#look I just really like Mu Qing as a character okay

[mikaela-the-slut-expert]

How about a Hualian x calamity!reader oneshot? Maybe HC and reader know each other already and pursue XL together? Idk, love your writing tho!

Gang up

Hua Cheng x calamity!reader x Xie Lian

So sorry it took a while, I had strep these past few days but I feel good now so ty for being patient with me 😙🖤🖤

I tried to make it vague enough to where you can input your guy's own character in there 🥰🙏

I hope it isn't too short, and if you can't tell I pulled some make believe facts out of my ass. Have to change the story up a little bit

Spoilers Below!!!

____________________________________

Everyone talks about the four calamities, but recently all three realms have been talking about a fifth one. Another terrifying, devastation level calamity. Because that's all the heavenly officials, someone else to worry about.

That's your bad, woops. It's not like it was on purpose. Maybe. It's not like it was your fault. Really! They should have known by now but your crimes and deeds have been hidden behind Crimson rain's for so long, everyone has thought there were only four calamities. Now, with so much activity from Hua Cheng it's impossible to hide behind him. Oh well.

Now you get your own title, lore, rumors and all that nice stuff since everyone knows you now. It's crazy how fast words spread.

You've always been here, in fact you and Hua Cheng appeared one right after the other. So of course with such a close timeline one of you was going to overshadow the other. Not that you have a problem with this.

Surprisingly you and Hua Cheng know each other well. You met a long, long time ago and have been friends ever since. Since you're such close friends. Why not live in paradise manor together, why not rule a ghost city together too? The two of you really are glued to each other's side.

The base of your friendship? Xie Lian. Now of course it's more than that. You're both dead, both calamities, both know Xie Lian, would do anything for Xie Lian, both knew Xie Lian. . .

You guys still hold affections for one another though so it's okay. And the best thing? I lied. You guys aren't friends at all. After hundreds of years of knowing each other you and Hua Cheng have seen the absolute worst in one another. You still stayed. He still stayed. Just because you guys are lovers doesn't mean that you're going to stop pursuing Xie Lian either. There's nothing wrong with three.

Now the second best thing is that none of you harbor jealousy against the other because usually you guys are side by side like Siamese cats causing trouble.

Very often the two of you gang up to pursue Xie Lian together. You guys even bully heavenly officials together. It's all a part of the fun.

So when Xie Lian initially hears about one ghost? He meets two. Like, okay so he has two calamity body guards. Neat. The same goes as follows. Just when he thought he only had to deal with one smart mouth, it's two. Feng Xin and Mu Qing are very annoyed by this but Xie Lian finds it endearing.

It's actually very nice. He used to have two people by his side, but then the trio was separated. Now he has two people by his side again and he doubts that you two will be leaving anytime soon.

Though, since you're actually a known calamity now the stories and details change up a little bit. Xie Lian can click a few more pieces of the puzzle together.

I mean how do you think Hua Cheng got so good in bed, he wasn't practicing on statues alone. How did Hua Cheng get his smooth, suave, attitude? That'd be you too. You had to encourage him to actually make a move on his precious dianxia instead of seeing him act like a blushing maiden anytime Xie Lian looks at him.

Not that you can speak differently on that one. You've always been there through Hua Cheng's worse and. . . worser. You're both awfully silly. Silly enough to give Xie Lian your ashes one random day.

When Xie Lian woke up with a ring of ashes around his neck? Pause. One ring? Isn't one missing? There's two of you. Hua Cheng and you so, where are your ashes.

He's absolutely delighted and curious when he finds out the two of your ashes are mixed. He finds it endearing the two of you trust each other that much and are so close. That's how he learned the two of you were lovers.

Because that's a big risk, a big promise. To mix your ashes and give it to one person. If Hua Cheng goes, you go too. If you go, Hua Cheng goes too. Which on a usual note would never happen.

Hua Cheng breaking Xie Lian's shackles is not a usual note though. He's devastated when not only one of his lovers fades away into a flock of butterflies but when his other lover does too.

The two of you would never leave him alone though, not with that ring around his neck. He knew you two would come back and you both did. Hand in hand, running to Xie Lian excitedly. The two of you would never have to disappear like that again.

Xie Lian doesn't mind that there's two of you. he has two hands, more the merrier. He's happy and loved. Isn't that all that matters?

____________________________________

I thought this new ashes idea of mine was cute so 🥰🙏 I hope you guys find it cute too

Sorry about grammar mistakes

[thornycoconut]

Do people not realize the people who enjoy mu qing as a character like him because of his flaws? It's not that he can do no wrong. It's not that we think he made no mistakes lol. He makes them and has a shit attitude.

We aren't celebrating his wrongdoings. We're loving his willingness to apologize.

We're appreciating him finally admitting he wants to be f-f-friends. There is a reason that word pops up like that in posts and fanfic all the time. We are definitely making fun of him. He is ridiculous.

No one makes fun of or criticizes mu qing better than a fan.

Where many draw the line is at unfair or inappropriate criticism. Or excessive grudges (looking at you hua cheng 🤣).

Mad at him for quitting his job? Inappropriate.

Mad at him for the spiritual land fight? Appropriate, but we have things to say about the grudge being excessive.

Mad at him for little honger not being kept by xie lian? Unfair.

Etc etc.

We make fun of this man all the time. everything from his terrible disguise, his dramatics, emotional constipation, to even his weapon etc from canon. Also, memorizing a poem about your rival? Yeah okay, totally normal.

In fanon we even exaggerate or expand on his flaws. Ever read some mu qing centric fics? You'll notice a pattern of making life harder for himself because of them. It makes it all the more satisfying when everything goes sideways on him and he has to actually do a real simple emotional thing he'd avoided initially. Only now it's so much worse than before.

In fanon mu qing's greatest obstacle is his avoidance of saying, "I care about you" or some other thing that most people say easily. That's it. He could even pass it in a note, but the ridiculous man is too scared and fussy.

That isn't to say mu qing fanon creations are simple or easy. He as a character just turns something that should be easy and makes it an anxiety inducing trip to hell. and you have to prod him every inch of the way to claw his way out. Ao3 is full of fics where he has to tell someone he loves them or he'll die, and he really is set on dying half the time. The other half he really has to think about it and wait til last minute. Like he is REALLY RIDICULOUS in fanon.

Another major part of mu qing fanon is getting him to face and work on his major flaws. Like sir, you can't just say friends? It has to come out like f-f-friends? Really? Get it together, man. Let's get you some therapy and an emotional support dog. You'll be acknowledging you might love someone in 50k words.

Anyway, yeah, mu qing is appealing because of his flaws.

[yeyayeya]

I’ve wanted to make this post for a while but wanted to wait until the dub was officially over so

My Final Thoughts on the TGCF Season 2 English Dub

Howard Wang as Xie Lian is fucking perfect. Every single time he spoke it just, I don’t know how to properly put it into words, except it is so well done?? But when XL started basically having a mental breakdown in front of Hua Cheng after Lang Qianqiu found out about the truth of the Gilded Banquet, holy fuck did the emotions just hit me in the feels. The scream and he emotional fatigue after? Xie Lian’s voice is perfection omg

Shoutout to James Cheek for just voicing the gayest character ever (Hua Cheng) and writing the gayest script for TGCF. While I liked his voice in the first season, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of it. It wasn’t until the second season where almost everything improved, and James’s voice for Hua Cheng? *chef’s kiss*. Okay but at least tone down the gayness a bit. And seeing someone who has read the novel and having little easter eggs for the novel readers for them to go insane over is incredible. I’m going to miss his voice in Season 3 since they’re going to have to cast someone else as Hong’er, but that’s ok.

Male and Female Shi Qingxuan: OMG??? Perfect casting. I just know they both put so much effort into them and I am eternally grateful. They just sound like the best of friends (they are). Every single line from them was so fucking iconic, which is accurate to the Wind Master’s character. I love both their voices so much you don’t understand.

Lang Qianqiu: AAHHHHH. My son, my boy, they gave him justice and I am so happy. First read through of TGCF, I only cared for HuaLian, but reading it again has made me appreciate and fall in love with the side characters, with Lang Qianqiu being one of them. I’ll say it did take a bit for me to adjust to it, but he sounds so much like an anime protagonist that I am ok with it. Another perfect casting. I’m going to be so fucking sad that he won’t appear for such a long time, and while he does get brought up occasionally, his last appearance is going to be the finale. I’ll miss you my son 😔

Jun Wu: ASDFGHJKL. He sounds like such a manipulative/toxic ex and a father figure at the same time. wtf. But his voice is so sexy tho. I don’t like it but I do. And I thought his original Chinese voice was hot, and then the English one goes and surprises me. I hate that I love it

Qi Rong: Perfection, glorious, fucking incredible. HIS VA IS PERFECT. Original was slaying so hard, and English? Fucking killing it. He was actually the one I was looking forward to the most, and he 👏 did 👏 not👏 disappoint. I won’t get over the perfect casting. Ever. The crazy and mad laughs? The insults I’ve never heard about but decided to keep in mind? Literally everything. I’m sorry I can’t get over how great his voice is

Feng Xin and Mu Qing (of course together): I am so biased towards Lucien Dodge, so I immediately loved his voice for him. He slaying that tsundere cat boy vibe so well. I will admit that his voice made me like his character more tbh. Ok but Feng Xin’s? Every time I hear it, I always need at least 30 seconds to get used to it. Idk why. I don’t hate it, and I actually love it, but he sounds so much like a dad it’s so funny. I still love him tho.

Pei Ming: 😳. No but that was actually my reaction to his voice. Why is every single god’s voice so hot. Please calm down. I really did not like Pei Ming at first but damn. I can actually understand why every single woman went weak with him.

Ling Wen: While she didn’t get as much dialogue this season, I’ll still count her. I’ve heard some drama relating to her voice actress from a while back but I’m not bringing it up rn. But her English voice is almost exactly the same as the original, just, different languages of course. She has such a unique voice and it’s quite pleasing to hear. She also sounds a bit like Siri but it fits her character

Other major characters that got only a few lines but still slayed their roles (Ming Yi, Pei Xiu, Jian Lan, Yin Yu): Hello?? Can I be patient to hear their voices again? Probably not, but please I need more of them. Ming Yi sounded hot since he took voice lessons from Hua Cheng, Pei Xiu sounded like such a little wet cat (wtf where did this crush on him come from), Jian Lan slayed because she is such an underrated queen, and Yin Yu? I WAS NOT EXPECTING A DEEP VOICE FROM WTF. I will say I do prefer his Chinese VA a little more due to it being more in character with him sounding soft and somewhat tired. But I enjoy his confident and announcing voice. They should keep him for the QuanYin flashbacks.

All in all, perfect cast. I don’t have twitter/X but I see things from the VA’s from time to time. And seeing them interact with the fandom and trying to give more to their characters makes me so happy. I just desperately need for more of the characters to have voices (aka Shi Wudu, Quan Yizhen, Mei Nianqing, Yushi Huang, Male!Ling Wen, White-No-Face). Give me more please.

Please check out the dub it’s so fucking great.

[cecropiacrown]

Hello! Could I request number 21 for the Kiss prompt for Fengqing? Would it be possible to have Feng Xin as having the insecurity simply bc you see a lot of Mu Qing having insecurities and such but a bit less so of FX?

Much love and thanks ^_^

Thanks for the ask! I took a while to think on this one and decided to combine it with another prompt that was requested of me, hope you don’t mind! :) #20 a kiss on a place of insecurity/ #21 a kiss on a scar Content Warning: implied s*xual content ; trans male character

Mu Qing just barely ghosts the tips of his fingers along Feng Xin’s sides, the touch bordering on ticklish but not quite arriving there because that warm, honey-gold skin is still hidden underneath Feng Xin’s t-shirt. The two of them have been laughing and tumbling in bed for quite some time now—nuzzling, kissing, touching—and Mu Qing is down to just his pants and boxers, but Feng Xin is still fully clothed.

As Mu Qing’s hands reach the bottom of the shirt, he dips his fingers just below the hem, not quite grabbing the fabric but clearly stating his intentions. The atmosphere between them has grown serious and, as the two men lock eyes, Mu Qing sees the moment Feng Xin’s face falls.

“Hey,” Mu Qing says, low and gentle, trying to soothe a worry that’s quickly taking root in Feng Xin’s mind. Ah, but he can see it in the other man’s eyes. He’s spiraling.

“A-Xin, it’s alright.”

Mu Qing pulls his fingers back and presses his palms flat onto Feng Xin’s lower stomach, already rubbing circles with his thumbs in an attempt to keep him grounded.

“You know it can stay on if you want it to. It’s okay—really.”

Feng Xin is biting at his lip, contemplation tugging his thick brows down into a furrow. He’s still holding Mu Qing’s eye contact but something tense swims behind his gaze and Mu Qing can tell he’s more in his brain than in the moment. 

“I’m sorry, A-Qing,” and then Feng Xin’s pretty amber eyes fall dejectedly to the bed, his head tilting with them as his shoulders slump. Mu Qing’s heart could break right there in his chest.

“Hey, c’mon now. None of that.” Mu Qing reaches a palm out to Feng Xin’s cheek, gently cupping his jaw and raising him back up to meet his eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mu Qing waits patiently for Feng Xin to agree before he continues. That small nod comes slowly and Mu Qing can tell Feng Xin doesn’t completely believe him.

“Do you want to stop, or do you want to keep going? Like I said, you can keep it on if that’s what you need, A-Xin.”

Feng Xin, the good listener he is, takes his time to think about his answer. Mu Qing watches that pink tongue dart out to lick those soft, plump lips and it takes all his willpower to not surge forward and kiss Feng Xin right there and then. His stomach swirls with want and he presses his hands a bit more firmly against Feng Xin’s stomach to calm down

“I want to keep going,” Feng Xin decides, his eyes flickering brighter with some newfound determination. 

“On or off, love?” Mu Qing presses, wanting to have the clarification before they go any further.

“Off.”

Mu Qing raises an eyebrow.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Now he raises both eyebrows, fixing Feng Xin with a steady, serious look.

“Do you promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” and Feng Xin is so earnest it could make Mu Qing swoon if he wasn’t so ridiculously turned on.

“Okay. Just tell me if you want to stop, alright?”

“Always."

God, this man doesn’t know the sheer power he holds over Mu Qing.

Then Feng Xin smiles, his one dimple carving itself into the pretty mess of freckles on his cheek, and Mu Qing realizes that, oh, Feng Xin definitely knows.

Mu Qing leans forward, unable to resist the pull of those eyes any longer, and presses his lips to Feng Xin’s.

Feng Xin is still smiling as Mu Qing deepens the kiss, his hand coming up to rest at the back of Mu Qing’s neck as he eagerly tilts his head. With one hand steadying himself against the bed, Mu Qing brings his other hand back to the hem of Feng Xin’s shirt and tugs. He hungrily swallows the gasp his gesture pulls from Feng Xin’s lips and repeats the action.

Feng Xin parts his legs wider to accommodate Mu Qing’s body and the heady swirl of arousal seeps into the space between them.

Feng Xin licks wetly against Mu Qing’s lips, the messy thing he is, and it makes Mu Qing laugh. He presses a sweet peck to the corner of Feng Xin’s mouth and pulls back, feeling a bit smug as he sees Feng Xin’s closed eyes and parted lips careen forward in an attempt to chase him. When those pretty eyes finally open, dark and wanting, Mu Qing tugs again on the shirt, silently asking for permission.

Feng Xin’s breath is ragged, his voice already sounding wrecked as he stares up at Mu Qing.

“Do it.”

Like a bandaid, Mu Qing rips Feng Xin’s shirt up over his head in one quick motion. He tosses it nearby on the chance Feng Xin changes his mind and needs it back on, but doesn’t give Feng Xin time to even think about being self conscious before he’s kissing him again, slow and sweet.

Mu Qing murmurs against Feng Xin’s lips, “You are so beautiful.”

He places his hand firmly on Feng Xin’s side, kneading the skin in patient, grounding presses of his fingertips, and starts to trail kisses down his jaw. Mu Qing lets his lips map out each freckled constellation, not in any sort of rush, as he eases Feng Xin into the moment and further into the mattress.

He feels the hammering of Feng Xin’s pulse under his lips as he kisses the underside of the other man’s jaw and he can’t help but nip at the skin there. He whispers praise against Feng Xin’s burning skin, his voice rough with a kind of need only Feng Xin can bring out in him

“My gorgeous,”

He kisses down Feng Xin’s neck, licking at the dip of his collarbone.

“Precious,”

His next kiss is pressed right at the start of Feng Xin’s left pec, the heart that lays underneath beating faster and faster.

“Handsome Feng Xin.”

Feng Xin’s top surgery scars meet in a little dip right above his breastbone; a warm, purpley-brown tone much like the color of the sweet skin between his legs. Mu Qing presses his last kiss right to this spot, soft and lingering and worshipful. Feng Xin whimpers at the touch, his face twisted as he fists his hands in the sheets. He always needs this moment of discomfort before it breaks into acceptance and he lets himself breathe and be adored in the way he deserves.

Mu Qing listens for that quiet sigh before he peeks up at Feng Xin’s face. He finds his eyes closed, those dark lashes splayed across the tops of his cheeks, and a small smile on his lips. He presses one more kiss to this spot and watches the smile grow, his own heart expanding with it, and thinks, truthfully, that there is nowhere else he’d rather be.

“I love you, Feng Xin.”

“I love you, too. So, so much."

And Mu Qing shows Feng Xin just how deep that love runs.

[fallloverfic]

TGCF donghua Season 2, Episode 6 thoughts

I'm always screaming about TGCF so yes I'm screaming some more. Very good ep. Spoilers for the show and the book below.

The Fang Xin flashback was really lovely (Xie Lian looks so pretty in the costume, like his hair style is really nice and he just looks good). Xie Lian being a teacher and explaining, "this technique is bad because the intervening person gets hurt/dies so you can't learn it cause [you're a human and the prince and your job is to continue your duties, not die]" also neglecting to point out the fact that... Xie Lian can do it cause he can't die and we're not gonna go into how he was injured because of that incident and he just goes through all the physical pain for other people without bothering anyone, nope T-T But baby Lang Qianqiu loves him so much T-T

When Shi Qingxuan says that Xie Lian took a blow from E-Ming on behalf of Lang Qianqiu and it flashes to a cut of Mu Qing and Feng Xin looking shocked, I aldkjaldaj Ahhhh... Worry about Xie Lian? Thinking about how Xie Lian confronted Hua Cheng now for the sake of someone else even while he's under the influence of two cursed shackles while Mu Qing and Feng Xin abandoned him when both Mu Qing and Feng Xin chose not to confront Hua Cheng way back when Hua Cheng challenged all those heavenly officials who confronted Xie Lian on the mountain?

The angst this episode is delicious. There's just so much stuff happening around all of this, it's lovely.

Shi Qingxuan standing up for his friendddd T-T His friendship with Xie Lian just ends me.

Xie Lian asking to be banished again like THIS MAN HE JUST T-T Xie Liannnnnn

Lang Qianqiu being shocked that Xie Lian would beg to be banished again and being like, "No, you don't have to do that! I just want to fight to the death!"

Meanwhile Xie Lian being like, point blank, "If we did, you'd lose." See, Xie Lian is modest a lot of the time in the sense that he doesn't brag. He just doesn't talk about things, generally: he keeps to himself (unless he's trying to share funny/interesting things he thinks other people might be interested in, which no one is, poor guy). I love stories with this: characters who don't outright lie, but get out of "telling" the truth because they're just quiet and let the silence speak for itself/let others come to their own conclusions, which is usually bad. It's such juicy angst. But he's also honest (about certain things) and at moments like this, he is being honest about his own capabilities. Because he is very capable. And I just love that about him. He is, truly, capable. And he knows it. One reason his banishments were so hard is because despite all his capability, he couldn't overcome that to help the people he wanted to help. His skills weren't what was needed.

Pei Ming's character model is really pretty. I just like watching him walk around. Even if he's a jealous asshole who is protective of his descendant. He's a fun jealous asshole. And a pretty one. I have a weakness for men with long hair who wear gloves okay, it's a problem I have no intention to recover from.

In terms of animation, there were a lot of really pretty shots of character models and character expressions, particularly as Xie Lian is being taken away. There's a nice shot of Mu Qing just standing and facing the camera in the background. This continues to just overall be a pretty looking show (there was some sort of weirdness during the fight sequence between FengQing, but that was it, really).

Xie Lian pining for Hua Cheng T-T Babyyyyy

OMG THEY MADE THE PINING GAYER (at least than the official English translation idk if it's gayer in the original Chinese). In the Seven Seas translation it's this:

“I wonder how much is left of San Lang’s Paradise Manor. If I get banished again, who knows how much junk I’ll have to sell or how long it’ll take to pay him back…decades, centuries; if anything, I’ll pay him the rest of my life.” (Volume 2, Chapter 19)

In the donghua, at least at this moment, the English subs say: "San Lang. I wonder how he's doing. [Sigh] After being banished to the mortal realm, I have to give up everything, even my beloved the Paradise manor(?). For decades, centuries, I'd give it all up for him, even a lifetime."

Even with the bad translation, that last line tho T-T Also Xie Lian's sad pining just ahhhhh

Mu Qing showing up and assuming Xie Lian's surprise is because he expected Feng Xin and TOTALLY not because Xie Lian doesn't expect anyone to visit him, particularly Mu Qing (because he thinks no one other than maybe Shi Qingxuan likes him, and Shi Qingxuan is busy anyway). Mu Qing still Himself about well everything. Mu Qing wanting to visit... maybe gloat... but also idk hoping Xie Lian would be happy to see him cause they're hanging out again <.< (kind of, cause Mu Qing thinks he's good at pretending and Xie Lian totally didn't guess from like the very start or anything that the "junior official" was just him in disguise aldkjaldja).

XIE LIAN'S LITTLE SMILE AT MU QING EXPLAINING WHY HE'S THERE BECAUSE HE'S HAPPY MU QING CAME TO VISIT HIM/WANTED TO SEE HIM MAYBE and Mu Qing being like -hmph- aldkjaldaj And giving Xie Lian MEDICINE TO HEAL HIMSELF T-T Still caring for Xie Lian even after Everything TM and how Mu Qing doesn't think Xie Lian cares for him.

Because I focus in on weird details I will admit I was a tad distracted from the lovely FengQing fight over who's more in love with Xie Lian by Mu Qing's collar. I'm pretty sure everyone else has already long since pointed out The Collar TM but well here I am now, again, pointing it out.

This helps because last episode I was distracted by the cute little thing (his crown?) that's wrapped around Feng Xin's hair bun and I kept glancing at it this ep too alkdjalj His hair bun is a flower :3

The chibi fight was so funny aldkjaldja (and angsty :3 Please yes fight over which of you abandoned Xie Lian first and how you're both totally not mad at yourselves and each other about it :3). Xie Lian being like OMG GUYS STOP PLEASE!! But not trying to be too overbearing T-T

"You'd be happy if something bad happened to him, wouldn't you?" Feng Xinnnnn T-T

Both of them shocked Xie Lian is not being attacked and also alarmed he is just TOUCHING THINGS THAT IS DANGEROUS XIE LIAN DON'T YOU KNOW WHO THAT BELONGS TO????

Xie Lian: It's so cute tho :3 -nuzzles butterfly-

aldkajlkdjaj Hua Cheng GROPING XIE LIAN WAIST like I don't blame him. Get it, Sir. Xie Lian like, "yeh this is fine :3" They're so married already I love them.

Hua Cheng holding Xie Lian's sleeeveee T-T I cryyyy

Mu Qing: Xie Lian escaped!

Feng Xin: STOP BEING A DICK, HE WAS KIDNAPPED!

Hua Cheng: Have you missed me? I haven't missed any of you one bit.

aldkjaldkjaldja HUA CHENG IS SO FULL OF IT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH alkdjaldja Xie Lian shaking his head with a smile alkdjlajda He loves his husband yes, he does alkdjalj HUA CHENG HELD HIS HAND WHILE THEY WERE IN THE ARRAY TO PIGGYBACK THAT WAY I SCREAM (also Xie Lian's little smile over it, he's so chill with Hua Cheng's antics I love them)

Listen. Listen. If a dude who looks like Hua Cheng and sounds like that while smiling when he says, "Come with me," to you appears and does that... WHY WOULD YOU NOT???? Obviously Xie Lian has no choice in the matter!!! OBVIOUSLY!!!

Xie Lian is so sad about how he hurt Hua Cheng T-T

Hua Cheng is so upset he hurt his Xie Lian T-T

"Why can you still smile and apologize to me?" HE LOOKS SO SAD

STOP THE PRESSES E-MING IS DOING SAD SQUEAKING

The subtitles are pretty bad again, and some of the mistakes still lead me to believe it's possible this is an edited version of machine translation (getting pronouns wrong is a common mistake in machine translation), which is not a good sign. I'm really hoping they go back and fix this, especially if they sell this as a physical release like they did season 1. Also I hope they just fucking stop doing it this way and if we ever get any more seasons I hope they do not do this in future.

BUT OVERALL IT WAS A REALLY GOOD EPISODE AHHHHHH

Other episode thoughts for season 2 (didn't start till episode 3):

S02E03

S02E04

S02E05

S02E06 (you are here)

S02E07

S02E08

S02E09

S02E10

S02E11

S02E12

[grungiiuvu]

heyyy first of all i love cheap villains the way i SCREAMED when i saw you'd updated aksjdhdjd

anyway i had my suspicions but chapter 30 has really cemented them...what exactly is lang yizes relationship with mu qing?? because something tells me they weren't just friends...

at fennu jian trials:

lang yize sits next to mu qing. mu qing ignores him.

chapter 26:

lang yize calls mu qing "half-decent to look at"

says he's "a nice accessory"

loks to be "in pain" when mu qing glares at him

chapter 28:

says he's worried about mu qing because of the company [ling wen] he keeps

calls him "eye candy"

chapter 29:

seeks mu qing out, apparently for a fight (which would result in them having a conversation, given the pattern all of the other cheap villains fights we've seen so far)

chapter 30:

seeks out mu qing (for a fight, again) and antagonises him (to increase the likelihood of a fight and therefore conversation?)

clenches his jaw when mu qing calls him ugly and says "you always said you never cared for looks" (what could have brought this up, i wonder)

something breaking in lang yizes eyes when mu qing says they're not friends anymore (+widening, breath hitching, expression "pitifully" slackening. looks like an expression of heartbreak but what do i know?)

switches to a physical fight without weapons (why? to have a final chance to touch mu qing? ok im definitely reading into this too much but LET ME DREAM)

ive probably missed something but i think thats enough

am i reading too much into this? probably. but do i think the idea of them previously being lovers (or a one-sided love on lang yizes part) would be really cool for lang yizes and mu qings characters? absolutely.

some more questions that arise due to this (i understand you can't answer all of these due to spoilers, but please answer the ones you can bc i won't be able to sleep otherwise/j)

will lang yize be a more central character in the future or is he just an npc? do what you want/have planned ofc but i feel like he has sm potential aksjdjdjf

what's up with ling wen? lang yize clearly distrusts her, and this could just be because of his dislike of high society, but it feels more targeted towards ling wen for some reason...this (and other stuff) make me feel that maybe ling wen could be a villain still (the trust issues mu qing would have if that was the case!!) or at the very least is hiding something...

assuming all the yapping i did above is true, does feng xin know about their previous relationship?? i don't think he does (his reactions to lang yize in chapter 29 don't feel particularly charged with any jealousy, just clasic feng xin protectiveness) but if he did that's even more angst and i need him to suffer :D

sorry for the long question, but ever since i read chapter 30 i have not been normal about this probable npc. the urge to write a fic for this fic is consuming my entire soul (but would you be okay with that if i did?)

i am also obsessed with bsd btw, excellent taste

thank u sm for updating!!! take as long as you need for chapter 31, your health is the most important thing as always. have a great day (or night) <33

will lang yize be a more central character in the future or is he just an npc? do what you want/have planned ofc but i feel like he has sm potential aksjdjdjf He probably won't be a central character, but I'm definitely planning on using him more!! He's a very good link between Mu Qing and Qing-er, after all ♪(^∇^*)

what's up with ling wen? lang yize clearly distrusts her, and this could just be because of his dislike of high society, but it feels more targeted towards ling wen for some reason…this (and other stuff) make me feel that maybe ling wen could be a villain still (the trust issues mu qing would have if that was the case!!) or at the very least is hiding something…

Ling Wen and Lang Yize never really get along, to be honest o(TヘTo) perhaps we'll hear more in the future, who knows? >:)

assuming all the yapping i did above is true, does feng xin know about their previous relationship?? i don't think he does (his reactions to lang yize in chapter 29 don't feel particularly charged with any jealousy, just clasic feng xin protectiveness) but if he did that's even more angst and i need him to suffer :D

we'll have to see if youre right!!

IF YOU WRITE A FIC FOR CHEAP VILLAIN, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER BRO. it'd be utterly insane and so cool haha. Im so so sorry for taking forever to respond, life's been keeping me busy.

BSD my beloved, ugh, i cant wait till i've got some good fic content for it. Currently writing and drafting several aus to post for it!! If you have any ship/fic recs, please do share :DD

TYSM FOR READING CHEAP VILLAIN AND FOR SENDING THIS ASK!!! IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO READ AND ANSWER QUESTIONS! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

[randomshenaniganery]

TGCF Donghua

okay so I've been watching this shit since it was released and I'm fully enjoying waiting for the weekly episodes and I wanna rant about it because I love it so much but I do have some minor gripes

Bad chuchu out of the way first

I am not happy with how generic and unoriginal the designs for most of the supporting characters. Like yeah they still look somewhat different but when the pool of named characters will expand it will get harder and harder to tell people apart if they keep on going with this route. Almost everyone suffers from same face syndrome which I know is rampant in current anime I just wished they allowed for at least more dynamic silhouettes, hairstyles, and color palettes. It feels like a more toned down version of the character design in the manhua. Lang Qianqiu in the manhua is so easy to recognize because of his outfit and pei ming looks more like the bastard he is etc. Don't get me started on the design for Kemo, the manhua felt eh I feel like Kemo was too pretty and too slim but in the donghua its just he's a straight up orc idk, i feel like they could've done better. Pei Su looks very generic, I think out of everyone he's the most generic looking of them all. SQX, Ling Wen and Jun Wu are the best designs for the supporting cast and I think Banyue is also okay looking cause you can tell her apart from the rest so far.

I am super disappointed in Qi Rong's reveal because it doesn't feel as impactful in the book. In the book the reveal of him looking like Xie Lian was so dramatic to me I was like oh my god is that his brother? A twin? a doppelganger? And then Qi Rong just kinda looks like that, tbh his voice actor and his clothes are fine I think they fit. It's just weird how he suffers from same face syndrome. If they made everyone look less like each other making Qi Rong look like Xie Lian would have been so impactful and a really cool cliffhanger but they couldn't do that because even fucking Lang Qianqiu kinda looks like Xie Lian with lighter hair. Also the Fang xin design is alright on the clothes but the mask gives off a bit cheap however I get that it can't be super detailed and it still does its job so I can handwave that small pet peeve.

Also censorship we couldn't get Xie Lian falling on Hua Cheng's lap and so them trying to make up for that was super awkward LMAO, they could have solved this by making SQX fall right on Hua Cheng's chair so that they could justify why Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng and throws him but they didn't... and it's so awkward...

I think it was like Episode 2 of s2 that the animation feels weird, Mu Qing's face felt off to me idk what was going on it just felt like something went down but the next episode it was perfectly fine anyway.

Positives!!!

Something the manhua didn't have was Fu Yao and Nan Feng looking a bit like each other, that was so fucking funny and it's a great display of how much they hate each other and live rent free in each other's heads ong. I love that detail the donghua did I think that's smart.

The voice actors are so great in both dubs they're doing amazing (I haven't listened to the jp dub) I have no complaints I love their work

ONE of my favorite things about the donghua is being able to see Hua Cheng's expressions even when Xie Lian is doing something in the book so he wouldn't notice. I love seeing how pleased he is every time someone points out the intimacy with him and Xie Lian. Like in season 1 when Fu Yao is shocked/horrified that Xie Lian shared a bed with Hua Cheng, San Lang puts a hand on his chin and looks so fucking smug and happy. This happens a couple times in s2 as well someone will be like oh that's weird you're so like this with Hua Cheng and he becomes a smug cat it's great.

Another one I enjoy is during the beginning of the banyue arc when Xie Lian reveals to Fu Yao and Nan Feng that he's used to sleeping in squalor the camera goes to Nan Feng not revealing his face but clearly showing his guilt over what Xie Lian reveals. That's good shit.

Lan Chang picking a fight off screen, also cool, love seeing her. I like that she looks inconspicuous so for someone who doesn't know shit about tgcf they will not see *that* shit coming.

ALSO the men look kinda generic if they're not the mls but the girls are all gorgeous???? like the woman who was Hua Cheng's speaker, the girl who led Xie Lian further into the gambling den, XUAN JI, Banyue all the girls are unique without being so ostentatious and I love them. If you put them beside each other they all look like they're own thing but still on theme. From clothes, to hairstyle and colors it's easy to tell and that's good design. I also include SQX's female form cause she's gorgeous too.

The donghua I think adds to stuff I haven't read I'm not sure if this is because I have a bad memory but I don't recall reading a flashback of Lang Qianqiu and the failed robbery. But the message of that entire section was so fucking good. The way that what Lang Qianqiu said about 'maybe he shouldn't have intervened' and the sound effects UGh. It's so good, i love how the book tackles the morality of everything, breaking down Lang Qianqiu's firm positivity and believing in humanity but still promoting being kind and considerate through Xie Lian. This theme still carries on in the show and I think they're doing a great job.

GOD THE MUSIC in the donghua is so fucking good, I love it. The songs, the meanings, the beat it's all perfect I can't say anything more.

even though i'm disappointed in the character design choices the donghua is very solid, I love it a lot. It does come off as very expositiony sometimes but I think that's very prevalent in Chinese Wuxia and Xianxia. Probably weird for people who aren't used to the genre but to anyone who's seen something like it, it's not unbearable and it's kinda necessary because of how the book is written. Waiting for wednesday patiently whilst i draw huahua

There are so many fun details the Donghua adds that shows that they know the story and where it's going as well hinting at character stuff, it's so fun to spot those. Like Xie Lian's reaction to Hua Cheng biting the bun made me wanna claw my face that shit was good af.

[web-novel-polls]

Aroace-spec Tournament Round 1

The aroace-spec tournament will be a double-elimination tournament with 4 matches in Round 1. Polls will start Thursday, August 10th, 2023, at noon CST & remain open for 1 week (close August 17th).

Round 1

Chung Myung vs. Shu Yanyan

Kim Dokja vs. Baek Suryong

Zhao Yue vs. Cale Henituse

Song Lan vs. Liu Mingyan

Tag: #aroace spec round 1

Round 2

Shen Qingqiu vs. [Winner of Chung Myung vs. Shu Yanyan]

Yin Hanjiang vs. Wenren È

Xie Lian vs. Cheng Qian

[Winner of Kim Dokja vs. Baek Suryong] vs. Liu Qingge

Chu Wanning vs. [Winner of Zhao Yue vs. Cale Henituse]

Wen Ning vs. Mu Qing

Feng Xin vs. Wen Qing

[Winner of Song Lan vs. Liu Mingyan] vs. Jiang Cheng

Competitor List in Order of Seed under the cut

Shen Qingqiu from Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Submission 1: Gay Asexual

I mean have you met the man? "Assuming you're straight because you feel nothing towards either sex but you have to be the default, right? before realizing you're romantically attracted to someone but not realizing you're romantically attracted to someone because it doesn't feel like sexual attraction which is how allos explain what love is until the romantic attraction hits you like a sledge hammer" is both a common ace experience and absolutely his story arc. Also I would have submitted him sooner but I thought he was a shoe in

Submission 2:

Asexual, somewhere on the aro spectrum - I would have submitted him earlier but based on the tags I assumed I wouldn't need to and didn't want op to be spammed with too many submissions ;_; anyhow he's here now!

Mod Propaganda

Was completely okay with not marrying anyone (because all the women in the world “belong to the protagonist”)

So fucking weird about sex. He has to mentally contort his brain seven ways to Sunday to even IMAGINE fucking someone (earning him the title of “most homophobic gay person”)

“He’s not gay, Binghe is”

Reads bad erotica and then complains about the plot inconsistencies

Accidentally wife beams/romances pretty much every single character he meets

Jiang Cheng from the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Submission 1: romantic and sex indifferent aroace

I love that guy, he’s the most aroace guy I’ve ever met. and his outfit is literally the ace flag plus he’s like wearing a ring that looks a lot like wearing a ring that looks a lot like the ace ring. and the fact that he has no canon love interest and is never shown to want a romantic or sexual relationship. he gives me very “romance is something other people do, I just don’t care for it, I got other things to do” you get me??

Submission 2: Aroace

Despite people trying to convince him to get married/get an heir, in 13 years he never finds someone. His list of bride qualities is absurd to the point of "no one like this exists so I'll never have to get married". Is grossed out by displays of sexual attraction. Purple

Submission 3: Both

No spouse. Wears ace colors. Case closed.

Chu Wanning from the Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Mod Propaganda

Mo Ran “unlocking” his sexual desire….ok

Yeah, that’s pretty much it, but it’s pretty definitive. He doesn’t really experience sexual attraction until a little bit after they start dating idk what you want me to say

I wouldn’t say he’s aromantic or aro-spec bc it was more that he was in love with Mo Ran for years, but he’s definitely ace-spec. If he wasn’t, he’d probably be attracted to SOMEONE, but he’s explicitly not even sexually attracted to Mo Ran (who he has a crush on) until much, much later (like, after getting together later), from what I remember.

And in comparison, Mo Ran… experiences a lot of sexual and romantic attraction to different people but doesn’t seem to show/experience it as much after he falls in love with Chu Wanning. It’s clear that he had it for other people, but he’s now devoted to Chu Wanning; even if he was attracted to someone else, I doubt it would be mentioned. Chu Wanning, however, definitely has not experienced sexual attraction to anyone other than Mo Ran, and that was only AFTER they started dating.

Liu Qingge from Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Submission 1: Gay Grayace

He spends most of his life with one interest and that's fighting and then when he falls for a man he's confused by it and proceeds to flirt in the most awkward way possible. Also he has the grey-white-sometimes purple colour scheme

Submission 2: Aroace

The idea of him being asexual is presented right there on the page and you can't take that away from me. Yes I think he is in love with sqq yes I also think he is aroace. He can be both!

Submission 3: Asexual/Ace-spec

I think he’s sex repulsed given his icy or horrified reactions when sexual topics are discussed. He was also once forcibly aroused when hit by an aphrodisiac, and he responded in a way that implied he had never experienced that before. Additionally, his instinct was not to do anything sexual, but to commit acts of violence.

Mod Propaganda

Canonically not interest in romance by word of God

MXTX: “[Liu Qingge] isn't interested in Shen Qingqiu. He isn't interested in anyone. He's only interested in fighting. He wants to be the strongest and the best.” (Source)

Canonically had no clue he was sexually aroused in the Succubi Extra / interpreted it as “wanting to fight” (which isn’t the same as not experiencing sexual attraction, but that’s also not a trademark of allosexuality)

Speaking of, he never specifically seems interested in Shen Qingqiu romantically or sexually - he’s usually shipped with him bc of his devotion, not a clear desire for romance. Though that’s pretty much just up for personal interpretation

Xie Lian from Heaven Official’s Blessing

Submission 1: Demisexual

He's heavily demi coded. Man has no interest in sex what so ever for 800 years and then makes a strong personal connection to one (1) person and is shocked when he's suddenly interested

Submission 2: Demisexual

I think he is demisexual. He was canonically celibate for 800+ years and doesn’t seem to have too much of a problem with it, until he meets and binds with the love interest. Suddenly this whole celibacy thing becomes difficult.

Seeing a character similar to me was an amazing experience and I think he deserves all the love!

Mu Qing from Heaven Official’s Blessing

Mod Propaganda

He’s sworn off sex for, like, 800+ years, and also had no romantic relationships during that time (as far as we know).

Feng Xin from Heaven Official’s Blessing

Submission: Sex Averse Asexual and Aromantic

He had a sexual relationship with one (1) woman and had such a bad time he developed a fear of women in general. Also, he's a very good archer, so he has to be an aroace lolgetit?

Wenren È from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission 1: Asexual

I haven't actually read this book yet but I've heard it's ace as hell and I wanted to make sure he was submitted

Submission 2: Asexual demiromantic

Resubmitting him because I have now read the book. And oh boy. He is not allo. He spends the whole book being confused about love and romance, and why that, specifically, would be such a huge motivator for people. He has no interest in it besides how it affects someone else and causes them problems. He falls in love by the end but he still doesn't understand how love works for other people at all

Mod Propaganda

“Wenren È cultivated the Path of Slaughter, and when he saw a beautiful woman, his first thought would be what kind of difference there was to fight a woman versus a man.” - Ch.6

The beginning part of the story is just him trying to understand what romance is and why a novel is saying he was in love with Baili Qingmiao.

Interprets “love is always seeing the other person” as “I should force Baili Qingmiao to be able to physically see this boy at all times”

He eventually becomes stupidly in love with Yin Hanjiang, but it’s a Journey. He clearly does not experience/understand romantic and sexual attraction until then.

Yin Hanjiang from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission 1: Asexual

I haven't read this book yet but I heard it was ace as hell and I wanted to make sure he got into the poll

Submission 2: Demisexual demiromantic

Resubmitting him too because, having read the book, he is also not allo. He very clearly draws a line between love and desire, which allo people usually don't do. He spends the entire book being fairly platonically loyal to Wenren E and then when someone explains what love is and he notices that it lines up with how he feels about Wenren E, he's mad about it. Plus the aroace feeling of falling in love with someone and having that shake your entire being to the core. Also, when asked, he doesn't know what love is, but none of the characters in this book do, so.

Mod Propaganda

Literally only cares about Wenren È

“And as for Yin Hanjiang, he actually seemed to deeply believe he was an ice-cold sword, blind and heartless, not caring if what was in front of him was a man, woman, or beast, so long as it wasn’t Wenren È.” - Ch.6

One of the only characters that’s clearly in love/obsessed with someone at the very beginning, but the story clearly talks about how he Only Likes Wenren È specifically, romantically and sexually (probably. Haven’t gotten that far).

Anyway, demisexual and demiromantic.

Wen Qing from the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Submission: Lesbian Asexual

She just has the vibe. Trust me, I'm ace

Wen Ning from the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Submission 1: Aromantic ("A Good Aro Boi")

He never shows any kind of romantic interest in anyone. He's definitely in a QPR with Wei Wuxian and tangentially Lan Wangji though.

Cheng Qian from Liu Yao: the Revitalization of Fuyao Sect

Submission: Sex Favorable Asexual

He has the Vibes

Kim Dokja from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

Submission 1: demiromantic graysexual, romance/sex indifferent

bc yoohankim is the most qpr qpr to ever qpr

Submission 2: demiromantic graysexual

yoohankim is soo queerplatonic it makes my chest hurt. and ysa and kdj are THE qpr ever. also i read the submissions list and my jaw deadass dropped when i saw that someone else had the exact same kdj hcs as me like asjdnghfdhdbn!ksnk#**#*@*

Cale Henituse from Lout of the Count’s Family

Submission: Aroace

Not a speck of romantic interest in this man. The only thing he wants to do in bed is sleep

Song Lan from the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Submission: Asexual or Demisexual

I love whenever I'm reading fic where he is ace-spec it feels very correct

Shu Yanyan from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission: Hypersexual Aromantic

She likes the sex. She loves the sex. Sex is how she does cultivation. But she states multiple times that she would never settle down with anyone, and when asked what love is she has no idea. Everyone should read this book

Chung Myung from Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Submission: Aroace

He's so aroace! to me!! He's hard on the outside, but soft on the inside, no matter what he wants us to believe. He also says it multiple times that what he loves the most is the Mount Hua sect! He clearly loved his father/older brother figure, and his best friend, and thinks of them every chapter (they have passed away). And his current friends!! I wasn't expecting them to 'found family' this hard and fast, but they did! These kids care about each other so much </3

Liu Mingyan from Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Submission:

Aroacespec Liu sibs ftw! Only one of og!Binghe's wives he doesn't have sex scenes with. Writes freaky smut fanfic but has no canon love interest of her own (apart from binghe/in the svsss timeline) despite being an unparalled beauty, which is aroacespec behavior

Zhao Yue from The Bandit’s Strategy / Tu Fei Gong Lue

Submission: demisexual & demiromantic

He has a whole mental monolgue about how when he was a teenager, he never experienced neither sexual nor romantic attraction, when all other boys his age around him seemed to - and how he thought this was simply something that wasn't in his fate. And that this only changed after he met, & spent a lot of time with (the other half of main couple) Wen Liunian. (This happened when Zhao Yue was in his twenties)..........To me, this felt like the closest the author could come to describing a character as demi without using the actual word.

Baek Suryong from Best Teacher Baek

Submission: Aroace

Suryong ignores and shoots down, but mostly plainly doesn't notice any flirting attempts. Rather the ones he does notice make him uncomfortable. He shows no interest in either sex or romance, despite meeting many people he'd describe as beautiful. Found a neat lifehack for having children without the pesky inbetween process, and has since picked up a bunch of disciples. When thinking about his future he doesn't considered marriage, or romantic relationships, as future goals. At one point we get a side character's POV, who talks about the many lovestruck people around him. Said romantic attention just never shows up in his own POV.

[veliseraptor]

17 and 18 for the "choose violence" asks?

there should be more of this type of fic/art: okay, there's all kinds of things where I'm like "I desperately want more of this, why isn't there more of this" but I kind of feel like for most of those it's not that there's none of it so much as I just want more. so I'm just going to say that I think fandom needs more fucked up femslash.

like. look. Liu Mingyan/Sha Hualing is great and what I want from it is something really digging into the messiness of that relationship - not even fucked up per se but just the fact that it's righteous cultivator/demon, or to put it even more bluntly madonna/whore, and like...poking at that, and their relationships with sexuality, and the potential humor but also potential complications...but I feel like what I've found for them, with a couple exceptions, is mostly either (a) just smut or (b) nice lesbians having a good time.

or Lucille Sharpe/Edith from Crimson Peak! admittedly I have found more of this one but there could still be so much more and it is such a relationship and there is so much potential for fucked up smut here and this is one where lately I've honestly been like "maybe I just have to write it myself" because I feel like I could.

you know what I need to go look for? Qiyan Agula/Nangong Jingnu fic. but I bet there's not enough of it.

and I know I could be contributing to this and I'm not, #part of the problem, but also I am one writer and I just think...idk, I feel like people have ended up with this idea that femslash is the nice and sweet pairing zone and I would like more deranged f/f relationship dynamics, please and thank you.

(callout post for Kushiel's Legacy which has a mere 31/328 fics that are tagged for Phedre/Melisandre, it's right there. baby's first fucked up femslash ship and I stand by it)

it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...: well, I feel like some of the above could also go here, but in the interests of answering something else...I feel like there is so much potential in Mu Qing's relationship with honestly most characters other than Feng Xin (not that that relationship isn't great!), particularly Xie Lian, and I don't think it gets poked at nearly enough.

as far as CQL goes I personally could use a lot more fic about Xue Yang's fast times at Jinlintai, particularly fic that doesn't make Jin Guangyao the bad guy in one way or another. the potential for Jin Ling babysitting fic alone, I wrote one but there could be more.

also just personally there's not nearly enough whump in the vegaspete part of kinnporsche fandom and if I write any more of it myself I'm going to feel silly. which won't stop me but think of how silly I'll feel

[minsarasarahair]

I watched Dungeon Meshi for Shuro but I didn't know he's hated by the fandom... This like liking Jiang Cheng (MDZS), Mu Qing (TGCF), Jeanne (VNC), and Nine Forton (BOTV) all over again... Why I'm always interested to character hated by everyone lol I can't ever hate a character with pretty long hair!! I just don't hate characters based on their morals, okay?? I look at them as characters. Like their nuance and their addition to the story. That's how I roll.

Not sure why he's hated tbh? Is it because he has the asian stereotype not lovable personality like Jiang Cheng or Mu Qing? Or is it because he gets in a way to Falin & Marcille gay ship just because he has a crush over Falin like Nine and Jeanne? I'm Asian so that's probably why I understand Shuro's flaws more. Sure, he has flaws. But everyone has? Even Senshi and Chilchuck had a little fight but later learned something from it. I like all Dungeon Meshi characters so far. I don't really see any character yet that make me irritating. I just find all of them interesting. Senshi and Chilchuck are so endearing to me. Understandable why my dead vtuber oshi, Vesper Noir like these two specific characters. I'm really weak to coward character like Chilchuck who try his best making reckless idiots to stay alive. I mean, look at Lou Zhu. Senshi on other hand, a life veteran who's full of wisdom and I admire how resourceful he is. He's definitely a role model to me.

I don't like Shuro, Namari and Marcille in the beginning tho. Namari and Shuro did left the party but when I found out they have their own way to help find Falin or they have their own story to tell, I'm good with them. The more search party, the better. Marcille is annoying in the beginning because she complain a lot à la younger Sakura from Naruto. Like girl, your friend is going to die yet you're still picky about your food? But the Undine and Red Dragon fight arc made me like her more.

[not-joan-of-arc]

heaven official's blessing by mxtx (pt. 1)

(finished reading on April 1 2022)

unedited digital annotations for books one to three:

(SPOILERS AHEAD FOR BOOKS ONE TO THREE)

okay so I didn't think I would be doing annotations because this book is so fucking long (even though I never want it to end and actually doesn't feel that long) and I'm already almost halfway through

but

I need somewhere to record all my internal screaming otherwise I'm literally going to combust

thoughts thus far -

BOOK ONE

took a while for me to understand the world but the world-building is so insane and immersive that when I did get it it just took the whole story to a whole new level

also having watched the donghua really helped visualise the characters/scenes

I love Xie Lian with all my heart, he's like the epitome of contradiction and the storytelling is fabulous how with every new story we peel back a little bit more of his character and see a new unexpected side to him

Hua Cheng is also my love and I was literally screaming for all his scenes because to us the reader it is so obvious he is so far gone for Xie Lian and yet Xie Lian is so fucking blind to it

I am an absolute sucker for the trope where a big scary evil person is unbelievably soft for their sweet and innocent love

and also shoutout to my fave the iconic gender-fluid Wind Master, we stan

sidenote - the translation was a little rough at first but the more I read the more I got into it and even the translated writing has some truly stunning lines

BOOK TWO

didn't love a lot of this tbh, but only because it was 400 pages of Xie Lian having a full-on breakdown and like the character development and storytelling where phenomenal but all the while my heart was breaking for him

lots of interesting ethics and philosophy stuff

also - we love Feng Xin, Mu Qing is a shady bitch, and calling it now but those two were definitely the deputy gods in disguise in the first book

what I really was living for in this book though was young Hua Cheng's and Xie Lian's interactions, like could they be any more adorable

also was screaming because from the donghua I thought Xie Lian had only met Hua Cheng once but no, they actually met like a dozen times? and all pivotal moments in Xie Lian's life too?? how the fuck does he not remember him?? I mean maybe it's because Xie Lian just finds older Hua Cheng too handsome (it's literally said in every scene where they meet) and his brain can't think of anything else when looking at him but what do I know

also also Qi Rong is one disturbed fucker

BOOK THREE - where we are when starting these annotations

okay so (minus Qi Rong) I love this ragtag group of misfits just chilling at Puqi Shrine, also love the rivalry between a knife and a scrap of silk

the kiss scene!! and I can't believe Xie Lian had a full on meltdown about it then literally asked Hua Cheng out on a date like two seconds later (also their whole date was so freaking cute and we appreciate ghost henchpeople supporting their overlord gallivanting around with the love of his life)

also we stan Hua Cheng being a supportive bf even if his bf is an oblivious ass

at the same time though a lot of this book seems like it was written on crack - like the whole accidental poisoning thing was so fucking hilarious but so completely random

that being said I've laughed out loud at several chapters in this book - perhaps my fave was Xie Lian's failed attempt at a street performance, like yeah that's my boi

wow I've literally written a whole ass essay

but now back to my regularly scheduled reading

I never want this to end though

BOOK 3 CONTINUED

not Xie Lian being embarrassed about asking for his bf's phone number

“To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled and ridiculed, yet be unable to do anything. That’s the worst suffering in the world.” - okay but can he make it any more obvious

after eight hundred years of nothing, Hua Cheng just has a marriage proposal and an offer to move in together within the span of a day? I can't decide whether he's moving too slow or too fast

Xie Lian literally about to combust at the sight of a shirtless Hua Cheng is absolutely priceless

oof okay this coffin scene is getting intense

ngl, I really hope there aren't any super explicit scenes in the book because MXTX's attitude towards consent in the few scenes I read in Mo Dao Zu Shi made me feel kinda gross and ruined novel!WangXian's relationship a bit for me - that being said, I think it might just be for those characters specifically and so maybe if HuaLian do have any explicit scenes it'll be a lot softer and wholly consensual - and tbf, especially with Xie Lian's whole purity thing, the affectionate touches and kiss scene thus far have been wholly respectful and consensual, like Hua Cheng is so soft with Xie Lian it's actually adorable

their heart-to-heart moment on the beach is making me scream for various reasons but mostly because Hua Cheng is literally confessing his love?? like could he be any more obvious?? and the dumbass Xie Lian is just like ‘hmm what are these strange feelings, is that jealousy? nah, we're just bros’ - I love him but he's so fucking stupid at times

oh man, I thought Ming Yi was sus but then the dice game seemed to clear his name - that's a very clever plot device

this whole plot twist is just so well-written and well-thought out in general, like the writing for this part of the story is amazing and yeah I thought it was more than coincidence that the Wind Master and the Water Demon had the name Xuan but I never suspected this extent of conspiracy - just wow, flawlessly done

I don't really understand Quan Yizhen's character but the whole accidentally eating Xie Lian's poison was just too funny, again that's another scene I could easily imagine in the donghua

I am living for Hua Cheng disguising himself as Lan Ying - also this entire story arc Xie Lian constantly seems like he doesn't know ‘whether to laugh or to cry’

Xie Lian is simultaneously terrifying and a complete and utter cinnamon roll, we stan

Crown Prince Xie Lan? More like Genius Detective Xie Lian, uncovering corrupt Heavenly Officials one god at a time

yeah Fu Yao is definitely Mu Qing and Hua Cheng knows it, whether Xie Lian has figured it out too is anyone's guess, he can be something of an unreliable narrator even if it is a third person POV

okay I like Feng Xin and I feel bad for him now, like he's so obviously heartbroken and its sad to think no one knew he once had a wife he loved for almost a thousand years - I mean, it's nowhere near as tragic as Xie Lian's life, but still

it really does seem like every major god or ghost is somehow related to Xie Lian - Hua Cheng, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Qi Rong, Lan Chang, Pei Su, Banyue, and the other Crown Prince of Yong'an whose name I forget

who knew Pei Ming would be the one to ship Hua Cheng and Xie Lian - like he literally clocks onto their relationship right away with the whole getting Xie Lian to kiss E'ming and then two seconds later telling him to actually kiss Hua Cheng to save him lol - Pei Ming is a bit of a dickhead but we appreciate an ally

at this point it's pretty clear Xie Lian enjoys ‘accidentally’ poisoning people - just waiting to see if this is a comedic trope or an actual plot device

Pei Ming being done with how insufferably in love Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are is a fat mood

also I suspect this white-clothed Crown Prince is the white-clothed calamity in the smiling-crying mask

so basically every heavenly official ever has somehow ended up at demon realm central

okay but Ling Wen is a badass, like sure she murdered a bunch of people, but most of those people were a bunch of sexist knobs and compared to the shit some of the other heavenly officials have done it’s actually pretty minor? also this woman was literally holding heaven together for centuries, like as soon as she dips literally everything falls into chaos because the male gods don’t know how to do shit

I love scenes like this one now where Xie Lian and Pei Ming are caught in the net because its just so hilariously chaotic, like the whole dialogue where Xie Lian is all ‘can you please not kill me, thank you’ and Ling Wen is like ‘hmm nah sorry, no can do’ and Xie Lian is like ‘but I’m just here for the bants’ literally had me crying

red string of fate!! Hua Cheng tying him and his boyf together both literally and symbolically, we love to see it

Yin Yu is too good, and like I know he's barely had any pagetime thus far but he's now one of my fav characters okay, like he's such a mood - also he's so obviously aware of how his master Hua Cheng is whipped for Xie Lian and whole-heartedly supports it and that just makes me like him even more

I also still don’t know how I feel about Quan Yizhen

okay so there's definitely a conspiracy with the Crown Prince of Wuyong and Xie Lian, I'm guessing this is building up to what book four will be about - also I read a comment that said book four was epically tragic and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, I don't want Xie Lian to suffer anymore :(

Xie Lian outwardly: yes yes the red string is a very practical spell; Xie Lian internally: what a relief to know my boyf- uh I mean my friend is safe and that I'll always be able to find him

and then the next scene is Hua Cheng literally telling him to have a bit more self-preservation (which tbf, Xie Lian really does need because he's just like so casual about literally dying multiple times??) - how soft these two are for each other is literally going to be the death of me

wow Hua Cheng is so jealous but like, tbf, Xie Lian is being so vague in trying to say he trusts Hua Cheng?? like just tell him directly dude

so we're getting the story of how Xie Lian forged Ruoye too? oof I already know it's going to make me bawl

so this is the other group of gods and ghosts who are all a little older than the Xianle lot (except Pei Su) and are instead centred around Pei Ming - Ling Wen, Xuan Ji, the Rain Master, Rong Guang, that other statue civil god

so is it the Rain Master throwing Pei Ming off the ox or is it Xie Lian in retaliation for Pei Ming being rude to Hua Cheng? I guess we'll never know

no but literally, who isn't at Mount Tongl'u at this point? like even Feng Xin and Mu Qing are here now

Hua Cheng acting sus - he definitely rescued Xie Lian and brought him to the mountain cave - okay Hua Cheng is undoubtedly lying now, my theory is that Hua Cheng carved all these sculptures of Xie Lian in the ten years he was in Mount Tongl'u and that's also why some of the sculptures are better than others as he improved over time

also Hua Cheng trapping Mu Qing and Feng Xin is low-key hilarious

so yeah Xie Lian knew it was Mu Qing and Feng Xin since book one - called it! he really is an unreliable narrator

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE BIG REVEAL IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING

ngl the statues are kind of creepy, like it's almost stalkery?

it's honestly perfectly understandable why Mu Qing and Feng Xin are freaking out, like they genuinely are just trying to be good friends - I just want to hear Hua Cheng's explanation for everything

at the same time I too am very much freaking out wow

ITS HAPPENING AHHH

no but the murals are actually really sweet? - oof except the one that is very obviously from the Land of Tender with a probably naked Xie Lian lol

also I really want to know what the fuck is going on in Xie Lian's mind right now but the storytelling is done very well in that it's Feng Xin and Mu Qing who are voicing their discoveries out loud

noo Hua Cheng don't listen to them!! they're just trying to be good friends but don't let them think Xie Lian rejected you when he still doesn't know that you love him!!

being queer and being called ‘disgusting’ hurts more than non-queer people could ever understand - of course this makes Hua Cheng vulnerable, my poor sweet gay, honestly I would punch Mu Qing now too

but tbf again to both Mu Qing and Feng Xin, they don't understand Hua Cheng and how pure his love is and are freaked out by all that they've learnt so probably think Hua Cheng's going to assault Xie Lian - obvs not going to happen though

OH FUCK ME ITS HAPPENED THEY'VE CONFESSED AND LIKE THEY STILL HAVENT SAID ANYTHING REALLY BUT THEY BOTH NOW KNOW AND MY HEART FEELS SO FULL IM LITERALLY ABOUT TO START SOBBING WITH HAPPINESS

lol Xie Lian finally admitting how attracted he is to capable and aggressive Hua Cheng

things are getting intense!! what the fuck does this White No-face want?? like I have a few ideas but nothing concrete yet

also I can't believe I'm at the end of book three?? and only 500 pages left to go?? I genuinely never want this story to end, it's just too good

---

my annotation system

[what-if-nct]

(this is sneeze, i changed my mains layout and also i figured i didnt need to use anon mode because everyone knows who i am anyways-)

awwww your new profile picture is adorable!!! I love those idiots so much, when Shotaro called Xiaojun 'sunbaenim' and Xiaojun told him not be so polite I love them

I'm afraid im getting off kpop even tho Mark will always have a special place in my anus heart. I love that guy he's amazing. And adorable. I love the way he laughs at stupid shit because same. He has worsened my humor. I'll always love NCT and SHINee and Stray Kids (although i have drama with all three fandoms xD) (not everyone tho, but most online friends who're stays turned out to be toxic as hell, but well who knows do they think like that about me). Changbinnie will always be my cute little pie.

(Striped part in next paragraph contains gore)

I bought rangers apprentice and the tgcf books and i am obsessed. There even is a month for my favorite ship which is FengQing (Feng Xin x Mu Qing) which is January and I've participated with writing. I literally loved writing those stupid little drabbles. Mu Qing canonically has a habbit of rolling his eyes and its hilarious. Also theres this guy who literally eats bodies and hangs them in trees to fucking look cool and hes my favorite character help-

How have you been? I wish i had more words to send you except my stupid obsessions, I want to be a good friend, really. Please be okay, alright? I dont know why I say this but I'd always like care for you because you're too sweet. Sorry I'm sorry for not coming here often, I really am. I love you so so so much!!!

-sneeze

YOUR HEADER EXCUSE ME I LOVE ITTTT

Also someone commented on my first ao3 fic and I'm so fucking happy right now they were so nice help I'm gonna cryyyyy

Yes, I love Taro and Xiaojun so much it's the cutest picture of anyone ever! The header I had to I said Yuta's belly button piercing will return one day. Today is that day. Understandable. The kpop fandom is pretty toxic which is why it's just important to create a circle of people who you feel comfortable talking to and are chill and get you. I only really had one close friend who was into kpop. I have like three now! (Sorry I'm so annoying and suck at typing) And of course all of you guys! And honestly Stays kinda scare me. So I'll just be in my Stayzen corner. All other Stayzens please join. And that sounds like really cool. A little scary but cool. And im fine I did cry last night and this morning but I'm fine just had an issue with my hair. I had put in extensions the way I usually do it which is how it is on Instagram I think we follow each other there. But my aunt's friend wanted to fix it for me but she did it way to tight and I took it out last night and the front got pulled out from how tight it is. And I was so sad plus I don't like the color I dyed it red to match the extensions and I don't like it and I'm fighting the urge to buy green hair dye. Cause green will neutralize red. But I have to fade it first so it will get to a color I can dye over. And it's been a whole kerfuffle. But I'm fine. I'm a Leo so I'm dramatic over my hair. I'm okay. And thank you for caring about me. I have a horrible mindset of no one cares about me so it's nice being reminded there's people who do. I love you too. I hope you're doing well and you're having a good day.

[sofyflora98]

You dont have to answer if you dont want. But i stumbled upon an old post about Mu Qing up holding classism and that its Hua Cheng should be the face for it and i just felt conflicted? I tried to be open minded. And the big example they used is him kicking out of the army which imo kinda odd… to say.. But its combined with the fact Mu Qing called Hua Cheng a liar and he obviously didnt want Hua Cheng tagging along and he let Feng Xin with a broken arm carrying Hua Cheng . tbh, im fine with open intrepretation of that.

We all know Mu Qing doesnt have soft personality and hes prickly. I definitely do think in that liar scene, i saw it more as Mu Qing just being truthful than empathatic as he analyze the situation which i guess fine, MQ theres obviously time and place for that as hes scared and dirty. But even if his family condition was bad, based on how someone fixed up his clothes he could have thought he might at least have another person who does care which was why he even mentioned it in the first place. Anything is possible after all. Although, i did get confused whether did he know the info background on him because XL did overhear the mean things the kids yell at him about him being kicked our. Anyways, it wasnt as he was like no this kid cant stay. Unless theres a line that i missed. And he did try to carry Hong Er but hong er wouldnt let him which he did show hesitation to do it or not afterwards.

And how i view the army situation is even though it is indeed that youth dying rate is higher in war and Hua Cheng did die lol. But its also mixed with Mu Qing’s need to not want to be replaced. This man’s mind never rest lol. Which i get it. Hes very interesting for that. After all, his core character is all about being a survivor. But to say that he upholds classism is fucking deranged. Like Guoshi is right there for ruining his mortal life lol. Funny enough, they certainly dont mention about Feng xin (though hes in rage as Mq was frustrated and being rude with xl but still that was uncalled for) who reminded him to know his place. I brought FX up because in one of the comments of that post they were saying at least FX acted with good will. Lol okay. We definitely can see you not being genuine about the topic. At least be consistent.

And Hua Cheng beats classism by creating another system of his own? ive seen people say its different in ghost City as its really based on mutual beneficial agreement and all especially with Yin Yu. But my guy…. ..you mean him as the King? Bruh its not as simple as that 😭 The heaven is indeed full of classist Gods which is why they look down on LW and MQ and QYZ. But the system to get there isnt, as long as you have the abilities, hard work and luck. Idk like feel free to talk about Hua Cheng overcoming society classism and rise to the top and all. But i find that answer to be so simplisitic and not well thought out?

Also he isnt mentioned alot with that Topic because his narrative isnt strongly focused on that??? Its very clear hes about devotion to his God and the strength he does to be the best so he can take care of Xie Lian. And hes the main character too at that 😭 take it up with MXTX for making Mu Qing a side character, story to strongly ties around it. His insecurity is because of that too.

And the funniest part imo is to Hua Cheng, his insecurity is his appearance - i mean u can still make an argument that is rooted in him being born under a bad star and the classism that he faces over it. But still. Similar at its core but different hurt.

Anywyas, idk i feel the argument is just so???? I just need to rant lol

But how do you feel about the revision on him kicking out Hong’er because of guoshi words thaf hes a misfortune that will bring bad luck to XL? That i would like to know.

I think I know what post you're talking about, and I agree with you. The argument that Hua Cheng is the one who "fought" classism and that Mu Qing is upholding in it doesn't stand, in my opinion. First of all, because Hua Cheng's supposed victory over classism doesn't even take place in the world of the living, and Ghost City is everything but an egalitarian place. Which isn't his fault, of course, because a single person cannot change the world. Then, again, his plot in the novel doesn't mainly revolve around classism the same way Mu Qing's does. I'd say that his plot is more about marginalisation and abuse, even if social class was obviously a fundamental part of his condition.

Regarding Mu Qing, literally, unless he somehow became a revolutionary leader, what could he even do? He had one chance to get away from misery and he took it. Gods are not allowed to interfere with the mortal world more than what concerns their duties toward their worshippers. The heavens are a classist world, because they reflect the human world, since all gods used to be human, but I see no instance where Mu Qing even remotely upheld classism. A good part of his lines are specifically to complain about how others are classist, so it really doesn't make any sense. I think that the issue of Hong'er being kicked out of the army has an ambiguity, and the desire to keep a child (who by the way didn't have the age to be in the army) far from war, and his fear of being replaced and possible jealousy, coexist. Human emotions aren't a mono-dimensional thing.

I don't really have an opinion about the revised version, but having read the first version years ago, I'm more attached to it.

[fallloverfic]

TGCF donghua Season 2, Episode 12 thoughts

The end episode for the season had some lovely stuff :3 Spoilers for the book and donghua below. CW: blood.

I do love the cute little back and forth between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng a lot. ...I kind of wish it wasn't repeated here so we could focus on new stuff, but okay.

Xie Lian chuckling with Shi Qingxuan about what happened to Feng Xin lol He loves Feng Xin but also it's funny. No snow-white lotus here. They're so cute T-T Their friendshippppp T-T

But also he apologizes for it. Feng Xin's little smile/soft sad look(?) as he looks at Dianxia T-T I CRYYYY And then they awkwardly look away from each other (after Feng Xin talks about superior skill) and I cry more T-T

Mu Qing still approves of Feng Xin covered in blood. His little chuckle. As someone pointed out, this is how this part is phrased in the English translation:

“Only Mu Qing held [Feng Xin's] gaze. He not only didn’t care to avoid him, but he purposely stared, his intent more than obvious.” (Volume 2, Chapter 24).

Smirky boi.

Jun Wu's character model is pretty but also growing on me. He has some nice shots this episode.

Terrible man. Horrible. Pretty.

Xie Lian sadly running while having all his terrible memories T-T Pretty shots, tho.

The tomb is so pretty! I love how it looks like a sky!

Xie Lian thinking about what Qi Rong might have gone through... I know part of it is just worry about all the terrible things Qi Rong has done, only some of which Xie Lian knows of, but he has some sadness about what horrible things happened to him, too. Like I'll never get over that seemingly neither Xie Lian nor his parents know how Qi Rong died. Even Xie Lian didn't actually die (because he was a god when he got mortally injured T-T). But Qi Rong did. They just sort of lose track of him around when Xianle falls. And that's really sad.

So it looks like they mostly kept Qi Rong's new body the same, and just added his green make-up to indicate possession, which makes sense. He looks similar enough like this it's fine. Poor Guzi T-T He's having a bad lotta days.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not a fan of the massive use of reused footage this episode. I get that they're going into another arc for season 3, so there has to be a cut-off somewhere, and this is a good place to cut off. But it... well. At least there's lots of gay pining on Xie Lian's part. A nice note to end the season on, I suppose, particularly because it parallels season 1 and they are the central relationship.

I can't recall any sub issues this episode, other than the continued use of "Green Immor", and I did a double-take when they directly translated the name for Mount Tonglu. Hoping they go back and fix all the issues in previous episodes.

All in all, this was a really wonderful season, with only a few minor issues overall, mostly in terms of the subs and that one very weird art decision in one episode. The art was beautiful, the voice actors did a great job, the music was lovely as always, the new intro and endings were wonderful, the additions were wonderful (yee Xiao Mengyou/Xiao Shiwei :3), and it's so fun to see all this in animation at last! Lots of wonderful Hualian, YIN YU FOR FIVE SECONDS MY BELOVED!!!!, lots of wonderful Shi Qingxuan & Xie Lian, lots of wonderful Xianle trio drama, some lovely Beefleaf tidbits, lots of wonderful Qi Rong being The Worst (I love him so), and lots of wonderful Lang Qianqiu. Lots of wonderful everyone!

Here's to season 3! May we see it soon!

Other episode thoughts for season 2 (didn't start till episode 3):

S02E03

S02E04

S02E05

S02E06

S02E07

S02E08

S02E09

S02E10

S02E11

S02E12 (you are here)

[hunxi-after-hours]

Mu Qing anon here - I meant Mu Qing from TGCF, but as a LYB fan I would not be opposed to Mu Qing from LYB thoughts either! (Answer is I meant TGCF Mu Qing haha)

(full warning y’all this is over 2.5k and nearly incomprehensible but it’s head empty no thoughts over here these days so let’s just do this I guess)

so, here is my hot take on Mu Qing: I think Mu Qing is, hands down, the most complex character in TGCF

which isn’t to say that the other characters are simplistic or boring or lack emotional complexity or anything, but that Mu Qing’s characterization is so complicated because he stands at the intersection of so many different themes and issues and conflicts and ideas in the narrative of TGCF

here, let’s just list a few of them, shall we?

class/class relationships -- one of the first things we learn about Mu Qing is that he used to be Xie Lian’s servant, and not a bodyguard/companion like Feng Xin, but a servant meant for lowly, household tasks. this is not, in and of itself, something to be ashamed of, but no one ever lets Mu Qing forget this

questions of loyalty -- what does it mean to follow someone? what does it mean to serve them? when are you allowed to leave them?

specifically, loyalty as filiality vs. loyalty as fealty -- Mu Qing is notably different from Feng Xin in that he has family; he has his mother to support, and thereby does not fully belong to Xie Lian’s world of wealth and royalty. Feng Xin can say “fuck it” and stick with Xie Lian to the bitter end, but Mu Qing has other obligations.

perception and self-fulfilling prophecies -- Mu Qing constantly struggles with/against what other people think of him, especially tying back to point 1 up there

specifically, Hua Cheng and Mu Qing are fascinating to compare and contrast, ESPECIALLY considering a) the mechanism of fate/allotment in TGCF, as well as b) the incident where Mu Qing actively got Hua Cheng kicked out of the army

the complicated dynamics of envy and gratitude -- Mu Qing and Xie Lian. moving on

intent and corruption, idealism vs. pragmatism -- can you maintain your initial intent of doing good, even if you do not use the purest methods? can the ends ever justify the means?

(self-)forgiveness -- Mu Qing and Xie Lian. moving on

and those are just the ones immediately coming to mind; Mu Qing is really this scowling, eternally eye-rolling matryoshka doll of personal, ideological, and emotional conflict, so it’s honestly no wonder why he’s a bit snappish all the time

class / class relationships

one of the coolest things MXTX does in TGCF is deconstruct the idealization of her protagonist, and a major part of the work is done by Mu Qing. Xie Lian, as the beloved, beautiful, compassionate, charitable, talented crown prince of Xianle, was in large part capable of such success because of his status and privilege. He is able to achieve such great cultivation at a young age because he has the resources of the royal family at his disposal; he is generous to the poor that he meets because he can afford to be. The Xie Lian of early book two has the time and emotional energy to be charitable and benevolent because Mu Qing is taking care of the little, daily tasks that exhaust one’s patience and wear at one’s kindness. Recall the pearl earring that gave Mu Qing so much grief when it went missing after the parade; recall how insignificant it was to Xie Lian, and how much it meant to Mu Qing.

It is easy for Xie Lian to be righteous and good, because he has never wanted for anything in his life. But who paved the way for Mu Qing? Who cleared the obstacles in his path? Who gave him a chance, a path out of poverty, the possibility for greatness?

(Xie Lian, yes—more on this later)

of course in book 4, these class dynamics rebound on Xie Lian with a vengeance; after the fall of Xianle, Mu Qing is single-handedly looking after the entire royal family, and then after Mu Qing leaves, Xie Lian, his parents, and Feng Xin are at quite a loss for what to do. Only with Mu Qing’s departure do they realize how much he did for them, and though they thanked him, they did not truly understand or appreciate the depth of his service

the thing about wuxia and xianxia stories is that they are rarely about “the common folk,” though everyone uses the “good of the people” as both justification and excuse for their actions. Our heroes tend to be elite, whether it is through family bloodline (royalty, nobility) or raw talent (i.e. being able to punch everyone else into submission, at which point they transcend their lowly origins and never look back). And so for Mu Qing to break the mold of characters, to be a former servant who has transcended that role into literal godhood, but without forgetting, erasing, or letting go of his roots, is actually hugely significant

questions of loyalty

Mu Qing’s most obvious foil (and rival) in the book is Feng Xin, and much of their character arcs revolve around their relationships to Xie Lian. The thing about Feng Xin is that his entire purpose in life has been to accompany Xie Lian—to study with him, to keep him company, to guard him, to serve him—and so Feng Xin sticks with Xie Lian to the bitter end, leaving only when Xie Lian himself drives Feng Xin away.

Not so with Mu Qing. Mu Qing has a family, a life of his own; his world does not revolve around Xie Lian (except where it does, and Mu Qing is mad about that). Mu Qing has divided loyalties, which people use to criticize him endlessly. If Mu Qing is absent, or if something goes missing, he is the first accused of lazing about or thieving. But if Mu Qing stays at Xie Lian’s side all the time, then he’s sucking up to the crown prince and being unfilial to his poor mother, who still lives in the imperial city, whose son rarely comes home to see her.

you see the double bind? Mu Qing literally cannot win.

Feng Xin and Xie Lian both shrug it off. Why does it matter what other people say? So long as you have been true to yourself in your heart, which is a position of both confidence and luxury. Mu Qing can’t ignore what other people say; it’s not in his nature. What people say about him affects what people think about him, and what people think about him affects their reactions toward him. Why did the parade at the beginning of book two nearly go up in flames before it even took off? Because Xie Lian had asked Mu Qing to pass a notice on to the Guoshi. And why did Mu Qing fail to communicate the appropriate information to the Guoshi? Because some schoolyard bullies refused him entry into the proper hall.

Because at every step of the way, the petty prejudices of other people make it impossible for Mu Qing to succeed.

Perception matters. Public opinion matters. Mu Qing, of the three of them, understands this far more keenly than either of the other two.

Xie Lian and Feng Xin can afford to ignore these insults and slights because they are elite, they are nobility. Mu Qing cannot, because the people around him routinely use his lower-class origins to drag him down. And perhaps, what is most aggravating about the whole affair? None of this is actually about Mu Qing himself, his own merit or talent or worthiness. No one asks if Mu Qing is worthy of serving at Xie Lian’s side; they simply assume he isn’t, and then whisper behind his back about it

perception and self-fulfilling prophecies

this is where TGCF veers close to MDZS/CQL territory: the question of perception and reputation, and how much you should care about what other people think of you

what strikes me about Mu Qing is how often people misread him. as mortals, people muttered about Mu Qing, casting aspersions on his motives, whispering that he’s just here to dig for gold and cozy up to the elite

and then in books four and five, other gods say to Mu Qing: look at how Xie Lian mistreated you and held you back from your true capability; and anyways, your loyalties no longer lie with him, do they? and Mu Qing is silent, wordless, because yes, they have touched on his envy and resentment, but it’s not that simple, is it? because Mu Qing still cares for Xie Lian, and Feng Xin, and the Xie parents—their relationship is messier than friendship, more complicated than fealty

even Jun Wu tests Mu Qing, and Mu Qing would rather have the blood and vitality siphoned out of him than turn on Xie Lian

Mu Qing is constantly resisting the perceptions and expectations of other people, those who expect him to be pettier and weaker and less morally upright. it’s an exhausting, uphill battle, and it’s not like Mu Qing isn’t petty on occasion, but he continues to resist, and resist, and resist the mask of villainy other people would press onto his face, and that is no less of an accomplishment either

envy and gratitude

and here, I think, we come to the core of Mu Qing’s character in TGCF: he is, at all times, grappling with the twin monsters of envy and gratitude in his relationship to Xie Lian

because who is Xie Lian? lovely, graceful, powerful, gentle, skilled, capable, moral; the beloved taizi-dianxia of Xianle, a prodigy who ascended into literal godhood before he even turned twenty

and who is Mu Qing? Mu Qing, in book two, is first introduced as the demon to Xie Lian’s divinity, the dark to his light. The narration tells us that Mu Qing has a remarkable amount of talent himself; that perhaps, even without Xie Lian’s interference, Mu Qing would have been able to ascend on his own

but we will never know, and Mu Qing will never know, and that rankles, because he will always be doomed to live in Xie Lian’s shadow—his servant, his general, his second-in-command

for sure, Mu Qing will always be grateful to Xie Lian—for his kindness and generosity, for seeing Mu Qing’s talent and merit when no one else did, for giving Mu Qing a chance

but that patronage will forever be a double-edged sword, because Mu Qing’s accomplishments will never be his own; at the end of the day, Xie Lian will be credited for discovering this diamond in the rough, and Mu Qing left fuming

and so, Mu Qing’s gratitude towards Xie Lian sours into jealousy and resentment; over time, these negative emotions collapse further inwards and Mu Qing feels guilty about resenting the man who has done so much good for him, and guilty for looking on as Xie Lian is dragged through the mud and dirt of a cruel mortal realm (and look, it’s not like Mu Qing hadn’t warned him, Mu Qing tried to make him see the ugliness of reality) without raising a hand to interfere

and the feedback loop builds and builds until Mu Qing is thoroughly tangled in a web of negativity that is, in large part, of his own making

compounded with his sensitivity to the opinions of others and the fight between Mu Qing and Xie Lian in book four, Mu Qing works himself up over this for literal centuries, and it isn’t until Mu Qing is hanging over a pit of literal lava that he and Xie Lian finally clear things up: that if Xie Lian ever held anything against Mu Qing, he has long forgiven him

which helps Mu Qing begin his journey towards self-forgiveness and reconciliation, because if Xie Lian—the person in the world who most deserves to resent Mu Qing—doesn’t hold it against him, then why is Mu Qing himself still agonizing over the past? 


intent vs. corruption, idealism vs. pragmatism

This is honestly my favorite Mu Qing theme, because it examines Mu Qing and Xie Lian as foils and leaves the question open-ended, which is: how pure do your morals really have to be?

Xie Lian is idealistic, almost to a fault, and gets put through such extremes in the narrative that in the end, he is still somewhat saintly, almost larger than life. his patience and tolerance seem both boundless and impossible, and that is why we love and admire him

but to attain Xie Lian’s level of goodness? near impossible. he is an idol, to be admired; he is flawed, yes, and fallible, of course, but Xie Lian embodies a purity of heart and a goodness of soul that is, frankly speaking, beyond most of us

Mu Qing, however, is pragmatic, pessimistic, bitterly aware of the unfairness of the world. by virtue of his lower station, he recognizes the patterns and relationships of power in a way that is less intuitive to Xie Lian, who never has to deal with a lack of power, until he does

in book four, Mu Qing re-ascends, completely off-screen; we don’t see how, or when, or why exactly, but he returns to the heavenly realm because that is the only locus of true power he can access in this state of crisis. loyalty might dictate that Mu Qing should, like Feng Xin, remain at Xie Lian’s side, mortal and powerless, but Mu Qing, ever the pragmatist, takes re-ascension when it is offered to him

and can any of us say that he was wrong to do so? because as a heavenly official, Mu Qing has more power, and influence, and resources, and Mu Qing still tries to help Xie Lian, knowing fully well that doing so goes against the rules, that doing so could get him banished once more

was it right of Mu Qing to turn his back on Xie Lian in order to maintain his cover and not arouse suspicion with the other gods?

was it wrong of him to do so?

with Xie Lian, morality is often black or white—he slingshots wildly from saintly sufferer to vengeful calamity and back—but for Mu Qing, morality is gray, and gray, and gray. in a world on fire, and with your loved ones in trouble, what do you choose—your moral purity, or the power to help them? can you walk away and turn your back on Xie Lian in order to give him the aid he so desperately needs?

the narrative doesn’t really lay down clear judgment on Mu Qing either way—he is not vilified for making this choice, nor is he praised, and after seven centuries, Xie Lian doesn’t really care about it either way, to be honest. Mu Qing isn’t wrong, and we may never know if Mu Qing was right. The point is, Mu Qing tried his best and was misinterpreted, scorned, and resented for it. And Mu Qing hurts; the insults people levy at him still strike home even after all these centuries, and yet, Mu Qing still goes out of his way to help Xie Lian, whether as Fu Yao, or as Mu Qing, or as Xuan Zhen

Mu Qing is so damn complicated, and so damn interesting, and only just beginning his journey of reconciliation with Xie Lian and forgiveness of himself by the end of the narrative proper, which is a major part of why I find Mu Qing to be the most complex character in TGCF—his is the character that holds the most potential for continued growth, even after turning the last page of the book

[aeriis]

TGCF & MDZS Crossover And MDZS Characters in TGCF Universe, Somehow SVSSS got into this as well? Headcanons

Okay, so I was just browsing through MDZS headcanons and I thought of this really quickly. Let me know if anyone else thought of something similar or something because omg

MDZS Characters in TGCF Universe

Wei Wuxian was never found by Jiang Fengmian. Instead, he dies in the streets (killed by dogs? or starvation, anything really), but his soul lingers. Que a thousand years later, he's a calamity, and he's still carrying a small rattle drum with him, remembering a small boy who gave it to him when he was still alive.

Lan Wangji continues his life. He ascends (maybe in the middle of the war, since Wei Wuxian isn't there with his demonic cultivation), and becomes a heavenly official.

A thousand years later, Lan Wangji meets Wei Wuxian once again, and remembers a boy he once met in Yilling. Wei Wuxian's first thought upon meeting Heavenly Official Hanguang-jun is "So heavenly officials can look like gods." or something along those lines.

Yanli is a calamity. Simply because she's amazing, she died in the war and still had people she cared about that she needed to care for, so she stayed and later on became a calamity.

Wei Wuxian is worshipped as a god (by most people, despite being a ghost) because he has a heart of gold and ended up accidentally taken in an entire horde of children.

Wei Wuxian, despite being a very powerful ghost, still lives in a cave, of all places, and absolutely loves the stories people make about him sacrificing children and kidnapping virgins. It makes him cackle. No, these people do not know that the god they worship and the calamity they fear is the same person.

(Okay, I haven't read TGCF yet, not fully anyway, so I'm not sure if this is possible but) Wei Wuxian found a way to get into the Heavenly Capital and comes frequently to wreak havoc and bother Lan Wangji once he found out who he was.

Wen Ning is a ghost, Wei Wuxian's right-hand-man turned babysitter. Seriously, though, he's amazing. He and Wei Wuxian are a force to be reckoned with.

TGCF & MDZS Crossover (And later SVSSS)

Basically the same thing as above, EXCEPT

Wei Wuxian finding Hua Cheng and forcing him to be friends with him.

He Xuan coming to Paradise Manor for money and food only to find another calamity sleeping in Hua Cheng's bed, and a child that Hua Cheng is reading a bedtime story to.

The child was someone Wei Wuxian found on the streets and decided to adopt. Hua Cheng was resigned.

Hints of HuaWei but Hua Cheng's devotion to Xie Lian is not to be questioned. Wei Wuxian is gone the moment he meets Lan Wangji again.

He Xuan thought Wei Wuxian was Hua Cheng's wife/husband and that he procreated (as a ghost? somehow) passed out.

He came to, things were explained, and he just decided to leave that alone.

Wei Wuxian still lives in a cave, but it's significantly more fancy because Hua Cheng just decided to fuck it and threw even more very expensive stuff at Wei Wuxian.

The first time Hua Cheng calls Wei Wuxian his brother, he does so by accident, and Wei Wuxian brings it up periodically to embarrass him. Hua Cheng, in return, brings up all the times Wei Wuxian mumbled "Lan Zhan" in his sleep.

He did it once in front of Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian made sure he hasn't had a moment of peace since then.

Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian are best friends. Their husbands do not like each other.

The amount of trouble the two of them get into (mostly by accident) is bad enough that Hua Cheng and Lan Wangji start getting along.

Wei Wuxian finally meets Shi Qingxuan. Never again.

Ling Wen shares the last remaining brain cell with Yanli and Wen Qing, who is the god of medicine (because of course she is).

Several people are gone, though, so a moment of silence for them.

Jiang Cheng and Mu Qing get into a screaming match at least once a week.

The absolute chaos that ensues when Shen Qingqiu presses the wrong button, and he and Luo Binghe are dropped right into the middle of a dinner between the most powerful ghosts and gods in existence.

This entire post made me cackle just imagining it.