#to ronghao/changheng

[airagorncharda]

“Love Between Fairy and Devil” memes: 1/?

[moonsorchid]

Totally real dialogue

[tls123]

Changheng. You are my only friend in this world.

[terapsina]

Okay, so a lot of people have taken up this quote to comment on Love Between Fairy and Devil and I have THOUGHTS:

(spoilers for the entire show)

A hero would sacrifice you to save the world but a villain would sacrifice the world to save you.

Changheng is that first one. He puts his duty above his heart which is admirable if more than a bit sad (but he also puts his piety to his clearly corrupt brother above his heart, which is not, and he learns this lesson too late).

Ronghao is that second one and this makes him truly a monster. It is not beautiful, it's ugly and awful and no matter how satisfying it sounds to imagine that a villain would burn down the world for you, the reality of it is horrific.

(in fact, we even KNOW that because our universal reaction to the 'I will destroy your home and kill everyone you know for you' rather made us all slap our own foreheads at the sheer stupidity)

But Dongfang Qingcang and Xiao Lanhua? They're the third kind. The ones who would sacrifices themselves so that the one they love would not need to be the one who falls in their duty to save the world.

(at least by the end, in the beginning... there was the before mentioned stupidity)

First she does it for him (as well as for both her own people and his). Because if she had not he would have died.

In fact this is exactly what she tries to do again once she comes back.

And then he does it for her because he does not want her to sacrifice herself for him and the world a second time. And so he takes her place.

Really it's Xiao Lanhua who says it best herself.

I love all the people. I also love one person.

They do not place the world above their love for each other, but they also by the end have come to respect each other's sense of duty and loyalty and so she cannot hate him for his need to defend the Moon Tribe (or to seek vengeance even). And he does not try to whisk her away once he realizes that she plans to give her life to stop the Evil God Tai Sui.

They would not burn down the world for each other. But they would burn down themselves for each other without thought.

[tokumusume]

[historicalasiandramas]

EPISODE 27 BE SO FR RN. I literally feel like I'm watching a fanmade MV. It has all the danmei classics:

prolonged (longing) staring

achingly hauntingly beautiful music that causes one to stop in their tracks

matching robes!

CH said that being Xiao Run was so much better because he was allowed to feel things. He had friends. He learned what it meant to be a PERSON.

Orchid told him that her feelings for CH were those of gratitude. Imagine that hearing this, combined with finding out that Rong Hao was the one who poisoned DFQC, gets CH to re-evaluate what his feelings for Orchid were.

What if he went to go meet RH with the realization that it's not friendship CH felt for RH. THE FIC WRITES ITSELF! Romantic or queerplatonic, I ship it. I want these two to drink wine together and smile softly at each other forever.

[fanficsbysenneres]

Trespass

After his Shifu's funeral, Ronghao makes a different choice - a choice that will change everything for Lord Yunzhong, Changheng, and possibly all of Shuiyuntian.

New Chapter Posted

Chapter summaries and links under the break.

Chapter 1: The Funeral

After enduring his Shifu's funeral, Ronghao finds something that gives him hope she is not completely gone.

Chapter 2: The Hairpin

After seeing a nightmare future version of himself, Ronghao decides to take his Shifu's hairpin and leave. His plans are thwarted at the gate by an annoying fairy guard and a friendly young god...

Chapter 3: Intervention

Changheng makes an alternative suggestion: instead of leaving Shuiyuntian, maybe Ronghao just needs to talk to someone with more with experience about his nightmares, and get some advice?

Chapter 4: Arbiter Hall

Ronghao loses his temper at the so-called Master of Fate and Destiny, much to the Master's delight.

Chapter 5: The Master of Fate

Lord Yunzhong discovers just what his favourite little fairy guard has been trying to hide from him, and why; while Ronghao is given something unusual from Destiny Tree.

Chapter 6: Shenshui

Fleeing Lord Yunzhong, Changheng and Ronghao make it to Shenshui - only to find someone has placed a magical barrier around it, preventing all entry.

[tockamybeloved]

Original 苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil Ronghao

[vegaseatsass]

I have to pry myself off the computer for real but tomorrow will someone please talk to me about Love Between Fairy & Devil now that I've finally watched it a year after the rest of the internet, and how Fairy Danyin is the best character, and Danyin/Changheng is the most lesbian (and/or gnc)/gay solidarity ship ever, and I am so stunned that they textually ended with Danyin admitting her original thing for Gods of War is that she wanted to become one herself - i.e. there was some "idk if I want to be him or be with him" to her Changheng pining - and with her demonstratively labeling Changheng her xiongdi???????? They are bros in every lifetime!! And should go on Chidi/Danyin Changheng/Ronghao double dates!!!

Someone please talk about this with me.... tomorrow.

[well-dressedwords]

Notes from Re-watch #?

The scriptwriters continue to amaze me as I dig deeper into things that are set up and referred back to:

I find it interesting that Xiao Lanhua’s conversation with Changheng - when he tries to call her to her responsibilities as the Goddess while she is still XLH – ends up foreshadowing her choice when she does have to be the Goddess.

“I am (Orchid), not the Goddess of Xishan. It’s like when you are Xiao Run, not Changheng. Xiao Run doesn’t need to bear the burden of Changheng, because they are not the same person.”

Because the way she handles actually becoming the Goddess of Xishan is a reflection of that conversation. She didn’t need to bear the Goddess’s burden while she was still (only) XLH, but as soon as they revive her with all of her memories, she takes responsibility for who she is.

As she told Tuanwu, she “saw what she needed to see: the three realms, her love with DFQC, her friendships with people in all three realms (I’d say Xiao Run and Xie Wanqing can count as mortal friends) and lost what she needed to lose – the fulfillment of her love. Because she got to live her dream of being DFQC’s wife, even if it wasn’t in “reality” – at the end of the day, it was real enough for her. And now that DFQC has chosen to leave their dream, she has to also accept his choice and become her Goddess self with the inherent responsibilities of protecting the three realms from Tai Sui.

Ironically, Changheng is just as offended by how she acts as the Goddess as he was by XLH not immediately accepting her responsibilities as part of the Xilan tribe. And yet he is also able to make the choice to be Xiao Run later on so that he can be happier as well.

Second, when DFQC is being yanked around by XLH at Simingdian at the beginning, he rages to Shangque that he’ll become her servant for real if she realizes the power the curse gives her over him. Of course, later on, he desperately wants to be her servant both for the reason of staying by her side, and because he actually DOES want to care for her in every way he can. Instead of furious at his servitude, he actually wants to serve his beloved. The contrast is just *chef’s kiss*

Slight crack thoughts:

Can we talk about Changheng’s sucky choices in friends? Through no fault of his own!! Ronghao’s been lying to him for as long as they’ve been friends (when they met at Chidi’s memorial) and tries to kill the girl he’s in love with. Dongfang is deceiving him in regards to why they’re hanging out in the mortal realm (though there were definitely times of true friendship between them), and though I wouldn’t count him as a friend, his servant Qingchun is constantly interrupting his chances of getting somewhere with Xiao Lan Hua and recalling him to his duties.

Honestly, his friendship with Danyin as both Cricket and herself when she gets over him is probably going to be the most healthy relationship he’s had, which should give him a good balance for when DFCQ comes back (and is going to be mostly occupied with his wife).

As terrible as Yun Zhong is as a leader, I’ve got to laugh at how many prisoners escaped in a three month period. I would guess the last 30,000 years were pretty peaceful if you were just living in Shui Yun Tian and not experiencing the constant attacks that Changheng was leading against the Moon Tribe, but you’ve got:

Dongfang Qingcang (though it takes a while for them to realize this)

The other nameless criminals who escaped when he destroyed Haotian Tower

Changheng

Ronghao

Ronghao again

Technically Chidi was under house arrest, pending execution? And Ronghao absconded with her

I would hope the trend would continue with Li Yuan being broken out, maybe by Changheng to repay Danyin for helping him out twice? I’d hate for that guy to be dead when less worthy people are still alive and free (*ahem* Yun Zhong)

The only person who doesn’t escape their punishment is Yulin, because she doesn’t have any real friends to either help her or blackmail someone who can help her. I wonder if her mother even had time to try and save her; she seemed to be taken straight from Fairy Court to her execution/immortal bones being removed. Which, eugh, just trying to think of what that would entail is terrible.

One of XLH and DFQC’s first conversations is about how stealing someone’s job is like killing one’s mother.

So when she sacrifices herself for his people, when it was his job, I think beyond the agony of losing her, he’s also frustrated that he couldn’t fulfill his duty by himself. On the other hand, I think XLH could’ve seen it as fulfilling her duty as the Moon Supreme’s wife & partner – saving the people she chose as her own.

And then finally he goes and steals “her job” – her destiny - as both an act of love to save her, and (tongue in cheek) either stealing her job as revenge OR taking her burden on as her husband.

Without intentionally trying to stay balanced, they nevertheless do balance out their sacrifices for each other because their love is just that all-encompassing.

[airagorncharda]

“Love Between Fairy and Devil” memes: 4/?

[daktyl-z-jordanii-blog]

my only friend

[drwcn]

Ronghao please, for the love of immortals, give up on your literally deadass shifu and just go be gay with Changheng.

[tls123]

I believe you.  /  I know you believe me. LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL — ep.27

[terapsina]

Thinking about how Lbfad is all about love- and not just romantic love, but all kinds. Romantic, Platonic, Familial, Brotherhood, sisterhood, love towards the people, even self-love.

Oh, absolutely. This show portraying the variety of love in all its forms is one of my favorite things.

Plus I also love how there's such different ways that this love is shown in both healthy and decidedly less so ways. Seriously every relationship in this show has its darker reflection.

Like the love between Xiao Lanhua and Dongfang Qingcang in stark mirror against the very obsessive and selfish love that Ronghao has for Chidi Nvzi.

The brotherhood of Dongfang Qingcang and Xunfeng that was so deeply broken but then starts healing once the truth comes out, held against Changheng's blind loyalty for his brother which is clearly utterly without reciprocation.

Xiao Lanhua's love for her shifu and the way Siming's lies were told in order to protect her, against Dongfang Qingcang's relationship with his father and how his father put his country before his son and did utterly terrible things to someone who only wanted his father's love.

Shangque's earned loyalty to the Moon Supreme, against Dieyi's loyalty to Ronghao and how he constantly betrays it.

The friendship between Changheng and Ronghao. Against the more true friendship between Xiao Run and Cricket. Or the eventual one between Changheng and Danyin.

Though it's not just darker reflections either. There's also just... reflections too.

Like the initially reluctant and one sided friendship based on lies between Xiao Lanhua and Jieli. In mirror to the initially reluctant and one sided friendship based on lies between Dongfang Qingcang and Xiao Run.

Or the unrequited romantic love that Changheng felt for Xiao Lanhua which would eventually be a requited friendship. In mirror to the unrequited romantic love that Danyin felt for Changheng which would eventually be a requited friendship.

Seriously, this show is so FULL of various relationships which show both the best and the worst of all the various colors that love can come in and I think that if anything makes this show special, it might truly be THAT.

[tokumusume]