HI NEW MOOT! I've been slowly chipping away at your qi rong meta throughout the day and I'm really in awe, it's so insightful..
I've always liked his character in the past, but I could never quite put my finger on the reason why his actions towards xie lian were so... Weird, and very extreme. But then again I was more invested in other things cough junmei to give him any deeper thought so I left it at that..
Anyhow feel free to drop by my danmei blog anytime!!
Welcome new mutual!! Very very happy you enjoyed my Qi Rong meta, he is a dear character to me, so I am very glad my thoughts about him resonates with others as well! ^^
Qi Rong can be a bit hard to get at first, especially because he is, for a good part of the story, a comic relief character. However, he has fascinated me ever since I read TGCF, and since I'm a bit obsessed with how well the characters all foil and parallel eachother, and how you can see the themes of the story reflected on them, Qi Rong becomes extra fun because he is a twisted mirror of so many characters (especially Xie Lian). He is indeed very extreme (ironically a Jun Wu parallel in this regard imo) in all aspects: he either completely loves or completely hates, but it's all very based on projection. This was a disaster for his relationship with Xie Lian, since he projected what he wanted to have/be on him, but it ironically worked for Gu Zi, who I'm 99% sure Qi Rong saw (probably subconsciously) as a younger self, which led to his only deep positive connection besides his mother in his centuries-old existance.
His story also reinforces one of my favorite themes of the novel, which is: actual, genuine love and connection will change you, and sometimes, even the people you assume the worst of can still have a bit of kindness in their hearts. Qi Rong's character arc reflects that, but also many other things, like the worst of Xianle's society and, based more on real life, parasocial relationships and haterism. Considering how much negative symbolism is attached to him, it's actually very cool how he still had a very hopeful character arc. Despite all the heartwrench TGCF gives, it is at its core a story about love and hope.
These two metas have been really inspiring to me for my Qi Rong metas, I reccomend them as well in!
JunMei are also very fascinating to me, and Jun Wu in particular also gives me many brainworms. Truly one of my favorite villains of all time as well, I don't speak as much about him, but please know I think of him very often as well. JunMei are generally very underappreciated characters in my opinion, so I am always happy to see people loving them too. I know I'll have a good time on your danmei blog. Your art is very beautiful and soft, and I am very glad to become your mutual!! ^^