#in which xie lian and hua cheng respect the fuck out of each other

[sillygoofyqueer]

Official pt 1 of Four's lil tgcf au idea!!

previous → here → next

Mild mentioned spoilers for tgcf down below:

Anyway Xie Lian was killed by Jun Wu after the fall of Xianle because he actually didn't have enough patience to try and psychologically fuck him over repetitively. Along with Feng Xin and Mu Qing (who drowned and burned alive respectively, because I fucking said so, fight me)

But, Xie Lian was not having that and pulled a Hua Cheng, coming back as a ghost king who's biding His time to absolutely beat Jun Wu down - but, like, not out of revenge for himself like He Xuan, but more out of revenge for Feng Xin, Mu Qing and all of those who lost their lives when Xianle fell (Feng Xin and Mu Qing found each other even in death, because fucking homos, then they ended up coming across a Xie Lian that wasn't exactly their Xie Lian anymore)

So, Xie Lian absolutely believed his death was valid and deserved because this is Xie Lian we're on about, but he is furious over the unjust deaths of everyone else. I haven't quite decided how he died, because I'd find it really interesting if instead of fighting and beating Xie Lian honourably, Jun Wu pulled some sly shit and like, caught him by surprise. And that's the only reason Xie Lian is mildly disgruntled over his death - Jun Wu was a coward and didn't even give Xie Lian the opportunity to die fighting.

I also like the idea that Xie Lian has some sort of facial scar (like, y'know those ones that people get after being hit with something, where it trails down from the hairline and like, kind of drags across the face??) and because he doesn't want Jun Wu recognising him as Xie Lian, he wears a mask (😏) but I haven't decided which one because although it's basic, I do like the idea of him having the half laughing, half crying mask because then Feng Xin and Mu With could have a smiling and crying mask respectively so I'm trying to picture another mask that would have that same sort of effect.

This feels quite chunky, so I might do a separate one on Hua Cheng and co. if y'all are interested

#four being a dumbass #heaven official's blessing #tgcf #xie lian #mu qing #feng xin #fengqing #is hinted #jun wu #the bastard #tgcf mild spoilers?? #four's tgcf au idea

[curiosity-killed]

(like i do) in the tall grass

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Hua Cheng has never been made for happiness, but as he leans down to press a kiss to Xie Lian’s nose, to his cheeks, his forehead, his lips, he thinks it might be time to change again.

--

TGCF, post-canon Hualian conversations about their past

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #tgcf fic #hualian #hua cheng pov #in which xie lian and hua cheng respect the fuck out of each other #and also are DORKS and IN LOVE #continuing the 'conversations that would never happen in canon' train lmao

[featherfur]

Lowkey been thinking of a crossover of MDZS and TGCF where Xue Yang became a ghost obsessed with returning Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing’s souls and it actually starts to work except Hua Cheng really doesn’t appreciate some upstart fucking around Ghost City and murdering his ghosts to practice piecing them back together so Xue Yang has to run but ends up running into Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and try to keep himself from being killed again and it only works because he’s waving a decently patched together soul of A-Qing who’s cursing up a storm that could put Qi Rong to shame.

Xue Yang finally admits that Hua Cheng managed to get Xiao Xingchen’s spirit pouch from him when he bolted because Xue Yang was in the middle of stitching some pieces back together and now Wei Wuxian can’t just leave XXC in the hands of anyone because that’s his martial uncle/brother (?) via mom and also because in general he and LWJ are good people.

They don’t even really know who this ‘Ghost King’ is because they really don’t bother with ghosts that aren’t hurting people nor do they associate with gods except on accident so they follow Xue Yang to Ghost City, on a magic leash connected to WWX who’s having maybe too much fun seeing what he can do with a fully formed powerful sapient ghost instead of the demonic restless spirits he normally handles.

Except Hua Cheng does know Wei Wuxian he just thought that surpreme died within months of appearing so he’d never thought of him again when he was told he got torn to shreds by his own power after his reason to continue got murdered (e.I. The Wens) but now he’s extremely confused because uh “you? Should not be alive.” “Yeah I get that a lot”

The most powerful supreme Hua Cheng ever met (beyond himself) that rose to Supreme level in three months and then preceded to fuck off and die, is apparently now alive again? Hua Cheng has dealt with some shit but it’s been like 400 years since Jun Wu and he’s just not doing this alone also Xie Lian has a sensor for danger and shows up anyways when Hua Cheng is trying to interrogate Wei Wuxian on how the fuck his shattered soul was pieced together perfectly, even better then when he’d actually been a supreme, and returned to a body.

(Xue Yang is magically leashed by Hua Cheng as well just for funsies because Hua Cheng is not done with him yet)

They finally manage to get to the reason they’re here, when A-Qing starts yelling from Lan Wangji’s sleeve. Hua Cheng is more than willing to let A-Qing stay and fix herself because he thinks this is funny and he has a tiny soft spot for kids and Gege likes her, but A-Qing wants to protect Xiao Xingchen and that’s her Reason for existing.

Xiao Xingchen’s spirit pouch is finally returned by Hua Cheng who quite honestly just wants to kill Xue Yang and move on with his life as a married man, and Xiao Xingcheng is just existing and only reacts to say he’s sorry to A-Qing and a very firm “No.” when Xue Yang asks to have him back which leads to a pouty and grumbling Xue Yang but the only person who cares is Xue Yang so he gets ignored. (A-Qing does eventually asked to be handed to him after he’s gagged just so she can insult him but settles down after two hours of yelling because she does need his help to be while again and he can help Xiao Xingchen but as soon as she gets feet she’s kicking him in the face)

Now Hua Cheng is even willing to let Xue Yang go if WWX just fucking leaves because, yes even when WWX was a Supreme Hua Cheng still out ranked him in power but if he could reach Supreme that fast Hua Cheng doesn’t want him anywhere near Gege on principal but Xie Lian is soft on people in red who are devoted to their husbands and are down with murder so Hua Cheng can’t just kill them. So they can just leave please

Except apparently Xie Lian knows Xiao Xingchen because they got confused for each other on more than one occasion and met a few times before his eyes were carved out and Xie Lian wants to help his friend and the only way to fix him is to find Song Lan, except no ones seen him in a while and Hua Cheng does NOT know how that translated to ‘let’s go on a cross country hunting trip for someone who very well could be dead because my husband got mistaken for a 17 year old cultivator twice and apparently adopted him like every other slightly trying to be good person he meets’ but it’s not like he’s going to say no to spending more time with Gege

Lan Wangji has to come to terms with the fact that his husband was straight up a Supreme Ghost and nobody noticed that he was dead and also with the fact that while he didn’t really want to be immortal now he has to be because he doesn’t want his husband to be lonely if he dies and returns to being a ghost. Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian think that’s the most romantic thing every, Xue Yang and A-Qing want to die, Xiao Xingchen is scolding them for being rude but also thinks it’s sweet and Hua Cheng realizes that he’s both a glorified baby sitter and that he actually respects that and wants to see how it turns out.

Idk how but Feng Xin and Mu Qing end up bothering Jiang Cheng just because I want to watch that shit go down for fun

#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #the untamed #mdzs #wei wuxian #Lan Wangji #Hua Cheng #Xie Lian #Xue Yang #xiao xingchen #I just think Hua Cheng can handle a little bit of grievance but also I think it’s funny if he accidentally gets attatched #and is just like ‘oh I get why Gege likes adopting random people this could not be funnier’ #of course he’d kill them all in a half second without remorse for Xie Lian but luckily for them they like Xie Lian too! and it’s mutual! #crossover #this is more amusing if it’s a modern au where WWX and LWJ are in fact immortal #and WWX still managed to miss the fact that gods and Ghost Kings exist #LWJ is indeed aware of them he just gives no fucks about anything that isn’t Wei Ying

[pbaintthetb]

 tgcf thoughts tonight, specifically Mu Qing

Mu Qing wasn’t wrong to leave Xie Lian.

In fact, he’s entirely justified, and unlike Feng Xin, he actually comes back? I don’t know, I always feel like it’s portrayed that Feng Xin was the better friend because he left later, even though his motivations were worse and Mu Qing. Comes. Back. With food, and money, and the desire to help them without anything in return.

Like I understand that Feng Xin might feel angry because he wants to offload his own guilt onto Mu Qing, and I know that Hua Cheng is kind of... with all respect, sometimes a little over protective of MQ. Like, MQ was right, but it still hurt XL presumably.

Okay, but MQ is, looking after Xl, FX, XL’s parents. He’s doing most of the finances, a fair bit of the work and all? of the cooking. Meanwhile he has his own elderly mother who he had ABANDONED to look after someone else’s family. Like be grateful the boy stuck around for as long as he did sorting your shit out while you did almost fuck all. I get that they don’t know, but there's some line where XL is like, wow all this stuff MQ did was so hard?

And then MQ returns to help them, and I don’t fault XL for not wanting it, considering how MQ got it, and I get FX being angry on XL’s behalf, but it’s separate to MQ leaving and how that is an issue. And yeah, I quite like MQ (he’s kind of nasty but he’s interesting and somewhat sympathetic), but he just sort of thinks differently to the others? He’s much more pragmatic and long term thinking imo

and i know im talking a lot about how he came back to support them, but even if he hadn’t, even if he’d never had the intention to (which i think he always did) he’d still have a better fucking reason than FX to leave and still have an entirely valid one to leave?

(Not gonna talk about whether FX was right or wrong and how people should get to make their own choices here, this is MQ time)

But then MQ looks like a bad friend because he’s emotionally repressed and half the people never really trust him, so why bother explaining what he’s doing? He wont’ be believed (and of course it’s a vicious cycle, not helped by MQ’s cynicism). I also have a lot of thoughts about the XL stealing things... but not now.

But yh, also, it’s interesting how XL seems to have entirely moved on and to n ot really care but FX & MQ are still so hung up on it, like it’s their biggest regret. Was talking with my friend and I think half of it is that XL can just leave it all behind, he leaves the heavens and his baggage and all of it. MQ & FX chose the heavens and as a result to see each other’s face every day. The second biggest reminder of their own guilty consciences and they keep feeding each other

#tgcf #mu qing #feng xin #heavenly trio #thoughts #this could have been far more concise #and probably coherent #i jus tlike mq #and i feel like the narrative is portraying him to be worse than fx for leaving #just cos he left first #maybe im misreading who knows

[veliseraptor]

What is your top 5 fav ships (canon or not) in mxtx 3 novels? And why?

you don’t even have to include the “and why” there, anon, I’ll do it all on my own because I can’t shut up about my opinions.

1. Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen. I rolled into this canon and clearly went ‘why would I devote my attention to the canon main pairing when I could go to the messy fucked up pairing to the left that occupies a tiny fraction of the narrative” and rode that train all the way down to hell, where I live now.

It just...this pairing hits so perfectly so many of my buttons all at the same time. It’s fucked up and dysfunctional and full of misery and tragedy and violence and all those good things that I love to see in a relationship. Xuexiao showed up and delivered me a delicious dinner on a platter. And then carved my heart out and ate it.

And I think one of my favorite things about it is the living on borrowed time aspect of it all. While I yearn for fix-its and will write them forever, one of the things that drew me to this pairing first was the way that it is a ticking time bomb that’s doomed from the start. 

And at the same time you can see the ways in which it could have been different, if only.

One of the other things is how much it’s like. You’d think Xiao Xingchen is functional and Xue Yang is dysfunctional but you’d be wrong. They’re both dysfunctional messes of bad emotional coping mechanisms.

2. Hua Cheng/Xie Lian. I’ve talked about how these two are my favorite main pairing in the three MXTX novels that’re out so far, in large part because of the way that they feel like friends to me long before they get together. And I’m not usually a big ‘friends-to-lovers’ person, but their dynamic is just so...playful, and they so clearly like each other and respect each other and think the other person is just the coolest.

And yes, on Hua Cheng’s end of things I am still like. Please get some sense of self-worth that’s a little detached from Dianxia, please, buddy, you deserve nice things for yourself, but...I think it helps me that Xie Lian is pretty clearly, I think, on the same page. He doesn’t want worship from Hua Cheng. He wants a partnership. And that’s I think what their relationship ultimately feels like to me: a partnership.

3. Shi Qingxuan/He Xuan. I have a type of pairing and a shipping aesthetic and this one landed squarely in it with such force that I was genuinely surprised that it happened as a thing in something I was reading. Like! The betrayal! The friend who turns out to be an enemy who got attached! The contrast between them as near opposites, but prior to the Black Water arc they’re still in tune.

But yeah, I’m here for that sweet, sweet dysfunction, mostly, and the conflict between He Xuan’s desire for revenge and their attachment to Shi Qingxuan, and Shi Qingxuan’s sheltered life and relative innocence.

And did I scream in book four when the fan came back? Oh, you betcha.

I think I also have a...thing for relationships that feel unfinished. That tends to be what drives me to explore a relationship in fic, for sure - a sense that things aren’t done, that there’s more to be dealt with, more ground to cover. And this is definitely that, when it comes to where canon leaves things. 

That’s always going to pull me especially in fandom terms toward getting more absorbed in a relationship and spending more time thinking about it.

4. Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian. Speaking of unfinished relationships! I was debating whether to put this one on there or to stick with more ‘typical’ romantic/sexual type ships, but I decided that it’s so important in my head and my feelings that it deserved a spot here. I mean, me and sibling relationships are always going to be a thing, and me and fraught sibling relationships are going to be even more of a thing, and me and sibling relationships where everyone loves each other very much but is failing at expressing it and miscommunicating/communicating past each other is going to have me lying down on the floor screaming.

So here I am! Lying down on the floor screaming.

I just...there’s so much there, in these two’s relationship. In the way that they relate to each other and the way they feel about each other. So much baggage, so many complicated intersections of insecurity and emotional damage that collide in really unfortunate ways. Issues of debt and obligation and shared loss.

It’s such a mess and if you have gathered anything from the majority of this list you may be picking up on the fact that “it’s a mess” is a #1 qualifying trait in most cases for me to pick up a ship.

5. Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao. Speaking of “it’s a mess!” Oh boy. How does one talk about a problem like Xiyao? I feel like I don’t write much about it only because I feel like others do and better than me, whereas I look at them and just start going “ahhhhhhhhh.” at length and loudly.

But again there’s a lot of ways this aligns with other pairings of mine, both on this list and elsewhere. The mutuality of it and at the same time the underlying darkness. The genuine care set against the ways in which that care is undermined by other factors. And of course the absolute tragedy and suffering of it all.

Reader, I was doomed.

I feel kind of bad that Wangxian didn’t make it on here but it’s only because I tend to spend less active brainspace thinking about them as a pairing, though every time they are on screen doing things together then I do fall in love all over again with how much I love them.

Still weird! Still don’t know how that happened. Them and Hua Cheng/Xie Lian are very much pairing outliers for me.

#anonymous #conversating #top five meme #xuexiao #xiyao #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #beefleaf #the sad queer cultivators show #hua cheng #xie lian #tagging for my own organization sorry guys #dysfunctional gods and ghost kinks

[zhuhongs]

Upon rereading tgcf, one of the biggest complaints I have is how lackluster all the extra chapters were. literally none of them were good and all contained rlly gross and harmful sentiments (like the amnesia one which.. yea.. or all the things implying xl should get pregnant for hc thus equating gay relationships with hetero ones and playing into the wife thing and just GOD I HATE MXTX) 

There were a lot of little plot points i wish that had been further elaborated on more in the extras as opposed to hualian being ... like that. I had enough. Like mdzs had actaully good extras (minus the incense burners) that were nice side stories that elaborated more on the characters. Like the hook one with the juniors was so cute and i loved seeing them grow more. Or the lotus pod extras omg.. im such a lotus pod extra stan. those were so cute and gave us a lot of good insight into just how lovestruck lwj was during the times when he didn’t see wwx. mxtx should've stuck to those sorta extras in tgcf but NOOO. SO I have a list of so many other more interesting things those chapters couldve been spent on like:

A resolution on He Xuan’s revenge and his character arc. Bc its implied He Xuan is still hanging out and watching over sqx and that taking revenge didn’t fully satisfy him bc ok.. yea shi wudu is dead but he xuans family will never come back. Now what does he have to live for?? i wish we couldve seen a look into his life during the entire ordeal. like a chapter from his perspective while he was posing as Ming Yi  and maybe a look at a conversation btw he xuan and the real ming yi or a chapter after SQX was banished to see what he’s doing now. Also what did he xuan owe hua cheng money for anyways?? Like ik not every little thing has to be explained but I Want to Know. PLEASE more goth boyfriend content now I just wanna see him :,((

a better resolution of yin yu and quan yizhens storyline. im still mad abt how that plot point was split btw books 3 and 5  when it was rlly out of place and  there were other more pressing plot matters and it just rlly deserved more time. Also i thought yin yu died!?!?!? but apparently one of the extras says he’s alive and man... i;m not reading any more of the extras to see that, give me a full yin yu and quan yizhen chapter.. fuck.

a day in the life of the guoshi fangxin or general hua PLEASE especially like one where hua cheng was SO CLOSE to meeting xie lian but had no clue that xie lian was there at the time but the two did smth that inadvertantly helped the other and they still were connected even though they hadnt met omg pls that’d be so nice. like imagine Hua cheng catching a glimpse of the guoshi in public in yong’an while he’s trying to follow some lead that points to xie lian or maybe following a lead to capture qi rong bc he said he knew qi rong was a part of the yong’an stuff and originally thought the guoshi was one of qi rongs pawns. like can you IMAGINE him getting so close. but at the last second he did smth small that impacted xie lian. like they bumped into eachother on the street or smth. god i’d go crazy

OR vice versa.. like a day in the life of the young ghost king hua cheng. Like again, one of my biggest issues was that hua cheng just knew everything and its never really explained how he got all of that info. like yes he’s been alive very long and has eyes and ppl working for him everywhere but like... how did he build that network?? I’d love to see a chapter of young ghost king hua cheng travelling around trying to learn as much as he can abt the world and how it can help bring him to xie lian. and the two maybe are in the same kingdom for a bit and they don’t meet exactly but hua cheng stops some fight or something and helps xie lian indirectly or maybe xie lian is performing on the street in some costume and hua cheng doesn’t recognize him and smiles and gives him a coin or smth. idk i’m just dying for any sorta extra chapter or fic like that. i’m honestly so tempted to write my own but i cant write

also!! we’ve seen how xie lian picks up people down on their luck near him and show them kindness (like banyue, lang ying, xiao ying, he tried to with san lang but we know how that ended lmao) so i’d love to see another little vignette of him doing that on his travels and how every person he meets teaches him smth about life and being a good person and idk, i just think it’d be rlly sweet. i love this facet of his character and feel like we didn’t see enough of it towards the end.

ALSO hua cheng only seems to respect one heavenly official besides xie lian and thats yushi huang.. i assume thats mostly bc she was the only one to help xie lian and let him use the rain master hat to bring water to yong’an. I was thinking maybe when he was a new supreme he had run into trouble and maybe was picked up by the rain master and helped him heal and in return he promised to help protect her village from harm in the future. Like i know a heavenly official wouldn’t cooperate with a ghost like that but yushi huang is different and doesn’t really care about the heavens so i think she would protect him if he could do something to benefit her village. ik this is kinda far fetched but when he first became a supreme I’m sure a bunch of ppl probably tried to mess with him and didn’t rlly believe him to be undefeatable bc he hadn’t proved himself yet also i doubt all his power came overnight. he had to learn how to use it once he escaped the kiln. and some group probably thought they could weaken him somehow. I’m thinking maybe a rlly well formed group of ghosts actually caught him off guard once and he had to retreat and was picked up by the rain master and stayed with her and learned from her a bit. i think it’d be a cool concept also i just rlly want more yushi huang content and i’m on their friendship agenda bc he rlly did seem to actually respect her when she first appeared and i think it’d be cool if the two had some history together.

Also idrc if this was addressed I couldve missed it But!! Did xie lian ever tell Hua cheng that the reason he got the curse shackles and was banished again in the first place wasnt bc jun wu wanted to punish him, but because he requested it. And specifically requested it bc he felt guilty abt letting wu ming take the human face disease and disperse for his sake. So he took the shackles and descended to atone for that?? Bc I dont recall hua cheng learning that bc his soul was already dispersed at that point so it didnt follow him and xie lian didnt say anything so uhhh... someone should tell hua cheng that. Like I dont think xie lian rlly said how much hua cheng meant to him and didnt show him he was loved in grand ways. Like xie lian did always care for bc in other ways but I think if hua cheng learned abt this on screen it wouldve been such a great moment and I'm rlly surprised mxtx didnt address this iirc!?!? Like imagine jun wu telling Hua cheng this in the kiln bc xie lian wouldnt say it himself. Imagine how cool that would be.

Also a small thing adding into the whole young ghost king Hua cheng stuff. Its implied and p much stated that hua cheng isnt his real name. That he likely doesnt have a real name bc his parents died? (It's not clear. I'm still mad at mxtx for not making his childhood clearer). So I'd like to see when and why hua cheng chose that name for himself. The new tgcf ending song kinda hints at its meaning with the lyrics "for you I'd fill a city of flowers" as xie lian is the flower wielding martial god so it's probably inspired by that. Also xie lian saved hua cheng from leaping off the city walls but I'd love to hear him say it bc the implication of his name didnt dawn on me for quite a bit and I dont know if everyone made the connection. Again I sure as hell didnt. So itd be cool to see a chapter that takes place in his past after just ascending as a supreme

Overall I rlly think tgcf had a lot more potential to be even better and a lot of that comes down to fleshing out the side characters and letting hualian have more of a storyline independent of one another. like i know the appeal and message of tgcf is that through love, people can overcome anything, but fuck man. i just wanna see what these two (mostly hua cheng) where like in the absence of each others presence. Part of what I really liked abt mdzs is that we got to see that longing develop btw wangxian when the two weren’t together and how they thought about each other and did things in thei others spirit bc they knew the other wouldve done the same thing. but whatever, mxtx was too consumed by her own unhealthy idea of what devotion and true love looks like but still. i rlly think the extras couldve helped the story be better rather than be fujoshi fuel that i try to bleach from my mind -_-

#tgcf #🐌.txt #long post #text heavy #god its 1am im queuing this for the daytime bc i need yall to read this and scream with me bc these wouldve been such better extra chapters #oh fuck this is 1.3k words ajfaskjfklasfjksd #i should just write my own extras at this point now.. fuck mxtx

[wangxianfics]

Title: Way Back 💖

Author: Little_Dimples

Universe: Dimension Travel / Time Travel / Crossover (MDZS/ TGCF/ SVSSS)

Status: Complete

Rating: Teen

Length: Epic (20K)

Summary:

In which Wei Wuxian gets turned into a child- gets thrown through three different universes and ages up in each of them but still manages to find his way back to Lan Zhan.

Recommended by: @2bunlords​​ (mod)

Comments:

This fic is absolutely adorable. 

If you ever wanted to read a story about a MDZS / TGCF / SVSS crossover, you should absolutely read this fic in which WWX turns into a kid, dimension travels, meets HuaLian and BingQiu respectively, both couples of whom readily accept him as their son and A-Ying them as his dads. This fic is absolutely delightful, and little demon prince A-Ying gets so much love from all his dads it’s beyond cute 💕. This is honestly such a fun and feel-good story, and one that’ll take you on an epic ride through the MXTX universe. 

“Shizun ! This one has come with an apology.” Binghe said but he got no response. Looking around, he noticed the small bundle in the middle of Qingqiu’s bed. Was the older hiding something there ? Was it a gift ? Curiously and with in humans silence, Binghe walked over to the bed. He grabbed he sheets and lifted them up in one single thrust revealing… a boy ? Binghe immediately put he sheets down. What was this ? Did his shizun hide away a…a son ? Was this their child ? No wonder he told Binghe to leave last night.

Pulling the sheets back up, Binghe grabbed the boy and cuddled him close. He had to be around seven or eight years old, a small body with long hair and rosy cheeks. He looked so adorable making Binghe smile. He would show shizun that he found their child and that there was nothing to be afraid of. Binghe would not throw their child away. Getting up, Binghe walked to where Qingqiu usually was if he wasn’t in his quarters. People all around him began to whisper at their head disciple holding a child with a determined look.

“Shizun !” Binghe shouted as he burst through the doors. “It is okay ! I have found our son !” …

“Dad, can I see your sword ?” Wei Ying asked after he had seen enough text.

“Sure.” Binghe said going for his normal sword.

“No not that one. The red one.” Wei Ying said.

“Ah.” Binghe said. “It should be fine since you’re of demon descent.”

“Wait.-“ Qingqiu said trying to stop this but it was too late. The large swore touched Wei Ying and Qingqiu was ready for something bad to happen when nothing did. This brat definitely wasn’t normal.

…

“Is this a dream ? Or am I in the future ?” Wei Ying asked Lan Zhan. “Now that I see it, you all do look…old.” Jingyi snickered at that.

“Baba, you aren’t in the future. There is an array on you. It forced your body through space and time. The last time we seen you was about a week ago and you were a baby.” Sizhui said.

….

“Someone is coming.” They all looked around but didn’t see or notice anything.

“Where ?” Wei Ying asked only to fly out of Lan Zhan’s hold and into a broad chest.

“My son !” It was Binghe.

“Dad ?” Wei Ying said as he was being squeezed to death.

“Dad ?!” Everyone shouted.

“I think ?” Wei Ying backtracked.

“What the fuck ? That’s not your father.” Jiang Cheng yelled.

“You mortal ! How dare you steal my son.” Binghe said and was about to move when a fan stopped him in his path.

“Must you always be so headfirst ? This is A-Ying’s home.” Qingqiu said.

“Father !” Wei Ying said happily.

“Oh A-Ying. You’ve grown.” Qingqiu said.

“Please don’t tell me they’re gods too.” Jingyi said.

“Father is. Dad is a demon prince.” Wei Ying said.

“What the hell ? Just what did you go through when you left us ?” Jiang Cheng asked.

“Hmmm who are they ?” Binghe looked over at Hua Cheng and Xie Lian.

“That’s pretty-gege! And red-gege.” Wei Ying explained.

“The other gods.” Qingqiu took a careful step forward.

“Nice to meet you.” Xie Lian said brightly also taking a step forward but Mu Qing and Feng Xin blocked him.

“Your highness we do not know of this god. And a demon none the less should not be trusted.” Mu Qing said.

“What’s wrong with demons ?” Hua Cheng asked.

“Yeah what’s wrong with demons Qing-ge?” Wei Ying asked making the silver haired god roll his eyes.

“A-Ying is a demon too.” Binghe said.

“What ?!”  Everyone shouted again.

“Impossible. Young master Wei is fully human.” Wen Ning said.

“You walking corpse, how are you speaking ?” Hua Cheng asked.

“Young master Wei created me.” Wei Ning said.

“Ah as expected of my son. Build yourself a guard of the undead, no one will harm you.” Binghe said approvingly.

“But I didn’t make him dad, older me did.” Wei Ying said. “I don’t know what a lot of older me has done but I’m not meant to be like this.”

“Then it’s simple, we can just turn you back.” Binghe said.

“You can do that ?” Sizhui asked.

“We are immortals child, if we put our mind to it, we can do it. Who are you ?” Binghe asked.

“My son !” Wei Ying said happily making Qingqiu flutter his fan faster and Binghe all but pass out.

“Oh dear.” Xichen said. “Is he alright ?”

“He’s fine.” Qingqiu said. “A son, I left you for a few days and you already have a son. Something is weird.”

“Again I believe we should all talk inside. Please follow me.” Xichen said and the gods, the demon prince and the ghost king followed him.

#author:little_dimples #mdzs #svsss #tgcf #crossover #complete #epic #teenandup #dimensiontravel #timetravel #deaging #kid!wwx #familydynamics #adoptionsofwwx #humor #curse #fluff #makeyourheartmelt #wwxinhisogbody #ensemblecast #foundfamily #kidfic #feelgoodfic #older!lwj #younger!wwx #adventure

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 天官赐福 Tiān Guān Cì Fú (Heaven Official's Blessing)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Summary:

The most beloved Crown Prince, pride of the Kingdom of Xianle with abundance of talents and achievements, Xie Lian, ascended to Heaven and became a martial god at the young age of 17 on the path to fulfill his dream "to save the common people".

Three years after his ascension, he saw his kingdom beginning to decline and in order to save his beloved country, Xie Lian defied the rules of Heaven and descended back to the mortal realm. Nevertheless, instead of saving them, his interference ended up accelerating the fall of Xianle, annihilating the once prosperous nation under the war of rebellion and a mysterious, horrifying plague.

The people who once praised and worshipped him day and night now condemned him, his devotees left him, they burnt his temples and divine statues, and Xie Lian himself was ultimately banished from the Heaven.

He ascended for the second time a short while later, but was banished once more very soon after. Since then, he lived among the mortals - surviving by collecting junks as he was now branded as the "God of Misfortune", the "Scrap Collecting Immortal".

800 years later, Xie Lian ascended again for the third time. Though having neither temples nor devotees, he accepted his responsibility as a martial god and carried on with his duties until one day, there came a certain, incidental encounter with a mysterious youth clad in red.

STORY: 7/10

TGCF overall is an (almost) complete, satisfying read with well-written twists and development.

Unlike the two previous MXTX's novels, the main pairing here (HuaLian) did not have to go through complicated misunderstandings and is a beautiful representation of love and devotion. Of course, this means there is a lack of conflict between them, but considering all the trials and tribulations the characters have gone through, this lack of conflict feels like a relieving fresh spring amidst the painful and exhausting journey throughout the entire five books.

The best and my most favorite plot twist is the Earth Master Ming Yi having been dead for a while, and the "Ming Yi" we know turns out to be the Black Water Submerging Boats, He Xuan. I'm the kind of person who always suspects characters, but even my furthest suspicion was "only" him being the Reverend of Empty Words, not He Xuan.

Truthfully, prior to reading this novel, I've seen Shi Qingxuan's "MING-XIONG, I'M SORRY x9999" post before without context, and I thought Ming Yi was going to die a tragic death because of Shi Qingxuan. Turns out it's kind of the opposite, huh? Nice one, really.

I also like how each character's "end" feels satisfying. Especially for the villains, they didn't necessarily have to die some tragic, vengeful death, but was provided with an ending that perfectly fits their background story and deeds. For example, in most stories, a character like Xuan Ji would be most likely be given some well-deserved punishment as her death, given everything she's done. But no, in the end she was given a reality check and was finally able to let go of her hundreds of years grudge. And then Qi Rong - I will talk more about him later on in the "Character" section.

One part I really love is the Extra Chapter about the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods. The chapter itself overall is mostly nonsensical and chaotic, but it was just so touching when HuaLian created a "Little Hua Cheng" statue to accompany Xie Lian's "Crown Prince who Pleased the Gods" statue, especially when this Little Hua Cheng statue gave Crown Prince Xie Lian statue a flower, and then Crown Prince Xie Lian received it, lifted him up and carried him in his arms. This one was maybe a bit biased because as much as I love the current HuaLian, I have a special soft spot for the young Xie Lian carrying, cradling the little Hua Cheng back then in the past. ;v;

Though, with all due respect, I must say that TGCF is actually below my expectation.

The biggest issue I have with TGCF is... What is Xie Lian's motivation? What drives him to move forward in the story? What is even the whole story's purpose?

I'm not quite sure how to word this properly, but let me give some examples.

When you read Harry Potter, you know immediately that Voldemort is the bad guy and he must be defeated.

When you read the Lord of the Rings, you know immediately that the One Ring must be destroyed to prevent Sauron from regaining his power.

Or, in MXTX previous works...

In SVSSS, it was clear since the beginning that Shen Yuan's mission is to fix the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" if he wants to survive.

In MDZS, it was clear that Wei Wuxian, together with Lan Wangji's, needs to unravel the mystery behind that fierce left arm. All of their past stories and WangXian getting together in the end are just something they discovered along the way, not the initial "motivation" that drives the character to move forward.

What about TGCF? The Xie Lian who ascended for the third time actually looks like he just wants to go along with the flow, carrying out his duties day by day with responsibility. When Bai Wuxiang later, later, later on appeared to haunt him again, it didn't seem like Xie Lian has any ambition to hunt him down or exact a revenge, just that he wanted to forget about Bai Wuxiang and never recall anything about him ever again. The main character looks like he's not being driven by anything, just...carrying on where the plot takes him? It's just missions after missions and whatever huge things happening in between is just something they accidentally passed by along the way.

At this point, the only purpose of the story I can think of is bringing Hua Cheng and Xie Lian together. The romance is great, I have no complain. But if it's just that, no need to jammed-pack 250+ chapters just to make two people getting together?

Speaking of which, I also think that the way new characters keep being introduced all the way to almost the final showdown of the story feels info dump-ish, because the background story needs to be dropped there along with the characters, but then most of these characters fade away immediately after.

For example, the previous Civil God before Ling Wen, who looks like he’s going to pose some real trouble, but then was easily defeated and was never mentioned again afterwards. And this is especially true for He Xuan; after such a huge arc where he committed such extreme things, after that he was barely mentioned again, even having his “strong impression” leveled down by the joke about him being the poorest Calamity and owing lots of debts to Hua Cheng.

Basically what makes TGCF a long story is because there are too many stories about the side characters in addition to the main characters that are dumped out of the blue instead of slowly being revealed along the way.

Though, I love how the story gradually unravels the "Four Famous Tales" because initially, I thought it wasn't something crucial, and I wished they could've done this for other characters, too.

There is a little bit of plot holes here and there, as in who actually cut open Jian Lan/Lan Chang's baby and made it a ghost, and for what? Even if it turned out that she just met a bad guy or nobody important, at least provide an explanation in one paragraph? Especially because important side characters like Feng Xin and Mu Qing are involved here, so I'm pretty sure us readers need some explanation.

And more importantly, how can Jun Wu become the Emperor martial god? There's no mention about him ascending, only that he annihilated a dynasty of gods before sitting on the throne of the Great Martial Hall. But how can he, like, emitted god-like aura and not some evil aura? Is it because he used to be a god? But he's a ghost? Explanation where???

The gags and comedies are pretty fun, but honestly, the more I read, the more they ruin the atmosphere and suspense, added with the uncalled PDA between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian even during the most important moments. Honestly, I was bored the fuck out of my life from the moment they start fighting Jun Wu with those divine gundams, and only start gaining interest again much later on when Hua Cheng dissipated into butterflies.

Not saying the story's bad. Just... It's not up to my expectation... Characters being inserted here and there with a bunch of background story, gags and a show of PDA being flaunted during crucial moments. And when Mei Nianqing started telling the truth about the Kingdom of Wuyong, that's just plain info dump right there, seriously...

CHARACTERS: 7/10

Interesting characters, but only a few bore a lasting impression on me. Other than the main characters, which are Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, the only side characters (minus Bai Wuxiang as the main villain) who left quite some impression on me were probably just Feng Xin and Mu Qing.

Pei Ming is okay, at least he is still memorable until the end, and his character improved, too.

He Xuan, after having been introduced with such extreme, after his arc is over, was easily forgotten just like that.

Mei Nianqing, is borderline Deus Ex-Machina with a huge chunk of info dump that could solve everything, then he stopped being useful for the rest of the story.

Shi Qingxuan... Honestly, he's almost annoying, too noisy. I don’t hate him (and I kind of like him initially), but the way his character was being handled and presented post-Black Water arc feels disappointingly lazy and he was just there to make the party more merry.

Xie Lian himself, as the protagonist, how do I say this... This is maybe due to the translator's writing style (not MXTX’s fault), but whenever he screams in all capslock, it feels too extreme and borderline OOC? Of course, the original novel written in hanzi couldn't have included capslock.

What's great about him, though, is that despite all he'd gone through, he can still retain a pure heart and could not be swayed to be evil, just as he himself said "Body in the abyss, heart in paradise".

Now Hua Cheng, he is overall a super interesting character and I personally love this type of male characters. But he seriously is way too OP, almost like the original Luo Binghe (Bing-ge) a.k.a. too ideal, too perfect, no flaws, always capable of easily finding a way out in every single peril. I only forgive him for being like this because he dissipated into butterflies at the end of the battle with Jun Wu, making me think "oh, finally he's actually not invincible".

Still, his devotion to Xie Lian is very well written, very well presented, and his "I am forever your most devoted believer" is just downright the most powerful line in the whole story.

Now I promised to talk about Qi Rong, yeah? I haven't the slightest idea why it is even necessary to have Qi Rong as the Night-touring Green Lantern. I mean, yes he is there to make up the number of the Four Great Calamities, but that was for the characters who live in that world. As the novel's reader, I don't see any particularly important roles there for Qi Rong other than being an annoying meme fodder despite his actually pretty-cool first foreshadowing and appearance? Even his issue with Lang Qianqiu does not seem to give that much impact on the overall story, it could've just passed simply being explained in several pages.

Though I'd say he's got the best character development compared to others. Instead of dying as some hateful villain, the way he ended up deciding to protect Guzi at the cost of his own life can already be expected from miles away, but still bittersweet and touching nonetheless - how this crazed, mental person could still love when being presented with such pure, innocent feelings to the point that he acknowledged Guzi as a his own son.

By the way, E Ming and Ruoye are cute, I take no criticism.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 8/10

I can't really describe this with words, but MXTX's overall writing technique has greatly improved since MDZS.

It feels more "solid" to read instead of scattered here and there.

The info distribution has improved (fewer info dump compared to before), the story's no longer switching between past and present all of a sudden.

Description of characters and environment are sufficient, the plot is progressing steadily.

Several issues I have with this aspect though, the Prologue being ten pages is just way too long, I don't think I need that much information being stuffed right to my face right from the beginning.

There are excessive use of "Turns out..." every single time an explanation is going to come.

"Xie Lian didn't know whether he should cry or laugh" is honestly has been used probably more than 50 times just in the last two books. Although I'm reading a translation, I'm pretty sure the original Chinese version is being repetitive with this phrase, as well, because the translators couldn't just whip up any other phrase from thin air and put it in someone else's novel.

Almost half of scene transition is always caused by some sudden, external disturbance like "All of a sudden they heard someone's coming", "All of a sudden X visits their room", etc.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.3/10

Worth to read, satisfying overall. The main pairing's love story is just so well written and sweet. As long as you can withstand the violence and gore, though. 😂

TGCF highlights perhaps one of the ugliest natures of mankind: Being nice to someone as long as they're beneficial, and immediately throwing them away once the benefit was no more.

Once that person does not seem to be beneficial anymore, everyone would leave them instantly, even turning on them and start spitting on them without even trying to understand the reason why said person "stopped being beneficial".

Both as a Crown Prince and a martial god, Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong were praised, revered, worshipped by the citizens of Xianle and Wuyong respectively. Because they were always helping, always fulfilling the people's wishes. But how easily it was for those very same people to turn on Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong when they encountered misfortunes, completely turning a blind eye to the laborious effort both characters have been putting to save them from annihilation, even if it was visible in broad daylight.

It is also worth to note another trait of mankind that this story underlines: To always find a scapegoat or blame others for one's own misfortune and failure - be it another human being, another group of people, the government, even the gods - after having taking their generosity for granted.

Which is why I think the true villain of the story is not Bai Wuxiang, but those citizens of the ancient Wuyong who were now nothing more than resentful spirits eternally burning within the lava of Tonglu Mountain - a well deserved punishment after what they did to their Crown Prince.

#Tian Guan Ci Fu #TGCF #Heaven Officials Blessing #HuaLian #Xie Lian #Hua Cheng #Review #Danmei #MXTX #Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

[jgyapologism]

for the character ask meme......jgy and/or mu qing (I feel like I definitely know all your answers for jgy but I cannot resist the urge to ask about him)

How I feel about this character

Oh you just opened a can of worms <3

Obviously,  I adore Jiggy. He’s probably one of my favorite characters...ever? He deserved better and I’ll forever be bitter about his death. His character is fascinating to think about, and he’s more complex than people give him credit for. I could say more but I think a lot of it would fit under unpopular opinions lol so stay tuned.

As for Mu Qing, I think he’s kind of like Jiggy, in that he’s SO misunderstood, whether it be by Xie Lian and Feng Xin or Hua Cheng or the readers. I honestly relate to him to an extent, because he so often cannot verbalize his true feelings and would rather hide behind a mask of anger and snark. (Me with my fam lol). He deserves someone to be soft to him and he deserves understanding.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

JGY: I mean................ya’ll know. Xiyao or die. Nothing else. This relationship is one of the most FASCINATING dynamics I’ve come across and it makes me so so so soft. They just really care about each other, despite all of the misunderstandings.

MQ: Feng Xin!! Honestly I don’t even know who else I COULD ship him with romantically. I’m a sucker for enemies-to-lovers. I’m a sucker for childhood friends/rivals. I’m a sucker for “Are we about to fight or fuck?” tension. They got it all.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

JGY: I’m obsessed with the concept of JGY and WWX being best friends. They would be best friends if they had gotten to know one another, your honor. They are SO ALIKE, your honor. THEY ARE BOTH CHAOTIC, YOUR HONOR. THEY BOTH FUCKED UP, YOUR HONOR. They would have such a hilarious dynamic, too, because JGY would REFUSE to acknowledge their friendship and WWX would be like “Hah, yeah okay Yaoyao.”

MQ: This one’s tough. Mu Qing is just....standoffish to most people, and most people - like I said - can’t understand or handle him. I do really love his and Hua Cheng’s antagonism and mutual disgust with each other though. It’s fucking hilarious.

My unpopular opinion about this character

JGY: A lot of people tend to see him as a black and white character, but he’s SO multifaceted and has SO many motivations and reasons behind his actions. My unpopular opinion? HE DESERVED TO LIVE. He deserved his shot at redemption, just like WWX! He deserved to atone for his actions! He’s not a monster! Everything JGY did, he did out of fear and desperation. He did it for his father’s love. He did it for respect and acceptance. Was what he did right? Probably not. But hell, if I was degraded and insulted my entire life and treated like garbage, I might lose my shit too.

MQ: Hmmmm....I don’t know if I’ve let his character marinate long enough to form any unpopular opinions. Maybe I’ll say this: He wasn’t wrong for leaving Xie Lian and Feng Xin and I hate that it was held over his head for 800 years. Was it the right decision for him at the time? Yes it was. Did he handle the situation correctly? Probably not. But the situation couldn’t be helped. He didn’t want to suffer anymore. It may come off as selfish, but sometimes you have to prioritize your own wellbeing.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

JGY: He should have LIVED.

MQ: I wanted a moment between him and Feng Xin like he and Xie Lian had, which there were hints of it, but I would’ve really loved a heartfelt scene between them.

[spainkitty]

TGCF Story Arcs Least to Most Favorite Part 2/3

Part 1 / Part 3 (not yet)

This is the start of a lot of POSITIVE “reviews” on the Story Arcs. I'm going to get more and more excited as I go (part 3/3, I'll be going absolutely feral.) See also, previous disclaimer

#7- Brocade Immortal: Firstly, Ling Wen. We get a big taste of just how cunning and sharp and ruthless she is. I ADORE this *drowns in my respect ALL women juice* More Ling Wen is such a good thing. More MORE please! Some people may call her a villain, and I say, you are WRONG. Antagonist? Sure! Villain? Naaaah. I respect every decision she made. Chop a motherf/cker up, LW, I’ll still stan. Also, we get to see Xie Lian actually act as clever as he really is when he figures out just what Ling Wen is up to and notices things I definitely did not notice (this is not hard, though, because I never guess plot twists or whodunnits, but I still give him clever points). I live for those moments, just as much as I live for each saucy little remark he makes in his mind.

And, of course, the arrival of Quan Yizhen and SHIXIONG YinYu. QYz amused me to death. Stuffing gold bars in boxes, attacking things the moment his eyes open while he's still half dead, eagerly becoming a sword !for funsies!, going down to earth to ATTACK HIS OWN FOLLOWERS WHO LEGIT PRAISE HIM MORE. The fact all his followers are giant masochists had me ROLLING when I read that. Amazing. Yin Yu, though, and his Feng Xin-lite subordinate, that whole story just made me so friggin sad. I warmed up to QYz, and he’s amusing, like I said, but I ADORE Yin Yu. The fact his arc ended the way it did... it was... poetical in that most tragic way. He deserved better, but his arc still didn’t feel gratuitous. It was a sad that it fit him so well. Absolutely devastating (but in a really really good way? as much as I hated it!? do ya feel me?)

A lot of this story arc is super convoluted, and having two mirroring Brocade Immortal arcs made it more so. It kept getting broken up and spread out in between other non-related arcs (something mxtx does on purpose, I see you, but it still makes it hard to keep track), and it's actually... kinda unresolved for Ling Wen, at least. like most female arcs We never get the full story from Ling Wen (which I actually kinda respect, keep those cards close, don't let them have power over you!). And it's a little unsatisfying when so much else is resolved to the nth degree in giant expositions. I wish we had seen more of what actually happened to Ling Wen and Bai Jing.

#6- Ghost Bride: Not much really happens, which is why it’s so low. But. It’s still the FIRST arc! It has the most AMAZING introductions for every main character, but ESPECIALLY for Xie Lian and Hua Cheng (oh damn Hua Cheng’s intro, I am shaking about tomorrow, y’all). And, of course, it has the most iconic scene of the whole damn story: the Wedding Walk. The blood rain, the wedding clothes, the jingling chains, the red umbrella, the BUTTERFLIES, and the creepy child laughter in the dark scary forest. I just. Fucking chills. Cons? A-Ying deserves better than the utter LAMBASTING mxtx gave her for being “ugly”. Like the sheer amount of descriptions of how ugly this poor, soon-to-be-dead girl had tacked onto her the entire time + in dialogue. Just. Please, mxtx, let me help you: *shoves respect all women juice down her throat while crying* please love girls more, please.

#5- Ghost City: This arc made me dislike LQQ, in like the “hard eyeroll, it’s THIS guy” kind of way. I’m not a big fan of idiots who think only in black and white and i’m-holier-than-thou ways. One of the reasons I struggled with Dianxia was because of his naive optimism (then book 4 hits like a sledgehammer). You’re not superior, LQQ, you’re just an idiot who’s gonna get killed, or get other people killed. But. But I love Ghost City. mxtx’s strength definitely lies in her world-building, at least here in tgcf. Ghost City is both disgusting and glamorous. The sleezy unreal shine of it, the ghosts and demons, the intro of Lan Chang!, Shi Qingxuan being fem and PERFECT, the intro of MingYi! The mystery of just why Ming Yi was there, how he got caught, how he set off the fireworks! So many arcs foreshadowed/started! The ROLLING DICE!!!! Hua Cheng being so. fucking. funny. in the gambling house. HC,to XL-gege: here, let me teach you how to roll dice Everyone else: you can’t “teach” someone how to roll dice, that’s the dumbest- HC, with only his smirk: I FUCKING SAID- Everyone: MASTER IS SO CLEVER, THE MOST CLEVER, WOW, DAZZLING, IT’S ACTUALLY A REAL THING *sweating profusely as XL keeps winning* This only would make this arc amazing, LOL. But then... the scene. In the HC’s palace. In the weapon room that HC casually brought XL to, with (as my bff pointed out) Beast bringing Belle to the library vibes. and then XL finally showing, just a TAD, how much of a badass he is and the beginning of more of his past leaking through the story. yes yes yes. give me more. (I mean we’ve seen a bit, but this scene. THIS SCENE SLAPS, OKAY)

#4- Mount Tong'lu: This should’ve been the climax. It was amazing. The return of some of the best (YUSHI HUANG!!!!! BANYUE?! *insert beyonce?! meme* poor, food-poisoned Pei Su (the only str8 rep we need in 2020), FENG XIN) and worst (*squint at Qi Rong and Pei Ming and Mu Qing*) characters. The slow and excruciating Wulong Kingdom reveal. The perfectly executed fake out (“Am *I* the reincarnated prince?!” Me: GASP R U, DIANXIA!? I am absolutely convinced, too!). The plot twists. The CAVE OF 10FUCKING000 STATUES. THE RATED X ART THAT SAD, LONELY, BESOTTED HUA CHENG MADE THAT HAD FENG XIN AND MU QING FOAMING. also, just everything Hua Cheng put Feng Xin and Mu Qing through was hilarious as fuck and I did like the genuine bromance between Feng Xin and Xie Lian. BAI WUXIANG’S FUCKERY. THE RED HERRING GUOSHI CONVERSATION IN THE MOUNTAIN. Also, did anyone else think that Xie Lian was basically Bai Wuxiang’s horcrux?!?! lololol

The. fucking. HUG. AND CONFESSION!? Was it technically a confession? Look, it gave me all the doki doki feels of a confession, so THAT’S WHAT IT IS.

THE FINAL. PLOT. TWIST. OF. JUN. WU. I literally gasped out loud when it happened. I almost screamed. It was PERFECT.

Look, I love Shi Qingxuan, but the only point of the “Final Arc” was introducing SQX back in, imo. Everything else was dragging out the climax into a resolution with the worst pacing, and just repeated the giant HEARTWRENCHING scene of Book 4. We did not need another Wuming, okay? that shit hurted, stop this. The circle of homeless people and ... whoever that Mind’s Eye or whathaveyou guy’s group getting together to prove that appearance and social stature don’t matter, anyone can save the world (for chicken) was... nice? But unnecessary. Mt. Tong’lu should’ve been the final confrontation with White NoFace. Or maybe the Many Face Disease could’ve been a spell that triggered at his death? And that could’ve been the falling action into resolution rather than the imprisonment and dragging on that happened? I dunno, I’ll have to re-read again, since a few story arcs WERE resolved in the Final Arc that were necessary (Yin Yu </3), but I’m sticking to my opinion that Mt Tong’lu should’ve been the true final arc and climax, and the actual Final Arc was slow and clunky and ruined the absolute HIGH of Mt. Tong’lu. Which was perfect. 10/10 experience.

#tgcf #long post #tian guan ci fu #novel #the DONGHUA COMES OUT TOMORROW #SO HERE'S ME MOSTLY NOT BITCHING #Story Arc Discussion Part 2 #kitty babbles

[spockandawe]

Okay, I want to pull together more detailed thoughts at some point, I think, because the sheer amount of material means I have about ten billion thoughts to sort out. But I’ve read all three of the mxtx novels now, and loved all of them, in different ways. Though I already tried to figure out if I can pick a Favorite, and tbh, I can’t. I love them all in ways that are too distinct to let me rank them easily. And... man, it’s lucky for my friends that social distancing is in place, or I’d be hassling them shamelessly to give these novels a try.

RIGHT. So.

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Shen Yuan goes to bed full of rage directed at a trashy webnovel with a grimdark blackened hero who conquered the world and collected hundreds of women into his harem.... and wakes up in novel, while that hero is still an innocent youth. As the hero’s abusive teacher. Who is doomed for a horrifying death unless he can somehow turn things around.

I think I had the most fun with this one. I really enjoy self-referential stories, and stories poking fun at certain genres, and I’ve run into the concept of transmigration before (the idea being a person enters a fictional world, a la lost in austen), though I’m blanking on any media like that I’ve actually consumed. This was chronologically the first book mxtx wrote, and it has less of a sprawling cast with complicated relationships than the other two books, but it definitely has the thing where she lays early groundwork for later revelations that shatter my poor heart. 

And there may be fewer relationships to play with, but my GOD, do I love the relationships we got. I’ve been rolling around in svsss fanfic since I finished the book, even more so than mdzs or tgcf. There’s a lot of good crunchy relationship content with the 79 ship (they destroy me, all day every day), Liu Qingge owns my whole-ass heart, and Luo Binghe makes for a fascinating love interest. I love that even at his best, he remains a needy, needy, manipulative boy, who’s so smart and strong and nEEDY. I don’t love how the book handled moshang, but mmmm the fan content is Good. And Shen Qingqiu does the unreliable narrator thing that is usually not my jam, but works so WELL in these books, in that his unreliable narration is hugely skewed towards not giving himself nearly as much credit as he deserves. Xie Lian takes this to UNBELIEVABLE heights in tgcf, but in Shen Qingqiu’s case, it’s done on such a casual, immediate, personal level that I’m fascinated by everything he does. 

And, since Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu is a millennial fan of trashy romance webnovels who gets yanked into the universe of a novel he hates, into an old-timey xianxia setting, the prose is SO COOL. You swing between modern slang and old school high society courtesies at the drop of a hat, and I’m honestly awed that the translators were able to catch so much of that. Like, in-setting, I love all the nuance you can get in ‘qi-ge should give his a-jiu the scroll’ vs ‘yue-shixiong should give this teacher the scroll’ vs ‘you should give me the scroll’. But then it adds a whole new layer when the person ALSO has modern-day casual speech bouncing around in their head. It makes for a fascinating, fascinating reading experience.

The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation: Thirteen years ago, Wei Wuxian died. And then he wakes up! In someone else’s body. I’m not going to try to summarize the premise of this one, go look up The Untamed if you want someone to do a better job of this than me XD

Ahhh, this was the book I read first. I still haven’t watched the show (only clips) and I’m not sure I ever will, because adhd is a hell of a drug. But it’s hard to purely evaluate the prose when there’s also this gorgeous, beautifully-acted visual adaptation all over my tumblr to bias me in its favor. I think this book benefits a lot from the MYSTERY of it all. From the very start, there’s the question of ‘what the fuck is up with this goddamn arm’ that the characters pursue, even as that takes them through flashbacks and other arcs within the story. It gives a thrust to the novel that I think isn’t exactly there in tgcf, though I’m torn on which one is “better.” This gave the story momentum, yes, but it also meant I was much more impatient in yi city and the 3zun flashbacks, because this isn’t what I was focused onnnnnn this is cool but how much longer will we BE HERE--

That being said, I think I’ll be more patient with those flashbacks on my next time through the book, now that I have a better picture of where everything is headed. I think the balance and structure of the book worked really well, I was setting myself up for self-sabotage because of the pace I was plowing through the thing. My reading habits didn’t lend themselves well to the nonlinear storytelling, and it speaks to the story’s strength that it held up that well despite me. And the CAST. My GOD. I went in not caring about anyone but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and maybe the jackass nephew, but... that Did Not Last. I didn’t intend to care about 3zun? Nope, too bad, you care so much now. Who cares about Xue Yang? Me. I care. Way too much. HECK!!!

And something that happens in this book and tgcf that was much less of a thing in svsss is that there are some meaningful holes in the story that I’d like to be filled, and I really care about filling-- and the story doesn’t go there. But it doesn’t leave me unhappy, it leaves me cheerfully scrabbling around in the throwaway details trying to piece together a picture of what happened when I wasn’t looking. What happened to Wei Wuxian in the burial mounds? How did Hua Cheng take control of the ghost city? Idk, but let us Rummage and theorize and roll around in ideas and have a fantastic, speculative time. Svsss might hook me more than the other stories from an au+shipping perspective, but mdzs and tgcf do a great job of making me want to roll around and create within the bounds of canon.

Heaven Official’s Blessing: 800 years ago, Xie Lian ascended to heaven. And fell. And rose again! And fell again. Now he’s ascended for the third time, and things are Awkward.

God, I just finished this, and I’m still reeling. This is the LONGEST mxtx book, that’s for sure. I also think it’s the most tightly edited translation. All the translators did an unbelievable job, I could never even approach what they accomplished, but I am genuinely stunned that a book this long was edited so well. I blew through this in about 3.5 days (if not for work, i could have made it in three dghsafdsgf) and my brain was cooking in my skull by the time I was halfway through, but I couldn’t STOP. I was ENCHANTED the entire time! I was reading so much my head was destroying me and I still sulked so HARD every time I had to put my phone down and sleep.

This book sprawls the hardest, I think, because it involves a cast made of mostly immortal/immortal-adjacent people, so time and space get... flexible. And I feel really bad saying this, because Lan Wangji is DEVOTED, but this is seriously the book with the most attentive and adoring and respectful love interest. Hua Cheng is..... god. I truly don’t think I’ve EVER read a character quite like him before, and I am so, so sad, because I don’t know how I’ll find one who lives up to these heights ever again XD I recommend reading this book just for the Hua Cheng experience, if nothing else. I was making audible noises at literally flailing at multiple points in the story, but most often, it was because of him. 

Shipping is what usually drags me into a fandom hardest, and all of these books do pretty well for themselves, all of them have a nice selection of fluffy and crunchy ships to choose from. And this one... goddammit. I just realized, that the best, most crunchy ships are too spoilery for me to be willing to talk about them here. Hell. Goddammit. But I think tgcf has the crunchiest ship of all, even better than xuexiao. I was so invested, and then there were Reveals, and then I was like OH NO THIS IS TERRIBLE BUT MY INVESTMENT HAS EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED. 

And something that I really, really appreciate, is that across the mxtx books, even though a lot of characters fit into strong archetypes, there’s nobody that is blurring together for me, either within or across the books. Liu Qingge isn’t Jiang Cheng isn’t Feng Xin. They’re all blunt, fighty boys, but all super distinct in my head, and what I want for each of them is distinct and character-driven. I want Liu Qingge to be properly cherished and I want Jiang Cheng to relax with his brother and nephew and I want Feng Xin to [goddammit i don’t want to spoil this book AGH]. It’s something I appreciated in the other books too, but I can really FEEL it in this book, with how long and luxurious it is. 

And last thing I have to say, I think, is that tgcf is so long. It’s so, so long. But I would FITE if anyone tried to pare it down at all. I can’t think of anything I’d be willing to sacrifice. I enjoyed every last piece of it so much, and it was all ultimately SO well-constructed and interlocking, that any piece I can think of snipping out would take away significant emotional impact from what was left. It’s a nonlinear story, like mdzs is nonlinear, and I loved mdzs a lot! But the construction here is so, so, so elegant. I’m just in AWE of how well it was assembled. I was in Agony as reveals happened, because oh no no no no, now that they’ve told me this, that casts this whole other scene in a brand new light! The one I read hundreds of thousands of words ago! Literally, I need to go start the book over so I can savor the shitty teens in new ways, given [redacted] as revealed in like, the last twenty percent of the book. The book was a fun experience, but there’s so Much here that I know I haven’t even absorbed yet. I loved the other mxtx books a lot, and in many ways, they were easier to get a grasp on than tgcf was, but even before I finished tgcf I was already despairingly trying to figure out how easily I could fit a full reread into my life, and I think that says a lot

#tgcf #mdzs #svsss #long post/ #[sad journaling noises as i realize that whatever ridiculous wordcount tgcf has still only counts as one completed book on my list] #i need to get an actual wordcount at some point #then stack up enough physical books to visually represent each of these monsters #i know i read a lot #enough that i very much want to know *how much* i read #because CHRIST

[curiosity-killed]

hello! what are your top five (or more) hualian fics? I can't just keep rereading your fics so I desperately need some recs! c:

adsjhlk anonnn ;A; ah okay so some of my faves pulled from my top tier of bookmarks (which is wildly subjective and depends upon the day and mood but oh well. here we are):

(under cut bc this got real long)

you'll know, you'll fall by mme_anxious

Rating: E

Summary:

“We talked about it,” Xie Lian says, hearing the frustration in his voice. “I want to go to the next step.” “It's okay if you don't—” Hua Cheng started. “I do! God, I want it so much. I don't want you thinking that I don't. I—I think about it all the time, San Lang.” Hua Cheng looks pleased, the tops of his cheekbones flushing to match his red shirt, and his thumb strokes the back of Xie Lian's hand. “What do you think about, gege?” -- Xie Lian seeks a lesson in desire. And another. And another.

My notes (apologies for this one it’s drawn straight from my bookmark notes lmao):

INTIMACY IS WORTH THE VULNERABILITY! TRUST IS REAL! LOVE EXISTS! HOLY SHIT!!!

i might be tearing up a little bit bc of the abundance of love and care apparent both between hualian and in the writing of this fic. it's. A Lot.

Animal and Real by etymologyplayground (but also all of EP’s hualian fics because they’re the fics I most reread ^^’)

Rating: T

Summary:

Ling Wen and Shi Qing Xuan establish the communication array, and then Ling Wen leaps into the well and disappears. Shi Qing Xuan walks over and sits in front of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng. "So," she says. "Dianxia. Crimson Rain Seeks Flower. Fancy meeting you here."

--

Book 1 ended on a cliffhanger. I fell off.

Alternate summary: "Xie Lian's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" Slowly Animorphs Into "Xie Lian And Hua Cheng Have A Nice Day, Actually"

My notes:

I like...don’t...actually....have words for this LMAO but basically I love, love, love Xie Lian getting to be hurt and hurting and Hua Cheng finding different ways to comfort and help him and actually talking about things (like Xie Lian accidentally hurting Hua Cheng’s feelings and them actually TALKING ABOUT IT) and just hnnnn yeah. this is like my go-to fic haha but I heartily rec all of etymologyplayground’s fics for tgcf (also many mdzs/cql fics but i am apparently behind in reading those orz)

le renard apprivoisé by hilarions

Rating: G

Summary:

If you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others, and hearing it will call me like music out of my burrow. You will understand that the things that are yours are unique in all the world. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.

My notes:

Ah gosh. Hua Cheng equating himself with a starving, injured wild thing that doesn’t deserve care or compassion, Xie Lian telling him he loves him the fox anyway, the nature of dessert and love hnnn it’s a good time

Panopticon by @pengiesama​

Rating: M

Summary:

Jun Wu has built a very splendid home for Xie Lian, with gifts and friends and wondrous sights just for him. He will be very happy there.

Xie Lian won't take this house arrest lying down.

(Inspired by the book/movie Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.)

My notes:

Just an absolutely delectable balance of suspense and mild horror and love and aaahhh sometimes I forget that parts of this aren’t canon bc this is basically accepted as my canon of Jun Wu. Also “I was taller than that” will never not be my favorite thing

Tame to Fortune's Blows + Something Foreknown by crowdedcafe

Rating: M and T, respectively

Summaries:

For eight hundred years, Ruoye is Xie Lian’s only companion. It tries its best to ease some of his hardships, to lessen the misery he feels. But Ruoye is only a length of silk, and sometimes its love simply isn’t enough in the face of Xie Lian’s suffering.

Or, Ruoye loves Xie Lian when others don’t know how.

(TFB)

E-ming is born with a hole in his heart and an emptiness in his soul. Through centuries of hearing stories about Hua Cheng's beloved, E-ming grows to love the man he was born missing.

(SF)

My notes:

Just really lovely character studies essentially of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng through the lens of their weapons. personally I think they’re best read together but they are each standalone, canon-compliant fics 

ALSO:

Innocence Died Screaming, Honey Ask Me I Should Know by @eponinemylove​

Rating: T

Summary:

Hua Cheng puts a finger to his temple thoughtfully. He asks, "Who wants to tell me what the deal is with all these damn petals?"

The communication array goes completely silent, a feat almost in itself. Hua Cheng muses silently that gods can, apparently, shut the fuck up—they just choose not to. How convenient.

It takes a moment before Ling Wen manages to speak up. "Your Highness," she says carefully, "what did you say just now?"

"These white petals? There's got to be a hundred of them. The man just—oh yeah, there was a man—exploded into them. What's up with that?"

There's a long stretch of silence where it feels like all of Heaven is holding its breath.

Finally, Ling Wen responds. Her voice is clipped as she asks, "What do you know about the Four Calamities? Specifically, White Flower Mourns Massacre?"

Alternatively: the one where Hua Cheng is a martial god, Xie Lian is a calamity, and nobody is at all what they seem.

My notes:

AAAAAAHHHHH. GOD. THIS FIC. it would be embarrassing to admit how many times I’ve reread it (also I don’t know. late night decisions are not meant to be recorded in the ledger of memory) but it’s so fucking good. The characterization, the threads pulled from canon along with the deviations and alterations and the suSPENSE i am McLosing It. pls god someone come yell abt this fic with me i love it sm

I have such low Fic Reading Energy but. this babe. i see an update email and start vibrating like a gd electron.

Some other authors I trust with my heart and soul: @xihe-jun, merthurlin, atomicmuffin, uhhh I’m definitely missing people orz

#in all honesty i'm p bad about reading fics #after my initial quote-unquote lit review of a fandom orz #after that i basically only read what pops up on my dash #or gets sent to me by people orz #but i do rlly love all of these #long post #hualian fic rec #fic rec #tgcf #Anonymice #asked & answered

[pengiesama]

The Fox Groom (Fic, TGCF, HC/XL)

Title: The Fox Groom Series: Heavenly Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Pairing: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

Summary:

Once upon a time, a brave and compassionate prince saved the life of an injured, starving fox.

Once upon a time, a fox fell in love with a human.

Once upon a time, a fox made a wish: a wish for a human form, to serve the prince, and stay by his side. But, like all things, that wish came with a price.

The story of a prince-turned-penniless cultivator, and a fox-turned-human, incapable of saying the words he wants to the most.

Notes:

Written for the MXTX Reverse Big Bang 2019! @mxtxbigbang

I partnered up with the wonderful Blu (@bluestrawberrypaint / shibe_sann (Twitter)), who provided the writing prompt as well as beautiful art for the fic! See their finished art piece here. I'm honored to be allowed to write their idea into reality.

Link: AO3

Read on Tumblr!

Xian Le was a glorious kingdom, and was renowned far and wide for its splendor. This notoriety was well-earned: it was, after all, very glorious, very splendid, and very, very wealthy. However, to maintain such an envious reputation, there was a certain necessity for loud and ostentatious displays of its attributes.

Its gilded palaces and jeweled temples were as numerous as flowers, and equally as beautiful. Its music and poetry and plays were known even across the seas. There was always an occasion for a festival, a parade, a feast at the palace with only the most elite of attendees. An envious reputation was best cultivated through a perfect balance of gratuitous showboating and exclusivity. Look, look all upon us – look upon us, and know the glory that you dare not touch.

The event that best encapsulated this mindset was the annual Imperial Hunt.

The Xian Le imperial hunt; a glorious and storied tradition, where the royal family and nobility valiantly set out into the wilderness to vanquish evil with nothing but the swords on their hip, the arrows on their backs, and hundreds of personal assistants to keep them in the comfort they expected. They were of course also accompanied by fleets of elite soldiers, who did the lion’s share of the work in scouting out and chasing down prey.

It would not do for the Xian Le nobility to be thought of as the idle rich – well, not entirely. While few of the nobles looked forward to leaving the comforts of the imperial city, the idea of not attending – worse, not being invited – was simply scandalous. And so, most were content to spend their week in the autumn wilderness in spacious and well-outfitted silken tents, sipping tea and writing guqin compositions on topic of the red maple leaves, while the busy work was taken care of by the staff.

…most were content.

“Your highness! Please, wait!”

Xie Lian had never listened to his bodyguards before, and was not about to start now – especially when his target was almost within his grasp.

Said target was a spider-legged demon the size of a draft horse. The eight sharp, jointed legs supported a massive round body, covered entirely in long, coarse black hair. Unlike the noble arachnid it had crudely copied its shape from, it sported only a single pair of eyes and a grinning, toothy mouth; both too large, and too human-like. It was a fearful sight to behold. It had terrorized nearby villages for months, and had effortlessly taken down troops of soldiers and cultivators sent to neutralize it. It was powerful, and terrifying, and was fleeing for its life from Xie Lian’s relentless pursuit.

Xie Lian was the crown prince of Xian Le; the only son, an only child, the one and only darling of the heavens themselves. His martial talents were known far and wide – he was as unparalleled in the sword as he was with the spear, with the bow, with the staff, with nothing but his fists and feet. His mind was as sharp as the blades he wielded, and his sense of justice was as sturdy as the earth beneath his nimble feet. Or – being that he was currently freefalling through the air – at least as sturdy as the impact of his foot colliding with the thorax of the demon spider, sending the awful beast tumbling down from the tree trunk it had been previously scaling.

It landed hard on the forest floor; flipped on its back like a turtle. It let loose an awful croaking noise as it flailed its legs, trying and failing to right itself. It was too little, too late. A flash of sunlight in the tree canopy heralded Xie Lian’s descent, as if he was a bolt of divine lightning. He leapt from the highest branch, sword drawn, aiming straight for the wretched beast’s exposed underbelly.

It was mercifully quick. The demon spider croaked out its death rattle, and its legs twitched spasmodically for a few seconds before they stiffened and went motionless.

Xie Lian withdrew his sword, and pulled a paper talisman from his sleeves. He attached the talisman to the beast’s corpse, and murmured a quick incantation. The talisman erupted into white flames, and rapidly started to spread across the beast’s body; purifying its remains to ensure none of the corruption roiling within it would spread and reform itself into something equally vile.

“Your highness! For heaven’s sake…”

Xie Lian smiled at his bodyguards as they approached. “Sorry, Feng Xin. If you and Mu Qing keep squabbling over whose turn it is every time we spot a target, you can’t blame me for taking matters into my own hands.”

Mu Qing clicked his tongue irritably. “It was my turn, for the record.”

Feng Xin shoved him. Mu Qing punched him in the jaw. Within seconds, they were rolling around on the forest floor, kicking and slapping each other; lit by the setting sun and the gentle glow of the burning spider monster corpse. Xie Lian shook his head and took out a handkerchief to clean the blood from his sword.

Most Xian Le nobles were content to allow the soldiers to capture and beat targets into submission; once subdued, the killing blow would be delivered by whatever noble liege the troop was assigned to. This would ensure the points for the kill were properly granted to their rightful recipient – tallies were carefully tracked by enchanted jade bracelets attached to every participant, and were quite serious business indeed. As crown prince, Xie Lian was of course entitled to a first-place finish; however, he was quite determined to earn this placement legitimately instead of relying on his bodyguards’ undeniable talents…

…and this, unfortunately, had the side effect of giving his bodyguards more free time to fight with each other. (Although they seemed to always make time for it regardless of the situation.)

“We only have an hour’s worth of daylight left,” Xie Lian stated. He stuck his empty sword sheath between Feng Xin and Mu Qing, trying to separate them as one would two fighting cats with a broomstick. “Then we’ll need to be more on guard. I’d like to keep our lead and not be stuck playing catchup tomorrow.”

Finally, Xie Lian managed to pry the two of them apart. Grumbling, they stood up, dusting themselves off and rubbing their sore jaws and shoulders.

“With all due respect, His Highness’ lead is such that it would take more than a single idle night for others to catch up,” Feng Xin said.

“We could very well spend the rest of this joke of an expedition drinking ourselves to death in a ditch and still comfortably hold the top placement,” Mu Qing added, with no small amount of disdain. “Even with an entire damn fleet of soldiers doing all the work for them, these nobles still manage to be useless leeches.”

“A harsh statement,” Xie Lian chided. “An insult to the hardworking leeches in the medical field.”

A horrible shriek rang out through the trees.

“From the southeast,” Feng Xin stated with confidence.

“Southwest,” Mu Qing corrected.

“Split the difference,” Xie Lian confidently declared; setting southward before Feng Xin and Mu Qing started brawling again.

It wasn’t hard to find their target – its continued shrieking and cursing were like a guiding beacon. Initially, the noise sounded inhuman enough for Xie Lian to assume they would be closing in on another demon target. However, as they got closer, it was clear they were dealing with something a little more…familiar, but no less foul.

“FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING RANCID MANGY SHIT I’LL FUCKING SKIN YOU WHILE YOU’RE STILL ALIVE AND FUCKING CRUSH THAT FUCKING SKULL AND—”

“Qi Rong!” Xie Lian barked. “Where is your entourage?”

Qi Rong was madly chopping at the base of a tree, wielding his gilded sword like a woodsman’s axe. Having finally turned fifteen, he’d begged and screamed and demanded to accompany his much-adored cousin Xie Lian on the Imperial Hunt this year, which was an outing that required a sword on one’s person. Reluctantly, Xie Lian’s father had bestowed upon him a fine golden blade, with the strict guidelines that he was not to wield it against anything but the beasts of the hunt, and that he would not leave the accompaniment of the soldiers assigned to protect him. These guidelines went out the window the moment Qi Rong had the sword in hand, and within half a day he was swaggering through the palace halls like an accomplished general, terrorizing servants and wielding the sword against rogue porcelain vases with all the finesse of a child with a stick.

Xie Lian had put a stop to his nonsense, but his father seemed to have no interest in disciplining Qi Rong further, or revoking the privilege of attending the hunt. His royal status gave him a right to attend regardless, he’d said, but the truth of the matter was that he simply did not feel it was worth the effort to bother. The tantrum at having his much-desired invitation snatched away would have resulted in far more than just a few shattered vases.

Xie Lian strode, chin high, to interrupt Qi Rong’s assault on the tree’s roots. He snatched the blade between two fingers as Qi Rong raised it once more, and effortlessly yanked it out of his cousin’s grip. He tossed the gaudy golden thing behind him, hearing it stick into the ground well out of reach. Qi Rong sputtered in wordless rage.

“Explain yourself,” Xie Lian said.

Qi Rong tried to dart away to reclaim his sword, but a battle against Xie Lian’s reflexes was destined to failure. Xie Lian grabbed him by the back of his robes and held him in place.

“Ow ow ow ow! Cousin crown prince!” Qi Rong wailed. “I wanted to hunt monsters too!! Those stupid meatheads just wanted to march around and shoot arrows at targets, and they wouldn’t even let me do anything when we did find a monster! I could’ve did it like you and chopped off its legs, then gone in and start stabbing right into its vital points—”

Qi Rong had never been trained with a sword for the same reason one would not strap knives to the limbs of a rabid beast. (Even if he had been given training, he surely would have skipped all his lessons like he did with every other topic.) The idea of him being able to emulate Xie Lian’s feats was laughable.

“And this explains why you’re here, chopping firewood?” Xie Lian interrupted him before he could go on with his violent fantasies any longer.

Qi Rong made a noise like a hot tea kettle, and he pointed accusingly at a little recess underneath the tree’s roots. It was small, too small for anything larger than a small animal to hide – all the beasts and monsters and demons gathered for the Imperial Hunt were chosen for their massive size. It was, after all, much more exciting to fell a giant creature, and made for more impressive trophies and commemorative prints after the fact.

“That thing was stealing our rations!” Qi Rong hissed. “I kicked it away and it made this awful fucking noise, like some screaming woman, so I know it’s not really what it looks like, so I ran after it and it fucking hid down there before I could kill it…”

Xie Lian gestured, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing came over to supervise Qi Rong while Xie Lian investigated. He knelt to the forest floor, his heavy silk robes spreading around him like a flower; white and red and gold. The sun was setting behind him, bathing him in a heavenly glow. He peered into the little root hideaway, and saw the “monster”: a small, injured, terrified little fox. Wholly ordinary, wholly innocent. Its great dark eye focused on Xie Lian’s face; intense and unblinking, despite the halo of the sun surrounding him.

“It’s alright,” Xie Lian said softly. “You’re safe now.”

He extended a hand to the poor creature, trying to beckon it out. Xie Lian, for all his martial prowess, was a spoiled prince who lived in a golden palace – even if this wasn’t some dangerous monster as his cousin insisted, Xie Lian was heedless of the danger of trying to befriend a wounded wild animal. All he knew was simple compassion for an innocent creature in desperate need of kindness.

“Cousin crown prince!” howled Qi Rong. “Don’t! It’s a fucking monster, it bit the shit out of my hands and kept screaming like some bitch getting slapped around—”

“It’s a fox,” Xie Lian shot back. “And what did you expect him to do when you were trying to kill him?”

Xie Lian felt a tiny exhale of breath against his hand, and looked back to see that the fox had crept forward from its hiding place to delicately sniff Xie Lian’s hand. Xie Lian’s heart sank as he took in the poor thing’s condition. It was small, so small that it couldn’t yet be fully grown, and so emaciated that Xie Lian could clearly count its ribs through its filthy matted coat. Blood, both fresh and long-dried, was caked on its fur. A deep cut over its right eye had left the organ so damaged that it was wholly red and almost certainly blind. It clearly had been on its own for some time, with no mother to help it hunt, or keep its fur tidy, or defend it against those who meant it harm.

As far as Xie Lian was concerned, there was only one course of action.

“We’re going back to my tent,” Xie Lian declared. “Mu Qing, please run ahead and tell the royal physicians to draw a medicinal bath and bring supplies. Have the chefs bring in some meat and milk as well. Oh, and get some fresh linens to make bedding with.”

Mu Qing stared. “…it’s a fox.”

“It’s a fucking monster!” Qi Rong hysterically insisted.

“I don’t like repeating myself,” Xie Lian said firmly. “Feng Xin, accompany Qi Rong back to his entourage. I’ll need to rush back to the tent to get him treated once I coax him out.”

“…it’s a fox…” Feng Xin echoed, helplessly, but he’d known Xie Lian long enough to understand when his mind was made up.

With his two bodyguards (and screaming cousin) now gone, Xie Lian was able to devote his full attention to the little creature cowering under the tree’s roots. The fox was still staring at Xie Lian; staring and staring, trembling in every limb, ears plastered back. But not growling, not showing its teeth. That was a good start. Belatedly, Xie Lian remembered the satchel of rations tucked into his sash – dried meat, good for long-lasting energy while on the hunt for creatures of darkness. Xie Lian peeled off a bit of it, and offered it to the little fox.

“Here,” Xie Lian said softly. He took a bite of the portion in his other hand to demonstrate. “Passable as far as camping food goes.”

Hunger was a powerful motivator. The fox inched forward, on trembling limbs, to investigate. It became clear that the fox’s fear wasn’t the only thing slowing its step – from the way it held the limb up, limping along, one of its back legs was clearly badly injured. Broken, perhaps. The creature was battered and trampled all over, with injuries both old and new. Qi Rong could hardly be blamed for all of it. Or even most of it.

Little fox, all alone in the world. Xie Lian’s heart ached.

“I’m sorry. I doubt this foolish hunt of ours has made your life any easier, lately,” Xie Lian said.

It doesn’t look like your life is easy in general, he added silently. It was not something that he saw fit to voice – this creature needed his action, and his compassion, not his pity.

…Even if the fox surely couldn’t understand a word he was saying, regardless…

He gave the fox another strip of meat to eat. The fox swallowed it down, hardly chewing; driven by urgency to get something in its empty stomach.

“I’d like to take you back to my tent,” Xie Lian said. “We have food, and a warm and safe place for you to spend the night. The monsters always more active during the night…”

…as if the fox wasn’t already well aware. Those recent injuries had to have come from something, and it wasn’t all Qi Rong. Xie Lian felt a twinge of guilt. He always thought of the Imperial Hunt as a frivolous waste of time, simply another kind of social gathering for idle nobles, a way for the Xian Le military to showcase its might…but he’d also thought that the only things getting hurt were the monsters the military rounded up into the hunting grounds. It was so unfair, that this little fox – already struggling to survive – had to suffer all the more just so a bunch of nobles could have a pointless romp in the woods. Xie Lian wanted to do what he could to make things right.

He gave the last of his rations to the fox, and, again, offered his hand to sniff. Slowly, hesitantly, as if expecting to be struck at any moment, the fox leaned its little head into Xie Lian’s palm. Its eyes slid shut, and it let out a small breath before going completely still. Xie Lian almost panicked – the fox was in such bad shape that it wouldn’t be surprising if it had just dropped dead before his eyes – but calmed somewhat when he still saw the slow rise and fall of the fox’s chest as it breathed.

Carefully, Xie Lian moved to pick up the little creature. The fox’s eyes flew open at the feeling of Xie Lian’s gentle touch, but it made no move to run (as if it could make it very far) or bite. It simply continued to stare, eyes huge and mismatched, up at Xie Lian as he bundled the creature close to his chest. Xie Lian could feel the quick stuttering of its heart, even through his robes. Such a steady, strong heartbeat. Such a remarkable creature.

“Come on,” Xie Lian said. “Let’s head back.”

 --

 Despite his cantankerous personality, Mu Qing was as excellent a personal assistant as he was a bodyguard, so when Xie Lian entered his royal tent, he was presented with everything he’d requested: a warm bath, food, and three royal physicians who stared at him as he entered. Disbelief was plain on their faces.

“…a fox,” one finally stated.

“Yes,” Xie Lian confirmed. “I am quite sure doctors of your stature can manage to attend to him. If I’m mistaken, however, I’m quite sure there are many army physicians milling about that we could call in to consult.”

Xie Lian knew that they would not dare go against a direct order from the crown prince, but it would perhaps do some good to remind them to take their charge seriously. The physicians rose from their kneeling positions and hurried over to Xie Lian to examine their new patient. Xie Lian carefully studied their faces, looking for any sign of disdain or disgust. He would not hesitate to dismiss any of them if he needed to. This creature deserved to be treated with care and respect.

The fox eyed the doctors warily, and flinched and growled as they poked and prodded him. Xie Lian soothed him:

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Let’s get you cleaned up so they can treat you, and then we’ll have dinner…”

The fox’s eyes had slipped shut again at the sound of Xie Lian’s voice and the gentle touch of his hands, but they flew open again at the sound of fabric slipping to the floor. Xie Lian laughed.

“Don’t worry! I’m just getting undressed so I can get into the tub with you. It’ll be easier for me to wash you that way…”

The fox’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and it began to squirm relentlessly in Xie Lian’s arms. Xie Lian tilted his head curiously.

“…too shy?” he hazarded a guess.

The fox stopped squirming, but couldn’t quite meet Xie Lian’s gaze. Ah well, Xie Lian thought as he walked over to the tub, dressed only in his inner robes. We can do it this way then. It would be easier to do this undressed – I just so hate the feeling of wet sleeves.

After carefully lowering the fox into the warm medicinal bathwater, Xie Lian gestured to Mu Qing, who – not without sighing – came over to help tie up Xie Lian’s voluminous sleeves, baring his snowy-pale skin and firm arms. The fox, still unable to look at Xie Lian’s face, was now equally determined to not look at the arms and hands that came to card through his wet fur.

At every pass of Xie Lian’s hands, the fox flinched less and less. The blood and mud caked to his coat washed away, revealing fur of a most marvelous color – a deep reddish-gold, like the autumn forest surrounding them. One could only imagine how beautiful it would be after a few months of being fed and cared for in the palace. Although Xie Lian’s heart still ached at how thin he was – Xie Lian could distinctly feel the outline of his spine, his ribs, just as he could feel the pounding of the creature’s heart – Xie Lian was relieved to see that his injuries were not quite as bad as they’d originally looked. The medicinal water was already working to heal the fox; wounds knitting shut before his eyes, bones setting into place. The fox’s eyes stayed mismatched, but this really only added to his charm.

“There now,” Xie Lian said. “I’ll get you dried off and we’ll have something to eat.”

The fox shook out his coat, sending a shower of bathwater everywhere. Xie Lian laughed in delight, but Mu Qing wasn’t quite as entertained. With an annoyed grunt, he handled off a towel to Xie Lian’s waiting hands and stormed off to prepare bowls of food, cursing to himself all the way.

“Such a beautiful coat,” Xie Lian praised, and meant it – even though said coat was now pointing every which way, fluffing the fox out enough that he almost looked well-fed. “Like a red maple. I don’t suppose you have a name already? What do you think about ‘Red Maple’?”

The fox stared at him blankly as Xie Lian worked the towel over his fur.

“Hmm. Just ‘Red’, then? That would be more masculine-sounding, I agree…”

“Your Highness,” Mu Qing said. “A thousand apologies for interrupting your conversation with your new associate. Dinner is ready.”

Despite Mu Qing clearly not actually being sorry at all, his feelings on the situation were clear enough; he’d chopped the meat in one of the bowls into small enough pieces that they could be easily chewed, and wet it with milk to help with digestion.

“Your Highness,” Feng Xin said with despair evident in his tone. He’d returned from his harrowing quest to deliver Qi Rong to find this scene before him. “Please, I’m certain the animal can eat on its own…”

Xie Lian had Red settled on his lap, swaddled in blankets, and was hand-feeding him chunks of meat from the bowl. It brought to mind the image of a lady noble doting on a small ornamental dog. Or a mother bird feeding its young. At that thought, Feng Xin had a brief flash of terror that Xie Lian would start chewing food for the creature.

“He’s still recuperating,” Xie Lian stated, his tone brooking no argument. “Once Little Red comes back to the palace with us, he’ll have healed up enough to take his meals normally…”

To the creature’s credit, it was just as shocked at this statement as Feng Xin and Mu Qing were. Its huge eyes stared up at Xie Lian, ignoring the tempting bit of meat offered between Xie Lian’s elegant fingers.

“…back to the palace,” Feng Xin echoed. “Your Highness. With respect, a common wild animal is not a fit companion for someone of your stature…”

“My grandfather had a pet tiger,” Xie Lian said mildly, trying to get Red re-interested in his dinner. “There’s more than enough precedence.”

(As if Xie Lian actually cared about precedence, instead of doing exactly what he had decided upon already and ignoring any arguments to the contrary.)

“I’m certain your noble parents would give you a whole stable of tigers if you wished it,” Feng Xin began, with a very convincing argument on his lips.

“That’s very nice of them. Little Red has proven himself to be far stronger than a stableful of tigers, though,” Xie Lian said, cutting off that argument before it even sprang into existence.

Feng Xin’s jaw gaped, and Mu Qing rose an eyebrow – the two were actually in mutual agreement over something for once, and it was unsurprisingly on the topic of Xie Lian doing something ridiculous. Xie Lian smiled and hoisted Red up under his front legs, lifting him so they could see eye to eye.

“Surviving alone for so long in a den of monsters, armed with nothing but his wits and teeth. Truly, as powerful as any tiger I’ve seen.”

“If a fox is as powerful as a tiger, then the farmers that chase them away from their chickens must be mighty martial gods.” Mu Qing flicked his eyes to Feng Xin’s untouched dinner bowl, and scowled. “Eat before I shove your face in it. I won’t reheat it for you.”

It was rather hard indeed for anyone to tell the crown prince of Xian Le that he wasn’t allowed to do something. And so, the three of them went to bed that night fully expecting to be bringing a furry addition back to the Xie household.

It was very unexpected indeed for Xie Lian to awaken with no ball of red fluff curled against his chest. He looked, and looked; turned his whole tent and the surrounding camp upside-down, sent Feng Xin and Mu Qing and his own self searching in every direction. There was neither hide nor hair of the sweet creature that Xie Lian had sworn to protect.

As the hunt concluded that afternoon, Xie Lian left for the palace with a heavy heart. He hoped that Red would grow and thrive, wherever his paws had carried him.

 --

 The fox was just an ordinary, ugly thing. The fox was not powerful, it was not beautiful. It was a lowly scavenging beast.

But the prince had saved the fox, all the same. The prince had appeared, bathed in golden sunlight, and had treated him gently. He’d eased his pain, he’d held him close. He’d given him a name.

The fox’s heart would belong to the prince forevermore. This was simple fact. But it was true, what that other, lesser human had said. The fox was not a fit companion for the prince.

But the fox had gotten a taste of what it could feel like, if he was. And the fox was so, so greedy.

There was a legend that all foxes knew, deep in their bones. (The fox could not remember anyone having told him, anyway – he only dimly remembered a mother, and perhaps two older siblings. Long dead, in any case. He’d been alone for as long as he could recall.)

The legend was as such: journey to the realm of the Fox God, undertake their trials, and be granted an audience and a wish.

Red knew what he needed to do, if he was ever to be able to return to his prince. He would earn a place at his side. He would make himself into something worth his prince’s compassion.

And so, Red had slipped away into the night, with the cadence of his prince’s heartbeat thrumming in his bones.

#天官赐福 #tgcf #heavenly official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #hualian #mxtxrbb2019 #a tenderly crafted fanfiction

[saezutte]

Dear Yuletide Writer

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Happy end-of-the-year season! Thank you for writing for me!

This is my first time signing up for Yuletide, though I’ve been reading Yuletide fic for 14-15 years and it’s one of my favorite yearly traditions. Now I’m turning over a new leaf of active participation in my old age! I guarantee you I am much more worried about what I’m writing than what you’re writing—I’m pretty easy-going about the fic I read and I am going to try to help you out as best I can with this letter. If there’s something you’re unclear about, feel free to contact the mods or stalk me to find my preferences.

My AO3: saezutte

My public twitter: juncassis

My tumblr: here but I do not use tumblr much anymore, sorry.

Do Not Wants

[note: I have no actual triggers, nothing you can write for me will make me any more depressed or anxious than I already am]

Death (of major/important/beloved characters)

Suicide attempts

Rape

Angst without a happy ending, really too much angst at all

University/college settings

Established relationship

Cheating

Actual Unrequited Feelings

Pregnancy (the actual process; breeding kink is fine)

Scat or watersports

Hard BDSM or any kink complicated enough that the characters would have to discuss it ahead of time

Non-canon cisswapping or gender change (it’s ok if they do it in canon, e.g. HX/SQX)

Homophobia as a plot device

Excessive attention to sexual identity or queer politics

Note on AUs: I am ok with the usual popular AU tropes (except, see above, university settings) but I do not want them combined, e.g. A/B/O is fine and coffeeshop is fine, but I don’t want an omega barista getting his scent all over the lattes he makes for some alpha lawyer who comes in every morning. (Ridiculous example, but you get the point.) For AU/modern settings of fandoms with magic, I often like it when the magic is still there in the AU setting. I also like AUs which maintain the general outlines of the character’s relationships, like if the characters are childhood friends in canon, I like to keep that intact.

General preferences:

I am a pretty basic bitch when it comes to fanfic: I like it when two clueless boys pine for each other through some shenanigans and then lock eyes/lips/dicks.

If you fed a neural net every fanfic written in Stargate Atlantis fandom between 2005 and 2010, the result would probably be some nonsense I’d enjoy.

I love many tropes. Tropes! Bed-sharing. Sharing an umbrella. WASHING EACH OTHER’S HAIR? Confessions where they are having an argument and then one of them yells “Because I love you!” 

I love situations where characters are forced to spend time in close proximity and find themselves with feelings.

I love fakeness: fake dating, fake marriage, arranged marriage, marriage of convenience, fake lust induced by sex pollen or heats, aliens make them have sex, whatever. 

I’d prefer story/romance/build-up to PWP but you are welcome to write porn

Tian Guan Ci Fu

Requested characters: He Xuan, Shi Qingxuan

Note: If you don’t want to write those two, I would be happy with Hualian! There are other pairings I like as well, like Fengqing. I requested these two because they are the ones I want the most, but I like almost all of the characters in TGCF so if you want to write me something that sells me on your pet pairing, go for it. Caveat is that I don’t like Qi Rong (sorry cousin)—he makes me anxious, haha.

Why I like the canon: Tian Guan Ci Fu is my favorite of MXTX’s novels, which took over my life this summer. What I love about it is the gods/mythology angle. The different story arcs remind me of reading myths about gods going out on adventures—I love folklore and myths! I love Xie Lian, I respect him so much, and I love Hua Cheng. I love how dark the story gets and I love that I could read it while being relatively assured of a happy ending. But with MXTX, you only ever get that happy ending for the main pair, hence why I requested my side pair.

Why I like these characters: I was in love with these two when He Xuan was pretending to be a grouchy Earth Master who reluctantly goes along with whatever Shi Qingxuan wants. When it turned out to be ABOUT REVENGE and they have FATES WHICH ARE ENTANGLED TOGETHER, I promptly lost my mind. I like the contrast in personalities.

I love Shi Qingxuan as a happy gossip god who is friends with everyone and yet also still pretty good at his job (unlike a lot of the gods around). I like his struggle with realizing he wasn’t meant to be a god and I honestly like where he ends up at the end of the novel—but personally I’d like it better if he re-qualified as a god, haha. I love his sex switching and you are welcome to play with that, though I would prefer if it weren’t a straightforward switch where he (she) settles as a woman. With He Xuan… I love that he’s on this dark completely-justified vengeance quest but he is also kind of a mess? How in debt is he to Hua Cheng? Has he totally neglected his ghostly duties to play Earth Master in heaven? How did he feel starting to be friends with SQX when he’s still planning on ruining his life?

What I would like for these two is something between pure fluff / all the issues are solved / “decapitated brother who?” and angst. I think they mirror Hualian in a lot of ways and I wish they had a chance together!

Prompts:

Them meeting again post-canon: He Xuan not knowing what to do with his (after)life now that he’s got his revenge and not being totally sure what’s keeping him around now that his business is over. SQX living his happy beggar life and HX not sure how he’s still so energetic.

A canon divergent AU where He Xuan doesn’t pull off his revenge plot ? Instead something else happens?

A soulmate AU would work well for these two IMO

Modern AU where HX is infiltrating the company that destroyed his family business and falls in love with the heir to the company president

SQX reascending to godhood as a beggar god and HX suspecting he will come for him in revenge but he just wants to be friends again

The Untamed (RPF)

Requested characters: Wang Yibo, Xiao Zhan

Why I like the canon: Uh, it took over my stupid life this summer. I haven’t liked an idol in years. I have frequently said I don’t like RPF because the canon is too diffuse to keep up with! And yet look at my twitter. I’m living in a hell of my own making.

Anyway, I got into the RPF side for The Untamed initially because the fictional canon here was very overloaded with its status as an adaptation of a novel where the characters are already together and where there aren’t many points for a writer to jump in and add to it. So I got more interested in the actors’ dynamic particularly because it’s different from Wangxian—WYB is a gremlin! Xiao Zhan is the serious professional one! And then I fell in love with them and now this is my life.

Why I like these characters: I just love their stupid handsome faces, I can’t help it. Don’t look at me. I am more of a Xiao Zhan fan but I want to be Wang Yibo’s best friend and bully him.

With Xiao Zhan, I love his smile and I love that he can write a whole essay on Wei Wuxian’s character and I love that he was a regular person who worked in an office before deciding to join one of wjjw’s basically-a-scam idol raising shows and then accidentally becoming the most famous man in China. He’s so professional and serious in interviews and it’s a great contrast to how we see him goofing around with WYB and the others on set.

With Wang Yibo, I like that he’s a wild boy who will run off to race motorcycles at any minute. I would like to shove him a little bit, in an affectionate manner. I love that he’s always looking at XZ and smiling and doesn’t seem to care if anyone notices.

Prompts:

Fooling around on set leads to love? The most basic of basic  

AUs with different settings/meetings—maybe XZ is still a designer and his company ends up working with WYB (who is still an idol)? Or WYB is a pro motorcycle racer and XZ is a sports photographer?

They drift apart now but meet again in 10 years with Regrets

Porn star AU

Having to share a bed

WYB is scared of something! XZ comforts him!

Any dumb AU you want but I would like to veto ABO for this, it’s too weird for me when they’re real people.

The Untamed (TV)

Requested characters: Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian

Note: There are other CQL/MDZS pairings I like, namely Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang. I also like the junior trio (as OT3 or as various twosomes.) Also, one night I read a Jiang Cheng/Lan Sizhui fic and suddenly I got all these ideas for inappropriate uncle pairings JC/LSZ and LXC/JL. If any of that speaks to your heart instead, go wild.

Why I like the canon: So obviously I read the novel and plunged into this MXTX abyss for 100 years. With this adaptation, there are a few things I don’t like versus the novel but I’m happy to ignore them because I love what they did with the visuals and music and the acting choices. Some of the changes I also do love—I love how WWX seems to be so much more into LWJ from the beginning! I love seeing them goof around, I love drunk!WYB in the drama.

I also don’t like established relationship fic for the most part, so the censorship in this adaptation means I have more to play with in fanfic!

Why I like the characters: They invented love!!! They did. I particularly like them both as kind of messes… It’s easy to forget with how great Hanguang-jun is but he’s also bad at expressing himself and it gets him into trouble. Then you have WWX the deviant genius troublemaker with a heart of gold (even when he doesn’t have his golden core). They’re immature kids who can’t figure their shit out before things get serious and then 16 years later, they are emotionally stunted 30-somethings and (tbh) I feel that. These two are meant for each other and meant to wander the country following the chaos and getting into adventures together while fucking a lot.

Prompts:

How do Wangxian get together in this universe? Was it as teens? During the war? Did they split up? Did LWJ give in to temptation earlier than in the novel? When did WWX realize his feelings?

Fix-it for the ending where they separate!! Duh! Does anyone think them being apart is going to last?

Star Trek AU with the Lans as Vulcans

Uh, I really like A/B/O fic for these two.

MAGIC SEX CURSES. Fuck or die! Sex pollen! Particularly if they’re not a couple yet and this leads to awkwardness and getting together.

Nirvana in Fire (TV)

Requested characters: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan

Note: I also love Lin Chen so if you want to write some MCS/LC or LC/Fei Liu or LC/MCS/JINGYAN OT3??? go for it. I am also a Nihuang/Xia Dong shipper so if you want to put that in… somehow… my gay little heart would be happy. I also like Nihuang/MCS/XJY or MNH/MCS + MCS/XJY but I’d like the focus on the men in that case! 

Why I like the canon: I watched this show because someone recommended this show to me as, like, Chinese Game of Thrones but good. I think it’s genuinely one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen. I love plots and revenge and good people doing bad things for justice. Even the ending is good for me though obviously it left me unsatisfied on several points.

Why I like the characters: I am deeply into sickly doomed genius MCS and every time he got even more deeply ill, I fell deeper in love. Every time he coughs up blood, my heart would race. I love his terrible schemes and stupid self-sacrificing choices. I find watching this show very soothing because I knew he would always come out on top in his schemes. I trust him. I love handsome clueless Jingyan and how he’s just so good (it’s terrible.) I love his mom and how much he cares for her. I love him but he is useless, he needs his Xiao Shu and I need fanfic to restore him to him.

Note: So my limited research on this says that male/male sex practices were accepted and well-known in this time period in history, so I really don’t want them thinking “oh no what are these weird gay feelings.” There are other barriers to them being together, like a ruler or official being overly attached to one person was considered very bad. I am also a big supporter of the socially-approved polygamy of this time period, so I don’t need Jingyan to refuse to sleep with his wife or something out of loyalty to MCS—he has to do it! Or all their plans are ruined! And he can enjoy spending time with her or the concubines without affecting his feelings for MCS—you could explore that complexity in fic if you like.

Prompts:

Mei Changsu isn’t dead, he’s hiding again, Jingyan searches for him

They start having sex during the series, the ending is averted [somehow]

Post-canon, MCS is alive and Jingyan hides him in the palace with his consort/concubines to keep him on as an advisor without anyone objecting

AU where male/male marriage is customary (maybe aristocratic men are expected to have one male and one female consort?) and so MCS decides the best way to influence and help Jingyan in the capital is by becoming his wife or one of his concubines

anything just get them together and happy.

Promare

Requested characters: Galo, Lio

Why I like the canon: I love this film but I also find it to be… not enough? I wanted more character development, I wanted more plot, I wanted the goddamn Burnish to stay burning things. So I requested it because I want more! Please help me.

Why I like the characters: I love freedom fighter idealist Lio who will kick everyone’s ass for what is right. I love idiot idealist Galo who wants to fight all fires and learns to love exactly one fire. I think now that they aren’t saving the world by punching global warming, they should have a nice romance. I also like they points where they clash in the film, so I’d love to see them adjusting to “normal life” and having to deal with not having the crisis to make sure they get along.

Prompts:

Galo and Lio rebuilding the world together

Lio regaining Burnish powers?

AU where the Burnish are still a thing but it’s not a big crisis/battle and they just have normal jobs and there are integration programs and Lio is an angry Burnish teen and Galo volunteers at a community center helping Burnish control their powers. Like a world that’s more everyday X-Men than X-men in full adventure war mode.

This is the one request where I’d probably enjoy gen fic with lots of worldbuilding.

I would also enjoy lots of horny porn, preference for Galo topping with his giant stupid dick? I’m sorry I’m like this.

I do want to note ahead of time that I might be traveling (as in, possibly literally on a plane) when fics go live, so please do not be upset if I do not comment on the fic right away! But I definitely will! I know this can be a sore spot for authors so I wanted to give some warning. 

I think that is all! Thank you very much and I’ll see you at the end of all this. 

[veliseraptor]

Hua Cheng/Mu Qing for the ship meme ;)

late meme response? yes. yes it is. I’m not going to look how long it’s been, anyway you know the answer to this and it’s I’m paddling this ship canoe with you all the way upriver

What made you ship it?

I’m pretty sure the answer here is “you” because I think you were the person who initially went “so how about Mu Qing and Hua Cheng, Lise” and I went oh damn you’re right because...wow, yeah.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

this is another one where it’s a lot of...parallels! and contrasts! and narrative foils!!! I mean, there’s the aspect of class, most obviously, the poor boys scraped out of obscurity - both picked up by Xie Lian. But there’s a whole bunch of other ways in which they echo each other, too. (I feel like I reblogged a post about this recently? or maybe it’s in my queue. or maybe I just saw it somewhere, idk.)

and in part I think the appeal here is in their respective relationships to Xie Lian and how that relationship defines so much about both of them and their lives and their interactions to the world. I mean, I have talked before on this blog about how I...have a definite thing for what I think of as third-side-of-a-triangle ships (where the main starting connection is each characters’ relationship with a third character, and the conflict/tension that generates).

(off the top of my head in mxtx terms, there’s this one as well as jiang cheng/lan wangji and song lan/xue yang.)

and that’s not the only thing I like about it, but that is one thing I like about it, specifically because of the tension it generates, and the crunchy anger and frustration and jealousy that potentially lies between Mu Qing and Hua Cheng. and we all know how much fun ships built on anger, resentment, and jealousy are for me.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Uhhh. I feel like it existing is sort of an unpopular opinion? Like, I don’t know if it’s enough of a thing to really feel like anything about it is particularly unpopular. Nobody cares enough to have takes about it that I disagree with. There is a sorrow to that. But also a kind of freedom.

Anyway I love both these fucked up idiots and I want them to be fucked up together while aggressively resenting each other.

if I ever get the guts to write tgcf fic it’d probably end up being time gap mu qing pov feat. hua cheng because that’s just. what the heart wants I guess

#neuxue #conversating #ship opinions meme #BELATEDLY #mu qing #hua cheng #dysfunctional gods and ghost kinks #might try to...clear out the rest of these in the next week alskjdsldkjf

[curiosity-killed]

evidence of a lost past part 3

(chronologically before part 1 or part 2)

“Xie-gege?” Lang Ying calls from behind the cold storage. “You’ve got some friends here for you.” Frowning, Xie Lian straightens up from where he’d been crouched to organize the oatmeal shelf and dusts his hands off on his jeans. He doesn’t really have friends, to say nothing of people who would surprise him at work. He steps around the shelving unit at the same time that Lang Ying brings the visitors through the crowded entry hall. Spotting them, Xie Lian freezes. Skepticism is painted in broad strokes across Lang Ying’s face as he looks up at the men beside him before turning toward Xie Lian. “So,” he starts, eyeing the two sidelong again. “Nan Feng,” Feng Xin blurts out, as if answering a question, “and Fu Yao.”

Lang Ying’s eyes narrow a moment, but he just gives a slow nod. “I’ll be in the pantry if you need anything, Xie-gege,” he says. Xie Lian smiles reflexively, a silly sense of gratitude easing through him at Lang Ying’s quiet protectiveness. Aside from the cold storage, the pantry is the closest room to this back storage. “Thanks, a-Ying,” he says, waving him on. When he’s left, Xie Lian takes a bracing breath and turns to his old friends. He doesn’t know if there’s a polite way to tell them that no one in this community center would recognize the names of ballet stars, no matter how prominent. If anything, their fake names and…disguises make them far more suspicious: Mu Qing is wearing a suit, clearly tailored and accented with silver metallic embellishments, while Feng Xin wears a windsuit set that would better belong to a 90s boy band. “Ah,” Xie Lian says, struggling to think of anything to say, and rubs his forehead with the knuckle of his thumb. “Hi.” “You work in this place?” Mu Qing demands. His arms are crossed, bunching up his jacket, and the tail of his long ponytail catches on his shoulder. The last few inches are a surprising platinum blond, and Xie Lian vaguely recalls hearing something about a commercial deal last year or so. “Why do you have to say it like that?” Feng Xin demands. “So what if he works here? What do you have against a—a…” “Community center,” Xie Lian offers when it’s clear he doesn’t know what to call it. “And I do. Puqi’s been my home for the past year or so.” Feng Xin’s face does something complicated at that which Xie Lian can no longer wholly read. He thinks part of it at least is embarrassment, which is alright. It must be strange for them, to see him here in jeans stained with gravel dust around the knees and a t-shirt with a tubby cartoon tiger declaring ‘STRIPES ARE BEAUTIFUL.’ “Here, would you rather sit? There are some chairs in the lounge we could pull in,” he says. The lounge isn’t really a lounge so much as the storage room for donated furniture. Still, sometimes he and Lang Ying will take a breather back there and split a sweet bun from the bakery down the block, and it feels like a secret spot just for the staff. “No,” Mu Qing says immediately. His lip has pulled back a little, as if disgusted by the prospect. “We aren’t staying.” Oh. Xie Lian can’t quite help the disappointment that sinks through his chest at that. It’s not like he expected them to stay or try to be friends again, not after how he left things, but—well, with them coming here, he’d almost thought— “Oh, that’s alright,” he says with a bright smile. “Is there something I can help you with?” The two of them share a look that Xie Lian really can’t read at all. Back when he left, Feng Xin had only been speaking to Mu Qing to tell him to fuck off, and they certainly hadn’t been sharing any meaningful looks unless they were glares. It’s…it’s good, that they’ve found a friend in each other. He wishes they’d gotten along better when they were young, but it’s nice that they can be friends now. “Jun Wu said you were here,” Feng Xin says, grudging, dropping his gaze. “And we just—well, it’s been a long time. Figured we should check on you.” That phrase again. Eight years feels like a millennium, long enough that his past life feels more dreamlike than real most days. Long enough he certainly wouldn’t expect them to check in on him. He smiles. “Ah, that’s very kind of you,” he says, “but there’s no need to worry. I’m quite well, and you two must be so busy. Rehearsals for Nutcracker must have started by now, haven’t they?” He remembers when they were all young and dragging through endless rehearsals, when Feng Xin would grumble about having Tchaikovsky’s score stuck on his head all hours of the day and Mu Qing would scowl at him from across the costumes he helped sew as an after school job. “Yeah,” Feng Xin says. “They have. We get Sundays off for now.” Xie Lian nods, maintaining his polite smile. He’s really not sure what they want from him or why they’ve stopped by. This stilted half-conversation can’t actually be it. “You really live like this?” Mu Qing demands. “Puttering around this concrete floor, looking like…that.” Blinking once, Xie Lian folds his hands together and firms his spine. He’s gotten used to the trajectory of his life by now, and it doesn’t bother him even if no one else understands it. He knows why he’s here, knows he made the right choice for himself. Before he can answer, the bell over the front door chimes, and bootheels clip across the concrete floor. There’s a polite rap at the doorframe leading into the storage area where only employees are allowed. “Gege?” Xie Lian flushes at the way Mu Qing and Feng Xin stiffen and whip around toward the door and silently exhales a breath of relief at Hua Cheng’s timing. Probably his arrival won’t make it less awkward, but he’d rather have Hua Cheng here than handle this alone, even if that makes him a coward. “Ah San Lang, come in,” he calls. “There are just a couple visitors.” “San Lang?” Feng Xin echoes, twisting to gawk at the door. It’s obvious the moment he spots Hua Cheng, because his entire back goes tight and still, and Mu Qing bristles like a cat, fingers digging into his jacket sleeves. Hua Cheng passes around the far wall of shelves and doesn’t pause even as he gives the two of them a quick, unimpressed once-over. “Hey gege,” he greets, brushing past them to smile at Xie Lian. Xie Lian can’t help returning the look, delight bubbling up in him at the easy happiness Hua Cheng wears in his expression. “Hi San Lang,” he replies. “These two are—um. Nan Feng and Fu Yao. Old…school friends of mine.” Hua Cheng doesn’t bother looking at them before turning to Xie Lian with an eyebrow arched as if to ask ‘are you serious?’ Xie Lian is helpless to respond except for a casual shrug. If Feng Xin and Mu Qing insist on using false names, he’ll respect their wishes no matter how nonsensical it seems. “You—!” Feng Xin hisses, hands balled up into fists at his sides. “Me,” Hua Cheng agrees flatly. “Gege, are these new volunteers? I bet that one could sweep out the storage rooms while I take you to get lunch.” At the obvious look Hua Cheng sends him, Mu Qing’s lips pull back in blatant disgust and indignation. Biting his lip, Xie Lian holds in laughter. It isn’t nice to tease like that, but—well, it is kind of nice to have someone willing to do it for him. “Ah there’s no need,” he says quickly. “They were just stopping by to say hi.” He thinks. He’s still not really sure what’s going on here. “Oh?” Hua Cheng says. “So you’re leaving, then.” He says it straight to Feng Xin and Mu Qing, and despite their spluttering, Xie Lian has to hold in a startled laugh. He tugs gently at Hua Cheng’s elbow. “San Lang,” he scolds without any heat. The grin Hua Cheng tosses him is carefree and boyish, and it makes something funny and bright burst in Xie Lian’s chest. Maybe it’s alright to tease a little, if it earns him such cute looks. “Fine,” Mu Qing says. “Whatever. I have work to do.” He pivots on his heel and starts stalking toward the door without waiting to see if Feng Xin is following. Left behind, Feng Xin hesitates a moment, lips parted as if to speak. Finally, he swallows and purses his lips. “Just—be careful, okay?” he says like an order instead of a request. “If you need anything—I mean. I still have the same phone number.” A softer smile slips across Xie Lian’s lips at that, and he gives a little nod. “Me, too,” he admits. “Be safe getting home.” Feng Xin grunts and waffles a moment longer before hurrying after Mu Qing, his windsuit pants rustling away. Xie Lian can hear him all the way to the door. When the bell chimes, he sighs and turns back to see Hua Cheng leaning against the corner of the wall with his eye narrowed in amusement. “You get such interesting visitors, gege,” he says cheerfully. “San Lang ah,” Xie Lian complains, helpless. It’s impossible to feel at all cross when the whole situation was so absurd and Hua Cheng seems so childishly pleased. His grin broadens and turns brighter, more honest, as Xie Lian finally lets himself laugh at it all. “Ah, enough,” Xie Lian says, covering his eyes briefly. Shaking his head, he drops his hand. “Have you eaten? I brought some leftovers we could share, if you want.” “Gege’s cooking?” Hua Cheng asks, offering out his arm like a gentleman. “It must be my lucky day.” Xie Lian laughs at that, bright and easy, and lets himself be led.

#tgcf #tgcf fic #heaven official's blessing #hob fic #tgcf au #dance au #xie lian #hua cheng #feng xin #mu qing #my writing #story: evidence of a lost past #guess where i spent my evening #anyway #making fun of fengqing is very fun