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withthewindinherfootsteps · 1 month ago

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Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Three

For Xiantober Day Five: Past and Present, in which the author gets very unhinged about what parts of the past are shown and how that’s affected by the present!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

The Power of Agency: Shaping the Narrative

When I've discussed Wei Wuxian's agency previously, I’ve talked about how what’s shown and omitted tells us about a character, and we’ve talked about the character himself. Though this is a niche topic, it’s not necessarily something out of the ordinary to analyse, and we can assume everything up to here has been in some way intentional.

This? Linking structure to a character’s in-universe preferences?

This is where we get unhinged.

Before I start, let’s quickly establish something which will be important later: although Wei Wuxian is the central character, MDZS isn’t strictly from his POV. While omitting events a character doesn’t like to dwell on and concealing things the character wishes to hide is common in books with only one narrator, MDZS has multiple narrators which it switches between relatively quickly. This includes Wei Wuxian, but it also includes nearly every major character that appears in the story, and omniscient narrator as well. As a default, this format doesn’t lead to this deliberate shaping and omission because of one character’s preferences, since we have many other sources of information and events – which is what makes Wei Wuxian’s influence over the narrative and structure so interesting. We could have access to a lot more information, and access to it at different times, than we do (and that’s not an insult, quite the opposite!).

To begin: we’ve established that times such as Wei Wuxian’s time on the streets, his three months in the Burial Mounds and his loss in the Siege aren’t shown because Wei Wuxian has little agency there. But that’s not the only special thing about them. They’re also the three most traumatic times in his life, and so moments Wei Wuxian himself either can’t remember, or doesn’t like to dwell on.

This is why discussing Wei Wuxian’s treatment of tragedy in his life was important. Firstly, it shows he doesn’t focus on the tragedy in his life, so the idea that the narrative not focusing on this tragedy relates to his character has merit; secondly, it affirms that this is not a passive trait, but a choice. Therefore, when the narrative omits events due to this aspect of Wei Wuxian, it’s respecting not only a character detail – which would be cool by itself – but also an active decision. One that shapes the story it’s made in.

In other words, its very structure is respecting Wei Wuxian’s agency!

Now, of course there are flashbacks to other moments of his past he probably wouldn’t like to dwell on, too. But within the structure, they’re only shown when Wei Wuxian is thinking about them (or when he has reason to)!

Wei WuXian hadn’t woken up yet. His eyes were still tightly shut, yet his hand didn’t let go either. He seemed to be dreaming, muttering, “… Don’t… Don’t be angry…” Lan WangJi seemed somewhat surprised. His voice was gentle, “I am not angry.” Wei WuXian, “… Oh.” Hearing this, as though he finally felt assured, his fingers loosened. Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!” Chapter 63, EXR translation

Which, of course, is him dwelling on…

Lan WangJi spoke one word at a time, “Go back to Gusu with me.” Hearing this, both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were surprised. Quickly afterward, Wei WuXian laughed, “Go back to Gusu with you? To the Cloud Recesses? Why go there?” He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.” Chapter 62, EXR translation

…the painful flashback immediately preceding this. The third set of flashbacks (which are also painful) are a similar case. Look at the contex:

He lifted the bottom of his robe, revealing a prosthetic leg made of wood, “This leg of mine was destroyed by you, that night in the Nightless City (…)” (…) “Wei WuXian, I won’t ask you if you remember or not. Both of my parents died by your hands. You owe too many people. You definitely won’t remember them either. But, I, Fang MengChen, will never forget! And never forgive you!” (…) “In the fight at Qiongqi Path, my son was strangled to death by your dog Wen Ning!” “My shixiong died by poison, his entire body festering due to your cruel curse!” Chapter 68 (immediately preceding the flashbacks), EXR translation

And Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts and words:

Wei WuXian looked at the cultivators before the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Their expressions were the absolute same as those of the cultivators from the night of the pledge conference, pouring their wine on the ground as they took the pledge to scatter the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remnants and him. (…) Wei WuXian, “Now it’s time to ask just whom it is that treasures it so much. It’s like Wen Ning. Back then, some certain sects or so were scared to death of the Ghost General. They said they’d kill him on the surface, but behind their backs they hid him for over ten years. How strange. Who was the one that said his ashes had been scattered back then?” Chapter 79 (immediately succeeding the flashbacks), EXR translation

Once again, Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts relate to the flashbacks we’ve just been shown. And, as I previously mentioned, though all the events which are shown are tragic, they’re also events which Wei Wuxian’s own choices and actions shaped – which he has this to say about:

“The things I did, not only do you remember them, I remember them too. You won’t forget them, and they’ll stay even longer in my mind!” Chapter 82, EXR

Admittedly, this applies more to the third set of flashbacks than the second (which is still fitting as the third set was the most recent), as in the second, although he still had agency within and influence over his circumstances, the majority of the pain was caused by others’ actions (excluding, of course, the Golden Core transfer… which is something we know stays for a long time in his mind, albeit with a caveat we’ll soon discuss). But it’s still important to note – especially considering that otherwise, focusing on this very painful time in his life wouldn’t seem like something very in-character for Wei Wuxian to do.

Of course, this can all just be explained by good writing. It is best to insert flashbacks when they’re relevant to the characters and events in the present day! But it is interesting to compare these to the start of the (not painful) Gusu flashbacks, which open this way:

At a later time, Wei WuXian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan WangJi wasn’t good. Getting to the root of the matter, everything started when he was fifteen, coming to the GusuLan Sect with Jiang Cheng to study for three months. Chapter 13, EXR

Again, considering the circumstances around which these flashbacks take place – returning to the Cloud Recesses for the first time since the lectures, and meeting Lan Wangji once more – it makes complete sense for Wei Wuxian to be thinking about these events*. So it does fit the pattern of Wei Wuxian dwelling on something, thus leading to the narrative dwelling on it, too (and being shaped by his thoughts)… but there’s another layer to this. Importantly, it is the only flashback where Wei Wuxian’s present thoughts don’t lead to this happening, with his thoughts at an unspecified future time leading to it, instead. I like to interpret this as the text saying that, since these events aren’t something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t focus on in normal circumstances, he can dwell on them at any time. Therefore, they’re free to come up in the narrative at any time as well, even if he’s not dwelling on them in the present moment!

So, to summarise: Wei Wuxian’s decision not to focus on the painful times in his life directly influences the narrative to not focus on these times. When painful times are brought up and shown to us, it’s in the context of him thinking about them in the present day, and even then, his most painful moments still aren’t shown to us. His agency in this regard is still respected by the narrative structure.

This is the main way his agency influences the structure of the narrative, but I’d like to talk about the revealing and concealing of information, too. For example, I said I’d talk about the Golden Core transfer – though Wei Wuxian does think about this many times, as evidenced by his internal narration in Chapter 103. But unlike everything we’re shown through the flashbacks, this is something Wei Wuxian is actively trying to hide from others. And the narrative respects this choice (Wei Wuxian’s agency, again), never reveals it even when it would be relevant in the flashbacks, and we find out not through narration, but through a character’s dialogue!

And to clarify – I know these aspects may not be in the book for this exact reason. Showing flashbacks in relevant moments is good writing, concealing an important plot point you want to do a reveal for is necessary writing, and MXTX has said she didn’t want to write about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, due to not liking to write transformation sequences (and also because it would not be pleasant at all, which likely also applies to Wei Wuxian’s death). That doesn’t prevent it from also being intentional – MXTX’s intelligence is shown in many aspects of this book, and there’s nothing disproving it – but there’s no proof for either option, so I won’t pretend there is. I bring this up because I know this feels like I’m overanalysing, as I feel that way as well.

But, whether it’s intentional or not, it exists in the text, and I adore it – so, regardless, it’s something I’ll explore. Because taking this into account… We aren't just told about Wei Wuxian having agency, we aren’t just shown it in the text, we aren’t even just shown it through which parts of his past are shown and hidden in the structure of the text (as I talked about in Part One). The parts of the past that are shown and hidden also have an in-universe reason for being shown and hidden, this reason being the choices he makes! Agency is the ability of a character to influence the story they’re in, but Wei Wuxian’s agency, as a property of a character who only exists in-universe, shapes the out-of-universe structure as well! That’s how we’re shown its importance! How cool is that?

At The End Of The Road: Summary and Final Thoughts

In this essay, we’ve covered how important Wei Wuxian’s agency is not only to the events of the plot, but to the structure of the narrative as well. The narrative omits periods in which Wei Wuxian has little or no agency, in favour of showing us periods in which he does, even when important events happened in the former. This indicates that who Wei Wuxian is without agency isn’t important enough to be shown to the audience, and therefore that his agency is an integral aspect of his character in MDZS. We’ve discussed how both in-universe and out-of-universe, tragedy does not define him – out-of-universe, the tragic events in Wei Wuxian’s life are used not to build sympathy but rather to show his strength of character and who he still is despite going through them; and in-universe, he chooses not to focus on the negativity and resentment caused by his circumstances or others’ actions, instead staying true to his moral compass and enjoying his life in the present day. Finally, we’ve also explored how this choice is another reason for the omission of certain events from the narrative, resulting in his agency shaping the story in a very literal way – it affects the out-of-universe structure, as well.

It’s quite fitting, for a story whose essence is about defying a conventional narrative �� that of righteous clans rising up and defeating a great evil – and about a character who defies many conventional narratives on his own – that of status defining how skilled you could be, that for a golden core being necessary for cultivation and other paths being unavailable, that of a tragic but complete story of someone killed for staying true to their moral code (instead, that character returns to life and has a happy ending) – to have its own narrative play a role in such an important and interesting way.

(Or, if an image would be preferable:)

Thank you for reading!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

*This strong relation to the present day circumstances is another reason I love the flashback placement so much (and why I think it’s such a loss both screen adaptions altered it so strongly)!

#get ready for tag thoughts because there are a LOT of them #it’s for THIS reason that fanon wwx bothers me so much (didn’t want to get negative on the acual post)#bc so often all the changes are changes that woobify him!#self-sacrificial idiot wwx?? only doing things because… poor him he has so many internal issues and values himself so little-#-so of course he’d sacrifice everything before thinking of another option? woobifying #(whenever he sacrifices something it’s a deliberate choice to act on his morals because he values his morals so much – and he’s also very-#-capable and DOES often find ways for no people to get hurt!)#wasn’t aware that what happened to him at lotus pier was wrong and needs lwj to tell him that for him to have any idea if it?#woobifying (as we see in the lotus seed pod extra he KNOWS it’s unfair)#(he downplays it retroactively in his memory (links into not focusing on the bad things in his life))#(but that’s the actions themselves that are being downplayed not their fairness!)#he chooses to act! he is defined by acting! not tragedy – all the more impressive in the face of the amount of tragedy that’s happened #he could SO EASILY have been a woobie but instead he’s the opposite of one: defined BY his agency instead of the absence of it #that doesn’t mean he’s not impacted by tragedy or trauma – he is! but it’s not the most important aspect of his character (bc he doesn’t le #it’s also something that bothers me about the changes cql made #by making qq path and nightless city the fault of someone else it means he IS someone who’s more a victim of circumstance than anything els #he had no control over the tragedies of his first life at all #apart from ig his death being controlled by him? because he just leaps off the cliff during the nightless city siege?? but in THAT case it’#i watched that part recently (i’m getting through it very slowly) and yeah it reaffirmed my love for this aspect of the book even more #despite. having these exact thoughts for two years already #he also dwells on the past events a lot more than book wwx which adds to that version of him BEING defined more by tragedy rather than who #anyway over 7.3k words total (and 400 more in the tags apparently)... it'll be posted to ao3 in its completion this evening!#mdzs meta #my meta #wei wuxian #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #魔道祖师 #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #gdc

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opheliasam · 11 months ago

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The thing is that the ways in which dean and sam need each other are both compatible and parallel in their nature.

Dean needs sam to stay with him (let him take care of him look after him and be with him) and sam despite all his need for autonomy and freedom which he does desire of course (he needs dean to respect his choices and see him) also needs dean to need him—choose him. It’s always been that way—something we see from the very pilot itself. He goes with dean in the pilot after dean admits that he doesn’t want to do it without sam even if he is capable for it.

It affects sam profoundly when dean gets close to other people—especially men because it threatens the idea that dean could need people other than him (even the mere desire to want for others apart from him is distasteful even if he doesn’t want it to be—he just can’t help it, it’s the way they are.) Of course dean has never needed for anything more than sam, that sam and just sam has always been more than enough but sam needs that from him, constantly and actively.

In Sacrifice (8x23), when he reveals that the fact that dean chose to turn to people (an angel, a vampire) apart from him was unbearable to him was just so.. much. And it’s interesting because we know that sam too is friends with cas, has never been shown to consider him a rival in any sense (but just the mere possibility of sam and just sam not being enough for dean is devastating for him.) He doesn’t harbour any resentment or competition towards cas, it’s just that he needs to be the choice over everything else from dean. He needs it because he chose that too, even when he had a chance to get out—multiple times over. And yes, the circumstances shaping his choices are often not ideal, are sometimes not even entirely choices but he always stays because of the knowledge that dean will always choose him.

The conflict then is often caused by doubt—dean, deeply insecure about sam’s loyalty. For him, it’s a given—that sam will always be first, has always and forever been above everything else but he expects sam to know it too. Despite everything he puts on him and says to him, despite the fights and the anger and the mistrust. None of that will ever change this one fundamental thing.

But Sam doesn’t (!!) Maybe at one time he did, before the demon blood and the soullessness and the countless countless ways he thinks he fucked up but somewhere along the line it became clear to Sam that he could not trust it to always be Dean’s first choice, can’t know it for sure.

Doubt again, Sam—unable to know if Dean will always choose him over all else and Dean unable to verbalise that enough because of said insecurity (the fear that he needs sam more than sam needs him) and unable to understand why Sam would feel this way because he expects him to already know that Sam will always be above all else, at the end of the day despite whatever happens because that is who Dean is.

#reasons I feel are at the base of most of their conflicts ^^ apart from those involving autonomy of course but even that is motivated by +#Dean’s deep fear of Sam not choosing him when it matters most so he doesn’t even allow him the choice because he is so afraid that Sam will #choose “wrong”—exacerbated after the events of s4 so in the later seasons he doesn’t even give him the choice #the tragedy of which is that given the choice Sam would always choose him !! 😭#But because Dean doesn’t have it in himself to give Sam that choice sam never gets to affirm it (which would be good for Dean !! btw)#and when Sam rightfully gets angry because of stolen agency it just fuels Dean’s fear further and he lashes out #and this in turn further injures Sam’s faith in Dean always putting him first and so it goes on and on and on in a circle 💔#meta #samdean #sam winchester #dean winchester #spn #personal

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goodomens-girlie · 3 months ago

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Everytime I watch Dead Boy Detectives I try and figure out where I’ve seen Kassius Nelson before and I just figured it out.

She played Fiona (the hooked handed man’s younger sister) is A Series of Unfortunate Events

#a series of unfortunate events #niko dead boy detectives #dead boy detectives season 1 #dead boy detective fanart #dead boy detective netflix #dead boy detective season 1 #dead boy detective badge #dead boy detectives edwin #dead boy detective agency #dead boy detectives #kassius nelson #dead boy detectives jenny #jenny dead boy detectives #dead boy detectives crystal #niko and crystal #crystal palace #niko x crystal #Fiona a series of unfortunate events #asoue

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dbdcentral · 5 months ago

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Dead Boy Detectives Appreciation Week: 10th-16th June

Please don't hesitate to send us an ask if you have any questions! You can also join our discord (link in source)!

#dead boy detectives #dead boy detective agency #dbdshow #netflix #charles rowland #edwin payne #niko sasaki #crystal palace #event

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stellar-collective · 2 months ago

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Hello there!

A big fan of your art (your drawings are so funny and heartwarming) If I you still take requests,could you please draw the Agency making a party for Reggie,because... It is "Handler week"!!!🧡 A whole week dedicated to our favorite leading support agent Reginald Crane!! 💛💛💛

P. S. Could you please add hot dogs, cause Reggie loves them.

thank you!! i’m a bit sad that i couldn’t do more for handler week, but i’m glad i got to at least do this!

#if i had literally anyone else from the Agency designed i would’ve put them in too but i do not #imagine more EOD agents with hotdogs and dry martinis in hand standing just out of frame cheering and clapping #wanted to keep this one a bit more simple for the sake of time #thanks for the ask!#ieytd #agent phoenix #reginald crane #the handler #ollie ieytd #since my Ollie is a handler too ofc he has to be there #my art #i think we should have a science ladies week next who’s with me #if there is another event like this and i can’t draw for it maybe i’ll post some of my fanfic instead lol #i know this is an art blog but would y’all be interested in that?

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kaciart · 4 months ago

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Day 5 - Stealing my breath (give it back): “I'll count, you just breathe.”

imagine if his mom died and passed over

no unfinished business

maybe he always thought he'd get a chance to talk to her as her unfinished business

Patreon | Ko-Fi

#payneland #edwin payne #charles rowland #dead boy detectives #whumperless-whump-event #dead boy detective agency #my art

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kezokinos · 4 months ago

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A little later than I anticipated but here's my part for the @dghdabigbang event!!!! I worked together with the mega talented @agent-p-writes who has been so patient with me (thank u so so much!!!) and it's been such a joy to read each new chapter, cannot wait to see how the rest of the story goes!!

You should totally check out the wonderful fic right here:

I don't wanna spoil anything but a little hint hint: sweat, concerts and a messy wild Mexican Funeral Todd are something you can look forward to from this teaser but there's SO MUCH more exciting stuff aaaaa 💛

#dghda fanart #dghda big bang 2024 #dghda #dirk gently #todd brotzman #dirk gently's holistic detective agency #this was such a lovely event again but i am so sorry i didn't interact with the community as much as i wanted to #ibreally wanna get back into the fandom more actively bcs everyone is so lovely aaaaa #thank you for still organising this event 🙏🙏

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musamora · 11 months ago

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— 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 + 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖉𝖆 ₊˚⊹

pairing(s): the armed detective agency (bungou stray dogs) & gender-neutral!reader, (minor) osamu dazai (bungou stray dogs) x gender-neutral!reader

content warnings: holiday sweaters, brief mention of nooses, the armed detective agency is one giant family, sweet tooth-rotting fluff, cuddling

would you like to see more? fill out the taglist or comment under this post.this post!

You stumbled your way into Armed Detective Agency, knees threatening to buckle under the weight of boxes and bags carried in shaking arms, unable to ask for help as you let out panted breaths.

"Here! Let me help you with those."

You sighed as the pressure was alleviated, the ache brought out from your wrists and elbows as you nodded towards your blonde savior.

"Thank you, Kenji!"

He returned your gratitude with a beaming smile, lifting the presents with distinctive ease as he settled them underneath an expansive, prickly tree in the corner, illuminated by a descending sun as beams struck objects with an unrelenting glow. The entire room seemed warmed by the rays, buzzing like a beehive as clerks shuffled between desks.

Atsushi and Kyoka had been tasked with decorating the monstrous tree, but the poor things needed clarification on how to start. Naomi and Tanizaki started mixing steaming mugs of hot chocolate, much to the delight of Ranpo, who munched on marshmallows from his desk while oogling the rich drink. Yosano had attempted to smuggle some booze out of her office, only to face a lecture from Kunikida on the importance of sobriety. Fukuzawa and Haruno remained in the lounge area, silently sipping on their drinks as they watched over the room.

And then there were the matching sweaters everyone was wearing — a tiger, a rabbit, a book, a butterfly, a cat, and a candy cane — to name a few. You snuggled into your own, thankful that many people from your cases had chipped in to buy these for all of you.

The entire party left you feeling so bubbly and bright. You made your way over to the tree to catch a large ornament that Atsushi almost dropped when he tripped over his own two feet.

"Careful, Atsushi." You pressed the ornament back into his hand, conscientious to not let him drop it a second time.

He flashed a sheepish grin. "Thanks!"

"Here." You took a couple from the box, spreading them along the tree branches with a quick check to ensure everything was evenly distributed. With your combined skills, you covered the tree from head to toe in shining ornaments. You stepped back to admire your handiwork, only to slip over a stray garland on the floor.

"-w-woah-!"

You mentally braced yourself to fall flat on your ass, only to land on a much softer object. It only took two bandaged arms to snake around your waist for you to realize what, or more accurately, who had caught you as those same arms squeezed you tight.

"Falling for me, love?" you shivered as his warm breath bristled against your ear, the familiar brown tresses of Osamu Dazai brushing against your cheek as he unabashedly snuggled into your neck.

I was wondering where he could be.

You pulled away, only to look him over with a confused glare.

"How'd you get a sweater with a noose on it?"

He grinned lazily. "Isn't it amazing!"

You huffed before feeling someone push past you from behind, forcing you to fall back into Dazai's arms. He was basically spooning you from behind, a small purr rolling from his lips as a satisfied smile curled upwards.

"And my (Name) is back again."

"Time to open presents!" Ranpo yelled, already tearing the wrapping paper off of one. You smiled softly, leaning back into Dazai as you watched everyone dig into their presents gleefully.

Such a perfect day.

TAGLIST: @imhandicapableofmath @lovedazai @hauntedsol @ruru-kiss @ishqani @zyilas @lovesick-fairy @fedyascoffin @squigglewigglewoo @kelperspelt @miloofc @thesilvernight0wl @s1eepybunny

#☆.musings #gn!reader #series: [muse's advent event 2023 ❆]#bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #osamu dazai x reader #dazai x reader #osamu dazai #dazai bsd #the armed detective agency #the armed detective agency & reader

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