#emperor jun

[lovecraftiancicada]

Saw this pic somewhere and immediately thought of this

And just as i was scrolling through yt to find the exact scene where gothel holds rapunzel's hair, i found this ❤️

#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #jun wu #xie lian #emperor knows best xianle

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘Forest of a Thousand Lanterns’

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao My rating: 5 of 5 stars Xifeng has submerged herself into the hypnotic darkness of a forgotten god whose long-game vengeance poisons all it touches. She knows the risks. But she doesn't care. Her honesty is barbed and bittersweet. Her hunger for power is aggressive, war-like. And her beauty yields a dangerous, almost mythic quality. Xifeng is a peasant. But not for long. FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS is a long, hot gasp. The book rakes its nails along rivers of scarcely visible veins, it curls its fingers around the throat of a young woman whose anger and ambition quest to burst their confines. Xifeng makes her way to the court of Emperor Jun. It's her fate. To become Empress. She believes this. She knows this. Her fortune has never been wrong before. The journey will be difficult, rife with suffering, betrayal, sacrifice, political scheming, and murder of every kind. But Xifeng knows the risks. And she doesn't care. To become Empress of Feng Lu, a land recently at peace and bordered by an aged forest and faraway mountains, this young woman pushes her way into the royal court. Each relationship she possesses will be tested. Were the actions of her abusive aunt all for this moment? (Xifeng would never have learned poetry and politics without her Guma.) Are the sunny and oafish predilections of her childhood friend, Wei, naught but the dreams of a lover boy who never grew up? (Xifeng has convinced herself that a woman can only devote herself to one desire at a time.) And what is she to make of the kind, calculating eyes of the Emperor himself? (Xifeng believes him both cautious and brutal, and yet she cannot keep her eyes from trailing his magnificent silhouette.) And then there's the darkness. It haunts her, yes, but it also helps her; it feeds her. Xifeng's aunt calls it the "black magic" of an old god, others call it madness; Xifeng feels the dark, echoic voice reverberate in her chest, but she cares not from where it came. Will it help her become Empress? All powerful and duly respected? Guile. Affectation. Deceit. Indignation. Cannibalism. Readers of FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS will actively question whether the darkness encroaching on the heart of young Xifeng was always there, or whether its muddy grip is a taunting addendum to her fated lust for power. Literature-at-large needs more novels about young women who grit their teeth and sharpen their duty with such a furious heat that their resolve nearly destroys the whole world. Xifeng becomes a lady-in-waiting, at one point little more than the empress of a concubine's chamber pot. But cheeky commentary here, clever insight there, and a feminine entreaty to Empress Lihua, sickly and pregnant and dreaming of a daughter, earn the young woman the social capital she requires to wedge herself into position. Such are the more innocent curiosities of courtly affairs in which only the reader and the protagonist are aware of the benefits of splitting people's chests open with a fancy knife, of poisoning someone slowly over the course of several years, of feasting on animal hearts raw. The glory of a novel of this nature rests in Xifeng's relative comfort in her descent into darkness. The young woman imagines foes around every corner, and to some degree, ascertains the likelihood of whether her actions balance the scales of fate, but in the wrong direction. For Xifeng, all the abuse, suffering, and emotional turmoil she has survived will not be for nothing. She will take what she is owed. The author makes it clear that every action Xifeng takes is her own. And in terms of narrative mechanics, the protagonist's doubts and uncertainties ensure she thrives in ways that obscure the truth (for others) and manipulate what is necessary to persist (for herself). She is peaceable, intelligent, irascible, violent, and charming, all at the same time. Xifeng is a fully-dimensional character whose successes and failures are so tightly bound as to be entertainingly indiscernible from one another. To call her an "evil" character disregards the quality and tenacity of her endurance. The worldbuilding is tight as well. In FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS, readers would be smart to view the landscape from a wider perspective. The land of Feng Lu is run by Emperor Jun, but is bordered by grassland traders in the land of Dagovad, the sea and its ship-faring warriors in the land of Kamatsu, and the Great Forest, whose mythic guardian-beasts, the tengaru, are a righteously agonistic bunch. Readers should take note: Dagovad, Kamatsu, and the tengaru are all guided, to some extent, by female rulers. Also, there are rumors of a legion of violent women, called the Crimson Army, residing on the Dragon Scales mountain range, who loathe the company of intruders. The novel wields these and other environmental details to craft an atmosphere that is enchanting and dangerous at all altitudes. One must be attentive to the needs of the land if one is to survive an evening in the ever-dark Great Forest, but one must also rest easy enough to know no demon provokes an interloper without good reason. The human realm is no different. One must be cunning to survive in the court of Emperor Jun and his advisors, but one must also be humble so as to reap the court's many gifts, rewards, and pleasures. Xifeng acquires an array of rivals (who get what they deserve), allies (who are not quite who they appear), and friends (who simply do their best, day by day). But as the woman matures, she must balance what is necessary for her ascension, apart from what may be essential to her humanity. The darkness within, she quickly learns, cares for only one of the two.

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

#writeblr #review #fiction #forest of a thousand lanterns #5 stars #xifeng #julie c dao #guma #tengaru #feng lu #dark fantasy #asian fantasy #narrative mechanics #honesty is barbed and bittersweet #innocent curiosities #feasting on animal hearts #human realm #emperor jun #dagovad

[mooncakebun]

Jun Wu wip… might finish one day 🙏 Wanted to do some painting practice cuz digital art is still a mystery I can’t comprehend.

As time passes I find his character more and more interesting so expect more Jun Wu art in the future buuuut I’m incredibly slow with everything… ✨😆

#tgcf fanart #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #tgcf art #tgcf #digital art #work in progress #jun wu #heavenly emperor #天官赐福

[maypersonne]

Shang Qinghua is such a romance webtoon ass protagonist watch him get married to the Duke of the North for protection and tax reasons make his fief run so much better make everyone's life better make his expertise indispensable make his husband fall madly in love with him then worry about how he's getting divorced in 2 years cause their contract marriage end there and his gorgeous gorgeous husband having now filled the conditions and inherited his title as Lord of the northern lands will find a much higher status and prettier spouse the second the contract is over

Like Mobei Jun could even fonction as a person without Shang Qinghua like the organization of the North wouldn't completely fizzle out in a week if he took his eyes off it

#shang qinghua #mobei jun #moshang #svsss #my thesis is that mobei jun would fucking die without sqh like a very demanding plant in the wrong soil conditions #shang qinghua my dude you'll have to take this one for the team and stay with your very sexy demon forever #historical webtoon #he calls him “my king” like he's a gift from the heavens and the world end at their fief like theres no emperor or country to answer to lik- #-like there's no loyalty in him but for his lord husband #au #i guess #should i tag it #moshang au #or like #svsss au #idk which one is a tag people use so there goes both

[dirushi-12]

All the love for Wangxian after so many years of grief , death and mourning....

Only person to make Lan Wangji smile and only person to make Wei Wuxian admit his weakness without any binding debt....

#yilling laozu #yilling patriarch #wei wuxian stan #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan zhan #lan wangji #hanguang jun #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #the untamed #wangxian #emperor smile #alcohol #rabbit

[illuminatedferret]

With the new edits to Xie Lian's request to be banished again rather than fight Lang Qianqiu, I'm really struck by the gravity of Hua Cheng rejecting his ascension again. We conflate being a Heavenly Official with being a god, being a god with being beneath Jun Wu's dominion, but that's really not the case. Ascension and godhood are natural consequences of diligence and cultivation, not something handed out because you impressed the right person. And yet as more people ascend, they fight, they bump elbows, they learn to live among one another, regulating each other and developing a 'status quo' for godhood.

This is the Heavenly Court- not a natural location, but a system constructed to exercise control over gods and godhood. A place just as coveted as it is full of rules and expectations, just as unforgiving as it is illustrious. Yet the violence inherent in the heavens, in Jun Wu's rule, is never truly addressed. And that violence can be boiled down into one simple question:

Do people have the right to say no to godhood?

For all intents and purposes, it seems that few people view ascensions as a bad thing. The only case we have of someone outright rejecting the heavens and doing so on their own terms is Hua Cheng. And as far as we can tell, no one ever follows up with him over this, but we can't forget his unique circumstances: his ghosthood, his place in Mount Tonglu, his soon-to-come power as one of the strongest men in the world, all allow him to pull off this escape and land himself a position where the heavens cannot afford to punish him, even if they want to. But for a more average person, what would happen if they said no?

And if Jun Wu accepts that "no" (if he accepts any no), does it come with no strings attached? What are the odds he allows this mold-breaker to walk out the doors without some sort of condition in place? Let me remind you, godhood is not contingent on his approval- rejecting the heavens doesn't make you stop being a god. Really, isn't rejecting the heavens rejecting him and his rule, more than anything else? He cannot make someone a god, and he cannot truly make them stop being a god, either. It is a privilege of his position (and power) that he can pretend otherwise, and he has to go to extreme lengths (the cursed shackles) to do so.

What ruler wouldn't see it as an act of disrespect that someone wants to leave their court? What ruler would willfully allow someone to leave the heavens and become what is fundamentally a rogue agent? It flies in the face of the purpose of the Heavenly Court. Surely this hypothetical person allowed to leave ends up like Xie Lian: shackled, deprived of at least the ability to hear prayers. At worst, Jun Wu may decide someone who rejects the heavens rejects the cultivation that brought them there as well, and seal their spiritual power too. But with those sorts of caveats, who would choose to leave? And to deprive people of choice is inherently violence.

In one act, Hua Cheng not only rejects the heavens but bucks their yoke, escaping the system of power and control that demands obedience from everyone unto the man on top. This is a far, far more significant and noteworthy act than is addressed. While he clearly cares little for it, Hua Cheng is a god, making him the only god in the world truly removed from Jun Wu's control and influence. He exists outside of the heavens' system, and thus paves the way for a space similarly divorced from the control of the heavens, where people can live without fear of censure or persecution from the people the world insists are their betters.

#tgcf #tgcf meta #tian guan ci fu #hua cheng #jun wu #heaven officials blessing #illuspeaks #this feels a little unfocused but i hope my point comes across #the revised version really highlights this w jun wu getting mad at xie lian for requesting banishment #because really its an act of disrespect towards the emperor to /want/ to leave his court #anyway ive been chewing on this for a while

[gurggggleburgle]

on the one hand Moshang is considered a incredibly romantic and wholesome love story by demon standards is funny and I love it I also do think the idea that for an ice demon specifically Mobei-jun is a cringe sap and overly expressive and romantic to the point of being a freak to other demons is just much chucklery. I mean, this man out here looking like an emotionally constipated rock is actually on so many laxatives he's been shitting a stream of emotional pebbles for the past decade is just so silly. In general, I just think Mobei-jun is funniest when he is in fact just weird by virtually all metrics but nobody can or will say anything.

#svsss #svsss shitpost #scumbag system #scum villain self saving system #scum villain #moshang #mobei jun #shang qinghua #The idea that he's like a bleeding heart desperate romantic eager for love and devotion to a point that demonkind agrees the only one #weirder is their emperor but like that guy is half human on his mother's side and all that so what's his excuse. #idk #i just think it be funny #he's the perfect man for bs logic #give this man unrealistic expectations about getting beat up back by his husband

[tgcfsketches]

“…Xianle, how disappointing.”

#jun wu #heaven official's blessing #tgcf #white no face #bai wuxiang #white clothed calamity #mxtx #mxtx fanart #mxtx characters #xianle #body in abyss heart in paradise #tgcfsketches #danmei #tgcf art #heavenly emperor #Shenwu #divine might #tian guan ci fu #xie lain

[crazydaymycrazyway]

The crown prince if Xianle Xie Lian, the first time he ascended: I'm learning, I'm young and I have amazing friends

Jun Wu, externally: *smiles*

Bai Wuxiang, internally: *in a mocking tone* I'm learning, I'm young amd I have amazing friends. WELL OBVIOUSLY THAT AIN'T GONNA BE HELPING YOU! I WAS RAISED BY WOLVES BITCH, BETRAYED BY THE PEOPLE WHO I TRUSTED, LOST MY GODHOOD, DIGNITY AND LIFE, GOT TUMORS ON MY FACE, KILLED AND STOMPED OVER THE CORPSES OF THE GODS WHO DARED BETRAY ME! I WAS BETRAYED AND I BETRAYED AND I'M WASHED ALL OVER BY SINS AND I'M STILL SURVIVING WITH MY SHIT TOGETHER ON TOP OF ALL! AND YOU THINK YOU CAN WALK AWAY UNSCRATCHED?! BE ALL PURE?! WATCH ME BITCH! LETS SEE IF YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR SHITTY "BODY IN ABYSS HEART IN PARADISE"!

#heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #tgcf #xie lian #his highness crown prince #crown prince of xianle #just when he ascended #jun wu #the emperor of heavens #bai wuxiang #a man who is over a thousand years old has beef with a seventeen year old kid #he got offended at a kid making a cool dialogue after doing something cool #he's petty #very petty #i think he was 1200 at that time? #i remember reading xie lian say he was 1500 years old or something #but that was before he knew the truth #so he must be something like 2000 or more rn? #his profile says it is 2000+ in wiki fandom #so if xie lian roamed earth for 800 years #he'd be something like 1200? #2000-800=1200 #lol #that's embarrassing #he took pettiness to the next level #i understands the pain he went through #that doesn't justify his actions #incorrect quotes

[momzawa-5]

Drunk Lan Xichen doodle 🩵

#mdzs #mdzs fanart #mdzs chibi #lan xichen #zewu jun #lan huan #let xichen be happy #twin jades #twin jades of gusu #gusu lan #emperors smile #colored pencil #colored pencil fanart #lxc #mdzs lan xichen #mdzs lxc #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #founder of diabolism

[backpackingspace]

I think it's funny that jun wu just had no idea who hua cheng was to xie lian. You know the entire series was him just screaming why??? Wont you??? Fuck off???

#Tgcf #heaven official's blessing #tgcf spoilers #Jun wu #Hua cheng #Jun wu taunting xie lian: Oh you're so close why don't you tell him what happened to the last ghost you loved #Hua cheng: who was there who loved through it oh gege you loved me? That's so sweet this one is honored #Jun wu to Ling wen: do we seriously have no idea why this bastard is sticking around xie lian??? #Jun wu: realistically one of these plans should have worked by now there has to be something we're missing #Ling wen: who does actually remember when a ghost ascended and vowed vengeance when xie lian was not there and can do math #But the emperor has not shut up about this for 40 hours and she has other work to do and has missed her once a week 20 minute nap: no idea

[ahb-writes]

She might never truly love this man and he might never truly love her, but they needed each other, two ruthless souls driven by fate.

Julie C. Dao (Forest of a Thousand Lanterns)

#xifeng #writing villains #asian fantasy #dark fantasy #feng lu #emperor jun #quote #ya fiction #two ruthless individuals #empress xifeng #fiction writing #writing tips #writing advice #novel writing

[mooncakebun]

Who’s not getting any sleep again 🥲

#tgcf fanart #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #tgcf art #tgcf #sketch #digital art #jun wu #heavenly emperor #it’s 3am #what the hell is going on

[h1234yt]

Why tf he's so hot likee soo hot??!! I'm still not read the novel fyi, only manhua but holy hell jun wu??!!

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #mxtx #hualian #jun wu #heavenly emperor

[artingstarvist]

So this is just a silly idea I had for a TGCF Major Arcana tarot deck. Idk if its something I’d take the time to actually do or not. I saw a piece of fanart yesterday- a stand alone tarot card for Justice and I was been mulling it around all evening trying to decide who I would pick for each card if I were to (hypothetically) make a deck. By the time I sketched them I realized I completely forgot about Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu and had a hard time placing them. I know its super rough- hopefully you can tell what’s on each card (hence the name labels), but anyways feel free to share what you’d do different or add or if you think someone else would fit a card better. I’d be interested to hear!

Edit: Damn! I should have put LQQ as Judgement how did I forget about him too?.

#tgcf #tgcf fanart #heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #my art #tarot #So many options i was tempted to put the Altar Scene on the death card #also idk SHOULD i put Jun Wu on the emperor card?? like its obvious i know #but I just like the idea of shi wudu there instead for some reason

[illuminatedferret]

Poll idea for you if you want? Or you can just take it as a normal thoughts ask. I've been pondering it myself and seeing what others think might be nice.

Does Jun Wu know Hua Cheng is Wu Ming?

1. Yes, the whole time.

2. No, he doesn't.

3. He figures it out over the course of the present day plot.

I wonder because he told XL that WM was gone and used how 'alone' and 'abandoned' XL is alot in his arguments. But also isn't the kiln and mount tonglu like his space. He never saw any of the statues and wondered? Also what did he think HC wanted from XL? Friendship? Relationship? Revenge? Control? What did he even think of Crimson Rain during the 800 years? I can see him having Black Water figured out and just enjoying that whole mess, but I'm not sure I can imagine what he thought of HC. For a character that really seems to know a lot, I can't help seeing HC as a bit of a blind spot for him? Maybe wilfully dismissed as unimportant?? Jun Wu be hard to understand 😅

Lot your fics and posts ❤

Hey! Thanks for the ask! I made a poll out of it(as u know) and now as promised I'm also gonna share my thoughts!

Short answer: no! I do not believe so. And I don't for one very specific reason- Jun Wu mentions Wuming during the fight on the Heavens-Crossing Bridge. Specifically, he mentions whether or not Hua Cheng knows about Wuming, and all the things Xie Lian did back in his first banishment. He says it to undermine Xie Lian's confidence, both in the fight and in Hua Cheng's feelings for him. If he knew that Wuming was right there, ready to go "actually that's me, I already know all about that stuff, and I'm totally cool with it." he never would have brought him up.

Longer answer: we don't actually know how much attention Jun Wu paid to Mount Tonglu. I mean, it's never confirmed one way or another that he knows/doesn't know everything that goes on down there. I think it's sort of a mixed bag. On one hand, he didn't know about the statue of Xie Lian in the Kiln. On the other, he was in the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, and the way I see it, he could have either found it beforehand, or he could have followed Xie Lian into it(because he was following Xie Lian by that point- right before he wakes up in the cave he has a nightmare about White No-Face, actually). I think the latter, just because he doesn't act during canon like he knows Hua Cheng is, like, mega-into Xie Lian. Because I do think that it's not hard to put together who made the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods if you saw it uncovered and thought about it a little.

In regards to what he thought Hua Cheng wanted out of Xie Lian... I think it's safe to say that at least initially he didn't think Hua Cheng loved him or anything. He tries to break apart Xie Lian and Hua Cheng very early, by sending Xie Lian to Ghost City on a mission that runs directly against Hua Cheng. Nevermind Xie Lian seeing the Gamblers' Den(which many people would find distasteful and think less of Hua Cheng for), if Hua Cheng wasn't so gung-ho about helping Xie Lian, recovering Ming Yi(and Lang Qianqiu) would've been really ugly. If Jun Wu actually knew Hua Cheng loved Xie Lian(or desired him sexually), I can't see him NOT trying to use that, either to harm Xie Lian or poison his opinion of Hua Cheng(like FXMQ).

I think it's also important to recognize that Mount Tonglu opened while Xie Lian was with Hua Cheng. Jun Wu did that. By this point in time, he's(I believe) already consumed Lang Ying, so he knew that Hua Cheng had invited Xie Lian to Ghost City for the day. If Hua Cheng's reaction hadn't been #KissingTime but violence instead, Xie Lian would have been greatly hurt, and that would have had its own repercussions on their relationship. (if it had been sexual violence...? i think he would have been mad about that, actually) The more I think about it, the more it seems like Jun Wu just didn't want Xie Lian around Hua Cheng at all, like "a supreme's already called dibs on him, back off" kind of deal.

What Jun Wu thinks of Hua Cheng... Overall I think he just hated him. Didn't like him at best. Hua Cheng really did turn out to be a blind spot of Jun Wu's, because there was so much about him that he didn't know. He didn't know he was Wuming or that he loved Xie Lian, and so he didn't think to incorporate those facts into his plans. But beyond that? Not sure. He definitely didn't like him- I would say there was value in Hua Cheng being feared and thus inspiring worship of Jun Wu and the heavens, but he has plenty of worshipers himself. Maybe some stuff about encouraging Heavenly Official solidarity. But I think the existence of Ghost City had a significant(positive) impact on the Mortal Realm, removing 'evil' stuff from the streets of mortal cities and giving ghosts a safe place to live, rather than remain in the open world where they can cause problems. So I don't think he liked that either. I also think he hated having such a powerful figure that he didn't have something over, be it authority or blackmail. Even if he was confident he could beat Hua Cheng, he's very much about control, and he has nothing on Hua Cheng.

#illuspeaks #tgcf #hua cheng #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #tgcf meta #jun wu #illuanswers #exactly when lang ying was eaten is never explicitly said but i think it was before the mid autumn festival #when he's with sqx in heaven. sqx tells xl that even the emperor has seen him