#tgcf ramblings

[mdzs-trash]

Apologies in advance for my Qi Rong ramblings 🥲🙏

So more suggestions to QR not actually being insane; he said awful things to Xie Lian about his parents and home, then lay in wait for XL to visit his parents' tomb! I'm sorry, but there is no way he could be considered insane after making such a calculated move.

I'm not saying he's on the same level as Hua Cheng with his plans, but he's still very careful with what insults to use in order to get an intended reaction.

As much as HC hates the idea (though is probably still very much aware), QR does actually know XL enough to spin his feelings around to hurt him. He has spent just as long as HC thinking about XL, though as an opposition, his thoughts have been on how best to humiliate and hurt XL. I mean, he's hurt too, he watched his whole family get murdered or exiled or (in his mind) kept as a pet in the new Yong'an court. Not to mention the person he admired, idolized, and worshipped, was the cause of it all (again, in his mind).

He's angry, and sad, and confused, and so so hurt. So he uses everything he has in order to bring everything and everyone down to his level, to feel as worthless and helpless as he does.

Calling back to a post made by @149panda149 (I loved your thoughts on that post btw!) in which I was specifically very interested in the parallel between Bai Wuxiang and Qi Rong, where they are both attached to Xie Lian through obsession and hatred; I think in Qi Rong's case it is definitely far more personal (how could it not be? They are family), and even potentially closer to Hua Cheng's feelings (obviously not the same!). And I would hesitantly put the thought forward that Qi Rong's reason for not passing on is the same as Hua Cheng's; an unyielding obsession with his Dianxia, two sides of that same coin if you will.

I personally would have loved to see this parallel drawn between them more obviously in the novel, but alas, there wasn't much to go on with Qi Rong's character. Not to mention the potential LANDMINES worth of issues with the implication of XL's cousin having the same attachment to him as his husband! (Though that... 'concept'... wouldn't be a first for MXTX to tackle, I'm lookin at you Jin Guangyao 😠📸)

But regardless! I think there is definitely huge potential for this idea, and I sincerely wish there was more context behind Qi Rong as a character.

Alright! End of ramble! I apologise for my Qi Rong brain rot, he latched on and is refusing to get off! The needy bitch!!

[lynne-monstr]

somehow I missed s2 of tgcf coming out. I just finished the first episode and my favorite thing (no spoilers) is how lovingly they animate hua cheng. like, they want you to know that this man is big sexy. women want him, fish fear him. what a time to be alive

[biboomerangboi]

Hua Cheng essentially cockblocking himself for possibly all of eternity will literally never not be the funniest thing MXTX ever wrote.

Xie Lian was pretty much completely in love with him the second he saw those lanterns (and completely oblivious about it) and then we get the wonderful first kiss underwater moment and Xie Lian is basically drawing hearts around Hua Cheng every time he sees him. While like quietly dying cause he literally has no idea what to do with it. Like at this point he doesn’t even really understand that he is head over heels totally gone for this man.

Until Hua Cheng is like I have a beloved I just haven’t won them over yet. Which he thinks is perfectly reasonable because his self esteem is the worst and he doesn’t understand how he could have won Xie Lian over yet. (He’s only on step 22 of his Marrying Dianxia 3000 step Master Plan ((that he debates throwing out on a regular basis because he doesn’t deserve to even dream about wanting Xie Lian)). So course he’s like yeah I have this wonderful noble beautiful beloved I just haven’t won them over yet wink wink nudge nudge.

But Xie Lian is like oh of course obviously I don’t deserve nice things and fuck I actually wanted him so badly I’m actually in love with him and now I will resign myself to never being happy for his sake. (Their combined self esteem is truly a so low it’s a hole in the ground which is hilarious because they think the other person is to good for them and unattainable forever because they literally have the same neurosis.) So he starts boxing up his feelings forever constantly wanting Hua Cheng and feeling guilty about it and literally dying inside because he wants Hua Cheng like he’s never wanted anyone.

Like essentially books 3 and 5 only happen because Hua Cheng has now cursed them both by saying he has a beloved because Xie Lian believes he isn’t wanted and therefore any nice thing Hua Cheng does is just him being nice and not Hua Cheng pulling out steps 23-34 of his plan thinking he still hasn’t won Xie Lian over. (He has he so has but he shot himself in the foot so badly it’s painful to read).

Like thank the Gods Hua Cheng is so unhinged and created the cave of 10000 Gods cause Xie Lian would literally be at his own wedding to Hua Cheng still convinced he wanted someone else and this was in fact a thing they were doing to solve a case together otherwise.

Like he needed something that unhinged to put 2 and 2 together otherwise he never would have caught on he’s Hua Cheng’s beloved. Meanwhile Hua cheng is like 🥺 he’s going to think I’m a weirdo now and I’m only on step 50 of the plan 🥺 like the two of them wouldn’t have been fucking nasty 2 books ago if he just kept his mouth shut and didn’t cockblock himself so violently.

[ghostlycollectorchaos]

I just love the way everyone in the tgfc universe is entitled to at least one crisis of faith, even the gods, except hua cheng because the son of bitch saw a pretty boy once when he was seven years old, decided to make him his entire life's meaning and never changed his mind since then

[arcane-gold]

my pookie bear <3333

[dreamingthroughwords]

hualian being childish together because they both had to grow up too fast…..they were so young when they ascended and died. hua cheng died with only his devotion and love for his God on a battlefield, only. xie lian fought so young for his country bitterly and tooth and nail to an ending that had already been planned. they both hardly had time to exist in their youth and they deserve to re create that youth in their age together.

[hualianschild]

oh they def had this conversation before

[almonddirge]

Whenever Mu Qing swears in canon it’s always “What the fuck? What the actual fuck?” followed by Xie Lian saying he’s caught Feng Xin’s language.

There could be other reasons of course but I like to think now that Mu Qing spent so much time with Feng Xin while both of them were looking after Xie Lian that he actually started using Feng Xin’s phrasing. Like how in real life, if you hang around someone long enough you’ll steal each other’s language quirks and even be able to speak completely in sync.

I like to imagine them both rubbing off on each other. Feng Xin starts being seen rolling his eyes, followed by a horrified look as he Realizes. Feng Xin responding to Mu Qing’s goading with sarcasm and no swearing and Mu Qing has to take a moment.

“Finally stopped cussing up a storm at everything? How mature of you, Nan Yang.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Feng Xin retorts, face going red.

Neither of them talk about the fact they’ve picked up these habits from each other. They’re both aware, but don’t want to be the one to say it first. The one to admit how close they’ve become.

[anqelbean]

I can't believe we're getting more svsss content from the tgcf donghua than we have from the CN svsss donghua team

Bingpup + Shizun and Liu Qingge sneaks from the tgcf donghua!

[bloomxng-per4wxnkle]

The way Nie Huaisang and He Xuan were both characters who weren't inclined towards martial arts or cultivation but were interested in art and knowledge. They were both interested in more sophisticated things, things that help in building a civilization and its culture instead of weapons that were used by many throughout history to destroy.

Thinking about how both of them meticulously planned their revenge for decades( or centuries, in the case of He Xuan) so that they could destroy their enemies.

Also, thinking about how their desire to take revenge was born out of their love for their families. How they were both people who were loved by their families..

Something like, "Do you know the gentleness it took to become this violent?" ...

[weirdocat83]

I feel like there could be a very funny situation where Xie Lian knew FengQing were in love with each other from the moment they met each other it’s just neither one said anything so he was kinda stuck 3rd wheeling even if he was the crown prince. So when they finally get together post canon, not only is Xie Lian straight up celebrating, he also uses his time 3rd wheeling as a reason they can’t comment on the PDA that him and Hua Cheng have. Also, the second Xie Lian realized that even after 800+ years they haven’t gotten together, he just heaved a big mental sigh.

[chirpycloudyrobin]

wei wuxian : ykw at this point only gods can judge me xie lian : and i am judging you heavily. go to your room. wei wuxian : aw :<

[heartinhyacinth]

[biboomerangboi]

I just realised we’ve all just assumed that Xie Lian looks at the wraith butterflies and assumes they are beautiful and ethereal because they are soft with him and not weapons but I think we are forgetting this guys special interest is swords and weapons in general he could probably sense just how deadly they were and that only made them more beautiful to him.

[imreallyonthishellsite]

mxtx main characters as drivers

wwx: would be a good driver if he didn't get distracted every 5 minutes and constantly forget where he's supposed to be going (jc swears he does the latter on purpose but doesn't have any proof yet). when he's not distracted hes usually going 5 above the speed limit. has a random playlist for all driving occasions ("why do you have a 'just brunt down walmart and now I'm on the run' playlist?" "why shouldn't i?")

lwj: the example of the perfect driver. will drive the exact speed limit and will refuse to go a single mile over ("lan zhan please we dont have to drive so slow" "its a school zone.the speed limit is 15" "lan zhan the school has been closed for 10 years pls go faster im begging" "no."). mostly plays classical music, podcasts or the rare romance song while driving

xl: decent driver when he gets the opportunity to drive. goes hard on the brakes bc he scared of hitting someone. will let people cut in front of him bc "they might have somewhere important to be". mostly listens to random radio stations for variety

hc: speed demon unless he's with xl. even then he's still a pretty safe driver. carries sticky notes to rate other drivers skills and put them on their car with notes (no one has gotten over a 7). extremely picky about music while driving, if he hates the song you play your banned from ever playing music in his car again. will always listen to music selections from xl

sy/sqq: hates driving with every fiber of being but still got his license. has extreme road rage and has pulled up next to someone to rage abt their driving to their face (spolier he made them cry). will only drive if he actually needs too, this man is a passenger princess. not too picky abt music surprisingly but doesn't like the volume to be too loud

lbh: very good driver. if you piss him off while driving he will either ride way too close to your bumper and follow you for a short time to freak you out or start driving purposefully slow and refuse to let you pass. Music depends on his mood or the events he has going in that day. date nights will be romance and happy songs, dropping sqq off to hangout out with lqg will be heartbreak/when will my love return songs, returning from a business meeting is loud ass rage music

[rotomicity]

TGCF art from 2021 which were very experimental and very much something out of my comfort zone but am still so satisfied with

(gonna ramble more under the cut 👉 )

My main inspiration for these were definitely classic storybook illustration styles and the watercolor-like illustrations included inside the tgcf books which depict hualian's daily slice of life routines as seen below

I wanted to capture that feeling of warmth i got from reading but i also went with the storybook look because their relationship (and by extension broad strokes of the entire plot) really did feel like something out of actual myth or legend; i'm chinese indonesian and was raised surrounded by chinese culture + values so tgcf felt VERY familiar to me, it threw me back to my childhood reading or listening to tales about chinese deities, i'd say the storybook image definitely came into my mind pretty quickly bc of this

I find this style somewhat hard to replicate now but if i could or have the time to, i really want to continue the 'companion pieces to chapter titles ' concept i did with the last 2 pieces (which are of the same chapter title but i was just indecisive 😭😭), i even had 3 more planned based on my favorite titles before burning out back then