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thenanamisimp · 5 months

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Danmei and MXTX novels

Would you look at that, another post that's not about anime? WILD. It is about MXTX novels though so the hyperfixations continue. I'm actually in the process of planning a very lengthy analysis of all three of her series but this is a warning, don't expect too much. I was never good at those in school plus it's been almost 7 years since I've last written something like that but I feel so passionate about her works that I really wanna try to share what I thought about the novels. Nevertheless, this isn't actually those analysis posts since those are gonna be separate and will probably be written after I re-read each series. However, since I'm actually finally fully done reading all her series - including the extra side chapters - I wanted to quickly share some of my opinions and how I feel after finishing all 18 of the books.

This goes without saying but just in case - SPOILER WARNING for Heaven Official's Blessing, The grandmaster of demonic cultivation and The scum villain's self saving system novels.

First off, if you haven't read any of MXTX's work before, prepare for trauma and tragedy. Most of her characters are either deeply traumatised already or in the process of. I will always encourage people to read content warnings before reading her books.

Starting off with my favourite - TGCF or Tian Guan Ci Fu (aka Heaven Official's Blessing). This story means a lot to me. I got introduced to TGCF through the donghua before I even knew it was queer fiction and even with censorship, the closet is made of fucking GLASS so I had to look for the source material. Honestly it took me a while to commit to reading the whole series as I've been struggling to pick up books for years now but TGCF actually got me back into reading (I think in total it took me about 8 days to read all 8 volumes). More than just the story telling being good, I got so incredibly attached to every single character (except Jun Wu, he can eat shit - tho the fact I'm even saying this speaks volumes about how well MXTX can write characters. It takes a lot for me to hate a character this much).

Taking place in a beautiful fantasy world, we follow Xie Lian and Hua Cheng through tragic traumatic past and present and we learn of the horrible truths about the lives of immortal beings. We also see two idiots in love take their sweet ass time to confess. I love me a good slow burn full of longing and pining. I eat that shit UP every time and MXTX gave it to me with every single one of her series.

TGCF for me was a journey full of kicking my feet at fluff, second hand embarrassment (because xl I stg, what do you MEAN you were taught how to resist the advances of women but not how to resist hot men you gay lil shit the closet is made of glass) and honestly, lots of crying. The hundred stabs incident, ruoye's creation and hcg's last death made me sob and scream (no exaggeration, I was stomping around my room, crying and yelling GIVE HIM BACK RIGHT NOW).

Also, in a not so unpopular opinion (I think?), Pei Ming is my fave because 1) he's the no.1 Hualian shipper - check the whole Mt Tunglu adventure for proof and also 2) he's just a lil slut with a big heart. I could seriously talk about him forever because I went from hating him after he tried to throw the blame for the Banyue Pass incident on Xie Lian, to loving him after I realised that everything he does, he does because he is truly just a kind man who loves a good fight. He's so silly! Just a lil guy! Go Pei Ming go!

Fuck you Jun Wu. Again. (I hate him just as much as I hate Mahito. Maybe a little less. I really hate Mahito).

Moving on to my second favourite (but honestly it's such a close one), MDZS or Mo Dao Zu Shi (The grandmaster of demonic cultivation). Take a wild guess about how I got introduced to it... Fandom of course, because very few people talk about TGCF online without mentioning MDZS so I just had to give it a chance.

The great grandmaster of demonic cultivation has been dead for a while but when he gets gifted a new body through a not so well known demonic ritual, he runs into an old acquaintance. We learn about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's past and current world of cultivation and hear stories about messy betrayals and conspiracies. Aaaand we find out about some more trauma and tragedy because is it really an MXTX novel without it?

And talk about a rollercoaster because (and please don't hate me for this) I found Wei Wuxian annoying initially.... But it's okay now because I kin him so go figure. Tho I actually kin only his adult self, I was a very introverted and rule abiding teenager, a lil more like Lan Wangji. In any case, wwx is the same stupid chaotic bisexual that I am and he is babygurl. Yeah and what if he murdered 3000 people? It was self defense. THEY ATTACKED FIRST. Your honour, he did nothing wrong and he does not deserve to be punished!

On a serious note, MDZS explores so many themes that are personally important to me, my favourite being the power dynamics of the world. It’s truly moving that even with all the pain Wei Wuxian went through, how far in his cultivation and how powerful he got, he still couldn't protect those he loved (until Lan Wangji of course because Wangxian is perfect together and they always protect and defend each other. Wangxian my beloved). While it might be a stretch for some, it really reminded me of how powerless we are in the world. People aim to educate themselves and go on to do whatever they can to better the world in their own way and yet, it really feels like nothing’s improving sometimes. I could talk about this for hours but maybe I’ll leave that for another time and another analysis post since this is supposed to be a shorter one (lmao)

Last but not least, RZFZX or Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (honestly this one I use the english name for because I can’t pronounce the chinese as much as I try - The scum villain's self saving system or Svsss). This one I actually kinda struggled with - first of all because WHY BUGS MXTX. Not much bothers me in fiction but BUGS? Too far. Heads with spider legs? Raw flesh with maggots? Blood mites? I was out (for about half an hour and then I kept reading). Please note that it's not the raw flesh that bothered me, it was the fucking maggots. I can read about graphic murder, creepy hauntings, torture and many more but as soon as there are bugs? Nope! I’m done. People have phobias and that’s mine I guess. Enough ranting about bugs!

The story follows Shen Qingqiu, the scum villain of the hit web novel Proud Immortal Demon's Way (or PIDW for short, as it's referred to in Svsss) who is actually one of the original readers - and haters - of PIDW, who transmigrates into the book in order to fix the plot holes left by the original author. With his guide “the system” he does his best to lead the male lead of PIDW, Luo Binghe, down a better path than in the original story.

Svsss employs a comedic way of storytelling, with our protagonist being omniscient, it allows for the narration to be sarcastic and poke fun at a lot of moments that are cliche or badly written, as interpreted by sqq. Honestly, this is just a personal preference but I favour the more serious storytelling way of MDZS and TGCF (give me hurt until the very end when the main characters get together and then give me comfort).

To me, Svsss is a lot harder to analyse as a lot of its themes are unfamiliar to me, especially considering I’m the furthest from having any sort of humanitarian education (I have 2 engineering degrees). Using a story within a story, MXTX is able to deliver two main overarching themes; one about abuse and its results through Luo Binghe as well as one about the relationship of author and their readers, the feeling of being trapped by the readers' opinions and wanting your story to be liked through Shang Qinghua (to be honest, I hadn’t really picked up on this one until I saw discussion about this in the fandom).

If I'm being completely honest, I don't think I grasped this series as well as the other ones and I'm finding it hard to digest lbg and sqq's relationship. I'm unsure as to what it is that's holding me back from loving them as much as Hualian and Wangxian. I do tend to prefer tropes like theirs more than the whole "had to convince him to date me" thing which is what Bingqiu's relationship seemed like to me up until the end of volume 3. It’s also why I'm glad I actually followed through and finished the extras in volume 4 (I was really tempted to stop reading once I finished volume 3 not gonna lie). I believe those to be integral to understanding sqq's feelings towards lbh and while I understand that sqq did actually love lbh from the beginning (denial is a river in egypt and the gloset is made of glass - what the fuck is with MXTX's bottoms and the damn glass closet), I struggled to see the tipping point of where he actually understood his own feelings and what was going on in his head and that he was actually in love with lbh. Which is why I think to really understand Svsss, I would seriously need to reread it.

I also would love to eventually talk about queerness in MXTX's work because in each book, sexuality and queerness is explored and examined in so many different ways. As a queer person myself, it fascinates me as I can relate to so much of it. To be honest, I think I could write a short thesis on just this.

Honestly, while I'm very passionate about my favourite pieces of media (if you've heard me talk about any of my top 5 anime you'll understand what I mean), there hasn't been a lot of things outside JJK and MXTX's novels that have made me wanna dive deep into analysing every single detail. It genuinely makes me feel like I'm gonna implode sometimes. These 3 series have seriously reignited my love for reading. I was shown that a good book - in my opinion of course - doesn't need to avoid difficult topics. It simply needs to use them well as a means of delivering a message and a story, rather than them being included just to be included. They also reminded me that I love queer fiction and I need to read more.

I actually would really like to read Erha (or 2ha or The husky and his white cat shizun) but I've read the content warnings and I'm ~~apprehensive~~. While not a lot of things bother me, I'm not sure I want to read about that stuff (please look at the content warnings of this book, or any piece of media in that matter, especially if you have topics that easily bother or trigger you). Remember, it's our responsibility as readers/consumers to look out for ourselves first!

Please recommend any good danmei (other than MXTX) and possibly include links where they can be read! I would also highly appreciate recommendations for some good wlw fantasy fiction as I really would love to read some wlw novels - or even anime/movies/webtoons/manga. Just in desperate need of quality wlw content.

Also while I said I'd keep it short, it seems I ended up writing over 2000 words…

PS. I proofread this about 5 times and during one of them my file crashed, so if there's any mistakes or if I’m not making sense somewhere, blame my deep-fried brain, thanks

Thanks for reading my novel ramble! Enjoy reading :)

theNanamiSimp

#i'm adding a lot of tags because i put a lot of effort into this post actually and i want people to see it #danmei #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #scum villain's self saving system #scum villain #mxtx #mo xiang tong xiu #hualian #hua cheng #xie lian #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #bingqiu #luo binghe #shen qingqiu

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jiangwanyinscatmom · 1 year

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This might be a bit odd, but do you think MXTX left the ending to be interpreted openly across adaptations re: JC and WWX? Wei Wuxian has let go of a lot of his pride and learned some hard lessons about self-sacrifice and protecting people, and the younger generation is making so much room for nuance and kindness and thereby challenging society. I personally assumed they’d have that conversation eventually, but we didn’t need to see it to assume it would happen.

However, reading your translating of the phrase kinda made sense to me as well. Not all conversations, even if's about JC sacrificing his own life to save WWX from the Wens, need to lead to a point of reconciliation. Sometimes, we can acknowledge that we've come too far to restart or rebuild. It's bittersweet but I'm feeling conflicted on either end.

I honestly don't think she left it open ended at all, for either characters.

Simply because, that conversation doesn't matter anymore, what does Jiang Cheng's sacrifice matter after the extent of what they had gone through? Jiang Cheng built up a hate against Wei Wuxian because he viewed Wei Wuxian as ungrateful, and used that idea of debts to continuously cast Wei Wuxian as selfish and a martyr to show up others. Wei Wuxian hid the truth simply to coddle Jiang Cheng's pride and let his own reputation be besmirched because as he had said, it would seem as if he was using his sacrifice as leverage to downplay his own responsibilities for his actions. What is Wei Wuxian to say that Jiang Cheng will take well, he already hates that he has Wei Wuxian's core and his own hypocrisy about his own tantrums. Wei Wuxian tells him to take it as repayment, as Jiang Cheng had insisted he was owed since Lotus Pier's attack, which only goes into the same circle that neither can think of the other without debts having forced them together as friends to begin with.

Wei Wuxian's core and that reveal didn't stop Jiang Cheng to get over his jealousy of Wei Wuxian being kind enough to give his everything to make other's life easier. He doesn't like that part of Wei Wuxian, and doesn't understand it, his own "kindness" is reserved for himself and those he does love to an extent, but he is still resentful of unconditional equality and suffering that he may have to deal with. Note that he is still harassing Wen Ning despite the former saving his life multiple times already, the lesson did not extend to leave others be aside from Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng said his "good bye" by letting Wei Wuxian walk away to his own future. That's not a bad way to close a relationship, is it satisfactory? Maybe not, but when you have nothing better to say, other than letting someone go, it's not supposed to feel like a victory for you. Letting go of hate isn't always cathartic, and it's something that you don't always have the easiest time ever getting rid of. You do not change your whole self when you just can't or want to, despite letting another person make their choices without your say. Jiang Cheng doesn't expect anything more, and it's why for the first time in his life, he doesn't try to have the last word in on what Wei Wuxian is doing.

Does Jiang Cheng seem upset post-canon? No, as Lan jingyi says he is the same nasty person as ever picking fights, and that's all the confirmation that Wei Wuxian needs to know that he's living and having his own life. Those sort of relationships always feel anticlimactic with resolution, but it is what it is, especially when no one needs to feel entitled or guilted into rebuilding something that neither of you really want to when you just don't get the other anymore or, only maintained it out of obligation despite having different wants and morals.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #canon jiang cheng #he does not get inherent kindness in others #that's his problem despite what he may love or try

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color-studios · 28 days

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Introduction

Hello!! You can call me Ace or Color, either works. I'm a pansexual transmasc! I'm also both acoustic and electric (AuDHD). I'm currently learning to speak Mandarin Chinese! Anyway, now that the boring stuff is out of the way... First off, my DNI list: Minors, "alpha/sigma males", TERFs, you get the point. No minors and no A-holes. I am absolutely FERAL for MXTX works (and Thousand Autumns, haven't gotten to The Husky and His White Cat Shizun yet, but if you like those WATCH EMPEROR'S STRATEGY it's entertaining I PROMISE) so expect to see lots of that from me in various forms! Below you can see some things that might be used to make fan content. I'll take suggestions!! I have lots of creative hobbies!! Mayhaps too many in fact, so here they are (there will probably be more than this as time goes on): - Drawing/Animating - Writing stories/songs/poems/scripts - Making music (digitally or with piano + guitar + some other instruments! Looking to learn the hulusi and guqin) - Singing - Editing videos - Coding (haven't done Java in forever, so-so relationship with Python) - Minecraft buildings (yes I know it might sound lame, but I've made some cool stuff I promise!) - A BIT of game development (I've dabbled a little in Unreal Engine, got really good with RenPy though. Could never figure out RPG Maker honestly) - Learning to use Blender for the backgrounds in my series My favorite ships include: - FengQing (Top Feng Xin & Bottom Mu Qing) - SangCheng (Bottom Nie Huaisang & Top Jiang Cheng) - WangXian (Bottom Lan Wangji & Top Wei Wuxian) - HuaLian (Bottom Hua Cheng & Top Xie Lian) - QuanYin (Top Quan Yizhen & Bottom Yin Yu) There's probably a lot more than that but I can't remember them all right now. I'm also working on my own danmei/xianxia novel that I intend to release in both English and Mandarin at the same time, so throughout my fan content you may see bits and pieces of content related to my series before it comes out!! You can also find me on YouTube!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq2GF2-26Yz3rljt2sdDzvw And Twitter!! (I will never call it X) https://twitter.com/Color__Studios And Instagram!! (Yeah I'm in a lot of places) https://www.instagram.com/color11studios/ Aaand ofc TikTok too!! https://www.tiktok.com/@color11studios

#introductory post

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aphel1on · 7 months

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tag someone you want to get to know better

tagged by @woobifiedvillain a few days ago and finally remembered to do it!!

Favorite color: Yellow, but not an overwhelming yellow, like that soft warm yellow? I love it. People tend to not expect this answer, I think I give off more of a blue or grey vibe. Honestly a pretty grey/silver is probably my second favorite color, but a buttery yellow is just so good for the soul.

Last song: You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi. Danced to it in the kitchen, got consumed by the guitar riffs, nearly knocked a chair over. Before this morning it would've been the Genshin OST... I've been listening to it a lot while I write or do chores recently.

Last movie: An exceedingly mediocre romcom on Netflix that I watched with my sick mom to be nice. Genuinely couldn't tell you the title or more than like, two or three plot points. Last movie that I watched bc I wanted to was the Barbie movie, which was genuinely better than I expected. Enjoyable but would still give it, like, a mixed review. I'm not getting into two months' ago Barbie Movie Discourse on this post

Currently watching: I'M STILL TRYING TO FINISH THE UNTAMED!!!! woobifiedvillain i'm speaking directly to you and quoting you: i too am "chronically incapable of paying attention to visual media, even the good shit" and when i try to explain this to people irl they act like i am insane!!! I haven't watched Good Omens season 2 yet even tho I am reblogging posts about it rn. I think it's mostly adhd, or really just a part of the larger Neurodivergence Soup (tm) that makes it nearly impossible for me to learn something from a YouTube video. I mean, sometimes for a hands-on task a video is essential, but can't there be a written list of instructions to go with it too, bc that sticks in my mind way better sobs... ANYWAY i'm currently on episode 43 of The Untamed, so I should be able to finish it by, like. The end of the year at least lol?

Currently reading: I started reading SVSSS recently because, like. The mxtx mania is in full throttle. I just got here a little later than most people lmao. I'm also currently "reading" like seven different books that I bought or pirated this year and have on hold. One of my Unfortunate Skills is bingereading like 200 pages of something in 1-2 days and then not finishing the rest of it for 8 months.

Currently working on: Keep My Shadow Alive, my big xue yang-centric fix it fic!!! Well, more like a fix it, and then break it more, and then eventually actually fix it fic. Starting from the canon divergence of "Add Pre-Teen Xue Yang to the Burial Mounds Fam" and going from there. I read every fic like that that's on ao3 and was still being eaten alive by the brainworms so I started writing my own take on it and ~6 months later it's the longest fic I've ever written and only 25% of the way through its outline???? So. Who knows if it will get finished (my track record is admittedly not great)- but I've had such a blast writing it so far. Xue Yang is just SO fun to write. Yes it has a plot and character arcs and I could even go full English Major* and start telling you about its Themes, but also it's just an excuse to write Xue Yang interacting with every member of the MDZS cast. Going to STOP talking now bc I fully am the type of writer who will get carried away talking about their wips.

*i am not an english major, but spiritually i am an english major.

Current obsession: Yeah uh, MDZS. My friend convinced me to finally read it in January of this year, and the hyperfixation train has simply not stopped since then. Genshin Impact also dragged me back in with the Fontaine update and I've been having a lot of fun playing it. But MDZS is still mostly the thing that's eating up my RAM. Particularly the Yi City crew, but 3zun is rotating in there too. Sometimes even The Man WWX Himself, i talk about him less but i do love him a lot also lol

Tagging: I'm honestly too shy to do this!!! But thank you for tagging me anyway<3

#love when people invite me to ramble💕#if i ever post something unprompted it has been edited 6 times for conciseness #not this post. i sat down and word vomited until it was over and i am not rereading it or i'll get self conscious #tag games #aphelion.txt #mdzs has been like. category 5 autism event #it's been a long time since something grabbed me this hard #often i'll be super obsessed with something for 2-3 months and wring all the interest out of it and move on #i mean it's not uncommon for me to cycle back to a previous interest after awhile and have another obsession phase #but the enduring power of mdzs has been quite impressive

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user-needs-new-hyperfixation · 5 months

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uh as someone who is in svsss fandom; not sure what that other person was talking about in terms of everyone “glossing over” how it ends. people know it’s bad. that’s... kind of the point, both of the entire series and that scene. spoilers for that, and the rest of svsss though I’ve done my best to keep everything vague, but you can choose to disregard this and I wouldn’t fault you for this. tl:dr svsss is definitely not for everyone and if this isn’t your thing, probably not for you. sorry in advance for the essay. it is an absolute train wreck, which is kind of the point.

that scene involves sex. that scene involves one person withdrawing consent. that scene continues despite the withdrawal of consent, and mind you it’s not what most people would call erotic by any definition.

this book is a horror that gets masked by the comedy from an unreliable narrator; what if you got isekai’d into the absolute worst of the worst online web novel, that is just porn and a revenge catharsis male power fantasy, what if you were stuck there? what if you were stuck in the role of a character created to be the source of misery, a character who actually has to suffer that horrifying punishment that is inflicted by the protagonist of this revenge fantasy by the end if you fail to change a story that’s already been written?

it’s a terrible world to be sent to because the book is deconstructing that entire genre that honestly I don’t think exists to the same extent in english, it’s a genre that is made to sell chapters via exactly that; a revenge catharsis story built on male power fantasy, with flimsy justification for porn at every turn. so this terrible situation to be in ends like that; with god awful porn tropes everywhere, of course the world ending and trying to avoid it involves sex that, if anyone involved with was real, would be horrifying.

the main romance is, as has been joked about, a solid red flag finding solace in another solid red flag. they’re both doing terribly mental health wise without much prospect of getting better but considering the circumstances it’s the healthiest dynamic they both could be in.

i’m not saying it’s a perfect story by any means, but I feel like people’s disdain for it often comes from the expectations. if you go into this with the expectation of it being like tgcf or mdzs you will be blindsided by all this, and it’s a lot to be suddenly exposed to without warning. personally I would absolutely not have enjoyed this as a romance primarily; but I still do enjoy it as a black comedy that hides the horror of what it’s deconstructing, and basically just happens to have an absolute trash fire romance in the background.

if you somehow got this far; thank you. if you don’t want to read svsss that’s fair, it really isn’t for everyone for various reasons. but if you’re willing to read it, reading it as a romance might not be for you. the protagonist and point of view for us is a very unreliable narrator and I’m not sure why entirely but this fact gets thrown out a lot when people get around to reading it.

I don't think it's necessarily unfair to say it gets glossed over at least in the sort of...idk, public-facing side of the fandom? Like I'm sure there's deeper discussions and meta and such going on within the fandom, but from the outside I've seen like 3-5 posts about the darker stuff and 100 cutesy memes of the curly haired guy being a whiny baby 😅

THAT SAID, I really like how you've broken down the premise here, and it is very interesting. I love SO MUCH about MDZS even though I don't like the sex, and I love MXTX's storytelling, so I could definitely be down to read some dark comedy-horror trope deconstruction from her. I do think that management of expectations is a big part of it: I daresay most people come into MXTX novels via MDZS or TGCF first, and both of those are certainly to large degree romances. So it kind of makes sense that then people head over to SVSSS expecting more of the same and get unpleasantly surprised. I appreciate both you and the other person I was talking to kind of breaking down the differences. I definitely do feel like, if/when I do read it, I'll be going in now with a much better sense of what to expect and how to interpret it. Thanks so much!

#asks

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mxtxfanatic · 1 year

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Sometimes, I really am annoyed at the fandom and the weird treatment of Xie Lian to defend Mu Qing.

I like Mu Qing as a character but I get so annoyed at the "Xie Lian had to be humbled as a prince because he didn't realize his privileges and Mu Qing is the hero of the people" narrative that is built in the fandom when the whole point of the story is Xie Lian realised his privileges, was the only one willing to do anything about it, got his life destroyed because someone more powerful didn't want that and still kept his values and continued to give more and more to people as a powerful god and an extremely empoverished human.

Meanwhile, Mu Qing is constantly trying to keep the status quo about class and sided with the people who bullied Xie Lian when Xie Lian was at his lowest.

He did get better which is why I love him but still, it's such a disregard to his (and Xie Lian's) actual canon storyline.

I have a minor gripe about Xie Lian “realizing his privileges” since as I’m rereading, I haven’t seen a single privilege Xie Lian had that he never acknowledged or worked to mitigate in different ways. But other than that, I think people really just latch onto Mu Qing because they want him to be the underdog, they expect him to be one based on how other stories portray similar characters, but that is not the reality of Mu Qing’s character or his place in the story. And honestly, I’m beginning to think that people believe that Mu Qing’s ascension was some kind of narrative reward for him facing hardship and therefore all his later actions and ideas are excused because [tragic backstory], when the reality is that Mu Qing earned his ascension through his own actions before almost losing it all because of his own actions, and none of it had anything to do with anybody else but himself.

Mu Qing stans will harp on Mu Qing’s unfair treatment, blame Xie Lian for this despite the fact that Mu Qing is the one constantly getting upset at Xie Lian defending him, and then turn around and ignore the way Mu Qing sides with power when he earns status for himself. There is not a single character in an mxtx novel that is hapless and helpless to the happenings of the world, and it does a great disservice to every character to act like one character was simply “forced” to commit to the things that they do, ignoring all evidence to the contrary, just because that character is your favorite.

#tgcf asks #anon #mu qing chooses to be an asshole #just like he chooses to do good sometimes #to say that he can’t help but be a terrible person because [tragic backstory]#also undermines when he chooses to be good #can’t have it both ways

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hunxi-after-hours · 2 years

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hi hunxi, just wondering if you have thoughts on the weibo blowup over the tgcf audio drama? from what i've read, people are upset about the following:

there's negativity surrounding both lead voice actors, but the majority consensus seems to be that 双儿's voice isn't suitable for xie lian. there's also a screenshot circulating of a comment in an anonymous discussion forum posted in march 2022, which accuses the production company of 内选 and of using the ip as a “捧人的垫脚石”. aside from the very loaded language, the predictions in the comment seem mostly to have come true (which has led some people to speculate that it was actually released by someone within the company itself, either as a "whistleblower" situation or to test out reactions beforehand).

fans of the book dislike the way that mentions of mxtx + new tgcf content were apparently dragged into the behind-the-scenes video to ... quell public outrage? i personally don't see a problem, but weibo posters put a lot of emphasis on the fact that 新修 chapters were underway BEFORE the audio drama and therefore not "exclusive" audio content or written for the express purpose of the audio drama's production.

there's a whole lot more that won't include here (hot search/rankings allegedly being bought, voice actor fans shading book fans, etc), but i really hope this isn't an insensitive or overly negative ask. i'm just surprised that chinese vs international fandoms are having such wildly different reactions.

hi anon! honestly, looks like you've summed it up pretty well — I came to the TGCF audiodrama to have a good time and was surprised by how much negativity there was in CN fan circles about it?

(post got long, throwing it under a cut)

I assume there's probably some history/drama surrounding these supposedly contentious aspects of the TGCF AD production, so I suppose qualifiers are in order: I've got legitimately no idea where the anti-729 sentiment is coming from (?? they do good work???), or about the history of nepotism/favoritism in voice actor circles (?????). truly, everything I know begins and ends with 《我是特优声》 and my misadventures on 猫耳, so I'm doubtlessly missing out on any drama from like, before 2021

that being said, I can't say I understand the anti-casting sentiment because, well... 苏尚勤 is a legitimately experienced and lauded voice actor who's familiar with MXTX's work, and while 陈张太康 is a somewhat newer face, anyone who's watched 《我是特优声》 or listened to his audiodramas knows that he's got an extremely impressive range that I personally think is very suited to the dynamic aspects of Hua Cheng's character. from the very little I've spotted on weibo/the 猫耳评论区, it seems like people are taking issue with... how young 苏尚勤 sounds? which is like. fam. you know what voice actors do for a living, right? change their voices to embody different characters? you truly cannot judge how well a voice actor performs in an AD based on a five minute trailer alone. give it a few episodes/a season since they're apparently giving out the entire season for free for two months, and then we'll talk

I think a lot of the “声音不贴角色” complaints come from, well, fans of the book expecting these few lines we've heard so far to truly embody the breathtaking complexity of these characters all at once, which is rather impossible. the thing about Xie Lian and Hua Cheng is that they are young, and old, and tired, and passionate, and faithful, and trusting, and cruel, kind, but all at different times. so Xie Lian sounds young now? give the voice actor a chance to show how exhausted and jaded and tired he becomes later, in the flashback arcs. so Hua Cheng doesn't sound like the badass ghost king we know him for? that actually 100% makes sense, he's in San Lang mode right now, and if you watched 陈张太康's rendition of 《灵笼》, you KNOW he can do arrogant, vicious royalty when it comes to it

also, looking across the cast list for the AD, this doesn't seem to be 内选 unless it's like... 内选 within the 京圈 voice acting circle?? which to be fair is like. maybe 200 people total asldkfjadlsf (look if you want to diversify your voice acting cast then let's see some 沪圈 rep huh?? #give毛毛老师anotherbitroleagain). the voice actors in the TGCF AD cast come from a vast assortment of different voice acting studios, from 729 to 边工 to 翼之声 to 光合积木 to unaffiliated with professional studios at all, so I'm??? confused??? at allegations of unfairness in casting??

I also saw some of those 弹幕 complaining about how they kept bringing up the MDZS production in the 制作谈 and I'm spectacularly baffled as to why that's a problem considering that much of the production staff had worked on the MDZS AD and it's. by. the same. author. and anyway, much of their discussion of the MDZS AD in the TGCF 制作谈 was specifically about shortcomings in the MDZS AD that they were learning from and seeking to improve this time around, which feels relevant and not particularly 刷好感 to me

tl;dr I think the TGCF AD production team worked very hard on this and are genuinely trying their best, and that all judgment should be reserved until after the season airs. there really is no point in trying to offer a holistic critique based on five-minute trailer alone, and like, I don't know how many morality points one would get from boycotting an AD but tbh it seems kind of. negligible. so let's all just kick back and enjoy this absolutely stacked production while it's being generously offered for free, shall we?

#to be totally honest all the negativity I'm seeing seems like 黑粉/水军活动 so I'm inclined to discount their validity #but also knowing that people are apparently still trying to cancel 边江 in 2022?? presumably over wishing 肖战 a happy birthday in 2020??#反正有些在网上活动的人是不带脑子的 #I've seen a lot of complaints about the casting but very little suggestions for who SHOULD have been cast beyond the donghua voice cast #which I respect! having different voice casts between the donghua and the AD can be jarring!#but like...... different production teams have different interpretations of text and characters and that's just fine?#idk I'll believe that 苏尚勤 is a bad choice when someone offers me a better alternative who isn't 姜sir #I've said it before and I'll say it again: I WILL 为太康老师打call if I have to #I feel pretty neutral about 苏尚勤's casting but I feel STRONGLY POSITIVE about 太康 #我这个人是离不开《特优声》的坑

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eleanorfenyxwrites · 2 years

Text

After Each Midnight Begins A New Day

Extra #13 - Mo Xuanyu and Lan Jingyi

[Listen, real question: What do I start calling these things that I write in this universe that aren't actually extras for the main fic? I call them all extras because that's what I started out writing alongside the main fic, but this is just straight up a different fic in the same universe, only very tangentially related to the main work. Is it still an extra? What is this??]

[P.S. This is completely self-indulgent fluff and Gender Feelings that I started writing last spring but never actually posted. Am I projecting so hard on Mo Xuanyu I essentially created a brand new character? Lol yeah, and many thanks to MXTX for not fleshing him out much at all in canon. He's free real estate.]

[Masterpost]

-/-

Jinlintai is about as gaudy as Jingyi had expected it to be, just judging based on Jin Ling’s usual wardrobe and his haughty attitude that he still hasn’t managed to drop around them completely even after years of friendship.

He climbs the stairs of the tower with Zizhen and Sizhui making suitably impressed noises on either side of him. He nearly breaks their act when he meets Zizhen’s eyes and starts snickering at the disbelieving look he finds there (‘oh gods it’s even worse than we pictured’ his eyes scream and Jingyi knows his are screaming back ‘I know I know I know!!!’) but thankfully they’re saved by Sizhui stepping neatly on his foot with that serene smile of his still on his lips.

“Be kind,” Sizhui murmurs under his breath, too low for Jin Ling to overhear, and Jingyi shares an eyeroll with Zizhen. The day those two admit that they like each other is going to be the day all four of their lives get so much easier, honestly.

Thankfully when they reach the top they’re quickly swept into a receiving pavilion to be officially greeted by Jin Zongzhu and Madam Jin, the two of them clearly happy to have the three of them visiting. It’s a lovely welcome, and the moment the official greetings are over Jin Ling’s siblings are just as clingy and wild as their friend had warned them. It’s funny though, and the children are clearly happy so Jingyi doesn’t mind one bit. Jin Fei, at least, is clearly looking forward to having other people close to his age to hang out with besides Jin Ling, and Lan Jingyi suspects the twins are going to be equally as interested in spending time with them as new sparring partners if nothing else.

Jingyi is a little embarrassed when it takes him a few days to realize that there’s one member of the family who’s notoriously absent any time they’re all gathered in the same place.

“Hey-“ he finally says a few days into the visit, “Where’s your weird uncle you’re always whining about?”

“Yu-shushu? He’s uh…He’s busy,” Jin Ling deflects very poorly. Really, they’ll need to work on sharpening up his lying skills but for now it’s more fun to torment him, which is how he finds an excuse to grab Zizhen so they can both sit on their stupid best friend while Wen Sizhui laughs at their antics.

-/-

For all his teasing and cajoling when Jin Ling had said he was inviting his friends to Jinlintai for a few weeks, Mo Xuanyu is actually really happy for his nephew. Of course Jin Ling and his siblings are all fond of each other, and their enormous but ridiculously close family is pretty much a built-in friend group, but Mo Xuanyu is still proud of Jin Ling for going out into the world and making successful and fulfilling connections in the other sects.

And he knows Jin Ling probably didn’t really mean anything by asking Mo Xuanyu to hold off on meeting them. He’s much like Jin Zixuan in that way, back when he had been younger - talking first and only thinking about implications once the words are already out. Mo Xuanyu is as willing to be generous with Jin Ling as he was with Jin Zixuan so many years ago, fumbling his way through trying to comfort him, trying to be a good brother, trying to show him he cared about him.

He’s willing to give Jin Ling the benefit of the doubt and assume that his request has more to do with him not wanting Mo Xuanyu’s feelings to be hurt by his friends’ potentially negative reactions to meeting him, rather than embarrassment at having his friends see him related to someone like Mo Xuanyu.

Probably.

Maybe.

He knows he’s eccentric, is the thing. And that it’s perfectly fine and normal as long as it’s just the family around, or when Jin Zixuan lets him tell off asshole sect leaders who think they have a right to dictate how he acts in his own home because he makes them uncomfortable.

But Jin Ling is easily embarrassed, easily flustered, and Mo Xuanyu is pretty sure he wants to impress his guests (mostly because he’s pretty sure Jin Ling has a crush on at least one of these new friends of his, judging by how often the name ‘Wen Sizhui’ gets dropped).

Well, he amends, they’re not really new. Jin Ling had first met them years ago in Cloud Recesses when it was his turn for the summer lectures, but this is the first time any of them are coming here to Jinlintai rather than just meeting each other out on their night hunts or whenever Jin Ling travels with Jin Zixuan for sect business. So: new to seeing Jinlintai, new to meeting the family - new to meeting him, and he knows he’s a lot to take in.

He doesn’t judge Jin Ling for asking him to hide for a little bit, at least until his friends are more settled and they don’t have to worry about the boys becoming..overwhelmed by the force of his personality.

In the end, though, when he does meet them it’s entirely by accident and not his fault, Jin Ling, get over it.

He’s busy doing his favorite thing to keep himself entertained when everyone else is busy : he’s escorting little Jin Ye through Jinlintai wherever she wants to go and treating her like a princess. She’s the only one of her siblings still young enough not to be annoyed by his antics, to still find him absolutely delightful like her siblings once had, and he loves spending time with her in return, knowing that she’ll always appreciate it. He knows his family and the servants appreciate it too, that he keeps her out of trouble and in doing so keeps himself out from under their feet as well. Everybody wins that way, and Mo Xuanyu, for all the noise he makes about not wanting children of his own (which is true), loves spoiling his youngest niece as much as humanly possible.

This afternoon, he’s kneeling with her in one of the public peony gardens intently watching her watch a bug crawling across one of the closed buds of a Sparks Amidst Snow. They’ve been here for a while, which means his lap is already full of some of the choicest early blooms - according to Jin Ye’s impeccable taste - to take back to Jiang Yanli whenever it’s time to return inside.

He looks up from Jin Ye’s concentrated little face - reluctantly - at the sound of a burst of laughter and he smiles to see Jin Ling horsing around with his friends. They’re easy to identify even just based on what he knows of their names and the clothing standards of their clans, and so he knows when it’s Lan Jingyi in his soft blues and distinctive headband who gives Jin Ling a rough shove that almost sends him toppling into the flowers, and when Wen Sizhui in his red and white is the one who rescues him at the last moment with a hand under his elbow while Jin Ling splutters his indignation. It’s Ouyang Zizhen, in his deep jewel blues and purples, who spots Mo Xuanyu first, kneeling there amongst the flowers with a hand on Jin Ye’s back to steady her as she totters to her feet to follow the bug from one flower to the next. He offers a nod and an uncertain smile, wary of Jin Ling’s desire that he not meet his friends too soon, and is prepared to duck his head again and continue with his own business when the Ouyang boy calls out to him.

“Stop it you idiots! We apologize for the disruption, guniang,” Ouyang Zizhen calls and Mo Xuanyu blinks in surprise when he looks up and realizes the boy is bowing to him, and then his face splits into a delighted grin at being addressed as such even as Jin Ling coughs on a laugh and tries poorly to hide it.

“What’s the matter with you?” Lan Jingyi snaps and Mo Xuanyu muffles a laugh of his own into his sleeve at the sharpness in his voice that’s so biting he wonders for a second if he got the names wrong in his head - he’s never heard a Lan talk like that, and he’s met plenty of them over the years.

“Yu-shushu,” Jin Ling calls wearily with a pained look on his face. Calling out to him is no doubt more of a correction of Ouyang Zizhen’s assumption of his title and status rather than any actual desire to address him in this particular moment, and Mo Xuanyu has the pleasure of watching three comically identical looks of surprise cross his friends’ faces. Ouyang Zizhen looks particularly stricken, and so it’s to him that Mo Xuanyu directs a reassuring nod.

“Hello,” he calls with a wave - and then, because he can’t help being a little shit sometimes, he adds, “Hi LingLing, long time no see. Can I finally have the honor of meeting your boyfriends?” just to see his nephew splutter and his friends blush so brightly it makes him laugh all over again.

“What are you doing out here?” Jin Ling snaps. Mo Xuanyu waves a lazy hand in his direction, dismissive as he turns his attention back to Jin Ye.

“I can go anywhere I want to, A-Ling. And my favorite person in this entire world is very determinedly chasing a bug, so I’m watching with rapt attention to make sure I don’t miss a moment of the action.”

“You’re so weird, Yu-shushu,” Jin Ling grumbles with a huff as he straightens his robes and flicks his sleeves behind his back in a gesture he absolutely learned from Jin Zixuan - Mo Xuanyu makes a mental note to tease his brother about it at the next opportunity.

“Someone in this family needs to be. I’m hoping if I spend enough time with Xiao-Ye at this age I can corrupt her into being the next black sheep to carry on my legacy,” he laughs as Jin Ye darts up and runs to another patch of the flower beds to point excitedly at a peony in full bloom.

“Shushu!!” she cries and he smiles as he gets smoothly to his feet, the cut flowers she’s already chosen clutched carefully in his hand in a loose bouquet.

“A beautiful choice yet again, Xiao-Ye, your mother will love it,” he praises as he bends to snip the stem with a small knife from his sleeve and add the flower to his handful. When he straightens again and turns around he’s nonplussed to find Jin Ling and his friends still standing there - normally Jin Ling storms off at the first opportunity when Mo Xuanyu has irritated him. “Oh. Yes?” he prompts, confused.

“You said you wanted to meet them so come over here and meet them!” Jin Ling snaps and Mo Xuanyu slowly raises a darkened eyebrow at him. He doesn’t often pull rank on Jin Ling, not seriously, but honestly...after a week and a half of being mostly shepherded to the private areas of Jinlintai to make things easier on his nephew and his friends, and then having his afternoon with his niece interrupted by their presence anyway, he’s not really in the mood to get ordered around, he doesn’t care if Jin Ling is embarrassed. And for all that they were once classmates before Mo Xuanyu decided not to seriously pursue cultivation, he is still older, both in years and generation, technically speaking. And they have company - important company.

Jin Ling at least has the good sense to look abashed and, perhaps, a touch guilty. It’s for that reason alone that Mo Xuanyu decides not to point out that he had wanted to meet Jin Ling’s friends along with the rest of the family when the boys had arrived over a week ago, not as an afterthought, as an accident, caught by surprise in the gardens when their visit is already well underway. Like he’s not as important as the rest of the family. Like he doesn’t deserve the same respect, eccentric or not.

“Come on Xiao-Ye, let’s go tell LingLing how horrible his manners are,” Mo Xuanyu ‘whispers’ plenty loudly enough to be heard by their audience as he holds his free hand out for the toddler to take. He carefully helps her pick her way through the flowers to the path and then he measures his steps to make sure he doesn’t outpace her before he comes to a stop in front of the quartet to offer a perfectly executed curtsy in response to the three visitors’ bows. He watches Jin Ling’s face go red but he thankfully has enough tact not to comment.

The thing is, Jin Ling isn’t ever really there on the extremely rare occasions when Mo Xuanyu pulls out his real manners. The manners and etiquette he had shyly asked Qin Su to teach him once she had come to Jinlintai, just as he was beginning to accept that he wasn’t going to be like the rest of the boys his age. He knows how to bow properly, his sword in his hands. He knows how to walk through the world like he owns it, like the rest of the Jin men do. But he also knows how to own it the way his sisters do - how to be soft and proper but with steel in his eyes. How to be a walking contradiction for the world to rail against every single day of his life, and do it with his head held high. His decision to act like he doesn’t know it most days is just that - a decision, a choice. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t actually know how.

(He frequently teases Jin Ling about his youth in comparison to his own age, and while it is usually a joke, he still hopes that one day Jin Ling will be able to look back on it through the lens of experience and realize that, for Mo Xuanyu, the gaps in their experiences and the way he’s been forced to grow up ahead of his time where Jin Ling has not have been blindingly obvious since the first day they met.)

“Mo-gongzi,” Jin Ling’s friends chorus and he offers them all a wide grin.

“So respectful! Let me take guesses with your names, I’m sure I can get them right,” he says with a playful hum, ignoring Jin Ling’s impatient shuffling. “Ouyang-gongzi,” he starts with Ouyang Zizhen, offering him a polite curtsy that the boy is apparently still too embarrassed to acknowledge. “Wen-gongzi,” to Wen Sizhui with another curtsy (Wen Sizhui offers him the sweetest smile Mo Xuanyu has ever seen on someone who’s not either of his sisters and his heart melts a little - if anyone can soften Jin Ling’s too-sharp edges, it’s going to be that boy). “Lan-gongzi,” he finishes with one more curtsy for Lan Jingyi, who’s just staring at him, wide-eyed with blatant curiosity even as he returns the curtsy with a quick sketch of a bow.

Well. Curiosity is better than the outright disdain he tends to get from the older generations.

He glances down when there’s a tug on the skirts of his robes and he laughs in delight to see Jin Ye pouting up at him imperiously. He instantly turns to her and offers her the deepest curtsy he can, bowing so low she can reach up to tap her fingers at the ornaments tinkling softly in his hair.

“And of course, this humble one could never forget! The beloved Xiao-Ye, the little treasure of Lanling,” he says with a dramatic flourish that makes her giggle as he straightens up again, her hand finding his instantly when he reaches down to her.

“Mo-gongzi, we were just on our way to spar with Jin-er-gongzi, Jin-guniang, and Jin-er-guniang,” Wen Sizhui supplies when he faces them again and Mo Xuanyu is unsurprised to find his voice is as soft as his smile. “Would you like to join us?”

“Oh that’s very sweet of you to ask,” Mo Xuanyu laughs as Jin Ling makes a sound like a dying animal. “Hush, LingLing, your friends are being nice to your poor Yu-shushu, let me enjoy it! You never invite me to watch your sparring.”

“Because you show up anyway if you want to!”

“That’s neither here nor there - it’s nice to be asked sometimes,” he sniffs. “But as it happens I have to take Jin Ye into the nursery for her nap and then I have letters I’d like to write, so I’ll have to join you some other time. I’m interested to see your different clan styles though, so I will definitely watch one day during your stay here.”

“Do you have training with a sword too?” Lan Jingyi suddenly pipes up in a rush and Mo Xuanyu tips his head a bit to the side as he looks at him with a playful smirk on his rouged lips.

“I’ve had lots of different types of training,” he teases. “Today I’m practicing my flower arranging for the Little Treasure. Tomorrow maybe I’ll remember my old sword forms. Ask me again at the afternoon meal and I may agree to participate. If you’ll excuse me.”

He offers another curtsy and then he turns to head back inside, pausing only to bend and lift Jin Ye onto his hip with careful hands so he can walk as quickly as he wants to. He hears conversation break out behind him before he’s even inside, but he doesn’t listen. Let them talk.

He delivers Jin Ye to the servants in the nursery with a kiss to her forehead and an extracted promise that she’ll be good and then he goes to find Jiang Yanli, flowers in hand.

“Ah, Li-jie, here you are,” he says happily when he finds her a few minutes later on the path that leads to the main part of the tower from the family residences.

“A-Yu,” she greets warmly, instantly reaching out for his arm, which he loops through hers easily, both of them folding their hands demurely over their sternums. “How is your day?”

“Wonderful. Xiao-Ye has been showing me that her taste in flowers is still unmatched,” he smiles as he holds the flowers out to Jiang Yanli with a flourish for her to take with her free hand. “She wants you to put them on your writing desk.”

“Oh I’ll be happy to! They’re beautiful, thank you.”

They walk in silence for a few long moments before he gathers up the courage to say, “While I was in the gardens I met A-Ling and his friends,” though it still comes out with a hint of hesitation. Jiang Yanli’s arm goes stiff in his for a moment before she relaxes with what seems like an effort.

“Were they kind?”

“The young masters are very polite, it was a pleasure to finally meet them.”

“Was A-Ling?”

Mo Xuanyu clears his throat and doesn’t answer, but that’s answer enough. He hears Jiang Yanli take a deep breath in through her nose and let it out slowly.

“I don’t understand this new problem,” she admits as they turn a corner to walk slowly along the perimeter of a shady, currently unused courtyard, empty but for someone sweeping the stone clean on the other side. “You’ve been a part of the children’s lives since you were a child yourself, he’s never had this issue before.”

“I embarrass him.”

“A-Ling is so much like A-Cheng - his pride is easily turned against him and that means plenty of things embarrass him. That’s no excuse for him to treat you like this.”

“Li-jie…” he starts, his voice quiet, timid in a way it almost never is anymore. “Do you think the children respect me? I mean..truly respect me as their uncle, the way they respect Yao-ge, or Su-jie as their aunt?”

Jiang Yanli stops in her tracks to turn to him and Mo Xuanyu unlinks his arm from hers to face her as well, to meet her scrutinizing gaze with a vulnerable one of his own.

“Why do you ask?”

“I know I bother them,” he starts, his chest feeling fluttery and hollow in a way that doesn’t bode well. “I know..none of the rest of them are quite ready to have to make their peace with the way I’m thought of in the public eye just yet but..but A-Fei and A-Yan and A-Yu are nearly ready; A-Fei has already gone to Cloud Recesses for his lectures, and the twins will be ready for the next lecture season if they want to go. They’ll all make friends from other sects just like A-Ling has, they’ll bring them here as guests eventually. What if none of the children want their friends to know I’m related to them? What if they’re all ashamed of me like A-Ling is?”

“Oh A-Yu...” Jiang Yanli murmurs sympathetically and somehow that’s what pushes the feeling in his chest outward, the shiver of it turning into a trembling in his hands and stinging in his eyes that he furiously blinks away.

“The children may love me, Li-jie, but sometimes...I don’t think they like me very much. I’m just..I’m so different.”

“Shhh it’s okay, come here,” she soothes, pulling him in for a hug and he collapses gratefully into her arms with trembling and quiet sniffles that he’s trying to stifle.

When he had first come to Jinlintai - actually, when he had first met Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli back in Mo village - he had immediately been drawn to his sister-in-law. She’s steady and warm like his mother had been while she had been alive. She had loved him with her whole heart from the moment he was brought to Jinlintai, even when he got comfortable enough to be himself and the other children became wary of him and his wild nature, the way he grinned too widely, laughed too loudly, raised chaos everywhere he could simply for the hell of it. He’s calmed down in recent years somewhat, become marginally more acceptable, but Jiang Yanli had loved him from the instant they had met and he had been a young boy afraid of disappointing his mother, and she had been the young Madam of a Great Sect and a pregnant mother of four, doing her best to fulfill her roles with grace and poise.

He had always yearned for a big sister, and he had found everything he had ever dreamt of in Jiang Yanli’s soothing presence. Of all of his family, she - along with Qin Su, later - has never once made him feel like he was too much to handle, too strange to love, or to like. He’s older now, more assured in himself (usually), but he knows that he wouldn’t be at this point if not for her constant, gentle nature, the way she had nurtured his behaviors, his choices, to help lead him to who he is now.

Her support as a sister has been an invaluable part of his life, and he’s reminded of it for the millionth time now as she hugs him tightly and rubs his back in slow, soothing circles like she had when he had been a boy and he’d just lost his mother to a swift fever that had swept through their village.

“Hush, A-Yu, shh. The children love you,” she murmurs quietly. “I love you, as does A-Su, and A-Xuan, and A-Yao, and all of our extended family too. Our family wouldn’t be complete without you in it, A-Yu. You belong with us, we wouldn’t have you be anywhere or anyone else.”

Mo Xuanyu huddles closer and squeezes his eyes shut as tears drip from his lashes - he’s careful not to let them drip onto Jiang Yanli’s clothes, stained black as the tears are with the kohl painted around his eyes and dusted in his lashes. Her robes are a pale gold-trimmed lavender today, his tears would only ruin them.

“The children -”

“Know their Yu-shushu adores them,” Jiang Yanli cuts him off to soothe. “Children go through phases where they’re beginning to learn and think for themselves, and sometimes they lose their way while they test their new boundaries. I can talk to them if you’d like me to, make sure they know that the casual way you show your love for them isn’t an invitation to disrespect you.”

Mo Xuanyu considers telling her not to worry about it, but..he can’t escape the mental image of being pushed to the background as the children grow, shunted aside because he doesn’t fit their idea of what they want their family to look like to people they want to impress. Even little Xiao-Ye will one day be old enough to possibly push him away like that no matter how much they adore each other now, and the thought breaks his heart. His family is all he has in the world - he doesn’t want to lose them because they’re ashamed to know him.

“Please,” he says instead, then. The children always listen to Jiang Yanli - as they should, she’s a wonderful mother. If she tells them to respect him, they will. If she tells them to be gentle with him for a while as he finds his feet again after this newest blow to his confidence, they will. He can trust her.

“Alright,” she hums, as easily as if they had just agreed that clouds are white. “I’ll talk to them, and I’ll begin with A-Ling. Do you want to help me decide how he should make this up to you?”

“No! No, that’s okay,” he protests as he finally straightens up to wipe at his cheeks. Jiang Yanli tuts and pulls a handkerchief from her sleeve to dab gently under his eyes, cleaning the smears of his makeup. “I...I trust you and A-Xuan to take care of it.”

“Okay. Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up, hm? You’ve smudged your kohl.”

He nods and follows along at her side as they turn back to the family pavilions and his nerves settle further as he realizes they’re heading for Qin Su’s rooms. She opens the door just as they reach the steps and Mo Xuanyu offers her a watery smile.

“Su-jie,” he wheedles with a pout to see her smile. “Mean boys have ruined my makeup again.”

“Oh dear,” she says gently, playing along - unfortunately his makeup getting ruined was a common occurrence when he began wearing it, and he had frequently come to Qin Su both for comfort and for her help in reapplying. “Come inside, come on. We’ll make you even more beautiful than before.”

#the untamed fanfic #Lan Jingyi #Mo Xuanyu #Lan Jingyi/Mo Xuanyu #Nonbinary Mo Xuanyu #Junior Quartet #Jiang Yanli #Qin Su #this will be multichaptered but I don't know how many #for as long as I've been working on it in bits and pieces it's not actually a cohesive whole with a plot or anything #but I've had this beginning written for like. Over a year now I think #So I figured I could at least share this much lol #Also this is 100% an exercise to find out how much gender fuckery and cis4trans love I can fit into one fic #don't get me wrong I love a good t4t but idk this dynamic compels me

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mollymauk-teafleak · 1 year

Note

Hi! First off welcome to the mxtx fandom! Second, i absolutely adore that hualian lady and the tramp au fic! Cutest name for an au, and id love to hear some more about this au if you have some additional thoughts!

Thank you so much, thats so lovely of you to say!! I'd Love to talk about this AU honestly and as always huge amount of credit goes to @minky-for-short as basically every single Hualian AU I have is also hers :')

So the way I envision this modern AU working is that rather than being royalty, Xie Lian's family is very rich and his father is the head of a mega corporation that their family have been building up for a long time, called the Xianle Corporation. So Xie Lian is high society and has a lot of the same pressures and weighty expectations on him that he experiences in canon

Xie Lian came out as trans when he was about eighteen (mostly because he thought if the worst came to the absolute worst he'd have his trust fund and his mother wouldn't let his father freeze it). And his father certainly wasn't happy about it but Xie Lian is very close to his mother and she did a lot of the smoothing over, frightened of losing her son. It helped that Xie Lian was a straight A student, getting into the best universities and making sure he was the perfect child, as far as his parent's definition went. His father allowed him to present as he wanted and start HRT and get top surgery and change his name. But now Xie Lian is terrified of letting him down because he can just feel that sense of disappointment and resentment looming over him and he's really starting to chafe against his father

He meets San Lang after meeting him in an alley, seeing him getting attacked by some older kids. Xie Lian didn't hesitate to run in and help him, despite the fact that they'd still be outnumbered. San Lang is hugely grateful for him helping though he's evasive about Why exactly they were attacking him. He offers to buy Xie Lian a drink in thanks, then a coffee when Xie Lian admits he doesn't drink. They spend the whole time chatting and getting to know each other, so long that Xie Lian has to run off home when he realises he's late. Though he leaves San Lang with his number

Feng Xin and Mu Quing are instantly cautious when they hear about this new friend Xie Lian has found and after some digging they tell him why, the young man is Hua Cheng, an up and comer in the seedier business that goes on in the city. He's currently climbing the ladder at the famous Ghost City Casino which is known for its owners being all but criminal gang leaders. They warn Xie Lian to stay away but he's not so sure San Lang is all that dangerous? But it does teach him not to tell his parents about his new friend

Their friendship shifts to something more when San Lang steals Xie Lian away from his parents New Years party which is just a networking event. He takes him to the Ghost City casino for the first time, up to the roof where San Lang likes to come and sit on his breaks and as the fireworks go off from his parent's manor up on the hill, Xie Lian kisses him.

I think it all falls apart when his parents find out about Hua Cheng and his father is up waiting to confront him along with police officers as they're sneaking back in. Xie Lian doesn't hesitate, he just kisses Hua Cheng and tells him to run, jumping out of the car and letting Hua Cheng drive away.

I'm also considering it might be further complicated by Xie Lian realising one of the Hualian kids I have in my AUs is on the way...

But things all come to good when Xie Lian stands up to his father and tells him that he's done living a life he isn't happy with, he doesn't want to follow him, he wants to be happy and be with Hua Cheng. His mother stands on his side and they end up living happily ever after in a tiny little apartment, Xie Lian teaching martial arts to kids and Hua Cheng still...well still being kind of a criminal but he's hiding it pretty well

#hualian #heaven official's blessing #xie lian #hua cheng #lady and the tramp au

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abigail-nicole · 1 year

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tgcf liveread 10

part ten of my livereading of TGCF, Heaven Official's Blessing, which you should buy officially in english to support gays and great novels. and danmei and chinese gay fantasy. listen when I grew up we didn't even DREAM about having official licensed translations of gay niche content. anyway let's start book Four on today's recap:

"I can’t think of anything this story doesn’t have, except for a functional straight couple" -me, reading Heaven Official's Blessing, April 2020

originally tweeted 4/2/2020

Book 4 starting with a literal Xie Lian Suicide Nightmare!!!! This book is gonna Go Like That Huh!!!!

reading xie lian poor & starving is giving me Anxieties & Flashbacks

& now desperation drinking oh no

I know there are Bai Wuxiang/Xie Lian shippers out there

this is some fucking psychological horror

Absolutely people ship these two, beauty & the beast style, 50 shades style but where she left him after the first book and they didn’t get back together i stopped reading after that

I mean right now bai wuxiang is the most interesting thing happening in xie lian’s beginning of book 4 tragedy life so

Hella TW CW violence on these but OH MY GOD THIS IS SOME HORROR

ahhhhh i cant tweet anything about this chapter it’s really too much. Except for The Birth of a Ghost at the end

I KNOW SOME PEOPLE SHIP THIS

I understand why, & it’s because attraction is a form of power and power is often a root of attraction and clearly there’s some fucked up power dynamics here

IS THIS RUOYE

I feel like mxtx just came to my house and stabbed ME, PERSONALLY,

dianxia about to qi deviate

WHAT THE FJCK EXCUSE ME MOM & DAD

I WASNT PREPARED FOR THIS

WHERES MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SCARF WEAPON PET

oh there it is. Hi ruoye <3<3<3<3<3 i needed a good thing in this narrative rn <3<3<3<3

A) this is Badass I Love someone turning really evil OBVIOUSLY

B) Wei Wuxian?!!!?!!? Is this The Burial Mounds??? What did you do with Xie Lian?!? This isn’t your book

There’s a Lot happening here and I’m kinda.....really into Black Lady Evil Magical Girl Dianxia

Chapter 192 is SO GOOD oh my god

This is an extremely Hua Cheng moment. “You’re already dead”????!!!!!!!!

mxtx, probably: ....too much soft boyfriends....this could use some more body horror

okay I didn’t realize when Xie Lian entered the Kiln that he was ALREADY A GHOST KING

he can’t kill himself & become a ghost and then kill bai wuxiang and emerge from the Kiln as a Ghost King....because he already tried that once

Is it like him from the future or something bc this is getting fucked up???? I mean i trust mxtx’s plotting

nope nope nope

even when this is like Evil Version Xie Lian it’s still incredible & I’m cheering for him to be Really Evil

(i dont want wuming to be hua cheng tho let him have other friends)

Oh that’s the second ascension huh

ascension 1: fighting bridge demon thing. ascension 2: stopping the human face plague. ascension 3: being daddy's favorite

Jun Wu’s like “But please don’t do that though”

okay i got through book 4 and that was a lot more & also shorter than i expected

Now it’s a Crown Prince-off in the Kiln tonight, fine scholars

......um? this got very Mecha huh

CALLED OUT BY MU QING

i’m glad shi qingxuan is back i missed them!!!

There’s a lot more plot-wrap-up than I thought there was gonna be, honestly

This actually makes the most sense as a plot explanation

WAIT DAD NO!!!! JUN WU!!!!!!!!!

just like a real dad, I feel very betrayed

I Still Love Ruoye The Most

This is a very classical Action Movie wrapup so far

Ah yes, Solve The Problem By Injuring Myself: a Classic mxtx protagonist move

another little side dish of horror for our Evil Crown Prince and the human face disease

some hua cheng backstory!!!!!! Crumbs of it!!!! I cling to it!!!!!!!!!!

This novel is so interestingly not like mdzs? Much more comprehensive, longer, bigger scope, more of an adventure story. Also probably a better-written novel, though translation being what it is, i can only speak to plot & planning & pacing

Im trying to think of other books this long and immersive i wanted to eat recently & really only came up with the wheel of time (less like this) & the baroque cycle (more like this, less romance)

XIE LIAN OUT OF THE CLOSET AT LAST!!!!!

I can’t think of anything this story doesn’t have, except for a functional straight couple

I also purposefully didn’t emotionally engage much with book four brcause torture & suicide cw tw real hard & i can read it but....i’m not gonna sit here & live out those scenes in my head like I do for the rest

This ‘bringing your boyfriend home to uncle’ scene with uncle bing like “JUST DON’T DATE THAT HORRIBLY UNFORTUNATE BOY DOWN THE STREET” & Hua Cheng staring him down

IT’S NOT AN AFFAIR THEYRE ENGAGED xie lian just doesn’t realize it yet

Omg the DIANXIA GUNDAM is BACK

wait the heavenly city moves???!!!!! This is suddenly very big budget action movie (or some truly atrocious c-drama SFX)

This is a HELL OF A BOSS FIGHT....or should I say a HEAVEN of a boss fight......

“He owes me money” i died. i love hua cheng

TGCF Goes Gundam continued on tgcf liveread part 11!

#tgcf liveread #tgcf

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colorisbyshe · 2 years

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Stephanie can you tell me if it’s normal to have finished both the unt4med and md zs (censoring bc I don’t remember how tagging works on tumblr and I don’t want anything seemingly negative I might say to make people come and bother you) and have found the romance aspect of the story to be the least interesting thing ?

I think WW is an extraordinary character and his story was so epic. Granted I didn’t like the writing at all in the book. And I was so captured by his motivations and his actions, but seeing how people talked about the love story online I was expecting to be blown away and instead… it kind of fell flat imo? Like I found LW to be kind of boring in how his character was executed, mostly because I couldn’t really see his thoughts, and I found WW’s relationship with him to change too abruptly from one kind of relationship to another. Like, compared to WW’s relationship to his siblings, that made me cry on several occasions, for how tragic and epic LW’s actions are , they didn’t evoke that much of an emotion in me. Like, fuck JC honestly but at the same time there’s something so brutal and tragic and captivating about what happens between him and WW.

Idk. The story is absolutely fantastic but I feel weird because I feel like I appreciated completely different things from what the majority of the fans liked instead.

Idk what "normal" in this context means or why you would feel weird about... having a different takeaway from a piece of media?

Like, I don't understand why anyone would have a concern about what is "right" or "wrong" to like about a piece of media. Like, if you were missing the messaging of the series or idk ignored important themes to focus on a weird background ship or whatever, sure, I guess that's "wrong" but... I don't understand the need to be validated for not caring about a certain character or character dynamic? Like the series however you choose. There's... no wrong way to do it. And even if there WAS a wrong way to do it, comparing yourself to this particular fandom... like... there's no need to compare yourself to most of these people. A lot of MDZS/CQL fans are utter freaks.

But getting to the brunt of your question. Idk man.

I liked WWX/LWJ and I liked LWJ as a character. I actually really, really enjoyed that they don't just get together JUST because they like each other's personalities and how they mesh or JUST because they are equals in a world where most people come up short when compared to them but VERY much because they understand and support each other ideologically and are willing to risk the same things to achieve their ideological goals.

The fact that they connect not just emotionally or physically but also mentally and philosophically is something that is missing in a LOT of romance plotlines. It's not "circumstance brought us together and now we're trauma bonded" (which is certainly great in a lot of cases, ngl) but just this larger calling.

We get to see them flirt and be shy and be silly, the way teenagers are. But we get to see them be torn apart and then back together not just ~because of circumstance awww~ but because of a genuine betrayal where no one is really at fault, it's just because of how society functions. Their relationship heavily reflects and feeds into the themes of the story and their own character arcs while letting them be their own people with their own arcs.

I think a few bits of how their relationship is executed is perhaps a bit sloppy, especially if the manhua is properly reflecting what happens in the novel, and I think "ACTUALLY I WANT TO SLEEP WITH YOU" being almost verbatim dialogue during the violent climax of the story is both lazy and cringe but... their overall arc was really well done.

I think in general, the strengths of weaknesses of MDZS (not necessarily CQL) is that MXTX has great ideas and a few great points of executions but REALLY struggles with the minutiae. I think this is true of the story at large but I'm a lot more forgiving of the minutiae sometimes lacking in LWJ/WWX because... well... the story isn't about them.

They are a reflection of the story but the story exists on a much, much larger scale than their romance. (Or implied romance, when it comes to CQL.)

I'm fine with that, though. In most of the moments that count, the execution is great and the total arc is believable, enjoyable, and developed at a fairly even pace, outside of some jumps.

#i also largely enjoy the lack of LWJ's perspective #BECAUSE the absence makes a lot of the jumps/gaps in tehir development make more sense #LWJ was living his own life and getting to a place where he could meet WWX where he was #and that's why their relationship progresses (or regresses)

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jiangwanyinscatmom · 2 years

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Honestly it baffles me to see people trying to make Hua Cheng's love for Xie Lian completely unexistent. Come on, dude fought 33 gods and burned down their temples, lit up 3 THOUSAND LANTERNS FOR XIE LIAN. Died like, 3 times for him, waited 800 years for him, you can't even TRY to argue that Hua Cheng isn't a simp and doesn't love Xie Lian. Now, say that Xie Lian is boring... Anon dearie, you either didn't read the fucking books or your reading comprehension is absolutely flawed. Sure you don't have to love the main character (tho why even like the story if you don't like the protagonist or smt), but at least you gotta respect others and stop trying to push an agenda only you are seeing. Besides, Xie Lian is awesome and I don't know how you can say he isn't. Anyways, Sorry abt the rant Ava, I'm just getting absolutely fed up with this anon and I'm about to throw hands, Calamity style - 🐉🦋

By all means I encourage it!

As you said, you don't have to have a deep attachment for it by any means, but at least understand the basics of the plot that are textual information as comprehension. I spoke of something similar just earlier with @ladypfenix, she said something that is very apt in regards to the fandom (at least the western side of it):

"And probably because they want to treat her (MXTX's) works like marvel fandom where people get shoved together on a whim and a decent author can create more chemistry than the movies do and it just doesn’t work that way."

And this has a lot of truth to it, mainstream western media is given almost nameless slates for fans to project on to garner further revenue, the fans are what are made to fuel and funnel that interest themselves and when others of course join, they are met with something honestly lackluster and you are left there going "this is what was so hyped?". It's an interesting phenomenon that is pretty unique to the western sphere of fandoms. They are made to fill holes that very few creators want to bother with and don't care about character inconsistencies when they're are 20 others also writing a plot. Ironically with many not even actually meeting each other to really discuss the scripting.

This is also why the usual love of "crossovers" doesn't quiet feel so easy to do with MXTX's works, there are rules of her being worlds, that are not interchangeable, nor are the characters interchangeable to fit anything and everyone. They are on such different spheres of experience and personality, I dare say most would not interact with each other of their own choosing. When characters are that deeply explored by the author, there really isn't anything to make "better" or fix without it being a horribly shallow mediocre rendition that loses the charm of the original.

Really one major theme that can be shared by the love interests of her works is their devotion to who they love with their all. And as I have said before, it is not about if that love is deserved, because they don't want to feel as a burden or troublesome to that beloved. It is meant to be a very unselfish romantic love despite all the traumas they may have faced, it is not because of who they loved and they will never see it as such.

Hua Cheng wanted others to stop placing unbelievable expectations on Xie Lian, since saving a nobody at the time that nobody else cared about, was able to save that life. Lan Wangji wanted others to realize that Wei Wuxian was always good and placed the burden of protection of others on his shoulders despite the harm it ultimately did to Wei Wuxian, it wasn't about being right, but being human and caring. Luo Binghe wanted someone to see him at his most awkward and real, to be able to be seen as vulnerable without being tossed away for showing that side of himself and being looked on with the usual disgust if he did fall.

It's an endearing theme for them to be able to finally find someone to have that with and be virginal because you simply are waiting for someone to share that with. Thinking of love as something precious as well as sex isn't something to scoff at, given how much of media tells is the opposite while also degrading those that are casual.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #svsss #scum villain

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mxtxnovelrealm · 2 years

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Heaven official’s blessing English Novel Chapter 3 review (Some Spoilers ahead for those who have NOT read past the first book.)

So, the chapter opens up with Xie Lian and company at the tea shop watching the Caribana of men and their fake wedding sadan. This part is rather amusing. We have Fu Yao calling the fake bride ugly and rolling his eyes.

Xie Lian scolds him about his manners and asks him to reduce his eye rolling. Now this I find amusing. It’s almost like they are comfortable with each other. When I first read this book this is where I started to wonder if Fu Yao and Nan Feng were actually Mu Qing and Fen Xing. I wasn’t completely sure but not long after reading the first English book I was spoiled on this fact with trying to look up Fu Yao photos. Needless to say I wasn’t surprise to it was a spoiler I wasn’t upset about.

Though I was suspicious at this point. My curiouity was heavily focused on Xie Lian and if he noticed. He does point out that the two are similar to their generals but he never out and says that he knows. However while reading the first book I come to realize that he too may have a hunch. It is really interesting how MXTX adds in these subtle hints in each character and in thoughts. I like that a lot and as a writer myself it’s nice to keep in the back in my mind.

As we move on in the chapter Xie Lian notices that the men are yelling about an ugly freak and the shop keep explains about the bandage boy. Obviously we know this is someone who may be important later on.

Honestly when I first read this book I wasn’t sure what to expect about the bandaged boy. I wasn’t sure if it was Hua Cheng in disguise or some innocent kid or what. I remember being curious about him and yet we don’t really see him until a bit later. Also Midn you when I first read this book I had no idea how we were going to first meet Hua Cheng. I knew from the cover he and Xie Lian are walking together but I honestly had no idea when that took place. I also was surprised to see how pretty Xie Lian was and had to double check Google if he was a boy. Because when my friend said it was a BL and I seen the cover I was like really? Haha also I was tricked. Said friend also said Hua Cheng and Xie Lian first meet on the Ox cart. Which is kind of true but not either. So I was curious and wondered if Hua Cheng was disguised the real ghost groom or something else. I had no idea. I really was going into this blind. Between the animation and book I had no idea what rabbit hole I was in haha.

Xiao-Ying returns here and she is warning them not to do this. She is right of course but the men are blinded by greed and they want that award money. They give her trouble and this is when Xie Lian jumps into action to defend her.

Pretty much in a blink of an eye Xiao-pengtou is found on his ass. He calmed Xie Lian used magic and the men started to freak out but Nen Feng was not having it either and he punches a pillar of the shop and it breaks.

Of course Xie Lian is like “Remember to pay for that.” Which rightfully so. The shop owner didn’t deserve to have his shop broken and Xie Lian being broke wasn’t about to pay it either haha. Of course Nen Feng pays for it right after.

This is when Xie Lian also asks for spiritual power and Nen Feng gives him some without a word. In the show he does ask ‘what for?’ but still raises his hand to be clapped regardless. In the book Xie Lian answers what he needs it for without being asked. The little differences are odd here. Though I have a feeling it’s for context. I believe in the Manhua Nen Feng doesn’t ask either and just does.

Now this is interesting and I am going to have to watch the Dunhuan again because I don’t think this part is added in. (Please correct me if I am wrong.) But in the communication area Xie Lian talks highly of Fu Yao and Nen Feng and Mu Qing pips in commenting how he didn’t even know Fu Yao left on this journey. Whats more Xie Lian comments (In his mind) “You really are lurking in the airway.’ I thought this was great.

Spoilerish

Knowing Mu Qing is Fu Yao and that Xie Lian said he wanted to communicate with Ling Wen he must have joined at the same time. However that is bold seeing as Xie Lian could have done so privately? So it makes me wonder if he really does check in now and then. I find it rather amusing.

This is the part of the chapter where we learn about the four types of ghosts as well. Fierce, malice, wrath and of course supreme. We also discover that the ghost they are dealing with is a wrath. Which is one before the highest level of ghost. So it’s a tricky ordeal. I had found this interesting. Now already having read the book I know supreme ghosts are rare. There only being three of them. (One assumed to be dead?) We’ll move on and talk more about that when we get to it.

So we know the ghosts ranks. Nice. They discuss about it and know very well a fake broke won’t do. They need a real one. They already rule out woman as well.

This is where is funny. Of course they wonder what man would cross dress and they both look at Xie Lian. Neither Fu Yao or Nen Feng think of themselves but they both turn right to Xie Lian. Like they know one he will do it but also I think they both agree that he is pretty enough? Possibly? Hahaha which is amusing in itself. I love these guys.

We go right to nighttime with Xie Lian dressed in a woman’s wedding dress. Nen Feng’s reaction is “Fuck.” I love it.

It is written: ‘No matter who looked, they could tell with one glance that this was a handsome man with gentle brows. But this was precisely the reason why many would be unable to stand the image of a perfectly good, handsome man wearing a woman’s wedding dress. Nan Feng, for example, couldn’t bear it at all, which was why his reaction was so extreme.’ (Direct quote from the book. Page 75-76)

So in other words Nen Feng hates seeing such a handsome man in a dress? Hahaha. Then we see a picture and their faces are great. I loved this whole part.

Fu Yao even states that he would kill a woman who looked manly as well. Xie Lian isn’t ugly he is handsome but in a dress apparently ugly? Hahaha. These guys are great.

Nan Feng returns more calm after cursing a storm apparently and Xie Lian quickly notes he is just like his general here. Which is why I think he too is making the connection. I mean for a group of three who are just meeting non of them are shy around one another. So I think Xie Lian figures this out quickly and does not say anything? Cute right?

Welp just as they thought it might not work Xiao-Ying comes in like ‘hey I can help. I can add makeup and fix your dress! I mean most girls like to play dress up after all right? Haha

She helps of course and Xie Lian gets dressed again and this time all suited up properly. Time passes and they are on their way xie Lian seated in the wedding sadan and being carried off with the help of hired military men from the King who sent out the reward.

I like that as they were traveling they joke about with one another. Fu Yao calling Xie Lian old and Xie Lian without missing a beat jokes back about missing maids for the wedding. This props Fu Yao and Nen Feng to be like ‘Nah you are too poor.’ I love it. The two really are not hiding who they are very well. I really enjoyed this bit. This is where I was like okay I need to watch the show and see what differences are and where I really decided to read the Manhua as well. Like I am three chapters in and loving this book so far.

Not long Xie Lian starts to hear the laughter. They discover that he is the only one to hear the child’s voice as well. He tells everyone to continue on as if he hears anything. So they continue on of course.

They discuss about what is being sang as well and wonder what it could mean to smile.I found it funny here: Xie Lian said. “Besides, what’s the worst that can happen whether I cry or smile?” (Quote from Chapter 3 page 82) because he is always saying ‘Xie Lian doesn’t know to laugh or cry.’ I feel like this an amusing pun in the whole series as well. So I took note on this part.

Either way they are getting serious and things are getting interesting. I remember it was late at night when I read this and I couldn’t put it down even though I had to be up for work. Haha. Like I knew sort of what was going to happen but the book really had me hooked.

Xie Lian states he also can’t stop smiling either. So the song or poem is working? Or perhaps Xie Lian is just excited. It’s not explained witch. (Correct me if I am wrong I honestly can’t remember if they explain this later or not.)

So here is when the wolves come out to play. I think right after the wolves it’s the creatures as well. They start to attack and Nen Feng tells everyone not to panic. Nen Feng cries that Binu (I believe they are called) have also appeared.

These are ghost or creatures thoe week they also come in packs and can be tiresome to deal with. They also often appear with other creatures. Sneaky bastards really. This is also our real first glimpse of Ruoye, Xie Lian’s spiritual weapons. The two junior officials demand him to explain how he can use it, and Xie Lian kind of pushes the topic aside as if saying don’t worry about it. After that Xie Lian tells them to leave and get the military guards away. Fu Yao heads off easily while Nen Feng is hestant like he doesn’t want to leave Xie Lian alone but after some pushing he goes along to help lead away the military men.

I took note of this the second time I read this. This is why I was sure this was Fen Xing. I think if this was some junior who barely knew Xie Lian he would listen easier? The hesitation and the wanting to stay behind is a big hint. I want to place my thoughts on these two more deeply but for now I will continue with the main story and talk about them on their own post or when it’s needed.

So as we have it Xie Lian is left alone. This is what I like about re-reading stories. I almost always miss something the first time around. (Or forget about it) but when I was re-reading book one I noticed that after everything goes quiet we read that Xie Lian head’s a man’s chuckle.

Xie Lian at this point is on guard ready to strike if needed. What he hadn’t expected was that the man or youth moved the cutian and extended his hand.

Quote: The fingers were well defined. A red string was tied on the third finger, and on that long, slender, fair hand, it looked like a bright and colorful affinity knot. (End quote. Chapter 3 page 90)

That there is like oh the ghost groom? Is it really him or someone else? Of course at this point in my first read I thought it was Hua Cheng. That maybe he was the ghost groom or wanted Xie Lian to think he was? I just remember being very into the book at this point. Still reading this part I was excited.

Sadly I think this is the one part in the Manhua where I think it’s lacking a bit. It’s beautifully drawing of course but it’s very fast paced and some parts I felt important are skipped. This is one part where the Dunghua does it a bit better and follows the book more accurately.

And damn Hua Cheng waited standing there too! Like it is read that Xie Lian took a moment to decide weather he should take the hand or not! He does of course but if I had to guess a couple minutes still pass before he does! Hua Cheng is unmoving to. Like its okay Your highness I won’t hurt you. You know his inner self is like nervous. You have no idea how much I want Hua Cheng’s side of the story. Like what is he thinking? I can only guess and assume.

Look at this: Quote: He rose to his feet, ready to push aside the curtain to descend the sedan, but the man had already moved first, lifting the red curtain for him. This man who had come grasped his hand but didn’t squeeze too hard, as if he was afraid of hurting him, somehow giving the impression of taking the utmost care. (End Quote Chapter 3 page 93)

I mean Hua Cheng is being so gentle here! Like he really does not want to hurt Xie Lian and wants to lead him like a gentleman that he is. Oh my god I could melt! This is so romantic! It’s not really supposed to be. Xie Lian is serious and curious but it reads so romantically. I love it!

Now here is something the Manhua skipped over that I was disappointed in. It’s minor but I live this moment. Xie Lian pretends to trip! He gives a small gasp and trips. It’s fake of course but Hua Cheng catches him gently and guide him. Xie Lian is cautious wondering what to believe and Ruoye is ready to strike if need to be. If this is the ghost groom then Xie Lian was of course prepared!

Ahh though this is such an exciting part and it’s also a very tender moment. Hua Cheng is gentle here in with Xie Lian. Like hey I gotchue. He is probably silently freaking out on the inside tho yeah? Like ‘be cool be cool you got this.’ Haha OMG I really love this moment.

I like to point out that Xie Lian is taking every detail into account here. He is paying very good attention to this Ghost of course suspicious of him. Though he is also impressed? Also: (Quote) Those black leather boots were wrapped tight around long, slender legs, looking mightily beautiful as they walked… (end Quote. Chapter 3 page 94) Xie Lian you are a leg man aren’t you? Like I said he is noticing every detail on this man.

Ah then of course Hua Cheng shows off a bit and steps on a skull which is a type o lf formation/ barror that was placed and a strong one to boot as if it were nothing. Xie Lian is impressed. Though questions are brought up. Like if this was the ghost groom why did he distort is own thing? Who is this youth?

Hua Cheng then if course stops to pull out an umbrella so Xie Lian won’t get rained on. Not only rain but blood rain! Oh man. Reading this part the first time I went to bed right after and re-read it the next day after work. I loved it. It’s so well written. It’s different to. I can tell that MXTX took care at this part and she probably thought about it for a bit to make it perfect.

Ah then of course we don’t see Hua Cheng’s face right away. He disappears before Xie Lian can see it. Bummer right? Ah but we know Hua Cheng did it on purpose.

Small spoiler: Hua Cheng does not like his own look and is afraid what Xie Lian will say. End spoiler.-

Finally Xie Lian finds a temple for Pi Ming. Inside he also finds all the brides as well and encounters the wrath in a black fog like form, attacks it only for it to get away. When he chases after it that’s when the others show back up. He tells Fu Yau to chase one way into the woods. The chapter ends.

Over all this is one of my fave chapters. The moments with Xie Lian and his junior officials are amazing and it’s our first glimpse of hua Cheng! It’s also one of th most romantic parts of the first book. Ahh! I love this story.

Look out for my review on Chapter four and Five. Any questions or if you want to discuss these books with me I am open! I am also thinking about doing reviews on Scum Villain Self saving system and Grandmaster of demonic cultivation as well! Let me know what ya’ll think!

#mxtx #hua cheng #xie lian #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #heaven official blessings #heavens official blessing #tiān guān cì fú #hulian #scum villian self saving system #book review

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