#mdzs reread

[moonwaif]

"A-Su, weren't we doing just fine before you learned about this?" Jin Guangyao reasoned. "Today, the day you've found out, is the only time you've felt such nausea, and it's only because the knowledge troubles you. Which just goes to show that it doesn't really matter. It didn't substantially affect you in any other way. It's just your own mind causing you grief."

MDZS, Seven Seas Edition

[mdzs-is-rotting-my-brain]

🎃MDZS RE-READ🎃

Arrogance,

Chapters 6-10

ExR translation

What a fun romp these chapters were. I really love the slow hints of a relationship between the characters introduced, and it raises a thousand questions..I remember getting to the Refinement chapters and being so confused the first time. MDZS was my first introduction into Danmei and I didn't have a handle back then on the tropes and themes enough to understand the style of book I was reading.

Now that I have a little more experience, I can see the foundations for the final chapter being laid in these ones.

[spriteofmushrooms]

Wei Wuxian refused to accept this.

Since when was he categorized as a "nefarious, malicious ghost"?

While he'd had a fairly poor reputation and died an extremely tragic death, he didn't haunt the living, for one, and he'd never sought vengeance, for two.

-- from the 7 Seas translation

God, Wei Wuxian is the funniest guy alive. How rude!! Why would anyone think I was interested in vengeance!! Honestly I am just a little guy who likes to hang out! 😤

The next paragraph says that his being alive is "a silent acknowledgement that both parties had formed a contract." So his restless soul, at least, was willing to accept Mo Xuanyu's curse; but his waking mind doesn't like to think of himself that way, perhaps?

[jin-zixun]

MDZS Chapter 2 - The Intractable (apparently chapters 2-5(Aggression)) - Manhua Ch 2-12

Because I'm really going ahead and rereading... Alright.

Alright, again starting with the manhua here because holy shit does Mo Ziyuan just come in busting the door down with this! Oh man, what a guy.

I have nothing intelligent to say about this but oh boy.

"Go k-- oh you did. shit. damn."

So like two things I appreciate the manhua for in this page, which I've so, uh, cut up to show off. Number one, cute lil guys. That's a cute lil guy up there. And number two, the emotion in that face? Like it's not a big picture it's just like, a lil face but you can see it. It's a little more than just sad boy up there. Goes hard, like Mo Zixyuan bursting into the room.

"Adding frost to snow, something had upset Mo Xuanyu. When he returned home, it was as a madman. His mental state had been upended, as if he had been scared silly"

I'm keeping this quote. I'm not commenting on it or anything. Just putting it there.

"After Mo Xuanyu returned to his old home, he was bombarded with ridicule. This time, it seemed, the situation was unsalvageable. Unable to take this blow, Second Lady Mo was choked to death by her own unappeasable outrage."

Now this I feel I need to comment on? Mo Xuanyu's mother didn't die until after Mo Xuanyu was sent back home? She 'choked to death on outrage'? Is that a thing? I feel like that's not a thing.

There's a lot of exposition here, on Wei Wuxian and the Mo family but uh. That kinda stands out. To me. MXY was sent home to his mother, not just her relatives, like, she was there.

Oh, and number three thing I like about the manhua?

cutest. little. lans.

(also like. inspired choice to have sizhui be the one laughing here?)

"The boy hadn’t been this crazy when he first returned, so it was probably the family’s doing."

So, you mean, back when his mother was alive? Before she died of outrage? I've gone through this scene in a lot of adaptations (cql was the best for it ngl) but this Second Lady Mo conspiracy is drawing me in! I'm sorry!

“He knew he was my little cousin, but he still didn’t observe propriety and keep his distance, so who is the more shameless one here?! I don’t care if you don’t care about your reputation, but I still care about mine!! I STILL GOTTA FIND A GOOD MAN!!!”

Is it a problem if they're just cousins, maybe mo ziyuan really wanted to compromise him, I'm sure there's fanfic out there--

Mo Ziyuan/Mo Xuanyu is apparently not even a tag on AO3. Damn. I think I originally had a point to say about WWX here, but like WWX himself, I don't remember.

"Yet it just so happened that this spirit-attraction flag had unintentionally summoned something more terrifying than walking corpses. And it was precisely this unknown evil spirit that had killed Mo Ziyuan and robbed him of an arm!"

haha. Unintentionally. Yeah, want to take a second pass at that WWX?

(I'm certain it won't be the first time I ask that question, but as he does later take a second pass at it and it's clear canon that there's nothing unintentional here I'm gonna leave it at that. This time.)

"Wei Wuxian couldn’t take it anymore. He thought, After so many years, the Lan Family still acts this way. What’s the use of all that self-restraint unless you’re looking to suffocate yourselves? Watch me!"

I like it when he defends the little lans...

"Lan Jingyi and the others let out a breath, no longer looking as upset."

and the little lans like it too <3 How sweet.

"It wasn’t that this group of youths was slow to react; it was that the intruder was truly ferocious in nature. The cultivation sects had strict criteria for determining whether something was a “malicious ghost”: one was considered such if it killed once a month for up to three months consecutively. This was a criterion Wei Wuxian himself had set, and it was probably still in use now. Dealing with this type was his specialty, and based on what he’d seen, killing once every seven days would make this creature a malicious ghost that caused particularly frequent mischief. However, this thing had just killed three times in a row, and in a short time span too. Even accomplished cultivators would have been hard-pressed to come up with a counter strategy, never mind these novice juniors."

Yeah... Maybe I'll change my mind on this later but... The Nie are genuinely kind of just evil. Their cultivation method is bad and they should feel bad. Cultivate a righteous path. Don't do this shit. Don't become this shit. And yeah, that goes for both of them here tbh. Not giving Da-Ge a pass just because he's dead! He knowingly cultivated all of this resentment while he was alive!

The idea that NHS becomes Chief Cultivator after all of this is astounding. Guess his mom's not a prostitute though so it's fine.

Drawback to the manhua as an adaptation, you don't hear that iconic music cue when Hanguang-Jun appears. Sad.

I guess I don't have more to say (I have more to say but I shouldn't) so uh. Bonus cute Lan roundup?

[rkivees]

I'm rereading the last few chapters and I'd really like to understand why many can only see WWX and JC reconciling and not each going their own way. It's all in the past, Wei Wuxian said it himself and for me that was kind of a boundary being set but what do I know I guess

[thebestestbat]

wwx using the power of being a cunt for good

[suibianandbichen]

I can't help but think Lan Sizhui seems more like Wei Wuxian at this moment.

Lan Sizhui had watched Wei Wuxian make a scene during the day. then later heard plenty of exaggerated rumors about this illegitimate son from the others. He felt great pity for this mentally ill person and couldn't help but try and speak up for the man.

"Madam Mo, the state of your son's corpse is clearly the work of evil. Its blood, flesh, and spirit have been completely sucked out. He could not be the culprit."

Madam Mo's chest heaved. "What do you know?! This lunatic's father is a cultivator, so he must've learned plenty of evil magic!"

Lan Sizhui looked back and took a glance at the se half-witted Wei Wuxian. "Madam, there is no evidence, w still best..."

[a-ninja-magpie]

I begin my reread of MDZS and I am immediately smacked in the the face with The Wei Wuxian Experience.

[mxtxfanatic]

The return of Wei Wuxian after his 3-month disappearance is meant to evoke this terror and sense that something is wrong, and it definitely does, but like…

Do you not see the playfulness in which Wei Wuxian handles the ghoul child mirrored in how he later handles A-Yuan in the Burial Mounds?

A white child squatted by his feet. Like a young, carnivorous beast, it was gnawing on something that Wei WuXian fed it. Wei WuXian took his hand away after patting on the white ghoul child’s sparse-haired head.

—Chapt. 62: Evil, exr

Lan Sizhui replied, "I'm not sure either, just that when I saw Chenqing, I thought that it was extremely familiar......" It was unsurprising that it was Chenqing that made him remember. Wei Wuxian said, "Oh, of course you'd find it familiar, back then eating Chenqing was your favourite habit and you would drool all over it and make me unable to play it."

—Chapt. 111: Wangxian - Everyday Means Everyday, chiaki_himura

Do you not see the gentleness in which Wei Wuxian handles the blue-faced woman mirrored in how he handles Wen Qing when he takes her to the Qiongqi Path labor camp?

When she had been fighting, her face was almost hideous, but now, with her dark face against Wei WuXian’s lap, she somehow seemed to be a charming concubine, obediently pleasing her master. Giggling laughter came from her mouth as well. Wei WuXian sat leaning to one side, his right hand stroking her soft, long hair over and over again.

—Chapt. 62: Evil, exr

The shock that Wen Qing received was too strong. Finally, she couldn’t hang on any longer and passed out. Standing behind her, Wei WuXian caught her without saying anything, letting her lean onto his chest.

—Chapt. 72: Recklessness, exr

And then they both go on to reciprocate that care via over-protectiveness, even when Wei Wuxian isn't actively controlling them:

The curvature of Wei WuXian’s lips dropped slightly as he glanced at him. Jiang Cheng had also heard the dissonant tone, “Second Young Master Lan, what do you mean by this?” Lan WangJi’s eyes were glued to Wei WuXian, “Answer me.” The ghoul child and the blue-faced woman began to stir. Wei WuXian turned around and looked at them. They backed off slowly, reluctant, and sunk into the darkness.

—Chapt. 62: Evil, exr

After reading the entire novel and seeing how he maintains this same level of care towards everyone he has no antagonistic relationship with, alive and dead, how could I not be moved when circling back to reread this moment?

[benevolenterrancy]

Swords pining for each other's cultivator is my new favorite type of pining. Love your NieYao content! <3

I don't suppose we could get Baxia or Hensheng throwing a tantrum while Jin Guangyao / Nie Mingjue are away, leaving their owners to deal with the embarrassing aftermath?

Also, do you have any recs you'd recommend with these two?

this is the exact moment Nie Huaisang realised he was going to have to start meddling in his big brother's love life (con't: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Hensheng, on the other hand, doesn't throw tantrums but WILL sulk...

[dyinghomoerotically]

I love how people in mdzs are like ooooh ghost flute Chenqing aaaaah so scary but this flute. Has teeth marks from a child on it. Wei Wuxian aka Evil Yiling Laozu takes care of a child and lets him teethe on his Scary Demon Ghost Flute. And then in tgcf they’re like ooooh E’ming, Evil Deadly Scimitar, aaaah don’t touch it or even get near it!!! But then Xie Lian goes and pets it and it squeals with delight at the attention.

And then there’s Luo Binghe whose sword fucking possessed him lol

[moonwaif]

...Wei Wuxian leaned against the divan and sat on the floor. His mind was running wild and in complete disarray, but one thing was absolutely clear.

He couldn't let Lan Zhan drink again. If he acted like that with everyone when drunk, then that wouldn't be good at all.

MDZS, Seven Seas Translation

[ghostclowning]

everytime jin ling asks "are you wei ying" i can't help but imagine this

[tea-cat-arts]

I simply think this fandom doesn't give Wei Wuxian enough credit for the various ways in which he saved Lan Wangji

[jin-zixun]

MDZS Reread - Chapter 4 (Part Two) - The Elegant Flirt (Refinement 11-18)

Manhua Chapters 30- Well 35 in this post.

Ch 4.1 ; Ch 3.2 ; Ch 3.1 ; Ch 2 ; Ch 1

"When Wei Wuxian reflected on it later, the start of his poor relationship with Lan Wangji could probably be traced back to the year when he was fifteen."

Poor relationship, yeah sure. Last we saw these two like zero lines ago they were snuggling in bed together. Come on Wei Wuxian get it together man.

"There was a highly respected and reputable elder named Lan Qiren in the Lan Clan of Gusu. ... Over the years, he had raised countless exceptional Lan disciples. Anyone educated under him for a couple of years, no matter how terrible they were going in, would appear decent coming out—or, at the very least, their poise and etiquette would see considerable improvement. Many parents wept streaming tears of excitement when they picked up their sons upon completion of their tenure."

Okay I did not remember Lan Qiren specifically being so sought after but like good for him? Maybe my feelings are colored from watching CQL but like Lan Qiren's classes in CQL at least... Kind of suck? But you know what, if the novel says he's the best damn teacher there is and everyone wants their kids in his class then like, sure. Send your kids to Lan camp.

What is with threatening to break legs? Is this a thing? I've gotta assume it's just a thing.

"Nie Huaisang continued, “And that Lan Zhan, he’s…sheesh. He’s the same age as us, but he’s not as lively as a boy should be. Stiff and strict. He’s the same as his shufu, or worse.” “Oh,” Wei Wuxian said. “Is he a pretty good-looking fellow?”

Presented without comment. I have no words. Okay okay, this is clearly Wei Wuxian's "hey this is the guy from last night" conversation but still "oh the hot guy?"

And Jiang Cheng's response like "Uh, they're Lans, they're ALL hot." Like thank you Jiang Cheng. What a great point.

The clan REJECTS DISCIPLES WHO AREN'T HOT ENOUGH oh my GOD

Wei Wuxian: "no no but he wears all white and has a forehead ribbon and also a silver sword" Buddy in what way are you narrowing it down that's literally all Lans. All Lans wear white and have forehead ribbons and have silver swords, probably. Silver is the standard color for swords, I think?

Yeah, Original/Novel Wei Wuxian absolutely was a little shit here.

Nie Huaisang and co being fully engrossed in this story, but unwilling to do the troublemaking themselves I guess. Tiny Jiang Cheng's expression here though... He's so unimpressed. He's just like "*sigh* and then what happened? Did you make it worse? You made it worse didn't you? Why am I even asking that of course you made it worse."

"Wei Wuxian wasn’t scared in the least. He waved dismissively. “What’s there to be scared of? Didn’t they say Lan Zhan is a child prodigy? If he’s so precocious, then his shufu should’ve taught him everything by now, and he should be spending his days in secluded cultivation without any free time to keep eyes on me. I…”

"Jiang Cheng tapped Wei Wuxian’s shoulder and whispered, “His eyes are on you. Best of luck.”"

Now I know (or at least Wei Wuxian does) what you might still be asking about all this...

"Lan Qiren was tall and thin, his back as straight as a brush. Although he had a long black goatee, he was most definitely not old, and in line with the Lan Clan of Gusu’s tradition of birthing beautiful men every generation, he was most definitely not ugly."

Is Lan Qiren hot? Well sure, but Wei Wuxian isn't really into dilfs. If you're into dilfs though... Well, just be careful he's very strict!

He then reads them out all 3000 rules one by one as the kids sit there in silence, gets mad about the kids not already knowing the rules, singles out Wei Wuxian (not unearned he's been a little troublemaker) and then scolds him for getting the right answers because he shouldn't be proud anyone could get right answers (but when Lan Wangji gets an answer right that's a reason to look up to him ok buddy). Then Wei Wuxian, the known troublemaker, the guy who Lan Qiren is apparently targeting as a known troublemaker and trying to humble because he's an arrogant little shit or whatever, that guy, he says some edgy shit and Lan Qiren gets immediately outraged and kicks him out of class.

Lan Qiren... He isn't THAT great my dudes.

"“Wei-xiong! You’re amazing! He told you to get out and you actually left! Ha ha ha ha…” “He couldn’t wrap his head around what happened for the longest time after you left, his face was so sour!”"

Wei Wuxian is an arrogant little shit though. But like... Maybe Lan Qiren should ask... If he is the one... Who needed to be humbled... Hmm... What about that huh?

Power move. No notes.

You know what? I'm gonna say it. Using your nephew like that in class, as an example to humble others... Hmm... Kinda shitty to Lan Wangji. That's literally an awful position to put him in oh my god. And LWJ is probably just like "this is normal" like why would you do that to him. And Lan Xichen like "uwu Wangji needs more friends" I WONDER WHY HE HAS NO FRIENDS OH MY GOD

Anyway.

"Nie Huaisang contemplated this. Then envy began to surface on his face. “What Wei-xiong said is actually very interesting. Obtaining spiritual qi requires cultivating and laboriously forming a golden core. Who knows how long that’ll take for someone like me? Any aptitude I have seems like it got chewed on by dogs in my mother’s womb. But resentful qi… That’s abundantly produced by all those nefarious creatures out there. If it could be put to use, how nice would that be?”"

Demonic Cultivator Nie Huaisang! Demonic Cultivator Nie Huaisang! Demo--

"Wei Wuxian laughed. “Why would I leave the grand avenue under the sun to walk the single-planked bridge in the shadows?"

Oh no an arc phrase that will reappear inverted ironically later on in the story oh nooooo what an emotional time to have emotions.

"The Righteousness Collection was the Lan family precepts. Their family precepts were so numerous that Lan Qiren had edited and assembled them into a thick collection, and the “Highest Justice” and “Standard Etiquette” chapters took up most of the work."

Stop! Stop! I already hate the Lan! I don't need any more incentive I am a Su She stan and you had me at 4000 rules. No one needs that many rules. You can cut those down. Some of those things probably just don't matter that much.

"Wei Wuxian spat out the sprig of grass in his mouth, dusted off his boots, and said, “Copy three times? I’ll ascend after the first time. I’m not a Lan, and I don’t plan on marrying into the Lans, so what do I need to copy their family precepts for? I refuse.”"

See it's funny because he does marry into the Lan and become a Lan. Bad Ending Should have realized it would be a Bad End after they killed JGY

"He was graceful and elegant, as if he himself were a tree of jade, mottled with the shadows of the leaves and the sun’s rays."

"Wei Wuxian, however, jumped down and went over to call after him, “Wangji-xiong!”"

"Wei Wuxian didn’t care. He chuckled aloud. “He can ignore me all he wants. It’s not like he’s even that pretty.” But then when he thought about it, yes, the boy was indeed that pretty. So he nonchalantly tossed that pouty feeling to the back of his mind."

Wei Wuxian falls first. He is smitten. Like, you're seeing this right?

"“Please, I beg you, Wei-xiong. This is my third year attending school at Gusu..."

Huh really wow Lan Qiren must be such a great teacher lmao. (Sorry, I'm bagging on poor Lan Qiren now, does he deserve it? Probably not, but like... Maybe a little bit yeah.)

"This Wei Ying really was as he had expected—the largest threat to humanity!"

He's an edgy 15 year old. You know there's people actually killing each other. Dude there's at least four types of evil things you taught in class as standard stuff everyone should know about.

Is it because of the crush on Lan Zhan? It's the crush on Lan Zhan isn't it?

"Wei Wuxian blurted praise in spite of himself, “Beautiful writing! Best of the best.”"

"Seeing that he’d finally been able to tease Lan Wangji into talking, he was secretly delighted, like he’d seen the bright moon at last after waiting for the clouds to part."

Then he tricks Wangji into reading porn and I've got nothing to say to that. I'm sure that's very funny if you are an edgy 15 year old and very not if you are Lan Wangji.

It's a very cute Lan Wangji though.

Alright, I'll listen to him. No need to send him off.

We'll uh... Well I'll try to power through the rest next time (there's no chance it doesn't just devolve into me fawning over little baby minshan forever and delaying the end of Chapter 4 even more. No chance. It's Minshan all the way down.)

[domo-arts]

long time no wangxian