#it's not mxtx that says those thing lmao

[mxtxfanatic]

does MXTX actually say, in the novel or elsewhere, what it was that Jiang Cheng did to get blacklisted by the matchmakers? I mean, he's handsome, powerful and wealthy and even Jin Guangshan was able to find someone to marry him. Probably an arranged marriage but Jiang Cheng doesn't even seem to be able to warrant one of those, he's less appealing than JGS???

MXTX says that Jiang Cheng has been blacklisted by matchmakers in this interview. The thing about using wealth and power as major traits that should lead to partnership, guaranteed, is that it only attracts people who lack those things and view them as necessities. Qin Su married Jin Guangyao because she genuinely loved him, whereas he—lacking the money and power he craved—targeted her specifically for her status. Jin Guangshan is described as charming, so it’s no wonder he was able to find a wife; Madam Jin likely just did not know (or assumed it would change post-wedding) that Jin Guangshan was a serial cheater and rapist. Even Jin Zixuan was able to have a good married life once he looked past Jiang Yanli’s looks and into her stellar personality, which he had refused to do when he was initially rebelling against their arranged marriage. On the other hand, despite how beautiful, powerful, and wealthy Yu Ziyuan was on top of the benefits of a marriage partnership with the Yu Clan, Jiang Fengmian still had to be pressured into marrying her, and only gave in when he lost his last support.

The gentry, especially in this story, are not moved by someone being “handsome, wealthy, and powerful,” when they are surrounded by people who all fit that description lmao. You actually need to have a personality that’s not just “bitter, cruel, and generally unpleasant” in order to get anyone to willingly associate with you in this world. Madam Yu got lucky that the man she wanted was mild-mannered enough to be bullied into a marriage. The women of the present-day jianghu are lucky that Jiang Cheng is so hate-filled that he hasn’t latched onto any of them in the exact same way.

[shushmal]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @mustlovesteve for the tag!! 💕🥹

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 50!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 310,900

3. What fandoms do you write for? Primarily Stranger Things/Steddie at the moment, but I dabble still with bnha, mxtx, naruto, and other fandoms (just unpublished).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Secret Deku Box - bnha/bkdk I’ll share this with you, so leave it behind - bnha/bkdk a kiss, a kiss, for you and for me - kny/inotan Worth It - bnha/bkdk if you can't find the morning light, i'm here tonight - bnha/bkdk

5. Do you respond to comments? I always TRY to but I get really shy or self conscious or awkward, so sometimes it takes me an age to build up the nerve and then I feel weird about how long it's been LOL but I do read through my comments regularly, especially when I feel like giving up on a WIP.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I'm a happy-endings-always kind of writer! So at MOST, my fics end with an ambiguous ending I was not born to drown (i gave baku cancer and don't tell you one way or the other that he recovers or dies, except in my author's note. i was helping to take care of someone with cancer at the time, this fic made me SOB to write).

My most recent fic is probably it though, The Waking Wait my attempt at horror, but I still wouldn't say it's a devastating ending imo. Probably the angstiest though!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Like said above, MOST of my fics are happy endings, if not just pure fluff. I will say my favorite happy ending was the night is long which was my answer to the end of The Untamed. I reread it sometimes and still get super giddy about it.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I wrote/write bkdk. What do you think? LOL Nothing recently at all though, and never anything like my voltron days

9. Do you write smut? Yes! I love writing romance, and I really enjoy writing those intimate moments. I think people look at smut and say "that's just porn." But, it's also another way to show love between characters and most o the time, that's what I'm writing it for.

Though other times, ofc, it is just porn LMAO

10. Do you write crossovers? I used to dabble in a spn/teen wolf crossover, and more recently I think about a stranger things/spn crossover, but I never actually write them seriously LOL

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I am unaware if I have!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! I have lost the links to them though! I'm devastated!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I've started a few co-written fics before, but they never go anywhere for one reason or another. I also don't think I'm a good co-writing partner, so I never really chase opportunities to.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? UHH I have many ships that live with me forever (destiel, bkdk, steddie, haulian) and I'll regularly pop through to read and reread fics even if I'm not very active in the fandom. I have some that I'll have a craving for randomly after years not thinking about them but are still integral to my personality (hannigram, stucky, kakairu, wangxian, bagginshield). I'm sure there's some I've forgotten to list here LOL

But could I pick an ALL TIME favorite?? Could I, if I could only pick ONE ship that I'm only allowed to read/write for the rest of my life and nothing else EVER AGAIN, could I make a choice????? Probably not. I could be happy stuck with any of the above LOL

(It also might be hualian tho LMAO)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Look, I am always aiming to finish all of my WIPs, even if they haven't updated in five years now (YES, even 100 Ways to Say). I think I should write fics to completion, and not publish them—but I usually post stuff thinking "No one will read this" and then I'm super wrong LMAO

However, Mitsukeru actually used to be a WIP that I only changed to complete in the past year or so. I hope no one has actually been holding on to that updating since 2017, but I think Hori did a better job than me so I'll concede my alternate ending— WAIT I went to reread it, actually it kinda slaps. STILL it may never get finished but who knows hahahahahah

16. What are your writing strengths? I think, and I've been told, that I'm very good at characterization which pleases me to no end. I feel pretty confident across a wide array of genres.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I don't have staying power, and I don't have any strength in longer, intricate plots. What I really want to write is like slice-of-life stuff, but most people don't read that. It's also why I haven't attempted to break out of fanfic into actual novel writing.

I also think I've lost a lot of coherency over the past two years. Sometimes I'll write something, publish, and them come back to read it months later and be like "that actually would make zero sense if you didn't live in my head." It's something I'm really struggling to correct, especially with there will be sad songs IM TIRED AND NOTHING MAKE SENSE ANYMORE

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I think it takes effort to do it RIGHT. I do it a lot in my writing for anime fandoms, but 1) I've had two years of Japanese classes, 2) my audience GENERALLY knows the handful of words I'm willing to toss in, and 3) Japanese honorifics really add something to dialogue that doesn't have an English counterpart.

Now, I've done the same in danmei fandoms as well, and I'm unsure how successful I am there! I always try to approach it respectfully, and thankfully readers are generally happy to help me adjust (thank you!). A lot of that vocab is pretty common knowledge for that audience as well.

NOW, what I don't enjoy is whole sections of dialogue in another language that I have to go translate in google or scroll down and lose my place, regardless of the writer's fluency. This is ESPECIALLY annoying on mobile LOL

To each their own ALWAYS, but to me, it only makes sense if it's narratively important to the plot (like keeping something secret from the audience and the POV character) or if you're JRR Tolkien (or Tolkien fanfic writers LOL)

19. First fandom you wrote for? GOD okay the first fic I can genuinely remember writing was for Beyblade. Like, the FIRST beyblade anime back in 2001. I was 10.

I do wonder if I wrote anything for digimon though. Elementary school me was in a chokehold. I used to draw a digimon on each of my class folders, it's a core memory of mine and also how I made my first friend LOL

20. Favorite fics you've written? I'm immensely proud of good winter, i'll be with you even though I at the moment have no idea how to finish it correctly. I've rewritten the epilogue three times now IM TIRED and deeply unsatisfied each time. BUT I'm super proud of the plot line hahaha

Tagging: I am too shy and awkward to tag people, so if you come across this and wish that you had been tagged, CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED and make sure you link me so I can see your answers! uwu

[holy--milk]

tagged by @thatswhatsushesaid (thanks! <3)

1. why did you choose your url?

it was ages ago, i honestly don't remember at this point... i just think it's neat?

2. any sideblogs? if you have them name them and why you have them.

none that you could connect to me.

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

definitely since high school, possibly since middle school? it was still kinda popular back then.

4. do you have a queue tag?

i don't do queues, i reblog 100 posts at once then disappear for a week.

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

this particular one? to get all nice and cozy with the MXTX fandom, of course.

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

i found a collection of reaction pics in a ZZJ fan group and was like "haha this one's funny". don't ask me to explain it tho.

7. why did you choose your header?

see above.

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

this one. i still think it's kinda funny.

9. how many mutuals do you have?

at least two.

10. how many followers do you have?

at least two.

11. how many people do you follow?

definitely more than two.

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

all my posts are shitpost.

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

whenever i get bored at my office job (not to be confused with my other work-from-home job), which is. a lot.

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

why would i? my fandoms are famously chill and peaceful.

15. how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts?

i don't get those on my dash.

16. do you like tag games?

yes 👉👈

17. do you like ask games?

yep 👉👈

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

every single one of them.

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

i wish, but alas. it's physically impossible for me to get crushes.

20. what is the last song you listened to?

no regrets by oblivion dust, which is coincidentally THE shen jiu song to me <3

21. what are you currently watching?

"sell your haunted house" (daebakbudongsan), a korean drama about an exorcist/real estate broker who does exorcism on haunted houses and then sells them for a commission. as one does.

idk, i was sitting down to relax with a bottle of beer and some ribs and it popped up in the list of shows i've bookmarked? and i was like, why not.

22. sweet/savoury/spicy?

sweet and spicy. or as i call it. swicy.

23. what is your current relationship status?

there's a girl i've been trying to go on an irl date with for. like two months now. don't get me wrong, she wants to go on a date with me too, it's just that we're both working women who can barely find the time to meet up in our schedules. and when we do, something goes wrong :(

24. what is your current obsession?

qijiu. but JGY and his two men will forever have their place in my silly little heart <3

25. what are nine albums/songs you've been listening to lately?

i use like. 4 separate apps to listen to music, and that's just on my phone. and none of them track my listening history lmao. but i can try and pull nine random things (in no particular order) from my likes:

electra heart (the album) by marina (and the diamonds). what can i say? it slaps.

黑白#K (the album) by liu haikuan. but tbh i haven't really been following him for a while. i think he's had a few singles since then? idk.

les filles désir by vendredi sur mer. wait i should actually listen to her more often. she has some absolute bangers.

opera (and some other songs) by super junior. i'm revisiting my k-pop phase, okay???

фейерверк by электрофрез. because of that one TGCF animatic.

turbulence (the album) by monoral. idk, a lot of their songs actually fit qijiu rather well? which is my main criterion when choosing music to listen to anyway.

eyes closed by the narrative. you guys, this song has been through at least three different ships from three different fandoms at this point.

the CQL soundtrack. what can i say? [1] for all that CQL is a bit messy and has funny CGI, at least it has a splendind soundtrack.

the LOTR soundtrack. i mean. do i even have to say anything? that's a classic.

tagging: @crithir @miaoqing @jin-zixun and whoever wants to participate.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

I got into fandom late, so apologies if you've already hashed this, but does most of the jc/jiggy (& xy) hardcore stanning stem cuz cql actors are hot? I didn't care a whit about jc or lxc until wzc and lhk. Tho as much as I think zzj is adorbs, I want jgy to DIE, repeatedly and as painfully as possible. (I am ALL for ship and let ship, but I despise xiyao. Sucks to be me since it's such a popular ship but just ugh. -Thank you for letting me rant.)

I wish some of this was just to actors alone lmao.

Honestly even when it was serialized on JJWXC, the stans were... something for Jiang Cheng first, but then most of those migrated to Xue Yang when he debuted. With Netizen side of things, Xue Yang is THE sad boi (tm) as he is basically seen as cool. Infamously they were the ones that harassed MXTX enough for her to tell one infamous stan off.

Jin Guangyao wasn't as focused on, he has the reputation of a short vengeful meimei there. He seems vastly more popular to woobie on twitter and tumblr. And at this point trying to say Jiang Cheng is anything but Jiang Cheng is a joke in itself there to try to argue about Wei Wuxian owing him anything. Jiang Cheng's aesthetic is appreciated though.

CQL actors I suppose are a whole other beast as it brought in the idol and influencer side of stans. And that side of things is just not something I have ever wanted to deal with. So we have the base of character "I relate to them" on the EN side of things, Xue Yang solo fans that are anti MXTX netizens, and idol stans that have since moved on as they do when following their solo obsession's works and projects.

And the many adaptations dilute the interesting parts of all three to be more palatable but it turned into Disney-esque censorship. So there is even more incongruous results of what these characters are canonically.

None the less, these three aren't really... portrayed as sympathetically in the context of the actual plot vs fanon and bait merch for the fans so they look cuter than they are. Fandom life is a bit more, separated, I guess about what is and isn't canon etc, on chats around netizen sites.

[wifiwuxians]

pls you're one of the very few people who make life as an yi city squad fan bearable. i had to filter the whole xiao xingchen tag because there is almost nothing but xuexiao. that ship comes with the worst characterization of xxc,sl & aq that i ever had to read with my own eyes. i don't care if i'm the minority,it's such a squick to me too. even mxtx was like "xuexiao? a-qing and xxc are closer to each other and yet they aren't a ship. why would you ship xuexiao?". so you're not weird for not liking it. (and i'm glad i can enjoy some awesome yi city art without having to endure endless braindead takes like "song lan is secretly lan qiren and he forces xxc to repress his true nature,xxc was happier with xue yang!!")

Oh noooo akrdnmxnxmdnaotndks I never go into any of the tags for the characters for this reason too, things I have filtered just slip through the cracks constantly, and I'm not much of a fic reader as it is but I think this would genuinely ruin my day. the hatred some shippers have for sl and aq is absolutely ridiculous and i cannot endorse it. if it makes you feel better, i think just about every ship has a lot of people writing things for it that just don't make sense or are flat out bastardizations, it's just probably a lot more obvious when it's a ship that is, um, well, rocky. to my knowledge all my moots and pals who ship it are huge song lan and aq lovers/enjoyers too and like they'd have to be, right, to have even found me LMAO JDJDJSJ and they are also like fully aware that it wouldn't work out canon wise (so theyre not saying things like WTF THEY DESERVED EACH OTHER STUPID MXTX) AND are totally open to my takes and my work, so i am very grateful every day to have met understanding people who respect my boundaries (of course i also have many friends who are squicked out too i'm just saying coexistence is possible and don't let anyone tell you otherwise) 💖

tho you genuinely lose me and my support if you write things like that, where you don't understand the characters and make them embittered obstacles to your ship and try to twist them into monstrosities simply to justify your tastes. like no. you're wrong. you don't know what you're saying. He Would Not Fucking Say That etc. and also to whoever wrote that take, i am speaking to you directly: xxc still pined over sl all those years so no, he wasn't happier. he was just happy. also we literally don't know what their lives were like together, we just know they were close enough that sl allowed xxc to touch him without issue despite the fact they can't have known each other for more than a year or two. Do Better.

as much as i may not be a fan of sxx, though, i also wanna say i really do admire people who are writing like 500-chapter fixit type things just to make them work out, and i did once read a fic of them i liked! it was sweet. it's just the total exclusion and hatred of sl that i can't even make an effort for (among other things but again im not here to make anyone feel bad, like i have NO ROOM to talk with some of the shit i make), like i know i won't enjoy it sksk we all have tastes

all in all I'm really happy you enjoy my work!!! It means a lot for me to hear and I'm honored to be one of the few, because if there's one thing I get a kick out of more than anything else, it's being unique LOL

AND JUST TO CONCLUDE: even if a friend of yours dislikes a ship you like so much that they request you not talk to them about it, it doesn't mean you can't be friends! Close friends even! BEST friends perhaps! Everyone is different, that's the beauty of it etc etc of course it's great to share the joy but don't let things like that limit you 😊😊😊💖

[chaos0pikachu]

tldr: I disagree that mxtx was trying to say “bad actions make bad people” and more “society is the real bad guy” 

[pic of the tags I’m responding to under the cut so user doesn’t feel attacked lmao]

I ain’t gonna put this person on blast by like showing their name or anything or even tagging this post but I fundamentally disagree lol

like, firstly I don’t think this is even what that passage in SVSSS was referring to. It’s a meta-commentary on how when an antagonist is layered, and complex, fans get cranky as fuck b/c they want simple, clean, and morally simplistic b/c it’s easier text to engage with. If a character does bad things but is sympathetic in some way fans get cranky and flame wars start racking up. It’s actually kinda cool to know this is a global fan issue lmao

second, like what I get from MXTX’s novels isn’t “these people are bad actually, and you shouldn’t excuse their actions” but rather “these people made horrible choices, but what societal and structural oppression and problems contributed to those choices?” 

like, the tragedy in MXTX’s work is - from my reading - society failed these characters and thus the cycle of harm continues on. Example, what would Shen Jiu’s life had been like if he wasn’t sold into child slavery, and horribly, horrifically abused his entire formative years? If he hadn’t been subjected to the whims of powerful people (by class, classism is such a recurring theme in MXTX’s work)? Would he still have been as resentful? As harmful? As abusive? We’ll never know but it’s something to ponder and part of the tragedy of his life. Could he have been a better person if he was treated as a human being? If society didn’t deem him lesser than and the cycle of violence didn’t continue but was instead broken?

XY is another example, he was a child who was mistreated not just by the powerful adult cultivators, but by enablers surrounding him. No one offered a helping hand to a hurt child, and no one held the adult who hurt him to justice. He had no recourse for justice even b/c of his position in society. Now, does this “excuse” him of killing the entire sect? No. But that’s why cycles are so hard to break. Why systemic issues are so hard to address b/c their are no easy answers for them and require systematic change.  

WWX did try to be a good person - and the world killed him for it. 

That’s the point - again for me anyway. WWX, save for some super violent war crimes, did what he thought was right and it bucked against the status quo. The system in place. JGY did not kill WWX, neither did XY. Hell, JGS didn’t kill WWX. The cultivation society as a whole enabled the mistreatment of the Wen refugees (including “righteous” characters like NMJ!!), their continued mistreatment, enabled the Jin’s power grab, enabled JGS Harvey Wienstien-ing it all over the cultivation world, enabled the siege that lead to WWX death and the death of all the surviving Wens, and willingly murdered WN and WQ. 

It is far to easy to simply look at the novel and say “yes, JGS, JGY, and XY are Bad People and therefore the Root of All the Evil”. JGS is most certainly a Bad Person dude was a full on rapist. But the society surrounding him enabled that behavior, they looked away, they didn’t confront him, they saw his behavior and turned their heads and said “not my problem”. Sure they judged him, but no one every questioned him, the Jin’s, or the system until WWX. And then WWX was killed for it. 

It’s why in the end, what is WWX’s happy ending? Riding off into the sunset with his husband away from cultivation society. Sure they make Cloud Recesses their home base, but they are no longer an active part in the politics, they decided to play no part in the society as a whole. Which uses, abuses, and hurts people they deem “lower class”: poor people, non-cultivators, servants, sex workers, etc. 

Often when people think “justice” they associate it with “punishment” which is something activists are trying to combat (speaking from an entirely American POV here) with “restorative justice”. MXTX doesn’t really give an easy answer to the societal issues she brings up in her novels, if anything the only “answer” she provides is “removed yourself from it” in the cases of MaimMaim and WWX/LZ. But I implore people to look into restorative justice, and more community/societal based thinking rather than individual and punishment based thinking. 

also tapping in one of the MDZA experts I know, @thatswhatsushesaid​ in case I got any book shit wrong lmao 

anyway here’s the tags I’m responding to that gave me Thoughts:

[grassbreads]

Fic asks 2, 4 wrt An Act of Trust, and 30

Thank you for the ask bestie!

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

My top two are "alternate universe—modern setting" and "post-canon," which absolutely represent my writing habits accurately. After that, it's just a whole bunch of different tags that are all tied at two uses. To pick some highlights, I'd say the "one shot" tag and "fluff" and "angst" being right next to each other all represent me pretty well. "Christmas," however, not so much.

Honestly now that I think about it, oneshot should probably be my number one most used tag. Apparently I just forget to include it more often than not lmao.

The other two questions are under the cut :)

4. What detail in An Act of Trust are you really proud of?

Personally, I'm extremely fond of all of Vanitas and Noé's back and forth dialogue in the beginning before the stitches. Vanoé have such a specific vibe when they're snarking at each other and I think I managed to capture some of it there :).

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

Y'know I honestly can't think of any of my published fics that are particularly out of my comfort zone. I'm fairly confident as a writer, I think. More often than not, if I have an idea, I just go for it and let whether or not I finish the damn thing be the arbiter of whether it's meant to be. Also, to be honest, a decent majority of my ideas tend to be ideas for post-canon fics or modern AUs, and as established, those are very much my wheelhouse.

However, I do have a work in progress that I'm almost certainly never going to actually post, and that one falls into the out of my comfort zone category pretty solidly.

About a year ago when I got covid and was confined to my bedroom for weeks, I ended up writing a big chunk of an mxtx crossover fic. The premise, since I was purposely being as self-indulgent as possible, is that the main couples from all three novels basically rewatch their life stories together and bond over it. And when it's each main character's turn to star, three more characters from their world show up for the ride. And it turns out, accurately characterizing eleven characters at a time in any scene is, uh, fucking hard. Just including eleven characters period in a given scene is hard enough from a blocking standpoint.

The thing turned out to be really hard to write, in other words. Also, recapping the entire plotlines of three long web novels plus reactions is an insane undertaking. I realized pretty quickly I was never gonna finish the thing.

However! I do still work on that fic. Even knowing that I'm probably never going to post more than a few excerpts, the process, though hard, is fun enough that I can't leave it to rot. Every once in a while I pick it up and add to it a bit, to the point that it's now my third longest fic at just under 9k words. (I am not a longfic girl lol).

So anyway, tldr, the lesson learned from getting out of my comfort zone is that sometimes it's worthwhile to work on things you'll never publish or finish just for your own enjoyment :).

[marquisguyun]

mdzs/cql ask meme: 1, 2, 6, 12, 25 :)))

1. which adaptations have you seen/watched? which one do you like best and why?

I’ve watched both the donghua and CQL (and read the book and some of the manhua). I’m not sure if I have a definitive answer to which visual adaptation is better? The donghua is gorgeous, especially all the demonic cultivation in the third season (plus it was my first mdzs adaptation, my first danmei of any kind actually). I do really enjoy CQL tho, and there are things I like and dislike about both adaptations. That answer is a total cop out but it’s also the truth 😂

2. top 5 favorite characters? what specifically do you like about each one?

Okay so I thought I had this, no problem, and then I counted again and realized I had six characters lmao... I’m not doing this in order bc that’s too many decisions to deal with

1. Wei Wuxian - What can I say, I love a tragic hero! I am intrigued by how smart he is (inventing demonic cultivation, lure flags, etc) but also how he makes mistakes and does some really fucked up stuff even tho he has good intentions. A great complex character!

2. Lan Wangji - I mean who doesn't like Hanguang-jun? He's a badass and a romantic, plus he's stubborn as shit. I really appreciate his relationships with the juniors. I also think his whole teenage angst about liking wwx is fantastic, and also him being super horny and dominant... I am a fan of novel dynamics for wangxian's sex life lol

3. Xue Yang & Xiao Xingchen - I am a slut for a good tragedy and for messed up characters! Plus I love identity porn. Yi City and XueXiao were basically tailored to my personal taste.

4. Lan Sizhui - He's just a good boy! And I like the added complexity of his identity.

5. Jiang Cheng - Honestly it took me a little while to latch onto him as hard, but he grew on me steadily. I originally mostly thought about him in relation to WWX, but damn he's been through a lot! Raising his nephew and running his sect on his own after he's lost everything? Really fucking sad and angry about it? That's good shit!

Also want to note that I like all of these characters in all adaptations, but their actors all did a fantastic job in cql and really added to my love for the characters, especially Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang and Wang Zuocheng as Jiang Cheng!

6. unpopular opinions?

1. I don’t hate Jiang Cheng or Lan Qiren? those can be pretty unpopular opinions

2. I’m a white American and my reading of danmei is definitely colored by my different experiences/worldview... I try to be aware of that as much as I can be and to read meta by Chinese disaspora (EDIT: I wrote this like a year ago and idk where I was going with this, but I think I was trying to say something about how I try to make sure my opinions aren't culturally insensitive? Bc some of the takes you see definitely are)

12. do you like any other of mxtx's works? is mdzs your first of hers or did you watch/read the others first?

It’s less obvious on tumblr bc there’s less content I come across compared to twt but your girl is a Scum Villain main lmao (EDIT: That was written a year ago when I started answering this ask. One of the advantages to twt's whole mess is that there's more scum villain content on tumblr now!!)

That said, I have read all three MXTX novels, watched all three donghuas, watched CQL, and read at least part of all three manhuas (rip sv manhua)

my order of watching/reading (with some overlap) was something like: watched mdzs donghua s1-2 >>> read mdzs novel >>> watched cql >>> started scumbag system >>> started heaven official’s blessing donghua >>> read scum villain >>> read what little there is of the sv manhua >>> waited several months?? and then read tgcf >>> dabbled with mdzs and tgcf manhuas >>> watched mdzs donghua s3

25. queer headcanons? 

- I definitely see Wei Wuxian as bi, altho I can understand reading him as a gay man who isn’t actually attracted at all to the women he flirts with - On the other hand, 90% of the time I see Lan Wangji as gay. The other 10% is me going “but what if Wei Ying was a girl tho”

I don’t think I have a lot of definitive non canon queer headcanons for mdzs honestly? There are definitely ones I enjoy and ones I don’t really see, but a lot of times I’m just happy to be taken along for the ride of other people’s headcanons for a fic or meta. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed:

- Asexual Jiang Cheng - Bisexual Jiang Fengmian (in love with Wei Changze) - Trans headcanons/AUs for various characters

[cuterocks]

mxtx: ok so there is a confirmed murderer ok? and he murdered a whole clan, and he also wants to restore what is the equivalent of a nuclear weapon for a clan leader to use as he pleases. according to the laws of this fictional universe, the man should be executed. nie mingjue and xiao xingchen are the only ones who say so, because they are uninterested in political games and only care about justice and truth.

me: so nie mingjue and xiao xingchen are actually both right regarding this matter right? and jin guangyao and jin guangshan are those who only think about their own gains, right? and xue yang should be executed right?

mxtx: no because you see, nie mingjue used a not so pleasurable tone of voice to say all of this and scared his sword brother, and therefore is irredeemably evil. xiao xingchen instead is right, because he told all of this with a cute uwu face. also the previously said murderer is actually really a murderer, but once in his childhood a person mangled his pinky so you see how this is a shades of grey issue? jin guangyao is also a nuanced character because he has daddy issues.

me: ok, but then shouldn’t also nie mingjue get some slack? i mean, he was 100% right, he just wasn’t very graceful in explaining. you can justify mass murder because of some past traumas, but can’t justify raising your voice because of a whole ass mental illness?

mxtx: well no, because nie mingjue is big and scawy, xiao xingchen is cute, and jin guangyao is smoll :)

[tonyglowheart]

I mean, even mxtx herself said that jc isn't an evil person. Deeply flawed for sure, but not bad. It's like any and all nuance is thrown to the wind in pursuit of the next "jc hot-take"

yeah exactly, and like the whole point of Jiang Cheng's story and reveal, as other people have said before, is that mxtx wants to play with your perception of your certainty on how you judged a character/person or a situation. It's a big theme in MDZS in general, the idea that like the "certain" reading or the most popular reading isn't always the "truest" reading, but that even a "true" reading is subject to personal perspective/context. And that, sometimes there is no "true" reading of a situation, because there's always going to be someone's context and truth that you miss, or are not able to reconcile against someone else's.

sidebar: MXTX literally does this with Wei Wuxian early on, she starts off by portraying Wei Wuxian in a way that he can be read as a typically "evil" villain character (e.g. when he mentioned going to Dafan Mtn to look for evil spirits, the more evil the better! <- paraphrased she might have used a softer word than "evil" but the point is that line is supposed to make you think you're reading a book where the MC is the "villain" of the story, until you learn more about the backstory/history and get more insight into his perspective)

I'm not saying that Jiang Cheng isn't a flawed character, because yeah, he very much is. But at the same time. Like the Jiang Cheng reveal is supposed to operate a bit more like a "Gift of the Magi" situation, as well as shedding light more on Jiang Cheng's perspective and adding context to how he's come across and how he has been shown to act/react. All of these do in fact have contextual influences on how Jiang Cheng is, imo, intended to be used in the narrative & as a narrative foil.

re: lack of nuance- that's something that's definitely frustrating me a lot recently in the tone of some posts I see in the tags lol. Even now with my recent posts, the reaction(s) I've seen seem to have boiled down to "we just want canon JC characterization; why are you using culture as an excuse for the bad shit he did lol," which like... fine maybe it's not a bad faith reading of what I said, maybe I didn't convey what I was trying to convey well enough, about there being nuances to analysis that I think are being omitted or ignored, some of which imo are culturally-influenced that people seem to discount in favor of an "objective imperative" kind of standard (which imo is generally not as "objective" or "contextless" as people think, they're just not seeing how their own contexts are still acting as a lens thru which they view things).

I don't think I took it to that extreme of "I'm using culture to excuse Jiang Cheng of wrongdoing," but then again does it matter what I think I was doing if the other party is perceiving their truth of the situation a certain way? The ideal is that one's intent can be reconciled with the other party's perception, and that both parties act in good faith to try to find that overlap in understanding, but I can't force other people to engage with me in good faith or be open to interrogating their own self-evident truths or things they've taken for granted which may serve to be examined. I'm fairly cognizant that I'm probably not going to be changing the minds of people who are already made up on this subject. Experience tells me that's not how arguments on the internet tend to play out, and if I do end up swaying anyone it's usually people who are watching as opposed to the people actively arguing with me on a given topic.

Anyway, I do think a lot of this arguments of "canon Jiang Cheng" are reductive in general, but also not the whole picture as far as canon goes if we do try to take that seriously or on face value. For example, what IS Jiang Cheng's "canon" characterization? The story isn't told largely from Jiang Cheng's perspective - whatever you come up with will still largely be based on outsider perspectives (each of whom have their own interpretations and agendas which color their views). So then, are you playing with Jiang Cheng's reputation vs characterization? If that's the case, that's fine, I can't control what other people do, but then to claim a moral high ground of having a "purer" or more "complete" or "true" reading because you eschew certain nuance points (which are also canonical) or take a more cynical reading of certain aspects of a text, comes across as arrogant and narrow to me. The opposite extreme of a thing isn't more correct than the extreme one is reacting to.

[mxtxfanatic]

I think the reason why the age gap between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian exists in tgcf isn’t for fetish reasons but because it is an important part of their relationship arc and Hua Cheng’s character arc that they eventually stand as equals who are dependable to each other but not co-dependent.

In Xie Lian’s pre-second banishment life, we see Hua Cheng as Hong Hong’er the child, teen, the ghost flame, and then Wuming, all willing to sacrifice themself over and over again for Xie Lian’s benefit while Xie Lian… doesn’t even know who he is enough to follow up on his wellbeing. (Xie Lian is not concerned about some random child lmao.) We, the audience, know that Xie Lian is Hong Hong’er’s entire life even if the boy, himself, is just a blip in Xie Lian’s, and this devotion makes sense given the extreme power imbalances between them—age, class, and luck (in this story)—that start when an easily impressionable boy is saved by his idol that is like a god to him even before he becomes a literal one. But all Hong Hong’er gets for this devotion and extreme loyalty is death and the threat of his soul being dispersed multiple times. So when does that change? I’d say right after Wuming’s destruction and Xie Lian’s second banishment, when they are separated for the 800 years.

Wuming obviously doesn’t permanently die, but he is left in a state where he doesn’t truly know who he is and must make his way without the guiding light that was his self-destructive devotion to his god. We see (hear about tbh but this is a gripe for another post maybe) him literally growing into himself as a protector of the weak and someone willing to put himself on the line to save others, even when he doesn’t know them. Because, with or without Xie Lian in his life, Hua Cheng is good. Questionable at times, but still good. And while he is still undoubtably doing some things with Xie Lian in mind (creating an armory for him, fighting those gods who harassed Xie Lian, etc.) most of his life in his 800 years was his own in a way he didn’t have before he and Xie Lian separated. He is now the beloved ruler of a ghost realm in which he protects the creatures that the heavens seek to destroy simply for existing, and none of that is connected to him planning for a life with Xie Lian at all. In fact, he seems prepared to let Xie Lian go the moment Xie Lian gives the word (which he never does), something Hong Hong’er would never have considered.

So my point here is that we see Hong Hong’er literally and mentally grow up into Hua Cheng who can and wants to be Xie Lian’s equal rather than his permanent subordinate/worshipper/follower, because mxtx has never written a book with an age gap that didn’t explore the power imbalances and potential exploitations that come with it.

[k1201a]

I'm not a jc stan, I don't care about jc, chengxian, yunmeng bros. The reason I gave that example is that they're the ones who had a bond at some point but, tbf, I also believe that lxc cared about jgy as a friend? The same goes for xxc and the person he thought was xy. I don't consider any of those ships as crack, just not romantically canon. Crack is a whole different thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ so anon should Google.

Anyways, the problem with you radical hateful people is that you take everything to the extremes. I'm not saying any of these relationship were the most ~devoted and beautiful~ thing in the world and "omg the deserve better!!😩" I'm just saying that they were what you would consider a friend and you love your friends... unless you're literally a sociopath, lmao. And that's what you think of wwx apparently, like even when you talk about wangxian you make it sound as the most superficial and boring shit. Like how you dare make wwx talk about his feelings with lwj, eww, that's not what dudes do. That's what happens when you maybe didn't have a long term rs with a man and believe their façade.

And, well. just as you think everyone projects, I think you're also projecting the lack of people you formed bonds with in your life and that's why you'll reply to some corny post about "the power of love", the oldest trope probably.

Yo DO see these characters as one dimensional that never think about the past, never get sad about it, that barely have thoughts and feelings. Did you know that wwx not wanting jc again in his life doesn't mean he never cared about him? That he sacrificing something important for him (and that it's not just bc he's a Good Dude who only do the correct as you try hard to believe) doesn't mean that they should be friends again? It's like you can't live with the fact that one thing don't cancel the other, that wwx actually doesn't care about jc anymore but he did once and it's ok. And don't even try any kind of discourse about me projecting because I find them relatable, more human, morally gray, imperfect, etc on me... because I hate those too. I hate extremes, I hate when people woobify assholes but also when they make of these characters robots with no feelings. Jc stans are the first but you're the latter. Characters are fictional so they don't have to be "human", even less when most people use it to justify they acting like jerks, but the other extreme is to think they're so empty, and that makes them one dimensional... When it's like the mere idea of wwx having a moment and maybe just pondering about something equals a sob story as dramatic as a telenovela for you and NO. It's not even about that, but that's what obviously happens when you're extremist. You're projecting your views on things as much as them.

But what you’re saying is not what op was talking about. You’re talking about basic friendship, What op was talking about was “love change everything”, mxtx didn’t write that, except for Luo Binghe, that’s my point. OP didn’t say “care”, they said “love”, they went further to characterize that love to be something that change, heal, redeem people. Basic friendship is found in most fiction. It’s present in mxtx’s stories is not the same as saying that’s the message she’s trying to send.

“…that's why you'll reply to some corny post about "the power of love", the oldest trope probably.”

I don’t have problem with this trope, I did say svsss is about that, I just don’t agree all her novels are about that. I think that’s projecting and lazy crowd pleasing. OP just picked one corny thing they think no one would disagree and tag it in ALL major tags, despite the 3 novels are different.

“the oldest trope”. I think that’s why some people force this trope into their reading of every story, they think it should be there, and you can’t go wrong with this interpretation, even when what the author wanted to write got nothing to do with that.

You said you’re not a JC stan but all you talk about is JC and wwx. I said shen yuan did love and saved luo binghe, if I have problem with corn good old fashioned trope, I wouldn’t have said that. You only have problem when I don’t validate your view of jc and wwx’s relationship. You’re projecting on jc. When I said svsss is about love, Didn't I go corny? But it left no impression on you, because to you, I wasn’t corny about the right characters, the characters you project onto. The only thing that triggered you was what I said about jc and wwx lol

[vrishchikawrites]

I have seen too many arguments about WWX's grey morality and the points they usually make to justify their takes are "but he raised the dead!! He digs up graves and uses the corpses as tools for his own needs! He even did not allow WN to enter the cycle of reincarnation!!! He killed JZX coz MXTX said it herself! WWX is morally grey because in the novel his actions are as such!! No. I will not accept criticism!" Sigh. How does one even refute those claims?

You don't.

The thing with people stating their talking points in the fandom is that they are set in their ways. They can twist your words and take it to another extreme. They can take your valid points and say it is bashing or excessive attachment. The more you try to argue with them, the harder they will cling to their stance and make you out to be the villian of the conversation, lmao.

Best thing to do is to ignore them and put out your own content. It is simply not worth engaging in long discussions. You quote text and offer valid observations based on the text and they will say your interpretation is wrong.

That's just how things are when you're a part of a large fandom community. Sometimes they are wrong, sometimes you are wrong, sometimes there is no way to resolve the argument.

Don't waste time refuting people who have decided not to listen in the first place (and avoid twitter)

[featherfur]

Oh you know what else is awful :Re people's reactions to JC's childhood? A lot of JFM apologism consists of 'that's just how (Chinese) fathers are'.

Like maybe MXTX was trying to get at something, what with the yunmeng siblings having terrible coping mechanisms and poor communication, when she wrote JFM.

Why does everyone just assume JFM was a good parent just because WWX puts him in a good light? Of course he does! WWX's other option is sleeping on the streets so of course he regards JFM as kind and charitable!

But that doesn't erase the fact that JFM is a neglectful father who babysits his 'easiest to get along with' child when he feels like and leaves him for his wife to abuse when he does not to WWX, and a neglectful father who ignores his heir who is desperate to for validation, or a neglectful father who leaves his eldest daughter to raise the other children while making major life decisions for her without consulting her. Just because this is 'normal' does not make it right.

look, im not here to tell anyone who to like or who to hate but there is a Lot of JFM apologism that absolutely reeks of misogyny. And I don't say that lightly.

Saying "thats just how fathers are" doesn't... make him a good dad. It really doesn't excuse anything, it just says that you think it's okay for fathers to be bad parents because it's just what happens. Instead of like, acknowledging that it's not a good thing to be and that a good parent should yknow, be a parent.

Both Madam Yu and JFM are both horrible parents they're just on opposite sides of the spectrum. JFM is no less neglectful and abusive just because he isn't screaming. He doesn't parent any of his kids, he just exists with them and relies on the fact that his wife taught his son and daughter responsibility and hopes that WWX will learn it through osmosis or by his wife. He's a glorified babysitter at best and while WWX does put him on a pedestal, we also see JFM being neglectful in canon multiple times, and WWX is not a reliable narrator. Just because he says that JFM is great and wondrous, doesn't mean that he is especially when we then get scenes of proof that he just sucks. (Also a lot of those moments of him being a good uncle are just... JFM letting him get away with shit.)

And honestly like, if your kid goes around wondering if you actually like him then you've failed as a parent. No matter how good you are to the other kid. You don't get to just choose a kid to care for (which he does in like the worst way). I get that people like characters that are good to their fav and the MC but sometimes man,,, idk I don't like him lmao. He's not a good father even to WWX and it irritates me when ppl act like he was, or blame JC and Yanli for JFM being a shit dad. Or when they blame Madam Yu for Fengmian being a shit dad. Like no, look. I get it. You hate your wife (who you signed up to marry) and you feel like you got the short end of the stick. The person you loved went off to die in the wilderness and abandoned you. You're upset.

You're still a fucking parent. You don't get to ignore and belittle your kids because your wife sucks, because you're unhappy, because you didn't marry the person you wanted. Not to mention you're a pretty shit husband too, you give no shits about the rumors that are hurting your wife and your kids because heaven forbid you make a point to be like "Yeah no Wei Wuxian isn't my kid, my kid is the one in purple. The one with anxiety. And I wouldn't cheat on my wife." It's also the reason I get very aggravated when modern au's have JFM suddenly be a great dad because he's single. No he was a shit parent before WWX and if the reason is because he doesn't like his wife then he's a shit parent anyway. Madam Yu is more likely to be a decent mother, traditional and strict as hell, without a husband letting her name and her kids get dragged through the mud and everything her son has being put in danger because JFM can't be bothered to tell the kid he brought home that he has to follow the rules.

This doesn't even go into the stereotypes of mothers and how women are punished and hated a thousand times more than men because that's "just how men are".

I just,,, so much of the apologism is just refusing to admit that father's should be good parents. So unfortunately the more ppl try to apologize for him and insist he's secretly a good dad, the more i despise him and understand where Madam Yu is coming from. But people are welcome to make their own decisions, and at the end of the day they're both horrible parents and really should not have been allowed to be near kids as anything more than actual aunts and uncles so that the kid can go home and get a decent family dynamic

[grewlikefancyflowers]

MDZS original draft comparisons chapters 31-34

Other chapter comparisons.

Chapter 31

During the drunken ‘mine’ scene, WWX has Bichen on his waist rather than on his back in the first draft. I guess it just makes more sense for WWX to conclude LWJ was referring to Bichen if it was on his back when he pointed at himself.

In the og draft, WWX speculates that LWJ was helping him due to what he did in xuanwu cave. ‘Trying to clear his mind, Wei WuXian changed the topic. “You… How did you recognize me? Why are you helping me? Is it because of that time I slaughtered the resident of Xuanwu Hole*?”’

This change is probably because it is not in WWX’s nature to think about the things he has done for others, and also contradicts WWX’s assertion in ch.56 that LWJ has most of the credit for killing it.

Chapter 32

In the original, WWX doesn’t attempt to remove LWJ’s clothes before he wakes, he only removes his own. I think this change was made to draw attention to the burn scar on LWJ’s chest, as the backstory behind this is very much related to LWJ’s post-drunk reaction imo.

This ‘Wei WuXian laughed as he propped his chin up, seductively exposing a naked arm.’ was replaced with ‘Wei WuXian partially covered his chest with the blanket, leaving only his smooth shoulders out’ (i can't stop laughing at ‘seductively exposing his naked arm’... wei ying…)

This whole bit was removed (WWX's comments about NMJ here were replaced with the whole torso-slapping thing) ‘This time, the left arm was pointing south, and slightly to the west. It was directing them to either the right arm or the head. 

Wei WuXian decided to pose while putting on his clothes. He continued to talk business in a deadly earnest tone, or perhaps he was just pretending to be serious: “I hope we find the head next. That way, your family can either draw a portrait of him, or invite all the xianmen families over to have a look, and we can finally figure out the identity of this good brother.” 

But he only managed to say a few serious phrases before he started joking around again. “That being said, this good brother must be pretty good looking.”

After the burial clothes had been removed and the torso exposed, it was clear that this was the body of a strong and sturdy young man. Wei WuXian had been totally sincere in his assessment.’

MXTX be like he’s was being super serious, or maybe he was pretending. He was joking around, actually he was totally sincere. Honestly I find this all pretty funny. (Also I suspect it might be just an odd translation choice but… ‘decided to pose while putting on his clothes’ lmao wei ying…)

In the original draft, it is said that WWX’s kite for the arrow shooting game he played back in the Jiang sect was bigger than everyone else’s, and JYL had painted it. This was changed to say that both WWX and JC had kites constructed by JFM and painted by JYL, and that they both felt proud while flying them. If I had to guess, I’d say that MXTX did not want us to get the idea that JC was ignored or less liked by JFM & JYL compared to WWX :p

In the original draft WWX never bought (with LWJ’s money) baozi for those kids </3 because of this change, when LWJ comes out of the inn, instead of finding WWX playing & eating with the children…

‘By the time Lan WangJi had travelled downstairs, he only saw Wei WuXian sitting by himself on the steps of the inn, cackling. It made him feel rather confused.’

…The reason WWX was laughing was because of the ‘how can such a boring person make me so happy’ thing. When LWJ inquires, WWX says this ‘Wei WuXian rubbed his chin. “I’m still not saying. I don’t know why I’m laughing either, but I just can’t stop.’ (agh so cute <3)

I guess MXTX changed this because sitting on the steps alone cackling did actually make WWX seem a little too unhinged. Plus dishing out food to the kids was too cute.

This was removed during edits. “I must admit, I am quite inferior to you when it comes to saying things comprehensively and concisely. And also I… hope that the good brother’s grievance is directed only towards his murderers. Otherwise, we’re going to have to face a very resentful, spiritually powerful, highly murderous ferocious corpse after we’re done gathering his body parts.”’ 

I think the reason why is because it sort of contradicts MDZS law, we’re told that when a corpse has become as resentful as NMJ’s, it can no longer differentiate between the source of its grievances and innocent bystanders (hence why NMJ’s corpse attacks people beside JGY).

Chapter 33

No edits :3

Chapter 34

This was removed—’Wei WuXian muttered, “This fog is really weird.”’ Probably because it was unnecessary exposition?

There were some edits made to the squabble WWX has with the juniors about Little Apple and Fairy. WWX claiming LWJ had gifted him Little Apple, and LJY and JL bickering about Fairy being fat was edited in. Amusingly, in the original, LJY still defends Little Apple’s name when JL insults it, but without the reason that he thought it was a gift from HGJ. Og draft LJY is just Little Apple’s biggest fan for no particular reason hahaha. I think the changes here were just because the edited version is much funnier. Also the argument goes on longer, so LWJ has greater justification to silence them.

This was removed ‘The thought was frightening and underlined just how grave the situation was. While no one would want to admit or accept it, it really was the most reasonable explanation. After all, there exist people out there who can restore half of the Yin Tiger Tally. Although you could say that this person has already been disposed of, who knows whose hands it has fallen into now?’

This was added during edits ‘Jin Ling blurted out, “How would you get the money to pay? Let’s make this clear— I won’t lend you money.” 

Wei WuXian waggled a delicate pouch in front of his eyes, “Look what this is.” Lan SiZhui was shocked, “How dare you?! This is HanGuang-Jun’s!”’ (exr). This is the second scene of WWX shamelessly stealing LWJ's money that MXTX added in lol

This was removed during the edits ‘The city of Yicheng was filled to the brim with strange things, so the people living inside were definitely not like the good people of Anshun*’

*Anshun: a city in neighboring Guizhou, a province to the southeast of Sichuan (this is from qn’s translator’s notes) I’m not really sure what the significance of this is supposed to be??

[plan-d-to-i]

Thoughts on this https://sapphicdalliances.tumblr.com/post/673266218401169408 please!

LINK - proof that people will really like and reblog anything...

If you've ever asked yourself how obtuse and absurd JGY stans are the above post should answer all your questions ...

"i genuinely feel like The Whole Point of Jin Guangyao’s demise is that it was not justice. in-universe, it did not actually come about because of any of his deeds that we the modern audience would consider the most heinous. Nie Huaisang plotted against him because he killed Nie Mingjue specifically"

Revenge, when justified, is justice in-universe which is what matters when discussing the story. So the whole argument has zero actual worth. JGY's demise came as a result of NHS avenging his brother, which MXTX considered righteous enough that she saw no reason to have NHS caught :

JGY wasn't advertising the messed up shit he was doing, it only started coming to light as NHS, who had seen his true face, started exposing him.

"Mingjue explicitly and with pre-meditation tried to kill Jin Guangyao three separate times, with the novel (my preferred text source) heavily implying he only started playing the evil music after that third time. this could very reasonably be argued to be self-defense."

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. This isn't how "premeditation" or "self defense" work... 🙃

And ofc we can't have a post about JGY without the fucking "watchtowers" ! This is a pretty big reach from what is actually written in the novel, op's "preferred text source" lmao.

"and since I’m being petty anyway, I’ll once again throw out the fact that the person who affected the largest-scale positive societal change was in fact JGY, whose watchtowers were repeatedly praised for saving countless civilian lives, by the narration and by WWX himself"

-petty is the wrong word here... 🌝. So is "largest- scale positive societal changes" ... but wait bc op also says this earlier!

friend izzy points out that in the world of MDZS, “justice only happens on a personal scale”. there is no societal change.

lol 🤔🌝

People who attacked a guy and are big mad he didn't just let them kill him =/= finding out your brother's sworn brother used him for status and legitimacy then with a smile, slowly poisoned him with what was supposed to be healing music until he died painfully and violently, then chopped his body and soul into pieces 🤡

"i’m making this post because a lot of people have told me point blank that JGY “earned” his miserable ending by doing bad shit, that Jiang Cheng/JGY/LXC/whoever the person thinks is an antagonist because they were mean to wangxian were “punished” with horrible fates, and this is how MXTX is codifying who the villains and who the heroes are, and the story is actually explicitly about moral uprightness prevailing over repugnance. and i just think that’s kind of a lackluster reading for a text that’s so blatantly explained that in this universe, good or bad things will simply happen to people completely regardless of whether or not it’s fair."

MXTX explaining why NHS is not a villain:

( translations x )... MXTX has a whole extra about how XY and JGY are villains. She assumed ppl would fucking come to her story with a bare minimum level of reading comprehension (her bad). In universe bad things can happen to good people sure, but people still have control over how they react to those bad things, over their own actions. They're still held accountable. What's morally reprehensible are ppl like jc, like jgy, like xue yang who take out their personal shits on others who are innocent. Op's hot take "summation" is just Xue Yang's mentality lol:

"Xue Yang stood up and kicked the stall over.

The vendor himself had been busying himself all over the place. He was shocked speechless by the kick. He stared as the young man perpetrated his assault and, after the kick, said nothing as he turned around to leave, a wide grin on his face. Only a few moments later did the vendor realize what happened. He caught up and scolded, “What are you doing?!”

Xue Yang, “Wrecking your stall.”

The vendor was half-dead with anger, “You’re sick! You’re mad!”

Xue Yang didn’t move an inch. Pointing at his nose, the vendor continued, “You little bastard! You eat my food, you don’t give me money, and you have the guts to wreck my stall?! I…”

Xue Yang’s thumb shifted. The sword at his waist was unsheathed with a ‘clank.’

The sword shone coldly. He gently patted the vendor’s cheek with Jiangzai’s blade, his voice saccharine, “The dumplings were nice. Add more sugar next time.”

After he finished, he turned around and continued to march forth.

The vendor was a mixture of shock and fear. He was mad, but he didn’t dare say anything, gaping as he walked into the distance. Suddenly, he was filled with rage and frustration. A moment later, he let out a furious roared, “… Under broad daylight without rhyme or reason—why, why?!”

Xue Yang waved his hand without even looking back, “There’s no why. There are lots of things in this world that happen without rhyme or reason. This is called an unexpected disaster. Goodbye!”

lol ...

Night had already fallen. It was quiet all around, with few passersby. The two talked as they walked, passing a street side stall. The vendor was in the middle of dejectedly tidying his tables. He looked up and suddenly screamed, jumping backwards.

His scream and his jump were both quite frightening. Even Jin GuangYao paused, his hand moving to Hensheng’s handle at his waist. When he saw that it was only the average street vendor, he immediately ignored it. Yet Xue Yang didn’t say a word before he went over and kicked over the booth again.

The vendor was both shocked and terrified, “It’s you again?! Why?!”

Xue Yang grinned, “Haven’t I told you? There’s no why.”

I mean... quite obviously there's is a why.