#like lxc??? less desirable than wen ning???

[labyrynth]

so basically i want to try to make a more statistically sound version of that “most handsome young masters” poll since the structure of the other one can’t take into account having opinions about multiple characters/an order of preference

e.g. xue yang made it past the preliminary rounds where jin zixuan did not—it may be that people do think xue yang is more handsome than jin zixuan, but it’s also possible that jin zixuan is a solid 2nd/3rd/4th/etc choice for many people, and that simply didn’t get represented due to only being able to cast a single vote (ranked choice voting my beloved)

now the most “simple” thing to do would be to put everyone in 1v1 matchups—“between A and B, which one is the more eligible young master?”—and just compute greater than/less than values. but the problem with that is that for 15 characters, that would take *checks math* 115 different polls. which is a lot.

so anyway now i’m brainstorming other methods that are both effective AND time efficient…i’m thinking maybe like a data tree? would still have to wait to get sufficient (enough) results tho :/

thoughts? opinions? comments? ideas? please share!

[add1ctedt0you]

Everyone in mdzs plays an important role for the plot. Anyway, it seems to me that we know very little about most of the cast and what we know is filtered by the narrator's prospective or is narrated trough rumors. Now I am thinking about the Nie Brothers and in particular about Nie Mingjue. He is the fierce corpe whose mystery drives a huge part of the plot. But, what we know about Nie Mingjue? (disclaimer : these are English translations so a lot is lost from the original text. And these are only my opinions about this character based on some passage)

Someone can suggest this passage to figure nmj out:

As such, the ability to discern people's desires was truly Jin Guangyao's forte. The only person he could never seem to pry any useful information out of was Nie Mingjue.

Wei Wuxian had seen this firsthand, back when Meng Yao had worked under Nie Mingjue's command. The man never laid his hands on women, alcohol, or material wealth; paintings, calligraphy and antiques were all piles of ink and mud in his eyes. Top-grade premium tea tasted the same to him as dregs from a roadside stall. Meng Yao had racked his brain and still failed to identify anything Nie Mingjue might have a taste for, other than training with his saber every day and killing Wen dogs. He was truly an iron bastion, with no weaknesses to exploit.

Volume 2, Page 319

I think that this passage says less about nmj and more about wwx. (I personally think, but maybe I am wrong, that the second passage is from wwx's pov, so I am thinking according to that)

For wwx, based on his observations, nmj hasn't any weaknesses or any hobby because he doesn't like :

Women

Alcohol

Material wealth

Painting/calligraphy/antiques

Tea

For wwx nmj only likes :

To train with his saber

To kill wen dogs

Not even considering that this knowledge comes from wartime, where people, and in particular sect leaders, have to fight against their enemies, I am inclined to interpret this passage in two ways:

Wwx is judging nmj based on what he thinks ordinary sect leaders like best

Wwx is judging nmj based on what he likes best

I don't know what one of them is more appropriate but, again, for me this passage doesn't give any insight on nmj.

In fact I find more interesting this passage:

"... I apologize to all of the Sect Leaders. Everyone, I am afraid you don't know that the Wen Cultivator whom Wei Wuxuan wanted to save was called Wen Ning. We owe him and his sister Wen Qing gratitude for what happened during the Sunshot Campaign"

Nie Mingjue, "You owe them gratitude? Isn't the QishanWen the ones who caused the YunmengJiang Sect's annihilation?"

[...]

Lan Xichen responded a moment later, "I have heard of Wen Qing's name a few of times. I don't remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign's crimes"

Nie Mingjue, "But she's never stopped them either"

Lan Xichen, "Wen Qing was one of Wen RuoHuan's most trusted people. How could she have stopped them?"

Nie Mingjue spoke coldly, "If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it's the same as indifference. She shouldn't been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out"

Lan Xichen knew that because of what happened to his father, Nie Mingjue abhorred Wen dogs more than anything, especially with how intolerable he was toward evil. Lan Xichen didn't say anything else.

Chapter 73

They are discussing about what to do with wwx who has killed jin and other's sects cultivators and has rescued the wen captives.

When jc tries to defend wwx, saying that them owe the wen siblings, nmj immediately intervenes remembering him about what the wen have done to his sect, asking what kind of gratitude they could ever have.

Then, when lxc tries to defend wq, nmj intervenes again saying that she has to take responsibility for her actions. Her silence is indifference, so, why shouldn't she have to suffer the consequences of the Sect she benefits from?

All of this, in my opinions, suggests that nmj is an extremely idealistic person. That doesn't mean that he has a black/white view of the world, only that he has strong principles for which he is ready to fight, even trying to impose himself.

That doesn't make him bad or good. He believes he is right but he respects people who fight for their principles even if these same ideals are opposed to his own.

Nie Mingjue, "The woman has much more backbone than the mob of her sect"

Nmj is talking about MianMian, someone who has tried to speak for wwx. She is mocked for that by other cultivators, because she is a servant woman, because her voice isn't important enough. MianMian stands for her own opinions but understanding that other people aren't really open minded towards dialogue, ("Fine! Your voice are louder! Fine! You are the rational ones!" that's what she says) she leaves her sect. A servant girl, now disciple, is leaving one of the four great sect, after standing her ground! Nmj shows admiration for her, despite she is in his opposite side, saying that she has more backbone than the mob (people who are mocking her but are on nmj's side).

In my view, Nmj has strong principles that he would try to impose but not mocking and demeaning his opponents, who he genuinely can admire.

Plus:

Lan Xichen knew that because of what happened to his father, Nie Mingjue abhorred Wen dogs more than anything, especially with how intolerable he was toward evil.

Nmj is intolerable toward evil, but in this one, my guess is that his past trauma also plays a huge role. Nmj watched in horror as his father's saber broke battling a beast, which then gored him with its horn. He was forced to see his only still alive parental figure being killed indirectly by wrh's hand (wrh has sabotaged his father's saber), and then he was forced to become a young sect leader. The age isn't clear, but he was a teenager. Anyway, I think his trauma plays a huge role on his decisions and that, again, doesn't make him good or bad. We are in a world where people are ready to take their revenge taking down also innocent people: nhs is ready to put in danger innocent Junior's life to take his revenge, wwx kills at least one hundred innocent disciples who are at the siege because it's their role as disciples, because he is emotionally destroyed by his sister's death.

But I am cautious about this last passage because it's from lxc's pov. It's not nmj who says that his past trauma and his principles are driving his decisions, but it's lxc. Maybe this passage says more about lxc who, understanding his friend's motivation, backs off. Ugh.

Anyway, in my view, Nie Mingjue is a man who suffered a lot, who was forced to take huge responsibilities at a young age. He admires other people who fight for their ideals and thinks that everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions.