I love physically protective Hua Cheng and everything but I am WEAK for emotionally protective Hua Cheng.
Like someone offhandedly saying something casually cruel to Xie Lian, watching his husband trying to smile and laugh it off, and Hua Cheng going fucking NUCLEAR
And Xie Lian was so accustomed to people being cruel and dismissive of him before, but now, after years with Hua Cheng, he’s gotten used to being treated with complete respect and gentleness and…
The words get to him, sometimes.
And all it takes is Hua Cheng seeing his beloved’s eyes widen slightly and his lips press a little tighter together for him to KNOW that Xie Lian is bothered, and he responds with a quiet, trembling wrath that makes the person who uttered the insult flee
(To be dealt with later)
(And by dealt with later I mean being challenged to single combat and if they FAIL then they have to give up their mortality or watch hua cheng burn their temples until they fade and disappear)
(Because hua cheng figures if he repeats the tactic enough people will get the memo)
BUT in the immediate aftermath he always looks after Xie Lian first, and no matter how deep the insult cut, it’s never so bad that the ghost king can’t bring a smile back to his lips with gentle touches and soft reassurances
Hua Cheng often needs verbal validation and to be talked out of his own self loathing, but for Xie Lian, just knowing that he’s loved is enough. And that’s the easiest thing in the world to give.
Mainly I’m pushing an agenda for Hua Cheng to stroke Xie Lian’s cheeks with his thumbs while kissing his forehead and whispering that he’s beautiful and strong and perfect until Xie Lian is smiling again and telling him how silly he is and I WILL NOT BE STOPPED
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SPOILER WARNING but I think the contrast between Jun Wu and Xie Lian is great and all and they’re great foils, but…
the contrast between Jun Wu and Hua Cheng is SO UNDERRATED.
Because both show tendencies towards obsession, but the differences in their obsessions are IMPORTANT
Had to delete that twice because I can’t type.
But like Jun Wu genuinely believes that he loves Xie Lian and that by forcing Xie Lian to experience what he did, he’s creating someone that understands him. Grooming someone worthy of succeeding him.
But that ISN’T love.
Part of me thinks that’s exactly why he orchestrated the confrontation between Xie Lian and Lang Qianqiu in the gambler’s den arc. Because he WANTS to see Xie Lian resent and lash out at the younger, adored crown prince. One he’s assumed a mentorship position over.
sometimes i think back on how Hua Cheng said, "The heavenly emperor must hate him, he banished him twice," and Xie Lian's reaction was that it was 'A child's way of thinking,' but
Hua Cheng was absolutely CORRECT, he just wasn't BRAINWASHED.
and it says a lot that Xie Lian thinks the idea of someone taking up for him is childish. It's one thing for him to be aware of his mistakes, but he's been so CONDITIONED into this state of learned helplessness and self loathing that he can't even acknowledge what happened to him
because HONESTLY i think the character arc between Jun Wu, the Guoshi, and Xie Lian is an EXCELLENT metaphor for child grooming and breaking a cycle of abuse, but Xie Lian really couldn't do that until he had that emotional support from Hua Cheng
I think my favorite thing about beginner’s guide to living is that it’s Modern times, and most of the gods who have survived that long had to go back fo the mortal realm and re-ascend as patron deities of more Modern wants and needs
Not Hua Cheng, because devil worshiping never goes out of style, but PRETTY MUCH everyone else
(Yin Yu had a very embarrassing incident where he decided to quit his job and descend as the patron god of DVDs)
(Obviously, it did not work out)
BUT it worked out sexy for FenQing, because Mu Qing re-ascended as the patron of electricity, and Feng Xin reascended as the patron of gun powder, so they’re two of the most powerful gods left standing 👁👁