There are certain recurring tropes and headcanons in MDZS fanfics that, whenever I see them, the first, immediate thought that pops up in my mind is, “This was written by a white person, wasn’t it.”
Now, they may not necessarily be white, per se, but I find it highly unlikely the odds that person would be Asian, let alone Chinese.
BTW, I’m not saying white people shouldn’t be writing MDZS fics. People should be free to write about any culture they want, as long as they do so respectfully, but it is very much like taking a bite, expecting danta (蛋塔), but it turned out to be a quiche instead.
Yeah sometimes you just clock in that these fanfics are written by white ppl or maybe a person who doesnt know much about being chinese or in general an asian. I am not a chinese per see but I am asian and you can just tell when you see a trope that doesn't clicks within story or character.
I get it, most of the hangups in mdzs is about the generational patenting but thats the thing here. And the one reoccuring thing I see most of the time is jiang parenting, which even going by today's standard wasn't really that bad all things considered. I get it yzy had anger issues and jfg was a passive man, but thats the thing here. And I also agree that there was abuse going all around and was an all round toxic environment for any the jiang trios but ppl don't see here is in that time it was expected parents are to raise children so they become good ppl in society and later bring good name to them. Yes the parents who raised, it doesnt matter how the patenting is done, or even if the parent is present to do the parenting, if a child who later becomes a bad person by social standards , the parents are blamed no matter what. (I.e jgy with his mom, wwx with his dad)
This is the reason why yzy always feels the need to discipline all the three of them, so the society doesnt blame her for not upholding her duty to her husband, her sect, her children. She is angry cuz whatever wwx does, it will reflect on her, her sect, her way of raising him. So she always hard on everyone here.
And I reson I think jfm is such a passive man in the household here is cause that is not his duty. Raising children, maintaining the house, making sure everyone is satisfied is not his duty. As a patriarch his duty is to provide for the house which he already does.
Going by the standards of that time and location they are doing good enough for the society.
Yes beating children is bad parenting (which I abhore Btw) it is to be expected. Even now that practice is still alive in traditional asian countries.
Filial peity and respect to any elders is a must. What lwj did was bad really really bad even by todays standards. He was actually lucky to only get 33 whips not just straight up execution for injuring them and that too for a person who by all standards had rejected social rules so thoroughly and seems to do so with such arrogance and boldness and is like war criminal in the eyes of society is like straight up suicide. He is very very lucky that was all he got and not excile from the sect afterwards.
What my point of the rant was that, even if all this seems bad by today's standard, in those times it was ducking expected during that time.
Wwx truly was grateful for all the jiang did to him. An orphan left all alone to die and to be taken just cause he was friend's son? Preposterous. Unthinkable. (I. E the rumors about him being a bastard)
So it was to be expected for him to be in their debt, for him to be grateful to them for even giving a place so close to the main family. As is also expected of him to face any punishment they doled out on him.
Lwj was an actual fucking rebel. Even I during these times wouldn't even think of doing the things he did. Also lan clan loves, respects and hates him in even measure. Rebeling and staying out of house in front of his mom's prison just cuz he didnt see this month as a SIX year old. Biting ppl left and right if he doesn't like them. Punishing everyone at a slightest mistake in not upholding HIS family's rules and in the same vein letting off the rascal that was illegally sneaking alcohol to his 'alcohol is prohibited in cr' house and subsequently illegally getting into sword fight with said punk on the rooftops. And even during the adjacent summer school that his family is hosting, being a petty bitch to the said punk do as to not think lustful thoughts about the said punk, letting the said rascal touch his virgin ribbon, then falling in love with him and absconding off with the said love's bro for three whole months when whole ass war is going on, getting into fights in broad daylight with said love, thinking of sneaking a war criminal to his home (and be so fucking bold as in saying that to his sect leader face bold), trying to bring a war criminal problems to his home when they had enough of their own to go around, sneaking off secretly to see his crush in his new home, attacking his elders for the said crush and then having the audacity to bring the said crush's son to his home and giving him the FAMILY name and expected all others to just accept it (what an icon. The man knows how important he is to the sect and is not afraid to use it) and then subsequently mourning the said crush when he dies for whole ass 13/16 years (and expected to do so till the day he dies) and not doing his duty to the sect of not marrying anyone during the time. And later during the years where he was drunk in public and harming himself live, going on constant night hunts (not being at home as expected) and then later even bringing in some random ass hobo to his home (when said hobo is a bastard and rumoured to be gay and was allegedly in love with his half brother) traveling with said hobo, spending money on the said hobo, giving the said hobo access to SECRET family library and protecting him when the said hobo turns out to be hobo that died as society outcast and the war criminal that everyone hated. AND not only marrying the said hobo in broad daylight, and that too, not a traditional wedding but ELOPMENT.
What an icon lwj knows what he is worth in sect and isn't afraid to milk it.
He is real spoiled brat of his generation. Even comparing to nhs and jins, he really has no respect to his elders. Lmao
Im pretty sure if the others knew the extent he is spoiled, they'd be soo jealous.
But coming back to the point, when reading a lwj post whipping or even wwx as whole pov I really don't think that they hate the elders just cause they beat them or something, they resent that the elders didn't do their job properly (lwj) or hurt their own children in process of hurting himself (wwx).
Reading a pov where they having just plane hatred for the elders just pains me. Cause no, they would not hate others just cause of crimes against them, of course they don't like them but it will cuz they are fuckass hypocrites and do a lame job of being a cultivator.
Like maybe wwx would hate lan elders for hurting lwj but even that would be a stretch. Most probably he would avoid them and stop thinking of them at most,
And I agree lwj would hate jiang family on principle but like he wouldn't interfere in the family matters in his teenage era (I am not talking about adult lwj here cuz he is fucking menace to society as a whole)
And that is to say as a conclusion wwx would never in his first lifetime would have a rebellious thought about jiang family, no, not even yzy (especially yzy) and yes lwj would hate the elders not cuz they beat him but cuz they didnt accept his demands is most probably in what can said is throwing a temper tantrum cuz he is a fucking brat (he should respect them, he should be grateful that they didn't kill him but no-). Lwj is an outline to what society really tolerates and should not be considered in the census while viewing ancient chinese traditional thoughts.
