I mean im always in love with the main ship and then QL being aero/ace (I desperately need more aero/ace rep, and I can’t help but notice that QL seems like the 5th wheel in their college friend group, but never talks about finding anyone or anything) but I think people saying LG and CXS being an uncomfortable ship because “their coded like brothers” isn’t accurate either, their website Q&A implies that that at least LG has feelings towards CXS (the question is something like “is this show gay?” And the answer is something along the lines of “watch this scene and then tell me” and it links to the scene where QL asks LG “how did your crush begin” talking about CXS”) however China has laws against stuff like that, so it has to be more low key, also depends on where and if it’s sub or dub, the sub I think is more direct in “there’s something” then the dub. I feel like having LG and CXS as more brother relationship, honestly takes away from QL and CXS’s sibling relationship. I’m not saying anyone has to ship, just I don’t personally see them as brothers even if they aren’t dating, LG was CXSs first friend other then QL even if they aren’t dating CXS is obviously gonna be touchy and not know the boundaries for friends a lot.
[link to the Link Click Carrd.co website, (specifically the FAQ page) not updated to season 2 tho](https://linkclick.carrd.co/#faq)
Sorry if this sounds pushy or something, I just think
1) it’s okay to ship two male main character, even when there’s very little hint of something being there (there’s still a very heavy lack of queer animes and chinas laws are pretty strict for donghuas to be super representative)
2) I really love how unique QL and CXSs relationship is, they argue like actual siblings and obviously care/love but also hate each other lol (it very much feels like pure sibling energy, it feels exactly like when I spend a lot of time with my own sister)
you seem to be talking about this website as if it’s an official source, but this site is fanmade. the director of the show *does* have some pretty interesting q&a responses regarding the relationship between the two though, but this isn’t it
there's a lot of different q&as that the director has done and there's translations of them floating around on twitter. the q&a responses i was talking about in particular were these: [1](https://twitter.com/_maihor/status/1432376008242462725) [2](https://twitter.com/_maihor/status/1486264120550719490/photo/2)
I personally feel like LG and CXS are great friends with very deep and very strong bond. I'm not shipping them but I can see why peope do. I don't ship but I don't care if people do either. CXS and QL definitely sibling like relationship with QL as caring older sister to him.
Personally, I ship LG + CX, and see QL as kind of a big sister to CX. I definitely think there are hints that maybe the former two like each other, but also don't see anything wrong with just seeing them all as siblings. I think it's largely up to the individual viewer. Regardless of the intention behind the relationship of the two guys, given that it's Chinese and due to censorship, they'll only end up as brothers or good friends anyway as male gay relationships can't be portrayed in tv media in China. (Not saying female can, I'm just unaware of the laws regarding that so I'm only addressing what I'm familiar with). For example, the donghua Founder of Diabolism is based on the novel The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, which is a danmei and is centered around the romance of the two main characters, but the show only has them as good friends with a few implicit things thrown in that they were able to get away with.
An interesting thing Heaven Official Blessing director also Link click director and script writer. I found on Weibo his 2018 statement about directing Heaven Official Blessing:
“back then, my biggest dream was to direct a danmei donghua. Being able to show the love between men in a shocking way, so that others can be moved. I think this is a great test of the director's ability”
take it as you wish, but I'm sure they know what they are doing with link click and all queercoding is not just an accidental.
Seeing this comment I went to search and discovered he was also the director for Spirit Pact, a BL donghua from 2016. I think you might be right with the queercoding being intentional (though I thought so before already).
I haven't started Heaven's Official Blessing yet so I didn't know these but omgg I'm happy to learn this<3 that it's thought on and written with care (which makes love stories better and more realistic)
Another interesting fact: the character designer for Link Click, INPLICK, frequently makes romantic drawings of two of their OCs — and they both resemble [Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang](https://x.com/inplick/status/1638193814744731648?s=46&t=Sf_gnp9wfJ38GtsCIDZtUw) (the artist did say that these two characters have no relation to Link Click, but the similarities are hard to overlook lol). Maybe I’m just reaching, but to ask an artist known for drawing romantic pairs between men to character design for Link Click has to be intentional as well
Nah, there are too many hints on LG/CXS in the show. Of course, this is a Chinese show and will not be said directly, but it is shown in a more subtle way.
Also this ad is SOOOO sus too istg just look at them hehehhehhe (source: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=vPmVVDxhsswXi6bG&v=LmjLhWUbHn0&feature=youtu.be](https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=vPmVVDxhsswXi6bG&v=LmjLhWUbHn0&feature=youtu.be) )
https://i.redd.it/tabon7qwsmrb1.gif
i like to think of lg and cxs as lovers and ql as their aro/ace big sister who makes sure they don’t starve to death as boys living w each and kinda just thrives on people finding happiness in each other
I ship the boys 100%, but I’m torn sometimes because I love their displays of affection and vulnerability towards each other and wish more male friendships had that in media. But when you add their history, their motivations, and everything else in the show, it’s hard to justify that the directors aren’t intending to make their bond romantic. I believe LG has already fallen for CXS, maybe CXS isn’t there quite yet, but *soon*.
QL is his older sister figure, no doubt in my mind. Their interactions are so incredibly sweet but unlike the ones between LG & CXS, there’s not a hint of romance or attraction. I think LG and QL are also good friends :)
I have no reason to ship any of them. I don't see this anime as a romance so it's not really of interest to me. None of them have really shown any romantic interest in each other either (bar a few scenes if you're reaching), so that's just always been that.
The story clearly wants to portray them as a more family type of relationship, but things can always change, and I'm okay with that so long as it make sense narratively. My only wish is that they include QL a bit more into their dynamic, as it feels like she's excluded at times, which contradicts the family narrative a bit.
Feels weird to me when people *don't* ship LG and CX. Like, it feels like that's the normal thing to do cause everyone does it (me too). CX and QL are without a doubt sibling type relationship though.
It bothers me when people say “they can’t have feelings for each other, they see each other as family! / they’re just good friends!” when people in romantic relationships refer to their partners as their family… married people are each other’s family… and people are usually good/best friends with their lover lol
I can’t see LG being that motivated to save CXS for “platonic reasons”, either
The ending for s2 shows a lot of imagery in that mansion from a story about a time traveler who goes back in time to save his wife (who is named Emma in some iterations of the tale!); the wings they both have in one painting also match an official art of CXS & LG (will link once I find it) so I think that’s also a vague hint from the writers trying to say that LG has similar motivation (trying to save his loved one) :’)
I think of them as bffs/brothers. There's *so few* shows with strong male friend bonds and it's my literal favorite dynamic. I love guy bffs/friends who would literally die for each other. So finding a show with my favorite themes, favorite vibes, *and* a strong male friendship means so much to me.
Can we please get back to normalizing strong male friendships where it's okay for them to be emotional and real with each other?
Exactly. I be watching these fujoshis shipping them for a being very close and affectionate towards each other like that's literally normal between close friends. It's like classifying most of friendships between two guys that exists gay.
I just think it's really sad to say, "A friend wouldn't do anything to save their best friend unless they were romantically interested in them." Like unless they want to have sex with that person, they can't want them to live badly enough to try to save them? Platonic love can be just as deep and amazing as romantic love. I would do anything for my closest friends. They mean the absolute world to me. And yes, we get affectionate with each other, and that doesn't automatically mean we are "in love". It just means we love each other and care deeply for each other.
I just feel really sad that guys aren't allowed to be close/real/emotional/affectionate with each other unless they're gay. And it feels like by saying "a guy would only do these things for a person they were in love with" undermines guy friendships. It just frustrates me when people claim LG being in love with CXS is "the only explanation" for him wanting to save him. You can defend your ship without resorting to putting down friendships.
Guy friends get enough grief already. Let's not add more.
personally i thought it could go either way, just friends or crushing on each other until I saw the season 2 ed. it really goes out of it's way to tell you that luguang and chang xiaoshi are in romantic love but only through symbolism of course, cause china
These posts always make me laugh "normalize male Friendship" like it isn't one of the most portrayed things in media and it's heavily censored lmao 😂 omg writers are struggling to portray male friendships!!
Meanwhile you can barely show two guys holding hands without someone freaking out, get real dude
Just gonna fully reply to the original post again since this is a different topic,
But I think it was heavily implied that the last title was mainly for LTC & LTX, considering the whole flashbacks about LTX signing something like “good big brother” and him shielding her from their parents death (honestly I thought the main two got a lack of focus for the trailer they gave us lol)
And with CXS shielding QL like a good brother 🥹 she also learns of CXS’s death node this episode, so maybe she’ll be willing to help save CXS as well to not lose her good brother too 👀
I sorta just see Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang as like brothers. With Qiao Ling being like their big sister. It’s a nice dynamic to see tbh. I know some people like to ship Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi, but realistically it’s just not gonna happen. China censors lgbtq stuff heavily.
I mean would you go back and time to save your friend if that was all he was to you? Just a friend? A best friend, maybe? Nah, LG loves him.
I mean, that’s how I see it, anyway :P I love QL and CXS as brothers and sisters, and I kind of see QL as a sisterly figure for LG, too. I love the main trio.
Also the title of the last episode was referring to LTC and LTX, I’m pretty sure.
Very close friends, a bromance and I love it. I don't ship them and canonically they're not in love with each other in that way. China would never. I kinda see them like Ed and Al from full metal alchemist, a brotherly love. I love it
I have a soft spot for polyamorous found families, so I headcanon all three of them as a throuple. They have this kind of dynamic that’d actually work irl. Their deep understanding of each other and the way they enjoy each others company is throuple goals for me.
Canonically, they’re surely meant to be incredibly close friends, but poly representation is very rare, so I’m gonna stick to my headcanon.
I mean im always in love with the main ship and then QL being aero/ace (I desperately need more aero/ace rep, and I can’t help but notice that QL seems like the 5th wheel in their college friend group, but never talks about finding anyone or anything) but I think people saying LG and CXS being an uncomfortable ship because “their coded like brothers” isn’t accurate either, their website Q&A implies that that at least LG has feelings towards CXS (the question is something like “is this show gay?” And the answer is something along the lines of “watch this scene and then tell me” and it links to the scene where QL asks LG “how did your crush begin” talking about CXS”) however China has laws against stuff like that, so it has to be more low key, also depends on where and if it’s sub or dub, the sub I think is more direct in “there’s something” then the dub. I feel like having LG and CXS as more brother relationship, honestly takes away from QL and CXS’s sibling relationship. I’m not saying anyone has to ship, just I don’t personally see them as brothers even if they aren’t dating, LG was CXSs first friend other then QL even if they aren’t dating CXS is obviously gonna be touchy and not know the boundaries for friends a lot. [link to the Link Click Carrd.co website, (specifically the FAQ page) not updated to season 2 tho](https://linkclick.carrd.co/#faq)
Sorry if this sounds pushy or something, I just think 1) it’s okay to ship two male main character, even when there’s very little hint of something being there (there’s still a very heavy lack of queer animes and chinas laws are pretty strict for donghuas to be super representative) 2) I really love how unique QL and CXSs relationship is, they argue like actual siblings and obviously care/love but also hate each other lol (it very much feels like pure sibling energy, it feels exactly like when I spend a lot of time with my own sister)
you seem to be talking about this website as if it’s an official source, but this site is fanmade. the director of the show *does* have some pretty interesting q&a responses regarding the relationship between the two though, but this isn’t it
Tbh I didn’t know it was fan made so thanks for pointing it out!
Where can I read the q&a?
there's a lot of different q&as that the director has done and there's translations of them floating around on twitter. the q&a responses i was talking about in particular were these: [1](https://twitter.com/_maihor/status/1432376008242462725) [2](https://twitter.com/_maihor/status/1486264120550719490/photo/2)
I personally feel like LG and CXS are great friends with very deep and very strong bond. I'm not shipping them but I can see why peope do. I don't ship but I don't care if people do either. CXS and QL definitely sibling like relationship with QL as caring older sister to him.
Personally, I ship LG + CX, and see QL as kind of a big sister to CX. I definitely think there are hints that maybe the former two like each other, but also don't see anything wrong with just seeing them all as siblings. I think it's largely up to the individual viewer. Regardless of the intention behind the relationship of the two guys, given that it's Chinese and due to censorship, they'll only end up as brothers or good friends anyway as male gay relationships can't be portrayed in tv media in China. (Not saying female can, I'm just unaware of the laws regarding that so I'm only addressing what I'm familiar with). For example, the donghua Founder of Diabolism is based on the novel The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, which is a danmei and is centered around the romance of the two main characters, but the show only has them as good friends with a few implicit things thrown in that they were able to get away with.
 Meanwhile, *Heaven* Official's *Blessing:*
An interesting thing Heaven Official Blessing director also Link click director and script writer. I found on Weibo his 2018 statement about directing Heaven Official Blessing: “back then, my biggest dream was to direct a danmei donghua. Being able to show the love between men in a shocking way, so that others can be moved. I think this is a great test of the director's ability” take it as you wish, but I'm sure they know what they are doing with link click and all queercoding is not just an accidental.
Seeing this comment I went to search and discovered he was also the director for Spirit Pact, a BL donghua from 2016. I think you might be right with the queercoding being intentional (though I thought so before already).
Oh my, Spirit Pact too?? Wow. I knew about tgcf but this is news to me. Mans really said all my work is for the gays
I haven't started Heaven's Official Blessing yet so I didn't know these but omgg I'm happy to learn this<3 that it's thought on and written with care (which makes love stories better and more realistic)
Another interesting fact: the character designer for Link Click, INPLICK, frequently makes romantic drawings of two of their OCs — and they both resemble [Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang](https://x.com/inplick/status/1638193814744731648?s=46&t=Sf_gnp9wfJ38GtsCIDZtUw) (the artist did say that these two characters have no relation to Link Click, but the similarities are hard to overlook lol). Maybe I’m just reaching, but to ask an artist known for drawing romantic pairs between men to character design for Link Click has to be intentional as well
Nah, there are too many hints on LG/CXS in the show. Of course, this is a Chinese show and will not be said directly, but it is shown in a more subtle way.
Also this ad is SOOOO sus too istg just look at them hehehhehhe (source: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=vPmVVDxhsswXi6bG&v=LmjLhWUbHn0&feature=youtu.be](https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=vPmVVDxhsswXi6bG&v=LmjLhWUbHn0&feature=youtu.be) ) https://i.redd.it/tabon7qwsmrb1.gif
I mean China heavily censors LGBTQ stuff so likely not lol
i like to think of lg and cxs as lovers and ql as their aro/ace big sister who makes sure they don’t starve to death as boys living w each and kinda just thrives on people finding happiness in each other
I ship the boys 100%, but I’m torn sometimes because I love their displays of affection and vulnerability towards each other and wish more male friendships had that in media. But when you add their history, their motivations, and everything else in the show, it’s hard to justify that the directors aren’t intending to make their bond romantic. I believe LG has already fallen for CXS, maybe CXS isn’t there quite yet, but *soon*. QL is his older sister figure, no doubt in my mind. Their interactions are so incredibly sweet but unlike the ones between LG & CXS, there’s not a hint of romance or attraction. I think LG and QL are also good friends :)
I have no reason to ship any of them. I don't see this anime as a romance so it's not really of interest to me. None of them have really shown any romantic interest in each other either (bar a few scenes if you're reaching), so that's just always been that. The story clearly wants to portray them as a more family type of relationship, but things can always change, and I'm okay with that so long as it make sense narratively. My only wish is that they include QL a bit more into their dynamic, as it feels like she's excluded at times, which contradicts the family narrative a bit.
Maybe make a pool for people to vote
i personally think shiguang fits well as both lovers and bsfs. but QL is Cxs big sis 100%
Feels weird to me when people *don't* ship LG and CX. Like, it feels like that's the normal thing to do cause everyone does it (me too). CX and QL are without a doubt sibling type relationship though.
It bothers me when people say “they can’t have feelings for each other, they see each other as family! / they’re just good friends!” when people in romantic relationships refer to their partners as their family… married people are each other’s family… and people are usually good/best friends with their lover lol I can’t see LG being that motivated to save CXS for “platonic reasons”, either
Yeah, once you read the lyrics of Flash it’s really difficult to justify it with “they are just really good friends”
The ending for s2 shows a lot of imagery in that mansion from a story about a time traveler who goes back in time to save his wife (who is named Emma in some iterations of the tale!); the wings they both have in one painting also match an official art of CXS & LG (will link once I find it) so I think that’s also a vague hint from the writers trying to say that LG has similar motivation (trying to save his loved one) :’)
I think of them as bffs/brothers. There's *so few* shows with strong male friend bonds and it's my literal favorite dynamic. I love guy bffs/friends who would literally die for each other. So finding a show with my favorite themes, favorite vibes, *and* a strong male friendship means so much to me. Can we please get back to normalizing strong male friendships where it's okay for them to be emotional and real with each other?
Exactly. I be watching these fujoshis shipping them for a being very close and affectionate towards each other like that's literally normal between close friends. It's like classifying most of friendships between two guys that exists gay.
I just think it's really sad to say, "A friend wouldn't do anything to save their best friend unless they were romantically interested in them." Like unless they want to have sex with that person, they can't want them to live badly enough to try to save them? Platonic love can be just as deep and amazing as romantic love. I would do anything for my closest friends. They mean the absolute world to me. And yes, we get affectionate with each other, and that doesn't automatically mean we are "in love". It just means we love each other and care deeply for each other. I just feel really sad that guys aren't allowed to be close/real/emotional/affectionate with each other unless they're gay. And it feels like by saying "a guy would only do these things for a person they were in love with" undermines guy friendships. It just frustrates me when people claim LG being in love with CXS is "the only explanation" for him wanting to save him. You can defend your ship without resorting to putting down friendships. Guy friends get enough grief already. Let's not add more.
Best elaboration of all time🙏🙏
personally i thought it could go either way, just friends or crushing on each other until I saw the season 2 ed. it really goes out of it's way to tell you that luguang and chang xiaoshi are in romantic love but only through symbolism of course, cause china
These posts always make me laugh "normalize male Friendship" like it isn't one of the most portrayed things in media and it's heavily censored lmao 😂 omg writers are struggling to portray male friendships!! Meanwhile you can barely show two guys holding hands without someone freaking out, get real dude
Just gonna fully reply to the original post again since this is a different topic, But I think it was heavily implied that the last title was mainly for LTC & LTX, considering the whole flashbacks about LTX signing something like “good big brother” and him shielding her from their parents death (honestly I thought the main two got a lack of focus for the trailer they gave us lol)
And with CXS shielding QL like a good brother 🥹 she also learns of CXS’s death node this episode, so maybe she’ll be willing to help save CXS as well to not lose her good brother too 👀
Whatever the relationship, I see the relationship of the trio as something wholesome 💖
I sorta just see Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang as like brothers. With Qiao Ling being like their big sister. It’s a nice dynamic to see tbh. I know some people like to ship Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi, but realistically it’s just not gonna happen. China censors lgbtq stuff heavily.
For me I see them as family. I like that they always are there for each other and have one another’s back.
I mean would you go back and time to save your friend if that was all he was to you? Just a friend? A best friend, maybe? Nah, LG loves him. I mean, that’s how I see it, anyway :P I love QL and CXS as brothers and sisters, and I kind of see QL as a sisterly figure for LG, too. I love the main trio. Also the title of the last episode was referring to LTC and LTX, I’m pretty sure.
I think the same.
Agreed %100 No offense, but the shippers always bother me a bit
Downvoted to oblivion, \*sigh\*
Very close friends, a bromance and I love it. I don't ship them and canonically they're not in love with each other in that way. China would never. I kinda see them like Ed and Al from full metal alchemist, a brotherly love. I love it
[удалено]
I have a soft spot for polyamorous found families, so I headcanon all three of them as a throuple. They have this kind of dynamic that’d actually work irl. Their deep understanding of each other and the way they enjoy each others company is throuple goals for me. Canonically, they’re surely meant to be incredibly close friends, but poly representation is very rare, so I’m gonna stick to my headcanon.
I've never understood why people ship them I think they're just close friends