Focus on: Ye Huo

[maggie33]

Ye Huo means Wildfire.

We meet him in episode 17 during the case of an underground fighting ring, where young men went missing without a trace. He’s Dixingren, and his power is conjuring fire.

We don’t know anything about his life in Dixing. We don’t know what made him leave Dixing and go to Haixing. But we know he is a good guy, who wants to help people. Like the Black-Cloaked Envoy says, he could live in Haxing, in secret, safe and sound. But he decided to use his power to help those young men, and as a result he exposed himself to the SID and to the Black-Cloaked Envoy.

He also tried to use his power to save Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi in the subzero lab, even at the cost of his own life. But he was too badly wounded.

Later Shen Wei tells Ye Huo to leave Dragon City, so Zhu Jiu wouldn’t find him. But Ye Huo doesn’t leave, because he wants to make sure that the boys he saved are safe. Like he says in episode 19: “I’m not leaving until you guys get to safety. I was worried. Also, this guy is still alive. I won’t just keep myself safe.”

I think we can assume that he did leave Dragon City later, when he recovered from his injuries. But he’s back as soon as the SID needs help during the final showdown with Ye Zun.

I also like that he isn’t intimidated or scared to see the Black-Cloaked Envoy during the underground fighting ring case. When the Black-Cloaked Envoy appears, Ye Huo laughs and then attacks him, so he can escape.


I always loved any power that’s connected to fire. And I love when Ye Huo uses his power in a fight. Like in these two scenes:

Ye Huo vs. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan

Ye Huo vs. Zhu jiu

Fanworks:

There is very little fic tagged with “Ye Huo” on AO3. My favorite is powers of learning by nnozomi. It’s a fic about establishing schools in Dixing in a “everybody lives” post-canon AU. Ye Huo plays a secondary, but important, part.


So, what is your opinion about Ye Huo? Do you like him?

What do you think happens with him post canon? Does he stay in Dragon City and helps the SID?

And what about burn scars on his body? He says in episode 18: “You think someone burnt my face but you’re wrong. I did it myself, with my own fire.” I wonder when did that happen. In Dixing, or later after he escaped to Haixing? My theory is that maybe it happened when his power manifested for the first time and he didn’t know yet how to use it.

And if you have any recs or links for fics, picspams or fanart they are very much appreciated.

Comments

[firestar]

There's a fic whose title I can't remember that has the SID bringing people up from Dixing in an orderly fashion (while simultaenously killing the DoS with sugar overload via Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi's reunion, Mirror Girl and her fiance etc) and Ye Huo's in that, motherhenning his kids through paying their fines for underground fighting and other assorted legalities that need to be sorted. It's a small appearance among everything else, but it's cute. If anyone can remember the name of it, that would be great.

[maggie33]

I knew that sounded familiar. I think it's this fic: The Influence of Mountains. Ye Huo's part is cute, indeed. :)

[firestar]

Yes, that's the one. XD It's just generally cute all around and I love how they're just wearing the DoS down/generally trolling them with competence and cuteness.

[extrapenguin]

Ye Huo! I liked him, though I mostly ended up wishing he could join the SID and help them in their dire lack of field agents. (After all, Zhu Jiu and Ye Zun are escalating. Surely they could do with more help?)

I think that post-canon he does stay in Dragon City and helps the SID/participates in any surface Dixingian communities to help, just like he helped the kids from the underground fighting ring. Maybe some general aid of people who fall through the cracks?

My theory is that maybe it happened when his power manifested for the first time and he didn’t know yet how to use it.
This is very plausible! Alternatively, he did it in a fit of not fitting in on Haixing – wanted to mark himself physically as Other in addition to feeling like one – but he doesn't quite seem like the type.

[maggie33]

I liked him, though I mostly ended up wishing he could join the SID and help them in their dire lack of field agents.

I wanted that, too. He would be a good fit for them, I think. And I think that he did stay in Dragon Cit post-canon, too. Because the SID really needed all the help it could get then.

[trobadora]

We don’t know anything about his life in Dixing. We don’t know what made him leave Dixing and go to Haixing. But we know he is a good guy, who wants to help people. Like the Black-Cloaked Envoy says, he could live in Haxing, in secret, safe and sound. But he decided to use his power to help those young men, and as a result he exposed himself to the SID and to the Black-Cloaked Envoy.

Yeah, I really like him! He's so protective of these young men he's taken under his wing, at considerable risk to himself, and I was also impressed by how he handled the guy who wanted revenge against him for his little brother (Bo Bi, IIRC). He seemed cocky at first, but he's using that to cover up his actual motives.

I agree that he probably did leave Dragon City, but he must have kept in touch with people there, or he wouldn't have known to come back when he was needed.

What do you think happens with him post canon? Does he stay in Dragon City and helps the SID?

I think he does. Without the Envoy, the Dixingren in Haixing need extra protection, and that seems like the perfect job for Ye Huo. And he seemed to work well with Chu Shuzhi.

“You think someone burnt my face but you’re wrong. I did it myself, with my own fire.” I wonder when did that happen. In Dixing, or later after he escaped to Haixing? My theory is that maybe it happened when his power manifested for the first time and he didn’t know yet how to use it.

Oooh, I had completely forgotten about that bit! Yeah, I think it happened either when his power first manifested, or else maybe during whatever caused him to leave Dixing?

[maggie33]

And he seemed to work well with Chu Shuzhi.

Yes, they make quite a good team, and they seem to understand each other well. I wish we saw a bit more of that, and Ye Huo generally, in the drama.

Yeah, I think it happened either when his power first manifested, or else maybe during whatever caused him to leave Dixing?

That's my other theory - that maybe some tragedy happened in Dixing (maybe he burnt someone by accident or something like that) and that what caused him to leave.

[trobadora]

Yeah, just because he says he "did it to himself" doesn't mean no one else was injured in that incident ... I could definitely see that!

[china_shop]

Great post, yay! Ye Huo is awesome -- a real hero.

Ye Huo vs. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan

Ohh, I could watch that gif all day! ♥___♥

Ye Huo's protective big brother attitude makes me wonder about his backstory. Did he have younger siblings or adopted siblings that he failed to protect, or a sick parent he looked after, and that's why he's so determined to help these young men? He's brave and practical, and as you say, helped them at considerable risk to himself.

Which means he also highlights one of the problems of underground/disenfranchised communities -- when they see something evil going on, they can't go to the cops. They have to find a way to handle it on their own. I wonder what he thought would happen if he sent the SID an anonymous tip. Presumably rumours about the SID among the aboveground Haixing community (if there is any kind of community or grapevine) are filled with fear and suspicion, not all of it unfounded.

Also, I really like the respect lao-Chu shows him in returning the prize belt thingy. ♥

[nnozomi]

Ooh, interesting world-building possibilities all around, from Ye Huo's history to the underground Dixing community and their relationship (or lack thereof) with the SID.
He's really the closest thing to a peer Lao Chu has, in a way--an ordinary Dixingren making his own way in Haixing, with basically good intentions, standing between the two worlds. I hope they get to be friends after the ending.

[china_shop]

I hope they get to be friends after the ending.

Yes, me too! Chu Shuzhi needs more friends.

[maggie33]

Ohh, I could watch that gif all day!

Me, too. This is such a great fight that I had to make a gif of it. :)

And I like your Ye Huo's backstory a lot. The idea that he had someone he failed to protect. It's so deliciously angsty. :)

Presumably rumours about the SID among the aboveground Haixing community (if there is any kind of community or grapevine) are filled with fear and suspicion, not all of it unfounded.

Oh, absolutely. If they know about the SID they probably fear them and possible repercussions. And can you blame them considering Zhao Xinci's reputation?

[nnozomi]

Nice post! I really like the way Ye Huo is handled--he starts out like the antagonist of the week, and gradually swings around into an ally and someone to respect, and he shows up again in the last arc as an essential support. Unlike...practically everybody else ever, he seems to have his own issues handled, if you will--he isn't holding on to a lot of resentment or unfulfilled desires, he works to protect his people and does what needs doing to that end. He is both altruistic and (within limits) practical, a useful combination.
There's a whole novel in there somewhere about what happened to him in Dixing (including his burns) and how he got to Haixing, and what he does after the series.

and aw, thank you for the fic rec!

[maggie33]

Unlike...practically everybody else ever, he seems to have his own issues handled

He really does, and I like it.

There's a whole novel in there somewhere about what happened to him in Dixing (including his burns) and how he got to Haixing, and what he does after the series.

Yes and yes. I get why we didn't have more of him in the drama, although I would like that very much. But I wish there was more fic with him.

[cyberbrain]

Ye Huo!! I like this dude! Wish we'd seen more of him; Zhao Yunlan definitely should have recruited him.

What do you think happens with him post canon? Does he stay in Dragon City and helps the SID?
I'd like to think he does. Though I don't think we see him in that final shot of the SID?
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, post canon he joins the SID and helps so many Dixingren.
Bonus: Shen Wei decides to take a holiday with Zhao Yunlan and go somewhere far away, where he can't do the Envoy's duties, so he appoints Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo as his substitutes.

what about burn scars on his body?
I agree with your theory that it could have happened when his power awakened.
A different, angsty, thought I've had on the matter was that maybe he intentionally burned himself to find out what his power feels like to people. Maybe he was in a fight one day and won, badly hurting the other person. He then would have felt bad about it and, in trying to console himself that it's not that bad and willing to do penance, used his power on himself. (It was worse than he would have thought.)

[maggie33]

Bonus: Shen Wei decides to take a holiday with Zhao Yunlan and go somewhere far away, where he can't do the Envoy's duties, so he appoints Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo as his substitutes.

Heh, great idea, I would absolutely read a fic like that.

And since I love angst your theory about Ye Huo's burn scars sounds very good to me. :)