She/They ; Elle/Iel/AelReader, writer, and most importantly, TGCF addict since 2024 French and English speakerYour not so local genderfluid asexual lesbian (it's a shame we don't have pride flags emojis)
25 posts
My roommates got married last week and said today that they’re planning on moving to somewhere else in the city, and asked me to move with them when they do.
Which I appreciate so much, they’re both fantastic roommates and I really don’t want to try and find another place on my own, but also. Jesus Christ what a look. “Hiii we’re the Thompsons, we just moved in down the street, that’s my husband and that’s the ghoul who used to live in our basement”
TW : discussion of death and suicide. I know these themes are present in TGCF, but this post delves further into them and broaches the subject in a way that might be triggering, so please proceed with caution.
When you think about it, what drove Xie Lian mad during his first banishment wasn’t the Temple. It wasn’t his friends leaving him, it wasn’t the blessed land incident, nor was it his parents’ suicide. It wasn’t even Bai Wuxiang (at least not directly).
No, what really drove him mad was his inability to die, and the complete loss of the ability to choose his own path.
When Xie Lian returns home after the 100 swords, he has no intention of turning to BW. He has no intention of taking revenge on Yong'an (not seriously, anyway), let alone considering anything close to a genocide.
It is only after trying—and failing—to commit suicide that he loses himself entirely. Because the shackle took the last shreds of control he had over his existence from him. Of course, the fact that he heard festivities going on in Yong’an didn’t help, but it was no more than a trigger, I think
The shackle strips Xie Lian of his right and capacity to dispose of himself, which is one the worst thing I can imagine happening to someone. And after his only way out is taken away from him, Xie Lian is left with literally no possible course of action. He cannot live because Bai Wuxian won’t let him, he cannot die because the shackle makes it impossible.
He is stuck in an impossible position. So of course he snaps.
Note : That is not to say that suicide is okay or should not be actively prevented. But the way Xie Lian is kept alive is a terrible violation of bodily autonomy. People experiencing suicidal thoughts need help so that they no longer want to die ; forcing them to remain alive by force alone, and without doing anything to help them get better, is not only a terrible idea but outright torture, and complete lack of consideration for human dignity.
If any phrasing I used was insensitive, please let me know in the comments and I will correct it: English is not my native language and I make mistakes sometimes. Take care 🤍
I cannot wait until the exams are over. I. am. tirrred. And I wanna do something else than studying for a change. Like... I don't know. Writing. Catching a glimpse of direct sunlight. Sleeping would be a good idea as well.
So it's been a minute. I'm here to inform those of you still suffering the ill-effects of a god-awful cliffhanger that Part Two will probably begin posting sometime this month! 💪
That said, Paper Memories isn't actually finished. It's been fighting me a little bit and so has my schedule.
I'm actually going to release Part Two in three arcs (or seasons, if you will) with a little hiatus between each as I finish up the next part. This is mostly because at this rate, if I wait until its Completely Finished, y'all might be waiting here till fall lmao. And I'm patient, ok, but I'm not that patient. I also want to be able to share to keep me motivated.
Not to worry tho. Arc 1 alone is sitting at 74k words posting over 8 weeks, so this bitch is gonna be long. Yes, I have a problem.
But anyways, I suppose that's all I wanted to say.
Psyche! You KNOW I got Teaser Images. ⤵
Yes those ARE Xie Lian's boobs at the end. You're welcome.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
To me, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian’s relationship always felt like relief. Relief that they finally have somewhere (someone) they belong. Somewhere to rest. Like they’ve both been on high alert for 800 years, never able to rest, never able to rely upon someone, to trust with their whole soul. And then suddenly, quiet. Peace. Relief.
Idk, that might be a very personal interpretation that nobody shares. But. That’s what it always felt like to me, first and foremost. This is why HuaLian is my ultimate comfort couple. Because they feel like coming home after a hard day and finally being able to just relax and place yourself in someone else’s hands, not only trusting but knowing they will never take advantage and always cherish it.
Happy pride month specifically to folks on the asexual and aromantic spectrum who oftentimes feel isolated and left out of the conversation. You belong here as much as the rest of us and I hope that you are all loved in a way that is comforting to you.
This took FOREVER but here's my tribute to A Long and Slow Recovery by @ardenrabbit
San Lang, falling deeply in love with the person he’s found trapped in the mirror.
Xie Lian, the forgotten prince who was cursed ten years ago.
Hua Cheng: “Oh, for the love of you!”
Xie Lian, laughing: “You mean for the love of God?”
Hua Cheng: *stares at him*
Currently working on a small wip… I didn’t know it was SO DAMN HARD to write in HC’s POV. Wu Ming? Easy. Xie Lian? Easy. Hua Cheng?
Hahaha
Hell.
Any day now
It’s Wu Ming Wednesday! So here is my humble contribution to the fandom ^^ (I posted this on monday but shhh)
Expect angst, protective Xie Lian and a hopeful/open happy ending. The rating is Teen and Up, and this is a canon divergence. The fic is complete.
Here’s a little extract:
“He is at his side in an instant, closing his arms around Wu Ming’s flickering form only moments before he hits the ground. He should not be here, Xie Lian thinks, frantic as he desperately calls the ghost’s name, to no avail. He should not be here, bleeding out his very essence in the blinding light of the Heavens for all to see. Because he should be gone.”
Many thanks to the amazing @nootcatt for beta reading
Hope you enjoy!
I think what I like so much about Hualian’s love is their profound respect for each other. They never try to change one another. They respect each other’s autonomy, choices, and conception of morality. The only time Hua Cheng ever tries to oppose Xie Lian is when he thinks Xie Lian is about to harm himself.
And that is just so precious and important.
Listen, I love that Hua Cheng is revered as such a terrifying dude when this man is an 800-year-old virgin who named himself Flower, uses butterflies of all things to fight with, carries around an umbrella his crush gave him that one time, has his crush’s name tattooed on his damn arm, and made rain an important part of his character all because it was so Pivotal to Xie Lian’s downfall and rebirth. He gave no fucks. He’s in love with his gege, and everyone should know it.
Are you a top or a bottom?
personally I prefer the 2nd or 3rd floor of the building because I like being at tree level (i could not live somewhere without trees sorry) on the 1st floor it's too easy for people to look in through the windows so you need to add curtains for a reasonable degree of privacy but then the lighting situation is just horrible. and anything above the 4th floor is just too high off the ground ... how will I be able to appreciate the whimsy and joy of the forest from such an absurd height? the 2nd and 3rd floors are clearly a happy medium between these two extremes
“Such a simple thing to be happy”
Do we all agree that Xie Lian would LOVE Tumblr?
He’d get to ramble on about any and everything. And find other weirdos with the same special interests as him
Hua Cheng would like and comment and repost every time. Perhaps even create a second account to re-like and re-comment et re-repost all over again
There’s something so subtle about the way Hua Cheng loves Xie Lian.
(Hold on, hear me out...)
In fiction, when we have a character who loves someone as deeply as Hua Cheng loves Xie Lian, we usually see the ugly side of that affection rear it's head eventually.
Adoration turns into obsession (any positive thing can turn ugly in excess). Obsession can drive behaviour that most of us cringe at; one worst case scenario is stalking, but even a best case would be the expectation (or worthiness) of reciprication.
This obsession can also be followed by huge, grandiose actions that leave the object of the affections no room to guess at the other's feelings and intentions.
Hua Cheng doesn't do any of that. His love is akin to worship, or rather, it literally is reverance for a god. No expectation, no indignance - just pure adoration untainted by the usual consequences of human love.
His love is so subtle, in fact, that Xie Lian can't even begin to guess at his intentions. Even going so far as to wonder continuously in the beginning why Hua Cheng spares so much time and kindness for him.
Hua Cheng expects nothing from Xie Lian - he demands nothing from Xie Lian, not even in the way a worshiper might. This type of god-worshiper love is so hard to fit into the mould of a romantic relationship.
Watching it unfold is so beautiful, complex, and fragmented. It's not the innocent love story you would expect, and honestly it's part of the reason why I love their relationship so much.
You rarely see such pure, unadulterated, and selfless love written this perfectly in fiction.
He Xuan is terribly underestimated as a Ghost King. I don’t see why he would be that far behind White no Face and Hua Cheng.
I think this widespread conception comes from the fact that, yes, in a fight, both HC and JW would wipe the floor with him. But that doesn’t mean (I think) that He Xuan is inherently less powerful or impressive.
See, the thing is… fighting isn’t He Xuan’s domain of expertise. He is a scholar. He is good at plotting, scheming, and has excellent control over his spiritual power, perhaps even better than Hua Cheng’s.
Think of all his clones in Heavens, that must all be powerful since they are supposed to pass for Middle Court Officials. Think of his domain: the guy controls a part of the damn ocean.
So yeah. Justice for He Xuan.
Only my opinion of course. But feel free to give yours in the comments. I love reading people’s thoughts.
Some bw Hualian I did for my instagram :')
Hong Hong'er appreciation post, reblog to appreciate him
I was thinking about how in modern AUs XL is often portrayed as liking to wear things that are typically considered “feminine” (skirts, heels, makeup, etc.) while HC is more “ masculine”
When in reality… am I the only one to think that the one wearing heels and make up would be HC? He’s canonically very careful of his appearance and the way he dresses, always wearing make up and carefully chosen jewellery, he has his own style, etc. He also gives off (that´s only my personal opinion though) massive non-binary/gender fluid vibes
So. Idk. But I think he would have an androgynous and refined style while XL would stick to something basic (maybe gender neutral) like baggy pants and sweatshirts. And crocs.
Currently translating A Long and Slow Recovery by the amazing author @ardenrabbit into French. 11/? Chapters are out
Traduction en cours de “A Long and Slow Recovery” par l’incroyable auteur.ice @ardenrabbit. Le 11e chapitre a été posé il y a quelques jours ^^
https://archiveofourown.org/works/58407070
Traduction en cours de « clementines and cigarettes » par @silentheiss
7/11 chapitres ont déjà été postés ; lien vers la traduction ici 👇
https://archiveofourown.org/works/59159077
Ongoing french translation of clementines and cigarettes. Chapter 7 has just been posted!
YO FRENCH TRANSLATION OF ALASR BY PINKPLUM1153!!!