، 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍 🌙

At minimum about 4.5 thousand people liked this without reblogging it.

to the best of my knowledge, AP News is now the first (only?) western journalistic outlet to confirm that 袁依楣 Yuan Yimei (MXTX) was detained in 2019 for "tax evasion" ("非法經營罪"), imprisoned for 3 years, and paroled in 2021—there were sinophone reports but with dubious sources. i think we can now take this to be factual.

Yuan Yimei was also (according to 港聞 Hong Kong News) fined 400k RMB, and as always when accosted with this information I have to put my face in my hands and dwell on the unutterably vast amount of capital her IP has been generating (in the United States alone) since June 2019, and ask myself: has she seen even one cent of it.

and, like. far be it from me in these unprecedented times to harsh the global danmei buzz. i can only hold these facts in one hand, and gesture towards @penguinrandomhouse and @sevenseasentertainment with the other, and ask them how well they sleep at night without ever making a single official statement.

anyway here's a petition you can sign! thanks to @elizabethminkel for pointing out this article, and I hope all our beloved and unfathomably nervy writers are safe tonight, at home with people they love.

Because I feel like there are a couple of factors contributing to WWX becoming “the enemy of the cultivation world” and I think saying that it’s only about the Wen Remnants is a bit not it. Him sheltering the Wens is the visible cause of why he becomes so inconvenient all of a sudden. A pretence, you might say.

I also deeply disagree when people paint WWX’s arrogance as the reason he becomes a target for the clans. I’ve seen quite a few “if only he would have been nicer and explained the situation and used diplomacy! The clans would have understood him and JC would have surely helped him!” I honestly have no idea what in this book says that they are willing to listen to anything. WWX is a servant who has power way above his station and he isn’t willing to compromise on his morals. Like I can’t empathise enough how this story isn’t about misunderstanding.

The real reason we uncover throughout the book is a political play: WWX’s powers are such a game changer that all the politically ambitious folks (aka JGS and JGY) have already clocked in that they need Yin Tiger Tally for themselves to be on top of the game. WWX saving the Wens was just a very convenient thing for the Jins to use to go down the whole “public enemy” scenario, I feel like if there weren’t any Wens, they would have just made up smth else.

What I wanna say is when we oversimplify the situation with WWX saving Wen remnants as “WWX was choosing between his family and saving the Wens” we tend to make the deaths of JYL and JZX the result of “choosing the Wens” which just a fake consequence imo.

It’s kinda connected to another thing that I see from time to time (often due to donghua and cql but also mb because of the whole demonic vs ghost cultivation translation issue) is when people set up those deaths as the proof of WWX’s ghost path being evil by default like “of course everyone in the cultivation world knew WWX would lose his pebbles! Whatever WWX did his cultivation was a ticking bomb waiting to kill a bunch of people”. Which again misses a lot of context of these situations.

JZX’s death is the direct result of JGY’s political machinations that had a double purpose: to ambush and kill WWX/or set him up for killing the hosts and hopefully get rid of the direct Jin heir to uplift JGY’s position. It’s very likely that (unfortunately for JZX) he would have been dealt with by JGY either way. It isn’t directly connected to WWX making a “poor decision” of saving the Wens and leading to people having a valid reason to show him as dangerous. I also don’t see this death as a proof that ghost cultivation was evil and unstable from the start. I think the way this scene is framed: starting with WWX’s excitement about JL’s celebration and culminating in WWX’s gift being broken is pushing us as readers on an emotional roller coaster to help us understand exactly what a turmoil WWX is feeling in the moment, so when JZX comes to him with a sword without calling away Jin Zixun’s men, we feel the danger that made WWX act the way he did. I think the book very purposefully sets it as a sort of “overuse of self-defence” where WWX didn’t control the force of his command which makes him responsible for using the weapon but doesn’t mean that the weapon essentially was at fault. Was WWX’s cultivation the reason for this death? Yes, but in a same way a knife can be a lethal weapon if you push someone far enough to use it as one.

JYL’s death was the result of the sects uniting to kill WWX. WWX calls for the dead as a response to people attempting to kill him (which again looks like desperate self-defence to me) and he looses control of gui dao when he hears that JYL has arrived there. But I also think it’s very purposeful on mxtx’s behalf to show that JYL gets HURT by WWX’s inability to control ghost cultivation but she gets KILLED by a cultivator aiming to sneak kill WWX from the back. I feel like if mxtx really wanted to say “ghost cultivation is evil by default and will end badly for whoever the user is” she would have made JYL die from the wound that was caused indirectly by WWX failing to stop his rampage.

I’ve been sitting on this for literal years, it was something I was chewing on back when I was more involved in MDZS fandom and despite the passing time, nothing I’ve seen has changed my mind on this reading of the book, that the three poisons of Buddhist belief are all well represented in each member of the Venerated Triad/3Zun, and that it’s not an accident.

Let’s start off with the three poisons, or the Sandu (and yes, this is incredibly relevant to Jiang Cheng as well, even if he’s not mentioned in this essay, given that his sword is named after them) are a Buddhist concept, and refer to greed, wrath and ignorance as the greatest flaws a person can hold and must strive to overcome. Yes, ignorance is held to that same standard, and I can see where MXTX is laying that out in her story very clearly. Most of the cast struggles with at least one of these, and how much it impacts them is balanced by what their particular blinding trait leads them to do, especially among the antagonists both of past and present.

(Also to clarify on wording, while ignorance is the direct translation, I am more inclined to think that ignorance is closer to willful ignorance than just being too young to have learned everything yet, though it’s not wholly divorced. If you are unwilling to learn when young, it is still a bad thing and brings harm all the same. Just look at Jin Ling’s journey to see how this might be applied to young people who have yet to learn better and need to do so)

Now that you know what it is in theory, let me move on to the Venerated Triad in specific.

Every fifth MDZS textpost: nobody understands the Themes

Hi guyyyyyys happy pride!!!!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

I been wanting to draw more traditional clothes on the boysss and pride is a good moment as any other hehe!

Lwj is wearing an Aoqun (襖裙) with Chuihu sleeves (垂胡袖) and a Mamianqun (马面裙);

Wwx is wearing a Wei Jin style Ruqun (襦裙), with Chuihu sleeves and a Sanjianqun (三襉裙).

Like, by no means am I trying to weigh up the MXTX love interests' separation periods (as I like to think of them), but Hua Cheng had hope that he would find Xie Lian - he had so much hope that he actively searched for eight hundred years for him before he found him. Luo Binghe was able to bring Shen Qingqiu back, was in the midst of doing so when the mushroom body situation happen and then (while it wasn't Luo Binghe who did it) did bring him back.

Wei Wuxian died. Like straight up, no coming back, impossible to see him again, died. And I sometimes feel like saying that Lan Wangji was waiting kind of undermines the fact that this was a soul-crushing thing, and this was just going to be the rest of his life. There literally was no fucking shot of Wei Wuxian coming back in anyone's even remote comprehension, and the fact that he did come back was a fucking miracle in and of itself.

Lan Wangji mourned for those thirteen years. Hua Cheng searched, Luo Binghe (it's been a while so call me out if I'm wrong) was almost in denial over Shen Qingqiu's death even though he comprehended the sacrifice so he planned, but Lan Wangji mourned, and was going to mourn for the rest of his life. He just had to get used to the fact that he would never, ever get to see the love of his life again. There wasn't even a body to bury. It was just the memories and the gradual, slow descent of those memories disappearing with aging.

ALSO now that I'm thinking about it, the fact that he couldn't even talk to anyone else about it. Obviously, there's this whole thing of memories being kept alive through like sharing and talking about them, but Wei Wuxian cemented himself as basically a taboo subject. A monster who is only talked about to scare people or to curse out his name. Those who remember him can't or won't talk about him for one reason or another, and that means that Lan Wangji is left all alone, mourning someone who nobody even cares to talk about, and that will be the rest of his life. He has come to terms with the fact that he will die with the faint memory of Wei Wuxian's smile and that's all.

And, once again, this isn't trying to make a competition out of the separation periods, I could just as easily talk about how Hua Cheng's despair of not being able to find Xie Lian but knowing that he is alive somewhere (or is he? Has he gone? Faded away? Is Hua Cheng just looking for a memory?). I could talk about that desperation that Luo Binghe felt at losing the only person he had ever loved and been loved by, who had sacrificed himself to save him when he needed him most, who gave so many mixed signals, and then needing to get him back by any means necessary. But this post was borne of me being tired of the 'waiting' label being applied to Lan Wangji's mourning period.

It makes it so full circle when, in Guanyin Temple, Wei Wuxian (who doesn't need protection) wholly accepts Lan Wangji's protection for the first time.

The progression of that dynamic os so well done. Wei Wuxian subtly progresses from outright rejecting it and "trying to escape" it (but honestly, was he really trying to get away? Jury is still out) to fussing about it (are you trying to show who has the thicker face here?) to being unable to refuse it (comatose after a stab wound) to being "secretly delighted" at it... to wholly accepting that this person will do whatever it takes to keep him safe and healthy and whole.

I know it was hard on Lan Wangji in the beginning, but can you imagine the relief he felt at holding this man in his arms that first night in the Jingshi? The secret wonder at simply feeling this man breath?

Like—it starts with Shang Qinghua becoming so frustrated that he is this close 🤏 to crashing out and cursing tf our of everyone left and right because the minor clans have their heads up their asses, Linguang Jun keeps sending assassins that ends up being killed anyway and the only problem about that is the blood staining his favorite robes, An Ding Peak also keeps adding up to the problem via paperwork that can be comparable to a fucking mountain. Etc etcetc. His breaking his back running the Northern Kingdom and An Ding peak singlehandedly (I stand truth to competent SQH)

And Mobei-Jun notices this, and being the good husband that he is, proposes that Shang Qinghua blow some steam off. Shang Qinghua is a bit hesitant but it's nothing that Mobei Jun's glare couldn't fix.

Shang Qinghua: "Ayiah, my king is so demanding yet so generous! I have no choice but to comply to his husband’s demands now. Come, come, let's go to our bedroom."

Mobei-Jun: "...?"

Mobei-Jun has never seen his human ever take a break. Sleeping for hours upon hours when given the chance or if Mobei Jun forces him? Sure. Sitting on his chair as he ignores the paperwork like it doesn't exist? ...Doesn't really count. So it surprises him greatly when Shang Qinghua drags him to their bedroom to sleep (Knowing his husband, Shang Qinghua as much as he avoids sleeping, he adores it.)

For demons, their way of blowing off some steam is to duel. Yes. Not that surprising, but to duel.

So imagine to his surprise that this duel takes place in their bedroom AND Mobei Jun is the one to receive it. Shang Qinghua basically fucks him seven ways to sunday until Mobei Jun dry orgasms. And Mobei Jun is so baffled and overstimulated and horny that he's crying and pushing his hips back for more even though he knows that there's nothing left for him to give because Shang Qinghua has wrung him dry. But the aftermath ends with Shang Qinghua taking care of Mobei Jun via cleaning him up and massaging him and passing the fuck out on Mobei Jun's chest.

And Mobei Jun keeps staring at the ceiling then at Shang Qinghua.

Shang Qinghua: *Snoring and mumbling something.*

for any address to twitter you can replace the “x.com” with “nitter.net” and you will be able to browse as if you have an account. Lifesaver.