Xiantober MDZS re-read. Day one recap
Prelude.
Aggression. Pt1
Aggression. Pt2.
I didn't get as far as I wanted. Oh well. There's always more tomorrow.
Here follows my notes/obervations/thoughts from the first three chapters of MDZS.
(I am terrible at keep track of pages and chapters. I'll get better for the rest of the month)
"That’s merely hearsay. Although Jiang Cheng was one of the main forces, he did not give Wei WuXian the final blow."*
This statement is proceeded by numerous lies and rumors about Wei Wuxian’s "evil" and what (the speakers) would have done if they had been in Jiang Cheng's shoes.
This statement/rumor/lie is what's refuted. That Jiang Cheng *wasn't* the one who killed Wei Wuxian.
I also noted that Wei Wuxian is only called "Wei Ying" by a handful of people outside of Lan Wangji.
But Jiang Cheng is routinely called by his birth name throughout the entire novel and I'm wondering if it's supposed to be disrespectful
If was the last, his soul would eventually return to revive in his body. When the day comes, the cultivation world, or even all of mortal land, would be faced with the most insane damnation and revenge, sinking into nothing but chaos and despair.
How is this not the subject of like, a million fics? Is no one brave enough to write Wei Wuxian reviving his own body and getting along with life because thats what he would do!
Mo XuanYu was homosexual, and had enough nerve to harass the other disciples.
This is what Mo XuanYu writes in his journal. What he confesses too. Harassing other disciples. No mention of harassing Jin Guangyao. And if he was honest in his journals about harassing other disciples, wouldn't he have confessed to that as well? He wasn't gonna be alive anymore what did he care?
-Chapter 2, Reincarnation, page 8 ExR translation.
when Mo XuanYu returned, he often behaved in a crazy manner, almost as if his life was scared out of him.
Also, written in Mo XuanYu's journal.
Every two or three days, he would find Mo XuanYu and humiliate him, cursing him for snatching his road to cultivation
It's insane to imagine a child blaming another child, both of whom have no control in their lives and are simply products of their surroundings, for "stealing" something that was never theirs in the first place.
(I'm sure this will never come up again.)
Wei WuXian played with the pair of chopsticks that were stuck into the rice, feeling quite bitter. The YiLing Patriarch had just returned to the mortal world, but the first thing he came upon was a kick and a scolding, not to mention the leftovers that served as his welcoming-meal. Where were the blood and gore? The ruthless slaughter? The absolute destruction? Who would believe him? He was like the tiger in a flatland, the dragon in shallow water, the phoenix without feathers, losing his advantage and belittled by those weaker than him.
One of the things I love about this omniscient readers pov, is kind of like in Jane Austin's novels, the narrative will take on the flavor or "voice" of the character but *not* their pov.
I can't help but picture Wei Wuxian pouting and thinking about all the things rumored about him in a mocking and sneering the rumors for being as insane as they sound. He has been back for a full day and he is pouting and I just think it's a cute trick in the narrative style, and imagining Wei Wuxian pouting for a moment over his return to life, is adorable.
Even so, her husband was in a trance. Possibly because of the trauma from his only child passing away, he went as far as to backhandedly push her. It caught Madam Mo by surprise, and she fell onto the ground.
Like, right here. If this was a omniscient narrative alone there would be *hints* that something with Master Mo is not right. But the text takes of the "flavor" of Madam Mo. Her outrage and grief and embarrassment that she doesn't even *clock* that her husband is not behaving right and just sends him away.
However, to Wei WuXian, they were the most obeying puppets. When he heard them being mentioned, he even felt a sense of familiarity.
Theres....something here. Finding familiarity in the dead.
*After Wei WuXian finished flipping out, he walked out the door of the Mo family’s place, and showed his face around the Mo village. Although he surprised countless people, he was, in fact, loving every second of it, and finally realized the delight of being a lunatic. He was even starting to approve of the makeup that resembled a hanged ghost, almost unwilling to wash it away.*
How jarring would it be to go from the most hated man in Cultivation Society, to a illegitimate child from moderate town? To be able to walk around and people know his face for.*different* reasons.
Not to mention the newfound freedom of not having to worry about the reputation of a sect. And he is just allowed to be.
If it was set on a living person, it would attract all of the spirits, wronged ghosts, moving corpses, or evil beings within a certain area, so that they would only attack that person.
Chat. You're never gonna believe how Chekov fires this gun later.
There shouldn’t be any malicious creatures in a place as small as the Mo Village.
Something about last words being famous.
During the day, Lan SiZhui saw Wei WuXian make a scene in the East Hall, and, afterwards, he also heard a lot of exaggerated rumours from other people. He felt extremely sympathetic to the invalid, and couldn’t help but to take his side,
Lan Wangji taught him to be kind, to be generous, and to learn the truth outside of the rumors.
Wei WuXian straightened his body and allowed them to do so without difficulty, so that he wouldn’t have to walk by himself.
he's gonna end up there anyway, why waste the energy when the mob clearly wants to carry you themselves!
When he was younger, he talked quite a lot about exterminating entire families and clans, killing millions of people, creating rivers of blood, and other cruel actions. But, most of the time, they were empty words. If he could actually do the things that he said, he would have long been dominating the cultivation world.
Page 23,
As opposed to
Then again, nobody doubts the fact that the YiLing Patriarch has the power to move mountains and empty seas.
Page 2,
Not her own death so that she could be with her son, but the deaths of everyone in the world, especially the ones in front of her right now.
punishing the world for ills done wrong to you personally is a deep theme in this novel.
Wei WuXian happened to be next to her, and gave her a hand, passing her to A-Ding, who came running.
So many rumors about how Wei Wuxian was vain, arrogant, selfish and cocky and here the text say "he could have let her fall. But he caught her and handed her off"
Something about Wei Wuxian repaying anger directed at him with kindness.
