illumiru

[illumiru]

“I was wondering if you can have a friend please translate mxtx interview because there are ppl who don’t belive me when I show them mxtx translated interview they think it’s made up ! It was question 36 about cp!” Hi, um, I can ask but isn’t there already a translation by CRT? Wouldn’t it just be better to link the translation?

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you really can't trust analysis from any tgcf stans that dislikes the extras and act like hualian in it is automatically ooc. if you think they were, you just misinterpreted hualian all along.

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People on twitter and tiktok once again on tgcf manhua because “hua cheng is canonically a beanpole and xie lian a buff Dorito”

they're allowed to not like the depiction if they want but it's so funny when tgcftwt and tgcf tiktok claim to tout canon when they happily ignore it for headcanons because that's what it is at most, a headcanon. you're not superior for liking one over the other.

hua cheng at most is described as slender but he's not canonically lanky. there is also a suggestion that he is built in some way when he's described as being hard from top to bottom. so, like, the basic ideal male build that you commonly see in a lot of CN media where it's not too much or too little of anything.

as for xie lian, there's nothing to suggest that xie lian is buff or not within the canon novel. you're pretty much free to speculate but i do think it leans more on him being lean or having the same build as hc. you have to keep in mind the genre of media that he's in and what are chinese aesthetics when it comes to BL.

maybe xie lian does have some muscles in some way, he's probably lean and androgynous enough that he's able to convincingly crossdress as a woman.

canonically, he has a small enough waist to fit into a woman's bridal clothes but his shoulders are wider than a petite woman because he still has a figure of a man. sqx also forgot that he was also a martial god until he saw xie lian fight with a sword. he's been described as being a little skinny by female ghosts.

and a buff bodybuilder didn't believe that someone who looks tender and delicate like xie lian would be able to compete with him. so canonically to me, xie lian does not outwardly look to be physically overly muscular in any way and passes off as lean or skinny.

that's the extent of it. i know a lot of stans act holier-than-thou about skinny/twink depictions of xie lian and act like it's an invention of the manhua artist but it's funny how that they never confront the fact that he's never ever been depicted as being buff in any derivative of the novel, even the official illustrations from pinsin do not depict him as such. it's not exclusive to the manhua.

we can even see from the design of LQQ in the donghua - he's a martial god but he looks incredibly young and probably the most twig-like in the cast. it really shows that in both adaptations - being a martial god does not automatically correlate to being actually buff within the xianxia genre.

[illumiru]

holy shit the tgcf audio drama just keeps getting better. the revised plot is so much better and well organized, the emotional beats are so much better, all the added and expanded scenes are amazing. In ep 18 the Xianle mausoleum scene is especially incredible, the performances from Hua Cheng and Xie Lian’s VA’s just keep getting better. Qi Rong is perfect. time to listen to ep 19 😔😔😔😔😔 this has been the highlight of every week for me since it returned to the air.

[illumiru]

The Narrative Importantance of Hualian's Sexual Intimacy

This is a repost and minor edit of a thread I made on Twitter yesterday. This is a topic I have always wanted to talk about because of how often it comes up in TGCF fandom, time and time again.

‼️CW: mentions of sexual assault, self-harm, bodily injury‼️

⚠️Major spoilers for the entire novel ahead⚠️

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Saw a question the other day on what relevance Hualian being sexually intimate by the end of the novel had to either the narrative or Xie Lian's character arc.

In short: it bears significant relevance, especially in context of other themes the novel explores like bodily autonomy.

Throughout the novel, we see time and time again that Xie Lian is often dehumanized by pretty much everyone—including himself—with the sole exception of Hua Cheng. I've talked more in depth about it in an old twt thread, for those interested. @/stalliondany on twt has also made an excellent recent analysis that goes deeper into the specific ways Xie Lian was used as a physical shield, martyr, or scapegoat for others without thought to his humanity or suffering. I highly recommend reading it first!

But to sum it all up: it's important to Xie Lian's character arc to keep in mind that he is used to seeing his own body as a tool to solve problems. And in crucial narrative moments, he is robbed of his bodily autonomy, and either brutalized or violated in service of others.

One of the plot points that ties together all these concepts is actually... Xie Lian's chastity vows. That will be the main focus of this post.

When he was a young teen (or possibly as a child), Xie Lian took an oath of chastity because such was the norm for cultivators seeking ascension in Xian Le. To Xie Lian, even as he grew older, he never had an issue with this because he just never felt sexual attraction to another person, or any desire to be intimate in that way. Even if he yearned for the concept of being loved. And indeed, at first glance, his chastity vows may seem like nothing more than a side note. Or even a funny gag when it comes to Hua Cheng (later).

In reality Xie Lian's chastity vows are not only used against him, but paint a very disturbing picture with regards to his repeated violation.

The Land of the Tender scene is the most obvious example of this. Xie Lian's vows are directly tied to his spiritual powers, and because it affects how his followers see him. They place a high value on his chastity as being vital to his moral character.

For reference, an excerpt from TGCF vol. 3 of the English print translation, page 135:

Xie Lian's method of cultivation required a pure body. Those who worshipped the ascended cultivators who practiced this path were firmly convinced of the transcendence of gods untouched by earthly desires. If they couldn't protect their purity, their following would no doubt collapse and their powers would be devastated. It wouldn't be as serious as plunging from godhood to back to mortality, and there was still the possibility of recovery after many more years of cultivation—but with things as they were now, there was no time for him to sit behind closed doors and cultivate for years!

As a reminder: it is Bai Wuxiang who orchestrated this whole thing. Him trying to compromise Xie Lian in this way is horrific on many levels, yet that's not the main point I want to make here. It's that to preserve his "pure body," the solution Xie Lian realizes is to severely harm himself. To impale himself with his sword through the abdomen.

The juxtaposition of having to maintain bodily purity versus the gruesome violence inflicted on his body is extremely stark.

This grim contrast is no more evident than in the 100 swords scene. Where Xie Lian's body is literally brutalized and defiled to an unthinkable degree. To the point where he, quote: "no longer looked human." Yet he emerges from that temple physically "pure" all the same. His chastity vows were not broken, his body healed without scars. As though he was untouched.... And yet, he was completely destroyed mentally. It left permanent effects on him as a person. It's even worse when the scene is read analogous to sexual assault, as many have talked about before. I think that interpretation actually hits the nail on the head, especially keeping in mind the Land of the Tender scene and all the similarities between them.

Following the 100 swords scene, Xie Lian of course has a complete disconnect between himself and his body. I believe this is part of why he doesn't really feel pain, except when he is with Hua Cheng, who treats him and his body as one. As a person who is cherished, and loved. Hua Cheng is adamant in his adoring treatment of Xie Lian. Small injuries are also something he cannot tolerate because he knows what horrors befell Xie Lian in the past. (He was present at both the terrible moments mentioned above.) He will not let any of that continue, regardless of what Xie Lian says, because he sees it as injustice.

Xie Lian is willing to use himself as a tool to help others no matter the personal cost. He even thinks of it as something he must do, or that he deserves as penance. But Hua Cheng is the one person who asks "what about you?" He's the one that insists "your happiness matters." And it is Hua Cheng that takes issue with Xie Lian's chastity vows as being unfair, unlike everyone else. Regardless of Hua Cheng's reasons for this diegetically, symbolically it means a lot that he is the one opposed to this.

Just thinking about the chastity vows on their own for a moment: Xie Lian can indulge a little bit in stuff like alcohol, which isn't great to begin with for him. But he absolutely cannot engage in "pleasures of the flesh." He can totally have his flesh ripped from his bones, literally, but actually experiencing any kind of sexual gratification? Now that would make him unclean, and lesser.... Why? Because unlike everything else, that's something Xie Lian would do simply for himself to feel good. And what greater crime is there than to ever dare put himself first?

So Hua Cheng—being the one person who puts Xie Lian first above all else—thinking that such a restriction doesn't make sense is important. Hua Cheng being the person who Xie Lian breaks those vows for in the end is important! (Especially because it seems to have been an easy choice for him.)

And of course, the scene with Jun Wu and the Virginity Detector Sword™ has to be mentioned. Again, there's symbolism to be had! The perpetrator of two of the most physically violating moments of Xie Lian's life (both of which were sexual in nature; one literally and one allegorically) being the one to "check" Xie Lian's virginity... oof. Yikes. It's dramatic irony. It's deeply uncomfortable. Especially because Jun Wu probably wanted to know if Xie Lian slept with Hua Cheng, as he already knew Xie Lian wasn't the ghost fetus' father.

So it's once again a stark juxtaposition: of Ghost King Hua Cheng disagreeing with the purity vows, wanting Xie Lian to break them for himself and his own freedom. Versus Heavenly Emperor Jun Wu wanting to weaponize those vows against Xie Lian in whatever way he can, intact or not, to keep control over him.

Naturally, there's something to be said for the real-world problem with such purity vows being used against people, to judge their moral character, societal expectations, etc. Elephant in the room. It's very on the nose, so there isn't even much to say about it that hasn't been said already.

In the end, it comes down to how horrible it is that when Xie Lian tries to help others, it results in immense harm to his body every time. Yet he is expected to continue to bear it, for centuries, by others and also himself. Until he meets Hua Cheng, who helps him rediscover what it means to be happy, and to be loved. So yes, it's absolutely relevant that in the end, Xie Lian decides to break his purity vows to be intimate with Hua Cheng. That he's able to put himself in Hua Cheng's hands, and let himself be treated with affection and desire. It's Xie Lian finally forgiving himself, and beginning to heal.

[illumiru]

Mu Qing being chosen as the major representation for lower class struggles in the TGCF fandom (as far as I've seen it at least) is a choice that I find... interesting.

I understand where it's coming from, of course, and I see how his bitterness at the class system could be relatable, but it feels odd to me that Hua Cheng is missing from those discussions while we've seen that he was very much not living in any luxury as a child. He was in fact worse off than MQ who got to study cultivation and work for the prince.

I don't quite know how to put this into words, but I do think it says something about unconscious biases that the man who was able to ascend and enjoy being at the highest class he could possibly aspire to be while doing nothing to further criticize those systems is the one propped up, while the one who did achieve success but through unconventional means isn't.

Being the king of a city full of ghosts just isn't as glamorous of a fantasy to live vicariously through as a golden palace in the heavens, I suppose, in spite of this being something MXTX is actively criticizing in her book.

[illumiru]

A portrayal of His Highness in the spirit of Buddhist fine art

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*mwah* :>

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That chapter (͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

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pov: you’re hua cheng and ur hangin’ out w/gege and u gotta cross a river or smth and u turn around and see this and ur going into cardiac arrest (as a ghost, somehow)

[illumiru]

In time for international Women’s Day… have that Changing Room Scene™ in which Xie Lian disguised himself as a distressed lady to get rid off their pursuers.

BTW my Patreon is open again, so if you’d like to come over and support me… 

Twitter | Patreon | Pillowfort | Pixiv | Instagram  

[illumiru]

I AM CRYING CAMPHONG IS SELLING THESE MXTX TRIO CP CROSS-FAM ART PIECES LIKE HUALIAN WANGXIAN AND BINGQIU TAKE TURNS BEING PARENTS OR GEGES TO THE OTHER FOUR AS YOUNGER KIDS 😭😭😭

AND OF COURSE HUA CHENG IS THE ONLY BIJ IN ADULT FORM WITH HIS CHEST EXPOSED FOR ALL TO SEE

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cheese😘

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[illumiru]

tag 9 people you want to get to know better, tagged by @fancyfade and @ravenkinnie <3

three ships: Hualian Hualian Hualian

first ship ever: When I was 10-11, I shipped MikaNatsu from Alice Academy iirc.

last song: Lies by Marina

last movie: Nocebo

currently watching: I don’t really watch TV Shows that much. I’m still on Episode 2 of Arcane tho

currently reading: I'm always re-reading TGCF. </3

currently consuming: I just read a bunch of TGCF fics earlier hfbjhbfe

currently craving: Money

[illumiru]

canon is bad but i know 100 fic authors who could do it worse