#so it didn't get added

[mxtxfanatic]

The Validity of Jin Guangyao’s Lookout Towers

There’s been a lot of discourse for a while about the validity of the lookout towers that Jin Guangyao builds in his capacity as Chief Cultivator: whether or not they were a good or bad thing, whether they helped civilians or not, and what the real motivation behind building them was. I’ll be going over my thoughts on these lookout towers, using quotes from the exr, fanyiyi, and boat-full-of-lotus pods translations as well as a translated snippet from @jiangwanyinscatmom for every instance the lookout towers are mentioned in the story. Be warned that with this in mind, this will get long. Analysis under the cut:

The first time the reader is introduced to the concept of the lookout towers is in Chapter 42 (Flora X for fanyiyi, Grasses for exr). Wangxian and the junior disciples had just escaped Yi City, and Wei Wuxian is lamenting the fact that lookout towers (which he had seen along their path and which Lan Wangji explained the purpose of to him) were not built anywhere near the city. This is the explanation for their building provided by the 3rd POV narrator:

These “lookout towers” were distributed across distant, desolate locations, and disciples were chosen from each clan and posted to them. If something strange appeared, they were to act immediately. In the event that they couldn’t solve the problem on their own, they were supposed to promptly request help from other clans or wandering cultivators. In the event that the cultivators who answered the call asked for compensation, the funds the Lanling Jin Clan raised each year were enough to cover it in spite of the locals’ inability to bear the financial burden.

–fanyiyi

These “lookout towers” were scattered around the more remote places. Every one of them were assigned disciples from certain sects. If anything strange happened, they’d take action at once. When they couldn’t deal with the matter, they’d send out messages to other sects or rogue cultivators for help. Even if the cultivators who came wanted something in return while the locals were too poor to give them any, the money that the LanlingJin Sect gathered throughout each year would be enough to support them.

–exr

However, before they were built, they were met with a lot of resistance and backlash:

After Jin Guangyao had officially succeeded Jin Guangshan as Clan Chief and risen to the position of Chief Cultivator, he had begun gathering and deploying personnel and resources from each clan, putting his hand to the task of realizing his earlier plan. Immediately, he was met by a wave of resistance; many suspected the Lanling Jin Clan of using the project as a pretext to stuff their own pockets and seize more power. Jin Guangyao plastered a smile on his face and spent five full years grinding down the opposition. In that time, he made a countless number of alliances, and a countless number of enemies. After much coaxing with the carrot, prodding with the stick, and generally deploying every strategy at his disposal, he finally prevailed. Over one thousand two hundred “lookout towers” went up throughout the land...

...All of this occurred after the death of the Yiling Laozu. Wei Wuxian had only gotten the whole story from Lan Wangji after the two had passed a few lookout towers during their journey. He had heard reports that Jinlin Terrace1 was preparing to build a second round of lookout towers, expanding the number to three thousand and covering an even greater area. After the existing set of lookout towers had been built, their effectiveness garnered them widespread approval, but nonetheless, the sounds of doubt and ridicule had never abated.

–fanyiyi

After Jin GuangYao officially succeeded the position of Sect Leader and became the Chief Cultivator, he immediately gathered people and resources from the sects, and started to carry out his past goals. In the beginning, the voices of opposition were deafening. A lot of people suspected that the LanlingJin Sect used it to gain personal benefits and stuff its own pockets. With a smiling face, Jin GuangYao persisted for five years. During the years, he allied but also fell out with countless people. Using both gentle and forceful methods, he did all that he could and what he wished for was finally completed. More than twelve hundred “lookout towers” had been built...

...All of these happened after the death of the YiLing Patriarch. Wei WuXian only heard the ins and outs from Lan WangJi after they passed a few lookout towers during their journey. Rumors had it that Koi Tower was preparing to build the next batch of lookout towers, increasing them to three thousand in number so that they covered a greater area. Although after the first lookout towers were built, they received widespread approvals due to their notable effects, the voices of suspicion and ridicule had never died either. When the time came, the cultivation world would definitely be thrown into chaos again.

–exr

The backlash was specifically because Jin Guangyao was “gathering and deploying personnel and resources from each clan” (fanyiyi). Yet, the opposition is eventually suppressed enough to proceed with construction after 5 years. How so? Well the 3rd POV narrator explains once again:

Back then, in order to build the lookout towers, Jin GuangYao not only faced quite a number of opposers, but also displeased a handful of sects. One of the opposing sect’s leaders lost the arguments, and went into a murderous rage, killing Jin GuangYao and Qin Su’s only son. The boy had always been a good child and he couple had always loved him dearly. Under resentment, Jin GuangYao tore down the entire sect in revenge.

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

An opposing clan leader killed Jin Rusong, Jin Guangyao’s son, and Jin Guangyao massacred the entire clan in retaliation. This is the second time the lookout towers are mentioned in the text, and this gives a more detailed explanation on exactly what “forceful methods” (exr) Jin Guangyao used at his disposal to push his plans through. The next time we hear about the lookout towers, it is very briefly mentioned in Chapt. 49: Guile (exr) where Jin Guangyao is seen through Empathy discussing the blueprints with Lan Xichen, and the last time they are ever mentioned is in Chapt. 86: Loyalty (exr, boat-full-of-lotus-pods, and @/jiangwanyinscatmom segment) when the clans gather at Lotus Pier following the failed second siege of the Burial Mounds to discuss Jin Guangyao’s treachery.

So first question: did the lookout towers create a positive change for civilians? From the little we are told, “their effectiveness garnered them widespread approval“ (fanyiyi) / “they received widespread approvals due to their notable effects“ (exr), so on the surface, yes. But we don’t actually see this approval or effectiveness in the story. For all that the lookout towers were meant to cover cultivator-less areas, remote places like Yi City* were still left untouched by their sights. On top of that, the previous system of night-hunting was that areas would be overseen by local cultivation families. Yi City became a blindspot partially because the Chang clan–the nearest cultivation family–had already been wiped out, and none other had come to replace them.

Futhermore, cultivators–particularly those from the big clans–were notorious for turning away night-hunts that they felt would not bring them glory, would not pay well, or were too troublesome (On Yi City: ”These places were usually located in relatively remote areas, beyond the control of cultivators. Of course, cultivators didn’t want to deal with them either, as doing so was extremely troublesome, even worse than dealing with an aquatic abyss.” chapt. 33, fanyiyi). In a perfect world, cultivators would pick up any task, but in the world of mdzs pre-Wei Wuxian’s resurrection, only Lan Wangji accepts any night-hunt with no compensation, hence his title of Hanguang-jun. As for the pay: well, the explanation says that if locals cannot afford the cultivators’ fees, the Jin would pay for it with “the funds the Lanling Jin Clan raised,” which remember: the Jin are using the resources of other clans to fund the lookout towers. Those clans would, therefore, still be footing the bill in a roundabout way. At best, the effects of the lookout towers are nebulous as, essentially, nothing has actually changed under this system: remote areas are still unprotected, cultivators can still refuse night-hunts they don’t like, and clans will still have to foot the bill for locals who can’t afford their fees.

Second question: was the building of the lookout towers a categorically good thing? I say no. The problem wasn’t that the idea was bad, but the execution of it was paid in blood. Jin Rusong was used as a convenient pawn to excuse Jin Guangyao’s slaughter of his political opponents. Clan Leader Yao (for once) makes the connection perfectly in Chapt. 86:

Sect Leader Yao continued, “And the one who killed Jin RuSong just happened to be the sect leader who opposed his construction of the lookout towers—how could there be such a coincidence?” He snorted, “Either way, no matter what, Jin GuangYao didn’t need to keep a son who’d likely turn out to be an idiot. He killed Jin RuSong, framed the sect leader who opposed him, and crusaded against sects that refused to accept him fair and square, in the name of revenge for his son—although it was heartless, it killed two birds with one stone. What tactics, LianFang-Zun!”

–exr

Sect Leader Yao continued, “Plus, the one who supposedly murdered Jin RuSong also just so happened to be the sect leader in opposition of Jin GuangYao building the lookout towers. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?” He smirked, “Either way, there was very little reason for Jin GuangYao to keep a stunted offspring. He’d be much better off having Jin RuSong killed and framing it on an opposing sect leader. That way he could use justice and revenge as excuse to prosecute the sect that he could not tame. It’s a cruel yet very efficient method, getting rid of two birds with one stone. LianFang-Zun is a brilliant manipulator!”

–boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Master Yao continued, “And at the time, the person who poisoned Jin Rusong happened to be the leader of the clan who opposed Jin Guangyao's watchtowers. Can there be such a coincidence?" He sneered, "Anyway, no matter what, Jin Guangyao didn't need to keep a son who was likely to be an idiot. Kill Jin Rusong, kill the leader who opposed him, and then in the name of avenging his son, he justly kills that family who did not accept his rule. Although ruthless, it kills two birds with one stone. What a strategy Lianfeng-zun!"

–@/jiangwanyinscatmom

Jin Guangyao was specifically being opposed for how he was commandeering the disciples and resources of other clans while claiming to be putting the Jin Clan’s resources on the line. Meanwhile behind the scenes, he was scheming for ways to get rid of detractors and landed on using his son’s murder as the catalyst. (A murder which he admits to: “Jin GuangYao easily read what his eyes meant, laughing out of anger, ‘Lan XiChen! In this life, I’ve lied countless times, killed countless times. Like you said, I killed my father, my brother, my wife, my son...’” Chapt. 108, exr)

@/jiangwanyinscatmom’s translation even makes clear the distinction that what Jin Guangyao was being opposed on was not the lookout towers, themselves, but the massive overreach of power by which Jin Guangyao was allowed to commandeer the other clans or wipe them from the planet at his own whim and discretion. And he would have been planning for this for a long time, as he entangled Lan Xichen into his plans for the lookout towers (remember that very brief flashback) and then pulled him into grieving for his son, thereby gaining the approval of at least one other great clan to do as he pleased on this matter. If this was to truly be considered a good project, it should not have been accomplished by such underhanded and bloody means.

And my last question: if not to help civilians, then what was the motivation behind the lookout towers? Well Jin “rapist of sex workers” Guangyao, Jin “instigator of multiple clan and sex worker massacres” Guangyao, Jin “knew about the massacre of Yi City but kept it under wraps to save face” Guangyao does not care about civilians, so we can definitely cross that out. Looking at the evidence still in Chapt. 86, a few pages down from Clan Leader Yao’s explanation, we get this:

“I’ll say a secret too. The money and resources he used to build the lookout towers were all collected from other sects, right? Every sect helped out a bit. I heard that he secretly takes... this amount.”

“Oh Heavens... So much? He really is shameless. I thought he really wanted do good back then. All of our sincerity was fed to the dogs!”

Wei WuXian felt that things were rather comical, If they’re rumors, why the hurry to believe them? If they’re secrets, why would you come to know them?

These rumors didn’t happen in just the one day. However, in the past, when Jin GuangYao was popular, they were suppressed quite well. Almost nobody took them seriously. Yet, tonight, all of the rumors seemed to have become absolute truths, forming the rocks and bricks of Jin GuangYao’s supposedly-committed crimes, proving his lack of morality.

–exr

“Let me share a secret as well then. The money and resources needed to build those lookout towers of his were all gathered from other sects, right? Each sec would receive the portions they’ve contributed, but I’ve heard that he’d actually retain for himself…… this much.”

“Oh Heavens…… that much? How shameless! And here I thought he was honestly trying to do things with them. We’ve been feeding our devotions to the dogs!”

Wei WuXian found this all to be quite amusing. He mused in his heart, ‘If you know it’s only rumors, then why believe it without question? If it’s really a secret, then how did you come to know about it?’

None of these rumors were fresh or new. While the tides had favoured Jin GuangYao, they were effectively contained, and no one really believed them to be true. Yet, in the span of one night, it was as if all the rumors had suddenly become solid evidence, and one by one they became the cornerstone foundation to Jin GuangYao’s tower of sins; proof of his madness.

–boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jin Guangyao was using the lookout towers as a test run to see how far he could stretch his newfound power as Chief Cultivator, a running theme for all of the previous chief cultivators in the novel (Wen Ruohan and the indoctrination camp escalating into the supervision offices escalating into flat-out war, Jin Guangshan and the Wen labor camp at Qiongqi Path run by the Jin Clan but employing disciples of other clans escalating into the Nightless City banquet and first siege of the Burial Mounds). Can Jin Guangyao as Chief Cultivator command other clans’ disciples without need of permission from their leaders? Yes. Can he seize other clans’ money and resources for his own expenditures? Yes. Can he annihilate clans without any pushback? Yes.

But I also want to draw attention to my bolded emphasis on not only the explanation but also the little chunk of text at the end of the quote. Before that segment, Wei Wuxian (rightfully) points out that these nameless cultivators are running with rumors as truth, the same way they had run with rumors to justify murdering him 13 years prior and accusing him of kidnapping the junior disciples just that day at the second siege. This is a fair observation to make, but the 3rd POV narrator (bolded) swiftly comes in to cap any sympathy that may have begun budding for our fallen villain by telling us what Wei Wuxian does not know: these rumors have existed from the moment Jin Guangyao seized power and began to test his boundaries; it’s just that Jin Guangyao had the power to suppress them before. Now that he has been dethroned and relegated back to “son of a whore,” there is nothing stopping people from recalling the opposition that had always been levied against him from the very beginning. There is nothing stopping them from tearing down the reputation he built in blood.

So there you have it, folks: everything mdzs has to say on Jin Guangyao’s lookout towers, with a little analysis by me on how I think we are meant to view their role in the story. Hope you enjoyed!

*Note: The lookout towers were built after Xue Yang had been expelled from the Jin Clan, but Jin Guangyao still kept an eye on him, as evidenced by the fact that Su She knew where to find him and that yin tiger tally was with him in Yi City. Yi City was sacrificed to Xue Yang to uphold Jin Guangyao’s reputation and hide away his dirty secrets from being exposed.

[egophiliac]

since Eng is getting 7.5 soon(?), I felt motivated to go back to my Meleanor rig and make her a couple of lesson animations! ...except for alchemy, because the cauldron bubbles proved too hard to photoshop around, whoops.

maybe she just got lost on her way to the classroom...?

(credit: backgrounds are from the game, I just put her on top of 'em)

(aside from the backgrounds, this is not an edit, I drew her from scratch! please do not tag or treat as an edit!)

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

real talk having the 2nd worst new years eve yet 🤢🤢🤢 (throat infection, twisted neck, banged-about-foot, ego AND the rest o' me all bruised like misjuggled peaches 🍑🍑🍑)

im bent outa shape and suspectin the universe owes me 8 buck if anyone wannsa chip in

[reichurine]

bodyswap au but a bit of a sad take oops, pt3

pt2 here

[luckylectio]

Art for @starlight-eclipsed's Doppelgänger AU! In which Legend, aka Legato, goes through Linked Universe for a second time, because time-travel shenanigans never cease (not that he's complaining). Go give it a read!

[front-facing-pokemon]

[krazieka2]

Blions first kill

[rjshope]

Jin x W Korea | white

[starscreamingg]

Okay I'm so sleep deprived so pardon whatever this is but something that's got me FUCKED up about ai generated pictures songs writing is that it just fucking kills the ability to analyse for me because there's no fucking INTENTION behind it. Like why was this decision made why were these colours used what does that say about the work NOTHING because a bunch of programming took work that DID have intent and theme and purposeful choices and turned it into SLOP. Like I COULD analyse this but it doesn't MEAN anything it's EMPTY I want to EXPLODEEE

[bread-wizards]

I actually think Dorian and Orym should fight more.

Remember when their slowly building tension over and entire episode (full of passive aggressive remarks and blame throwing) led to threats? And how after, Orym thanked Dorian for handing over the crown sadly because he knew Dorian would be mad at him? And Dorian couldn't even look at him because he was legitimately hurt, thinking Orym was disappointed in him for doing what he thought was right? That was peak.

The fact they went from that to their current closeness and trust is the best part of their entire dynamic. Their relationship was hard fought and still will be. They will fight for it because they respect and care for one another deeply, and their disagreements don't change that, only improve it.

[atalienart]

✧*:･ﾟArt summary 2024

2014-2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021

[wu-wakfu-undertale]

bonjour wakfu fans. i am, how you say, back in the fucking building.

also do we remember when this happened

[illogicalvulcans]

[Fic Book Covers 11+12/?] Integrative Approaches by Nnm / @mouseonamoose

Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma

As soon as Aubrey Thyme, psychotherapist, had opened her office door and seen her new client, Anthony J. Crowley, sitting in her waiting area, she was observing and assessing him. At first glance, she paid attention to the following: --His clothing was expensive and stylish; --He wore very strange but noticeable cologne; --His relationship to the seat he occupied could only, very loosely, be described as “sitting;” --He looked angry; --He was wearing sunglasses. What Aubrey Thyme, a professional, thought, upon first seeing her new client was: you’re going to be a fun one, aren’t you?

Angel-Centered Therapy Through A Multicultural Lens

“I’d love to meet with you,” Davey said, apologetically, when he had been called up by a fellow looking to initiate therapy, “but I’m all booked up for months.” “Are you sure?” The fellow said, through a poor connection that crackled. Davey had been sure. And yet. Right there in his calendar was a blank spot, just a few days away, which he had somehow completely overlooked before. “How about that…I’ve got Wednesday at eleven, if you can make that work.” “What a miracle,” the fellow said, “that would be just the perfect time.”

[sukibenders]

Hear me out: you can ship JayVik without falling into or using rhetoric that fits the disposable black girlfriend trope. You can ship JayVik without using Mel as some conceived ploy or antagonistic plot device that makes her out of character. You can ship JayVik without falling into misogynistic rhetoric (eg. viewing female characters as disposable or stepping tools, amongst other things). You can ship JayVik without erasing the impact Mel has had on Jayce and their relationship because, whether you shipped it or not or even gave it the time of day, Mel and Jayce did care for each other, and to deny that or say Viktor held more importance/impact than her in Jayce's life to where she's viewed as "unnecessary" just to further your ship is so wrong and, whether you intended for it or not, does carry undertones where black characters, especially black female characters, emotional impact on others is ignored or downplayed even though there's context to support just how important it is/they are. Lastly, you can ship JayVik without using anti-black and misogynoir type rhetoric because the amount that has flooded this fandom, but especially from some fans of this ship, is atrocious. Ship what you like, but be respectful and careful with certain things you say, is all I'm saying.

[mintypsii]

doodle dump :3

some of these r comic wips that i prob won't get to (the last one is post w7 where an anxious usopp places traps around the sunny and sanji gets caught in one bfhdkjs)

[1v31182m5]

Old man Ogron

The idea of immortality goes into forever but of course they can still be killed by somebody else, so as long as eternity sounds they still would die you know. And I thought about it for a while, I came to the idea that Ogron would maybe be the last one alive. No this isn't a sad story type of thing Ogron is in peace with his memories and not in agony. This is just so long time skip of -I tried to find where I said it but failed miserably- when I headcanonning that Ogron would want to be those classical wizards during his elder days with this vibe around him. You knoww the "wizard"tm

A couple of details I want to mention

-the wizards were the 4 kings of Tir Na Nog for a long time so of course they influenced it over the centuries, the emblem on Ogron's hat is a symbol of "fairy hunter" it's like how war veterans have it. There's status of those emblems that represents your count. Ogron's is "uncountable amount Fairy Hunter", which is the highest that he wears with pride there's an X on the middle and wing symbols next to it.

-there's 3 circles on top of that on his hat those circles are to honour the other 3 black circle wizards and the same goes for the 3 circles on the thread holding his cape together infront of his chest.

-He's holding the black circle on top of his hat instead of hiding it inside of him. He's obviously stronger now so he doesn't even needs to do that.