was gentle, and clearly soothed Xie Lian. Hua Cheng smiled lightly, looking down at his husband. The scrap god was cuddled up close, head propped up against his shoulder with one arm wrapped around his waist. He stared out at the river and its passing banks placidly. His thumb, pressed above Hua Cheng’s silver belt, rubbed back and forth softly. Hua Cheng wasn’t sure he’d even noticed.

“Mm, San Lang...” Xie Lian said quietly. “It’s been ages since I had such a nice boat ride.”

“I could make it better,” Hua Cheng offered. This had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, prompted by a story of Xie Lian’s second banishment and a river dock located conveniently nearby. This was a simple boat Hua Cheng had bought off the first guy whose boat wasn’t falling apart. It was bare and unfurnished and small enough that the two of them had to press close to fit. It was nothing compared to what he could give Xie Lian with a little more time. However, Xie Lian shook his head.

“No,” he said. “I like this. San Lang would give me some big, fancy boat if I asked, but we would need servants to staff the boat. I like just having you.”

With warmth kindling in his chest (like that warmth ever went out), Hua Cheng carefully pressed his lips together.

“I’m glad to know gege only wants me,” he said, restraint quickly caving to mischief. He laughed, a bark of a sound, when Xie Lian dug his thumb into his side in response. He meant no harm, but the precision of the most skilled martial god in all the heavens was nothing to shake a finger at.

“Who else would I want?” Xie Lian asked, half-plaintive, half-humorously. “San Lang, you know what I meant.”

Hua Cheng, smiling, pressed a kiss to the top of his husband’s head. It ended only when Xie Lian pushed himself up, seeking a more intimate sort of kiss.

“Mm, I see,” Hua Cheng spoke in a low tone when they parted. Xie Lian had turned himself around to reach his mouth, and was now nearly lying atop him, careless with his body the way only a lover could be. Hua Cheng couldn’t resist grabbing his waist, pulling him closer and luxuriating in the warmth of his body. “Good point. If the boat was staffed, we couldn’t do this.”

They absolutely could ‘do this’, but his darling prince had a lot of hang-ups about... amorous activity around others, and a boat could be a tricky place to get him to forget that. Ah, perhaps a viewing platform above the deck, carefully shielded to suppress noise...

Xie Lian flushed. “San Lang,” he complained softly, but his fingers, tellingly, rubbed the catch of his belt.

Yes... he would have to come back to this later. For now, there were more important things at hand.

#tgcf #hualian #hua cheng #crystalsamethyst #illuanswers #illuwrites #xie lian #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #sorry for the posting delay i got distracted

[illuminatedferret]

One-Word Ficlet Prompt #3: Barrier

Word Count: 545.

Somehow this exercise in not writing hualian turned into Mu Qing's hate letter for Hua Cheng. He is a fascinatingly unreliable narrator.

-

Mu Qing had come a long way.

Yes, he had, and he was quite proud of himself, too. He'd gone from a half-orphaned charity case to one of the strongest gods in the Three Realms.

Of course, Mu Qing wasn’t one to settle or accept his lot in life. If he was, he never would have gotten to where he was today. So obviously it burned to be the only cardinal martial god who had to share territory- worse, the guy he had to split the south with was- Ju Yang.

Ugh.

The heavens had a really twisted sense of humor.

The worst part of being a heavenly official was the things he still wasn’t strong enough for. He couldn’t cast off his background, he couldn’t cast off the lingering ties he knew everyone still put between him and the prince who’d once seen use in him, he couldn’t displace Ju Yang, and he couldn’t-

A fresh barrage of butterflies hit the barrier, and Mu Qing quickly reinforced it, gritting his teeth from the effort.

He couldn’t fucking beat this guy!

He wouldn’t have been able to beat him back when he first showed up and he couldn’t beat him now, centuries later! The Emperor wouldn’t lift a finger to do anything about him, so everybody else was stuck swallowing their tongues and watching their backs. Some gods didn’t mind- hell, some gods had this perverse respect for him. But they didn’t get it. None of them knew Crimson Rain Sought Flower like the martial gods of the South did.

None of them ever saw him like this: harsh smile and cruel eyes, looking just like an entitled young master abusing his power, or like a spoiled child ready to break a toy.

Nothing infuriated Mu Qing more than Crimson Rain. He’d worked hard for centuries to get where he was. Where everyone else had a leg up, Mu Qing started with nothing. He’d eked out every drop of respect, power, and status with blood, sweat, and tears. And all of it meant nothing to this ghost.

If ever there was a definition for ‘sore loser’, it was this guy. Mu Qing had turned down his challenge fair and square (as had Ju Yang, he supposed), and yet it was always like this- he always had to watch his back in his own damn territory in case this guy decided to show up to play. And that’s what it was! They both knew that Mu Qing couldn’t beat him. But every time he popped up, he’d toss Mu Qing around for a bit, attack with blows either just weak enough to block or just strong enough to overcome him, until he let Mu Qing escape.

No one in the world made Mu Qing feel weak the way Crimson Rain did. No one made him feel powerless like that arrogant ghost. Whether he was born with a silver spoon or crawled out of a gutter, the answer remained the same: Crimson Rain was a man who knew what he wanted and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

When Mu Qing finally escaped later, bloodied and sore and furious, he found himself thinking one thing:

We’re lucky he hasn’t set his sights on any poor women yet.

#tgcf #mu qing #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #illuwrites