#chengsey

[eternalchemy]

i don't think we as a community talk enough about henry cheng making gansey get in a tiny dark hole in the ground, telling gansey about the time he was kidnapped and traumatised when he was ten and then shock-exposing gansey to his greatest fear in an attempt to become gansey's friend. AND THEN IT WORKS

#henry cheng my silliest ever #he went hmmm what do all ganseys friends have in common #and he took one look at ronan and adam and went oh its the mysterious tragic backstory and unresolved trauma #i can do that #and he was right like i cant even defend gansey #my god the sillies #chengsey #gansey #trc #the raven cycle

[parcai]

doubly known. triply known. sarchengsey with a whole lot of jeong. :)

#artists on tumblr #kit art #trc #tdt #trk #the raven cycle #the raven king #the raven boys #trb #dick gansey #gansey #richard gansey iii #blue sargent #henry cheng #bluesey #chengsey #sarchengsey #maggie stiefvater #fanart #the dreamer trilogy #bee #robobee #art #k #q #draft dump

[robobee]

can an insane white spelunker with a bug allergy fall in love with an outrageously claustrophobic asian man with a pet bee

#chengsey

[panukkie]

Its missing The Raven Cycle hours

#they kiss each other your honor #bluechengsey #chengsey #bluecheng #bluesey #i actually do not know what their ship tags are #they are cute tho #trc #panukkie art

[stringcage]

raven girls ? 🫣

#cringe culture is dead we post genderbends in 2023 and die like men #adam intense side part + shitty braids is CRUCIAL. it is very important to me #the raven cycle #ronan lynch #noah czerny #adam parrish #gansey #richard campbell gansey iii #henry cheng #pynch #chengsey #the raven boys #the dream thieves #blue lily lily blue #the raven king #the raven cycle fanart #my art #genderbend #gender swap

[professorllayton]

hiii chengsey nation <333 @robobee

#i just think all ganseys friends should do the thumb thing to him #henry cheng #richard gansey #chengsey #trc #the raven cycle #my art #blabs

[umbrellas-acad]

nothing to see here, just henry doing something nice for gansey and then immediately feeling the need to clarify that it was platonic

#that was a friend thing? henry are you sure? #lmao #and you want me to believe that these boys are fully heterosexual for each other #🤔 #trc #the raven cycle #trk #the raven king #chengsey #gansey #henry cheng #blue sargent #(honorary tag for blue even though she’s not in the post) #sarchengsey #(also an honorary tag for sarchengsey because I love them)

[speciouspessimism]

the domesticity of it… getting each other coffee… borrowing clothes… flirty fun chats… tackling your darkest anxieties in forced situations… actually one of them totally controlled the situation while the other just floundered… still though… princes amongst men…

#henry and gansey!!!!! #what they have is special :( #chengsey #henry cheng #gansey #richard gansey iii #trc #the raven boys #bllb #trk

[ronanlynchdefender]

An Aromantic Asexual Reading of Henry Cheng

Happy International Asexual Day! I had a lot of fun making “An Asexual Reading of Gansey” post, and so of course, I had to make a post about The Raven Cycle’s resident aroace king, Henry Cheng. Unlike Gansey, I think Henry is written with the intention of being canonically aroace. Henry, himself, implies as much, and the way his character is developed also supports this conclusion. In other words, the text does not lie. The man is aroace.

Henry Comes Out

A thought occurred to her. “I don’t need to remind you I’m with Gansey, right?” “Naturally not. I’m Henrysexual, anyway. Can I take you home?” (TRK, pg. 234)

I interpret this moment as Henry stating in clear terms that he is not interested in anyone romantically or sexually. While it is phrased somewhat as a quip, it is significant because, as we see throughout The Raven King, Henry is very intentional about how he uses his words and what words mean. He doesn’t need to comment or joke about his sexuality, but he does. He does it casually too, “I’m Henrysexual, anyway.” He phrases it almost as an afterthought. Clarifiying not only is he not interested in Blue, he is not interested at all.

Platonic Longing

So he had no real way to explain how he felt about trying to befriend Richard Gansey and the members of Gansey’s royal family. (TRK, pg. 266)

He felt 20 percent guilty for longing to become friends with Gansey and Sargent and Lynch and Parrish. The Vancouver crowd was great. They just weren’t enough, but words failed him to say why. (TRK, pg. 267)

Can you just imagine little Henry Cheng looking at Gansey’s friend group and longing to be a part of it? Honestly, I think all of us as readers can relate to Henry’s desire. We all want to be friends with them. We all want to be in their inner circle.

What Henry craves more than anything are those queerplatonic bonds that the raven boys have with each other. This is a kid who has grown up without anyone really understanding him, except maybe his mom. And here he is, in the least likely of places, witnessing this friend group possess exactly the type of relationships he has always craved but never had words to truly describe.

Not “Just” Friends, But Just, Friends

“You had RoboBee looking out for me.” “It was friendly. That was a friend thing.” He seemed anxious for Gansey to believe that his motives were pure, so Gansey said quickly, “I know that, just   I don’t meet many people who make friends like I do. So   fast.” (TRK, pg. 360)

I think this moment parallels the moment with Blue where Henry is clarifying that there is nothing else going on other than platonic vibes. He is not romantically or sexually interested in Blue or Gansey. His motives really, truly are just friendship. I think Henry is also nervous in this scene because he doesn’t know if Gansey will accept him as a friend. Henry is really desperate to be accepted as one of Gansey’s friends, his inner circle. Even though his desire is not romantic, Henry is still putting himself in a vulnerable position where he could get rejected. And Gansey is quick to try to dispel that anxiety. It’s a sweet moment between the two of them, honestly. And I think many of us can relate to the simple desire of just wanting to be someone’s friend without any romantic or sexual implications. I mean, that’s all many of us want. Just friends. Maybe very, very special friends that we feel inexplicably intense connections to but friends nonetheless.

Soulmates, But Platonic

“We’re friends at once, we would instantly do what friends would do for each other. Not just pals. Friends. Blood brothers. You just feel it. We instead of you and me. That’s jeong.” (TRK, pg. 360)

Not romantic. Not sexual. But a secret third thing. Throughout the whole series we witness Gansey’s very complicated feelings toward his friends, and here comes Henry Cheng with the perfect language to describe what Gansey is feeling. And who better than an aroace character to introduce the concept of platonic soulmates? Although, I would argue that what Henry is saying here is more than just platonic soulmates. It’s pure connection. It’s community.

Three’s A Crowd, Except When it’s Sarchengsey, Then it’s A Queerplatonic Polycule

Gansey had bid for a gap year and won. Henry had already planned on one. It was all convenient, as Blue had spent months planning how to cheaply hike across the country post-graduation, the destination: life. It was better with company. It was better with three. (TRK, pg. 434)

I just absolutely love that Henry agrees to accompany this true love pairing across country as their platonic third wheel. It’s fantastic actually. The idea of Bluesey being all romantic and shit and Henry is just completely unbothered. Completely content. Love it.

Also, Blue and Gansey could’ve very easily gone on a romantic road trip by themselves, but instead they thought hey let’s invite our good friend, Henry Cheng. Because who the fuck cares about true love? We’re all platonic soulmates here.

Also, extended vacation with your queerplatonic polycule. Need I say more 

Cars and Sex???

“Rumor has it that his father gave him a Fisker for his birthday and he’s too afraid to drive it.” (BLLB, pg. 154)

“Stop. Stop. Get in my car. You know what? You drive. This thing scares the piss out of me.” Henry tossed him the keys. (TRK, pg. 348)

In a book series where car driving/racing are constantly used as metaphors for sex, I find it very interesting that the most canonically aroace character is also afraid of driving his car. Coincidence?

Okay maybe I included this point partly as a joke, and maybe this is a stretch, but here me out. This isn’t some throwaway character detail. This is mentioned or referenced multiple times. At the bus loop, during the chase for Glendower, after Blue and Gansey’s late-night date, immediately after we are introduced to his character. Anyway  

In conclusion, Henry is an aroace king, and we needed way more of him in The Raven Cycle. He’s funny, dramatic, and brings a levity that some of the other characters don’t possess. A great, sorely underused character.

I may make more of these asexual analyses posts about The Raven Cycle because I have a lot more I want to say about the series as a whole, so you can follow me for that if you’re interested. I’d also love to hear other people’s thoughts.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and happy ace day!!!!!

#henry cheng #happy ace day #happy international asexuality day #henry cheng aroace king #richard gansey #richard campbell gansey iii #gansey #sarchengsey #blue sargent #chengsey #the raven cycle #trc #aroace headcanons #asexual headcanons #aroace canon #asexual canon #asexual #aromantic #aroace #acespec #arospec #ace #aro #the raven king #queerplatonic #asexuality #aromanticism #henry cheng headcanons #long post #bluesey

[crimeronan]

henry only went to therapy to pick up new terms to gaslight (well meaning. Extremely Insistent.) gansey with. gansey I'm literally only doing this to heal my inner child. yeah no it's. okay sure it might be murder from YOUR viewpoint and I see where you're coming from but therapist cassie said it's my duty to treat my childhood self with grace so that my current interpersonal relati-- yes yes I tied him up. Yes he was screaming but only until... Okay see, when you get mad at me like that it's kind of really triggering, Gansey, especially considering your position in society and the power dyna

i love henry being a complete fucking nightmare. deserve

#replies #trc #should i tag this. yeah why not #chengsey

[clotpolesonly]

The Raven King ch 37 // The Raven Boys ch 9

#chengseyedit #henryedit #ganseyedit #trcedit #Chengsey #Henry Cheng #Gansey #TRC #Blue also has a something more quote in DT #but it's about realizing her potential rather than communicating a concept #more about self actualization than able communication with others #so i didn't include it #quote posts

[robobee]

he let me hit because i passed his test of mettle

#is this anything. #chengsey

[stringcage]

normal guys alone in a crawl space, what will they confide?

#the raven cycle #gansey #richard gansey #henry cheng #chengsey #the raven king #the raven cycle fanart #my art

[parcai]

it's literally just like henry got the bee bots + gansey lost his life to the bees and gansey is is in love with henrietta and the man who saves his life, inadvertently, is named henry

#THEYRE SO INSANE #not foils the way adam + gansey r but MMM there is smth here #be magicians wtf 😞💔 #henry cheng #dick gansey #trc #k #trk #the raven king #chengsey

[faewaren]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Henry Cheng/Richard Gansey III/Adam Parrish, Henry Cheng/Richard Gansey III, Henry Cheng/Adam Parrish, Richard Gansey III/Adam Parrish Characters: Henry Cheng, Richard Gansey III, Adam Parrish, Seondeok (Raven Cycle), OCs as needed Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fae, Fae & Fairies, Dubious Fae Morality, Antagonism as Flirting, Magic, Fairy Markets but SUPER literal., Developing Relationship, Polyamory, POV Henry, Flirting, Also as flirting., Poisoning, But minor!, Getting Together, Kissing Summary:

Richard is what people call fae-touched.

It is, unfortunately, not as sexy as it sounds.

----

In which Gansey is a human researching the fae, Henry is his guide to Winter, Adam is his guide to Summer, and they definitely aren't trying to one-up each other at all.

#adam parrish #henry cheng #gansey #chengsey #adansey #charrish #the raven cycle #read my fic boy.

[bluesadansey]

Trcverse characters read Chapter 3 of The Raven Boys + my first time writing Gansey pov

#s speaks #mine #trc fic #the Raven cycle #trc #tdt #td3 #the dreamer trilogy #richard gansey #blue sargent #adam parrish #henry cheng #bluesey #sarchengsey #bluedansey #adansey #bluedam #chengsey #maura sargent #the gray man #calla johnson #decided since this fic has so many char and relationship tags each time I post a chapter to tumblr I’ll only tag stuff relevant to the #specific chapter