"Thou Shalt Remake The World"

Queer. 24. I'm a writer. Mostly I'm just trying to survive. This is basically the place where I dump all my interests and things I find cool. As well as things I am passionate about. Call me Lex.

[whattheship]

Things I either forgot or didn't notice on my first readthrough of TGCF volume 7 that I noticed on the re-read:

I love White No-Face's aversion to being called “Your Highness”.

Xie Lian coming up with the theory behind the massive spiritual array by himself, just in case Human Face Disease ever broke out again, despite White No-Face (as far as Xie Lian was aware) being dispersed.

It's explicitly confirmed that He Xuan did not change Shi Qingxuan’s fate. Meaning he still has He Xuan's fate. I figured that was the case, but it's nice to double-check these things.

Mei Nianqing knows the whole business with the fate swap, hence his comment to Shi Qingxuan about his name being “terrible”.

“Shi Qingxuan finally noticed that something sounded weird, but he still didn't get it.” Is it that he doesn't get it, or is it that he's fucking with them both? Because he manages to guess pretty closely what's going on (and this is not the first time he says something like this), but then he proceeds to utterly fail at reading the room and tries to bust in on their farewell smooch, and I don't know how to interpret that. Is Shi Qingxuan that oblivious, or is he a fudanshi trying to get a peek at his favourite ship? Vote now on your phones.

‘“If I had strangled you, would you have died?” Mei Nianqing asked back. “Would the one beside you have let me succeed?”’ Considering Mei Nianqing has his own cursed shackle, that carries implications.

I forgot Bath Scene 2: Soul-Shift Boogaloo. And we get another comment from Shi Qingxuan that certainly reads ambiguous. Yeah, I guess I can see why he'd think Xie Lian must have “seen Hua-chengzhu like that before”, given that he was just casually shirtless in Puqi Shrine that one time.

Feeling very normal about the fact that the first person Yin Yu went to find after Xie Lian was Quan Yizhen.

When talking with Mei Nianqing about his second banishment: ‘A pale, smiling mask appeared in Xie Lian's mind. After a pause, he said quietly, “That was actually my own request.”’ Hi, yes, the WuLian derangement will continue until morale improves indefinitely.

“Well, this part of you certainly isn't like him…” Why do I get the impression you wish they were alike in that respect, Mei Nianqing? 🤭

“This child mustn't witness such things.” Xie Lian, buddy, I'm sure Lang Qianqiu has seen much worse than two men snogging. That man is at least 300 years old! You killed his dad in front of him.

With how much spiritual energy Hua Cheng is burning here, it's no wonder he disperses when he breaks Xie Lian's shackles later. Like, was it a guarantee that breaking the shackles would disperse him, or is it just because of the day he's having?

Hua Cheng's “You never know,” to Xie Lian when Qi Rong is bragging about how he has a son and they don't. Man's at least considered the possibility of MPreg. Those fucking child-bearing pills…. Pour one out for our boy Wei Wuxian, he's in the wrong fucking book!

[cameleonvermillon]

fanon hua cheng: "If Gege lost his cultivation due to my involvement, I would never forgive myself... There's no need to break your vows for me, don't feel pressured, I will love you no matter how our relationship moves forward."

canon hau cheng (trying to hit): "You know chastity vows are kind of bullshit when you think about it"

[quetzalpapalotl]

I can't with the takes of Xie Lian being a bad friend to SQX for supposedly not caring she disappeared or not helping her like

We are actually shown XL being depressed when it dawns on him the windmaster is no longer in heaven, but like many other of the things that make Xie Lian sad, we don't get a detailed account oh him being constantly mourning bc 1) he tries not to think about things and 2) the book is not actually his POV. And I already talked about XL acting ooc in his desperation to find out what happened to SXQ and everyone ignoring that bc is funnier to talk about XL supposedly calling Yin Yu ugly. And then Xie Lian is also uncharacteristically emotional when finding her again.

And Xie Lian did not abandon Shi Qingxuan once the story is over. We are shown they are still friends and in touch. If she had a problem Xie Lian would come to her aid. But Xie Lian is not going to drag Shi Qingxuan out of her current situation because that's not what Shi Qingxuan wants. Shi Qingxuan wants to stand on her own merits after finding out she lived centuries on the back of someone else's due fate. It was her choice to live as a mortal even if that meant being a beggar after she found out. She could get help from Pei Ming too but she doesn't. She is done with heaven. And Xie Lian made a similar choice long ago so he understands. Besides is not like she's alone, she still has Xie Lian and tons of people that love her for who she is. Denying her her choice is exactly what Shi Wudu did, so let her live her life as she pleases.

[enrozed]

Strong gege

[justgivemeabookplease]

Shrek 2, while a cinematic masterpiece, is also an interesting look at queerness and comp het.

Fiona is married so it's time to reunite with her parents. But instead of marrying a prince, she's married to an ogre. Not just that, but she's also an ogre. (Yes everyone knew she would sometimes be an ogre but that was when she was a child, she didn't know she would be an ogre for the rest of her life, and besides once she met the right prince she would stop being an ogre. She was supposed to stop being an ogre.)

But okay they're both ogres. We can still ask about when they'll have children because even if they're ogres they can still have kids, right? That's what married princes and princesses do so naturally that's what everyone does. Even if ogres might not be great parents (I've heard that ogres eat their young, is that something you people do?) it's still something that should be discussed.

And okay you can stay in Fiona's childhood bedroom filled with all the reminders that hey, everyone thought she was just a princess and princesses marry princes. Her toys left out from the last time she played with them. The prince slays the ogre. The princess offers a token of gratitude for slaying the ogre. Fiona wrote Mrs. Fiona Charming a million times in her diary because what else was she supposed to grow up to be?

And Harold you have to fix this, your country can't be ruled by ogres. You were unfit to rule when you were a frog but I changed you, I made you better, I made you a prince. You know how this works. Think of your daughter's safety.

Shrek goes to the Fairy Godmother and oh honey, ogres don't live happily ever after. It's just not done. It hasn't happened in all of fairy tale history. You have to change the both of you to be happy. You have to present as a prince and a princess. It will be better. You'll fit in better that way. You'll be accepted that way.

[fitzchivalry]

[eruhamster]

I feel like people don't really get that Hua Cheng's cultivation path is quite literally the worship of Xie Lian and I think it makes them miss something cute.

Xie Lian's cultivation path is religious; he's a devote daoist and meditation and following its tenants bring him power.

Hua Cheng's cultivation path is just as religious, but his religion is literally Xie Lian. That's where he gets his power. There is a trope in Wuxia & related genres (these are gods so not technically Wuxia I think but I don't remember the specific name) where someone cultivates and meditates as a hermit in a cave until becoming a master. The Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, the Kiln... Hua Cheng did that, and we can tell what he was doing in there was worshiping Xie Lian.

And with that... He literally gets power from Xie Lian in a more obvious sense. He & his spiritual weapons get stronger when kissed and complimented, since they're being blessed by his god. The butterflies swarming when XL tells them good job. E'ming being able to grow to normal size after having shrunken due to XL praising him and giving him a kiss (which people keep acting like is a blowjob metaphor as if that wouldn't imply HC is a grower and not a shower which I think would be dumb), HC himself being able to heal and start getting bigger when XL gives him a kiss, too.

HC can give XL tons of spiritual energy by gifting him it through kksses and sex because it's a form of worship, but it also works the opposite way, too

[eruhamster]

[malinanan]

A chapter from my fancomic about Hua Cheng and Blackwater that I adore✨

I love the bits of their interactions in the novel and the hints about how long they've known each other and what their interactions are like in private. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to make this comic🥰

If vou're interested in a physical copy of this comic, you can order it here💕

[pikles249]

[bytedykes]

[ID: TGCF fanart of Hua Cheng and He Xuan, both wearing cloaks with fur collars. Drawn from chest up, they seem to be walking side by side and leaning in, as if to gossip. Hua Cheng has a sly smile while He Xuan looks uninterested. /end ID]

[alliumms]

What HuaLian mean to each other...

A handwritten note from TGCF AD's production

Currently TL-ing the BTS of the AD production, and I came across this tidbit that I want to share. I'm pretty sure Zhang Kai (张凯) wrote this; she is also the voice-acting director for the production. And the other crew members mention this in the video, but Zhang Kai has a penchant for using vocabulary that just strikes a chord. I think here she was writing a note for the production team, and it just beautifully dives into how Xie Lian acts around others VS how he acts around Hua Cheng.

I'll include the original CN that she wrote and the image I pulled it from below as well :)

谢怜在对花城和对别人对话时，需要有明显的氛围差异。 谢怜虽然温柔善良，但人被伤害就会痛苦，这种痛苦不会因为他的温柔善良而減少，反而有可能因此而呈现更大的伤害。 为了抑制这种伤害对自己的心性造成的影响，类似脱敏疗法，他提高了自已承受伤害能力的阈值，使自己对各种形式的伤害，包括对自己本身的侮辱失去敏感度。所以我们现在能看到的是一个不太在乎旁人议论言语和身体疼病的谢怜，这其实是他的自我保护机制。 但在花城面前，这个自我保护机制自己失灵了。谢怜重新变回了一个敏感度非常高的“人”。原文说“不知道为什么，他在花城面前好像藏不住痛”。如果面前的人换一个，相信他还是能以一种近于麻木的态度处理生理上的疼病，但因为面前的人是花城，他被打回了原形。 花城面前的谢怜，是一个更加鲜活的谢怜，会窘迫脸红，会语无伦次，感觉自己修练800年的脸皮也不够用，需要有一点微妙的“破防”感。但对风信慕情就很游刃有余，甚至对南风扶摇，多少有点暗暗逗弄的意思。 总之，花怜对彼此都是最特别的存在！

Translation:

There needs to be an obvious atmospheric difference when Xie Lian talks to Hua Cheng versus with other people.

Xie Lian may be gentle and kind, but anyone would feel pain when one is hurt, and this kind of pain wouldn't just lessen because of his natural gentleness and kindness. In fact, it might, in turn, create an even bigger wound.

To control the effect that this hurt has on his own psyche, like a sort of desensitising treatment, he raises his threshold on his ability to withstand pain. He causes all kinds of damage to himself, including forgoing the sensitivity to his own humiliation. Thus, the Xie Lian we can see now is someone who does not care much for others' opinions or his own bodily harm. This is actually his self-made defence mechanism.

However, in front of Hua Cheng, this defence mechanism becomes defective. Xie Lian reverts back into a very sensitive "human being." The original texts said, "For some reason, he's unable to hide his pain in front of Hua Cheng." If the person before him was switched, you can trust that he could still adopt a sort of near-numb attitude to deal with physical pain. But because the person before him is Hua Cheng, he has returned to his original self.

The Xie Lian in front of Hua Cheng is a more vivid Xie Lian. He will flush with embarrassment, speak incoherently, and feel that even after 800 years of cultivation, his skin is still not thick enough to be useful. There needs to be a subtle feeling of "breaking down his defences."

Yet, he handles everything with skill and ease when it comes to Feng Xin and Mu Qing. Even with Nan Feng and Fu Yao, there's an element of underlying teasing.

In conclusion, HuaLian are each other's most precious existence!

[alliumms]

What HuaLian mean to each other...

A handwritten note from TGCF AD's production

Currently TL-ing the BTS of the AD production, and I came across this tidbit that I want to share. I'm pretty sure Zhang Kai (张凯) wrote this; she is also the voice-acting director for the production. And the other crew members mention this in the video, but Zhang Kai has a penchant for using vocabulary that just strikes a chord. I think here she was writing a note for the production team, and it just beautifully dives into how Xie Lian acts around others VS how he acts around Hua Cheng.

I'll include the original CN that she wrote and the image I pulled it from below as well :)

谢怜在对花城和对别人对话时，需要有明显的氛围差异。 谢怜虽然温柔善良，但人被伤害就会痛苦，这种痛苦不会因为他的温柔善良而減少，反而有可能因此而呈现更大的伤害。 为了抑制这种伤害对自己的心性造成的影响，类似脱敏疗法，他提高了自已承受伤害能力的阈值，使自己对各种形式的伤害，包括对自己本身的侮辱失去敏感度。所以我们现在能看到的是一个不太在乎旁人议论言语和身体疼病的谢怜，这其实是他的自我保护机制。 但在花城面前，这个自我保护机制自己失灵了。谢怜重新变回了一个敏感度非常高的“人”。原文说“不知道为什么，他在花城面前好像藏不住痛”。如果面前的人换一个，相信他还是能以一种近于麻木的态度处理生理上的疼病，但因为面前的人是花城，他被打回了原形。 花城面前的谢怜，是一个更加鲜活的谢怜，会窘迫脸红，会语无伦次，感觉自己修练800年的脸皮也不够用，需要有一点微妙的“破防”感。但对风信慕情就很游刃有余，甚至对南风扶摇，多少有点暗暗逗弄的意思。 总之，花怜对彼此都是最特别的存在！

Translation:

There needs to be an obvious atmospheric difference when Xie Lian talks to Hua Cheng versus with other people.

Xie Lian may be gentle and kind, but anyone would feel pain when one is hurt, and this kind of pain wouldn't just lessen because of his natural gentleness and kindness. In fact, it might, in turn, create an even bigger wound.

To control the effect that this hurt has on his own psyche, like a sort of desensitising treatment, he raises his threshold on his ability to withstand pain. He causes all kinds of damage to himself, including forgoing the sensitivity to his own humiliation. Thus, the Xie Lian we can see now is someone who does not care much for others' opinions or his own bodily harm. This is actually his self-made defence mechanism.

However, in front of Hua Cheng, this defence mechanism becomes defective. Xie Lian reverts back into a very sensitive "human being." The original texts said, "For some reason, he's unable to hide his pain in front of Hua Cheng." If the person before him was switched, you can trust that he could still adopt a sort of near-numb attitude to deal with physical pain. But because the person before him is Hua Cheng, he has returned to his original self.

The Xie Lian in front of Hua Cheng is a more vivid Xie Lian. He will flush with embarrassment, speak incoherently, and feel that even after 800 years of cultivation, his skin is still not thick enough to be useful. There needs to be a subtle feeling of "breaking down his defences."

Yet, he handles everything with skill and ease when it comes to Feng Xin and Mu Qing. Even with Nan Feng and Fu Yao, there's an element of underlying teasing.

In conclusion, HuaLian are each other's most precious existence!

[popqorn]

Can't stop thinking about this dialogue, during the 100 swords scene:

Compared to this dialogue, when Hua Cheng is gently removing a needle from Xie Lian's foot:

Just, the tenderness of it all, after Xie Lian endured so much pain. The permission to cry out if it hurts, compared to having his voice forcibly muffled. It makes me cry whenever I think about it.

[bingqiuhateabortion]

Trying so hard not to be that "hualian invented love" guy but oh my god actually the way they're written changes your perception of love - the way it's presented in media - forever. Like so much of those ""you can't base your whole existence on another person because it will have a bad outcome and here's why" - a story" could be countered with "skill issue" because Hua Cheng exists. I mean, Xie Lian too but hc is the most prominent one for being an insane lover with such intensity that usually isn't narratively encouraged. He's that guy that would laugh off other's failures because they didn't love enough if they felt unfulfilled at some point because of disappointment/lack of reciprocity etc. If you're pretending to be madly in love but something sets you off your course you're a fake lover...

[airplanecrashingtowardstheground]

we dont talk enough about how fucking metal hua cheng is for ripping his own eye out

[bingqiuhateabortion]

Wen Zhuliu stole jiang cheng's cutiemark so wwx gava away his... so touching

[bingqiuhateabortion]

Taking psychic damage every time "this one" is written in a fic in hc's dialogue lines. Euch. Ouch. Ack! Auch. Uhh..

[starcrustduster]

guide to xie lian

[bingqiuhateabortion]

I just realised that the official translation of tgcf probably doesn't have author's notes. Y'all are missing out on a lot. I know it doesn't fit the "proper book" format i guess and is setting a very different mood but!! But how else would you know that hx owes hc money for his pet's food?? Or that she compared 1000 gods cave scene with fxmq finding hc's childhood diaries?? Or that hualian kept the memory eating demon for ageplay kink reasons.