Hua Cheng, Huh?

You know how we joke about the array being like a group chat or social media? Well imagine if prayers went into a sort of heavenly email inbox. And when Xie Lian ascends for the third time, he expects his to be empty aside from the occasional spam from someone trying to schmooze up to every god they can think of, or the sadder chain emails from people desperate for help from anywhere.

Instead, he opens it and finds thousands upon thousands of prayers dating back throughout the entirety of his banishment, all from the same untraceable source. He opens random ones. Some are sweet little things, "Your Highness, wherever you are tonight, I hope you sleep well."

Others are more complex, "Your Highness, I find myself in a position where I must either seize power myself or risk it falling into other, more wicked hands. My own hands will inevitably be dirtied by wielding that power, but would they not be just as tainted if I did nothing, and let worse things happen? I know what I will choose, but I still wonder what you would do in my place."

Others still make him blush tomato red up to the tops of his ears, trailing babble still imbued with frantic eroticism and clearly never meant to actually reach him, cutting in and out like a poorly tuned radio as the devotee tries to keep thoughts from becoming prayers, panted strings of "Your Highness, Your Highness, please please please..."

The prayers date back to a few years after his second banishment, which makes sense because his inbox had been wiped when he was banished. He's surprised it's been allowed to gather all of this since: he supposes it's just that no one has even thought to notice. The centuries the prayers span makes it clear they do not come from a human, which is confusing and intriguing in equal measure.

And then, early on, he finds one that makes his heart stop and then take off again at a gallop.

"None of them are quite right, Your Highness. If I carve a thousand, ten thousand, will I eventually get it right? Will I ever be able to capture the kindness and the ferocity you radiate in something as base and cold as stone? I'll keep trying forever, or until I can see you again in the flesh. Your Highness has a believer here who still offers worship."

And that is how Xie Lian realizes that Wu Ming still exists.

(Insert long canon-divergent AU I'm too lazy to write here. I think there needs to be some kooky misunderstandings. Xie Lian is now aware that Wu Ming is out there and loves him and is looking for him and is so distracted by his determination to find him that it takes him 600k words of stubbornly denying his growing affection for Hua Cheng before he finally realizes Hua Cheng IS Wu Ming and has been desperately trying to court him for several volumes.)

And then I learned the truth, how everything good in life seems to lead back to you…

Harrison Wood Hsiang

musical instruments and music theory

illustrations for boethius' 6th c. treatise "de musica", einsiedeln, 10th century

source: Einsiedeln, Stiftsbibliothek, Codex 358, p. 144, 214, 206, and 213

I just want to say that it is important (to me at least) not to mischaracterise Mario when it comes to Bowuigi fanfictions. I especially think that people are not giving him the complexity that he deserves.

Mario loves Luigi and Luigi loves Mario. They care very very deeply for each other. Mario would do anything to make sure his brother is happy and safe.

That means, it entirely depends on the context as to how he would take Bowser and Luigi dating. But, regardless of how he took it, it would be because he wants his brother to be happy and safe.

Let us say Bowser is on civil terms with everyone and is not a threat and Mario knows he makes Luigi happy. Bowser is not making Luigi unsafe, if anything them being together makes Luigi safe. And he's making him happy. Even if Mario hated Bowser, I highly doubt he would be anything other than supportive towards their relationship. At least, to Luigi's face. Give me Mario who lets Luigi gush to him and helps him plan dates and is nothing but supportive, while also having his own personal feelings on the relationship. Personally feelings he won't let get in the way of his brothers happiness.

And seriously, I really think people need to consider that Mario would not just threaten Bowser into not breaking his brother's heart. He would help Bowser. Just picture him finding out, storming to Bowser's castle, and then spending 3 hours lecturing Bowser about all of the things Luigi likes and dislikes and needs in a partner.

On the flip sides, in stories in which Mario knows Bowser makes Luigi happy but believes that he is too dangerous. Give me complexity to his lack of support in the relationship. Trying his best to keep his brother happy and safe.

After his attempts to reason with Luigi end in argument, he's guilt ridden at how upset he's making Luigi. But he'd rather his brother be miserable than hurt. And he knows what Bowser is capable of.

That's not to say he can't be mad at Luigi! But I think that people are missing this layer of guilt that could add more dimension to stories. I mean, after all, it is a very good turning point if Mario realises that in his attempts to prevent his brother getting hurt, he hurt him. Maybe he and Bowser to toe-to-toe, and he's shocked to find our that Bowser is mad at him. Then horrified to hear Bowser thinks of him as a danger to Luigi's wellbeing in much the same way Mario thinks of Bowser.

Another thing is considering how it would be if Bowser was at war with the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario is not just a brother but a defender of the innocent. If he doesn't side with his brother he betrays him, but if he does it betrays the people who rely on him.

I view Mario as a soldier a lot of the time. He has very black and white thinking when it comes to the war. He has to. He can't start thinking of the other side as having a good reason to fight, he can't question his own reason for fighting. You cannot do that when you are at war, it gets people killed. His worldview is unshakable, and to have his brother be dating not just the enemy but the leader of the enemy. It is a betrayal unlike anything he thought he could feel.

Give me a story where Mario's lack of support is rooted in how betrayed he feels by Luigi. The wedge that gets driven between them, make it not just be that Mario doesn't support them, but that Luigi has betrayed him. Give me Mario who loves his brother more than anything in the world watching as his anger drives him further into Bowser's clutches. Make him blind to the reality of their relationship, make him make up every excuse under the sun so he does not have to accept that his brother is safe and happy in being with Bowser--safe and happy in hurting Mario.

Make Mario realise with horror that his brother is safe and happy. Have him be at war with himself. He's angry he's grieving he feels like he's lost him he hates him. But he loves him and fuck he looks happy. And Bowser's doing a better job than he ever could keeping him safe. But no, Bowser is the enemy. How could Luigi do this? If not for their people, then for Mario? Mario loves Luigi more than anything in this world, he would do anything for him. And yet Luigi clearly doesn't love him enough not to date the leader of the group that he is at war with.

Just.

Give me some complex brotherly moments please.

Also if anyone writes anything based off of this please tag me. I will eat your writing. I need it.

what if quanyin but w chickens

My new ship! Xie Lian and Hua Cheng from Heaven Official's Blessing!

One of the 4 true gods, Supreme Demon King of the Polar Domain, Master of the Bright Moon Palace, beloved disciple of Master Bai Shuo, and Ah Wu's Ah Qi.

Ling-er’s idea of a Christmas gift ;)

(Drew this last year but forgot to post)

big boi Yizhen