Day 6: Delicate 🌸​✨​

the versatility of xie lian as a character is peak

he's a sweetie. he's the picture of masculinity. he's a total cunt. he's a hardened soldier. he's graceful, ethereal. his fanon animal representation is a ferret. he could lift you and your mother with three fingers and not break a sweat. he would eat a bun off the floor. he knows he's better than you. he's a monsterfucker. someone could give him a knife stabby style and his husband would be more concerned about it than him. he does not want a free pile of gold bars. he will call you ugly and then get embarrassed about it. he's the kindest person you know. he's a feminist. the only reason the strongest ghost king in the canon world doesn't get bent over nightly is because he likes being a pie so much. he's got mad autism. he told his friend every one of his character flaws to his face in one breath. he has the world's shittiest luck. he will announce that he has erectile dysfunction to a crowd with no remorse or hesitation. he does not want to be emperor. he's an insufferable wife guy. he's gay. he's traumatized. his daughter is in a pickle pot. he'd slam your face into concrete and teehee over your twitching body. he helps old ladies cross the road. he's sarcastic. he's so nice. i love him

Hualesbian au but the only thing that changes is just the gender of hulian. Xie Lian is androgynous/dresses masc(ish)/uses he/she though, so some people think she is a man. Ik this sounds contrived but hear me out

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SQX: You should change into your female form, it's so much fun!

XL: I am a woman

SQX: ...

XL: ...

SQX: Even better!

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PM: So you and Hua Cheng huh? I hear she's an evil seductress that has broken many men's chastity, though she's not my type I think you should be warned

XL: What's my chastity have to do with a friendship between two women?

PM (forgot XL was a woman): oh... well you never know

XL: ????

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Jian Lan (who simply forgot that XL the princess XL and the scrap god XL are the same person): He's the father!

The whole court room: gasps

FX: ????

MQ: ...

XL: ...no

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HX: Her Highness said-

SQX: Oh! You actually knew that he was a woman?

HX: *flashbacks to all the anatomically correct drawings he's seen, and HC constant yapping*

HX: unfortunately

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also I think it would be really funny if people started getting convinced that XL has a sister because MQ and FX switch between his Highness and her Highness

Happy birthday Jey ! 🌿​🌸​

So I’ve been thinking about the thing with monstrous/uncanny Hua Cheng that’s been going around and had a thought.

What about Xie Lian? He deserves to be a little freaky too!

Just think about it!

You have an entire conversation with him, and notice he hasn’t blinked even once (he only blinks to clear dust from his eyes).

Xie Lian who can comfortably, casually dislocate all of his joints.

Xie Lian who falls asleep just about anywhere, as still as a corpse.

Xie Lian who is constantly a little too warm to be normal, due to always running a fever to burn away the illnesses he picks up.

Xie Lian who sustains a serious injury but keeps doing whatever he was doing.

Xie Lian who is just really poisonous/venomous due to his diet- I personally see him as mainly neurotoxic but you do you.

Xie Lian whose eyes do the reflective thing like a cat.

I mean, an ancient god of death and misfortune sounds like an eldritch horror out of context- and I don’t think the undercurrent of fear beneath the disdain from the heavens is unwarranted.

Anyway, Xie Lian is a horrorterror.

The Narrative Importantance of Hualian's Sexual Intimacy

This is a repost and minor edit of a thread I made on Twitter yesterday. This is a topic I have always wanted to talk about because of how often it comes up in TGCF fandom, time and time again.

‼️CW: mentions of sexual assault, self-harm, bodily injury‼️

⚠️Major spoilers for the entire novel ahead⚠️

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Saw a question the other day on what relevance Hualian being sexually intimate by the end of the novel had to either the narrative or Xie Lian's character arc.

In short: it bears significant relevance, especially in context of other themes the novel explores like bodily autonomy.

Throughout the novel, we see time and time again that Xie Lian is often dehumanized by pretty much everyone—including himself—with the sole exception of Hua Cheng. I've talked more in depth about it in an old twt thread, for those interested. @/stalliondany on twt has also made an excellent recent analysis that goes deeper into the specific ways Xie Lian was used as a physical shield, martyr, or scapegoat for others without thought to his humanity or suffering. I highly recommend reading it first!

But to sum it all up: it's important to Xie Lian's character arc to keep in mind that he is used to seeing his own body as a tool to solve problems. And in crucial narrative moments, he is robbed of his bodily autonomy, and either brutalized or violated in service of others.

One of the plot points that ties together all these concepts is actually... Xie Lian's chastity vows. That will be the main focus of this post.

When he was a young teen (or possibly as a child), Xie Lian took an oath of chastity because such was the norm for cultivators seeking ascension in Xian Le. To Xie Lian, even as he grew older, he never had an issue with this because he just never felt sexual attraction to another person, or any desire to be intimate in that way. Even if he yearned for the concept of being loved. And indeed, at first glance, his chastity vows may seem like nothing more than a side note. Or even a funny gag when it comes to Hua Cheng (later).

In reality Xie Lian's chastity vows are not only used against him, but paint a very disturbing picture with regards to his repeated violation.

The Land of the Tender scene is the most obvious example of this. Xie Lian's vows are directly tied to his spiritual powers, and because it affects how his followers see him. They place a high value on his chastity as being vital to his moral character.

For reference, an excerpt from TGCF vol. 3 of the English print translation, page 135:

Xie Lian's method of cultivation required a pure body. Those who worshipped the ascended cultivators who practiced this path were firmly convinced of the transcendence of gods untouched by earthly desires. If they couldn't protect their purity, their following would no doubt collapse and their powers would be devastated. It wouldn't be as serious as plunging from godhood to back to mortality, and there was still the possibility of recovery after many more years of cultivation—but with things as they were now, there was no time for him to sit behind closed doors and cultivate for years!

As a reminder: it is Bai Wuxiang who orchestrated this whole thing. Him trying to compromise Xie Lian in this way is horrific on many levels, yet that's not the main point I want to make here. It's that to preserve his "pure body," the solution Xie Lian realizes is to severely harm himself. To impale himself with his sword through the abdomen.

The juxtaposition of having to maintain bodily purity versus the gruesome violence inflicted on his body is extremely stark.

This grim contrast is no more evident than in the 100 swords scene. Where Xie Lian's body is literally brutalized and defiled to an unthinkable degree. To the point where he, quote: "no longer looked human." Yet he emerges from that temple physically "pure" all the same. His chastity vows were not broken, his body healed without scars. As though he was untouched.... And yet, he was completely destroyed mentally. It left permanent effects on him as a person. It's even worse when the scene is read analogous to sexual assault, as many have talked about before. I think that interpretation actually hits the nail on the head, especially keeping in mind the Land of the Tender scene and all the similarities between them.

Following the 100 swords scene, Xie Lian of course has a complete disconnect between himself and his body. I believe this is part of why he doesn't really feel pain, except when he is with Hua Cheng, who treats him and his body as one. As a person who is cherished, and loved. Hua Cheng is adamant in his adoring treatment of Xie Lian. Small injuries are also something he cannot tolerate because he knows what horrors befell Xie Lian in the past. (He was present at both the terrible moments mentioned above.) He will not let any of that continue, regardless of what Xie Lian says, because he sees it as injustice.

Xie Lian is willing to use himself as a tool to help others no matter the personal cost. He even thinks of it as something he must do, or that he deserves as penance. But Hua Cheng is the one person who asks "what about you?" He's the one that insists "your happiness matters." And it is Hua Cheng that takes issue with Xie Lian's chastity vows as being unfair, unlike everyone else. Regardless of Hua Cheng's reasons for this diegetically, symbolically it means a lot that he is the one opposed to this.

Just thinking about the chastity vows on their own for a moment: Xie Lian can indulge a little bit in stuff like alcohol, which isn't great to begin with for him. But he absolutely cannot engage in "pleasures of the flesh." He can totally have his flesh ripped from his bones, literally, but actually experiencing any kind of sexual gratification? Now that would make him unclean, and lesser.... Why? Because unlike everything else, that's something Xie Lian would do simply for himself to feel good. And what greater crime is there than to ever dare put himself first?

So Hua Cheng—being the one person who puts Xie Lian first above all else—thinking that such a restriction doesn't make sense is important. Hua Cheng being the person who Xie Lian breaks those vows for in the end is important! (Especially because it seems to have been an easy choice for him.)

And of course, the scene with Jun Wu and the Virginity Detector Sword™ has to be mentioned. Again, there's symbolism to be had! The perpetrator of two of the most physically violating moments of Xie Lian's life (both of which were sexual in nature; one literally and one allegorically) being the one to "check" Xie Lian's virginity... oof. Yikes. It's dramatic irony. It's deeply uncomfortable. Especially because Jun Wu probably wanted to know if Xie Lian slept with Hua Cheng, as he already knew Xie Lian wasn't the ghost fetus' father.

So it's once again a stark juxtaposition: of Ghost King Hua Cheng disagreeing with the purity vows, wanting Xie Lian to break them for himself and his own freedom. Versus Heavenly Emperor Jun Wu wanting to weaponize those vows against Xie Lian in whatever way he can, intact or not, to keep control over him.

Naturally, there's something to be said for the real-world problem with such purity vows being used against people, to judge their moral character, societal expectations, etc. Elephant in the room. It's very on the nose, so there isn't even much to say about it that hasn't been said already.

In the end, it comes down to how horrible it is that when Xie Lian tries to help others, it results in immense harm to his body every time. Yet he is expected to continue to bear it, for centuries, by others and also himself. Until he meets Hua Cheng, who helps him rediscover what it means to be happy, and to be loved. So yes, it's absolutely relevant that in the end, Xie Lian decides to break his purity vows to be intimate with Hua Cheng. That he's able to put himself in Hua Cheng's hands, and let himself be treated with affection and desire. It's Xie Lian finally forgiving himself, and beginning to heal.

Ultimate couple goal : matching shirts

Au where Hua Cheng stays as Wu Ming. All the canon stuff during the first banishment happens, but when he goes to Mount Tonglu, he stays as Wu Ming instead of becoming Hua Cheng. He decides to keep the name Wu Ming bc that’s the name His Highness gave him. He keeps wearing the black robes and Xianle soldier uniform/armor. He makes it clear that he was a soldier in the Xianle army, that he still considers Xie Lian his god, and he wants to serve and protect his god for the rest of his existence just as he wanted in life. He still becomes the calamity and founds Ghost City and challenges the gods, but he does it as Wu Ming. Instead of Crimson Rain Sought Flower, he becomes Crimson-Teared Smiling Ghost (or maybe Crimson-Teared Smiling Soldier?) bc when he’s standing in the blood rain, it slides down his smiling mask making it look like he’s crying tears of blood.

The Heavens know that he’s looking for Xie Lian, and when the Mount Yujun mission happens and Xie Lian’s asking about the young man who controls silver butterflies, they’re like “ah, yes, Wu Ming... Of course he was there since you were…” And Xie Lian is balking learning that Wu Ming is still here and has been looking for him and is still openly worshiping him after all that happened. Xie Lian finds out where to find Wu Ming and hurries down to Ghost City and finds Wu Ming.

This could either be a speed run for their relationship (more than it already was in canon) because Wu Ming’s devotion makes it kinda clear of how much he loves Xie Lian and Xie Lian figures out that he’s Wu Ming’s beloved that Wu Ming wanted revenge for—and, while Xie Lian’s not sure he deserves this love after all that happened—is touched deeply and falls in love with Wu Ming as they spend time together. Or it makes it drag out so much bc they both feel guilty about the past and inadequate to stand next to the other. Xie Lian not feeling worthy of Wu Ming’s steadfast devotion, and Wu Ming feeling he’s failed his god since he left Xie Lian to fight White No-Face alone and is only just now finding him. Either way, like hell Xie Lian’s leaving Wu Ming’s side after their parting 800 years ago and is 100% on Wu Ming’s side in everything. The Heavens have some sort of critique about Wu Ming or warning to Xie Lian about him? In one ear and out the other along with a pointed reminder that Wu Ming is his ghost and his follower. Do not speak I’ll of him again :) Wu Ming’s poor heart is pounding and his face is flaming at how steadfast his god, his love, his everything is defending him and fanboying so hard about it to He Xuan and Yin Yu.

I think at first Xie Lian would move into one of the shrines or temples that Wu Ming built in Ghost City, but then after a little move into Paradise Manor properly.

Also, while Wu Ming openly worships Xie Lian, he doesn’t make any of the denizens of Ghost City worship him. However, bc their beloved Chengzu is worshipping this god, they want to as well and learn about this god that their Chengzu loves. Because of this Xie Lian has a lot of temples and shrines in Ghost City. This number increases after Xie Lian moves there and actually starts answering their prayers, helping where he can, becoming just as beloved as their Chengzhu to them in his own right.

Since Xie Lian has all these temples and shrines, when he has his initial debt, he actually has merits streaming in that Ling Wen is plucking from Xie Lian before he even gets them to start repaying the debt. He still needs to do the Mount Yujun mission though because it is a big debt. And Wu Ming has no intention of purposefully giving more offerings to Xie Lian to help him pay the debt that way cause he doesn’t think Xie Lian should have been billed in the first place. And, since the gods know that any merits from Xie Lian would be coming from Wu Ming and Ghost City, they’re actually scared to take the merits since they think it would piss Wu Ming off (they’re right, of course). So they’re more than happy when they learn about the Mount Yujun arrangement, saying they only want merits if it comes from that mission. (Some still decide to just wave the owed merits all together just to be safe.)

Most of the gods in Heaven still avoid Xie Lian like he’s the plague because of his past but also because (and as the leading reason) because they don’t want to piss Wu Ming off accidentally if they say something offensive to Xie Lian by mistake. After Wu Ming challenged the gods and it came out that he worshipped Xie Lian, the incident of the 33 gods kicking Xie Lian off the mountain came out and so people are scared they’ll be next if they make a wrong move around Xie Lian. They don’t know Xie Lian very well, so they don’t know what he would consider offensive.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing know Exactly why Wu Ming’s pissed at them and can’t even blame him for it after learning of Wu Ming’s devotion. I think their interactions would be really funny. The three of them dragging up old, petty grievances, and hurling Xianle insults at each other. Wu Ming and Mu Qing are winning this because their memories are so good that they remember a lot while Feng Xin is wondering how these two remember so fucking much and so many fucking details. He’s doing pretty good with the insults, though. Those he remembers just fine. Pretty much all of Heaven has learned insults and swears from the Xianle dynasty and dialect and they actually use it. (Xie Lian is pretty shook after ascending again and hearing his native dialect used so casually after it being out of use for centuries.)

The gods eat up Wu Ming, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing’s beef because they know it’s personal instead of left wondering why he’s so against the two and are enjoying watching the matches, arguments, and fall out with them all just like they did with just Feng Xin and Mu Qing in canon.

While Wu Ming does have a lot of fake skins, he still always wears the smiling mask when he’s going up against the gods or in any Official business as Crimson-Teared Smile Ghost/Soldier(?) as a matter of trademark and principal. If he’s not wearing it over his face, he might slide it to the side of his head or have it hang from his waist. When he’s in a human disguise in the Mortal Realm, he keeps it tucked away out of sight, but still on him and easy to grab to put on. He might also just have a technique for making and shattering them for when he needs them. Like how his butterflies come out of his vambraces.

I really like the idea of his title starting out as “Crimson Teared Smiling” because it’s so beautifully tragic. The blood rain falling down makes him look like he’s crying tears of blood, and horrible type of grieving for his his god who went through so much. He wears his smiling mask, though, and is makes it look like he’s smiling because his god was kind and smiled kindly to all, offering shelter and a helping hand. Xie Lian’s duality is reflected here, the pain and suffering he went through with the bloody tears, but also the kind smile he kept and still offers despite it all. We also can’t forget White No-Face’s cry-smiling mask. That just feels like the cherry on top of hidden meanings.

As for whether it ends in “Ghost” or “Soldier” I keep wib-wobbling back and forth on because they’re both so good. “Ghost” is good because that’s what Wu Ming is. He is a nameless ghost. He was nobody until his god gave him purpose. He was ready to die and felt dead because of his shitty life and luck before he remade himself for his god. Even when he was alive, he was always told he’d be better dead and that he’d not live to 18. He was always surrounded by death and tragedy. A ghost is a very good descriptor of what he is even before he died. In volume 1, Chapter 6 it says:

Many believe that, as the God of Misfortune, any paintings or writings of the Prince of Xianle have the powers of a curse. If placed on the back of a person, or on the main entrance of a household, then the cursed person or household will run into all sorts of bad luck… …It was hard to tell whether this was a description of a god or a ghost.

With Honghong-er's luck, even as alive, I would not be surprised if this was true for him also. So, "Ghost" is a very good word to describe him and has a lot of meaning to it.

However, "Soldier" also has a good meaning to it. Wu Ming was a soldier in the Xianle army. He took up arms to defend the capital, but mostly his god, Xie Lian. In the first battle after Xie Lian desended, Mu Qing notes that Wu Ming(still a nameless soldier) was fighting really closely to Xie Lian the entire battle, trying to keep enemies away from Xie Lian. Later, as the ghost Wu Ming in actuality, he was a soldier once again, serving Xie Lian directly, working as his blade and tool. He made himself into a solder for Xie Lian. He did that. That was his choice. He pushed away his fate and became what he wanted. A soldier. A protecter. All for his god. He still wears the armor and attire of a Xianle soldier because that's what he is in this au. He is a champion of Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of Xianle, his weapon, tool, protector. He is a soldier and he wears that honor proudly. Xie Lian is the one who told him he would be suited for a saber and gave him tips. He pledged himself to Xie Lian many times, and Xie Lian accepted that pledge. He is Xie Lian's soldier. His champion. Everything Wu Ming built was towards that end of protecting Xie Lian. The fact that Wu Ming made himself this, is so very in line with canon that it would be so beautiful for his title to reflect this just as the "Sought Flower" does in his canon title.

"Ghost" is a good descriptor of him, but holds tones of his past and what was given to him.

"Soldier" is what he made himself despite it all.

Both are so good, and I'm not sure which would be better. Maybe it's something they change? In canon, there are multiple titles used for people. Just Qi Rong is called both "Night Touring Green Lantern" and also "Green Ghost." So, idk.

I thought up this idea about a week ago and was like "I should write that. That's such a good idea and would be so much fun." but then I remembered that I have so many other fics I need to finish and that this idea would be a big one because there's no way that this could be a oneshot or anything even in the realm of short. I would think 50k at least, but the way my writing goes, it would probably end up closer to 100k. So, i decided to release this idea to the wind and see if any of you got inspiration from it. If anyone writes this or has ideas, let me know because I really do love this idea and want to see stuff about it.

Hollow Knight x TGCF Au (I need a cool name for this lol)

Ok so I finally figured out the general plotline for this au!

You first meet Xie Lian next to the area where the gravedigger ghost is in Dirtmouth. He's seemingly muttering to himself unless you already have the dreamnail, in which case it's fairly clear that he's talking and responding to the gravedigger. He mentions something about being a wanderer, but that he's been feeling a pull within the depths of this kingdom.

Few places you can meet him after this. Resting next to a bench, looking up at the statue in city, and various locations where it's pretty obvious he just fell down a hole.

You might get only some of these before you trigger his main event by going back to the tunnels under the resting grounds after you go through the first time. You'll see his hat and bag haphazardly fallen next to a patch of ground that is continuously shaking and making the dive-able location noise without you walking over it. You can free him by doing the dive spell, and then meet him at the godseeker/sarcophogus afterwards, were it becomes clear that this is what was drawing him down into hallownest.

As for Hua Cheng, you can find his body in the area behind the coliseum where you have to chase down the Pale Lurker. His ghost will pop up, and if you talk to him you will ask you to please look for a wanderer in a golden mask for him, as he cannot leave his body and his senses only go so far. You can talk to him again after seeing Xie Lian at least once, whether before or after you first meet Hua Chang, and he will ask you to deliver a delicate flower to Xie Lian. If you agree a small silver butterfly will fly towards you during the scene where you gain it. You can get various dialogues from him about his devotion for Xie Lian and his search for him that's ended in his death.

Now, endings for our couple! There are several ways this can go.

Xie Lian can either be saved from the hole and then show up again at the godseeker in the trashpit, or he can become infected if you fail to save him either before the crossroads become infected or you fight him in godhome. If you fail to save him before then and go back to the area the patch of ground will only shake when you walk over it, and if you dive down you'll find him infected stuck in a hole. A white cloth band will attack you occasionally if you get too close(fool eater style), and if you dreamnail Xie Lian post infection you'll get some very devastating lines about him still trying to escape from being buried alive. You can hit infected Xie Lian as many times as you want, but after a certain amount the only thing that happens is a flash. he doesn't die.

With Hua Cheng if you attack him at any point, or if you let Xie Lian be infected after taking the flower quest and then go see Hua Cheng again, you'll trigger his boss fight. Ghost King Hua Cheng! Defeating him and absorbing his essence obliviously means the end of him except for in godhome.

You can only deliver the delicate flower to Xie Lian outside of Godseeker, although if you visit him after he gets infected more than once you'll find that a patch of delicate flowers have grown up above and around him, implying that Hua Cheng was able to find him and that's why he attacks you if you go back.

If you deliver the delicate flower to Xie lian by the godseeker he'll remark that it seems faintly familiar, and then the butterfly that was originally seen will pop out and go to Xie Lian. he'll be struck by surprise, and the next time you go down he'll be missing from next to the godseeker. Some backtracking will show you that his new final location is sitting next to Hua Cheng's corpse, amiably chatting away.

Xie Lian's godhome fight can have a few variations. It begins with him on the other side of the arena sitting in his usual gear, and then a black nail is flung down from the ceiling, blasting away his hat and bag and revealing him as Banished Prince Xie Lian! The background will be either the Trash Pit or the resting grounds with some delicate flowers depending on wether or not you saved him. if you completed the delicate flower quest a cloud of silver butterflies will appear during the opening sequence as well, and dispel the seal on him, giving you the Flower Prince Xie Lian fight with the background of a golden palace filled with delicate flowers!

Hua Cheng just gets his Ghost King fight, but if you succeed in reuniting them there will be Xie Lian hanging out in the background during his fight!

Strawberry hualian :3🍓