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#he’s xie lian’s poor little meow meow

the-golden-mango-of-discord · 1 year

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ultimate mxtx poor little meow meow beatdown

(in the name of true democracy i ask that we vote not simply for our blorbos but for the poorest little meow meows of the bunch)

THE CHALLENGERS:

jiang cheng vs liu qingge

lan xichen vs yin yu

jin guangyao vs xue yang

luo bingge vs luo bingmei

mu qing vs shen jiu

he xuan vs zhuzhi-lang

xie lian vs xiao xingchen

banyue vs wuming

ROUND 2

#tgcf #mdzs #svsss #mxtx #scum villain #the untamed #tian guan ci fu #mxtx plmm beatdown #yall BETTER not let this flop i need this to be epic #gonna stagger all these by 5 minutes btw

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shen-daozhang · 2 years

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@majestictortoise got an ask about recommendations for more Chinese shows for someone who enjoyed The Untamed, and opened the floor for more recommendations.... ... My time has come. I actually have a watch list here that's filterable by genre, as well as some other things (including my recommendations for those new to Chinese shows), but I wanted to pull out a couple of those that I think are good for people who are looking for something to watch after The Untamed, that might not be the first shows you'll hear about here on Tumblr.

If you like political intrigue, complicated characters, bromance, and women who can kick your ass (both metaphorically and literally)

THE SECRET OF THE THREE KINGDOMS

54 eps. Viki. Youtube.

199 CE. Yang Ping grew up alongside his foster-brother Sima Yi, unaware of the fact that he is the Emperor's identical twin brother. When the Emperor dies, Yang Ping is secretly placed on the throne in his brother's place. He quickly learns that his brother was emperor in name only, and spent his entire reign under the control of one warlord or another; currently he is under the thumb of the infamous and ingenious Cao Cao. But Yang Ping lacks the the viciousness and cunning that those closest to him think he needs to survive as the emperor, let alone unite a war-torn nation and revive a fading dynasty. Can Yang Ping survive the power-struggle and become an emperor in his own right while remaining true to his principles?

This is a (highly) fictionalized history of the fall of the Eastern Han and the start of the Three Kingdoms period. It start off a little rough (I honestly almost dropped around episode 5), but I got pulled in and find this to be very bingeable and just a fun show with a cast of really interesting characters. While they all have knives at each others throats, no one is truly a villain- even those people who are traditionally seen as being 'bad guys' are given depth and complications. These are people living a terrible period of history, who have very different ideas of how to fix it.

Speaking of history, if you know nothing about this period you'll likely need to do a little bit of Wikipedia-ing if you want to really get the most out of the show. While I do think it's mostly accessible to someone who is going in without knowing what happens, I actually think the liberties taken with history are an interesting way to play with the historical characters and why they did what they did, and how they became who they were; it's constructed in such a way that it assumes you know what happens to these people, which often makes their early actions and statements ironic looking at you Cao Pi, my poor little meow meow I've actually been debating about making a simple guide to the characters, so if that's something you're interested in let me know.

You might recognize: Bian Jiang who provided the voice for Lan Wangji voices Sima Yi Su Shangqing (voice of Meng Yao, Cao Weining, Tang Fan) voices several characters I am almost positive Yang Ping is voiced by Jiang Guangtao (voice of Xie Lian, Sheng Lingyuan in Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire, Chu Wanning in the Erha voiced manhua). Tan Jianci (Cao Pi) is playing Gu Yun in Winner is King Tse Kwanho (Cao Cao) is playing Xue Zhengyong in HYX/Immortality

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If you like a drama queen of a main character who is willing to do (almost) anything for what starts off as a just cause, a great friendship that gets twisted as the show goes on, found family, and fantastic chemistry between the actors (not just the romances)

RISE OF PHOENIXES

70 episodes. Netflix.

Banished prince Ning Yi claws his way back to power and favor, methodically eviscerating all who stand in his way. All the while he's drawn to the independent and intelligent Feng Zhiwei who has disguised herself as a boy and become a trusted scholar to the Emperor. But will they survive the schemes and hurdles thrown their way?

If you've watched Nirvana in Fire, Ning Yi is the person that Mei Changsu thinks he is, while thinking that he's the person who Mei Changsu really is. Chen Kun is one of my favorite actors, and the role of the histrionic and morally complicated Ning Yi really shows off his strengths. He's also my fancast for Yan Wushi for what it's worth, and this show is my Powerpoint for why.

I will say that I think this show embodies both the good and bad things about pseudo-historical c-dramas, especially one of this length. I've already touched on the acting, but it's really fantastic from nearly all of the cast, and the actors are allowed to actually react to each other which is a lot of fun to watch. The design is also very cohesive- in addition to the costuming, the set dressing is also really well done with lots of nice details.

However I will say that generally this is a show that you need to turn your brain off and just watch when it comes to the plot. There's also some pacing issues, with important information being skipped over or seeming like entire scenes were jumped over... which might actually be the case because rumor has it this was originally 90 episodes (!) but they were told to cut it down. I honestly recommend you end this show at episode 68. The ending of that episode is more satisfying than what the show gives you (which, spoiler, is a sad ending), and some of the story and plot issues of the later episode really snowball in the last two episodes, with characters acting really OOC and some pretty extreme ridiculousness.

But now that I've said all of that this show is incredibly bingeable and just a fun watch! And I can't understate how excellent the acting chemistry is.

You might recognize: Wen Ruohan as Feng Zhiwei's teacher Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty's Lao Pei is one of Feng Zhiwei's fellow students

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If you like a main character who has a lot of growing up to do (and does it), brothers with a relationship that's #it's complicated, and a xianxia setting focusing on gods and monsters.

ASHES OF LOVE

Viki 60 eps; Netflix 63 eps

Jinmi- a carefree spirit who is unable to feel love- finds herself caught in the sibling rivalry between the two sons of the Heavenly Emperor, Fire Deity Xufeng and Night Deity Runyu.

A personal comfort show/guilty pleasure. This was also a super popular show in China when it aired. The more fantastical xianxia setting gives a lot of room for interesting costume and set design, and while there are some hard fails, there's a lot more that really works! Honestly though I think this show is as popular as it is because of the three leads- Deng Lun, Luo Yunxi and Yang Zi are all really good actors, and make this more than what could have been just another xianxia romance soap-opera of a show. All three of them grown and change, and end the show as completely different people. I do want to say this show changes tone- it starts off almost as a romantic comedy with goofy elements before taking a much more serious turn in the later half.

If you can, watch this on Viki rather than Netflix because the subs are much better (I strenuously disagree with a lot of the choices, but I'll spare you my rant), and the Netflix version is the extended one which makes the show too long while not adding anything worthwhile, and actually messes up the ending of a pivotal episode, weirdly enough. EDIT: It appears the episode ending has been fixed! If you're curious, it was the ending of episode 45, which.... yeah kind of a major episode ending. If you would like to join me in waiting-for-HYX/Immortality hell, this is made by the same production company, and Luo Yunxi (Chu Wanning) plays Runyu, and He Zhonghua (Nangong Liu) plays the Heavenly Emperor (if you've spent any time in the Erha/Dumb Husky tag you have almost certainly seen people using clips of Luo Yunxi in this show for Chu Wanning edits)

------------------ If you like a coming-of-age fantasy that's a sprawling heroes-journey type story, but with the twist that the seemingly chosen hero is more of an anti-hero

EVER NIGHT

61 episodes. Viki

Teenagers Ning Que and Sang Sang try to survive despite the odds stacked against them, while Ning Que attempts to avenge the massacre of his family. Meanwhile, a prophesied darkness has awakened, and the threat of a humanity-ending Eternal Night looms.

I love this show. I adore an amoral main character, as much as I love a character who does bad things for what they think are good reasons and this show has BOTH, AND sets them in contrast to each other! I also love the design choices and the cinematography. Be aware however that as far as I'm concerned, season 2 didn't happen (a lot of the actors didn't return - including lead Chen Feiyu - and it just has a lot of issues). I think season 1 ends by closing out a major plotline enough that it's satisfying in that regard. I like to say this is a show for people who can enjoy the journey rather than the destination, since there are still a lot of things left open.

EDIT: It's back on Viki as of Jul 27!! I'm so happy you have no idea

You'll recognize: Meng Ziyi (Wen Qing) as Ye Hongyu Chen Feiyu (Mo Ran in HYX/Immortality) plays Ning Que, who is a very Mo Ran character (Like Ashes of Love, you've probably seen Chen Feiyu's role in this show used in Erha/Dumb Husky edits)

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If you want a show that has it all- comedy, drama, meet-cute, poetry references, court intrigue, scifi, spy thriller, wuxia, and is filled to the brim with interesting characters

JOY OF LIFE

Viki, 46 eps

Fan Xian was a modern guy who died and was reincarnated in ancient China. Since he's maintained all of his past life's knowledge, he plans to take advantage of his modern smarts and knowledge of classic poetry to live an easy life. However, larger forces have other plans for him, and they don't take kindly to the idea of someone who wants to control his own fate...

This is, hands down, one of the best c-dramas I have ever watched and it kills me that it's not more well-known. Everyone is fantastic and all of the characters are compelling (Haitang Duoduo, please marry me). It also has a twist to it that you will not see coming! I also want to give a special shout out to the actor who played young Fan Xian because he nails the adult actor's mannerisms and speech pattern (seriously, go back and watch the first ep again after you've seen further into the show, it's uncanny).

Heads up this ends on a cliff-hanger, and season 2 filming has been delayed for various reasons, but is supposedly starting in September. HOWEVER I think this show is more than worth watching without season 2 lined up because it's just so good. Also please don't read the Viki summary, it somehow manages to not be the show at all while also giving a major spoiler.

You'll recognize: Xiao Zhan (Wei Wuxian) as Yan Bingyun. He also sings the closing credits song.

This has gotten long, so I'm going to post this for now, and I'll probably make another post with more recs later (edit: I did! This one has more danmei-inspired shows) ! Let me know if this is something that you like to see.

#the untamed #secret of the three kingdoms #ashes of love #joy of life #ever night #rise of phoenixes #cdrama recs #my recs

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web-novel-polls · 1 year

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Popular Danmei Character Tournament

CWs: demon mention, misgendering in a joking manner

Luo Binghe from Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Submission: I love him. He is a babygirl loserboy poor little meow meow.

Luo Binghe has been chasing after one(1) person his entire life, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t get him. Harem with 100 women? No way, he’s wife-beaming his Shizun 100x over, and eventually it works.

He swings between tragic protagonist who is desperately chasing after one of the only people who gave him kindness only to betray and rebuke him AND very powerful Demon Lord who acts pathetic and cries over literally anything at all

Xie Lian from Heaven Official’s Blessing

Submission: I know he’s gonna be submitted a bunch but he is THEE love of my life. Love the facade of silly goofy grandfather barely hiding The Horrors. He occupies about 95% of my brain space 24/7 what a little freak

#svsss #scum villain self saving system #heaven official’s blessing #tgcf #polls #danmei #danmei character tournament #danmei character polls #my polls #popular danmei character tournament #danmei character polls round 1 side A #queue

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crowning-art · 1 year

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TGCF SPOILERS!

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He really was just a poor little dude

“His Highness said to himself, ‘It’s okay, I had expected it, no one would stay after I’ve become like this. I can go on on my own. I understand now, I’ve always been alone!!! I DON’T NEED ANYONE!!!’

He's my poor little scrunkly boi, my little meow meow 🥺

I couldn't stop laughing at this, lmaooo just the image in my head is so funnyyy

But I didn’t immediately die, and when he started to act up, my three friends all started screaming from his face. As if they’d done something to him, he started yelling from an agonizing headache, and I was also screaming. The five of us were all screaming wildly, yelling in madness, like we had all gone crazy.

AWWWWW THEY ALL WERE GOUSHIS FOR XIE LIAN! MY HEART!!

Guoshi replied, “It’s them. So, I suppose you are also the disciple of my three friends.

There was something so terrifying about this passage:

“Finding ways to communicate with the friends who had become mountain spirits took me a long time, but after I succeeded, I learned many things. Turns out, the previous dynasty of heavenly officials didn’t fade away naturally. Instead, they were killed slowly, one by one, by him.

He…slaughtered the entire Heavenly Court, leaving no one behind!

As for the corpses and ashes of the heavenly officials of the previous dynasty, they’re all mixed into the foundation of this Heavenly Capital, trampled and stepped on by him each and every day. Right now, perhaps there’s also someone beneath your feet.

Especially when u compare it to the image of pristine white, gold, jade and the grand majesty of the whole realm and suddenly....it's not marble or jade you're staring at but rather the bones of the murdered and the blood seeping out of every crevice....how macabre...

I know it's just a translation thing, but the way the goushi's response was translated just feels so accurate, like yes, this is probably EXACTLY what he said lol I love it

Xie Lian suddenly recalled the strange attitude Guoshi had when he saw Shi Qingxuan. “Master!Lord Wind Master…the skilled fortune-telling master who told Shi Qingxuan’s fortune back then, the one who told his family not to host feasts, was that you?”

“Duh,” Guoshi said.

THE WAY HUA CHENG WAS JUST SMILING AND WATCHING XIE LIAN THE WHOLE TIME GOUSHI WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW SIMILAR JUN WU AND XIE LIAN WERE BUT HOW THEY WERENT BECAUSE HE ALWAYS CHOSE THE PATH OF GOODNESS AND HUA CHENG WAS JUST SO PROUD 😭😭

OK NVM I TAKE IT BACK I HATE JUN WU!! HOW DARE HE MESS WITH THE SHI BROTHERS!! HOW DARE HE??? UNFORGIVABLE!

Ummm....yaaa...about that....😅

“Since the existence of Wuyong could no longer be hidden, anyone who saw the Crown Prince of Xianle and the Crown Prince of Wuyong would think the two were very alike, so it was the perfect solution in leading it all back to you.

I...uhhhh...(thinking back to my theory that Xie Lian was an incarnation of Wuyong prince...)

I HAD THIS EXACT HEADCANON OF GOUSHI REPRIMANDING XIE LIAN FOR LIKING HUA CHENG WAAAY BACK AND I CANT BELIEVE ITS TRUE!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!

Guoshi was doubtful. “Then…could it be…a trait from birth? Well…I never noticed. Hm…alright, this part of you certainly isn’t like him…”

And this part too!!

Guoshi leaned over to argue. "You cunning young man, don't think I can't tell. Aren't you exactly using the fact that His Highness isn't too learned in this aspect? Why don't you tell me right now, to my face, how spiritual power is lent? How many ways can it be lent, and how do you lend it?

What did you tell His Highness?

GUZIII!!!! AWWW I MISSED HIM!!!! lmaooo Qi Rong was such a mood, writing 'I was here' on all the walls and proceeding to get scolded by everyone and then having to clean everything up in a sulky manner lol

Oh my God, all the Goushi confronting Xie Lian about Hua Cheng were GOLDEN LMAOO

Guoshi was puzzled. "Your Highness, how can you say something like that? Your calligraphy was taught by world-class masters, how can you not tell the difference between beautiful and hideous? That writing is totally the worst of the three realms, not even the best teachers could salvage it. What exactly do you like about it? Did your taste fall apart?"

Xie Lian said, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAMASTER, PLEASE DON'T SAY ANY MORE!!!

Gosh this part is so interesting to me

Suddenly, he remembered a long time ago, he asked Hua Cheng what Jun Wu was like. At the time, Hua Cheng's response was, Jun Wu must really hate him.

Like even back in the beginning, Jun Wu did treat him well and with kindness, but I guess it kinda makes sense cuz u wouldn't do what Jun Wu ever did to someone you love...

The absolute chaos in Pei Ming's palace was so funny thoooo, everyone just attacking everyone and Pei Ming is just FED UP lol literal party in his house

Xie Lian felt endless sympathy. In some sense, this was probably considered the misfortune of over-popularity.

Oh shoot....with Pei Ming going down to break the array...I think things are gonna start going down hill now officially

#tian guan ci fu #tgcf #tgcf spoilers #heaven’s official blessings #heaven's official blessings spoilers #hua cheng #xie lian #tgcf journey #jun wu #ch 219-222

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tummymoth · 1 year

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Of (Tattoo) Guns N' Roses [1]

Chapter 1: Sweet Child O' Mine (read on Ao3 here)

Chapter Summary: On his way home from work, Xie Lian finds a bedraggled cat in an alleyway and decides to take it home. His roommate Mu Qing is less than enthused, but the florist insists that he can cover the expenses.

Additional Info: Florist! Xie Lian x Tattoo Artist!Hua Cheng, roommate!Mu Qing, personal trainer!Feng Xin, some FengQing as a treat for us, strong language, meet-cute, fluffy as fuck in the future, slice of life, an unnecessary amount of flower research was put into this

A/N: A sleep-deprived night full of making headcanons of my favorite trope (florist/tattoo artist) with my favorite mutually obsessed paring has resulted in one of the most self-indulgent things I've ever written. Enjoy.

Word Count: 4,261

Next>

“You get what you pay for,” while a common adage, is a phrase Xie Lian has worked hard to defy every day.

Why spend sixty dollars on a coat when he could layer on three sweaters he thrifted for five dollars each? No need to waste money on buying a new one either, when he could patch up the holes with a good, old-fashioned, needle and thread. The idea of spending 20 dollars on an umbrella? Obscene; especially when Xie Lian got a deal for his new favorite possession: a Hello Kitty umbrella. A steal, really.

Unfortunately for Xie Lian, his two-dollar, bottom-of-the-bargain-bin, flimsier-than-a-wet-napkin umbrella was unable to keep the wind and rain from seeping through three layers of woolen threads and soaking him to the bone.

If his shivering form was anything to go by, it was apparent that the phrase, “you get what you pay for,” still reigned supreme.

It was with stiff limbs and an inverted umbrella in tow that Xie Lian speed-walked to his apartment in the rain (taxis are overrated, it’s important to get your cardio in). A steady rhythm of icy drops paired well with the post-workday din of cars screeching down the city street, allowing his mind to wander.

What was Mu Qing making dinner tonight? He ate a piece of cantaloupe he packed for work in thought, eyes observing rainwater filling in the familiar cracks of the sidewalk. To be fair, it didn’t matter either way; Xie Lian was banned from the kitchen regardless. You set off the building’s fire alarm once, and everyone gets into a tizzy about how you “managed to set fire to congee” and “should never be allowed within three meters of a working stove again.” Honestly, did people no longer believe in second chances anymore—

A pitiful yowl yanked Xie Lian back to reality. He squinted in the general direction it came from, trying to see past what was essentially a grey sheet of rain. It wasn’t long before another cry rang out, barely making it above the sound of traffic. His eyes zeroed in on the alleyway a meter or so ahead of him.

What poor creature had managed to get caught in the rain? It wasn’t as if this was a summer shower either. Each drop of autumn rain that splattered on his skin leeched heat away from his body. He couldn’t imagine being weighed down by fur that couldn’t even offer warmth.

Sure enough, there was a dirtied, soaked cat shivering as it pressed itself against the wall in an attempt to shrink away from the cold. It couldn’t have been more than two years old; it also looked like it could’ve been white, but with all of the dirt, smog, and—was that blood?!—caked into its matted fur, Xie Lian figured the poor thing hadn’t had a proper bath in ages.

Making sure his steps were light—not that the cat seemed to be of the mind to care how loud he was—he padded his way towards it before squatting down.

“Hello there, little one,” Xie Lian cooed, gingerly reaching out a hand while trying to shield it from being pelted by any more rain with his umbrella. “You shouldn’t be out in the rain like this, you’ll get a cold.”

He received little more than another meow before his brown eyes met blue ones. The cat butted its head toward him, trying to lean its full body weight against his hand. Xie Lian shivered at how frigid to the touch its waterlogged fur was and made a move to withdraw his hand in surprise, but each time he tried to move away, the cat pushed further until it was practically in his lap.

He chuckled and gave its head a few cursory pets, smiling in spite of the water that was slowly seeping into his pants. It was fine if they got grime and mud on them today, tomorrow was laundry day anyway.

“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you?” he mused mostly to himself as he took a closer look at its coat to see if there were any injuries that needed attending to. The few streaks of blood he could see on its fur didn’t look fresh, but it couldn’t have hurt to get them checked out to avoid any infection. There was no collar around its neck either, so unless it was microchipped, he had no hope of trying to call the owners.

With a small grunt of effort, Xie Lian scooped up the cat in one arm and hoisted himself up. Now that it was pressed close to his chest, he could feel the tremors that wracked the poor thing’s body.

“I know we’ve only met today,” he said as he made his way to the nearest clinic, pointedly ignoring the feeling of claws digging into his sweater, “but can I ask you not to hate me if I take you to the vet? I want to make sure you’ll be okay before I send you home and see if we can find your parents.”

The cat blinked back at him owlishly, shivering all the while. Xie Lian smiled.

“To the vet, it is then!”

After about thirty minutes of sitting in the waiting area, the door to the veterinarian’s office opened and the cat stepped out, closely followed by the vet herself.

“Aside from a few cuts and scrapes, he looks to be in good condition,” she announced, smiling at the cat leaping into Xie Lian’s arms before turning back to her clipboard and writing notes.

Ah, so it was a he.

“We also gave him a bath to get rid of the dirt and dried him off.”

“That’s good to know, thank you so much for your help,” Xie Lian nodded his head in thanks and gave the cat gentle scratches behind his ears, admiring his newly blow-dried coat and fawning over him even more when he started purring. So he was a white cat. With soft fur too.

“If it’s not too much, could I ask one more thing of you?”

“Yes?” The vet looked up from her papers with a raised brow.

“Do you know if he’s microchipped or not?”

“You don’t know if your own cat is microchipped?”

His smile turned sheepish as he scratched the back of his head with a free hand. “Ah, no I actually picked him up off the street today. He was just sitting there in the rain, it was worrisome.”

“I see…” After a few beats of silence, she pushed up her glasses. “When we conducted his physical exam we didn’t see any microchip. You could take him to a nearby shelter, but they tend to be at capacity around this time of year.”

Xie Lian frowned. As far as he knew, there weren’t any no-kill shelters in his area. And while the question of whether or not he would be adopted wasn’t an issue—this cat was quite handsome now that the dirt and blood had been washed off—sending him off to another strange area didn’t sit right with him.

“Could I take him home instead?”

She smiled and scribbled a few more notes. “I’ll go ahead and get you the proper paperwork so we can get him registered. That shouldn’t be a problem at all."

“Absolutely not,” Mu Qing deadpanned before Xie Lian could get more than a word in edgewise, arms crossed over his chest and a spatula in his hand. The pinched look of irritation on his face was almost intimidating enough to offset the pink checkerboard apron (also Hello Kitty themed) he was currently wearing.

Almost.

The smile Xie Lian was wearing felt a little more forced than it did thirty seconds ago, but he carried on regardless and closed their shared apartment door behind him, mindfully setting his newly acquired companion on the couch where Feng Xin sat and a hefty bag of cat food on the floor. The cat wasted no time in padding over to the man and pawing at his knee, eyes timid but curious as he inspected the threads on his pant leg.

“I don’t know…” Feng Xin trailed off as he let the cat nose at his fingers, enamored by how the small creature’s nose was cool to the touch. “I think it’s a great idea, Xie Lian. Mu Qing just hates the idea of cleaning up after a fellow stray.”

“You don’t even live here, cadger.” If Mu Qing’s eyes kept rolling like this, Xie Lian feared they would get stuck looking at the back of his head permanently. “You get no say in this.”

“Oh my, that’s a fancy word for you. Is that the word of the week for your little book club—”

“As I was saying,” Xie Lian began again, “I’ve named him Ruoye, and he’s an exceptionally well-behaved cat. I found him on the street today, and he was sitting in the cold all alone—”

“All due respect, I couldn’t care less how well-behaved that thing is,” Mu Qing interrupted as he shot a pointed glare in their direction. “It hasn’t even been here for more than five minutes and it’s already shedding all over the couch.”

Feng Xin barked out a laugh. “See? Told you.”

“Can it, freeloader.”

“Mu Qing…” Xie Lian’s voice took on a pleading tone.

“We’ve both been struggling with rent, we can’t possibly take in a stray cat.” He waved his spatula around emphatically. “I hate to be the one to say it, but this isn’t practical. You’d have to think about food, vet visits, bedding—”

“I can make it work.” The gears in Xie Lian’s mind were already turning as he worked out the budgeting he’d need to keep track of. “The shop got a new regular about a month ago, and he tips really well. More than I’d like… but if he keeps ordering arrangements and tipping the same, the amount of income the shop would make from just him would be enough to cover any expenses for Ruoye.”

Mu Qing was hardly convinced. “Listen, I don’t say anything about you spending money on buying treats to feed stray animals or letting them stay here to recover for a night if clinics are closed. I’m not your parent; if that’s your prerogative, then you should go for it. But to permanently bring one into a space that we share? Did you think this through?”

“I can take care of everything for Ruoye and still keep up with my half of the bills,” Xie Lian insisted.

Feng Xin rose to his feet and stretched himself out, yawning languidly before he let his hands drop to his sides. “Sounds like he’s got you beat, you know how Xie Lian is when he’s got his heart set on something,” he simpered as he gave the cat of the hour a few head rubs, cooing when he leaned into his hand. After sniffing at his hand for the past five minutes, Ruoye had decided Feng Xin wasn’t a threat. “Anyways, when’s dinner gonna be ready?”

Rolling his eyes, Mu Qing headed back to the kitchen to check on the progress of tonight’s dish. “I’m not feeding you tonight, you mooch. Go order takeout or something.”

“How am I supposed to tell my clients to train hard and keep to a diet if I’m stuffing my face with shitty food?” Feng Xin groaned as he followed after him.

“Oh, I don’t know. Starve then, ”Mu Qing grumbled.

“You have the most bitter personality I’ve ever been unfortunate enough to meet. You are such an ass…”

“…”

“…but your cooking is actually decent.”

“Maybe instead of starving you, I’ll just spit in your food,” Mu Qing muttered dryly as he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. He turned to Xie Lian and, upon seeing that his stupidly optimistic smile never went away, Mu Qing huffed turned back around to rifle through the cabinets and grab three plates. He set them on the island before taking the pan off the stove and plating up.

Tonight was steamed sea bass in a ginger soy sauce with stir-fried vegetables. For extra protein, there was also scrambled egg with tomato mixed in. Feng Xin hated tomatoes, but they were healthy and Mu Qing took personal joy in watching the man try to tough it out and force himself to eat them anyway.

From the corner of his eye, Mu Qing could see sapphire eyes peek up at him in interest as he brought the dishes to the kitchen island and set them down. It seems as if the small thing had already begun to make itself at home and start exploring.

He looked up.

Xie Lian smiled back.

Mu Qing stubbornly averted his gaze and shoveled rice onto each plate before grabbing chopsticks and spoons for the three of them. Maybe if he busied himself with setting up for dinner, his hardheaded roommate would drop the subject. Dealing with Feng Xin’s stupid face as he jovially pulled a chair up to the kitchen island was almost tolerable compared to Xie Lian’s silent begging.

Sure, the man could handle rejection—it’s not as if he would ever push someone’s boundaries after a hard no—but having to tell Xie Lian “no,” was the same as asking Mu Qing to tell some kid that Santa wasn’t real. Easy in theory, but dealing with the knowledge that he was the bearer of bad news? Not so much.

After a few more moments of fidgeting with placemats, Mu Qing dared to look up again.

The fucker never stopped smiling.

Sighing in defeat, he sat himself down and waved in the general direction of the couch.

“Keep him out of my room, and we have a deal.”

He could practically feel the energy of their small apartment shift as his roommate’s face lit up. Xie Lian wasn’t one for raucous, incendiary emotions—even as a kid, he never took it upon himself to shriek or whoop loudly in joy—but his excitement was palpable nonetheless.

“Oh thank you, Mu Qing! You’ll get used to him in no time, I swear. He’s super friendly, he was even okay with me carrying him all the way home while I walked—”

“If I see any cat hairs in my cooking, I’m throwing him out the window.”

Sunlight filtered through the half-open blinds of the shop and bled streaks of gold across Xie Lian’s work table as he busied himself by carefully trimming chamomile stems before giving them a home in their new container.

It was Ruoye’s first time accompanying him to work and, much to Xie Lian’s delight, he had been giving him zero issues at all. Instead of batting at every stem in his reach like Mu Qing said he would, the cat had taken a liking to the feeling of the sun warming his fur. Wherever there weren’t stray leaves or petals, he took it upon himself to sprawl out on his back, tail languidly lashing back and forth as he watched Xie Lian work.

His current client had requested a bouquet for the bride of a wedding. When they both sat down to talk about the specifics, he learned how the two had come to meet and chose the flowers accordingly. Chamomiles for patience in adversity, and pink camellias to represent a deep longing. These two flowers combined with white clovers as fillers for the bouquet—a plea for the receiver to think of the giver—gave a quiet retelling of how the groom and bride had met and continued to fall for each other despite unkind circumstances.

It pulled at his heartstrings, really.

There was just something about being able to pull together a piece that would be part of such a defining and joyful moment for so many people that made his heart smile. And so he stood there, painstakingly making sure every bloom sat just right. Xie Lian loved weddings—even more so when he was able to make an arrangement that conveyed a couple’s story.

He took a step back to admire his work and began to get lost in his thoughts—maybe he had time to run out and buy Ruoye a small bed he could use at the shop…?—when he heard the door chime ring up front.

“I’ll be there in just a minute!” He patted his hands dry on his apron before giving Ruoye a quick pat on the head—after getting over the initial shock of such loud ringing, the cat had quickly grown desensitized to customers entering the shop and started to take the sound as a signal to accompany Xie Lian as he made his way toward the front. Was his client here for pickup already? He had told her it wouldn’t be ready for another couple of days.

Instead of a rather warm-spirited and peppy woman with brown hair and sun-kissed skin who wore whites and blues, Xie Lian found himself faced with a gentleman who looked to be entirely the opposite.

Inky black hair was smartly slicked back into a high and tight ponytail, not a strand of hair out of place. Clothes as dark as night countered sharply with severe eyes and pale skin. Gold trim glinted against the black of his wool coat, nearly reaching the floor. And while his gaze wasn’t exactly frigid in the way he scanned the shop, nothing in his features made way for the implication of life. He was all harsh contrast and sharp angles.

Save for the slight tinge of pink dusting his cheeks and nose that implied a brisk walk outside in the nippy autumn weather, he looked to be a walking corpse.

“He Xuan!” Xie Lian’s eyes crescented as he smiled and took his hand to shake it, Ruoye still weaving in and out of his legs. Contrary to everything else about him, He Xuan’s palms gave off a pleasant heat. “You’re here for your order, right?”

“Mn.” Other than a curt nod, the taller man didn’t contribute much more. His eyes only briefly lingered on Ruoye before he turned his attention back to the florist.

Xie Lian didn’t think much of his brevity—this was his third time ordering from the shop, and the rhythm of their exchange never deviated too far from yes or no questions—and made his way to the back again before wheeling out a two-tiered cart.

Two arrangements sat atop the highest tier, while three sat on the bottom—all were in vessels of various heights and shapes. Each bouquet set a moody tone with near-black or burgundy petals and dark green ferns, with the only instances of bright color found in flesh-colored flowers interspersed throughout each piece for contrast. Both the flowers and He Xuan himself looked out of place in a store that had mostly warm, bright tones.

“It’s not often I’m just given a color scheme and told to do whatever I want. Thank you for all the creative freedom,” Xie Lian said enthusiastically as he gently set each vase on the counter to ring them up.

More freedom to do as he wished meant he could incorporate more unique flowers people didn’t typically order—sea hollies weren’t exactly the most popular compared to roses or tulips, and the snarly texture of contorted filbert branches wasn’t necessarily a crowd-pleaser either. Using relatively unconventional materials drove up the cost of these arrangements, of course, but He Xuan had insisted that money wasn’t an issue during his first order.

“There’s no need for thanks.” He Xuan’s tone was neither friendly nor antagonizing—it just was. “My boss enjoys your work. He says you have a keen eye for pieces that aren’t monotonous to the point of being an eyesore in the studio.”

Unsure if he was to take that as a compliment, Xie Lian decided to change the line of conversation entirely as he punched in the necessary information to calculate the total, Ruoye looking over his shoulder as he perched on one of the shelves to his left. “You buy these for him as a gift? That’s quite nice of you.”

“No, these are for display around the shop.” He Xuan sighed—the only other emotions he displayed other than apathy were either thinly veiled contempt or annoyance, and this was the former. “I’m his personal assistant. He sends me on errands or whatever suits his fancy.”

“Oh? Well, I assume my flowers suit his fancy, then. That seems like high praise, coming from him,” Xie Lian chuckled.

“Very. He’s critical of other people’s works.”

“Oh? Does he make a living as an art critic?”

He Xuan shrugged. “No. He’s an artist. Very highly acclaimed. Probably one of the best” It didn’t sound like he was bragging about his boss so much as he was begrudgingly telling the truth.

“Well, it’s very flattering to receive praise from someone with so much skill,” Xie Lian replied with a smile on his face. “I’d love to see his work sometime.”

The black-clad man considered him for a moment. “I can talk to him about having you stop by.”

Xie Lian immediately backtracked and waved a hand dismissively. “Oh no, I would hate to impose. I’m sure he’s a busy man if he’s sending you out so often.”

“Yeah. Busy,” He Xuan muttered under his breath and bent down a bit to peer at each of the arrangements set on the counter, eyes carefully analyzing Xie Lian’s work.

After a few beats of silence with no words coming from the other, Xie Lian decided to busy himself by tidying up the drawers at the register to avoid rushing him. He was a relatively neat person—his upbringing didn’t give him a chance to be a slob—but try as he might, he could never avoid falling into the trappings of a junk drawer. There were wayward tealights, a pair of dull scissors he forgot to throw out, stamps, white ribbon, and… were those wilted leaves? God, that wouldn’t do—

“You’ve outdone yourself this time.” He Xuan cleared his throat as he stood back up and produced a wallet from his coat pocket. “How much do I owe you?”

“It’ll be four hundred and twenty-five today.”

He raised a brow at him, which was probably his version of openly gawking at someone. “That prices each arrangement under one hundred.”

“Correct.”

“The simplest ones you’ve done before are worth at least ninety.”

“Well I would actually sell each of these for upwards of ninety-five dollars—what with the rarer flowers and all—but since you’ve been ordering so much from here, I decided to just bundle it and price them at eighty-five each.”

He Xuan’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “You are grossly underselling yourself. We’ll pay the full amount.”

“No, I really don’t mind.” Xie Lian waved away the notion, suddenly feeling sheepish under his deadpan stare. “You’ve been such a loyal customer over the past couple of months—”

“I insist,” the taller man interrupted as he handed his card to him and proceeded to rifle through the bills in his wallet. “If you aren’t willing to charge full price, I’ll add tip to compensate.”

“Ah…” he trailed off, unsure of how else to decline without sounding rude. He Xuan took that as an invitation to continue talking and pointed out the least opulent arrangement out of the five.

“What you do is artistry.” There were no layers of awe or sugarcoating to be found in his voice. Just as He Xuan pointed out his boss’s apparent skill as an artist with zero embellishments, he appraised Xie Lian’s skill (skill??) as a florist as if it was a simple fact of life.

“I wouldn’t consider myself an artist.” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “This is just a hobby I happen to be making money off of, really.”

“It isn’t even a question of using rare flowers or not.” He Xuan continued as if he didn’t hear him. “This piece has more typical flowers, yet you clearly know what you’re doing with its composition. The height, sizing, and colors complement each other, and by adding filler plants with more structure, you made a vertical arrangement with an angular feel without having to fight against the organic form of the flowers. You should be pricing for your skill, and all the time you’ve spent honing it.” He stopped to consider the arrangement again.

“This one is easily worth one hundred or more.”

Xie Lian was absolutely dumbfounded for a few seconds before he found his words.

“This is the most you’ve talked during a pickup, and it sounds to me like you have a keen eye for art just like your boss,” he jibed at He Xuan with a chuckle as he ran the card through and made to grab his receipt from the printer.

“So you admit it’s art.” His tone was still hard—almost abrasive with its ever-present underlying current of annoyance—but Xie Lian found this to be the friendliest he’s been and decided to take his words for what they were.

Once the transaction had been completed and He Xuan was able to (very carefully) load the flowers into his car, Xie Lian returned to the register and reached up to give Ruoye a scratch behind the ears.

He slowly blinked his eyes at Xie Lian as a low, pleasant rumble sounded from his chest.

“You’ve been so good today,” he cooed as he began to give the cat full-body pets. “I oughta get you some treats. Maybe a bed so you have your own spot at the shop.”

Ruoye continued purring.

Next>

#Hua cheng x Xie Lian #Florist!Xie Lian #Tattoo artist!Hua Cheng #HuaLian #TGCF #tian guan ci fu #heaven official’s blessing #fanfiction #florist x tattoo artist trope #modern AU #meet-cute #fluff #slice of life #tgcf fanfiction #HuaLian Fanfiction #Moth's Manuscripts ﾟ𐦍༘⋆

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junecsea · 11 months

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Hey June! I have to know, because in the one season of the donghua I've watched, he always seems so "above board" (mostly). So please tell me, WHAT kind of morally grey messed up stuff does Xie Lian get up to in the novel?!?

Oh man. Oh boy.

So his character really grows as you get more back story and, in general in the books, he's a bit more mischievous and morally neutral in some ways - especially as the story goes on. Not quite knife cat meme energy (that's Hua Cheng) but not too far off from it, either.

I don't super wanna spoil stuff, but dude is ABSOLUTELY willing to throw the first punch, and has done some pretty messed up stuff. Ya know. Murder. Kidnapping. Witness intimidation. War crimes. The usual poor little meow meow routine. (Yes, all of these things do happen in the books.)

Which I think is what I really love about TGCF/HOB in general. It's about someone who thought they were a good person discovering that they are fundamentally...not. But not giving up and refusing to let those dark tendencies and fears stop them from TRYING - to improve, to help people, to become a better person than you were yesterday. And it's also about the people who love you through that process, because they see you as a whole person, not who they wish you could be. It's about being hopeful and being loved because of your flaws, not despite them. Because your flaws are what make you real and what make you worthy of love, even if it makes it hard.

#hope that answers your question in part?#sorry if this has been sitting in my inbox for a bit I forgot to check #you should definitely read because book!XL is b r u t a l and HC is worse and it is so so so funny #judgement couple.jpg #tgcf #hob #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing

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llycaons · 2 years

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jiang cheng and mu qing for the character thing!

cool cool jc is always a fun one and mu qing my specialist little meow meow

Jiang Cheng

NOTE two of these are half circles because they're both true. I like to think I have a little something for both the haters and the enjoyers on this blog. I wish they had a CLOWN option but alas. All the popular ships for the character are dogshit except sang/cheng, which I'm not really a fan of but it's something that I wouldn't block for unlike literally anything else. I've seen him shipped with qin su. that poor woman has been through enough. and yeah if I met him irl in some scenes I'd be fine but in others...yeah I'd want to leave

Mu Qing: the bestest boy in the whole wide world <3 my favorite gay misogynist besides, arguably, killua (after election arc he's not as bad)

I struggled with the color but I ended up choosing black for him because he tends to be in very austere black robes. I very dearly wished to call him the best character in the work but I do not think he can beat xie lian in complexity or writing. he's the best character in my heart tho <3

thank you!!!

#I also love xie lian a lot dgmw but mu qing is the perfect combination to make my brain explode #asks

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sadbreadcrumb · 1 year

Text

uh yeah so i got a job, then got another job at a bar, then lost the first one, then quit the second one. also got into tgcf and am now feeling absolutely feral about xie lian. this guy rules. he's also my baby and my poor little meow meow and stuff. i want to hug him and feed him something edible so bad, but i guess he's got his husband for that, which is also cool. yeah. also i spent a shitload of money on, like, prepared meal delivery for two weeks? i wanted to see if my tiredness will get better after i try to eat regularly, but alas. idk who to talk to about it, like i should probably talk to a psychiatrist or something again, but eh. also i kinda enrolled in an online course about dog training. why the fuck did i do that, i don't have the money for it. and now i ordered the first two tgcf books in print bc?? what was the reason beside 'omg i need it' what the fuck no you don't. still not gonna cancel the order though. also i'm still taking another cynology course and i have an anatomy exam TOMORROW and of course i haven't prepared for it lol. also i have a cold and i haven't cleaned my room in several month. and my friend lives with me and she also doesn't fucking clean. i guess i shouldn't be angry about it since i'm just as hopeless, but like girl you don't even pay for utilities and you eat my food and you can't even walk my dog while i'm away for a whole day and you always complain everything is dirty FUCK YOU pls can someone come wash my dishes :((((( so yeah, jobless, careless, hungry, sick, living in a pigsty and simping for xie lian idk why i decided to tell all that lol

#my text posts

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veliseraptor · 2 years

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TGCF for the meme

man it's been like a full six months since I last did a TGCF reread. I should probably fix that

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): I feel like there's actually not a super clear front runner here? It kind of depends on when you ask me. I love many of the blorbos in this novel very much. Maybe Mu Qing? I feel like it might be Mu Qing. But I have very strong feelings about several other characters, too...less of a clear front-runner here than there often is. He Xuan and Xie Lian are probably the other candidates, with Hua Cheng a close runner up.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Shi Qingxuan, for sure. Lady Wind Master my beloved.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): I feel like most of my beloveds here get at least a modicum of fandom attention, but here I think I'm going to go with Ling Wen because she could always get more and like. Ling Wen. I love her very much in all her awful awful glory.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): not that obscure but I have an amount of Yin Yu feelings that is pretty far out of proportion for the amount of story space he takes up.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): you would think it'd be He Xuan but I don't actually feel like He Xuan is a meow meow. I don't have a rationale for this, it just doesn't feel right. I'm going to go with Jun Wu, honestly. Jun Wu is my poor little meow meow. Which sure is a sentence.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Also interesting that it's occurring to me I don't have a favored whump target here! I would definitely torment Hua Cheng for fun and "this is what I do to characters who abhor showing any kind of weakness" purposes, but honestly would torment just about anyone in this bar. Even Xie Lian though I feel kind of bad about that considering that he's already been pretty well plinko'd by canon.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Hm. You know, I'm not sure I have one in this canon, which is sort of funny and I feel like I must be forgetting someone but...nobody's coming to mind. Like, I feel like maybe Shi Wudu would come closest but the guy's grown on me and also I feel like getting your head ripped off by someone's bare hands goes a long way.

#conversating #stripedroseandsketchpads #lise memes #dysfunctional gods and ghost kinks

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lansplaining · 2 years

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the blorbo meme thing?? for tgcf maybe?

my blorbs!!

blorbo: after long consideration, i think it has to be feng xin, though i do love xie lian a lot and he's a close second

scrunkly: probably xie lian actually. he just. is baby. i definitely do wish to scrunkle him.

scrimblo bimblo: does feng xin count as underrated?? because i really think he is!! but we'll put mu qing to avoid doubling up, even though I think he's actually the more appreciated and gets a lot more solo attention of the two

glup shitto: lil pei. i love him out of proportion of his actual role in the story for sure

poor little meow meow: literally no one in TGCF -doesn't- count as this, but let's say ling wen. she should have done more murders etc.

horse plinko: tgcf is a hard canon for this because everyone is being tormented all the time anyway. let's say feng xin and mu qing as a unit, their collective sufferings are much funnier than either of them alone (and may lead to them needing to kiss about it)

eeby deeby: tbh qi rong annoys me, he can go

#tgcf #ask meme #blorbo meme

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sokkalore · 2 years

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tgcf for the ask (blorbo skrunkly etc)

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

well xie lian OF COURSE................

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

genuinely hua cheng. if you get it you get it. sqx too.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

hmm...i don't think feng xin is really underrated but i don't think many people understand him the way that the feng xin girlhusband mutuals and i do.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

JIAN LAN..<3

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

sorry y'all you know it's qi rong. you knew i would say that. i don't think i would actually call him a poor little meow meow though, but based on the description given he falls under that category.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

also qi rong

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

jun wu. goodbye.

#tgcf spoilers #?!?!? kind of.

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three--rings · 2 years

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ooh! would you do TGCF for the blorbo meme?

Gosh this was HARD for me.

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

I'm VERY torn between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. But considering the next category I'm going to give this one to Hua Cheng.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

Xie Lian. He's just so...everything. Baby. Shaped. Cute. I want to pinch his cheeks and give him food.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

Ling Wen - mostly unappreciated within the universe rather than within the fandom.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

He Xuan. Like he's not really obscure, but also the one I feel like waving at in the background, especially when he's not "officially" onscreen. (Alternatively Yin Yu.)

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

Again, can I say He Xuan? He's problematic, but....yeah.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

Jun Wu, I think. I think that would honestly be fun.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

Qi Rong. Look, I'm sorry, I wanted him dead SO BADLY throughout the entire novel.

#Anonymous #meme #tgcf

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hyena-frog · 2 years

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For the fandom ask thing, Red Rising and Heaven's Official Blessing. Tell me your secrets of blorbo

I already answered for RR so here are my tgcf blorbos.

blorbo - Xie Lian. So humble and kind. Has committed the most extreme violence. Collects trash for a living. Just Dianxia things.

scrunkly - Lord Windmaster!! Every time Shi Qingxuan appears I'm instantly so happy. I also love that they prefer to present as a woman, but is chill about either form, that's so cool of them.

scrimblo bimblo - I'm not sure who is underrated/underappreciated in this fandom but I actually really liked the village girl who helped out during the Ghost Bridegroom arc in the very beginning. Everyone was so mean to her for no reason.

glup shitto - E-ming!!! Best sword. Lovely scimitar. Possibly the cutest deadly bladed weapon ever?

poor little meow meow - I don't think this is actually an unpopular choice but He Xuan. Poor little glup glup 🐟

horse plinko - Jun Wu. 🔪

eeby deeby - This is also Jun Wu.

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #catherdrashepard #my post #thank you for letting me talk about my shows

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tolrais · 2 years

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TGCF for the ask meme please?

Thanks fixa!

This was actually more of a headscratcher than I thought it would be 😅🤔

Blorbo has got to be the main man himself, Xianle Taizi Dianxia Xie Lian.

Scrunkly...I'll admit this threw more for a sec but i think I gotta go with Hong-Er/Baby Hua Cheng - I just want to protect him and give him blankets 😅 I'd probably lose my hand, but I identify far too much with Xie Lian in those scenes.

Scrimblo bimblo - OK so this one is kind of cheating but it's Wu Ming. Just the devotion and *clenches heart* he's so good.

Glup Shitto - It's gotta be the ladies - Ban Yue, Yushi Huang, Ling Wen - they're all great in different ways.

Poor Little Meow Meow - I wanna say Pei Ming, he's such a dickhead but at the end of the day he's one of the few characters who doesn't have like 800 ulterior motives. (And him being #1 Hualian shipper is very funny). Though I feel like Yin Yu also deserves a shout out for his patheticness

Horse Plinko - Qi Rong, need I say more?

Eeby Deeby - I think we all know this one XD, Chief Dickhead himself, Bai Wuxiang

#ask meme #tgcf #these aren't like a hard fast definite answer

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