#none of those were mxtx novels

[mxtxfanatic]

Wait a minute, hold the phone

I never said “you can’t assign sexuality to a character who is clearly gay” 😭 I said that assigning wwx any (Western labeled) sexuality is not canonically supported and that the discourse doesn’t matter. You could argue for any sexuality for wwx or lwj (outside of hetero) with equal amounts of evidence, because the truth is that there is no evidence stated in the text for any one label. Two men love each other, have only ever loved each other, and will only ever love each other because they were created for each other. That could be anything or nothing at all.

Once again, for the people on the back!

✨Wei Wuxian was not Bi✨

As someone that did the bi to ace pipeline I LOVE Bi rep. There isn't enough of it.

HOWEVER!

You cannot assign sexuality to a character that is clearly gay.

@mxtxfanatic @ladypfenix and @jiangwanyinscatmom have done some absolutely beautiful metas about Wei Wuxian's sexuality and how his flirting was compulsory heterosexual ideas he grew up with and was the behavior expected of him.

[mxtxfanatic]

Tbh, I think if you read an mxtx novel with the expectation that the story’s hero is meant to learn some valuable lesson that fundamentally changes their character and views on life, then you are reading her books wrong. There’s not a single mxtx protag (currently) in existence who changes by the end of the story. It’s the world they live in that is changed because of their actions:

—Shen Yuan’s Shen Qingqiu transforms a toxic masculinity fantasy into a queer romance in which the unhappy stallion protagonist with a harem in the 100s is given his monogamous happy ending with a husband he actually loves and values with reciprocity. They fuck off to their forever honeymoon after exposing the corruptness of the cultivation world that ruined Luo Binghe’s life to begin with, and all of this was only possibly because Shen Yuan was just a genuinely nice fucking person. The world lives to see another day and a fuckton of people who died (or didn’t even get to exist) in the original stallion novel get to live long, more fulfilled lives in Shen Yuan’s revision.

—Wei Wuxian is killed for sticking up for a condemned clan, is resurrected against his will, and still stands by his actions in his first life while protecting those that continued to wrongfully condemn him. As a reward, the corpses of the people he died protecting save him and his loved ones (and the rest of the bystanders who killed them), he bags himself the most perfect and perfectly matched man in the cultivation world, and he continues to help others and do what he wants to the ire of the cultivation world who are now too embarrassed to fight him. The younger generation look to him as a beloved teacher, protector, and role model to aspire towards.

—Xie Lian rebelled against hierarchy as a beloved prince of a prospering kingdom, then as a beloved god against the older gods, then as a reviled scraps god against the then most popular gods of the present day. He was always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed it and to never hold resentment even if that kindness blew up in his face (and it often did). He gets to marry the man (ghost) who has seen him at his best and absolute worst and chooses him unconditionally, something no one else has ever done before. At the end of the novel, he is the god that all the other gods look to for guidance and strength.

None of these stories humble these characters for being good people. Even when their morally righteous actions net them unimaginably terrible results, even when they falter in the face of their failures, they ultimately remain true to their goodness. And none of the books humble them for that, because being good is not a character flaw. So in short: please stop talking about how mxtx protags “needed” to learn valuable lessons to “be good people” when they were already good people from the very beginning. These stories are not about how the world changes people but how genuinely good people can change the world just by actively being kind even with no benefit to themselves and especially if that kindness leads to detriment.

[danmei-confessions]

I truly think SVSSS deserves a revision more than any of MXTX's other novels.

I love the novel, yes, but it is poorly written. MXTX rushed the chapters after Bbingqiu's reunion due to using VIP lock for the first time and it makes the writing distinctly worse. I understand that she was young while writing it, which is the whole reason why it deserves a revision. The novel could have so much more potential than it currently does and it's no wonder that it's her least popular when even fans of her other novels choose to not read it due to being uninterested.

So much more story could be added, or just minor details. For example, we barely know anything about the 12 peaks all together, and unless you make up facts, there's practically nothing on their peak lords too. I see complaints about the SVSSS wiki being empty regarding the peak lords and I hate to say it, but that's NOT due to the moderators but rather pure lack of content. Hell, most of the facts that do existed were only in the light novel and not in the web novel at all. There's such little information it's really not shocking that the fandom runs on head-canons. In all 100 chapters of her novel, half of it in slightly plot, while the other is SQQ being... SQQ.

I have so many thoughts on the potential SVSSS has:

Despite it being mentioned that there are 'plenty of minor sects' we only hear the name of one.

Despite sects like Tian Yi or Zhao Hua being a part of the main 4, we know almost nothing about them, how they run, or their disciples/sect lead (literally the only named Tian Yi disciples are the 3 nuns). We also don't know their locations, what locations they control, or their history

The past events of SVSSS (before SY transmigrated) are so messy. Theres only 2 timelines I've found here on tumblr and even those are so different from each other. Theres no clear years compared to TGCF or MDZS and its so frustrating. This also leaves characters practically age-less (other than like. Binghe) unlike her other characters.

Almost none of the side-characters grow development with anyone other than Shen Qingqiu. I say 'almost' but I can not name any off the top of my head. There are characters that have/had such interesting relationships that were completely thrown out the window For The Plot. This is so.... disappointing, considering other character's relationships make up the plot! It's not only the MC!

Everything being rushed is heartbreaking, and with a re-write I think arcs such as the Holy Mausoleum, Jin Lan, Borderlands, etc could become SO much more interesting. Alongside that, the Mai Gu Ridge situation was blown off so fast?? Like, it was mentioned that the Endless Abyss was breaking through CCM, then just never mentioned again...

Power Scaling. Fights. Actual fights between people who aren't LGQ or LBH. We only really got NYY/LPM, MBJ/his uncle, and TLJ/LBH. Most of those were ALSO rushed.

The System's appearance was reduced LARGELY in the later chapters-almost like MXTX forgot about them. The whole first 2 volumes include The System so much, and its unique! functions! all for it to be disregarded and those functions to never be used other than the jade necklace.

Actually going into the wonderous world of PIDW that is claimed to have interesting weapons (only Xin Mo was shown), locations, plants (only Qingsi and that one thats too long for me to feel like typing shown), and creatures (only rly ZZL and Madam Meiyin shown).

That's all I really have right now. I'm not trying to be an anti of MXTX's other novels. I just think that SVSSS has so much potential that she could have brought out if she had chosen to revise it. I love TGCF and MDZS very much, they have great scaling, brought-out potential, and relationships that SVSSS so could have.

I do want to exclaim that out of all her 3 novels SVSSS has been my favorite for years. I genuinely feel upset that it was not the one picked despite how obvious it is that it has barely any NEW content. Or at the least, confirmed facts. In her QNA's most of the questions are purely MDZS/TGCF while there's maybe 2 SVSSS ones. Those few questions answered by her are literally lifelines for some fans. (Such as heights and Moshang) The novel could become popular just if the criticisms/potential of it were actually addressed. I'm not saying that casually but I am very sure of it as MXTX is a freakishly great writer and she COULD take the novel to the same heights as TGCF/MDZS if she truly wanted to.

.

[raptorsgust]

hello! so i was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the tgcf donghua s2 fan screening right here in singapore, so here's a short report on the happenings! under the read more as there will be spoilers including those from the novel

arrived at around 1:20pm and it already looked like a full house! lots of people queueing at the photobooths and stuff, LOTS of cosplayers, mainly hualian and beefleaf. after a while i asked an usher about the merch booth but it was already closed due to the long queue, so i just went to find my seat which was near the back (in front of a bunch of cosplayers haha)

the hall had at least eight screens but none were positioned in a way where i didn't have to turn/crane my neck lol i can still feel the strain

the screening itself started at about 10 minutes past 2pm! we first had some voice actor greetings first, both of shi qingxuan's voice actors seemed to have received the loudest cheers from my pov! all of them ended their greeting with 天官赐福，百无禁忌

there was also a quick announcement of another tgcf collab cafe in 2024! sg just keeps winning and winning

after that we finally started the screening with a recap of s1 starting from the cart scene all through the banyue arc. xie lian's lines were all newly voiced by his new voice actor deng youxi, and he sounded alright to me! (note: not 100% sure that he did replace jgt's voicing but that's what i remember, correct me if im wrong!)

more than an hour of s1 later, we smoothly transitioned into the first episode of s2, and the following are some highlights and points:

s2 is still based on the unrevised novel as far as i can tell

everyone loves shi qingxuan!!

ghost city is very extravagant and fun! lots of quirky ghosts, there's joss paper flying around everywhere

xl's 不举 was omitted even though it's already rated m18 lol

the part where hc teaches xl to shake the dice has a lot of hand touching and cute reactions from the ghosts and sqx and lqq

a LOT of teasing leading up to the reveal of hc's true form, they'd show part of his face, his hand, his boots, and when he stepped out from behind the curtain and xl laid eyes on him for the first time there were shoujo bubbles

also A LOT OF SCREAMING FROM THE AUDIENCE tbh it was already loud enough throughout the gambling scene it was just hilarious

frankly i couldn't see hc clearly cuz, bad seat, but we all know how he looks like anyway

idk if it's just mE but the audio of the entire screening had its pitch raised, all the songs were a key higher, everyone sounded higher-pitched...... to ward people from secretly recording it?

feels bad for fulgur cuz it feels like most of the audience didn't care about him? half of them left their seats for the photobooths during his q&a segment

quiz time was interesting......

for "what is hc's weapon?" the host accepted the answer E-Ming, as in the person who answered said cAPITAL LETTER OF THE ALPHABET E which i would personally not accept as correct but o wells

the last question was "what did hc give to xl at the end of s1?" and the lucky person who answered very precisely said "his ashes in the form of a ring" and the host went aRe YoU sUrE and tried to make us recall an oBjEcT and i think we were all second-guessing ourselves there lmao please get a host who did their homework next time

pretty sure that was a huge spoiler for donghua-only fans tho HAHA

after the event was over i hung around texting friends and then tried to see if the merch booth was available but all the nice merch was sold out, and frankly just thinking of trying the queues at the photobooths was mentally draining so i just left haha

overall it was a great experience! watching and reacting together with so many other fans is truly a rare experience and despite going solo i had fun!

excellent door gifts too, the acrylic stand is of great quality and is now set up and sitting on my mxtx shelf~

[legallyhermione]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Ooooof this is such a hard question!! Thank you for the ask, I love this kinda stuff!!

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here they are!

1. Any of MXTX’s content (I’m counting them as one because I love too many things 😭): For me, these novels and adaptations were my first foray into danmei and Chinese media. I also discovered them at a time when I was questioning my identity and coming to terms with the fact I’m queer (which is…not really accepted in my family). I watched The Untamed first, then read fan translations of the novels before they started being officially translated, and I keep coming back to them because I find them so thought provoking. I like that none of the characters are presented as perfect people; they’re all flawed humans, but we love them anyway.

2. Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty: found family, Sherlock Holmes-like detective skills, spies, political machinations, food as a form of love? What more could I ask for! I just love this show. Haven’t gotten to read the novel it’s based on yet, but I’m hoping to soon!

3. Yuri on Ice: one of the first anime I ever watched, and it’s just so sweet and lovely. Definitely one of my comfort shows! Plus there are some crazy good fics. Still hoping one day we’ll get the movie!

4. Harry Potter: I struggle with this one a lot, because I very much dislike JKR’s transphobic rhetoric. But the fan spaces of Harry Potter provided me with support and escape I needed many times throughout my life, and for that the fandom of Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s been a part of my life nearly as long as I can remember.

5. Thousand Autumns: another one with some very morally grey characters! I love thinking about who and what is right and wrong, and this novel definitely makes you think about it. Lots of political world building as well, which I love.

6. My Cousin Vinny: a fantastic movie that I have many fond memories about. The jokes and digs about the south vs the north in the US always make me laugh, and as someone who has lived many years in both of those areas, those scenes make me giggle.

7. Haikyuu!: another one of my comfort shows! It’s just happy and fun and adorable. I love this one. I watched it sooooo many times during lockdown.

8. BBC Merlin: was morgana my bi awakening? I shan’t tell! Suchhh a good show, I miss it so much. Another fandom that has some incredibleeeee fanfics. Y’all writers are so talented.

9. Our Flag Means Death: I think this was maybe my first piece of media that explicitly included multiple queer characters but the entire storyline wasn’t only about the otherness and pain of being queer (or just a stereotyped role). This show made me feel seen in ways no other media had before. Plus, the show is gay pirates. It doesn’t get much better than that!

10. Avatar the Last Airbender: me and my siblings all loved this show, and we still watch it together often whenever we’re together. It’s so good. Zuko’s character development is still quite possibly the best redemption arc I’ve seen. I love it.

Phew. It was so hard to choose 10! I’m glad you didn’t ask me to pick one because I’m afraid that would’ve been impossible for me! What are your favorites???

💚

[mxtxfanatic]

It is canon that Lan Qiren lead the Lan in the first (and second) siege of the Burial Mounds, but I think some of your hangups about Lan Xichen’s role—or lack thereof—might be because you are putting emphasis on the fact that he is a clan leader, an emphasis that is wholly unneeded. Yeah Lan Xichen is a young clan leader, but… literally nobody cares? Everyone except for Jin Guangshan is a young clan leader, like, becoming a clan leader in their teens young. Lan Xichen is not special, and being a young leader is not grounds for destabilizing a major clan, especially not in the eyes of the actual clan who’d already been acting with Lan Qiren as de facto leader while their real clan leader was in perma-seclusion. Lan Xichen is sworn brothers with two prominent members of two other great clans; he is not looking for allies, legitimacy, or approval. The Lan did not even need to be at the first siege. They were a completely unnecessary force (as was everyone else who went). They went because they wanted to, just like everyone else. It didn’t matter who represented them, just as long as they were represented to put on a “united” front.

On the other hand, it doesn’t skirt his complicity in the crimes against Wei Wuxian and the Wen remnants, because 1) the whole cultivation world is personally responsible and 2) he plays a much deeper and more direct role in their doom. He directly supports Jin Guangyao’s lies spun to contribute to the severing of ties between Wei Wuxian and the Jiang. He doesn’t press the issue about Wen Qing because he prioritized Nie Mingjue’s emotions over the Wen remnants lives. He didn’t verify what was happening in the labor camp because he prioritized Jin Guangyao’s emotions over truth. Notice a theme, here? Going to the actual siege, in the first siege, he is absent because he is caring for Lan Wangji who is bedridden from a punishment condoned—possibly even implemented—by him for the crime of defending Wei Wuxian from them. He is also absent from the second siege—having been taken hostage after falling for another of Jin Guangyao’s lies.

As for the part about everyone being complicit: the siege was a joint effort of clan leaders great and insignificant, their disciples, and even random rogue and guest disciples. This was a group project, and none of those nameless nobodies who gathered around to kill Wei Wuxian and the Wen remnants are considered “innocent” just because they were only followers of the mob rather than being the leaders. In fact, there are places in the novel where mxtx shows these “nobody” characters being direct instigators of conflict while hiding behind the actual leaders to cover their actions. At the second siege, it’s said that only about 20 cultivators present had direct grudges against Wei Wuxian, but many of them were present for the first one, which initiated some of the aforementioned grudges they carried 13 years later to the second one. Everyone was personally responsible unless they actively opposed the siege, and we know that was only Lan Wangji and Mianmian.

In the end, you could probably make an argument that the significance of Lan Xichen’s absence from both sieges—but specifically the first in this case—is that he puts personal relationships over morality and righteousness. People’s lives were on the line, but he still chose to nurse his brother over seeing the fruits of his own in/actions come to fruition. And he would never have to face the blood on his hands as long as he doesn’t want to, which is his privilege as a respected clan leader of a great clan.

Edit that I forgot: Wei Wuxian has never once mistaken Lan Xichen for Lan Wangji, and I highly doubt he would have just for the siege.

I don’t remember if it was canon in the novels or just from the donghua, but I think it’s kind of a strange decision to have Lan Qiren lead the Lan sect in the Siege of the Burial Mounds instead of Lan Xichen.

Like, first of all, Lan Xichen is the sect leader. He’s young, he’s only recently come into his role (much like Jiang Cheng), so politically he’d need to cement his power early on so as to not appear weak. Sitting out on this crucial attack that all of the Great Sects are leading would reflect poorly on him. Everything is about politics in this world—especially in the Lan sect—and that would take precedent over his personal angst about Lan Wangji’s recent punishment. I mean, it’s not like they cut Lan Wangji any slack when it came to prioritizing his heart over duty, you know?

Second of all, it really skirts Lan Xichen’s personal responsibility in the atrocities committed against the Wens. Like, it’s kind of thematically important every sect leader was complicit in crimes against humanity, and I feel like just having Lan Xichen not be there is giving him an easy out. Like obviously he’d still have had to order the siege, and his years-long entanglement with Jin Guangyao thoroughly implicated him in a whole lot of awful shit, but the fandom already gives him a pass for most of that, and I feel like this only fuels that. Not that it’s bad to like him as a character or anything, it’s just that MDZS is a very morally complex story, and having these characters that appear kindly commit horrible atrocities is a major factor in that. I feel like it just puts a damper on a very poignant message.

Third of all, in terms of the personal angst factor, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji look a lot alike, and Wei Wuxian didn’t know that Lan Wangji was too injured to fight. How fucked up would it be if Wei Wuxian, in his final moments, saw Lan Xichen from across the battlefield and thought that Lan Wangji had joined the siege to kill him too?

[kimievii]

.

[fannish-karmiya]

I've often noticed people in the MDZS fandom imply that the narrative essentially punishes all of the antagonists for their crimes and that, by extension, anyone who survives the end of the novel is thus not that bad, or at least redeemable. Personally, I find this a very flawed idea. MDZS is not a novel where justice prevails; it's a novel where those in power act with impunity and never face justice for it.

In fact, I think the only times anyone faces justice is when their victims happened to also be upper class.

No one in cultivation society cares that Jin Guangyao mass murdered prostitutes (twice). They don't even care that much about the smaller, less important sects who were massacred by Lanling Jin. They definitely don't care about the Wens. No, they care that he killed Nie Mingjue. They care that he married his sister, killed his father, and killed his son. Nie Huaisang only acted against Jin Guangyao because he wanted revenge for the death of his brother.

No one cares that Jiang Cheng led the siege and helped massacre 50 innocent people who were non-combatants (none of the Wen remnants had swords). No one cares that he spent 13 years hunting down people he suspects of practising guidao and torturing and killing them, regardless of whether they truly did or not, or whether they were using guidao to harm others or not. They also don't care that he sometimes killed people simply for having the name Wen and being unlucky enough to cross him.

That is why he survives to the end of the novel. Not because his crimes weren't horrific, not because he's been deemed redeemable or 'not that bad' by the narrative. But because his victims were people their society doesn't care about.

Dare I say it, it's the same with the Lans. Lan Xichen isn't being 'spared' by the narrative because he's just a hapless victim; his survival has nothing to do with whether he's a good person or not. In fact, he survived in the end because, to paraphrase MXTX: even scum has someone they care about. Gusu Lan's failings go unaddressed because their victims were people they could get away with hurting. Who will judge them as unrighteous for taking part in the siege, when all the other sects did, too? Who will judge them for how they imprisoned Lan-furen for life, when her fate was kept a secret and she had no powerful family to speak for her? Who will judge them for whipping Lan Wangji 33 times, when that, too, was kept a secret, and he was being punished for protecting Wei Wuxian, who the cultivation world only viewed as a dog to be put down? Who will judge them for not wanting to give shelter to Wen Yuan, an innocent child, when their whole world wanted to kill said innocent child?

Jiang Cheng is not left alive at the end because his crimes weren't 'that bad'. Lan Xichen isn't still alive because he's actually a good person (I'm sorry, when does he ever do anything actively good in the novel? he's very neutral). Lan Qiren isn't still alive and a respected elder of the Lan sect because he's a good person with no blood on his hands. All of the other sect leaders and cultivators who took part in the siege aren't alive because they were less culpable.

They're alive because their victims were people society doesn't care about, and still does not care about. That's it. That's the only reason.

[ninjakk]

What do you think about WWX's mother shaving LQRs facial hair off back in the day?

Now it's not officially canon - but it was apparently said in a Weibo post/interview with MXTX. I can only find a few translations on this, but not the original text! So obviously this is just for a bit of fun!

Here's a few references for those who are curious:

Beared shaving

Night hunt incident

Apparently legendary badass Cangse Sanren shaved his precious goatee off in order to play a trick on him. According to another interview, she did this in retaliation to JFM and Daddy Wei Wei Changze being put in danger during a night hunt, thanks to LQR having a stick up his arse following the rules so rigidly. Cangse Sanren sounds like my kind of girl!

MXTX also states WWX shaved his goatee off while he was at the CR as well! Aww like mother, like son! This was used in the Audio Drama as a cute little extra.

According to some fans, though I'm not sure where they got this from, they were all studying at the CR at the time?! I find this a little contradicting as CSR wouldn't have been allowed around them due to the gender segregation at CR, which extends to night hunts. So... Unless they only put that rule into force after CSR had been there and went wild?! Which is hilarious to think about. Mother and son contributing to half the rules on the CRs Wall of Discipline! 😂

But again, technically this is not canon, as none of this is mentioned in the novel! Still fun to think about though!

Thanks for the fun ask! 😊

[qiu-yan]

[ID: reply from @bidet-of-evil: "i’m not sure what you mean exactly, but for me there seems to be a discrepancy btw what the story actually tells about the characters and the conclusion we’re apparently “supposed” to draw from it about those characters. and it maybe stems from the belief that ppl have an innate moral quality rather than that their actions should be evaluated on their own merit. so when good person wwx does bad things, it’s forgivable, but when bad person jgy does, it may be understandable but not forgivable." emphasis added by me.]

you bring up an excellent point about the protagonist centered morality. to a certain extent, it does feel like MDZS celebrates wei wuxian and lan wangji not because of what they actually did, but rather by virtue of them being the protagonists of the novel; were the story to be narrated from someone else's point of view, the moral assessment of these two characters seems like it would be...different, at the least.

as to what i meant by "the granularity of morality," i first had the thought when reading a MDZS fic (none lives forever, brother, and nothing lasts for long by eena), and i came across the following line:

The war and everything after it, it’s not a story. It was real life, and in real life there are no heroes, just people weighing outcomes.

this is an excellent line. "there are no heroes, just people weighing outcomes" does in fact describe both how i view the events of MDZS and also how i view reality. however, the more i thought about it, the more i realized that in the moral framework put forth by MDZS, this quote....actually isn't the case. according to MDZS itself, there are in fact heroes--and too there are people who are not heroes.

the granularity of morality in the above quote is the individual action, the individual decision. a person makes a decision by weighing the potential outcomes. the outcomes can be good, bad, or both; the decision can be good, bad, tragic, or all of the above. but no statement is made as to the overall moral character of the entire person--"there are no heroes."

but in MDZS itself, there are heroes. MDZS does not posit that [wei wuxian made morally good decisions], MDZS says that [wei wuxian is a hero]. the granularity of morality is not just specific actions, but has rather increased to encompass the entire individual. instead of making moral statements about specific decisions (ie. "this was a morally questionable decision," "this was the right thing to do"), MDZS instead makes moral statements about entire people.

from MXTX's interviews and author's notes:

I hope each of you who enjoys this book can be like Lan WangJi in virtue and Wei WuXian in character.

Jiang Cheng has many character flaws, but he is not a terrible person.

Jin GuangYao is a scum, but a scum with feeling.

all statements i don't really agree with. not even because of what they're directly saying, but rather because, in each statement, the granularity of morality is the whole person. a sweeping statement is being made about the entirety of one's moral character. even in cases where moral greyness is acknowledged, it's not about what you do, it's about what you are.

as you said, this is where the protagonist-centered morality comes in. when you assess each character's actions on a decision-to-decision basis, equally tragic decisions must be assessed on an equal basis. if wei wuxian was driven to do what he did by the extremity of his circumstances, then the same understanding must also be extended to jin guangyao. and just as the lives wei wuxian saved (at the cost of many other lives) cannot be ignored, so too must we not ignore the many positive reforms jin guangyao has achieved for the good of the world, no matter what other shit he also did. each specific action must be assessed, and actions cannot cancel out other actions.

but when you shift to a whole-person-based moral granularity--when you assess a person's entire moral character in one go, especially if you do so in the way MDZS does--things change. everything wei wuxian does is afforded more sympathy, because [wei wuxian is a fundamentally good person]. conversely, everything jin guangyao does, even if it was for genuinely selfless reasons and/or had a significantly positive impact on the world, is afforded less sympathy, because [jin guangyao is a fundamentally bad person].

moreover, the MDZS-specific brand of moral-character-assessment, rather than deriving an assessment of one's moral character from one's actions, seems to have already made up its mind. the argument shifts from [wei wuxian did XYZ, therefore he is a good person] to [wei wuxian is a good person, therefore when he did PQRS it was justified/understandable/forgivable]. the argument shifts from [jin guangyao did XYZ, therefore he is a bad person] to [jin guangyao is a bad person, therefore when he did PQRS it was unjustified/evil/unforgivable]. the cart has started to come before the horse.

then again, i could be conflating the book itself with the fandom. i think there is some nuance to be had in the book.

it's hard to explain exactly what i mean, but the overwhelming impression i got from my first (and subsequent) readthroughs of mdzs is that, in mdzs the novel, the granularity of morality is not the action, but the entire individual.

to put it in other words, what is being assessed in the text of mdzs is not merely a specific action performed in a specific context, but rather the entirety of the actor's moral character. it isn't just that [wei wuxian did something heroic in this one specific instance], it's that [wei wuxian is just fundamentally a good person].

meanwhile, with some more controversial characters, what is on trial is again not their specific actions or even the sum of all their actions, but rather their entire character. even when the text argues that someone's character contains shades of grey, the statement i'm getting from the text (and from mxtx's interviews) is still [this person has both good and bad in them] rather than [this person made both bad choices and good choices]. those are different statements with differing granularities of morality.

even though most genre fiction functions this way, this is still a rather uncharitable assessment of the writing quality of mdzs (at least by my own preferences). so perhaps i'm conflating the actual text with the fandom, haha.

[dangermousie]

Some more SVSSS thoughts

Yes, I never shut up, sorry not sorry.

One of the things that really struck me on reread is how MXTX gets something crucial that so many fandoms (and generally people outside of fandom discourse) do not get:

That someone can be a complex person - because most real people are complex and not cardboard cut-outs, that they could be someone that under other circumstances they could have been good or even heroic, that someone might have a tragic past, be a victim and have logical reasons how step by step they ended up where they ended up and still be a bad person, a monster, an abuser or whatever else.

Explanation is not the same as justification. One can be both pitiable and repulsive, a victim and a perpetrator. Hell, one can be one to some and the other to others. One does not negate or excuse the other.

Take the original SQQ. SQQ was horrifically abused as a child, SQQ trusted his one friend and then that hope turned to ashes, SQQ was not a lustful bastard seeking women for sex but someone who sought their company because he felt safe with them due to his past trauma, SQQ murdering those people was his snapping from abuse (in some ways equivalent to Mo Ran in the brothel in 2ha and nobody finds Mo Ran irredeemable because of that action), SQQ really tried to protect the sect leader and he didn’t mean to kill LQQ (he actually tried to help with the qi deviation, he just accidentally screwed it up.) And yet. And yet. He abused Liu Binghe, a helpless child, horrifically for years, and did his best to murder him. The original SQQ created his own monster and his own murderer. The backstory, the details make SQQ a tragedy but they do not make him any less of a monster. None of that stuff makes his abuse of Binghe OK. That is why it’s a tragedy - not because he innocently got it in the neck but because he was a person that could have been better but wasn’t, a person who under different circumstances may have had a different life. (Hell, OG Binghe himself is in the same mold - someone who’s had a horrific background that turned him into a monster, but he’s a monster at the end, no ifs or buts.)

And I love how this plays into the general sense of unsettledness in the novel. Both in terms of character fluidity (take Zhuzhi-lang. He is sweet, he is loyal, he’s tragic. He also murdered Gongxi Xiao, a truly good guy, for no good reason at all even if it made sense in his internal logic) but also in terms of outcomes. The OG Binghe exists and he’s left to monstrously rule but be left emotionally unsatisfied and lonely forever, there is no “look at happy triumph” for him. The fact that OG SQQ was not a flat caricature also leaves a bitter trace about his ending (especially the fact that he will never know his brother did not abandon him, and that sect leader will never be able to tell him, in this or any other reality; OG SQQ’s long gone by the time sect leader explains to “our” SQQ and in the OG reality even their blood is not allowed to mingle.) Or take the case of Binghe’s father - there is no teary reunion and there never will be but also he’s been wronged by the world and it’s never going to be truly fixed; how can it be? (Side note - the description of him being chained, body slowly rotting away as he’s conscious, and his reciting poems/arias he used to listen to in the human world, sometimes pausing because those were the ones he listened with Binghe’s mother - it’s a throwaway moment but it really echoes MXTX’s ability to really go dark into suffering with so few words, as she did in TCGF actually.)

I love how everything is untidy, not truly fixed but patched up, never perfect just the best you can have under the circumstances. Everyone ends up being walking wounded of a sort, but at least they are standing.

(I actually love that sense of unsettledness in MXTX works in general, the fact that things aren’t tied in a bow, that she deliberately denies a certain catharsis to her readers  - think of Blackwater or ghost baby stories in TCGF, think of the fact that WWX never knows how JC lost his core in the first place or that we never truly learn what happened to WWX’s parents, or the whole not-truly-resolution of the Yi City arc in MDZS. So many other authors would be tempted to resolve these, to take them to their narrative logical conclusion, whatever it may be, but I love that MXTX leaves them hanging. She is a tight enough plotter when she wants to be that I think it’s a deliberate choice and people either love or hate it but I love it.)

Final and semi-related side note. I just reread the extra where Airplane interviews Binghe and SQQ and one thing struck me:

“Shang Qinghua: “When the two of you are together what is the thing that makes your pulse race the most?”

“Luo Binghe earnestly said: “The times when I get patted on my head and instructed.”

Shen Qingqiu said: “Uh, when his face is streaming with tears while he’s begging me for something, I guess.”

I love this because a lot of their sex (or otherwise) scenes involve Binghe bawling and SQQ going “ugh I guess fine!” and it can totally read as SQQ not being into it but putting up with it because he’s soft-hearted for his disciple but this little exchange makes clear that no, it’s not that, SQQ actually gets off on it, he’s not putting up with it in the least, he’s way way into it. Those two freaks found each other and they are actually compatible and I love it. (I also find it interesting that Binghe is interested both in the B, the M, and the S of BDSM - I wonder if it’s because this is something where he knows he can be safe - any “reproof” he gets is with love and being allowed to boss/tie up his own shizun is a sign of how much the latter cares for him. Hmmm.)

[shijiujun]

Time for some BL/Danmei novel recs! 

You guys have probably (maybe) seen my novels list here - [X] - but it’s more for my own tracking than anything else, so here’s a brief list (I’ll probably do full ones of the ones I really love in another post, probably on Minmo).

The ones elaborated on below with the asterisks are the novels I’ve actually finished reading.

*since everyone more or less knows MXTX’s works - TGCF, MDZS and SVSSS, I’ll skip those!

1. SCI 迷案集 | SCI Mystery Series by 耳雅*

Summary: Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao are childhood friends and rivals that end up working together under the newly established SCI unit as co-leads, with Bai Yutang providing the brawn as Captain and Zhan Zhao the brains as Vice Captain and the team’s resident genius psychologist. They solve cases together and slowly unravel a wider conspiracy that involves their parents’ generation and beyond. At the same time they also realize that they’re meant for each other!

Other CPs: Bai Jintang (Bai Yutang’s older brother) & the medical examiner, Gongsun Ce, Bai Chi (Bai Yutang’s younger cousin) & magician Zhao Zhen, and at least three other gay pairings, one of which is considered another main couple of sorts from Vol. 2 onwards

Status: Incomplete (Began in 2010, author is still going on strong with one chapter every one or two months, we’re halfway through Vol. 5 right now and it’s been 10 years ;-; Love that the author is going on strong!! Everyone on JJWXC are like “please author it’s okay if you go slow as long as you keep going we’re here for you” and jfc I understand the fear of this not completing, also when will Vol. 5 be completed and printed?!! I need to complete the collection)

Translations: Unfortunately, only the first volume has been translated well so far on novel updates. The one on Wattpad seems to have caught up, but I would not recommend that one.

Drama/Live-Action: Season 1 was filmed and released in 2018 under the same name with slightly changed names for the characters. Season 2 was supposed to start filming this month but... oh well. First season basically covered Vol. 1 novel from start to end.

*I love this one only because it was my very first danmei and so it’ll forever have a special place in my heart, and also because it’s still ongoing so ya know, I relive how much I love this every month

2. 成化十四年 | Cheng Hua’s Fourteenth Year (The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty) by 梦溪石*

Summary: Tang Fan, a prefectural judge, and Sui Zhou, a high ranking officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guards, meet while trying to solve a murder case. Both of them end up partnering very well together, Sui Zhou ends up inviting Tang Fan to live with him, and the rest is history. Through their days living together and solving cases + a larger conspiracy involving the royal palace, they fall in love. Adding to this mix is also Wang Zhi, a powerful, young eunuch who befriends the pair, and the three of them basically help the crown prince to overcome challenges and his enemies to become the next Emperor

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: Ongoing on several websites. I’m only translating relationship highlights, but here’s an introduction post I did for it, if you guys would like somewhere to start without getting too invested - [X]

Drama/Live-Action: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty was released earlier this year, directed by Jackie Chan and starring Darren Chen and Paul Fu, but cases are a little different and there are new characters in the show that weren’t from the novel etc.

3. 杀破狼 | Shapolang by Priest*

Summary: Set in a steampunk universe where flying boats named ‘kites’ and flying armour exist. Young teenager Chang Geng lives with his mother and stepfather - the former abuses him and the latter neglects him, and the only person that he cares about (and cares about him) is Shen Shiliu, his (very young) godfather. He realizes his identity as a royal prince when the Man tribe invades his city and Shen Shiliu, whose real name is Gu Yun, turns out to be an army general whose duty was to protect Chang Geng in secret (among other things). 

Chang Geng has been critically poisoned by his mother (who’s not actually his birth mother, if I recall she’s an aunt) which leads to him getting terrible dreams frequently with the end result of him being driven into insanity, while Gu Yun is half blind, half deaf due to poisoning + injury when he was much younger, and he can only regain his hearing and sight fully when he takes a medicine that is slowly losing its effectiveness with every dosage he has.

The both of them navigate learning about each other again, falling in love a few years later when Chang Geng is all grown up and also unravel conspiracies and fight bad guys (both external threats and internal as in the current Emperor and other parties) XD

*Note: The age old debate is that Gu Yun ‘preyed’ on and also ‘groomed’ Chang Geng, but I disagree and stand by the fact that Gu Yun was 90% of the time not around while Chang Geng grew from a teenager to a young adult as he was fighting wars elsewhere, while Chang Geng refused to stay at the Gu manor and insisted on running around, travelling on his own and seeing the world for a few years before they met again. And it was Chang Geng who’d always loved Gu Yun and devoted himself to caring about him, making advances on him etc. when he became an adult

Other CPs: Shen Yi (Gu Yun’s second-in-command) & Chen Qingxu (a renowned physician who ends up healing both Chang Geng and Gu Yun of their ailments) 

Status: Complete!

Translations: Fully translated the last I heard, it’s up there in the list of holy grail BL/danmei novels, so I’m sure it’s done hahaha.

Drama/Live-Action: Filming in progress!

*This is up there in the hall of fame for danmei novels for more than just the amazing content and writing - It’s also famous for being one of the most complex novels ever. I don’t know how the translations team did it because DAMN it was complex and I read all my novels in Chinese without much issues but I was honestly STRUGGLING WITH this one and I went through some existential crisis while reading because I was like ‘did I ever learn Chinese, am I even Chinese’ XD

4. 默读 | Silent Reading by Priest*

Summary: Luo Wenzhou, a police captain, and his team including best friend and partner Tao Ran, face a few challenging cases that end up being small parts of a larger conspiracy, and end up having to consult with Fei Du, a flamboyant, charming and flirty, young and rich CEO, who Luo Wenzhou describes as someone who is an expert at ‘crimes’. Not deduction, not solving crimes, but someone who is familiar with how the murderer or culprits would commit crimes. Both Luo Wenzhou and Tao Ran know Fei Du well, because they first met when Fei Du was in high school, when he called the police because his mother had hanged herself in the house, and since then Tao Ran and Luo Wenzhou look out for him, spending holidays with him, giving him presents here and there. Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du overcome their misunderstandings of each other and fall in love while solving all the cases and the larger conspiracy behind it.

Other CPs: Tao Ran and someone he knew first from his school days or was a neighbour when he was younger, I can’t remember, but they meet again at a blind date and end up living in the same building on different floors XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: Complete!! There’s a huge post floating around on Tumblr with all the links (I can’t find it right now) and on Twitter you can also find the collated, epub versions etc.

Drama/Live-Action: Rights for a live-action was signed, no casting confirmation or set dates yet

5. 犯罪心理 | Criminal Psychology by 长洱*

Summary: Police captain Xing Conglian drags psychologist Lin Chen out of seclusion/hiding to solve a case that is indirectly tied to him. Lin Chen was involved in a case a few years ago that led to four deaths - these four victims were the sons/daughters of four of the five huge old-money (super rich) families in the country and these family members sought to make Lin Chen’s life very difficult for him afterwards by making him lose all the jobs he can find, by surveilling his every move and ensuring that he’s not happy etc. Because of that, he backed out of the police force as well and quietly lived as a school dorm administrator, which is where Xing Conglian finds him a few years later. Lin Chen fakes his death after the first case (not deliberately but kind of a by-the-way thing), but as fate would have it, he ends up meeting Xing Conglian on another case, and he decides that he’ll move in with him and also involve himself again, consequences be damned, and they fall in love!

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: I think it’s not complete yet.

Drama/Live-Action: None that I know of.

6. 死亡万花筒 | Kaleidoscope of Death by 西子绪* (MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE)

Summary: Supernatural setting where people who are about to die get a second chance to live. These individuals are either in the midst of a dangerous situation (for e.g. a shootout or a deadly mugging incident) or are about to get into accidents (for e.g. an entire bus going off a bridge or a chandelier dropping from above and crushing the person underneath) or are ill (recently diagnosed with cancer or are terminally ill with a condition for e.g.) - The list is endless, and in the situation between life and death, 12 doors will appear before them. 

It is said that once these individuals finish all 12 doors, they will truly get a second chance at life and survive whatever cause of death they were imminently facing. 

Each door represents a creepy, supernatural mystery, and Lin Qiushi finds himself in a strange place after opening a door when he was trying to enter his apartment one day. He meets Ruan Baijie, a beautiful, tall woman who he happens to meet, and they realize that in this strange world, he and other individuals who came through the door have to complete a given task, find a key and an exit door, and make it out alive. The others in the team (some of which have already gone through several doors) explain to Lin Qiushi, who is a first-timer, what the doors are about. 

The catch is, if they die inside the door, in the real world, they’ll die immediately, by accident, throwing themselves off a building, or just throwing up blood until they die (just to name a few)

On the first night, however, three people are slaughtered and eaten by a long-haired ghost/creature. The good news is, Ruan Baijie isn’t all that she seems to be (for one, she’s not exactly a woman) and she takes a liking to Lin Qiushi immediately.

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: I think it’s not complete yet!

Drama/Live-Action: None that I know of, but honestly, this novel would be fricking EPIC as a live-action, and really creepy, but this is my all-time favourite novel, I kid you not!!!!

*I’m definitely doing a longer and more detailed to-read for KOD on my translation account, gosh you guys have no idea how much I love this.

7. 当年万里觅封侯 | Those Years in Quest of Honor Mine by 漫漫何其多

Summary: Yu She and Gu Wan were close friends for a short period of time when they were younger, but unfortunately their identities and positions meant that they were opponents. Yu She’s family was for the Second Prince and Gu Wan was taken in by the Sixth Prince’s family, but in the end it was the Second Prince who ended up getting to the throne, while the Sixth Prince was accused of treason and died somewhere far away at war after being captured. Gu Wan’s only wish was to keep the Fifth Prince’s children - Xuan Rui and a pair of twins, Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin safe, and so he moves them to another province and asks the Emperor (the Second Prince) to demote Xuan Rui’s status to prove that they are no threat to the Emperor, if only to stay alive for another day.

However, their days of hardship have only just begun, and Gu Wan decides to namedrop Yu She, whose family is so powerful now, and claims that Yu She loves him and that he was wooing Gu Wan back in the days they knew each other so that officials and others would treat the children under his care better. A few years pass and Yu She doesn’t expose Gu Wan. Gu Wan thinks they can go on like this forever, until the Emperor asks Xuan Rui and the twins to head back to the palace for a visit.

Gu Wan meets Yu She again, but the boy he knew, who was gentle, a stickler for rules and a proper, well-mannered person, has changed almost completely. Cue palace conspiracies again, brothers fighting for the throne, scheming consorts etc. XD 

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: I think it’s not complete yet but I’m not super sure on this

Drama/Live-Action: None that I know of!

*They came out with a new reprint edition three days ago and it’s gorgeous! And comes with amazing freebies, and I am a sucker and read it on the day of the printed novel release because I saw the art and loved it, wanted to see if the story was any good, and damn after chapter 2 I WAS GONE and then I checked out two copies from different stores for the two different sets of freebies 

--

A list of those I haven’t read but I see are highly raved about:

1. 二哈和他的白猫师尊 | The Husky & His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun

- I’ve already been spoiled and I know what goes on mostly, and there are a lot of warnings for a reason, but I’m still a fan, and let’s not get into the debate on the content, I know I have to read this but the angst level is apparently ridiculous, so I need like some mental preparation before I sit down for it.

2. 千秋 | A Thousand Autumns by 梦溪石

3. 烈火浇愁 | Lie Huo Jiao Chou by Priest

4. ��进酒 | Qiang Jing Jiu by 唐酒卿

- A really good group of translators picked this up initially on Twitter, but then assholes were complaining that they were being too slow and insisting that machine translation (MTL) did an equally good and faster job, so the OG dropped it, and then another nice team picked it up, but MTL team is still being an asshole XD I’ve heard really good things about this one, it’s apparently quite complex as well, I’d liken it to Shapolang level? But it might be even more complex (with a lot of politics and stuff), so much so that apparently the printed novel comes with a relationship/character chart so readers are at any point in time clear on the characters which is like amazing XD

[hishoukoku]

I wanna talk about a few pet peeves with CQL's divergence versus the novel, on the events surrounding Wei Wuxian

Disclaimer: I am perfectly aware none of the things I state below couldn't happen in a live action environment and I'm not blaming them since they had to change these elements.

I'd like to preface that I started learning this story with CQL and at the time I fell in love with it and I still like a LOT of things about it. But then as I've read the novel and watched the donghua I've slowly realized how monumentally more incredible the original story is and how frustrating some parts of CQL became for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

1) Wei Wuxian's death

One of my biggest issues with CQL's adaptation, which isn't even direct censorship, it was their own decision to adapt it this way, due to all the other alterations that were made to Wei Wuxian's character (which in turn are due to censorship)

In CQL Wei Wuxian's death is a suicide during the Nightless City events, as we see him being brutally affected and tormented by the events that occured, feeling utterly helpless and unable to discern any other course of action. So, in his desperation, he is shown throwing the Yin Tiger Seal, the most powerful artifact in existence, at the fucking power hungry mass of culitvators to literally fight over, after which he lets himself fall down from the cliff willingly.

This is momumentally diferent than the novel where he was never portrayed as suicidal. He always strives onwards through his sheer amount of will-power and strength.

So I would've loved to see the events unfold as in the novel, where he strives to survive and he only dies, months after the Nightless City incident, during the first siege, where his main focus was destroying the YTS as he realizes it's something even he himself, its inventor, cannot control and it musn't fall into the wrong hands. (as seen in the Chang Sect's massacre)

While trying to destroy the Amulet, it causes a wave of resentful energy and he is either desintegrated or torn apart by the fierce corpses surrounding him.

So it is absurd that in CQL he chose to let those people fight over the YTS, instead of him atempting to destroy it. But he is presented as sort of defeatist and nihilistic in CQL, which prompts him to resort to doing something so harmful and absurd.

Him being a just a victim of so many "bad" scenarios in CQL shows a very downplayed very weakened and mellowed down version of his original character, who is easily unable to cope, due to having stripped away his infailible integrity, will-power and ability to discern his own hubris.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

2) Wei Wuxian actually inventing demonic cultivation like in the novel

Not gonna lie this was my utmost biggest shock regarding their changes, because I knew even before watching that WWX is the grandaddy of demonic cultivation and I was ready to support and simp over him using this path he forged for himself.

Not in CQL tho :D

Wei Wuxian still uses demonic cultivation in CQL, calling it crafty tricks (?) and all his inventions are there, including of course the YTS, but imagine if we were to actually see CQL!WWX invent demonic cultivation and use his wide array of demonic cultivation spells as he should've after he strived so hard to forge a path of his own.

So, in CQL, him using some demonic cultivation is prefaced by the entire Yi Iron arc and the hunt for Yi Iron pieces, which takes a vast majority of the CQL flashbacks. This isn’t present and it isn't needed in the novel. The Yi Iron is only crucial in CQL because it practically explains the already existent and yet unpracticed demonic cultivation that Wei Wuxian happend to mess around with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

3) To emphasize more on this, a big part of Wei Wuxian's morality is altered in CQL.

I am absolutely in love with how his morality is portrayed in the novel, literally every single aspect of his judgement and morality appeals to me so much, and I am in love with everything he is, it's fucking unreal. He is incredibly self-aware and more realistic and human, because he knows exactly where his stands and doesn't shy away from using any means to accomplish his goals and no matter how he is perceived as, all of his decisions are rooted in and filtered through his own personal sense of justice and selflessness. He’s also aware of his mistakes and assumes responsibility. He’s very absolute about the decisions he sticks to and they are all extremely intelligent and calculated.

He knows his own hubris is the reason for his downfall.

Just gonna add that the morality of MXTX's protagonists is so fucking delicious to me and sooo very rare to see.

But, in CQL most of his actions are invalidated and presented as a victim of circumstance or through others' interference (like the pointless sound of a second flute to absolve him of his guilt) for the sake of being more: good™ xD. In CQL he’s also shown to be in wrong place at the wrong time type of situations, which is highly downgrading what the original intent behind his character was and what he fought for with his own flesh and blood.

His actions are his own in the novel and extremely valid and he assumes every single one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

4) The necromancy - which is non-existent in CQL

This is another one of my biggest gripes, the fact that all the reanimated fierce corpses were replaced by..uhm puppets xD

Even Wen Ning isn't a fierce corpse as he was in the novel, because CQL prefaced how he was never dead to begin with so technically he was just, uhm very slowly healed by WWX xD.

This isn't just a harmless change, because it causes the biggest plotline of the book (unconvering Nie Mingjue's death) to be severly altered.

This also caused the Guanyin city events to be altered significantly, with Wen Ning weilding Baxia and being posesed by said saber spirit. Because remember? reanimation isn't a thing xD so Wen Ning could not have fought Nie Mingjue's reanimated corpse.

(while we're at Guanyin temple, how fucking amazing would it be if WangXian's confession scene also happened xD)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And there are a few more minor things.

So I can't help but think...

With these few points that I made above, I cannot help but imagine how fucking cool that would be if CQL followed the novel plotline?

And I know, just as my wishful thinking, if CQL had followed all the main ideas in the novel it would really be a masterpiece, because the actors chosen already would nail the novel roles flawlessly, literally cast-wise everyone is perfect!

~thanks for reading~

[sm1l3b0t]

@alex-of-1000-dumbasseries ok well svsss can be somewhat. controversial. so i understand the curiosity. i dislike svsss for multiple reasons the main one being the romance is reaaaaallll fucking weird. when they first meet the protag (shen qingqiu) is in his 20s and the love interest (luo binghe) is arouunnddd 14 if im remembering correctly and also in the protags care. its a teacher/disciple dynamic where the love interest is literally entirely at the protag's mercy and relies on him pretty heavily. and this isn't for like two weeks this lasts a while. which is enough to turn me off of any novel regardless of the fact that nothing overtly romantic or sexual in nature happens until they're both adults for what i feel is very obvious reasons.

that being said i've seen people that that unequal power dynamic is done on purpose and we're meant to question it? specifically because apparently by the end of the novel it's been reversed with luo binghe having more power of shin qingqiu by virtue of being a warlord who could easily kill him. so apparently it's a purposeful aspect of svsss's status as a shitty erotica parody right it's commentary. we're meant to think about whether power dynamics like teacher/disciple or warlord/subject can be reversed, what does it mean to have power over someone like that, how do relationships change and grow over time, etc. frankly i think that is giving this book far too much credit

now keep in mind i only read 30 chapters or so before dropping it but frankly given the way the book seemed to categorize luo binghe's attachment to shen qingqiu as more comedic than anything else i am skeptical that the topic of an incredibly unequal romance would be handled with the proper amount of respect and care. i've read books that explored power dynamics like these before and enjoyed them because they were handled well and explored properly. i don't think svsss would be one of those books not just because from the snippets i've seen its primarily an adventure comedy but also because its bad.

its straight up not enjoyable to read even if you put aside the questionable romance. the action is dull, the dialogue makes me roll my eyes, the jokes aren't funny and the plot doesn't pull me in. the writing itself does not seem of high quality to me which makes sense because apparently mxtx was still a teenager when she wrote it. and i really like her other works i think they're fucking incredible stories and i think you can see some of the beginnings of the stuff i liked about those in svsss but absolutely none of it has come to fruition yet. it reads, to me, like a teenager's novel. it's immature and uninteresting, both in the writing itself and the things it explores.

it's status as a parody of shitty erotica webnovels was what initially drew me in because i thought that sounded interesting. but i think there are parodies out there that explore both svsss's comedic and serious aspects better. i think even if the weird fucking romance isn't enough to turn you off (which i would fundamentally disagree with you on i think its extremely unpleasant) there are just straight up better novels to read. i honestly wouldn't even really think about it if it weren't so popular in orv spaces.

sigh. but obviously a lot of people disagree with me on that one and it is still a very popular webnovel. so i guess its up to you. but that's why i get annoyed whenever i see it on my dash.

do NOT. put svsss on my dash.

[mercyandmagic]

First, I want to thank you for your insightful updates on the situation regarding MXTX. I'm sure you've heard about the official English translations, I was wondering if you were going to dive into that as an update or if you could give your objective analysis. The publisher states that they were licensed from 'the Chinese copyright holders' and that they 'support the creator' but aren't the holders still JJWXC? Is it known an approximate of how much 'support' authors get in a JJWXC contract?

Ahhhhhhh. So yes, I will update, but the short version is: it changes nothing.

While the amount may vary from contract to contract, the creator should get compensated for any sales of their novel even though JJWXC maintains copyright. Now, according to one contract I read, JJWXC is does not need author permission to greenlight translations of a work, because the work is not being adapted or changed. As the contract said, more sales just help the author more. So this is not a sign that she is free (which I am putting in bold because people like to extrapolate what they want to believe, but unfortunately there’s no reason to think it’s true).

However, in regards to “is MXTX being financially supported by this release,” two things:

1) One of translators said she was, but I read that more as an assumption that official releases support the author – which is typically true! – not as “I have personally spoken to MXTX and confirmed that she is compensated.” 

2). We’re not in typical circumstances and I don’t know Chinese law on this. The sad truth is MXTX is currently in prison until most likely next May (idk if you saw the Medium update I did; none of it was good news but frankly it was detailed enough to confirm it ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’). I don’t know if the money can legally be held for her, or if JJWXC would do even that. (This isn’t personal, JJWXC. I don’t know simply means I don’t know because I do not, in fact, know). 

There’s also an ethical conundrum I have about the release of the un-revised TGCF, which was held for all print and translation on anticipation of MXTX publishing the revised version. Except, she can’t work on it right now, and beginning one month after her sentencing, suddenly the releases of the un-revised version began to be announced. I feel weird because I doubt she was able to approve it, since she can’t communicate with JJWXC according to the law.

And yet, all that said, I still think purchasing the English versions is supporting her, even if the financial aspect is murky. If MXTX is popular, if people keep buying her novels worldwide, when she is released she will have an internationally successful career to return to. She should be able to receive compensation from those continuing publications to support herself and recover. And hey, if she ever releases the revised TGCF, I’ll buy that version too. 

[ouyangzizhensdad]

I like MDZS but I hate being kidnapped for your own good as a romantic trope and also think it was one of MXTX's clumsier moments with respect to LWJ's arc. It does its job as a source of conflict and comedy, but I don't think adult LWJ responding to being frightened he won't be able to convince WWX to let him protect him with kidnapping works as a follow up to first life LWJ's journey re: I want to take him back/he may not be willing. Unconscious WWX is thus a big improvement for me.

Hi anon, 

If the situation makes you uncomfortable, that’s fine. We all have different comfort levels with different aspects of fiction, and we might be less receptive to explorations of certain sources of conflict. It doesn’t inherently mean that what is being depicted is terrible, but just that it hits the wrong buttons for us. If I were editing the novel (or perhaps I should say the translation), I probably would change a few things and suggest different wordings in places.

I disagree however that it is played as a romantic trope in MDZS. The point of the kidnapped-for-your-own-good as a romantic trope is generally to prove the strength of the ~feelings and ~passion and ~protectiveness of the love interest. At this point of the narrative, LWJ taking WWX to the CR only makes the reader wary of LWJ’s intentions and plans, and also serves as a means to learn more about WWX as a character (especially his ‘creative’ resourcefulness). We get other moments in the narrative that show us the length of LWJ’s devotion and protectiveness, and which are supposed to be romantic, but him taking WWX back to the CR as ‘his responsibility’ to ensure he would not end up being hunted by JC or by other cultivators who hate modao users, is not one of them?

Lan Sizhui tried to reason with him. “Mo-gongzi, it was for your sake that Hanguang-jun brought you here. If you do not follow us, Jiang-zongzhu will not be willing to let the matter go. During these years, there were countless people whom he caught and took back to Lotus Pier, and none of those people were ever let out.”

WWX being taken back (for one night) to the CR is, mostly, a plot device that allows WWX to be brought back where the arm is and begins the plot arc around solving this mystery while at the same time putting WWX in the place where he can think about his first meeting with LWJ and the fraught beginning of their acquaintance. LWJ making sure WWX doesn’t run into the night at the point where their relationship is still in limbo due to misunderstanding also allows for them to continue interacting until many of these misunderstandings are resolved and WWX no longer mistrusts LWJ’s intentions--which, hey, I supposed can be criticised as a device for certain, but to me operates differently. 

Whether an arc feels coherent and successful can be a subjective thing. Personally, I do think there is a certain coherence in LWJ’s actions. In his first life, when WWX refused his help and protection (while not being in the right state to make such a decision, anyway), he accepts the situation while knowing that this means WWX will die sooner than later. And he died. I think it makes sense that, with WWX being brought to life and with LWJ having had more time to think about what happened, he pehraps decided that while he would not, you know, be his father and confine WWX to live the rest of his days in a hut separated from the ones he loved, he might also be more proactive in his efforts to protect WWX from the rest of the cultivation world--that he’d find another way that is neither of these options. I’m not saying that’s "moral” or “good” (I’m sort of not interested in these types of questions), but to me it can feel like a logical and emotional evolution: he knows what it feels like to lose him, and also he has a chance to do more this time, and perhaps he feels like the answer is no longer to respect someone’s wishes 100%at all times if it means that’ll get him killed. 

The point with bringing up the “consent” thing in CQL and how it relates to critcisms of MDZS by CQL fans was more to highlight the certain level of hypocrisy to these criticisms: CQL is not a perfect work where consent is respected at all times either, because most works of fiction would probably not pass that test anyway. So saying this situation is not 100% consensual thereby story bad is not going to leave a lot of stories to engage with. Honestly though most talks about consent in this fandom are just exhausting. JC didn’t consent to have WWX’s golden core. Wen Ning didn’t consent to be brought back to life. What’s next? MianMian didn’t consent to being saved by WWX? The juniors didn’t consent to eating spicy food? Lan Qiren didn’t consent to the marriage before it took place?