Li'l Flower and Ao Gu

I believe many readers are misinterpreting the author's intent here with the Li'l Flower/Ao Gu relationship. I'm going to make an analysis (huge long essay LOL), because I'm a big fan of this comic and I think the author has skillfully shown how the situation is tragic for both characters. That's not an easy thing to do, I admire the story crafting. It's subtle in many cases, though, and I can see why it's easy to miss some things here and there. Li'l Flower is traumatized and angry, and rightfully so. I'm not minimizing his pain here--it really sucks. One of the worst things that happened to anyone happened to him. Yes, we readers are supposed to sympathize with him and feel angry and hurt on his behalf. But if we've picked up on all the clues, big and small, that the author has left for us, we're meant to see the tragedy from Ao Gu's point of view as well.

I think a lot of readers here are really uncomfortable with this, and that's totally understandable. It's supposed to make us sad, and I believe it's supposed to make us think deeply too. Looking at things from multiple points of view is one of the best ways to get an amazing experience out of any work of art.

Through the course of the story, we are meant to discover that Ao Gu is essentially a good person. Maliciously harming someone else is not in his character, and causing pain to Li'l Flower is actually devastating to him. He's not glorying in it, he takes no pleasure in hurting the one he loves. Yet he has hurt Li'l Flower terribly. That is Ao Gu's tragedy. We're meant to view this tragedy through the perspective of his character as well as through that of Li'l Flower. It's easy to see things from Li'l Flower's perspective. He's suffering PTSD. He's badly hurt, he can't bear to be touched by others. He has nightmares. He's got a seed core inside him burning up his chi foundation because it can't grow and it can't be expelled, and it's slowly, painfully killing him, like a physical manifestation of emotional agony that won't let him forget--even if he could.
We can identify with Li'l Flower because, as good people, we don't want to hurt others, but we ourselves are vulnerable to being hurt.

Rather than reading Ao Gu as a bad person who wants to hurt others, we are supposed to see him as a good person who does not want to hurt others. He especially does not want to hurt people he loves. What would be extremely tragic for this type of character? Hurting someone. It's tragic for Li'l Flower because he has suffered a terrible violation with long-lasting repercussions. It's tragic for Ao Gu because he has done something that a good person would find truly devastating: he hurt someone he loves. If Ao Gu were a bad person who purposely hurt others, never felt any remorse for it, and maybe even enjoyed it, he'd be a villain character. He isn't portrayed that way, however. He's actually a tragic character.

Think of it this way: you have someone you care about very much. A lover, a friend, somebody you'd never hurt in a million years. But you live in a fantasy world where magic exists, and an evildoer is able to erase your authentic self and everything about you that prevents you from being a bad person, in an instant. While the good person you truly are, your real self, is suppressed, you are manipulated into doing something really terrible to your loved one. Like really bad, the worst. You hurt that person in a way you would never, ever have wanted to hurt anyone. You'd feel horrible about it, wouldn't you? You'd probably blame yourself, even if it wasn't your fault. I know I would. I would feel so guilty, so full of shame and horror and regret. I'd wonder if I couldn't have done something to prevent it. I'd think I didn't deserve to be forgiven, but I'd still desperately want my loved one to know it was an accident--that I would never, ever intentionally hurt them. Personally, I'd rather be hurt myself than hurt someone I love.

And that's what the author intends us to feel with the character of Ao Gu. We're given many clues that this is the case. Let's look at some of the evidence that this is a "dual tragedy", so we can suffer twice as much. Kidding! But also... not really. Though this is overall a comedy comic, it has many tragic elements we are meant to feel intensely. I know if I were writing a story, I'd want my readers to get everything they possibly could out of my work; all the feels, all the tears, all the possible laughs and smiles and heartaches and epiphanies. And maybe they'd come up with or discover things I hadn't even thought of before. I'd want people to be so interested in my work that they'd write big long screeds online about it. (=・ω・=)

Clue No. 1 that the Ao Gu character is essentially a good person: his relationship with his brother. We've been shown how much Ao Gu dotes upon Ao Yue/Ao Ao, and how fervently he protects him. Ao Yue is shown to be stronger than Ao Gu--Ao Yue is the savior of the universe, after all--but Ao Gu shows no jealousy. There isn't even any sibling rivalry between them: they're a tight squad. Losing Ao Yue traumatized Ao Gu so badly, he developed insomnia and never stopped looking for his little brother. With this, we can see that Ao Gu is capable of feeling guilt--he blames himself for the loss of his brother, even though it was not his fault. He also feels love, loss, and protectiveness. He has never been shown to have malicious feelings toward or a desire to hurt Ao Yue, someone smaller (and at first, weaker) than himself. He's an affectionate person with a personal code of ethics.

Clue No. 2: when we first meet Dr. Sun, the good doctor assumes that Li'l Flower is one of Ao Gu's "concubines" who has been treated roughly. Not sure if Doc knows that Ao Gu only summons concubines, in the form of giant sharks, to help anchor him to the bed when he's thrashing around unable to sleep, but either way, he admonishes Ao Gu for leaving Li'l Flower (then known to them as the local Tudi deity) unconscious and battered. Ao Gu's response is important: "Why are you acting like I did something unforgiveable?" He's appalled at the idea and irritated with Dr. Sun for suspecting him of something like that. He also thinks it's ridiculous, because he'd never even think of doing "the unforgiveable" to anyone, and especially not Li'l Flower. At this point in the story, Ao Gu has made it clear that he thinks sexual assault is literally unforgiveable, that anyone who would do such a thing is the worst. He is still completely unaware that he himself has committed this unforgiveable crime, but knowing how he feels about it, we can guess how he will feel toward himself when he learns the truth.

Clue No. 3: Ao Gu absolutely despises Xiao Jifeng for abusing Ao Yue. This is actually tragic irony rather than hypocrisy. Ao Gu would never in a million years have intended to commit the same heinous crimes as his most hated, most loathed enemy. If he had maliciously intended to hurt Li'l Flower while condemning Xiao Jifeng for the same thing, that would be hypocrisy. That isn't what happened, however. The author keeps showing us that this isn't the kind of person Ao Gu is, just like she is showing us that it isn't the kind of person Jifeng is, either. Why did the gentle, shy Jifeng end up hurting Xuan Yue? He seems incapable of such treachery. We need to ask the same thing about Ao Gu, because everything we've seen of him indicates that, just like Jifeng, he's not essentially capable of "the unforgiveable". The two characters, Ao Gu and Xiao Jifeng, have numerous parallels. Both of them ended up hurting their loved ones, not of their own will. They're both hated by their loved ones. They both have little brothers over whom they feel a sense of obligation and protection. We're meant to see the similarities between them, and pick up on the irony of the situation.

Clue No. 4: Though Ao Gu lives with Li'l Flower in the Tudi shrine for quite a while, shares a bed with him, and even helps him get through his blooming, he never assaults him again. This isn't to say Ao Gu doesn't have his flaws; he's too rough, and too quick to anger if he thinks Ao Ao is under threat. He doesn't know his own strength and breaks things: doors, teacups, furniture. He wanders around nude and finagles his way into Li'l Flower's bed. He's got Arrogant Prince/Overbearing President tendencies, though they soften considerably as time passes and he experiences character development. He's huge and clumsy and his behavior is boorish on occasion. He hurts Li'l Flower's feelings, but he's too dense to realize it or understand why. Simply being around Ao Gu causes Li'l Flower trauma, but Ao Gu doesn't understand that either. And that's because he simply cannot imagine committing the actual crime that he committed against Li'l Flower. Ao Gu is completely oblivious to the real trauma he is causing Li'l Flower because the possibility of having done "the unforgiveable" doesn't even register in his mind.

We are shown that Ao Gu cares about what Li'l Flower thinks of him. He wants to know how he offended Li'l flower, and he wants to make amends and work things out. Since he's a prince, it would be perfectly acceptable, even expected, for him to not care at all about some Tudigong's problems. Ao Gu, however, can't bear having Li'l Flower hate him. He wants to fix their relationship. Li'l Flower refuses to say what's haunting him, while Ao Gu honestly believes it can't be anything truly abhorrent. Sadly, it turns out to be something much more complicated than the minor offense Ao Gu is imagining.

Clue No 5. Li'l Flower's blooming. When Li'l Flower blooms, he's afraid his scent will cause Ao Gu to attack him again. This is a very understandable and reasonable fear. He tries to hide his perfume, wash it off--no dice, it can't be hidden from the dragon sense of smell. Ao Gu follows Li'l Flower into the bathroom, sees what's happening, and realizes the Tudigong is actually a hosta plant. He knows about flower blooming, and thus what Li'l Flower is going through, because Ao Gu is close friends with Qingdi, Lord of Plants. So he offers to help. Li'l Flower rejects him vehemently. He even strikes Ao Gu, a prince--a serious crime in their supernatural feudal-type Gods & Deities society. Ao Gu is hurt and angry, but he does what Li'l Flower demands and does the opposite of what a sexual predator would do: he takes "no" for an answer and accepts the rejection. He leaves Li'l Flower alone.

Unfortunately for Li'l Flower, his blooming is complex and a cold shower isn't going to help him. Not only can he not take care of it himself, he will suffer terribly until somebody else relieves him. This is a clever little nod to real plant care and how hosta plants can be notoriously fussy when it comes to reproduction--they can self-pollinate, so gardeners must perform delicate operations on the blossoms if they want to cross-pollinate one plant with another. Ao Gu obeys Li'l Flower and leaves him, but Li'l Flower collapses due to his blooming. Ao Gu can't bear to see him struggling around on the floor, unable to help himself. If he wanted to hurt Li'l Flower, this would be a good opportunity. He could just leave him in agony. If he wanted to sexually assault Li'l Flower, this is the kind of situation he would relish. Instead, he turns back and helps Li'l Flower because he cares about him and doesn't want him to suffer.

While Ao Gu helps Li'l Flower bloom, the dragon prince is completely different than he was the night of the banquet. He's gentle, focused, a little awkward. He treats the situation in almost a clinical way, though it's obvious he's very attracted to Li'l Flower. Yet he doesn't do what we'd expect a rapist to do in that situation. He tends to Li'l Flower's blooming, the way he learned from Qingdi's information on the topic, and then he takes a cold shower to douse his own desires. Not once does he even think of assaulting Li'l Flower, who is extremely vulnerable and almost helpless due to his blooming. Ao Gu then continues his gardener duties, carefully dries Li'l Flower's wet clothes, and tucks him into bed to rest. We're shown how he takes care of Li'l Flower with gentleness, and he himself compares this to caring for Ao Ao, as though he is tenderly caring for a child. Can this be the same ravening beast from that terrible night? It's like there are two completely different people. We're supposed to question this. We're supposed to suspect that maybe not all is what we've been led to believe.

If Li'l Flower weren't so hurt, angry, and focused on revenge, he might be questioning these things, too. He's traumatized. He doesn't see all the signs indicating that something is odd. He is now living with Ao Gu and sharing a domestic, day-to-day life with him. These experiences should reveal the real Ao Gu, an Ao Gu who would never intentionally hurt and violate him. Obviously, this can't take away all the pain, but it should lead to some questions and the realization that there's a mystery to be solved regarding what happened that night. Li'l Flower's refusal to question things adds to the tragedy. His feelings are completely understandable, of course. We're intended to see his laser-focus on revenge as an obstacle to his learning the truth, the very important truth about Ao Gu and about himself. Li'l Flower believes Ao Gu despises him, hurt him intentionally, and cares so little that he forgot about it. Li'l Flower suffers intensely because of this, and only the truth can set him free and set him on the road to healing.

Clue No. 6: For reasons we have not yet been shown, Ao Gu doesn't remember his actual first meeting with Li'l Flower. As far as the dragon prince knows, the first time he ever saw Li'l Flower was during Li'l Flower's first assassination attempt. And Li'l Flower attempts assassination again and again. We get the feeling that Ao Gu is actually looking forward to Li'l Flower's visits. He thinks Li'l Flower is adorable. Seeing him is one of the highlights of Ao Gu's lonely life. He instructs his shadow guard to make sure no harm comes to Li'l Flower. Not only does Ao Gu wish no ill toward this person who is actually trying to kill him, he wants his own shadow guard to extend their duties and protect this person as well. The shadow guard is supposed to protect the prince from all danger and prevent attempts on his life. Normally, they should be putting an end to Li'l Flower's assassination endeavors, one way or another, but Ao Gu doesn't want that. Rather than have Li'l Flower exterminated, he instead includes his antagonist in his own circle of protection. "Make sure no harm comes to him."

Li'l Flower probably feels some self-blame, because he repeatedly tried to kill Ao Gu after all. He may have expected some kind of retribution or interference, but like he says, he never expected Ao Gu to do something so devastating. Not even Li'l Flower believed Ao Gu capable of a brutal assault, it came as a total surprise. This should really tell us--and him--something. Afterward, however, Li'l Flower is too traumatized and too busy trying to improve his poor health to ponder the situation and realize he was correct and his instincts were right: Ao Gu really couldn't do such a dreadful thing. Something must have been very wrong indeed, and there are definitely unanswered questions.

Clue No. 7: When Ao Gu learns that the "foreign" yang chi got inside Li'l Flower via sexual assault, he's horrified. At this point he still doesn't know that he himself is the cause of Li'l Flower's trauma. When Li'l Flower is reliving the worst night of his life due to the effect of the medicinal spring, Ao Gu holds him in his arms and realizes the seed core is the result of rape. "It hurts," Li'l Flower says. "Release me." The thought of what Li'l Flower went through fills Ao Gu with sorrow and sympathy for Li'l Flower, and rage at the one who did this abominable thing.

This is another situation intended to show the readers Ao Gu's true character. This is how a good person is supposed to feel. We see, once again, that Ao Gu despises anyone who could hurt and violate somebody else like this. We're shown that he is a good person. Clumsy, boorish, clueless, high-handedly arrogant sometimes, but essentially good. He wouldn't rape someone. It's not in his character. At this point, we're supposed to be wondering what the hell happened. Did this big goofy dragon really go from "cute spoiled man-child who dotes on his assassin" to "monster sexual predator who ruins lives without a care"? That's a mighty big personality gap. How on earth could that even happen? Is there an evil twin in this comic?? We're meant to puzzle over the incongruity and inconsistencies here. By this point, the author has shown that Ao Gu wouldn't do something this bad--it goes against his very makeup. He's shaken to the core when he finds out what happened to Li'l Flower. Can this really be the same person who left Li'l Flower traumatized, brutalized, and dying?

Ao Gu begins to suspect that Qingdi is the one who caused Li'l Flower's wretched state. He has been devoted friends with Qingdi for thousands of years, but once that suspicion takes hold, Ao Gu immediately puts some emotional distance between himself and his beloved friend. Did you do it? Could you have done it? How could you do such a thing? We see all of this play out on his face while Qingdi, in contrast, suspects Ao Gu of the crime. The two friends are suspecting each other, though they put aside a confrontation for Li'l Flower's sake. The seed core is safely removed. Qingdi is so furious that he tries to crush it out of existence. There's no time for an angry battle, though, because Qingdi can't stay away from his palace for long. Once again, things are unresolved. Ao Gu puts his anger on hold temporarily, because tending to Li'l Flower is more important to him. He can kick Qingdi's ass later if need be.

Clue No. 8: At last, Ao Gu learns who almost destroyed Li'l Flower. He goes into the medicinal spring once more and sees Li'l Flower's memory. He, not Qingdi nor anybody else, was the one who hurt, violated, and almost ended up killing Li'l Flower. He's stunned. Now he knows what Li'l Flower could never bring himself to reveal. Ao Gu learns that he has done the unforgiveable; like Jifeng, his hated enemy, he has caused great harm to the one he loves. It's almost unbelievable--he never wanted to hurt Li'l Flower in any way--but he knows it's true. It may lead to him trying to understand Jifeng better. He still hates him, but now he's more observant and questioning things. When Ao Ao protects Ryan during the battle at the heavenly dragon pavilion, Ao Gu decides not to hand the demon over to the heavenly authorities. He's realized that there may be more to Jifeng than he thought.

It isn't clear if Ao Gu knows he was drugged the night of the banquet. His rival and enemy, the broken-horn dragon prince, wants both revenge and to prevent Ao Gu from being able to compete for the position of Dragon God. We learn that Ao Gu has an upright reputation as someone impossible to seduce--another big clue to his character; he's not exactly the immoral and lust-driven creature Li'l Flower understandably thinks he is--and the broken-horn dragon resorts to recruiting accomplices and drugging him in order to have a chance at stealing his dragon pearl. They proceed with the plan, and Li'l Flower ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Not even the most noble person in the world can resist", we are told. And sadly, it's an accurate description. Ao Gu cannot resist the drug. He loses himself and Li'l Flower suffers terribly because of it.

Ao Gu does bear some responsibility, though all the blame cannot be put on his shoulders. He suppressed himself his whole life and never married or had a relationship, though we're told dragons are expected to do so when they reach adulthood. He was completely focused on his brother out of a misplaced sense of guilt, and he put all of his energy into finding, protecting, and saving that brother. He denied himself a life and relationships of his own, even though we learn dragons aren't supposed to do that. They risk reverting to their dragon forms and mating until they drop dead, which is presumably why they are required to marry as soon as they come of age--so their love relationships can be conscious, desired, and planned for instead of just devolving into a destructive conglomeration of base instincts. However, Ao Gu certainly never meant for anything so horrible to happen. He thought he was doing the right thing, for his brother's sake. It was crucial that Ao Ao never fall in love, so Ao Gu tried to protect him from anything that might spark a romantic drive. Like Dr. Sun says, though, some things are simply fated to happen and some people are simply destined to interact in this world, and there's nothing we can do to change that.

It's likely true that Ao Gu wanted to be with Li'l Flower. Any chance of forming a relationship in a normal, healthy way was stolen from both of them when the broken-horn dragon slipped that drug into Ao Gu's drink. The broken-horn dragon is clearly a villain, but it's unlikely that even he intended such a dire consequence to result from his actions. A nine-tailed fox was supposed to seduce Ao Gu so his pearl could be stolen by Broken Horn--nobody wanted Li'l Flower to be beaten and raped. Nobody--not Broken Horn, and certainly not Ao Gu. It was a horrible accident. While Li'l Flower's suffering is visible and relatable, his rage justified, and his desire for revenge righteous, Ao Gu's tragedy is a subtler thing. Any chance he had of getting close to Li'l Flower, making amends for interrupting his ascension, and becoming friends or lovers was stolen from them both by the actions of Broken Horn. Instead of experiencing a romantic and loving first sexual experience together, Ao Gu wound up assaulting and brutalizing the one he loved under the influence of a personhood-erasing drug. Li'l Flower is traumatized both physically and emotionally and Ao Gu is riddled with guilt, shame, regret, and self-hatred. Just like when he lost Ao Yue, he blames himself.

If Li'l Flower learns the truth--that Ao Gu loves him, never intended to hurt him, hates himself for doing so, and would rather die than ever hurt him again--he will have a lot to think about. The pain he feels from believing Ao Gu ruined his life out of malice is causing the majority of his emotional suffering. If he finds out it was an accident, he will feel an immense amount of relief. I think he had some budding feelings for Ao Gu that were nipped, but which could potentially bloom into forgiveness and love under the right circumstances. Personally, I could never forgive somebody who hurt me on purpose and who never felt any remorse. On the other hand, I could forgive somebody who wanted to love and protect me, never wanted to hurt me, hurt me under weird magical irresistible forces, and then felt terrible about it because of the whole "not wanting to hurt me in the first place" thing. It wouldn't be easy. Li'l Flower has a rough road ahead. If he weren't haunted by his rage and the specter of revenge, he would be able to see what the author has shown the readers: Ao Gu doesn't despise him; on the contrary, he loves him and wants to protect him. Li'l Flower needs love and support right now, but he's isolating himself in the virtual realm, a place so cold he may go dormant and never bloom again.

Ao Gu now knows why his presence is traumatizing to the little fairy. Yet he wants to make amends and give back everything he inadvertently took from Li'l Flower. He gives him an artifact to amplify his spiritual power, and he funnels energy to him so he can grow faster and attain the godhood he so desperately wants. Or that he thinks he wants; we've seen how godhood isn't necessarily all wine and roses. Heaven is a cold and lonely place. But that's what the Li'l Flower desires most, so Ao Gu is going to help him as much as he can, even if it puts Li'l Flower out of his reach forever.

The story has two characters, Ao Gu and Xiao Jifeng, who accidentally cause terrible hurt and suffering to their loved ones and draw numerous other characters into the dire consequences. Technically, telling what makes Xiao Jifeng do what he does is still a spoiler at this point, so I won't detail that here, but the two characters have many similarities. Eventually, they will come to understand one another better, and hopefully everyone will be able to make amends in the end. The author keeps promising a happy ending; all we can do is cross our fingers and hope it's true!

I haven't done a story/character analysis this long since college, LOL. I guess this comic is keeping me from getting rusty! I hope all this analyzing and deconstructing can assist in the full understanding and enjoyment of one of my faves.